There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Brad and I were lucky enough to spend two weeks up in Utah visiting with family and friends. We hadn't made a trip home since last Christmas so it was really nice to see everyone, especially during the holidays. We kept pretty busy we were constantly going from one place to the next trying to see everyone and although it was tiring it was well worth it.

Highlights of our trip:

Christmas of course was wonderful. This year it was with Brad's family and we opened presents and had a nice big Christmas breakfast. The rest of the day was pretty much spent playing guitar hero. The day after Christmas we went to my family's annual Christmas Eve party. (it ended up after Christmas because of weather conditions and wanting to make sure everyone could be there). It was so fun to be with family during such a beautiful time of the year.

We went to Body World with Brad's family. Which was amazing! If you have not heard of it it is a exhibit where you learn the anatomy and physiology by viewing real human bodies that have been preserved. It was really fascinating and not in the least bit grotesque. My favorite part was the prenatal room where they showed the different stages of the growing fetus. It was amazing to see how small we all start from and in just 9 short months become a baby.

Brad was able to catch in some much needed skiing. He was able to go one day with his brothers and then he took my brothers up another day. He came home cold and a little sore, but he loved it. While Brad was out skiing I got pampered. I went with my mom and Marilyn to get pedicures and then I was able to get a much needed cut and color.

We got family pictures taken (on both sides).

We went out to lunch with Brad's friends some of whom we hadn't seen in ages! It was also nice to know that two of Brad's friends wives are also expecting so our little boy will have someone to play with! Then of course after lunch the boys played guitar hero. Lets just say there was a lot of guitar hero going on during this trip.

I was given a baby shower by both my mom and my mother-in-law. It was so nice to see aunts, cousins, and friends. I got lots of cute baby stuff and it was so fun coming home and getting his room all ready for his arrival.

Again it was so nice to be able to go home and see family for the holidays, and it will be so good to see them again in just a few short months when the baby arrives!

Bragging

So I have to brag about Brad. He got 98% on his final last week! I'm so proud of him he works so hard for me and the little guy. Its only been two semesters, but he's been able to keep up his 4.0. We also received a Christmas present from his school. They gave him New Orleans red beans and rice. Kindof different, but hey USU never gave us any Christmas presents so at least they are thinking of us.

As for me I entered my third trimester this last week. I'm 2/3 of the way there!

Thanksgiving

On Tuesday we headed back to Mesa to meet Brent.  On Wednesday Kae and I had makeovers done at the Chandler mall and then met up with Brad and Ryan and did some baby shopping. Ryan even got into the shopping and picked out the most adorable little outfit for our little guy I just couldn't resist and had to buy.  

Thanksgiving dinner was a huge feast!  Brad's aunt really out did herself and the weather was so nice we even had dinner outside.  After dinner we had a talent show.  It was really all of Brad's cousins that put on the show, but Emily did start us off with a Christmas song she could play on the piano.

On Friday night we went to the Mesa temple to view the lights.  It was so beautiful and being with family was just the right thing to put me in the holiday spirit.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I feel so blessed and have so many things to be thankful for.

Pre-Thanksgiving

The weekend before Thanksgiving Brad's cousin Brian got married in the Mesa temple.  The Mickelson side of the family all came down to support him.  It was so nice to see Brad's aunts, uncles, and his grandparents; but it was especially nice to see my mother in law, Ryan, and Emily. We haven't seen family since Christmas (besides Brent's visit a few months ago) and being with family made us feel a little homesick.  

The wedding ceremony of course was wonderful and at the temple we even ran into a couple from our ward as well as some of friends from Logan who recently moved down to Phoenix to go to dental school.  What a small world!  

That evening we went to the reception which was the fanciest most elaborate reception I have ever been too.  It was gorgeous and the food was amazing.  The reception was at a hotel in Glendale which happened to be the place that the New York Giants where staying at for the football game against the Arizona Cardinals the next day.  We saw lots of football players (although I have no idea who any of them were)  some people at the reception even saw Eli Manning. Anyway, back at the reception they had dancing.  Brian's  new wife comes from a Hispanic heritage and after the reception we all decided that us "white folk" are pretty boring.  Her family was out their having a great time dancing while ever one el

se just sat and talked.  Of course Emily wanted to take part of the action so she made Ryan and cousin Scott take her on the dance floor.                                                                                  

On Sunday after the Mickelson's went back to Utah we took Kae, Ryan and Emily back to Morenci for a few days.  We went on a hike in New Mexico known as the catwalk.  It was a perfect day for a hike and the fall leaves looked beautiful. 

A Strange First

Well this is a first. A couple weeks ago Brad woke me up in the middle of the night wanting to know why I was laughing. It was 2:00 in the morning and I had no idea what he was talking about. Later that night I woke myself up because I was laughing. I must have really funny dreams. I've never done that before and Brad thinks its the funniest thing that I now laugh while I'm sleeping. It must be a pregnancy thing.

*Thanksgiving pictures to come. I've been extremely busy this past week and haven't had the time to download them yet.

Let the Countdown Begin!

100 days and counting until baby Clark arrives!

Est. November 12, 2004

Happy Anniversary Brad! I love you!

Baby Bump

I've been getting requests from friends and family to see my pregnancy belly. So here I am at 22 weeks.

Halloween Surprise

So after coming home from our ward Trunk or Treat I was getting ready to start passing out candy to the neighborhood kids when to my surprise I found this guy had made his home on our front door.

And yes this is inside our house not outside.

Chemical Party

On Thursday our small town of Morenci/Clifton had quite the scare.  A valve was accidentally opened and Sulfuric Acid ran down the dry creek bed instead of water.  Thousands of gallons of a blue/green ooze ran from Morenci to Clifton (the small town next to Morenci) and was headed to the River.  Workers were trying to hurry and dam the acid before it reached the San Francisco River.   Brad didn't have to do too much to help with the cleanup.  Which I was surprised because his job is "Health and Safety" but I guess it was more of an environmental problem then Health.  Brad did deliver supplies like respirators masks and eye washing solutions to the clean up crew.

(Pictures taken from abc news)

Above is a picture of my work (not the ugly mobile home, but the red building next to it). This "river" of acid ran right underneath my work  building.  We had so many people outside our building trying to clean up the damage.  At first we were wondering what was going on.  When we realized what was going on, next it was the panic of  will it hurt the pregnant lady and a two month old baby (my boss's wife had recently had a baby).  Fortunately the amount of acid that was running was in no way harmful to either of us.  Luckily I had a doctors appointment that day and I double checked with my doctor who assured me that it would in no way harm the baby.

Having this incident happen was as some people said the most excitement our town has had in years.  There were people sitting outside watching the cleanup crew and it seemed to go along with the halloween spirit. 

Baby Clark

Well its official we are having a baby BOY! We are so excited! I just had a feeling we were having a boy and now its official. It was so fun to see him. He kept moving and loved looking at the camera. He had the cutest little feet and hands. The doctor said he looked perfectly healthy and weighed 12 ounces. My due date is still March 11. I do feel a little cheated however; I only got 3 pictures and they all look the same. I wonder if I could get more...

This past week I have really started to feel him move and Brad has even felt him kick. Its starting to seem real now that we know what it is. Plus we are going to go shopping this weekend and I can finally start buying some baby clothes. We don't have a name picked out quite yet. Even though I felt like we were having a boy we only had a girl name picked out. We still have time though. Today marks my halfway point for the pregnancy I am 20 weeks along and starting to look and feel pregnant and I know its just beginning. March seems so far away and I just can't wait to meet him.

Poll Results

Well I'm a little surprised by the results of the poll. I have felt that we are having a boy, but so many of you (63%) think we are having a girl. I guess we will just have to wait for tomorrow to see who is right...

7 Random Things

I was tagged by my friend Emily to write 7 random things about myself. As easy as that may seem I have to admit I had a hard time trying to think of 7 things. So here it goes:

1. In High School I had to sit on a pillow to see over the steering wheel to drive. I don't need to use a pillow anymore and I don't know if its because newer cars have the option to lower the steering wheel or if its because I grew an inch since High School. I like to think that its because I've gotten taller.

2. I have to put lotion on my entire body after I get out of the shower. If I wash my hands I have to put lotion on. I can't stand not having lotion on. The same goes with chapstick. I guess I just like feeling moisturized.

3. Even if its a hundred degrees outside I always like having a blanket on me when watching TV or a movie.

4. Its sounds gross but I like to pop zits.

5. I love murder mysteries. My aunt Sherry knew this love of mine and would do "murder mystery" parties where we would all dress up in character and act out a play. I tried to do some myself with some friends in Jr. High/High School, but Sherry's parties where always the best. I wonder if I could get Brad to do one...

6.  I love to hunt for Sapphires.    My Grandparents used to live in Montana and when our family would go visit they would buy a bag of dirt from a Sapphire mine and we would look for Sapphires.  A couple of the Sapphires I found my mom had them set in earrings and gave them to me as a gift. 

7.  I know that everyone probably says this, but I love to travel.  I love going to different places and learning the historical/cultural things as well as the "relaxing" part.  I hope to one day go to Europe or the South Pacific.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

Husband Tag

With our 4th anniversary right around the corner I thought I would take this post from a friend of mine to reflect on what a great husband Brad is.

1. What is his name? Brad Mickelson Clark

2. Who eats more? Since I'm now pregnant I guess we are tied, but before it would have to be Brad.

3. Who said "I love you" first? I did!

4. Who is taller? Do you even have to ask? That's pretty obvious I'm only 5'.

5. Who is smarter? Definitely Brad.

6. Who is more sensitive? I am.

7. Who does the laundry? I know you'll probably think I'm a horrible wife, but its usually Brad. I do help fold though!

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Looking at the bed...Brad does.

9. Who pays the bills? Brad for whatever reason he likes doing it and is very organized about it.

10. Who cooks more? Me. Although I've been horrible about cooking lately.

11. What meals do you cook together? A lot of times we do Sunday dinners together.

12. Who is more stubborn? I think we can both be guilty on that one.

13. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Brad is really good about apologizing even if I started it.

14. Who has more siblings? I do by one.

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Brad.

16. What do you like to do together? Everything!

17. Who eats more sweets? Definitely Brad.

18. Guilty pleasures? Watching a lot of TV, going out to eat, and going on shopping sprees when we are in the big city.

19. How did you meet? Singles ward. I saw him before he met me. His dad was in the Bishopric and his mom gave a talk the first Sunday and made Brad and his brother Rich stand up and she told all the girls in our ward that they are single and she wanted us to date them. When Brad first met me however, was after a family home evening activity and he was talking to a bunch of my friends from my dorms. I later invited him up to my dorm to watch a movie with a group of friends.

20. Who asked out who first? Brad asked me. I was trying to keep my distance because my next door neighbor in my dorms had a crush on him, but Brad was very persistent and I soon realized that her friendship wasn't worth losing Brad and I said yes.

21. Who kissed who first? Brad kissed me at his parents house after watching a movie (which come to find out later he fell asleep in!)

22. Who proposed? I love this story. Brad was working in Pensacola, FL during the summer and he flew me out. We went out to a nice dinner and then to a beach (which we had all to ourselves) and while laying on the blanket looking at the stars he got up on one knee and proposed!

24. What are his greatest qualities? He is the most organized person, loves to research things before he buys them, he is very strong and has amazing legs, very smart, thoughtful, loves to tease, a great listener, and very loving.

Has it really been that Long?

Well the 2nd of October marks the date that Brad and I moved to Morenci 2 years ago. Its crazy to think that we've been here that long. It seems like we just moved here. Brad and I have really been blessed. We both have amazing jobs and Brad has been able to go back to school and have it entirely paid for. Living in a small community has its advantages. Our ward is amazing and everyone looks out for each other and we are always having activities.  Its always comforting when living far from home that you have friends around to support you.

As a side note we are finding out the sex of our baby on October 22.  We are so excited!

Visitors!

This weekend we were lucky enough to have my father in-law Brent come to Phoenix on a business trip. We were so excited to see family! We stayed at Brent's sister's place in Mesa and it was so fun to see the two of them together. They are so much alike. It was fun to listen to stories from their childhood and I felt like I got to know Brent just a little bit better.

Brad's cousins are very musically talented and they pulled out there instruments to play for us. After hearing them play, Brent started playing the guitar. I didn't even know he played and he was really good.Brent is so excited to be a grandpa and I brought my heartbeat monitor so I could have him listen to the heartbeat, but talking about babies also brought up Brad's baby stories and I'm not so sure I want a boy now. Brad was so mean to his brothers. He was (and is) a big tease.It was so fun to see family and it got both Brad and I really excited for the holiday's when we will be able to see our families again.

Worst Feeling Ever!

Brad and I went to Mesa this weekend for a quick trip. We went to our ward temple trip, stopped at Cosco, and did some shopping for maternity pants, which I desperately needed. We spent all Saturday going from store to store and by the end of the day I was exhausted. On our way out of town we stopped at Cafe Rio in Gilbert. I don't know if it was because I was really tired and just wanted to get home or if it was because I was too busy concentrating on finding a lid for my leftovers, but whatever the reason I left my purse.

I didn't even realize it was gone until we came home at 10:30 p.m. and were emptying out our car and I couldn't find it. My heart sank. Its the worst feeling ever! I have everything in my purse and I did not want to cancel our credit card, get a new phone, and get a new drivers license. I hurried and called the restaurant to make sure it was there. Sure enough it was. Brad said I got really lucky because Gilbert is heavily LDS populated. If I would have left my purse in downtown Phoenix I might not have been so lucky.

Since we live 3 1/2 hours away from Mesa/Gilbert there was absolutely no way we were going to turn around to go get my purse. I've never left my purse anywhere before and of course I had to leave it in a place that was so far from home. I didn't know how long I could live without my purse. However I got so lucky! My really good friends/boss was in Phoenix for the weekend to see ASU play Georgia and they were so kind to stop by Cafe Rio and pick up my purse. So I only had to live one day without it and I'm never going to do that again.

My new sweet baby - Clark!

This is what happens when you get bored. I like how the baby already has Brad's freckles. I guess we'll just have to wait another long 6 months to see what our baby really looks like.

Late Start

So Brad started school again this week. He actually was supposed to start last week after Labor Day weekend, but since Brads school is in New Orleans, and New Orleands was evacuated due to Hurricane Gustav, school started a week late. It was actually quite funny because over our Labor Day weekend trip to Phoenix Brad kept recieving text messages like "evacuate now" and "school is still standing".

Brad is actually looking forward to this semester. He is taking bio-stats and toxicology. Which sounds awful to me because science and math were my worst subjects in school, but apparently Brad really likes it. Too bad his class on Monday lasted 3 hours, so will see how much longer he'll be liking school....

Our Second Chance

Well I guess the cats out of the bag. I'm pregnant! I'm currently 11 weeks along and have been feeling great. Well there have been a few mishaps, but nothing compared to the morning sickness I had last time. The only "side effect" I've had is that I am so tired and get light headed after I eat. I have also been eating pickles like crazy. I don't know why, I like pickles, but hardly ate them until now when I ate a whole jar in one day a couple weeks ago, I just couldn't help it. So the next day I come home from work with a huge jar of pickles sitting on the kitchen table (the kind you get at Costco) courtesy of Brad.

We found out our wonderful news on our 4th of July trip to Vegas. We waited to tell our families until I was 8 weeks pregnant and just to let you know my family actually believed me this time when I told them (if you read my previous post about my first pregnancy you'll understand) and they were so excited, well I take that back they were a little mad that I waited so long to tell them.

Brad and I went to my first doctors appointment on August 8 and I have to admit I was so nervous. I was worried that I was going to hear the same thing I heard last time. That the baby wasn't alive. I was so happy to see that the doctor was going to do an ultrasound on my first visit and Brad and I were so excited to see our little baby with a heartbeat. It was such a relief and such a wonderful experience to see our baby for the first time. Our doctor took measurements of the baby and concluded that my official due date is March 11, 2009. In the ultrasound picture our baby looks like a lima bean, but we're hopeful that it will continue growing to look more baby like. We are so excited and I couldn't wait to show the picture to our family and friends.

Brad + New Playstation = Not Seeing Husband

So over the weekend we bought a PlayStation 3. Brad has been wanting one forever and since my birthday present for him fell through (I told Brad he could pick out some saddle bags for the motorcycle, but then we ended up selling the bike anyway) plus Brad got all A's for his first semester back in school. I caved in and let him buy it and so for the past week I have not seen my husband. I'm just hoping the novelty will wear off soon so I can have him back.

The Olympic Games

So Brad and I have been watching the Olympics the past few nights and its been quite fun to watch Michael Phelps quash all the world records and win his 12th gold medal. Its amazing how fast he is. If you haven't seen any of the games I highly recommend it.

Memory Lane

I got this idea off of a few of my friends blogs and thought it was a really cute idea! So I am trying it out...

Here's how to play:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. Try telling me the whole story if there is one. 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 fun 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.

25 Years!

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Sold!

We sadly sold our motorcycle this weekend. We loved riding it but haven't had the time this year like we had last year know that Brad is back in school. Luckily we sold it for what we paid for it so the only thing we lost was the accessories that we added to it. Maybe down the road will by a new one but for now I have my eye on a new car...

Here is us on a bike trip last year that we went with the Day's to Silver City, New Mexico.

Batman

I'm a big fan of the Marvel movies. I grew up watching the cartoons of Batman, Spiderman, and X-men with my Uncle Matt. So when a new movie comes out with some action hero I drag Brad to go see it. Now I'm not a movie review critic like Jack Saunders (Brad's really good friend), but I loved this movie. I love how more realistic they have made these movies then the old Batman series. The action was great and Heath Ledger (who I was really surprised got this role and wondered if he could pull it off) was completely creepy and fit the part perfectly. I highly recommend this movie if only for pure enjoyment.

Water Aerobics

Well I've been going to a water aerobics class and its actually quite fun. Yes there are a lot of old people, but its the perfect way to cool down and excerise in this Arizona weather.

Family Roots

With pioneer day coming up I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my heritage and to share with you some of my ancestors. I've never really have gotten into Genealogy like my mother and grandfather have, but I do know the importance of family history and how its important to pass along for future generations and since this blog is like a journal I thought it would be good to record it.

My Great-Grandparents:

My great grandparents on my mother's side Herman and Maria Bender. They both immigrated to America from Germany. They raised their 11 children in Salt Lake City, Utah. Herman was the owner of an auto body shop and Maria was a wonderful homemaker who taught my grandmother to make wonderful German food.
My great grandparents on my mother's side. Sterling and Abbie Forsyth. Abbie grew up in a polygamist family. She was also a school teacher. Sterling worked at Spring Canyon Coal Company as their chief accountant. My grandfather grew up in an old mining town that has since become a ghost town.Great-Grandma Mabel on my father's side raised my grandpa and his brother alone during the great depression. She painted on china cups and plates. I am lucky to have a china plate that she painted as an heirloom.
Vasco Tanner my great grandfather on my father's side was a zoology professor at BYU and even found an unknown species of bugs that he named after him. Because of her father my grandmother was never afraid of bugs or snakes. (Which obviously is a trait that didn't pass down to me).

Its fun to see where my grandparents came from because it makes me understand them more. I can see how my parents have some of those attributes and in turn how they are passed to me. I'm thankful for my heritage because without it I wouldn't be who I am today.

"Knowing where we come from gives us an understanding and meaning of who we are and becomes the foundation of our heritage."

Japanese Night

Last night we went to the Hickenloopers for a Japanese night. Christine and I often talk about food so we thought it would be fun to have theme nights were we both cook something from a different country. It was a lot of fun she made teriyaki chicken and egg rolls and I made my Aunt Sherry's famous pot stickers. The food was so good! We have also discussed about having French night (Steve went to France on his mission and according to Christine makes really good crapes), German night, and Greek night. Last night was such a huge success I'm sure we will do it again.

4th of July in Vegas

Brad and I just came back from a trip to Vegas. Brad convinced me to go saying he needs a break from work and school. So we left Wednesday and came home Sunday. I told Brad if I went to Vegas we have to at least see some good shows so we went to the Cirque Du Soleil show Mystere.

This was the first Cirque Du Soleil show and it had a lot of amazing acrobatics and a funny clown that was a baby. It was like an old school circus show with a modern twist. It was by far the best show we saw that week.

We saw amazing things like this:And this:

Another night we went to a show called V the Ultimate Variety Show at Planet Hollywood where they had acrobatics, a juggler, a magician, and a comedian.

Here is the Russian duo who could do this:

This guy was called the "TV Guy" and he made fun of TV shows. He was hilarious. Brad and I were on the front row so at one point in the show this guy came right up to Brad's face and was shaking his stuff. I laughed so hard I was crying. Brad however did not think it was as funny as I did and was really embarrassed. I loved it.
The juggler in the show was amazing. This guy could juggle ping pong balls in his mouth! He can also juggle balls on the piano and play the Star Spangled Banner.

On the 4th of July Vegas does not do fireworks on the strip! You had to travel out to the local parks to see the fireworks. So we went to Lake Las Vegas a 15 minute drive (good thing we have GPS) off the strip. Even then the fireworks only lasted 10 minutes. In Morenci last year the fireworks lasted 30 minutes with tons of fireworks. I was really disappointed. I love fireworks and wanted them to last a little bit longer. Who knew a small mining town would have bigger and better fireworks then Vegas?

Overall we had a great time in Vegas. We ate at some great places and went shopping at the outlet mall where I got the cutest purse. We did see a couple other shows but those 2 were my favorite. It was however extremely hot and even though I live in Arizona I'm not outside all day walking around I stay inside where there is air conditioning.

Next year though for the 4th I'm wanting the traditional BBQ and fireworks.

Friends and Tucson

This weekend picked up Jordan and Jenny in Tucson. It was so good to see them again after them only being gone for 2 months. They had a wonderful time in Mexico, but have a greater appreciation of America after living there. They kept saying how wonderful our swamp cooler was. We really wish they could have stayed longer. Only for selfish reasons of course but I know they have a lot to do before they move to Wisconsin in the next month for med school.

I never thought the desert was pretty until I moved to Arizona here are some pictures that we took this weekend of Sabino Canyon in Tucson.