Cody, Marianne, Preston & Porter

2010-10-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Its been a while! Whoops. Well, here is my feeble attempt to kinda-sorta summarize the last several months, in no particular order... (Literally just a FEW of the gazillion pictures I have on my camera)

I'll start with a few pictures from the boy's latest photo shoot.
Preston is 3 and Porter is 18 months. It goes too fast...

The barrel swing that Fuz set up in our new front yard for the boys. They love it!
Nash, Preston & Porter.

Great-Grandpa Billy & Porter at their place in Holbrook

Great-Grandma JoAnn & Porter

Preston Loved this kitty-cat. Lucky for him, we will probably end up getting one for the yard over at our new house. Mom and Dad are NOT cat lovers, so he may have to beg pretty hard.

Preston and Porter feeding the horses with their Great-Grandparents (Myers)

Eric, Chase, Wylie, Great-Grandpa Jim, Porter, Preston & Cody

This picture says it all. Peas in a pod.

Great-Grandpa Jim & Porter. This is who Porter's middle name is after.

Preston and the drill pipe. This picture is especially for Cody. Cody went back to school this semester to study mechanical engineering. He LOVES drilling water wells, and is a 4th generation well driller, so it was a big sacrifice for him to leave his parent's company and go to school full-time to change careers. He hopes to be able to stay in the drilling business somehow, and we just hope he is happy. He is working so hard and we are really proud of him. Its also made it possible for him to watch the boys while I work, and they all love having so much time together, which they may never have the opportunity for so much one-on-one time again. To be honest, I'm a little jealous, but know I'll get my chance too someday :)The red drill rig. Flag Well actually just sold this and it is headed overseas.Cody's success at Lake Powell this year.Regan & Preston at Lake Mary.Baby cow & Preston at the farm in Idaho.Great-Grandpa Hartman, Porter, Preston & Great-Grandma HartmanPorter holding a snake. Preston & Toa in Whitney, Idaho.

Preston LOOOOVED this snake. You can't tell from the picture...Toa... A little Wes.My Dad and his siblings (w/ their spouses) at my Grandma Bodily's burial Nathan

Victoria & PorterBodily family (minus Adam & Kaylyn's 3 boys)Grandkids playing at the lunch following Grandma's funeralReese-BoySorry Alena, had to post this one. Hahaha! :)Reese & Preston. Twin-cousins.Bulls at the ranch in SLC. Preston tried hard to convince us that we needed to shoot one.Preston, Porter & mini horseyMel, Austin & baby mini donkeyPreston and the buffaloKaylyn & Eden, camping.Porter & Preston watching the rain on our balconyReese, Preston, Eliza, Howie, Porter & Olivia riding the train log, camping in Flag.

Birthday Boys!

2010-06-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Porter had his 1st birthday back on March 18th and we celebrated on vacation at my Grandparent's condos in St. George, Utah! Cody, the boys and I were taking a little Spring Break vacation there, and so we were able to celebrate Porter's First Birthday with just our little family. We had a blast swimming all morning, shopping for birthday presents, and (at Porter's request, of course) having dinner at Texas Roadhouse, followed by cake back at the condo. The whole vacation was so wonderful and relaxing, it was just the icing on the cake that we were able to all celebrate Porter's 1st Birthday with him the entire day as a family- those are always, hands down, the very best days :o)I can't believe he has been a part of our family for over a year already, yet at the same time, I can't say I even remember life without our happy little boy. He is so fun and so happy (as mom would say, "jovial") all of the time, he is just a pure blessing to our family. It is obvious that he is Preston's best friend and I am so glad that they have each other to grow and play with. We love you Porter, and are so lucky that you chose to come be a part of our family!When we got home, we had a little birthday party for him with Cody's family and some friends. This is his "official" homemade birthday cake. Trucks and dirt- perfect for a little boy. Porter started walking exactly one week after his 1st birthday, and is currently our little parrot. He repeats almost EVERYTHING you say, and current favorite phrases are "I'm sorry", "I want some!", "I want drink!", "MAMA", "Daddy", "shoe", "Sock", "No, no, no", "Flower", and on and on and on. This little boy is funny in that once he decides he wants to do something, the next day he is doing it. Smart boy!Preston turned THREE last week! We had a party for him at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, and it was a blast. He spent the day swimming with Cody and Porter in the kiddie pool in Grandma's backyard, taking a much needed nap (since he was SOOO excited that he couldn't fall asleep until about 1 am the night before and was up by 6 am the day of!) and playing with all of his "kids" at his party. Uncle Nathan made him a buck deer pinata (which he still hasn't stopped talking about) and Cody and I decided to get him a bike for his birthday. It was a great day and once again, because it was a Saturday, we were all able to spend the whooooole day together! I just love days like that :o) Of course, I put tons of effort into making the day special for him and making his party fun, and when all was said and done, his favorite part was "watching the ducks fly over the lake." ...Kids... Preston is the PERFECT BIG BROTHER for our family. He adores his little brother and is very protective of him (even though I am pretty sure Porter will end up being bigger AND meaner than him!) He is such a blessing to have in our family and such a great buddy to have around on a daily basis... We truly are so lucky to have you and we love you TONS, Preston!The kids did some sliding down the hills at the park on cardboard- thanks for bringing it Wes and Asae! Fuz made an official ice block with handles as well- too bad I didn't get a picture :o(The "Buck Deer Pinata. Awesome, no?The Talented creator of the buck deer. Thanks Nathan!
Preston has so many Lightening McQueen cars, that I figured out a way to put them to good use on his birthday cake.Preston's very first "Buck Deer Kill" Picture. Sporting his own "Deer in the headlights" look.

Despite the cash we dropped buying Preston a two-wheeler with training wheels, his favorite present (by far!) was the Banjo Minnow fishing lures that Daniel and his family gave him. He takes them EVERYWHERE with him in his tackle box.
This is how much fun Porter had at the party... He crashed on a piece of cardboard at the end of the night (only for a minute though!). Lets hope he is not practicing for a career of being a hobo! :o)

Back from the Dead...

2010-03-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

So I lied. I'm not going private. Not yet, anyway. I'm not sure what happened since my last post, but apparently time got away from me a little bit. Well, here's to getting back on the wagon...hopefully... :o)

Preston is such a ham. And to be honest, pretty emotional these days. He is certainly closer to the "three's" than "two's" I think. My mom keeps telling me to write down some of the funny things he does, so here they are, in no particular order:
*This past week, I would occasionally ask Preston, "Hey Pres, whatcha' doin'?" He seemed to always respond with, "I'm just doing my taxes mom." Curious, I would ask, "Oh yeah? Are you getting a nice return?" He would say, "No, I just have to pay." Finally, at the end of the week, he ran up to me and said, "I finished my taxes mom. I got a hundred bucks." And then he ran off. Poor kid must be into adulthood already. If he can get me back a little more than a hundred bucks, shoot, maybe I'll let him do my taxes next year!
*Preston LOOOOOOVES Porter!! Anytime, I tell Port to knock off his pterodactyl screeches, I immediately get rebuked with a, "You be nice to Porter Mommy! That's MY brother!" He has also gotten good at telling me when Porter sneaks into the bathroom and is taking all the TP off the roll or sticking his hands in to taste the toilet water. Gross, Porter.
*Preston was sick off and on at the end of last year and would ask his Daddy to give him a blessing every time. He would say, "Daddy, I need a blessing. I need Heavenly Father to help me get off the couch." And I have to say, Preston has some serious faith! Five minutes after each blessing, he would be running all over the place like a wild child- you would have never guessed he appeared deathly ill on the couch only minutes earlier. I have a lot to learn from these two sweet little boys...
*While in the kitchen one day, I heard Preston say, "Heavenly Father, help Porter to get better. and make good choices. So that he can be happy. And play. Jesus Christ, Amen" All the while he had his hands on Porter's head and was giving his baby brother a blessing. He does this regularly now. I hope he will always be a good example to his little brother and be so considerate of his needs and happiness. Porter is a lucky little boy. Preston is too. I'm so glad they have each other.
*Throughout the day, I will hear a, "Hey Mom!" I usually answer back with a, "What?" And then I hear a, "I just love you." It melts my heart every time- I can't help it.
*Preston has become a PRO at turning common phrases around on us. I also regularly hear throughout the week, "Mom, I just want you to be obedient, so that you can be happy. And get a star on your obedience chart, okay?" or "Mom, you just need to be nice now, or you can go to time-out" or "Mom, are you sick? Do you not feel good? You just need to go poop on the potty and then you will feel better. But if you go in your pants, I'll have to give you a cold shower..." Oh heavens. I am reminded every single day that I need to WATCH WHAT I SAY.
*He also says his own prayers now. They are so sweet and genuine. I love to hear his prayers. He ALWAYS reminds us if we sometimes forget, so its extra nice to have him around these days.
*Preston knows, one million and two, primary songs. He sings them to babies and Porter when they are sad. He sits at the piano and plays and sings them with Grandma Linda at her house. He has to sing every single one of them before he can go to bed every single night. And his dad humors him and lays on the floor with a pillow and listens and sings with him. I love it.
*His is already obsessed with hunting and fishing. Guess he knows that is the way to his daddy's heart huh?
*Preston is still an absolute, complete, One-Hundred-and-Ten-Percent Daddy's boy. He worships the ground his dad walks on (can't say I blame him) and CRIES if he ever leaves without him. I know this makes Cody feel like a million bucks daily, and although I may admit I get envious at times, it makes me so happy to see what a wonderful role model Preston has already chosen for himself. Thanks for being great Cody. Preston only verbalizes how the rest of your little family feels about you :o)
Oh man, there is so much to that little boy- the mind of a two-year-old is a VERY interesting and entertaining thing and we LOVE having him around!And Porter. Port-Tater, Port-Tastic, Porter James, P.J. Berrytales, Port-Port... call him what you'd like, but this kid is stinkin' CUTE.
*He has an OBSESSION with putting things on his head. Food especially. If it doesn't make it in his mouth, it's on top of his head. Items with some form of sugar in them seem to work the best.
*He has a pterodactyl screech that can turn the head of every single person in a dark, noisey restaurant. Over, and over and over and over... We've tried spraying him with a water bottle when he does it (please don't report us to CPS), but he just smiles and squeals for more. He also has impeccable timing as church is his FAVORITE time to cause a ruckus.
*He LOVES his big brother! He crawls over to him and wrestles him any chance he can get. Luckily, Preston is a good sport and loves it as much as Porter does.
*Porter is very independent and NEVER stays still. His favorite place to explore is the bathroom and loves to pull all the T.P. off the roll, play in the toilet, jump in the filling tub fully clothed, and speed crawls the minute he realizes you are coming to divert his plans.
*He has a belly laugh that is contagious!
*He decided to walk out of the blue one day and my attention was drawn to this by hearing Preston scream, "Oh my gosh, OH MY GOOOOOSH! Porter is... Porter is wal... PORTER IS WALKING, OH MY- MOOOOOOOOM!!!" I turned just in time to see Porter walking, a little drunk looking, but clear across the living room. He has not wasted one day without practicing walking between the couch and the recliner since.
*He dunks himself in bathtubs and pools and raises his head out of the water with a goofy, grin, gasp, and laugh, just long enough to catch his breath before he goes for it again.
*Porter turned ONE on the 18th of March and I simply can not believe it. It seems like only yesterday that he was born on his exact due date. (See what I mean about impeccable timing?) His birth was wonderful and fabulous and makes me want to do it again (in retrospect of course). It was a perfectly calm, natural and bonding hypnobirthing experience and the second Cody took him in his arms he said, "I would walk through fire for you little man". I can't explain it- it makes me want to go through labor again- I know that makes the majority of you think I am insane, but seriously, don't knock it til' you do it :o)
*Porter is SO happy. My mom says the perfect description for Porter is "Jovial". Sounds fitting to me.
*The child certainly does have a temper however. And it explodes quickly when he doesn't get what he wants. What can I say? The boy is stubborn. He comes by it honestly. And hopefully it will be a trait that keeps him OUT of trouble...
*So far, Porter is a Momma's boy! (Hallelujah!!) He flaps his arms like he is getting ready to take off when he sees me. It puts an immediate smile on my face every time.

Whew.. I know there is more, and it will come to me throughout the night while I should be sleeping. But there is a very brief re-cap of our boys over the last few months. They are amazing and wonderful, and absolute stinkers, but we love them and wouldn't have it any other way. Stay tuned... I have A LOT of pictures to catch up on! :o)

Going Private...

2009-10-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I caved. We are going private. If you'd like an "invite", please send me your e-mail address (even if you THINK I already have it!) Not sure when I'll get around to it... but probably within the next month or so, so let me know! :o)

**ALSO** For those of you who have already gone private and DON'T have MY e-mail address to send an invite, it's: mariannebodily@hotmail.com ;o)

Porter- Six Months

2009-10-10T01:56:00.000-07:00

Porter James is six months already! Holy cow, it's gone so FAST!!
Stats:

18 lbs. 7 oz.- 53rd %
28 in.- 84th %
Healthy as a horse and cute as a button!! :o)
We love you Port Port!!! :o)

Squirrel Hunting!

2009-10-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

My husband, Cody, LOVES TO HUNT. Anything and everything that has a season to hunt, you can be sure that Cody will take FULL advantage of it! It's actually one of the things I really do love about him. He gets so excited and eagar to hunt, he is a very successful hunter, and he knows how to take care of and cook his game! He is definitely not wasteful, which is part of what makes me okay with his little hunting obsession ;o)

Soooo, last week started SQUIRREL SEASON. Yes, there really is a SQUIRREL SEASON. I learned about it soon after Cody and I started dating when he picked me up for a date and presented me with a freshly "picked" squirrel tale. It's a wonder I didn't fall head over heels for him at that very second, No?? Ewww.
Anyway, Cody has been taking Preston squirrel hunting pretty much ever since he was born, but this is the first year that Preston really was able to enjoy it. Cody, Preston, Porter, Cody's best friend Chad, and I all headed out to do a little squirrel hunting yesterday, and I must say that the boys were VERY succesful. Chad and Cody took care of the hunting, and Preston would carry the squirrels back to the truck by their tales acting extremely proud. Poor little boy is so desensitized already... Porter hung out with mom in the back of the truck, just happy as a clam to be outside.
We really had a great day together being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful weather and nature. Sportsmen really are the biggest proponents of the outdoors and have the best understanding of how it all works together to stay balanced and beautiful. They take advantage of all it has to offer and respect it as thy should, as opposed to those silly little tree huggers who are very extreme and ignorant to the whole "circle of life" process :)
Off my soap box now... I think someday I may need a daughter after all. As "fun as squirrel hunting IS" I don't think it would be hard for me to shine on at the request of a pedicure or massage instead... :o)After a hard days work!
Oh, and did I mention that Preston is potty training?? :o)

Thorn Bay, Alaska

2009-10-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

The time FINALLY rolled around for Cody and "the boys" to go on their MUCH ANTICIPATED (and that's an understatement!) Alaska trip- Woohoo!! :o) They have been waiting and waiting and waiting for "September 2009" to roll around for well over a year now. The time has now come and gone, and Cody, his Dad, brother Corey, and brother-in-law Eric, have all consented that it was one of the very best experiences of their lives and they have BIG plans to go back again soon. Next time however, I think they need to take their wives too... and maybe in more of a "cruise" form :o)

Here are just a few of the pictures from their incredible trip... I won't attempt to explain the ones that I know nothing about, however I think most are pretty self explanatory. Enjoy!!

They flew into Ketchikan, Alaska.

They took float planes to Thorn Bay, Alaska.
And then the "catching"- NOT "fishing"- began!!

The Silver Salmon were running from the ocean up the streams to spawn

They caught TONS of fish... (P.S. isn't Cody handsome!?:o) )

Everyone caught tons of fish...

And more fish...

And now we are EATING all of this fish, and it is extremely tasty! :o)

They went deep sea fishing one day. Eric caught almost 150 lb. halibut. They also caught Lean Cod and Rock Fish.

This is Cody's trophy Yellow-Eyed Rock Fish. It was only a couple lbs. shy of the state record. The captain of the boat tried to convince him to get it mounted. I, for one, am extremely grateful that it is in our tummy's and NOT on my living room wall however!

Corey was the reason this whole trip happened. Thanks for getting it all together Cork :o)

They also hunted black bear. However, they made a new rule this season that you could only hunt the bear from a boat, not a truck. This made the hunting pretty difficult, and the boys finally decided to spend most of their time fishing, instead of hunting, since it was guranteed to be productive.

They also set out crab pots. All Cody caught was these crazy Sun Star things in his.

Cody "eating" the salmon eggs and trying to make Wes and Asae jealous :o) Sorry he couldn't bring any back!! :o(Cody said the pictures don't do justice to how beautiful it really was. This picture is of some whales, but they are difficult to see. They also saw a lot of sea otters, some beavers, a ton of deer, a bear, and lots of other cool animals.

Day OFF!

2009-10-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

That's right... MOM'S day OFF. You mom's out there know how rare this is, even unheard of in most cases, especially when you have a nursing baby in the house. So about a month ago, Cody decided that I was in dire need of a "day off". Apparently I had been short-tempered and irritable, or something along those lines. I know, I know, ME being anything other than pleasant and wonderful is hard to believe, but I think he was probably right in this case... Therefore, Cody decided that he was going to take the boys for the day, and visit his Grandpa Jim in Woodruff and his Grannie and Grandad over in Holbrook. They left about 9:00 am, equipped with a full diaper bag and a cooler filled with bottles of frozen milk and snacks. They didn't come back home until 9:30 that night! Cody is now considered a "Super Dad" by his Granparents on both sides who think he is amazing (and a little crazy) for changing diapers, bottle feeding, and single handedly taking care of two little boys all by himself without being told what to do. I just think that he has been trained very well :o) I enjoyed my day by getting a massage that I recieved a gift certificate for back at Mother's Day, and spending the day hanging out with a good friend shopping, going to a movie and having dinner. It really was an AMAZING day and I felt VERY spoiled. I told Cody that the best part was that I was able to be in my own house, HOME COMPLETELY ALONE, for a few hours. I don't think that has happened since before Preston was born! Cody said that it was one of the best days he has EVER had... He really is an extremely super dad which is probably why his to boys, and wife, extremely adore him :o)

Preston with the horses at his Grannie and Grandad's house Random picture of Cody "pretending" to be a "Healthcare Professional"... who knows?? He felt the urge to wear scrubs...

Random Summer Photos

2009-08-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Mommy with her two favorite boys (minus her most favorite man!) after a long day at work.

Summer Night bon fire with Kai and Stephanie DeGomez (who were at the time, still waiting on little Jaxon to make his debut) and Scott, Sarah, Jaiden & little baby boy James.Preston loves to play in the dirt. Especially around campfires. What boy doesn't??

Preston & Daddy at swim lessons. Preston was the wild child toddler in his class of mostly babies! However, even though he could hold his breath under water, jump in and bob under, and do lots of things the other kids couldn't- they insisted that he should repeat the "Parent-Tot" class again next year because he is small and refused to blow bubbles in the water. I don't think so...

I took Preston to swim lessons most days, but he was a whole different WILD and EXCITED boy the day his Daddy took him. So much FUN!!Mommy & Porter playing after swim lessons with Sarah & Jaiden.

This picture is for Fuz & Michelle.Lovin' the "bum flap".Thanks for the outfit Fuz & Michelle!

Just being cute, silly Preston.

Porter has started eating solids. He is not exactly "good" at it yet, but we're working on it.He is also rolling from his tummy to his back regularly.

No, Preston is NOT potty trained. This was merely one feeble attempt. He is so NOT ready, so we will wait...

Still Best Buds :o)

Lovin' the hammock this summer!

My little baby is getting SO big!

Sitting up!

Rub a Dub Dub, Three Boys in a Tub. Porter, Preston & Chase.

Lake Powell

2009-08-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Cody and I had decided to celebrate our 3rd anniversary with an overnight trip to Lake Powell, without the boys. However, when we found out that Grandpa, Grandma & Corey were already planning a Lake Powell trip that same weekend, we decided to just tag along and bring the boys with us. We weren't too sure how they would do with a full day on the boat in their life jackets, but of course, worrying was a waste because they were both angels the entire day and absolutely LOVED it! Like Father, like Sons I suppose...Porter had no problem crashing out on the boat for naps.Papa didn't either.Preston LOVED his life jacket- although you couldn't tell that from this picture...Preston still ADORES his Daddy.He ADORES Uncle Corey too.Corey WITHOUT his Gas Cans.Porter & GrandmaPorter getting some fresh air from his life jacket.Preston & Daddy.Porter & Mommy (those legs are in dire need of some serious sun!).Mommy & Preston.Preston driving the boat with Papa & Grandma.Corey tearing up the wake skate.And Cody tearing up the wake skate.

Bodily Function 2009

2009-08-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Too much going on, and too much beautiful weather I suppose :o)

We will see how much I can catch up on while the boys are still down for their afternoon naps...
Just SOME of the MANY highlights from the "Bodily Function" in July 2009 (apparently, you have to have a sense of humor to grow up with a last name like that...hee hee :o)) The reunion consisted of my Parents, all 9 of us kids and our spouses and children and my mom's sister aka our favorite Aunt Karri:All 39 of us in one spot- AMAZING.The Myers portion of the "Bodily Function"

We rented two AMAZING cabins in the BEAUTIFUL Brian Head, Utah Ski Resort for the week.

The cabins slept all 40 of us, with almost every family having their own room

We mostly just played with the kids, hung out, rode motorcycles, fished, and ate... it was WONDERFUL! :o)

Oh, and we hiked a little bit too. Thanks for motivating us all to get out and do a little physical activity, Katrena! :o)

Noa & Wes

Adam

Eliza, Kaylyn & Liam

Grandma & PorterPreston & Reese

Austin & Alisa

Maggie

Mel

Tom & Huck... Or is that Fuz & Michelle??

Nick is the hero for catching a fish for the kids!

Nash-D

Porter, Mel & Austin. Austin was born only 9 days after Porter.

Dave, Sean & Alena

Nick & Enzo. Too cute.

Uncle Nathan & Port.

Alena & Sean

8 new grand babies in 11 months! Noa (5/08), Eliza (6/08), Sean (10/08), Nash (11/08), Carlin (12/08), Coy (1/09), Porter (3/09) & Austin (3/09). We couldn't have all planned that if we would have tried! Grandma had a VERY busy year!

The 2-3 year old crew; 6 in 13 months. Toa (5/06), Howie (9/06), Reese (10/06), Maggie (11/06), Enzo (1/07) & Preston (6/07).The "older" kids. Sam (8), Malia (6), Liam (5), Owen (5), Olivia (4) & Belen (3).

Olivia & Porter

My FAVORITE picture. Olivia, Belen, Preston & Toa.

Those dang mosquitos just plain took advantage of poor Toa's forehead!!

Olivia taking fishing lessons from her Daddy.

Belen going fishing on her own- self taught, no lessons.

Noa & Asae

Toa & Preston
Olivia & Belen picking flowers. Such girls. :o)We had a GREAT time and can't hardly wait for 2011!

Three Month Old and Two Year Old Pictures

2009-07-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the GAZILLIONS of pictures we had taken for Preston's two year, and Porter's three month photo shoots :o) They are from the CD, and I didn't take the time to crop them, but I think you get the idea... Some are really cute, some are just silly, but all in all I think Cody and I have two beautiful and happy little boys! Enjoy!!

"Raptor Pose"

"This is NOT fun Mommy."

Brothers :o)

Serious face.

We could NOT get Preston to put his tongue away for most of the pictures! This is a Papa Howie inherited trait for sure...
Kindergarten - School Picture. My little boy is getting SO BIG!
HANDSOME Porter.

Two Months and Two Years

2009-07-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Preston's two year well baby check-up, and Porter's two month well baby check-up were quite a while ago now. Regardless, here are the stats:

Preston (2 yrs.)-Weight: 26 lbs. 13 oz. (35%)
Height: 33.5 in. (25%)
Head: 48.4 cm. (42%)

Porter (12 wks.)-Weight: 13 lbs. 11 oz. (65%)
Height: 24.5 in. (76%)
Head: 41.5 (62%)

There you have it- Preston is a little smaller than average, and Porter is a little bit bigger than average. I think the 2nd child needs to be a little bit bigger as a means for survival! We are so happy and SO blessed that both of our boys are so happy and healthy and growing just like they should. We love them SO much and are so glad that they love each other so much too! :o)***Disclaimer***
NO, Preston is NOT sporting the "One Glove" in honor of Michael Jackson. He went through a phase where he LOVED wearing his mittens, regardless of the warm weather outside. He really has mittens on both of his hands, you just can't see the other hand very well because he is laying on it.

Family Date

2009-07-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

We have had different members of my family in town for the last two days, breaking up the drive on their way up to Utah for our family reunion next week. Because of this, we have been very busy playing and having tons of fun with nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters, which has made the past two days FLY by. After everyone left, Cody and I had a hard time deciding what we wanted to do with the rest of the day, and therefore ended up wasting most of the day being kinda lazy. By the time Preston woke up from his afternoon nap, we decided we were going stir crazy and HAD to get out of the house. We thought about taking the travel trailer camping for the night, going to a movie with the boys, going on a date without the boys, and we eventually settled on going on a date WITH both boys. It ended up being one of our best dates ever, and a lot of fun. :o)

We headed over to Hiro's for sushi, which Preston LOVES (he eats almost a whole roll by himself!) and he also stays very entertained playing the drums with his chopsticks throughout dinner. Then we headed over to Ross with the rules being:
#1. One parent/one child teams
#2. $5.00 cash limit per person
#3. 15 min. shopping time
#4. Parents get parents 1 gift/Boys get boys 1 gift
#5. Meet back at the car when done
Of course I stuck to the cash rule, while Cody went a little over, and we both ended up taking about twice as much time as allotted. Preston and I finished first and sat on the bench outside of Ross. As soon as Cody walked out with Porter, Preston ran over to Porter and threw his gift on him and yelled "Happy Birthday Porter!" (Hence why we couldn't go on a date without our two boys tonight- they are too much fun and make us smile constantly. :o)
Preston bought Porter a little bathtub boat with soft blocks which Preston has since claimed as his own. As soon as we got home, Preston started singing "Happy Birthday" to himself and told me his hands were dirty and he needed a bath with his "birthday cake toys". Funny boy. :o) Porter has since claimed Preston's present as his own... Hulk Hands. They fit perfectly.Cody and I were apparently on the same wavelength because I found him some perfectly fitting "Mountain Dew" pajama pants, while he got me a pair of pajamas along with a shirt. We had lots of fun and I think we are going to do it again, only maybe at the Dollar Store or Wal-Mart next time...
I LOVE my Boys!!! :o)

Porter's Blessing

2009-06-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we were able to spend a lot of time with family who came up for Porter's baby blessing on Sunday. The weekend was tons of fun and started out with Fuz, Michelle, Nash, and my Dad and Mom coming up on Friday night (Preston's birthday) to camp out at Mormon Lake. We spent a few hours out there with them, and then Cody, Preston, Porter and I came home to sleep in our comfy beds since we had spent the entire day driving to Show Low and car shopping.

The next morning, Fuz, Dad and Cody went fishing while the rest of us enjoyed sleeping in. Daniel, Abbey, Olivia, Reese, Coy, Wes, Asae, Toa and Noa came up later that afternoon to join in the fun. We all took the kids fishing over at the duck pond behind one of the middle schools here in town, and it was by far the most succesful fishing trip I have ever been on! Almost every time you threw your line in, it would come back with a little sun fish on it. While they are not very big, I appreciate quantity more than quality while fishing (much to Cody's dismay). The kids loved it, and had a blast catching fish, throwing them back, digging for worms in the mud, and playing kickball with Uncle Fuz. That night we all took our Sequoia/Pilots convoy into the woods to do some spotlighting for elk and check out the Lava Tubes. It was quite the adventure hiking 8 kids, under 5 years old, and 10 adults down into the caves at 9:30 at night, but a lot of fun! When Michelle e-mails me the pictures of us down in them, I'll add them to this post- Thanks Michelle! ;o)
Sunday was Porter's baby blessing and Cody did such a wonderful job. The Spirit was so strong and it was a beautiful blessing. That is one thing that I love about Cody- he definitely has a gift for being close to the Spirit and helping every one else to be able to feel it through the inspiration he recieves and shares as well as his testimony. Porter is such a sweet little boy and has such a great spirit- Cody and I are so blessed to have two amazing little boys, who we have already learned so much from.
After the blessing, we all headed over to Cody's parents house for a little BBQ to tell everyone thanks for coming. This was the only time that I even thought to get my camera out during the entire weekend- bummer! :o( It was a great weekend, we had a lot of fun, are so grateful for Porter, and for everyone who came to support us and even those who wanted to but couldn't. We love you guys! :o)

And especially "Thank You" to Aunt Camilla who bought Porter his adorable little blessing outfit!

Three is a Crowd...

2009-06-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

...One...

...Two......Sorry little Hyundai, but you gotta go...Does anybody know anyone who would be interested in this nice little two door Hyundai Accent GT Hatchback with 75,000 miles on it??? Excellent gas mileage and quick little car! ;o)

That's right, we did it. We bought a new car. Well, SUV actually. It's a 2006 Toyota Sequoia 4wd. No slipping and sliding all over the snow and ice this year! And no more crying from Preston because he doesn't want to get into mom's little car that he can't see out of from that tiny back seat. I love our new "family vehicle" and I know that I am SO spoiled. :o)

Bunk Bed Brothers

2009-06-09T11:20:00.001-07:00

Bunk Beds: Pack N' Play Style

Happy 2nd Birthday Preston!!!

2009-06-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH PRESTON AND WE ARE SOOOOOO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE A PART OF OUR FAMILY. WE CAN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT YOU... THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS MAKING US SMILE, THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SWEET AND SO MUCH FUN, THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT FRIEND AND SUCH AN AWESOME BIG BROTHER, THANK YOU FOR TEACHING US SO MUCH, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THE WONDERFUL LITTLE BOY THAT YOU ARE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY- WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING MANY MORE WITH YOU! :O)

Catch Up Day

2009-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly what it is that we've been up to lately, but it seems like for one reason or another life has been so BUSY lately! We must have been actually accomplishing something during all of the madness because I feel like I definitely have some blogging to catch up on...
My house is clean, I'm not working, Preston and Jaiden are having the time of their lives playing together today, and I have one very happy two month old, so stay tuned as I may be able to actually get some postings done today. Either that OR, now that I've said that perhaps I've just jinxed myself and all hell will break loose... I guess we shall see! :o)

Our Sweet Baby Porter

Smother-Brother-Preston with Porter James. It is fun to watch them interact and to see how much they already adore each other.

Yesterday Cody asked Preston, "Whose your very best buddy?!" Fully expecting the response "Daddy!", Cody was kinda disappointed to hear Preston yell, "Jaiden!!" instead! It was cute, and we both had to laugh. Preston and Jaiden really are such good friends and play together so well- Sarah and I are very lucky! :o)

Jaiden, Preston, and Porter at our picnic on the tailgate of the truck when we took Daddy lunch at work. The people Cody was drilling for are cattle ranchers and live out at Mormon Lake. They had horses and chickens which the boys LOVED. It was a fun day even though poor little Jaiden ended up a little pink from the sun (Sorry Sarah!) The people were so nice and made Cody and Brian lunch every day and let the boys play with their animals- feel free to support them by enjoying some Diablo Burger- it's delicious! :o)

Extreme Room Makeover- Preston and Porter Edition

2009-04-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, well it's probably not quite primetime t.v. worthy, but nonetheless- here is what we did to make room for Porter AND Preston in the Boy's bedroom...

Yes, it is definitely wall-to-wall furniture in their tiny bedroom! However, it feels cozy, they have room for everything they need, as well as floor space to play, and I think they'll really enjoy sharing a bedroom when Porter finally makes his way out of mom and dad's room and into the crib. Preston LOVES his new "BIG BOY BED" and so far we have had NO problems with getting him to sleep in it or stay in it (since we got home from Grandma and Grandpa's that is ;). In fact, in the morning I still hear him yell "Mooooom! Moooooom! Hold you!?" Until I go in his room and tell him, "Preston, you can get up and get out of bed now." I don't know if he doesn't realize he can just get out on his own, and needs reminded, or thinks he is not allowed to. Either way, so far it has worked out very nicely for us! :)

Underwear Heads...

2009-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

This is not exactly what I had in mind for Preston's new "Cars" undies.
I'm thinking that maybe we are NOT QUITE ready for potty training...

Preston and Toa

Happy, Perfect, and Handsome- Baby Porter

2009-04-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you bout my beeesst friend...

2009-04-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Preston and Porter

2009-04-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked me how Preston is adjusting to having Porter around. I think that this video shows exactly how smooth and easy the transition has been for him. He LOVES his "Baby Porter" and is so gentle and protective with him. Every morning when I go to get Preston out of his crib, the first thing I hear is, "See Baby Porter!?" He is always kissing him, wanting to hold him, burp him, and he even throws a tantrum if Cody or I try to leave the house WITH Preston and WITHOUT Porter... "Nooooooo! Don't leave Porterrrrrrr!!" The other day I took Porter into Preston's room to wake Preston up from his nap (that was when this video was taken). Both boys smiled when they saw each other- too bad I was too slow and turned the camera on right after that...
I'm so happy to see how well they get along... for now. I know that could all change as they get older, and Porter discovers that he has his own opinion about things, but I'm just hoping that this little period in time is a glimpse of how good of friends they will continue to be in the future. Cody and I LOVE our little boys, and can't imagine how dull life would be without them!! :o)

This next video is one I took of Preston as he was looking out of our kitchen window (a daily hobby). He was watching all the cars and trucks drive by on the freeway, and apparently he thought it was VERY exciting. He is just so darn cute, and SO much fun!!

Dinner Drama...

2009-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I am at a point where I am SICK and TIRED of DINNER. I am sick of trying to decide what to make, sick of making it, sick of grocery shopping to buy food to make dinner, sick of trying to make HEALTHY dinners, sick of trying to figure out when to start making dinner so that it will be ready and still be hot when Cody gets home, and just plain sick of thinking hard enough to be successful at the whole "dinner routine".
I NEED HELP!!!!!
I've decided that I need to shake things up a bit in order to try and re-motivate me to curve my domestically-challenged tendencies and start making yummy, healthy, non-boring dinners again. Soooooo... I've decided that I should ask for help...
If you would, please leave a comment of some yummy dinners that you make (preferably pretty healthy, as I am no longer pregnant and therefore lost my excuse to enjoy being fat :o(...) as well as the recipe, if you have it. I KNOW I can count on Katrena to help me with this one, (and I still have/use your list that you made me last year!:o)) but I'm curious as to what other dinner ideas are out there.
I'll be anxiously awaiting your comments, and THANK YOU! in advance :o)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T00:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter (a few days late...) everyone!! Cody and I made these Easter baskets for the boys a few days early and just left them on the counter in the kitchen all week. Lucky for us, Preston can't quite reach anything on the counter yet, so they were safe until Easter morning. Porter doesn't know it yet, but he loved his toys inside of his plastic Easter eggs and wasn't disappointed at all that his were not filled with candy... :o)

We went to church with Cody's family on Easter, since it was also Uncle Corey's 16th birthday and he was being ordained a priest. (We can't believe that he will be DRIVING and DATING this year- HOLY COW!!) It was difficult to get a decent family picture after church, and I don't think we succeeded in doing so, but at least we tried.

Since I did not get to buy cute little frilly Easter dresses for my non-existent daughters this year, I made sure that my boys at least looked handsome and matched for Easter Sunday. Kaylyn sent us these cute little matching sweaters when Porter was born, so we figured this was a perfect day to make good use of them. Thanks Kaylyn! (Too bad this picture was not quite successful either...)

After church, we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house for lunch and Chase and Preston were able to go on a little Easter egg hunt- TWICE! The boys got the hang of looking for eggs VERY quickly- especially after realizing that they were full of candy! Preston would find an egg and quickly smash it against the ground so that it would break open and he could shove all the candy into his mouth before Chase could pick any of it up off the ground. Chase was a little more graceful at opening his eggs. It was fun to watch them and they had so much fun and were so excited. I'm sure they are both confused as to why we only play that game once a year now...

And here is a picture of Porter, just because he is so darn cute! :o)

We hope you were all able to remember and think about the true meaning of Easter this year. Maybe it is because I am getting older, or because I feel so accountable to teach my little boys about our Savior, but I was able to think a lot about the atonement, and what it means for each of us, this year. Although I would love to just be perfect and never need to use the atonement in my life, I know that is not possible and I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice of God's son in my behalf. In fact, I know that we ALL will be some day, whether everyone chooses to believe that or not right now, I have a strong testimony that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is indeed our Savior.

Twins?? No.... Brothers?? Yes!!!

2009-04-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Porter James Myers- 2 weeks old

Preston Cody Myers- 1 month old

When Porter was first born, Cody and I thought "Holy cow! We made another one exactly like Preston!" In retrospect, I guess that most babies come out looking pretty similar- swollen, squished and slightly discolored...
However, looking at their pictures side by side now, we can see plenty of differences. Preston had the perfectly round "Charlie Brown" Head, while Porter's is a little more oval. Preston was also blessed with his mom's pasty white skin color, while Porter has a little more of his dad's olive tinted coloring. Porter's eyes already look lighter and are shaped slightly different than Preston's, as well as their mouths, and although they are both in the same outfit in these pictures, we can tell now that we definitely have two very different and distinct boys on our hands! :o)

Two Weeks Old

2009-04-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Porter was two weeks old on Wednesday. He had a little check up that day, and we discovered that our 7 lbs. 9 oz., 19.5 in. baby at birth, had grown to a whopping 8 lbs. and 21 1/4 in.! Way to go little man!! :o) He is doing really well- growing like a champ, eating like a mad man, and sleeping anywhere from 3-5 hours at night. While I know I shouldn't complain about 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep at only two weeks old, I still can't wait for the day when it will be 8-10 hours! Preston starting doing that at two months, however I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much...

Porter is such a wonderful little addition to our family and his big brother loves him to pieces. So far we have not had any adjustment issues really (I think having little Jaiden around so often helped a lot with this), and Preston is very gentle and just wants to hold and kiss his "baby Porter". I also find random toys in the swing with Porter that Preston has tried to "share"- the most frequent of which is probably his "buck deer".

Cody and I feel so lucky to have TWO amazing little boys who we are HOPING will grow up to be best friends...

**Note: the wet spot on my shirt was from being a messy eater, not a leaky faucet- I promise! :)**

Happy Birthday Cody!!

2009-04-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Cody's 25th birthday, so... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CODY!! I decorated the kitchen for him last night (a wonderful Bodily tradition that I have very fond memories of) and left a giant note/card for him on the front door from the boys and I. He has been telling me, for probably over a year now, that he REALLY wants new tires for his truck and this morning I received a text message describing exactly which ones he wants, and where to get them. Apparently Cody knows me too well and figured that he was safe in assuming that I had yet to do his birthday present shopping...
Preston and I dropped Porter off at the shop with Grandma and Grandpa, where we traded my car for Cody's truck, and headed off to get him four brand spankin' new BF Goodrich All Terrain tires. I can't say that this is a birthday gift that I would go bonkers over, (even though it is much more pricey than a normal birthday gift) but I'm pretty sure Cody will be very excited (though maybe not very surprised) when he pulls into the yard after work today and sees his "dream come true birthday present" sitting where he parked his old tires just this morning :o)
Tonight we are planning on dinner with his family as well as a delicious black forest birthday cake that I made for him, and ice cream.
We love you tons Cody, and feel so blessed to have such an amazing Daddy and Husband. We look forward to celebrating MANY more birthdays with you, and hope this one is a memorable and wonderful one for you!

My beautiful birthday decorations

Our giant birthday card. Preston made the picture at the top for his Daddy's birthday

Preston and Chase enjoying their pizza and birthday cake

Cody being a dork with his birthday cake :o)

My Boys!

Porter James Myers

2009-03-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Born: March 18th 2009 (smack dab on his due date!)
Time: 6:38 p.m.
Weight: 7 lbs. 9 oz.
Length: 19.5 in.

Our first family picture. Cody wore the same shirt when Preston was born, and has decided that it is his "lucky shirt" and needed to make sure he had it on for the arrival of little Porter as well.

My boys :o)

Papa Howie & Porter

Grandma Cindy & Porter

One tired Mama

And one proud Daddy

Fresh out of the oven

Tired Boys

Porter James

Headed home from the hospital

Sarah & Porter

Grandma Linda & Porter

Part of the new "Porter Fan Club". Cody's Uncle Greg, Aunt Jackie, Papa Billy, Grandma Linda & Porter, Chad Jones, & Dad.

So far Big Brother Preston has already gone from not wanting anything to do with mom or Baby Brother Porter, to crawling into our bed with him this morning to lie next to him, hold his hand, and kiss him followed by a "Good Morning Baby Porter". Preston is going to be a fabulous big brother and has been very gentle with him so far. While I am well aware that his kisses may turn into wrestling attempts all too soon, it's been fun to see our "little boy" turn into such a wonderful "big brother" already. It makes me SO excited to watch them grow and play together.

Aunt Asae & Porter

This lucky little boy is a spitting image of his daddy- SOOO handsome!

As most of you know, we decided to deliver the baby with a midwife at St. Joseph's hospital in Phoenix due to various financial reasons (lack of maternity insurance, outrageous prices in Flagstaff, etc.)Cody and I arrived at the hospital at about 5:00 p.m., where we learned that I was dilated to an 8-9, and were able to hold our baby in our arms by 6:38 p.m. It was a great, all natural labor and delivery and little Porter actually came out so quickly that his face was bruised and turned purple in the process. Anyone who would like to hear more of my "birth story" can go ahead and ask so that I don't have to post it all here. However I will say that Cody was an amazing husband and birth companion during the entire process and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience and end result.

Girl's Night

2009-03-03T13:28:00.001-08:00

Since I am getting pretty close to having a baby, a few of my good friends here in Flagstaff decided we needed to go out before I lose my chance for a while. The plan was to do dinner and a movie, however since we sat at our table for a good two hours AFTER finishing our food and just talked, the movie never happened. There is not a whole lot out that is worth seeing right now anyway, so I was more than happy to just sit and talk "baby" with some of my very best friends, and WITHOUT having to worry about little kids for a bit:o) Cody was so good and stayed home with Preston and even watched Faith's little kids, Kirby and Chloe, too.
Anyway, my whole point in telling this story was that Katrena has asked me to put up some pregnancy pictures on my blog. I've refused to thus far, just because I don't really think that I look very glamorous as porky as I am. However, I thought the pictures from this night were kinda cute, especially since it shows Stephanie's little growing belly so well!! Steph is also having a little boy and was about 23 weeks pregnant in the picture, so it was especially fun to talk about everything she gets to look forward to with having her first. And as crazy as it may sound to some of you, it made me really excited to actually HAVE another baby- Sarah and Faith are so positive about everything, and I think a good attitude really makes a world of difference:o)

So here you go Katrena- a preggo picture at 37 1/2 weeks. Still not "glamorous", but chunky as heck and in all my glory...

Thanks again Stephanie, Sarah, and Faith! I had a great time and really think we should do it more often!:o)

(Too bad Faith had to run before we got the camera out...)

Goodbye Binkie!

2009-02-24T08:17:00.001-08:00

A few people have suggested ways to me to help break Preston of his binkie. I usually respond with a, "Well, I don't want to take it away from him right before the new baby comes if it is comforting to him..." or "I don't mind if he has it while he sleeps... or at church... or while out in public..." or "I think it helps while he is teething." I think in reality, I have just been afraid of being out in public somewhere with Preston if he decides to throw a fit and I don't have a "plug" to quiet him.
Preston, on the other hand, apparently decided that "it was time". He started by holding his binkie in one hand while chewing on the end of it, and by the next day I watched as he took it out of his mouth, walked it over to the trash can, threw it away, and told me it was "broken". I was baffled for a bit, but left it there until he came to me about an hour later asking me to get it back out of the trash can for him. I got him one of his other binkies and he put it in his mouth, and then spit it out on the floor and walked away. I tried to give it to him when he would sleep, but he would just hold the binkie in his hand rather than his mouth. Finally, one day, all of the binkies just happened to disappear. I honestly have NO clue what happened to them. I can only assume that Preston picked them all up, and threw them all away without me noticing because not a single one has turned up since. In fact, he hasn't even asked for one a single time since then.
Once again, my perfect child has amazed me and decided that what I thought would be a HUGE battle (breaking him from the binkie) was nothing more than a simple decision on his part. If only this next little baby can follow in his footsteps... :o)

Alllllllllllll boy!

2009-02-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

Preston is SUCH a little boy! He loves trucks and tractors and balls and even tooting! He thinks it is so funny when someone toots and he immediately yells "Ewwwwwww! Gross!!" even if it is only a tooting noise, and not the real thing. He thinks it is hilarious... only little boys right?? When we get snow Preston immediately points to the window and asks for the "tractor". There is a backhoe that comes to plow our parking lot out when it snows and Preston stands on the counter by the sink from start to finish in awe of this amazing truck. He went on a few snowplowing rides with dad last winter in Papa's backhoe, but I'm sure he would appreciate it much more this year!

Preston has also pretty much perfected his animal noises so Cody and I figured we should reward him with a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. He LOOOOOOOVVVEEEDD it! He knew what all of the animals were, would make all of the right noises, and him and the cows even spent a little while chatting back and forth (I don't know what they were saying- I don't speak "moo"...) Preston loved the petting zoo and even ran up to a little goat to give it a kiss! I tried to stop him saying, "Ewww, Preston! Don't kiss it! Gross! It's dirty!" But I was too late... He responded by telling me, "But mom, it's so cute!" I figured that if he had a full sentence worth of reasoning, then the little goat probably did deserve a kiss (gross!) We made sure to wipe his mouth off with wipes after we left the petting zoo :)

I think Preston's favorite part (other than chasing the pigeons around the zoo) was the monkeys. He ran back and forth and all around this exhibit saying "eeek, eek eek!" Apparently, the monkeys didn't understand his version of monkey talk because they just sat there and stared at him. He LOVED them, and we had a hard time pulling him away to go see the other animals...

I love this picture of Cody and Preston. Even though Cody looks a little drunk in it, it reminds me of how my boys really are best buddies. I hope it stays that way forever- just like Cody and his dad :o)

Preston loved the zoo so much that when he realized we were walking over the river to leave, he made a break for it and jetted back to the entrance doors. Cody caught him and literally dragged him back to the car kicking and screaming (He thinks he is 2 years old now and that temper tantrums are acceptable. Perfect timing for a new baby... ;o) ) The kicking and screaming literally didn't stop until about a hour after we got to Grandpa and Grandma's house. Maybe he fact that he didn't have a nap all day, or the fact that he enjoyed an extremely healthy lunch of cheetoh's, cotton candy, and icee had something to do with it... who knows...

So it is possible that I failed my "responsible-motherhood-duties" this day, but Cody and I sure had a blast watching Preston enjoy himself so much at the zoo, and maybe next time we will think to pack a lunch :o)

New Tricks

2009-01-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Here is an old trick of Daddy's, but he continues doing it so I thought I'd post some new pictures since it really is endearing:) Cody loves to crawl into Preston's crib when he wakes up from his naps and just lay there and cuddle with him. Preston loves it too, so I can't really complain... unless one day the crib breaks. Then I can complain. The other day I hopped into Preston's crib to put some new sheets on, since I can not really reach very far or bend too well these days. Cody walked into the room and told me not to break the crib. He immediately received the look of death. All I could think was "Really?? REALLY?!?! You think I, because I'm 8 months pregnant, weigh more than you AND Preston combined?? Pleeeaaaaseee!" I think my facial expression said exactly that, even louder than I could have, and he started laughing and quickly said, "Never mind." Anyway, the pictures are cute, so enjoy :)

Cody decided to let Preston try on his glasses the other night. While I'm sure it was less than ideal for his poor eyes, Preston thought it was the funniest thing ever. And it sure made for some cute pictures! We do, however, try not to make a habit of it...

Preston in his wagon that he got for Christmas. He loves to sit in it even though there is not much room for him, or in our condo to pull him around.

Here is a video of a few of Preston's new tricks. Sarah is such a good substitute mommy on Monday and Wednesdays, and she has taught him a lot of his animal sounds! It is so cute to hear him say them, and you can tell he is very proud of himself for learning them. :) Dave and Alena also sent us the movie "Cars" for Christmas and it is the new LOVE of Preston's life! He asks all day long to see "Cars" and when asked what Lightening McQueen says he usually yells, "Kaaa-Chow!" He also knows most of his body parts and he is just so much fun we can hardly stand it... I'm sorry, but you all are really missing out not having your very own Preston :) We sure do LOVE ours!!

Thanksgiving and so forth...

2009-01-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

I have had numerous requests to update my blog lately. So, while Preston is deep in slumber, here I go- Thanksgiving until now, all rolled up in one "little" blog entry... Enjoy! :o)

Little Nash on Thanksgiving Day. First time we were able to meet him.

Happy little Noa showing off his awesome Ninja skills with the help of his dad.

New Mexico- Cody's cow elk hunt with his Grandad on Dave Farr's ranch. Scene of the kill.

The elk skin.

Every time Cody comes home from this hunt, he has a resolve to move to New Mexico and drill water wells, or gas wells, or work on a ranch, or anything like that, as long as he can do it IN New Mexico. And Me?? Not so much...

Apparently, the ranch also had some peacocks :o)

Here is our Christmas Tree this year. We cut it down ourselves, like every other year we have been married, and we always seem to be really fond of the "Charlie Brown-ness" our trees have. The bald spot on our tree this year allowed it to cuddle closely with the couch which made our lack of space a little less of an issue :o) Notice the Christmas train circling the tree this year- It was a "must have" for Cody, and Preston learned to use the remote and would sit there for ever making it go and go and go while saying "choo-choo!" repeatedly. It definitely was a great purchase!

Chase and Preston trying to figure out the "Sit-N-Spin". Preston is currently still working on this task, but we have confidence he will figure it out someday... Thanks Eric, Christi and Chase!

When I came home from Cody's parent's house on Christmas night, after dropping Cody off at the city yard for a night of plowing snow, this is what I found. We had gotten so much snow that the end units of the parking structures in our complex snapped and fell.

Since we DO have an end unit, and my car WAS parked underneath it, I was very nervous as I drove through the parking lot. Luckily, our unit was the only end unit that had managed to hold up and my little car was still safely parked underneath it. I figured this was a blessing (which it really was!) and so it was safe for my little car to stay there until CODY could get home and move it:) When I called and told Cody this, of course he insisted that I get into my car right away and move it out from underneath the structure. I tried to argue because I had Preston with me, and it didn't look safe, and I was scared, blah, blah, blah. Cody "firmly" insisted that I get into the ---- car and move it, and to leave Preston in the truck because there was no point in both of us getting chopped in half. I cried, and then I moved my car, took Preston upstairs, and hoped that our roof was stronger than the parking structure. It is :)

A couple of days later, the entire structure collapsed. Our wonderful HOA has ensured that this tangled piece of artwork has remained in this exact state since then, apparently to improve our view, skills at maneuvering across ice and snow (deadly procedure while carrying 1-2 children and pregnant!), and creative parking skills. Thank you Mark Caro- now, please bite me.

This is what they are supposed to look like. The same night ours collapsed, a few businesses around town also had their roofs collapse. Flagstaff passed a city ordinance the next morning that no businesses with flat roofs could open until they shoveled the snow off. Thank Heavens that it didn't happen during business hours!

The return of a very exhausted "Mr. Plow". Cody works so hard for us and we are so grateful, and love him so much!

We spent last weekend down in Phoenix and Asae took us to the park with Grandma, Michelle, Nash, and Olivia and Reese while Abbey was still in the hospital after having little Coy.

Preston and Toa on the slide.

Noa, Preston, and Toa.

Asae, Noa, and Toa.

Preston and Grandma.

Olivia.

Reese-boy.

Grandma with Nash and Michelle with Reese.

Grandma taking Preston and Reese down the slide. The first attempt was even funnier- too bad I didn't get it on video.

And lastly, here is a picture of Preston. He got into my makeup the other day- hopefully this wont be a regular occurrence.

Chores

2008-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Preston has decided that he is old enough, and responsible enough, to carry some of his own weight here around the house. That's right- I said PRESTON decided. He's taken on the responsibility of throwing away his own diapers (and Jaiden's when he is here) and helping us unload the dishwasher. He used to stand on the floor and stick to unloading the silverware, but this past week he has apparently graduated to standing on the dishwasher door and unloading the entire thing- dirty or clean, it makes no difference to him. While I realize this is probably not so good for my dishwasher, or the life of my dishes, its hard to tell him "no-no" when he is so eager to help. So there it is, our little helper. I'm hoping he will fall in love with cleaning the bathrooms next...

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

I stole this from my sister's family blog. I thought it was too good to not share... Thanks Adam and Kaylyn!

One of the many things I am grateful for is inspired leaders who love God and lead with faith in Him. Their words are inspiring. The following quotation from the Continental Congress in 1777 – the Revolutionary War was being fought at this time – reminds us of what Thanksgiving should be for us:

FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

First Snowfall

2008-11-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Flagstaff received its very first snowfall of the year on November, 9th. While it was not enough to awake "Mister Plow" out of his summer hibernation, it made us excited that regular snowfall is just around the corner! In fact, the weather report is saying that chances are good that we will start seeing snow on Thanksgiving, and it will continue through the weekend. NORMALLY, we wouldn't be as excited to hear reports of snow as we are- especially since I am 6 months pregnant and that pretty much counts me out on the snowboarding this year. :o( However, since Cody is transformed into "Mister Plow" for the city during evening snow storms, we are pretty excited to hear of the possibility of some extra cash flow right before the holidays. It is a bummer to think that Cody may have to head back up to Flagstaff after our Thanksgiving meal with my family in the valley- we would LOVE to have the ENTIRE weekend to spend with him- but honestly, I think he is kind of excited to get back into his winter snow plow mode. He had a lot of fun doing it last year since Brian Skinner is out and about during their 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. shift plowing snow also.

While I am NOT a fan of driving my little car around in the snow, NOT a fan of my pants soaking up water to my shins, NOT a fan of the wet dog smell my car gets, and NOT a fan of sleeping alone without Cody while he works- I hope this explains why we are STILL hoping and excited to see snow. Plus, really wet winters always make for incredibly BEAUTIFUL springs up here- So bring on the snow!!! :o)

Family Pictures

2008-11-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

It's already been a year since our last family photo shoot, and since our little boy is already 18 months old, we decided it was that time again... So here they are! My favorite picture is the one of Cody and Preston together. They both look SO happy and are both SO handsome! It reminds me of how they look when they play together- I love my boys and can't wait to meet my new little man :o)

The first five are actually the pictures that we bought, so they may have some glares because they are pictures of pictures (Sorry, I don't know how to crop and do all that cool stuff, so I did the best I could.) I also did my best to keep my growing belly OUT of the pictures, so hopefully this little guy doesn't feel left out when he makes his debut :o)

More Preston!

2008-11-06T16:57:00.001-08:00

Here is an assortment of random pictures we've taken of Preston lately- I warned you- we really can't get enough of him, even if some of you can!;o) There are also pictures of Preston with some of his cousins and Jaiden over the past month, which I thought were too cute to not post...

It was 12 degrees when we woke up this morning! Flagstaff is starting to get cold, but Preston is well prepared!

Preston has decided that Jaiden is big enough to wrestle with him now! Don't worry Sarah and Scott- No Jaiden's were harmed during this photo shoot.

Look at those BEAUTIFUL blue eyes!

Twins!

This is one of Preston's favorite places to relax in the house. He's decided that the foot pad of the elliptical makes a good drink holder and the curve of the wheel cradles his back perfectly in reclining position...

Cody went into Preston's room the other day to pick him up from his nap. After not returning and making no noise for several minutes, I went into Preston's room to see what the deal was. This is what I found. Cody has threatened to crawl into Preston's crib with him several times to see how comfortable it is, but I never really took him seriously. Apparently I should have! This is one of the reasons Preston is such a daddy's boy- Cody pulls out all the stops to make Preston happy and play with him as much as possible. Preston really is lucky- he has a really fun daddy! :o)

Preston LOVES his bubble machine!

"Bubbles" is yet another word we hear frequently from Preston.

Chase is another one with a BEAUTIFUL set of blue eyes.

Preston and cousin Chase playing NICELY with each other!

Watch out "Bird-Man Reese-Boy"! You may have some competition...

Toa-Kuhn... Not sure my Japanese spelling is right... a little help Asae??

Noa-Kuhn

Reese boy giving me his best smile

Little Olivia

Preston and Sunny- aka "dirt head"

Cody and Fuz hanging out at my parent's house

Our Little Parrot

2008-11-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Preston has been talking like CRAZY the past couple months! He seems to mimic EVERYTHING we say, and he repeats most things very clearly. It has probably been a big blessing for Cody and I, as we have really had to watch the words which come out of our mouths, as well as everyone around us! In the past two months Cody has had to ask people sitting near us at restaurants, on two separate occasions, to please watch their language. Both times the people have apologized over and over and acted really embarrassed for the way they were talking so casually, with little children around. I'm so proud of Cody- he is such a wonderful, involved, protective and thoughtful daddy, and wants nothing more than to be his very best for Preston and I. Here are a few videos of Preston talking and acting like the active little boy that he is. In the first one he almost falls off the bed! The second one is when he is SOOO tired right before bedtime, and the third is of him counting to three (he seems to ignore the fact that "one" comes before two, and "three" comes after) and trying to jump. He is such a sweet, smart, fun, entertaining and wonderful little boy and Cody and I can't seem to get enough of him! We love him so much and feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has decided to trust us with such an amazing little person- I sure hope he knows what he's doing!:o)

Some of the MANY words which he says, in case you couldn't understand them all, are:
Shoes, Please, Uh-Oh, Mama, Dada, binkie, blankie, Bird (which he used to pronounce "Buurd" but now sounds more like "Boob") Choo-choo, Thank you, I love you (Not very clear but we know what he means...:o) ), Night Night, Good Girl, Bad boy, Pumpkin, Boots, Drink "Gink", Dog "Gog", Cat, Fish "Shish", No, Oh crap (honestly, not sure where he picked this one up- it just came out one day), Baby (He points to my tummy and says this one), Eyes, Nose, Papa, Grandma, Train "Caaar" (Yeah we don't understand why that word means train, but it just does) Bye bye, See ya, Hello, Hi, Amen, Deer, Ouch, Two, and on and on and on. The amazing thing is that not only does he say them, but for the most part I think he knows what all of these ones actually mean! He never ceases to amaze and wow us!:o)

Halloween

2008-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday before Halloween, Cody and I decided to have some friends over for dinner, and to carve pumpkins with us. After a wonderful dinner of taco salad, (made by yours truly) we dug into the pumpkins. I ended up carving the baby pumpkin we bought for Preston- it turns out his pumpkin carving skills need some fine tuning...
I think all of the pumpkins turned out pretty good!:o)

Stephanie's Pumpkin (Ghost)

Kai's Pumpkin (Bat)

Cody's Pumpkin (Headless Horseman)

My Pumpkin: with a little help from Preston... a very little... (Original Old School Style)

Sarah's Pumpkin (Bat)

Scott's Pumpkin (Scooby Scooby Doo!)

The crew in action

The night before Halloween we went to our ward's trunk r' treat with Faith, Kirby, & Chloe. Kirby was a cowboy, Chloe was a cat, and Preston was a saggy baggy elephant! They were all so cute and I wish I would have gotten a picture with them all together.

Apparently, I didn't have quite the motivation I had last year because Cody and I ended up costume-less (not that we were disappointed in the least). But here is a picture from last year's Halloween when I (well, mostly my mom) made us all costumes and we sported the family theme look:

Virginia or Bust!!

2008-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cody and I bought cheap airplane tickets, over six months ago, to fly out to Virginia and spend time with Adam & Kaylyn's family. Lo, and behold- The time FINALLY arrived! We had been looking forward to this trip for SOOOO long, and it seemed like it took FOREVER to arrive... I guess the plane tickets may have been cheap, but patience is hard to come by in this family :o)
We had so much fun and the time flew so fast, it seemed hard to take everything in. But here it is, our day-to-day adventures back east- for all of you who have been anticipating this trip with us:
We flew out Wednesday and I have to admit that Cody and I were extremely nervous about how Preston would do on the long flight out to Norfolk. He was still taking antibiotic from a nasty double ear infection, and the poor kid's lovely mother, (who is slightly obsessed with looking at people's teeth, and therefore Preston seems to get his mouth pried open quite frequently to have his teeth examined) discovered that he was working on cutting all four of his molars and his two bottom canines. Not a wonderful prognosis for a sweet little 16 month old, about to travel up and down in elevation over 10,000 feet for 7 hours across the country:o( However, we should have given Preston more credit- after all, he has NEVER let us down before- and he was an absolutely perfect, fun and a well-behaved little gentleman the entire flight there AND back! He loved sitting by the window and gasping, over and over, at all of the luggage cars driving around the runway as he yelled "caaa" (his random word for "train") and "choo-choo!" Everyone around us got a kick out of him and his uncontrollable excitement.

By the time we actually arrived at Kaylyn and Adam's house, it was dinner time and we were exhausted from the flight, so we just kinda took it easy, played teatherball in the backyard (Cody worked me over big time but this was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip) and went to bed. Thursday, we woke up and decided we wanted to go see what downtown Norfolk had to offer. We headed down to check out the U.S.S. Wisconsin battleship that is a part of the Nauticus Naval Museum. It was really cool to be aboard a battleship that actually served in WWII, the Korean War, and Desert Storm. Cody loved the tomahawk missile launchers, harpoon missile launchers, 16" guns, and was especially amazed by the exceptional welding skills of the men who built the ship :o) I loved the feel of patriotism for all the men who served there, and it made me think of my grandpa and his service in the U.S. Navy.

(Nathan's "favorite animal" seemed to be the theme of Norfolk)
Kaylyn and I took it easy and got ready for the next day that evening, while Cody and Adam headed off to watch the BYU football game, where BYU was unfortunately worked over pretty bad...
The next morning we headed off to the Historic Triangle and decided to spend some time at Jamestown. It was pretty humbling to hear about the circumstances which the very first settlers of our country endured. What impressed me the most was their unwavering faith in God and their acknowledging his hand in every GOOD thing around them- regardless of how heavy their trials were. This nation truly was founded on God, and for me that was a very reassuring feeling to have at this time in our Nation's history.

After spending the day in Jamestown, and a quick visit to Ross to buy Liam some new shoes (since he had conveniently forgotten to bring any) we proceeded up to Washington D.C. The fall leaves on the drive up were BEAUTIFUL, and it made me realize that the trip was planned at the perfect time, and well worth the wait.

Cody and I were dropped off at the Washington D.C. Temple, to go through a session, while Kaylyn watched all five kids and found our hotel at the Navy Base. I can say with confidence that the Temple was my favorite part of the trip. It was beautiful and so peaceful, and I always love having that quiet spiritual time with the man I love more than anything in this world :o)

Cody and I watched all of the kids the next morning while Kaylyn and Adam went to the temple and did sealings, and then we were off to explore downtown D.C. We started off touring the house where Lincoln died, right accross from Ford Theatre, and then headed over to the Museum of natural History. We figured this museum would be the most interesting for the kids, and therefore the most enjoyable for all of us. Of course the animals were a BIG hit with all of the kids, and we moved through it quickly and on to the WWII Memorial.

Cody and I have both been to Washington D.C. before and agree that the memorials are far more impressive than most (if not all) of the museums. The spirit that you feel when you visit the memorials is so powerful it almost feels tangible. The feeling of courage, sacrifice, patriotism, faith in God, and love is so strong that it demands your attention. I loved this memorial and was once again humbled by the basic moral values, beliefs, and faith in God that are expressed so profoundly there and yet, have so sadly been portrayed as insignificant and almost shameful in today's society. I wonder what it will take to bring society back to acknowledging and respecting those simple truths...

We tried to visit the American History Museum also, however it was closed, and so we headed out of D.C. after not even scratching the surface on what it has to offer. On our way out, of course we passed by the White House and a few other memorials without really having the time to stop and look.

The next day was church and therefore the most exciting part of the day was probably our afternoon naps and hanging out and playing games in the evening after the kids went to bed:o) Monday was our last full day of vacation and we were able to spend part of it at the YMCA watching Liam play soccer and race in his "little dribblers" class. That was VERY entertaining to watch all of the little 3 and 4 year olds do their own interpretation of jumping jacks and score more goals on themselves than the other team. Preston and Howie loved watching the kids play ball, and at the end of the class were able to join in as well.

Next, we picked Sam up from school, and headed to the Virginia Beach Aquarium. Preston was in HEAVEN! He sounded as if he was hyperventilating the entire time, as he gasped and pointed at all of the "Shish" (fish) he could handle. He was able to touch a Sting Ray and was in awe of the sharks and sea turtles. It was a really cool place- but the best part of any trip when you have kids, is being able to enjoy their innocent and overwhelming excitement at everything they see :o)

(Notice how Cody and Preston seem to dress alike most days...? I think it's cute :o) Also notice Preston's sweet hunting/cowboy boots- he LOVES them and they are adorable on him!)

We ended the day with a trip to the east coast shore which was gorgeous! I must say that I think it is MUCH more beautiful and breathtaking than many of the west coast beaches. The tall reeds and grass and the sparkling foam of the ocean makes it feel picture perfect.

The boys love the beach and would have been more than happy to spend the entire day there. Preston had the time of his life chasing "buuuds" (birds) up and down the shore until we had to drag him away to head home. Sam gave the Family Home Evening lesson that night, and Liam entertained us all with his Uno skills.
The next morning we headed home and had to say farewell to our much anticipated vacation. It was sad to say Goodbye to Kaylyn and her family- Cody and I are hoping that the coast guard will move them somewhere much closer but equally as fun and beautiful next, so that we can go visit again :O) Thank you SOOOO much for making us your guests and showing us around Virginia and D.C. for a week. We loved seeing you guys, meeting Eliza, and being able to spend time with you, doing the things you guys love to do! we hope you know that Flagstaff can be a pretty cool place to visit as well... ;o)

Re-Cap

2008-09-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

So here it is: my re-cap on the past two months of me not blogging. Hopefully after I get all caught up, I can start to be a little more regular again... we will see...

Here are some pictures of Mel, Alisa & the kids on their way from Tempe back to Utah. We are glad that we are a convenient little stop between the two destinations:o)

My mom and dad came up to visit us with my Aunt Vicki, in July, and we decided to visit the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a fun little day trip and we enjoyed it- every single "scenic view" stop, we enjoyed :o)

In August, we headed up to Utah. Our good friends, Brittney and Ken Chugg invited us to go through their endowments and sealing in the Logan Temple, and we were more than happy to make the trip. Especially since it also gave us an excuse to spend some time with Mel's family, in their new house, see my grandparents, and some other family. It was a fun trip and went really fast! We also headed down to Midway to visit my grandparents house- which my family has a lot of good memories about, so I was excited to finally take Cody and Preston to see it. Preston loved his cousins & their "gog", aka dog, even though he had two additional mothers the entire time :o) Oh yeah, we wanted to shout out a "Thunder Thank You!" to Mel's family for letting us stay with them, taking us to see everyone, Midway, the elk farm, watching Preston, feeding us, and we had a blast!

Logan, Utah Temple

Maggie & Preston giving Great Grandma Bodily Love

Preston and Great Grandma Hartman

Great Grandpa Hartman, Aunt Karri, & Maggie

All the kids were tired on the drive home from visiting the Grandparents. Mel told his kids that if they weren't asleep by the time they got home that they would have to sleep in the garage- this is Malia & Owen pretending SOOO hard to be dead asleep!

View of the barns at the house in Midway, Utah

Most flattering picture of Alisa that she would let me take :o)

Sparky the Dog

Wes and Asae came up to visit with their two kids, the last weekend in August. We ended up heading down to Oak Creek to pick Blackberries, apples, & peaches and play in the water with Brian and Faith and their two kids. The kids were all so good, so cute, and had fun playing together so that ensured it was a fun trip for all of us.

Brian with Kirby showing off his muscles

Wes & Toa fishing

Asae & Noa

Faith & Chloe

Daniel, Abbey & their kiddos came up for a visit the weekend after. They showed up to our wards annual "Chili & Chocolate Cook-off" which was nice because Cody and I are STILL the activities chairs so we were runnin' the shin-dig. The next day we headed down to Oak Creek again so that the kids, Abbey, and I could pick more blackberries and play in the water, while Cody and Daniel got a little fly fishing out of their systems. We got some pretty interesting stories out of the trip- the best of which being Olivia scaling up the side of a cliff crying and screaming "I'm doing it, I'm doing it, I'm doing it! I did it! I did it! I'm so proud of myself!!" Believe me, if you would have been there to witness the whole fiasco, you would have been pretty proud of that tough little girl too!

Abbey picking blackberries

Well, I think that pretty much sums up the big events of the past two months, at least the ones we took pictures of :o)

Oh, and of course, here are some pictures of Preston over the past few months. He is getting so big and so smart! He is so fast, running all over the place, and saying a lot of words. "Gog" (Dog), "Shish" (fish), "No", "Yeah", "Uh-oh", "Shoes", "Dink" (drink), "Mom", "Dad", and "Aaah-choo!" are just a few of his favorites. He is such a little copy-cat that he is certain to mimmick any sound he hears including bodily functions, animal noises, cars, whatever, so we are really having to watch what we say around him! We took him to the doctor yesterday and he is 21.5 lbs. (10th percentile) and 25th percentile for height and head. He is such a handsome little man and a complete daddy's boy for sure!

Preston & Jaiden

Preston enjoying a "super dog" at the county fair

Hammock time

Oak Creek

Climb to Conquer Cancer

2008-07-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!:o)

I just wanted to let you all know that Cody's family has decided to do the Climb for Cancer walk in Flagstaff this year, and so Cody, Preston and I have decided to participate on their team- Flagstaff Well & Supply Co. Cody's maternal grandma passed away from cancer several years ago, and I know many in our family have been affected by it as well.

First of all, I wanted to invite anyone who would like to, to join our team and come up to Flagstaff on Saturday, August 16th, and walk the 7 miles up Snowbowl Road with us. Registration is $40.00 per person (7 and under are free but need to fill out a waiver) and registration fills up, so the sooner you register- the better! Be sure to register with the team- Flagstaff Well & Supply Co.- (Flagstaff Well & Supply will be making a separate, additional donation based on the amount of money we raise.) Let me know if you want to come up and participate!

Second of all, if you don't wish to actually do the climb for cancer, but would still like to make a donation, you may do so. Once again, please leave your donation under the team name- Flagstaff Well & Supply Co.

No pressure either way, we just wanted to let you all know what we were doing and give you the opportunity to participate in one form or another, if you would like to.
Thank you for your support!!

-Love-

Cody, Marianne & Preston

To join our team or make a donation visit:

Click Here!

Details about the event:

Saturday August 16th 2008

Flagstaff, AZ
Team name: Flagstaff Well & Supply Co.
Team captain: Linda Myers
$40.00 per adult registration fee
7 miles up Snowbowl Rd.
Lunch will be provided at the top by Outback Steakhouse

Preston & Jaiden

2008-07-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who don't know, I have a really good friend up here- Sarah, who I graduated from hygiene school with, and who just had a baby almost two months ago. We had been working at the same dental office in town until she went on her maternity leave at the beginning of May. However, now that her maternity leave is over, she is going to come back to work two days a week, while I work the other two days. We've decided to swap babysitting and between the two of us we will be one full time dental hygienist and one full time mom! Well, not really, I think we both cosider ourselves full time moms who just get out of the house a couple of days each week to give our kids a break from us. ;o) Anyway, I think our boys will end up being pretty good friends because of it, and I am really excited about it! Preston was such a good, mild mannered, observant, happy little baby- and from what I've seen from Jaiden, he reminds me a lot of Preston. Both boys are just so mellow that I think it will be a lot of fun to watch them grow and interact with each other. I know it will be a little while before they can play together- because Jaiden is 11 months younger than Preston- but so far Preston comes and says hi to Jaiden very gently, and then forgets he is there for most of the rest of the day.

They are such adorable and good little boys that I feel lucky to be able to spend a couple days with both of them each week. :o)

Here is a picture Sarah took of Jaiden and Preston enjoying a car ride together to come meet me at work for lunch.

This one is of Preston at Scott and Sarah's house enjoying his lunch. We are hoping to be able to get the boys out of the house and meet whoever is working for lunch most days- we will see how that works out for us, but so far it has been great, and is a much appreciated break during the day! :o)

Bath Anyone??

2008-07-05T00:24:00.001-07:00

One of Preston's new things is throwing EVERYTHING into the bathtub. I've found remotes, binkys, balls, cups, shoes, blankets, pillows- just about anything he can pick up, gets waddled into the bathroom, and thrown into the bathtub. The other day, as I was getting ready I heard Preston in my bathroom, once again, filling the tub with treasures. I heard little bang after little bang as toys went into the tub, and then suddenly I heard a big THUD. I was curious what he found to throw in there that was that big... the plunger maybe?? Nope, it was Preston himself that he had thrown into the bathtub. Apparently toys are no fun to play with after you can't reach any of them, so he decided to join them and was happily playing in the bathtub by the time I got in there. This little boy definitely keeps smiles on his mom and dad's faces!

My Wonderful Husband :o)

2008-07-05T00:19:00.000-07:00

So I know I brag a lot about Preston, but truth be told, Cody is pretty amazing too. :0) He brings me home flowers randomly just to let me know he loves me. I know some may deem flowers as kind of a "waste of money" because they die pretty quickly- but they work for me. I'm just glad Cody loves to give them, because I love to get them! Here is my most recent bouquet:

Pretty huh? :o)

Out of Africa

2008-07-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Cody has Fridays off of work now, and we are so excited that now we have an extra day to spend together as a family. Sunday is usually pretty church-filled and Saturdays just always seem to fly by with so much to do- so now Friday is our family day :o) A couple weeks ago, we decided to spend it by visiting Out of Africa in Cottonwood. I remember always wanting to go there as a little kid, and so I finally talked Cody into taking Preston and I and we had a lot of fun!

Here is Keebo, the Giraffe. Preston loved feeding him the carrots! Our tour guide said that he came "extra wrinkly" and it even said that on his birth certificate.
This little Zebra was born the week before we were there- she was so stinkin' cute!

The park also had a Tiger Splash where some of the employees played in the water with toys with the tigers. It was pretty entertaining to watch.

This is Boom Boom, the rhino. The story behind him was that he used to be in a zoo which was shut down. He went up for auction, and was purchased by a big game hunter who wanted to hunt him as a trophy. Apparently the guy who owns the Ecko Unltd. Company caught wind of his plans and was not impressed, so he paid the big game hunter double what he had paid for the rhino, and then paid for his cage to be built at Out of Africa and sent him there. Supposedly he comes and visits Boom Boom a couple times a year. Needless to say, Cody was not too impressed by this heroic, and pricey, animal rights move- but we were happy we were able to see Boom Boom here anyway. :o)

We were able to go on one of the parks feeding days, which was really cool because by 3:45 all the animals were out pacing the fence and growling with excitement. It was neat because we actually got to see every animal even though they did not quite attack the meat like I thought a wild animal should. Here are just some of the animals we saw...

We had a lot of fun but by the end we were worn out, and happy to head back to the cool temperatures in Flagstaff!

Preston's First Birthday!

2008-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

So a whole week later, I finally have a minute to post about Preston's first birthday! I actually could have that day, but I decided that I was going to spend the whole day with Preston instead- not the whole day cleaning house, or shopping, or on the phone/computer, baking, etc. So I got all of my chores done and all of Preston's birthday stuff together before I worked for the week, so that when Preston's first birthday finally rolled around, I actually had a full day to spend with my little man. It was Preston and Mommy's day of fun (too bad daddy had to go to work...) :o)

We did our normal eat breakfast, shower, and get ready routine, and by that time Preston was already ready for a nap! While he was sleeping I made his Dirt and Worm birthday cake and when he woke up, we met Faith, Kirby, and Chloe at McDonald's for lunch. While I am not a big fan of McDonald's, I wanted to celebrate Preston's birthday, so we got him his fist happy meal with chocolate milk, and he watched Kirby play in the Playplace. I was glad that he was too nervous to try to join the big kids inside, but he seemed happy to just watch them play.
I don't know where the day goes usually- and this day seemed to go especially fast. We stopped by the store on our way home to pick up Preston's personal 4 in. baby cake, and some ice cream and when we got home Preston was ready for another nap- it must have been an overload of excitement for him because he usually only takes one nap...

By the time he woke up, Daddy was home with the Pizza, and we played with Preston until Cody's family and Brian and Faith came over for pizza, cake, ice cream, & presents. Preston enjoyed quite a bit of root beer for dinner, and got to make a mess of his own little cake, so by the time he was out of his high chair, the boy was WIRED! He was soooo funny to watch as he just zoomed all around the room saying hi to people, playing with all of his toys, diving in his ball tent, outside with bubbles, and on and on! He had a really fun day and was such his happy, even tempered, friendly little self.

Since Preston was born at 8:26 PM, I kept watching the clock to see if it had been exactly one year yet (I felt kind of nostalgic all day...). As if on que, at exactly 8:26, Preston loooked at me and tried to come barreling out of his ball tent! He got caught in th netting, but didn't give up trying to tear his way through the net to get out... I know only a mom could appreciate this, but it totally made me laugh and think- "wow thats exactly how I would explain what it felt like he was doing a year ago too!"

We LOVE our little boy and can't even imagine our lives without him. He is the best little boy in the world and we are so so so blessed to have him as a part of our family! We love you Preston!! :o)

Preston's Sweet New Walking Skills

2008-06-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a little better video of Preston walking...

Memorial Day

2008-05-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Cody's mom's side of the family has been going camping and fishing at Big Lake for Memorial Day for 32 years. However, when we all woke up Friday morning and heard that there was 8 in. of snow on the ground at the Big Lake Store- and counting- the whole family decided to call the trip off. But since it was also snowing in Flagstaff, we were all packed and had tons of food for camping, Cody's family decided to head to a little warmer climate for the weekend. they packed up their quads in the toy hauler and we headed down for the sand dunes by Yuma. It was tons of fun and since it is usually scorching hot over Memorial Day weekend, there was hardly anyone else there. The boys would all take the quads out to the big dunes and bowls while the girls stayed back and watched the babies, and when they would come back, they watched little Preston and Chase so us girls could head out to some wussier, (but still super fun!) dunes. It was a great trip, my arms and upper body is still ridiculously sore, but I'm so glad we had the chance to go :o)

This is Preston riding the quad before we left the shop. He makes car noises and bounces and kicks it because he is so excited.

Here is Preston jam packed in between all of our camping stuff.

Preston made a new friend!

Close-up of Preston's friend

Playin' in the sand...

My boys being not-so-manly :o)

When Preston would get on the quad, he meant business! You couldn't crack a smile out of him. He was stone cold Steve Austin with nothing but "vroom!" and "pbbbb!"

Cody and Preston riding quads with Chase and Eric

Our new family photo- you think Cody and I should have switched spots???

My twinsies :o)

Eric found this not-so-friendly creature camped out under their tent when we were packing up. We were just glad that the little boys didn't find him first!

Almost One Year...

2008-05-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Preston is two weeks away from his first birthday and I can not believe how fast the time has flown! He is so stinkin cute, and fun, and just all around good, that we can't imagine our lives without him. This may make us sound like really horrible parents, but the other week we went to a midnight showing of "What Happens in Vegas" with our friends EJ and Tana, and of course Preston just came right along with us. He had gone to bed at about 9:30, but woke up to sit on my lap and watch the movie, and went straight back to sleep after it was over. He goes fishing in the boat, for hours at a time with us, and pretty much just lets his mom and dad do whatever they feel like and loves to tag along. We know that we are so lucky to have such an easy going little boy and he just makes our life so much better :o) Anyway... I will stop bragging about our amazing little son for now, but I'm sure you will get another earful about how much we love this little boy, and how wonderful he is in two weeks!

Below is just a picture of typical Preston after he is done feeding himself dinner.

This video is a poor example, of how well Preston is doing at learning to walk. Hopefully I will take a better video of him walking soon. He loves to walk back and forth between Cody and I and is doing a really good job standing on his own and taking a good 4 or 5 steps in a row. I think he could take off and run if he wouldn't get so nervous and just sit down most of the time :o) Sorry if you have to turn your head sideways to see it...

Mother's Day

2008-05-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

So for Mother's Day this year, I woke up to a clean house, and flowers on the table... Too bad we were at my mom's house and not mine! ;o) We drove back to Flagstaff Mother's Day morning, so that we could be home in time to go to our ward and teach our primary class. When we got home from church, I laid down to take a nap, and when I woke up, my house was also clean and potted flowers were on the table- well done Cody! :o) These were EXACTLY what I wanted since last Mother's Day, Cody gave me flower boxes and potted flowers for our balcony, which I was able to enjoy allllllll summer long! It was a really nice day and I appreciated Cody making it special.

The next day, I decided to plant my flowers. I was so thankful for the flower boxes that I got last year, since potted plants would never stand a chance on the balcony floor with Boots and Butterscoth now around. They looked great and I was so happy with them.

When Cody came home from work that night, he turned on the news, like usual. Unlike usual however, the good ole Flagstaff local and channel 2 news weather man, Lee Born, said that it might snow that night... Really?! He knows we are well into May now right?!?! Well, Cody and I decided that we had better bring the bunnies and flowers inside (once again I was so grateful for the flower boxes) JUST in case. And sure enough, when we woke up the next morning, there was a good 3 in. of snow on the ground. May 13th and it snowed. Up to 7 in. some places in town.... ridiculous. Here is the real kicker though, as I write this blog, it is snowing again! May 22nd- Memorial Day weekend almost- and it is still snowing in Flagstaff. Unbelieveable. Especially since it had to have been in the 70's-80's at the beginning of this week. I had a patient tell me yesterday that he remembers it snowing on the Fourth of July one year in Flagstaff...
Well, I hope this is the last of the snow and we start getting to enjoy the sunshine or some wonderful thunderstorms- I am reay for monsoon season already! But I guess in Flagstaff you never do know... I think even Cody would agree that the weather has been even moodier than me lately ;o)

Butterscotch and Boots

2008-05-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Cody has wanted bunnies for a couple of months now. We found these little guys at Petland about a week ago, and they were just so cute that I couldn't say no. If you know me, you know that I have a very soft spot for bunnies anyway...

We put a wire netting up around our balcony so that Preston could enjoy being outside a little more this summer, without us worrying about him or his toys rolling off the edge. This has worked well for the bunnies too since they live on our balcony and hop in their cage to eat or go to the bathroom. I hope they keep it up because so far this little system is working well for all of us!

Preston loves to chase them around and they are terrified of him- it is so cute to watch :o) They are only 7 weeks old and a mut breed- netherland dwarves and holland lops- they THINK. Either way, they shouldn't get too big, which is exactly what we wanted. The dark one is Cody's and is named Boots (probably a male) and the light one is mine, named Buterscotch (most likely a female). If they do have loads of babies one day, the pet store said they would buy the babies off of us for a very good price so who knows, maybe these bunnies will earn their keep after all.

Mexico!

2008-05-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Abbey's aunt had a time share at the Mayan Palace in Rocky Point, but when she decided she couldn't stay for the entire time, she offered the end portion of the week to Daniel and Abbey. They invited us, so we headed down to Mexico with them after Daniel's last class one Thursday. It was a ton of fun and the perfect relaxing little vacation that we all needed :o) Here are a few highlight stories from the trip:

*There were canopy beds around the resort pool and Daniel, Abbey, Olivia, & Reese headed out early one morning to snag one for us. We hung out by the pool for a while and then Cody, Preston, Abbey, Olivia, and I decided to go check out the beach. Daniel and Reese satyed behind to guard our bed. While we were gone, this big Mexican guy came over and told Daniel that they had been on the bed early that morning (doubtful since we were there by about 8:00 am) and so it was their bed. When Daniel responded, "well I'm here now." the big mexican guys said "oh well we'll see" and he went over to talk to some of the workers. He came back and tried to tell Daniel, who he assumed was an ignorant little white boy who couldn't understand their Espanol conversation, that the worker said Daniel had to give him his bed back. Daniel just said "I heard what he said." I'm sure the guy felt pretty dumb, and he left it at that. Later, while Daniel and Cody were down on the beach, the same worker came over to Abbey, who was on the bed, and said that he had talked with her husband earlier and they both agreed that we needed to share the bed. We were kinda ticked, and knew he was lying, but just then we saw a giant poop floating in the pool. Since everyone was looking around for the baby who may have let one slip out (and we had two!) Abbey and I gave the bed to this nice family sitting behind us, to make sure the other big mexicn guy didn't get it, and we headed back to the room. Of course we will never know who the culprit was of the floating poop, but we have a few suspicians...

*Preston got "tear free" sunscreen in his eyes the first day and spent the whole morning squinting with tears rnning down his face or trying to pretend he was asleep. I tried to dunk him in the pool to wash some of the sunscreen out of his eyes but was only succesful at adding to his problems as he came up gasping for air and coughing up water- apparently I don't know how to dunk a baby under water right... He was such a good sport about it though and never complained at all, we all just felt really bad for him because he looked miserable :o(

*We had tons of fun shell and critter searching on the beach. Olivia finally picked up so many shells that when you would ask her if she wanted a cool one that you found she would say, "Will it fit in my pocket? No. Then I don't want it." She is such a little Abbey, and it is so fun.

*The second day we went into town to check out the little shops and we had some of the best churros ever. We ate at this little Torta restaurant that was super good and the after lunch, our entertainment consisted of watching Olivia throw everything back up on the table. Pretty gross...

*Daniel and Cody caught about a dozen baby crabs and brought them back to the room and kept them in a beach bucket on the balcony. They smelled terrible by the time we left for home.
*Waiting at the border for like 2 hours to get back into the states- apparently Sunday is not a good day to try and cross the border. Abbey walked a little ways down the line of cars trying to sell whatever we had in our box of food, just like the other mexicans who make their living at the border.

*Reese flirting with every girl he saw- too cute!

Anyway, that was most of the highlights from the trip. It was tons of fun and we are so happy that Daniel and Abbey invited us to go with them... Thanks again guys! :o)

F.H.E.

2008-05-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

So Cody and I are not the best at having FHE every week, but this one week in particular, we decided to make more of an effort. Cody got off of work a little early and called me on his way home, as I was making dinner. He decided that we should go fishing for family home evening and take a picnic dinner. Since I was making a giant pot of Katrena's recipe for hamburger soup
(+ corn) I decided this would be do-able.

We packed the whole meal up in this awesome little ice box that Cody won from a local radio station that can hold like 24 cans and has a radio and IPOD hook up on the front- its pretty sweet- and we headed to lower lake mary with Preston.

Preston and I sat on the blanket and ate while Cody caught a few little trout, and after dinner I fished. Preston just sat on the blanket the whole time, loving that he was outside, and enjoying watching us fish. It was a pretty fun little home evening, and perhaps it will motivate us to do it more often. And of course we stopped and picked up dessert at Coco's on our way in, since it is their delicious strawberry dessert season :o)

Myers Look-alike Meter

2008-04-15T11:37:00.001-07:00

Now, I'm pretty sure that anyone who has actually seen Preston would disagree with this meter. Personally, I think Preston looks just like his handsome daddy, and that's exactly the way I like it!

Random... and Gross...

2008-04-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

So Cody's sister, Christi, went to D.C. with some of her students this past week, and asked to borrow our digital camera, because her's is a little bulky. Of course, we let her, but when she returned it to us yesterday, she informed me that the pictures we had saved on our camera's hard drive were "gross". Embarrassingly enough, I got a little nervous as I tried to rack my mind about what we could have taken pictures of that would have been "gross". Nothing came to mind, so when I got home I decided to take a look. Here is what I found...

This is a picture of the first elk that Cody killed while we were dating. He killed it on a hunt over in New Mexico, with his Grandad, right before New Years. Because it was so close to the holidays, there were no butcher shops open to take the meat to, so Cody decided to skin it and hang it in his parent's garage while they were out of town. The first picture is a better picture of how I really felt about this hanging chunk of bloody meat.
This next picture is one of Cody basically slaughtering the backstrap of the elk in the kitchen sink of his apartment. Disgusting, I know. It is a wonder that he had friends who would agree to live with him, with all of these antics. Let alone a girlfriend...

Finally, I found a few pictures of Cody and I while dating. We don't have many, so I was really happy to find a few more. I'm thankful that Cody no longer slaughters elk in his kitchen sink, hangs them in the garage, and that I always have a freezer full of professionally wrapped elk meat (that looks and tastes just like cow- only healthier!) thanks to my wonderful husband and his frickin' sweet hunting skills :o)

Happy Birthday Cody!

2008-04-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's Cody's 24th birthday today! We actually celebrated most of it yesterday, since he left out of town for work for a few days this morning. I worked yesterday and Cody was able to stay home with Preston- I think that, in itself, should have made it Cody's best birthday yet! then we went to Cody's favorite restaurant in town, Miz Zip's, for their amazing country fried steak. Cody opened his presents from Preston and I (hiking boots, a sleeping bag, and a gun rest) and then we had some of his friends over for cake and ice cream (I made a black forest cake). This morning, before he left, I packed him a really good lunch with some snickerdoodles and BBQ chicken (there were also carrots and a banana in there, Katrena) and made him breakfast in bed. Kaylyn reminded me of the scrumptious biscuits and pie filling breakfast mom used to always make, so I gave that a whirl, and it was pretty darn good. I think I spoil him... but I also think he deserves it, and here is why:

1. He is a wonderful husband and has learned to be very considerate of his wonderful wife ;o)
2. He is an amazing father and can make his little boy laugh harder than anyone else on earth
3. He is a hard worker and is always HAPPY to bring home the bacon
4. He is fun and loves to be outside doing something exciting WITH Preston and I
5. He is always open to how he can do better and then ACTUALLY does better
6. He is a people person and everyone who meets him loves him
7. He is the only person I know who rivals my dad and can do/make ANYTHING he puts his mind to
8. He is very, very, very smart
9. He is very loyal and slow to judge
10. He doesn't let what other people say/do affect him or the way he feels (this is one I need to work on!)

I love Cody and am so blessed to have him as my husband. I hope he has a wonderful birthday, and I just thought I would share with all of you, just a few of the reasons, why Cody is so Amazing! :o) Happy Birthday Cody!

Preston's 1st Fishing Trip

2008-03-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the weather was so perfect, that we decided it was about time Preston experience his first fishing trip. We bought him a life jacket- in anticipation of this exciting event- a few weeks ago and were so excited to take it out of the closet and actually use it. Since most of the lakes up here were still pretty icy, we headed down to Prescott, to Goldwater Lake, to do some fishing in the boat. It was a gorgeous day, a lot of fun, and Cody even caught a few fish. Preston was not so sure that he loved wearing his life jacket, or not being able to move around a whole lot in the boat, so I mostly entertained him while Cody drove the boat and fished. Preston was a really good sport, nonetheless, and allowed us to stay out on the lake for almost 5 hours enjoying the day!

Yesterday, we didn't have a lot scheduled so we were able to spend the day together as well. We went out to Lake Mary and discovered that the Upper Lake is completely full, from all of the snow melt, and it has filled Lower Lake Mary (where Cody proposed) a good amount too. In fact, there were so many people fishing on the shore, that we are glad that we have a boat so that we don't have to fight for a spot! It should be a good fishing season, and I am so glad that I enjoy fishing too or else I'm pretty sure I would end up a fishing widow for the next few months!

Preston also enjoyed his first "Peep" the day before Easter, on our way to Goldwater :o)

The Results are In...

2008-03-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, most of the results are in. Cody found out last week that he passed his general well drillers test and his air rotary drilling test! We are still waiting to hear back from the state, but I'm pretty confident that my husband knows what he is doing when it comes to drilling wells, and that one will be good news too :o) He is really so smart and good at what he does. I guess thats what happens when you have a passion for something like cody does...
Cody has also officially decided that he is going back to school. It has been an extrememly difficult decision for him to make since the last thing he wants to do is leave Flagstaff and stop drilling wells. But he has felt really strongly like it is the right thing to do for a while now, and he just can't seem to shake it so he decided he better stop trying to fight it.
Cody wants to study groundwater and become a hydrologist. That way he can do all of the hydrology work for wells and then drill the well too, thereby eliminating a middle man and making a very good income. However, UofA is the only Arizona University that offers the program so it looks like we will be spending at least 4 years in Tucson. Cody talked with a counselor last week and found out that he will need to go for a masters in hydrology, but that he can do the first 2 years of the program here in Flagstaff at a community college. So it looks like we will be paying tuition to CCC in the fall and I will be working a few days a week for at least the next 6 years. I'm pretty positive I will have my fill of dental hygiene by then and be more than happy to stay home with my kids every single day of the week :)
I'm so proud of Cody. He works so hard, is so smart, and an amazing husband and father. I'm so thankful to have him and to be able to support him in becoming what is best for him and our family.