s e b o u r n

Looking For A Prince . . .

2011-07-30T13:39:00.002-05:00

. . . at the Disney Store with Uncle Tanner

Not An Announcement

2011-07-26T23:37:00.001-05:00

Chronologically, this post is incredibly late. Most of the people who know and love us, already know that baby girl number three will be making her debut sometime in late October. For that reason, I view this as more of an update and less of an announcement.

I'm 27 weeks along and this pregnancy is flying by.

I typically have pretty easy pregnancies. Noah attributes this to my pioneer heritage and, "good birthin' hips." I'm not quite sure if I should be flattered by the hips comment or if I should punch him, good and hard, in the arm.

At any rate, I feel like many of the anxieties and uncertainties that I had with my first two pregnancies are gone. Since I'm not spending all my spare time furiously reading and re-reading, "What To Expect When You Are Expecting", I've been free to pay more attention to all the little things that I love about being pregnant, like:

Being surprised when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and see my belly, "Oh! That's right, you're pregnant!"
Giving in to the food cravings, it's all about beef this time. I could eat a hamburger everyday and often want to eat one late at night -- so happy Wendy's is open late.
The way Eden and Ruth interact with the new baby. They pat my belly and sing her songs. They give "raspberries" and tell her stories.
When in the middle of our crazy days, I have a moment of quiet and I feel the baby move. It's as though in those moments, there is nothing wrong in the entire world. World Peace: accomplished.
My maternity wardrobe, seriously, I think I like it better than my regular wardrobe. This is thanks in large part to good friends and family who have donated their super cute wardrobes to me.
"Nesting", I am never as ambitious or good at finishing projects as I am when I am pregnant.
Thinking up witty retorts [which I would never actually use] to comments like, "Wow! You have your hands full." or "Two! And one on the way, I see."

And my very favorite:

At night, when Noah thinks I am asleep and he puts his arm around me and rests his hand on my belly. All I can think is, "I'm so lucky, I love him so much."

But how could you not love the man that gave you these two smart, beautiful, kind, happy little ones? [And one more on the way!]

Little Fishes

2011-07-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

When we first moved here in January, my friend suggested that I sign Eden up for gymnastics. We went ahead and put her in a class at Flips For Fun and she loved it!

She learned all kinds of great things, like how to do "side bunny hops", point and flex her toes and even do a "bridge". In addition to learning great things, we got to know the teacher, Miss Amy. She's awesome with the kids and they love her. When we found out that she teaches swimming lessons during the summer, I just knew we needed to sign both girls up!

Ruthie with Miss Amy on the last day of class

Ruthie, is 22 months and she loved her lessons. She learned to kick and paddle, to put her face in the water, to go all the way underwater and to spider crawl along the edge of the pool.

Eden with her ribbon and cousin Heidi

Eden, is 3 1/2 and she learned everything Ruthie learned, plus she jumped off the diving board, swam through a hoop, opened her eyes underwater and retrieved toys off the steps!

It would appear that my little girls are well on their way to being expert swimmers, much like their dad.

When we were first married, I got this idea that Noah and I should go swim at the Richards Building on BYU campus to get a little exercise. I was envisioning some leisurely backstroking or floating around with a "fun-noodle", he had something completely different in mind.

Apparently, if you do swim team for long enough, it kind of sticks with you. So much so that when your wife says she wants some exercise, you decide to put her through one of toughest workouts she's ever done! Let's just say I have some serious respect for swimmers, especially if they can do the butterfly stroke.

Anyhow, now that my girls love to swim, I guess all we need is a pool! [maybe next year, or the next, or possibly the next . . .]

Independence Day!

2011-07-13T17:56:00.001-05:00

We went big this July 4th.

We stretched the celebrating out over the entire weekend. We decorated bikes, we mingled with the locals, we watched fireworks, we grilled out.

In short, we pretty much tried to make up for not celebrating the 4th of July for the past two years.

[2010: We were living in Oklahoma City and our July 4th plans fell through at the last minute. 2009: Noah was in Las Vegas doing a clerkship and I was pregnant with Ruth. Perhaps some of you will remember the red-eye flight with Eden and Tanner. Happy 4th of July? I think not.]

Daddy helped the girls decorate their bikes with the wares we scored at the dollar store. Noah even wound the crepe paper through the spokes of Eden's bike, which is one of my favorite childhood memories of July 4th bike decorating.

Richfield has an amazing 4th of July celebration, and now that my kids are old enough to actually enjoy it, I really do miss it.

Saturday July 2nd: We went to the neighborhood "parade" which ended at Arcadia Park with a bounce-house and hot dog filled par-tay. Unfortunately, the parade turned out to be little more than a children's bike rally and no one threw any candy. But my kids didn't know any different and thought that the firetruck at the end was awesome!

Since we are all still adjusting to the Texas heat, we only packed one water mug [I seriously never go ANYWHERE without my bubba keg full of ice water]. Anyway, as we were walking along the parade route looking for a spot from which to watch the parade, we must have looked pretty miserable, because a couple of Good Samaritans invited us to sit in the shade of their garage. They then continued to give us water bottles and even got a bowl of water for Saul.

I've been really impressed by how friendly people are here!

Perhaps, they were so apt to invite us in because both of my girls seem to have inherited my unfortunate face-turns-bright-red-and-looks-like-you-are-going-to-die-of-heat-exhaustion condition. Let me assure you, I always look worse than I actually feel and I'm pretty sure my girls are the same way. But we were thankful for the shade and water just the same!

Here's Eden after a couple runs through all the bounce houses and bounce slides at the park.

Ruthie wasn't quite sure about the bounce houses, but she was pretty sure about the Cheetos.

Ruthie is fully into the 2-year-old independent phase. "I do it!" is one of her favorite things to say. She would have no help with the giant face engulfing mug of water!

"Happy America's birthday!"

Later that night we met up with some friends to watch the fireworks over Arcadia Park. We realized that this was the first year that Eden or Ruth had seen fireworks. They both loved it!

Ruthie spent most of the show sitting on my lap, but Eden had more fun running around with the kids and playing with her glow necklaces!

The fireworks were put on by the HOA, apparently they do it every year and it's always a really good show. As far as I know, we are the only neighborhood to sponsor a fireworks show and we are practically the ONLY neighborhood in this area without a pool so I guess that's the trade off? Fireworks or pool . . . .

Sunday, July 3rd: I always love the Sunday of Independence Day. I was raised to respect and love America and to appreciate and respect those who serve in the military. My late grandfather fought in WWII, my father-in-law in Vietnam and four of Noah's siblings have served or currently serve in the armed forces.

I believe that when the flag comes by, you stand with your hand on your heart and when you sing The National Anthem, you stand and you pay attention and if you can keep the tears back, you sing. I especially love the last verse of The Star Spangled Banner:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Monday, July 4th: The ward had an early morning breakfast party, complete with red and blue pancakes! Then it was outside for some mingling and fun.

Eden just taking in the action (notice the upside down sunglasses, she is convinced that she has them on correctly!)

Ruthie, curly-locks.

Tree climbing and subsequent monkey noises!

The trike! The trike was a recent craigslist acquisition. I am quite pleased with our find. Not only does it look like a wonderful piece of Americana, the girls love it. They can't hardly get enough of it and had so much fun cruising it around the church parking lot.

After the ward party we went home for some well deserved napping, but later in the day we got together with some friends for the obligatory hamburger and hot dog grill fest! Our friends The Larsons came over and the kids had a blast playing in the kiddie pool. It's amazing how much fun they can have with a hose and few inches of water!

We ended our day with one giant sugar cookie of patriotic love a'la Aunt Laura McAllister. We thought a lot about family and friends who were not with us and we missed them, but there's always next year!

Who Is My Neighbor?

2011-06-21T11:42:00.000-05:00

Who is my neighbor? That question, so famously posed over 2,000 years ago still resonates powerfully for me. In the days of instantaneousness communication, with the phrases,"social network" and "online community" not just prevalent but nearly dominating the vernacular; the question of "Who is my neighbor?" becomes ever more nuanced.

One year ago we lived in Lexington, KY. In the months between then and now, we've spent time in Edmond, OK, my hometown of Richfield, UT, Wheeling, WV and now reside in Fort Worth, TX. I am somewhat taken back when I think that my little family has inhabited so many different houses -- physical structures that we tried our best to turn into home; a place of love, refuge and stability amid all the instability -- in so many different "neighborhoods", in such a short period of time. Eden has even taken to describing events as they relate to the house we were living in, "Can we go back to my black and white house?, The one where I had the birthday with cupcakes and balloons?" Still even before all our moving around, I found myself contemplating what it meant to be a neighbor and live in a neighborhood.

When we moved to Lexington in July 2007, we left a high density townhome "community" in Pleasant Grove, UT. A place where our home shared walls with two other homes, a place where my front door was literally 20 feet away from my, wall-sharing, roof-sharing, front-walk sharing "neighbor" with whom I never exchanged more than an awkward "hello".

Noah and I lived there for one year and when we moved out, not one person on our street stopped by to say goodbye. I suppose it goes without saying since we were in Utah County, but the predominate religion on our street was Mormon which meant that most of our neighbors were actually in our ward! It bothered me that we; interesting, smart, fun, intelligent people, could come and go so easily. It offended my small town sensibilities, something in my core felt empty and I knew that people weren't meant to live among strangers. I realized I had some responsibility to bear. If no one knew me, it held to reason that I also knew no one.

I decided then that something needed to change; but like most change, something else within me resisted.

Change is hard and, by definition: different.

Thus began my fascination with neighbors and neighborhoods, and what it means to be part of a community.

In Lexington I actually knew the first names of my immediate neighbors. I knew that one was a young bachelor and the other an old diabetic man living alone, but beyond that I knew very little. We lived in our house for three years. In Wheeling, I was richly blessed by having wonderful neighbors. Even though we were only there a short time, our family was immediately loved and welcomed and valued as part of the neighborhood.

A couple of months ago, just about the time we first arrived in Fort Worth, I heard an interview featuring Peter Lovenheim, the author of a book titled, "In The Neigborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover At a Time." I of course knew immediately that I would be reading his book.

I just finished it and I must say; you should read it. Just read it. If you believe at all, that we as human beings have a responsibility to care for one another; that this responsibility includes the people to whom we live close to geographically, you should read his account of life on one street in upstate New York.

Among other things, it has rekindled my desire and commitment to know my neighbors, so I am trying. Some of my attempts are awkward, some are met with polite disinterest and admittedly I let opportunities to connect pass me by everyday. It's that whole change thing, it's hard and it's slow, but I am determined to be the kind of neighbor that has a cup of sugar to lend and has neighbors who are comfortable enough to ask me for that cup of sugar.

Recently a strong wind blew down the section of fence that separates my back yard from the neighbor directly to the west. The situation of the downed fence has given me occasion to speak more frequently to my neighbor. It is an excuse to knock on their door, the pretense of talking about the downed fence makes it acceptable for me to insert myself into their everyday life. Still I wonder, once the fence is back up and my view of their backyard is once again cut off by 8-foot tall wooden slats, will I speak to them again?

I feel like Robert Frost when he says:

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall, . . ."

And as he walks the length of downed wall with his neighbor, and suggests that his apple trees will never bother the neighbor's pines and perhaps a wall is unnecessary, his neighbor

" . . . Only says, "Good fences make good neighbours."
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbours? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling our,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That wants it down."

A Little Glimpse . . .

2011-05-11T10:28:00.001-05:00

Sleepy princess

We're pretty sure washable markers are non-toxic, right?

Eden set up this lovely breakfast picnic a couple days ago while I was in the shower!

Happy Mothers Day. Noah gathered wildflowers in Arcadia Park and made me this bouquet.

Ruthie loving the flowers

Pizza time

Little Chef

Ruthie Retrospective

2011-04-27T16:03:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you a little bit about my sweet little Ruthie.

From the very beginning, Ruth has been easy going, even though she was a little anxious to get here and came almost a month early. She is loving. She gives kisses and hugs. She loves the dog and when she calls him, she draws out the vowels; "Saul" becomes, "S AHH OOH ALL". She calls Eden, "sista".

She has her dad's beautiful blue eyes and my brown wavy hair. Books, slides, swings, food and her stuffed elephant are probably her top five favorite things.

I tell you all this; because apparently I've been sleeping and have just now woken up and my baby is a 20-month old, waking, talking toddler. Since this past year has been so crazy for everyone, and this past year was basically Ruth's first year, I have some recapping to get done.

New Year's Eve 2009

Valentine's Day 2010

February 2010: Driving from Lexington, KY to Edmond, OK

Valentine's Day 2010

December 2009

puppy Zoe, Christmas 2009

"Pi Day" March 14, 2010

Louisville Slugger Museum, March 2010

March 2010

The Good Zoo, Wheeling WV Fall 2010

Riverfest 2010, Wheeling WV

Christmas 2010

Easter Sunday 2011

2011-04-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

I only got one picture before the rain, my memory card and being late for church sabotaged my photo session!

Easter 2011: Hunting and Coloring

2011-04-27T14:33:00.001-05:00

It's funny how your kids are such individuals, despite living in the same house, with the same parents, doing the same activities and in Eden and Ruth's case, even wearing the same clothes; they just come equipped with their own unique personalities.

I love this picture because it perfectly captures both Eden and Ruth in what I would describe as their, "classic facial expressions." Eden with the giant grin and Ruth with her nose scrunched up clearly wondering what, exactly, is so funny?

The playgroup organized an awesome Easter Egg Hunt near Bluebonnet Elementary. It was held and Good Friday and it turned out that Noah was off work so both he and puppy Saul got to come along as well.

Headed to the Easter Egg Hunt

Ru Ru loves the swings

Eden is proud and Ruth is amazed!

Both girls ended up making quite a haul. Eden is an old pro at gathering eggs but this was Ruth's first experience with an Easter Egg hunt; she caught on quick and of course they loved opening the eggs, finding and promptly devouring the treasures inside. They were both so sugared up that when it was time for bed Eden just laid in her bed and wouldn't stop taking. She talked to herself for nearly 30 minutes before she finally dropped off to sleep!

Saturday night we colored eggs. I've yet to do anything with the eggs, I thought about egg salad (which I love) and I really wanted to do deviled eggs (which I also love); but since the making of deviled eggs has been the provocation for an Easter argument between Noah and I on both Easter 2010 and Easter 2009, I felt it wise to just leave the subject of deviled eggs alone this year!

I need to get some old pictures of Noah up next to some pictures of Ruth because she looks so much like him! If you knew Noah or have seen pictures of him at around age 2, Ruth could NOT look more like him.

PB & J, Anyone?

2011-03-23T19:57:00.000-05:00

Happy 7th Anniversary of my 25th B-day

2011-03-18T14:27:00.001-05:00

My 25th birthday was the first birthday I celebrated with Noah. He bought me giant double hoop gold earrings. They were awesome and I loved them. He then insisted on calling me "quarter" for the next six months, just to remind me that I was a quarter-century old.

Anyway, that year was pretty great so I decided to stay 25 for a little while longer; which is why this year on February 19th, we celebrated the 7th anniversary of that 25th birthday.

Noah made me a green velvet cake, we were running a little low on red food coloring!

Eden chillin w/a piece of green velvet cake

Weekends are for fun . . .

2011-02-16T15:17:00.000-06:00

A definite perk of living in Texas is that we are closer to most of our family [sorry Ohio Sebourns]. We are still 1200 miles from my family but that is 650 miles closer than we were while we lived in Wheeling. My in-laws and three of Noah's brothers and families are quite a bit closer, only about 200 miles away. And 200 miles is a good weekend trip.

So the past two weekends we loaded up and invaded Mike and Laura's house.

This past weekend was Valentine's Day and in keeping with tradition, Laura, Beth and I ran the "Frigid Five" in Edmond. Aren't we cute decked out in our Valentine's Day gear?

On Friday night, Mike, Laura, Noah and I also celebrated Valentine's day at Boulevard Steak House. It was so good, and I was glad we had a five mile run the next morning!

Our motto is obviously, "Style before Speed".

This year, the first Sunday in February was Super Bowl Sunday; and in an effort to make the Packers and the Steelers feel more at home in north Texas, we got hit with "Blizzaster 2011".

Now with all due respect to the weather, I have to take just a moment to chuckle. Yeah, we got some snow, but "Blizzaster" . . . really? Really? The school closings, runs on ice melt, bread and toilet paper were very reminiscent of the great snow storm of 2008 in Lexington. I grew up in a mountain valley of central Utah and I NEVER got a snow day -- never!

Anyway, we braved the roads and made it without incident to Oklahoma City. Then we took in the Super Bowl in style at Mike and Laura's.

We had some split loyalties. Laura is from Wisconsin so of course we had a contingency cheering exclusively for the Packers. But Mike & Isaac have always cheered for the Steelers. I have some love for the Steelers since we spent some time in "Steeler Country". But to be honest, I was really just there for the food!

"stadium seating"

"Go Pack Go"

September 2010

2011-02-04T12:15:00.001-06:00

Wheeling Heritage Port, Riverfest 2010

I really miss the rivers and bridges. Driving from our house to St. Clairsville, OH required us to drive through Wheeling Tunnel and then cross the Ohio River via the green bridge in the background of these pictures. Going through that tunnel and over that bridge was one of Eden's favorite things to do. As soon as we started heading west on I-70 she would yell, "Get ready for the tunnel and the green bridge!"

Back to Utah. Grandpa Hendrickson passed away in early September so we headed back to Utah. These pictures were taken at Maple Grove while we were in Utah.

Cousins: Eden, Makell and Titan

Chocolate Chip Cookie Time

Childhood in the Fall

2011-02-04T10:09:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving 2010: Wheeling, WV

2011-02-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

We hosted Thanksgiving. I think we ended up having 18 people over, it was great fun.

All ready for the party

Carolyn and I getting the baking done

Noah did the turkey

yum, tasty!

The girls seriously love their Aunt Carolyn

Happy Birthday Carolyn

The day after Thanksgiving was Carolyn's b-day and she spent part of it with us!

Ruthie wants the camera.

December In Wheeling

2011-02-04T09:44:00.001-06:00

Babies and birthday parties:

Eden is a good mommy. She swaddles her babies and snuggles them.

Cordy's "Hello Kitty" b-day party.

My cute friend Becky throws the BEST parties. In the short time that we were in Wheeling, we attended a "Witch Tea Party", a "Hello Kitty" birthday party and my first ever, "Crafernoon". It was Awesome!

Becky made all the girls "Hello Kitty" headbands.

You really should check out Becky's Etsy shop and her craft blog. I've been so inspired by her craftiness that I actually broke out my sewing machine the other day!

We celebrated Eden's 3rd birthday in Wheeling before we left for Utah.

Eden wanted a princess cake {surprise, surprise}, Noah wanted tres leches, they both got what they wanted

Princess Eden with our awesome neighbor Sheri

December In Utah

2011-01-26T16:38:00.003-06:00

From the condition of my blog, it would appear that I fell off the face of the earth and have been missing for the last 8-months -- moving four times, to four different states, in eight months has way of pushing the blog to the bottom of the daily task list!

Of course through all of those moves and transitions, life didn't stop for us. So consequently, I've got some events and happenings that I'd like to post about.

At this point, I know that something is better than nothing.

So even though I would prefer to have kept a better record of 2010, this photo recap with short captions, will just have to do:

3rd B-day [take two]


Eden's b-day party with the cousins [and Tanner]


The Airplane Cake

Eden has decided that she wants to be a pilot when she grows up. You can fly with her if you like, her plane with have pink seat belts and she will be wearing her pilot shoes and pilot shirt and pilot tie and flying the plane!

Papa Myron & Nana Carolyn

Hendrickson Christmas Party 2010

Great-grandma Hendrickson

Cousins: can you believe they are all three? Check out the height spectrum.

Ruthie had no love for Santa this year, the flip video was way more exciting!

10th Ward Christmas Party: Ruthie's first Santa encounter


Mom snapped this picture moments before Ruth threw herself off my lap and ran away screaming.

McAllister Family Fun Day: SLC Style

The whole family [minus Noah who was still working in Pennsylvania at the time] braved driving through a central Utah blizzard and enjoyed a COLD day in SLC. We hit up The Gateway, ate the pastrami burger at Crown Burger and of course took in the lights at Temple Square!

Triple ridding in the double stroller

SLC Temple

Ruthie was a trooper all day long. She never cried but she also never slept -- not until we were headed back to the truck and then she zonked out hard.

McAllister Christmas Eve Party 2010

Noticeably absent from this post are the happy smiling Christmas morning pictures. This is because Noah, Eden and I all spent Christmas Eve and most of Christmas day throwing up and generally feeling awful, sick with a 24-hour flu.

Subsequently, we had a terrible couple of days. Eden failed to recover from what we thought was the 24-hour flu and on December 26th we took her to the ER because she was having trouble breathing. She was admitted to the hospital with a case of pneumonia. She and I spent the next three days in the hospital while she recovered from the pneumonia and then the following three days at Grandma's house recovering from the hospital stay!

Having my child hospitalized was terrifying. The only thing that made it bearable was that we were back home in Utah so I knew the nurses and the Doctor taking care of her and I had my family there to support us. I'm so thankful that when the ER doctor called our doctor, all he had to say was, "Melissa McAllister's daughter is here and she's got pneumonia" and Dr. Mark Robert Greenwood knew right away who we were. I know for certain that doesn't happen everywhere. Richfield is a special place.

Oh yeah, one more note about our hospital stay. Guess when our health insurance policy went into effect? If you guessed six days AFTER Eden was hospitalized, then you are correct. Awesome. Just Awesome.

Happy princesses, post pneumonia

The Big House at the Top of Harding Avenue

2011-01-20T16:28:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have those moments, the calm before the storm type . . . moments? I have them. Everything feels perfect, I exhale, I close my eyes, I smile slightly and take it all in.

I'm sure I was having one of those moments when I composed my previous post. I can almost see myself sitting at the computer, afternoon sun streaming in the window, while I gazed out over the 470; perfectly convinced that everything would continue being as wonderful and predictable as it was in that moment.

But --

Here is the problem with the calm before the storm -- it's the calm before the storm.

In this case, the storm took the form of changes with Noah's job that eventually, (albeit quickly) led to a move to Texas. So we're here and it's good, and I'm sure in time it will be great. But I'm still struggling to fill the void, to ease the knot in my stomach. We left too many things undone and underdeveloped in Wheeling. Too many places unvisited, too many events unattended and most painful of all, too many friendships in their very beginning phases.

I wish I could even begin to sum up my feelings about the four months we spent in West Virgina. I guess the only thing to say is . . . I just wasn't there long enough.

We spent the fall planting flowers, shrubs and a tree. In my heart, I knew I'd never see that tree grow big enough to shade the windows from the western sun; but I thought for sure I'd see my tulips come up in the spring. Perhaps someone else will see them and know that the big house at the top of Harding street was once home to a happy little family with a mom that loves flowers.

welcome to wheeling

2010-10-19T19:44:00.003-05:00

It's official, we live in West Virgina. We've actually been here since September 4th, but it's just now sinking in for me. My first impressions are good.

The area is beautiful.

Our house is amazing.

Noah's job is fabulous.

We are blessed.

You might wonder how we got here, all I can say is The Lord works in mysterious ways -- but He always works.

New pictures by Laurie Terry Photography

2010-10-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

so cute: eden and ruth

Time To Rename The Blog

2010-08-09T16:29:00.002-05:00

Noah has graduated.

We've left Lexington.

We are no longer the,

"UK Sebourns".

Our adventures in the bluegrass are over . . . .

So now what do we call our blog?

I'm taking suggestions.

If you come up with something awesome, I will quickly snatch it up

(but give you full credit of course!)

Law School {Check} . . . So Now What?

2010-06-26T22:50:00.006-05:00

On May 7th, Noah graduated from law school. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, lasting less than an hour {take note RHS, if you can award a JD in 50 minutes you ought to be able to hand over a diploma in less than 120}

I'm more than proud of Noah. In these last three years while he's been in school, he hasn't just been getting an education; he's been creating a life for us. We came into Kentucky just the two of us, and left with our numbers doubled, two kids in three years: talk about being a non-traditional student!

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that graduation was very bittersweet, especially since we are now trying to enter the workforce in the middle of a recession {the majority of Noah's class graduated without job offers}. But even that fact can't detract from the amazing accomplishment of powering through grad school.

I was only aware of a fraction of the work required to be successful and that was enough to overwhelm me. Still in typical Noah fashion, he calmly got it done. I seriously love this man.

Thank you to our McAllister family and our Sebourn family who came to Lexington for the graduation and the accompanying move. We love you all so much and could not have done it without you!

And thank you to everyone who is taking us in this summer. In case anyone else is keeping track, this is our fourth summer of being completely displaced. We really wouldn't make it without good family and friends.

Noah takes the Oklahoma bar on July 27th and 28th. We're planning on heading to Chicago in August for another year of school {LLM in Real Estate}.

But if I've learned anything in the last three years I've learned that despite my best efforts or in spite of my worst efforts, my life is directed and blessed everyday by my Father in Heaven.

I often think about the Robert Burns poem,"To A Mouse" and the famous line:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often askew

But unlike Burns, when I reflect on the past and gaze to the future, I don't "guess and fear".

I am known. My life has purpose. I make my plans, I work and I pray and at the end of the day, I turn it all over to the Lord and know that he'll make more of my plans then I ever could.

That's the truth, that's something I've always wanted to believe but thanks in large part to Noah I now actually do believe.

{I know, I'm lucky to have him!}

If I Had A Bucket List

2010-05-18T15:36:00.004-05:00

I'm sure it would include running a marathon. Now I wouldn't quite be able to check that one off my list, but I would be able to say that I've got a good start on it.

On April 24th, I ran the Kentucky Derby Mini-Marthon.

After16 weeks of training in the strangest weather, everything from snow & ice to heat & humidity

AND

After putting 200+ miles on my new shoes

AND

with the support of my awesome husband, who made meals and took care of the girls so that I could train

AND

with the guidance and encouragement from my amazing running group, "Jonh's Stridders" Thanks Ernie!

AND

with help from many incredible friends who told me I could do this and then ran with me to prove it. {Thanks Lindsay}:

I finished my first 13.1 mile race in 2:21:28. {and I ran the whole way}

me, my hard-earned medal and Louisville KY

Noah and the girls were there to cheer me on. It was amazing and a little addicting, I'm looking forward to another race soon!

My Old Kentucky Home . . .

2010-05-17T10:10:00.007-05:00

The girls and I are in Utah for a couple of weeks. Noah is in Oklahoma living with Mike & Laura, he starts his bar review course tomorrow. Since it appears that we actually survived the chaos of the last few weeks {months, years} I feel confident that we're ready for the next thing.

But I would be remiss if I didn't attempt {albeit poorly} to document my feelings about our time in Lexington. I'm generally overly sentimental and prone to cry about silly things. So you can imagine as I think about the friends, experiences, heartache, and happiness that have been ours for the last few years; I find it difficult to articulate how much love I feel.

As we were driving out of Lexington 10 days ago, my mind was filled with memories. They felt like snapshots. Faces and places and dates and colors all coming together to form my Kentucky home. Here is a small {but inevitably incomplete} sampling of those snapshots:

July 2007-May2010

An old white house with black shutters, no gutters, terrible drainage problems when it rained, but two beautiful trees and tulips and daffodils.

Neighborhood walks with puppy Saul. Wilson's grocery and the "sketchy mart".

UK hospital, Dr. Dalton, both my girls being born.

Liz brought me sunflowers after I had Eden. Lindsey held my hand while I had Ruth. Poor Isaac got stuck in the delivery room!

Jacobson park. Masterson Station Park. "The boy" park and the "bumpy-slide" park.

The arboretum, so many hours there walking and running. Eden exploring the gardens.

Playgroup at Pleasant Ridge park and the church. My 30th b-day party/playgroup, you all made turning 30 bearable!

The Pioneer Ward. The primary. The nursery leaders that love my "sympathetic crier". The Bishops who love our family so much.

The Kentucky theater. Main Street library. Eagle Creek library. Richmond Road. Winchester Road.

Spalding's donuts. Ramsey's hot browns. Ale 8.

UK, of course. The law building. Maxwelton street. Waiting for Noah when we only had one vehicle.

Friendly people, nonchalant drivers. Non-existent turn lanes. New Circle road.

Football games, basketball games. I've never seen such devoted fans, it was easy and fun to get caught up in the excitement.

Book club. I see your faces and I smile.

H.A.N.D.S. and Jane.

Temple trips, especially with Liz and more recently with Heather and Jenna.

So much time with Aaron and Carolyn. My family, Noah's family. Eden's 1st b-day.

Isaac and Leanne, our tie back to Lexington.

Running in the snow, the cold, the humidity. John's Stridders. Iroquois Park in Louisville. Kentucky derby 1/2 marathon.

Noah at school and working. Being broke and learning to live with it. The generosity of friends: overwhelming.

Graduation from law school, the end to all our means. The exhalation of relief coupled with the exclamation of pride. So much joy {even amid so much uncertainty}.

When we were deciding which law school to attend, we looked at where Noah had been accepted, and for me University of Kentucky just felt right. But three years ago I could never have imagined just how right Lexington actually was for us. That was a tender mercy from The Lord, for which I am infinitely thankful.

May 1, 2010 was a rainy Saturday afternoon. I sat in my little house surrounded by boxes and watched and listened to the call to the post for the 136th Kentucky Derby. I've never followed horse racing but that afternoon I couldn't pull myself away; I needed to be a part of this.

It's strange how in just three years a place can get a hold of you, can make you love it and can make you one of its own. I cried when they sang, "My Old Kentucky Home" and I'm crying now as I finish this post. I'll leave you with the lines that have been resonating in my mind for the last few weeks:

"Weep no more my lady

Oh! weep no more today!

We will sing one more song

For my Old Kentucky Home

For my Old Kentucky Home far away."

Blogging Hiatus: Over

2010-04-01T09:56:00.002-05:00

As you may have noticed, my voice has been missing from the blogosphere for quite some time. 75 days to be exact. "Where have you been?" You might ask. Well, that my friend is a pretty open ended question. And do you really want me to recount 75 days worth of news? My guess is, no.

But what I will say is this; my long absence has had a lot to do with deciding to train for a 1/2 marathon and Facebook. One of these things is a worthwhile endeavor and the other is a time-sucking menace. I'll let you decide which is which.

For now, let's live in the now. I'm back. I'm excited. I've got blog posts running amok in my head. I've got pictures of babies and milestones reached to brag about.

Spring has come and my little corner of the internet is primed for some sprucing up!

(BTW, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke, I really am back)

Thanksgiving And Eden's Birthday {take 1} + {take 2}

2010-01-15T15:17:00.012-06:00

If I wait one more day, I will be a month behind in posting these pictures.

I'm always surprised by how quickly the days pass between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving I'm always excited with the prospect of winter; hoping for a happy holiday season. Always dreaming of the that nostalgic "White Christmas". Then it seems before I have the chance to take it all in, the season passes and I wake up mid-January to 45 degree weather and a distinct yearning for Spring . . .

Which is exactly where I found myself today.

That being said, I best recap how we got here:

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our good friends the Davidsons and the Browns. We all shared the best of our Thanksgiving traditions and even tried out some new ones.

There were of course, all the obligatory Thanksgiving trimmings but perhaps my favorite came courtesy of my culinary-wiz husband: Noah brined the Turkey and it was amazing!

Somehow I failed again to get any pictures. Better luck next year, I guess.

Next up on our holiday season agenda is our Eden's b-day.

{Take One}

December 16th, Lexington KY

The day started off right, with birthday balloons

I'm pretty sure the balloons and fruit snacks were her favorite presents.

Then we decorated the cupcake-cake . . .

and dug-in!

Aren't they sweet?

{Take Two}

December 20th, Richfield UT

We partied with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents.

Aunt Laura, Edie and Uncle Ty

"I want a Princess Cake, Mommy.

There's Belle: yellow dress. There's Sleeping Beauty, There's Cinderella," says Eden.

What more could a two-year old little girl want than a princess cake, dress-ups and a family that loves her?

Go Bucks!

2010-01-04T17:00:00.003-06:00

Aren't we a cute family decked out in our Ohio State gear?

Christmas pictures coming soon . . .

Even Better Than The Real Thing?

2009-12-31T11:24:00.001-06:00

I live in the black-hole of the concert universe. No one comes to Kentucky. Okay, I'll rephrase, no one I want to see comes to Kentucky. Like for instance, Brand New -- not coming to Kentucky. Every Time I Die -- not coming to Kentucky. But the real killer, U2 -- not coming anywhere near Kentucky (Charlottesville, VA does NOT count as "close"). So, while I did spend some time wallowing in grief, musing about the misfortune of living where I live; I've now decided that living in the black-hole of the concert universe might really be one of those proverbial, "blessings in disguise". Here's why:

1. I don't have any money. {self-explanatory}

2. I may be getting a little old for some of these concerts. How much longer can I legitimately attend concerts with mosh-pits? Can I really say to our teenage babysitter, "I'm so glad that you were able to come over tonight and care for my two children so that can I go out and get bumped around in a sweaty-pit by some of your peers . . .?" That: is verging on creepy.

3. Attending a concert will never be as great as it was in 1997.

May 1997, U2 played the old Rice-Eccles Stadium. It was the first time in 20 years that U2 had a tour date in Utah. The entire state was buzzing. This was before internet ticket sales, ebay, and other services that make attending concerts easy. This was the old-way, the camp-out at Smiths, get a wristband and pay cash for your tickets way. This was the, if you happen to live in a small town where there is not a Smithtix, you probably won't being going to very many concerts, way.

We lucked out. We had friends at BYU. Those friends got us tickets. We loaded into my parents suburban, we drove the 3 hours to SLC. We bought a scalped ticket for my brother. We watched Rage Against The Machine do their opening act. We were there with the giant yellow arch, the massive video screens and the jets screaming overhead. We were there.

Three weeks before graduation when the whole world was up for the taking, we saw my favorite band of all time play. Never mind that the naysayers (and the tickets sales) claim that the Popmart tour was one of U2's most unsuccessful tours, for me it was the pinnacle of concerts, everything else is just trying to measure up.

That was the only time I've seen U2. I'm starting to think it is for the best. How sad would I be if I saw them again, and the experience lacked the magic of first time? Black-hole or not, the nostalgia may just keep me from EVER seeing them again.

{Wait a minute. Who am I kidding? I would totally see them again, if I had any money and they were coming anywhere near Lexington!}

Hey I'm 2

2009-12-16T17:40:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus is Coming

2009-12-09T10:40:00.005-06:00

She asked for a sucker.

But then later, once we were home she revised her request:

"Mommy, need giraffe, Santa"!

50 States In 6 Minutes

2009-11-27T21:25:00.006-06:00

I have to give Noah a little bit of hard time here.

He's been wanting me to see if I could write down all 50 States in less than 6 minutes {We've been watching a lot of "Friends" lately and there is an episode where the gang plays this game and no one can do it.}

Two nights ago Noah sat down and tried.

After 15 minutes he had resorted to drawing a map and by 20 he had given in with 49 States on his page. Incidentally, it was New Jersey he forgot.

But here's the thing, he forgot one state, but check out the map he drew.

Are you kidding me? This thing is awesome.

My husband is talented and cool.

{I've yet to take my turn, I'm afraid it will be pretty scary.}

I Rock Black Friday

2009-11-27T20:59:00.005-06:00

Check out the "Total Savings"

and the BEST part is . . .

I didn't leave my house until noon!

While the lady was cutting my fabric, {that I scored at super awesome Black Friday prices}, I asked her how much fabric I needed to do a queen-sized quilt.

She asked if I was doing a rag-time quilt and I said, "No, I'm tying it."

At this point she set down her scissors, cocked her head to the side and said, "No, sweetheart . . . you have to . . . sew it."

She had no idea what I meant when I said I was going to, "tie a quilt."

I explained it to her but she still gave me a kind of glazed-over, skeptical look. Apparently quilt tying is not too common around here!

October Round-Up

2009-11-20T11:37:00.006-06:00

We spent our October like this:

Looking at exotic animals at the pumpkin patch petting zoo . . .

Riding gigantic slides, and eating fried apple pie . . .

Having lots of kisses and snuggles . . .

Being {looking} a little silly . . . {just me really, Noah looks great!}

Baking Halloween sugar cookies . . .

Loving Halloween frosting . . .

Eating Grandpa Hendrickson's apples {thanks Mom} . . .

Wielding deadly weapons . . .

Staring at "pumpkin faces" . . .

Mingling with the local zombies . . .

{One small bit of explanation, if you live in Lexington you can dress up like a zombie and dance Michael Jackson's Thriller down main street with other zombies in a parade held on October 30th. Anyone can be a part of the fun, you just have to go to a couple of rehearsals and learn the dance. I didn't hear about this until a couple of days before the parade, or I totally would have done it. Who wouldn't want to be a dancing zombie?}

Loving the concept of "trick or treating" . . .

By the end of the month we all felt a lot like this . . .

Parenting Milestone

2009-11-19T13:57:00.002-06:00

A couple of days ago, Noah was talking to some friends of ours who don't have kids. He was telling them how having children tends to change a person. For instance, you realize that your ability to love is exponentially greater than you could have ever conceived. And that, although your patience may be stretched so thin, that you really think the next time you hear that winy little screech screaming for fruit snacks that you may just break into a million pieces; all it takes is a smile from your little one and the world suddenly rights itself.

These are some of the wonderful, amazing things about parenthood. These are the Hallmark card snapshots of parenting. I'm sure that he shared those types of sentiment with our friends but he also mixed in this little reality that only experience can fully teach -- once you have kids you are completely responsible for caring for them (obviously); this includes multiple diaper changes every day and subsequent interaction with "potty" as your child grows up. I think this thought might have terrified our friends.

Well we've come to a milestone with Eden, she's given up the diapers (and the pull-ups and the padded undies), we threw them all away on November 1st.

She's entered a new phase.

She's a big girl.

I don't know at what point you can officially state that your child is potty-trained. Is it when they go a day without an accident? A night? A week? A month? Or is when the whole, potty in the toilet thing, clicks for them. Who's to say really? All I know is that we're down to only buying diapers for one and we are exceptionally proud of Eden!

Back Seat Babies

2009-11-12T13:40:00.002-06:00

We have a compact car.

Both carseats barely fit in the backseat.

This little expression of love is an unexpected positive that has

developed as a result of the cramped quarters:

Eden holds Ruth's hand when we drive, especially when Ruth is sad.

e-nouncement

2009-10-26T23:11:00.003-05:00

Just in case you missed it,

we have a new baby girl and her name is ruth

I must give a big shout-out to

a good friend and incredible photographer,

denisha sproul

I love the little bit of personality

she was able to capture in this

shot -- true talent!

also, another thanks to my brother tanner

for the announcement design

it is perfect

Two Little Bug(ees)

2009-10-23T22:08:00.006-05:00

A quick Halloween preview . . .

Day to Day

2009-10-22T10:37:00.001-05:00

A Day of Blessings

2009-10-21T09:55:00.008-05:00

On Sunday October 18th, we were able to bless Ruth. Noah offered the blessing and we gave her the name, Ruth Sebourn. Holding to our new tradition, she wore my blessing dress.

It was a wonderful occasion to get together with friends and family; we were lucky to have some of both with us. Mike and our niece Gretchen, and Issac and Leanne drove 12 hours from Oklahoma to spend the weekend. Aaron made the drive from Ohio. Our good friends, Josh & Camille and their kids also came from Ohio.

Of course we missed all of you who were not able to come.

The weekend was awesome. It rained a lot so we were pretty much stuck inside but we managed to have a lot of fun anyway. There were a couple games of Settlers of Catan, some football and a little X-box -- football and X-box courtesy of Aaron; since he figured out how to make our TV work w/out a cable box and he brought his X-box to play.

It is always a good time when the Sebourn boys get together, you never quite know what will happen. I guess I must have stayed up enjoying the chaos a little too late on Friday and Saturday nights because by Sunday afternoon, I was beat.

After dinner, everyone except for Josh and his family took off. I got Eden laid down for her nap and Ruth was also sleeping. We put a movie on for their kids to watch and we were just sitting in the living room watching the kids watch a movie and chatting.

Noah was in the rocking chair and I was sitting on the floor between his legs -- well the next thing I knew, I woke up and Josh and family had left.

We didn't even wake up.

I was so tired I fell asleep sitting up. On the floor. How embarrassing!

I guess the weekend had taken more out of me than I realized!

Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom

2009-10-15T13:50:00.001-05:00

Religious Freedom - LDS Newsroom

Shared via AddThis

Rain Day

2009-10-08T12:48:00.004-05:00

When it rains in Kentucky it pours,

and our front walk turns into the perfect puddle,

for little girls to stomp and splash ---

at least until their Mom says it's time to come in.

C.U.T.E.

2009-10-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

The Answer To The Questions . . .

2009-09-25T13:38:00.006-05:00

President Ezra Taft Benson:

"We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness and salvation to the human family." (The Teaching of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 167) (emphasis mine)

{I would add, only the gospel will unite the men and women across this country. It looks like we have our work cut out for us.}

Some Summer Fun

2009-09-13T20:58:00.009-05:00

We have an awesome family.

This past week we were lucky enough to have Nana Sebourn at our house. She brought Brianna to Dayton to see the doctor about her leg (you can read more about Bri's injury on Janice's blog), and then came down to Lexington to stay with us for a few days. We had fun visiting, blogging, shopping, playing, cooking (Janice, we promise less spicy food next time) and of course Janice took 1,000 pictures. Okay, she really only took 566 (I will post some of my favorites shortly)

We love to have visitors and this summer, we've had a lot of fun playing host to various family members. For some reason they keep coming to visit despite the fact that we have a tiny house where they get the luxury of choosing between two plush sleeping arrangements, an air-mattress in the front room or the couch. They also get the rare privilege of sharing one bathroom with the entire family and running the risk of puppy Saul crawling into bed with them or waking them up with an enthusiastic kiss to the face.

I guess they really do come for the company, or perhaps the food, both of which I personally think are excellent!

In no particular order, here are some summer shots:

Eden & cousin Greyson

Laura & I in Cincinnati

Erin, Royal, Eden & I

Aunt Laura

Uncle Aaron & Aunt Carolyn

Uncle Aaron

Aunt Carolyn

Grandma Holly

Grandma & Ruthie

In doing this post I realized, once again, that I need to get my camera out more. I had to steal pictures off Facebook to do this post and I still don't have any pictures of Nana Sebourn or Isaac & Leanne with the girls!

$2-A-Day Habit . . .

2009-09-10T21:02:00.012-05:00

Actually it's $2.09, $1.79 for the Diet Coke and an additional 30 cents for the lime wedge. It's a pricey drink and probably a bad habit, but as they say, "Old habits die hard", and my Sonic Diet Coke w/lime is too much a part of my fondest memories {and current routine} to let go of --- not just yet anyway.

So today I was excited to learn that for a limited time my habit will be helping someone. {click on the graphic below for all the specifics} Basically, you buy a Sonic drink, go online and enter the code off your cup and then Sonic will fund a specific project for school teachers across the country . . .

. . . Awesome!

Knowing that my consumption of overpriced Diet Coke is helping rural kids get books, or city kids get protractors and probability spinners, gives me such a nice case of the warm-fuzzies that I might just up my habit to 2-a-day!

{To be honest, this habit is actually more like a once-a-week but it just doesn't have the same ring as once-a-day!}

{Semi} Torn Loyalities . . .

2009-09-05T10:18:00.008-05:00

My nostalgic favorite:

Our current school:

and of course,

THE Ohio State

It's a lot simpler for my husband, for him there is The Bucks and then there is every other team.

Don't get me wrong, he loves a good college football game. In fact, at this moment he is sitting on the 20 yard line of the UK v. Miami OH game in Cincinnati --- but lest he be mistaken as a Kentucky OR Miami OH fan, he is wearing a Buckeye t-shirt and an Ohio State flag as a cape.

But for me, I'll continue to keep my loyalty options open. I want to legitimately be a fan of any of my three teams. Assuming one or even all three have great seasons, I'd hate to be considered a "bandwagoner", so today, I am officially declaring my tri-fanhood.

Now, some might assert that tri-fanhood is a cop out, an unwillingness to fully commit, but I simply see it as a way to triple my chances of football happiness. Besides, my tri-fanhood will only become an issue if two of my three teams end up in a post-season match-up. And truthfully I just don't see that happening!

so, RISE AND SHOUT, ON! ON! U OF K and Go BUCKS!

The Good Life

2009-09-01T14:58:00.007-05:00

Ducks!

2009-08-26T11:10:00.002-05:00

We took the girls and Saul to Jacobson Park last weekend. While Noah took Saul to the dog park, I took the girls to play on the playland.

Well, there were about 100 ducks on the lawn next to the playland so of course Eden was far more interested in them than the swings.

The video is a little shaky --- I was trying to film while holding Ruth and following Eden, but you get the idea. She was so excited and there were so many ducks she just couldn't quite decide which ones to chase.

Enjoy!

Why I Love Sunday Afternoons . . .

2009-08-23T19:55:00.001-05:00

Surprise, We Have a New Baby!

2009-08-10T11:56:00.014-05:00

Ruth Sebourn
August 3, 2009
6 lbs 9 oz
20 inches

Our littlest one just couldn't wait to join the family and although she wasn't due until August 28th she chose last Monday to make her debut. Now that we've had a week to get settled in I figured it was time to get some pictures up and share her story.

If you remember our situation, Eden & I flew back to Lexington on July 3rd but Noah was not done with his summer associate position in Las Vegas until July 31st.
We figured this wouldn't be an issue since Ruth wasn't due until August 28th, we figured wrong . . .

Here's how it all went down:

Saturday August 1st:
Noah leaves Las Vegas and drives 19 hours straight to Oklahoma City, OK arriving there around 6:30am on Sunday August 2nd.

Sunday August 2nd:
Noah helps his dad and brothers unload the moving truck (my in-laws just moved to Oklahoma City).

Monday August 3rd:
Noah spends the morning with his brothers and dad, and prepares to leave Oklahoma at 5:00am on Tuesday August 4th to make the 12 hour drive to Lexington.

9:00am: I go to my weekly doctor's appointment. Not having any contractions, everything is normal; doctor decides not to check my cervix.

7:30pm: I am cleaning up dinner and my water breaks. The instant it happened, I knew what had happened but I said to myself, "Oh, maybe I just peed my pants" But like I said, at 7:30pm my water broke.

7:35pm: I call Noah and through sobbing tears I tell him that my water just broke. He tells me to call the doctor and call him back. The hospital tells me to come in ASAP, I was having this baby within the next 24 hours.

7:40pm: I call my mom and finish giving Eden a bath (I know, I know, I really didn't need to give Eden a bath; but I was feeling a little frazzled and it was bath-time so, I gave her a bath.)

7:45pm: I call Isaac and Leanne, who luckily are visiting her parents here in Lexington. They come over to watch Eden and Leanne's mom arrives to drive me to the hospital.

8:00 -- 8:30pm: Noah and Harold leave Oklahoma City. Harold said that Noah was either going to drive 100 miles an hour or bounce out of the passenger seat. Luckily, Noah let Harold drive.

8:30 -- 9:00pm: They finally get me checked in at the hospital. They check my cervix, I'm at '5' already. I ask for an epidural. I explain my situation to the doctors. I let them know that my husband is 12 hours away and ask them if they think there is any way that Noah will get here before the baby . . .

IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT NOAH WILL NOT MAKE IT IN TIME!

10:00pm: I call my friend Lindsay and tell her that I am in labor and Noah is in somewhere in Missouri and can she please come to the hospital because I really don't want to be alone. I also call Isaac and ask him to come to the hospital. My contractions get progressively stronger. Still waiting on the epidural.

10:00 -- 11:30pm: I continue to talk to Noah about every 15 mins. Contractions are hurting. The anesthesiologist finally gets to my room and preps for the epidural.

11:45pm: The epidural is finally in and the anesthesiologist tells me that it will be about 10 mins before the medicine starts to give me any real relief. The resident checks my cervix and realizes that I am completely dilated. They go get Dr. Dalton.

11:50pm: The doctor checks me and says that he can feel Ruth's head, the delivery room fills up with nurses and doctors. Since Ruth was 3 weeks and 4 days early she was technically considered premature so the entire pediatric team was on hand in case they were needed. Isaac gets Noah on the phone . . .

11:50 -- 11:54pm: I push once and Ruth's head is out, I push once more and she is out and crying. Noah heard the whole thing on the phone.

11:55pm: My epidural kicks in . . .

12:00am: I get to hold my new daughter. She is perfect and healthy and has beautiful brown hair. I am amazed at all that has happened in the last five hours.

8:30am: Noah gets to my hospital room after driving all night long. He kisses me and picks up Ruth and everything is just as it should be.

Thank you to our friends, family, ward members and all of those who have helped us this past week and through the entire summer --- we love and appreciate you. My mom is with us in Lexington right now and it's wonderful. We'll miss her so much when she leaves.

We can't wait for Ruth to meet you all but in the meantime, click the links below to check out super cute pictures of Ruth and Eden:

UK Hospital Nursery Photography
Denisha Sproul Photography

Singing the Praises of Tanner . . .

2009-07-19T22:04:00.002-05:00

Okay, not literally singing because really, I can't sing. In fact I think of my ability to sing in the same terms as I think about my ability to play basketball. Strange comparison I admit, but hear me out on this.

My junior year of high school I decided not to try out for the basketball team. I had "played" my freshman and sophomore years, if you define "played" as not being cut from the team, and being asked to endure life altering humiliation by being required to wear a circa 1979 uniform while the rest of the team sported considerably newer, more stylish and even more modest uniforms.

At any rate, the b-ball coach stopped me in the hall and asked me why I wasn't at tryouts and I thought to myself, "Really, you're the Coach and you need me to tell you why I am not at tryouts? I'm not there because I SUCK AT BASKETBALL." (And because Elk Meadows was open that year and I got new snow skis for Christmas!)

I feel the same way about my ability to sing. Occasionally people will tell me things like, "You have a pretty voice" or "You're a good singer" and to them I say, "Thanks." But the inner dialogue goes more like, "Come on. Seriously. I know I can't sing, you know I can't sing. It's cool. Don't try to make me feel good by pretending that I can." But now I've strayed off topic. This post is about Tanner, who incidentally can sing!

Tan spent a few days with us in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was great, we ate a lot, Penn Station, Donatos and of course Waffle House and we slept a lot. Tan even mingled with some of the natives. But he also managed to help me get a lot done around the house. Not the least of these things was tackling the amazon jungle that had sprung up in my backyard while we were gone. Here are a few before and after pics:

BEFORE:

Looking out my back door . . .

At the impassable back steps . . .

Another shot of the back steps

AFTER:

Can you even believe this is the same yard?

BEFORE:

Saul is nearly lost in the overgrown weeds

AFTER:

Saul is found AND look at that, so is Noah's grill!

Tanner hard at work.
Trent should be proud, I think we're looking at McAllister Lawn Care's,
"Employee of The Month"

In addition to the yard work, Tanner also helped me pick up a mattress for Eden's new bed from a sly Craigslister with a warehouse full of mattresses who might have had a son born the night before we met with him (he's awaiting the results of the paternity test). We just smiled and nodded while he divulged this information to us.

Of course Tanner also did lots of other helpful and great things --- too many to number. He generally just exuded awesome and was super fun to have around. Still, I would be amiss if I didn't mention that while he was here, he taught Eden her first childhood right of passage, the Oreo cookie milk dip:

As you can see, she loved it! Thanks Tan, we love you and we miss you already. Come back soon . . .

The Red Eye is NEVER a Good Idea (At least not with an 18-month old)

2009-07-10T23:54:00.003-05:00

This is how our adventure ended,

Eden wearing just a diaper and "pretty necklace" as we walked through the terminal at the Lexington airport;

And her barely hanging on in the truck while we drove to our house.

My sincerest apologies to everyone on board Delta flight 4962 which departed Atlanta at 8:23am and arrived in Lexington at 9:45am on Saturday July 4th, I know it is hard to have a screaming child on the plane.

Still, it is far harder when that screaming child is yours and you have exhausted every possible means to comfort, cajole and otherwise soothe your screaming child and yet you continue to fail miserably. Also, it's tough when you're in Atlanta and your husband is in Las Vegas.

You really start to doubt your skills as a mother, when the flight attendant informs you that the plane can't take off until you calm your child down --- and the screaming intensifies.

You feel some serious pressure when the flight attendant suggests that you deplane and take a later flight and you have to respond to her with tears welling up in your eyes that you can't take a later flight because your dog is currently loaded in the cargo section of this particular flight and should he arrive in Lexington without you, there would be no one there to pick him up.

At this point, all there is left to do is pray that the Lord will very carefully guide you through the next few minutes. Then a quiet calm comes to your heart (despite the screaming, thrashing 18-month old in your arms), you rally all the faith you possess and you promise the flight attendant that if the plane will just take off, the child will settle down.

You then strip the baby down, open a package of fruit snacks and proceed to sing the ABC song no less than 500 times. As the plane takes off she stops screaming and sits nicely on your lap.

She is tired, it is obvious that the calm is tenuous --- but you take it. And in that moment you know that prayers are answered.

You also realize that your 16-year old brother must really love you because throughout this whole embarrassing and loud ordeal; he's never once lost his cool at you or your screaming child --- that's pretty amazing --- thanks Tanner!

Tanner & Eden waiting to board the 12:50am flight to Atlanta from SLC

This is how our adventure started, hanging out in AF with our good friends:

Alicia, Blaine & Jake Carter (seriously Jake is so cute and I figure he's 8 months younger than Eden and will be 1 year older than new baby so at least one of my girls better date this kid!)

The happy family. I was so thankful that Noah was able to come up from Vegas to help us get on the plane.

Michelle, Kaia, Laurel, Alicia and Me

The Rodela family, Lance, Addie and Kim w/Noah

The picnic in the park with friends was absolutely the best part of the night.

Awesome Summer (with still more to come)

2009-07-09T11:23:00.001-05:00

We've had an excellent summer so far, and between our friends and family all over Utah and Nevada we've always had a place to stay and people to hang out with!

As you can see from the photo slide show, we've enjoyed all the best of summer: ice cream cones, swimming, traveling, b-days, family, friends and good food.

Still, I realized once I sat down to post these pictures that I was a total slacker when it came to taking pictures this summer! My apologies (and my bad) to all the friends, family and activities that I neglected to photograph. I'll do better next year.

This is an I-15 Rant

2009-06-21T18:47:00.006-05:00

Just real quick.

I drove from Richfield to Las Vegas last Thursday afternoon, and I have these obseravations about the flow of traffic on I-15:

If you are a coal truck or a tour bus or any type of "train" (i.e. truck pulling camp trailer pulling 4-wheelers) you don't belong in the left-hand lane.

Just because your coal truck driving buddy has slowed traffic in the right-hand lane down to 35 MPH, doesn't give you license to try to pass him and slow traffic in the "fast-lane" down to 40 MPH. High five to you two idiots driving blue semis and working for a trucking company out of Salina, UT; hopefully you guys are the exception to the rule when it comes to their drivers.

Also, to everyone else on I-15 (except for most of the people with California plates because Californians seem to inately understand this concept), the left-hand lane is for passing NOT for travel. Get in right-hand lane, set your cruise control and use the left-hand lane as needed for passing.

Going 55 MPH in the fast lane of a 75 MPH zone doesn't make you a "safe" driver, it makes you a hazard to everyone else on the road, it is super annoying and in Utah and Nevada (among other states) it is against the law. There really should be a way to get these guys into traffic school for a little refresher course!

I know I'm not alone in my frustrations, in fact here are a couple resources for those of us who wish the rest of the driving world understood how to use the left lane!

Slower Traffic Keep Right
Left Lane Slowpokes

Anniversary Extravaganza 2009

2009-06-15T13:17:00.022-05:00

I feel like I would be an ungrateful wife if I didn't dedicate this post to my super awesome husband. June 11th was our anniversary (four years, if you're keeping track!) anyway, since Noah is actually receiving a paycheck we decided that we could celebrate by doing something that actually costs money.

And since he is living in Vegas, we figured why not do Vegas? At this point I need to mention that Noah designed this entire weekend --- all I had to do was show up in Las Vegas --- all planning was taken care of by him. Now if you know me and you know Noah, then you know that him planning and me not meddling at all is a TOTAL role reversal for us. It was so awesome to not have to worry about ANYTHING! That alone would have been a great anniversary present, but of course there was a little more to it!

Oh yeah, I also need to say thanks to my mom and dad; they watched Eden for us (incidentally, last Friday was the first night I have ever spent away from Eden and she is 18 months old!) They also kept Saul and I understand Saul took over Tanner's bed, so thanks family for being so awesome!

Our weekend consisted of eating great food, seeing friends and family, some great entertainment and of course just enjoying 30 hours uninterrupted time together.

Just in case you want to recreate for yourself, the awesomeness that was "Anniversary Extravaganza 2009", here are a few of the highlights:

Sleep Here:

I just love that this casino glows green at night. Also, it was a fabulous place to stay.

Watch This:

This was my first ever "Vegas Show" and I was not disappointed, you can check it out here.
I highly recommend this show, it was amazing and it is family friendly --- all performers are fully clothed!

Eat Here:

Nobhill Tavern

Delicious food. I had french onion soup with a Gruyere grilled cheese, so fun and juvenile but oh so delicious!

Noah had the Maine lobster pot pie. Here's a tip, when ordering the Maine lobster pot pie, don't overlook the place on the menu where it says that the lobster is market price!

Not that I think you would overlook that small detail or that we would overlook that small detail --- I'm just saying, hypothetically, that the market price of Maine lobster could be quite shocking, should one accidentally overlook the market price notice!

Saturday morning we hooked up with the The Hastings for brunch. On their recommendation we hit The Original Pancake House (NOT to be confused with IHOP), where I ate this

for breakfast. Yes, those are caramelized apples baked into a pancake of deliciousness (I really need a new adjective to describe the food we ate, "delicious" is getting a little overused.)

It was awesome to see our good friends, Kentucky just won't be the same without them this year!

Liz & I, Vegas 2009

To round the trip off, we were able to watch the broadcast of UFC 99 at the Green Valley Ranch Casino on Saturday afternoon. Then we got to see my cousins Corey & Tara. They are the awesome people that Noah is crashing with this summer. I have often said so, but we really do have the best family! Corey & Tara have totally welcomed Noah into their home, they are generous and genuine and we love them!! Thanks again guys.

Again on Hastings recommendation, we ate dinner at Los Tacos --- seriously the best carne asada tacos EVER! Hastings are batting 1000 when it comes to food recommendations.

If you are headed to Las Vegas, don't miss out on these tacos. While we were eating, Noah and I were the only white people in the building --- you know that means these tacos were good! (I forgot to mention that on Friday afternoon we ate Filipino food and again were the only white people in the resturant, we like to think that means that we are getting something authentic and it generally means that the food is, again, delicious!)

All in all, a super fun weekend!

Also, updates concerning the month of May are forthcoming . . . .

What's In A Name?

2009-06-04T13:36:00.005-05:00

I think that being pregnant makes me a lot more observant of certain things; and a little more scatter-brained about others! But one thing I have been taking note of as of late are some of the crazy names parents give their children.

While I've always been interested in language, I would be lying if I didn't credit my more recent interest in names to my having read the book Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dunbar. I read it a couple years ago. It was a fun airplane read, nothing heavy, just an economist and a journalist taking a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at some of the more "pressing" questions of our generation. Questions such as, Which is more dangerous: a gun or a swimming pool?, Why do most drug dealers live with their mom? And What really is in a name?

By the authors' own admission, the book is not a "serious" economic study. But the chapter that deals with names is an interesting look at naming trends and how those trends play out in different racial, geographical, educational and soci-economic groups. These trends are fascinating to me because I really believe that naming a child is a huge privilege and responsibility.

While there are definitely names that I think are silly or even "made-up", I don't think there is any one "right" way to pick a name. My parents named all their girls (me) with "M" names and all my brothers with "T" names (Trenton, Tyler, Taylor and Tanner). Noah's parents gave all six boys Bible names (Joseph, Michael, Joshua, Noah, Isaac and Aaron) while of his three sisters, only one (Bethany) makes an appearance in the Bible.

I guess I'm just trying to organize and catalog all of the influences and ideas that I have floating around in my head regarding baby names so that we might actually be able to settle on a name for our new daughter! I'm almost 29 weeks along and still struggling to find a name that is just right for her.

But until that happens I guess she will continue to be "new baby"!

The Fruits of My Labor

2009-04-29T14:49:00.003-05:00

I cleaned out this flowerbed in our front yard and planted bulbs last fall. It was so fun a few weeks ago to see the little buds start to poke through, and now I have something beautiful to look at!

Kite Fest

2009-04-21T21:17:00.003-05:00

On the Saturday before Easter we went to the Kite Fest at Jacobson Park in Lexington. We packed a picnic lunch, watched everyone fly their kites and stopped to see the ducks. I think next year we'll actually get a kite and fly it . . .

Hoppy Easter (Yeah, I Said "Hoppy")

2009-04-21T20:34:00.003-05:00

Playgroup Easter Egg Hunt: Eden caught on really quick to the idea of picking up eggs and putting them in her basket. She caught on even quicker to opening the eggs once she discovered they contained such treasures as stickers and jelly beans!

I love the sequence of events depicted in these pictures. I imagine Eden's internal dialogue to have gone something like this:

"Humm, so it doesn't quite fit in my mouth. I'll have to figure out a different way to get it open."

"All right! Good job hands, you got it open"

"So what is this, I lick it and it makes my hands sticky -- not bad, not bad."

"Yeah, this is tasty. It's sticking to my teeth, but I like it."

I just realized as I was doing this post that I didn't get any pictures of Eden in her Easter dress -- lame. I am just going to have to stage them I guess -- stay tuned.

Not Immune To Economic Woes

2009-04-20T10:34:00.002-05:00

Since Noah is a full-time grad student and I am a Mom (I refuse to be referred to as a "SAHM", the over use of acronyms on the internet drives me crazy), we really aren't out in the workforce right now. But, in order to supplement the student loans that are paying for our day-to-day expenses, Noah has worked a part-time job this last year and I've started babysitting four days a week.

Still, since we don't have any money anyway, the problems with the economy have been less of an issue for us. But we did receive some bad news a few weeks ago. It seems that the law firm for which Noah had planned to work this summer is experiencing some difficulties due to the economy; as such they rescinded on their job offer to Noah. This is not unheard of, especially right now, but it is extremely inconvenient nonetheless.

To make a long story short, we aren't going to Utah for the summer.

After a few long weeks of sending out resumes, trolling job postings and contacting pretty much everyone we know who has any connection at all to the field of law, we had two potential leads. And after much prayer and faith that the Lord would provide a way for us, Noah was offered a job in Las Vegas with Cooper Levenson.

I need to mention that I know that this opportunity came to him ONLY because of his faith that we would be taken care of. I am truly thankful to have Noah as my husband.

Also, thank you to everyone who made phone calls, passed along resumes, talked to long lost uncles, and kept us in their prayers during this time -- we love you all.

Froggie Socks

2009-04-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

Thanks Nana Sebourn for the awesome "froggie socks" Eden has been wearing these non-stop for the past few days.

Yesterday morning she found them in the dirty clothes basket in my bedroom; I found her sitting on the floor trying to put them on herself.

She knows these socks are funny. Yesterday I went into her room to get her up from her nap and she had taken off one of the froggie socks. It was sitting on her head in between her pig tails. I asked her, "Where is your froggie sock?" She gives me the "I don't know" shoulder shrug and then starts laughing. Such a joker!

As you can imagine, "Socks" is the newest word in her vocabulary!

Because This Type of Thing Entertains Me . . .

2009-04-12T21:32:00.002-05:00

Despite having a degree in English, I still make my fair share of grammatical and/or punctuation, (and if it weren't for spell check: spelling) errors. As such, this post is not intended to showcase the amazing command I have over the English language. It is merely an attempt to give you a glimpse into how I see the world.

As I read signs, T-shirts, advertisements, news stories, blogs, books, articles, and menus, I can't help but be entertained. It is really unfortunate the amount of abuse that quotation marks and apostrophes are called to daily endure.

I've found these two spectacular blogs which showcase some of the best (worst) offenses and I share them with you now.

Apostrophe Catastrophes

and

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation marks

Spring Time Fun

2009-04-08T15:57:00.006-05:00

If April showers bring May flowers, what do April snow storms bring?

Hopefully, not more winter! In between the sporadic snow flurries that we've been getting, we've managed to sneak in a couple trips to the park and few other fun spring activities.

Thanks to my friend Hiroe for taking the cute park pictures.

She not only like to go down, but also loves trying to climb up the slide.

Eden has recently discovered her belly button and she's fascinated by it.

Little Angel

Eden is also really into feeding herself. She does a great job and is getting better with the spoon. Still there are the occasional eating mishaps, like this one with the raspberry yogurt!

For more fun eating footage, see below:

It's A Girl!

2009-04-03T15:31:00.004-05:00

I was wrong. Noah was wrong. And I get the feeling that we might have mislead the voters on the poll!

The ultrasound was yesterday and it looks like Eden is getting a sister!

Addicted?

2009-03-27T16:05:00.003-05:00

Would it be considered an addiction if I admitted that I have an overwhelming compulsion to purchase (and immediately consume) this product every time I see it?

I won't even tell you how many times in the last month I have negotiated multiple left-turns and stop lights in order to park my car, get out, walk to the table and purchase these delicious little treats -- It's far too embarrassing!

Let's just say that two days ago when I happened upon a table piled high with temptation and staffed by three giggly, "innocent" peddlers of high calorie, high sugar, high satisfaction snacks; I was relieved when they told me, and I quote, "This is your last chance to get these cookies until next year."

"Thank you" I said as I handed over $3.50 . . . . . . ."Thank you so much"

All Pregnancies Are Different

2009-03-23T11:41:00.003-05:00

Here I am thankfully into my second trimester and feeling great -- not unlike I felt when I was pregnant with Eden. Still, I can't shake this idea that despite the similarities (the only difference so far is morning sickness in the first trimester w/this one and none w/Eden) between my pregnancies -- this one is different.

I'm going to go out there on a limb and say that I think that we're having a boy. I have no good reasons for thinking this, I just think it.

Our ultrasound is on April 2nd and until then, I'd love to know what the rest of you think we are having.

You Need This . . . .

2009-03-22T21:02:00.003-05:00

My cousin Nat turned me on to this awesome find and I wanted to pass it on to you. If you are tired of baby/toddler dumping out the Cheerios all over the bench at church or in the backseat of your car or basically EVERYWHERE, you need this. What is this, you ask? This is a Munchie Mug:

Don't even bother with the imitators, just CLICK HERE and order yourself two! I promise you'll thank me later! (Wow, the way I am pushing these you would think I was getting some kind of kickback -- I'm not -- I just really love my Munchie Mug!)

Monday Morning Coversation

2009-03-11T18:02:00.002-05:00

Noah & I are still in bed and hear from Eden's room:

Eden: Mama. (pause) Mama. (pause) Mama. (pause) MAAMA! (long pause) Daddy?

Noah was so excited that Eden asked for him that he immediately jumped up and got her out of bed.

Ducks say "WAACK" and Other Interesting Things . . . .

2009-03-04T09:57:00.011-06:00

I was on the phone with my brother Ty this morning and he asked why there weren't any updates to the blog lately and then I realized that it had been over three weeks since my last post. Now I am sure all my devoted followers out there are just dying for a glimpse into my life and I feel so bad about locking you out for so long that I'll try my best to make up for it in this post.

CAUTION, Awesomeness incoming:

Back in January (MLK Day) we went with Aaron & Carolyn to visit Grandma Barbara in Tennessee. It was great, we hung out on the farm and Saul chased the donkeys and cows. We also got to see Aunt Mary-Frank, Uncle Tim and Michelle.

Eden, Grandma Barbara and Noah

Aunt Mary-Frank, Noah & Eden
Tennessee 2009

Tim and Michelle took us to Ridgewood BBQ it was about an hour drive from the farm in Greenville. (BTW, did I mention that the farm is located on "Jimmy Johnston Lane" which is named for Noah's grandpa and up until a few years ago the road wasn't even paved)

Anyway back to the BBQ. We drove for an hour to a little resturant located in a wide-spot off the highway in the mountains. Then we waited outside the resturant with about 75-100 other people for another hour before the place even opened! I really wanted to take a picture of the line outside the resturant but Noah vetoed my idea claiming it would make us look too much like tourists. In all truth, the drive and the wait was totally worth it -- the food was amazing!

Eden is all around adorable as usual. Here is a series of pictures that fail miserably at capturing the full breadth of adorable but hopefully contain some of the adorable essence:

Playing dress up has become a new favorite game of hers. She loves pretty much anything that she can put on her head or around her neck. This includes: hats (particularly beanies which Noah taught her how to put on herself), necklaces, random articles of clothing, purses, Saul's leash etc, etc.

Still as much as she loves to dress up she is also getting pretty excited about undressing and recently figured out how to take her pants off during her nap -- really funny.

She is all girl and loves to give kisses and hugs to everyone including her dollies and animals (she even tries to hug and kiss Saul, he's a good sport). She sleeps with all her cuddly friends and since I've weened her she's become pretty attached to her ducky blanket.

She loves to climb and will climb up/on anything she can reach. She's pretty fearless although she was sad after she opened the closet, found this walker, climbed in and then realized that she was stuck!

We braved the snow a couple of times. It was pretty fun but she wouldn't keep her gloves on. Poor little red, cold hands!

Eden babbles constantly. I can only imagine what conversations she is having with us and herself as she plays around the house. Recently she has added a couple more English words to her vocabulary. In addition to saying, "Mama" and "Dada" she now says, "Amen". Although it sounds a lot more like "MayMen" and is generally yelled whenever she thinks the prayer should be over and not necessarily when the prayer is actually over!

I'm having a really hard time getting any good video footage of her because every time I turn on the camera, she only wants to play with it and completely stops doing whatever it was she was doing before!

She also makes a few animal noises. Her favorites are ducks, frogs (which apparently growl), cats and tigers (which actually do growl).

Did I mention that she really like to climb? This morning while I was folding laundry she decided that the laundry basket would make and awesome spot from which to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She got the pillow and climbed in on top of the towels. So cute!

In other news, I turned 30.

It really was a pretty great day despite all my anxiety. My good friend Liz organized a surprise b-day party/playgroup for me. It was perfect all my friends signed a big poster and gave me tons of good reasons why turning 30 was awesome. Thanks!

And of course Noah baked me a "fun-fetti" cake, he also made me breakfast and dinner -- what a sweetie!

Elder Taylor McAllister hit his 1-year mark on the mission. We love you Uncle Tay! Hopefully he's keeping warm up there in Canada.

My awesome personal chef, aka Noah made a spectacular "Roasted Gaaarhlic Rigatoni" the other day.

Notice the onions and mass amounts of roasted garlic. The dish was amazing but the smell of roasted garlic lingered far longer than I would have liked. In fact the next morning I was watching a couple of my friend's kids and when the 6-year old walked into the house he said, "ewww your house smells stinky" Gotta love the honesty of kids!

Possibly our worst kept secret . . . .

2009-02-09T15:23:00.004-06:00

Why are there two pregnancy tests? Twins? (Don't be silly)

You take two pregnancy tests when you are pretty sure that the first one was lying. You take two pregnancy tests when you know that the stars must have aligned just perfectly in order for you to be pregnant at this particular time. THEN, if you still aren't convinced; you go to the health department and have them administer one more test --- just to be sure!

Then after three positive tests and the morning sickness starts to set in, you allow yourself to be very, very excited at the prospect of your expanding waistline and family!

We couldn't be happier and in August our home will be one more strong. Go Sebourns!

Ice Storm Update

2009-02-04T20:24:00.003-06:00

I guess that we are some of the lucky ones (read: blessed), we never lost power despite there being over 700,000 people in Kentucky without power mid-week last week. Also as of tonight, there are still several thousand people in Lexington without power. It is staggering the damage this storm has done.

I think this is first time that I realized that I am unprepared to weather a natural disaster. I think this is the first time that I really thought without any sarcasm or cliche that the council to get your food storage and emergency equipment ready, really applied to me. Like I mentioned, we were blessed and we slid by this time. BUT, emergency preparedness just found its way to the top of my priorities list!

We lost a ton of branches of this big tree in our backyard. Look way up toward the top and you can see where one came off in the middle of the night, hit the house and scared me to death.

Check out the size of this branch (one of about 8) that broke off. The weight of the ice + the snow was too much for this old tree.

Our trees on Saturday after the snow had begun to melt away a little bit. The tubes of ice are amazing.

The trees all over town were bent down with the weight of the ice. The ice also settled in on the power lines and that coupled with trees falling on power lines and insanely cold temperatures is part of what caused all of the power outages.

We Are A Little Stir Crazy

2009-01-27T14:31:00.006-06:00

It is freezing here. Now I know that "cold" in Kentucky doesn't really compare to "cold" in say, Chicago or Buffalo or Toronto but I've become acclimated to the mild Lexington winters and today is NOT one of those mild days.

our frozen trees

I joked last year about Lexington over reacting to the winter weather by closing down schools and businesses at the mere thought of snow. But today I was thankful to find out that even UK had canceled morning classes, it's just nasty out there besides, it's been fun having Noah home all day.

Still, since the ground is covered in snow with an inch thick sheet of ice on top of the snow AND it is drizzling freezing rain; Eden, Saul and I are pretty much confined to house. We didn't go out yesterday either and I can tell it is starting to wear on all of us.

the street in front of our house

Saul barks at everything, he especially doesn't like people in snow suits! Eden is bored. She's had it with her books and toys and even Baby Einstein is failing to entertain like it should. I think we need to get out.

All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl. All work and no play makes Mel a dull girl.

Eden's 1-year Pictures

2009-01-26T11:54:00.002-06:00

While we were in Utah, Laurie worked us into her holiday schedule and we had some new pictures of Eden taken. You can check out a couple here at Laurie's Blog.

They are, as usual, amazing!

Trying to cram the last 6 weeks into 1 post!

2009-01-21T11:15:00.006-06:00

This update is a long time coming, I feel like the holiday season beat me up and I am still trying to recover! But, I need to share some of the super cute things that Eden has been up to.

First of all, we went to Utah for Christmas and of course it was great to see family and friends. On Christmas Day, Eden started walking! It is super cute, she still kind of does the Frankenstein-walk with really exaggerated, sporadic-looking leg movements; but since this post is about a month after the fact, she is really starting to cruise around pretty fast!

Here she is walking on Christmas Day in Utah:

In September when we came back to Kentucky, we decided to start teaching Eden sign language. So for about three and half months every time she would eat, drink, read a book, take a bath etc I would sign to her and she would look at me like I was crazy. I had pretty much decided that I was a bad teacher and that the signing wasn't going to happen.

Then one day my friend Lindsay happened to look at Eden and Eden was making the sign for "eat" and Lindsay said to me, "Did she just sign eat?" and I said, "I don't know, I don't think she signs yet" Then I watched her and sure enough she was totally signing. I'm not really sure how long she has been doing it and I just had not been noticing. Bad Mommy.

She will now sign "milk", "drink", "eat", "more" and "all done" she has also come up with a couple of her own "signs" like: slapping me on the leg when she wants me to pick her up or when she wants to sit on my lap. It's pretty cute.

Here she is signing "milk":

Okay, my inability to get this post up is ridiculous! Here is the first installment in the, "What we've been up to for the last six weeks" series of posts!

German Pancakes

2009-01-14T21:26:00.001-06:00

Here it is, super easy and super good:

6 eggs -- well beaten
1 C Milk
1 C Flour
6 TBS melted butter

Mix everything together well (I use a hand mixer). Pour into a 9X13 dish and bake 25 min at 400 degrees.

LOL Laurel Tagged Me On 12/9 . . .

2009-01-03T21:22:00.002-06:00

What that means is, I am running just about 25 days behind. I think that is within "reasonable" limits :)

Laurel asked me to post the 4th picture from the 4th folder on my computer. If you remember, I've actually done this tag once before. But tonight I'm blogging from Noah's laptop so you get the bonus of a different picture.

What you see below is an awesome pan of German pancakes. This pan was exceptionally awesome so I took a picture to commemorate them. The interesting story that correlates with this pan of German pancakes is as follows: Noah regularly goes with the missionaries to teach, and when possible we have the missionaries teach in our home. Well, The missionaries were teaching a man and we invited them and this investigator to a Saturday brunch where I made German pancakes.

Everything was great, this man had recently relocated to Lexington and had met with the missionaries numerous times. They committed him for baptism after our pancakes and discussion and set a date for the following week. But here's the twist, we never heard from him again and neither did the missionaries ---- I hope it wasn't the pancakes!!!

December is a BUSY month

2008-12-20T21:27:00.004-06:00

Twas midway through December and all the sudden I'm an absentee blogger . .

Last Tuesday, December 16th was Eden's first birthday. I can hardly believe that one year ago we were just getting settled in with our cute little baby. She has (of course) grown so much, especially in the last 6 months. With excitement we've seen our little one go from baby, to rug-rat and right on into toddler. I almost feel weird calling her "Baby Eden" anymore, she is more like "Little-girl Eden"!

On Sunday December 14th, we had Eden's b-day party. It was perfect. Nana and Papa Sebourn, Brianne, Grayson, Bogie, Aaron & Carolyn, Leanne (We missed Isaac, the 14th was his birthday so we really felt bad that he was still taking finals in Oklahoma) and our great friends The Hastings and The Davidsons. We missed our friends and family who weren't able to come, but it was probably good since our house is so small -- LOL. It was a house full, but oh so fun.

There is a story w/the cake, my mom made me the same cake (from the same pan) when I turned 1. Of course my cake had brown hair and brown eyes.

Check out the look Eden is giving Saul as Saul licks his chops trying to get at Eden's cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONE, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

What I'm Thinking About (Something To Think About)

2008-11-22T01:05:00.005-06:00

Excerpts from "Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship" Elder Robert D. Hales, Ensign November 2008:

"Experience shows that seasons of negative publicity about the Church can help accomplish the Lord's purposes. In 1983 the First Presidency wrote to Church leaders, "Opposition may be in itself an opportunity. Among the continuing challenges faced by our missionaries is a lack of interest in religious matters and in our message. These criticisms create . . . interest in the Church . . . This provides an opportunity [for members] to present the truth to those whose attention is thus directed toward us.""

"As true disciples seek guidance from the Spirit, they receive inspiration tailored to each encounter. And in every encounter, true disciples respond in ways that invite the Spirit of the Lord."

"More regrettable than the Church being accused of not being Christian is when Church members react to such accusations in an un-Christlike way!"

" . . . even as we feel to speak the word of God with boldness, we must pray to be filled with the Holy Ghost (see Acts 4:29, 31). We should never confuse boldness with Satan's counterfeit: overbearance (see Alma 38:12). True disciples speak with quiet confidence, not boastful pride." (emphasis mine)

And finally:

"As true disciples our primary concern must be others' welfare, not personal vindication."

How Do You Spell Adorable? E-D-E-N

2008-11-22T00:39:00.008-06:00

A couple of weeks ago uncle Aaron came to visit. He drove down from Ohio for a hair cut (that's commitment) and to hang out with us.

Aaron works on a farm up in Oxford, OH where he and fiancee Carolyn are both attending Miami University. Anyway, he brought us this awesome pie pumpkin from his farm. It was thoroughly enjoyed a couple days later when I made it into pumpkin squares. Thanks Aaron.

Earlier this week Eden and I went with our playgroup to the Lexington Children's Museum. I think she had fun although I'm not sure she was feeling 100% that day.

She's had a little cold this week and it's been really un-fun. This is pretty much the first time that she's been sick in her 11 months . . . . I know it is just the first of many aliments to come. But either way, it was crappy.

Here she is at the museum trying out the horse:

And here she is deciding she is done with the horse:

And some videos to observe the "adorableness" for yourself:

Welcome Back Winter

2008-11-21T23:13:00.002-06:00

Welcome back winter.
Welcome back sweaters and scarfs,
beanies and gloves.
Welcome back layers,
long pants and boots.

You've been sorely missed.

(Seriously, I am so giddy about breaking out the sweaters that I have spent the past couple of days composing crappy little "poems" like this one.)

No-A-News

2008-11-12T11:01:00.010-06:00

If you have been wondering how/what Noah is doing these days, this is the post for you. Let me update you on all things Noah.

1. In what is likely our most exciting news, Noah has been offered a summer associate position with a firm in Utah. I am especially excited for this job offer because it means we can stop sending out resumes. Even though I am a ninja with the mail merge feature in Excel and Word; creating and personalizing 50+ cover letters and resumes got old real quick. So I am glad to be done (at least for a few months). Of course we are also excited about the prospect of being a little closer to our Utah family.

2. In an effort to curtail (albeit minutely) the amount of debt that we are daily accumulating (interest never sleeps) Noah recently got a job. He's working at Jos. A. Bank three evenings a week. Of course he's a natural for any type of sales job and he loves suits so this is an easy fit for him. Plus the discount is pretty awesome.

3. You may or may not know that the Sebourn brothers are all about the "Investigational Research Studies". Some of the funniest stories that they tell on each other have to do with crazy things that happen to them while participating in these studies. For instance, there was the time that Isaac had to eat the pad of butter; the eating of chessey lasagana with a tube running down your throat. And of course the time that Joe got very throughly "checked" by the nurse.

I've only done one research study and by comparions to the these guys I got off easy. I had a bunion removed, hung out in bed and watched movies; AND when it came time to actually take the investigational medication, through some loophole in the study, they actually sent me home without me ever having to try their mystery drug. Win for me.

But, this is not a post about me, this is a post about Noah.

As of late Noah has also been looking for any studies that will take him. The problem is most of the studies around here are looking for guys with drug or alcohol problems, so he doesn't quite fit the bill. But he did just participate in a study at UK in which they studied brain activity. For part of the study he got to have an MRI so I thought I'd throw up some pictures of his brain:

Pretty cool . . . . .Look how big my husband's brain is!

4. In church news, Noah is serving as the first counselor in the Young Men's. It's definately a change from teaching gospel doctrine (ever since I've known Noah he's been the gospel doctrine teacher --- through 4 wards now). He is really enjoying the calling and I'm very happy for him even though I feel like I hardly see him anymore; between Wednesday night activites, monthly temple trips, service projects etc, etc. But I really can't complain :)

5. I also want to mention that Noah made the UK Law Trial Advocacy Board (TAB). It's a student organization in which the students develop their pratical trial advocacy skills and then put those skills to the test in state, regional and national competitions against other law school students in mock trials. UK's team consistiently does well in national competitions so the selection process for new team memebers was very competitive. I'm super proud of him for going after this challenge and being successful!

6. So it would seem with everything that Noah has going on that he wouldn't have much time for the fam. But truthfully it feel like we see a lot more of him . . . . In fact if you ask Noah how he prefers to spend his time, I know he'll answer with something that looks and sounds a lot like this typical Sunday morning:

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T22:11:00.002-05:00

Eden doing the "ET Phone Home" finger. I tried to do Skeleton make up.

We made Halloween sugar cookies, they are my ultimate favorite and apparently Eden likes them too.

We went to Hasting's to trick-or-treat. Eden, Holly, Sydney and Joann

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-29T11:09:00.004-05:00

Last week we went to Boyd Orchard with Lindsay and Joann. Eden loves being outside.

She pulls up on EVERYTHING, including the wagon.

Thanks to Noah's persistence, she has also started waving.

She really wants to walk.

I think the goats and the ducks were her favorite animals.

She laughed when she fed the goat.

She picked a good pumpkin!

Howl-O-Ween

2008-10-27T16:30:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I took my dog and my baby; each dressed as a type of bug, to the "Howl-O-Ween" party at Petsmart, where I entered my dog into a costume contest and pet parade. I also paid $4.95 for the picture you see above. I know what some of you think about this type of behavior and to you I offer the same explanation that I offered last Halloween.

But seriously a spider-dog and butterfly-baby --- that's pretty cute!

Is She Our Daughter or What? Part 2

2008-10-14T09:59:00.006-05:00

When Eden was first born we thought that she looked just like me and I put up this post to document how similar we were. Well a lot of things have changed in the nearly 10 months since Eden was born, and now we really think she looks more like Noah. Check out the pictures to prove it!

Noah around 12 months

Eden 10 months

Double Tagged

2008-10-08T10:09:00.004-05:00

I've recently been tagged by both Katrina and Leanne so in response, here is my "tagged" post. For Katrina I was asked to post the 4th picture from the 4th folder on my computer.

Here it is, Puppy Saul sleeping on the "beach" at Yuba during a boating trip Summer 2007. He wasn't really sure about the water but he did love napping in the shade.

BTW I'm really glad that the tag didn't ask for the 3rd picture in the folder or we would all be "enjoying" a picture of me 4 1/2 months pregnant, white as a ghost and wearing an awesome Wal-Mart sale rack swimsuit and bright green cover-up. You can ask anyone who was there that day and they will tell you, that swimsuit/cover-up was pretty scary!

Leanne hit me with the "husband tag". It sounds like fun and I like to talk about my husband because he is great so I'm going to do it.

1. Where did you meet? Pinnacle Apts, Orem UT. Noah moved from Ohio to Utah on New Year's Eve 2003. I was friends with his roomates and they were throwing a New Year's Eve party. Noah had been on a plane all day and got to come "home" to a loud, obnoxious "Mark and Jared" party. I remember thinking he was a little grouchy but cute.
2. How long did you date for? Well I guess we dated from Jan/Feb 2004 - June 2005. Although Noah did break up with me (for 24 hours) sometime in March 2004.
3. How long have you been married? 3 years 4 months
4. What does he do that surprises you? He loves it when he comes home and I am in the shower, he sneeks into the bathroom, grabs the shower curtain and makes a loud evil laugh so that I scream bloodly murder. Then he laughs and laughs and laughs.
5. What is your favorite feature about him? Noah has really pretty blue eyes and and now so does Eden!
6. What's your favorite quality about him? His faith. He is my calming force. Period.
7. Does he have a nick name for you? Yes, to the confusion of my family he calls me "Mel"
8. What is his favorite color? Green (did you see our wedding announcement?)
9. What is his favorite food? Noah and food go waay back. But this week he really likes, McDonalds hot fudge sundaes.
10. What is his favorite sport? to play: Does Halo count?. to watch: college football -- GO BUCKS!
11. Who said I love you first? Oh, I'm sure it was me.
12. When and where was your first kiss? Ask Alica, she'll tell you.
13. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We like to play with our baby and our dog. But before baby and dog (and law school) we liked to go out to dinner, movies, concerts etc.
14. Do you have any kids? How many? Baby Eden, almost 10 months old (and I am fighting the urge to type "Puppy Saul 1 year, 10 months old")
15. What is a hidden talent of his? He is good at hanging stuff on our walls (seriously I am really bad at this and he is super good at it)
16. How old is he? He's 27.
17. What is his favorite kind of music? If you ask Noah he will tell you that he has notoriously bad taste in music. That being said, he likes metal (and NOT crappy mall metal) But he also seems to like classical music and has basically the entire Hymn book memorized.
18. What do you admire about him? Well, I'll give you a sampling of the things I love. He is hard working, loving, forgiving (almost to a fault, if that is possible), unassuming, friendly, intelligent and fun.
19. What is his favorite pastime? Truthfully, he loves video games, especially MMORPGs. But he also likes to be with Me, Eden and Saul doing whatever we are doing.
20. Do you think he is going to read this? If I tell him that it is up, he might read it through!

I tag my sisters-in-law, Mandi and Laura M.

Total Buzz Kill

2008-10-02T21:25:00.002-05:00

I love Thursdays. I look forward to Thursdays. Thursdays make the rest of the week worth while. All day today I've been happy because today is Thursday. To me Thursdays are better than Fridays.

Why, you might ask, do I love Thursdays? Well in answer to that I say, not since the first run days of "Seinfeld" and "Friends" has NBC delivered programming that makes me excited for Thursdays. But with "The Office", NBC owns me (again) on Thursday nights.

At 9pm I settled onto my couch, turned on my TV and waited in anxious anticipation for this week's installment. So you can imagine my disappointment when I tuned to NBC, expecting to find everyone's favorite coworkers: Pam, Jim, Michael, Dwight, Meredith, Angela, Kelly or even Toby but instead found Sarah "Barracuda" Palin and "Fightin" Joe Biden. As it turns out, today, is not my favorite Thursday.

So I watched the debate, I've got opinions but I'm going to go ahead and keep those to myself.

Reading a book is fun to (to do, to do, to do)

2008-09-30T11:30:00.004-05:00

Hi this is Eden. Mom thinks that I am just in here playing with some stacking cups; but that is because she doesn't know that I know how this whole blogging thing works.

At any rate, I wanted to tell you about my books. Basically they are great. I love them and I spend a lot of time checking them out. My favorite right now is this little ditty titled, "That's Not My Dolly". So for your viewing pleasure please observe me having fun with words and pictures, aka "reading".

This Is Sad, I am Sad

2008-09-21T15:55:00.003-05:00

Today as we were getting ready for church Noah casually said to me, "Did you hear that David Foster Wallace is dead, he committed suicide" I'm sure the confused somewhat bewildered look on my face adequately answered his question.

You probably don't know who DFW is but he was an incredible writer who some in the literary world had pegged as the heir-apparent to such writers as Thomas Pynchon or Don Delillo. He had a unique style that appealed to me and I was always entertained/educated/enlightened by his work.

If on occassion I have the good fortune to write something that is clever or honest, in the back of my mind I am aware that "my" wit is only a function of being exposed/enmeshed in the wit and honesty of writers like David Foster Wallace. So that being said; This is sad, I am sad.

Here are a couple links regarding DFW:

McSweeney's tribute page
New York Times Books page

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

2008-09-19T22:31:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about doing this post for awhile. I figure I have stuff that I like and you have stuff that you like and maybe you'll like some of the stuff that I like and I'll like some of the stuff that you like and then we could "like" be friends and stuff . . . But seriously check this stuff out:

1. half.com Just do it. This site rawks. I've been selling books and DVDs on here for the last month. It's super easy and I've made cash money and de-junked my collections. Props to my brother-in-law Aaron for giving me this idea.

2. craigslist.com buying/selling, I've had tons of success on this site. Thanks Kim R., you are my craigslist hero.

3. chacha.com The better search engine. This is shameless self-promotion because I am "working" for this site. But really check it out, it's an interesting concept. Credit to Tanner and Mom for introducing me to the ChaCha!

4. pandora.com Probably my favorite site online right now (and you know that is saying something) If you're like me and you like music AND you like to analyze everything, (Alicia, I'm talking to you!) this is your site. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Big thanks to Liz H. for the introduction to pandora, awesome.

So I'm not going to "tag" anyone with this concept but please feel free to share your favorites with me.

Summers in Ohio

2008-09-16T10:34:00.002-05:00

Noah has told me about summers in Ohio; the way the humidity and the heat work together to bring you down, the way you can never quite cool off and the way that a nocturnal lifestyle makes sense strictly for practical reasons.

Growing up in the dry heat of central Utah, humidity has been a change for me. For the most part, it's a change I've come to enjoy. Still, Noah assures me that the only reason I "enjoy" the humidity in Kentucky and Ohio is because I've never been here during June & July when it is really oppressive; he is probably right.

I love the way the humidity works in late August and September. In the evenings, just before the sun goes down, the air wraps you up in a snuggly blanket and it's the perfect time to be outside.

We were up in Dayton, taking advantage of the awesome late summer weather and my mother-in-law, Janice took all these great pictures. She is an amateur photographer who has a professional's eye. She is really talented and loves to take pictures. She and Harold went to France this spring and she took over 2,000 pictures . . .I'm not kidding about her liking to take pictures!

Some Summer Pics

2008-09-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

Detours on the Drive or How to turn a 1600 mile drive into a 2030 mile drive

2008-09-03T12:06:00.013-05:00

If you are planning a cross-county trek with your small family of say, an 8-month-old baby girl, a Beagle puppy, and two adults (one of whom constantly has to use the restroom) it stands to reason that the logical thing to do would be to take the most direct route to your destination. The shortest point between A and B is a straight line, right? But if you are us, you might (as we did) opt for a little more excitement. And by excitement I, of course mean: family, food and major damage to rented equipment. So here goes the tale:

We left Richfield at 6:30 am on August 13th. Let me just note that we left exactly on-time, for the first time in our married life. Of course we were running on about 3 hours of sleep; what better way to start out a 2000 mile drive? At any rate once we said goodbye to Nana-Carolyn we were in the truck with the purple car in tow and headed out:

Look at these troopers; they have no idea what they are getting into.

Our first detour off the direct route was to go see Noah's brothers Mike and Isaac and their families in Edmond, OK which is basically Oklahoma City (BTW, I want you all to know that I can't spell "Oklahoma" without singing the song this is also true of "Richfield" and "bananas". Thank goodness for musicals, fight songs and Gwen Stefani or might not be able to spell at all).

We made the drive from Richfield to Edmond all in one day. It really wasn't that difficult, especially when I contrast it with the drive we made last summer while I was five months pregnant with Eden. During that drive we pulled over in Grand Junction, CO and I sat on the lawn at Wendy's eating a hamburger and sobbing about how I couldn't drive any further. This year the only thing that tramatized me was a restroom off I-70 in middle-of-nowhere Kansas. It was so inconceivably filthy that I was forced to take my business outside.

We made it to Mike & Laura's where there were cousins, pet turtles and the neighbor's dog to play with, as well as olympic games to watch and Settler's of Katan marathons to compete in. Not to mention the new set of teeth that Noah got (I'll try to round up some before and after pictures) All in all it was more than okay in OK.

It's too bad Eden doesn't look more like her cousins . . . . L -R: Heidi, Eden, Calvin & Gretchen

The "Mike Sebourn" Family complete w/pet turtles Fredrick and Vladimir Putin

Some fathers and sons play baseball, these guys wage epic battles with swords and battle-axes

We were in Oklahoma until Monday afternoon. On Saturday night our friend Nate, who was also heading to Lexington crashed at Mike & Laura's with us. He was making the drive from Las Vegas and was going to visit some family in Nashville, TN before ending up in Lexington. This gave Noah and I an idea that we had not previously considered.

If we went home through Nashville that would also mean the we would have to drive directly through Memphis; and everyone knows what is in Memphis that everyone must be a part of at least once in their life . . . . right . . . . Graceland, of course! But since we are The Sebourns and not everyone else, we needed to go to Memphis not to see the King of Rock-N-Roll's fabled home; nope we needed the world famous BBQ!

Noah has long been a fan of smoked meats. This summer with the help of my brother Trent. Noah built a "Super Smoker" out of a garbage can and an electric burner. It still needs a few modifications in order deliver the caliber of deliciousness that Noah expects of his BBQ; but I'm sure he'll get it figured out.

Noah & Saul testing the "SS" for the first time

beautiful smokey goodness!

Noah's amazing smoked pork ribs

It did not take much convincing to persuade ourselves into going through Memphis; after all, what's another hour or two when you are already driving 14? We left Oklahoma mid-afternoon on Monday. We made it to Memphis around 9:30 CST and hit the Neeley's Interstate BBQ just before it closed (Thank you Food Network for the awesome recommendation)

Yeah don't worry, we totally ate our ribs on our tailgate in the restaurant parking lot

The food was amazing and well worth the drive. We had a rack of ribs 1/2 wet 1/2 dry, beans, coleslaw and homemade "Sock-it-to-me Cake". We were so happy we even shared some of the ribs with our puppy Saul; he snarfed them up bones and all (be sure to remember this last sentence, it's foreshadowing for events to come).

So by now it's around 10:30 CST and we still have quite a drive ahead of us. With our stomachs full, we jump back in the truck and head to Nashville. In Nashville, we get gas, check the car on the trailer, buy some M&M's and get back on the road. We had enough gas to make it home to Lexington; this was the final push . . . .

When we were about 80 miles outside of Lexington, Noah was driving, Eden was sleeping and I was dozing in and out. Suddenly I was wide awake as three things happened simultaneously; I asked Noah what that weird noise was, the car behind us began to furiously flash their lights at us and Noah looked in the side view mirror and saw sparks flying from our trailer.

We pulled over to assess the damage. Noah was outside checking out the trailer/car. Meanwhile Saul began to make the gagging/wheezing noise that dogs make when they are about to throw-up, it's a terribly disgusting noise by itself but the fact that dog vomit follows that noise makes it all the more disturbing. I got Saul to the passenger door and outside in enough time that only 1/2 of what he ralphed ended up on the floor mat. It was disgusting (this is the place where you remember that we fed him ribs and bones in Memphis), I'm sure you get the picture.

Long story short, we blew a tire and a fender on the Uhaul trailer, no spare. Uhaul doesn't give you a spare, you have to call them and then they send someone out to fix the tire for you. So on the side of the interstate in the middle of the night, we unloaded all our stuff from the car and into the truck and then backed the car off the trailer. Then Eden, Saul and I got in the car and drove the last 80 miles to get home while Noah waited almost two hours for the Uhaul guy to come and fix the trailer tire. Let's just say it was light outside by the time Noah got home.

But remarkably Eden slept the whole time. While we stood on the side of the road with a flat tire and puking dog, we prayed and asked for her to stay asleep until we got home, that prayer was answered plain and simple. She slept until I carried her into our house in Lexington.

I'm not really sure what the moral of the story is; but I guess it could be something like: "If you're going to drive 2000+ miles, make sure it is with someone you love because you never really know what you might run into!"

Eden + Laurie = Amazing Pics!

2008-08-25T22:08:00.006-05:00

I have to give a quick mention to my good friend and amazing photographer, Laurie Terry. She took these pics of Eden right before we left Utah a couple weeks ago and I totally love them. Take a look at Eden and be sure to check out Laurie's website

There is a story with this little red dress, it first belonged to my Aunt Kimmy, then to me and now to Eden. We all had our picture taken in this dress, I'm working on rounding up copies of each of the pictures . . . . ahh so sentimental!

Laurie had the idea for this picture w/the skateboard and red high heels, so creative!

Yeah I know it is hard to believe but Eden really is this cute. Actually at church yesterday, our bishop said to me, "Eden is like the really cute version of Noah"

All is Well That Ends Well . . . .

2008-08-07T16:19:00.002-05:00

I finished Breaking Dawn yesterday and to my surprise I didn't completely hate it . So here is the game plan for reading this book: prepare to want to gouge your own eyes out, in order to never be able to read the repetitive, annoying kitsch that is the first 400 pages of this book ever again. Then once you get past those first 400 pages, settle in for a story worth spending a couple hours with but not much more.

The story fell flat, the build-up didn't really deliver but in the end I am glad to have read it. I feel like I've passed some kind of cultural right-of-passage, like I would not quite "fit in" with my peers if I didn't know what became of Bella & Edward. Wierd.

Anyway, if you want to tackle BD but would rather not power through the first sucky 400 pages, email me and I'll send you a synopsis. I'm pretty sure that I can sum it up in four sentences!

Breaking Dawn . . .

2008-08-03T15:00:00.004-05:00

Quick post. I am 100 pages into this book and it is so full of suck that I might not even finish reading it. I suspended my prejudice in order to read the first three in this series and admittedly I was well rewarded. But this last 700 page installment is starting to make me rethink the favorable review I gave to the three previous books. Now it is entirely possible that I might push through the next 600 pages and find something worth reading --- let's hope.

BTW, here is a small spoiler for anyone with teenagers who might be anxiously awaiting this book. The first seven chapters are monopolized by Bella trying to convince Edward to sleep with her, and let's just say, she's a little more persuasive and a little more successful than she's been in previous installments. Hummm can you say Harlequin?

Teething Troubles

2008-07-22T13:49:00.002-05:00

I have some great posts kicking around inside my head, I even have some awesome pictures that I need to post but my days have been a little consumed this past week. I am hoping that Eden is getting a tooth because otherwise I have no idea why she is so unhappy!

Please remember that I have the absolute best baby, she is so good tempered and happy all the time so this recent onset of the whinny-clingies is taking a little getting use to. At any rate, she is taking a nap so I thought I'd get a quick post in. I need to know what to do for a teething baby. I have the books and I've read them, but I want to know what really worked for my real friends. Please chime in and tell me the secret :)

Hendrickson Family Reunion

2008-07-11T10:48:00.002-05:00

****Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, any relative who reads my blog, at the request of Uncle Hal (fearless leader and master planner) am posting the "formal" invite to the annual Hendrickson Family Reunion, so consider yourself invited (even if your parents have yet to forward you the email)

We are all hoping for a stellar turnout, did you know that we have a potential 82 participants for this year's reunion? Alas, right off the top that number is dropping to 79 (Noah, Eden & I must report to the commonwealth on August 15th and will be missing the festivities) but, were we not 2,000 miles away we would certainly be in attendance!

Please check out the itinerary below and get it on your calendars NOW!!****

Dear Family,

Well, it is decided!! FINALLY and FOREVER, the 2008 Hendrickson Family Reunion will be on September 1st! and will be in Richfield!!! I know it is not the most exotic place but it is a place near and dear to all of our Hearts!!! SO buck up, reserve the date and let's get together!!! (yea, yea, yea).

Here are the plans:

Monday Morning early - The ??? Annual Golf Tournament - Please Let Uncle Raymond know if you will participate.
Ray, you can count on Trevor and me being part of this festive event
Awards to be announced at the Family Dinner/Program later that night

Monday - Mid-Day - Your on your own for LUNCH - McDonald's, KFC or Taco Bell are all in the running with the Ideal Dairy running a close 2nd.
Pick your favorite Uncle, Aunt, Cousin or Grandparent and con them into buying your Lunch!! ;-) OR pack a picnic and go to the park!!! Do Your Own Thing!!! (What ever that is!!!)

Monday - Afternoon 2pm - GAMES, GAMES, GAMES - In Aunt Holly's back yard - Starting at 2pm
This may spill to the neighbor's yard or the Park or the Church 3 miles away!!! Just NOT Sure yet!!!
Bring a change of clothes because there could be Water involved
Bring your best Kicking and Running Shoes & any baseball/softball equipment you may have laying around
Team Competitions involving both Brawn and Brain, so Everyone can play

AWARDS to be Given, so you better have your best game face and body ready!!!

Monday - Evening - 6 - 7 pm - DUTCH OVEN COOK OFF
That's right Scouters - Get those Dutch Ovens out, greased up and ready to cook!!!
Prepare your favorite recipe for the rest of the Family to Judge - PRIZES will be awarded

POT LUCK DINNER To follow, so if you don't cook something, bring something for the rest of us to eat. Utensils will be provided so just bring the food!!! - We want easy clean up, lots of FUN and no FUSS. I don't care if we have 5 dishes of "Frog Eye" salad. That's what we'll eat along with the Dutch Oven stuff. So, don't sweat it. Grab some potato chips and let's have a Party!!! Bishop is bringing the keg!!! ;-)

FAMILY PROGRAM - We would love to hear a short number from anyone who wants to perform!! No assignments or commitments - If they want to show off for the Family or just practice a number for Sacrament Meeting this is the chance to do it!!!

EVERYONE GO HOME - TIRED and GLAD they attended the 2008 edition of the Hendrickson Family Reunion!!!

SEE YOU THERE!!!

Questions can be directed to this e-mail account and may or may not be answered in a timely fashion!!!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Distribute this notice liberally to anyone you think should have it!!!

Could someone please post this on a Family Blog??? Melissa??? That's your assignment, since you won't come to my party!!!

LOVE YOU ALL

Hal and Kathleen