Hubby Tag

I got tagged by Jason's cousin's wife. This is the first time I've been tagged so I though I would give it a try.
Here we go.

Where we met: In Encore. It was an institute show choir at the UofU where we sang and danced.

How long did you date before you got married? We met in September, but we weren't allowed to date in encore so technically we didn't date. but we had our first kiss in October, were engaged in November, and were married in March. So from first kiss to married it was 5 months.

Favorite feature about him? If this is purely physical I'd say it is his butt and his eyes. Oh and he has GREAT hair too.

Favorite quality? His integrity, his hard work, his willingness to sacrifice for his family. He is an amazing dad and husband and he loves to surprise me with little things to make sure I knows he loves me. He also listens to me no matter what I have to say. And I don't mean in the absent minded nodding and uh huh ing kind of way. He really listens. He is wonderful!

What's his nickname for me? Babes, Gorgeous, and Beautiful. He actually doesn't even call me by my name. When he does it catches me off guard. My boys have even started calling me Babes and Gorgeous because he calls me that so often.

His favorite color? Blue

Favorite food? Italian. His favorite dessert is his mom's pecan pie and tapioca pudding.

Favorite sport? He doesn't watch sports on TV but his favorite one to play is soccer.

Who said "I love you" first? He did. The very first time was on the phone by accident. Before he hung up he said " ok, talk to you later, love you, bye." after I hung up the phone I just stood there and didn't know what to do. Then later he came over to my apartment and when he was leaving he said it for real.

First kiss, where and when? It was in the parking lot of the institute after a choir social. On October 18th 2002

Favorite couple thing to do? We like to read books together, cook together and watch movies together. And since we've been in Grenada we enjoy going to the beach together.

How many kids? 3. 2 boys and a girl.

His hidden talent? One of the things that he is good at but doesn't do in front of people much is ballroom dancing. We always dance in the kitchen when we cook together. It is so much fun.

His age? 28. He'll be 29 in February.

His favorite music? He likes all sorts of music for different things he is doing. He enjoys anything with a good beat when he works out, and classical for when he is studying. He also likes 80's music

Favorite past times? He loves to read, and play with his kids. He also really loves to go the beach and sleep. He enjoys working out (I think he might be addicted, haha) and going on dates with his wife.

Will he read this? Yes he will. And I think he should go through and tell you if I got any of these wrong.

I tag: Heather, Sara W, Sara J, Shauna, Casey, Ashlee, and anyone else who wants to do it.

(interjection by Jas: Yeah Babes, you got it all dead on!)

Nothing Whatever

We don't have much to report on the Grenada front. We are enjoying the break that Jason is having from school. We have spent most of the days at the beach and taking care of some organization that was neglected the first month I got here.
Bitti is growing so fast I can hardly believe it. She holds her head up really great and can even roll over from her tummy to her back. She is on a pretty predictable schedule now, which is really helpful, and her colic fits seem to be behind her for the most part.
We are planning a pretty simple Christmas again this year. Spending the holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the USA does have it's perks. There is no competition with your peers here. We are all in the same situation and we are all just happy to be able to spend the time together. We do have a few simple gifts for the kids that include clothes and underwear (they will be particularly excited for the underwear) along with gifts from aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Even being far way from home we can't keep the kids from being spoiled.

Dyson is getting really excited about the idea of starting preschool in January. We are going to enroll him in the GAP program that is here for the families of students. I hope he enjoys his time.

I have started doing a workout/warmup with a friend of mine and I am hoping it helps me lose the last few pounds and get into better shape. I am actually down to my pre pregnancy weight but my body just doesn't look the same. I'm a little flabbier all over. Hopefully this new workout (and i'm going to try running too..I know, I know, I'm either crazy or desperate, or both) will help put me back together again.

We are all doing really great, and although we miss you all terribly I can't say that I would rather be anywhere else. After 8 months of being apart from Jason not even the holidays away from home could tempt me to be anywhere but here. I have really come to enjoy the holidays with just our little family. The peace that we have here in our own little world in unbelievable and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm glad that so many of our friends were able to make the trip home and that they are where they want to be during this holiday season, but I am truely happy where I am.

Happy Holidays to all!

Beach Time

I think this video pretty much says it all.

2 MONTHS!

Our little girl is 2 months old today! In some respects it's hard to believe that so much time has passed, but with all the new things she can do sometimes she seems older than that.

We love to take her to the beach. She loves it too. Whenever she is in the water she is calm an happy. She loves the way the water rocks her and I think she also likes the closeness she has to whoever is holding her.
The other day we took her out in the waves and she had the best time. Some of the waves were kind of big so I had to hold her away from me so she didn't get splashed, she didn't seem to mind. In fact she never made and unhappy noise as long as we were in the water.



She has also rolled over for the first time. Of course it was on accident and she startled herself but I was pretty impressed with her none the less. This is a picture of her right before she rolled over

and this one is just after she did it. You can see that she wasn't very happy about her new accomplishment.


She is growing so fast that we can't believe it. She is a good sleeper and a good eater. We just need to convince her that she doesn't need to throw up after every feeding and that she doesn't have to scream just because she's awake. Haha.

Thankful for...

*WARNING* Long Post

I know it's totally cliche to write a post about being thankful the day after Thanksgiving, but I'm going to do it anyway.
I have so many things to be thankful for this last year, my family being at the top of that list. We started out this year all together as a family in Grenada. Jason and I were casually talking about having another baby. Within a few weeks we found out we were expecting and we were so excited. We didn't know that by the middle of March the boys and I would be back in Utah and Jason would be left here alone to finish school. After becoming seriously ill with morning sickness my mom came down to Grenada to help me and the boys get home safely. I am so grateful that she did, I know I couldn't have done it without her.
I am grateful for Jason's family too. They opened their home to us while we were in Utah. One of Jason's sisters gave up here room for me and his brother gave up his room for the boys. That is no small thing considering they were 19 and 14 respectively.
I am also grateful for modern medicine and well educated doctors. Once I was able to get proper medication for the morning sickness my body began to recover and the remainder of my pregnancy was uneventful. The deliver went smoothly and we were blessed with a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

I am the most thankful for my family. First of all my husband. There is nobody else in the world who fits me better than he does. He compliments me in every way. There is so much that I admire him for. He is a hard worker, he goes to school everyday, spends hours studying, and then comes home to a house full of kids and his first concern is how he can give me a break. He supports me in anything and everything I want to do. He does dishes and changes diapers. He is honest, loving, kind, and lets not forget incredibly handsome!
I am so honored that he chose me. There were not a shortage of lady admirers when I met him and count myself truly blessed for him to have picked me. Thank you honey for everything you do. In great ways and in small you make my life better. Everything in my life that is good has come as a direct result of you being in my life and being my husband.
My kids are of course another of the most important things in my life. They are each so unique and bring a special joy into my life. Dyson is such the caregiver. He is always concerned with the well being of other kids. He loves to try new things and is incredibly smart. He makes me laugh with his imagination, he tells the funniest stories and his own way of approaching the world. He is also a little ladies man and is constantly tell girls they are beautiful. We'll have to watch him.
Ridge is a ham. Since he has learned to talk I have not stopped laughing. He wants to be just like his big brother and follows Dyson around everywhere. He loves to hugs and his hugs are the best. He has always been my snuggle bug and that has not changed at all as he has grown up.
Rori has only been with our family for a few short months and it already feels like she has been here all along. We love here so much and are having tons of fun watching her learn new things and seeing her personality come to life. She is smiling all the time now and Jason was even able to tickle her the other day. She can scoot in a circle and hold her head up when she is on here tummy. She is getting stronger everyday and I feel like time is passing too quickly.
I know that everyone thinks their family is the best, but I know that I really do. None of them are perfect but they are all perfect for me. To say that my life would not be the same without them is pretty obvious, but what may not be as obvious is that my life would not be as rich, as complete or as wonderful without them.

Another crazy day

Yesterday was very eventful. It started off with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson leaving to go home. We said goodbye at the house and Jason took them to the airport. After our hugs and goodbyes I came back in the house to find Dys sitting on the couch crying. I asked him why he was crying and he told me it was because he misses grandma and grandpa already. I had to explain to him that when we lived with them he missed daddy and when we lived with daddy he would miss them. This helped him feel a little better, but not completely.
To help the boys feel better we decided to go to the pool for pool day. The sky was a little cloudy but not bad. I told my friend that I would give her a ride and I also picked up another friend on our way. As we were driving it started to rain. I thought it would clear up soon or that it might not be raining at the pool. So we continued on our way. When we got to the pool it was still raining but we decided to make the journey from the parking lot to the pool. By the time we got there it was raining pretty hard. We sat there trying to decide what to do when the rain started pouring. It was coming down so hard we practically had to yell at each other to hear us speaking. We of course decided not to stay and we braved the rain to get back to the car. By the time we got there it looked as if we had all been thrown in the pool. We were soaked!
I took one of my friends home and invited the other one to come hang out at my house for the afternoon. We dried off and changed our clothes and enjoyed the afternoon.
We were trying to figure out what do for dinner and we both realized that we both needed to go to the store and I offered to give her a ride (she doesn't have a car) so she went home to get ready and I told her I would be there in a bit.
On my way to pick her up I nearly got in an accident. I was going to turn left onto her street when the car behind me whipped out around me. He ended up going in a ditch instead of hitting me (which I appreciate) I didn't really know the protocol for an accident in Grenada and I asked repeatedly if everything was ok and if I needed to do anything. They told me they were fine and I could leave. So I picked up my friend and headed to the store. Now I'm just hoping that they didn't secretly write down my license plate number and report me. That would totally bite.
When we got to the store I had my list and almost everything on it was not there. It's funny that during the time when we had visitors the store always seemed to have what we wanted to buy but now that they are gone the store is out of everything!
What a crazy day it was for us. It was nice to finally come home and RELAX.
Thanks grandma and grandpa for everything you did for us while you were here. We miss you already.

We have arrived

For the first time since we started traveling to and from Grenada we made it without any incidents. We left early Wednesday morning and arrived safely that night with all our luggage and everything. It was even a pleasant trip.
Since arriving we have gone to the beach, the market, church, and even enjoyed some Grenadian rain.

The picture of Rori looks like she's crying but she is actually smiling. She really loves the beach. Every time we hold her in the water she just relaxes and smiles. She is so much calmer at the beach it makes me want to set up a tent and just live on the beach.

The boys are enjoying having grandma and grandpa here. The boys have had so much fun with them and it makes up for the fact that mom can't do everything since she is taking care of a little baby. Grandma taught Dyson how to body surf, and now he can't get enough of the waves. Ridge has spent time learning how to float in the ocean although he still gets scared.

Jason and his dad got to go out snorkeling and they had a great time until it started pouring rain. The kids and Jason's mom and I were all waiting for the men on the beach when we had to make a run for it to try to get out of rain. By the time we all got loaded in the car we were all soaking and it wasn't from the ocean.

We also had a fun adventure with a lizard. One morning Jason's mom was putting the dishes away when a lizard ran out of the dish strainer. She screamed because she was surprised and a lizard hunt commenced. The boys were running around yelling "A lizard, a lizard!" and Jason and his dad were moving furniture around trying to find where it had gone so we could get it outside. We never did find it and we hope it didn't die somewhere.

All in all we are having a good time here and we are so happy to be together. It was a very difficult 8 months and I cherish every minute that I have with Jason. It was so exciting to see him get off the bus and walk in the door after school. I was smiling so hard my cheeks were hurting. I love him so much and I am so thankful to be with him again. The kids also love having dad around and it makes me so happy to see them all play together. We miss you all at home, but are having a great time here.