December???? Really???

Being a mommy eats my time. The sad thing is, I don't know that I really do anything, but not only have the days gone by quickly, the MONTHS have gone by quickly! Little Chief is now 6 weeks old (what!!!) and as tall as a 2 year old, probably. Now that he is on Prevacid he has become somewhat more happy, which makes me somewhat more happy!

Nothing else has changed, being a mommy also eats away at any form of exciting life I once had. However, I did want to post and say that I posted for the first time on my 'photography blog'!!! So check it out here:. A big thanks to my cool brother in law Jake for designing my logo. I'll have a real website at some point in my late 20's? In the meantime, enjoy the cutest picture ever of some adorable boys.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WESTON COMMUNICATIONS

Good thing I've got this all figured out, huh!!!

Being a mom means I now get to brag about how cute my child is all of the time, right? Because he is really cute. And by really, I mean like so cute he makes me cry when I think about how cute he is.

Actually, I cry at everything now. What the heck???

Here are some of the sad, frustrating, funny, surprising, and semi-interesting things that we have discovered in the past 2 weeks (he really is that old already? Wow...)

-- Weston has back hair. I fear he is part wolf. I knew he would be a manly man -- I mean, he has sideburns too -- but really? Back hair? If this stuff doesn't fall out soon I'm taking him to the spa to get a nice wax job.

-- Weston, as cute as he is, is sometimes a horrible baby. Yes, I said it. I love him, BUT he screams all but about 5 minutes that he is awake, he poos way too much, won't burp after he eats and will only sleep if someone is holding him. I'm hoping these dark circles under my eyes are not permanent. He also refuses to eat like a normal baby. He HATES my boobs. It made me feel like a huge failure as a mother at first, and still does most days, but I guess I'm getting used to the pump...

-- Josh is the most amazing dad! Take that, all you non-believers!!! He hasn't even tried to slip any nyquil in his bottle yet! :) I laugh daily at Josh's fathering skills, and seriously can't imagine a better daddy. Josh takes care of late-night feedings and I am able to get more sleep. Oh that man has a spot in the celestial kingdom just for that!

The day after Weston was born, the nurse asked Josh to change his first diaper. I laughed so hard I probably peed the bed as Josh put on the rubber gloves to handle his son. Josh has figured out which side of the diaper goes in front now, and it only takes him about 30 minutes to change a diaper. It's an improvement.

During one of Weston's late night crying-just-to-annoy-us fits, Josh was holding him and singing 'twinkle twinkle little star' to Weston. Only, he changed the words -- "twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are... you eat all day, you poop all night, your diapers give me quite the fright..." He also hums the circus-theme song on a regular basis, don't ask me why. Where did I find this guy? He is the best ever.

-- Kona is absolutely amazing with Weston! She just wants to sniff him all day long, but has not tried to eat him yet. She has eaten about 8 of his binkies though, which is a huge tragedy as those are our lifeline in the hours Weston is awake.

--um, what is up with my child-bearing hips? I guess, since my feet are now normal-sized (hooray!), at least one of my chins has disappeared and I can lay on my stomach, my body had to give me something to cry about! Waaah the giant hips! Go away!!!

--Who knew it would take so long to take care of a baby every day? I am always surprised when I look at the clock in the morning after I feed him, change his diaper about 8 times, make him listen to michael buble so he will stop crying, and learn that it's actually not morning, but 1 in the afternoon and I haven't showered yet. Oops.

-- Maybe it's the part-wolf, but Weston is seriously very advanced for his age. I'm telling you he smiles -- it's not gas, and it's super cute! (he has dimples!!! ah my life is so great!!!) and he also crawls if you put him on his stomach, true story! Well maybe not so much as a crawl as a slither clear across the changing table, but still, it's amazing.

--do all babies have a turtle-ish neck? It is crazy wrinkly and weird. But I still like it.

-- I love watching Weston right before he wakes up. He starts moving his arms and legs like he is doing the back stroke and will do that for about 20 minutes before he decides it is time to cry for 2 hours.

I alway naively thought I'd be a semi-good mother, and am learning that I am a crappy mom! This is hard! Good thing he has at least one sane parent to hold it together. Hopefully over the next few weeks I'll be able to figure this kid out a little more. but yeah, back to the whole point -- he is really, really, REALLY cute.

Weston Kelly Lund

10.30.09

Yes, it has taken a week to get this blog updated with our BIG news. And by BIG, I mean 8 pounds 10 ounces, 21 1/2 inches big. Weston arrived, to our surprise, last Friday night (10 days early -- still giant!!!) at 7:36 p.m! Who knew I could love anything as much as this guy! So far, Weston has 3 jobs: eat, sleep and mess. The eating and sleeping parts seem to confuse him, but he is messing like a champ -- he may even win a medal.

For those interested in a 'birth story' -- I can sum it up in 3 words: Thank You Epidural. The recovery is going slowly for me, and I pretty much fail at being a mother about 18 hours of the day... BUT we're getting there. And I couldn't imagine it any other way.

HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!!

I don't blame this post on pregnancy as much as I just blame it on being partly crazy, BUT in the last few months, my dreams (all of which are nightmares!!!) have been plagued with horrible images of our child looking like this:

Seriously, what is wrong with me!!!! I even find myself adding to my prayers at night "and please let little baby get his father's looks and not Sloth's..."

I know I should be hoping that he comes out healthy and strong, being able to see, hear, breathe, etc., and I do hope for that -- but I also am petty and worry about really strange things, like:

-- What if he inherits a recessive squidget gene and only grows to be 5'1"? How will he get the ladies, especially if he inherits a recessive baldness gene? Will our son live with us until he is 35?

-- Is he going to come out with old man (the horseshoe) hair like Josh had when he was little?

-- What if he gets my butt? That suppleness (josh calls it my latin surprise, kristen calls it the 'muffin butt') might be a little awkward on a dude.

--What if he is as dumb as bricks? I will blame that on Josh? Again, will he live with us until he is 35?

--Or what if he is smarter than me by the 3rd grade? What good will I be to him then?

--If he inherits Josh's long "islander" toes, and my long fingers, will learning how to crawl and walk be a real challenge?

--What if he is no good at sports? Josh may disown him!!! Seriously, we are counting on him to be a lefty so we can ride the gravy train!!!
--Is he going to inherit my craziness? Because there's too much of that in our house already.

AND besides the baby and his gene pool, I also worry about my mothering skills:

--What if i am holding him and walking up the stairs and accidentally trip (it happens quite often) and fall on him and squish him and his eyes pop out? Seriously, I think that!!!

-- Will Kona think he is a chew toy and chew off his feet while I am sleeping?

-- What if I bring him to work one day and then forget him and leave him there all night? I have done that to my phone, and I really, REALLY can't live without my phone...

--What if my looks scare him and he cries everytime I hold him? It's happened with many children in the past, no lie!!!

Most days I really think -- whoah, what have i done to myself... This whole mom thing is going to be rough!!

But as long as he really doesn't come out looking like Sloth, I probably should be counting my blessings!!!!

My Guinness Book of World Records Entry:

Yes, I am quite possibly the world's largest pregnant woman alive. No, we are sure it's not twins. He may have had a twin at one point, which he swallowed, and is now a giant toddler growing inside of me. He may or may not have a full set of teeth and chest hair when (if) he comes out.

Besides the normal reasons of being excited to have a baby -- can't wait to cuddle him, smell his baby-ness, fall absolutely in love with him in every way possible, and more ooey gooey mush, I have a few personal and selfish agendas to having this baby OUT. They are as follows:

-- I can't wait to only have one chin. Actually, I'd settle for two chins. But this five chin thing (I may have 6 by next week) has GOT to stop. It's embarrassing.

-- Sausages for toes and cankles are OUT this season -- it's time I had some normal size feet that can fit into heels.

-- Not that I ever really enjoyed painting my own toenails (that's what little sisters are for!) I can't wait to reach them with ease, without grunting.

-- I am a stomach and a back sleeper. How I miss that dreadfully. And even if I'm actually missing out on the whole sleep part, I really can't wait to at least lie on my stomach for a full 10 minutes.

-- Pants with zippers and button flies. Need I say more.

-- I can't wait to JUMP again. A few months ago I attempted an 'agile' move from a boat to the dock... it did not go so well. Somehow my body didn't go up in the air as planned -- it was more of a trip over the side of the boat into the water. I think when he is out I will call on my childhood roots and attempt to get from one room in the house to the other without touching the floor and only jumping from one piece of furniture to the next (I know you all did it when you were young too, no judging!!!)

-- Oh blessed waistline, I hope you are still there waiting for me somewhere... As well as my belly button.

-- Not that I don't enjoy falling out of my bed every morning on purpose, it will be nice to just sit straight up and daintily/gracefully put my feet over the edge and get out like a normal person. As giant whale-sized as I am, I am surprised I haven't crashed through the floor with my attempted 'acrobats' at escaping the bed. Not to mention the plethora of pillows I surround myself with just to get comfortable!!! I am sure Josh will enjoy having more than 1/10th of the bed as well.

So with that said, I will be holding my breath until Josh Jr. comes out. I wish it would be tonight.

Welcome Football Season!!!

As I absolutely HAD to have a steak tonight (it's true, it was not a want, it was a NEEEEEED) we decided we could go out to eat to celebrate the start of football season! Ah, who can think of a better way to spend a Saturday than screaming profanities at our television!!!

And now, as Josh watches the Utah game, I get to spend my time editing photos from my favorite shoot so far:

Sara and Brady should have a million kids if they all look like him. He is too cute.

An Update As Promised...

Prepare for a longie... I'm so sorry for those who endure this whole thing!!! I've let most of the summer waste away without letting anyone know about my fun adventures. Oops. So... illustrated by lovely pictures, here is what I've been up to over mostly the last month...

Jaylene and Steve came in from Ohio! This was the hi-light of my summer for sure. Most of us sisters (Minus Ev, sorry Ev!) were able to go with my grandparents on a drive up to Bear Lake to get a raspberry shake and then a hike around Tony Grove Lake. It was SOOOO much fun -- and ended in the funniest muddy adventure that made me almost pee my pants. Really, I was terrifyingly close...

This is me 2 weeks ago at 28 weeks -- I am much more giant now. Giant like a house. Or an elephant. I get asked all of the time -- when are you due, tomorrow? Sadly, I shake my head and say I have two months left. And then watch as eyes pop out of their heads. My baby probably will weigh 20 pounds when he comes out. Sad.

In July Grandpa Pete had his 80th birthday! We love and enjoy this man so so much -- if you're ever looking for entertaining UFO stories, he's the guy! I don't know what Josh and G-Pa were looking at, but it clearly was more interesting than whoever took the picture...

Summer means spending time with my fabulous sisters! I love these girls so much -- I've had several opportunities to go out and party with these clowns -- this pic is from our adventurous mini golf experience and YES i got a hole in one for reals. I am that good. Ev and Erica did not. They are terrible :)

Ev and I fear that we carry our babies in our new double chins. This is our way of concealing them.

I've also had many more adventures -- involving baby's first time out on a boat -- he really liked it. I liked it up until the point where I tried to jump off of the boat onto the dock and realize I have no grace, nor vertical jump anymore. I tripped and fell into the water. It was awkward.

Another key awkward moment -- ward temple night, which involved a 10 minute wardrobe malfunction -- and I was on the front row for everyone to see and enjoy... The cute temple worker that helped me came up afterward and asked -- "so is this your LAST TIME coming to the temple until after your baby is born?" Yes, that's right. I believe i am kicked out of the temple until November.

So many of my friends are having babies right around me! I am sad I did not post a picture of the fun baby showers I've been lucky to go to -- it has been so much fun to share stories with my preggo friends. Oh they're so cute.

I also DID go to the BE County Fair on Saturday night. I tried to conceal myself from spotting anyone I knew -- and for the most part succeeded. I had a good time playing with Brooke, Sara and Jill's cute kids.

This summer I've also had the opportunity to take many photos of beautiful people! Too bad I am keeping those secret and you don't get to see until they make their debut on my upcoming photography blog. But I have to make baby's quilt and other bedding first before I'm allowed to create that whole thing... Which brings me to the next part -- pics of baby's nursery coming soon! We did get it all painted (minus touching up the chair rail) and the crib and changing table are up! It's going to be so cute!!!

That's my summer in a nutshell. Josh is allowing me to put up fall decorations after labor day!!! He made me wait until October last year so I am happy.

My parents are funny.

Yesterday was their 30th anniversary!!! Way to go! I'm so happy they've set an example of a lasting marriage and eternal companionship for all us girls to follow. They truly are great parents.

Above is a photo of them clear back in May when we told them they got to be grandparents AGAIN (after Ev had shared her exciting news). They are the most excited people in the entire world to be blessed TWICE this year with their first grandchildren!!! I seriously love them so much. And, while you can stay tuned for a greatly anticipated update post of what exciting things I have been doing over the last month since I posted last (I'll give you a hint -- it involves sitting around being a gushy pregnant woman and a lot of sleeping), I wanted to dedicate an especially gushy post to my parents for being SO GREAT!!!

Dad: I love how he makes up nicknames for everyone. All 7 of us girls have crazy and largely embarrassing nicknames that he calls us by (no I will not tell you!) and he also makes up songs about people. What a hoot. I won't post anything embarrassing about him, like how having 7 girls has made him crazy emotional and extremely tuned-in to sensitivity... Oops.

Mom: Wow, this little quiet lady is a crackup! When we were young and would ask her a dumb question, her answers were always entertaining-- example: "Mom, is dinner ready?" (after it's all set out on the table, clearly ready) she would say "Nope. This is all plastic food from your toy kitchen". and then we would say "mooooooooom" in that little annoyed sing-song voice, and then she would say "what? you ask a dumb question, you get a dumb answer!" Somehow I still ask dumb questions, though. Never learned.

Happy Anniversary, parents! Love you both so, so so much!!!!

And really, I promise to post again SOON.

I L-O-V-E MY FAMILY!!!

Being pregnant makes me sappy.  On a daily basis I am gushing to Josh about how great he is

 to me and that I love him so much it makes my heart feel like it's going to burst... (unless I am hungry, then I am mad that he can't have dinner magically appear in 10 seconds... but whatever)

I guess since I'm all gushy, I feel the need to publicly display my crazy emotions -- I am SOOOOO blessed to have the family that I do have -- both my own, and the Lund family.  They both are incredible!!!  I am happy to be a part of both families for eternity.

And the last thing I want to publicly gush about -- I have been feeling SOOOOOO lucky that I get to be preggo with my sis Evelyn!  She doesn't mind that I call her at least 4 times a day to ask weird questions, whine about my cankles, (it's true!  I had cankles last week and it was traumatizing!!!!) cry about how my clothes don't fit and tell her my crazy dreams...  She is a great sister.  I can't wait to have our little boys be best friend cousins!  Having a preggo buddy is fun.  Plus, we are adorable.

THE VERDICT IS IN!!!

I can't think of any clever and witty way (gasp!!!) to tell you that we are having a manly MAN!!! (that's right, he will skip right past the cute cuddly little boy stage) This was the FIRST time I have seen Josh show some excitement towards our child! He actually did a little victory fist pump in the ultrasound room! At that point I was embarrassed and told the doctor that I had actually just paid some guy off the street to come in and pretend to be a supportive husband, but clearly it wasn't working out and I needed to get someone a little less awkward. (Nah, that didn't happen. I love my Joshie.)

Also, it is a given: my boy will beat up Evelyn's boy (we saw his bulging muscles as he was training to be Rocky VII in the womb), as long as Ev's boy doesn't eat our boy first. :-) Josh has made it clear that now we know he is a boy, he WILL be left handed and he WILL be an all-star golfer/pitcher/quarterback, as well as a child star (watch out Gerber baby, Mister Lund is coming!!!) and within 5 years we will be riding the GRAVY TRAIN! I am okay with that.

I have now created quite the checklist (I LOOOVE my checklists) of things to accomplish in the next 4 months, top of the list, a NAME!!! We have an excellent last name and the possibilities of creating a rockstar name are endless. Here are our top choices:

(I KNOW I OVERUSE PARENTHESIS BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SAY THESE NAMES ALOUD TO GET THE FULL EFFECT.)

** Leland Lee Lund (this one is a clear favorite)

** Finn Lund

** Scott Lund

** Ty Lund

** Nolan Lund

** Dillon Lund

** Cleveland Lund

Yes, our boy will get all the ladies.

and a p.s. down here -- if you haven't figured out that I am JOKING I am sorry. No, we would not name our boy any of the above. Even with his bulging biceps he would get beat up on the playground. We are funny.

OR

??????????????????

Wednesday is the day of reckoning!!! Josh still stands firmly by his position that if it's a girl we are giving her back (not to mention if it's a girl, he maintains she can't possibly be his, because he would NEVER create a girl!)

I honestly have no idea... I feel strongly that there's a 50% chance it's a boy??? But that's all I've got. No mother's intuition, no crazy dreams, nothing. I do want to know YOUR opinion though, what do you think?

Boy or girl?

And p.s., little baby offspring -- if you are shy, I may disown you, and punish you for the rest of your childhood. I cannot stand not knowing any longer.

This is how I get to spend my Saturday:

I took a few photos this morning and am headed back for a second round of this adorable couple in about 20 minutes!!! I'm having so much fun!!!

Good News Thursday

Today is Good News Thursday! Hopefully good things continue to happen through the weekend and my second wedding shoot EVER will go well on Saturday (it is impressive I still have hair and nails, I have been stressing out so much!!!)

In honor of good news thursday, I am posting this little guy: have you ever seen someone more fit to bring happiness an cheer? What a stud!!!

Today is my birthday.

I love birthdays! How could one NOT like a day totally centered around ME??? :) Although I am dreading this whole new OLD chapter of my life, I especially love my birthday this year for a few reasons:

1 -- This is my birthday present to me:

Hooray new cars! Happy birthday, me!

2. Josh may or may not push me down the stairs for posting this, but it makes me happy. Last week Josh had knee surgery (again). This picture, however, tells a different story -- that he actually got surgery to become a lunch lady. I look at this picture every day and laugh. So I am posting it for everyone else's enjoyment, and that is a good birthday present to myself.

3-- We are going to the BEACH on Monday for an entire week!!! This is the best birthday/ anniversary present ever. My only wish is that my baby tummy would look more like a preggo belly and less like a spare tire. Come on, kid, can't you be a little more round or something in there??? I do hope no one mistakes me for a beached whale and tries to throw me back in the ocean.

Oh, yes, by the way, it was our 3-year anniversary on the 18th. I did not post some mushy anniversary post for the sole reason that I want to have a 4 and 5-year anniversary and did not want to upset Josh with my mushiness. But it's been a good three years. Really good.

There are many other reasons why I love birthdays, most of which have to do with my AWESOME family and friends!!! Thanks everyone for your wishes and love!

Forget Swine Flu....

it's the EGYPTIAN FLU!!!

Aaah, it's an epidemic!!! As I have watched close friends and family become affected by this serious condition, I thought I was immune...

When I was 12 I remember coming home from school, and my mom was lying on the couch, not looking too well. I was an overly dramatic child, (possibly still am???) and after several days of coming home to my mom like this, I had a panic attack and was convinced that my mom was dying, that she had cancer or was possibly being poisoned by our water (I did not drink it for days). I broke down and with worry, cried to my mom and begged her to tell me what was wrong!!!

She said to me, "Becca, I have the Egyptian flu"... oh man, this sounded bad. She for sure was dying. I cried some more.

Then I asked her, "what is the Egyptian flu???"

"Well, you get really sick, and then 9 months later, you become a MUMMY!!

Here I am, 13 years later, and I've caught the FLU!!!!

Hooray!

p.s. we are still unsure if it is actually a baby, a chicken nugget or an alien, however, JR. will make his/her arrival sometime around Nov. 9th!!! Also -- if it is not a boy Josh says we have to give it back.

What, you miss me???

I seem to forget to post.  In my defense, I have been extremely busy with the following:

*** Jumping up and down that Ev moved back to Utah so now I have someone close by!  Thank you for moving to P.G.

*** Taking pictures of this handsome stud:  (girls, he's taken...)  He is sending this one out as his graduation announcement.  (kidding?)

*** Attending URKA's graduation, congrats!  Since no graduation is complete without a giant pineapple....

*** Calling everyone I know to remind them that it is my birthday this month!  I turn 19 finally!  (Yes, 25 sounds horrible, so I've reverted back a few years in my maturity level for the next little while...)  Actually, I've only reminded Josh every day that I demand angel food cake and a full 24 hours of pampering and exclusive attention from him.  

Yeah, I really haven't been busy.  Instead I spend my days daydreaming about the beautiful California beach -- I'll be seeing you soon!!!!

Dear Jennae:

May I have your eyelashes please?

You have more than enough to share.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

Last weekend I got to spend a GLORIOUS day with my best friends from high school, Sara, Jill and Brooke. Jill just had the sweetest baby, Ruby, in February and asked me to take some pictures of her. I was SO nervous! BUT the photo shoot was a lot of fun, and I always enjoy spending time with a bunch of GIRLIES! Here's a little peek at Jill's precious bebe.

(hopefully you can actually click on the links to make the photos larger. I am slightly comput-arded)

NEXT: Lexi (brooke's beautiful daughter) was SO enthralled with tiny Ruby! Since Lexi is too adorably delicious to NOT take her picture:

I secretly wish I could've stolen them both and brought them home with me!!! Ah, my friends make good looking children!

We're still here...

Here's an update on us:

Kona, besides being half satan, is half genius. Not only does she know how to get ice out of the fridge dispenser, she can now also open drawers and cupboards and eat anything inside, whether it's edible or not. Who knew I'd have to baby-proof my house for a DOG.

Josh is heading back to work full time tomorrow! Huzzah! (because we are pirates, we say words like that) He is still not sleeping and keeps calling me Maria, but he lied through his teeth to the doc so he could stop spending so much time with Satan-Genius.

Josh also won an award for having the WORST LUCK EVER this week. A big hats off to that.

I have been able to see some of my dearest friends lately -- oh how happy you all made me on Friday! :) This week is also filled with more dear friend reunions. I am so excited!

We finally got a real gym membership -- no more mooching off SLCC for me! Sadly, I am already panting by the time I walk up 0ne flight of stairs to get to the treadmills. Don't judge!

My new camera comes in the mail today! This is probably more exciting than a baby.

And also, check out my sister Ev's blog! She is making my life even more complete! LOVE YOU EV!

And lastly, I found this video today that someone sent me years ago. It is funny, and I wanted everyone else to enjoy.

Back to the real world...

Now that I  successfully infiltrated the scary world of high school once again and managed to win the hearts of millions of teens... back to life!  Tour was... a little overwhelming, a little annoying and mostly tiring, but I could not complain about the 80 degree weather out in CA!  I miss it dearly.  Josh pretended not to miss me, but when I came home he was wearing one of my shirts that smells like me.... Okay that's a lie, but we can all pretend, it's a funny image!

Next, I must apologize for the lack of funniness in this post -- don't want to disappoint my eager 'viewers?', but I will blame it on the fact that I am hung over from entirely too much sleep this last week.  

Before I left for CA I had the opportunity to spend time behind the lens with my good friends the Ireys -- Tawnie wanted some new pictures of them together (they've been married 5 years!  Where has the time gone????), and Dan was a good sport and managed to smile and stay upbeat after working all night and coming straight to do the photos.  Anyway, here's sharing how good looking they are!!

Gonna Get my HIGH SCHOOL on!

As embarrassing as it is, I am EXCITED beyond words to head out to California tomorrow and "chaperone" (I use that term very, very loosely) for the Bear River High School choir/drama/orchestra/band/colorguard/ tour! I am leaving Josh alone to fend for himself and attend speech therapy all by himself like a big boy! (I have told him that he is training for the special olympics, and now he is excited as can be!) as well as try to take care of the devil's labrador. (also, we did take her to the vet, and it is confirmed, she is one-half Satan) My trip is two parts self-serving, as I will have an incredibly fun time pretending I am in high school again, only way cooler this time, as well as making Josh realize how helpless he is without me and that he will never let me leave his side again. To better prepare myself to hang out with high school kids once again (contrary to popular belief I did not graduate last year...) I have been polishing up my high school skills as follows:

*Using the word "like" well, like every other word.

*Working on my excited girl squeal. This can also be accompanied by short bursts of jumping up and down.

*"Oh my gosh, like did you see him checking me out? He thinks I am, like, totally hot!"

*Polishing up my texting skills. Using LOL and OMG in every day, real conversation is also okay.

*Working on my gossip -- and creating drama. e.g. -- "She said WHAT about you? I can't believe it. Whatev, her boyfriend is cheating on her anyway, it's true, I saw him."

*Listening to the top 40's stations so I can know all the words to the popular songs and sing along, loudly, to the radio.

*Accustoming my body to only 4 hours of sleep per night. This is a mandatory tour rule.

*Giggling. And then giggling a little more at my giggle.

*Bringing at least 32GBs worth of memory cards for my digital camera to document every minute of the trip, starting with the bus ride.  I have also been practicing my "high school picture face", which involves looking as weird as possible.

*Practicing my new talking voice, which is 8 notes higher and 200 decibels louder than my usual talking voice.

*Buying graphic tees -- shirts that say "thugs need hugs", "I'm kind of a big deal" and "your mom goes to college" will be a basic staple of my life.

AND since I cannot embarrass myself anymore, I am also including, for your enjoyment, pictures from when I was actually in high school.  And for those who are incriminated in these pictures... HA HA! You go down with me! :)

Brooke, Sara and I.  Like, what babes.  The guys wanted us.

I love these girls!

These two pictures are actually from when I attended choir tour to NYC! 

(this one is kind of hard to see... thanks, oh faithful, trusty scanner at my parent's house!)

Also, I did not pick these pictures.  I asked my sister to e-mail me some pictures of me in high school and this is what I got.  

Josh's Happy Place

The doctor gave Josh an assignment this week -- to help his brain heal, he needs to take it to a relaxing, happy place... So I made this photo for Josh.  I can already see it working -- he has remembered my name for three days in a row!  I laugh so much at this photo I try not to snort.  It is that funny to me.

Josh polishing up his surfing skills that he never knew he had (he doesn't remember NOT being this good, so if it didn't look so fake, it could be real, right?)

And also, why do we not live on a beach?  Would it be highly impractical to tear out the grass in our backyard and fill it with sand?  

Felt Great (???) in 2008!

Yeah, yeah, the new year's been here for 12 days, but 2008 was just so great we're still hanging on! 2008 was quite an.... adventure? I keep telling myself that the ups and downs of life make life into a fun rollercoaster, even if it makes you puke a few times along the way?

Really, 2008 was not that bad -- we don't regret a thing! Still, we learned a lot and Josh, amazing as it sounds, still loves me at the end! Here are a few of the highlights/things we learned in 2008: (and when I say "we", I mostly mean "me"...)

--Dogs are not as fun as children. They are, however, just as needy and expensive.

--Our new guard dog, Kona protects us from getting a good night’s rest, not having to buy new electronics, glasses, socks and other expensive items she keeps chewing up, and she is vigilant in making sure she eats more of our food than we do. She works 24/7 and is truly priceless. The best part is we got her for free. Wow, they really saw us coming...

--It is not a good idea to take your motion-sick husband go-cart racing for your anniversary.

--Prenatal vitamins do not grow babies. Hair and nails did not grow either. What a jip.

--Men who do not go to the hospital at least 8 times per year are not real men.

--Josh lost a portion of his memory in December. He now firmly believes he is single and brings dates home on a regular basis. Women only, any takers?

--I decided to capitalize on Josh’s memory loss by telling him that he works three jobs, and now he gives me all of his money to spend lavishly on me.

--Having more than one brother-in-law with the same name is not confusing, it is cool. Also, it gives me more excuses to come up with cool nicknames that way. Still waiting for Jakes #3, 4, and 5.

--Solving the mystery of “which auto immune disease do you have” is NOT cool, exciting or adventurous like a Scooby Doo mystery. Nor does it have theme music.

--Electing a President can instantly end world hunger, solve global warming and cure cancer.

-- Playing Mario Kart on the Wii for hours on end is NOT a waste of time. It teaches valuable driving techniques, such as having individualized insults when you electrocute or pass others, and throwing bombs BEHIND you as you drive.

--Nieces and nephews are truly as good as they sound. Niece Hadley can also eat her weight in food on a regular basis. She is huge but still cute.

--If you’ve gotta work two jobs, get a second job where you work with teenagers who idolize you. I really can never run out of teenage dating horror stories to entertain the masses.

--Josh’s dirty deeds done cheap business, founded in March, is taking off. Selling alcohol to minors or getting rid of neighbor’s annoying pets are just a few of the services he provides. Cash only, please.

Although 2009 hasn't brought us sunshine and rainbows yet... we remain optimistic -- it's only a matter of time before Josh's superhero powers kick in.

Just in case you missed us...

December was too busy and fun-filled (especially those hospital visits!) that I forgot to blog about them.  But since no one's life is complete without some pictures of us (we are incredibly good looking, we know), here are a few good ones from the past month:

Don't judge the rock star tutu.  It made all the difference.

No, PETA, making dogs wear reindeer antlers is not torture.  

Josh finally agreed to have a photo taken with me.  And both sides of his mouth ALMOST smiled.  Merry Christmas to me!

Hadley:  "Oh, uncle Josh, you're so dreamy!"

Josh:  "Why yes, yes I am."

Our heads may be almost the same size.  Those Lund babies sure like to eat!  (I think she is staring at food off in the distance)