Sick Babies are SOOO much FUN!!!

Opening Disclaimer: my poor little guy has been sick, and my #1 concern is for his well being, but having said that, I have to vent. I have recently discovered a very complex mathematical formula that has probably already been revealed to every other mother on the planet. The formula is this: When babies are sick, the amount of sleep mom will get is inversely proportional to the amount of laundry she will have to do that week. For example, on a normal, non-sick baby day... I might get 7 or 8 hours of sleep and have to do 1 load of laundry (or none at all). On a sick baby day, like yesterday, for instance, I would probably get closer to 3-4 hours of sleep and have to wash at least 3 loads of laundry.
Bryson and I had both been sick last week, and on sunday as we were both nearing the end of our colds, I was so proud that we had managed to keep Davis healthy. I should have known better. Davis got sick that night. To sum up his path of destruction through the house, I have had to change and wash the sheets at least once a day due to either throw up or a huge poopie blow out, Davis has gone through an average of 3 outfits a day (with a high of 5 yesterday) for the above mentioned reasons, I have had to change clothes an average of 2 extra times a day when his vomit or blow out was aimed in my direction, we both have averaged 2 baths a day since monday, and of course the sleep has been sucked away to be replaced by a sad, whimpering baby in the middle of the night. Poor little guy. The funny thing is, when he's awake, even when he is throwing up all over his mom, he is perfectly happy and cheerful all day. Don't worry though, he seems to get extra fussy in his sleep to make up for his good moods while awake.
I have learned to never underestimate how much damage a sick little baby can do with a little milk in his tummy. Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon. Sorry for all of the gross details, but I just couldn't resist the opportunity to vent for a minute!

Welcome Rosalyn Mary Mull!

My new little niece was born very early wednesday morning at 12:52 am, and I actually got to be there to see her born! I went to the hospital to check on my sister in law, Mary, and drop off some night gowns around 11:15pm. She was getting ready for her epidural, and in the meantime, she was squeezing my hands through the contractions. So, I thought I'd stay until the epidural kicked in, then take off. But, to make a long story short, the epidural never kicked in (turns out, it was administered in the wrong place), and her contractions got very big very fast. Before we knew it, she was pushing, and little Rose was there! I could not believe that poor Mary had to endure all of that pain without any medication! I know people do it "naturally" all the time, but she was in so much pain, I wanted to cry for her. She did an amazing job, and to quote my sister, she "took it like a woman!" Until I see a man endure a major surgery or something comparible without any pain killers or anesthesia, my standard for toughness will have to be moms who have made it through childbirth. Anyway, little Rose is adorable. Dark hair, long eyelashes, and that dimple chin that is so prominent in Bryson's family. It was such a neat experience to get to be there for her arrival. There is nothing like witnessing the miracle of birth!

This was taken from my phone about 10 or 15 minutes after she was born


These pictures are from our visit the next day.




Look at those chubby cheeks!


I thought this face was so funny and cute, I couldn't resist.

San Francisco!!!

It's been a while since my last post. That is partially because I am boring and usually have nothing to write about, and partially because I've been out of town for the last week. Bryson had a business trip to San Francisco, and since I'd never been before, Davis and I decided to tag along. It was so much fun! Aside from the PERFECT weather (74 degrees and perfectly sunny), the city and surrounding areas are gorgeous! Everything was green and all of the trees were full of blossoms, and I just couldn't get enough of those rolling green hills. We had a blast in the actual city, but one of my favorite things was when we went to Clayton. That is the town that Bryson lived in for about 5 years when he was a little kid. It also happens to be the setting of one of Brandon's books. (For those of you who don't know, Bryson's older brother (Brandon) is an author. He has written the Fablehaven series, as well as a book called Candy Shop War, which is the one that was set in Clayton). So, in addition to seeing Bryson's old house, he took me around to all of the places described in the book. It is the cutest little town, and I loved it! Hopefully we'll have a chance to go back soon.

This is a view from Coit tower, looking at the Golden Gate Bridge and some of the city streets.


Here are Bryson and Davis (in his Alcatraz outfit) at the bottom of Lombard street. It was a little scary to drive down that!


The Golden Gate bridge was gorgeous! We walked across it... much longer than I thought it was!


Bryson and Davis by the creek in Clayton. I'll throw in a few of these shots because it was so pretty there!








Everywhere from town, you could see these gorgeous hills with roaming cows that looked like the "happy cows come from California" comercials. So cute.




Davis and I in "downtown" Clayton. Mainstreet looks like an old Western town. Very cute. For those of you who read the book, if you are interested, I also took pictures at the elementary school, the restaurant that used to be the Candy shop, the museum, the house, etc.


My friend Rachel lives in the San Francisco area, near Stanford University. So, while Bryson was in meetings one day, I went down there to meet her and walk around. It's a beautiful campus.

Needlessly long update

I was uploading pictures from the past two weeks and thought I'd share. *Disclaimer: this could be long and boring. Proceed with Caution.
Here we go. Picture #1, we were getting ready for church, and I thought the boys looked cute.


Whenever I'm on the computer, Davis likes to sit in the chair with me and hang out. Lately we have given him an old keyboard to type on so that he doesn't feel the need to use mine.


My dad and Jane came up here for a quick weekend trip with the kids, and Davis got to play with Aunt Meg and Uncle Will. He is so lucky to have such great aunts and uncles!








Last weekend Bryson and Davis were matching. They looked so cute, I couldn't resist snapping a few shots.




Sometimes in the morning when I'm getting ready, we set up "Davis Central." This involves Davis and his boppy on the bed surrounded by about a million toys, and usually with some cartoon on. It is probably over stimulation, but it usually keeps him entertained until I'm done showering and getting my make up on.


While in Davis Central, one of his favorite toys is his "girlfriend," a blonde finger puppet that he likes to eat or "make out" with. Bryson and I are really strange parents.












Don't worry, you are nearing the end of this seemingly endless post. Finally, we have Valentine's Day dinner pictures. We had a really fun date night at the house. We busted out the china and candles, had a really yummy dinner, and we didn't have to deal with all of the crowds at a restaurant.




For dessert, I made chocolate fondue. It was really yummy, but as you can see, I got a little ambitious with the dippins. I thought we made pretty good progress until I compared these before and after pictures. I guess we didn't do quite as much damage as I had hoped. Oh well, I guess we'll be having fondue leftovers for lunch.

Saying Goodbye

When Bryson and I heard the news of President Hinckley's passing, we talked about the possibility of going to the viewing to pay our respects and say goodbye. Considering that we would probably have to take Davis with us, we thought we'd wait to hear how it went before we made our way to temple square. Bryson's mom went late thursday afternoon and was there for about an hour total. That didn't sound too bad, and Davis is easily entertained for an hour or two, so we thought we'd give it a try friday afternoon. Well, we got a lot more than we bargained for. To make a long story short, we were there for over 5 hours. At least 3 of those hours were outside in FREEZING temperatures and wind. As you can probably see from the picture I took on my cell phone, Davis was very warm in his marshmallow suit, hat, blanket, etc, etc. So, don't go calling Child Protective Services on me. Davis couldn't have been happier all night. Anyway, the lines were insanely long, and there were more people than you could possibly imagine. Given the cold and waiting for so long (in high heels, while holding a baby), you would think that people would have been a little testy, but that was not at all the case. We made friends with all the people in line around us, and everyone was so nice. Even the kids that were there were all so well behaved. By the time we got in to the actual conference center, they seated us for a while to wait. They had videos playing in tribute to President Hinckley that set the mood nicely. When we finally got to go see the prophet, it was pretty brief... we just got to walk by slowly... but it was so powerful. I kept thinking, "we thank thee oh God for a prophet." I was so thankful for this man and his amazing life. I was so thankful for all of the work and sacrifices he made for the Church and for all of us, and then I was so thankful that he got this much needed chance to rest and reunite with his sweet wife. The other sensation that was so powerful was that he really wasn't there. His body was there, looking so peaceful, yet so lifeless. It sounds funny, but that was strangely comforting to me. To know that there is so much more to life than just our mortal bodies. That the man we all knew and loved was not really gone, just somewhere else. It was a testimony to me of the eternal nature of our spirits. It was such a wonderful opportunity to say good bye and reflect. I will miss President Hinckley's sweet sense of humor and love, but I am grateful for all the lessons that he has taught me, even in his death.

Not much to say, just some fun pics

Davis and I were matching for my birthday


I love Davis in this hat!


jersey boys


Just hanging out on the bed, watching tv like a big boy


Cheese!

New Year's in Vegas

Two posts in one day! Well, after Christmas in San Diego, we made the long trek to Las Vegas for New Year's. We were finally able to stay in my dad's beautiful new house, and it was great! Once again, we had a wonderful trip. Crystal and Ryan and John-Kai and Meg were all in town again, and of course, we got to spend a lot of time with Dad, Jane,(little)Meg, and Will. Meg was the best babysitter EVER! We saw Phantom of the Opera, shopped, played, and welcomed in the New Year. We miss everyone already!