Merry Christmas

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Help! I'm Trapped!

Okay- I don't really need help. But it has been snowing since I woke up this morning. And not just a light dusting- mild blizzard conditions. Actually it has been snowing since I woke up about a week ago, but I guess that is what we get for it still being fall weather as of December 1. Today is certainly the worst of it though. Either way we are trapped in our house for the time being. Not like we are missing a ton, our big plans for the day included going to the grocery store but I don't know that we could make it the whole five miles. Actually I want to go get the mail but I don't want to try to make it the 500 feet to the box, or to the next door neighbors to deliver the last of my neighbor gifts. I even let the dog in the house- thought I don't really like doing that because the snow is merciless. I leave the house almost everyday- for at least a few minutes, when I can't like today I get a bit crazy.

Christmas Pictures

I wanted to take some pictures of Kate in her Christmas outfit, but I knew that it would be a long shot. It was already getting dark, freezing and I was by myself- meaning nobody to make her look and smile. Kate is positively hopeless when it comes to trying to get her to smile and look at the camera. My tricks- give her a candy cane and wait till the neighbor kids are outside, then stand in front of them. She is almost looking at me- because the neighbor kids are behind me. The driveway and the nieghbors house are not the best backdrops- but at least she is cute as always. Jake says she looks like a Russian. It is those blue eyes or the funny hat. Either way- she wishes you all a ( as she would say) Merry "ChrisChras"

Christmas Cheer

I am working on some last minute-simple-late is better than never- Christmas greetings to send out. I have many of your addresses, but if you think I just might not, go ahead and email it to me.
crystal.freeman@gmail.com. But hurry if you want it before Christmas.

Heberite Christmas Party

Every year old Wasatch High School Friends get together around Christmas time, thanks to the hospitality of Cache and Stacie. It is amazing to me that even though it has been nine years I still see my dearest friends from Heber- some from 13 years ago- most holiday seasons. That is half my life you know. I know at lot of Heberites read this blog of mine, so I thought I would help spread the word. December 20- 7:00 pm at the Ferguson's home here in Heber. If you don't know their address you can email me, or them but I wouldn't want to post it to the public. Looking forward to seeing all who attend there!

Smile Please! What a lovely face!
I know everyone is blogging about gas prices, but it was the highlight of my day also- I just got gas for 1.19. Are you kidding me. My car has over 100,000 miles on it and I have never filled up for under 15 dollars until today.

I have seen this sent around a bit. The ones completed are in Red. I felt like just doing this gave me a lot of ideas for blog posts.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tidbits to Remember

Kate has learned recently the routine we do when saying a prayer. She refuses to give hugs and kisses goodnight before we have said our prayers. I'm so proud of her for learning this. On Monday we were eating dinner, we had already said our prayer on the food and I had finished eating. But instead of eating, Kate kept folding her arms as if so signal we still needed to say a blessing. We tried to explain we already had, and encourage her to eat, but she continued to pause and fold her arms. We could not figure out why she was so confused, until Jake pointed out that everyday I sat back I folded my arms on my belly. She was kept folding her arms because she thought I was saying a prayer. Hilarious! I tried to find another comfortable way to sit at the dinner table so Kate could finish without further confusion.

November Ends

We went to Fresno for Thanksgiving and enjoyed ourselves for sure. It feels like such a vacation when we go somewhere because Jake is always around to help with Kate and I am not at my own home with always some project or chore to complete. We stayed in Primm, NV on the way there at a casino hotel for $13 a night. Our breakfast the next morning from McDonalds was actually a few cents more than our room for the night. It worked out so well, and the hotel was nice and surprisingly clean more like an $80 room. I so recommend it for anyone traveling to California if you don't want to drive through the night. The weather was fairly nice for us, we didnt hit any snow driving at least, and Kate enjoyed playing outside on the farm. Seen here with an orange she picked off the tree herself. It did take us over 16 hours to get home though. We had brought a portable DVD player and Kate and I watched The Little Mermaid and Alaadin both twice. When we arrived home I was amazed to see that although it was December, I still had flowers alive and well in my yard, and not a snowflake in sight.

Things I have had enough of

1. Twilight-
So I am a literary snob and refuse to read something because it is popular, or part of a series. Sorry everyone else in the world. Someone find me a good memoir or history please! Somebody suggested the series as a gift for me to Jake- he laughed and told them he is more likely to read them than I- and he is right.
2. Suze Orman-
So we are in economic turmoil, this makes me depressed, lets add the most annoying personality ever commenting on it every time I open a magazine or turn on the television to it.
3. Flat Tires-
Sunday was the third flat tire we have had in six months. We have purchased so many new tires it is getting ridiculous. Why don't the builders around here clean up after themselves or at least have to be held accountable for all the time and money we are spending at Big O'.

Bond, Kate Bond

So I haven't posted for some time. We haven't really been that busy, just tired. I don't remember being so uncomfortable and tired at 27 weeks last pregnancy. Even Jake who usually has the opinion that blogs are silly, commented that it had been a while since I had something new up. I don't have much new to post about. Most days I don't even talk to an adult until Jake comes home at 5:30 or we run an errand and talk to the checker. It is pathetic since I still have 13 more weeks and it is not even snowing yet. Most days I don't even see the news or a morning show either so I really have no grasp on what is going on in the real world. Sounds pretty sad, but really Kate is entertainment enough for me lately. She is really into climbing. I followed her into the laundry room the other day, so see this.just yesterday she got stuck trying to bridge a three foot gap between her bed and dresser. I heard her screaming and went in to her room to find her doing a push up with her arms on the dresser and feet still touching the bed. She had to have been like that for a few minutes- it was very James Bond, and one of her favorite things to do it to climb on the coffee table and use my legs as a bridge to get on the couch. How early do they let you sign your kids up for gymnastics anyway?
Other than that she has been doing some reading- seen here reading "Alaaah and Abu"- Aladdin and Abu, a new favorite with a fruit roll up in hand. It hardly gets better than that. We have been thinking what fun it would be to take her to Disneyland, but the soonest we see ourselves getting there is Jan or Feb, and going 4 weeks from delivery just doesn't sound fun. I guess it will be a while, in the mean time, I think Kate would have almost as much fun at the Disney store. She is so obsessed with the Little Mermaid, Aladdin and well any other movie she has seen with cartoon characters and singing. When she is not wanting to eat, all I have to do is pull out the Disney princess Spagettio's or Soup and she will eat the entire can. Not to mention she tries to put on her Ariel socks everyday by getting them out of the dirty clothes.
I thought this was a funny moment as well. Jake is on the other side of the table reading the paper too. Kate has the Kings Christmas ad, she kept saying "Hallowee", she hasn't quite got that we have changed holidays and now decorations are for Christmas. She does have her "Gobble Gobble" down for Thanksgiving though. Sadly she does the "Gobble" sound even when I say turkey as we eat it.

Too Funny!

Kate makes us laugh every single day, usually just because she is silly or cute. But at not even 19 months old she has made up her own joke. It is pretty funny and she thinks so too. My sister Ali was over last week, Kate was naming Mama and Dada, then we asked her who the other person was. She knows Ali's name, but for some reason said "Grandgra"- the name for Grandma or Grandpa. We all laughed really hard. For a while after this each time we would ask "who is that" she would look at us, get a clever little grin on her face and shout "Grandgra" and start to laugh. You could just see her little mind at work- now which one is the right answer and which one makes everyone laugh. It is pretty funny calling someone a grandma when they aren't and she figured that out quickly. Hilarious!

This Is Halloween, This is Halloween....

Halloween is here. Hooray! Since I love if possibly more than any other holiday. I feel like we have already had sufficient Halloween celebration and there is still a week and the actual day to go. On Friday we had a ward party. It was fun to see all the kiddos dressed up. Kate loved the kiddie carnival, spent most her time at the coloring table (shocking I know) and cried when I tried to take her around for the trunk or treat, I think she was just tuckered out by then. She feel asleep on the way home in her car seat in her costume with a sucker half eaten in her hand and all over her face. Mind you it is only about a two minute drive.
On Saturday we had some friends over for a Halloween Party. Last year we did not have a Halloween Party and I really felt like something was missing from October. It was a fun excuse to make cute invitations, go all out decorating the house and make some of my favorite party food. We did a haunted scavenger hunt, Competitive Halloween Charades and a costume contest. In the end I think it was a success. All that is left now to make the holiday complete is to watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or some other scary film and hand out the rest of our candy.
Here we are- Senator McCain and Gov. Palin- we have been planning to be this for weeks. Jake came up with it because I am sometimes telling him that I think that in 60 years he will look a little like John McCain. Notice the campaign buttons I had to order on line. Also don't you think Jake looks pretty hot with white hair. I think we are decent look-a-likes. The fact that I am pregnant and showing I think just makes it a little funnier.
The party crew! There were some great costumes, I even think we were de-throned to the Littles for Best Costumes- they are the ones were the tacky Publisher's Clear House awarder and caught off guard house wife awardee. Cruella deVille, a pair of eyes, Screech and Lisa, a deer and Hunter, Speed Racer and Trixie, Three Witches, and Emergency Response Worker and a Blind Sports Ref completed the group.
Kate as an elephant at the ward party. It was a little difficult to think of something to go with our political theme- and Jeff and Amy came up with an elephant for me- Brilliant! Notice the color crayon in hand.

Tagged.

I often comply with tags, especially when they are so short and sweet.

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Where is your significant other? Work
Your hair color? Fake
Your mother? Giving
Your father? Adventurous
Your favorite thing? Sleep
Your dream last night? Bears
Your dream/goal? Vacation
The room you’re in? Living
Your hobby? Planning
Your fear? Loss
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Stress-free
Where were you last night? Couch
What you’re not? Comfortable
One of your wish-list items? Camera
Where you grew up? Heber
The last thing you did? Breakfast
What are you wearing? PJ's
Your TV? Basic
Your pet? Dirty
Your computer? Old
Your mood? Tired
Your car? Missing
Something you’re not wearing? Socks
Favorite store? Many
Your summer? Sick
Love someone? Katerade
Your favorite color? Orange
When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
Last time you cried? Yesterday

Oh Boy!

Our first family photo of our family of four.

I'm at about 23 weeks now- over half way I keep telling myself. This week we got to go and get our ultrasound done. Kate and Jake came of course to find that we will be adding a little baby boy to Team Freeman in February. I was sure it was a girl too- so it was a fun surprise. We will be an even four some now. The doctors did find a small problem with his kidneys. They said not to get to0 worried yet-(do they know pregnant women at all?) and we would do another ultrasound in a few weeks to see if the problem is still there. Obviously we are a little concerned about the problem- but excited we get to have some extra ultrasounds in the weeks to come and more pictures to share. We actually have a lot more boy names than girl names- so that is a bonus. I did go through all of Kate's clothes and try to find all the gender neutral things to start putting in the new babies room- Sadly it turns out that most everything she has is pink, so I guess we will be just packing away a closet full of clothes. Last night we decided to move Kate into her big girl bed and get her used to not having the crib before we are even more desperate for sleep. She seemed very excited about it until we left her there- she kept getting up and crying. I'm not sure what I expected but I did not think it would take her an hour and a half to figure it out. She did sleep through the night in it though then this morning I heard her wake up and she came right to our room.
When it was warm Kate and I would go to the park everyday. Now that the weather has changed she is apparently missing the slides. At her Grandma's the other day she discovered how this steep grassy hill in their yard doubles and sliding fun. She would roll a little too much even and fall. She thought it was fun and she looked really cute doing it.

Pum Pums!

Everyday when we go outside Kate points across the street to our neighbors and says "pumpums". Yes the neighbors have about 25 pumpkins on their front porch- creatively decorated with hay and such, and Kate was a little jealous. We decided to go some pumpums of our own last night. I wanted going to the pumpkin patch to be a fun family event, a fun memory of us with Kate when she was our only child, her first chance it seems to really understand the fun of a holiday- we would wander through a field looking for the perfect pumpkin, take a hay ride and sip some cider. Good luck finding and actual pumpkin patch though. I believe there was one about 50 minutes away, but by the time Jake got off work and we made it there is would have been dark. I found a nursery in Kamas that had a "pumpkin patch"- but really it was just pumpkins sitting in piles. Better than the grocery store I suppose but I was really looking for a pick your own pumpkin... patch. All I have been able to find- within a reasonable distance are pumpkin piles. This place was kind and let us stay even though they were closing, we were able to get a few pumpkins and I guess in the end Kate is happy just to have pumpkins on her front porch too. Today we have gone out to see them twice and every time she passes the front door she says "pumpums". And even though they were just pumpkin piles it still seemed exciting to her.

Fall Food Begins

Well I actually can't claim that this is the first time I have been making pumpkin or spice goods, Spice Muffins and Pumpkin Cookies have already left the oven a few weeks ago and been finished off by eager mouths- namely mine. I tried a new fall treat yesterday and it was a big hit at our ward party so I thought I might share. I'm earning a bit of a reputation for making good treats lately but the credit for this goes to my mother-in-law, I saw her making something similar for a wedding open house spread this summer.

Ginger White Chocolate Cookies
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teas ground ginger
1 teas baking soda
3/4 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground cloves
1/4 teas salt
3/4 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar
white chocolate

Set oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets
Sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl- set aside
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar in separate bowl- beat in egg then stir in water and molasses. Stir in dry ingredients that were set aside*. Roll into walnut sized balls, roll in left over sugar, set on cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes
When completely cool (sometimes I set in the fridge to make sure they are really cool) melt white chocolate and drizzle criss cross across the top of the cookies set on wax paper.
* if you prefer- you can mix in white chocolate chips, it makes it a little easier, but the presentation is not as great, and I think the reason my treats always get great reviews is more how they look then what they taste like.
Hmmmm- now I am going to go eat some, it tastes like fall and I like it.

Orange you glad it is October?

As promised- a picture of the cat shirt Kate is obsessed with. I am pretty sure she is going to wear it everyday it is clean until I don't let her anymore. Here she is with one of the pumpkins from our garden. She calls them "Pumpums" and apparently thinks you eat them too.

A Grocery Store of Treasures

It is not that often when I find one new thing that makes my life easier or better, let alone three in one week. They are just little things I found I really liked while grocery shopping this week and I thought I would share my finds. All three in fact have to do with making this second trimester a little bit more comfortable. Since I am still very miserably throwing up several times a day I would say every little bit counts.
The first is this Aveeno Ultra Calming Night Cream. I have been getting that hideous pregnancy mask of blotching skin and found that this cream gets rid of it mostly, at least enough that I can easily cover the rest with makeup. Not only that it is pretty cheap and I just found it at Smith's.
The second is this Mega Shower Foamer from Scrubbing Bubbles. It makes cleaning the shower and tub so easy it is hardly any work at all. I have used it on toilet bowls and sinks as well. Less time cleaning the shower means more time to take a nap- just what I need! Plus I like the way it smells- sometimes I spray it in the tub just so it smells good.
The third is Tostitos Medium Queso. What have I been craving this pregnancy?- orange juice and what I call "Hot Nachos", which are the kind of nachos you buy at gas stations or sporting events. I know gross right- even Jake has questioned me if I know how long that cheese has been sitting in the convenient store before I beg him a second time to run a get me some "Hot Nachos". When I was making a grocery list this week, I asked Jake if he needed anything, his response "nacho cheese". He is either beyond grossed out that I eat them from gas stations, sick of me saying at 9:00 at night that I sure could go for some, or never wants to go to the gas stations for the sole purpose of bringing me back my hearts desire again. Either way buying this Tostistos cheese was a great idea, and it is maybe even more delicious, especially with a side of orange juice.
Do you have any great new finds lately? All I know is if it was my birthday nobody would have a good excuse for not knowing what to get me now. Aveeno, Shower Cleaner and Nacho Cheese is sure to put a smile on my face- well at least for this week.

A Little more Kate

So she is not 18 months yet, just a few more days- so I am counting these as her milestone pictures. At 18 months what is Kate like? She likes corn dogs and going to the park. She likes coloring, especially when she tells you what animal to draw, dancing, imitating animals and smelling flowers. She is great at getting her clothes and shoes on, getting in the car, taking her afternoon nap and taking care of her stuffed animals and babies. She loves singing but usually only gets the first or second word of song like "A,B," or "Head" no "C" and no "shoulders". She loves playing with other kids and reading a 400 page Reader's Digest Nature in America Book, no seriously we read this for more than an hour everyday. She is really looking forward to October- this I know because every morning she tries to get a shirt I bought her with a black cat on it for Halloween. When I get a shirt out of her closet she will go back to the closet and point up and "Meow" when she sees I have not gotten the right shirt out to wear. I am sure a picture of her in this shirt will make its appearance on the blog shortly as well.

She hardly needs me anymore.

Kate is growing up a lot lately- She attends nursery and happily, she gets her own diapers when she needs changing, she kneels and says Amen when we pray and now she is punishing herself when she does something wrong.
Kate is generally very good. She rarely does something to warrent a "no" from us unless she is asked to sit still for more than ten minutes. Mostly we haven't had to do much parenting up to this point. Even on the rare occasions when she does do something wrong we don't do anything except tell her "no". But realized that lately she understands what "no" means but was not listening. We figured it was time to try and attach a new consequence to the word when she didn't listen and try our hand at some actual parenting.
Jake and I have been experimenting with "time out". The first time was a few weeks ago when we made her sit on a pillow on the floor. She didn't like it at the time, but later even that night sat there like it was some kind of game. So we took away the pillow. Kate was in time out two times this weekend because even after being told no and warned she was going into time out she continued to do what she had been asked not to. The first time- I could hardly help myself from laughing as Jake made her sit in the corner of the entry way and count to ten. She was crying hysterically- and it seemed only because she knew her Dad was mad at her. The second time she knew what to do and sat there patiently. Then yesterday she was getting into the desk, something she knows not to do, and Jake told her "no" a few times. When she didn't listen he said "Do you want to go in time out". She promptly walked over to the corner in the entry way on her own and sat down and looked at us sadly. We counted to ten and then told her she could get up and were clapping and offering hugs because- well it is hard to be mean- and also because our child is a genius and knows how to put herself in time out. It is funny I was so proud of her for knowing how to punish herself. I guess our time outs have been effective- but it is sad to see our little girl sad because we took away the fun. Except for church really maybe- being Kate's parent has been all a joy thus far. I know there will come a day when this is bound to change but- she even in her cute way made time out a little bit of a joy- watching her learn and be obedient.

The Best Sandwich Ever!

I'm in the mood to blog today, probably because my house is clean, I feel alright and kate is napping well. This is a fun little post called the best sandwich ever- in case you didn't read the title. Jake and I have perfected the sandwich. We have been eating this for lunch and some dinners for the past week or so, not to mention often before that. It is delicious if made to our exact instruction. When we eat them Jake always says that he wants to take the sandwich apart and each each layer one by one because everything inside is so good. True honey but really it is the calculated formula that makes the perfection.

Start with really good bread- preferable with a cheese base although a good sourdough will do. Buy canned jellied cranberry like your grandma buys at thanksgiving- mash it up in a separate bowl, then slather on one side of the bread. The next layer is good thinly sliced Provolone Cheese- two pieces if you have it. Next some slow roasted turkey breast- which you may just have to buy a whole turkey and cook it for, shredded not sliced and salt and peppered lightly before being placed on the sandwich. Then a green leaf lettuce-not iceberg, tomato and avocado previously salt and peppered before being placed on the sandwich as well. The last layer is a delicious sauce you make on the side before putting on the other piece of bread. It is four tablespoons mayo, four tablespoons of sour cream (and don't use fat free) and one tablespoon of mustard- just the cheap yellow kind all mixed together. You will also want a spoonful of this on your plate to dip the finished product into. So we are being a little silly, but I promise that it will be the best sandwich you ever made at home.
Plus I think it has every category in the food pyramid so that makes it healthy too. Mmmmmm!

My Little Sister Rocks!

Today Kate and I got to get up early and go see my little sister Ali who is a senior , compete in the homecoming pageant at Wasatch High. Kate was really into it and loved dancing along to all the contestants talents, but of course none compared to Ali. She sang and played a song she wrote and - no bias here- honestly was the best, most purely talented contestant. She rocks! She won though she probably would prefer not to be the homecoming queen in the end, but she certainly seemed to have the most fans in the audience. I have had the song she sung stuck in my head all day- now that is a good song. I should see if she has uploaded anything to youtube and put the link here so you all can hear.

It was a little fun to be in the same high school halls I attended 9 years ago, with a child in my belly and another in my arms. I can remember being in those same halls being so concerned about silly things in contrast to now and how happy I am just to hang out with Kate. I thought this would be a great post to add my high school tag post too. I feel like I have been tagged with this 5 or 6 times in the last two weeks by family and friends. I would say I don't like doing these tags, but I sure enjoy reading other people's so maybe my opinion of them needs to not be so negative. Here goes..

High School Tag
1. Did you date someone from your High School? Someone- to many someone's I think. Two in particular I continued to date off and on through high school and college. It was fun to have boyfriends in high school and it helped make me the person I am, but I surely took it too seriously and wish I wouldn't have been so dramatic. I thought at 17 my life SHOULD be like an episode of Friends and that was silly.
2. What kind of car did you drive?
Amy and I shared a really decent Ford Explorer it was turquoise and gray. It didn't have an air conditioner or a very good heater, but it did have a tape player. Funny enough I can only remember us fighting over who got the car maybe two times.
3. What was the most embarrassing moment of High School for you?
Thankfully I was not often embarrassed back then even though I did a lot of stupid things because I thought I was too cool, but my mom coming to soccer practice to get some kind of coaching license is most likely to still make me cringe.
4. Were you a party animal? I was always at a party with lots of people, but partying in Heber would not be considered a good time in most places. There were no drugs or alcohol, or even really loud music.
5. Were you considered a flirt? No, at least I don't think so. Others might say otherwise.
6. Were you in Band, Orchestra, or Choir? Not a one, although I think it would have been fun maybe, at the time I viewed them as less than worthy (meaning kind of nerdy) activities.
7. Were you a nerd? No, at the time I would have likely told you I was one of the most popular people at school, but looking back I am sure this is completely inaccurate and I was likely not quite as cool as I perceived myself.
8. Were you on any Varsity teams? I did play soccer all four years and lettered, but I didn't really "play" all that much. I wasn't a star, but I did enjoy running around in the cool crisp Fall air with some of my favorite girls.
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled? No, although I did break into the high school once with a few friends in the middle of the night my senior year to pull some April Fools jokes on some of our fav. teachers and administration. We were fingered, but didn't get in trouble like I think we maybe should have. The administration thought me and my friends were pretty cool too, so we got away with a lot.
10. Can you still sing the fight song?
Not a chance. In fact today they sang it at the homecoming assembly and I had no idea what they were singing about. I don't know if I ever could sing it.
11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Moss who taught television and Mrs. Southerland who taught AP English. They were the kind of teachers who treated me and my friends with respect and like adults.
12. Where did you sit during lunch? I feel like esp. towards the end of school we hardly got lunches trying to get everything done with all the club meetings and stuff. We did eat at Wendy's a lot, and the grocery store, but the best thing we ever did was a too short lived Joy Lunch Club, where 10-40 of my closest friends showed up at someones house and had their mom's make us lunch. It kind of got to big and the mom's couldn't keep up, so we went back to Wendy's drive thru.
13. What was your school's full name? Wasatch High School: Home of the Wasps.
14. School mascot? A wasp. When people ask me what High School I went to and i say Wasatch no doubt their next question will be "Aren't you guys a bee or something?" Apparently a wasp didn't strike fear into the hearts of neighboring schools.
15. Did you go to Homecoming? With who? My school had I think four or five formals each year. I went to all of them, but we didn't always go with the person we were dating. I could get asked by anyone and pretty much was expected to say yes no matter who it was. When I explained this tradition to Jake he said "asking someone else's girl to a dance would seriously have got you shot at my school". Yes but it made it lots of fun in Heber, plus it was hardly an intimate date because we usually went in groups of 30 or more people.
16. If you could go back and do it again, would you? No, it was fun, but I wouldn't trade it for being with my hubby and daughter now. Although it was nice to have the most stressful thing in my life be deciding what to do on the weekend.
17. What do you remember most about graduation? I remember being really sad, and had a hard time splitting up my time between everyone I wanted to be with.
18. Where did you go Senior Skip Day? The school had a trip to Lagoon but I was with 15 or so friends in Moab and Mesa Verde for the long weekend and it was so much fun
19. Were you in any clubs? I was in a lot of clubs, but never did too much with them. I feel like for the most part they were just college resume builders for me.
20. Have you gained some weight since then? No- well at the moment only because I am pregnant, but I think I actually lost 5 lbs or so since my Senior Year of High School. I think because I worked at a delicious cafe where I could eat for free whenever I worked. Between having to buy my own food and not eating at work freshman year of college was like an automatic diet. Either way I like the body I have (when I am not prego) more now than then. I am surely more comfortable with it.
21. Who was your Prom Date? I went to both Prom's funny enough with boys who were not at the time but later became serious relationships. Prom was fun, but not that big of a deal, like it seems to be in other schools. Except that we did do promenade Jr year, where we learned a dance with our dates and performed them in front of our parents and grandparents. I actually like learning formal dance, so the learning was fun plus it was just hours with all our friends, but the performing seemed silly.
22. 10 year Reunion? I hope I will go, I hope we have one, but I have been lucky to see most of the people who I was closest too at least once a year since then at little get together, weddings and christmas parties.
23. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? I would tell myself to have more fun. Not make things so dramatic, and not try to do everything and work so much but to spend more time with the people who were most important to me then. I would also tell myself to be nicer to people, I was not the best friend to my closest friends sometimes.

Some of my blog followers are friends from this era in my life. It would be interesting to hear how their memories differ from mine. I wouldn't want to do High School again, but I might not mind doing college over. It was fun, and there are things I would change. Somebody should make a college tag post, I would enjoy even more talking about then. Jake and I- especially since we share several years of college together often say when we are stressed about jobs and money and such that we wish we were in college again. I guess ever era of life has something we will miss as we move on.

Lions, Tigers and Brown Hair- oh my

Kate has a new obsession. Lions, Tigers and all other predatory cats. I had mentioned her successful "roaring"lessons before. It has been taken to a whole-nother-level. She watched the LION KING at her grandma's last weekend when Jake and I went to the temple. We brought it home with us because we heard it had been a big hit. We watched it together. There was roaring, neighing, and other commenting through out. I'll admit to letting her watch at least part of it every day since. She just loves it so much and plus give me a break I don't feel good. Then grandma brought over a giant tiger that was ours when we were kids that had been hidden away in a closet. The roaring has taken over, it starts in morning, she points at the tv and roars. It is hilarious, I love that she has something she likes so much.

On another note, I colored my hair brown. Really I have not been blonde since I was 23, it started going dark then and has been getting darker and darker since (well not that anyone knew because I lightened it every month). I went to my hair stylist (Jake hates when I say that- he thinks it sounds snobby), and asked her to get me back to my roots, so that I won't have to dye it anymore. Sounds easier, maybe not as pretty, but easier and cheaper too. She convinced me to go a little darker than my roots because it was going to be hard to cover the blonde. I think it is too dark, and am not in love with it, but think I will after a second take and maybe some fading. I am sure I will like not dying it eventually. I figure I will likely dye out my gray hair when they come, so why not have easy natural colored hair while I can. Well that is my intent anyway. We will see how long it lasts. I don't feel as pretty without my blonde hair. Look at the picture in my last post. It was blonde, longer and curly, it has been a dramatic change. Sorry for this bad picture, I actually took several but I am just not good at taking picture of myself, I just always miss. At least I look more like my parents and siblings for the moment, but I don't like that I don't match Kate.

Hey Baby!

I thought I would share some more about the new baby news since my only post thus far was mostly a complaint. Jake, Kate and I are going to become a family a four on or around ( and hopeful this time before) February 24, 2008. Making me about 16 weeks along or so. We are excited and most of all surprised. Shocked, completely caught of guard and a little slow.
The first week of April or so I was really sick. I kept telling Jake I was so sick it felt like I was pregnant. He told me it was probably just the flu but if I felt pregnant I should stop just talking about it and go get a test- how practical of him. So I did, it came up neg, and shortly there after Jake came down with a flu and thus ended our thoughts that I was pregnant.
A few weeks later, late May say, I felt the same way again. This time more sure I was just sick, plus I had been a little stressed maybe that was part of the reason I kept getting the flu. Not to mention getting pregnant with Kate took around 18 months longer than planned, several Dr's, tests, drugs, and lots of frustration and tears, the chance that I was accidentally pregnant seemed uber unlikely. The icky feeling stuck around, week after week, and was just too familiar to how I had spent six month of 2006. I just kept thinking, why am I so sick, maybe I am pregnant this time, but I don't want to be silly like last time and spend twenty dollars on a test just to tell me that I am really sick, plus if I am not pregnant, than I am really sick. Maybe I should go see a Dr. Kate had her 15 month appointment while Jake was at scout camp. While there I had a consult with the gen practitioner. We decided to take a blood test, to test for babies, low iron and other abnormalities that could be causing me to vomit, faint and be exhausted. He called later to tell me my blood showed a baby in the works.
At this point I had been sick for two months, but I was still surprised. I had to wait three days to tell Jake, when he got home from Scout Camp (this years scout camp blessing I guess). Till then just Kate and I shared the secret. We waited a few weeks and started sharing the news. Of course I was about 9 weeks pregnant when I finally figured it out.
So now we are counting down the weeks until February. Kate and baby #2 will be about 22 months apart. We really think we are just too young to have two kids, and think it is hilarious almost how easily this baby came. The thought of adding to our family had not crossed our minds seeing as how my body only had one month off between nursing Kate and being pregnant again. But what more could be want than another Kate in our lives! The summer months of pregnancy were daunting to me, to be so sick and care for Kate, but with the cooler weather has come some relief and I am only throwing up once or twice a day now, which seems much more manageable.
We don't have our ultrasound till a little late- Oct 17, but I just can't wait to see a healthy baby boy or girl and start going through all of Kate's old clothes organizing and such.

10 Signs the Freeman's have Big News!

10. I am managing to sleep up to 15 hours a day on the weekends and am still exhausted.
9. The only thing I can eat before 11:00 am is the broth from the Creamy Chicken Cup of Noodles, but after 6:00 pm I can easily consume an entire box of Cheez-its.
8. Did you know that you can throw up out of your mouth, nose and eyes? Serious vomiting happening here people.
7. I find it completely reasonable that my husband should wake up with Kate each morning, go to work for 9 hours, come home make dinner, put Kate to bed and rub my feet for an hour.
6. I can't remember what it is like to breath out of my nose. ( I am so congested)
5. Though I managed to get back down to my pre pregnant 110lbs for a whole two months, I am already 10 lbs on my way to my most pregnant 168lb and have considered bringing back the all velor suit as an appropriate outfit to wear out to eat.
4. My mouth and all water tastes like metal, and I am therefore using a bottle of mouthwash a week and only drinking Rootbeer, Diet Coke and Orange Juice.
3. My house looks like we were in a hurricane, Jake even felt like the bathrooms needed to be cleaned and proceeded to clean one without being asked.
2. I have actually gone to Wendy's and McDonalds to purchase a spicy chicken sandwich two weeks in a row doubling the amount of fast food I have eaten this year.
1. The doc says to expect to meet #2 in about 24 weeks.

So I thought this was just a funny way to break the news to the blog. A lot of family and friends already know, and if they don't it is probably because they are too polite to ask me why i have gained ten lbs in the past two weeks. The 10 things has a negative tone, but really we couldn't be more delighted about having baby #2. I have lots more to say on the subject ( like "I'm pregnant???) and I am sure you do to so I will be over blogging about it for the next several months so I will just leave you with this for now.

Labor Day at the Pool

Though Jake and I have lived in Heber for a long time now, and heard a lot about the fun pool the Summit County rec center has, we had never made our way there until yesterday. We are so glad we did. They have tons of stuff for kids to climb on, two water slides, one which Kate went on all by herself, and the other she loved going down with her parents. They also have a lazy river, and the best part is that it is all indoors and all heated- meaning I will actually get in! Also it is only a foot in parts so Kate could walk around and though it took her a minute to be sure it was safe, by the end she didn't want to leave and when we got out was saying "waaw" and pointing trying to say she wanted to get back in. Also we went around 9:30 am and there were only two other small families, but by 11:00 it was getting a lot busier. Also they charge you a ton for plastic pants which they require children under two wear even over a swim diaper, so I suggest if you are going to go make sure you have some and bring them. Sorry for the lame picture of Kate, she was having too much fun to even look at me for a second. Here is there link
http://www.ssummit.k12.ut.us/ssafc.cfm?subpage=291393.
If you live near by or are in the area visiting you should try it out. Especially in the winter. Indoor water park made for little kids- what could be better. I think kate and I might look into a pass there we had so much fun.

Can we Start over?

Well everything is set now for the 2008 election year. We have been narrowing down who will run for well over a year now. Obama and McCain accepted nominations and announced their V.P. candidates this week. What I think. I want to start over. I can't even believe that we believe that these pairs are the most fit to lead our country.I don't know that I would vote for anyone of them to even be a governor. Usually I am proud to cast my vote on election day, but I am almost dreading it now. I don't really think anyone of these four is qualified to be the president and can't find myself backing anyone. I was not pleased with the choice between Obama and McCain and had hoped that their VP picks might give me more trust in one party or the other. Sadly neither of my preferences, Hillary or Romney were given much consideration. Now what will I do? I'm not voting for any four of these guys!

My Name is WHAT? My Name is What?

To the right on my blog I keep a list of things Kate says. Partially so when I get around to updating her baby book I will remember and also because I think it is fun for everyone to see. Kate is almost 17 months old now. She started saying "Dad" and "Dog" the other two members of the family back before Christmas when she was eight months old. And as you can see by the list of her most recent speech, she is not behind by any stretch in this department. She even has several two word phrases like "whats that" or "Hi Dad". She makes every possible animal sound, and even almost gets how to pretend, when we pretend that we are cougars and chase around or pretend we are a horse and give her a ride she will make the appropriate sound. Other common words she uses daily are "more", "jesus", "piggies", "hippie","dipping" and almost every part of the body... you get the picture. She is not slow of speech. But for some reason she just has not said mom. There was a short lived time where she said "Meem" which we thought could be "Mom", some "Mom sounds that didn't really seem to be associated with me, and more often than not she would just call me "Dad" too. In fact, when I lead the music in sacrament she sits with her Dad and points at me and yells for the entire congregation to hear "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad" when we are suppose to be singing. It is possible that there has just not been a real need for her to use my name. It is not like she has to call me ever, we are almost always together. This must be the reason why after just 17 months she is finally figuring out my name is not also "Dad" but "Mom"! It seems that I can finally put "Mom" in that side bar as words she now says. I did conceive, grow and birth her, not to mention nurse her for a year and attend to her every need every minute of the day. I guess it is about time she learned what my name is.

Lucky Scottsdale!

My sister Amy and her family moved to Scottsdale, AZ about a week and a half ago. It didn't seem that far until a few days ago. Amy called me, as she is bound to do at least once a week, but it was after five. Seldom do we call each other when our spouses are home from work because we try to save our calls to entertain some of our more boring mommy down time during the day. When i got off the phone with her, I commented to Jake that it was unusual for her to call around dinner just to say hello. He informed me it was not five yet for her, because Arizona has different time than we do. No they are not in a different time zone, they just don't think day light savings applies to them. This made Arizona seem far away. Far away enough that we don't even have the same time. Scottsdale is silly for not doing daylight savings like the rest of us, but they are lucky they have the carpenters now.
Before Amy left I took some family pictures for them. This one is my favorite though it doesn't include Jeff.... sorry Jeff, but I know you are getting used to being left out of our family pictures by now anyways.

She is ready to start the season. She even has her "roar" down when we as her what a Cougar says. The best part is that she swipes her "paw" across in the air like a predatory cat as she says it. Or maybe the best thing is how I heard her "roaring" in her room late at night, so I went to see if she was awake, but she was not, she was just dream "roaring". Hilarious! The brain washing has been successful.

Oh the Blogging World.

A few months ago my ever talented -can do husband showed me how to track the hits on my blog. The tracking can't show me exactly who is looking, but it can show me what cities my hits are coming from, and what blogs traffic is linking from. I don't check this information often but I did today. What I found was very interesting. I noticed that I have tons of hits in cities where I don't know anyone, or at least know that I know anyone. Two cities in particular, one in Arizona and one in California. Who are you? I know you are looking. I also see that I have had over 500 different visitors- and around 50 regular visitors, those who view the site twice a month or more. This is also interesting since only about 8 of you ever leave comments. I am found of the blog and the connections it brings. I don't mind the strangers that stumble upon our lives and take some of it in, I don't mind that some of you who I don't really know well repeatedly visit my blog, I just wanted to let you know I know, so you might as well say something, leave a comment. You obviously find what I post and my life interesting as you keep coming back for more, so give it up, say hello, say something. I can see you silently starring and it is a little rude.

Celebrate

There was a lot to celebrate in July, but with Jake's bar we just didn't get to do much partying. So to make up for it Jake and I finally "got away" for the weekend. Okay so we only went to Midway, but we left Kate with her grandma (the first time she has been away for the night) and went on our own little vacation. Jake and I always talk about going on little trips, doing fun things, but when we seriously start planning we realize that we are just too responsible with our money and never purchase that cruise or airfare to somewhere fun. The solution-a half vacation which we have actually done before in Salt Lake. We had so much fun attending an outdoor theater at Sundance, staying and the Zermatt, going out to eat, swimming like Olympians and most amazingly sleeping in till our hearts content. It was a wonderful weekend, and good thing because we had a lot of July celebrating to make up for. Happy 26th birthday to me, Happy 5 year wedding anniversary to us, Happy Jake is done studying for the stressful CA BAR, Yes we did have a busy July!

More Olympic Thoughts

Jake and I have the TV on way to much lately. NBC is getting all the attention with the Olympics. Previously I doubted how into this year I would be when I didn't love the Opening Ceremonies. I did enjoy it in the playback and have continued to enjoy this years Olympic experience. I have stayed up way to late waiting for outcomes from the other side of the world. I do have other thoughts though, things I am just not loving. I am just not loving the way the Chinese are representing themselves. I was disappointed to hear about the lip sync scandal, where the seven year olds voice was heard but another girl lip synced during the Opening because the seven year old was deemed not attractive enough to represent her country. Also they are either starving their gymnasts to prevent them from going through puberty or they are totally lying about their age. I am fairly certain after the games our girls will be awarded the team gold when they discover that the Gymnasts put forward from the Chinese are really 12, below the legal age to compete. I am also sick of the Michael Phelps show. I realize he is amazing. I am excited that an American is breaking all those records, but I feel like it is rude to the other amazing athletes and swimmers to only talk about Phelps. His name is said more than any other, more than "The United States" even I bet. He is great, but I get it, he is great, let us hear about others who are great and see other sports aside from swimming, volleyball and gymnastics. Maybe coverage would also be improved if the commentators didnt just make predictions the whole time but shared interesting stories and facts about the athletes and their sports. Maybe the could not talk at all and their could be VH1 style pop ups in the corner telling us how Michael Phelps doesn't produce lactic acid like most humans, or how the mens volleyball star grew up on welfare, or how the rules in the Czech for water polo are different than in the US. I guess I was just really looking forward to this years Olympics and getting into it like in years past and it just hasn't happened.

Opening Ceremonies

I'm watching the Opening of the Olympics on NBC right now. I have been preparing to watch all week, and by preparing I mean watching the Today show and taking on their complete opinion for who I should cheer for and everything else Chinese. I have been looking forward to the ceremony and even contemplated having a gathering a friends over for Chinese food and watching them. I'm glad I didn't. I am not finding them very entertaining. Perhaps I am just not in the mood even though they are being hosted by my imaginary best friend Matt Lauer. Perhaps watching on my small television interrupted by commercials pales in comparison to the live version, of which I was privileged to see when the Olympics were in SLC. Perhaps I am just tired of being alone with Kate with Jake off to another Young Men's event. Perhaps it is the lack of good food in my house to eat, maybe a couple pounds of fortune cookies like they sell and the foreign foods market on Bulldog would have made the evening more complete. I'm disappointed. I am sure I will enjoy watching the events still and get teary eyed at the stories. but it hasn't started with the bang that I had hoped for.

On another note my daughter is no longer a baby. I realized this week that she is a little girl. Her interests have changed dramatically in the last week. She use to like books and the dog and most any of her baby toys. Now she is obsessed with dolls and babies, her play horses in their barn, necklaces and fake jewelry and she just colored in my lap for over 30 minutes. Along with all of this has come the enjoyment of cuddling... hooray.. and lots of hugs. I guess now that she is old enough it is time to start planning her Olympic path in gymnastics, if we can get her away from her coloring books that is.

California wears me out!

Well it has been a long week and I am exhausted! Jake and I left for California on Sunday morning. It took us over 13 hours to get to Fresno. We spent about a day there before we said goodbye to Jake while we stayed with his parents. He was off to Sacramento to take his California bar. While he spent three days writing and trying to recall information he learned three years ago I spent three hours a day napping and another one watching What Not to Wear. It was stressful, painful and boring, not for me but him, but I am sure he did wonderful. And we will get the results around Thanksgiving. Of course one of the reasons that pushed him to take the test is that he paid for it two years ago before he decided to take the Utah bar instead and that money is held for two years. This test costs over $1000 to take so it seemed worth it, until we actually found out that our two years expired just days before the test almost as we were packing the car to leave. Oh well we will just re pay, but this is such our luck. I hitched a ride with my Mom to Los Banos mid week, about an hour away, to visit with my grandparents for two days. Then Jake swung back to pick us up as he traveled from Sacramento to Fresno. We spent a few more days in Fresno with his family. Even extra family was around because his sister was having an open house for her wedding a few weeks ago. We spent some time on the farm, swimming, boating at the lake- Kate loved the boat- at the new cabin, and seeing The Dark Knight, which was spectacular and also the first movie Jake and I have seen in a theater in over a year and a half. I know pathetic right. On Sunday morning early we headed back to Heber, for another 13 plus hour drive in the heat of the day through the desert. This time with Lisa and Rodney's wedding presents,more luggage,and two hitchhikers (DeeAnn and my Mom). Like I said we are exhausted but it was fun to get away.

Lisa and Rodney's Wedding

Lisa and Rodney were married on Saturday. It was so much fun to be together as a family. Every member of the Freeman family was there minus two sick Mesa Freeman's. Here are some of the pictures. **Family- if you want a copy of all the pictures on a CD leave a comment and make sure I have your address and I will send one out to you**

Zoo Day

About a week ago Jake and I took Kate to the Zoo in Salt Lake. I have wanted to for a while, but it seems things always come up so it was real last minute and it turned out that we didn't really need very long at the zoo anyways. Three hours was plenty of time to see all the animals and stop for a small lunch. I had this really great video of Kate "reading" the zoo map, but sadly deleted it because I am not sure how to work my new camera yet. Too Bad :( It took Kate a minute to warm up to what was going on but then she got into it. She started "Neighing" to anything big and really liked the boars and especially the birds... any birds... even the birds just around the park eating leftover picnic dinners. She would point and say "Bir, Bir, Bir". She also liked the giraffes but then got distracted when a butterfly flew by. Jake had to carry her most the time though because she didn't like being in the stroller and she couldn't really see in it anyway. It was fun to share her first zoo day with her. She makes everything so fun.

A Blog Vacation

Dear Blog and Blog Readers
Do you feel neglected? I seem to have been away for a little while. I guess I have been writting but I haven't been spending my normal 20 minutes each morning catching up on the latest in the blogosphere. Many of you have new posts I have yet to read and comment on. What can I say it has been a slow week.... and I don't have a camera so I can't even just post cute pictures of the Katerade. Jake is away at scout camp this week. It is only Thursday, but I miss him so much. It is funny because Jake and I have been apart for a week straight many times through out our marriage, for many reasons, scout camp, business trips, family trips. I usually feel bad that I don't miss him more, but enjoy the time to myself. I usually get a ton of stuff done, enjoy organizing and working in the yard, spending time with friends, shopping. This time has been different. I think it is because I know Kate misses Jake too so I feel the missing for the both of us. Plus it has been a different week. First I was a little sick, then Kate had to get five shots and screamed her head off for over an hour and has a fever from them still two days later. I find that I can't sleep when Jake is not home. I should revel in the opportunity to go to bed early but I am up later than normal, especially when our 300 lb neighbor is shouting the f word hundreds of times into his cell phone in his front yard and I can hear him for over an hour and I debate whether or not to call the police... but that is another story. I certainly eat differently when Jake is not home. I went to the store and got all the food that I like, cut up fruit, smoothies, pico and chips. I made a dozen cookies and have eaten them for breakfast a few days. I love cold cookies. But I hate milk that has been open for more than two days. I think that is quirky of me. I don't enjoy watching the Family Feud at lunch and Seinfeld before bed like I usually do with Jake everyday. And I am really not spending that much time cleaning the house or working on other projects like I intended.
Jake and I have a running joke that we always get awesome blessings while Jake is at camp. In the past years we have sold our house for a profit, two years Jake got new jobs and we were finally able to get pregnant with Kate all either during or shortly after scout camp. Jake almost expects that the minute his cell phone regains reception as he is returning that he will get a call from me, or someone else with fabulous news. It is a bit of a joke, but it is so true. Not that he should be doing his calling for blessings, but I feel like we are living proof that the Lord is generous. So despite all this missing, and how much being a single parent just for a week stinks. I know it will be worth it. I dont mean to sound blasphemous but I wonder what we will get this year. Stay tuned I guess, cuz Scout camp is nearing its end. Perhaps a small fortune? A raise? somehow a free family vacation???? Maybe just the realization that I just can't live without Jake is blessing enough.
Oh but my birthday present Jake ordered as a surprise came in the mail today! And he is not here to stop me from opening it early!!!! But that doesn't count.