Another Mess

I've never been one to buy hair product from the salon. I've always considered it a "luxury" and maybe even a little bit of a rip off. (Mainly because I expect the product to just make my hair beautiful without me putting any effort in, and am usually disappointed it doesn't.) But this last visit I decided to buy a small bottle of some hair creme that is supposed to help the new natural wave I all the sudden have in my hair (thanks to pregnancy I guess).

I haven't had much of a chance to try it, but Kylee has. She managed to get the lid off and I don't know how she knew just what to do with it, but she did.

Luckily there is still about half the bottle left, but it makes me sad to think of all the wasted product I washed out of Kylee's hair that night.
It took some serious scrubbing with the shampoo to get it all out of her hair. Oh well, no use crying over wasted hair products.

Cannon

If this first month is any indication of what kind of child Cannon is going to be, then I would just have to say WONDERFUL! He is just the sweetest little guy and is always so content. Even when he cries, he just cries for a little bit to let you know he needs you, then sits patiently and waits for you to come get him. This has been a real blessing as I have been still trying to recover from surgery. He has had a few tummy aches that have made him miserable, (mom just can't resist the chocolate) but for the most part, I can't complain at all. He sleeps really well at night and I'm just feeling like the luckiest mom alive.


Here are some recent pictures of our cute little guy.

What an angel

Will those eyes be blue or brown? So far, I'm betting blue, as they don't quite look dark enough to go brown. But they could go hazel like Kylee's have. We'll just have to wait and see!
His shirt says it all. ADORABLE!

Here's a little video of tummy time. Cannon is starting to make the cutest noises. He has smiled a couple times, but then has passed gas right after, so I don't think they have been true smiles yet. He is SO strong. He tries to stand up when you hold him and he already holds his head pretty well.

Breakfast with the Cogdill's

Although Curtis's family lives in Boise, he actually has a lot of extended family here in Utah. We have been really bad at getting to know them and attending family functions, so when we heard there was a family breakfast on Memorial Day, we were really excited to be able to get together with them. The weather didn't really cooperate and we ended up all sitting in the garage so we could be out of the ran, but that just made it more cozy. It was a great time.

Memorial Day

This is one of those random thoughts posts from Amanda. I hope you don't mind a more serious post. I love Memorial Day. I sometimes feel like it is one of those holidays that gets forgotten as many people just see it as a day off work or a chance to get away for a long weekend.

What Memorial Day means to me has changed over the years. My first real appreciation for the day came in 1992 when my brother Fred was killed. The cemetery he is buried at has a beautiful Memorial Day service with a bagpipe band and everything. That year my family started the tradition of sitting by his grave site and enjoying the beautiful view and service they have, but most importantly just remembering what a great person he was. It is a day I always look forward to.

On Memorial Day 2001 I got an even deeper understanding when I was with one of my friends while we actually watched his dad die of a heart attack right before our eyes. (His dad was only 46). I don't know how many of you have seen someone die, and I most certainly don't wish it upon any of you, but it is a humbling experience. His family are still some of my most favorite people and I will always consider it a privilege to have been a part of their lives and to get to share that very tragic day with them. Every Memorial Day I relive that day in my mind and my love for them just grows.

I've also been privileged enough to get to visit our Nation's Capital twice in my life and you can't visit Arlington Cemetery and not fall in love with the meaning of Memorial Day. I've never personally known anyone who has died in a war, but I do have lots of friends and even some family who are in the military. It is absolutely amazing what they do for our country and I am so thankful for their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their families. I can't imagine what they have to go through.

So as you are enjoying the nice weather and your time off this weekend, I hope you will also remember those who have sacrificed for our country as well as those you have loved who are no longer here, or those you may know who have lost loved ones. After all, that is what Memorial Day is all about.

The Drive-In

HOORAY FOR WARM WEATHER AND FEELING BETTER! :)

You can imagine that after months of being on bed rest before Cannon came and recuperating from having my gallbladder removed after he was here, I was VERY much ready to do something fun this weekend. Curtis suggested we go to the Drive-In and it was the perfect idea. We saw "Chronicle's of Narnia: Prince Caspian" and "Nims Island." My whole family came along (except for Cody who had to go to MORP instead, poor guy) and it turned out to be a really fun family activity. I was a little nervous taking our children as Kylee doesn't sit through movies yet, but it worked out perfect. She thought it was so fun to be outside in her PJ's playing in the back of the truck and just to be with everybody. By the time the movie started, she was ready to go to sleep. Both her and Cannon slept through the movies, which allowed Curtis and I to just enjoy being together, holding our beautiful children, and watching a movie together. The weather was perfect, the movies were both really good, we had lots of yummy junk food, and were with our family. What more can you ask for?

This is what Cannon did pretty much the whole night. He's so sweet.

Kylee playing with Bailey. Curtis does such a great job making the back of our truck bed SUPER comfy.

Again, Cannon asleep. Look how cute his hands are folded up by his face. Too sweet!

Grandpa, Kylee, and Curtis

Kylee loved playing in the cars and pretending like she was driving.

Emilee and Jon

Mandy and Curtis

Mascara!

I have been pretty blessed with very good children. Both Kylee and Cannon have been the sweetest babies and slept well early on. I get about 5 hours of sleep before he wakes up and he just is so content all the time (unless of course he's hungry).

As Kylee is getting closer to being 2 she is starting to be a little more defiant, VERY independent, and seems to test my patience more each day. I've never worried too much about her getting into things because she's always been really good to just play with her toys and listen when I tell her no. But now...if I can't see or hear her, chances are, she's into something she shouldn't be.

A while ago she unrolled toilet paper, dipped it in the toilet, and had SPIT BALLS (or toilet balls in this case) all over the wall, floor, pretty much the whole bathroom. Luckily the toilet had recently been cleaned, but still that is REALLY gross!

Then the other day I had put Cannon in his swing and Kylee was in her room playing with toys, so I thought it was the perfect time to get emails and such done for work. I could hear her in Cannon's room saying "pretty" and thought I'd better go in and check to make sure she wasn't poking him in the eyes or something...and this is what I found.

Kylee had got my mascara out of the bathroom drawer, figured out how to twist the top off, and made this attempt to make herself pretty. When I found her she just kept saying "pretty mama." And being the thoughtful child she is, she decided to share with Cannon too.
Poor sweet Cannon, he just sat there and took it. He didn't fuss or anything. Luckily I found her before too much damage had been done.

5 YEARS!

This post is also late. On May 1st, Curtis and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been 5 years. I feel so lucky to be married to one of my best friends.

We didn't get to celebrate like we wanted (our original plan was to take a cruise our 5th anniversary) but being together to welcome Cannon here was even better. It's amazing how life changes in 5 years. Here's just a few random facts and pictures of our time together. (Someone needs to show me how to do a slide show.)

How long we dated = 7 months
How long we've known each other = 16 years!
Who proposed = He did
Engaged = January 13, 2003
Married = May 1, 2003 (Bountiful Temple)
Places we've traveled together =Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island, Roatan Honduras, Washington DC, Virginia, San Fransisco, Sacramento, Oakland, LA, Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas.
Kids = 2 of the cutest kids ever
Pets = 2, Annie (our dog) and Nimrod (our lizard), both who have passed away.
Times we've moved = 8 (WAY TOO MANY!)
Our Song = Sweetest Thing, by U2









Thanks for 5 great years Curtis! Can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring us! :)

Happy Birthday Jen!

This post is a little late...sorry Jen! I just wanted to wish my good friend Jen a very happy birthday! I was lucky enough almost 8 years ago to go to work at American Investment Bank with some of the most fun and cute girls I have ever met. Even though it's been about 3 years since we all worked together, we still keep in touch and try to get together as much as possible, and I am very grateful for that.

Jen is one of these sweet girls. She is such a great friend. She is the kind of friend that remembers everyones birthdays and even their kids birthdays. She is always so thoughtful and kind. I wouldn't have hardly any maternity clothes or clothes for Cannon if it weren't for her generous spirit and thoughtfulness. She is just such a great example to me in all that she does. She has 2 under 2 just like me, although her husband is in the military and often countries away. She is just amazing. I'm so lucky to know her.

Hope you had a great birthday Jen! Thanks for being my friend!

Oh Darn!

What a week this has been. Monday morning I awoke to some back pain, which seemed to worsen throughout the day. I was pretty sure it was my kidneys, and sure enough, I went to the doctor and was prescribed some antibiotics for a kidney infection. Later that night I started having more pains, this time in my upper abdomen area. Pain killers didn't seem to help and the pain became unbearable, so we took a 3:00 am trip to the ER.

Come to find out I had pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Which was strange because usually you only get this if you are diabetic (which I'm not) or an alcoholic (which I'm most definitely not). So they admitted me into the hospital. After blood work and an ultrasound, we learned that I had gall stones and one had passed through the bile duct into my pancreas and that was what had caused the pancreatitis and that I needed my gallbladder removed.

We had to wait until the pancreatits was under control (which they did by starving me for 2 days) and then they would remove my gallbladder. Also, my doctor discovered I had an umbilical hernia which needed to be fixed as well. Luckily this could be done during my gallbladder surgery. So to recap, I was fighting a UTI (urinary tract infection) which consisted of a bladder and kidney infection, pancreatitis, gall stones, and an umbilical hernia. I was starting to feel like my whole body had just fell apart on me. Luckily all went well and I am now on the mend.

I came home on Friday and was lucky enough to be able to stay at my mom's and have lots of help with Cannon and Kylee. I feel so blessed to have wonderful family so close to me. I am still very sore and having a very hard time finding foods that don't make me sick. I hate that I can't pick up my babies and that I'm not a very good mother right now, but again feel so lucky to have wonderful help close by.

I will warn you that I posted a picture of my gallbladder and the stones below...so if you are not into seeing gross pictures of body parts, you might want to stop reading now.

This is just before going in for surgery. I was super nervous but doped up on pain killers.
This is my gallbladder. See all those little stones? The doctor said there were actually even more than the picture shows. He said he lost count at 60 but guessed there were about 80 or so.