I Need Your Help

So, for quite some time I have been pondering on the whole idea of a "private" blog. Last night I went out with some girlfriends that I used to work with before my mission, and we got talking on the subject...in a round about way. Some pretty disturbing things were brought up, and I was led back to thinking: "Should I make our blog private?" I have tried to make it as safe as possible without using last names, or giving specific birthdates or anything along those lines. But is that safe enough? So, I need your help. Lets have a discussion on the pros and cons of having an open blog vs. having a private blog.

Now, I know there are people out there who look at our blog and never comment. I'm sure I don't even know all the people that stop in to see how we're doing. I do it to others, so don't worry--I understand. I really do want to hear everyone's point of view on this.

Let the comments begin!

2008 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas!

We hope you are all enjoying this beautiful time of year, with lots of good food and good company. This is our first year doing a Christmas letter, and we couldn't be more excited to share with you the happenings of this past year.

Brock is still working for the same company. He has been with them almost 5 years, and works so hard to provide for our family. Earlier this year, he finished his first triathlon. The Spudman. Before he decided to do it, he had never been in to cycling or swimming. He is a natural athlete and finished in 2 hours46 minutes. He also enjoyed putting in our garden for the first year, and giving us a shower in the upstairs bathroom. He is the absolute cutest daddy to our darling little boy, and such an amazing husband.

I, Lindsay, am doing what I have always dreamed of: being a full-time mom. After 3.5 years working in banking, Brock and I decided that it was most important for me to stay home and raise our kids. So I retired :). We feel so grateful that it has worked out that way so far. I LOVE being home with Dane! I have also discovered that I really enjoy being domestic. It has been fun to learn to be a better cook, and try out all sorts of new recipes. Poor Brok has had to suffer through a few of them, but it's all for the greater good :). I also enjoy making our house more of a home. My very favorite part of it all is being a mom. I never imagined it would be this good. What an amazing thing to be entrusted with such a special spirit. There can be nothing better in this world than being a mom.

Now to the best part. Dane. Dane Brock was born in June. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz, and was 21.4 inches long. He is now six months old, and just keeps growing. He is such a joy. People often comment on his cheeks--htey are rather squishy and quite kissable. He is a GREAT eater, and has enjoyed adding more variety to his meals as we have introduced cereals. He doesn't like to sleep during the day, as he is worried he might miss out on something, but he sleeps through the night, so we can't complain. He currently has two teeth, can roll over, sit up, and LOVES his voice. He is the happiest baby I have ever seen. We feel so blessed to be his parents, and are learning so much from him already. He is truly the best thing that has happened to us. We adore our beautiful son.

Last but not least is Cooper. He is such a great dog. People askall the time how he is with Dane, and are mostly surprised when we tell them that he is so gentle, and sweet with him. They are mostly surprised because those aren't two words typically used to describe our "little" pup. He is a bundle of energy, and has had some struggles not being king of the hill anymore. But he does love Dane, and we couldn't ask for a better dog.

We are so grateful for this beautiful Christmas season. We have much to be grateful for. OUr lives are full of happiness, joy and love. These blessings are made possible because of our savior, Jesus Christ. We are grateful for His life, and His teachings which help us know how to find true happiness in this life. We are grateful for His atoning sacrifice which makes it possible for us to return to Him as eternal families. We love Him, and know that HE lives and loves each of us. We are grateful to our Father in Heaven for sending His Son to earth, who's birth we celbrate this holiday season. may we all remember that He is the reason for Christmas. He gave us the greatest gift of all--His life--that we may have eternal life. We love him, and we love each of you, and thank you for your part in our lives. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year.

(So, I know Christmas was yesterday, but we still hope you have an awesome holiday season!)

Family Pics

We had one of my friends from high school take some pictures of our family a few weeks ago. Here are a few of my favorites.

Don't you love the drool?

This picture just cracks me up!

LOVE little baby feet :)

He is such a happy boy

And he pulls the cutest faces

Jen did such an awesome job! If any of you need a good photographer who has very reasonable prices, check her out here

Recap

I admittedly am not the best blogger in the world. It's not because I don't have a million and one pictures of the cutest little boy in the whole world, because I do. I'm just not sure how much everyone else wants to see them. However, I do have some really fun things (at least in my oh-so-proud-mother-ly mind) to share with you.

Dane's first experience with food:
(it's kind of a long video, but I think it's darling in my completely unbiased opinion, of course)

Sorry, I can't figure out how to turn it...

Tummy time:My parents and I went to Boise to my cousin's mission farewell, and while we were there we visited my Grandparent's grave. My grandma passed away 3.5 years ago, and I really miss her. She was one amazing woman. It was the first time I have been back to her grave-site since. This is the first picture of Dane sitting up all by himself, and I love it because it's like he's looking at the headstone. I really like to think that he already knows my incredible grandparents. I just wish they were here. They would be the greatest great-grandparents.

He did get to meet Uncle Bill. He's our favorite!

We went down to St. George for Thanksgiving with my family. We were able to see some of our very good friends, JR and Brynn, and their darling little girl Haley. We were going to surprise one of my dearest friends (we've been friends since elementary school) with a visit as well, but for the second time in a row, she was up here visiting family while I was down there. Blast! I was so looking forward to meeting her newest addition (she now has FOUR beautiful girls...WOW!) and seeing her new home. Kamille--next time we need to get this right:)

While we were in St. George, Dane cut his first tooth. He is such a big boy! I can't get a picture of it, because every time I pull his lip down, he sticks his darling little tongue out. It's still pretty small, but it's there:)

And some not so fun stuff: two weeks ago today I was upstairs cleaning when I heard a loud "pop" and then water gushing. Fun times! I ran downstairs and water was just pouring out of our water softener. The nut on it was plastic (genius) and just snapped in two. I didn't know where the main shut off valve was for our water, and couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so I was running around the house grabbing towels and sheets to try and stop the water from getting to our computer or other electronics. Luckily my mom came over with our friendly neighbor Dan, and he was able to turn it off (and show me where it is for future reference which I will hopefully never need). Brock came home from work and with the help of my wonderful father in law, we spent the rest of the day tearing up carpet and sucking up water. The good thing is I was here, and our basement isn't finished, so there could have been a lot more damage done. Also, the carpet was going to go at some point anyway, so it's just speeding up the process. Fun times!

My little pea

I know Halloween was nearly three weeks ago, but I couldn't let you all miss out on seeing the cutest pea in the pod.

Just horsing around

I love my little jumping bean!

Happy Birthday Brock!

Last year's birthday

Brock is celebrating his birthday soon. One year older and wiser too :).

I have the best husband for a number of reasons. To name a few: He is an insanely cute daddy to our adorable little boy. He is so patient with me. His smile can just melt your heart. He loves to organize things. He wants to be a handy-man, and enjoys fixing things. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met--he never talks badly of anyone. He is loyal. He loves me. He has a rock solid testimony. He is motivated. He is an incredibly hard worker. He is a positive person. He is constantly trying to be better. Smarty pants. He can do anything he puts his mind to. Family is so important to him. He has a way of dealing with difficult people. He is thoughtful. Honest. Sincere. Humble. He's a great listener. He communicates well too. He is so happy!!! Did I mention his smile? I could really go on and on and on...Who wouldn't love Brock?!?

Happy Birthday Sunshine. I love you more than ever. I hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Walking Wednesday's

We have wonderful friends. Truly one of life's greatest blessings.

When Brock and I first got married we lived in Sugarhouse (endearingly referred to as "the Sugarhood"). I was so worried about not having any friends in our new ward, but Heavenly Father loves me, and we became friends with some amazing people. Four of these wonderful friends (as mentioned above) just happen to be Tyson & Lynds, and Creede & Mi'chelle. We spent quite a bit of time with these two couples especially (the Fitch's and the Locke's.) Together we became ALF. We have all now moved from the joy that was the Forest Dale Ward, but we still make sure to get together once a month (it usually happens) and now every Wednesday, Lynds, Sophia, Libbie, Mi'chelle, Arrington, Dane and I get together and go walking--hence, Walking Wednesday's.

Sophia, Arrington, Libbie, and Dane

Arri and Libbie giving loves--Oh so cute!!!

I just love Soph's face:)

We have so many other wonderful friends, and count ourselves blessed to share our lives with each of you.

I've Been Tagged

5 TV shows I love to watch:
The Biggest Loser
The Office
Scrubs
House
ER

5 Favorite Restaurants:
-Brick Oven (I really like their broccoli cheese soup and salad bar. I never order anything else.)
-Chilis
-California Pizza Kitchen
-PF Changs
-Mandarin

5 Things that happened yesterday:
-We did our budget for the month
-Family Home Evening
-Cleaned the house
-Went to lunch with one of my good friends, Marianne (Thanks Mar!)
-Played with my favorite buddy, Daner

5 Things I look forward to:
-Finally getting our office organized
-Getting a privacy fence
-Dane waking up so we can play some more :)
-Seeing my family each week
-Going to Island Park this weekend

5 Things I love about fall:
-Carving pumpkins
-Changing leaves (though not raking them up!)
-Decorating for the holidays
-Wearing sweaters
-Being with family on Thanksgiving

5 Things on my wish list:
-Playing the piano again
-A privacy fence
-Going back to Venezuela
-A walk-in closet
-To sing

5 People I'm Tagging:
-Bri
-Bobbie
-Trish
-Jenna
-Anyone else who wants to:)

Ain't Got Words

Isn't motherhood the best?!?

American Cancer Society and The Greatest Mom EVER

Last weekend we went to the ACS gala. My dear ole' dad sits on the board, and invited our whole family to go. You see, my mom was the "Cancer Warrior" being honored at the table where we were sitting. She has been cancer free for well over 10 years. Having had stage 4 cancer, that is especially something to celebrate! I know she doesn't like to talk about it; she is a very private person. But I wanted to say something about the kind of person she is. She is the strongest person I know. She is a fighter. She decided that with 5 young children, dying just wasn't an option. With her never-give-up attitude, the help of some great doctors, the fasting and prayers of many loved ones, and (most importantly) the blessing of a very loving Heavenly Father, she is still here today, and cancer free! Mom, you are my hero. You never complained, and never gave up. You were still the best mom ever (and still are)--even though I know now how hard that must have been for you. We never knew how sick you really were. Thank you for teaching us about faith and trust, and the power of positive thinking (among many other things). I only hope to be like you some day. I love you!

**Just a little side note to all you readers out there: GET YOUR CANCER SCREENINGS!!! My mom was young when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. It can happen to anyone.

Dane had fun at his first "summer-formal" party

Aren't those eyes beautiful?

Real Salt Lake--Take 1

So a couple of weeks ago we took Dane to his very first Real Salt Lake soccer game. We were very excited to officially introduce him to one of our very favorite sports. We weren't too worried about it being too loud for him, since it is outside. As we walked in a little bit late, RSL scored their first goal of the game, and there was much rejoicing from the crowd. Dane got startled, and made a very sad face, followed promptly by tears. It was sad, but apparently not too traumatizing, because he fell deep asleep shortly thereafter, and stayed that way through almost the entire first half. So sleepy!

We were prepared to plug his ears when the crowd got too noisy, but his face was pretty cute when it got loud.

Bri and Andy, and Bear and Bobbie also accompanied us on Dane's soccer debut. He loves spending time with his aunts and uncles!

We love soccer, and hope our little one does too:)

Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated our three year anniversary this past week (I know the post is late, but better late than never, right?). It's hard to believe it has only been three years since we started our forever together. It was such a perfect, beautiful day. We have been through so much together in that short amount of time, and though not all of it has been fun or easy, each experience has made us stronger, and more united. What a fun adventure it has been so far!Celebrating our anniversary was a little less climactic this year, as we had a little one to think about. My parents took Dane for us (Thanks Mom and Dad!) and we went to dinner and a movie, which we haven't done in a really long time. We finally saw Kung Fu Panda (which is hilarious, for those of you who have yet to see it). It was fun to have a date night, and even better to come home to our little boy. It is so much fun being parents!!!

I married the perfect match for me. I honestly can't imagine being with someone who would be a better fit. He is so patient, and compassionate, and giving, and kind, and funny, and thoughtful...I'll spare you all the gooey-ness. The bottom line is I married my very best friend, and could not imagine loving anyone more.

I love you babe!

Here is a peak at our past three years

So, you think he looks like his mom?

At first when people would ask who Dane looked like, I felt kind of bad saying "Me." But as he has gotten bigger, I just can't deny it any longer. Dane looks like his mom. I know that Brock was a little disappointed that his genes didn't win out a little bit more on this first go around, but he's still got his fingers crossed that Dane's eyes will turn green...Here's to hoping!

Me at two months
Dane at two months

Not exactly the same angle, but he was too sleepy to smile.

Shower Fun

So when we moved into our house a year ago, there was only one shower. It was downstairs, and SCARY!!! Quite reminiscent of my shower days in Venezuela. I must admit, I didn't think that I would ever be forced to shower with flip flops on in my own home. Nevertheless, that was unfortunately the case. I'm not sure how the previous owners did it, but that was the first project on the list when we moved in...

Shower complete with custom shower-head.

Fast forward a year later...

Really, I don't know how it possibly took us so long to get this little project done. You'd think with the growing belly, and the sheer atrocity of showering in something so third world would be motivation enough! In all fairness, it didn't take us quite a year to get the project done, just 11 months :).

It did take us a while to find tile to match. The previous owners had re-done the floor in a granite that has all sorts of colors in it-pink and gray. Since I wasn't too keen on having a pink shower, we went with the gray. Lucky for us, there's not a whole lot of gray tile to choose from. We finally found something we liked, and Brock got going on the way overdue do-it-yourself project.

He did it all by himself, and did such a great job. There were a few set-backs that pushed the finishing date back, but all in all, it was a great first run at tiling!

Voila! The finished product. It sure feels luxurious to shower bare-foot!