Opinion Post

Please leave a comment about your opinions on the following things:

1. Teaching your baby sign language
2. Job/Chore charts for toddlers
3. Best activity you do with a child (baby-toddler)
4. Your baby/toddler's favorite food
5. Pets for your baby: good or bad?

Lexi is ONE!

New Dora play tent and tunnel!

 Opening presents

 Birthday dinner: homemade macaroni and cheese!

 We're parents of a one year old!!!!

 More presents

 Mommy and Lexi!

 Daddy and Lexi!

 Birthday party!

 Lexi's cake!

 Blowing out the candle

 Getting ready to eat cake. "I'm ONE!"

 Silly Derek attached the balloons to her bum!

droid.

I am currently laying in bed posting from my new phone. Its a droid. I still don't know quite how it works but its still pretty sweet. Posting about Lexi's birthday tomorrow!

Thanks KSL/Craiglist for being AWESOME. We've officially sold almost ALL of our furniture via your sites. Only one more couch to sell. Booya.

my picks in Vs.

NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys

you're tearin' up my heart....

Cat vs. Dog

i vote...nah.

Read a book vs. Listen to a book

you can use your own imagination more when you actually read it!

Sweats vs. Jeans

heck yes. comfortable all the way.

Silly vs. Serious

duh.

Fly vs. Drive

cuz planes and airports hate me.

Blog vs. Journal

for some reason, i'm awful at the journal thing..

Email vs. Snail mail

there ain't nothin' like gettin' mail!

Visa vs. Mastercard

only cuz that's what I currently have.

Harry Potter vs. Edward Cullen

i'd rather read harry potter books than twilight, but i do like edward, too.

Hugs vs. Kisses (the candy ones of course!)

delisssshhh. gotta have my chocolate.

Chapstick vs. Blistex

chapstick just doesn't do it.

Sing to someone vs. Being sung to

if i'm singing to to Lexi and if Terrell is singing to me.

Frodo vs. Sam

frodo is lame

Clark Kent vs. Superman

only cuz clark is lame-o sometimes.

Sleep on back vs. Sleep on tummy

always been a back sleeper.

Vs.

Comment on which you would choose:

NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys

Cat vs. Dog

Read a book vs. Listen to a book

Sweats vs. Jeans

Silly vs. Serious

Fly vs. Drive

Blog vs. Journal

Email vs. Snail mail

Visa vs. Mastercard

Harry Potter vs. Edward Cullen

Hugs vs. Kisses (the candy ones of course!)

Chapstick vs. Blistex

Sing to someone vs. Being sung to

Frodo vs. Sam

Clark Kent vs. Superman

Sleep on back vs. Sleep on tummy

(just for fun)

Rut.

rut [ruht]:
noun

a fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life,usually dull or unpromising: to fall into a rut.

Why, do you ask, am I in a rut?
I don't know.
You know those times when you're just thinking 'I need a serious' change of something.
That's me!


I wanna change of scenery: move out of Wymount...and Provo. Get out into the "real world" instead of this little bubble.
I wanna change in what I see in the mirror: get a haircut. I mean a trim.
I wanna change what I see in the mirror, again: lose 36 lbs instantly. Haha. Yeah right.


Lame. Why am I in a rut?

Newbery Books

I have decided to read all the Newbery Award Winner books since the year I was born. That's 23 books. Perhaps someday, I'll read the list in it's entirety.

Here are the Award winners I've already read....
Holes (Sacher)
View from Saturday (Kohigsburg)
Walk Two Moons (Creech)
The Giver (Lowry)
Number the Stars (Lowry)
Bud, Not Buddy (Curtis)
Out of the Dust (Hesse)
Shiloh (Naylor)

These are Award winners I've already read that are from years prior to my birth....
Bridge to Terabithia Paterson
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry (Taylor
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (OBrien)
A Wrinkle in Time (LEngle)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (ODell)
The Wheel on the School (DeJong)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (Cleary)
Jacob Have I Loved (Paterson)

Here are Newberry Honor winners (different than the actual award) that I've already read....
Princess Academy (Hale)
Hoot (Knopf)
Ella Enchanted (Levinre)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 (Curtis)
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (Farmer)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi)
Hatchet (Paulsen)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (Cleary)
Ramona and her Father (Cleary)
Frog and Toad Together (Lobel)
My Brother Sam is Dead (Collier)
The Egypt Game (Snyder)
Cricket in Times Square (Selden)
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Old Yeller (Gipson)
Charlotte's Web (White)
My Father's Dragon (Gannett)
Little Town on the Prairie (Wilder)
The Long Winter (Wilder)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (Wilder)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (Wilder)

Click here for the website.

The Giver

The Giver is a Newbery Medal Award winner. I think everyone and their mom has read this book.

Except for me.

So, I decided to finally read this book that everyone has read.

I read it in one night. However, I didn't really like it. I thought it was quite disturbing. Fairly good, but disturbing. There was one point in the book where I could pick out the symbolism of our Savior's sacrifices, but in general, it seriously disturbed me. I couldn't stop thinking about "the Release", and the end where they find "Elsewhere". Not my favorite.

Opinions of the book if you've read it?

Observation:
When a girl gets sad or depressed, she changes up her hair one way or another. I do it. And everyone else that I know does it too.
Do you do the same thing? Have you ever?

Kellie is a Loser

To track my weight loss and to keep me motivated, I decided to use a blog. Mainly for my own benefit, but if you're interested in following what I'm doing, here is the link:

http://kellieisaloser.blogspot.com

Us...Updated!

Terrell
Terrell is hard at work in school and with his 2 jobs. He's had a rough semester so far - but it's his last! He's very excited to be done with classes and have no more homework! Nonetheless, he is an awesome daddy and husband! He is loving having a lizard and plays with him every day! Terrell is thinking about the police academy again and will probably be getting a motor-bike of some sort for his transportation soon. He is still looking for internship possibilities.

Kellie
Kellie dyed her hair back to red - it's just too fun to not have a normal hair color! She keeps busy cleaning, cooking, reading, and chasing after a crazy Lexi! Kellie will be running a 5k in March (eeeek! scary!) with Lexi and takes "baby gymnastics" with her, too. She felt ambitious last night and made Oriental Cashew Chicken and Brownie Cheesecake from scratch! Kellie also made the decision to stop doing Music in Motion (after 6 years!) and LexiBean (after about 1) and is just focusing solely on her little family and home!

Lexi
Lexi is almost one! She is getting really good at walking and is absolutely everywhere and into everything! Her hair is long enough to put in little piggy-tails! She has started therapy and is enrolled in "baby gymnastics". She now sits in a "big girl" car seat and is much better behaved (cuz she can SEE!) She likes to say "see it" all day long! Unfortunately, Lexi had another seizure today, so it's back to Primary Children's for us next week. :(  Poor girl! Lexi also went to her first ever BYU sporting event last week (men's volleyball) and had a blast dancing to the music and clapping!

Life
We got a van! It's wonderful! We bought my mom's Pontiac Montana from her. We are also in the process of revamping our apartment and making it look AWESOME since we aren't moving out of Wymount yet! Thanks to IKEA, we look more wealthy than we actually are! :) We get new cell phones in about a week and we can't wait to be rid of the phone we have now!

Psych

I've been watching "Psych" on Netflix. I'm on Psych Season 3. Here is what I think so far about all the seasons....

Season One: Good!
Season Two: Hilarious!
Season Three: Lame!
Season 4: TBD
Season 5: TBD

Why does Season Three have to be so lame? It's pretty dumb so far... but I like the show well enough! :)

The Little Gym

Lexi started baby gymnastics this week! Her therapist recommended it to help increase strength and coordination. We go to The Little Gym (of Orem) every Tuesday morning. It is a parent-child class and so we help our little Birds (the name of her class) with simple strengthening exercises and simple gymnastics. They also get to play with balls and bubbles and explore all over the gym! Lexi LOVESSSS it! It is so good for Lexi - she loves the other kids, exploring, and the music! She is the youngest one in her class (only by a few months) but the most energetic!!! :) We're excited that this will help her so much and that she has a blast!

Today she learned 2 types of somersaults, got to practice hanging from the bars and much more! The picture above is of Lexi playing with the parachute and donut mat.

5k

I am officially registered for the Rex Lee Run 5k. GAH. Are you serious? I have never run a 5k in my life. I haven't even been running since...2 years ago?! Yeah sure I go to the gym once in awhile, but YIKES! I really wanted to run a 5k this semester and so now that I'm registered to do it, I have motivation to go to the gym. Every day. Because I went tonight and got kicked in the booty cuz I am so out of shape. Even though it's only 3-ish miles.... here we go, 5k! Kill me! It's in 4 weeks, on March 12!
Lets hope I lose some pounds in these 4 weeks, too!

RescueTime

I found this great site that helps monitor your time online and whether it is productive or not. I am guilty of spending lots of time on the computer and it monitors your time and checks up on you. As great as technology is, I think it robs peoples time. (also supported by the Church!!) It is called RescueTime. Check it out!

Here is the link: RescueTime

Count Your Blessings

Lately has been quite a challenge for me. I'm not sure what it is; a combination of EVERYTHING I guess. I decided that I needed to count my blessings and list 22 things (I'm 22...that's where I got that number!) that I count as blessings.

1. Terrell. He's wonderful.
2. Lexi. She's adorable.
3. Family & Friends. You rock.
4. Books. I'm a book-a-holic
5. Netflix :)
6. Good place to live (even if I wanna move out of Wymount ultra-bad!)
7. Food to put on the table
8. Great medical staff to help Lexi
9. A van! Thanks, Daddy!
10. Our Corolla sold quickly
11. Selling things on Craigslist/KSL quickly - booya
12. Cell phones and other technology to keep in touch with family/friends
13. Terrell has 2 good jobs.
14. My dad offered to fly me and Lexi out to Iowa for a bit
15. Organizational skills. I think I'd go nuts without it.
16. A nice bed to sleep in.
17. Tax returnnnnn was nice this year
18. Blistex - what would I do without you.
19. Comfy pants. Cuz sometimes I just don't feel like wearing jeans.
20. My mom and sister(s) who let me call them every 5 seconds! (sorry...)
21. IKEA is nearby - you will supply me with great new furniture.
22. That somehow I'm still standing upright, because lately I've felt like life is just too much!

TOO COOL!

"YOU'RE TOO COOL!

TOO SILLY!

"YOU'RE TOO SILLY!"

Pledge for Lexi

A "Pledge for Lexi" donation button is on the left side of our blog.
Campaign is entitled "Sweet Little Lexi"
Donations will go directly to helping Lexi, as well as to Primary Children's Medical Center.