Brianne and Elliott.

For my baby shower my sister-in-law, Brianne, gave me this perfectly adorable layette (there's a matching blanket that goes with it). She told me that Elliott had an uncannily  looking outfit when he was a baby that she loved dressing him in almost every day. Because this one looked just like it, she bought it for Beckett (thank you again)! I can only imagine how hard it was not to fuss over Elliott as a baby, I can't keep my hands off him as an adult! I believe that Brianne and I must have very similar feelings toward nostalgia and belongings of sentiment. I love that every time I see Beckett in the layette outfit, I am reminded of how perfect Elliott must have looked in his most delicate and fragile state. And I smile, because I never got to see him that way firsthand (some of us had to wait four years until we could be on the same planet as our spouse). 


Now, I know it looks a little big on him but the jammies that were his size were in the wash. 

I Have Ascoraphobia [Patent Pending]

The smallness of the photo is to minimize the temporary dirtiness of my bathtub as well as the non-temporary scariness of the scorpion. 

I hate scorpions. I hate them. I have a severe problem with them even if it's just picture of one. They have to be my number one classic* fear 

 Our bathroom has a teeny annex for the toilet and shower. It's ceilings are high and the round light fixed to the top could be considered eerie by some. After an ex-coworker told me how he saw a scorpion on his bathroom rug, I've been slightly paranoid... as in, everytime I go into that teeny powder annex during the night I quickly crane my head up and scan the walls, eerie light and rug for scorpions. This is every night for nearly two years. Fortunately, a few nights ago, my OCD paid off in a non-rewarding way. About to jump in the shower, I did my typical scan and on the wall a few inches away from the shower head was this big motha'. And oh my gosh did I lose it. I died. Well, in reality, I screamed and screamed and screamed constant expletives, grabbing at my arms and skin as if it were crawling on me. I couldn't sit down, there might as well have been scorpions covering every wall and piece of furniture in every room. I grabbed my phone, trying to call Elliott who had made a quick run to Walgreen's. No answer. Of course. Remembering my brother-in-law was on the phone with him, I google-talked him telling him to, in so many words and caps, tell Elliott to hurry. Finally he called me, and I was inconsolable. All he could tell me to do was calm down. I was not keeping my crap together very well. When he FINALLY made it home, he took care of the... problem (with a bat, can of Raid and broom). I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't have Elliott to save the day. But I would have taken desperate measures.

I know a lot of people experience MUCH worse scorpion encounters than I do. They probably handle them MUCH better than I do too. This is only the first time I have spotted one in our house, the first time I've even seen one in years! You'd think that maybe I've been stung by one, had a close call with one, had a relative get a serious infection from one... no. Actually, yes. My grandma got stung by one 10 years ago and had to go to the hospital. But that didn't really make me more afraid of them. I actually have had minimal exposure to them for being an Arizona native. I just have issues. Serious. Issues.          

*A classic fear is one that doesn't include the more widely accepted, universal fears such as being robbed/mugged, murdered, attacked, violated, serious relational problems, spouse dying, etc. or having one or more of those happen to your children.   


*EDIT: The reasoning behind this post was because of the outrageous fact that I have yet to shower in our shower... it's been 11 days. I use the guest shower. I know, I know, one of these days I'm just gonna DO IT! I'm going to muster up that courage and shower in our shower again! Wish me luck. Feel free to laugh at this. I know it's ridiculous. 

Please Skip to the Pictures

The following is a story of heroism unparalleled on every level. 

It was a Taco Tuesday unlike any other. 

We put the baby in the car, and drove the 400 meters to Rubio's for our fish tacos. Beckett and I sat in the car while Elliott was inside. Since Rubio's is incredibly slow, I looked for my phone to ease the bordom I knew would quickly ensue while waiting. Except... I couldn't find my phone. I distinctly remembering walking outside with it in one hand and the baby in the other. I put it on top of my trunk while I put the baby in his carse--oh *expletive.* I knew running inside to tell Elliott the phone had fallen off of the back of the car somewhere between our house, QT and Rubio's was pointless. I spent the time waiting thinking about how crappy it was going to be to re-learn T9 and how to tell directions without the help of Google.maps at my fingertips. I'd have to get glasses in order to focus on my new screen that would be the size of a matchbook. There was no way I could be phoneless but we certainly weren't going to buy another fancy shmancy phone without a 2-year contract. Great. At least there's only four months until we get a new plan.Ten minutes later--stupid Rubio's--Elliott emerged with our tacos. We drove back to our driveway. No sign. Elliott ran to the mailbox where we stopped just before leaving. No sign. We drove down the main neighborhood road we took to QT. No sign. We drove BACK into the QT lot. No sign. We drove down busy-four-lane-wide-plus-a-median Power Rd.  No sign. We got in the left-hand turn lane to head back to Rubio's. There was something in the middle of the intersection. A pit was forming in my stomach. We wondered if the little shards of glass and black plastic were my phone. It was like ID'ing a body at the morgue. We had reached the end of the road. We'd soon be back to Rubio's and that would be that. Turing left onto Ray Rd., Elliott shouted, ''I SEE IT.'' (It was a shout of calm in this time of crisis so I'm leaving off the exclamation mark). I didn't believe him until he was handing me my phone in three pieces. Sure enough, there it was. Battery in, backing... well... backing didn't quite make it through ok but good enough, phone on. It turned on! Next test, make a call. It connected to Elliott's phone without a problem. Even the camera, which was never that good in the first place, survived. My little phone now has it's battle wounds which it proudly displays in the form of bandages of black electrical tape holding the back on. The thought that kept crossing my mind was WHY, after making it through a trip to QT and a drive down a major road it decided to slide off 200 feet short of our final destination. Oh well, it's called a ''smart phone'' so perhaps it knows how to be conniving.

Just for kicks.

Beckett's Blessing

Yesterday was Beckett's baby blessing. 

(Sorry for the 'supermodel mom' pose as my sister, Anna, put it. Putting my arms to my sides really flattens them out and takes away from the little bit of exercising I've been doing.)

Elliott did such a great job and gave a beautiful blessing. Some of what Beckett was blessed with was to be happy and to develop strong family ties. To be a loving example for his family and to know the love that his family has for him.

 These words touched me the most as they truly sum up what I want most for my son and what I admire most in my husband. I heard those words in the blessing and knew that they will all be for naught unless I do my part as a mother and Elliott does his as a father. We want to make our son feel loved and happy. We want him to know what is right and do what is right. I know both of my boys will do great things. They already have. 

 >>>Bonus points to whoever can find the quote by Thomas S. Monson (said before he was prophet) about the strongest spirits being saved for these final days. I received it as a handout in Young Women's and kept it for a number of years, reading it quite often. I know other General Authorities have talked about that subject many times before but he put it best in my opinion. 

This was taken on his first Sunday back. The color coordination between father and son was planned, by the way. We believe very strongly in the power of being matchy-matchy and it's ability to make everything more fun and adorable. 

Let's Take it a Step Further

They say TV rots your brain. Probably (and only probably true). I'd like to take that theory a little further and say that certain shows destroy your ability to comprehend other shows (movies included).


Por ejemplo: 

This is one of my favorite guilty pleasures (along with the Kardashian's). It follows suit with any other reality show out there so I would appreciate a refrain of judgement simply because she used to be one of the Bunnies. She's scaled back the trashiness, it's just the lack of class that remains. I really don't need to defend myself anyway. 


BACK to my point. 2 o'clock in the morning, 7 o'clock in the morning, noon, 3pm, whatever, when I'm struggling to stay awake... I really don't have much else that relieves my mind of the desperation to sleep (that's a bit of an exaggeration. I really haven't been totally struggling with the sleep factor but that's for another post). Still, during those vulnerable moments, I turn to whatever is on. Many times, it ends up being a reality show by chance (this is after looking at a good 10-20 channels and just picking something without thinking because I need to hurry up and use that free hand to shove a bottle or breast into my baby's mouth. Classy huh? Thanks Kendra).


Por Ejemplo Two: 

I have made two separate attempts at watching this movie. Both times I made it all the way through. The first time, I watched it by myself a few years ago and was dumbfounded by the end. I just finished watching it the second time only this go around, I had cliff notes, aka Elliott. I got it now, ok? I GOT IT. I am a recent college grad, as my ever trusty good friend reminded me. I was struggling during the movie and messaged her so she whipped up a quick pep talk encouraging me to stick with it till the end. I still haven't seen the other two movies but I think I'm finally ready to graduate onto the Bourne Supremacy (that's number two, right?) Yay! I may also struggle with The DaVinci Code. I was FINALLY understanding it my third attempt watching it through (using my "Elliott Notes") but we turned it off to go to bed and never finished it. This was a year ago. 

Thanks reality tv. You're that bad, you make other mindless shows that much harder for me to grasp.

The Importance of Larry David (and George Costanza).

So they're one and the same. That's beside the point. 

Why do we love movie stars? Superheroes? Athletes? Models? Musicians? Basically the socially deemed "awesome" people in the world? They are who we want to be. Their actions and words inspire. They impress people in ways we can only dream of. 

Why do I love Larry David/George Costanza (whose character in "Seinfeld" is based off of Larry David)?

He sets the bar realistically low. 

He is how it really is (with a tad of exaggeration here and there). 

He's the epitome of a relateable character for me (I'm referring to his role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as well as George's in Seinfeld... though Larry's is executed a bit more realistically).

I've told Elliott many times I really need to start documenting, in writing, the moments in my life that have resulted in a resounding face-plant against the  wall. He agrees and often says (affectionately), "I married the craziest one," and I know he's right.  He'll tell me a story from school, his past, running an errand, "yadda yadda yadda," that completely blew him away with how outrageous the situation was (according to Jersey Shore, "The Situation" can also refer to an individual person). Then I respond with, "That's ok, this one time..." and at the end of the story, he facepalms, shakes his head and that's the end of that.

 Not to single myself out and say, "I'm the only one! No one's life is as painfully riddled with as awkward and painstaking experiences as mine!" Because I can certainly name a few others who are right on par or surpass my own special little potholes in life.

They know who they are.

 Really, everyone can and should be able to whip out at least a few experiences that will make any group burst into giggles at their recalling of an embarrassing or pained situation.

 It's simply the opportunity that some individuals in this world have taken to seize and turn the world's most common, everyday embarrassments into humor. They make it easier to laugh at the crazies and not be offended by them (think Conan O'Brien). They make it easier to realize that your situation is probably more funny than depressing.

They are the real hope for this world. 

Sorry, Oprah, you've been ousted.

I Got My Diploma in the Mail Today.

Brianne and I are going here:

To pretend for a little bit that we are:

For my graduation gift, Elliott gave me a trip to New York City. Of course, Brianne (my sister-in-law) is coming too. Elliott will be on Beckett and Soccer World Cup duty at home and I'll... Well. If I lose enough pregnancy weight by then I'll be shopping. If not, I'll be window shopping and giving Brianne, or should I say "B" in true Gossip Girl fashion, my support as she shops. Either way, it'll be an exciting adventure. 

PS, I really need to give a shout-out to the pregnant ladies in my life. My sister, Anna, recently found out that she's having a girl! She's due in October and definitely has been on the fast-track in baby making. Second baby within two years! My other sister-in-law, Krista, is pregnant with her second also and is due in December.  Boy? Girl? Boy?..Girl?... It's been debated and discussed. We're so excited for these ladies and love 'em to death. 

PSS, I've already put a request out on Facebook, but we would always love some worthwhile opinions on the best things to see and do and the best places to eat in NYC. THANX in advance.

The Lovely Beckett

Beckett is a month today! 
Hard to believe. 
The time has flown but I still find myself amazed that it's only been a month.
I feel like I've been with him forever.
In a way, I think I have been. The same way I've been with his father. 


He's somewhere in the 10lb range if I'd have to guess.
When he yawns he looks like Elliott. 
When he smiles he melts our hearts. 
He's beyond a sweet baby. 
And yes, that's spit up in the top left corner. 
He doesn't do that too often... But we're right there to wipe it up when he does!