Best Friends & Beautiful Weather = Fun Times

This weekend has been so much fun for myself, Matt & Jax. Each of us have a best Roger buddy to play with. Our friends Mike, Sara & Will came to play with us.

Yesterday, Jax & Will loved the zoo almost as much as Sara & I. We spent today swimming, BBQing and enjoying the last few days of this beautiful weather.

 

We're having an all night party of craziness (it's 2AM). Matt and Mike are in the middle of a good old fashion Wii tournament, while Sara & I blog & look at Craigslist -- fun for all! Tomorrow we're heading on a hike to Camelback Mountain and to Castles N' Coasters (a smaller, more white trash version of Lagoon). Bring on the mullets!

So Much Fun!! We love these guys & this beautiful weather. 

Faith of Our Fathers

Today is General Conference. Twice a year members of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints, listen via satellite, audio, internet or any other medium to the teachings of Jesus Christ and messages of the gospel delivered  by prophets and apostles.

I put out plenty of toys for Jax to play with and we listened to different gospel topics. My favorite talk was given by the Second Counselor in the First Presidency, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. 

He spoke on the "Faith of Our Fathers." The message he delivered reminded me of my favorite song we sung last year in our Primary program "Holding Hands Around the World." In summary, he explained that no matter what our background or the past religious traditions of our ancestors, the message of the Savior is THE single most important message of our one and only Father in Heaven. 

I witnessed this balance first hand in Chicago. Many of the members in our ward there were political refugees that had imigrated their families from countries in West Africa such as Ghana and Nigeria. They would hold their families' traditions and customs very near to them. They would come to church dressed in their traditional headpieces and attire. At the same time they embraced the gospel and the "new" traditions they had been introduced to through their membership in the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints. 

The church is in such a global position. We have more members outside the United Stated then inside. All of the cultural differences, customs and traditions are vital to keeping the faith individualized for each and every member. I am blessed to be a member of a church that doesn't see the world or different cultures as "us against them." 

One of my most spiritually strengthening times was being in an inner-city Chicago ward. I saw first hand how desperately people needed the gospel to survive. One man stood armless (due to civil wars in his country) on the stand as he bore testimony of his knowledge of the Savior's love and sacrifice for him. Another family, The Johnsons, lost everything by moving to the US. The organization they hired to bring them to the US, took everything from them and didn't fulfill the promises they had made to them. They struggled to make enough money to feed their children. When they were introduced to the church they never took for granted the blessings they received through their membership. All seven children were in primary and I had the pleasure of teaching them. What a gift!

Tagged by Meesh

What is your Hubby's name? Matt

How long have you been together? Married for six years in June, including dating we have been together for almost 8 years. Our first "date" if you could call it that (Matt didn't pay) was at the IMAX theater. Matt called me the night before and invited me to the Top Gun with a bunch of both our friends. I didn't bring my purse because I figured I didn't need it. When we were standing in line he was excited because he had a free movie pass. I realized he wasn't planning on paying for me, so me and my girlfriend snuck in. That "dating know-how" he never quiet figured out.

Who said I love you first? Matt. We had been dating for 3 months. It was right around Thanksgiving.

Who is smarter? Probably him (it pains me to admit it).  I'm better business minded and definitely more artistic. He can learn how to do anything. He taught himself how to wire our house from the 1-2-3  Electrical book from Home Depot. He is smart in a lot of ways. But, I always like to pretend like I'm smarter.

Who does the housework? Me. Although Matt is a HUGE contributor to our home. Surgeon by day, electrician, landscaper/sprinkler repair man, wood worker, painter by night. He does it all. All the neighborhood men are a little jealous of his skills.

Who sleeps on the right? Me, always.

Who pays the bills? I'm trying to take it over. He has paid them since we got married. I'm learning Quicken.

Who cooks dinner? Me I LOVE to cook and think about crazy concotions. I hate recipes. He is awesome at breakfast, especially swedish pancakes and waffles.

Who drives when you are together? Always Matt.

Who is more stubborn? For sure me. Although, we are both pretty stubborn. We both always want to be right, a cause for conflict in our marriage.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me first. He tried to go in for a kiss on the first night. Not that I didn't kiss plenty of boys on the first night, but I DENIED him. Only because I really like him and I didn't want it to be just a fling (oh and because I was dating someone else). He remembers it differently. Two days later we kissed. 

Who proposed? He did - it was the best day ever! I had severe bronchitis and went to the DR that morning. When I got home my Dad told me I should shower and get ready, I looked at him utterly confused. Next thing I knew I was blind-folded by his friends and taken on a scavenger hunt down "memory lane." Starting out at a Olympus High School, then to Skyline High School, next to Downtown SLC and so on. Each place had a rhyming poem and key people from my past. He even had my best-friend Rose and her boyfriend following us filming the days events. The best clue was downtown SLC, he had his older brother Adam dress like a homeless person holding a sign that detailed the next clue. Adam had coke bottle glasses on and grungy clothes, I would have never recognized him. It was awesome. Oh wait, maybe the best clue was his friends in their underpants running around in the snow (with the clue in their underpants). Yes it was very random. After a full day of scavenger hunting, the last clue was an invitation to dinner at the restaurant at Hotel Monaco. He was so nervous during dinner. After dinner we went to temple square. At that point, I was getting anxious. Enough already get on your knees and propose!!! But nope. Next stop The Nugents. At his house he composed a song for me and played it on the piano. It was beautiful. To top it off he had his backyard decorated with Christmas lights, playing "our song," he finally knelt down and proposed. Watching from the porch were all of our family and friends. IT WAS AWESOME!!

Who has more siblings? Me - I have 5 (8), he has 3.

Who wears the pants? For sure me.

I tag Katie Hadfield, Sarah Rogers, Heather Staley & Heidi Ogao

Jax is Walking

I don't have pictures or a video yet, because it was just a few steps and I've been trying to recreate it and he won't do it again... however, it's official right on his 14-month-old mark. Jax is walking! Whoo, hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

New Easter Chair

Jax loves the new outdoor chair grandma and grandpa Nugent gave him for Easter. He uses it as a walker around the house. We had a lot of fun with Matt's parents over Easter weekend, in spite of Jax being sicker than a dog. Too bad we didn't get a pic of him in his Easter clothes. Between missing birthdays & no pics on holidays, I am not fulfilling my mom duties properly

This boy loves to Eat

No matter what you are eating or who is eating it, Jax wants some of it. He'll walk up to perfect strangers trying to grab their food from them. The kid eats a full cheeseburger by himself. He loves all food including all fruits and vegetables. I think meal time is for sure his favorite time of day. I wonder who he gets this from???

Jax & His Youngest, Most Adoring Uncles (Luke, Sam & Max)

We had so much fun with my Dad, step-mom, Diane (Done) and my three little brothers. We went to Spring training baseball games, the phoenix zoo and botanical gardens and mexican restaurants every night. The best part of the trip was my Dad's daily jump in our ice cold pool. Although the weather was great mid-80s, in Phoenix we don't heat our pools, so it is still too cold for swimming. Well if you know my Dad, the cold didn't stop him. Anything he could do to win the affection of his 3 youngest. I remember when he used to eat red aunts & have burping contests with us. Nothing changes! We love you Dad.

The "Tri"

You might have thought by the title of this post I was going to blog about a recent triathlon Matt and I ran. Actually no. I am speaking of the "trifecta" of disease that has affected our little guy over the last few months. 

• First, croup hit in January. He was so sick. It broke mine and Matt's hearts that we had to pin him down every night to give him breathing treatments. 

• Next, towards the end of January and on thru his birthday he had double ear infections and RSV. We never did get around to having a big birthday bash because Matt and I were sick as well. 

• Then in the middle of March he caught Rota virus. If your not familiar with this one, it basically tears out your insides. Poor little guy had severe diarrhea & throwing up for over two weeks.

On a positive note, he is feeling much better and back to his crazy, hyper and happy self. WHOOO! I am much more sane when he is healthy. Aren't we all?