It's Official

We finally decided to add Ivan as a member of our family. We got him a dinosaur!

The story of the dinosaurs. When I graduated from high school, Michael and I had been long distance dating. He sent me a package as a present and sent a few random items. He sent a Big Hunk, a hair net, a heart paper weight, a toy car, a toy horse, a toy chicken (both of these were flashlights that made the noise of the animal when you squoze the tail), his favorite cd, a letter, and a toy dinosaur. The Christmas previous to this event, he bought a bunch of dinosaurs and gave one to each of the members of his family. Married couples got matching dinosaurs and Michael had one left over after every one got one, even after he had one. So he sent it to me. This meant nothing to me at the time because he hadn't told me about that yet, but it was a cute T-Rex and I kept it. 2 years after that, we got married. Now Ivan can be a part of our dinosaur collection and ultimately, a part of our eternal family.

Just ignore the fact that my T-Rex is missing a hand. Silly Chewy. Chewy was our puppy that chewed everything (so he found a new home). 

The End

As our semester ended, Michael and I were able to feel a huge relief and release. We were relieved that the worst semester of our lives was over and released from all the stress we were trapped in. While it took a while to be able to completely relax, for me anyway, I really did enjoy having a break and not having to do homework. I was able to go to work and come home and be done! I am so excited for the time in my life when I can just go to work, come home, and be done. We were able to plan a few trips for our break. We left Friday for Pocatello to hang out with Brenda and her manfriend Nelson. This was the first time we met him. We went to Senior Iguana's and got 2 foot burritos! Ivan is 25 inches long. A 2 foot burrito is 24 inches long. That burrito was as big as my son at 6 and a half months! Let me clarify, Ivan is 6 and a half months old, not the burrito. And the food was delicious. Usually quantity trumps quality in something like that, but man was it delicious. And reasonably priced. Looks like we might be visiting Brenda more in the future... While we were in Pocatello, we did a little exploring. Michael always gave me this weird vibe about Pocatello. This might be because it wasn't really much to look at when he was growing up, or that it's nicknamed Pokey, or that there have been some major drug busts there. Either way, I never thought very highly of Pocatello. Especially because of the Pokey reference. I, for one, would never like to live, or visit much less, a place that is nicknamed after a jail. Our exploring started at the Marriott we were staying in. A TownePlace Suites. It's really nice and intended for longer stays. There was popcorn (free popcorn!) in our room, with a microwave, fridge, dishwasher, and dishes provided for us. There was also a closet that connected to the bathroom, which made it hard to lock anyone out when there was an entrance to the closet... Then we drove around for a little while looking at the area. I was pretty impressed with what I saw. We went shopping too and Pocatello looks like a bigger place than Idaho Falls does, what with all the infrastructure being able to support more people and all. We saw some nice houses and visited some nice stores. It was fun.

We went swimming while we were there. Ivan loved the water, but not the temperature. 

Michael, Brenda, and Nelson. 

Oh, we got our grades back. Out of 7 classes I got 5 A's and 2 A-'s. I was pretty stoked! Michael did really well too, I think he got all A's and A-'s. Not trying to brag or anything, but I think that's awesome! Plus that semester was the absolute hardest with the vet tech classes. The material we were learning was hard and the new teacher was hard. It was difficult, but we made it. Michael decided to only take 6 credits the spring semester so he can still work full time and keep his sanity. I'm taking 14 credits, 13 of which I need to graduate and 1 that is just for fun so I can be considered full time. It's a soccer class, so it'll actually be fun. Yay for adventures!

Losing my Mind!

School has been busy, to say the least. Work has been more requiring of me lately, and I've had lots of other stuff going on! This week has been the worst of it. For some reason my teachers find it pretty cool to pile on all the homework right when the end is in sight. Not sure if they know this, but I'm on track until July! That means that when this semester ends in about 4 weeks, I still have 3 more months of classes with only a week break in between. So this week, I've had a lot more homework than usual. My coworkers decided to the take a day off, so the clinic has been extremely busy. And there was a test in the class I TA for. Now the test wouldn't have been a huge deal if it hadn't been moved. I planned 2 study groups, one Monday one Tuesday and the test was Wednesday. We didn't get through all the information, so the test was moved to Friday. So now I have a study group Monday - Thursday and I'm tutoring someone. So I had 2 study things Monday. 2 Tuesday. 2 Wednesday. 2 Thursday. All this on top of my homework and work at the clinic and taking care of Ivan and seeing Michael in there somewhere. Man, I am done. So done. But the week isn't over yet. I have 5 assignments due tomorrow and a test to take. I also have to work in the morning at the clinic and I am covering someone's shift over the weekend and cleaning kennels all weekend. That part wouldn't be so bad, but I have to go in twice a day so the dogs can go potty more than just once. Plus I have a billion things due Monday and a test! A real one, not like the one tomorrow. I actually have to study for this. And you know what? I haven't read any of the chapters and the teacher didn't even talk about half the stuff we're tested on. Awesome. I also have a test Wednesday. A more real test then than Monday. The Wednesday test is over parasites, all sorts of them, and I have to know everything there is to know about them. I mean the life cycle, what they look like in a fecal sample, what to give the animal to get rid of it. Seriously losing my mind right now. If anyone would like to watch Ivan, it would probably help out a ton. Here's some pictures.

Thanks Nana for the cute vest! 

Don't let him fool ya, he's a Gap model in the making!

New Post

I'm sorry it's been so long. I seem to have found a few extra things to do with me time lately. I'm sure it's boring to hear what school and work keeps me busy, but for records sake, here it is. I picked up a few extra shifts at the vet clinic because the girl they hired to fill in for me didn't work out. So I work there Thursday and Friday mornings and every other Saturday. This weekend I had the pleasure of "doing kennels" (meaning I feed, water, and exercise the dogs) because the girl that normally does it wanted a break. That was pretty fun. It's actually way easier to do kennels when I'm there by myself and I'm not supposed to answer the phone instead of during normal business hours when I've got all these other things to do. Besides that, my TA job has been quite the handful lately. There have been a few tests for lecture and I am in charge of making the lab practical for the midterm in lab. Since there have been so many tests, I've been having 3 study sessions a week rather than the normal 1 that I usually have. I have enjoyed making the test, but it's a lot of work. Plus, I've made the test fill in the blank, so grading it will take forever. Michael and I just finished up our computer class, thank goodness for block classes! So that lightened the load a little. It's still pretty tough though. We're thinking for next semester we'll both just go part time. That way Michael can keep his full time job throughout the semester and until the next one starts (January) and he'll be able to do well in his 2 classes he takes. I only have to take 8 credits to graduate and would really like to play soccer in Idaho Falls this summer so having less classes would make that possible. I'm still undecided on what to do because I won't have the TA job and my hours will be cut back at the vet clinic because there's another girl there going to school and won't be during the summer. Thankfully, she'll take my shifts while still leaving me a job (every other Saturday). So all around, next semester will be easier. The only reason I would take enough credits to be full time (14) would be to get all my scholarships and grants, which make such a difference to us. We'll see what happens. 
So far, I have A's in all my classes and Michael has A's and 1 B. I think we're doing pretty well for as much as we're doing. Ivan is doing well. He likes all his baby sitters. This week was a little different for him. We were out of school Monday, but I had to work all day. So Ivan saw Amber and Megan for a little bit. Tuesday & Wednesday he was with his regular, Katelyn. Thursday Katelyn had asked for the day off, and since we don't pay her anything, we figured we might as well let her do what she wanted. So Lisa watched Ivan while I was at work. This was the first time she watched him, not because I don't trust her, Ivan just has his regulars already. She had a blast watching him! She has this huge fake mustache that she put on him and took pictures, it's so cute! Then Friday Ivan was with Kristin in the morning and Amber in the afternoon. Yep, that's 5 baby sitters in one week. We've been super blessed this semester to have so many people able and willing to watch Ivan for us. We try to compensate them in whatever ways we can, but for the most part, they don't ask us for anything. Thank you to everyone that watches Ivan! You'll get what you deserve at some point. Wow, that sounded mean, but doing good things gives you blessings!
I have learned a few things about myself this semester. I found that I have an anger issue. Sorry to those of you who know that... I especially noticed that I'm the worst when I'm in class. I only have 15 classmates in my vet tech classes and I've had classes with them for 3 semesters now. There are a few who I have a really hard time getting along with, a few that I don't know very well at all, and a few that are my close friends. Those few that I don't get along with, I really really don't get along with. I like to think that this is for justifiable reasons, but is that good enough to fill my life with dislike and hate and anger because I have a good reason to not like them? Probably not. At least that's what I feel like lately. So in January when I noticed all my bad feelings coming back and I couldn't blame it on pregnancy, I decided to do something about it. I think I'm in better control now, as long as I have something to snack on (that way my mouth is busy enough not to talk) then I'm good. That will probably make me fat at some point, but until I graduate I think I'll be fine. I also take deep breaths and count and I've learned to laugh at a lot of things that would normally make me angry. 
Along with that whole anger thing, I found I'm not very open to closed minded people. Going to a church school you'd expect there isn't much diversity. People choose to come to this school so they can be with like minded people who share their beliefs, values and morals. However, that does not mean that the people here all have to think the exact same way and if you don't think that way then you shouldn't go here. I have a few online classes that require discussion boards on the weekly topics. One class in particular really ticks me off. It's a class directed at difficult moral issues and ethical dilemmas. Things like border issues, in vitro fertilization, and whether a girl should stay with her fiance even though he has an addiction to porn, just to name a few. In our discussion boards, we're supposed to say what we would do in that situation where we had to choose. I am so appalled at how many people are so closed minded and unwilling to give people a chance. I know that we are taught in church that you need to stand up for what you believe in and that you should avoid the appearance of evil, but what happened to being Christ like? What happened to being charitable and willing to help others? In each of these discussion boards I lean more towards what's for the better good of the most people rather than what is the most dangerous situation to put myself in (spiritually dangerous). And every week I get negative feedback on my decisions because people only see one thing, they see someone doing something wrong and you're not supposed to surround yourself with wrong doers. Well, maybe I have a deeper understanding of the gospel and I know what's more important, I know that I have a strong testimony, and I know that helping others is what we are sent here to do. Otherwise, we would be tested without anyone else here. 
Those are just some of the things on my mind lately. Posts will be few and far between for the next couple weeks, at least til April, then I have a week to catch everything back up. Here's some pictures.

P.S. Laura, I didn't copy you, I had no idea Lisa had this mustache, but you are the first person (and Ben) that I thought of when I saw these pictures!

Ivan is 4 months!

We, Ivan and I, had the most interesting doctors visit on Thursday. As you all know, or at least you will soon, I absolutely love Ivan's pediatrician. Dr. Jones is such a nice guy and he'll sit in the room with you as long as you want. He does a great job of explaining everything that he checks in a check-up and let's you know what's normal and what to expect, and let's face it, for a new mom that's the best thing ever. This visit was a little bit different than that. Dr. Jones has an intern in his office right now. A physician's assistant intern. This intern's name is Clay. The PA that is interning there is named Clay. Did I mention his name was Clay? Annoying right? This is what Clay did to me at the appointment. Dr Jones introduced him and Clay introduced himself 3, THREE, times. Dr Jones let Clay do some of the check up stuff, like looking in the ears, checking muscle strength and listening to his heart. The entire time he is doing this, Dr Jones is talking to me. And so is Clay. Any time Dr Jones would talk, Clay would too. Then Dr Jones said something about eye color, cuz I'm really curious if Ivan's eyes will stay green, and he said that he has seen children's eyes change colors up to age 2. Clay did not believe this and began vehemently protesting to what had just been said. How rude is that?! I really wish I would have said something to this guy about the fact that I specifically request to see Dr Jones for Ivan's appointments and stupid Clay is not who I want to see, he is not whose opinion I trust, and he's super annoying. But, I decided to keep my mouth shut, something about the talk I read for my religion class about the Tongue of Angels. Anyway, the nurses came in shortly after that and gave Ivan his juice and 2 shots. He was quite a trooper! He didn't cry right away when they poked him, I'm sure it took a minute to register, but when he did cry it was for less than 30 seconds! The nurses, when they have to give shots, come in the room, administer it, and run out as fast as they can. Ivan cried and was smiling again before the nurses left the room. Can you believe that?! I hope every doctor's visit goes like that! I sure do love this little guy. Ivan is also pretty good at wearing clothes that are supposed to be his size. He has kept up pretty good with the 3-6 months clothes, and hopefully he won't decide to grow too fast and can stay in these clothes for a little while longer. We recently got Ivan a Johnny Jump-Up. It's a jumper that hangs from a doorway. We have a perfect doorway that leads to our hallway that even has a ledge made just for the jumper to hang securely. Ivan likes it most of the time, he really wants you to sit in front of him and watch him do all his cool moves.

School and Updates

Well, it's been a busy month so far. January always seems to be that way, maybe it has more to do with recovering from holidays and travelling, maybe it's just school. Anyway...
I am taking 14 credits this semester here's my schedule
computer basics
essentials of human nutrition
family foundations
foundations capstones
veterinary clinical pathology 2    MW 10:15-11:15 and lab T 7:45-8:45
veterinary surgical nursing 1       MW 11:30-12:30 and lab T 3:15-6:15
large animal nursing                   F       1:30-3:30 with lab alternately every other week

The classes that don't have times are all online. Yay. I'm also a teacher's aide for animal anatomy and physiology so I attend that class MWF from 9-10 and I am in charge of teaching lab Tuesdays 11:30-1:30. I also hold a couple study groups a week for that class and grade lots of papers and lab books. I really enjoy it and I can get as many hours up to 20 as I want. So as long as I do the minimal amount, I can work as little or much as I like. I really enjoy doing this, I've done it before, I'm good at it, and I will always remember the specifics of anatomy and physiology because I've been able to teach it so much. I'm still working at Cedar Ridge, although I'm only working every other Saturday from 8-12, because I'm a nice person. It's a long story...

Michael is also in school this semester. He is taking 14 credits as well. He decided probably 2 or 3 days into the semester that maybe business wasn't for him. He liked some aspects of it, but when it came down to the important stuff, like financial reports and budgets, he'd rather not be there for it. So he switched into the Ecology, Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries major, well all those words in some sort of order anyway. He is planning on doing fish and game or park ranger or something. So he gets to take classes with me! Some of them anyway, I was able to help him squeeze into the anatomy class I am TA'ing for, so we get to see each other then. It's been kind of a challenge for me to have him in that class, I want so bad to just take the quiz or test for him, but I can't. And heaven forbid I know what the quiz has on it ahead of time... Oh man, it's so hard not to tell him everything it says. But I figure I probably shouldn't give him an advantage over the rest of the class. So I should just tell everyone what the quiz says! Maybe not. Back to Michael. His schedule looks like this:
animal anatomy and physiology    MWF 9-10 and lab T 3:15-5:15
english                                         MWF 11:30-12:30
college algebra                            W       5-6:30
biology orientation                       T         12:45-1:45
computer basics
family foundations

Funny story, Michael was supposed to take Biology Orientation as a prerequisite for many of his other classes. Well, someone decided they wanted to go on a vacation, which might have actually been a teaching mission to another country or something, and the person that was supposed to make this class unavailable, since the person on vacation was the teacher of the class. So Michael gets to class, no teacher, lots of other students there, and his class got combined with some other orientation class. Now he gets to learn about pharmacists, business men, and maybe even a fish and game officer.
Other updates, Michael is still working at the front desk at the Marriott, but he did change positions a little. He is now called the night auditor, cool huh? Probably not, he now gets the privilege of working 5 nights a week from 11 pm to 7 am, Sunday through Thursday. Now he sleeps during the evening, except when he has class and does his homework at work. In other news, my computer has decided to die. Lately I've been receiving updates from my computer saying the "battery is reaching the end of its usable life." Encouraging, right? I had lost a few buttons a while back, some were able to be reattached, others just got thrown away. Today it took a turn for the worst. Michael turned my computer off, to get it out of the way, and when I turned it on an hour or so later, it did not turn on. Now this had happened a time or two before and I always waited a little bit and turned it back on and it would always work. Knowing that my computer was quickly degenerating, we bought an external hard drive to backup everything on my computer. So here I am, all weekend, trying to get things ready, particularly pictures and recipes, to be added to the hard drive. I deleted probably a 1000 pictures or more just going through and getting rid of duplicates or stupid things I didn't want. And I only made it from 2008 to the middle of 2009, I have a lot of pictures! So today when I couldn't get my computer to start up, I was so SO upset! I called around to see what computer places in town could get the information off my computer and onto my external hard drive and found a place that would do it for 50 bucks. That's not too steep a price to pay for my precious memories, cuz let's face it, I won't be able to remember forever. I was finally able to get my computer to start and have backing up all my files since. I think I'm going to try leaving my computer on all the whole time and trying to make it live a little longer. We'll see.

Ivan has been doing rather well with all the changes. He's been rotating through babysitters the past week and this week while his regular sitter is out of town. He has learned how to roll from back to front, just after he forgot how to roll from front to back. So once he rolls over, he's stuck. But I haven't seen him roll the past couple days, maybe he's learned he doesn't really like it. Who knows. Today I got him to laugh a whole bunch! He's so dang cute and this is the first time I've never seen him laugh so much. We also just got new couches, yay! We've been sitting on a futon and a couch we found for free. Not the most comfortable and definitely not the most seating. So we got a couch and a love seat from O'Dells after much searching. We're pretty picky and if we were getting something different, it was going to be awesome. And it is, they're microfiber with a protective sealant on it, and an awesome warranty on any stains. We were able to get rid of our free couch pretty quick, we put it up on Craigslist for free and it was gone within the hour. Our futon on the other hand... Well, let's just say we haven't been able to find a home for it yet. We're enjoying our little home, other than the fact that it's kinda chilly, except in Ivan's room where the space heater is, and we have a cat trapped under the house.

That's all for now, but here's a picture of our couches and a video of Ivan laughing.

Family Pictures

On one of our many visits to Utah in December, we were able to get pictures done by Janneke, Michael's cousin's wife. I am a big fan of her photography and I had actually wanted her to do our pictures at the temple, but she had prior obligations. So we were finally able to get her to take some pictures of us. We went down to Provo on Friday, picked her up and went to the BYU campus to take some pictures. Ivan was super cute, as usual. And we had a lot of fun doing it. Here's the proof!

What a cute little cough

So sad! He was ready for a nap

Thank you again, Janneke, I love love LOVE the pictures!