I love him

I had one of those amazing days where I felt a bunch of energy to accomplish everything. I cleaned the house, put away the Christmas decorations (finally!) did a bunch of laundry, went grocery shopping and made a homecooked meal: baked ziti with homemade tomatoe and basil sauce! Yum! Cris came home and commented on how much I got done (I love it when he notices I worked hard!), and I told him I was pretty tired after all of it and was looking forward to a long, hot bath after McKenzie went to bed. He said he wanted to watch a movie after she feel asleep so he encouraged me to take the bath then. He didnt have to ask me twice! I closed the bedroom door, walked into the master and started the water running. Just about that time I heard a loud thunk, the sound of a frustrated toddler throwing herself against the door crying for mommy. This is an exerpt of what I heard during my bath:

Angry Toddler: "Mommmmmy! MOM! Menzie bath! ME! MOOOOMMMM!"

Daddy: "Come watch a movie with me! Or we can play with your dishes?"

A.T.: "NO! MOM!"

Daddy: "Don't you like me?"

A.T. "NO! Mom! MOMMY!"

Then I would hear her squeal as he pried her from the bedroom door (I knew she was laying on her tummy, face pressed against the crack at the bottom of the door, fingers sticking underneath because she does the same thing when daddy showers) The noise would quiet down for a moment and I would hear some laughter. Then a random holler "MOM?"

Daddy: "She will be out soon, its okay"

Thumping noise as she runs down the hall to the door

Very Angry Toddler: "Mommy! Menzie! MEEEEeeeEEEE! Open!"

Daddy: "No. N-O!"

And that was my cue. Cris always spells the word "no" when he is about to lose his patience. (Learning this cue has come in helpful so many times. So, the bath may not have been terribly long, but it did the trick. And I love that Cris:

a) noticed what I did (a gold star always is nice)

b) was thoughtful enough to try and provide me with "me time"

and c) sacrificed all of our eardrums and his personal patience dealing with an extremely over-tired toddler trying to re-figure her schedule after vacation just to spend a little extra time with me. Movie night wasn't the top thing on my list earlier in the day, but now nothing sounds better. In fact, I think I should head into the kitchen to make someones favorite shrimp dip.

Whats in a name?

Go to this link and type in your name. Below are my results.

What Stacy Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

15 things I learned on vacation

1. Coming back to cold weather isn't much fun!


2. Cris never feels he has had too much sleep and can literally sleep through anything.


3. Eating at cafes and fast food that much is NOT good for my complexion! BAHHH!


4. Cactus needles hurt!


5. Going 10 days without TV wasn't hard at all, but...


6. A DVD player in the car during a road trip is a #1 MUST HAVE!


7. Watch out for Grandma Dona; she will get even! (explanation: Grandma had been on the phone for hours trying to get her dish network working and didnt have any luck. She finally gave up and hung up on the customer service agent. Later my dad had me call her and pretend I was from the company following up on her service. I told her that there would be a delay in getting her access card and that she had signed up for a new expensive yearly contract. Luckily I confessed my identity before she reached through the phone and strangled me, but I still dont think she found it as funny as the rest of us. 10 minutes later, she backed her car into the back of my parents SUV. Coincidence? The world may never know ;)


8. My disinclination for dredlocks remains in tact. EEEYUCK!


9. The A,B,C game is a mandatory road trip game - no matter how old you are.


10. My dad thrives on the knowledge that he is driving me nuts (Yes, I knew this before, but I didnt know to what extent he was willing to take it!)


11. My dad can make a U-turn - even in California!


12. MapQuest isn't always right. And I have the print out to prove it! (There is a BIG difference in NORTH and SOUTH people!


13. My sister misses me


14. At times my family drives me bonkers...


15. But, I wouldnt trade them for anything. I have the most amazing family I could ever ask for. My grandmother is selfless and giving, my mom is accomodating and patient, my dad tries hard to go out of his comfort zone to do things that make the family happy, Bob is pretty fun and I love getting him away from the computer long enough to have a real conversation with him, Malory is caring, Cris is a good daddy and loves us very much, and McKenzie is smart, energetic and knows how to make people melt.

Sure, we had our ups and downs on the trip, but it was a great experience. At times we all may have been cranky (myself definitely included) but I think we all enjoyed the trip, and enjoyed it more because of the company we were in. Thanks to my family for a great trip!

I am posting the pictures from our vacation on our family website: www.thedewfamily.com

Ram Release

I didn't get a chance to post this before our vacation, so bare with me as I catch up now! :) The day before we left for vacation my father went to Antelope Island to assist with a Big Horn Sheep transplant. They were moving sheep from the island to the mountains West of Grantsville. He called when they were on their way, so I bundled up McKenzie and we headed out to meet them. It was a neat experience to watch the elusive animals up close. Here is a video of the release of one trailer of rams. I believe that day they released around 22 sheep and were going to release another 20-25 more the following day. It always makes me laugh when people accuse hunters of being blood thirsty savages out for the thrill of the kill. From my experience, hunters are the ones who spend the most money and time preserving habitat and work hard to make sure animal populations remain at the healthiest level possible.

We're home!

Just wanted to drop a line and let everyone know we made it home safe and sound. And cold! We have been running around in t-shirts and barefoot, coming back to the snow has been somewhat painful. Looks like the wind was terrible while we were gone - half of the houses in our neighborhood are missing shingles and siding. Luckily, Randy and Terri took good care of our house and it was in great shape when we made it home. I will try and post fun pics and stories when I get a little laundry and unpacking done. Plus, after a 12 hour car ride, McKenzie definately needs to get her wiggles out. See ya tonight!

We're Off!

We are heading out tonight on our 'wild adventure'! I am hoping to drive most of the night to make it easier for McKenzie. We'll see.... (God, grant us all patience, please?) I am also packing the computer (as long as there is room!) so if I find a WiFi connections (McDonalds?) I'll see if we can post updates! Otherwise, we'll post again on the 15th! See ya!

I'm addicted

I am addicted. I headed the advice of Sharon and Jessica and dove into the Stephanie Meyers book Twilight. Luckily, Cris bought be the box set for Christmas because I devoured the book! (I finished it in 12 hours flat - although I only wanted to read 3 or 4 chapters before bed) I made myself stop reading for a bit to do a little housework before I start on book two. I have no doubt that I will be done with the entire set by the end of the week. And I want more! If you can handle it, I highly recommend this series. Click on the title of this post for more info.

My list

I guess now is the time of year to reflect on life and consider what we can improve. Some call their goals resolutions, but personally I hate that term. Overall I may be resolved to accomplish what I set my mind to do, but I know that I will face weakness and my resolve will sometimes shrivel into a tiny ball of nothingness. I also know I will at times fail. I am the perfectionist sort who when once fails, gives up entirely. I give up on complete diets because I gave into the temptation of a single cookie, for crying out loud! So, this year I am going to try something different. I dont want to use any set numbers or milestones - I want to know I am accomplishing my goals by how I feel. Here are seven things I intend to improve this coming year:

1. Be positive - I want to be the optimist in the crowd. Yes, I want to remain realistic. But, I don't want to be the negative voice taking everyone down. I want to be the cheerleader encouraging myself or others to give just a little more.
2. Be lighthearted - I want to be more carefree. I inhibit myself by worrying about what others think way too much. I want to learn to let go, have fun and be someone who makes others feel comfortable.
3. Be creative - I love working on projects, I just hate cleaning up after them. Or I feel like I don't have enough time. Or... (insert a million other excuses) This year, I want to devote more time to scrapbooking and other outlets that allow me to express myself a little more.
4. Be knowledgeable - Whether its reading books, taking a class or two, or just picking up new skills from others, I want to learn more this year!
5. Be friendly - I am not an outgoing person by nature. I am shy, reserved and self conscious. This year I want to reach out more to those around me and see what happens.
6. Be healthy - I am not going to diet or start an excercise plan - that just doesn't seem to work for very long. But, I am going to eat healthier foods and be more active. I'm not cutting anything out by definition, but I want to be more aware.
7. Be an example - I have a little sponge following me around everyday. She soaks in every word I say, every action I do. I want to be careful of the image I project so my daughter has a positive figure to look up to. Who know who else may be watching?

Well, I think thats the basic outline. Like I said, there are no standards to measure up to, so as long as I give it a real try, I can't fail and force myself to give up, right? What goals are you working on this year?

Argh!

You know how sometimes you just need to vent a little? Well, now is my time! So batten down the hatches, and brace yourself!

To make a long story short, I was encouraged to leave today (instead of Thursday) with part of our group going on our little vacation. They gave me 45 minutes notice. Have you ever packed for a two week vacation in 45 minutes? With a two year old running around behind you? It's NOT a pretty picture. We hadnt showered, gotten dressed for the day or eaten breakfast. I ran around like a mad woman (more so than usual!) I tend to stress out easily, and boy did I. I finally took the last bag out to the garage when the phone rang. There ended up not being enough room for me in the car. ARGH! I didnt care, and still dont care if I went today. It really didnt matter. But for whatever reason, I burst into tears and bawled. My eyes are red and puffy and everything I use on a daily basis is packed up in the garage. So... now I think I get to unpack, put everything back where it belongs, only to load it back up again in a few days. How exciting, right? All in all, its probably better that I have more time to carefully plan our packing and make sure I dont miss anything, but ARGH! Thats all I have to say about that. :)