The Conley Crew

Future Missionary or What?!?!?!?

2012-02-10T19:52:00.001-08:00

(Jax: It'a only 2 years Mom, you will survive. Me: Nope, nope, nope I won't)

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

I hope they call me on a mission
When I have grown a foot or two
I hope by then I will be ready
To teach and preach and work as missionaries do

I hope that I can share the gospel
With those who want to know the truth
I want to be a missionary
And serve and help the Lord while I am in my youth

100 Days of the Jax Show

2012-01-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

Everyday I feel like I'm in or watching the "Jax Show". He loves it because it's all about him and I love it because he is so dang cute. I am so grateful to be a part of his day and live in his little world. I like to say I am this hard core mommy I thought I was going to be and Jax fits into my life but it's just not the way it turned out! :) This little man has me to wrapped around his finger and I am pretty sure he knows it. So today on his 100th episode (or 100th day), I thought I would give you a little peak at the Jax show.

Sometimes it's a thriller.....

Sometimes it's a tear jerker.....

Sometimes it's a drama....

Sometimes it's a comedy.....

Sometimes it's an adventure......

And sometimes it's a rom-com

We Love Tubbies.....

2012-01-24T11:36:00.001-08:00

Can't get enough of this boy!!! He loves his tubbies. He has learned if he straightens out his legs and then kicks like crazy he can splash his water everywhere! He has also started to suck on his rag that we put on his tummy to keep him warm. I can't wait to take him swimming....I could be jinxing myself, but I think he will love it :)

3rd Anniversary

2012-01-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to go out for the first time in 3 months for our anniversary!!! My sister has been trying to get me to leave my baby to go on a date for weeks and I just couldn't do it. First I felt bad, the woman has 5 kids of her own!!! Second I hadn't left my baby with another other than Jon for more than 15 minutes or so. Little did I know my sweet husband set up babysitting with two of the best babysitters EVER!.....Aunt Shauna and MaDeb (my mom). Jon knew there were a handful of people I would trust baby Jax with and he nailed it on the head.

It was so great to get out and spend time together just the two of us. We were able to see a movie which is mine and Jon's favorite past time! Thanks again to best babysitters in the world! I honestly didn't worry one minute we were gone. I only wondered how much he spit up on you guys! :)

(I stole this pic from my Mom's Facebook page, sorry no pic of Aunt Shauna :(

Our actual anniversary was on a Sunday so we got to celebrate two days in a row. The second day of celebration being @ Home.....

A little sparkling cider.....

A little carrot cake (I am usually on the ball and make our traditional anniversary carrot cake but Kneaders did the honors this year and it was wonderful!!!)

Keeping an eye on little man.....
My awesome husband making dinner.... (Yup I know I am a lucky lady ;))

I can't believe it's been 3 years....3 years, 1 condo move, 1 long 9 month pregnancy, 1 adorable baby, 5 moves within Verizon stores, tons of school at UVU for Jon and so much more. I am so grateful for Jon's determination to marry me because without it I wouldn't have him or Jax! Although marriage can be hard, the road rough, it's so beyond worth it to travel this life with Jon!!!

Sunday Best

2012-01-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

3 Months!!!

2012-01-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

I heart this little boy! It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital yesterday and at the same time feels like he has been part of our family forever. With that said, Jaxson has had a lot going on this month :). He is still a super smiley little thing, tongue included, especially in the morning. We usually wake up to him chatting away and are received by the warmest entire face smile. I love that he smiles with his WHOLE face! I still can't figure out how I got a morning baby....I am so not a morning person, I guess I will become one ;). He has also just started sleeping in his big boy crib for both naps and night time. When I was pregnant I never thought he would have been in our room this long. He has been in a port-a-crib but there was comfort in knowing he was at the end of the bed. But at the end of day I was waking up to every little noise (while Jon slept through everything!) and not getting good sleep. By no means is little man sleeping through the night.....I freakin wish!!! He does usually gives us a 5 to 7 hour stretch depending on his mood :). He has also discovered his world from a whole new perspective with his bumbo seat. He never usually lasts a long time but loves it. Also he started rolling over but again it's only when he wants to. Most of the time he looks at me and puts his head down like he's tired. But every once in while the noggin goes over and then the rest of him follows. We are stills struggling with his acid reflux and constant spit ups (day & night) but he seems to be doing okay with it. He is what they call a happy spitter on medicine. He loves to face out because he likes to be part of the party but will snuggle when he gets up from naps which I love. Naps have improved....thank goodness! We discovered his room has to be pretty much pitch black and he needs to be on his tummy. If we put him on his back he just smiles and giggles because he can see mom and dad. He still loves his binks during sleepy time. He is showing a lot more interest in his toys and loves to put everything in his mouth including his & my fingers. He thinks that standing on my legs is the best and tries to climb up to get higher. He is also extremely ticklish like his Dad. He gets very excited when he knows its time to eat....it's so CUTE! We also had his first Christmas which was so fun...probably more fun for Jon and I then for him but we loved it!!!! I seriously can't believe how big he is.

"Look at What I Can Do......"

Bumbo Time

2012-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

(**Seriously when did my baby get so big!!! It's killing me how fast he is growing!!! Every couple of days it hits me just how fast it goes by.)

A couple of days ago Jon and I noticed Jaxson kept trying to sit up when he was laying back, almost like he was doing crunches. It was pretty cute! We would just help him sit up and support his back and he was happy as a clam. I mentioned this to my sister, Shauna, who said maybe he was ready for the bumbo. In my mind my baby came home from the hospital yesterday so there was no way he was ready for the bumbo. :) But that night I busted out the bumbo and let's just say little man was heaven. He could see his whole world and was loving it.

"Enjoy Him"

2012-01-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

This past week I went to refill Jaxson's acid reflux meds at the pharmacy. As I waited to be rung up I started chatting with a gentleman. He went through the standard stranger questions about Jaxson: how old is he? Is he your first? Does he sleep well, etc. I explained to the man my babes was not the best napper and just wants to be held and loved. I told him I wish I had a manual for my munchkin as being a first time parent can be overwhelming. Then with the sincerest face this sweet man told me figuring out my little man will be hard but be the best part. He told me to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy Jaxson everyday. He said he was just sure my baby would start napping on his own when he was ready but soon he would be too busy to cuddle and be grown soon after that. I so needed to hear that! I had been over stressing about naps and determined I was a horrible mom because i could just not get my baby figured out. Surely enough I was reminded to be a good mom was to love my little boy and keep trying to write the manual for Jax. :)

Moment to Moment

2012-01-12T16:04:00.001-08:00

I remember a little ways back I was talking to my sister, Shauna, about her kids and being a mom. She said (not verbatim, the conversation was too long ago) often times you have to thrive off of the special mommy moments to make it through the hard times. It made sense at the time but having my little guy now, I can emphatically agree! In past three months I have never been so tired, frustrated or agitated in my whole life. However I have also never felt so blessed, loved or fulfilled. Right now in our house every nap is a fight/train wreck. But when little man wakes up after much struggle to get him down, he greets me with the sweetest I missed you momma smile. In that special mommy moment I melt and remember why I love being a mom! I attempt to hold onto that moment through the next fussy time because I know just around the corner he will melt my heart with something like holding my hand or stick his tongue out when he smiles. So for today and I am sure many more days if not years to come I will live moment to moment.

Boppy Time!

2012-01-10T17:09:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe how fast my little guy is growing. Everyone says you won't believe how fast they grow but it's so different when it actually happens and so true! Everyday I am amazed how much he changes and progresses. Tonight I was holding him and he had his binky in his mouth and kept playing with it with his tiny fingers instead of just knocking it out which is his norm. I know it sounds like something so little but as his momma he never ceases to amaze me!

Tummy Time.....

Buggy Time......

And Smiles..........

First Haircut

2012-01-06T18:05:00.001-08:00

Poor Jaxson got the inevitable baby mullet. I put off cutting his hair for a week or so thinking it wasn't that bad. Then recently I saw the back of his head while Jon was holding him and I thought oh it is that bad, it's time! So we busted out the clippers and Jon went to work. After a few hair divets the baby boy was done and it looked pretty good.

Before...........

After........

New Years Eve

2011-12-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

People kept asking what Jon and I were doing for New Years Eve and honestly I forgot it was New Years till late that morning. As you might have guessed we stayed in and hung out. We did make it till midnight probably due to a late feeding for the mister that night but as you can tell by his tired little face at 10:30pm he did not make it till midnight :).

Christmas Day Brunch

2011-12-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

After a great sacrament meeting at church (hymns and testimonies) Brooke and her girlies, Taylor & Hailey, came over for a little brunch (well it was after lunch but I still say it was brunch!). It was so fun to chat and eat and spend time with family. Although we couldn't spend Christmas day with all the family we love so much please know you were in our hearts! :)

We had really good intentions on making it to Jon's aunt's house Christmas day night. I got the munchkin fed and ready to go but at the end of the day, we, Jax included,were pretty worn out. Here is how little man got worn out......

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

Little secret about me.....Being the youngest in my family I had a little naughty streak. On Christmas Eve, my parents usually put us all in the same room before bed thinking we would hopefully stay put. Well my parents, like most had the "you can only get out of bed at x o'clock in the morning". So in my mind that meant I should probably sneak down before anyone else got up to see what Santa brought because if I was the only one that's not technically breaking the time rule. Yeah that was pretty bad but it's not the worse part, I would get so excited about what I saw that I had no choice but to go get everyone up and inevitably I would slip and say what I saw downstairs and I would get in lots of trouble! :)

This year the roles reversed....well kind of. We now have our own little human alarm clock who woke us up relatively early and we were able to share in the magic of Christmas with him! :)

Making our way out to see what Santa brought......

He loved his floor gym......

Then we opened some presents......

Then it was onto breakfast and our classic Christmas morning movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". Someone got quite tuckered out and only made it a few minutes into the movie :).

*How grateful I am for the season to celebrate our Savior's birth. I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have been born & raised in gospel and feel especially grateful to raise Jaxson in it as well. What an amazing gift we have received from Christ and what a wonderful time to celebrate it. :)

Years of Christmas Morning: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

2 Months Old!!!

2011-12-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

This month has been all kinds of exciting at our house. Jaxson has been smiling up a storm including the tongue smile which is adorable and has been throwing in some coos and talking. He loves his binky which is a blessing and a curse for Jon and I but he has also found his hands, which he LOVES. He is a very cuddly baby and loves to face-to-face snuggles. He really just loves to be loved.He doesn't like naps and thinks sleep is for the weak....which SUCKS! We are hoping this phase passes and it passes sooner rather than later. He is the wiggliest little baby, from his fingers to his toes. He still loves tubbies, his bouncer, has a love/hate relationship with his swing. He adores the TV and ceiling fan as they remain his best friends. He has also recently seen himself in the mirror and finds this quite amusing. He is a social little guy who loves to be around "his people" and doesn't want to miss anything.

We also took him to the doctor for his 2 month check up and he is 75% percentile for height (23.5 inches), 50% percentile for weight (11 pounds 9 ounces) and 25% percentile for head (39.1 cm). We also found out that Jax more than likely has acid reflux and was put on a compound medication which he hates unless mixed in with breast milk. We have seen some what of an improvement during awake time and night time but not during nap time. His pediatrician says he is doing great and right on target with his growth.In addition to his check up he got his first set of shots....HATE SHOTS! They were the saddest thing because the poor little guy whaled through them. He was pretty grumpy for the rest of the day and the next day. Thank goodness for baby Tylenol. I was thinking he wouldn't need it but he definitely did. All and all he is doing great! :)

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

I love this tradition! So fun every year to throw out a little creativity and mix it with good food and company.:)

Years of Gingerbread Houses: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

Loving the Tree

2011-12-06T18:38:00.001-08:00

"I Found My Hands"

2011-12-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am a huge Christmas junkie! I love pretty much everything about the season. To kick it off Jon and I decorate, okay I decorate and Jon hangs out! :) Then we cuddle up, watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate. This year we have the added bonus of Jaxson, who knocked out pretty early but did like the lights.

How Can You Not Love This Face......

2011-12-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at the many expressions Jaxson makes. Sometimes I just finding myself cracking up. This is one of my favorites looks. Literally this kid gets more fun everyday!!!

Camera Shy Photos

2011-11-30T18:34:00.000-08:00

Jaxson's Blessing

2011-11-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

We were so fortunate to have a lot of family in town over Thanksgiving weekend so we decided that it would be a great opportunity to bless Jaxson. My sister, Shauna and brother-in-law, Tim, were so generous and allowed us to use their home for the blessing which worked out great. It was a beautiful blessing given by Jon and it was amazing to have Jax surrounded by so much family and worthy priesthood holders. It was such a powerful reminder to me that Jaxson is a gift from Heavenly Father and we are blessed to have him in our family. Thanks for everyone who came and made it such a special day for Jaxson and our family.(Between Shauna and I we literally had hundreds of photos, but here is just a handful).

Temple Square 2011

2011-11-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

Temple Square 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

Always such a fun but cold tradition. This year there wasn't any snow but the wind was a blowing and it was freezing! I will say it felt weird to go with no snow on the ground but it was still great to feel the spirit of the temple. It was also an experience to go with a stroller for the first time. I felt like we were always looking for elevators or enlisting help to get the strollers up and down steps but like I said still a fun tradition.

One Month Old!!!

2011-11-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Oh we love this boy sooooo incredibly much! It's hard to imagine that a month ago he was a bump and 10 months ago he wasn't even here in any form! Even though sleep is more rare and diapers are now pretty much in every room, we feel so blessed to have this little boy in our life & family. He has started grabbing onto things a lot more and just started responsive smiling....well really its still every once in while when he is in the mood :). His neck is getting crazy strong and he loves to look around. His favorite things to look at are the TV and the ceiling fan, they are his best friends. He is a fan of his bouncer but not his swing. He prefers to be around people and holding hands. He does not like to take naps alone and will sleep forever if he is being held. I heart his random breastfeeding smiles and his new found coos. He grunts like a crazy person at night and during the day. He is very particular about his potty, preferring to poop in a clean diaper....it's pretty dang funny! Not matter how long we wait to change his diaper, as soon as he has a clean one, he lets it rip. And let me tell you I have never smelled a breastfed baby with poop that stinks as bad as my little boy's! As challenging as it is to be a parent, we are so blessed to be Jaxson's parents.

My Baby Has Old Man Hair

2011-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

A lot going on in the back and sides but the top is quickly thinning out.....dang cradle cap is not helping his cause. Hopefully it will grow back sooner rather than later or I might have to bust out the clippers to even it up! :)

Tummy Time

2011-11-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Jax's First Halloween

2011-10-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

Jax had a great first Halloween! He might have only been 11 days old but he lived it up! During the afternoon we went to see his Foundations aunties (Em, Crystal & Jen) for the first time but not wearing his costume....because this kid spits up A LOT! Later that evening I dressed up the cutest skeleton ever and we headed out to see Jon at work.

First Big Tubby

2011-10-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yay! Jax's umbilical cord stump fell off so we decided it was time for a real tubby. Little man loved the tubby....well as much as a newborn can :). While he was in the tub he was a content little guy but as soon as we took him out the big cries came. He does not like to be cold. The little guy runs so warm I think it ends up being a huge shock for him. All in all it was a big success.

Snuggling with his MaDeb

2011-10-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have my mom come and stay with us the first week we were home with Jaxson. It was so nice to take showers and naps in addition to all the mom advice & other help. Little man is such a snuggle bug, so him and his MaDeb were two peas in a pod. Thanks again for everything mom! Love you!!!

First Sponge Bath

2011-10-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Oh the first bath, well sponge bath. Jax runs really warm and hates, hates, hates being cold. So the only part of the sponge bath he enjoyed was being bundled in his towel and getting his hair rinsed. Hopefully his first full bath will go better.

The Hospital

2011-10-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

On October 20th, 2011, two days over my due date my mom and I went into my doctor for a check up. At this point, I had been dilated to a 2 for three weeks so when my doctor said I was still a 2 I about screamed! I told him that for the past few days leading up to my appointment little dude had gotten very lethargic and would only move when prompted. He then ordered a non-stress decreased fetal movement test at the hospital and had me go directly there. He also might have mentioned that holding my breath for a couple of seconds could cause a dip in the baby's pressure which would allow him to induce labor earlier than my week over inducement date. The only part of the scenario that sucked was I hadn't eaten because I was running late for my appointment. So my mom and I headed directly over to the hospital and they hooked me up to the fetal monitor. After about an hour and a few breath holds, the nurse came in and said she and my doctor reviewed the monitoring session and decided to induce my labor because there had been a slight momentary dip in little man's pressure. So I called Jon and let him know to head over because we were having a baby!!!

After what seemed like forever they moved me into the delivery room to start my inducement. Our awesome first nurse, Kelsey, came in to put in my IV. Little did we know I have small "rolly" veins. She made two attempts to get my IV in and no go and let me tell you vein fishing is very painful. She then had the charge nurse come in to try. Unfortunately her first try hurt the most because it ruptured. After that she was able to finally get the IV in with a very very small needle. Shortly after the IV was in, my doc came in and broke my water and let me tell you that was quite the experience, biggest gush ever. Jon started laughing because it was like a flood. I also had no idea that every time you contract for quite a while, you will continue to gush amniotic fluid.....so gross! Once my water was broke, Kelsey hooked me up to the pictocin. I was just sure an epidural at this point would slow my labor because I had heard so many stories to that effect so I told my nurse I would wait on the epidural. After she turned up the pictocin three times and I was shaking each contraction this lady was DONE! My nurse called, Dan, the best anesthesiologist ever! I was actually pretty petrified to get it, again the horror stories, but it didn't hurt and was AMAZING when it kicked it. After that my labor rocked! The only glitch to this point was little man's pressure. He was not a huge fan of contractions and had a few pressure dips. They decided to put me on oxygen to help him out. When I got to a 10 I was shocked because it seemed so quick but I was definitely feeling a lot of pressure with every contraction. I had previously spoken with my doctor about doing rest and descend, where you get to a 10 and then just rest and let your body move your baby down the birth canal. So I did rest and descend for about 2 hours and my second nurse, Laura, would have me do practice pushes to see if my body was ready.

Before I started pushing we all (Jon, my mom, my sister, Shauna (one of my other sisters, Jen, was in the cafeteria with her little boy, Cole, so I didn't traumatize him) and my doctor) guessed how many pushes. I think everyone was trying to be really positive because it was a lot more pushes than stated. It ended up being about 15 to 20 minutes of pushing which was nice. Unfortunately during the pushes little man's pressure started to dip and he was having a hard time recovering. They decided to put a monitor on his head to keep a closer eye on him and my doctor also said that if he didn't make his way out pretty quick they would use the vacuum. When I heard that I pushed like I have never pushed before. He came out a few pushes later at 8:10pm (10/20/2011). As soon as he came out, I said "Oh my gosh, I birthed a toddler!". My little baby looked huge to me. After he gave a quick little cry, he stopped and was super quiet, alert and content. In all labor was about 7 and half hours.

Right away they laid him on my chest and asked Jon if he wanted to cut the cord. He decided he wanted to stay conscious and opted out (my hubby doesn't do gore).

After that, they took him to weigh and measure. He was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long....a short chubby dude!

Then everything went pretty usual, we passed him around so Jon, my mom and two of my sisters (Jen & Shauna, who isn't pictured because she was our amazing photographer!)could give him a cuddle.

After that little man and I did a little kangaroo time. He loved the skin on skin and was such a content little guy. They also had me feed him and he was a little barracuda. I was quite surprised that he just went to town for a good period of time.

After that Jon and Laura, our nurse, took him down to the nursery. Jon said little man was so content they were having a hard time getting him to cry. They finally scrubbed his feet and got him to cry. He also said little man loved having his hair washed.

Now this is the part that sucked a lot for me. Because you can't eat once you are admitted to the hospital it had been a over 24 hours since I had eaten. When the nurse came back to take me to the bathroom so they could move me to my recovery room, I about passed out on the floor. Every time I tried to stand up, it felt like my head would fill with fire and would go completely weak. I think it took me a good 15 minutes to get from the bed to the bathroom and then sat with my head between my legs on the toliet for another 15 to 20 minutes....super miserable! After I got to the recovery room, Jon and little man came back and then Jon headed out to get us food. That night and the next night, little man spent his time in the nursery and only came in to eat at night and spent his days with us which was a nice deal.

The next day we kept getting text messages asking us for his name. We went back and forth between Jaxson (Jax) and William (Will)until the day we were released. On our last day in the hospital, Jon said he really felt like he was a Jaxson. I had still been wavering but in the end I had to admit he looked like a Jaxson not a William. So little dude was finally named, Jaxson Clark Conley.

Saturday afternoon we headed home and man was that intimidating! Thank goodness my mom came home with us for the next week and Jon stayed home from work which was awesome. More to come on those adventures!!!

Belly @ 38 to 40 Weeks

2011-10-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

38 Weeks

39 Weeks

40 Weeks & SO OVER IT!

Belly @ 34 to 37 Weeks

2011-09-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

34 Weeks

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

Oh how I am starting to feel like a beached whale! I now know why everyone says the last month is torture.......because it is! Also it has been confirmed once again that Heavenly Father is a mastermind. As a first time mom, I am so nervous for my little dude to come and would possibly keep him in there forever if it was comfy. However Heavenly Father makes you so uncomfortable in your last month, you are begging for that baby to come out. Let the begging begin!!!! :)

Belly @ 30 to 33 Weeks

2011-09-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

Belly @ 26 to 29 Weeks

2011-08-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Week 26

Week 27

Week 28

Week 29

Belly @ 24 Weeks & 25 Weeks

2011-07-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

24 Weeks

25 Weeks

*POP!.....goes the belly. I looked down the other day and thought what the heck just happened, my belly popped again. And I know its just going to keep doing it over and over again until its huge but still! I look at ladies that are 40 weeks preggers and I want to cry for them and then I realize that is going to be me and I want to cry for me! :(

Before the 4th Canyon BBQ

2011-07-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

A little dutch oven food, fun and walk to Bridal Veil Falls = great afternoon! :)

Belly @ Week 22 & Week 23

2011-06-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

22 Weeks

23 Weeks

*I know it will be a while until I fit into my clothes again but I am already missing them!!! I was looking at pre-pregnancy pictures the other day I kept thinking oh that is cute, I should wear that and then I had to remind myself the belly will have none of it. :( Oh well, little man is worth it. Just hope all the walking, elliptical and yoga help in the end!!!

Belly @ 20 Weeks & 21 Weeks

2011-06-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Week 20

Week 21

Lazy Eye?!?!!?

2011-06-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Don't you just L-O-V-E my lazy eye belly button. Every time I look at it I seriously crack up. I have hiatal hernia on the right side of my belly button. As my tummy gets bigger the lazy eye gets worse. Fingers crossed it doesn't POP out.

21 Weeks.....The Doc Said What?!

2011-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun appointment. Jon and I were able to see how big little man has gotten. Sure I feel him kick like crazy but to see him kick his leg over and over again when the doctor is trying to measure his femur, it becomes so real and quite amusing....He definitely already has a mind of his own. He is measuring 2 days ahead on his legs, heads, heart, etc. But he is measuring the biggest around his tummy. Our doctor was teasing us, saying we are going to have a fat baby. At one point we were all laughing so hard he had to stop the ultrasound. Later in the ultrasound I asked Dr. Ollerton if I could get a profile pic. As he tried to get the picture, little man kept turning his head.....such a freakin bugger!!!! But do you see that profile picture, I am in love with that little face. :) We did get one piece of bummer news, I have complete placenta previa. The doctor is pretty sure that as my uterus grows, the placenta will move up because it is mainly concentrated on the right side. Right now I am on pelvic restriction which isn't too bad. We will have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to see how the placenta previa has progressed and because our DVD didn't record we get to do another full ultrasound....love that part! He will be so much bigger at 28 weeks!

Cabo San Lucas

2011-05-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

We love a get away at our house. My mom and Rick generously let us tag along on their Mexican vaca again. :). This trip we really just wanted to veg. Jon had been feeling pretty run down with his school & work schedule and I wanted a nice rest before the baby came so we headed out to California (for our friend Garrett's wedding) and then on to Mexico. We were able to spend a little time with Jon's parents, sisters and their families in California as well which was great.

The Resort
It was our first time in Cabo and the water was beautiful, temps were hot and the pool nice and cold. Jon liked the water slide at the resort, shocker I know. Only downer, they allowed people to smoke at the pool. Which is annoying for anyone that doesn't smoke but really annoying when you have a bun in the oven. My mom got super protective of the little guy and me and we kept moving around. :) She's such a good MaDeb.

Pool time
This is where we spent the majority of our time. Nice & relaxing.

"If you like pina coladas..."
We went to this restaurant quite a few times and they had the best pina coladas. They were huge and cheap. We pretty much had them every night.

The Crazy Waves
The first few days in Cabo, there were small waves but then three days in these huge waves started to roll in. It's kind of hard to see in the picture but the waves were a good 20 to 30 feet at times and would wash up to the hotel baring walls and they would sound like thunder. Really fun to watch.

Oh The Buses!!!!
The buses were crazy. They did not have shocks what so ever. So every tiny bump felt like a mountain but they were cheap and went where we needed to go.

Ice Cream...Yummy!
You can't go on vacation with my mom and not get ICE CREAM. Not going to lie it was way yummy :)

The Marina
One night we decided to cruise the marina, which turned into being stalked by every restaurant to eat there. But we still had a good time.

Lovers Beach & Divorce Beach
I loved this place. It was right across the Sea of Cortez. But because of the crazy waves they could not bring the boats onto Lovers Beach so we decided to hike over the rocks (even my mom with her back and knee and Rick with his knee) to both beaches. It was beautiful! I loved the rock formations and amazing water. This lady loves a little adventure.

Snorkling

Walking the Streets
Most nights after dinner we walked the streets of Cabo which was a nice way to get a little exercise and see the city. Don't worry we would eventually catch the bus back....this pregger lady would get tired! :)

16 Weeks......It's a Boy!!!!

2011-05-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

First of all can I say we love, love, love our doctor, Dr. Ollerton @ Valley OBGYN. He has an awesome and fun bedside manner......that and he let me find out the gender of the baby at my 16 week appointment. I went in for routine appointment and he asked if we should try for a gender. Jon was not there but he is so mellow I knew he would be okay with it!I told him my mom would be so excited because she jokingly had asked if I could find out so how could I resist. After no time at all on the not so great ultra sound machine, he found a little penis. At first I was little sad because I really thought he was a girl and I was prepared for that. But as I thought about it I became really excited. Yes I might turn him into a mama's boy but oh well. After my appointment I drove straight to Jon's work and showed him some ultrasound pics. As soon as he saw the one marked boy, he got the biggest smile on his face....he said he knew it was a boy :) We are completely and utterly excited to welcome this little boy into our family and can't wait to meet him.

Baby Conley @ 12 weeks, 3 days

2011-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

The first picture.....so precious, right? I know its a little bean but we love it!!! It actually took a while to get into the doctor because we wanted to be seen in a specific office location, the American Fork office. Jon and I both work in AF so we figured it was a pretty logical choice, right? Guess again, the lady I spoke with to schedule was soooooooooooo bugged with me. She kept telling me the doctor wanted to see me between 8 and 10 weeks and I needed to go the Orem office. Granted its only 10 to 15 minutes further each way but that adds up with time missed from work for both of us. And I was almost 8 weeks already when I called to schedule, yup I am a procrastinator. I was fine with waiting for an AF appointment to open up but she sooooooo was not. She kept huffing and puffing and I was trying my hardest not to laugh. She finally got me in a month later to the AF office after much negotiation. Who would have thought, right??? :) Oh well, when I went in for the first appointment I was a little over 12 weeks. They did an ultrasound to make sure the dates were accurate. Our doctor, Dr. Ollerton, commented on how its kind of rare to see a hand on such an early ultrasound and Jon who had been pretty silent the whole appointment (pap smear so not his thing!) says, "that's because I have big hands". I started busting up so hard. I swear only my husband would say that as we have the first ultrasound of our first child. Love him!!!

And a baby makes three!!!

2011-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

We are beyond excited & heck yes, NERVOUS....we are having a baby!!! Due date is October 18th and the bump is growing! We find out what we are having around the end of May. But first thing is first...the story :). We had been doing the whole we aren't trying thing but were not not trying thing. So when February rolled around and my unloved monthly friend didn't, I start to think hmmm that's a little odd but I waited a few days because I thought there's no way. After the gym on Valentine's day (5 days late) I thought yeah maybe I should take a test. So I went home and used the first stick and went about my nightly to do list kind of forgetting about the stick. I came back a half an hour or so later and was greeted by a bright "+" sign.
I fumbled for the box and remove the second stick because the first one had to be defective! I used the second stick and this time I checked it after the 2 minutes....surprise surprise the first one was not defective, bright "+" sign again.
At this point Jon was still at work and my wheels started spinning. I thought oh what a freakin' awesome V-day present, he is never going to be able to top this.....EVER! So I put the sticks in a plastic baggie because come on they have pee on them :) and wrapped them up V-day style.
After that I just paced because I was dying to tell him. When he got home he walked right past my present so I made him go back and open it. When he opened the "present" he laughed but didn't get it. He thought I was hinting that I was beyond ready for a baby.
After some prompting he took a second look at the plastic baggie. I wanted him to see where I had taped the box instruction indicating a positive pregnancy test. After he looked at the baggie again, he looked at me but with a questioning look on his face. So I finally said "We are pregnant!". His whole face lit up and he kept asking really? really? He is beyond excited!

The End for now....more to come!!! :)

Our 2nd Anniversary

2011-01-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

For our second anniversary we decided to lay low. Jon had been crazy busy with school work and regular work. I knew if I wanted he would take me out for a night on the town. He had in fact made reservations but instead I suggested dinner at home. I could see the look of relief spread across his face as his exhaustion set in. Now when I say a night in it doesn't mean this lady made dinner. I am not super chef and I know it, so we may have gone to our favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, and scored some steaks. But I do love to bake so I surprised him with home-made to die for carrot cake...kind of our anniversary tradition. It ended up being a great night in :) How grateful I am for a hard working, determined yet mellow, patient and loving husband. I am one lucky lady :)

Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

I love our lazy Christmas mornings. I know we won't have them forever but I am cherishing them for now. We got to sleep in, in our Christmas EVE jammies! Jon says I am like a little kid who can't sleep in on Christmas morning, I don't think 8:30 is that early :). I guess old habits die hard. I was usually the first one up as a kid. Yup I am the baby of the family. Then we opened presents and we ATE. This year we scarfed down Costco cinnamon rolls and they were YUMMY (not as good as the tradition stolen bread but they did the trick). We also started a new tradition of watching Its a Wonderful Life. It was my first time watching it, crazy I know, and I LOVED it. Did I cry....heck yesser!!! Love me a happy ending :) So while it lasts I will LOVE our lazy Christmas mornings.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Another year of my favorite tradition....Christmas Eve! :) Every year we see to have different special visitors that make the night even more awesome. This year it was Mom, Rick and Grandma Letti. It was awesome night as usual. We ate too much, laughed too hard, talked too late, etc, etc. The usual festivities commenced including a visit from Santa (lead in with carols so he can find his way), finding the pickle in the tree(German tradition), the Nativity story, stuffing our guts till we wanted to burst, changing into Christmas Eve jammies. Oh yes Jon and I do have Christmas jammies. His had Pink moose on them this year :) Yup I picked those bad boys out! We do all that and so much more. I love being around family and celebrating the birth of our Savior. What a great evening and an amazing tradition carried on.

Sledding in Midway

2010-12-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

What could be more fun than sledding at Midway....honestly, not a lot of things! I love watching the kids barrel down the hill, no fear what so ever. And occasionally there is some bowling pin action where a ball (sledder) takes down a pin (innocent, or not so innocent bystander). The kids are always such good sports and the adults, oh wait I am pretty sure there aren't any adults as they have all reverted into children. :)

The Lights @ Temple Square.... Because It's Tradition

2010-12-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

Gotta love traditions! Temple Square has definitely become one of my favorite during the Christmas season. Even though it is usually freakin' cold and my feet hurt by the end (heels don't help!:)), I always love the spirit felt and time spent with family. Whether its seeing the look of amazement on kids' faces or hearing the Nativity story or viewing the Christus statue, its amazing.

Gingerbread Houses 2010

2010-12-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

The tradition continues :) I love gathering around the table and building fun, crazy gingerbread houses as we chat about everything and nothing. The fancy houses continued and maybe a junkyard house or two...gotta love the piling on of candy for later. Thanks Watsons for hosting a great night as usual. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

I love that every year I have a specific opportunity to reflect on all of my many blessings and the many blessings Jon and I have in our family. I am blessed with a great husband, a lovely roof over my head, a good job working with friends I love, supportive family and amazing friends, the truth of the gospel and honestly the list goes on and on. What a great day to reflect. :)

Halloween @ the office

2010-10-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

*Indian #1*Witch*Doctor Em*Skier*Indian #2*

HeeHaws Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

I promise we did end up picking out pumpkins....we just had a lot of fun along the way.

Carving Pumpkins with the Heaths

2010-10-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's always a good time when the Heaths come to play. Thanks for playing and carving pumpkins you guys! (I promise I'm sending you an email with the pics :))

Craft Night

2010-10-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

How can you not LOVE a craft night? Diet coke, treats, Talladega Nights quotes and sisser fun! And oh yeah there is a craft somewhere in there too. :)

Max's Baptism

2010-10-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you I love this kid?!!?! He truly is an awesome little dude. Not to mention he is a great big brother, a blast of a nephew and he happens to have a heart of gold. I am so proud of him and his decision to get baptized. I am so excited for the continued clarity & blessings it will bring to his life...Way to go bud! :)

Family Fun @ Trafalga

2010-10-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure when people see our group coming, they think holy crap! If you know me, you know I am loud, crazy and yes I am going to say it....awesome. :) Yup I went there. When I get together with my sissers, all those things are just magnified and I LOVE it!!! Add some kiddies and husbands on top and you have a really good time!!!

Backyard Campfire

2010-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

I love being a part of the Watson adventures! I came over to watch the Lola Lady but they ended up doing a campfire in the back yard....LOVE IT! No matter what they do, they have a good time!

Just Another Date Night

2010-09-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Utah State Fair

2010-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Jon has never been to a carnival??? Crazy talk, right? This lady grew up going to the Puyallup Fair!!! Best fair ever :) Unfortunately that's a pretty hefty trip to experience the joy of a carnival, so we went to next best thing....The Utah State Fair.
Of course he had to experience the elephant ears.....sadly not nearly as good as the ones back home. And go on the best ride ever.....the Zipper! He was a little skeptical (see the face above) but he loved it. Only glich, Jon forgot to take the change out of his pockets and it kept hitting him the head....kind of funny :)

We did a little booth shopping.

We had to go visit the livestock, of course :)
Jon shhhing the sheep. He is such a weirdo, but he's my weirdo.

All and all it was great success.

Visit of Fun

2010-08-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

When the Goodwin Girls come to town, we fit a lot into a little amount of time!

A Little Hike

A Little Sisser Time

A Little Seven Peaks

A Little Pool Time

Another Little Hike

A Little Yuba Lake

LOVE A GOODWIN GIRLS VISIT!

Baby You Want Some Gum.......

2010-08-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Oh I love to camp. I really do, always have and probably always will. But this lady is a firm believer in the 10pm rule. Quiet time after 10pm!!! Here is a little story about the worst quiet time offenders EVER!
Jon and I tagged along with the Watty Wattsons for a last minute camping trip up AF canyon. I knew a great spot from when I went camping with my friends from work. The spot is technically two spots, but that's not really important until later in our story. The night started off great. We hung out, threw some rocks in the river, cooked awesome tin foil dinners (thanks Shaun), played with fire and headed to bed.

Then at about 2am, I heard people setting up camp next to our site. Jon and I looked at each other and agreed they would probably set up camp and go to bed, especially since it sounded like they had a toddler......unfortunately that so did not happen! After they loudly set up camp, they started fire and a movie. Oh yesser I said a movie!
(Site in the AM)
At this point I think they had been asked multiple times by our camp to keep it down which usually lasted a couple of minutes and then they were loud again. After they woke up all five kids, our camp had had it and started to yell over at them. Even my mild Jon yelled (never happens!!!). They informed us this is how they camped and basically get over it.
So you are probably wondering where the title of my post (Baby you want some gum) comes from. Keep in mind these people have a toddler who has been up this whole time. So as the last star faded from the sky, the other group attempts to put their baby to sleep and all we can hear is the poor baby crying and then we hear the most awesome phrase of camping experience..."baby you want some gum."
The sad thing for them was, no matter how late the Watson kids stay up they are pretty consistant with time they get up......6:30am. :)

Max's face right here says it all.....ahahahahahaha ahahahaaha.
Suckers......Oh revenge is sweet!! Yup I am evil!!! Moral of the story......RESPECT QUIET TIME :) Hope you enjoyed my forever long rant :) Love me some camping.

Camping with the Girls

2010-07-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah doesn't matter where we are, we have a blast. Even when "some people" think they are going to get eaten by bears and bring a gun!!! I'm just sayin'..................

Dirty!

We ran out of wood but "found" this big log in the "forrest". Okay it might have been a log bench from the other camping site....same difference right? :) Haha it definately did not burn as expected....pooped out big time!

4th of July

2010-07-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Oh we love a Watson party and how could we not....look at how cute the kiddies are. Good food and street fireworks, what more could you ask for?!

Winco Reads Minds...............

2010-06-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

We just got a Winco right by our condo complex. I went over there not to long after it opened and noticed this sign and couldn't help but crack up laughing.

I would totally "borrow" a cart. We live close enough to walk but not to carry a bunch of groceries. They totally read minds!

This Is When You Know You Are Tired......

2010-06-20T23:18:00.001-07:00

Yup that's a receipt in my cup!

Sleep Over Awesomeness

2010-06-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love when I get to steal Shauna and Tim's kiddies for a sleep over. I swear we fit two days of stuff into a night and morning....a little Wii, Rockband, Ghostbusters, Monsters vs. Aliens, etc., etc. Here is a typical night at the Conley's when we have little awesome visitors!

Movie Recommendation: A Team

2010-06-20T22:56:00.001-07:00

Probably the best movie I have seen in the theater all year. Perfect combination of comedy and action.....great movie. And I didn't grow up with cable (seriously the sticks only had two channels), so I had no idea there was a TV show! But when Jon and I left the theater I couldn't stop saying what a great movie it was. If you get a chance go see it and if you don't like it .......well, then you are just CRAZY! :)

Jon's Golden Birthday....27 on the 27th!

2010-06-20T19:24:00.001-07:00

Poor Jon had to work on his birthday so I decided to douse our house with gold for his golden birthday.

When I found a website with personalized signs I couldn't resist and got Jon a "Man Cave" sign for his office. My hubby loves his Man Cave :).

And picked up his favorite meal from Macaroni Grill.

That weekend I decided to do something a little different for his birthday. We are big movie buffs and frequent the movies for date night. At The District they have seats that move and shake with the Prince of Persia movie called D-Box seats. So I blindfolded him to keep the mystery of his birthday surprise. He says he didn't know where we were going but I think he might have....even though I did donuts in the parking lot for a while! We definitely had mixed feelings about the D-box seats but all in all it was a fun night!

My Birthday

2010-06-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Yup I am always pretty grumpy on my birthday and you can see by the office get-up why. :) (love you girls!) Birthdays are definitely not my favorite thing but I am grateful for the numerous people that make great efforts to ensure I have a special day. And I did not and will not list my age on my birthday post because I have decided to be perpetually 25! Go me! Yes I know I am crazy :) And if people post any other age for me....they are lying ;)

Edit.........Sissy Bday Dinner

Mazatlan

2010-05-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

Oh I LOVE a vacation! Mom and Rick were so generous and let us tag along on their recent trip to Mazatlan and we had a blast!!!!! Here is a recap of our adventure in Mazatlan, Mexico.

It's all about location, location, location.....And they were all awesome! Here is a little taste :)

City Tour
We were able to see a lot of Mazatlan through this tour. Including the cathedral, market, historic housing and much more. It was freakin' hot because we walked quite a bit but still fun.

We Love to EAT! Some restaurants were good and one was HORRIBLE! (See shrimp picture, I still get nauseous when I look at the picture).

Our First Zipline!
I guess during the rainy season the zip-line tour is beautiful. It was pretty ugly but the lack of landscape did not diminish the awesome adrenaline. 2 thumbs way up!

Trip to Stone Island
This was the day Jon and I were really sick. Mexico and I do not get along when it comes to my stomach....freakin Mexico. Anyways!, we still had a fun day and Jon rode a horse for the first time.....I know CRAZY! I think they were more like ponies. Sad side note, horse conditions in Mexico are soooooo sad, I wanted to take mine home!

Because who doesn't like a night or two out on the town.....

Apple Soda Obsession
I got my mom addicted to an awesome Mexican apple soda. It's so ridiculously yummy. I actually got hooked on it during my honeymoon and was able to bring a ton back because we were on a cruise....not so lucky this trip!

And now the saddest part of the trip.....coming home!

There are seriously tons more pictures but this post is already long enough! :) Just a few more memories I don't want to forget:
- Best chicken avocado sandwich EVER!
- Watching a movie every night
- Mom trying to get me to play NERTS with partners
- The gecko Jon knocked the tail off of as he swept it outside and the tail kept wiggling for a really long time.....super gross! But kind of cool.
- Collecting sea shells for the kiddies
- All our pool friends
- The pool geckos
- Falling asleep a lot!

Cake Class

2010-05-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

We look so studious in these pics, love it! Anyways, Shauna and I had talked about taking a cake decorating class for forever. We found out Roberts offered a beginners class, which I actually had to end up sneaking my way into. Shauna kept reminding to sign up and well, me being me, I put it off and when I went to sign up the class was full. With Shaun's crazy 5 kid schedule it would be months before we could take it together again, so I bought my supplies, crossed my fingers and showed up to beg the teacher. She was an awesome lady who, after a little hesitation, let me join the class. It really turned out to be a lot more work than I thought but we had a blast and made some pretty great cakes. Now if I could only tackle the fondant beast!

I LoVe My PErsOnaL StALker

2010-04-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

I love my personal stalker. I ask him what or where I want to eat on any given night, he looks at me very intently and guesses....he's right 99% of the time. I give him a look and in two seconds he comes closer or he runs away. He knows when I feel fat, when I need extra encouragement, when I need to be told I am a good person or I am beautiful or my efforts were more than enough. He knows when our family needs to be closer to the spirit. He knows when I am struggling with life and what makes it better. He knows how to get me to roll my eyes in laughter or smile just so. He knows how to remove the weight of the world from shoulders. Sometimes he knows me better than I know myself. The way I see it....the only way this guy can do and know all these things is if he is my personal stalker. :)

I Really Hate KARMA!

2010-04-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been the evening from HELL! Yup that bad. However it's also been a lesson in humility & compassion. Well here is the story.....For those of you who don't know I work at an insurance agency. We do everything from auto, home, ATV's, boat insurance to life and health insurance as well. Working in that line of business you become very detailed oriented and tend to over read everything. So after almost two and half years working there I had determined everyone should read all items that come to them in the mail on the insurance policies. Anyone who doesn't is going to be sorely disappointed one day. For example, I always have people call about getting a rental car after an accident and have to inform them it's not listed on their policy. And as they scream and yell, I am rudely thinking you have received renewal declaration pages and it hasn't been there for 3 years. (now you can see why I got a lesson in humility and pride, huh? I was a big time brat about this subject, yup a miss know-it-all). About a month ago I went to the doctor and had some labs done upon my request (I promise I'm totally fine, just wanted to check on a couple of things). Really didn't think anything else of it after I got my labs and everything came back fine until tonight...the night from HELL. I was opening mail and found an envelope from IHC Labs. I opened it up and it said I owed over $400. I went straight into panic mode, grabbed my cell phone, insurance card and started dialing. Was informed by a well meaning lady at my insurance company that the labs I had done were specifically excluded under my employer handbook. And then it hit me like a load of bricks, I never read that dang thing. Needless to say I started bawling and hung up the phone. So now I am stuck with a $400 bill and way bruised ego. I guess the jist of my blog is this lady got a huge lesson in humility and compassion tonight. We all lead busy lives and we are well intentioned on reading every piece of mail/policy that comes through our door but sometimes shiz just happens. Now more than ever I understand that. I'm so sorry for every time I had a rude thought about someone that forgot to read their policy and hate that I had to become one of those people to feel compassion for them. I hope to do better :) Because really that's all I can do.

How Many Hours?!!?!?!?

2010-04-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

So Jon, Kati (one of my BF's, also Jon's cousin), Heathbar (Kati's husband) and I decided to head down to California for a quick weekend trip and boy was it a quick trip (Thursday PM to Sunday PM). The running joke is that we spent more time the car than anything and it might actually be true. Here is the recap we had in the car on the way home to Utah.

Drive to California (Thursday)
Drive time: 9 hours
Arrive at Jon's parents @ 4:30 am MST Friday

Magic Mountain (Friday)
Drive time: 2 hours each way
Time in park: 7.5 hours
Roller coasters rode: 5 (Riddler's Revenge, Goliath, Tatsu, X2 & Viper)
We were all pretty much torn between our two favorites: Tatsu and X2, they were both awesome and well worth the wait!
Pro's: Riding the coasters, people watching (blue underwear), adrenaline rush, the awesome warm weather during the day & Chipotle's on the way back.
Con's: People cutting in line (I mean like 20 people one ride, wanted to have them kicked out of the park), Stupid Flash Passes, really cold temps after the sun went down and forgetting a jacket.

By the end of the night we were freezing and had really tired feet but all and all it was a really fun day. On the way home, we had my favorite to eat.....Chipotle's. I dream about their steak burrito....SO YUMMY!

Little side note, can I tell you how much I HATE "Flash Passes" at Magic Mountain. This a pass purchased in addition to your park admission that allows you to go to the front of any ride line. Now the reason I hate them so much is because we decided not to purchase the pass. This is how things go down at Magic Mountain on a Friday.....You wait in line for an hour and half or MORE. With relief in sight, excitement finally coming back and the whoosh of the ride brewing in your bones you finally reach the front of the line. Then out of now where....bam, a group of kids walk up, flash their stupid passes and get on the ride in front of you. You consider screaming at the top of your lungs or throwing a tantrum like a 3 year old but then you realize a little green monster has kept up and bit you with the jealously bug. Next time I don't care how much that freakin pass costs (Anywhere from $30 for the basic one, which really doesn't get you on anything up to $70 per person), I'm getting it! Wow my little side note was really long :) Oh well, hopefully it was little entertaining because it was not so much in the park.

Hunnington Beach (Saturday)
Drive time: 1.5 hours each way
Time at the beach: 3 hours
Pro's: Fast Pass, people watching at the beach, laying out :)
Con's: Breeze made it a little chilly, I know shut up....it's snowing in Utah and me being the only one to not get color (stupid SPF 30).

Okay I know I just got done venting about the Flash Pass but I am such a hypocrite :). So in California on their highways they have a Fast Pass which allows you to avoid massive amounts of traffic by going in a special lane. Jon's friend, Troy, was amazing and let us borrow his electronic pass that charges you based on traffic for going in the "amazing lane" and I say amazing because it saved our sanity of sitting in more traffic. Now the cost is way minimal (like $3) compared to the stupid Flash Pass, so I have justified loving this pass and hating the Flash Pass.

Friends & Family
We got to spend time with our friends Troy and Garrett watching Deadliest Catch and Hoaders (that is crazy interesting show)..... it was like the good old days. It's always so fun and good to see them. Also Jon's parents had a BBQ at their house so we were able to see Jon's two sisters and their families, including Jeff and Janae's newest addition, our little niece Lauren, who is almost 3 weeks. Always great to sit around the table with family and have a good meal and laugh.

Drive to Utah (Sunday)
Drive time: 9 hours
Arrive home @ 6:00 pm MST Sunday
Last leg of our trip was the drive home.....no one was excited about getting back in the car. We pulled our already achey backs out of bed and made the long trek home. Once home, life began.....unpacked, did laundry and started to get ready for the work week.

Total time spent in the car: 25+ hours
Pro's: Spending time with friends and family, warm weather, fun adventures at the beach and amusement park and of course the CAR (thanks so much to Kati and Jon for driving their hybrid done).
Con's: TRAFFIC!!! (hate CA traffic, it's horrible)
Trip to California: Priceless

When Karma Hits......

2010-04-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

So before I got married I never understood why people gained weight post marriage. I figured you get all kick a** hot looking for your wedding, why give that up. But now that I have been married a little over a year, KARMA has come and bit me in the butt....my bigger butt! Like with most weight gain it came gradually and then one morning I was looked in the mirror and thought what the hell happened?!?! My arms got bigger, my butt got bigger, my stomach got bigger, my thighs got bigger and my face got bigger, okay you get the point pretty much everything got a little bit bigger! Friends would say oh really I don't think you've gained weight but you could see that look that says "oh yeah she does look a little pudgy...I wonder if there is a baby in there." No there is no baby in there, it's just freakin fat. I don't have the excuse of birth control because it makes me crazy and I'm not on it. And no I have not been eating the same portions as Jon. I guess it's one too many treats and a lot of grilled cheese in the winter. Needless to say this lady is on a mission! I'm on a mission to get back to my glory days. So I have started doing P90x and eating healthy (5-6 mini balanced meals) and thinking a lot about my health. That brings me to my new favorite show.

I absolutely love this show. Jamie Oliver has an endearing way of showing America, as he has done with England, what we are doing to ourselves. The constant crap we put in our bodies, the chances we take with our health. I love the idea of being skinny, what women doesn't. However I would rather be fit and healthy than anything else. Jon and I both have health concerns on each side of our families and want to do all that we can to avoid future issues because of poor choices and habits created. Okay I feel like I am on a soap box a little but more than anything this is for me.....I want to be healthy and have a strong body for life :). Don't get me wrong I will still enjoy a treat but just learning moderation and portion size will be a great asset to me now and in the future. I hope by developing these habits now and I can pass them onto my future kids. If you get a chance watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Friday nights on ABC, it won't disappoint. :)

Hmmmmmmmm

2010-04-01T21:43:00.001-07:00

So tonight I was looking through my computer and stumbled on my old "single blog" (alyssabsworld.blogspot.com) and boy was I entertained. Looking through the posts and reading stories and comments made such a different impression than looking through pictures. There is something about reading the words you wrote during an experience rather than back tracking in your memory to recall. It got me thinking of why I stopped. I never had a big following and really in the end it was for me, friends, family members and my future kids. So this lady is bound and determined to start writing down her experiences and living a life where I want to :). If you happen to check my blog, I hope you enjoy the ride with me. And please in advance forgive any rants or raves, that's just the kind of girl I am.

Let's Go Jazz! Let's Go!

2010-02-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

This was Jon's V-day present...yeah I rock!
(shhh don't tell him, it was kind of for me too)
And are we wearing Jazz jerserys? HECK Yes!!!
The Conley Crew LOVES the Jazz :)

Fancy Nancy

2010-02-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

How can I not adore this little lady! She loves the Fancy Nancy books. Everytime I visit the Watson house she asks for a reading. This particular day the idea was inspired to turn this already fancy lady into Fancy Nancy. Then we of course had to turn Aunt Lyss into fancy something!!?! :) and read the book together.

1st Anniversary

2010-01-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it's already been a year. It's definitely been an adventure. We had our ups and downs but we are always worth the roller coaster :).
Our first anniversary was great. We roomed around the mall and tried on awesome hats! Then we hit up Tocano's for lunch and eat ourselves into comas. Later Jon took me to a romantic dinner and we ended the night with our wedding cake. Okay I was not into year old cake so I ordered a mini cake from our cake ladies....isn't it cute and it was way yummy......we love carrot cake! So grateful I married such a wonderful, patient, loving man :)

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

I love when my hubby puts a lot of thought into my gift...makes me feel like a special lady. He knows that I have been hating my "marriage pounds" and am determined to get them off. So he got gifts to support me in my efforts. Love that man! :)