Mal's Resolutions

Ya know, I'm pretty good at setting goals and keeping them if I discipline myself. New Years past though, I haven't taken resolutions very seriously. I think it was mostly because it's a tradition, and like many traditions, it has become cliche. So, it doesn't mean a whole lot. This year though, I've been thinking about my resolutions. I really want to set some and to set up a way to actually accomplish them. That means making a list. Or maybe two.

I love making lists. I actually get excited thinking about making lists and then at the end of making them, crossing things off as I finish them. You're just going to have to accept that.

I am going to make lists of monthly goals for each of my year-long goals so that I can be sure to actually accomplish my resolutions. Don't worry, I wont bore you with these lists. I'll do them some place private.

I will give you my resolutions though! Aren't you excited?! Here they are:

1) Learn some honest-to-goodness ballroom dance moves with Mike. (Maybe I should run this by him?)

2) Write two more short stories and send them in some place.

3) Learn to cook healthier, but just as scrum-diddly-umptious!

Wish me luck!

Madie's First Christmas

Sorry this is a little late, we have been having some issues posting pictures and can't figure out the problem. Anyways, Madie had a successful first Christmas despite the upsetting start. I woke up at about 5:30 am to the sound of Madie fussing around in the room she was staying in at Grandma Clark's home. I started to get dressed to go and assist her when all of the sudden I hear her potent shrieking voice! It was out of the ordinary for her to go full volume when she is just waking up, so I darted for her room to find out what her deal was. It was dark mind you, so I reached down to where her shoulders should have been and was shocked to feel her flailing feet sticking up in the air. I felt for her body, which she pushed OFF the head of the mattress (New mattress for her new crib, except the crib wasn't set up. We just put the mattress on the floor and called it good.) Luckily it was only 5 inches off the floor! She had a small indentation on the top of her head from the push-off, but nothing major. Needless to say, she was happy to be saved.

Opening her first present!

Happy camper.

Another angle of her first present. After opening presents at 6:00 am and having German Pancakes, we called it good and fell asleep until 9:00 am. Thanks Grandma, Nana, and Papa for letting us get extra sleep! Great Christmas Present.

We had a small get-together with the Clark side of the family for nice lunch that included our traditional ham, potatoes, fresh rolls, and Grandma's famous layered jello salad (I believe 7 layers?). These are all the great-grand children that live in the local area. Prior to opening presents with everyone, Grandma gave all the kids these elf hats to distribute presents to those present. If you look carefully, you can see Madie.

This is sometime during the break...can't remember when. Madie supports herself on her own strength. She is just so top-heavy that she can't balance very well yet.

She can even take a few baby steps here and there!

Sunday following Christmas, we decided to go to Temple Square in Salt Lake to view the temple lights. This is Madie with Nana and Papa in the North Visitors center, which featured some cool displays on the church welfare system, and scriptures/prophets.

There's our group. The lights were amazing.

On Sunday evenings, they allow 30 minute musical sets to local musicians. This was a family of 5 1/2 (baby on the way). Mom, six year old, and four year old on the violins. Two year old on a mini-cello (looks like she was learning the fingering). Husband on the piano. They were amazing! The six year-old was really good! She was keeping up with her Mom really well.

And of course the reflection pond on the east side of the temple featuring the nativity.

Finally! We're DONE! We had a long haul of it, and I still have student teaching left, but that's nothing to living in Rexburg for three winters, I'll tell ya. We've moved to our new apartment in Salt Lake and I start teaching on January 4th.

This is my professor Bro. Merrill after convocation. He and I have become great friends ever since I took a History of the English Language a year ago. I've also worked for him as a TA and I took another class from him, Mediaeval Lit. Great classes.

My Russian teacher, Bro. Felt. I took all but three of my Russian classes from him. He's also helped me a lot in researching what I want to do if I go to grad school.

Bro. Ivers, the dean of the College of Language and Letters. I took Foreign Language Teaching Methods from him. He is awesome. Very entertaining.

And my graduated family! Mike's parents took pictures of his convocation, but we haven't gotten them yet, so he said to just post this. He spoke at his convocation. It was a great speech, but I only got to listen to it at home. I chose to attend my own convocation instead.

Madie was great the whole time! Here she is in her little green sweater Grammy sent her. The pants don't fit so she wore jeans instead. The leis are also from my mum and dad. They wouldn't let us wear them during commencement or convocation (lame) so we just wore them afterwards.

Dad was able to come for graduation, which was awesome. Mike's mom and dad also came up, so it was a party! Thanks for all the support over the years!

Madie Might Be Teething...

Obviously, even if she is a little bit, we wont see anything for a while, but man the kid loves to chew! And she drools like there's a prize for it!

25

I was going to post this Tuesday, but didn't get the chance to. Instead we did it for Mike at dinner at Olive Garden. We had a small celebration. Luckily for you all, Madie woke up about an hour after I did, so we had some alone time this morning and recorded it. Mike appreciated the extra sleep (he usually gets up with baby, but I figured the sleep would also be a post-birthday gift), and we got to sing and dance bright an early! (I tried doing it with her pacifier out, but she wouldn't have any of that.) Sorry the video is grainy. I did it just with my computer camera so we could both be in it, and it comes out like this.

I gave him a leather-bound copy of Jesus the Christ, which he had been wanting for a long time. He also got a gift card to Amazon from his parents, which he spent promptly! (Sienfeld Season 6 here we come!)

A special thanks to Bryan and Karen for giving me such a good man for a husband!

How to Make a Wreath

It's doing the underline thing again... sorry.

So I wanted to make a wreath this year. I remember making them in Maine pretty often. I don't remember if we made them every year--I doubt it--but pretty close I'd say, until we moved to Saipan. Although, a wreath of plumeria would smell almost as good as a wreath of pine.

Anyway, here's how, in case you're interested: Go up into a national forest, and when no one's looking, snip a bunch of branches off the types of evergreens you'd like to use for your wreath. Stuff them in a sack, and throw them into the back of your vehicle. (In case you came into the conversation right here, we're talking about tree branches, that's all.) We also gathered some heather as trim.

Have your macho man bend a coat hanger into a circle. Adjust the size of the circle according to how big you want your wreath. Keep in mind, the circle does not have to be very big for you to have a fairly large wreath.

Using green floral wire, strap 'er on. I held them in place while Mike strapped. You need to have it very tight. I recommend laying the wreath all out first, removing the branches and then strapping them on in order. Hold it up often to make sure you don't have any thin parts.

I went to Porter's and bought some trimmings: little colored bells, some feathers, and some berry-beads. Mike grouped the bells into little bunches while I gathered the feathers into threes and stuck a sprig of berries with them. We tied these on with the floral wire. Hold the wreath up again to make sure nothing weighs the branches down funky. The heather we just stuck in here and there. They stay fine among the branches.

TADA! I clipped a little bird ornament we had and pinned the bow on. (It's too bad there aren't any pictures of me making that. I am so proud of it!) I love the look of homemade wreaths. They look so wild and ancient. Did you know, the Germans started wreath making as a pagan tradition. They would make them and light them on fire as a symbol of light in the darkness and a hope of new life in spring. Now we use them on grave stones to symbolize eternal life, and at Christmas to remember the One who gave us the chance to live eternally. Advent wreaths also symbolize specifically Christ's light in the darkness of the world.

This is so funny!

Madie loves, loves, loves music. She brightens up every time we start singing to her. Click here for a taste.

Tobias Olen

So this happened a while ago, but I've been waiting to get my other blog up and running before posting it. It was to serve as my introduction to Thought-Fits, a blog of my writing, commentary (which is always interesting) on different topics, and so on and so forth.

The number of blogs I'm helping to maintain right now is becoming ridiculous.

I only have a few posts, and the short story is going to be published in installments on there to save people from looking at it and thinking, "Ha! Like I'm gonna read THAT!" It's easier to take a page at a time.

Anyway, it's the story that won me second place at BYU-Idaho's English Department Pre-Professional Conference. I was able to read it to an audience. I was completely surprised at even placing since it's the first fiction I've ever written. (When you read it that'll probably be pretty obvious.)

Just so you know, I post under a different name on Thought-Fits, so if you ever see me leaving comments under that name, don't be shocked. I just didn't switch users. :)

Madie's New Trick

You'll just have to click here to see what she did!

Madies First Swim

For family home evening on Monday, we were invited to go to our Bishop's home for a family swim night. It was fun to take Madie in for her first swim! She was really calm, and seemed to like it. Her initial response was two tightly clenched fists under her chin, and a lot of uncertainty. After a few mins, she eased out a little smile and seemed a bit more relaxed. I noticed that when she has been casually smiling lately, it's been a real gradual grin that slowly spreads across her face. That's pretty much what happened here. With her normal diaper on, and a baby swim diaper on, she was VERY buoyant! At one point I just held my hand under her head, and her pelvis was floating without any assistance from me! It was fun to take her in. Thanks for taking the pics Tari. 

Swim Update

Since my goals were for the end of the month, I didn't want to update until then. Sadly, I didn't reach my goals for this month, which were, in case you don't remember, to swim twice a week and to be able to swim four laps without having to stop for long breathers.

I almost reached that second one. I was able to swim four laps without stopping in the middle of any of them to breathe, but my rests at the end of the second and third are still fairly lengthy.

The first two weeks I made it swimming twice a week no problem. If I missed an early morning, I went on Saturday afternoon. But last week I came down with a bit of something, which made it so hard to get up and do anything more than take care of the baby at 5:30 in the morning. The Friday I was determined to go I slept straight through my alarm and woke up just in time for water aerobics (which is not what I do). I did go and lift weights though, which I figure is necessary cross-training.

This past week was midterms, aka: a TA's nightmare. Not only do I have to take my own midterms, but I also have to grade/input other students' midterms. Lame. Anyway, again, I didn't have the energy to swim at all this week.

So, goals for November:

1. Swim twice a week... really this time

2. Swim five laps in a row

3. Learn how to do one of those flippy things at the end of each lap.

Oh! I almost forgot, there are these two old men who swim 2 miles a day or something like that. They had these paddles on their hands, and I asked about them (they're for muscle gain), and one of them kind of took me under his wing. He taught me how to stroke, and gave me a pair of pretty nice goggles he says he never uses. Basically, I have an old-man mentor who popped out of nowhere, so according to Hollywood, I'm destined for greatness!

Tick or Treeeeeeat!

So our ward had a Halloween party last night. It was so much fun to dress Madie up in her little pea pod costume (compliments of another couple in the stake whose kid was definitely not going to fit it). I don't know why Mum hated Halloween so much. I loved dressing Madie up! And seeing all the little kids dancing in their little outfits! Hahaha! Anyway, we didn't get a lot of pictures, but here are some highlights.

Here's our group. Madie's a pea pod, I'm a carrot (I have green ribbons in my hair, but you can't see them too well), and Mike is a farmer. (Notice the size of that belt buckle?)

This was a dessert someone brought. Want some?

Here are some friends of ours in their costumes. I couldn't keep from laughing every time I saw Steve's! It is just too funny!

To top off our Halloween festivities, we had some friends over for ice cream sundaes, gave out a little candy to some trick-or-treaters, and right now we're watching Psycho. Neither of us have ever seen it, but it's already starting to make us nervous!

Midway through

Tonight is the last of mid-terms, hooray! It has been a tougher semester than we expected, especially for myself. I'm only taking six credits, but they are a very demanding six credits in Microbiology and Toxicology. I think it's also an accumulation of other activities that are contributing to my lack of time (church calling, president of my professional society, etc). We are entering a few contests in the next few weeks here. Mal is entering a writing contest and is submitting a piece of work for it. I am entering an art contest and am submitting a couple of my photos I have taken over the past two or three years. There are cash prizes involved, so we figure why not? It has been a real joy spending so much time with Madie this semester though. It has been fun to see her grow and develop. 

There's a little smile...

She is REALLY starting to develop some physical attributes.

This is a bush in front of our apartment complex. I figured I should take some pictures of the foliage before the eastern Idaho wind picked up to blow all the leaves off the branches (which happened a week later). 

Looking up at a tree in Porter Park. 

I love the faces Madie makes when we give her a bath...err shower. This is her new little shower chair that we just set down inside the tub, and since we recently installed one of those detachable shower heads (thanks MariLou), it works out really well! She is a lot happier with this chair than she was in the plastic tub we started out with. Plus, it preps her for showers. 

This girl cannot keep her socks on for the life of her! She is constantly kicking her little feet and ever so slowly sliding her socks down her ankles, and off her toes. 

This is a video from Red Robin.

We had a fun time for Mal's birthday. She got a blueberry pancake, sausage, and avacado shake breakfast, family dinner at Red Robin, a few gifts, and a huge get together with our friends in the evening. Good day!

Happy Birthday Malie!

Hey, you're 23 now! Happy Birthday!

The Pillow Hog

Now we know who really runs the show.

Fall is upon us!

We are now starting our third week of school, and have both been enjoying our classes. Our schedules have worked out so well this semester with work, school, and Madie. Special thanks to Tari McDonald for babysitting Madie! Mal is taking about 15 credits, and I'm only taking 6. It works out really well. I'm glad I get to spend so much time with her during the day. I figure that I will never really have the opportunity to spend this much time with any of our kids in the future due to working full-time/grad school/etc. So here is what has been going on!

The name "Madie Ali" has been coined by Mallory's sister Alexa, due to her dukes always being in fight mode. We snapped this shot at TGI Fridays, very fitting.

Madie is helping me do some homework here. This is the slug I have been referring to laying across my chest.

Another trip to Grand Teton National Park you might ask? Well, of course! When you buy a National Parks Pass, you've got to take advantage of it and get your moneys worth. Our mission today was to find some fall foliage. We found it in it's beginning stages.

Here is Mal and Madie (if you can find her) at Jenny Lake. She did so well on our trip today.

Our friends Angela and Andy came with us for the trip. Here is Ang and Mal trying on apparel.

The marina at Coulter Bay with the Tetons in the background.

Beautiful aspen trees.

I have quite the knack for running into moose. We drove by this bull while driving back to Jackson. I would have gone a little closer had the bull not been in an National Elk Refuge enclosure.

We finished the day in Jackson, and ate at a really good Mexican Restaurant. We snapped this photo in the restaurant of Madie clinging to her pacifier. We walked around a few shops afterwards, and enjoyed some afternoon rain. It was an awesome day.