Whats' up with T-Dog and AL?

Overcoming

2012-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

So I started up my EMT-Advanced course 3 weeks ago. It has been so different than the basic course and I feel so overwhelmed with information. But, that said, I also feel like I'm learning A LOT! I'm so excited to be learning these things and to be able to go in a direction I never ever thought I'd go.
Last week we got to practice injections. If you know me, you know I do not do well with needles. So imagine my surprise when it wasn't that bad! My partner was a pregnant woman who has complicated pregnancies so I was a little stressed about that, but I was able to learn the skill and feel comfortable with what I was doing. I came home that night with 7 new holes in my body and beaming from ear to ear! I felt like I could do anything and that I had this EMT-Advanced business in the bag.
Last night we started practicing IVs. My old familiar wozzy feelings started when we had to practice on the dummy arm. Then it was go time. We partnered up and went for it. I got sick. I didn't throw up or pass out and I did my best not to show my discomfort and act tough, but it was hard! I stabbed the IV in my partner's arm (different partner, new challenges=tiny, difficult veins) and I started getting light headed and nauseous. "No! Not now! You can do this! Just breathe!" I kept telling myself. Then she had a go at my veins--twice. I finally had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom and try to get the spinning to stop. I looked at my reflection in the mirror--a pale, ghostly person staring back--and for a moment I thought, "What am I doing?!?!? I can't do this!" And then I remembered a good friend's mantra: "I can do hard things." Yes I can. I collected myself and went back out there. I tried her tiny veins again (this time with several people watching) and I DID IT!!!!! I got the catheter in her vein!!!! I was wozzy and nauseous but I didn't give up. I know that this is going to be one, if not the hardest thing I'm going to have to do/overcome to be an EMT, but if the drive stays there, I know I can do it. And hey, maybe it will get easier. But if not, what matters now is not that I get sick, but that I get back in the game. I can do hard things!!!

**Cool side note: another girl had gotten the IV in her partner's vein but forgot to apply pressure so her blood literally started SPRAYING out of the IV! it was the most horror-movie thing I'd ever seen! Then, after it was all cleaned up, the other girl got to put an IV in her partner and blew her vein so she started bleeding everywhere. By the time they were done, their whole section was covered in blood. Awesome!

***Tonight (1-31-12) I was nauseous for the first few sticks and then it magically all went away! No kidding!! I even watched blood pour out of a few people's veins and it didn't phase me! hooray! (it may have helped I had a bit of caffeine in my system. . .but I'll use all the help I can get!)

Christmas Morning 2012

2011-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was so fun this year! It was the first year both Jane and Grant were excited and knew, for the most part, what was going on. Earlier in the month, we had written our letters to Santa. It was Jane's first year doing it all by herself! She even wrote one for me!
On Christmas Eve we read our Christmas stories, opened new p.j.s, and left out milk, cookies, and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. We also sprinkled Magic Deer food outside so the deer would know where to go. Then the kids went to bed and mom and dad stayed up until after 11 putting together toys.

Santa delivered. Grant got a cool car ramp for his cars, Jane got her little dolls, and mom and dad got new pillows. We had fun opening presents and were happy to have Grandpa and Grandma come watch and join us for breakfast.
Since it was Sunday, we had to go to church. Grandpa and Grandma Larsen were participating in their ward Christmas program (and their church wasn't until 11 am as opposed to our 9 am) so we went up to Kaysville and enjoyed listening to their choir's performance. The rest of Christmas day was spent at their house with my side of the family. We had fun opening presents, playing games, and eating ourselves silly. It was truly a very Merry Christmas. We are so blessed!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T05:41:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the piano bench with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.And mamma in her jammies, and I in my chaps,
Had just settled down for our long winter naps.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a skittle,
Tore open the curtains and threw up, a little.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than Fed-Ex his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Through the window St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings; then turned like a jerk.
And laying his finger inside of his nose,
And giving a nod, out the window he goes!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night!"

The True Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

In my family we have started a tradition at Christmas of looking beyond ourselves and seeking out those in need. For our little family project, we were able to get things for the Road Home in SLC. As we were heading out the door to go buy things for our project, Jane said that she wanted to get things for "the poor kids". I explained that we were going to as a family but she had something else in mind. She wanted to spend her own money. We went up to her room and counted out $2 from her piggy bank (which is a lot to a kid that only get's paid a penny a chore). When we were at the store she carefully picked out two things that she wanted to get and then insisted on paying for them separate and on her own. Seeing this brought so much love to my heart. And I was so proud of my daughter. I know we're not supposed to be proud or boast of the service we do, but I don't want to ever forget what Jane did and the beautiful example she set of the true meaning of Christmas. (so I'm recording it here, seeing as how I don't keep a journal).
We went as a family to drop off the stuff. We were so happy with what we had purchased--we were able to get great deals and therefore get more than we thought we could. Our trunk was full to capacity as we drove to the overflow shelter. When we got there we were humbled beyond words. The shelter was a long brick building out by the railroad yards. The road there wasn't really maintained and the outside of the building was sad to look at with nothing but a flimsy chain-link fence to mark off a "playground" (patch of dirt). As we started loading things inside, we noticed that all it was was a big room with 2nd hand mattresses and a small kitchenette off to the side. This is where numerous families, most with young children, stayed to keep out of the cold. As we drove away I was overwhelmed and just kept thinking, "It's not enough! It's not enough!" Here I thought we'd really brought in a haul and we left feeling like we'd barely made a dent. It made all the hub-bub of Christmas seem so superfical and unneccessary. Here we were sad that we weren't going to be able to get an i-Pad or big expensive gifts for our kids or the latest electronics and there were people--right in our midst--that had literally nothing. People with kids our age. It broke my heart and made me feel so grateful for the blessings in my life and realize that I need to be more giving with what I have been given.

Bassett Family Christmas

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

We had our annual Bassett Family Christmas Party this weekend. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins, stuffing their faces, and getting a visit from Santa. This year Grant was fascinated with Santa. He couldn't get enough! As the other cousins sat on his lap, Grant stayed close by sometimes feeling Santa's coat or getting a closer look at the man. It was so funny! Chad and Terral's family gave us an instant Popsicle maker and Chad made two little rocking chairs for Jane and Grant. They absolutely love them!!! It was a great party and so wonderful to have the whole family together.

The little Drummer Boy

So Much to be Thankful For

2011-11-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

This year I borrowed an idea from one of my very creative friends (thanks Erin!) and made a "Thankful Tree". The kids were able to write down (or tell me and I'd write down) what they were thankful for and then we'd put that leaf on the tree. They had so much fun doing it and it was a beautiful reminder all month of the blessings in our lives.
Here are what the leaves said:
*clean running water
*cereal
*Playing and sharing
*snow
*pumpkins
*costumes
*Artwork/being able to draw and color
*the zoo
*carrots
*rain
*vitamins and medicines
*toast
*food
*snacks
*sunshine
*preschool
*Jesus
*healthy bodies
*Halloween
*Heavenly Father
*The Book of Mormon
*Trees
*safety
*sleepovers
*the Farm
*a warm heater in our house
*mommy
*Jane
*Daddy
*Bubba
*friends
*Grandma and Grandpa Bassett
*Grandma and Grandpa Larsen
*warm socks and shoes
*cousins
*Charlene
*Lamby (Grant's favorite stuffed animal)
*peaches and pears
*pancakes
*butterflies
*cars and trucks
*building blocks
*movies
*tree stars
*a dishwasher
*naps
*Anna and Sophia (our goldfish)
*Daddy's job
*books
*painting
*money
*princesses
*clothes

This year the kids made table decorations for our Thanksgiving dinner. They colored Teepee place cards, colored turkey napkin rings, and painted little pumpkins to go on the table. They turned way cute!

Gratitude is a verb

2011-11-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

A group of friends and I make monthly goals around a certain theme and work on them throughout the month. This month we have been focusing on gratitude. These extraordinary women each made wonderful goals: one decided to offer only prayers of gratitude; another blogged each day about one thing she is grateful for; and another is writing down three things each day that she is grateful for. I've also noticed that several people post daily on facebook what they are thankful for that day. As for me, it's been a crazy month with school so I decided to do a 'gratitude journal' where I'd write down 5 things each day that I am thankful for. That lasted for like 2 days (I'm a bit scatterbrained and forgot to do it) and it didn't feel as sincere as I thought it would. So then I made a goal to try the 'gratitude-only-prayers'. Those were nice but it still felt like I was missing something. Then I figured out what it was: action. I thank God for my blessings but do I show that I'm grateful? I can write a list a mile long of the blessings in my life, but do I act in a way that shows I am grateful? For the most part, probably not. So this month I have decided to not only focus on the things I am grateful for, but also show my gratitude in varying ways.

1. I am grateful for my children. But how do I treat them? Upon some close personal examination I have noticed that I often put them off for things I want to do (i.e. "Jane I can't color with you, I'm reading.") or I lose my temper easily over stupid things. So, to show that I'm grateful for my children, I have made the goal to make time for them. To watch my temper and not get so frustrated. To see things from their perspective and treat them with kindness.

2. I am grateful for my husband. I seriously won the lottery with this guy! He is the kindest, most thoughtful person and he puts up with me (which says a lot!). But I've noticed that I don't treat him with the love and tenderness that I should. I need to be kinder, more understanding of him and cut him a break. He works hard at work and at school to give our family a good life and yet I complain that he leaves dirty tubberware in his lunch pail or doesn't leave his dirty clothes right where I want him to. In short, I take him for granted and that needs to stop. Every day I need to acknowledge how blessed I am to have him in my life and show him with little acts of love.

3. I am grateful for my health. I have been very blessed in my life to have good health. I wasn't born with any physical or mental handicaps. I don't have any major illnesses or deformities. But how do I treat my body and the health that I enjoy? Pretty much I take it for granted and it's taking its toll. So I've made the goal to be consistently physically active to do my part in keeping my health. For the last 4 weeks, I have stuck to a regular workout schedule and it feels great!

4. I am grateful for food to eat. I have never had to go hungry and that is truly a blessing. Even with Trent and I in school and a very limited income, there is still food on our table, in our bellies, and on our shelves when I know that so many go without. So I've decided to show my gratitude by not over indulging. I think sometimes we eat just because we can, but in a world were so many go without and food is a limited resource, I feel that I can do my part by only eating what I need to. This has also helped with my health the past few weeks so win-win.

5. I am grateful for clean, running water. Once again I have never had to go without this (minus a few camping trips). And although it is in abundance in this country, it is a limited resource that so many don't have. So just like food, my goal is to limit consumption/use. Long hot showers are my favorite but should probably be an exception instead of a rule.

6. I am grateful to live in a safe place. I don't have to worry so much about shootings or drugs or gangs where we live. But to show my gratitude I've decided I need to do my part to keep our neighborhood a nice place to live. My goal is to contribute to my community. Be a safe place for the kids of the neighborhood to go. Give back to my neighbors when they are in need. Maybe even attend city council meetings.

7. I am grateful for a warm house safe from the elements. I am not a particular fan of cold weather and every night I get to snuggle up in a warm, soft bed and sleep without having to worry about freezing. So many don't have that luxury. If I counted, I'm sure we would have over 30 different blankets in our house, when there are people who have fallen on hard times that have nothing to shield them from the elements except for someone else's discarded newspaper. So I've decided to go through our mass quantity of blankets and warm clothes and give them to others who need them more than we do. I can show my gratitude by giving some of what I have been so blessed with to others.

8. I am grateful for the kindness of others. I have so many wonderful people in my life that do little things that bring me so much happiness. Whether it's a call or a note or a text or even a little act of kindness, it goes a long way with me and I am so grateful for the wonderful friends that I have. That said, I feel I need to be a better friend to others. I like to write thank-you cards a lot to tell people how much they mean to me, but wouldn't it be more effective if I showed them? I need to indulge more in little acts of kindness.

9. I am grateful for education. My parents and grandparents sacrificed so much to see to it that I could have an education and I got one--heck I got a 4 year degree. But I don't remember much of what I learned. I crammed for tests and skimmed by just for the grade and four years later I didn't have much to show for myself other than a degree. Luckily I have a second chance. I was able to go back to school this semester to get my EMT certification. I don't want to skim by. I don't want to pass by the skin of my teeth. I want to learn. I need to show that I am grateful for the opportunity to learn by actually learning and spending time studying and caring about what I am going to school for. (which is actually pretty hard for a scatter-brain like myself, but I am trying!)

10. I am grateful for my family. Growing up I wanted to be apart of a different family--one who played sports and was normal. Now I realize just how cool my family is. My dad is a very unique person and I am proud to be his daughter. My mother is a strong woman and I would be happy to turn out like her as a mother and a wife and a person. My brothers are good men with wacky senses of humor. My Aunt Charlene is my guardian angle. My Grandma Larsen was the coolest lady I've known--so strong and independent and giving. My Great Grandma Sundstrom taught me the importance of 'being a lady'. My Grandpa McGary taught me to find joy in nature. I am surrounded by these wonderful people and yet I don't' tell them often enough that I love them and that I am grateful for them. I need to be able to express my love for my family members and let them know what wonderful people they are and how they have shaped my life.

I know in the dictionary the word 'gratitude' is listed as a noun, but this year (and hopefully for years to come) I'd like to think of it as a verb--an action word. It's one thing to silently reflect on what I'm grateful for, but it's a step further to actually show gratitude for those things with which I am so blessed.

Happy Halloween, 2011

2011-11-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic Halloween this year. It has been a month of parties, Halloween shows, dressing up, decorating, pumpkins, and make-believe. Grant started to get it this year. He still doesn't speak English all that well but he learned "Trick-or-Treat" pretty darn fast. He also came up with "scary fingers"--he'd wiggle them at you and go "wooooo! ooooooo!" Jane was extatic about everything Halloween. She had a lot of festivities between school and friends and church and was constantly bringing the Halloween spirit to our home.
Saturday we carved our pumpkins. Jane jumped right in tearing out the 'pumpkin guts' but Grant was totally freaked out by them! The kid who eats anything and is into everything wouldn't put his hand inside the pumpkin. It was hilarious!On Halloween, I had to go to class all night so I tried to make the most of the hours I did have with the kids. We made 'Witch's Brew' (aka homemade Root Beer) and the kids loved it!!! They fought over who got to stir and they kept waving thier hands over the dry ice fog in a sinister-witchy sort of way. We also got a Jack-O-Lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's and Jane thought it was the best thing ever. I wanted to take the kids trick-or-treating before class so we went out around 4:30 pm and hit 4 houses before we had to head in and eat dinner so I could leave. I was so sad I almost cried driving to school. Trent took them trick-or-treating around the rest of our neighborhood and then went down to his parent's house in Lehi and took them around their neighborhood. He kept waiting for them to get tired out, but those little Energizer Bunnies just kept going. They took home quite the loot! (Trent had to keep emptying their buckets into a bag so they could keep going). I can't wait for next year. . .

Pumpkins. . . . . . . . . . . . $6
'Witch's Brew'. . . . . . . . . . . $4
Costumes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40
Jack-O-Lanturn Pizza. . . . . . .$9
The Magic of Halloween. . . . . . . . . . PRICELESS!!!

Little Haunts

2011-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

This morning the kids and I went to This is The Place park with my sis-in-law Jenn and her kids. It was such a blast! I haven't been to the park since I was really little and I didn't realize how many cool things they had going on there. We went for "Little Haunts"--their Halloween activities for kids. Jane and Grant loved it! They rode horses, pet goats and pigs, trick-or-treated at Pioneer homes, panned for gold, helped a "pioneer" wash clothes, rode a train, and did some crafts. Grant's favorite part was the horses. He kept saying "Horse please" so he got to ride twice. Jane just loved being there with her cousins. I loved the old fashioned Halloween feel there. It made me as excited as a child for Halloween!!! Thanks again Jenn for inviting us!

"Repunzel" on "Maximus"
"Buzz" on "Bullseye"
Trick-or-treating
Coloring on wooden snakes

Little Miss Bubba

2011-10-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you have an older sister who likes to dress up:(Yeah, Grant is going to kill me someday for posting this on the internet. . .sorry, dude. Couldn't resist.)

A Rejuvenating Weekend

2011-10-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

By Friday morning this week, I was spent. I was down, I was tired, and I was cranky. But, as luck would have it, a wonderful weekend was in the cards! Here are just a few of the things that lifted my spirits and made this weekend fun and refreshing :

Friends
This weekend, we got to see our dear friends. Although we all used to live within walking distance of each other, we are now spread out across 2 states and only get to see each other 2-4 times a year. Just seeing these guys for a couple of hours made all the difference.Playing Barbies
I haven't played with Barbies in years (maybe even decades) but this weekend we set up the tent in the backyard and Jane and I played Barbies. It was so much fun! I love to watch her imagination just go.
A Trip to see the Leaves
Today we drove up the Alpine Loop and looked at the changing leaves. It was BEAUTIFUL up there! So many bright and happy colors! Jane wanted to pick every leaf on that mountain so we were lucky to leave with only 1/2 a backpack full. Grant enjoyed picking up random things, admiring them with an "ooooooo", then chucking whatever it was as far as he could.
General Conference
My spirituality has been at rock bottom for a couple of years now, so I wasn't expecting much from Conference. We had it on in the car and at home and, much to my surprise, it made me feel good to listen to it. That hasn't happened in a very long time.
Crafting
We have been so busy lately with school and other things that I haven't really had time to do one of my favorite past times: crafting. This week I made cards and yesterday I got to work on a couple of projects for friends. It was such a blast playing with the Cricut again.

And now for something completely different. . .

2011-09-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Trent started up his Master's program. I'm excited for him to do it and know that it will be challenging for him but that it payoff in the end. He likes his classes so far and having a set schedule has been so nice for both of us. He only has one class a day (except for Monday, he has 2) so he has plenty of time to study--he'll go in to school early, study, go to class, and come home. PERFECT!!!

I also am going back to school this semester (say what?!). I have felt for a while like my mind is atrophying and that I need to better myself in an academic way but I couldn't find something that was do-able with kids and a husband in a Master's program, and that interested me. I found it! I am taking a course to certify as an EMT-B.This is very strange for me. If you know me you know that I avoid medical things/fields because 1)I don't like science 2) even the mention of blood/needles makes me wozzy 3) people in discomfort make me uncomfortable/even sick and 4)it's a field I thought I'd never really be that good at (mainly because of the previously mentioned aversions). But I had some experiences this year that really changed my thinking. The first was the illness and passing of my grandfather. The days leading up to his passing, I was able to be at his bedside caring for him. I didn't get wozzy or uncomfortable--in fact it was an honor to help him. I felt like I was doing some good even if it was only rearranging him so that he'd be more comfortable or clearing his airway so he could breath a little easier.
The second experience was on our way to Idaho this summer. We stopped at a rollover accident before EMS had arrived. Trent jumped right in stabilizing the woman, assessing her injuries. and working with an off-duty paramedic that had also stopped. I held a blanket over them as they worked so that they wouldn't be in direct sunlight. What amazed me was that there was blood--a significant amount--and I didn't get wozzy, in fact, I barely gave it a moment's thought. I had an overwhelming urge to help. Now I didn't really do anything that important, but I wanted to be down there talking with her, assessing her injuries, keeping her calm and conscious until the ambulance arrived. After, when we were driving away, I was on such a high I can't even explain. I had just thrown myself into a situation I would normally avoid like the plague because of my fears. I realized then that the medical field could actually be something I could do and it was time to overcome my fears and grow.

This is my third week in school. I absolutely LOVE it!!!! Not just that fact that I get to be around adults (and away from the kids) learning for 4 hours a day, 3 days a week--but I love what I'm learning. (I have even teared up twice now because I was so excited and happy to be there. I'm a nerd, don't worry). It feels good to be working my brain in a new way. I am excited about what I'm learning and it's great to come home and discuss it with Trent. It's given me a new level of confidence that I haven't had in a very long time. I am excited to see this through, hopefully pass my certifications, and be able to work in the field. Hopefully when Trent is done with his program I can go back and get my paramedic license, but one thing at a time. . .

My training badge.

Rain!

2011-07-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

Rain, Rain, came todayThere was so much we had to play!

It's raining, it's pouring, this storm is not so boring!We went outside and couldn't hideWe won't have to water in the morning!

What is there to do in Twin Falls?

2011-07-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Play with friends!!!! This weekend we got to go up to Twin Falls, ID and have an awesome weekend with our dear friends the Kinghorns and the DePolas. On our drive up, we passed an overturned vehicle with some people trying to pull a woman from the car. We flipped around and Trent helped several other men attend to the driver (who was unconscious for about 3-5 minutes and who might have had some internal bleeding) until emergency crews showed up. I felt helpless so I held up a blanket to keep the sun off the woman and those helping her. It was such a scary feeling being there but such a relief that all 4 people in that car survived and only one was in need of immediate attention. We drove a bit slower after that.
Friday night the girls left the kids with the guys and had a fun GNO. Saturday the boys got thier turn and went golfing. When they got back we packed up and headed out to Wilson lake. Jake's dad had brought out his boat and we got to play. We all tried boat surfing (so fun! and I actually got up!), the kids swam, Trent, Mike, and Corie did some wake boarding, and we took the kids out one-at-a-time on the tube. We had food and sand and sun and rain and water and so much fun!
That night when the kids were sawing logs, we played pinochle---and for once the girls won!!!!! Go us!!! We all ate too much crap (aka candy, pop, and wings) that we felt sick but it was worth it! Thanks again Jake and Jenni for hosting!!!

The kids helping Jenni with breakfastSwimming Trent boat surfingMe boat surfing (don't laugh)Chillin' on the boatGrant enjoying the watermelonTrent catching some air on the wake boardJane and me on the tubeGrant and Trent on the tubeThe mini 3 Stooges playing in the car. TROUBLE!!!The crew

Happy 2nd Birthday Bubba!

2011-07-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday little Bubba! We can't believe you are already 2. Wow time flies. You had a wonderful birthday today. We all came in singing to you in the morning and you got to open some presents in your bed. We played around in the morning and then went to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. You and sis had a blast (so did mom and dad, if we are being honest). You liked the carousal and the riding car the most and Sis liked the photo booth. We had pizza and root beer and opened some more presents with Aunt Charlene. You didn't even make it home before you fell asleep.Tonight we had a BBQ with your Grandparents (all of them) and you got to open even more presents and blow out candles (sis helped) and light fireworks (well, mostly smoke balls--they seem to be your favorite). Then Grandpa Bassett took you on a ride around the block--in the front seat!!! ( I think that was the highlight of your whole day.) Happy Brithday, little man. We love you!

The 4th of July

2011-07-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Independence day. Unfortunately Trent had to work during the day so the kids and I went up to my parents' house the night before and I got to run the Kaysville 5K in the morning with my dear friend Erin. I was nervous seeing as how the more I trained the slower I got so I just focused on beating my last real 5K time (last year around45 mins). Imagine my surprise when I crossed that finish line and the clock read 33 mins(and some-odd seconds--I wasn't wearing my glasses)!!!!! A personal record!!!! I was so proud! And sweet Erin and Steve were waiting and cheering for me at the finish line. I love those guys!After a wonderful breakfast at my parents' house, my mom, the kids, and I headed down to the Kaysville parade. Man, that was a HUGE event!!! I don't ever remember it being such a big thing. Good thing Erin let us sit with her on her nice reserved spot otherwise we would have had to watch the parade from Layton!
After naps the kids ran through the sprinklers and played with Grandma and Grandpa. My brother, Jon, and his wife came over and we had a delicious dinner (thanks Kat!) and then headed home so that we could light fireworks when Trent got home.
The kids loved fireworks this year. However, don't give Grant a sparkler--he waves it around like a crazy man. Lesson learned. After putting the extremely tired kids to bed, Trent and I climbed up on the roof and watched fireworks all across the valley. It was a spectacular show (good thing we live next to some rich neighborhoods with people willing to blow their money on aeril fireworks!!! good times.)

Drew's Baptism

2011-07-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our nephew, Drew, was baptized down in St. George. It was a wonderful weekend with family and I LOVED the heat!!!!! Here are some pics from the trip:

The kids at the hotel all ready to go swimming!!
Fun in the sun
Grant enjoyed Drew's baptism so much, he decided to baptize someone random doll in the bucket full of ice/water/pop cans.
Happy 8th Birthday Drew!!!

Happy 4th!

2011-06-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here's hoping yall have a great 4th of July weekend! Ad I went to the firework stand today and bought "fireworks" for my kids (snaps, sparklers, smoke balls, etc) I was reminded of this part in the movie Joe Dirt. Makes me laugh every time. (and don't worry, I bought some that go "boom" as well)

2011-06-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind on the blog. The following 5 posts are from our recent trip to California. Enjoy.

The Beach

2011-06-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

The best part of California? The Beach. The main reason for going to California? The Beach. The cheapest activity in California? The Beach. Gotta love it. We went as often as we could. The water was freezing but that didn't deter Trent from getting in. He brought his wet suit(and more to share). I wasn't brave enough to get in but had a fun time playing with the kids on the beach. We dug holes, built sand castles, flew kites, buried each other, and dipped our toes in the surf.

Walking down to the beach with our little guyBuilding sand castles Flying a kite with Aunt KatrinaBubba stealing Trent's body boardThe last day we went to the beach, all the guys got in. There was a rip tide that was taking them way down the beach so the lifegaurd told them to go down to another part of the beach. After a while, my dad came back and sat down on the mats. I was building castles with the kids but I could hear my mom and brother gasping and hudling around my dad. I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't make out detail, but he didn't seem to be bleeding or anything so I went on with my castle. After a few more "eewww"s I had to see what was up. I went over and he showed me his finger--totally crooked! It was so unnatural! He had tried to dive under a wave and hit the ocean bottom and dislocated his middle finger. He was laughing about it so we knew he was ok. He tried to put it back in but couldn't so then Trent tried to pop it back in and couldn't so we asked the lifeguard if he could pop it back in but legally he wasn't allowed (my dad was so embarrassed we even got the lifeguard!) so we headed out and Trent took him to the ER where the doctor manipulated his finger until it was back where it was supposed to be. Turns out it was hyper-extended and dislocated. Needless to say it was an eventful day at the beach!

The guysThe crooked finger (you can't tell as much in the picture, but believe me: it was BAD)The lifeguard coming to the rescue (not really. thanks for the ice pack though.)Grant taking off with the lifeguard's buoy. Little thief. . .

The Tide Pools

2011-06-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

One day we went to the tide pools to see what little creatures we could find. We found crabs, sea urchins, anemones, star fish, hermit crabs, and small fish. Jane liked to find sea shells--even if it was just a fragment, she wanted it. Grant was more interested in getting wet. He didn't much like the tide pools until we let him splash and throw rocks.

Overlooking the Tide Pools. It's a heck of hike down and even harder coming up.Bubba checking out the big rock covered in Pelicans (and their poop)Jane found a starfish. I'm not quite sure she liked holding it, though.Throwin' rocks

The Downfall of being Potty Trained. . .

2011-06-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

On our way home from the Aquarium, Jane suddenly had to go to the bathroom. We asked her if she'd like us to stop at a store or if she wanted to hold it until we got home. She said she'd hold it. So she sat in the back seat whining and being uncomfortable. Well, Grant takes his cues off his sister so he started whining and crying and acting uncomfortable. Jane looked over at him and said, "Bubba, you can do your poops and pees in your diaper. I can't. I'm a big girl. I have to wait and go in the potty." Turns out the way to travel is with a diaper :)

Aquarium of the Pacific

2011-06-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific one day of our trip. I don't think I'd ever been there before and it was grand! (of course half of the schools in the area thought so as well--there were loads of kids on field trips. blah) Anyways, we got to see sharks, tropical fish, jelly fish, puffins, watch a sea lion show, touch sting rays and little sharks, and learn about fish native to the Redondo Beach/Long Beach area. It was a really cool aquarium. The kids liked the touch pools the best, I think, but our favorite part was the sea lion show. So cool!

Dude soaking wet.

L.A. Zoo

2011-06-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

On our wonderful trip to California we took a day and went to the L.A. Zoo. That place is awesome (and sooo big!) Jane was really looking forward to seeing the elephants and Grant was really looking forward to, well, who knows. We got to see the elephants, zebras, flamingos, monkeys, giraffes, a hippo, a koala, kangaroos, a kamodo dragon, otters, birds, a tortoise, and other animals I can't remember right now. Also, at the top of the park, they have a huge playground for the kids complete with a mist machine (that was much needed) and concrete animals they could crawl on. What a fun trip!

Happy Birthday, Princess Jane!

2011-05-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my sweet baby Jane turned 4. I can't believe she is that old! On Saturday we had a Princess Birthday Bash in her honor. We invited 17 little girls thinking about half would show. Nope. 15 of Jane's friends and cousins were able to come celebrate her big day! The party was a blast! The girls got to make wands, get their nails painted, dress up, play "Poison Apple" (aka Hot Potato. . .they didn't get it as well as I thought they would), kiss the frog (pin the tail on the donkey only they had kissy lips instead of tails and it was a picture of Prince Naveen the frog, not a donkey), eat pizza, open presents, and have cake and ice cream. What a party! We were all so spent afterward, we crashed.

The cake
Jane and Grant waiting for the party to begin
Sweet little princesses
Opening Presents
Blowing out candles

Yesterday, on Jane's actual birthday, she got sung to in Primary and then later in the day we went to Grandma and Grandpa Bassett's for dinner and she got to blow out candles there too.

Janey, I'm so glad that you were born. You have filled our lives with excitement, happiness, drama, and love. You are so smart! You know your letters, numbers, colors, and animals. You can draw and paint and read words. You help mom and dad. You are kind and compassionate. We can't wait to see what the next year brings! Love you, Sis!

The Tangled Cake

2011-05-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

For Jane's birthday she wanted a Tangled cake. I looked for ideas online and came to the conclusion that I was going to have to try something I'd never done before: build with Rice Krispie treats. I was nervous but I'm happy with how it all turned out. The cake took about 7 hours to decorate (I'm slow). Here are pics of the process:

Molding the Krispie Treats
Everything covered in fondant. I used wooden dowels to hold up the tower. I didn't do it perfectly so the tower leaned a bit but at least it stayed up!
The finished product.

2011-04-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Jane's prayer tonight:

Dear Heavely Faddor,
Thank you for dis bootiful, shiny, sparkwy day. Thank you for tickle fights and pillow fights and "Fee Fie Foe". Pwease bwess great grandpa and grandma Bassett. And pwease bwess the hippo.
In the name Jesus Christ, Amen.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

Jane and Grant on Easter Sunday
Bassett's Easter egg hunt
South Jordan City's Easter egg hunt (Notice the snot streaming down Grant's face. nice.)

Aunt Charlene's Easter egg hunt (Jane would gather all the eggs then make us re-hide them over and over and over again. That girl love egg hunts!)

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

2011-04-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Trouble--That's what we have changed Grant's name to. Friday when we got home from Idaho, I was in on the computer and Trent was downstairs. I thought he was watching Grant and he thought I was. Yep, the kid was unattended and he made the most of it. He went to our bathroom, unrolled the TP and threw it in the toilet. Then he went to Trent's drawer and got out his electric beard trimmer. He'd seen how Trent used it and we use similar clippers on his hair so he gave it a go and took a big chunk, down to the scalp, out of his hair. Trent tried to fix it up and ended up having to shave his head (but he left a little 'Mohawk of Shame' just for fun!)
Later that night we were trying to plunge the toilet out and it just wouldn't budge. After a lot of elbow grease with our stupid plunger, something floated to the surface--a ball. But did that unclog it? Nope. There was something else in there that wouldn't budge. Trent had to take the toilet completely out to find Grant's surprise: another ball. (It would seem that these balls were custom made to clog our toilet--they were exactly the right size.)

Where our toilet should be:Where our toilet is now:

Farewell

2011-04-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Friday morning my grandfather passed away. He was able to be at home surrounded by family his last few days and our little family had the opportunity to be with him since Tuesday. He fought a hard and ever changing fight these past 6 months. On his last night, I got to watch over him. My Aunt Pam and I took the late shift and held his hands and tried to clear his throat and keep him comfortable. He had been getting gradually worse throughout the day and there were a few times we thought it was the end, but he pulled through. Around 4 am, my Dad woke up to relieve me. I didn't want to leave Grandpa's side but I could barely keep my head up. I gave him a kiss and told him good night, that I loved him, and good-bye. Then I went and laid down. At 4:30 ish, Dad woke us up to say that Grandpa had passed.

While this past week was exhausting and emotional and a roller-coaster to say the least, I am so grateful that I was able to be there with him and to get to help take care of him.

The Hospice case worker brought a book for Jane to help her understand what was going on. It's called, "What Happens When People Die?". It gave such a simple and spot on description that the book was actually a great help to me. Both the book and the Hospice case worker talked about how birth and death are similar. I had never had that perspective before. It occurred to me, sitting around that last night with family all around chatting, laughing, passing the time, that deaths are a lot like births. Sometimes prolonged and difficult. Family members are all around waiting for your next stage. It is a truly sacred occasion to be there not only when someone enters this world, but also when someone leaves it.

It was interesting to me to look around while I was sitting with Grandpa. His bed was in the living room and as I held his hand and watched him, I looked around at the life he had created. His shelves were lined with books. Hundreds of books. Mostly information books about plants or animals or “The Joy of Mathematics”. My grandpa did not leave this world empty handed. He took with him knowledge and experience. He took with him an exceptional appreciation for all of God’s creations. He loved to learn. He was an extraordinary Gardner. He will be missed.

Grandpa on his last day outside (Tuesday). The weather was wonderful and the neighbors with the help of their teenagers and their friends had come over and cleaned out the garden beds.
Jane loved to hold Grandpa's hand. She has been praying for him for months. When I found out that he had tumors in his lungs and was being sent home with Hospice, I explained that Great Grandpa was going to die. That night, she prayed: "And please bless that Great Grandpa will go be with Heavenly Father." The night before he passed away she prayed: "Please bless that Great Grandpa can stop coughing" because his lungs were full and he would try to get stuff up but had a hard time.

Cousin Day

2011-04-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today we got to have over some of Jane's cousins because their moms were out of town. Jane had been looking forward to today for the last week and woke up this morning saying "When are they coming? When are they coming!?!?" We had an eventful day playing dress-up, coloring with sidewalk chalk, playing with Play-doh, making butterfly bracelets, coloring Princess pictures, Playing outside, watching Princess shows, running from spiders, eating Mac & Cheese, building a fort, jumping on Uncle Trent, eating snacks, playing hospital, and watching it hail. What a day! WE should ll sleep well tonight :)

Note to Self:

2011-04-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Don't leave this kid unattended. EVER!Today he was "playing" downstairs while Jane and I were upstairs. when I went to check on him, he had dismantled the vacuum cleaner and spilled it's contents all over the floor and himself. (and yeah, that vacuum was FULL of dirt/dust/whatever) When I went to clean it all up, he stomped his little chubby feet in the neat piles I had made. Girls may be drama, but boys are TROUBLE! (That's him looking up the Barbie's dress. . .seriously--this kid!)

2nd note to self:
FIND YOUR CAMERA!!! Darn sucker has been missing for over a month. boo.

Change of Plans

2011-03-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

Last week we got a little surprise: Trent was accepted into the graduate program at Westminster here in Utah. We had our hearts set on Arizona but, after much thought and consideration, we have decided to go to school here. It will be better for our pocketbooks and nice to still be close to family. Plus, we won't have to worry about selling the house until next summer :) We are both sad to see our dreams of warmer weather and out-of-state living be put on hold, but we hope this will be better for our family in the long run.

Things Motherhood has Taught Me

2011-02-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

*Ears are great places to hide Play-doh
*Even Care-bears have trials
*The box is always better than the toy
*Toilets make great swimming pools for all sorts of objects, including small children
*The 3 worst words in the English language are "No," "Mine," and "Why?"
*4 straight hours of sleep can be so refreshing
*Gravity wins every time
*If your kid is having difficulty with speech, just use cuss words--they pick those up the fastest
*"Clean" is relative phrase
*Honesty is the best policy
*Patience is, in fact, a virtue--- not a natural ability
*Band-aids are the ultimate cure-all
*Big boobs aren't as cool as I thought they'd be
*"Child-proof" just means "parent-proof" or "false-sense-of-security"
*Where there's a will, there's a way (see above)
*Who needs crack when you have sugar?
*I now understand why we are supposed to be like little children. They forgive, they forget, and they see the best in everyone.
*Not all Crayola markers are washable
*My biggest accomplishments are those of my children

Logan Retreat

2011-02-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we met some of our dearest friends in Logan. We all met when we lived in student housing and we try to get together at lest twice a year now that we are scattered about. It was a fun weekend--we played games, went swimming, visited my brother and his wife, took all the kids to the Fun Center, and ate until we were sick. Jane was very brave at the Fun Center and swimming. We were so proud of her! Grant, however, was very much under the weather. Friday night, after we got there, he was crabby and had a slight fever. The next day he was feverish, had a runny nose, and was so tired. So we decided to go home a day early on Sunday. Monday we took him in and found out he has a double ear infection, poor dude.
Despite the sickness, we had such a great time and look forward to our next reunion.

Be my Valentine

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

This year Jane got really excited for Valentines Day (she's really starting to get holidays!). Her preschool class was going to have a Valentines party and card exchange and Jane decided to make her own cards this year (with a little persuasion from her mother). We used the Cricut to make the hearts, the computer to print the cards, and then Jane glued on hearts to each Valentine. She has some mad gluing skills! After the cards were complete, she helped me make sugar cookies to attach to the cards. She cut out the cookies, watched them bake, let me frost them, and then loaded them with star sprinkles and conversation hearts. No doubt her friends were on sugar highs after eating their cookies :) Happy Valentines Day!

Things I LOVE about my Kids

2011-02-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

*The faint freckles on Jane's nose and cheeks
*Bubba's own little language (he knows what he's saying--too bad no one else does)
*The way Jane will sing songs (sometimes of her own invention) at the top of her lungs when the mood suits her (usually at bedtime when she's supposed to be sleeping or in a public place like the grocery store). The ones she makes up are so dang cute (and make no sense 99% of the time)
*The way Bubba's left eyelid bobs up and down when he sucks on his binki or on a bottle when he's really tired (he used to do it every time he nursed, so we called it his "nursing eye)
*The way Jane jumps. The sweet kid can't really get her feet off the ground and it looks more like a full body spasm, but she tries really hard and is so proud of herself.)
*Bubba's dancing. The kid gets down! His favorite is the opening song in Barney. I used to hate that show but watching how much he loves it has changed it for me.
*Jane's imagination. That girl has "Fancy Parties" all the time and makes Bubba play school with her.
*The way Bubba's face scrunches up and his eyes get all squinty when he smiles.
*Jane's caring personality. She gets so concerned when someone is sad or she hears another kid crying. She always does her best to comfort whomever is distraught.
*The way Bubba tries to blow his nose (he more just blows a raspberry into the tissue.)
*The fact that Jane calls her coloring/painting "artwork" (totally her Grandpa's girl)
*Bubba's big cheeks
*Jane's long eyelashes
*The way the two of them get along so well. Yeah, they fight and scream at each other, but at the end of the day, they are best friend either of them has.
*Grant will wait outside Jane's door if she sleeps longer than him knocking or calling to her.
*The way they both rush to the door in excitement when Daddy comes home.
*Jane is so smart. I marvel at how much she has learned in her short 3 1/2 years on earth.
*Grant is all boy. He growls when he "flexes" his muscles, likes to hit things, and tries to copy everything his daddy does.
*Jane's constant effort of negotiation. She's going to excel in debate someday.
*Bubba's love for food. The kid rarely fights me on eating. He'll shove everything he can in his mouth as fast as he can and then have a pickle of a time trying to swallow something that big (his nursing eye gets real wide and you can tell it takes great effort to open up his throat that wide. But he does it!)
*The way Jane remembers who gave her things. Everything she owns (toys, clothes, art supplies, etc) she knows who gave her each item. She'll recall this sometimes and say, "That was nice of them, wasn't it?"
*Jane's prayers. (she will pray for things like "Please bless I marry daddy in a white dress" or "please bless I can go to Disneyland". She also prays for people she knows need it)
*the way Grant taps you on the back when he gives you a hug
*How excited Jane gets about things
*the way Grant chews his food (he makes yuumy sounds while he eats.)
*How social they both are.

I am so blessed to have these sweet souls in my life. We might not always get along but I know I couldn't have asked for better kids. I love you, guys!

For Sale!

2011-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Our house has officially been on the market now for 5 days. I must also note that our house has been spotless now for 5 whole days. That's some kind of all-time record for me! (And man, am I tired!) Here's hoping we get a buyer soon! (or, in this market, at all!)

Also, if anyone is looking at buying or selling a home right now, we have an AWESOME Realtor, Jay Bentley, that I'd love to introduce you to. He is so easy to work with and really goes the extra mile. Let me know.

Arizona Here We Come

2011-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. We will be moving to Arizona this May so Trent can go to Grad school. We are planning on putting the house up for sale sometime in the next week (yikes!). We are excited for this new adventure but will be sad to leave so many great friends and all of our family behind. We will live in Arizona for a year and then will travel around so Trent can do his clinicals. (We know we will be in Tampa, FL for 6 months and then he'll have to do 3 other 3 month clinicals around the country). Who knows where we will end up but sometimes it's fun not knowing. :)

Church is now Do-able

2011-01-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

This Sunday was a fantastic one! Our church time switched from 11:00am (nap time) to 9:00 am (the happy time).

Grant made his debut in Nursery this week. It was his first week and boy did he LOVE it! He was walking around playing with all the toys, eating all the snacks, and marveling at the hand sanitizer and the abundance of kids his size. He was in heaven. And so were his parents. No longer do we have to wander the halls fighting him tooth and nail and praying that the kid will just fall asleep so we can go to class. We are free!!!!!

It was also Jane's first week in primary. We have a Sunbeam!!! She was so excited to go to primary--she was even convinced that she'd turned 4 because you have to be 4 to go to primary (or so she thought). She was so good in her class and moderately quiet during sharing time. She even made a new friend (she moved back a row during singing time to the CTR 4 class and made a new friend there). It's nice being in the Primary with her because I get to see my big girl grow!

Someday My Prince Will Come

2010-12-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

The other day Jane and I were playing inside while Trent was out on the deck fixing Christmas lights. Suddenly, Jane jumped up, said, "I have to go potty", and started running for the bathroom. On her way she got distracted when she saw Trent out on the deck. She paused, walked to the window, put her face as close as she could to it, then began singing, "Someday my Prince will come. . . . .and tickle me! tickle me! tickle me!" then she ran to the bathroom.

That girl LOVES her dad. Once we were talking and I told Jane, "One day you will find your prince." She responded, thoughtfully, "Yeah. Right now he's at work."

At night she prays that she will get to "marry daddy in a white dress". If we forget to pray for that, she quickly reminds us.

One day I explained that she couldn't marry daddy because mommy already married him. She got a stern look on her face and said, "Mom, you need to share!!!"

Bassett Christmas

2010-12-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we hosted the annual Bassett Family Christmas party. It was a lot of work but it all paid off. We got our first full family picture since Trent and I were married (5 1/2 years ago). Since that last picture, the family has gained one more daughter-in-law, and 9 more grand-kids. It was about time we got a new one. My dear and talented friend, Mindi, took the pictures for us.
After pictures we headed to the church and stuffed our faces with warm soups, bread, and snacks. Then we had a gingerbread house decorating contest. Jane and Trent did most of the decorating on our little house and it turned out beautifully! (We won the award for "Best use of Frosting" (probably due to our awesome frosting lake in the back yard!) After the decorating we did our own version of Minute-to-Win-it games. Our little family won a few medals which Jane proudly wore around her neck. After Grandma Bassett read "The Night Before Christmas", Santa came!!!! He brought little gifts for all the kids and they all got to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Jane was scared but brave and for the first year didn't cry. Grant had no problem sitting on Santa's lap--after all, the man was giving out treats/toys! After Santa left, we exchanged gifts between families and then talked about what gifts we were giving to baby Jesus. It was a wonderful party that helped us get in the holiday spirit.

Virgina is for Lovers (and Eskimos)

2010-12-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

This last week, Trent and I had the opportunity to fly out to Virgina so Trent could interview at a Grad school out there (Virgina Commonwealth). I was not too excited to be leaving the kids for so long, but it was nice to get away. The flights out there were long, bumpy, and delayed. But, after a day of travel, countless Ginger Ales and peanut packets, and then loosing said Ginger Ales and peanuts at the airport bathroom, we made it to our destination. The next morning, I dropped Trent off at his interview and then went Walkabout for 5 hours. Okay, I live in Utah--a place known for big winters--but NOTHING could have prepared me for the kind of cold they have in Virginia. As I walked around seeing the city, I was frozen to my core! There wasn't any snow and the sun was out but I was so cold that I occasionally had to move my face in weird contorted ways so that I knew it was still there. After having enough of the city, I drove out just beyond it and found the most beautiful homes I have ever seen!!! (We looked them up later. Only $2 million. . .) I also got to tour the frozen gardens of a mansion. That place must be stunning in the spring/summer! (the sweet old ladies from the Historical Society at the mansion, seeing that I was freezing, offered that in the summer, it's blazing hot with 99% humidity. Thanks for sealing the deal there ladies). Having had enough of the cold and fearing for the safety of my ears, I stopped in at a Target and bought both Trent and I hats. Best purchase EVER! My ears were thankful.
The next day we decided to go down to Williamsburg and Yorktown. Williamsburg was surprising buzzing with people (for a Wednesday in early December). You had to pay big bucks to actually go in most of the houses so we just waked around outside (bundled up with layers of clothing, scarves, and our new trusty hats). Each house had a unique wreath on it. I think that was my favorite part of Williamsburg (besides the church).
After walking around Williamsburg we headed over to Yorktown. I had a severe migraine headache come on so I stayed in the car while Trent drove around and saw the sites and learned the history. Yorktown was where our country won our independence. It was a big seaside battle ground with caves and wide open fields. I wish I could have seen more of it than I got to.The next morning we packed up and headed out to Virginia Beach. Being 'beach people' we ere excited to see the ocean. Too bad it was butt-freezing cold. Beaches, as it turns out, are not so fun when it feels like 60 below. Oh well. They had a nice gift shop. It was a wonderful trip but we were glad to be home that night hugging our babies and basking in the 40 degree dry Utah weather.

Trimming the Tree

2010-11-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

It is tradition at our house to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We had two little helpers this year who seemed more interested in pulling things off than putting them on :) Actually, Jane was a really good helper putting lights and ornaments on the tree--she just wanted all the ornaments in one spot. She also had a blast with the stockings (gotta give her credit for putting stockings where they really belong).

First Snow of the Season

2010-11-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

Last night my parents were kind enough to watch the kids while Trent and I went to Harry Potter 7 (part one). It was nice to have a night out, but when we got out of the movie, it was a blizzard!!! We drove home going 30 mph max and were surprised that the closer we got to our house, the more snow there was. Trent shoveled the driveway so we wouldn't have to in the morning and then we went to bed.
Much to our surprise, this is what we saw this morning:18 inches of snow!!! It was awesome! Good thing Trent cleared the driveway last night. . .now we have 5 inches less to shovel off! But no worries, he had help.Grant isn't so sure about snow. I think he'll warm up to it but he was not ready to rush into anything today.Trent, however, seemed to have reverted back to his 8 yr old self. He built a sledding ramp in the front yard and sent our kids (as well as the neighbor kids) down it.Then he took to making a snowman. Truly a clever fellow (yes those are bed wheels for buttons and silly pipe for a mouth). While I always hope for a white Christmas, who would have thought we'd get a white Thanksgiving?!?!Just for comparisons sake, here is Grant standing next to the snow.

Tom Turkey

2010-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Just now, Jane and I were talking about Thanksgiving.

She says: At Thanksgiving, do we eat Tom Turkey?
Me: yep
Jane: yes we do. But first some things have to come off.
Me: What things have to come off?
Jane: His head and eyes and wings and hat and feet.
Me: (wide eyed-- not sure where my little girl learned how to clean a dead turkey) uh. . . yeah, I guess so. . .

What are they teaching my kid in preschool?!?!?!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! It seems like this has been the never-ending holiday this year. With parties and movies and costumes and pumpkins, Halloween has kept us on our feet. There were some firsts this year worth mentioning:

Grant helped carve (or at least gut) his pumpkin this year. Last year he slept through it. He wasn't quite sure of the feel of the slimy seeds and when we'd take them out of the pumpkin, he would put them back in. He also thought the pumpkin was for eating and so he sat nibbling on the cap of his pumpkin.Our finished Pumpkins Jane and her cousins, Addy and Brynn, with their pumpkins. (They came and joined us for carving)We went to our first Trunk-or-Treat ever this year. I have been opposed to them for several reasons but it's hard to get out of going when you are on the Activities Committee. It wasn't too bad but I still prefer the old-fashioned way of trick-or-treating.
The Gang Although this was not Grant's first time trick-or-treating, it was the first year he understood how cool it is. He went up to the doors with Jane and loved sorting through his loot when we got home. Jane really enjoyed Halloween this year and continues to ask, about every two hours, when we are going trick-or-treating again so "I can get more candy". Yikes! I was surprised at how few people were out trick-or-treating. Even when the rain stopped, there weren't that many kids out. What has happened to this holiday? Saturday I opened the paper to one of my favorite columnists, Robert Kirby. He wrote a spectacular article on Halloween and how much it has changed over the years (read it here). It really summed up my feelings on the subject and made me laugh out loud.
We had a good Halloween but I'm glad we have 364 days until the next one.

Our Pumpkin Harvest

2010-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

This year we grew our own pumpkins. We thought they would be a nice little addition to our vegetable garden. Instead, they took over the garden and the flower beds. But this is what we have to show for all that:

11 bright and happy orange pumpkins!
(and a family who can't wait to carve them!)

Field Trip!

2010-10-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Jane's preschool goes on a field trip once a month. Last month they went to Thanksgiving Point's farm. It was so fun and interesting. Jane and Grant loved watching and feeding the animals, going on a tractor-wagon ride, and learning about the animals. Jane was even brave enough to go on a pony ride!! I was so proud of her!Petting the calfLearning about what we get from sheepPetting a bunnyJane on her pony ride!

This month, the preschool went to a local pumpkin patch. They did a fun scavenger hunt, walked through a short corn maze, went on a hay ride, and got to sit up on various tractors. Grant stayed home with Trent for this one, so it was just Jane and I exploring this fun autumn location.

The corn maze

Taking a rest and having a snackJane and Gracie riding the tractor Farmer JaneI was so nervous for Jane to start preschool. Maybe it's something to do with my baby growing up. I don't know. But I have been so impressed with how well she is doing. She is learning and growing and making friends and absolutely loves going to preschool. Her teacher pulled me aside and told me she's ahead of the whole class on her letters (she has passed off the entire alphabet in capitals and is now working on her lower case letters.) I'm so proud of my Jane. What a smarty pants!

This is Halloween

2010-10-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was the annual Bassett family Halloween party. We found out a week before when the party would be and at that point, I'd bought all the fabric to make costumes for Jane, Grant, and Trent. Needless to say, I spent much of last week at the sewing machine. But it paid off. While I still need to finish Grant's dinosaur hood and Trent's tunic, I got the costumes done just in time for the party.As always, Cathy B put on a great party! We had an excellent lunch followed by games and treats and good times. It was so fun to see all the kids dressed up and Jane and Grant had a blast!
Later that night, we left Grant with Trent's parents and took Jane to go on a "Halloween Cruise" on the Provo river. It was fun to spend one on one time with her and she loved the Pirates and the pumpkins.
Tonight we are watching, "The Nightmare Before Christmas"--a classic, in my book. There is a chill in the air, the sky is gray, and it smells like fall. This is Halloween----and I LOVE IT!!!

BFFs

2010-10-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

Lately Jane and Grant have been the sweetest little friends. It makes me think back to when Trent and I started feeling we should have another kid. The feeling we both got was, "Jane needs a buddy" and I'm so glad we got her one! These two are so dang funny together! Jane loves to boss Grant around and he's happy to ignore her. They love to squish into the toy car together (mainly because neither one wants to let the other have a turn) and ride around the deck laughing as they go. On Sunday, I caught them in Jane's room having a read-a-thon. Jane had unloaded an entire shelf of their bookcase into her room and there they sat "reading" books and having a good time. Yesterday I found them in Bubba's room with an assortment of objects and Jane explained they were having "preschool" and that she was the teacher, Miss Jane. I'm so happy that these two get along so well. I'm so grateful that we got Jane a buddy, and I'm so glad it was Bubba.

Speaking of The Bubba: we thought he was our calm kid. Not so. Lately he has turned into this mischievous little guy getting into everything and destroying anything he can get his hands on. The TV buttons are his favorite, right up there with remotes, the computer keyboard, and anything that belongs to Jane. He has also shown a complete dislike for naps, much to my dismay. Luckily I've got him back to at least one a day but for a while there, he was refusing naps all together. I don't get it--he is so active all the time it tires me out just watching him. I don't know how he doesn't just crash. He has also shown a new interest in dancing. It cracks us up! Every time he hears music with a catchy beat, he starts bobbing, swinging his arms, and grinning from ear to ear. He's always been obsessed with music--every time he hears music or an instrument being played, he stops whatever he's doing and is totally engrossed. But now he's taking his love of music to a physical level and it's so fun to watch. He's growing up way too fast!

We Survived Havasupai!

2010-09-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

A week ago Trent and I left the kids with my parents and headed to Arizona to hike into Havasupai. Being with the kids 24-7 I was ready for a break. Imagine my surprise then, when I started missing them 5 miles down the road. Darn kids.
We drove straight through the 12 hour drive taking turns resting and listening to books on tape. We passed over the Hoover Dam--neither of us had ever been to see it-- and were amazed by the new bridge they have constructed there. It was so big it made us dizzy to look up at it.We got to the trail head at about 11 pm and slept in the car so that we could get an early start in the morning. We started our hike down around 8 am. The sun was just lighting the sky and it was cool. It was my first time backpacking so the first couple of miles I had to get used to the 30 lb pack on my back. My arm kept going numb. But eventually I stopped noticeing the dead arm as my feet and butt and legs started making protests. By the time we reached the village I was done. I think we both were. It was just past noon and the sun was hot. Too bad we still had 2 more miles to camp. They were the longest 2 miles EVER! But at the end was a most beautiful waterfall, and more importantly, camp. We set up the tent and I collapsed for a few hours while Trent went exploring. Needless to say, the place was worth the hike. The campground was surrounded by streams of clear, blue water on both sides and it was between the main falls and, further down, another waterfall. The canyon walls shaded the camp nicely and we were right by the natural spring that supplied drinking water. We had a nice dinner of freeze dried spaghetti and went to bed around 8 pm. The next day we played in the falls. Our favorite was Rock falls. Trent, against the advice of his loving wife, jumped off the top of the falls.

His most daring wife jumped through the falls from behind. It was paradise. Later in the day we hiked down to Moony Falls. We almost died. The hike down was almost straight down at points with nothing keeping you from falling to your death other than chains attached to the mountain. You also had to go through tunnels and down some sketchy ladders (missing rungs and not secured to anything). But we made it and it was sooo worth it! Moony falls is breath-taking! It is so tall and standing at the bottom, it just mists you. The water is a light blue, and against the white bottom (from lime deposits), it looks like blue kool-aid. The next morning we got up at 4 am, ate a quick breakfast, packed up camp, and got on our way. We hike for a few hours with head lamps and then the sun started coming up. Trent had gotten 7 big blisters on his feet on the way down so he was having a pickle of a time hiking back up. His feet were killing him. I was so determined to get out of that canyon before the sun hit us that I cruised as fast as I could. We only hit sun the last 2 miles but still wished that we had left earlier in the morning so we didn't have to hit any. 10 miles and 5 1/2 hours later, we made it out of the canyon and have never been so relieved to see our air conditioned car sitting there. We are now proud to say that we survived Havasupai. It will be a while before I strap a huge backpack to my back again. Thanks for the adventure, Trent!

He did it!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ever since he graduated with his BS, Trent and I have been stressing about our next move: graduate school. This summer, Trent worked his butt off studying for tests and working on applications. And today, that paid off. We found out that he was accepted into Midwestern University's Nurse Anesthesia program (in Arizona)!!!! I'm so proud of him and excited to start this new journey in our life. He will still apply to a few more schools to see what options we have (We'd love to get into California or North Carolina, and if we could get into the school in Utah, we wouldn't have to worry about selling the house quite yet), but we are just so relieved to know that no matter what, he will be in a program next year! Woot woot!!!

Jane's 1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today was Jane's first day of Preschool! I can't believe my baby is that old!!! She was so excited to go--when we went to the open house last week, she screamed and threw a holy fit when it was time to leave yelling, "TAKE ME BACK!!!!" She was happy that I took her today and dropped her off. Of course when I picked her up, I asked her all about it. She said, "I'll tell dad". "Can't you tell me?" I asked. ""No, I'll tell dad first and then you." Don't worry, I still got it out of her :) She had a great first day and can't wait to go back! We are so proud of our little student!

Beauty Parlor

2010-09-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

What's missing (besides the other half of Grant's head)?Half of Jane's bangs is what's missing. Last night I was laying down because my head was killing me and I heard her come in the room and go to the bathroom. Then I heard scissor sounds. I asked her what she was doing. She said, "Shhhh, go back to sleep" so I went in there and all I could see was that she had cut up some ribbon. I took away the scissors and thought nothing more of it. Then this morning at breakfast I was looking at her and noticed that some of her bangs were significantly shorter than the others. Upon further inspection, there was also a clump missing from the back. It honestly could have been worse (I butchered my hair when I was little). We will go try to have a real beautician fix it tonight.

Extreme Yard Makeover

2010-08-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our big project since the spring was to get our yard in shape. When we bought our house, there hadn't been anyone living in it for over a year so the yard was a bit atrocious. Starting in March we poured a new cement pad for the deck stairs, built new deck stairs, put a railing up on the deck, tour out all the vegetation (most of it weeds and crabgrass), tilled and tilled and tilled, put in a sprinkler system and drip lines in the back yard (thank you Bassett boys!!!), put in curbing, planted flowers(thanks mom!), planted a vegetable garden, planted a peach tree, and hydro-seeded. It has been a very busy season for us but we feel like all the work has paid off. here are some before and after pics:

Before:

After:

Side Yard Before:

Side Yard After:

Back yard Before/during:

Back yard After:Vegtable garden:

Deck before:

Deck after:

Camping with the Larsens

2010-08-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went with my family up American Fork Canyon to camp for a few nights. When we got there Thursday evening, all the campgrounds were full for the weekend so we had to go up a part of the canyon that is "undeveloped" to find a spot to camp. Good thing was it was free--bad thing was there were lots of 4 wheelers going around and there was no water. But we got to camp right by a stream and it was a big spot so in a way, we feel we lucked out. We had a great time sitting around the campfire, hiking, dipping our toes in the stream, fishing (Trent caught a fish!!!! I didn't and I don't want to talk about it. . .), and just having a fun/relaxing time.

We went on a beautiful hike just about Silver Lake flats.

Bubba and Trent Grandpa and Jane crossing a little bridge Lunch break!

Grant loved dipping his toes in the stream by our campsite--even though it was FREEZING cold! He was just as happy as could be!

It was a bit too cold for Jane. She stayed on her rock.

Yep, we're related. My bro Jon

Bubba the Happy Camper. He loved playing in/eating the dirt. He's such a boy! (Katrina and Oscar in the back)

Trent's fish!!!

Bubba's Walking!

2010-08-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Grant is now walking. While he started walking weeks ago, this past week he has really taken off! He is so much more confident and this past weekend, he figured out how to turn around while walking! We are so proud of our little man! He's growing up WAY too fast!

Catching up

2010-07-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

So July is usually a very busy month for our family and this year was no exception. I've fallen behind in my blogging but have made up for last time this morning. I've posted 5 new posts below (but dated them accordingly for journaling purposes so they are a bit mixed in). Enjoy!

Snowbird

2010-07-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary, Trent suprised me with a trip to Snowbird. At first I wasn't too sure about it--afterall, Snowbird is a ski resort and it is July. But man did we have a blast! We stopped for dinner at the Cheesecake factory on our way up the canyon and had an awesome meal. The most entertaining part of dinner was the busser--this guy was amazing! As soon as a party left thier chairs to go, he'd pounce on the table, clear it, wipe it down, and set it in seriously less than 30 seconds and then 10 seconds later the table would be sat with a whole new party. It was incredible!
After our very entertaining dinner, we headed up the canyon and checked into our room. Our room was less like a hotel room and more like a studio apartment complete with kitchenette and a bed that pulled down from the wall. We also had a little balcony we could sit on that overlooked the slopes. It was so beautiful!
In the morning we had vouchers for a free breakfast buffet. It was an open restaraunt (complete with a rogue wild squirrel running around) and the food was great. After breakfast and checing out of our room, we went and got our all day activity pass. We were able to ride the zip-line and the alpine slides numerous times, walk the ropes course, jump on the bungee trampolines, and ride the Peruvian ski lift to almost the top of the mountain, walk through a tunnel to Mineral Basin, hike up the rest of the mountain to the tram and ride the tram down. It was quite the day! Thank you Trent for our best anniversary yet!

The view from our room
The Zip rider
The Bungee-trampolines
The Alpine slide
The tunnel to Mineral Basin
Is Baldy this way or that?
The Tram ride down
The ropes course

Happy 5 years!

2010-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

5 years ago today I got to marry my best friend. It was a crazy day but it couldn't have been more perfect! We had a fairytale day.
Now, 5 years later, so much has changed. We have had our ups and downs. We've made it through school and the birth of our two beautiful children. We have lived in the slums of student housing (and loved it) and had the opportunity to buy a house. but while everything seems to have changed in the last 5 years, one thing remains the same: I love you Trent!!! Thank you for making me the happiest girl in the world! I got the best one!

Bee's Game

2010-07-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

For my dad's birthday this year we got him tickets to a Salt Lake Bee's game. To be honest, my expectations weren't that high (I'm not really a sporting-events kind of girl) but my dad loves baseball and so we went. It was such a BLAST!!! We had good seats, we got to see "Bumble" the bee, and to top it off--the Bee's won! I even understood what was going on! What a night!

Jane and Grandpa finding our seats
Grandpa and Bubba watching the game
"Bumble" the bee! Jane was in love with him! She'd ask every few minutes, "Where did the bee go? Is he taking a bath? Where is he?"
Our little family
(don't mind the blue mouths, we had to get some cotton candy)

Pioneer Day

2010-07-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

I love that Utah has two major holidays in July. It makes the summer so festive! This Pioneer day we hung around home harvesting the garden (see below), watching the parade, swimming at the pool, BBQing, and lighting fireworks with family and neighbors. We even got a "Pioneer Day Miracle"--Trent was supposed to work the night shift but his work called him off at the last minute because his unit was fairly empty!!!! So he got to spend the whole night with us! Wonderful! Thank you, pioneers, for sacrificing so much so that we can celebrate you every year!

The Sparkler Princess
Popsicles for all! The neighbor kids enjoying a cool treat.
Grandpa Larsen was the fire-man! He lit most of the fireworks for us. Here he is with the kids watching the snakes grow! (classic firework, btw)

First Harvest

2010-07-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

I read in the paper that if you want your plants to keep producing, you need to harvest regularly. So This morning I went out, with the help of Jane, and harvested most of what we could from our vegetable garden. I couldn't believe how much lettuce we had! (3 gallon sized bags stuffed full!). Our peas are quite fruitful as well! Jane's favorite were the carrots (probably because they are the only vegetable she will eat). They weren't very big and we only picked them to thin them out but they made for some nice bite-sized treats! It is so fun having our own garden!

Lava Hot Springs

2010-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got to go to Lava Hot Springs with our dear friends the Kinghorns and the DePolas. It was a hot weekend but so much fun! We camped just outside of town at Smith's Trout Haven. It was a nice camping spot but not much shade. Trent got to use his new tent he got for his birthday and it was much bigger than we thought it would be. It was awesome! The kids loved playing in it (especially Grant and Seppi. They went nuts in there!) and they each had their own "room" at night to sleep in. We got to camp Friday evening and the boys went golfing. They had fun while the ladies visited and put the kids down. A group of what seemed to be LDS singles moved into the camp spots next to us and decided to be loud and annoying until 3 am. I'll forever love them for that (NOT) so the next morning when the kids woke up at the crack of dawn, we returned the favor :) We spent all of Saturday in our swimsuits going back and forth between the swimming pool and the river run. It was a stinkin' hot day but staying wet helped. We ran the river while the kids slept in the cars with the AC running. It looked like a calm little run but so many people were getting hurt. One guy had his whole back missing patches of skin, one guy in front of Corie visibly broke his finger on a rock, Trent dumped and his leg got all torn up, and I did just fine until a rock sneaked up on me and slammed into my bum cheek. (still kinda hurts to sit). That night the boys took the kids back to camp to put them down and the ladies got to go sit in the hot pools. Man, they were HOT!!! Scalding almost. . .but so relaxing. And the water felt so good on our skin--no harsh chemicals just pure, unfiltered water. When we got back to camp, it was hard to stay awake.
Sunday we were sad to have to pack up camp and part ways but we were so happy to have had such a fun and safe trip. Now back to real life. . .

Princess Dance Class

2010-07-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since Jane got to do an impromptu dance concert with her cousins, she's been asking to take a dance class. We found one that was doing a week-long camp called "Princess Dance Camp" (What could be better for our little princess?!) So this past week, Jane has gone o her class everyday dressed as a different princess each time. She's had such a blast, and even though she isn't able to really focus all that well (give her a break, she's barely 3) she actually learned a great deal! She'll randomly show me moves she learned at class. Our little girl is growing up

Farmington 5K

2010-07-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I ran the Farmington city 5K. Around May of this year I had decided it was time I took up running. Then I broke my toe. So I've just started running in the past two weeks and what better way to celebrate than with a race! My friend Nic got me to run this same race 5 years ago and boy did I complain like I was going to die so I decided to take a fresh, positive approach this time and it was so fun! My time wasn't the best (39 mins) but I had fun and felt accomplished and that's all that matters! After the race there was a big breakfast and then my mom brought the kids over for the parade. I was surprisingly impressed with the Farmington parade! Almost every single float/car threw candy or coupons or shirts or toys. Jane was on cloud nine! Bubba was super tired and hot and ended up sleeping through half of it. What a fun Saturday!

Happy Birthday Grant!!!

2010-07-06T13:37:00.001-07:00

One year ago today Little Grant joined our family.A lot has happened in a year, and it has flown by!

Here's a glimpse at our sweet one year old:

*Grant can crawl and stand unassisted (he's even taken a few steps!)
*He eats like a champ. Sometimes he'll eat more than Trent or me!
*He loves his sister. There is no doubt in my mind that they were meant to be siblings. He'll wait outside her door while she naps just waiting to play!
*He loves to make noise (yelling, banging toys together, pressing buttons on loud toys, etc)
*His favorite places are: the bath, sister's room, the dinner table, or in the dirt
*He has discovered the toilet, albeit not for the object it is intended to be but as a small swimming pool. yuck.
*He can steal your heart with one smile and it now has 3 teeth to make it that much cuter.
*He loves to climb and I will often find him at the top of the stairs, on the top of the table, or on top of chairs/benches/other people. Trent likes this and will get him his first climbing harness as soon as he weighs 30 lbs.
*He has a cute fascination with his ears. They are his comfort objects. He'll tug on them when tired, grab at them when he drinks his bottle, and hold them while he sleeps.

We love you, Bubba! Thank you for being a part of our family!

We spent his birthday today having a waffle breakfast, opening presents, taking a nap, swimming in the pool, having lunch at McDonalds, taking another nap, opening more presents, having dinner, eating cake ( and burning his little fingers on his candle-he just grabbed the flame while we were singing to him!), and lighting off some fireworks! What a day.

We had his birthday party this past weekend. It was a fun night filled with family, food, and fireworks. Here are some pic from the fun evening:

His cakes. Why have just one?

Blowing out his candle with the help of sister. (yes she's dressed like a princess. It's a 24-7 thing)

He destroyed the cake, then the cousins offered to help him eat it.
Opening presents.

Grant's First 4th

2010-07-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Grant's first 4th of July! (He missed it last year by two days!) With the holiday landing on Sunday we decided to celebrate on the 3rd. To be honest, we spent most of the day sleeping to recover from the past few days of cake making(see post below) and Grant's first birthday party(post to come). But last night we went to Grandma and Grandpa Bassetts' house for dinner and to watch the neighbor's firework show. I was so proud of Jane--last year she was scared to even look at the fireworks and this year she held sparklers all by herself! The neighbors put on quite an impressive show, but close to the end Grant was so tired he fell asleep. Too much excitement I guess.

Grant watching the fireworks with Grandpa Bassett.

The cousins snuggled on a blanket to watch the show.

All Tuckered Out.

My First Wedding Cake

2010-07-04T09:51:00.001-07:00

This past week I attemped my first ever wedding cake. I had been stressing abou it for weeks--scared about what could go wrong, how I would pull it off, how I would transport it, etc. On Thursday I got to work. 14 cakes mixes, 4 dozen eggs, one botttle of oil, 7 bags of powdered sugar, 2 tubs of shortening, 15 lbs of fondant, 4 tins of cookies, 1 spool of ribbon, 1 car wreck, and 16 hours later I had made the cake. Friday my mom helped me drive it up to Deer Creek (where the wedding was) and we got it all assembled. The bride had wanted the second tier surrounded with tube cookies so that it looked like a dock and then she had cake toppers--one was the groom sitting on the dock fishing for his bride with a ring on the end of his line, and the other was the bride reaching up for the ring. I think it turned out pretty good for my first BIG wedding cake. A huge thank you to my mom for watching the kids on Thursday and driving with me on Friday and to my loving husband for letting me do this, dealing with the kids on Friday, cleaning the house, and getting everything ready for Grant's birthday party while I was delivering cake.

Why?

2010-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Before we had kids, I knew that there were three words in the English language I didn't want them to learn. The first one came out of Jane's mouth early. I know she learned it from me but it was still frustrating. Everything was "No!". "Jane come here" "No!" "Don't eat that" "No!" "How are you doing, Jane?" "No!" "Do you like candy?" "No!" This phase seemed to last forever. It wasn't until she learned the next forbidden word that "No" started to ease up.

The second word came out about the time she started nursery. This one, I'm relieved to say, I don't think I taught her. I'll give that credit to the older kids in nursery. "Mine!" Everything now belonged to Jane. "Mine! Mine! Mine!"

The third word I thought we might have dodged. She didn't seem to get it until a few weeks ago and it now is used probably 200 times a day: "Why?" We can't talk about anything without her asking "Why?". For instance:
"Jane it's time to go to Connor's party!"
"'Cause why?"
"Because it's his birthday"
"'cause why?"
"Because he was born 4 years ago today"
"'cause why?"
"because his mommy delivered him"
"'cause why?" (you can see how this goes. . . we start with Connor's party and end up in a "birds-and-the-bees" talk!)

I am very grateful to have such an inquisitive little girl but if I hear "cause why?" one more time, I might lose it! :) At least she's been through all the bad words now so it should be easy sailing from here on out!

A Wedding & A Reunion

2010-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had quite the weekend these past few days! To start things off, one of my best friends in the whole world (since we were babies) got married. Katie and Shawn were hitched at the Salt Lake temple on Friday. They couldn't have asked for a better day! The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. Katie looked stunning and happy but by the end of the day they were both exhausted! I had the pleasure of walking around the temple grounds with them to get pictures. I loved watching my friend of 27 years kiss her new husband, look so happy, and (as we always do) laugh and bicker. She has always helped everyone else look pretty for their weddings or school dances and it was so great to see her have her day!

The next morning at 5:15 am we got up to head out to St. George for a family reunion on the Bassett side. When we got there, it was hot and windy and not what we were expecting so we ended up getting a hotel room instead of camping out. But despite my bad attitude, Jane had a lot of fun with her cousins.

O-R-E-O

2010-06-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

Wilton Cake Classes

2010-05-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

This year in my New Year's Resolutions I resolved to take a class, any sort of class, just so that I felt like I was learning again. I found Cake decorating classes at the local craft store and signed up. Last night I finished the last of three courses. I have had such a blast learning about cake decorating and getting to play with frosting each Thursday night. A big thank you to my Aunt Charlene for taking the kids every week! Here are some pics of the cakes I've been able to do since I started the classes in March.

My first cake.
A cake for all the March birthdays in the Bassett Family.
My Mom's birthday cake
A cake I made for a friend of my Aunt.
Cupcakes I made for a good friend's bridal shower.
Course 2 final project. Check out the Basket-weave on the sides of the cake. LOVE this cake!
My very first cake covered in fondant. Love that stuff! It's like culinary Play-doh!
Jane's Birthday cake. Only Princesses for my little Princess.
Course 3 final project. Fondant covered cake, fondant roses, and a butter-cream border.

The Boot

2010-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was downstairs watching Law and Order and Jane starts yelling to me from her room. I jump up and dash for the stairs, but my little toe gets caught on a chair and next thing I know I'm on the ground leaking a few choice words. The pain is so bad, I'm starting to get nauseous. I look down at my foot and see that my little toe is farther from the other toes than usual so I put it back where it should go. I tend to Jane but my foot (not just my toe) are killling. When Trent got home from work, he taped it up for me. But today it was just bad news. The bruising is dark and all over the top/side of my foot and it kills to walk on it so I made a Dr.'s appointment and went in. I got the last appointment of the day and after waiting in the room for the Doc with two kids for 10 mins, I start regretting my decision to come. After 40 mins pass, the doc comes in and checks it out. I get X-rays. Turns out that I have indeed broken my little tow--the third bone from the top, the one that hooks into the foot. He told me to tape it up and wear an orthopedic boot for the next 4-6 weeks! Holy smokes, just amputate the dang thing. It's ugly anyway! But through all of this I can't help but be excited--it's my first broken bone ever! So cool! I just wish I had a better story to go with it instead of just stubbing my toe! :) The ever stylish "Boot". Should go nicely with my bridesmaid dress in a few weeks . . .

Penquins

2010-05-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my brother Zach called us up and invited us to the Living Planet Aquarium to see the penguins. We had been to the Aquarium here before and it was nice, but nothing spectacular. We met up with Zach at the Aquarium and at first it was all the things we had seen before: fish of Utah, jelly fish, tropical fish, sharks, and petting the stingrays. But now there is a whole other section they have added, South America, and it is AWESOME!!! They have snakes, spiders, frogs, eels, alligator-like things, turtles, and of course, the PENGUINS!!! Having seen the penquins at Hogle Zoo, I wasn't expecting much but these guys were so fun to watch! They were swimming and diving and playing! We had such a blast at the Aquarium we might just have to get a year pass! Thanks, Zach, for a really fun day!

Cousin Dance Show

2010-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

e had dinner at Trent's parent's house the other day and some of the cousins had had a dance competition the day before. They wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa their routines so they got all dressed up in their pretty costumes. The problem was, then all the other little girl cousins wanted to get dressed up and dance, too. So right on the spot we had an impromptu dance concert on the Bassett's front porch. The sweet neighbor girls brought over all of their dance/dress-up clothes and they each got a turn to dance. Ever since then, Jane has asked me at least twice a day when she gets to start dance classes! We will enroll her in the fall when they start up again!

The dancers getting ready for the showAddy and Jane's turn! Jane would pretty much just copy what Addy did--she loved it!

The final bow! What cute little Bassett ballerinas!

Jane's 3rd Birthday

2010-05-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Jane is now 3 years old and man has the time flown! I swear just yesterday she was a skinny little baby just learning how to giggle and now she can walk, talk, run, dance, sing, count, sing her alphabet, get her own meals, help her mom and dad, help little brother, hang out with the neighborhood gang, make her bed, put her dishes in the sink, brush her hair, dress herself, play pretend, color, and so much more! We have really enjoyed the last three years with Jane--she brings so much joy and spunk into our lives. She is truly a blessing to all that know her!

For her birthday she got to play with friends, go to Build-A-Bear and make a new Bear friend she named Tink, Go out for lunch at McDonalds and play in the play-place,have a party with her Grandparents, mom, dad, and brother,
and open presents.It was definitely a Princess Day! Happy 3 years Miss Jane!

Family Vacation

2010-05-10T11:59:00.001-07:00

This past week our little family was able to go to California! We road-tripped it and had a blast! Here are some highlights:

Day 1: Drive to Vegas
First day of driving, we made it as far as Primm, NV (about 30 mins past Vegas). Jane asks about every 10 mins if we are to California yet. This could be a long trip! We stopped in Vegas to walk the strip and remembered why we don't like stopping in Vegas--sleazy sleazy everywhere! But the kids liked the big fish tank at Caesar's so I guess it was worth the trip.Day 2: We made it!
Woke up in dirty Primm, lost $2 in the Casino, let the kids ride the little rides at the factory outlet mall, then headed for Cali. Jane was STILL asking about California (even though we drove in it for hours--she was looking for the beach.) Got to Grandma's house, ate dinner, then took the kids to the beach. It was Grant's first time and he loved the sand! Jane was scared of the waves but after one knocked her on her bum (fully clothed) she loosened up and had a good time.Day 3:My birthday!
Trent let me sleep in (Love that man!), I opened presents, played make-believe with Jane, went shopping, and then went to the beach. It was only like 70 degrees outside with a good breeze so I had no plans of going in the water, but Trent did. He got in his wet suit and was gone! The kids and I played on the shore digging in the sand. Not to be outdone by my husband on my birthday, I got in the water. It was take-your-breath-away cold! But I still was able to catch a good wave. Standing up in triumph with my arms pumping in the air, I got a look of disapproval/confusion from Trent on shore--turns out my swimsuit top had been disheveled by the crashing wave and there I was exposed! Ha ha, good times :) I pulled it up and swam back in to catch another wave before we left. We got dinner at Red Lobster which was wonderful, minus the two screaming kids who didn't get naps that day. Finished off the day with Avatar. Thanks for a great birthday, family!Day 4: Zoo day
Jane had been so excited to go to the zoo. She wanted to see the elephants, koalas, hippos, lions, and birds. We got to the zoo with the Hogle Zoo in mind and were blown away! The LA Zoo is HUGE!!! We stopped at every animal at first then realized that we would be here for a week if we saw everyone so we started picking and choosing. It was a beautiful park with lush gardens and amazing animal habitats. The elephants weren't up for show because of remodeling, the hippo was asleep, the lion was hiding behind bushes, and the koalas were sleeping in the trees so all we could see was their hind-sides. When we got in the car to leave we asked Jane what her favorite part of the zoo was. She responded, "The koala bums!". We then headed to Chinatown. Jane refused to fall asleep in the car, even though she was exhausted so as we were strolling down the streets of Chinatown, she passed out in her stroller. The girl was TANKED. We had a blast buying things from cloths and jewelery, to bamboo and baby turtles (we named them 'Lucky' and 'OurCar'. Bet you can't guess who named the latter. . .) All in all a fun day.Day 5: Tide-pools and Denny's
Today we went to the tide-pools up Palos Verdes Blvd. It was a beautiful day and the drive was fantastic! When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw this guy walking with a big fish tail hanging out of his backpack. We parked and jumped out the car to investigate. Turns out he's a spear-fisherman who swam out, harpooned this enormous fish, then swam back with it, and hiked up the trail (which is dang steep). It was a White Sea Bass and he let us get his pic. Check it out!!! So cool! When we got down to the tide-pools, we were able to see/touch orange and black starfish, crabs, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and hermit crabs. The kids liked the hermit crabs to crawl on their pants. After the tide-pools and naps we met up with my Grandma's sister and brother, Fran and George. They are both in their early 90's and going strong. We had a nice dinner at Denny's then headed back to the house for several rounds of Pinnacle. We had a blast!Day 6: Huntington Beach
We wanted to try out a different beach so today we headed down the coast to Huntington Beach. We stopped along the way at a place called Le Creperie for gourmet crepes. They were to die for!!! When we got to the beach the waves were huge and the sun was hot so I laid out and Trent braved the water again. The kids once again took to the sand and dug like little sea turtles for the whole time.Day 7: Lazy Day
We took a lazy day and took turns taking naps, taking care of the kids, and running errands. Trent made it to the beach one last time while the kids and I took afternoon naps and then that evening we all went to the Redondo Beach pier to walk around and have dinner.Days 8 & 9: Returning home
We reluctantly packed up, cleaned up the house, and headed for home. The kids were kind enough to sleep for 3-4 of the 5-6 hour journey to Mesquite. We were so happy! When we got to Mequite it was 93 degrees! Awesome! We took the kids swimming and then Trent got them to bed while I ran to the casino to throw in a few bucks. (and by "few bucks" I mean $19. I got down to $8 then won $10 and finally left with $16. Not too bad. But I realized just how addictive gambling can be. yikes!). Sunday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, then got on the road, stopping in St. George to visit Trent's brother, Chad, and his family. It was so good to see them and the weather was GORGEOUS!

Now we are home and thrying to come to grips with the rain. We are so gratful to have had such a wonderful and safe trip!

Food Storage

2010-04-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

We have been talking about food storage for years now and now we've finally started. Thanks to case lot sales, the cannery, and a little motivation (aka the earthquakes and volcanoes) we now have a good start. We spent most of Friday morning sealing up pouches of food then headed to the case lot sales and Lowes (for the shelving) and this is our finished product:

A Green Green Thumb

2010-04-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

I have gotten Spring Fever pretty bad this year. It's the first year we are in a house and I'll have actual garden space to work with and I just can't stop thinking about all the possibilities! We've gone to the store and looked into getting seed starting kits to start our vegetable garden (as we won't be able to actually plant anything for a while with everything torn up) and that can get pricey. So I went to plan B. The Environmentally friendly (and budget friendly) plan! This year we stared all of our vegetables and herbs inside in old cartons. I read up online how to do it and just went for it! We have used everything from old egg cartons to old baby food cartons to build up our little garden. The only things we had to buy were the seeds (naturally) and some seed starting soil. Once we planted the seeds, we made a greenhouse-like environment for them until they sprouted and then set them out by the windows. They should be all ready to plant soon--now we just need a finished yard to plant them in!Jane's Sunflower "Sunny" and our FHE bean plant

Our Herb garden starting to sprout. You can see the middle one still has it's "greenhouse" on.

Peppers. . .lots of peppers

9 Months Old

2010-04-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Grant is now 9 months old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! He is a big guy with lots of personality! Here are some Grant-isms:
*He just learned how to crawl. He's been scooting around for some time but now he can get on all fours and GO!
*He likes to pull himself up on things. The other day he pulled himself up on the stairs, leaned back, and stood unassisted for about 1 1/2 seconds! I was a proud Mom.
*He eats everything! His favorite bites are shoes, socks, and paper. yuck!
*He loves to open and close doors. He and Jane will play that game and they both get laughing so hard!
*When I go in to get him in the morning, he is usually sitting up and grinning ear to ear.
*Grant LOVES music. It calms him, it excites him, it makes him stop whatever he is doing (including crying) and listen. Even when I sing to him (scary) he will look at me, calm as can be, with a smile on his face!
*His favorite time of the day is bath time. He loves to kick and splash and chew on bath toys. If we lay him on his back, he won't stop kicking until we sit him back up.
*His favorite toys are my watering can, stuffed animals, and anything Jane is playing with. He loves to wrestle with stuffed animals that are about his size--rolling around, biting, and growling at them.

We are so honored to have little "Bubba" Grant in our family!

9 Month Stats:
Height: 29.6 inches
Weight: 19.75 lbs
Head: 18.7 inches around

Bassett Easter Extravaganza

2010-03-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual Bassett Easter Extravaganza! With pizza, an egg hunt, a pinata, coloring books, the classic fishing pond, the egg toss, the duck pond, and making washcloth bunnies, the party was a blast! Jane had so much fun playing with all her cousins and Grant was happy just chillin' with his Grandpa and Aunt Amy for most of it.

Hungry For More

2010-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

I recently read the books "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire". What a great series! Suzanne Collins is an incredible author who has created an intriguing world with unforgettable characters. After speeding through the first book, "Hunger Games", I was dying to get my hands on the second book, "Catching Fire". The wait at the library was a long one but for some miraculous reason, it took only 4 days for the book to be ready for me. I devoured it. Every word. And now I'm hungry for more. Too bad the third book doesn't come out until August.

Home Improvement

2010-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

With Spring in the air, we have gotten the "fix-it-up" fever and are going to town on our house. There is still so much to be done, but in the past month we've taken on some projects that we're really proud of.
Trent went to town building shelves in our garage. They are awesome! We now have a place to put tools and garden things and still have extra storage space.We were sick of having our coats draped over our kitchen chairs (mainly because the kids always managed to get food on them) so we build this coat rack from a strip of wood, paint, and hooks. This was mostly my project (painting, sanding, and marking out where to go) but I needed Trent to help get everything screwed in. We love having a place for all the coats now!Our big project this year will be the yard. We've decided to just completely start over--it's that bad. Last summer, Trent made a nice design in front with some red rock the previous owners had left behind but we wanted something more permanent. So I built a retaining wall for our little front corner garden. My brother Jon helped us with the design of the front yard and this is only phase one, but we think it's a great start.We also needed to fix the deck. It's a wonderful deck- big and spacious- but it didn't have railing (apparently that's against code) and the stairs needed some love. Trent took off the stairs and found this lovely cement pad.
So he started to chip it out and found not one, not two, but three cement pads poured on top of each other. Each more heinous than the last. All in all it was around 2,000 lbs of concrete he chipped out and hauled to the dump. Then we started over. Together on a stormy day Trent and I poured a new concrete pad and it's not perfect but it's way better than what we started with. Trent then went to work with his dad getting the stairs done. (on another stormy day--we sure know how to pick them!) and the other day the vinyl people came and put in our railing. Our deck is finally finished!!!!! Now it's on to killing off the weeds/crab grass, tilling, putting in sprinklers, getting curbing, hydroseeding, and planting our gardens. Should be a fun Spring!

Boo!

2010-03-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

No one can make Grant laugh like his sister can! He adores her. And she, him. There's one thing that Jane does that sends Grant into fits of laughter: she leans over to him and says, "Boo!" What's interesting about this is it only works when Jane does it (I've tried with no such luck) and it only works at lunch time. It's the weirdest thing! But so great to hear his laugh :)

Death of a Goldfish

2010-03-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to a floating goldfish. Jane had gotten Pete and Goldie about a month ago. Trent and I both thought they'd eat it far sooner than they did, but they were survivors--until today. Please don't think that I think goldfish death is funny--it's not--but Jane's response to it was. She climbed up on a stool to look in the bowl and said, "Oh no. Goldie is dead. Pete will fix him." I tried to explain that Pete the goldfish could not, in fact, bring another fish back from the dead. She thought about this for a minute. Trent walked by and she told him what happened. "Goldie died a little bit. We fix him."
Tonight at dinner she once again brought up Goldie's demise and said, in a thoughtful little voice, "Goldie was a good fish. Pete will miss him." Then added: "Let's go to the store and get a new fish."
It's interesting to me to see her deal with this--see what she catches on to and what she still doesn't quite understand. Goldie: you were a good, hardy fish. Sorry you died a little bit.

What a Weekend!

2010-03-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

We were honored this weekend to be able to be in attendance at the baptism of our niece Josie and the blessing of our dear friends' baby, Calvin. It was a fast weekend with a lot of driving but totally worth it! Saturday morning we drove to Eagle Mountain for Josie's baptism. She was beautiful and they had a nice program. She sang and her mom played the piano and her dad sat on the front row just beaming! It was great to see the whole family (Jane loves being around her cousins!).After the baptism, we jumped in the car and headed to Twin Falls, Idaho. Trent had worked the night shift the night before so he went to sleep. Jane and Grant finally tuckered out and so I had most of the drive to myself. There wasn't a lot to see but it was nice to just be on the open raod with my music and thoughts.
When we got there, we checked into our hotel and Trent gave the kids a ride on the luggage trolley. They loved it! We got a room with two queen beds so we let Jane have one. She thought she had died and gone to heaven! Her and Trent jumped on the beds and had a good old time!We got to go visit with Jake and Jenni Saturday evening. Jenni's family was in from Wyoming and it was a blast getting to know them. Little Calvin has grown since we saw him last but he's still a little guy.We got back to the hotel just in time for a quick swim before bedtime so Trent and Jane ran down to the pool while I got Bubba ready for bed. They came back 10 mins later. Surprised to see them so soon I asked what happened. Jane announced: "I pooped in the pool." Apparently she also told a woman in the elevator on their way up to the room. my guess is that lady avoided the pool for the rest of her stay! (for the record: Jane did have a diaper cover on just no swim diaper so the poop didn't actually get in the pool but it was a close call. . . TMI?)
The next morning we went to church for the blessing. Little Cal looked sharp in his white tux with tails and, from what we could hear, Jake gave him a nice blessing (the microphone wasn't working so well). We got to spend a bit more time with the Kinghorns (and their extended family) before we had to leave to come home. It was a quick trip but we feel blessed to have been there for the blessing and that we got to see our dear friends.

FYI

2010-02-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

We were just sitting at dinner talking about how daddy is coming home soon. Jane looked me square in the face and said, "I like Dad best." I know I probably should have been insulted, but I couldn't help but laugh. At least she's honest! :)

In other news, Grant's first tooth broke through today!!! He's been a bit crabby lately and I just attributed it to gas but for once it wasn't! Poor guy! We are so excited to have this new tooth! (but if I get bit, it's formula feeding time!)

Obsessed with Vinyl

2010-02-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

So my awesome husband got me a Cricut machine for Christmas. I'd been wanting one for a while but didn't know just how much I'd enjoy the thing. I've been able to cut things for cards and for Jane and recently, thanks to a creative sister-in-law, I've been turned on to vinyl. I got all excited to get vinyl and get going. I bought some from e-bay then found out I'd gotten the wrong stuff so I sold that on ksl.com and went to the supply store my sis-in-law told me about. I went nuts! I bought yards and yards of vinyl, transfer tape, and a squeegee to apply it. I've had a blast playing with different fonts and finding different sayings to put up on the walls. Our house is starting to look like a scrapbook! But I'm having fun. So if anyone wants to play with vinyl, give me a call--I'm always game!

Play Room

Grant's room

Jane's dresser

Above the Pantry in the Kitchen ( I know I'm missing an accent. . .I'm working on it!)

Above the washer and dryer

Dino Playland

2010-02-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

On Monday we had the opportunity to go to the Dino play-land at the South Towne mall to hang out with some of our friends from the village. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up on everyone's lives. It made me miss living in the village and being able to see everyone all the time. The play-date was planned to say good-bye to Abby who is moving with her family to California for her husband's internship. They will be greatly missed! Jane is betrothed to Abby's son Asher (that is if he will still have her after she pushed him around). What a fun morning! Thanks to all who came!

The crew (minus Kate who was shopping at the time)

The Bulley

2010-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

So you know that kid in nursery or daycare or on the playground that likes to push and kick and take toys that aren't his/hers and pull hair and cause general mischief. I used to loathe that kid. This past month, it has come to my attention, that Jane is that kid. Two weeks ago she got kicked out of nursery for pushing and pulling hair. The nursery leaders exact words were: "Usually she's pretty good, but today it's been really bad." I took her back to nursery after a talk about being nice and watched her push an unsuspecting kid off of his chair so she could sit there for snack time. What the?!?!!? We had several long talks with her about "hugs not hits" and that she wouldn't be able to go back to nursery if she was mean. This past Sunday she stayed in nursery the whole time. When I went to pick her up I asked the teachers how she was. They looked at me kind of strangely and said, "She was fine. She just went around hugging everyone. . ." I was so proud and happy that that was all it took to solve her violent ways. But alas, it wasn't.

We went to a playground at the mall with some friends the next day and Jane was terrible!!! She was pushing and pulling and hitting. She pushed some unknown kid off of the top of the slide flat on his back! She took several time outs and still the message didn't sink in. It wasn't until I took away one of her princess dolls that she started to regret her actions.

I am totally beside myself! I don't know how to change this behavior. She isn't really around other kids that much (besides Bubba) so I don't know if the solution is to schedule more play dates for her (but then I worry about the well being of the poor kids chosen to play with her) or whether to isolate her until the behavior improves. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And a big apology to all those kids out there that my daughter has bullied. We are working on it.

Sleepy Guy

2010-02-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Sundays have become increasingly difficult now that we are at the 1:00 church time. The kids don't get naps and by the end of the day we are all so tired it's hard to see straight. Sunday we put Bubba in his walker while we got Jane ready for bed. When we looked over he looked like he was praying. Turns out he fell asleep standing up. Poor kid!

Logan Retreat

2010-01-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had the opportunity to go up to Logan/Providence to have a fun weekend with some really great friends. We dropped Jane off at my parents and headed up on Friday. Jane had a fun time at her Grandparents house painting with her Grandpa, eating everything in sight, and watching Princess shows. We had a wonderful weekend of food, swimming, games, and staying up way too late. We all got to meet the Kinghorn's new little boy, Calvin, and Grant and Jesspi DePola had a blast rolling around together. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. We wish that we all lived closer but weekends like this make the distance between us seem smaller.

Bubba is 6 Months Old!

2010-01-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Grant turned 6 months old the other day. He is growing up so fast! We took him in for his 6 mo check-up and he weighs 17 lbs 11 oz (50%), is 27.5 inches long (85%), and his head is 18 inches around (95%). He can sit up without support for about a minute, he is eating cereals and starting vegetables (he's not quite a fan of being spoon fed yet.), and he adores his sister. He puts everything in his mouth and loves to slap his hands together. He's still having troubles with his little bowels so we are getting more tests done, but he's the happiest little guy we know! His smile just lights up the room! His hair is still strawberry-blond and his eyes are still blue and we're hoping they stay that way. We love you Bubba!

Honestly the Honesty. . .

2010-01-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

When we moved into our home in July, we found beautiful red rock in the front yard for landscaping. The yard was a nightmare and the rocks hard to find, but they were there and we were so excited to use them to make a flower garden. Thinking that the previous homeowners had stared a project that they couldn't finish, we got started on one of our own. Talking to the neighbor one day we mentioned the rock. She politely told us that the previous owners had "borrowed" it from a construction site. I was appalled!!! How do you "borrow" expensive red rock from a construction site, you ask? Well, no one was using at the time so they just took it. We felt so dirty even using that rock after that, but there was no longer a construction site to return it to.

That story has troubled me since we moved in. Then today when we got home from church, we were getting lunch/dinner ready and I looked out the window at our back yard. Just behind our house they are building new townhouses. They are a little too close for my liking, but it's been really fun watching them progress. Anyways, as I was looking out the window, I noticed a car stop by the construction site and a little boy (probably 5-8 years old) get out. He was picking up various pieces of particle board and my first thought was, "holy smokes! that kid is totally stealing wood from the site!" so I called Trent over. We watched as he picked up pieces and then set them down studying them closely while his mother (I assume) waited in the running car. Then he started clearing the snow off one of them. "Whew!" I thought, "He's just clearing the snow or playing in the snow". Nope. He cleared that board of snow and then tried to take it to the car. He couldn't handle it by himself so his mother came to help and together they threw it in the back of the car. Trent was mad. He walked out on the back porch and whistled at them to get their attention. They didn't notice us. They sat in the car for a minute then the boy got out again, picked up another piece of particle board and a strip of metal, threw them in the car and then they went on their way home. What was so disturbing about this whole scene--other than the fact that they stole from a construction site in broad daylight-- was that they were on their way home from church. Our church. Our ward. And it was also saddening to watch this mother set such an example for her children. She taught them today that it's ok to take things that aren't yours. They were not poor, or at least didn't have that appearance in their new SUV and fancy church clothes, so I wonder why it was so important for them to take those things? Why it was so important to give up their integrity for $15 of particle board. Maybe I'm over reacting. I tend to do that. But it made me think. Is that what this world has come to? I hope that I'm a better example for my children. I hope that my children grow up with a sense of integrity and accountability. We are always, always, setting an example for our children. The choice is ours whether it's a good example or not. Maybe it's become common place for people to "borrow" indefinitely without a care in the world, but I do not wish that for my children.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

This year for the holidays Trent got really excited. I don't know if it's because for the first time since his mission he hasn't been in school or if it's because this year Jane actually understood, for the most part, the whole "Christmas thing". Either way, Trent is our jolly elf this year! We decided, given the cost, that we'd invest in a fake tree this year. It saddens me but at the same time it's so much more practical for so many reasons. Trent and Jane had fun setting it up and then we had a fun FHE decorating it. We've had some good snow storms this month and with those, we've discovered another "joy" of being homeowners: shoveling your own driveway. What a work out! It's still fun to do but after a few more storms, I know we'll be sick of it and want to go back to "the good old days" of student housing where the walks and parking lots were cleared for you. Jane, however, will probably never get sick of the snow. She's not afraid of it this year and so she's had a wonderful time helping us shovel, sledding, and eating the snow. The second weekend in December we had the pleasure of attending the annual Bassett Family Christmas party. Thanks again Todd and Jenn for hosting! Last year everyone got all dressed up and we somehow missed that memo so this year we got dressed to the nines! Jane got to wear her new Christmas dress, Bubba his new Christmas sweater vest (very dashing), and Trent and I wore our Christmas sweaters. I even put my hair in curlers. But, you guessed it, no one else really dressed up!!! Guess we missed the memo again. oh well. It was a smashing party with the whole family there. Food, a talent show, and a visit from Santa! Jane was scared to death of the guy. As soon as he stepped in the door, she started screaming "NO!!!!" and shaking like a leaf. Poor kid. Maybe next year. . . Last weekend we decided to take a family tip to Thanksgiving point to drive through the lights. We got the kids all bundled up and ready to go, but when we got there, the line was seriously a mile long and not moving so we decided instead to go see Santa's reindeer. When we got there, it wasn't crowded AT ALL!! The reindeer were so cool, they even made me believe in Santa! Jane got to feed one. He ate right out of her hand and she wasn't scared! We were so proud of her!!!! She thought it was the best thing ever. On Sunday we went to Kaysville to decorate gingerbread houses with our friends Joe and Britney. It was such a fun night hanging out with them and watching our kids play together. Their son Tyson and Jane are about the same age and so are Bubba and their new little girl Brielle so we were all perfectly paired :) Yesterday we did a day of baking to make treats for our neighbors. We've lived here for about 6 months so we decided it was about time we met some of them. Jane loved helping make and eat the cookies. She was a mess by the time we were done, but oh so happy. We are excited for the week ahead and hope that you all have a merry little Christmas!

Got Milk?

2009-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

So back in October we noticed some blood in Bubba's diaper. It happened again a week or so later and 2-3 times after that. We took him to the doctor and were told that he probably had a "milk protein intolerance" and the cure was for me to stop consuming milk products. I wanted a second opinion so we went to another doctor and were told the same thing, only he said that I not only should cut out milk products but also soy. (I'm actually kinda glad the doc said no soy milk. . .that stuff is nasty!) I never realized how much dairy I consumed! There is milk in EVERYTHING! I have now been milk free for a week and there has been no change with Bubba. We'll go back at the first of January to reevaluate.

St. George

2009-12-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity at the beginning of the month to go to St. George for our niece's baptism. We went down on Friday and discovered that a road trip with two little kids is a lot different than just cruising down by ourselves. . . we stopped in every major town from Nephi to Beaver before they finally fell asleep! We got to the hotel just in time to go swimming before the pool closed. Jane was so excited! She'd been looking forward to swimming the whole week! It was Grant's very first time swimming and we thing he enjoyed it. . .he didn't cry so that was good. The next day Cambree was baptized. She looked so beautiful and grown up and we were so grateful we could be there! It was also nice to see the whole family and get away for a weekend. Some other trip highlights were Chad and Terral's house (seriously looks like the North Pole with every Christmas decoration known to man!), staying at the hotel in a room right next to Todd and Jenn and their girls (Jane couldn't have been happier), and Hogan's mullet.

Attack of the Tub Toy

2009-11-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Last night Jane was in the tub and Trent wound up her little swimming turtle and let it swim around while Jane laid there. Well, that dang tub toy swam around in Jane's hair and got all tangled up! We tried to get it out but with no success. We finally had to cut it out.