The View From Above....

... Is getting quite large. At least I feel that way.



It's also a girl! YAY!!!!



We are very excited to have one of each. I'm still trying to get my head to believe it, but it will happen soon enough. I am also very excited for all the clothes! There are a few families in our ward that had baby girls last year, and each family is done with having babies. So they've asked me to be the recipient of tons of clothes! I am, however, still going to be shopping :)
Just don't tell McCord...

I ain't as young as I used to be.

I realize that I am still pretty young, but, crud I don't feel young right now. It will be midnight before I finish this post. Olivia and Harrison are fast asleep, but I can't sleep. I had a couple of good wrecks today while riding Forrest and roping. One involved some good bucking and my untimely exit from the saddle. The other involved a steer being underneath us then Forrest being on top of me, particularly my left leg. Nothing is broken, I am pretty sure, but my left calf is sore enough to make me limp a bit. The first incident put me down on my right shoulder and the second I came down on my left leg, so I think all of me will be pretty stiff and sore tomorrow.
I ate some food so I can take some pain medication that I had left over from Law Skool, don't remind me of the hazards of taking old medicine, this stuff works great on pain and knocks me out.
The words of my dad kinda made me think: "You know, when those wrecks are happening, you can't say anything, but if a guy can walk away, its pretty easy to joke about." I am really glad I walked away. Dad promptly asked me why I didn't fill in my divot. Uncle Reed was there too and he had some wise cracks to offer. Its just amazing that no one in our family has made a career as a stand up comedian...
For those of you who don't know, I practice law with a gentleman who is 83 years old. He and I were talking about life insurance one day and he told me I better have a good plan if I keep riding "those damn horses." At one point we joked about me dying before him because of my desire to ride.
Well, here in a while I am going to have to get up from bed and I will, but I might be rolling out of bed and onto the floor instead of my usual "hopping out of bed." Lets just hope I can still do the roll...

Four Years! - The Celebration

On February 24th, 2011 McCord and I celebrated our anniversary. It goes by so fast! I know four years seems simple, and for most, it is. But considering societies stance on marriage, I think every anniversary is something to be celebrated and cherished. I watched my parents marriage fall apart and disintegrate, and therefore, my family. I vowed to myself long before I considered marriage that that would never happen to me. I also vowed that my spouse would absolutely agree with my standards. Luckily, I found and married that person. It has never been an issue, and we continue to make sure that divorce will never be an option.

So anyway, we decided to take the weekend off and spend some child free time together. In a small, nearby out-in-the-boonies town called Almo, there is a little hotel, restaurant, and hot springs. They had a Love package for the month of February (ya know, Valentines Day) and we scooped it up for our anniversary. Harrison stayed with McCord's parents. Of course, the weather was awful. Snowing, blowing, drifting and COLD. We almost didn't make it out the driveway. But we made it to Almo just 40 minutes before the restaurant closed. Hallelujah! I was starving. We enjoyed a meal of salmon, steak sandwich, dutch oven potatoes, and pioneer puddin'. What the heck is that?
Pioneed Puddin' consists of spice cake, raisins, walnuts, and some type of caramel-y puddin' sauce. Topped with ice cream. Gross as is sounds, its actually quite tasty.

We then commenced to our hotel.

P.S. The couch was so fluffy! We just sorta sank into the pillows, and it consumed all desire to ever move again. Also, the sheepskin blankets hanging over the chair and arm rest are soooo soft!! I wanted to take one home.

The wood on the table and chairs were just beautiful. Standing on the table is a book/journal for guests to write about their adventures during their stay. Some were very interesting.

This tub was huge! And it was jetted :) Saturday morning I spent a good hour in there. I was feeling really sick, and the most comforting thing for me is a hot bath. I also didn't sleep well, so again, the hot bath is relaxing.

The only disappointing thing about our room was there was no Bible. It was the first thing I expected to see in the drawer, but no such luck. Just about all cowboys acknowledge the existence of a higher power, not all, but a lot. I just found it strange, that's all. *EDITED: Ok, nevermind. McCord says cowboys didn't read the Bible, just had faith and belief in a higher power.
I love the detail on this ottoman! Plus, it was huge and very soft.
They had some gorgeous artwork, and the books are real (in the basket on the floor). Interesting old western stories.

By now it sounds like I'm an advertising ad, but seriously, this is a great little stop in Southern Idaho. I would love to just spend a week there. The food is home grown fantastic, the rooms are comfy and again, very home-like, and the springs are fabulous. We didn't go to the springs because I was still fight an UTI. We've been several times before, and it is always enjoyable. If anyone is looking for a quick weekend getaway, this is it!

Some things that we learned: Make plans to be in Almo four hours before your intended ETA. Especially if there's snow.

Take food/snacks with you. Each room has a microwave and mini fridge, plates, silverware and cups. We had to leave a day early because I was so sick, partly from the infection and pregnancy, and partly from a lack of nutrition. The gas stations are sparsely prepared for meals.

Don't go unless you can absolutely get in the hot springs. That was a huge bummer.

We were also thinking that it might be fun to get a group of us a go together. The hotel set up is like an old 1800's building. There are 11 rooms, two of which are 2 story, and there are three separate cabins. The cabins have just one bed (queen) and a cast iron tub. I think the two stories have 5 or 6 beds.

So, who's in?

Conference Saturday

Truthfully, I wasn't much looking forward to this weekend. Not because of Conference. Heavens no! I love listening to Conference. But it was because there are so many items on my honey-do list. Silly, little, insignificant tasks that were just crawling under my skin to be done. I don't like housework and chores to interfere with Conference. Since both require a substantial bit of time, one had to be sacrificed. Guess who won. And, the wind picked up and the clouds began looming. We had two beautiful days, and now, the gloom has returned. Blah.

On a happier note, we are starting to help Harrison handle his aggression and anger. He still bangs his head (which resulted in a black eye), and scratches his face, but we are learning what best helps to calm him. And unfortunately, we are also learning about discipline methods. I really thought that talking things through would be the best way to help him understand his actions and consequences. This time, experience is really the best teacher. Go ahead and laugh at my naivety. I still am. I also am giving him two options and letting him make the choice, but I think sometimes it confuses him.

The little stink bug LOVES to watch his 'truck' movie (Hatari!). It's a John Wayne film. Surprised? You shouldn't be. It's a good film. Go watch it.

His speech is also coming along. He won't speak in phrases, just a one word, or sometimes syllable mumble. He will say whatever word we ask him to, but somehow we never hear them unless we ask. But he certainly likes to tell stories about cars and trucks and Ba-BOOM BOOM!! Your dead. Then, car, truck BA-BOOM!!

At bedtime he loves to hear the story of Noah and the Ark. I partially believe it's because I cannot accurately and completely tell any other Old Testament story. I tried Joseph and Moses, but I still became a stuttering mess. Shame on me.

Harrison loves to help me cook. Every morning he stirs the egg and milk for scrabbled eggs, and puts the bread in the toaster. Any time I stand near the sink and oven he needs to be sitting on the counter, watching and helping. I really hope this transforms into a life long love for cooking; heaven knows I certainly did not obtain it. And the best part? I can cook a full meal with about three square feet of counter space. I thought the counters were slim in our first Moscow appt, but these are even worse! Actually, I would have more space if Harrison could 'cook' at the table, but really, that's no fun.

Well, Mac's home from the Priesthood Session. Night, y'all.