Doctor Day

This morning we went to our pediatrician's office for Ephraim's four month well visit. It is nice to hear that your baby is doing well and growing fine... it's not so nice to have to watch them get shots. *sigh*

Here are Ephraim's stats:

weight: 15 pounds (35th percentile)
length: 25 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
head circ: 43 1/2 cm (75th percentile)

Doctor Arnold said the Ephraim is doing great! He is a little ahead developmentally with his being able to roll over from back to front and front to back. He has grown a lot taller in the past two months but hasn't gained too much weight. So that makes him tall and thin. He has a pretty big head... but I guess he needs somewhere to put a big brain like his brother's.

Jacob was SO relieved that he didn't have to see the doctor today. I prepared him beforehand, so he didn't even cry when we got there. That was nice.

Ephraim did pretty well with his shots. He is a little grumpy this afternoon, but I would be too if they poked me five times!

Week in review... with cute Ephraim photos!

The past week has been a fun and busy one for us.

Thursday was Pioneer Day, so Joe had the day off. He got up early and went on a long bike ride. He made it all the way to the top of Point of the Mountain. That is quite a climb and we were very proud of him.

The rest of the day we spent at home working on projects. I worked on a quilt that I am making for Jacob and some Christmas presents for my nieces (Christmas in July, right?). Joe mowed the lawn and worked on his bike. In the late afternoon we caught up on some TV shows that we had recorded, so that was fun.

Then on Friday Joe went to work in the morning while I went to Melinda's house to do some crafting (more on that later!). I absolutely LOVE going and spending time with Melinda. We have so much fun and make the cutest things!

We went from Melinda's house straight to UVU to pick up Joe. The boys were asleep in the car so we ran some quick errands... leaving one of us in the car while the other ran into the store. We went to Costco where I ended up feeding Ephraim on one of their couches (that's what they are there for, right?). Then we went to the bike store. I think I am almost as excited as he is to get him a new bike to ride to work on... I swear Joe could spend HOURS in the bike store.

As a matter of fact, Ephraim fell asleep in his car seat while we were there and Jacob fell asleep on ME! We got them home and Jacob crashed. He had a fever and wasn't feeling well that evening, but was doing better by Saturday.

That evening we went to the Pioneer Day celebration for our stake. We were a little late because I was finishing up my marmalade, but there was plenty of food. It turned out pretty well because the clouds rolled in just as we sat down to eat. Phew! Then it wasn't so hot. We got to visit with our neighbors... and I didn't have to cook dinner!

Sunday Joe gave a talk in church. Everyone said that he did a great job. I thought so too, even though there was only about 5 minutes left because he was the concluding speaker.

So that's the week in a nutshell. Ephraim can now roll from his back to his stomach... and then back again. Every time I put him down on his back and walk away he rolls over! His back and neck are getting so much stronger that we decided to see how he liked the bouncer and exersaucer.

Here is a picture of Ephraim in the bouncer and the exersaucer. He thought they were very interesting. He especially liked to look at all the toys on the exersaucer.


I also managed to get a cute video of Ephraim in the bouncer. I think that by the time we got Jacob in this and the exersaucer he was almost too big for them. Ephraim will definitely enjoy them for quite a while!

Domestic Diva

This weekend my domestic goddess must have decided to break free for a while. We were pretty busy all weekend, but I still managed to make a bunch of different things. First, on Friday and Saturday I made grapefruit marmalade. Grandpa and Grandma Devereaux brought us the grapefruit when they were here visiting, and I finally made the marmalade I'd been wanting to try!

I think that the marmalade turned out pretty well, but then again I have never had real marmalade. I don't think I'll be making it again for quite a while because it took more work than I thought.

Then on Sunday I baked a loaf of bread. Doesn't it look nice?

I also made a bread braid for dinner. It had steak, mushrooms, peppers, onions, seasonings and mozarella cheese inside. It was delicious!

I made these things using a recipe that my friend Melinda turned me on to. It is from a local company called Pantry Secrets and I love how versatile the dough recipe is. It is also SUPER easy and doesn't take very long. So I have been trying to save money making my own bread. Here are some hot dog and hamburger buns that I also made on Sunday.

But wait... there's more! I also made a pan and a half of cinnamon rolls with the rest of the dough. They were yummy! Too bad some of you don't live closer because I am going to have to give some of these away so I don't eat them all myself!

So there you have it! Now if only my inner cleaning lady had come out along with my domestic diva.

CASVAR 2008

It's official!
Joe and I are registered for CASVAR 2008. It is a bike tour of varying distances that is being held on August 23rd in Star Valley, Wyoming.

This will be our first bike tour ever! I am going to attempt to ride the 38 mile ride. Joe is going for either the 65 or 85 mile ride. He is in better shape than I am because he has been commuting to work by bike for a couple of months now.

I think I can do this! On Saturday this weekend I went out for a bike ride. I rode from our house all the way to Thanksgiving Point. I managed to go 19 miles in 1 hour 22 minutes... and boy is my keister sore! Last weekend Joe rode his bike all the way to the top of point of the mountain!

Getting ready for this bike tour is definitely helping us get in shape! We have also motivated my parents enough that they are going to ride in the tour too! How cool is that?

Reading Time

I have been meaning to post about reading with Jacob for a while, but it seems that there is always something else going on. I even had my mother-in-law take some pictures for me when they were visiting for Ephraim's baby blessing a month ago. So here it is!

After Ephraim was born and Joe went back to work I started to read to Jacob whenever I fed Ephraim. I knew that Ephraim was taking up a lot of my time and I wanted to show Jacob that I could still spend time with him too.


It has worked out beautifully. Now Jacob actually tells me that I need to feed Ephraim so that he can get me to read more books to him. He loves our reading time so much and I think it helped him adjust to having Ephraim around.

Jacob is such a sweet boy. He loves his little brother and gives him hugs all the time. It will be fun to see them play together as they grow. I enjoy our reading time too (even when it's the same books over and over for a while!). It reminds me to stop and take time to enjoy my children.

A Milestone a Minute

We have been going through a whole bunch of developmental milestones at our house recently. Jacob and Ephraim are both growing up so fast!

As I posted previously, Ephraim has started to eat rice cereal and we will be introducing other baby foods to him in the coming months. He is also figuring out how to roll from back to front. Best of all, Ephraim is learning to laugh. It is so much fun to try to get him to giggle!

Jacob has been doing an awesome job at potty training. By the third day of potty training we had no accidents and we even went out shopping with Jacob in underwear! He was such a big boy and went to the bathroom in two stores yesterday. Then today we even took Jacob to church in underwear and it went just fine. He has caught on to using the potty so quickly and I am proud of my smart little boy.

It is amazing how much of a big boy Jacob seems to be when he is running around in his underwear. It is so stinking cute!

Ephraim is on a roll!

For the past two days whenever I turn around I find Ephraim on his tummy! He has been turning up on his side for a while now, but hadn't rolled completely over. Then on Friday he did it when I wasn't even watching!

I was downstairs with the boys working on laundry. I left Ephraim playing on his back and went to get some clothes out of the washing machine. When I had them all up on hangers I came back out into the family room to find Ephraim on his tummy!

Since then it has happened quite a few times. I probably spent at least a half hour today trying to catch him on video. I finally got a pretty good video showing what my little boy can do!

Semi-solid foods, here we come!

It was getting close to bedtime yesterday, and Ephraim was starting to act hungry. He has been especially hungry lately, so I decided on the spur of the moment to see what his reaction would be to the rice cereal that I had recently purchased.

He was sitting in his bouncy chair and since we didn't have the high chair up in the house yet I just left him there. I think this video turned out pretty well considering the fact that I was holding the camera in the same hand that I was holding the little bowl of cereal. (The video is even better if you ignore the annoying voice commenting on how delicious the cereal is!) Ephraim is pretty cute, don't you think?

Ephraim at Four Months

Can you believe that Ephraim is four months old now? Just look at how big he is getting!

He is such a cute boy! In the last month he has decided that his hand (and everything else) belongs in his mouth. So far it doesn't look like he's getting any teeth, he's just exploring his world with his tongue.

Ephraim's little personality is showing more each day. Each morning we wake up to hear him cooing in his crib. When we walk in to get him, his little face breaks into a huge smile. He loves to babble at us, and he gives us all big dimpled smiles. He loves to be bounced up and down as if he was jumping on his pudgy little legs. He is starting to figure out how to laugh, and that is the best way to get him to do it.

Ephraim's hair has been getting lighter each week. I think he may end up being a blondie just like his brother. He is also getting better at sitting up and holding his head up when we put him on his tummy.


Ephraim has rolled over once, but hasn't repeated it yet. I'm sure that before long he will be rolling around and then crawling. They grow up so fast!

Ephraim has been sleeping through the night for a while now, which is fabulous! He usually wakes up around 6:30. That's about when Jacob wakes up, so we all cuddle in bed for a little while. I have so much fun with my boys, and we love them both so much.

Kirkham Family

As requested, here is a picture of the Kirkham's on the day of Samantha's baby blessing. From left to right: Kaylee, Jeanette, Samantha, Greg and Autumn. They are a cute family, no?

Binky Bling

This morning Jacob, Ephraim and I went over to Melinda's house to make some more binky straps. At playgroup this month she showed me the cutest binky strap that she made to give as a gift that had wooden beads. I loved it and decided to remake one of my straps that I didn't particularly like.

The kids had fun playing and Melinda and I had a great time chatting. Just check out these straps that I made! The bottom one is the one Melinda had already made. The top two are the ones I made while I was there. I made two straps because my sister gave me a binky they had and would not be using. I really like these straps because they are definitely "boyish" and don't look girly at all!

Sprinkler Soaking

This week we have been fun playing in the water. I don't know why I didn't get the sprinkler out before now, but Jacob sure has enjoyed it. I can turn the sprinkler on and get in a good half hour of relaxing reading!

Here was Jacob's first sprinkler experience of this summer on Tuesday night while Joe was at his Elder's Quorum Presidency meeting. At first he was a little hesitant because the water was a little bit cold, but before long he decided it was fun.


I never did get Jacob to run through the sprinkler, but I did get him to experiment with putting his foot on it, and picking it up. He was so funny!



Then on Wednesday we went over to the Smith's house and Jacob and Alyssa played in her Elmo sprinkler. Once again, Jacob wasn't sure he liked it at first. He kept wanting me to do it with him, or "help Jacob". (In other words, put down that silly camera, mom!)

But after a while he decided it was ok. I hear that going to the public pool is a bit of a hassle right now (plastic pants, anyone?) because of the problems they had last summer. Maybe we'll have to settle for sprinklers for a while. Besides, aren't Jacob and Alyssa so cute?


Now if only there was a way you could let your kids play outside in the water and sun without having to goop them up with sunscreen! But I guess sunscreen is definitely preferable to a nasty sunburn. I know that I am miserable when I get burned, so I can only imagine how much fun a sunburned two-year-old would be!

Samantha's baby blessing

This past weekend we went to Logan for our niece Samantha's baby blessing. We just drove up on Sunday, since the Kirkham's ward doesn't start church until 1:00 p.m. It was fun to see my parents and my sisters. Everyone thought that Ephraim was getting so big, and that he has the cutest smile.

Joe and I had a nice day together, since the boys were otherwise occupied. Or should I say that the Grandparents were occupied with our boys?

Here is Jacob and two of his favorite things: Grandpa and books.

Here is Grandma with my sleepy head.


I actually didn't end up with any pictures of Samantha... how silly is that? But I did remember to get a picture of me with my mother and all my sisters. We actually don't get together that often, so I thought it would be nice to take a little group photo. 

Peek-a-boo, I See You!

On Saturday we spent some time together as a family... watching movies, playing, etc. While Joe and I were watching some recorded TV on our computer I looked over and caught the boys like this:


Apparently Ephraim is VERY interested in watching Jacob play. He can probably tell already that Jacob is more fun than we parents are.

I know that Jacob will be excited when Ephraim can play with him. He tries to get Ephraim to play with him right now, but of course Ephraim doesn't know what to do yet. Here is Ephraim "playing CARS" with Jacob.

Fourth of July Festivities

We had a pretty fun and laid-back Fourth of July weekend. We got to have Joe home for a long weekend, and we enjoyed spending some time together as a family. Here is a picture of the boys looking festive for the holiday:



















The morning of the Fourth, Joe mowed the lawn and worked outside while I cleaned up inside (Jacob bounced back and forth... from outside to inside... from mommy to daddy). So it was more like a typical Saturday for us than a holiday. Lunch was somewhat festive. We had grilled chicken sausages, watermelon, chips and soda.

In the afternoon while the boys slept, Joe and I watched "The Bucket List" together. It was a pretty good movie, and I enjoyed spending some time somewhat alone with Joe. When the boys woke up we all got cleaned up and went shopping. We went to JoAnn's where I picked up the fabric I need to make a turtle quilt for Jacob's bed. It's a pieced quilt, so we'll see how it goes.

We also went to Fuddruckers for dinner, which was nice. We stopped by the bicycle shop on the way home to get another cycling shirt for Joe (so I can wash them with the rest of the laundry during the week). Joe is doing so well riding his bike to work! He has saved us around $75 already!

In the evening we let Jacob play with some sparklers. He was fascinated by them and a bit sad when we ran out.



Later we woke Jacob up from a late nap and went over to a neighborhood party and watched their fireworks. Jacob thought the fireworks were great! We also caught the Pleasant Grove city fireworks. Jacob kept telling us that the fireworks were pretty and that he wanted to touch them up in the sky. He also told us the colors they were, and that one of them looked like a butterfly. What an imaginative boy! I think next year we will concentrate on the city's fireworks because we would have had a fantastic view from the cemetary near our house. We may even have to get a couple of our own (or get my mom to get us some not-so-legal fireworks from Wyoming).

First Kiss Fourth of July

This time of year most people think about what a wonderful country we live in and those that died to preserve our way of life. You know... freedom, America, pride, liberty, county, love, sacrifice. Well I have all those feelings too, but every year when the Fourth of July rolls around I find myself thinking about the very first kiss that Joe and I shared.

Ours was something of a whirlwind romance. I never intended to fall in love and get married so quickly, but that was the way it happened.

I had met Joe at the beginning of the year in our institute ward, but it wasn't until the Sunday of the Nauvoo Temple dedication (June 30th) that we started "dating". That Sunday we had a combined Relief Society/Priesthood meeting. If you've ever been in a singles ward, you know what that means... the dating/chastity discussion. *sigh* So I was somewhat surprised when they started talking about being honest with your fellow men. I was really enjoying the lesson, when they started talking about being honest in your nonverbal communications with your fellow men... uh oh! So the lesson turned into a talk about what it means when you hold hands and kiss someone. Basically it was the dating/chastity lesson in disguise!

After the lesson Joe and I started talking on our way to Sacrament meeting about the fact that the people who needed that lesson most probably weren't there that day. He ended up sitting by me in the back of the chapel. I don't think either one of us remembers what the speakers talked about during that meeting! We were too busy whispering in the back. We decided to meet at the temple dedication later that evening.

Joe was helping to usher at the dedication that night, and I almost didn't make it into the building before they locked the doors! I had never been to the stake building before, and in Tucson the buildings are few and far between. But I made it and someone showed me to a seat at the end of an aisle. But before long Joe came and asked me if I wanted to sit in the back with him. Did I ever!

I don't know if either of us remember much about the dedication either. By the time it had ended I think we had already held hands and I know that Joe had put his arm around me. The funny thing is that normally this kind of thing would freak me out (you know.. TOO FAST BUDDY!) but for some reason it totally didn't bother me at all (we even talked about what our holding hands meant, given the Sunday school lesson we had just had!).

We ended up talking in the parking lot after all of the other cars had gone. After that day we were pretty much inseparable. On Monday morning (July 1st) Joe met me at the institute to walk me to class. I think I was probably sold right then! That night I met Joe at Family Home Evening. He didn't show up at first and I was so disappointed. Turns out he had fallen asleep, but he came and sat by me as soon as he got there. I remember how excited I was that Joe liked me enough to keep coming back for more.

The next day Joe met me again in the morning and walked me to my classes. What a great way to start your day! Then he invited me to his institute class that evening. We ended the evening by standing outside the institute building talking with the stars above us. I was supposed to be moving back to Salt Lake to finish up my degree, but I think by this time my plans were starting to change.

On Wednesday evening we went on our first official date. We went to a movie at the mall. We got there a little early, and I remember that Joe suggested we pass the time by looking around in a ring shop! I was a bit surprised, but secretly I was a little pleased as well. Normally this kind of thing would freak me out, but I wasn't bothered in the least. I told him, "Not quite yet". We had a great date. I especially enjoyed the fact that the theater chairs let you put up the arm rest between any two seats!

At this point we still hadn't kissed. Thursday was the Fourth of July and we were supposed to meet and go on a double date with my roommate to see a laser show on the military base. (Fireworks aren't allowed in Arizona very often... too much of a fire hazard). Unfortunately I didn't know that you had to have picture ID to get on a military base. I felt like such an idiot, but everyone was so nice about it. We decided to rent a movie and go back to our house instead.

I had a feeling that Joe wanted to kiss me, but I was nervous because I still had my braces on. I think I actually even told him that! I can't remember if we watched Hercules, or the Emperor's New Groove... I was probably too busy thinking about what kissing Joe would be like.

At the end of the movie my roommate left to take her date home. Joe decided to hang out for a little while. Of course that is when we first kissed. For me it was something like this:

So on the Fourth of July when I see fireworks I can't help but smile... and give my Honey a kiss.

Good Hair Day

Yesterday I finally went and got a haircut. I can't even remember the last time I had a haircut. All I know is that it was before Ephraim was born, and I had Joe trim it for me (his "trim" took off about an inch and a half!).

It seems that I have just been so busy with Ephraim that I haven't had time for a haircut. My hair was finally driving me crazy enough that I had to do something about it. I left both of my kids with Karyn (Thanks!) and went to get it done!

I was thinking of doing something drastic, but then my more reasonable self intervened. So my "drastic" part of this haircut was getting long bangs cut. I wasn't sure I would like them, but I really do! What do you think? Didn't Julie do a great job?


I think I did a pretty good job of taking my own picture too, don't you?

I also got it layered through the back. It is a bit lighter for summer and it feels great. Maybe next year I will get it cut short... but I'm a bit of a chicken and my husband likes my hair long, so maybe not. :o)

UVU Library

It's official! Joe and I now work at Utah Valley University. Some might say: Same place, different name... big deal. However I actually get to work somewhere new!

Yesterday I helped out with the open house for the new UVU Library. I drove in to campus around noon and then gave Joe and the boys a tour. Since Joe was with me, we got to go into the room where all the servers for the entire campus will be housed. I also took Joe into some of that staff areas that most people wouldn't get to see. Then Joe took the boys home and I spent the next four hours or so giving tours of the new library. There were TONS of people who had come to see the new building and I had a good time showing it off. But boy are my feet tired!

Here is a photo of a piece of artwork that hangs out over the first floor (cafe seating area) of the new library. I never did find out what the official name for it is, so I just call it the spiral. I really think that the new building is beautiful. It has wonderful views and a nice open, airy feeling. I'm excited that I get to work there.

Although the new building may be open, it's not quite finished yet. A lot of the furniture, computers, and other equipment are not in place yet. As a matter of fact, the circulation and reference desks have not arrived yet. The cafe isn't finished yet and neither is most of the furniture for the information commons. Most of the library staff are still working on moving their offices to the new building and getting situated. It will take us a while to get everything up and running. At least the books are in the new building, right?

So why is the new library open, you ask? Because today is the day that Utah Valley State College becomes Utah Valley University and the new library is a monument to that accomplishment.

After giving tours in the afternoon, last night I helped close our old building. I was the last librarian to sit at the old reference desk. Soon they will remodel our old library and turn in into something completely different.

This morning they were having the ribbon cutting and dedication of the new library. I ran in with the boys early this morning to have my picture taken with the rest of the staff in front of the new library. I dropped Jacob off with Daddy and took Ephraim with me. After the photo was done, I took the boys and we headed off to playgroup.

I would have liked to stay for the ribbon cutting and dedication because President Thomas S. Monson, the prophet, was going to be speaking and offering a dedication on the building. But I didn't think that the boys would enjoy sitting out in front of the building in the sun for most of the morning. I guess I will have to be content with hearing about it from my coworkers and seeing the news coverage on TV about it this evening.