Halloween preview

Here are some pictures from Grama Luv & Jeri's Annual Halloween Party

Check out the detail on this cute Frankenstein Cupcake

Seriously, my babe is sooo cute.

Everyone in costume

The family pic. Mike didn't have his mask on, and apparently I had my costume on backwards all night. Woops

Love makeup?

then you will love Chelsea's new blog:

www.suburbanheresy.blogspot.com

Check it out, it rocks! Especially if you are clueless like me. It has some great pointers & product information (mostly MAC).

PS I have the link on the side of my blog for easy access.

the touch ups that never were

Once upon a time we purchased our house. It was exactly a year ago. We had the best of intentions on remodeling it and moving in quickly. I was seven months pregnant. Long story short, I didn't feel like painting. Mike and my sis, and a few other volunteers here and there, ended up painting a 2300 sq. foot home.
Needless to say after 12 months of living here, the touch ups are not complete! I want to do them, I just never get around to it. There is a baby to play with and laundry to do and a bathroom to clean and dishes to wash and bottles to make.
My goal is to complete the touch ups before Lennon turns one! I hope this is a goal I can reach.... I will keep you posted on the progress.

she has studied the issues and made her decision

Indoctrination is an unspoken joy of parenthood

happy thoughts

1. My Grandma's driving gloves still smell like her
2. Pumpkin cream cheese from Einstein's Bagels is delicious
3. The leaves are changing
4. Lennon's laugh is amazing

worst week ever

Wow! Where can I begin?

Michael's Grandma passed away last Thursday. Her viewing & funeral were both so beautiful. She looked so beautiful, and she did not suffer while she went. She waited for her two sons to arrive by her side and then slowly let go after a few minutes.

She was an amazing woman. She had so many difficult challenges in her lifetime that she overcame. Her youngest child, Larry, was hit by a car and killed, later in her life her husband, Ray, (we gave that for Lennon's middle name: Rae) died from heart failure from Rheumatic Fever as a child. Then she lost another son, Kent, in the Vietnam war. She was left with two boys, David & Harold to care for. She busted her butt and worked so hard for all of them to have anything, including food. She never complained either. That is a trait I need to work on. I complain about the most meaningless things.

She later was remarried and lived a great life with her husband Mac. She loved to go camping & she especially loved to bowl. Her highest game was a 288!!





One of our visits to Grandma Mac with Lennon.



Her Obituary Photo

Michael describes her as "old school"! It really is a great description if you knew her. All of her things were old and she never wanted to buy something new because she saw no reason when her's were perfectly fine! We have a lot of neat things all over our house that were her's and we cherish them. I hung up a cute ceramic with an angel painted on it on Lennon's wall that says "always tell the truth." I think it's from 1950.

We both loved her very much and it was very hard to let her go, even though it was definitely for the best.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


All of us visiting Grandpa's grave on Memorial day 2008

This morning I received a call that my grandmother's lungs were full of fluid and she would not have much longer to live. I went over there just after Lennon woke up. Her breathing sounded horrible, and honestly it was very hard to watch because we did not want her to suffer like this. We were giving her morphine to try and ease her pain, but there was nothing we could do for her breathing.


Grandma with 1 week old Lennon on Christmas 2007

I stayed over there all day and into the night. Her breathing suddenly changed and we could not hear the fluid. This only meant her breaths were getting shallower. My Mom, Aunt Patsy, Uncle Bill, Kari and Bev (obviously me too) were all there surrounding her. It was a surreal experience. I have never watched anyone die. Slowly her breath got even more shallow. She finally took her last breath and then we waited for her heart to stop. This is the most intense thing I have ever experienced. You may not want to hear about it either, I apologize. I wanted to write it down so I would not forget. She finally looked peaceful after her few hard days of fighting. My Grandma was a fighter, we call her a RALLY GIRL! I think she was holding on in the end to wait for all of her children to arrive, but even after they came she pulled her usual rally.



Grandma with all of her Utah great grand kids!

My Grandma was so special & she was amazing. She taught me how to iron, set the perfect table, how to throw the perfect party, a "party with pizazz", always to have your eyebrows done (she was jealous my eyebrows were naturally dark) & how to wrap the most beautiful packages. They were so pretty I hardly wanted to wrip them apart to find out what was inside. She thought all women should wear lipstick. She called mascara Maybelline and light bulbs - light GLOBES. She was such a wonderful role model and a hard worker. She was always willing to help ANYONE in need. I hope I can make her proud. She accomplished so many great things in her lifetime. I love her so much and I hope she knows how special she was to me.

We are thankful that both of our grandmas were able to see Lennon & hold her, and that we got some pictures of it.


This is Grandma holding her 2 youngest grandchildren, Avery & Lennon, on August 26, 2008. Her 88th birthday!



The Nodilo's Four Generation Pictures


Honestly if I can be even half of the women these ladies were I think I might have succeeded at life!

They were from the "greatest generation". Our generation will never be like theirs.

RIP Grandmas WE LOVE YOU.

confession

After 27 years of going by the rule of "i before e except after c"... I thought their was spelled thier.

Sick, sick, sick

Lennon will never go to a Ringling Bros. Circus.

Don't support circuses that use animal performers. People performers are good enough. The animals live the most inhumane, unnatural, horrific lives. It is disgusting.

Take a look at this website that shows how the trainers "teach" the animals their tricks. It also shows the conditions they live in, basically a cement building with their ankles chained to something for the entire day unless they are being trained. I feel sick after watching these amazing animals that have to suffer like this and live a life in our world that is nothing like their natural environment.


http://www.circuses.com/

Here is an article about how one of Ringling Bros. recent circus performances was canceled due to poor ticket sales. Peta & Peta supporters keep up the good work!

If you have a minute watch this video. It is very informative.

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/09/ringling_bros_f.php

I think many people just don't realize this happens because the circus doesn't want you to know this. Open your eyes and become aware, and most of all, DON'T SUPPORT THE CIRCUS!

A few years ago my nieces went to the circus. They went down to get a closer look at the horses and they both came back practically in tears. They said they could see whip marks on them & that they wanted to go home. That should tell you something right there. We had to lie to them to get them to stay. After that I will never be caught at the circus again.

True Blood

Just when Mike and I are talking about cancelling our HBO subscription they go and start a new series that I am obsessed with! Did anyone else watch True Blood last week? It's about vampires & it's oh so good! (And not in a Twilight kind of way, I HATED Twilight).

It's about Vampires that are living publicly in the world now because Japan invented a synthetic blood drink that satifies their urge to drink blood. There is an American Vampire League and they want equal rights for the Vampires.

I would tell you what else happened but that would take too long, so just watch it for yourself. Or check this for a synopsis:

hbo.com/trueblood

I also can't wait for Big Love to start again. I jsut read online that it might not start until 2009 now because of the Writer's Strike. NO! At least I can watch True Blood until then.

What other TV shows do you guys watch? Since Lennon's birth we have been major TV junkies. Terrible, I know. We love the Hills, any Real World/Road Rules challenge, the Daily Show, Colbert Report, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (Mike HATES this show, I can't quit watching it), Intervention (when I want to be depressed), and all the HBO shows: Big Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm, True Blood. OK, I have now named enough shows that I sound pathetic. Tell me what else we should be wasting our time with.
Note to self: READ MORE.

shallow

Is it shallow of me to say that I don't want to know you if you vote for McCain? Sometimes that's how I feel.

On the flip side if McCain manages to win I will be majorly tempted to move out of the country. That could be exciting!

*actually I don't care if it's shallow. it's my blog and that's how i feel.

murals anyone?

Here are the murals Mike painted on my neice & nephews wall. He is going to start doing it for a side business. If you know anyone interested (the 2 of you who look at this) please let us know! THANKS :)

no, you can't have her

Palin, seriously?

CNN) -- John McCain needs what Kinky Friedman calls "a checkup from the neck up."

In choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, he is not thinking "outside the box," as some have said. More like out of his mind.

Palin a first-term governor of a state with more reindeer than people, will have to put on a few pounds just to be a lightweight. Her personal story is impressive: former fisherman, mother of five. But that hardly qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible. Suddenly, McCain's age and health become central issues in the campaign, as does his judgment.

In choosing this featherweight, McCain passed over Tom Ridge, a decorated combat hero, a Cabinet secretary and the former two-term governor of the large, complex state of Pennsylvania. iReport.com: 'McCain pick might be a gimmick'

He passed over Mitt Romney, who ran a big state, Massachusetts; a big company, Bain Capital; and a big event, the Olympics.

He passed over Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Texas senator who is knowledgeable about the military, good on television and -- obviously -- a woman.

He passed over Joe Lieberman, his best friend in the Senate and fellow Iraq Kool-Aid drinker.

He passed over former congressman, trade negotiator and budget director Rob Portman.

And he also passed over Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas.

For months, the McCainiacs have said they will run on his judgment and experience. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown that he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.

Paul Begala

our vacation destination next summer

Hi Kari, Jim & Jordan!

Thanks for the shirt. We can't wait to go with you guys :)

Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow??

You know you are officially old when you love gardening! This year Mike has taken an obsession to gardening! It is awesome. I love eating all of our veggis straight from our backyard. Here's some pics of our yummy plants:

Thai peppers. These are insanely hott! And we have about a million of them. Anyone want some? (warning: when cooking with them wear gloves, and do not touch your face immediately after using them.)



The squash that is taking over my house. Seriously, have you seen a squash plant this size? You can practically sit outside and watch the thing grow. It's alive....



This is just to show how tall our tomato plant is. It's over 6 feet! And the tomatoes are super sweet cherries. They are delicious.



Pretty!



YUM



We all knew I couldn't handle a post without my cutie in it. Here she is holding something she thinks is yummy. She just sucked on it, because she still has NO TEETH! And last night I had a dream she woke up with 12 teeth. It was scarey!



OK I had to post 2 of her.



Last one to show you how easy it is to garden. We had no clue what we were doing and we managed to have quite a successful year! Here's to next year. Maybe our green beans will work next time!

remember?

I work in an office building on the third floor with about 3 other companies who work on my floor. I went into the bathroom and on the back of each stall reads a sign that says "Remember to flush after you are finished". Is it just me, or do you think that's weird?

I am almost tempted to write on the bottom don't forget to wipe either.

sucks

UGH... It's that time again. Renting out our apartment in our basement. I hate doing it! It is nice to help pay our mortgage, but the process sucks. Showing everyone the place, trying to decide what you think of the person based on 5 minutes or so of conversation, waiting for people to show up that said they were coming, having random people show up at your door with no appointment! I will be so glad to get it rented, but it's also scary to commit to a 1 year lease and hope they aren't disgusting, crazy, unreliable, etc.

SO, if anyone knows someone that needs a place & does not fall into any of the above categories let me know. (Even though a total of 2 people read my blog, but hey)

Here are some pictures of the place. It is 870.00 2 bedroom, includes utilities, cable internet & cable t.v. with DVR. It's one block from Liberty Park, 5 minutes from downtown, about 5-10 minutes from the U, and 5 minutes to Westminster.

P.S. CRACK/METH HEADS NEED NOT APPLY. AND YES WE CAN TELL YOU ARE ON CRACK/METH, SO DON'T THINK YOU ARE FOOLING ANYONE. THE TWITCH GIVES IT AWAY.

my current favorites

Normally I wouldn't subject my child to prunes, but nature calls. She actually loves them and they are now one of her favorite foods. YUCK!



She loves her mama!



And this is probably one of my absolute favorites.

sick of the heat??

Lennon's new hat straight from Peru! Our next door neighbors Adam & Brooke just got back and they got her this sweet hat & an alpaca throw just because we watered their lawn! How nice is that?!

Sorry about the lack of blogging, but I think I have never been to good at it! When our computer died it made things even more complicated... so I will attempt to do some new posts.

Thank goodness

we have this blog! Because of it we were able to save a few of Lennon's pictures. That's right, we got the dreaded news that our hard drive would not be able to be recovered! We are bummed, but what can you do. Mike read about it online and Apple was using a hard drive they purchased from China... It has some kind of malfunction where it starts spinning wrong, then proceeds to scratch your entire hard drive, then nothing is readable.

We had done a back up in February so we still have the majority of our pictures. Now we are trying to get all of the pics our friends and family took of her. It is turning out to be quite a few so really we shouldn't be too mad.

Anyway, after this ordeal Mike has been taking tons of pictures every day! Here are my favorites:


*It won't let me upload them for some reason, so I will try again later

a special thanks

to the person that stole the stereo from my car the other night! In case you were wondering.....I am about to put up for sale! Now it has a rip in the dash, is missing a bunch of pieces & looks totally ghetto!!

UGH, I don't want to replace it when I'm just selling it.

The worst part is I bought the stereo about 9 years ago for 300.00. I would guess now it's worth about 20.00.

I hope karma attacks you!

P.S. I think you're an asshole!

Twilight....are you serious

Am I the only person out there that thinks Twilight is LAME?! Seriously, I have given it a chance, but I do not think I can finish it. I am on page 320 and I keep hoping it will get better. Everyone else I know read it all in one night. I have not even wanted to pick it up - I had to force myself to!

So, tell me what happens in the end. PLEASE! It won't ruin it, I will just know if I want to finish it or not. Honestly if I hear once more how beautiful Edward is or his damn cold hands touching her face I will puke. The way she describes things is getting majorly repetetive.....and driving me insane.

OH MY!

Our computer has bit the dust! After sitting at the Apple store for 2 hours with Lennon (that was a blast) it was determined that the hard drive is not spinning properly. BUT.... the worst part WE CAN't GET OUR FREAKING PICTURES OFF IT! All our pics from February until now are GONE! :( All of Lennon's baby pictures. So, we've shipped our hard drive to California to a drive recovery place. There they will take it apart and try to put it into a different hard drive and pull the pictures off. The best part is it's 900 Dollars! Awesome (I am being totally sarcastic-otherwise I might cry).

The reason I'm posting this is to tell everyone to DO YOUR BACKUPS! Seriously. We never thought this would happen to us. I will die if they can't get those pictures back. I think we have a good chance to get them back. We will keep you posted. In the mean time...... Back up your computers! And not to worry, we will be backing ours up like twice a day from now on!

6 months already!

We can't believe Lennon is already 6 months olds! I know everyone says that, but it really does go by so fast. Here is some info about her so I can add it to her baby book later.

She is rolling all over the place! She first rolled over on May 20th.

She can sit up by her self for a few seconds. Sometimes she is pretty good at staying up. Last week she did it for a long time.

She loves sweet potatoes, sweet peas, apple sauce, carrots & pears. She does not like bananas, but we are going to try them again soon. That's weird because that is about the only fruit that Mike loves!

I fed her carrots on Friday & she had them all over her face. I went to grab a paper towel to wipe her off & I came back and her face was clean. I thought maybe she had wiped it with the bib, until I realized my doggs licked her face clean! Sick, but funny.

We took her swimming for the first time on Friday and she loves it! Then we took her again Sunday so Papa could be there to see her.

She is a very good baby & not too fussy. She puts her self to sleep as long as she can be right shoved into the corner of her crib & has a silky blankie to cover her face. I have no idea where she got her blankie obsession from!

As always some pics of the cutie. She is so awesome & we can't get enough of her :)









the mandatory Chuck T.'s for babies. I found them small enough that they are soft sole. SOOOO CUTE!



The family in the canyons. Not the best pic but the only one of us three.





Our little fishy

this is free!!!!

To anyone that does not live in Salt Lake, you should for once be jealous! This is our free summer outdoor concert series:


Twilight Concert Series 2008

July 10
The Roots
The Knux

July 17
Andrew Bird
Josh Ritter

July 24
De La Soul
The Cool Kids

July 31
Keller Williams
Yonder Mountain String Band

August 7
Nada Surf
Tim Fite

August 14
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH!!

August 21
Broken Social Scene
TBD

August 28
Neko Case
Crooked Fingers

How awesome is this?! We will be here for sure.

Introducing.............. Gertie Joe

Gertrude Johanna Smith

She's Mikes parents dogg. So cute!

the Peterson's

It's time to admit that I am terrible at keeping up my blog.

Saturday night we went to our friends Brandon & Cami wedding. They were married at Cactus & Tropicals it was beautiful! Their cake was awesome & Camis ring & dress are gorgeous. She ended up getting the ring from Diamonds, where we got ours. Here they are cutting the cake:




Cami collects Pez, you wouldn't believe her collection. Anyway, she had this cute Pez put on her wedding cake:



How awesome is that?!

Here we are getting all dressed up for their big day:



Mama and baby



I love this little picture of Leni. We were at Francies house & she put this necklace on Leni. Jake saw it and said oh Starr she looks so cute, she should take this home with her! He is the sweetest boy.

(PS I know this is a choking hazard. I would never put this on her when I wasn't right there with her.)

I love this girl

no more Bush

Just kidding. This post isn't about that Bush.


Here's our cute grandma house. Notice those bushes lining the right side....




well, they are gone!! Our next door neighbors saw the guys ripping them out & had them rip out their rose bushes too.




Any recommendations of what we should plant there now? We are thinking 3 small trees/bushes and then some perennials in between. We love our house & neighborhood.

wiiiiii

We bought Mario Kart this weekend & we are hooked. It's so fun!
And even though we just bought that game we managed to spend the entire day doing yard work. Our yard is going to be so cute when we get the flowers planted. I will post some pictures.

The good news is it's warm enough to get a sun burn!

Here's a picture of Leni in her new BUMBO seat! It is hilarious to see her sitting up.



And one more because the girl has a pair of pink uggs.