Random Things

Sorry in advance for the lack of cohesion in this post...

This is a cleaning product that looks like a large bar of soap, my mother-in-law told me about it and apparently it only costs 97 cents at Wal-Mart (I don't know that for a fact because she bought it for me). This little bar is amazing! I frequently use Spray and Wash or Shout to get stains out of our (mostly Eli's) clothes, or even spills on the carpet, but I feel like with a messy little boy I'm going through bottles of this stuff like crazy and it's not the cheapest... so I tried this Fels-napha bar on some stains and it worked great! I then tried it on some stains that had already been treated and washed with Spray and Wash but never came out. Wouldn't you know it, they came right out with Fels-naptha! Then, Eli recently spit up some blueberries on the carpet, we had just moved in and I didn't have any carpet stain remover. I was panicked that the stain would never come out so I improvised and gave Fels-naptha a try. Although this product is made for treating clothing, yet again, it did the trick! I just wet the edge of the bar with water and rub it onto the stain, then rub it in with a wet cloth and either let it sit for a while before throwing it in the wash or, if you're using it on carpet just scrub it really well and voi-la! I think one bar might just last forever as I use it almost daily and still have most of it left, so for 97 cents, I'd say give it a try!

VS.

Once again, our annual Costco membership was up for renewal and while we usually just renew it without thinking twice, this year we thought, maybe we should give Sam's a try? If you're like us and have considered switching from Costco to Sam's, I would advise you not to. If you have a Sam's membership instead of Costco, you don't know what you're missing! Simply put, Costco is WAY better (in my opinion) and although the membership is more expensive (a measly $10 more per year), their prices are MUCH cheaper. If you buy your produce from Costco, in addition to being organic without the added cost of most grocery stores, it is MUCH better quality. I will say one good thing about Sam's, they have giant bags of Sister Schubert frozen rolls- if you have not tried these, again, you don't know what you're missing!

3 days. 2 weeks. 11 months.

I was recently looking through Eli's newborn pictures, I guess just to reminisce of how exciting it is to have a new little family member. It occurred to me that he looks nothing like he did when he was born. His hair even seems to be turning blonde. I think that's common, but still kind of weird.

Marital Conflict: A speaker came to one of Jason's classes and advised the students that if they want a successful career and they don't already play golf, they had better start. This is apparently important among the Corporate American world. So, Jason decided to pick up golf with a bunch of guys from his program. Among all the suits, dress slacks, shirts, ties, shoes, computer and phone (these two because his old computer and phone were through his work) he's had to acquire for school, now they want him to pick up GOLF? Like, the most expensive sport EVER. Anyway, I told him that's a pretty expensive sport to start playing on top of tuition... he said it's an investment in his career. I complained that I want to have expensive gadgets/clothes and hobbies and write them off as an investment in my "career" too. He said he wants to go to Florida next week and hang out on the beach. He then reminded me that I've spent a combined 2 of the last 12 months on various vacations, mostly without him, and that next week Eli and I are headed to Florida, once again, without him. In conclusion, the grass isn't always greener. Touchė Jason. I attribute his greater wisdom to the fact that he's MUCH more advanced in years ;)

IPAD- Well, if golf helps Jason's career, I think an Ipad would help mine. There are interactive games and storybooks, in addition to shows and movies I could download for Eli, making any public outing much more pleasant. I want one. Think I could convince Jason?

That's all.

Sweet Home Alabama

We made it! Safe and sound, I might add. Birmingham is a beautiful city, lots of green, rolling hills, very friendly people (I think we're in a great ward, too) and so far the weather hasn't been too hot at all! Although, it's been a bit hazy. I asked someone where the sun was and she said it's always like this... That, I'll definitely miss about Colorado! One other thing, there are absolutely NO sidewalks here! I mean NONE, anywhere! I guess people don't walk or jog in the south and coming from Colorado (where every street is not only equipped with a sidewalk but also a bike lane... which of course, are nowhere to be found here either), this is devastating to me. My only form of exercise consists of a long walk each morning during which I am able to be very productive and achieve three things at once: Scripture study via my ipod, exercise and a little sun tan. Not to mention, Eli simultaneously takes his morning nap... walking is really the only exercise I can do at this stage of pregnancy plus, it keeps me from getting all swollen and immobile. I'm pretty sure it's one of Eli's favorite things too. Now, I have no idea what we'll do with ourselves in the morning. On the bright side, I can cancel my plans to purchase a double jog stroller which, by the way, are SO expensive!

Dallas: the drive out here took about four days on the road, but we stopped and spent three days in Dallas with Jason's Aunt Cindy and Uncle Dave. Their entire family lives within an hour of them so we got to see a bunch of Jason's cousins too, some of which I hadn't even met yet!

Jason's cousins: Chris, Heidi, David, Erin and their son Jacob.

Erin, Steve, Melinda and their daughter Zoe, Jared, his girlfriend Jordan and Alex.

It was literally 110 degrees the whole time we were in Texas, fortunately they have a pool in the back yard! With the exception of eating and sleeping, we pretty much didn't get out the entire time we were there.

I think Eli's new favorite food is stuffed shells.

Aunt Cindy had a little tint that she set up for Eli, he loved it! Between the tint and the little dog, he was entertained for hours.

Getting Settled: We LOVE our new home! It's a very spacious condo that is quite an upgrade from our old apartment. We are having a fun time acquiring some new furniture and decorations to fill all the extra space. We've pretty much completed the very long and awful unpacking process, too. The only problem is, Eli's room is PINK! I don't remember noticing that at all when I came to look at the place last month... whoops! Needless to say, painting is pretty high on our to-do list.

Little Boy Update: Eli had his 1-year appointment last month weighing in at 17 pounds, 28 inches. Officially ON the charts, less than 3 percentile but we'll take it! Also, after nearly 2 months of taking steps he is finally walking. It seemed to be a very long process for him but I'm relieved that he's gotten the hang of it and now I don't always have to carry him. I shouldn't complain because he's so small but he sure feels heavy paired with my growing belly! Anyway, I think he likes Alabama, we have a nice pool that we go to most days and I think I'll get him in swimming lessons soon. There are a few kids in our ward that are around his same age too so hopefully he'll make some friends!

We set the infant swing up in preparation for the little girl, Eli decided it's his new favorite toy. I guess he still meets the weight guidelines so I let him play on it for now, but I'm not sure it's actually going to last until the baby arrives!

Also, the little guy has taken a liking to soccer. He was kicking this ball around the apartment all morning and then as soon as I tried to record it he got distracted by something else, figures!

Baby Girl Update: Our little girl is still cooking... My original due date was October 19th but is now November 7th. She keeps measuring behind schedule though so, who knows what to expect? At least she seems to be healthy and well in all other aspects. We're naming her Kyah. We thought it was pretty original but according to everyone, it's not. There is even a Kyah in our new ward. How have I never even heard of this name before? Oh well!

College Boy: Jason started school yesterday! He likes everyone he has met in his program so far and is very excited for the next few years. Apparently at this time next year, he'll begin the application process for his residency the following year. It's weird to think that in just 1 year we'll already be making plans to move somewhere else! Anyway, the program will be very time-consuming in that he will have different obligations (conferences, events, volunteering, etc.) that he'll have to be at throughout the course of the program. His class schedule isn't too bad though. Something kind of strange is that he has to wear professional attire everyday, including slacks and a tie, no jeans! Also, on Mondays and Fridays he has to wear a suit! It's a far cry from his construction days. I thought that was so funny because when I was in school a lot of people showed up for class in sweats!

That's all for now.