The Edler Family

A kiss!

2011-05-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am done with Nursing school! I graduated on May 13 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. And lemme tell ya, I never wanna go back to school. I have no idea what the future holds--work wise. As for now, I'm cramming for the giant NCLEX that I will probably take in July. Who am I kidding, I haven't started cramming yet, I'm enjoying my time with my little firecracker-whipper snapper kid.

I did it!

2011-04-08T13:56:00.001-07:00

I finished my classes for nursing school. All I have left to do is my 120 hour practicum, which will be 10 days of 12 hour shifts at Kennewick General Hospital's Family Birthing Center! I am very excited, it is exactly what I want to do. I start tomorrow.

In nursing school, I have gained many things, including:

about 12 pounds
the ability to smell and see things most people could not do without barfing
awesome friends
even better enemies (just kidding)
and you know, knowledge about being a nurse

I really did learn a lot in nursing school. It was about a billion times harder than I was expecting, though I did manage to get all A's and B's.

Here is a picture of me and my friend Kortney, celebrating our closeness to graduation. Kortney is awesome. And yes, I look like a mime with no legs.

Even though I still have practicum, I am already able to spend much more time at home with my favorite fella. Hopefully with the stress of school slowly dissipating out of my system (though I still have the NCLEX in June) we will be able to get this little guy a younger sibling soon.

I am baby hungry.

The End.

When a candle burns so bright, it cannot burn as long

2011-02-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

Christy's sister in law did this sketch for the funeral. When I picture Christy in my head, this is exactly what I see.

I met Christy when we were just entering Young Women's. Just little silly 12 year olds. We were both shy at first, but by the time we became Mia-Maids we realized we both had the same blunt, sarcastic sense of humor. We spent the majority of our teenage years of Sunday School sitting in her car. We'd eat snacks, laugh at people walking by, complain about school, and talk about whatever else teenage girls talk about. I went to Girls Camp with Christy at least 5 times. The last 3 years stick out the most. She even came back my last year to help out with camp when she was too old to go. I would not have survived without her! Oh, Christy is the best. I left Anderson right after high school, moved to Washington.

I cannot remember saying goodbye.

I came back to visit 2 years later, husband in tow. She was newly married as well. We talked in the hallway at church with our husbands. Giggling about the fact we were married.

I cannot remember saying goodbye.

A few years go by. She has 2 boys, I have 1.

This past January she starts posting things about doctor's appointments, very vague. I send her a message asking if she's ok, she writes back saying it's cancer. Christy? Cancer? No way. We chatted a few days later. I wish I had known it would be the last time. I would have told her how much her friendship meant to me. How happy she made me when I was having a hard time as a teenager. How I am thankful for all the pieces of gum she gave me. How Young Women's was a blast because of her. And how all those times sitting in her car ditching Sunday School will act as precious memories with her.

Christy passed away on February 12, leaving behind her husband and 2 baby boys.

At her funeral, a group of women, including almost everyone from our class in Young Women's, got up to sing Walk Tall. We sang that song standing around the campfire every night at Girls Camp. I don't know how many times I have linked arms with Christy and sang that song. I'm pretty sure it was written for her.

Right now I have a prayer deep within my heart,
A prayer for each of you there is a special part.
That you remember who you are and him who lives above.
Please seek for him and live his way; You'll feel his love.

Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God,
Be strong and remember who you are,
Try to understand, you're part of his great plan.
He's closer than you know, Reach up; he'll take your hand.

Long before the time you can remember,
Our Father held you in his arms so tender.
Those loving arms released you as he sent you down to earth.
He said, "My child, I love you. Don't forget your great worth."

Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God,
Be strong and remember who you are,
Try to understand, you're part of his great plan.
He's closer than you know, Reach up; he'll take your hand.

This life on earth we knew would not be easy.
At times we lose our way his path we may not see.
But remember always that you are not alone.
He'll take your hand, He loves you! He will guide you home.

Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God,
Be strong and remember who you are,
Try to understand, you're part of his great plan.
He's closer than you know, Reach up; he'll take your hand.

Christy, you are a daughter of God. I know you were called to the other side of the veil for a great, great purpose. You will be missed by so many, and you are loved by so many. Thank you for your smiles, your laughs, and all the memories I've shared with you. I love you.

*I am raising money for Christy's husband to buy a beautiful headstone for his wife. He and his boys will be visiting her grave for years to come, and I want it to be a place of beauty for them. Click on the donate button on the top right side of my blog to help out.

The Big 2!

2011-01-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read the Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday? I have. I remember as a kid reading that and thinking, how can you have too much birthday? It just didn't make sense. This weekend I learned the true meaning of that wise children's book, and wish I had paid more attention.

Aunt Jamie drove all the way from Seattle to celebrate Jake's Happy Day. (He's been saying Happy Day for months now, every time he sees a candle of any kind). We had Jake's party on Friday the 21st even though his birthday is the 22nd, because my parents work at the temple Saturday nights. Jamie showed up around 5:00 on Friday at the same time as my parents, and that is when the hyper-ness began. Jake ran around non-stop for HOURS. The rest of the family showed up at 7:00 (there were 24 people in attendance). Jake loved the cake and ice cream. He devoured it. He also received some Toy Story fruit snacks from his thoughtful cousin Emma, of which he ate like 4 packs that very night. Jake played and played and played. He scored tons of presents, and ran around with his cousins until 11PM! What, might you ask, were we thinking? I don't think we were "thinking." We put Jake to bed at 11:30. Jamie was spending the night, and after watching the latest episode of Modern Family (thank you DVR) we both decided to call it a night and went to bed. 2:30 rolls around and Jake wakes up screaming bloody murder. He pretty much didn't stop until about 4:30, and he didn't go back to sleep until 6am. He woke up at 9:30 ready to roar.

And thus commenced Jake's actual Happy Day.

We learned our lesson.

Blowing out the candles on his Thomas the Train cake, a la Grandma. I had to help him a little. I personally think this is a super cute picture.

Yuuummmmmyyyy!

Buzz!!!!!!

Tonka trucks & airplanes

2011-01-10T15:28:00.001-08:00

Jake scored for Christmas. The picture below is what Santa dropped off, and he got lots of gifts from Mom and Dad, grandparents, and Aunts and uncles. He was kind of a pooper on Christmas Day, but all in all it was a good day and it was nice to be with family.

I think Jake's favorite Christmas present was Duplo legos. He spends like 20 minutes laying on the floor building towers. And let me tell you, 20 minutes is a LONG time for me to have free time.

As for super exciting news...last semester of nursing school started today! Hooray!

super-monster

2010-11-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Honestly, this Halloween sucked. We decided to dress Jake up as Superman, but he decided he wanted to be a monster. Seriously, I think he cried the entire weekend. He's going through a phase where he screams absolute bloody murder at bedtime. As soon as we even walk through his bedroom door his body goes rigid and he tries to squirm out of my arms. It's HORRIBLE every night and drives us nuts!!!

I think you'll find his costume...obviously last-minute.

Here is my awesome Jack Skellington pumpkin. Carved it alllll by myself, while watching Hocus Pocus with my mom and sister.

Here's a sneak preview of our counter top! Britton actually installed it this weekend but we didn't take a picture of the final product yet.

And here is our CARPET! It is so nice.

We will be moving in to the duplex this coming weekend, the 13th. Finally!!!

Pants Optional

2010-10-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jake was born with really weird nails on his big toes. I cut one of them too short, thinking I would fix the issue.

Instead, he got a nasty in-grown toe nail that got infected and oozed brown puss. Antibiotics, soaking it in neosporin non-stop for 2 weeks, and still no better. We won a trip to the podiatrist where Jake got his toe nail ripped off. Believe me, I have seen some nasty things. That was one of the worst.

Here he is, showing off his bandaged foot.

Pumpkee

2010-10-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we squished into the car with my mom and dad and headed out to the Country Mercantile in Pasco. I was so excited for this trip to the pumpkin patch. Jake is really excited about pumpkins and goes around saying "pumpkee" whenever he sees one. It is adorable. We had a lot of fun...we went at 9:30 in the morning so there would be no chance of running into the beast that comes out around nap time, so it was rather cold. We had a great time and got ripped off paying for kiddie rides that Jake was more confused about than excited.

Mommy and Jakey in the pumpkin patch. I sure love this little guy.

This place was practically run by John Deere tractors. This was an old one they had on display and we couldn't help but put Jake on it for a photo-op. He loved it.

When we first got off the hay ride and into the pumpkin patch Jake was a little confused and scared. So Britton ran around rubbing all the pumpkins and saying "pumpkin" really loud. After a few seconds Jake got excited and started copying his Daddy.

We are getting reeeeeeally close to moving in to the duplex. The carpet goes in November 5th and we are NOT moving that date back. Britton is so worn out from working on it non-stop and both of us are very excited to FINALLY move in to our own home! It will be so nice when it is finished. He has worked so hard on it.

Here's a sneak preview of our new kitchen cabinets...I'll be sure to post final pictures when we're all done!

Oops

2010-09-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a long time.

Nursing school does that to you.

Here's the update:

August.

hung out
went to the beach
started school at the end (nasty)
sister michelle visited from byu (yay)
i can't remember anything else

September

haven't uploaded any pictures yet, and barely taken any for that matter
drove to provo for football game, huskies lost (bummer)
saw the kradolfers for first time in over a year (too short of a visit--not even a day)
sister jamie visited from seattle (yay)
bought a new (used) car, 2009 chevy impala (don't tell dave ramsey)
still not moved in to our duplex. britton works his tail off to get it ready.
saw 4 babies come in to the world in OB clinical so far
Jake has 2 in-grown infected toe nails. minor surgery in october to fix them (that's going to suck)
i got food poisoning and barfed like there was no tomorrow

the end. maybe i'll post again at Christmas. (maybe)

duplex update and 18 months old!

2010-07-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

We Edlers have been pretty busy! Britton goes to work every morning, getting up at 5 and getting home at 6 Monday through Thursday. He eats dinner with us and then drives over to our duplex to work on it just about every night. Fridays and Saturdays he's there from morning until late at night. He's exhausted, and I'm exhausted. It's just me and Jake and no Daddy. Not easy for anyone. Here's some pictures of our side of the duplex, for those who are curious. The other side is just about done, our renter moves in on about August 9.

This is a picture of our kitchen. It's sideways because I'm too lazy to go back and change it. The fridge is newer, we're keeping it. The floor is laminate and I think brand new, so we're keeping that too. It goes in to the little dining room. We're getting a new stove, new countertops, a new sink and adding a dishwasher and garbage disposal. The dishwasher in the picture is one of those mobile ones or whatever you call it and it's super nasty. No way we're keeping it. We're keeping the 1950's cabinets for now, they're not too bad and cabinets are expensive.

This is a picture of the common wall (wall shared with the other half of the duplex) in our living room. There was ugly paneling on it and when Britton ripped it off the original wall was in bad shape. He also put a hole in the wall to see what kind of insulation it had. There was barely any so...

He tore down the sheet rock and ripped out the thin, gross insulation that was there.

This is the other side of the living room. Britton ripped out the carpet (we're getting new carpet in a couple of weeks) and this lovely red tile was underneath it. That staircase goes down to our unfinished basement. And the little hallway goes to the 2 bedrooms and bathroom.

Our side definitely has a looooong way to go. Britton is still convinced we can be ready before I start school, but August 23 is coming up quick. Too quick. August 5 the windows we ordered are coming in, and Britton and his brother will be installing them. That's the next giant project. We'll see how quick they can do it...they need to do it really quick because our renter will be moving in 4 days later...Stress!!!!!!!

So me and Jake have been having a lot of fun together. He turned 18 months on July 22. I can't believe how fast this year and a half has gone. Here's some fun facts about my little man.

He just started saying some "words": Woooo-ow for wow; uh-uh for uh-oh; he's finally starting to call me mama; whas is dat for what is that; and every dog he sees is a variation of the word gunther, my parents dog...usually da-da, but different then the da-da he says for daddy.
he's going through a phase where he doesn't want to eat anything. I don't know if he's not hungry or just being super picky. But it's frustrating for both of us.
he LOVES playing in the water, especially with his cousins.
if someone gets out a cell phone, he squaks until you let him have it, then he pretends to talk on it
he dances if you tell him to, or if music is playing
he can do "wheels on the bus"
if he kisses you on the lips you better watch out, sometimes it ends with a bite.
his first day of nursery he walked right in and never looked back!

with Britton's cell phone. This kid is high tech.

Yogurt. One of the few things he will eat. Unfortunately when he does he demands to feed himself and things get a little messy.

He thinks it's pretty hilarious when I put 2 binkies in my mouth and give him kisses.

This has been a wonderful summer with Jake. I love being a stay at home mom and I'm dreading going back to school and having to leave him so much. I love my little guy. He's such a blast!

So rich we bought 2 houses

2010-06-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

That's right, 2 houses. Jealous? Jealous? You should be.

Just kidding. But really, we bought a duplex. The second front door is behind the giant ugly bush on the left. We'll be living in one side and renting out the other. It's in Richland, which isn't very cool, but our goal is to be out of this house and living in Kennewick before Jake starts kindergarten. We'll see if that happens. All we know is it's a very good investment. I've heard someone say at some point in my life, that you should find a couple who is where you want to be financially, and do what they do. Britton's older sister and her husband bought a duplex when they were first married about 18 years ago. It is now paid off and paying the mortgage on their current house. The rental market in the Tri-Cities is at 99% capacity. People are basically begging for a place to rent. This duplex is going to be a lot of work. It's a fixer-upper for sure. But Britton has already been hard at work and we plan on having it ready for renters by August 1st. We will probably be able to move in to our side a couple of weeks after that, hopefully before I go back to school on the 23rd (yuck).

In the mean time, Jake and I have been enjoying playing and doing summer things. Except for earlier this week when all 3 of us got a nasty stomach virus. Jake only barfed a couple times in his crib (which we didn't find until after his morning nap, even though he did it the night before). But Britton and I almost died. Really. We both agreed that we'd never had such a terrible bout of the stomach flu before. It was awful, and it took like 5 days for our appetites to come back.

Jake playing with his cousin Emma. Anything she does, he follows. He loves that girl.

Nostalgic Post

2010-06-04T11:10:00.001-07:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend Britton, Jake and I were able to head down to my stomping grounds in Northern California. It was a busy few days, with lots and lots of driving. We stayed in Chico with Britton's brother and his wife and 2 girls. Thanks to them for the food and place to sleep, and for helping with little Jake!We left on Thursday at 8pm, hoping Jake would sleep through the night as we chugged caffeine and drove, drove, drove. We brought along Britton's Mom and niece, 8 year old Lindsey. Jake did a great job, eventually falling asleep after the excitement of being in the car with a bunch of people waaaay past his bedtime wore off.

We arrived in Chico at approximately 6:30am, Friday morning.

The purpose of the trip was to attend my dear friend Jordan's wedding.

Me and Jordan were best pals from 7th grade on. Lots of memories. I seriously spent nearly every weekend from 7th grade through high school with Jordan. Nostalgic is the only word to describe what it was like showing up at her house, 5 years after high school, 4 years since seeing her at my wedding reception, with my husband and toddler. Jordan was my best friend, my partner in stealing traffic cones, my punk rock concert buddy, my playing in the park at midnight pal, my eating at Denny's at 1 in the morning go to girl...the list could go on and on. Life would have been pretty boring without Jordan.

Jordan married the boy we had a crush on our freshman year of high school. Taylor. He was a senior. We were awkward freshman. He was in a band. We were awkward freshman. Fast forward 4 years and they meet up in San Diego. Taylor is graduating from UC San Diego. Jordan is a not-so-awkward freshman at San Diego State. Sparks fly...fast forward 4 years and I'm sitting at their wedding.

Congratulations to Jordan and Taylor

A trip to Cottonwood wouldn't be complete without visiting my old street. I grew up on a street called Pheasant Drive. We lived in a house on 2 acres. The front acre was a walnut orchard, the back yard was grass and grass and grass with some trees. It was beautiful. It was the perfect place to grow up and it will always have a special place in my heart. I learned how to play baseball in the backyard, basketball in the drive way. I learned how to work in the orchard. We had a swimming pool...memories of night swimming are some of my favorite. I loved that house. Loved it. After visiting Pheasant Drive and standing at the end of my old driveway with memories flooding my thoughts, I prayed that in the next life, we will be ableto re-visit our childhood and see-up close the memories we made there.

On Sunday morning, the day of the wedding, we took Jake to church and left after the first hour so he could take a nap. He slept for 3 hours and woke up with a temperature of 101. It spiked to 103, and Britton and I left for the wedding feeling like terrible parents, but knowing he was in good hands with his Aunt and Grandma. By the time we got back, he was refusing to eat and would only take milk in a bottle. He was burning hot and couldn't sleep, so at 3am we packed up the car and hoped he would sleep better while we were driving. Thankfully, he did. We were back in Kennewick by about 2pm, took Jake to a walk in clinic where we were told he had strep throat and tonsillitis. Poor little guy. He's doing much better. We splurged a little bit on Tuesday, and got him a couple of things to cheer him up...

an unfinished car...and a Lightening McQueen chair. Pretty stylin'.

Playing Cars

2010-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Britton has been waiting a long time for Jake to be interested in cars.

Who do you think is having more fun in this picture?

I'd say it's pretty close.

Turning into a little boy

2010-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

He might still have plenty of baby chub, and not very much hair on his head...but Jake sure is growing up fast. Tomorrow he will be 15 months old. Here's some things that Jake enjoys:

rough housing
eating dog food when no one is looking
opening doors (yes he can reach the handle and he figured it out quick)
a bottle o' milk
talking--this kid is a chatterbox
attempting to stick his finger in any electric outlet he can find
Gunther (my parent's dog). He regularly says Gunther's name, but not Mama.
looking out windows and talking about what he can see (in his own language)
playing outside! he cries when it's time to go back inside.
his cousins. period.
dancing

Laugh!

2010-04-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the cutest video of Jake laughing. He is super ticklish around his ribs....just like his Daddy!

PS--it's been mine and Britton's goal for a long time to buy a duplex, live in one side, and rent out the other and keep it as a long term investment once we grow out of it. This past week, we made an offer, went back and forth a couple of times, and reached mutual agreement! We had the inspection on Saturday, and only a few issues were found, the rest were cosmetic. We were expecting this, because it is a total fixer-upper. I mean it. You will laugh when I post pictures. Which I'm not ready to do yet. We are excited though--to do whatever we want with the place. We know it's the right choice and it's such a good investment. Hopefully things keep falling into place as they have been.

Favorite

2010-04-07T22:34:00.001-07:00

This is my new favorite picture of Jake, taken courtesy of my sister Jamie on her cell phone.

Jake is creeping up on 15 months. I can't believe how fast time is going with this little boy. I truly do love this kid more than I ever knew was possible! He's such a character. He constantly talks in his little jibberish language, and he says it like he knows it and he's the boss.

Jake is starting to be able to play outside for the first time in his life. While we were in Rexburg he was just too little, and when we got to Kennewick all he could do was sit in the grass. Now that he's walking and it's starting to warm up (a little ) we go outside whenever we can! He loves picking up rocks and just seeing what he can see. He constantly falls on the uneven surface of the grass or pebble-y cement driveway but he just hops back up like it's nothing!

I love every day I spend with Jake. I'm so glad to be his Mommy!

Bath Time!

2010-04-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight Jake took a bath with his cousin Kyle.

I think they had a pretty fun time.

Jake loves his cousins.

And they love him!

Sleepless in Seattle

2010-03-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

This past week was my Spring Break. A week off from waking up early, a week off from the guilty feeling that I should be studying every time I turn on the TV, a week off from clinical, a week off from listening to lectures that I really don't want to be listening to.

At the beginning of my Spring Break, Sunday night, I made a list of things to get done.

study for med-surg!!!! (nope)
complete assignment #4 for ethics (1/2 way nope)
work on blog for N322 (nope)
finish Monique and the Mango Rains (nope)

I had also been planning a fun 3 day trip to visit my sister Jamie in Seattle. I had visions of playing games late into the night, buying loads of cute clothes, walking in the park with Jake every day...it was going to be a relaxing trip to Seattle to see Jamie.

But it wasn't to be.

We arrived in Seattle Tuesday evening. Jake was happy as a lark, exploring Jamie's apartment, flirting with her roommate, just being his happy silly self. Then bedtime came. That kid would NOT go to sleep. There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth...and then there was Jake. He SCREAMED. and SCREAMED. Eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, he fell asleep laying on my chest. He tossed and turned all night while laying on top of me, waking up every 30 minutes or so to let out a cry.

The next day was spent recovering...we did manage a walk in the park but it ended with Jake falling in a puddle in front of a large group of people who probably thought I was a terrible mother. And we did have pizza with Jamie and her boyfriend Mikey...it was good pizza. That night we were able to go to my Uncle's house nearby in Everett. They were out of town, and I thought I would have better luck letting Jake cry it out because we weren't in an apartment and I wouldn't have to worry about angry neighbors. We arrived to my Uncle's house just in time for bed. Great, we can put Jake to bed and spend the rest of the night watching The Office dvds. After a couple attempts involving lots of screaming, Jake fell asleep in his port-o-crib. Jamie and I watched the Office for a few hours, ate some popcorn, and crawled in to bed exhausted. Minutes after I pulled up the covers, I heard an all too familiar sound. It was the type of screaming I knew wouldn't end in sleep. Jamie went and got Jake, brought him to me, and we spent the night the same way we spent the one before.

Thursday we spent time with the kids Jamie babysits, did a little shopping, and ate at the best burger joint I know of...Dick's. At 4:30 we hi-tailed it out of there, leaving a day early and hitching a ride with my Dad on his way back home from his week of work in Kirkland.

We got home Thursday night and I handed Jake over to Britton, so exhausted I couldn't even stay up to watch the new Office. I spent this weekend recovering from the trip and doing absolutely nothing.

Better luck next year, eh?

A walking little man

2010-03-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks Jake has been taking little steps here and there. Just this past weekend, he decided to start walking everywhere! He is now all over the place and getting better at walking all the time. It's so funny to see him walking around! He's such a cute little boy.

I Love this kid

2010-02-14T23:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry these are out of order. Our cute little Jake has discovered he can reach the piano keys. I think he's a natural. :)

We bought a gate this weekend to close off the family room/kitchen area. If someone (mom or dad) jumps the fence and goes up the stairs Jake gets pretty sad...as you can see. Also, we apparently let Jake roam around without clothes on.

Proud of his tunes.

First Owie

2010-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

The other day Jake found a shard of glass (we have no idea where it came from) on the floor and was about to put it in his mouth when I grabbed it from him. When I grabbed it out of his little hand it sliced his finger. He didn't even cry! But that sucker bled

f-o-r-e-v-e-r. We would put a band-aid on and he would suck the band-aid until it came off.

So Britton had the idea of putting on a band-aid, and then putting his mitten on over it. I have to admit I was doubtful, but it worked like a charm. And Jake looked hilarious crawling around with one mitten on.

And here is our son, playing with the toilet lid.

Jake's Party

2010-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

At Jake's party we had his cousins: the Chans and the Benhams; my parents and Britton's Mom over to celebrate. I made a ton of pizza, which was devoured, and we partied. Britton's Mom made a big cake for everyone and a little baseball cake just for Jake. Jake wasn't sure at first what to do with the cake, but he figured it out and enjoyed stuffing his face. Unfortunately his little tummy couldn't handle the sugar rush and he ended up throwing it up about 20 minutes later while playing with his cousins. It didn't seem to bother him though! For his birthday Jake got a little toy laptop, a Little People Garage/Carwash toy, some very cute clothes including a Mariner's outfit, and a t-ball set.

As I've whispered in Jake's ears many times over the past couple of days, this has been the best year of mine and Britton's life. We are just in love with this little guy. Here are 12 fun little facts about Jake, one for each month so far!

You love milk. You've had breast milk, formula, and cow's milk and you've never complained about any of them. Milk is definitely still your favorite food.
You eat graham crackers cuter than anyone I've ever seen. You take tiny little bites and finish chewing before you go for the next one. It's adorable.
Ever since you were about 4 months old you've screamed your head off when we take you out of the bathtub. We have no idea why you do it and have no idea how to help you get over it. You love bath time!
You love your Daddy. When he walks in the room your eyes light up and seem to say "that's my Daddy."
You can say ba-ba (for byebye), da-da (for Daddy and a lot of other things), ma-ma (when you're hungry, tired, or sad), du-du (for Gunther), and you have your own little language in which you speak complete sentences and are very convincing and eloquent.
You have figured out when you hold a piece of food out over the side of your high-chair, Gunther is there without fail to snatch it and lick your hand. You think it's hilarious.
You are speechless any time we go to Wal-mart, WinCo, Target or any other big store. You stare at the lights and the people and are completely mesmerized with all the activity.
You love being with other kids, especially your cousins. They make you laugh harder than anyone can!
You're starting to walk with your toy truck-walker and it's so fun watching you, you're so proud of your self and you smile the entire time, pausing every few steps to turn back and wave to make sure everyone is watching.
You are very opinionated. If we're making you do something you don't want to, like changing your diaper, getting dressed, or getting strapped in to your car seat, you let us know, and loudly.
You sleep on your stomach with your bum in the air.
You have the most adorable grin I've ever seen. I think everyone that's seen you smile has fallen in love with you Jake.

Happy Birthday to my baby boy!

Happy Birthday Jake!

2010-01-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Jake turns one this Friday! I can't believe it's already been a year. Enjoy the video!

Jakey's 1st Christmas!

2010-01-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the Christmas pics I said I would post!

Jake did really well meeting Santa Claus...no tears! Just very quiet and concerned.

Not really a Christmas picture, I just think he looks super cute asleep.

Santa Claus brought Jake a giant toy chest. Jake loves it almost as much as his cousins do...they think it's pretty funny to hide inside of it.

Jakey surrounded by presents on Christmas morning...

Jakey with his cool tractor from Mommy and Daddy.

We had a great Christmas...and now Jake turns 1 in just a couple of weeks! I can't believe it!

It's a Wonderful Life!

2009-12-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. This is my absolute favorite time of year, and I hate to see it be over already. We had a wonderful Christmas though! We have a lot of things to be thankful for. First and foremost in the news department, I passed all my classes in my first semester of nursing school with all B's and above. Thank goodness. Secondly, and not exactly in the good news department, Britton was laid off from his job in mid-December. It's not a usual thing for his company to lay off salaried employees, but it is only supposed to last a few weeks. He'll be back at work in the beginning of January. Thankfully, we live with my parents, and we've been saving the majority of his paychecks to pay off our student loans. It's been quite the eye opener, though, as to how vital it is to have 6 months of savings and for me to have my education. Can you imagine being laid off with nothing in the savings account and a house payment, among other bills, to pay? This experience has been extremely positive. We know we want to be completely debt free and have 6 months of savings before we buy a house, and we know I am supposed to be in nursing school. Britton works in a field where lay-offs are common, and I will be working in a field where going from 1 day a week to 5 days a week and back to 1 day a week is okay. I'm thankful to be in nursing school, and I'm thankful to be married to someone who is smart with money.

Anyways. This past Tuesday I woke up at 2 in the morning and spent the next 12 hours lying in the bathroom wondering what in the world happened to me. I hate throwing up. It sucks. I spent the next 2 days feeling like I got hit by a truck. At that point I was thankful Britton got laid off because he did such an awesome job taking care of Jake while I slept. Then, Tuesday night Jake woke up screaming every 3-4 hours and would not go to sleep unless he had Tylenol in him. It was terrible and sad. We took him to the doctor on Wednesday and he had pressure in his ears or something, and they were on their way to an infection. Fortunately, every one was feeling much better by Christmas Day and we had a great Christmas. Britton got me the little Nike chip you put in your running shoes and it syncs with your iPod. I can't wait to use it. He also got me a massage certificate (which I used today and it was amazing), a couple of scarves and some other things. He did good. I surprised him with a plane ticket to Phoenix so he can go to a NASCAR race with his brother in April. He was shocked. Jake got some books and toys and a giant toy chest.

And now I am going to play Bananagrams with my sister.

I hope everyone has a great New Years! Definitely my second favorite holiday.
Pictures of Jake on Christmas to follow!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

We had 2 nice Thanksgivings. Wednesday night Britton's family had their Thanksgiving dinner. There was a ton of people. Then on Thanksgiving Day we got to have dinner with my family...it was a lot of fun and I got to see some cousins that I haven't seen in like 7 years. But...hip hip hooray for Christmas time! I am dreading going back to school next week...it's going to be pure madness until December 18th...and then I have no school until January 11th!

Here's some fun pictures of Jake for you to enjoy...

He had a wagon wheel in his mouth and thought it would be funny to let it hang out, apparently. He left it there for a couple of minutes.

Reading his very favorite book with Nana. This book works like a charm to cheer him up. Everytime he gets fussy all you have to do is get out this book and he's thrilled. I love it.

Jake figured out how to open up the cupboard to the movies...he enjoys throwing them about.

Oh and finally, just a few days after he turned 10 months...JAKE STARTED CRAWLING!!! It's about time and I'm so glad he finally figured it out. I'll get a video of him on here crawling soon.

Ok people.

2009-11-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

I know there are several people reading my blog.

I can feel it.

Now is the time to take action.

Over a month ago we submitted a photo of Jake to a silly contest in our newspaper for the "Ultimate Husky Fan"

Here's the photo:

For weeks, Jake was the only photo in the contest. Then a couple of people submitted photos of dogs. Then a few couples and a random "button" lady (you'll know who I'm talking about if you check out the link) submit their photos. We were feeling pretty secure that there was no way any of the other photos could beat our Jake. Then, out of nowhere, on the very last night entries could be submitted, another baby and a little toddler had their photos submitted. And the voting began. And it has become a die hard race.

We don't really care about the prize. (it's a lawnmower.) But for some reason...we have gotten caught up in the spirit of fierce competition.

Jake has to win.

It's a close race. We need your vote, your husband's vote, and your best friend's vote. All you need is an email address. It will take only a few minutes of your day.

All you have to do is click HERE

It will take you to the registration page, after which you will log in, find Jake's picture, and click 'Save Vote.'
The deadline is this Wednesday by 11:59 PM.

In the name of all that is cute and chubby,

VOTE FOR JAKE!

My Little Man

2009-11-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Jakey:

I fall more in love with you every single day. I can't believe how lucky I am to be your Mommy. Every day you are learning new things and making me laugh over something different. I love to watch your face as you figure out how something works...the smile that spreads across those chubby cheeks is absolutely priceless. I even love your naughty-grin...like when you grab the spoon full of food on the way to your mouth and make a big mess...you look up at me and grin and I know you know just what you're doing! I love being your Mommy Jakey, and I wouldn't trade this job for anything. I hope you know how much you're loved. You are my greatest gift, I am grateful you are my son.

Love,

Mommy

Birfday Time

2009-11-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

Jake was really excited for my birthday!!

Not really, but this is a super cute picture that I took of him on my birthday.

We started the birthday celebrations a day early by going to see The Box Friday night at the movie theater. It was super creepy and made me jump a couple of times. It's a little bit weird but there's no bad scenes or swearing in it, so I recommend it from that point of view. But it will creep you out.

On my birthday I spent the morning studying for an upcoming test this week, that was a blast. Then my sister Stacy watched Jake so Britton and I could go to the temple! It was the first time we had done a session in over a year. I was really excited for it and then once we got to the temple we found out...the session was in Spanish!!! I was a little bummed at first but reading subtitles worked out fine. And Britton was able to use headphones. It was funny because only the men used headphones...not one woman asked for them. I thought it went to show that men are too lazy to read all the words! Anyways...after the temple session we picked up Jake and then Britton went and got take-out from the Olive Garden...that was delicious. After Jake went to bed we watched Law and Order while waiting for my parents to get home from their shift at the temple and then we opened presents and had chocolate cream pie with oreo crust, which is my favorite pie. It was a great birthday!

My super cute baby's super adorable eyes.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-11-01T14:43:00.001-08:00

On Friday night we went to our ward Halloween party. It was fun, except for the fact that I hate chili and it was a chili cook off. Jake was a super cute bumblebee! This is a picture with his friend Justin, a wise little owl.

I love Halloween. It comes in 2nd place on my list of favorite holidays, second only to Christmas. I just think it's a blast, and I can't wait to have kids old enough to go trick-or-treating! There's nothing like running around the streets in the cool night air and smelling the scents of autumn...the smell of a burning woodstove always brings me right back to my childhood Halloweens on Pheasant Drive in good old California. And I just think there's something neat about the fact that you can knock on a complete stranger's door and they'll smile and ooh and ahh and give you a piece of candy. Anyways...I hope you all had a great Halloween!

It's Autumn Time...

2009-10-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

My Dad was kind enough to take some fall photos of us today. I'd say we're a pretty cute little family, wouldn't you?

Total Money Makeover!

2009-10-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

For a couple of years now my sister Stacy has been begging Britton and I to listen to the Dave Ramsey CDs. We put it off and put it off because we were students and didn't have any money to budget anyways. And we didn't want to listen to him tell us not to get student loans, which was the only way to get out of Rexburg as fast as possible. Eventually we relented and listened to his course. Since Britton has gotten a job, we've "gone Dave Ramsey."

Because we're living with my gracious parents, we will be able to pay off our student loans in less than a year.

Let me tell you, this guy makes sense. Here's the baby steps to his program.

1) Save $1000 to start an Emergency Fund

2) Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball

3) 3-6 months of expenses in savings

4) Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement

5) College Funding for children

6) Pay off home Early

7) Build Wealth and give

We are on Baby Step #2! The only debt we have is student loans. Luckily we've never given in to credit cards.

I highly recommend checking out Dave Ramsey. Often times when you're coming up on finishing college the only thing going through your mind is buying your first house, buying a new car, and basically getting everything you've been doing without. That's exactly what I had in mind. But you know what the truth is? If you're lucky your husband will be making about $50,000 a year with his first job. That's about $4100 a month right? WRONG. More like $3,000 after taxes. $2600 after tithing. You want a new car? Subtract $400. You want a house? Subtract $800. Payment on new furniture? Subtract $100. That leaves you with $1300, not including home, auto, fire insurance or utilities. Oh and don't forget that $350 student loan payment. You've probably got about $700 bucks left for groceries, diapers, clothes, entertainment, gas, whatever. With zero in savings. Then what happens if he gets laid off?

We really are the "I want it now generation." But we don't need it now.

Figure out before your husband graduates what you're going to do with his paychecks.

Don't dig yourself into a hole just because you want it all right now.

We are all entering into the stage of life where what we do with our money really matters. Not just for us, but our kids and our grandkids.

Be smart!

a new play pen

2009-10-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today Jake was helping me do some laundry, ie I was carrying him with one arm and doing laundry with the other. This kid weighs 24 pounds and he gets heavy fast. So after I emptied a basket I got the idea of putting him in the basket and scooting him around.

Then I gave him some toys to play with. I think he had fun...

On the crawling front, Jake's still not there yet. He's scooting backwards a little bit when we put him on his tummy, but he gets mad after only a few minutes on his tummy. He's progressively getting better though. I think his giant baby belly is giving him a tough time. My guess is he'll be crawling around before Thanksgiving!

I love this little guy and I have so much fun with him. It's been rough leaving him to go to school and probably even harder studying when I can hear him laughing downstairs with Daddy but I just know it's so important to have my education. I just hope he knows how much I love him!

We're bad parents

2009-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago, in honor of Jakey turning 8 months old, we fed him some pureed turkey. It was his first experience with meat of any kind. The first bite created some hilarious facial expressions, so we ran upstairs to get the camera and forced him to take a second bite. We didn't make him eat anymore after that.

I probably should have mixed it with green beans or something. We felt pretty bad afterwards.

Big Brown Eyes

2009-09-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite picture of Jake. Can you even believe how adorable he is?

Just yesterday Jake started clapping...it is so cute watching him put his hands together. The past month or so he would get really excited when someone around him clapped, and now he joins in and it is so much fun to watch.

Just today as we were leaving church Britton and I told Jake he's the best thing that's ever happened to us...we really love this little guy!

8 months!

2009-09-22T08:11:00.001-07:00

My precious little man is 8 months old! It's been so much fun the past 8 months and I think it gets even more fun with every day! (minus the teething days...) I really love this kid.

Some pics of Jakey in his jammies. Look at those eyelashes...

Daddy's Favorite Time of Year!

2009-09-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

College football has begun!

Jake was really fussy and Mommy had homework to do, so we let him watch a little football. The Huskies lost, but they're looking a lot better than last year!

I survived the first week!

2009-08-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

It really wasn't that bad...the days that we were supposed to be in the lab for 8 hours we were only there for 2 or 3...and that's not going to last. And my hardest class, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, has so far just been review of stuff I've already learned. Phew! I know it will get harder though.
My sister Jamie teases me that the only reason I want to be a nurse is because you get to wear scrubs to work. It is true that I hate wearing uncomfortable clothes to work, or just in general, it's not the ONLY reason I want to be a nurse... :) I am excited, I'm finally learning about things that I want to learn about! Hopefully I can keep my head above water, I'm taking 17 credits!

Here We Go...

2009-08-22T15:32:00.001-07:00

I start nursing school on Monday! Holy Smokes!!! Here's a couple of pictures with me and then with Jake and my huge stack of books! What am I getting myself into??? It's been a long couple of weeks getting ready for nursing school...I almost backed out, but I now have much more peace about doing it. I know it's the right thing.

I had to throw these to pictures in just for kicks. We thought Jake looked like a model posing for a picture in this first one.

Who can resist this chubby fella? He's so kissable it's insane!!!

Jake's Talking!

2009-08-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

He only does it for a couple seconds in this video, but I wanted to post it anyways. I love the way his mouth looks when he does it!!!

Big Changes!

2009-08-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
We made it to Kennewick and life is good! We've had some big changes in our little world.

Today we found out that Britton got a job as an Estimator for A & B Asphault here in the Tri-Cities. He starts tomorrow and he is so excited (as am I!)

Jake started eating solids! He's had rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, carrots, and diluted apple juice.
Which means: his poop is now nasty but he's been sleeping through the night (which I think can be mainly attributed to him being far enough away that we don't hear him every time he cries.

Jake is sitting up! I should have put pictures of that in the collage but I haven't taken any yet. Next post.

And my own big changes haven't come yet...nursing school starts August 24!!

We miss all of our Rexburg friends...pllleeeease keep in touch!

Rexburg

2009-07-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

We have 2.5 days left in Rexburg. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday we were pulling in to the parking lot of Heartland Apartments. It was a bold move for us to come to BYU-Idaho. We hadn't even been accepted as full time students. We hated Spokane and felt like it wasn't right for us, so we moved to Rexburg with the faith that things would work out. And it did! Within about a month we both found decent jobs and Britton found the perfect major for him: Construction Management. Britton and I grew a lot in Rexburg. I learned how to be away from my family. Britton learned how to put school before work. We grew close to each other, made great friends, and best of all, Jake joined our family. Rexburg has been good to us. We're so excited to move on, but we will look back on our time here with fond memories.

Goodbye Russells!

2009-07-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

The moral of the story is to introduce yourself to your neighbors BEFORE it's 2 weeks until you move, they just might be a great friend! This is Erin and Rachel...they left for Canada today and won't be here when we leave Rexburg. Rachel is a hoot (as well as her Mom) and cracked me up non-stop when Jake and I would play with her. I will miss the days of having our doors open so we could make our apartments one big apartment! I wish we had become friends sooner Erin! We will come visit you when you live in New York, how's that?

Erin and her husband Nate were trying very hard to make Rachel smile in these pictures...she didn't think their efforts were smile worthy, but Jake thought everything was hilarious, as you can see.

Jake & Sophie

2009-07-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Our days in Rexburg are numbered, and I'm not looking forward to leaving our good friends, the Kradolfers. We have had a total blast with them...there have been only a handful of weekends where we WEREN'T playing games...eating good food...or just hanging out together. The high-light of our friendship has definately been our babies. Brenda and I both got to be pregnant at the same time...we both had terrible labor and deliveries that ended in c-sections...and we both have super adorable babies. Jake and Sophie were born 3 months apart...it's funny how incredibly visible that 3 months is right now, but soon enough we won't even be able to tell. We think they're pretty good buddies...we think they'll meet up in 18 years at BYU-Idaho (or BYU, Brenda...) and then Sophie will wait for Jake when he goes on his mission to China (that's where I think he's going) Anyways...here's Sophie and Jake through the past 6 months (since Jake came along...)

I think they look like best buddies in these pictures!!

Pirate Smile

2009-07-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

So today when I came to pick up Jake from my friend Brenda's house, I saw that she had decided to play dress-up with my son. Actually just make-up, he was already wearing a pirate shirt. Very funny Brenda... :)

Funny Face

2009-06-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

Jake makes this really funny face when you blow a puff of air in his face. Enjoy the video!

Britton and Lisa through the Ages

2009-06-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

I was looking through old pictures today and decided it would be fun to do a post about Britton and I! In April we celebrated our 3 year anniversary...we've had a lot of fun and I'm lucky to be married to such a great guy. Even though you never read this, I love you Britton!

This is where it all started...

Our late honeymoon...a trip to Seattle that of course included a Mariners game. Look how young we look!

Our first 4th of July...celebrated with the Chans. Britton almost got arrested. (the fire chief drove up right as he lit off a saturn missile and he threatened to bring the sheriff if he saw anymore.)

Later that same summer, we went to Fort Stevens along the Oregon coast with my parents and James and Emma.

I like long walks on the beach with my honey...

Our first Christmas together in 2006...I think our little tree is adorable.

Our beloved "Village at Grandridge" apartment, where life was a breeze. Britton put up the Christmas lights. :)

This is us standing on a tiny bridge near the house where I grew up. We took a trip to California in September 2007 and I got to show him around my digs.

That same trip to California we went to my favorite vacation spot in the world...Patrick's Point. It's located by Trinidad which is near Eureka. Prettiest place on the west coast!

After a bad move to Spokane (notice we have no pictures from that period of our lives) we took a blind jump and moved to Rexburg in January 2008. It turned out to be the best decision we could have made.

Britton grew a beard the last couple of months in Spokane because he knew he'd have to shave every day in Rexburg. He looks like a less-active lumberjack.

Our second anniversary was spent at the Black Swan Inn at Pocatello. And people make fun of us for it.

In October of 2008 with a baby on the way we decided to take our last vacation as non-parents. We hit up New York City and Washington D.C. It was a blast!

January 2009...right before the show began.

And this is where our lives really began. Our son Jake born January 22, 2009. We love this little guy!

Our little Benjamin Button.

Jakey is a homeboy.

I swore our kids would not be NASCAR fans...dang it.

Life

2009-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from the last couple of weeks. We're doing well here in Rexburg, Britton is happy that he can now say "I graduate next month!" (even though it's still like 2 months away). And I'm excited to start the nursing program in August! Anyways, enjoy!

Memorial Day with the Kradolfers. Jake wasn't too sure about the swimming pool, but Sophie had a blast once Jake got out (he was kind of kicking her). We had a super good BBQ too!

So, in our ward, pretty much all the babies born within 6 months before Jake were girls, so he has a lot of girlfriends. I don't think he was too thrilled to get his picture taken here though.

This is our little guy all ready to go to church. This past Sunday I think Britton and I spent a total of 5 minutes in the combined Priesthood/Relief Society meeting (we have church backwards) and then we were in the hallways the rest of the 3 hours. Jake's usually crying or enjoying the sound of his own voice very loudly when we're at church.

4 Months old!

2009-05-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Our little gangsta all ready for church.

Peek-a-boo!

I love this little boy!

This is a purple bunny from Great-Grandma...it's his favorite toy!

Go Jakey!

2009-05-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Try to ignore my annoying comments. It's worth it to see Jake lift his head for the first time! Go Jakey!

Photo Shoot!

2009-05-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

So there's a lot of pictures on this post. But we have a really cute kid. I have to give credit to the cute baseball outfit to Denise, she gave it to us. And credit of the awesome pictures of Jake in the baseball out fit goes to Brenda.

Everything is going well. Britton is staying afloat with his 20.5 credits, and for whatever reason I'm staying afloat in my chemistry class.

Enjoy the cute pictures!

We love these jammies.

This is Daddy and Jake having their first father-son campout. It lasted about 10 minutes and then Daddy wanted to go to sleep...and Jake didn't.

Mommy trying to study organic chemistry with a cute baby on her lap.

For some reason this makes me think of Benjamin Button.

Lip Smacker

2009-05-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

So the past couple of weeks Jake does this funny thing with his lips. It's pretty cute. Lots of cute smiles in this video too, with a noise that I think will soon lead to a laugh.

Britton's Dream Come True

2009-04-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Britton took a trip down to Phoenix to see a NASCAR race with 2 of his brothers. It was his first race, and everything he hoped it would be!

This is Britton with his nephew Austin, in front of a Dale Jr. picture. Dale Jr. is Britton's favorite.This isn't Britton, but it's Britton's favorite picture.

Jake's First Multi-State Vacation

2009-04-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful trip to the Tri-Cities. Mommy and Jake also took a quick trip to Los Angeles to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. It was a lot of fun!
Jake is getting a little bit happier every day. He was a bit of a fusser the first couple months and he still has his days, but he's finally starting to smile more and more as we go! We love this little guy so much! He's a blast!
Enjoy the pictures!

Daddy and Jake taking a snooze after the blessing. Jake's still wearing his white suit.

Great Grandpa checking out his Great Grandson!

Grandma and Great Grandma with Jake. Neither of them would look at the camera! I wonder where mom got it from?

This is Grandma holding Ryan and Aunt Denise holding Jake.

Our first family picture. Jake's adorable Easter outfit that he didn't wear to church because we were running late.

Two Months Already!

2009-03-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Jake's two month birthday! We are so in love with this little guy and love every minute with him! (most of the time) Here's some adorable and some not so adorable pictures of our little Jakey-Poo...that nickname has stuck.

Mommy and Jake.

The little guy is finally starting to smile for us! It's so much fun to see him smile.

Hiding in his blankets.

This is the worst blow-out he's had so far. Pretty good one Jakey!

Bop!

2009-03-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Our good friends the Kradolfers have an adorable 4 month old named Sophie. The other night when they came over we decided to let Jake and Sophie hang out on the floor together. We failed to put enough space between them...and Sophie let Jake have it! Of course she felt terrible afterwards and apologized...
We can't believe we got it on camera though...

Almost 6 weeks old!

2009-03-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Bath time!

Play time!

Tummy time with Mommy!

Pooh!

He's getting some chubby cheeks!

Play Time!

2009-03-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

We love this little guy!

A Cute Boy

2009-02-19T20:22:00.001-08:00

This is Jake sitting in his cool vibrating chair. Today was the longest amount of time he's sat in it. And his Daddy loves him.
This is Jake looking rather pensive. And adorable.

This is Jake's very first photograph. I thought that was pretty cool.

Jake's Story

2009-02-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

So, many of you know Jake’s arrival to this world didn’t go exactly as planned and might want to know the story. Britton and I both know Jake and I were being watched over and it wasn’t a coincidence that things went so smoothly when things didn’t go…so smoothly.
On Wednesday the 21st of January around 5pm I started having pains that I could only guess were contractions. I remembered my doctor describing contractions as something “you won’t be able to ignore.” I wasn’t ignoring them, but I tolerated them for a couple of hours before telling anyone about them. When I told Britton he didn’t believe I was in labor because I wasn’t screaming. When I called my Mom she told me she was talking to Michelle and she’d call me later. It was actually kind of funny. So, seven hours after the contractions started, I woke Britton up and told him this had to be the real thing and we’d better go to the hospital. We got there just after midnight, and I was hooked up to the monitors by 12:30am. My contractions were 2-6 minutes apart and the nurse told me I wasn’t leaving the hospital without a baby.
After hooking up my IV the nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist was in surgery and they called in a back up to come in and give me an epidural. It was 2:30am before he got there! The nurse warned me that sometimes after an epidural is given your blood pressure will drop which in turn lowers the baby’s heart rate. A few minutes after I got the epidural my blood pressure did just that, and Jake’s heart rate went down in the 30’s. A normal heart rate for a baby is in the 150’s. They gave me some medicine to raise my blood pressure and after a few minute’s Jake’s heart rate went back up. To be on the safe side the nurses alerted my doctor. He came in and took a look at things and put me on oxygen just to be safe. He was convinced it was just the epidural and told me everything was fine, which it appeared to be and I don’t blame him for thinking other wise. After a few hours of not sleeping, the nurses came in and told me I would be pushing soon. The contractions I couldn’t feel were getting stronger and it was getting close to crunch time. Soon after that however, Jake’s heart rate once again plummeted to the 30’s. It went back up to normal, then plummeted, and continued to do this every few minutes. Nothing was scarier than hearing the beeping on the monitor slow down so much. Somewhere in the 6am hour, my doctor came in and I tried pushing a few times. No progress was being made, and Jake’s heart rate was not improving. My doctor than told me that to get Jake out it would take another 30-40 minutes of pushing…but Jake wouldn’t survive another 30-40 minutes with his heart rate. They needed to get him out right away to find out if he had a heart problem or if it was just labor causing his low heart rate. He asked me for permission to do a c-section and my answer was obviously yes. Within 10 minutes I was prepped and on the operating table, and less than a minute later Jake was out. Nothing was more soothing than hearing his cry! My doctor said he had never seen a c-section prep go that fast. Britton and I knew that wasn’t by chance. Jake was rushed to the nursery and put on oxygen, but after a couple of minutes it appeared it wasn’t necessary and they took him off. As they were stitching me up, my doctor told me Jake’s cord had been wrapped around his shoulder. As the contractions got stronger, it was being pinched and cutting off his blood supply, thus causing his heart rate to drop so low. It was also making it so that when I tried pushing it was actually pushing him in the wrong direction.
So, after a very scary experience, everything turned out to be fine. Jake is a healthy baby and everything is going smoothly! We’re so thankful to have him, he’s definitely the best thing that’s ever happened to Britton and I.

Jake's Here!

2009-02-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

He's a wonderful baby! Doesn't he look like his Daddy?

Full Term!

2009-01-08T10:58:00.001-08:00

And now we wait for Jake to show up...

32...almost 33 weeks!

2008-12-08T17:09:00.001-08:00

I know I've been really bad about posting, and about taking pictures of my growing tummy! But this is what I'm looking at 2 days away from 33 weeks. It's crazy how fast time goes by!!

It's a boy!!!

2008-09-26T23:12:00.001-07:00

Last week I got the second ultrasound and there's no question, we're having a boy!

This is definately one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

Trip Home!

2008-08-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Britton and I had a great week and a 1/2 in the Tri-Cities, and I was luck enough to stay an extra week giving me almost 3 weeks with my family. That was the longest I'd gone without going home and it was so great to go back home for a while! I brought my camera but failed to take many pictures. I hate it when I do that! I did however, read 3.5 books: The Hiding Place (excellent but sad), Breaking Dawn (dissapointing), Innocent Traitor (really good but really sad) and half of the Host but I didn't finish it because...I didn't really like it. Anyways, here's the cutest pictures I took.Kyle! I fell in love with this little guy over this trip. It was so fun seeing his little personality...he is hilarious!
And of course Gunther. I miss that dog already.

It's a Baby!!!

2008-07-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long for me to post this! I haven't been able to talk to Eric and I didn't want them to find out through my blog! (Mom said you guys know...but now I can't call you because you're in Spain!)
Anyways, at the appointment they said I'm a week further than they thought, (which is awesome) so this Wednesday puts me at 13 weeks! The end of the 1st trimester!
So here is the most amazing picture you'll ever see!

Baby Edler!

Family Reunion

2008-07-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we went to Downata Hot Springs, which is basically somewhere near Pocatello in the middle of nowhere. It was a family reunion/Grandpa Pete's 80th birthday party. It was good to see all of Britton's siblings and their families and the million cousins. This was only one side of the family. There is a stark difference between the size of mine and Britton's families. I have a total of 7 cousins, combining both sides. He doesn't know how many cousins he has. Anyways, we had a good time. I do not understand, however, what is supposed to be fun about swimming in a pool that is as hot as a bathtub when it's 90 degrees outside. Idahoans are not all there, apparently. The pool was terribly hot, it was like swimming in the other hundred people's sweat. So! Below are some pictures from the trip.

This is Grandpa Pete surrounded by Britton's parents, all of his siblings and their spouses and kids.

Britton and his siblings: Britton, Sean, Andrew, Denise, and Justin.

Me and Britton at some geyser in Soda Springs the day after the family reunion. It smelled like rotten eggs.

Trip to Boise!

2008-06-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend Britton and I drove to Boise to meet my parents and my 3 year old nephew Adam. Boise is about 1/2 way between Rexburg and the Tri-Cities, and I missed my family so they were nice enough to drive 4 1/2 hours to see us! It was fun. Friday we ate out at Red Robin (yum), and walked on a trail behind our hotel along the river. Or, "the ocean" according to Adam. Saturday we went to a couple of different parks until my allergies got so bad I couldn't stand it. The interesting story of the trip is the first park we went to. We noticed a bunch of tent canopy-thingies and a concert stage being set up in the park but we couldn't figure out what was going on. Then Britton noticed a bunch of rainbow flags. My Mom and I walked Gunther over to try and discreetly check out the commotion...to quickly turn around and head back. It was some sort of gay-pride convention. Yikes. So anyways, here's some cute pictures...mainly of Adam because he's the cutest...it was a lot of fun and good to see Mom and Dad and Adam (and Gunther, even though he whined the entire time).

This is the first park we went to. Adam really wanted to play in water, so we found a park with water. Britton had to get wet too in order to get Adam to play...what a good uncle :)

Adam enjoying the water...

King of the playground...

What a cute 3 year old!

Golf!

2008-05-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here! It's wonderful to step outside our front door and not be met with a harsh slap in the face by a bitter cold wind. Funnily enough, the 80 degree weather is killing us, even though we both grew up in much hotter climates. It's interesting how our bodies acclimate to our surroundings.

We are enjoying our classes so far in this Spring Semester...Britton is loving his new major and getting A's on his tests. It's really exciting!

Yesterday, for FHE, we went with the Kradolfers to a driving range. It was a lot of fun, especially because Andre let us use his sweet clubs. (Britton's cost $40 at a yard sale a long time ago, some are even made out of wood) Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of Britton before the camera died. We need to loosen the purse strings and buy rechargeable batteries.

Andre and Brenda showing their stuff.

I don't think my leg work is correct. My left leg looks like I'm swinging a softball bat. No wonder my left knee hurts today.

We have friends!

2008-04-16T19:23:00.001-07:00

Meet the Kradolfers!

We met Brenda and Andre through our ward FHE Group. They're a lot of fun to hang out with, it's nice to finally have a couple to do stuff with! Today I had the bright idea of having a BBQ...it was pretty cold...but the hot dogs were good. We left at the perfect time though, 5 minutes after we all got back to our apartment it started snowing. So the boys played with Britton's dart gun while Brenda and I talked.

It's nice to have friends!

The Chemistry Professor

2008-04-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

I know you're all curious to see Professor Sargeant. Don't worry, Ryan is still hilarious and crazy. He showed plenty of funny You-Tube videos and blew up hydrogen balloons in class, as well as lighting a tie on fire. It was a lot of fun to be in his class, despite how incredibly hard his tests were. Look at the stuff behind his head on the board. I don't know how I got an A in that class.

2 years!

2008-04-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

This week Britton and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary! We drove to Pocatello (yes, how exciting) and stayed at the Black Swan Inn (which actually was very exciting). Its a themed hotel, all it's rooms are decorated to the 'T' to fit different themes. Ours was "The Mayan Rainforest Suite." Here's some awesome pictures of our awesome hotel room:This is me in our double headed shower inside of a tree trunk!
The Happy Couple!

There was a waterfall that went into this little pool. We couldn't believe how big the fish were!
This is the tree house that our jacuzzi bath tub was in!

The stairway leading up into the tree house with the jacuzzi bathtub.

The awesome jacuzzi. The water shot out of that guy's mouth!And the outside shot.

If any of you are in or around Pocatello, I highly reccomend staying at this hotel! It's way too cool!

Rexburg and a birthday!

2008-03-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a camera I've decided to actually use our blog!

So....lately we've moved to Rexburg and Britton's birthday was last week. I'll put some pictures from those events on here.

We're very happy to be here in Rexburg, we know it was the right thing for us to do. We've been blessed with flexible jobs, an awesome ward, a great Bishop, and even some cool friends!

For Britton's Birthday we went out to Chili's and then had cake and ice-cream at home. Somehow Britton ended up getting a Playstation 3...he is pretty happy about that.

Enjoy the pictures!

It really does snow a lot here. It's gone for the most part though. Britton's beard is gone too (thank goodness).

Home Sweet Home!

Birthday ribs at Chili's! It looked like he killed a cow by the time he was done.Excited to be at a restaurant!

Britton showing off his new BYU-Idaho sweatshirt. I think he looks good in it!!

Blowing out the candles on his 25th birthday!