200 Things

I saw this on Emily's blog. You are suppose to highlight the things you have done out of the 200 items on the list. Mine are in bold print!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper (defiantly had my share of those!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it (Everyday)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath (it was actually a shower)
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days (not b/c I wanted, I couldn't keep anything down and ended up getting 3 bags of fluid with an IV....not fun!)
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason (My husband is a real sweetie)
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes (no but I've seen the movie, it's a good one!)
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people (not that I know of - I hope not)
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train (does the Trax count?)
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant (My mom reminds me all the time about when I was five and was in line to ride on an elephant with her and chickened out at the last minute and so she had to ride on it with some strangers)
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something (the automatic bed maker in first grade)
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics (no, but I was living in Salt Lake City when they were being hosted here)
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union (kind of, my husband is Union)
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Silver Lake

Since becoming friends with Mark and Bonnie and think I have seen more of what Utah has to offer then I have in my whole life. Who knew that this place, the ONLY place that I have ever lived, was so breathtakingly beautiful. Today they took the kids and I up to Silver Lake to spend the day with Bonnie's parents. First Bonnie's parents, Bonnie, Mark and all the kids fished. They caught 16 fish!! The kids had a lot of fun reeling them in again like they did up at Moon Lake. The only thing that Carson hated was the fact that they didn't put them back in. He got very sad about it at Moon Lake too. One of the fish they caught today was very small and so they did put it back and Carson was so ecstatic and informed everyone that he wished all the fish that they caught were small so that they would put them all back into the lake. He is my little tree hugger. Recently Carson checked out a book from the library about wetlands and was also very excited that he got to see a real live wetland as the lake is located in one. We also got to see lots of little critters up close trying to eat our food. After fishing we drove to Bonnie's parents cabin near the lake. There we got to sit down and relax and eat a delicious meal that Bonnie's parents prepared. The whole day was a lot of fun for everyone. Thanks Mark and Bonnie for inviting us!!

Pioneer Day

In celebration of the pioneers that traveled across the plains to settle my home state of Utah we had a BBQ with Michael, Christy and Family. We have had a sort of tradition celebrating the 4th of July together but this year we were both on separate vacations. So, we decided to celebrate the 24th of July instead. First we stuffed ourselves and then the kids played in the water while the parents chatted for a while. We had decided to do banana splits for dessert so when our tummies were ready we gorged ourselves on those. We then got a little firework show compliments of Dayv. The kids also got to run around with sparklers that Michael & Christy brought which I think the kids enjoy more than the fireworks. Then we got to enjoy an even bigger firework show compliments of our neighbors. We all had a wonderful time! Maybe we will have to carry on a 24th of July tradition too!

Memory Lane

I've just become a bloggin' fool......I saw this on Amber's blog and it looked kind of fun. Maybe I can have some memories brought back to my brain that has severely suffered since having kids!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Two Little Lines

I thought I'd have a little fun and only provide the following information on my blog to see how many of my family and friends actually read it. As you may have already guessed by the title and the picture below: I'M PREGNANT!!! I am due on March 21st. This date happens to be my brother, Ben's, birthday and only 3 days after Carson's birthday and 4 days after Tahirah's. Poor Noah with the lonely January birthday. Or maybe I should say lucky Noah! I'm still kind of in shock. It's no surprise that we got pregnant considering I took out my Mirena the beginning of May but it's still weird to think that we are going to have another one of these rugrats running around. Are we crazy or what?! I've gotten kind of used to not being pregnant or nursing and have already screwed up by using weed killer this morning on my lawn forgetting that it's probably not something you should do while pregnant. Hopefully that won't caused any lasting effects. I'm thinking it's a girl (which probably means it's a boy). I wouldn't really be disappointed either way although it would be kind of fun to see what another girl would be like. Another reason why it would be nice to have a girl is because we already have a name picked out. Dayv and I have THE HARDEST time with boy's names! By the way if anybody has or knows of anybody getting rid of any maternity clothes or baby stuff, let me know! As I mentioned before, I kind of gave away most of my stuff thinking we were done. I know, I know, stupid and I was warned but have a little pity on me!

Another Tag!

I saw this on your blog, Natalie, and it looked fun!
The rules are as follows: List 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions, and 3 Random Surprising Facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Here goes......

Joys
1. My Hubby
2. My Kids
3. My Animals

Fears
1. Dieing
2. Losing my husband or children
3. And a little bit of both heights and water

Goals
1. To raise wonderful, upstanding children
2. Become an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
3. Further my education

Current Obsessions
1. Blogging
2. Educating my children
3. Finding new parenting ideas

Random Surprising Facts
1. Dayv and I got engaged two weeks after we had met each other on a blind date.
2. Dayv and I have decided we want another baby after I have already given away most of our baby stuff and told everybody we were done.
3. I actually think it would be exciting to move to an entirely different place but I'm too comfortable here and am terrified I would hate it and would miss my friends and family that live around here. (Don't tell my husband!)

I tag Bonnie, Victoria, Emily, Amber, Melanie and anybody else that wants to!

Our Crazy Weekend

Grandma's Smith's funeral was on Saturday. We had several family members travel here to attend. Troy (2nd oldest sibling in Dayv's family) along with his wife, Yuko, their daughter Shiori and their two dogs stayed with us. I'm not sure how Troy felt about it but it was really nice having them over. Troy is extremely allergic to cats and didn't realize we had any (we have THREE). I guess he was able to survive with our air purifier plugged into the room he was sleeping in along with three times the recommended dosage of Benedryl! They had been living in Japan and just recently moved to San Diego. I hadn't even met them for several years after Dayv and I got married. But they are no different from the rest of Dayv's family. So, loving, accepting, and generous! Along with the same Van Orman sarcastic sense of humor, of course!

Grandma's funeral was very nice. It was one of the more happier funerals I have been to in a long time. There was a ton of family there that we have not seen in a long time and the kids had a blast playing with all the cousins.

There was a recent baptism in our ward! He is a 15 yr old boy. He had been coming to Young Men activities for quite some time so, while I was serving in the Young Women Presidency I got to know him a little bit better. He also lives just down the street from me and often hangs out with my neighbor's kids too. His family has had some very difficult things happen to them. Peter has been such a huge example to me of how strong a boy of such a young age can be despite his upbringing. No one in his family came to his baptism and now he has gotten his two younger brothers to come to church. Dayv and I bring them to church now and they are such cute boys! They really enjoyed coming and plan on continuing to come. Peter had also brought his 1 yr old niece. I was just in awe. I hope he continues to strengthen his family by his example. They really need that in their lives. I think the gospel is awesome! It can bring so much happiness and light into people's lives where there is none. It is just so exciting to watch!

Hogle Zoo!

Today the kids and I went to Hogle Zoo with Christy (my sis-in-law) and her kids. There was a new baby giraffe but everything was pretty much the same since the last time I went including the rare white alligator exhibit. The kids, as always, had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures I took:

Mildred Jane Smith

Dayv's grandma, Mildred Smith, died last night at the age of 88. We learned a couple of weeks ago that she had cancer all over in her abdomen. We really didn't think she would go so quickly. Dayv's mom had the impression last Friday night that she needed to come down now instead of waiting until this coming weekend, which was their original plan. Her intuitions are usually right and this was no different. She got to spend Grandma's last days with her. Dayv and I with the kids went to see Grandma on Sunday. You could tell it made her very happy to see the kids and just being with her family. My fondest memory of Grandma will always be when she came and stayed with us a couple of days after Tahirah was born to help out. She had always been one to help out anyway she could. Even though she couldn't see very well and her memory wasn't the best she was a wonderful help to me at that time. I was also very grateful for her visit because I along with Carson got to know her a lot better. Carson had so much fun with her. I had never seen an 80 year old lady run around with a 2 year old like that before. Carson would have her chase him and they would both be laughing hysterically. I will greatly miss Grandma Smith but I can't help but imagine the joyous reunion she is having right now with Grandpa, Aunt Tracie and Uncle Damon who preceded her in death. Till we meet again Grandma, Love you!

MOON LAKE

We spent 4th of July weekend at Moon Lake with Mark, Bonnie and Family, Jon, Melanie and Family and two of their friends. We had a blast!! We camped, played at the beach/lake, boated, fished and just had a good time. We will defiantly be back. This is a great place to get away! Carson said his favorite part was going in the boat. Tahirah said she loved swimming in the lake and fishing. Noah just loved getting dirty! Dayv liked seeing how excited the kids got while riding around on the boat and reeling in the fish. I just loved the whole experience. We have needed to get away for quite some time and I'm really glad we were able to go. Noah was throwing up the night before we left so we were really close to not going but he ended up getting better just before we had planned on leaving.

Here are some of the highlights of our retreat:We are planning on going camping again a few more times this year so if anybody is interested in going with us let us know!!

Good Ol' Family Reunion

This past weekend the kids and I went with my Mom to the Hall Reunion. This is on my Mom's side of the family. It was at my Grandma and Grandpa Campbell's house. I won't say that I wish I hadn't of gone because it was nice to spend some time with my grandparents whom I rarely see but I will say that had to be the most....interesting family reunion I've ever been to. First, we ate. Then, we sat, and sat, and sat, and...you get the idea. Conversation? Well, that included the usual "Hi, how have you been doing?" "Where do you live now?" Along with a new topic that I personally have never encountered before: "Where are you going to be buried?" My mom got a hotel room for us and the kids. The kids weren't exactly on their best behavior but they did have fun swimming at the hotel and hanging out with Grandma Denton and Grandma and Grandpa Great Campbell. Carson was Grandpa's shadow, following him everywhere he went and asking him questions about what he was doing. And Tahirah was Grandma's little girl. Grandma was so proud when we went to church and had all four generations there. She was telling everybody. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures to show for it but all in all we had a good time. The only real downfall of the whole trip was that Carson got quite car sick....YUCK!