The Stuart Family

Catch up

2009-01-27T14:17:00.001-08:00

So I haven't blogged in forever. I am a total slacker but I am going to do better. Things are going good for all of us, busy but good.
Rex is getting so big. He is into everything. I think that the terrible two's came early. His favorite word is "don't" and he uses it all day long. He still has an infatuation with shoes. Everyone says he is going to be a shoes salesman one day because he can walk in any kind of shoe and has to wear any shoe just laying around. He loves watching Toy Story. He brings me the movie all day. He would watch it over and over if I would let him. He is so much work but so fun.
Steve is just working and finishing up school. He will graduate with his MBA on June 13th. We are so excited! We still haven't heard back from any schools for his PHD but are hoping to know something by April to May.
It is our 5 year anniversary tomorrow. I cant believe we have been married for 5 years. Where does the time go? They night we got married we stayed at the Anniversary Inn before leaving on our honeymoon so we decided it would be fun to go and stay in the same room again. Presidential Suit here we come. It is the first night we have left Rex. I hope he does okay.
Everything else is about the same. I am going to do better with blogging since it is our "journal" and don't want to miss out on all the fun memories with Rex and Steve. So blogging world, we are back.

BIg trouble

2008-11-14T07:42:00.001-08:00

I was at Rachaels house the other day and Rex needed his nap. I put him down in Rachael's room in a pack and play. It had been 20 minutes or so and I heard some knocking. Rachael had left with the kids to run a quick errand so I figured it was just a neighbor kid at the door. I answered the door but no one was there. I couldn't figure out where all this noise was coming from but it seemed to be coming from Rachael's room. I opened the door and Rex was running crazy. He had turned on her radio and was dancing around the room just having a good time. I was shocked. I had put the pack n play right next to her bed and he figured out how to escape.

This week we have been staying at my parents home while they are out of town and Rex sleeps in the office in a pack n play. I figured that if there wasn't a bed next to him he would have to stay in the pack n play or he would have a long fall coming out. Well this morning he had woken up early so instead of getting him I decided he needed to go back to sleep. He obviously thought differently and before I knew it he opened the door and was running around the house. I couldn't believe he would climb out. What do I do? If he climbs out of his crib that is a long way down and there goes nap time. I cant live without nap time. Has anyone ever used the crib tents? Any suggestions?

Parkers party

2008-11-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

It is Paker's birthday on the 6th so he had his friends party on Saturday. He had invited a million kids and Rachael needed drivers so Rex got invited on default. We went to Jump and Jacks in Springville and the kids had a blast. Rex couldn't do them by himself so I paid to do them with him. I felt a little weird being the only adult so I made Shane do the blow up rides with us. It was such a work out to haul Rex up these huge slides. He wasn't so sure about it but warmed up by the end.

And after a long day playing... it was time for a nap.

Halloween

2008-11-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween Izzy had asked that Rex be Mickey Mouse. She was being Minnie Mouse and wanted a Micky to trick or treat with her. It was so funny when Rex put his costume on for the first time he would look in the mirror and laugh. He kinda looked like a skittle, a cute skittle but a skittle none the less. It is tradition at our house to go to my parents for Navajo tacos. Since Steve had school that night we had dinner early so he could be with Rex for some of his trick or treating. We went around my parents neighborhood and I couldn't believe that some of the houses were giving out king size candy bars to these little kids. Rex made off with a haul. We haven't even touched the candy since he got it. He got into it for the first few houses but he was all about the stroller and his bottle.

These were the only picture I got of the kids. I couldn't believe I hadn't taken more.

The witches

2008-11-03T20:34:00.001-08:00

Every year my mom and sisters go to Gardner Village to see the witches. It was fun this year because Rex was interested in them. He thought they were pretty fun to look at. Some of them made him a little scared but he seemed to enjoy himself. It was a fast trip up and back but nice to be with the girls.

Cold weather = ear infections

2008-10-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well Rex hasn't been feeling very well so I took him into the Doctor. It seems like every time he gets sick it is a week before a well check. His 15 month well check is on Wednesday. Anyways he ended up having an ear infection. I hate the cold weather just because of that. I hope this will be his one and only of the season. Wish us luck.

We tried to make him feel better by giving him a cupcake. He is on this new power struggle and has to feed himself with no help. I was panicking it was getting all over Rachael's new couches. Thank heavens for leather. But it did make him happy so I guess it was worth it.

Steve starts into never seeing us again this week. He is taking a Kaplan course for his GMAT. Lets hope it helps because with that, school, and work we wont see him for a few months. I don't know how he does it all.

So many fun activities

2008-10-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

This week being UEA, Alison and her boys were able to come down. My mom had every second planned out with fun activities. It started at 10:00 Thursday morning with crafts crafts crafts. She had the cutest Frankensteins for the adults- including Kadrie to paint, we made cupcakes that we decorated like bats, and painted Styrofoam balls that we made into spiders. They were so cute. Rex had to go down for his nap but they rest of the kids went and picked apples at a friends home. The kids have so much fun playing together. My parents home was destroyed but my Mom loves it.

Lucky for Steve, he just so happened to have the day off today. He got up with Rex this morning and let me sleep it. I slept until 10:00 when Rachael called me and woke me up, how rude. Steve had gotten breakfast for us and we laid around as long as we could. We all met at my Moms for lunch and then we were off to Vineyard for the festivities. I had never been before but they had quite a bit of stuff for the kids to do and it was cheap. They have a corn maze, animals, tunnels to crawl though, big blow up slides, and a big playground. We even managed to get my Dad to take off work and come with us.

When we were finished we were off to decorate pumpkins. We didn't really want to carve them because they are so much work so we painted instead. It was fun to see how every kid did theirs so differently.

Thanks Mom for such a fun few days. Rex had so much fun.

Hee Haw

2008-10-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Monday we went to Hee Haw Farms. One of the Title companies that my Mom and Shane work with were sponsoring it. I have never been there before but Rex loved it. They had baby animals that you could pet, hay rides where they throw candy out- that happened to nail Rex right in the head, pony rides-which he wasn't so sure about, a corn maze, tractor rides, a huge slide which Rex loved, he would start to laugh as soon as he started down, doughnuts and hot chocolate, and we got to pick a pumpkin that was a ball according to Rex. It was so much fun.

We took video on my camera that didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but we had a really fun time. You should go if you haven't already.

Pool Day

2008-09-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

For our last day on vacation we stayed at the pool all day. It was a good thing because it was 106. The pool wasn't heated but it felt so good. Rex hadn't really gotten into the pool earlier in the week because he wasn't feeling well but by that last day he loved it.
We have really worked with Rex on his naps/bedtime to be able to lay him down in his crib and go to sleep. It is a great thing except when you need him to sleep where there isn't a crib and quite to do so in. He never falls asleep unless he is in a crib but he must have been really tired because he fell asleep in the pool. It was so cute that we had to get some pictures. He just put his head down and within seconds he was out. It was so cute.
Rex doesn't really get into TV or movies. But we do have a Disneyland sing along that he loves. So on the way home Rex watched it a few times. He looked so grown up with the head phones on. I am surprised he would wear them. He would only keep them on for a few minutes at a time but I just could resist a picture.

We had such a great trip. It was nice to be able to spend some time with Steve. We definitely should do it more often. Thanks Mom and Dad and Ray and Shane for letting us go with you. We love ya

The happiest place on earth, Disneyland

2008-09-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

I love Disneyland. We have gone almost every year since I was a little girl. So naturally I wanted my baby to love it as much as I do. He had so much fun. It was the first day of Halloween decorations. It looked so cute. There were pumpkins everywhere.
Rex liked to look at the characters but from a distance. When it was our turn for a picture he would hit them and say no. So I would have to hold his hand so he didn't hurt them. I tried to get a picture with just Minnie, Izzy and Rex but that didn't go over very well. So I ended up having to hold him still long enough for Steve to take it.
He seemed to enjoy all the rides. He didn't cry on any of them even Pirates of the Caribbean. He didn't like to stand in line but who does? His favorite ride was the Tiki Room. Steve had never been in it before so he was in for a treat. It is a room full of birds who sing and put on a show for you. Rex just watched in amazement how these (fake) birds would sing and talk. He didn't move a muscle. It was fun to watch him.
Rex loved the parade. He danced and waved as all the characters went by. Steve even got in a fight with some lady over our seats. It was pretty funny how mean people get over parades. Rex happily made it the entire day on only a 20 minute nap. He almost made it to fireworks but just couldn't stay awake any longer. It was so fun to see him have such a great day.

Beach Day

2008-09-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

It was Rex's first time experiencing the ocean. We went to Laguna beach, one of families favorites. He seemed to really like it. The water was so cold but he didn't mind. He loved the sand. He kept picking it up and putting it in his mouth. He must have liked the salt from it. The kids played in the water for most of the day. They found sand crabs and sea shells up and down the coast. I love the ocean. I hope we can take Rex back soon.

Living Desert

2008-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be fun to take a half day and go to the Living Desert. It is basically a zoo that we were told was mostly inside. We were told wrong. It was mostly outside and was about 104 that day. We were so hot we only ended up staying a few hours. We were able to feed the giraffes which was pretty cool. Here are some pictures of our day at the Living Desert.

Finally Palm Springs

2008-09-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Rex was up all night with a fever. I took him into the doctor and he has a sinus infection that came with a fever of 102. Of course, we left for California the next day. The doctor gave him a prescription but lucky for us he is going to be pissy and not feeling well for the next few days. The car ride to Mesquite was not the most fun ride ever and my poor parents got to share the hotel room with us. He went to sleep fine but about 3 he was up and fevered again. We didn't get very much sleep in our room to say the least. The ride from Mesquite to Palm Springs went much better. Rex slept 90% of the car ride.

Well we are here and Rex seems to feel better every day. On top of the sinus infection he is finally getting his 3rd tooth. Yeah! but it just makes him feel that much worse.

Here are some fun pictures of the pool today. It was only 99 today and tomorrow is going be 103 so we spent most of the day at the pools.

It took Rex a little bit to warm up to the idea of the pool. He had just woke up from a not so good nap and needed a little convincing.

He liked going down the slide. Steve's ear had been bugging him and didnt want to get any more water in it so Rex had to settle for Shane.

One "crappy" morning

2008-09-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

So this morning I went in to get Rex and was horrified at what I found. He had somehow managed to get his pajama bottoms off and removed his diaper. The worse part was he was poopie. He had poop everywhere! On his face, body, hands, blankets, crib, crib pads, you think of it and it was there. I took him right into the bath and got him cleaned up. Then spent the next half hour cleaning the dreaded mess. I am going to start only letting him wear the pajamas with feet in them or taping his diaper closed to make sure this never happens again. So yes, this really was one crappy morning.

The top 30 things I love about Rex

2008-09-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

1. Rex loves to be with other kids. When he is home all day he goes crazy.

2. He thinks Rachael's kids are his brothers and sisters.

3. He LOVES Kadrie.

4. He loves dogs.

5. Rachael has a dog named Zoey. He calls every animal Zoe Zoe.

6. He loves to climb on things. Couches, chairs, tables, anything he can get himself onto.

7. He can open my parents doors. I have found him outside in the front yard twice so far. I have to remember to always lock the door.

8. He loves to talk on the phone. He will hold it up to his ear and jabber.

9. He throws everthing!

10. He thinks everything round is a ball. I will take him to the grocery store and all the produce is a ball. If I dont watch him close he will grab it and throw it.

11. He only has 2 teeth. It is amazing what he can eat with just 2.

12. He is a pretty good eater. He goes through spurts when he wont eat at all but most of the time he wont turn down food.

13. He prefers to crawl than walk. He can do it but he is so much faster crawling. He is just to lazy.

14. He is tall and skinny. He has a hard time keeping his pants on his waist.

15. He loves to drink water. He always wants my bottle water, even over his juice box.

16. He loves to put shoes on. He will try to put anyones shoes on and then crawl with them.

17. He has quite a bit of hair but since it is so blonde everyone thinks he is bald.

18. If he doesn't get his naps he is a bear.

19. He loves to listen to music. He will dance, wave his hands, stomp his feet, and bang his head. It is the cutest thing ever. He is so much like his Dad.

20. When I sing him a song good night he will hum along and touch my face.

21. The kid can poop. I know you don't care but we change 5-7 poopy diapers a day. I have to get him potty trained!

22. One of his favorite toys is the dog crate. He thinks it is so fun to climb in and explore. I need to get him one of those for Christmas.

23. He has really gotten into chocolate chip cookies lately.

24. He likes to play in the sand. At first he hated it and would get mad when it would stick to him but now I cant keep him out of it.

25. He has recently discovered that my parents have a fountain in there back yard. The last few days we have gone through several outfits a day.

26. He loves watching for birds. (and yes he does call them dog)

27. He is into everything!!

28. He loves to brush his teeth. I think he just likes the taste of the bubble gum tooth paste but if it gets him to brush who cares.

29. He loves to drink out of drinking fountains.

30. He loves to pull Izzy's hair when they are in piggy pails

He is such a sweet boy. We are so thankful to have him.

Fun weekend

2008-09-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

We have had such a fun weekend so far. September-November is all of the kids Birthdays in our family. That means the start of a lot of family togetherness. For Labor Day we celebrated my birthday 2nd, Rachael's the 5th, and made a package for Taylor's the 16th. We did posters and everyone wrote on it and all the kids hand prints were on it, including the dogs. It turned out really cute. Then we all had to write him a letter and send him a picture of us. That is what he likes most from home so we hope he likes it. My Mom made the best dinner we could have asked for. We had Steak and King Crab legs and for dessert fresh peach pie. All of the family was there able to make it except Steve, he had to work so he was late for the dinner but he made up for with the 3 steaks and 2 crab legs.

I am so lucky to have such an amazing family. Today for my actual Birthday we are off to Park City for shopping and dinner. Steve took the day off to play with me and Rex and my parents are also coming. It will be a great day.

Poor kid

2008-08-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

On Friday night we decided we needed a date without any kids. Rachael got a babysitter for her kids and Rex and we were off. We had finished dinner and was doing a little shopping when we got the phone call. Kadrie was crying hysterically that Rex had fallen and we needed to come back. I guess they had been playing in the front yard and Rex had fallen off of the curb onto the street face first.

I took these pictures the night it happened. It has now started to scab over and bruise. I cant imagine having a sick child. I am so thankful to have a healthy baby.
Hopefully it will heal fast.

Steve update!

2008-08-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

Steve finally finished school for the summer. I am so excited to be able to spend some time with him. He has one month off before he has to start back. We were just going hang out for one month but it seems like there is so much to get done that there is no time for that.
For those of you who don't know Steve has decided to keep going and get his PHD in business. We have a list of schools that he is looking at and the application process is quite the process and is right around the corner. So we will be leaving Utah for 4 years and see where the road takes us. We are nervous and excited about the opportunities that await us. We have decided to sell our condo and save for one year before we become poverty level. If any of you know someone who is looking for a cute condo let me know.

Rex Update

2008-07-30T14:36:00.001-07:00

Today Rex had his 12 month appointment with the Doctor. He is doing great. He weighed in at 19.47 lbs- 7.73% and he was 30.75 inches- 80.52%. He had to have 3 shots that made him so sad. The nurse always comes in and plays with him and then...bam 3 shots to the leg. It is pretty mean if you ask me. He always gets really fevered and is a bear for a few days. He is also getting some teeth so has been pretty ornery. Lets hope we can survive and he feels better soon.

Birthday Party

2008-07-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

For Rex's party we just ordered pizza. He loves pizza. He got so many fun toys. It is so nice to have some new toys that he hasn't played with before but finding a place to store them in our house is another story. It took him a while to get into his cake. When he would touch it we would clap and he thought he was in trouble so once everyone started to eat there own cake he dug in. It was so cute. He did a pretty good job at it. He ate most of the center of the cake but didn't get into the edges. Here are a few pictures of his fun day. Thanks everyone for the cute gifts.

Happy Birthday Rex!

2008-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

I cant believe that one year ago today we were anxiously awaiting our sweet baby. I was overwhelmed, scared and excited all at the same time. It was a crazy thing to have no control over my emotions- I blame that on the drugs and no sleep for 36 hrs. But at the end of the day we had our baby boy.

Steve had school tonight so we are doing his party tomorrow. He was able to open one present from Grandma Monique which kept him busy. It was a Winnie the Pooh train. It sings and has a ton of little buttons to keep him busy.I still wanted him to have a fun day so I took him to Chuck E Cheese with Rachael's kids. He loves riding the rides with Isabelle.After we were done, Shane's office put on a firework show. They had tons of treats and Rex knows Rachael always shares so he bolted straight to her.

He got chocolate all over his shirt!

I hope he had a fun day and will have an even more fun day tomorrow. We are so thankful to have our sweet baby. How sad my life would be without him. I cant believe how much he has changed and am looking forward to the next year.

A little of everything

2008-07-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

So last week we had a pretty long week. Not for any one thing just long. So Steve thought it would be a good idea to give me one of my birthday presents early- my birthday isn't until September so I think it was just a way to buy something. Anyways he came home with a Wii. He got some pretty fun games. My favorite so far is Mario Cart. It has a steering wheel that you drive the car with. It is pretty fun. We have been enjoying it.

Tonight Rachael watched Rex so we could go and see The Dark Knight. It was so disturbing but so good at the same time. I have never been a huge Batman fan until Batman Returns came out and now I am hooked. I would never take a kid to see the movie and there were times I was shocked at the violence but it was so good, dark but good.

Rex is climbing all over things. If he can get his foot in a good place to climb up onto something he is all over it. He is starting to even climb up on couches- with a little help. Today he also figured out how to flush the toilet. I hate him being in the bathroom but as soon as I am not looking that is right where he goes. He just wants to flush the toilet again and again and again. Sick I know. Well here is the latest pictures of Rex climbing on his birthday present- shh don't tell him what it is.

Lagoon

2008-07-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

So it seems like it has been a crazy few weeks. I will get better about posting more- not that any of you care but I need to do it for me. Saturday it was was Coldwell Banker day at Lagoon so we all went. Yeah, it was so hot I thought I was going to die but we made it. Rex made it the entire day with only a 20 minute nap. He normally takes at least 2, 2 hour naps a day. He would not lay down when there was so much to see. I wonder how Disneyland is going to be in September. He went on quite a few rides. Most of which I shouldn't have allowed but the employees said would be fine and I trusted them until Rex was strapped in with fear was in his eyes. After about 6 it started to cool down and made the rest of the night nice. Here are a few pics of the day.

Look at Parker's hair, he wanted his hair spray painted green. He looked like an Alien. We even had people stop us and take pictures of him. It was so funny.

This is Isabelle's hat that he had to have. She ended up having 2 made because she wanted to take it home and neither of them made it to the end of the night.I should have not let Rex on this ride. It is a harmless elephant right? Wrong, it was so fast and jerked up and down so much. Rex and Isabelle were holding on for dear life. Poor kid.

He loved to ride the car with Parker.

He loved the boat. He cried when he had to get off.

This was his first ride. He wasn't to sure about it but did fine while it was going. Just when it stopped he panicked.

I now remember why it has been so long since I have been to Lagoon. We ended up having fun but it will be awhile until we make it back again.

Rex's Pictures

2008-07-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

We took Rex to get his pictures taken for his birthday and they turned out so cute. He is such a happy little boy. We really wanted a picture with him and balls because he loves them so much but when we put them around him he just wanted to play with them and throw them. Let me know what picture you think turned out the best. They are all to cute to decide.

Happy Birthday Daddy

2008-07-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Daddy! I have the best Dad in the world.

FHE

2008-07-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

For FHE this week we went up to my grandmas pool and went swimming. The kids loved the pool. It took Rex a while to warm up to the idea but had fun once he got in.

Steve was "shading" Rex. Doesn't he look cute?

My dad ready to hit the pool.

Happy Birthday Ray

2008-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

It was Rays birthday on the 5th. His favorite place to eat is Red Lobster. He ended up paying for all of our meals. It sucks to get old. After dinner we went back for pie and presents. Rex enjoyed the chocolate pie. He was so dirty by the end of the night.

They got a going away present for all the kids. Isabelle loves pigs, weird I know. So they got her a cute little pig, and Kadrie a bracelet that looked just like the one she loved that Rita had. They bought some BYU fabric and took measurements of the boys heads and she is making them all hats.

They left to go home today. It was so fun to have them come and visit. Ray reminded me so much of my Grandpa. We hope they will come and visit again soon.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Me and Steve have boycotted the parade for the last few years. We always said when we had kids we would have to go. Well that backfired cause this year we have Rex. So at 8:00 we were off to the parade. Rex loved it. The firetrucks and police cars were first and he thought that was the neatest thing. He kept holding his hands out to them.

After the parade we went up the canyon for lunch. The kids played in the river and Rex played the drums. He would bang on the rackets and they would make noise. He was pretty good at it. Steve came right home and started looking for a kids drum set for Rex's birthday. We went to my Aunts and Uncles for dinner and swimming. Then we were off for the real stadium of fireworks. I had just given Rex a bath and my Mom decided to give him an Oreo. He enjoyed it but had it all over. He didn't make it for the fireworks. The day had done him in and he fell asleep on me. All that waiting and he didn't even get to see one.

We hope you all had a great 4th of July.

more fireworks

2008-07-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

The 3rd we always get together and do our own little fireworks show. We go to the Jr. High and normally have stadium of T but this year we had to settle for just fireworks. The kids love it. Parker and Kadrie helped there day light them and they thought they were so big. Rex loved to watch but by the end he just wanted to go to bed. Ray and Rita took a liking to Isabelle. They kept saying they would love to take her home and she would tell them she couldn't go home with them, that her mom would miss her too much.

This is the Place

2008-07-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

So we have lived here our whole lives and have never been to This is the Place Monument. We took the kids and they had so much fun. If you have never done it you should. They had so many things for the kids to do. They washed clothes, hung them to dry, and then ironed them. They were able to go to the Barber shop and get a shave, rode the ponies, we were able to pet the lambs and billy goats, watch the pigs, they had a penny candy store. It was so so so hot but we had such a great time. Rex called every animal a dog. He doesn't quite understand the difference.Rex hated wearing his hat but as my Dad says, "hes a white boy and has no choice." Don't they look cute in there matching hats?

Southern Cooking

2008-07-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

My Dads cousins Ray and Rita Tubbs came to visit from Tennessee. We had such a fun time getting to know them again. They are going to go home and need a vacation from all the running we did. One of our favorite memories about going and visiting them is the food, sad isn't it? There is something about a home cooked southern meal. Rita showed us how to cook and it was so good. We were all dying of the heat when we were done. We had every burner on the stove and both ovens going. We could never make it again without her and make it taste the same.

Finally Tim

2008-06-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

So last night was the Tim McGraw concert. It was a blast. We met at Cheesecake Factory. Alison and Ryan came and met us for dinner. Dessert was so good. I got the chocolate coconut cream cheesecake and it was worth every calorie. (Sorry Ali, I'm not quite sure what is going on with you but it was the only pic we took.)

Next we were on to the show. So it was so cool, I got to meet Tim. He kept asking me for my number and I had to keep reminding him that we were both married....

Just kidding but doesn't he look like him. It was so funny when he walked in the crowd stood up and started taking pictures. The guy was lovin it so I couldn't resist asking him for a picture. There was actually quite a few people doing the same. (Steve bought that it was really Tim)

We had such a fun night. Kadrie danced and sang right along with us. He sure is a sexy man. Here are some pictures of the real Tim.

Fireworks

2008-06-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well I think it still might be a little early but we bought some fireworks and lit them off last night. Rex loved them. I thought he would be scared but for the most part he just clapped his hands. It was so cute. As soon as they would finish he would clap and he would clap until another one was lit. He wouldn't look at the camera because he was afraid he would miss something but we tried.

Happy Birthday Trevor

2008-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

It was Trevor's birthday on Friday. We went up American Fork canyon. Alison and her family camped for a few days and we just went up for dinner. It was so pretty and surprisingly cool. Trevor wanted to roast hot dogs over the fire and do s'mores. The kids loved to play in the dirt. My dad has this camp story when he was a scout and how he was attacked by a bear and ends up killing it with his pocket knife. Well the kids love to hear it and totally buy into it. So my dad told them the story and then gave Trevor his birthday present, a pocket knife. All the kids were in envy. He ended up cutting himself twice while we were there. I want to go camping so bad but Steve will have nothing to do with it. I guess Ill have to go alone. If anyone wants to join me and Rex let me know.

Zermatt

2008-06-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

My Mom took my sisters and myself away for the night. We went to Zermatt in Midway. It was fun to have a girls trip. We ate lunch, got a gelatto and hit the pool. Me and Rex swam while the girls just relaxed in the sun. My mom took us to a nice dinner that Rex seemed to enjoy equally as much as I did. We took a few walks and watched a movie. Rachael didn't stay for the night so she took Rex home to Steve so I could sleep in peace. Well that was the plan. Stockon got up a few times. I forgot how hard it was being woke up during the night by a baby. I am so thankful Rex is sleeping thought he night. It was so much fun being with my sisters and mom. They really are my best friends.

Feeding the ducks

2008-06-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

For FHE the other night we went to feed the ducks. We had 3 loafs of bread and it went fast. They kids loved it. Rex wanted to touch one but he had to settle for just looking at them. I couldn't believe how many ducks could be at one pond. We probably ended up feeding just as many fish as ducks. The fish were ambitious little things. Rex calls dogs, balls, and now ducks all the same. Dogs without the g at the end.

Chuck E Cheese

2008-06-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Kadrie, Parker, and Isabelle wanted to surprise there dad for fathers day and give him something he would love. So they blind folded him and took him to.......Chuck E Cheese! It was so cute to watch them. They were so excited to take Shane because they just knew he would love it.

Well one thing is for sure they kids loved it. I tagged along and thought Rex would like it and he did as well. Every ride he would go on he would hold on for dear life. The loved to watch the show and would clap his hands and cheer. It was so cute. Here are some pictures of the night.

When we weren't looking Shane enjoyed himself as much as the kids. I hope all you fathers had a great fathers day.

Vegas

2008-06-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Wow I am way behind. It seems like it has been so busy. I have been putting Rex to bed later than usual and don't have any time to blog while he is awake so I am going to have to play catch up for the next few blogs. So bare with me.

We had gone to Vegas for Nathan's graduation. We don't get to see Steve's family very often so it was nice to get away, hot but nice. Rex got to play with his cousin Tyson all weekend and they seemed to have a fun time. Here are a few pictures of our fun trip.

This is Rex and Aunt Krystal. Rex wasn't so sure of letting anyone hold him or play with him but by the end of the trip he started to warm up.

Krystal and Tyson

Papa Nate and Rex chillin

Nate, Tyson, and Rex playing with the ball. I couldn't believe how much Nate and Steve look alike. It was crazy to me.

Tyson giving Rex a kiss.

Okay this is creepy right? Well I thought so. This was Steve's "my buddy" doll when he was a kid. We couldn't believe that Monique had kept it all of these years. It totally creeped me out. I was laughing so hard.

1st tooth 1st haircut

2008-06-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

I was at my parents home yesterday and one of Rex's favorite things to do is head straight for the dog food. He thinks it is a game who can get there first. So I went to get him away from it and I checked his mouth to see if any had made it in for eating and I found it. Rex finally has gotten his first tooth. It has just barley come through the gum but it is there. I was so excited. Who would have thought I could get that excited about a tooth. He loves to eat and can eat just about anything I give him but now he will really be able to. I made Steve take a picture even though you couldn't see it. Hey we tried right?

I have given Rex a little haircut before but yesterday was the day for his first real haircut. Clippers and all. He sat so still for the clippers. I think he was scared that he didn't dare move. He held on to Rachael so tight. But cutting the top was a different story. He wanted me to hold him, try to keep his head still and straight and cut. It turned out just fine. He sure looks grown up. I tried to get some pictures and he was not very happy about it. He was ready for bed and would not smile.

Happy Birthday Steve!

2008-06-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today was Steve's birthday. The big 25, he's getting old. He has been complaining since May 5th that we didn't have a big Mexican party so for dinner tonight he got just what he wanted. We had tacos and tamales. We had so much food we will be eating tacos all week. He won't crave Mexican for a while. All of the family was there, even my grandmas. My parents have some friends of Taylor's, from his mission, staying with them and they even seemed to have a good time. Here are some pictures of the day.

This is Melinda. She is from Taylor's Mission. She is coming to BYU and is staying with my parents with her mom for the weekend. She was so nice. It was fun to talk to someone who is around Taylor and can tell us fun stories about what is going on back in Pennsylvania. It was fun to have her here and get to know her and her mom.

Stockton seemed to enjoy the day. He laughed and smiled all night. It was so cute.

It was so nice to let the kids just go outside and play. Izzy cant jump very good with her cast on so my mom had do jump with her. I just sat on the grass and we watched. He could watch the kids all day long and be happy.
Happy Birthday babe, we love you and hope you had a good day.

Good friends

2008-05-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

I was able to get together with some friends this week. We have all been friends since grade school. It is hard to get us all together but we try when most of us are in town. Jana had flown in from Texas so we wanted to see everyone. Liz's little boy ended up getting sick so she couldn't make it and Mary lives in St. George and wasn't able to get here so it ended up being the 4 of us. Kami, Trisa, Jana, and me.

Trisa has a little girl who is about 6 weeks younger than Rex. Rex thought she was so cute. He kept giving her kisses. He loved to pull the bow in her hair and once the bow was gone he kept pulling her hair. Rex seemed to have a fun time playing with the kids.

It was fun to see the girls and be able to catch up. We need to do it more often. Maybe next time we can all make it.

fun at the park

2008-05-29T21:18:00.001-07:00

I have been slacking lately on my posts. I try to use my blog as a "journal" so I need to be better about posting. Sunday we took Rex to the park. He loves swings and going down slides. He is getting pretty daring. He will go down the slide all by himself. You just have to put your hands out to him and he is off. I love when Steve has the day off and we can play with him all day.

The end to a long week

2008-05-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

About one minute into Monday morning Rex woke up not feeling well. He had a high fever and just wanted me to hold him. He was up most of the night and when he did sleep it was only for about an hour at a time. All day Monday I held Rex. He didn't want to play, sleep, eat, just sit with me. Steve had a concert that night that he had really been wanting to go to. He didn't get home until 2 and Rex had screamed the whole night. The next day I took him to the Doctor and he has a throat infection. They tested him for strep but Iguess kids under age 2 rarely get strep. It was viral which meant there was nothing they could do for him. I hate knowing that your baby is sick and you cant to anything for him. It has been such a long week. I haven't slept in days. Rex is finally starting to feel better. Last night he only got up once, Yeah for Rex! I hope tonight he can sleep through the night.

He had felt so crummy so when he wanted to crawl around and play I would let play with whatever he wanted. His favorite things to play with is the DVDs, Blu-rays and CDs, Steve's guitar hero stuff, and Steve's PS3 stuff. I let him play away. He loved it and it kept him happy for a little bit at least.

The bath always makes him feel better. He had a nice bubble bath and daddy played with him while I was doing laundry. When I finished, this is what I found. Santa Clause came to our house early. He looked so cute I had to get a picture. He has been standing up in the bath tub and he thinks he is so big. After a million times of making him sit down it is time to get out. The little things seem like so much work. He has gotten SO busy. Who has that much energy?

It wasn't just a hard week for me as a mom, my niece Isabelle broke her leg. They had to cast it. She broke it right below her knee so they had to put the cast all the way from her toes up to her thigh. It is so sad. She hasn't been able to walk on it, they told her to stay off it until Monday. She is scooting herself around pretty good. Even though she has been in pain she looks cute with his hot pink cast on her leg.

Today was such a nice day outside. We took Rex up the canyon and walked around. He had a lot of fun. We went to Bridal Veil Falls to let him play in the water. He wasn't huge on that idea. I tried to put his toes in and it only took him once to see that the water was cold and he didn't want to do that again. We laid out a blanket and just let him play. He is so funny because he hates the feel of the grass. He will crawl all over the blanket but as soon as he can feel the grass he will back up. If I put him on the grass to sit he will hold his legs and hands up so he doesn't have to feel it. It is nice because I can confine him to one spot. That doesn't seem to happen much any more.

We headed over to Rachael's for dinner. After we were done we went outside for a little basketball. Rex had a death grip on the rim. It was so funny but by the time I got my camera out he had let go.

After working up a sweat it was time for dessert. Rex seemed to enjoy it. He had chocolate all over him. He was getting so much pleasure out of a chocolate brownie. I am so glad that he is feeling better. He is starting to get his appetite back, even if it is only for chocolate. Whatever makes him happy.

Sorry this was such a long post. I havent had any time to do anything let alone blog. Lets hope this week goes better.

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today was such a fun day. Rex normally wakes up around 7-7:30 but he thought he would let me sleep in and didn't wake up until close to 10. It was so nice to sleep in. That never happens. We were off to church. Whenever Steve has a gift for me he has to make a nice presentation and he loves to surprise me. So I went to get in the car and he had my presents sitting on my seat. I got a new camera that is pink and a cute new shirt. I carry my camera with me wherever I go. This one is smaller than my other camera and much cuter. We only went to Sacrament meeting at our ward because my Mom had to speak in my dads singles ward so we went over there. Rex was all meeting out. The only way he takes a nap is if I lay him down in his crib. He never falls asleep in my arms but he was so tired today he slept through my moms talk. I love to cuddle him while he is asleep. He seems like my little boy when he does.

We went back to my parents house for dinner. My brother is on his mission and was going to call around 7 PM. We thought we would eat and then we could all talk to Taylor. He surprised us and decided to call at 5:30. It was so fun to talk to him even if it did mess up dinner. He is doing so well. He has a companion right now that is just as intense as he is. They get along great and he seems so happy. He misses his family but is having the time of his life. While we were waiting for our turn to talk to T, Rex had his first feel of sand. He didn't seem to like it. He fussed until I put him on the grass. He wasn't to sure of the feel of the sand. Maybe he will like it more next time. He would much rather just sit in his chair and let the other boys play in the sand.

I am so thankful that I have such a great family. We get along so well and love being together. We could sit around and talk for hours. The kids have so much fun playing with each other. Rex wishes he could keep up with them.

I have such a great mom who does so much for us. She is always on the go but always makes time. She has taught me so much about being a mother. She loves the gospel and is such a great example to me. She is such a great mom. I love ya mom.

We wish we were closer Steve's mom. We have so much fun when we get to see her. It just needs to be more often. I am so thankful that she has such an amazing boy who has turned into an amazing husband and father for Rex. Thanks Monique for all that you do.

I am so thankful that I am blessed to be a mother. Rex is such a blessing in my life. I can't imagine where I would be without him. I love being able to be with him as soon as he wakes up until he goes to bed. I love his smile and his sweet laugh. I am so thankful for every second I get to spend with him. There are some nights after I put him to bed I just want to go in and hold him. I hate when I can't be with him. Being a mom is so much work but so rewarding. I am so thankful for him.

Happy Mothers day to all you mothers and one day mothers. Here are some pictures of our great day.

This was the first picture I took with my new camera. Isn't he cute?-Steve not the picture of Rex, though he is cute too.

Kadrie holding Stockton and Isabelle, Parker, and Trever jumping on the tramp.

Daddy BBQing yummy steaks and Mom setting the table.

Tyler, Steve, and Rachael , Ryan, Stockton, and Alison waiting for dinner.

Rex eating mango and Isabelle being a mouse.

Lots of Firsts

2008-05-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Rex loves to eat. The past few days he hasn't wanted anything to do with food. I have tried every baby food, yogurt, noodles, anything I could think of. He has had no interest. I think he must be getting a tooth. We have been saying this for a while now but that is the only logical explanation we can think of for him not to want to eat. So tonight I made mashed potatoes and stuffing and we had our little Rex back. I normally don't like when he gets dirty. My sisters make fun of me and say I wont let him enjoy any food cause he will mess his outfit up. Tonight I let him dig in. He didn't really like to get it all over his hands so I gave him a spoon and he did surprisingly well. As soon as he was done it was off for his bath. I was just sitting here watching him and the next thing I knew he had pulled himself all the way up. He has been able to get on his knees by himself but not on his feet. I was so shocked. We made a big deal about it so he wouldn't stay down. He knew he would get a lot of attention if he stood so I would sit him down and in a matter of seconds he was back on his feet.

Rex has been scooting around and turning in circles for a few months now but hasn't been able to go forwards. It was so crazy I had put his jammies on and he was off. He was going from one side of the living room to the other. I almost started crying. I know it sounds stupid but he can't be big enough to crawl! He is still my little baby.

My dad keeps teasing him that Bailey, his dog, knows more tricks than Rex. So we taught him "So Big". He does it and waits for us to clap for him then he does it again. Oh course he would put his hands down as soon as I would take the picture. Hes just full of new tricks today.

Finally home

2008-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to finally sleep in our own beds. We have been staying at my parents home while they were out of town and I have forgotten how much I love my own bed and sheets. I just got a new pair of sheets that are to die for. I could lay in them all day. When we left our house it was clean. Its crazy how fast it can be turned into a disaster. Steve never unpacks his bags. I say I wont do it for him but after having his bag around for a week I usually cave- but not this time.

We went over to my parents house for dinner last night. I swear it seems like we have been there way to much. Steve played with Rex on the trampoline. He loved it. When Steve jumps with him instead of just jumping a little you have to put the 6'8" on top of what they jump. Needless to say Rex was going high. My parents put in a sand box but we haven't let Rex play in that yet. I am interested to see how he likes it but I am not ready to have sand everywhere.

Rex looks just like Steve. When he was born he was a spitting image of him. He has changed so much since we have had him but he still looks just like daddy. He wants to be just like him when he grows up. Hat and all.

Rex has started to pull himself up on things. It is getting hard to sit on the ground and play with him because he just wants to crawl up you until he is standing. He is doing pretty good but sometimes he forgets that he needs to hold on and when he falls it scares him.

We were sitting outside on the patio chairs when he started to slip. He was not letting go of that chair. He had a death grip on it. It was pretty funny. He is getting so big and changing more every day.

Rex Update!

2008-04-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Rex had his 9 month well check appointment today and he is getting tall and skinny. He weighed in at 17.81 lbs- the 9% and he was 30.35 inches- the 96%. You would think he should be in the 96% in his weight the way he loves food. The doctor said everything looked good with him. We are so blessed to have such a sweet and healthy baby. He brings so much joy into our lives.

We have been staying at my parents home watching their dog. I cant complain having a nice new house all to ourselves. I feel like I haven't stopped cooking. They have a nice kitchen that makes it so much easier. I have probably cooked more in it than they have since they have been here. Rex has even been sleeping well which is surprising not being in his own bed. Bailey, my parents dog, loves to be with Rex. She gets upset when he cries but she loves him. It has taken Rex a little time to get used to her. He has been pretty scared of dogs but seems to be adjusting well. He has a smile but fear in his eyes when Bailey wants to cuddle up to him.

I was playing on the computer and Rex was getting into my Moms files in her office. He was having to much fun to stop him. He is so fun to have. I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Next year, Holland!

2008-04-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Instead of going to Holland this year to see the tulips we thought we would jbe conservative and go to Thanksgiving Points' Tulip festival. We were pretty unimpressed. Last year it was beautiful but this year the tulips hadn't bloomed very much. I guess the weather has just been to cold for them to be in full bloom. It was still fun to go. My parents came with us and we got lunch first then we were off. Rex was ready for a nap but being the stubborn little boy that he is he wouldn't lay his head back. Every time we would try to get him to lay back he would wake up and cry. It was pretty funny how cute he looked. There were three flowerbeds that looked like they were graves. There was one that was huge and my Dad commented that was how big Steve's was going to need to be one day. They were perfect sizes for Steve, Fred, and a small one for Shauna. We all got a good laugh.
It was a windy day but we had a good time. Here are some fun pictures we took while we were there.

Finally a vacation

2008-04-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

I do it to myself; Rex finally started sleeping through the night and we decided to go on a little vacation. We went to Park City for the week. It was so nice to get away, even though Rex slept horrible. Steve had to work so he came up and down all week. We stayed at the Marroitt condos so we had a room and Rachael and Shane and their kids had a room. Rex loved being with the kids all week.

It was Rex's first time swimming. We did more sitting in the hot tub but he seemed to like that too. Here are some cute pictures of Rex in his swiming suit.

Rex normally just sits in his high chair or on the floor and plays with his toys while I get ready for the day. Izzy decided to play with him so I could get ready. He was sitting in the laundy basket and she thought she would pull him around in it. Izzy is really small for her age, her and Rex are within 5 pounds of each other. She pulled with all her might to move him around the room. He thought it was so fun. He just sat there and laughed while she struggled to move him.

The days were really nice and warm and at night it would get pretty cold. This is me and Rex enjoying the sun. (I took the picture myself in case you couldn't tell)

Steve had to work that day so by the time he had gotten there it had turned cold. Rex was ready for bed but Steve just wanted to sit around and play with his boy. Rex loves playing with his bugs.
My parents had given us the week for helping them move. I guess all the hard work was worth it. Thanks Mom and Dad for the fun trip!

Does the move ever end?

2008-04-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy few days. My parents finally were able to get the occupancy permit on Friday so first thing Saturday we were moving them in. They had the first POD delivered and we were off. Monday the moving company came and Tuesday the other POD. I cant believe how much stuff they have. Finally today we were able to finish the last POD. There are still a ton of boxes that need to been unloaded but I would say they are 85% of the way there. My mom asked me to "organize" their stuff which doesn't sound that bad but wow it is a lot of work. Hopefully we can get them all done and have a house for the family to get together again. Here are a few pictures of the last few days.

The Box actually kept Rex busy for quite a while.

Steve and Shane taking a little break. Steve had the day off to help but ended up going in to work to cover a shift for a few hours. Poor guy.

They dug out under the garage to put the food storage room. It is a huge room that we thought would have a ton of empty shelves, boy were we wrong. By the end of the night it was full.

Rex thought it was pretty fun to play with all of my moms table runners and cloths. Who could have ever thought you needed cloth napkins in every color imaginable. That took me a good few hours to sort through all of those.

This is the play room for the kids. We haven't unpacked it yet but every toy is out all over already. The kids are so glad to have the toys back.

Rex enjoying pizza after a long hard day.

Tuesday was Kadrie's birthday. She had a piano recital and after we went back to Rachael's for cake and presents. We gave her a CD player and it was one of her favorite gifts, her words not ours. She is such a pretty little thing.

It was past Rex's bedtime so he borrowed some jammies from Isabelle. Yes they are girl jammies and Isabelle wasn't huge on the idea of Rex wearing them but she still shared. Doesn't he make a cute little girl?

Well that has been our last few days. I cant wait to get this week over. I am so ready for a house but after this week maybe our condo will do for a little bit longer.

Random Post

2008-04-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

It seems like our lives have been pretty boring lately. Not much at all has been going on. I do have to say that I am getting addicted to Dope Wars on Facebook. I had never heard of it before but Steve started a drug cartel and made me join it. So Sunday he showed me how to play and it is pretty addicting. The point of it is to buy drugs for cheap and turn around and sell them. You can go to different parts of the world and sell and buy. The cops can bust you so you have to be careful. I don't even know what most of the drugs I am selling are but it's pretty fun. You should play. I know I know avoid the very appearance of evil. My mom gave me a lecture about it but come on it is just pretend and pretty entertaining.

My parents came over for dinner on Sunday. Rex had a fever and didn't feel very good so I gave him a bath and didn't fix his hair. Anyways this is what his hair ended up looking like. He is such a cute little bug.

Tim Mcgraw is coming to town on June 27th at USANA. We joined the fan club to make sure we had good seats. My sisters and Kadrie are making it a girls night to look at one sexy man. Tim, here we come!

Vacation time

2008-03-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Steve had a few days of vacation time that he had to use or he was going to lose it. He took it this week and it seems like we didn't even leave the house for the past few days. Tuesday I did hair so Steve had Rex. They went and ran errands to pass the time. They went to Costco and when they came to pick me up my boys had brought me flowers. They are very springish.

Wednesday I got the bug to go through and organize my house. Since we have had Rex it seems like it is so hard to keep everything where it should be. With Steve home he entertained Rex while I cleaned and went through closets and de-junked. We are definitely outgrowing our condo way to fast. Steve buys CDs and DVDs like crazy. He now has to re buy all the DVDs we have on Blu-ray. Like we have room for that. So I made him go through and de-junk. Rex thought that was pretty funny playing with CDs. He is going to be just like his dad.

Rex has recently found a keen interest in Steve's hat. He likes to play with it and suck on the brim. We thought it would be a good idea to let him sport one of his own, and like usual, we have to document the entire process with the camera so everybody can see. He hadn't quite made it out of his jammies.

While cleaning out Rex's closet we found even more toys.

Steve was playing with Rex. I have no idea what they were doing.

He sat in the hallway for at least 15 minutes just playing with his train. He loves the music and flashing lights on his toys.

Tonight Steve's district manager took us to Tuscany. We have wanted to go there for a long time and sadly we were disappointed. The food was just okay. The desserts were better than the meals. It was nice to get out for the night. We need more vacation days like these.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

My family always gets together for every holiday and it has been kinda messed up since my parents don't have a house. We have been doing everything at Rachael's house - she loves that- so with no exception on Friday we did our Easter egg hunt there. We always have the kids hunt first with toys and candy and then the adults get there turn, we get to hunt for eggs filled with money. Rex got a cute little train and some candy that he cant eat - but I'm sure his daddy will help him out. I had to hold Rex so Steve collected the eggs for us. We made off pretty good. Steve took me to Magleby's Saturday night with the money we made.
We got Rex a new outfit and a bunch of little toys that he doesn't need. I am running out of places in our house to store them. We have toys in every corner of our house. My how things change. He got some toy bugs that kept him busy during church but he seemed to enjoy the grass that was in his Easter basket more than any of the toys that were there. It was pretty funny.

Happy Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

First thing this morning Steve started off by pinching Rex for not wearing green. He pinched him back but Rex didn't see that Steve had green socks on. Oops! Here are some picture of Rex in his green.

Suey and Abby came over for some lunch. It was fun to see them. Abby really enjoyed playing with Rex's toys. At first she just sat there but once she got going she had fun. You can come play whenever you want Abby.

We hope you all have a great St. Patrick's day!

Pictures with Animals...

2008-03-10T20:11:00.001-07:00

Steph took Rex with the Sulz's to Thanksgiving farm. Because I had to prepare for inventory (boo-hoo) I was unable to attend, and for lack of not actually knowing what was going on in each picture, I thought I would show off some of my favorites.

Chillin' and playin' with the cows
First (and probably last) pony ride
I think he is mistaken about how much fun jail is

Playing with the kids

2008-03-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

The weather was so nice day today. I went to my sister Rachael's for dinner and Kadrie thought it would be fun to play with Rex outside. He loves to be outside. He is locked up in doors way to much. Kadrie jumped with him on the tramp and he thought that was so much fun. He just sat there and laughed the whole time. Then we put up the baby swing and he had a good time just swinging in the backyard. He loves to be with the

kids. The days that we just stay home he gets so restless. He will be fussy and as soon as he sees the kids he is just as happy as can be.

Eating dinner has gotten so hard. Rex has mastered getting whatever we are eating down. You should hear him whine until he gets a taste of whatever it is we are having. The problem is once you start to feed him off of your plate or from your cup he wont stop whining until it is gone. But don't worry he's not spoiled- yeah right.

The newest addition to the fam

2008-03-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

My sister Alison had a baby on March 6th. They named him Stockton Max Sondrup. He weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long. I couldn't believe all of his hair. Alison had a lot of hair when she was born but I have never seen a baby with that much. Rex was excited to see him. They are only 7 months apart so they will be good friends. He has never seen a baby before and he was trying to grab his face so we had to watch him. It made Rex seem so big after holding Stockton. It is crazy that they grow so fast.

Before going to see the baby I made Steve take me and Rex to The Cheesecake Factory. It was 11:30 when we got there and there was a 45 minute wait. But the cheesecake was well worth it. We decided to do some shopping while waiting. Steve bought Rex the cutest little puppy hat. Its the closest to a puppy we will ever have. He kept pulling on the ears to try to get it off so we couldn't keep it straight on his head.

Steve took a few days off of work. It was fun to hang out. Rex gets used to having him home right as he has to go back to work and school. When he is in school we don't get to see him on the weekends. On Fridays he goes straight from work to school and on Saturdays it is school straight to work. He is a hard worker.

BlackBerrys & (Maybe) Springtime

2008-03-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

After struggling with the Razr for an extended period of time, we decided that new phones were a necessity. After dealing directly with an AT&T authorized outlet, we opted to purchase straight from the source. Stephanie thinks the Perl is cute, so that is what she had to have. I chose a Curve, and we have both been extremely happy. The whole point of this boring explanation is that the following pictures were taken with Steph's phone.
Rex wasn't so sure about the swing at first, but after watching the pro for a few minutes, he decided he could let loose and enjoy the little time he had outside. Steph said it was nice one minute, and the next thing she knew the wind was blowing Arctic air.

Untitled blog of 2/26

2008-02-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

Rex has really gotten into food lately. As soon as we sit down for dinner he wants whatever we are eating. I will give him a bite in between eating. He will start to fuss as soon as it is gone- which doesn't take long. Its pretty funny. Here is a pictures of his latest find.He had just finished eating his squash for dinner and he saw licorice on the table. My sister Rachael gave into him and let him chew on it. It kept him busy for quite a while.

Kadrie and Isabelle, my nieces, have been helping Rex learn how to crawl. He is starting to get a little closer but but quite there yet.

Rex sure is a happy boy since he has started to feel beter. He is more fun every day.

I hope they call me on a mission

2008-02-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

Taylor, my little brother, has had his share of being in the newspaper and now he has made it in Pennsylvania. He was tracking and some reporter stopped him and his companion to take a picture. He looks so cute. He is the one on the right. He seems to be doing well. He has had one baptism but says things are pretty slow right now. I get an email from him every Monday and he always asks about "his little boy Rex." He even had an investigator give him a book about TuPac and Taylor sent it to us so we could read it to Rex every night- its getting a lot of use.

My dad bought Rex a missionary shirt. He looks so cute in it. I took some pictures to send to Taylor but since he looked so handsome in them I thought I would share. He is our future missionary.

Here he comes!

2008-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

We are trying to teach Rex how to crawl. I have been putting him up on his hands and knees and he is starting to rock back and forth. He figured out that when he moves his hands forward instead of moving his whole body forward he face plants it. He starts off really strong and after a few minutes he will start to slump down. He is growing up so fast. It seems like we just brought him home.

Our house is not ready for him to start to crawl but maybe he can entertain himself a little better once he starts -- probably by getting into trouble but we are looking forward to it. We need to baby proof our house, if there is such a thing. Any advice? Wish us and him luck.

Mas Noches con Amigos

2008-02-19T20:26:00.001-08:00

It seems like we have spent a lot of time with friends lately. It has been quite fun. Tonight we had Janell and Javin over for dinner. We had a good time. Steve and Janell used to work together and they both have to catch up on what is going on in the media world. Most of what they say goes over my head. I just smile and act like I know what is going on. Janell made dessert and as you can see we ate way to much. It was delicious.

Great Friends

2008-02-19T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went over to Suey and Ryans for dinner. Sue made a great dinner and we had such a great time. It was nice to be able to spend the evening with great friends. It is crazy that we live so close to one another and it takes forever for us to find time to get together. Rex liked watching Abby. He loves being around other kids. Suey took some pictures of them together.
They seem like such good friends already. Rex would not keep his hands out of his mouth. They would both look and smile at the same time and as soon as we would take the picture he would put his hands in his mouth.

Thanks Sue and Ryan for the fun night. We need to do it more often.

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Steve had the day off today so I was hoping to get to sleep in. He ended up having to go in for a meeting at 8:00 this morning so that didn't quite happen. But he did make it up to me big time. He came home with a dozen pink roses, a dozen red tulips, chocolates, an MP3 player, a cd, memory card for my phone, and a Gap gift card. I was shocked since we werent doing anything but lunch for Valentines. It was so cute. Then he took me to Chefs Table for a great lunch. It was so fun to just be able to hang out with him all day. We didn't want to cook so we ordered pizza and sat home to watch Lost.

I had my friend Cheri make Steve one of his favorite cakes, Chocolate with chocolate covered strawberries. It was so good. I am not normally huge on the holdiay but today was the exception.

Thanks sweetheart for the fun Day.

A fun few days...

2008-02-14T18:11:00.001-08:00

This has been a fun week so far. Monday one of my best friends since I were 5 years old Kami came over for dinner. We we celebrated her birthday by eating, visiting, and of course played Guitar Hero. It was so fun to see her. It seems like she is so busy traveling the world that I am glad she was able to pencil us into her schedule. Happy Birthday Kami!

Tuesday we had my parents over for dinner. They are still living with friends while there house is being built and have no kitchen so we thought it would be nice to let them enjoy ours. It was fun to be with they. I have the best parents ever!

Wednesday we were able to go to dinner with Klark and Denise, and Marie and Cora, (Pete was out of town). Sorry Marie I forgot my camera for dinner so I didn't get a picture of you and Cora. We went to Tucanos, and I think we all ate way to much. Steve and Klark didnt stop eating meat all night long. Afterwards Klark and Denise came over to our house. I put the baby to bed and it was Rock Band time. They all thought they were pretty hot stuff. It was fun to watch them all. I played the drums and was so bad that the one song was enough for me-and for them too.

It was fun to see some of our friends. We have such a fun time with all of them. Even if I am no good at Rock Band.

Ear Infection #3

2008-02-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Rex has been so fussy the last week or so. So I finally decided to take him back to the doctor. We spend more money on co-pays than groceries latley. We got the great news that Rex has yet another ear infection. This is his third ear infection since mid December. Now we get to take him to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist. Hopefully they will have a resolution to stop more ear infections.

I did however get some good news from my doctor today. I had my check up for my thyroid. They said that my levels loooked the best that they have since May 2006. I have had to go in every 3-4 months and get checked and now I am cleared for one year. I was excited to hear that. No more doctors for me for a while. I have seen my fair share. Lets hope it stays that way for a few more years.

I got tagged by Suzanna

2008-02-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

The only reason that I am doing this is because Suey didn't think that I would, So here it goes

A) Four jobs I have had in my life
1. Edgemont Cleaners
2. Farmers Insurance
3. Hair Stylist
4. Being a Mom

B) Four movies I could watch over and over
1. The Notebook
2. Notting Hill
3. Wimbledon
4. A River Runs Through It

C) Four Places I have lived
1. Pleasant Grove
2. Orem
3. Provo
4. Back to Pleasant Grove

D) Four shows that I watch
1. Lost
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Private Practice
4. Dirty Sexy Money- If any new shows would ever come back on

E) Four places I have been
1. London
2. Scottland
3. Mexico
4. New York

F) People who email me regularly
1. Taylor
2. Daddy
3. Sue
4. Rachael

G) Four of my favorite foods
1. Chocolate cake
2. Mashed potatoes
3. Mexican food
4. Crab

H) Four places I would rather be right now
1. Asleep
2. Monterey California
3. Hawaii
4. Newport California

I) Four folks that I think will respond
1. Klark
2. Eliza
3. Tiffany
4. If my sisters would blog

J) Four things I am looking forward to in the next 12 months
1. Rex sleeping through the night
2. Disneyland
3. Alison having her baby
4. Rex turning one

K) Four goals for the New Year
1. Running
2. Attend the Temple more often
3. Reading more
4. Spending more time as a family

L) Four gifts I got for Christmas
1. New running shoes
2. The best sports bra
3. Cuisinart
4. Clothes

M) Four places I want to visit
1. Prague
2. Italy
3. Kauai
4. Hong Kong- just for the shopping

N) Four things you didn't know about me
1. All my clothes have to be folded just right or I have to refold them
2. I would have a nap every day if I could
3. I like to cook
4. I suck at Guitar Hero

O) Four things I wish I was better at
1. Being patient when Steve has tons to do
2. Violin
3. Scrapbooking- I hate it
4. Running

P) Four things I can cook without a recipe
1. Poppyseed Chicken
2. Chicken Parmigiana
3. Chicken pillows
4. Spaghetti Sauce

Q) Four musicians I really love
1. Tim McGraw
2. Brad Paisley
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Gary Allan

R) Four of the best books I have ever read
1. Do magazines count?

I tag... Klark, Eliza, Tiffany, anyone else

6 months

2008-01-31T09:44:00.000-08:00

Rex had his 6 month check up with his Doctor on Tuesday and it seems that our baby is slowing down on the growth charts. It seems he has lost a pound since December. He now weighs 16.28 pounds and is 27.25 inches. He has grown almost an inch. His weight puts him in the 26%- last time he was in the 66%- and his height is in the 77%-last time being in the 93%. They had to give him his shots and he has been so sad. I often wonder if it is really worth it. The Doctor now cleared him to eat real food. So he was excited about that.

The first time that I gave him a cookie he wasnt to into it. But we were at my sister Rachaels house the other day and we thought we would try it again and he loved it. (Rachael only has girl bibs so I took some boy ones over for her so Rex could use them while we were there and I have gotten so much crap for it. He is a boy, he should look like a boy even if he is a messy boy) Its pretty nice that when I need to get something done I just have to hand him a cookie and he will stay busy for a few minutes.

This morning at 3 oclock I was rocking Rex thinking how blessed I was. Our lives have changed so much from last year to this year. What a great change to have in our lives. I couldn't imagine not getting up all night with him or having everything I do in a day revolve around him. He has filled a void I never even knew exsisted in me. I love him so much and am so thankful he came to our home.

2008-01-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Four short years ago today Steve and I were married. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple and afterwards we had a big dinner (instead of a reception) at the Joesph Smith Memorial. It was such a fun day and has only gotten better from there. We were married 3 1/2 fun years before we had our sweet baby Rex. Every day just gets better.

To celebrate we my mom watched Rex for us while we went to our favorite, Chef's Table, for dinner and then he let me go to a chick flick, 27 dresses. It was such a fun night.

I really have the sweetest, hardest working, loving, honorable, best daddy anyone could ask for. Thanks sweetheart for the best 4 years ever. I'm looking forward to an eternity to go.

He loves his dinner

2008-01-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

Rex is really getting into his food. So far he has eaten sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and green beans. He really likes the sweet potatoes and squash but not so much the carrots and the green beans. The other day Steve was doing homework and listening to some music and he started to sing to Rex. He thought that was so funny. He was spitting his food all over because he was laughing so hard. We think he is cute even with food all over his face.

A little time off

2008-01-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

Steve's family hadn't seen Rex since he was 6 weeks old. We thought it would be nice to go visit. So Steve took an overdue vacation and we went to see them. They live in Las Vegas but both Monique and "Big" Nate (little Nate is Steve's little brother) work in St. George. We stayed at his grandparents home while they too were off on a vacation.

It was just the five of us, Steve, Rex, Monique, Nate, and me. We wish we could have seen Krystal, Mike, Tyson, and Nathan. We'll have to plan another trip.

It was nice to have some time to sit around and visit. We got caught up on some much needed sleep and of course some shopping.

Our second night there we went over to Steve's aunt Melissa's and Ned's home for some pizza and Guitar Hero. Steve attempted and passed his first expert song. He was pretty proud of himself.

Steve has a ton of homework so the idea was that he would get it all done while we were there. That didn't happen. I think he only worked on it for about an hour at the most. But he did get some quality time in with Rex and that is more important than school.

Back to normal

2008-01-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

It seems like things have been a little crazy around here. It has taken forever to finally get back into a schedule. Rex is getting over his second ear infection in 3 weeks. To say the least there has been very little sleeping going on at our house, except for Steve who seems to be sleeping exceptionally well. Rex is getting into the habit of coming in and sleeping with us. This never would have happened before but I guess when you are as desperate for an hour of sleep as I am just about anything will fly. Thank heavens he is starting to feel better. Last night he started to sleep 1-3 hours at a time.

It didn't seem like much of a holiday break. After 21 years in the same house my parents finally decided it was time to move on. We packed them up and after 2 PODS and one moving company later we had to say goodbye to our house and all the memories that went with it. But we are excited for the memories that are awaiting us in the new house. They are building a new home and as fate would have it it's behind schedule by about 2 months. So they are living with friends until it is finished.

Steve had the day off today so we were able to just hang out. We got Rex a new car seat. He has grown so fast that he doesn't fit in his baby one any more. He thinks he is pretty hot stuff in his new seat. He doesn't have much hair. It is all down the middle of his head so we have been putting his hair in a mohawk. He looks so cute. He is starting to figure out how to roll over. I think it scares him more than anything but we think it is pretty cute. He is growing up so fast. We are so blessed to have him in our family.

He loves sweet potatoes

2008-01-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

YUCK!!!

Phasing out 2007

2008-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

It seems like every year so much changes, 2007 was no exception for us. Rex finally decided to join us on July 25th after 14 hours of labor for Stephanie and me making an emergency trip to the dentist to have a tooth pulled-not exactly how we planned it, but it seemed to be planned for us. A few weeks later I finished my Bachelor's degree in business and started my MBA a month later. Rex has changed so much since day one, and continues to impress us daily. Steph does such an amazing job with him that he is starting to get spoiled and doesn't want to sleep unless it is with her. He is becoming such a mommy's boy.

Here are some pictures of the last few days of 2007.

Our little Christmas helper

2007-12-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks Mom for the Christmas outfit! He couldn't figure out what was on his feet. He played with them the whole day. He couldn't get them to his mouth so he finally settled for his hands. We think he looks just like a Christmas Elf. Only 8 more days until Christmas. We cant wait! Rex is hoping he is on the good list. He hasn't been sleeping and is afraid santa has noticed. (Believe me, I have)

Lucky to have good friends.

2007-12-17T22:23:00.001-08:00

Seems like it was a busy week for entertaining. We were able to have Klark come over for dinner on Monday the 10th, then on the 12th we went over to Janelle and Javins house for dinner and a little Wii playing, then on the 13th Suzanna and Ryan came over for dinner. We had a good time with all 3 families. Rex wasn't sure what to think about Klark. He just sat there and watched him the whole time. Rex loved to watch us play the Wii at the Hughes home (he is a TV junkie). Abby seemed to enjoy playing with some new toys as long as she could see her mom (she was afraid she would get left here). We are so thankful to have such good friends.

Monday, December 10th

2007-12-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day. It all started at 7:45 when my little brother Taylor called us from the airport. He left to serve in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania mission. He sounded great. He is doing so well. He was able to talk to us for about 25 minutes. He had to get all caught up on what is going on in the sports world and make sure his boy (Rex) was doing okay. He even wanted us to play some Bone Thugs in the background while we talked, luckily Steve came through with the thuggish ruggish music collection.

Rex was finally ready for some rice cereal. The doctor said he should hold off until he is 6 months because he seems to be growing just fine but he kept asking for it so we finally gave in. He wasnt really sure what to think about it for the first few minutes but then he seemed to get the hang of it. I only gave him a few bites. I dont want to be up all night with him with an upset tummy but he thought it was pretty tasty. He is going to fit right into this family.

Rex loves his bath. From the first bath in the hospital to every bath since he loves it. He loves to just sit there in the warm water and splash. He is getting so big and changing so much every day. We feel so blessed to have him. We couldnt imagine our lives without him.

One bad day

2007-12-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday was not what we would call a great day. Steve has been working a ton of hours and I have been a little on overload. I had taken Rex to church and he didn't want to be there. He cried almost the entire time we were there. Finally after fighting with him through Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, and half of Relief Society--I had had it. I loaded him up to come home. It had snowed the night before and was still snowing that morning. I was pulling into our parking stall when my car slid hitting the pole. My heart sank being that I have driven a 1990 Geo Metro through high school, a 1998 Honda Civic up until about 6 months ago and never been in an accident or even scratched them. Now Steve had bought me a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder and I had hit a pole. I couldn't believe it. Finally a new car with no scratches, dents, windows that worked, doors that closed and I hit a pole? I thought Steve would kill me. He was so sweet about it, he even brought me 2 dozen roses. There has got to be an easier and less costly way to get flowers.

Our not so romantic night.

2007-12-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Steve had a day off after working 8 straight days so we thought it would be fun to stay home, make a nice dinner and have some family time. I made homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Steve and Rex watched basketball and played while I cooked.

When I cook it seems like every dish that we own is used. The first mistake was that the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes when I started cooking. We started the dishwasher thinking when dinner was over we could put away the clean and reload the dishwasher with the dirty. In our house we have the rule that whoever cooks the other cleans it up. Steve was pleasantly surprised to find out that the dishwasher wasn't working.

After a long hour of him washing, me drying and only 1 broken glass we had worked up a craving for a little snack. Burnt almond fudge ice cream was screaming our names. Neither of us could think of cleaning another dish so I had the perfect solution.
2 plastic spoons and eating right out of the carton. A perfect ending to a not so perfect night.

Dreams of Summer

2007-12-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

I guess Christmas time really is coming because it snowed all day long Saturday. Rex takes after his father and is sick of it already. He needed a little pick me up so we tried some sunglasses on him and he thought he was pretty hot stuff. We think he looks pretty darn cute too.

We got our Christmas decorations up. Our Christmas tree is only 4 feet tall. I try every year to get a bigger tree but Steve thinks it is plenty big. We finally traded in the pink lights and balls for white and red.

We have tried to complete our Christmas shopping early, but all that means is that we are buying more than we need or had planned for. Rex has enjoyed the extra clothes and toys that have suddenly appeared, and has become particularly fond of his go-rilla. We are going to let him name his new pet, and it is probably a few weeks away from being named.

A Happy ReXmas

2007-11-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

I will keep this post short and sweet as my new class started tonight and I really need some sleep. Steph thought it would be a good idea to get some pictures of Rex in his Christmas outfit. So without further delay, here they are

And now for my personal favorite

End of November

2007-11-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

As November is coming to a close, and the holiday season has officially begun, we thought it would be a good idea to spend a lot of money on the new addition. He really enjoys sitting up so we bought him a new chair. Now the tv junkie can watch all of his shows by himself.

Rex is also developing an interest in eating. He has been asking for a steak dinner, but we feel that he is just going to have to survive on his hands alone. Eventually we may let him graduate to cookies, only if Steve will share.

That's all for tonight, as Stephanie made the most enormous calzones I have ever seen and I am going to need some serious time to consume both of these.

The Stuart Family

2007-11-27T19:43:00.001-08:00

We have never done this before but we thought it would be fun so that our friends and family can keep in touch with us a little better. Rex is now 4 months old. He is growing like a weed. He had a check up yesterday and he weighed in at 15.63 pounds and was 26.5 inches long. That is the 66% for weight and 93% in height. He is following after his daddy for sure. He is such a happy baby. He is always smiling and laughing. He changes every day. He loves to suck on his hands and anything he can get to his mouth. He is really close to sitting up by himself any day now. He loves to sit in his saucer and play. He also likes to sit in his high chair while mommy cooks dinner. Steve is working a lot of hours with Christmas right around the corner. He is finishing up his first semester in his masters program. We are so proud of him. Stephanie is loving being a mom and can't think of anything else she would rather be doing than taking care of her boys.

Steve went to Philadelphia for work and he had a lay over in Chicago. He couldn't resist buying a White Sox shirt for Rex. Next time he is in Chicago he will have to take him to a game.

We have church at 9:00A.M. it can be a really early morning depending on how he slept the night before. But he sure does look so cute all dressed up. This morning was uncle Taylor's mission farewell. He only wore his dress pants until we got to the chapple then Steve had to take him out and clean up a mess.
The mornings that Steve has to work late he gets to dress Rex. He will always take him in his room and lock the door. I have no say in what he wears that day. No matter what he is dressed in (good or bad) he will always have a hat on. This happened to be one of those mornings. He was starting out the day with a nice cold Mountain Dew. It wont be to long until he can really pick it up and give it a taste.