Living the College Life

So, we have been living in Salt Lake now for almost 2 months and have been enjoying the benefits (and challenges) of on campus student housing. There have been b-b-q's,free outdoor movies, and lots of people in our same situation with kids. Starting next week I plan on starting a Yogalates class just outside our apartment as well as a Total Body Fitness class. I am getting excited to drop the last 10 baby pounds I have on me and get back in shape!
Not to complain, cuz I really know how blessed we are to be living in this country and to have the opportunity to go to school and live in such favorable circumstances, but.. I have to explain one of the simple things other mothers most likely can relate to and appreciate. See one of the frustrating things about living in our humble cynderblock apartment is the fact that to dry our clothes I have wait till my sweet little girl decides to take a nap, then I usually have 45 minutes to rush around and do stuff. So I put a load of laundry in the washing machine we have in our apartment. 30 minutes later I am dragging the basket full of wet clothes down our 3 flights of stairs to the laundry room in the next stairwell over. Once I get there I better have remembered my dollar worth of quarters, the 2 dryer sheets and the key to get in to the laundry room. If not, I have to run back up to my apartment and back down. If the dryers are in use, I cross my fingers and hope I can get a chance to put my wet clothes in the dryer when Jeff gets home from work or be lucky enough to get another cat nap out of Mae and do it then. If not, I may end up having to wash the clothes again because they stink. IF I am fortunate enough to get my clothes in, then after Mae wakes up and we get a chance to make it back down the stairs (like this last week), Mae gets a ride on the dry clothes in the laundry basket! I have posted a few pictures of the adorable babe eating our mail I got out of the mail box before getting our clean clothes.

Waxing Political

Hello everybody! Sorry its been so long since we have posted, it is summer and we have been busy working and playing hard while the weather is warm. As Becca mentioned we have recently traveled to Sacramento and McCall, Idaho for family reunions. This weekend we are off to Boise for Becca's 10 year class reunion. Then, I think we'll stay home for a while and relax before school starts up again. We'll try and take some more pictures of Mae and post them, since that is the only reason that anyone read this thing anyways.
So, while you are checking back for more pictures of Mae, I would like to take advantage of this little soap box and wax political for a moment. I just wanted to share a few links that I think are well worth your time to check out. I'll also be adding them to the side bar over there <------, for future reference. Lately I have been reading a lot about the founding fathers and our unique system of government. At the same time I've been watching the current political campaigns with disgust, a feeling I'm sure many of you can relate to. I think that we are really headed for a big change in our country, good or bad remains to be seen. As the quote I've added to the blog says, " all that it takes for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." I think that this is exactly what has been happening to this great country. I believe that if anything good change is to come to our country, it will be through a return to the fundamental principles that our republic was founded on. I don't see such an agenda in either party at the moment. Although I don't agree with everything the man says, I see the most common sense and truth in Ron Paul's campaign for liberty. Check out their website, and decide for yourself. Ron Paul gave an excellent speech in congress last month that I think every American should read, it can be found here. Anyways, thanks for letting me rant a little.

So... its been a while

So.. it has been over 2 months since we have posted. Sorry to all of you who have been looking for updates. We aren't the most diligent bloggers. Life has been good and full the last few months though. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, but we up and moved to Salt Lake City at the end of June. We now live at the University of Utah's student housing. We miss Heber, but there is lots of good stuff here, and great people to meet. Plus we live at the mouth of Immigration canyon were anyone who road bikes in SLC rides. Jeff and I have both been riding up there.
Right after we moved Jeff was gone to LV for a week, then we were took another trip to Cali to celebrate my Grandma Helen's 80th birthday in Sacramento. A week ago we were in McCall, Idaho for my family reunion where we did some rafting and jet skiing. This next weekend we will be in Boise for my 10 year class reunion! Needless to say, we are still trying to get our apartment organized as well as help Mae get on a regular sleeping pattern.
Speaking of our sweet little Mae girl, she is just awesome! We are soo grateful for her and she will be hitting her 6 month mark of being here on earth this month! Wow.. She is so much fun and she is flipping over on to her tummy and back and just barely started getting her knees under her to scoot across her blankie. We will have to put a new picture of her on here tonight.
Anyways, that is us in a nutshell lately.
Mae would like to add something before I end:
cf bnh???&%^q22222222222222222214w4fsssssazSSSsSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

a little shout out to the men in my life

This weekend has been nice and relaxing. We came to Price to spend Father's Day with Jeff''s Dad, Marvin. Jeff recently found him a road bike and the 2 of them traveled around town together on thier bikes all weekend. We are glad Marvin likes his bike so much! We are very grateful to be close enough to Marvin and Sheila to see them occassionaly and have Mae spend time with her grandparents. What loving Grandparents they are!
We are grateful for Jeff's Grandparents and they excitement they have to have Mae visit them as well.
We know my step-dad, John as well as my dad have played great roles in my life and are grateful to have them in our lives now.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Denny for all you have always done for me and for the love you have for Mae although you have not yet met her!
Thank you Jeff for being such a loving father to our baby and for working so hard for our family-
I am soo blessed!

Thoughts of the little ones

No one really needs to read this lengthy little piece if they don't feel like it. I won't promise that it will be well written, but there have been a lot of things on my heart I would like to at least attempt to put down somewhere...
This last month or so I have been thinking a lot about the lives of 3 little children who have directly and indirectly affected my life. 2 of them have been on Jeff's side of the family and I only know them through their funerals I attended. The other is a boy named Jackie who I had the privilege to teach in my preschool class 2006-2007 at JMS school for the Deaf. My heart goes out to the grieving families and friends of these sweet children.
I wonder if I could handle the pain of losing my own precious daughter for this time in mortality as well as the family members I have seen of these children. What strength those I have heard speak of their little ones passing have exemplified. What examples and testimonies of the Living Savior have touched my heart. I know God lives. I know He has a plan for each and every child that is sent to this earth. I know we are placed in our individual families for a reason and that we are to learn from each other, strengthen each other and love each other.
Just as importantly we are placed in other peoples' lives for a reason. Be it, at school, work, the grocery store, Sunday school, or other places in our day to day living, there are people who will impact us and those we will impact for good or bad. I am so grateful for those people who through their interactions and examples to me, have helped to mold me to be the person I am today.
I think back on my interactions with sweet little Jackie and ask myself, "Did I treat him the best I could every day?" , "Did I show him enough attention?" , "Will I be able to report before the Lord that I loved him the best I knew how?". I pray that I was kind when I woke him from his afternoon naps everyday. He was the biggest sleepy head I had ever seen. I pray I was patient as he got frustrated with the other children who would cut in front of him in line. Man, he hated that! I pray that I am more patient and kind to all I come in contact every day ahead of me because of that little boy. I hope to see him one day again and thank him for what he taught me and for his desire to learn, to communicate and to let me see his eyes light up when our communications clicked.
I know the Lord has great plans ahead for all 3 of these little ones who have recently been lost to us on this earth. He has plans for us too. I just hope I can comply and have an open, humble heart to learn what He wants me to learn and do what He wants me to do.
I thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings of family in my life and for the knowledge I have of the Atonement and Eternity.

Mae's ( and our ) Firsts

So, this last month had a lot of firsts for sweet Mae. Aside
from finding her voice and finally taking a binki from her dad, Mae got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Thomson! They drove up last weekend from Arizona and brought with them the work of Mae's Great Grandfather and master carpenter, Denny. What an amazing family heirloom we now have to pass down. We are thrilled to have it. ( will put more picts up when we take some of the crib put together with the bedding and all )
The night before her Grandparents arrived Mae returned home from Long Beach California. Our family was able to travel together with Jeff's company on a plane and stay in the Queen Mary. Mae did wonderful on the plane and the stewardesses had a hard time giving their schpeels as Mae sat on Jeff's lap giving them her big gummy grins. :) Jeff and our friend Nate presented papers at an engineering conference and did great. Nate's wife Lyndie and I had a fun time being Moms with our little ones and kept each other company while they guys did work stuff. The last day there, I wanted to take Mae to the beach, but the weather (and time) didn't allow it. We did make it to the aquarium though and Mae was startled by a sea lion that swam by in front of her! Jeff carried Mae around in our sling for the first time where she fell soundly asleep and I got to touch a shark and a sting ray for the first time ever!
This Mother's Day was her mom's first, but that was also the weekend Mae met Grandpa King for the first time! Grandma and Grandpa King were able to get routed through Salt Lake and visit for the weekend. It was wonderful!

finaly more detailed gown picts!

1-The beautiful dress Grandma Bonne made from my wedding dress. Mae had a little ( ok..big) diaper explosion under the dress- thank goodness for dry cleaning!!

2&3-Mae wide eyed

4-Mae and I with Aunt Katie ( Mae's middle name is the same as her aunt's first)