West Family Blog

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Take On Me

This video is hilarious... I finally found a full version of it. Enjoy! :)

Take on Me: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

Monday, June 22, 2009

Sorry for the lame blogging activity lately - things have been going on, but - I just never seem to think of blogging about them these days. Can I pull the "pregnancy card" as James calls it? Lame excuse, but still... it's there. Plus there's the issue that I'm on the computer all day for work and by the time that's over, I pretty much want to pretend computers don't exist (not an easy feat in our home), so that may be another cause of the blogging apathy. However, we did just have an amazingly lovely vacation that I'd love to tell you all about, so here I am, blogging again.

First the big and best news and the reason why we were vacationing - James graduated! Well, he's done with classes in any case and technically graduates in August - but he's done and that's the main point of interest. :) We are both pretty excited (and a bit trepidatious) to begin the next, post-school, chapter of our lives. Couldn't have asked for better timing, that's for sure. Hurrah for James!

So, to celebrate we took a trip down to Zions National Park. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast called the Desert Thistle, which I would highly recommend to anyone going down that direction. The couple that owned it were just the sweetest, kindest, friendliest people I've ever met and they totally made us feel right at home. The place itself was beautiful, and the bonus was we had it all to ourselves! I guess that's the benefit of going on vacation on a Thursday :) Here are some pictures of the b&b:

Outside - aren't those flowers gorgeous? They have hummingbirds that come and feed through out the day - just charming.

The breakfast room - Maureen, the owner, did all the decorating herself. Quite a talented woman and such a warming personality. We loved her.

The common area - we actually spent most of our time in the kitchen dining area, talking to Maureen and Warner (James fixed their camera and helped them download Timez Attack - they were very impressed :) ), but the common area was beautiful. We are definitely going back.

The neighbor's llamas, which you can see from the backyard/pool. Maureen and Warner also have a sheep (but he was hiding) and two dogs - one huge Newfie and a tiny Scottie. You just don't get this kind of experience at a hotel ;)

Us at the pool

James getting sunscreen in his eyes and lamenting the fact that his wife wants pictures of this.

Me and my round belly in my preggie swimsuit.

We spent the first day at the b&b and then Friday morning, after a delicious breakfast and hours-long chat with Maureen and Warner, we finally decided to get going and went to the park. We found a parking spot just outside the entrance (what luck!) and then walked in to the park. They have this awesome shuttle you can take around and get off at the various trail heads. We did very easy walks (you can't actually call them hikes... they were even paved), and really enjoyed our time there. Here are some pictures:

8 months pregnant. By the way, it is a bad idea to look at pictures of yourself on your wedding day and then pictures of yourself 8 months pregnant right after. I'm proud of belly for carrying my baby for me, but . . . sigh . . .

Here's me dipping mmy feet in the Virgin River. Nice view of the belly, I'd say.

For more pictures, you can see the facebook album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=269268&id=551240506&l=2b41d397d7

So, in any case, we had a real blast, and then had the special treat of coming home to James's family! They are here for a few weeks for family reunions and fourth of July festivities (boy I love this time of year) and we got to spend a little time with them (after we had showered, because boy did we smell.)

Anyway, I think this post is sufficiently long. I'll try to be better at posting in the future.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The Children Really Are Listening...

So, I have learned today that you have to be careful what you say around kids, even - or especially! - when you don't think they're listening. Today in nursery, we had had snack and the official singing time and we were seeing how long we could keep the kids entertained before letting them go back and drag out all the toys again. Two of the children entertained themselves by jumping all over James, while the other sister and I entertained the other two by singing a few more songs.

We had just sung "If You Chance to Meet a Frown" and then there was a lull - so I just started singing a random song to the same tune - I really didn't think that Maija or Bryce (the kids that were jumping all over James) were listening at all. So I started singing "James is not a jungle gym, but he's pretty fun, so let's crawl all over him..." then I couldn't really think of anything to end with and lamely finished with "and kick him in the head." I chuckled at my own lack of creativity, then turned just in time to see sweet little Maija following the song's suggestion. Boy did she give it to him - one swift kick to the side of James's head with her sweet little white sandals. And she turned to me with the biggest grin on her face like "See! I did it!" Oh boy, I felt bad for that one.

So, watch what you say - and what you sing - around the little ones. They really are listening.

(James later suggested that perhaps a better - and rhyming - ending would have been "and kick him in the bum." That at least would have had a less painful outcome for dear James.)

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Brielle

Today my cousin Hailey blessed her beautiful daughter Brielle Charity Steadman (who has a truly awesome middle name). I love baby blessings - they are so filled with love. The love the parents have for their new little miracle and the love our Heavenly Father has in giving a special blessing to a special little spirit. It definitely has me thinking ahead to when we bless our little son in a few months - and how he will bless us by coming to our home. :)

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Mah Jongg Madness

Remember how I said this is not a photography project? Well this proves it. I have no skills. But I do have a pink Mah Jongg set! My mom is the greatest mom in the world, and while I was in Greece she rekindled my love for Mah Jongg, which she gave me in the first place. Well, after many hours of playing - and even winning a few rounds - I lamented the fact that I didn't have a set of my own. Well, today, while I was cleaning and organizing our gigantic mess of a bedroom, a knock came at the door and I was completely surprised by the giant box that was awaiting me. And inside it - this lovely, oh-so-pink, Mah Jongg set that I cannot wait to play. Just waiting for the rule/hand books to come in the mail and it's on!

Friday, May 1, 2009

A Pic a Day in May: May 1st

I've wanted to do this for a while. It's not a photography project, it's more of an appreciation of life project. I'm going to take a photograph every day, of mostly everyday things, but also some big events, and share them on this blog. Hopefully it will help me appreciate the small things in life and remember the daily goings-on that I would normally forget. So here it is, "A Pic a Day in May" photo number one:

Here's my amazing husband studying while tending the grill. I was in the kitchen, feverishly chopping away at potatoes and seasoning the beans, when I decided to go check on James. Seeing him study while making sure the chicken didn't burn - it just made me realize what a great partner in crime I ended up with. Instead of telling me he had to study and leaving me to my own cooking devices, he found a way to do both. Love that guy.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Date Night

James took my on the loveliest date last night. We packed up a little picnic and then went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We went with James's dad while James and I were still dating, so it has a sort of reminiscent feel to it. And this time around, the tulips were actually still out in abundance (we went a little late in the season last time), so we got to see all of the beautiful varieties. Here are my favorite pictures from the evening:

Idaho Visit

This past weekend we went up to Idaho to enjoy watching the NFL draft with Anthony and Heidi (yes. seriously.). We had the distinct pleasure while we were there of babysitting for our little niece Bella, as Melanie was visiting from Ohio for a wedding. Bella is the sweetest little baby girl and we had a ton of fun playing with her. Check out these adorable photos of James with his niece. Isn't he gonna be the greatest Daddy?