Between the 4th of July weekend and that next Thursday, there were a lot of late nights with me working on my prospectus. No, not at all ideal, but my thesis chair wasn't helping. She was in and out of the country traveling and then was being very inconsistent in the suggestions and edits she was making to the drafts I sent her (such as changing things she herself had written because she said it didn't make sense). I know I have not been blameless in the progress (or lack thereof) of my prospectus, but I didn't feel like I had her support for a LONG time either. Carly had helped me more than she had as far as getting started and I had to ask other graduate students what their advisors had told them, because I wasn't getting any direction from her. THEN when she realized I was moving, she suddenly wanted to be all involved (rather, just re-writing EVERYTHING multiple times), but I was also trying to do other things, so I couldn't give all my time to it either. She wrote to another of my committee members that I had "put it off too long" and I was initially really offended by that. I should have been better about doing little steps along the way. Yes. But simply nagging and making negative comments wasn't helping.Yes, I wished the timing had been different and I wasn't rushing to squeeze in the prospectus before leaving, but she hadn't been involved enough along the way to recognize what I HAD been doing this whole time. Using her words, I "put it off":
-to have a baby and figure out being a new mom WHILE still working with clients and taking classes
-while my husband was unemployed and looking for a job
-while we had to move suddenly when our owners sold our place
-while
taking over a year to collect data BY MYSELF (no research assistants-
which meant planning and implementing EACH session in addition to clinic
and coursework)
-so Tyler could focus on studying for the GMAT to
apply for schools- which is ultimately the priority for our family
-to focus on my internship (that I was taking out more student loans to pay for a babysitter in order to complete)
-while Jordy had a broken leg
-to make moving arrangements and to make final internship arrangements...to name a few :)
ANYWAY. It's been a sensitive topic for me. Tyler and I decided when I was going to finish the program, sacrifices would have to be made. Unfortunately, some of those have been in the time I've been able to give to both Tyler and Jordy, but I also was not going to give EVERYTHING to school. I have made adjustments in my expectations for myself with my school work and accepting my work may not be as "perfect" as I would like, but if I was learning the material and meeting requirements, that was what had to work at the moment. I have never been great at time management and unfortunately, through LOTS of experience during my school years, I've learned I get a lot done under pressure! But I also have come to recognize my need to "unwind" at times and do things for myself to stay "sane." So yes- all these things are my "excuses" and justification for myself. (Sorry if anyone kept reading my rant...remember, this is our attempt of "journaling" for our family, so some of my long-windedness comes out at times!)
All that aside, I got something acceptable-enough (45 pages for a prospectus!) and met with my committee. Whew! What a relief. And perfect timing- because there were still things I wanted to do before we left Utah!
We used our Pass of All Passes one last time and went to Trafalga (oh boy. If that's still there when Jordy goes to BYU, let's just hope it gets some MAJOR renovations before then!) But it was super fun for Jordy. He's been practicing his golf swing for awhile now! (He saw Tyler "practicing" his air swing and naturally, started copying dad!) Jordy even got to go with Tyler once when Tyler had a tee-time with work.
I like Jordy's style of golfing...he's sure to get it in the hole! :)
There were SO many hikes we still wanted to do, but we just didn't have time to do them all (a good reason to come back to Utah for visits!) We were able to meet up with my friend, Rachel and her family in Little Cottonwood Canyon and go for a family-friendly hike to Cecret Lake.
As we were getting ready, I was grabbing some snacks to put in the pack to eat when we got to the lake (like granola bars and fruitsnacks). Jordy saw me grabbing food and wanted to "help" pack. I looked at what he had grabbed from the cupboard and apparently he wanted more substance for lunch! :)
Jordy and his buddy Bennett! The boys were super excited about the shuttle bus we rode to get to the trailhead! (who wants to hike when we could just ride a bus?!)
And we were on our way! Jordy walked, oh, the first 25 feet maybe, then we decided if we ever wanted to get there, he had to be in the pack! (Rachel's boys were troopers though and even Bennett walked most of the way!)
I'm going to miss this girl!!!
And the mountains! :)
Tyler claims he was making a Jordy face here...but even Jordy doesn't seem convinced! :)
We made it! It was not as sunny as we would have liked, but it was still a good little hike!
The boys were trying to share some of their snacks with chipmunks
Oh, to be in the outdoors in Utah!
We were hiking on 7/11-- which meant we got to enjoy free slushies at 7/11 when we were done with our hike! YUMM! :)
We then met up with Jess in Spanish Fork and played at the splashpad and playground by her house.
They actually look like they are making the same face, but I don't think that was intentional! :)
Jordy had fun in the water for a few minutes, but then he saw a big grassy area where he could run around and watch Tyler kick the ball...which was more entertaining than the water...
...until he found the swings! :)
"Jordy, smile!" (I wonder where he gets that face from!)
Jordy was having a good time!!! :)
Here are just a few other pictures that were taken around this time:
Tyler's work group had a BBQ at the CEO's house (or whatever his official title is- he's rich and owns a lot of the company). He had a pool and really nice patio furniture, so I was paranoid about letting Jordy just run around, but luckily Jordy had fun on his playground...
...so did Tyler! :)
Now- how am I NOT supposed to miss Utah after seeing this?! If you look closely, there is actually a double rainbow there...with gorgeous mountains in the background. Seriously- packing was not going so well when I saw this... :)
But, alas, the boxes were there waiting to be packed. And then MR. COOL showed up to help!
"Wait- you want to take a picture?!"
"Ok, now I'm ready!"
I LOVE this...not only does he have his hands in his pockets (his own doing)- but see- he CAN smile normal!!! :)
Jordy and Dad playing their favorite game: Kick-the-ball-into-the-tree!
...and now Jordy thinks that's where balls go!
Look at all the progress I was making packing! At least Jordy found a use for all the boxes we were collecting! :)
The beginning of July has always been a fun time of year for us. This year, however, I had my thesis prospectus date scheduled for July 9th, but still didn't have a prospectus for my committee, so there was some added stress going into July, but I didn't want to admit it.
We were also trying to make moving arrangements, which included looking at mini-vans. We were thinking it would probably be easier to get a car loan while we had employment and between our '92 Toyota leaking more oil than it retained and our '01 Kia that made "un-diagnosable" noises and rattles, we figured we needed a more reliable vehicle that would last us some time. So yup, we were shopping for the soccer-mom vehicle already! :) There also seemed to be a much larger selection of used mini-vans in Utah (go figure!), so we were hoping to get one while we were still in Utah and then drive it out to WI. It just was stressful and VERY time consuming going to dealerships and dealing with car salesmen and trying to find a reasonable deal for the specs we wanted...blah. We ended up test-driving a van the very end of June and they were getting pretty pushy to finalize the sale and we were running out of time. SO- long story short, we signed the papers for a '06 Toyota Sienna on July 1st! Yikes! I don't want to deal with car salesmen again for a LONG time. I'm just grateful THAT is over and behind us...(sort of...the tire pressure light came on as we drove away, go figure!!)
So- we had a new-to-us mini-van to drive up to Idaho for the 4th of July. This was my 5th consecutive 4th of July spent in Idaho Falls! And to think: Tyler and I are together now in large part because of my trip up to Idaho Falls 5 years ago :)
Part of the tradition around July 4th is going to Reed's Dairy! Tyler took me there the first year and introduced me to a "brown cow." Maybe this isn't just an Idaho-thing, but I had never had it before! It's like a rootbeer float, but instead of rootbeer, they put in chocolate milk! And not just ANY chocolate milk- IDAHO chocolate milk (which means there are potato, yes, I said POTATO flakes in it!) I was skeptical at first, but, I have to admit, it is yummy! (Just really thick -- no potato flavor, I promise!) So we took Jordy to the dairy and got a treat! **Side story with Reed's Dairy: That first year Tyler took me, there were about 30 other people staying at Tyler's house (that was Eric's doing- I still feel bad for his mom about that weekend!) Anyway, so it was a big deal that just Tyler and I went to the Dairy together. I was wearing white capris and had just tasted my first-ever brown cow. I will admit, I'm a terrible "flirter". But while I had Tyler's one-on-one attention, I attempted to do so- because I wanted to make a lasting impression on him! Somehow, blowing bubbles in my chocolate milk was what this terrible flirter came up with. AND- let's just say my white capris didn't stay white after that! And Tyler doesn't let me forget about that incident either! :)
Jordy enjoyed seeing the farm animals. But it was SO hot that day, we all just wanted some shade!
The baby cow was Jordy's favorite! He thinks every animal says "moo"! :)
Not such a fan of the donkeys!
This picture is actually from the day before, during Provo's Freedom Festival, but it's the only picture we took from that night. Jordy was getting to taste some acai...a yummy treat I ate a few times while in Brasil! This picture doesn't do it justice, but just take my word, it is good! (Some say it's better than icecream, but I won't go that far!) July 4th Week is just a good time for lots of yummy treats!
Jordy actually went to the 4th of July parade that morning with his aunt Julie and cousins (Kenzi and Kyler). I was working on my prospectus (ick) and Tyler had to take the van in to figure out why we were losing tire pressure (naturally, after being in possession of the car for less than 48 hours!) Then when they got back, Jordy quickly discovered the basketball hoop at Grandma and Grandpa Davis' house! (He has an eye for them-- he loves shouting "baball" the minute he sees a hoop!) He especially loved playing with Kyler. Poor Jordy doesn't even have to do much before he's a sweat-ball though!
Oh Jordy...always a ham!
He was trying to get Koda to play too! :)
We met up with some friends that night to watch the "famous" Idaho Falls fireworks with a front-row seat close to where they shoot them off by the river (also part of the tradition of the 4th in Idaho-- the location of our first hand-hold! hahaha!)
Rachel Bronson and her husband, Darrin, and 2 boys (Logan being a glow-bug with the glow-sticks!)
Travis McClure and his wife, Liz, and their 2 girls! (Kennley just adores Jordy-she's already decided she's marrying him!)
I was really struggling to figure out my camera settings...it could have been a cute picture!
We were a little nervous if Jordy would like being that close to the fireworks. During the week leading up to the 4th, people were doing little fireworks in their yard or a random few would shoot off in the sky and Jordy had gotten really upset with the loud booms-- so we came prepared with Tyler's noise-cancelling headphones, lots of fruitsnacks, and his pacifier! Jordy didn't ever cry, but I don't think he wants to watch them every night either!
I, on the other hand, LOVE fireworks! They just seem to be so magical! :) I had been skeptical that first year if Idaho Falls would really have "amazing" fireworks like Tyler claimed, but once again, I was not disappointed! Here's a little youtube clip of the fireworks show if you want to see for yourself!
Even though I had to be working on my prospectus (for real this time, I was down to less than a week!) we had LOTS of fun in Idaho! It's a little sad thinking we might not be able to be in Idaho next 4th of July- depending on Tyler's internship...we'll miss the "Idaho-gang"! I never would have imagined when my friend, Kendra, moved to Idaho Falls during High School that I'd meet a really good friend (Rachel!) through Kendra from there, and eventually, my HUSBAND would be from there! Crazy...
Jordy loves his Grandpa-time! Especially when it involves getting to look at the cows they let graze in their yard, barefoot! :)
Grandma and Grandpa Davis!
Jordy and Julie and Nate's family: Kosha, Kaitlin, Kenzi, and Kyler
We actually said our "goodbyes" to Kristi and her family a few days earlier when they came down to Provo- we met them at them at the Provo splashpad (another thing we'll miss!)
Jordy and Kristi and Stan's family: Grant, Carson, Travis, (I don't know where Bennett was at the moment!) and Maci
It's fun to see how much more Jordy enjoys the splash pad compared to his first couple visits!
This video is from a different time at the splash pad...but still shows some of his excitement (instead of anger at getting wet!)
As I said before, July is just a good time for yummy treats- and because there isn't a better place to stick these pictures, here are more yummy treats Jordy has been enjoying recently:
Jordy LOVES his smoothies! It's been one of the only ways to get him to eat fruit- so we pack it full of berries and bananas and of course his real favorite: gogo (yogurt!)
July is the anniversary month at Krispy Kreme where they run a promotion of BOGO dozen. What family of 3 needs 24 donuts...we do!! :) I will leave this Krispy Kreme adventure with these cute pictures...never mind that the "good deal" turned into paying for a boot to be removed-- grrrrr!!!...**stupid mom moment #5,987 and counting...**
I had had big plans for getting a lot done (both with school and moving) during the month of June, but, well, let's be honest, it's ME we're talking about here and I never get as much done as I imagine I will. So even with classes being over, there was still a LOT to do in the 3 weeks before Jordy and I left Utah.
Once again, I'm playing catch-up here...but I'll try to go in some order...
June 30th Jordy turned 18 months old!! How to describe the last 18 months?! Exciting -- Emotional -- Exhausting ... so many words! I've tried sharing some "snap shots" of Jordy through the months, but even as his mom, I almost don't believe this is the same kid we brought home from the hospital! Jordy is a bit of a handful at times, but also the true joy of our lives as well! We are so glad he is part of our family! I started a list when I had a few minutes to spare, but, it is not a very good list and now, when I'm finally getting around to writing this, it's hard to remember what he was like even just 2 months ago! But here are some of the things I remember for his 18 month-old "milestones":
-Jordy gives big, juicy, LONG kisses on checks!
-He figured out how to actually blow kisses now :)
-Has been using a fork and spoon pretty well on his own for the last couple months actually!
-Imitates EVERYTHING Tyler does, such as:
-practice golf swings
-throwing balls
-throwing balls from his back
-flinging balls
-fetching balls
-kicking balls (catching on to the theme with Jordy?!!)
-tries putting on deodarant :)
-He also "helps" around the house by "sweeping" or "dusting", putting things in the washer and throwing things in the garbage (most of the time it's something that can be thrown away, but every once in awhile, it's something we still wanted!)
-When Jordy sees any bottle with a pump he acts like he is "washing" his hands
-Gets really excited to brush his teeth
-Likes to comb his hair, especially if he sees me doing my hair as well
-Can almost assemble the magic bullet himself :) (he LOVES fruit/oatmeal smoothies in the mornings and that's how I make them for him- so anytime he sees the magic bullet, he gets quite excited!)
-As mentioned earlier, he has a bit of an obsession with balls and can't go out to the car without a ball in hand (we have quite the collection started in the car now!)
-He'll go down slides by himself (his favorite is the slide in the baby-pool at 7 Peaks...he could do that forever!) **I'm just proud of myself that I am okay seeing him on a slide again. I'm just happy I didn't traumatize him from playing on slides for the rest of his life...I might just never be the same...
-Jordy gets so SO excited when ANY sport is on TV!!!
-He thinks it's really funny to try tickling us!
-Is pretty picky with food-- doesn't eat anything green
-Is a sweaty little boy all the time because of how active he is! :)
Says: off, on, up, grandma, mom, dad, Jordy, yogurt, football, uh oh, bathroom, hot, woof, moo, vroom, basketball, more, and UNDERSTANDS SO much! I know it shouldn't surprise me so much, with me studying language development and all, but it is still AMAZING to me to see such a little person putting together the pieces of language! He really is learning new words each day and it's quite a fascinating thing to be experiencing first-hand. I'm grateful for the background I've had in language development, however, sometimes I do think it's more a curse than a blessing because of how aware of his language (both expressive and receptive) I am!
And just to keep with tradition- here are some pictures we took to show how much he's grown around his half-birthday!
This picture makes me laugh...because as you will see in the sequence, this was his best picture...haha. (He was actually in the process of doing his more typical "Jordy smile"...)
THIS! Oh Jordy! I know why he squats down, but at the same time, I don't know why he started "smiling" like that. Hmmm...if I can blame him imitating me for the squatting, can I blame Tyler for the smile?! He MUST be imitating one of us or something... hahaha!
These pictures almost make me a little sad...when we started doing the "milestone football pictures" Jordy couldn't hold the ball, and now...he's running with it! OH- my baby isn't such a baby anymore!
I love this picture for what is implied: Jordy really does LOOK UP to Tyler in so many ways! He sure LOVES his daddy and especially getting to be outside playing with him! (Side story: Jordy not only enjoys throwing the balls himself, he really likes watching Tyler throw them or kick them. But sometimes Tyler has kicked the ball into a tree, and then throws the football, (and sometimes then the soccer ball to get the football and other ball) out of the tree! SO- now Jordy seems to think that is the POINT of the game...to get balls into the tree. Hmmm...how to explain that one?!)
I am debating if we'll keep a "half-birthday" celebration going for Jordy. I feel a little bad his birthday is right between Christmas and New Years and he'll always have to "share" celebrating with everything else going at that time of year. SO- at least this year, we made a "half" cake and let him have another go at trying out cake. (Spoiler: He's still not super interested in the frosting. Hmmm...is he my kid?!)
Tyler was trying to tickle him to do a more natural smile (he can smile 'normally' when he's not thinking about it!)...
...but this ultimately was how he smiled when he saw the camera! :)
We had some sparklers as well (almost July 4th!) so we wanted to see how Jordy would do with those...
(We tried having him hold it in a cup, but he wasn't really getting the idea of the sparkler in the first place...)
But then we showed him the "poppers" or whatever the little things that make a snap sound...yeah...those were by far his favorite!
Oh that laugh makes me so so happy! We love our little bud more and more each day!
**And just because this doesn't really "fit" anywhere else (our blog is more like our family journal anyway)- Tyler's co-worker created this video of them having a SpikeBall tournament during their lunch hours during June/July. It apparently was getting pretty intense! (Glad he was getting exercise in while at work, right?) Spike Ball Video
And Tyler's work also did an eating competition (ironically right after doing a weight-loss competition!) where the participants were given 15 minutes to eat all of this:
Tyler received some "sponsorship" to participate...and he's not one to turn down a challenge...especially when food is involved! But even Tyler only got this much eaten in 15 min.
Wimpy, right?! Hahaha!
I give Nuvi (and other similar companies) a hard time- for all their "gimmicks" and tricks to keep their sales team motivated (or so they claim that's what they are doing!) but- I do have to admit some amount of gratitude is owed...or at least I'll recognize even if this job is not ideal or any "dream job" for Tyler...it's been a blessing for our family. When Tyler was unemployed for over a month last year- it was the only company to make an actual offer. We had already moved to Orem, and so Tyler only having to drive 10 min. to Lindon was very convenient (and was about all the 20+ year-old Toyota was going to make!). Tyler's work was also pretty flexible for him to be able to leave a little early as needed or at least was close enough that Tyler could come home quickly if needed. Tyler didn't love the work he did, but he got lots of free food and snacks and even though it was kind of "mind-numbing" and got old doing the same thing every day (without getting the salesmen credit), he got to wear basketball shorts to work and didn't have to bring his work home with him. We are just grateful he's had a paycheck, got some more work experience to get into a MBA program, and we got health insurance with it all. We do feel grateful for this!
