Saturday, August 25, 2012

Daycation to Yellowstone!!!

So rumor has it that Yellowstone is going to be the death of us all... so we figured while we're still alive we might as well go and check it out. I've been there before, but Spencer and Ani hadn't. We had a great day, but we are simply exhausted now. Prepare for picture overload!!!
 So Aniston will be 2 months in a week and a half, but she obviously isn't fitting into 0-3 month old clothes yet judging by the shorts... But aren't high waisted bottoms in style? Haha!
 Baby slept through 3 state lines and the entire drive to the park! My little traveler!

 Don't worry... Spencer was totally driving at this point. I'm a very distracting passenger. Pretty sure this was taken right after my Call Me Maybe dance. Spencer refuses to make a music video with me... but I have an awesome vision for the best Call Me Maybe video ever!
 Checking out the first geyser. Yes, that's a Moby wrap. Ani loves it and it's so stinking comfortable!!! Check out my shadow... Looks like a buffalo!
 I promise he did have a good time.
 That's not something hanging out of Spencer's nose... it's just bad lighting.



 Sleeping all the live long day!
 Homeboy Buffalo was just walking along the side of the road. Totally made Spencer's day. All he wanted was to see a Buffalo, and we got to see 3 of them!
 Made me a little nervous that he was so close... Have you seen that State Farm commercial? Those suckers are dangerous!

 This little fella flew into through my open window while I was snapping pictures of the Buffalo. Literally went through my hair and attacked Spencer... There may or may not have been high pitched screaming coming from more than one person in the car.
 Thank goodness for random strangers who offer to take pictures for us. Also thank goodness for stretchy pants!!!! Someday I will wear jeans again. Probably not in the near future but someday.
 Waiting for Old Faithful...

 Somebody just had to eat.... Look at those chubby little hands!
 Burping the Babes.



 The shorts... Haha!!! She's gonna hate these pictures when she gets older!
 This was inside the Inn at Old Faithful... Pretty incredible.
 These are our "Holy crap we are standing on one giant volcano" faces...
 That's Ani's version, with a little help from Dad.
 Someone was getting tired of having her picture taken over and over and over.
 Poor baby acne...
 Spencer and Old Faithful.
 Please notice my daughter's sweet rat tail!
 Those shorts are awful... I should have changed her outfit dang it... But here's proof that Aniston was at Old Faithful in 2012!

 Please tell me someone else watched the episode of Design Star this last season when they designed the Yurts??? I actually saw real Yurts at Yellowstone. Awesome blossom.
 Spencer definitely didn't realize I had licked him until about 10 seconds later.... I'm a child, and yes, he was driving.
This is my classic high school self portrait. 

We had a great time today! It was really cool to be able to hang out and actually do something fun as a family. I have a blast going to new places with Spencer since he has never been able to travel much. He gets so excited and it makes the experience a thousand times better! While waiting for Old Faithful we probably heard about 10 different languages being spoken. It's really cool to live so close to a place that people come from all over to see. Next time we go we want to hit up the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We just got too tired and hot today to even attempt. What a great daycation!!!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Room 140


This is the room number to my new office at South Fork Elementary...

That's right folks. I am now a working Mom. Let the bashing begin...

Being a Mom by itself is a tough job! Probably one of the hardest jobs ever! Kids are super time consuming and my little HMB (high maintenance baby) is no exception. Now that Aniston is 7 weeks old, she is starting to really have a very specific personality.
This is Ani's "please don't leave me Mommy" face. Tempting... very tempting.

Aniston will only stop screaming if she is a) held by Mom, not Dad or b) in her swing with the music, lights, and the mobile turning. It's basically a mini dance club when the lights are out and that chair is in full swing! This makes it impossible to watch TV and hear what's going on or make a phone call or really anything that could possibly entertain oneself. In fact, I'm writing this blog to the soundtrack of the lovely music that entertains my little chubby bunny so much. Aniston is becoming more and more sassy and always wants what she wants when she wants it... Must get that from Mom, so I can't complain much I guess. But really the past 6 weeks have been amazing! Exhausting, but amazing! We've been able to get her on a pretty rocking schedule for the past 2 nights where she's been sleeping 5 hours, wakes up to eat, and then sleeps for 3 more hours, then she's up and wants to play. I've actually never felt so rested! Which is a good thing because Mom's got a new full time job.

I've never wanted to be anything other than a full time Mom (and a teacher and a coach and a food critic and a professional napper and a singer). I thought that would be awesome to be able to stay at home with your kids all the time. Spencer agreed with me on this and never wanted me to work once Aniston was born. Well, sometimes when you're putting your husband through school, you don't always get what you want. I was offered a full time job as an Afterschool coordinator at South Fork Elementary here in Rexburg.

It's kind of the perfect job for me. I work 40 hours a week, but 20 are done at home and 20 are done at the school. It's salary paying and works out perfectly with Spencer's school and with coaching. It's a little scary because I get to hire and fire people, but I really couldn't have asked for a better job. I'm definitely a little sad that I will have to leave Aniston for 4 hours a day (not counting coaching... but I bring her with me all the time.

The girls LOVE it and I think it's a good bonding activity), and part of me is worried that she'll forget me, but I know that's just crazy. I'm hoping she will actually sleep the entire 4 hours! Spencer has already adjusted quite well. I came home earlier this week to a completely clean house and a happy baby. I know I shouldn't expect this all the time, but it made me feel better about the situation. We feel super blessed to be able to find such a great job in Rexburg, the land of no jobs. I'm sure things will get a little more crazy when the program actually starts and I'm just not prepping for it, but I think we'll be able to handle it.

At Church a few weeks ago we had a lesson in Sunday School and somehow it turned into a lesson about how if you're a working Mom, then pretty much you will go to hell. I absolutely don't believe that, and it really made me quite angry, which I'm sure is not an appropriate emotion when you are at Church. Well we all can't be born with super rich parents who just pay for everything even after we're married. Spencer and I are trying to make it on our own and we have some every expensive tastes... okay not really, but we enjoy eating out and going to movies and buying Ani awesome baby stuff so that needs to be paid for. We don't have a single credit card or any credit card debt and to us it is important that we be financially stable. We made the decision to have me work since I have a degree and can bring in much much more money together, and I am so okay with it. I get to teach and work with kids and do something I enjoy and I also get to coach and to top it off I get to be a Mom too! Spencer has been able to use his education in massage therapy more up here in Idaho and that too has been a blessing. I am excited for this chapter of our lives and I feel super blessed to be able to find such an amazing job where I can still be at home with my family.
 My super organized office
 My keys... I could totally get into the school at midnight if I wanted to.
 This chair is amazingly comfortable.
That's right... I go to work with no makeup on. Actually I do almost everything with no makeup on. The only makeup I ever wear is mascara and eye liner... I hope Ani takes after me that way because I think it's really important to be natural that way. I'm not so hot on being fake and looking fake. Makeup is one fat lie in my opinion. Total tangent... Sorry.

Bobcat Football

It's official... We have now successfully and completely become integrated into Rexburg, ID society and have attended our first Madison Bobcat football game. Yes, Spencer may or may not have been forced to come since I had to be there to coach, but we had a good time. I did have to restrain him from running out onto the field with the urge to help the team out, but it's always good to add some excitement to the game. The game was super long and kind of chilly, but it was still fun. Football here at Madison is very different than football at Copper Hills. Copper Hills had a great, nice, beautiful football stadium, and although Madison has an amazing brand new High School, they have yet to build the football field, so our games are at the Junior High. It's an old, old, old field with super loud bleachers... Aniston did not appreciate this. But it's our new home and we will love it! Yes, they lost 24-48, Spencer is a little upset that I can't seem to coach at a High School with a good football team, but the crowd was awesome and involved. There were way more people there than I have ever seen at a game in Utah! I loved it! Since the town is so small, they all have such amazing school spirit and it's just the thing to do on Thursday and Friday nights to head out to a MHS football game. It's so weird to go and coach at a new school. Everybody does everything so differently. But it's nice to be able to introduce new ideas and cheers and stunts that they didn't really have before. I'm super excited to be coaching at Madison, and can't wait to have more amazing times with these girls!!! GO BOBCATS!
 Pre-game... they were all so nervous!!!
 Please ignore my giant self... having a tough time losing the last of the baby weight. Any tips or suggestions? I'm kind of super depressed about it.
 We got our uniforms from the same company as Boise State and we love them! They are super comfortable! I don't know what kind of fabric they use, but it's basically AMAZING!
 Ani's huge cheer bow. She was all Red and White for the game. She doesn't own any gray, so obviously that will need to change. My poor baby is suffering from baby acne... so sad!
 Loving their boxes! They are huge!!! They also have built in handles which makes carting them around soooo much easier! We also have an amazing place to store them at the Junior High which makes life easier on the girls.
 Aniston ready to cheer... She's already got a great fist made ready to punch! Now I just need to teach her about big cinnamon roll and little cinnamon roll.
 Me and the Babes on her 7 week birthday! What a great way to spend the night!
 Spencer being an AWESOME dad!


 Aniston showing off her red spankies!

Family Photo... Seriously... help me get rid of this weight! I'm dying! I have tried so many things already and my body is just rejecting them all!

On a side note... Aniston now has a new favorite place to sleep...
That's right, we put our baby in a laundry basket. She loves it! She sleeps so good in the basket as opposed to anywhere else. She also loves that we can push her around in it, and that actually helps her to go to sleep faster. I'm sure she will think we were awful parents when she gets older, but we will do whatever works to get her to sleep!