Week 17: Self Portrait

Alex has developed some awesome facial expressions these days and I thought this week I would try to capture them, however I have discovered that this is much easier said than done; that kid is always on the move and it's extremely difficult to get a good picture.  So stay tuned for the many expressions of Alex in next week's post.  Hopefully by then I will be able to get some better pictures.   

Instead, this week I've decided to blog about myself.  Typically I much prefer being behind the camera

(Sorry, the mirror I was shooting into was a little dirty. . .just ignore the smudges)

but tomorrow is my birthday, and I haven't really taken any self portraits, so somehow it seems fitting for this week.   

Tomorrow I will be 26.

Scary, I know.  I'm not sure how this has happened.  26 is only 4 years away from 30; I remember when my mother turned 30, and in my 6-year-old mind she seemed so old!  30 is no longer old.  Heck, 40 doesn't even seem that old anymore.  But in my mind I am early 20's, and after tomorrow I definitely don't fit in that category anymore.  I remember my grandma telling me that the older you get the faster time flies.  I'm starting to believe her.

Birthday time is always a bit like the new year for me; it is a time of reflection.  There were definitely bad times and regrets, but overall I am pleased with where I am at.  I married the best man in the world, graduated college, traveled quite a bit, own a home, have a darling little boy . . .what more could I possibly want?  I am very grateful for the many blessings and opportunities I have enjoyed thus far.  

The last couple years have not been easy as I have struggled to redefine who I am, from "College Student", to "Engineer", to "Mother".  At times it has been hard to find balance in my life, but through the help of my wonderful husband, a couple very good friends, and my Heavenly Father I feel a bit like Alma when he said, "I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things" (Alma 26:12). 

Over this last year I have started to believe that.  Sometimes my confidence is stretched a little too far and I fail miserably (*cough* cupcakes from scratch *cough*).  But I have accomplished several things I was very unsure of over this last year.  I have learned to push myself physically; I am in the best shape I have ever been in, completed the P90X program, and even ran two 5Ks over this last year - which doesn't really sound like much, but trust me, that is HUGE.  Thanks to Matt and Google I feel confident to take on new projects around the house - need to make curtains?  No problem.  Need to tear down a wall?  Awesome!  Need to tile a floor?  That one sucks, but I can do it.  Where rollers and paint where once intimidating, they are my new best friends.  Through the help of my awesome friends and family, I found the confidence to try working as a math tutor, and while I wouldn't say I'm awesome at it yet, I really like it.  Finally, I am much more confident as a mother.  I remember when we first brought Alex home from the hospital and while I was really excited, I was also scared out of my mind; I had no idea what I was doing.  I will openly admit I still don't really have a clue how to raise a child, but I now know that Matt and I can figure it out as we go along.

 

In short, I guess my main message for today is to say thank you.  Thank you to all of you who have been in my life and helped me become a little more like the person I want to be.  There have been countless people who have impacted my life in so many ways for the better, and I'm grateful for all of you.  Thank you!!   

Happy photographing!   

     

Week 16: Adieu to the Plum Tree

The last two weeks have been busy.  Very busy.  There was a gigantic plum tree in our backyard that we vowed to take down the first day we bought this house.  Two years later it was still standing.  I never liked this tree.  I have always hated walking in the backyard during the summer because no matter how carefully you step, you are bound to hit a squishy slimy plum and have it splatter all over your shoe, or worse, your bare foot.  GROSS!  Our house was originally owned by my grandparents and I remember when I was 5 or so my grandma offered to pay me a penny for every plum I picked up in the backyard.  I donned a pair of gloves and got to work picking up those putrid plums; after an hour or two I had earned $6 or $7, which was quite the sum of money for a 5 year old.  Last summer we said we would chop the tree down, but that idea quickly vanished as we devoted a majority of our time to finishing the living room and kitchen.  Late last summer I highly regretted our time allotment and cured that tree over and over as I spent hours picking bucketfuls of plums.  Picking them off the tree wasn't so bad, but picking more than 15 gallons of little rotten plums out of the lawn over the course of three weeks was NOT fun.  I renewed my vows then and there that the tree HAD to come down.

I am happy to report that it is FINALLY gone! . . . ok the stump is still there, but the tree is down, which is a HUGE triumph!  I'll have you know this is maybe 1/5th of the tree.  It was GIGANTIC.  We spent hours cutting up branches, preparing them to be hauled away in time for the City's spring pickup.  And of course the last two weeks have been cold, rainy, and even snowy and there we were cutting up endless amounts of branches.  The day I took these pictures was just about the only pleasant day.  By the end there were large piles of sticks completely lining the perimeter of our property.  I only wish I had gotten a picture of all of our hard work, but unfortunately I was outside in 30 degree weather trying to keep Alex entertained and get the last of the branches cut up when the City workers showed up to haul everything away.  Oh well.  It is finished!  NO MORE PLUMS!  YAY!!

We celebrated by going snowboarding one last time this season.  And for once the weather was beautiful!  Still cold, but beautiful! 

Surprisingly, it was the best snow conditions we've had all year. . .what happened to spring?  Maybe one day it will come!  We got to go with my family, and had an awesome time.  My brother got his mission call this week and leaves in July, so it was the last time we can go skiing with him for the next three years.  It's sad to think that he will be leaving in a few short months, but we are all very excited for him!  

Happy photographing!
   

Week 15: Fail

I attempted to make cupcakes this weekend. One word describes this experience: FAIL

First round: Realized I turned off the oven after cooking dinner and didn't turn it back on.  Cupcakes took 25 minutes to cook and turned out incredibly mushy and dense.

Round two: Added some extra baking powder since the first ones didn't seem to rise at all. . .yeah. . .not good. . .

They all went directly into the garbage.

. . . .

There's not much more to say about that, other than stick with cake mixes my friends!  

I leave you one more picture, in hopes that my baking skills will be somewhat redeemed in your minds after last night's disaster.  I promise I don't always suck!

Success!

Here's to cake mixes and happy photographing!!

Week 14: Baby Animal Days

We went up to Logan this weekend.  It was cold and rainy, but our little man didn't seem to mind. 

 
We took Alex to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center.  He had fun looking at the animals, but had no interest in holding them. 

He only wanted to point at them, which is probably just as well since I could imagine him grabbing one of those baby chicks a little too hard. . . yeah, that wouldn't have been good.

 

I was also very excited when I found out that it was the American Society of Civil Engineers Regional Conference this weekend held at Utah State!  Yes, I know I'm a nerd, but before you pass judgement, google ASCE concrete canoe competition and perhaps you'll agree with me that it's pretty cool!  Where else do you ever get to see canoes made out of concrete?  Unfortunately the races were the following day, but we got to see all of the universities canoes and displays.  Matt and I were on USU's team for two years, and it was a blast!  The canoe this year looks amazing; it was truly a work of art and you'd never guess it was made of concrete.  Unfortunately there were too many people around to really get a good photo, but oh well.  Good job guys!

    
Happy photographing!

Week 13: Easter

This has nothing to do with Easter, or photography, or anything for that matter, but I feel the need to vent for a minute: it has been one of those mornings!  You know what I mean.  One of those mornings where NOTHING goes right; and none of it really matters, but everything piles up and it all becomes too much!  We wanted to go to a REAL soccer game tonight, but it appears that's not going to work out; I wanted to go for a run, but the jogging stroller tires were flat; so I tried to pump them up, but couldn't find the attachment to the air compressor; so I decided to take Alex outside and start trimming bushes, but all the tools are locked in the shed and I couldn't find my keys; I needed to go shopping, but yet again, couldn't find the keys; I hit my head on the table while trying to look under the bed for lost keys; all the while Alex was screaming because he desperately wanted to go outside and was distraught that I made him get dressed first. . . Yes, it was definitely one of those mornings.  I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband who came to my rescue!  Keys found, son consoled, stroller tires blown up, long run taken, cheesecake consumed, and life is good again.

I heard quite a bit over Easter from the Grandparents about how I haven't been posting enough pictures of Alex.  While I try to remind them that this blog is for me, and it really isn't ALL about Alex, they beg to differ.  However, Grandparents, you should be glad to hear that most of the pictures I took this week are of Alex, so without further ado, here they are.

Took Alex skiing for the first time on Thursday.  Hard to say if he really liked it or not. . .

Alex had a grand time hunting for eggs with Aunt Stephanie!

Enjoying the spoils

Alex enjoyed it so much on Saturday that we had to hunt for eggs THREE more times at our house on Sunday; it didn't seem to matter that the eggs weren't filled.  Alex took his egg hunting quite seriously and couldn't be bothered to smile for the camera.  This was the best I could get.

But he looks darling in his bow tie, doesn't he? I'm fairly sure one day he will look back on these pictures and say, "MOOOOMMMM!  I can't believe you put me in a bow tie, I looked so stupid!"  But I don't care, he's cute! 

Hopefully all of you had a fantastic Easter, consumed lots of chocolate, and took some good pictures!

Happy photographing!