Peterson Family

St. George

2011-06-05T10:57:00.006-06:00

Made a quick trip to St. George in February. Great weather and then.. it snowed! Luckily our friends were down there at the same time so we had plenty to do but not the best weather!

The many faces of Kai

2011-05-23T16:31:00.010-06:00

Where does time go?? I feel overwhelmed with the passing of time. I feel like time is in fast forward and I can't find the pause button. Kai grows every day and I can't believe it. It seems he has some big learning learning moment every week! He's tall and skinny on the growth charts, loves to eat new foods (he will eat just about anything!) and he is a big flirt (watch out girls, he's going to be trouble)! He is a big ham and makes the funniest faces all the time. You can't help but smile when you see him. I never knew dressing up a little boy could be so much fun, and neither did Nick! He finally got a hair cut (much needed as you can see) and he became very mobile.

Christmas 2010

2011-05-22T10:07:00.010-06:00

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Who knew Christmas could be so much fun?? This year we celebrated Christmas twice for two reasons. One, I was on call over Christmas (home call, not bad at all!) and two, because Britt couldn't come until January. All in all it worked out perfect, we had two wonderful Christmas weeks! And yes I know lots of the pictures are blurry but this was either because Kai wouldn't stop moving (he's a tad squirmy) or because I was terrible at holding our fancy camera still (Nick is good at reminding me of this, good thing he got me photography classes for Christmas). Merry Christmas from the three of us a few months late!

Happy Fall-a few months late

2011-02-12T15:14:00.008-07:00

I'm not sure it's possible to be more behind on blogging but I'm trying to catch up slowly! Fall was so much more fun with Halloween and costume shopping and lots of pumpkins. Kai liked eating the pumpkins and trying the hay. Kai started swimming classes in the fall and learned all sorts of new sounds and noises. We couldn't feel more blessed to have such a sweet child in our midst who is constantly smiling and cooing.

5 months

2011-01-17T12:59:00.009-07:00

Kai was a rolling machine at 5 months. We made a trip with the Adams up to Bear Lake and had a blast. Kai had lots of first up there. First boat ride, first tennis match, first real sand experience. We had so much fun, thanks Danny, Karly and Ben!

4 months old

2011-01-17T11:14:00.007-07:00

Lots of pictures today. Could I be more behind? And my OCD self won't let me post things out of order because some day I want to print my blog. So I apologize in advance for being so far behind. At four months Kai was starting put everything in his mouth and continued to have more smiles and more personality. Nick started working at this point but sacrificed and is only working 3 days a week which is awesome. My parents come once a week so Kai has been in great hands when I can't be there. Kai had a huge bald spot and at this point had lost most of his baby hair. He loved making sounds and it sounds like he has his own language which I've yet to decifer. I'm not sure what we did before he came along, Kai has definitely been our new source of entertainment.

Vegas x 2

2010-11-18T22:36:00.010-07:00

If you didn't think we were crazy before you will now. Kai has now been to Vegas twice. Yes, we took a 3 month old baby to Vegas. We were worried but he did great! He loves his schedule so he would take naps while we read by the pool. This was his first time in the water and he was mesmerized by the color. He is definitely going to be a little swimmer. He loved riding on our backs around the water. At night he love looking at all the lights and our room had a great view of the Mirage volcano which he also thought was pretty neat. We went for the first time for our 5th anniversary. Crazy how time flies! I love Nick even more now than I did one year ago. We've been through so much and watching Kai grow has just been icing on the cake! I feel so blessed!

The second visit to Vegas was actually with my parents and their neighbors from Brazil whom we all loved dearly. It was so great to meet up with them and to spend time together as a family. This time we were gutsy and flew! We were nervous about the plane ride but Kai did beautifully. He love the air blowing from the ceiling and was flirting with all the ladies. Kai loved the lazy river at the hotel. Everyone at the pool would smile at him and he would just smile back. It was so funny! This is also when Kai learned to blow bubbles really well, thus the awesome faces!

3 months

2010-11-18T22:04:00.006-07:00

I still can't believe how fast Kai seems to be growing! I feel like a need a "pause" button in life right now. Everything he does seems amazing! Kai really seems to be growing so fast. Stats at 3 months: weight 12 pounds and height 24 inches. Kai finally slept in his crib! I totally cried because I love the little baby noises and breathing next to my bed but Kai figured out how to move around and he would end up all squished against one side of the bassinet. Kai started to roll and loved grasping fingers! The smiles just seem to be increasing and personality is becoming even more obvious.

I love watching him discover things. He finally figured out that his feet seemed to be attached to the rest of his body! He kept staring at them with such amazement. This was our first Father's Day with Kai. I am so grateful for Nick and for the sacrifices he has made for Kai. He has been such an amazing father! It's so fun to watch him with Kai and I can already tell Kai is going to be so much like his father, he is a little "mini Nick".

4th of July

2010-09-26T10:32:00.003-06:00

Catch up-2 weeks and 2 months

2010-09-18T11:13:00.011-06:00

Where to start? I have so many pictures of Kai and they are so great I'm not sure where to even start, I apologize in advance that this is going to be a long post. The first pics are when Kai was 2 weeks old. He was tiny, he dropped down to 5 pounds 5 oz and when I see babies around that size I can't believe he was so tiny. He just fit right into Nick's hands. We had to buy preemie clothes and diapers and they were still too big! He made the sweetest sounds and loved to kick and hold his legs up. By 2 months Kai was starting to gain weight finally! He was super smiley and loved to eat. We read Babywise which was the best thing ever and he was already sleeping 10 hours through the night and on a really good schedule with 3 naps a day. He loved the schedule and would wake up almost to the minute after every nap and in the morning. As long as we keep to his schedule he is so happy and barely even cries! By two months his personality was really beginning to show and we knew we were lucky to have such a happy baby!

Blog Slacker

2010-08-30T17:28:00.003-06:00

I know I've been a complete blog slacker but really why would I want to spend time on the computer when I can spend time with this sweet thing...

...I promise I'm working on catching up. We are just have too much fun playing with Kai. That and I've taken a couple thousand pictures and have to wade through them (no I'm not kidding but can you blame me? Look at my handsome photo subject).

Baby Blessing

2010-05-14T13:24:00.006-06:00

To celebrate Kai's one month we blessed him. Even Brit was here from New York! Nick did such a good job and it was so sweet. I just cried of course. Kai was so cute in his little tux that Kara got for us (thanks Kara!). It was too big on him even though it was for a preemie so we had to roll the sleeves and loose the pants. He even had on his Air Jordon socks (not so churchy but the only socks that fit). I can't believe how little he is still. He is barely fitting into newborn clothes. He was so good through the whole thing. Thanks to all the family for being there to celebrate such a wonderful addition!

Nick's Master Thesis and Graduation

2010-05-14T13:00:00.005-06:00

I'm so proud of Nick! He just graduated with his Masters of Architecture. To make things even better he won the Design Excellence Award for the best Master thesis project. He has worked so hard and done so well, good job sweetie! Kai walked across the stage with his dad and they even announced him!

The Hospital

2010-05-12T12:20:00.000-06:00

I know I'm way behind so I'm going to work on getting caught up. We've had such a wonderful month, wow! So much has happened. It all started when our sweet boy came. He has been so much fun! I was working up at Primary Children's Hospital and life was crazy! I was on call the day I went into labor. I had special permission to go to a doctors appointment that day and Nick was able to come with me (which school didn't usually allow). Everything went great at the doctors appointment and we were walking out when I knew something had changed. I went straight to the bathroom and knew my water had just broke. Nick suggested that we go back into the doctors office and made sure. It had and we then went straight to the hospital. The day before I had randomly cleaned and organized our entire house and packed all of our bags. It's almost like my body knew even though I was hoping I would go over my due date. Everything went fine. I had been dilated for a few weeks to a 3 1/2 and thought I would progress quickly but for some reason I didn't. Even with pitocin turned way up I only made it to a 5. I was nervous because I knew that if things didn't change quickly I was going to have to get a C-section. My doctor had even decided the same thing and was going to give me another half hour and then come in for a C-section. Luckily I progressed to a 9 in that half hour and everything went smooth from there. Our little boy arrived early in the morning on the 9th and we feel so blessed things went okay. I knew I would love him and I had loved 9 months of feeling him move but holding him and seeing him made me realize words can't express how much I would love him!

Baby Showers

2010-05-11T13:55:00.008-06:00

I was so lucky to have 3 showers. My good friend Somer gave me one in Salt Lake with a lot of the girls from the ward. My work also threw one for me. The last one was in Logan and of course was the day after I gave birth. I was still running on adrenaline and felt bad Karlee had put so much work into it so I actually went! Thank you everyone for all your hard work and for all the people that came to help us prepare for our new addition!

More pics of Kai

2010-04-15T20:53:00.002-06:00

I've taken about a million pics but these are just some quick pics with my phone since I haven't had a sec to upload all of those pics. Kai has been so sweet and makes the best faces. He is so little and nothing fits him. We had to buy smaller diapers and premie clothes. He has the best hair that just does it's own thing! We love him and still can't believe he is ours!

Introducing...

2010-04-11T22:06:00.004-06:00

Kaiden King Peterson, born April 9, 2010 at 6:38 am. He weighs 6 pounds 5 oz and is 18 inches long. We think Kai is perfect! We feel so blessed to have him in our home, healthy and so sweet. What an amazing little soul!

Yes we are a little crazy!

2010-03-30T16:41:00.007-06:00

I know everyone thinks we are crazy but Nick and I but we went to Mexico when I was almost full term. We did choose somewhere we could drive back to the US just in case I went into labor. We went to Mexico and luckily we made it back safely, and still pregnant. It was so wonderful to spend time with Nick. We've both been working so hard to get everything done before the little one comes and have barely seen each other and have had very little sleep. It was so great to relax, read, take in the sun and enjoy every second together! Nick was sweet enough to plan quite a few surprises for my birthday and I felt like we celebrated for a week!

"The belly"

2010-02-21T17:13:00.002-07:00

Belly pics as promised. I can't believe how fast time flies, and I really can't believe there is more room for our little boy to grow. Only two more months! It feels like he is squished in there. He is moving like crazy, he's either going to be a dancer, a swimmer and he likes to do laps or he's already doing ladder's to practice for basketball.

Europe and the Holidays

2010-01-28T20:36:00.003-07:00

We have not died, I promise. It's been kind of crazy the past few months and we are just enjoying every minute alone we can. It's been so much fun! I know I'm way late but Christmas was so much with our families in Logan, we even visited the classic Logan Lanes. Nick and I enjoyed a few days alone over the Holidays just relaxing then Nick headed to Europe again! I was bummed to not go. Originally I was planning on going with him and his class but being pregnant I decided not to tough out all the walking and cold. As much as I love Europe I'm glad I didn't go because I tend to tire much easier now. Nick was able to see amazing architecture and I was able to get more call out of the way so I can take more time off when the baby comes (which is sneaking up on us, I can't believe how fast it goes, he will be here so soon!)

Surprise!!!!

2009-11-19T17:37:00.009-07:00

Our parents recently got this in the mail...

And this...

And Nick's sister got this...

And our grandparents got this...

My work got these...

And this is what we saw today...

In case you haven't figured it out we are having a baby and....it's a boy!!! We are almost halfway there! Surprise!

It's about time!

2009-10-12T14:50:00.004-06:00

It's about time I post these pictures, but they aren't that great because I took them with my phone. I promise when I get a sec I will take pictures that are much better and post them. These are pics from my parents house. I wish I had the "before" pics but for any of you who have been to my parents house you will get how amazing these "after" pics are. My parents bought their house years ago mainly because they loved the yard and location. The idea was to redo the kitchen as soon as possible since my mom loves entertaining but it never really happened. Since they came home from their mission they decided it was about time. I have to brag a little bit because Nick designed the space, did the plans and helped choose most of the materials and it looks amazing! It's incredible how different the space is and how much more functional it is, it doesn't even seem like the same house. I will try and put new pictures up soon because these pics don't do justice to the transformation. They added on and put in a new laundry room and bathroom. The floors are beautiful. If you are in the area you will have to go check it out!

The rest of my summer pics

2009-09-15T21:43:00.006-06:00

This weather has made me realize that summer is coming to an end. I thought I better post the rest of my summer pics since I've been a little bit behind. When Brit came home for the summer we went to Minnetonka cave, then to Logan canyon and bear lake to meet the rest of the fam. I hate when she leaves! Matt and Betsy got married and we love when someone else gets married so we can all get together, congrats you two! A few weeks ago Nick and I decided to make a trip to Lagoon. Neither of us had been for years and we had a blast! We've had such a great summer and are bummed to see it come to end!

Twice

2009-08-16T15:08:00.002-06:00

For the second time I was blessed enough to meet President Monson. Nick and I were at Nordstrom in mens shoes and I looked over to see President Monson getting his shoes shined. I couldn't resist, I had to go over to shake his hand. He told me the sweet story about how his father was the missionary who baptized his wife's family. He was so happy and has such a great outlook on life. The last time I meet him I actually tripped over him while I was in the mens shoes department in Nordstrom about 6 years ago. He obviously has great taste if he shops at Nordstrom's! He has such an amazing spirit and I know he is truly a prophet of God. I feel so lucky to have meet him again.

Garden

2009-08-09T20:25:00.003-06:00

Okay, no one is going to be as excited as me about this post but we actually got some veggies out of our own garden today!!! Nick built three planter boxes for me and we planted our own little garden. We got started a little late but we had fresh raddishes, chives, rosemary and cilantro today and we have some eggplants and peppers coming soon. I can't wait to see what else is will be growing soon!

Honeymooniversary

2009-08-01T12:56:00.006-06:00

I had a long weekend off so for our 4 year anniversary we decided to head to Vegas. I was a little skeptical at first because we had looked at going to Mexico but couldn't find any good deals but it ended up being perfect to celebrate cause we were able to do all of our favorite things. Nick found a great deal at the Venetian which was the best place we could have stayed. We never had to walk through the casino and the mall was across the street. Plus, we could use the Palazzo pool too! Our room was way too big but so relaxing. The weather ended up being perfect (not too hot) so we spent our days by the pool reading and relaxing and working on my mad swimming skills (for anyone that knows me well know I'm not great in the water but thanks to my sweet husband I'm getting much better and really starting to enjoy swimming). My favorite part was that they brought around cool washcloths, sliced cucumbers and sliced oranges all the time.

The first day we ate at the poolside Wolfgang Puck restaurant and our server hooked us up with coupons so we were able to eat at four Wolfgang Puck restaurants. He is now our new favorite chef. Nick says that the chicken (which he would not usually order but was recommended) is the most amazing chicken he has ever eaten. I had the most incredible free dessert. It was a raspberry chocolate chip souffle with creme fraiche and chocolate ganache. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, mmmm! We had authentic gelato and even chocolate macadamia nuts. We also went shopping, which I'm afraid we both like to do way too much. My favorite was the Beatles Love show. The music was amazing and I couldn't believe the things the cirque du solei people were able to do. They used tramps and roller skates, I keep thinking someone was going to fall.

We had a fabulous time celebrating our 4 years. I still can't believe how fast it's gone. I feel so lucky to have the husband that is just perfect for me! Love you babe!

Random summer pics

2009-07-18T22:50:00.005-06:00

I know I haven't been very good at posting lately but we've been enjoying summer way too much! Sorry for all the pics. We recently had a family reunion with my dad's fam and it was so crazy to see all the new children. I love being at the farm with the old house. Almost all my dad's brothers and sisters were there. We had a blast over the fourth. My mom made almost 150 tameles which we almost finished and then watched the fireworks from her yard. We then headed back to Salt Lake for our blocks party. Let's just say most of the fireworks were not legal, it was pretty amazing. We love our neighbors! We also had St. Marks graduation up at Millcreek canyon. It was so beautiful. I love all the residents and feel so lucky to be at St. Marks with all of them.

2009-07-01T20:27:00.009-06:00

My parents, Nick and I went on a last minute road trip to the Pacific Northwest. We went throughout Washington and Oregon. It was so amazing. It was so much fun to camp and see city sights in the same day. We took a ferry ride, ate amazing fish, drove along the coast, went to numerous gardens, visited the Olympic National Park and of course, went on a mini architecture tour. We can't wait to go back.

It's Offiical: Meet Dr. Leila Peterson!!!

2009-05-27T18:20:00.013-06:00

Saturday May 23rd 2009, was one of the biggest days of our married life. My beautiful wife is now officially a DOCTOR!!! I am so proud of her. She has spent many sleepless nights and countless hours studying for tests, being on call and preparing for board exams. We both wondered if this day would ever come. What an amazing accomplishment. Dr. Peterson will start residency at St. Marks in July. I love you babe, CONGRATS!

Getting hooded

Opening the diploma for the first time

Opening graduation presents

Trying out the new engraved stethoscope

Deans reception at the stadium

Graduation day with the family at Leila's school building

Nick's Birthday

2009-05-21T14:28:00.005-06:00

Nick is finally home from Bluff, for good. It's been so nice to have him home. For his birthday our families decided to surprise him. With a made-up story about some primary activity we went to a park to drop off some food. Once at the park I tried to get him out of the car to help me unload but he didn't want to. I couldn't figure out why but then I realized he still had his mullet and he didn't want our whole ward to see it. I finally convinced him and he was completely surprised to see our families hiding under a picnic bench. His mullet was hilarious! I, as always, decided to go overboard and make a 15 layer cake. What I was thinking I don't know but it actually tasted good (didn't look so good but taste is all that matters, right?). All in all, it was a fun birthday. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who puts up with my crazy ideas and supports me 100%. I don't know what I would do without him! Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Think Spring

2009-05-15T23:22:00.004-06:00

I love spring! I love the weather, the flowers, being able to go on bike rides and just the smell! My tulips finally bloomed and I hope if I keep thinking it's spring it will finally stay warm! I love all the fun holidays that come along with spring too! Mother's day this year was so much fun, and I definitely have the best two moms in the world!

The mullet revealed...

2009-05-07T23:48:00.002-06:00

Well, it finally happened. Nick cut his beautiful long locks into a mullet. These are the fresh cut pictures straight from Bluff. He told me he's keeping it for a long time. I couldn't help but laugh at the pics, it's so not my clean cut, pretty boy hubby, but he's still sexy as ever (even though he looks like he should be sitting in a double wide, in cut-off jeans spitting sunflower seeds)!!!

Vegas!! Lions, dolphins and sharks, oh, my!

2009-05-03T23:28:00.013-06:00

What could be better! Toph (Nick's little bro) was competing in the WAC golf tournament so we decided to watch him play and take in the sights of Vegas at the same time. Britt even flew in from New York! We tried to fit in everything we could and we had a blast!

Finally!

2009-04-21T11:43:00.011-06:00

My class in Moab learning Wilderness Medicine

Petroglyphs and ruins

The house Nick is living in now (their class designed it last year, aka "man"tainer)

Monument Valley

The house Nick helped design and build (not quite finished)

I finally was able to see what Nick has been up to. My Wilderness Medicine course had some classes down in Moab so I made the trek down there. I then headed down to see Nick in Bluff. It was cool to see where he has been living and what they have been doing. They weren't kidding about being in the middle of no where. Nick and I went on some hikes and saw some awesome Indian ruins and petroglyphs. We also went to Monument Valley and finally I was able see the house Nick is building. You can't see the cool details in the pics but that's what makes it so cool. They have used mainly free or recycled materials. I'm so impressed with the house they have been building, it's incredible!

The next Monet? I think not.

2009-04-16T12:48:00.011-06:00

Book club was at my house last night so I thought I should do a fun dessert. Nick doesn't really eat much dessert so I never make it unless I intend to eat an entire pan of brownies by myself (which I occasionally wish to do). My friend Tori had this awesome book of cupcakes so I thought maybe I would take inspiration from that and make some amazing cupcakes. I was drawn to the ones that looked like Monet's painting "Starry Night". I love Monet. So I attempted this painting with frosting on a bunch of cupcakes. Now let me first say that Nick is the artistic one in the family. He can paint, draw, and everything else but I cannot. When we were dating he drew a picture of me with pen and marker which, from afar, looked like a photograph (he will be embarrassed but I thought I would add it to the post and a painting he did). We have paintings that he has painted that are amazing. I, on the other hand, try but really don't get the depth idea. What made me think I could pull off artistic cupcakes is beyond me. They turned out better than I thought but that was only because I used way too much frosting! They were much cuter in the book. Maybe Nick will be the next Monet.

Aloha Kauai Style

2009-03-28T21:51:00.002-06:00

For my birthday Nick and I went to Kauai. It was incredible! Honestly it was so beautiful that my pictures of the island don't do it justice. Nick kept teasing me that I needed a camera on my head to take constant pictures because I kept asking him to take pictures of everything. We hiked through the jungle, through the canyon called the grand canyon of the pacific, and on the amazing north shore. I've never seen so many different sites and been in such awe! We just kept our hiking shoes in our car and went when we felt like it. It was funny because the days we ended up going on hikes I was usually in a dress and my shoes looked hilarious with what I was wearing. When we went hiking through the canyon we ended up at some waterfalls. We were below one waterfall but literally on edge of the next one that dropped over 100 feet. It was kind of scary but sort of sureal! Oh, and the joys of passion fruit. I love tropical fruit but passion fruit is my favorite!! Nick went to town on pineapples. I refuse to admit how many times we stopped for shaved ice or boxes of macademia nut chocolates.

We went snorkeling a bunch and were amazed by how many fish and the types of fish we saw. One day we even saw a huge turtle. One was on the shore and we swam with one. We also saw seals and whales. It was incredible! We were lucky enough to get a mustang convertible as our rental car because they thought we were on our honeymoon. I don't know how many times we were asked if we were 21 and just married, it was funny! One of the best days was going to Kipu falls were you could jump off the waterfalls. We met a local guy who showed us some awesome cliffs to jump off, caves, and natural lava pools, he was so nice. I think my very favorite day was the hike on the north shore to Bali Hai (from South Pacific). It was spectacular with several waterfalls, cliffs, beach views and the amazing Na Pali coast. That night we went to Luau with tons of food and an awesome show. What a good ending to a wonderful vacation. Nick and I are already looking for airfare to go back, actually Nick was looking at houses so we could move there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEILA

2009-03-26T22:38:00.002-06:00

I know that I am miles away but I want you to know that you are always in my heart. Happy Birthday and congratulations my love. I can't tell you how proud I am of all that you have accomplished in the last year. I wish I could be with you to celebrate your acceptance to St. Marks and your 27 th birthday! I Love you Leila, Happy Birthday.

See you soon! -Nick

Match Day!!

2009-03-19T22:21:00.006-06:00

Today was Match Day (the day we find out where we got into residency)! I got my first choice of St. Marks! Yah!! What a relief. They kept building everything up and it made me nervous until finally let us get our envelopes with the blessed news. They make it so dramatic, it was kind of funny but hard because not everyone was happy. Unfortunately Nick could not be there since he is still in Bluff for school but he got the first call to find out the news! Our class is going all across the country it was really impressive!

V-day

2009-02-21T20:13:00.007-07:00

Not the best pic cause I started talking but I think Nick looks great!

The amazing view from our room! I love, love, love Valentine's Day. I'm totally a sucker for romance, love, flowers, chocolate, you name it I love it. Luckily Nick made it home just in time to celebrate with me. We stayed at the Grand America. Everybody kept making fun of me for staying in a hotel in the city I live but I have to say it's amazing. It's like a miny vacation and you don't have to travel far. You have a great room, you don't have to clean, you can eat in bed, free bathrobes, sleep in, use free soap and tissue, go to the spa and the pool and you've got like a million pillows and towels. What could be better? We had so much fun! And the prime rib buffet was amazing (I highly recommend it). Plus they had about 30 different chocolate desserts. Much to Nick's embarassment I tried almost all of them. I'm so grateful he was home to spend one of my favorite holidays together! Love you sweetie!

The "stache"!

2009-02-08T20:07:00.003-07:00

For those of you who don't know Nick is down in Southern Utah for most of this semester. The University of Utah is one of the few programs in the nation who offers the opportunity for their students to spend a year designing a house for a native american family. They then live in Southern Utah and actually build the house that they designed. He is gone for two weeks at a time and then home for a week. This is a bummer for me but it's such an amazing experience for Nick I couldn't say no. He has loved being down there. If you want to see updates from Bluff and see what they are doing you can check out the link on the right called "Blog for Nick's Project in Bluff, Utah". Since he has been so busy down there he didn't have much time to shave so he grew a beard. It was cute to see him with a full beard! I think it was really hard for him since he is such a pretty boy. He says it itched like crazy. I told he better shave for church when he was home and he came out of the shower with a mustache. It was so funny. We didn't have time to shave it all so he actually ended up going to church with it. Our ward is huge and we don't know everyone so I think people who didn't know him thought he was serious, it was so funny! He is also working on growing his hair out so he can cut a mullet with steps. I'll post pictures if he actually does it. I love these pics he looks so hot, I think he should be a model!

Way overdue!

2009-02-05T15:12:00.008-07:00

I know I'm super slow posting everything but I thought I would finally post some Holiday pictures. Not very exciting at this point but I feel like I've got to at least post something! Nick and I are way lucky because our families do everything together over the Holiday season so we get to be with everyone all the time. We had a blast this year playing games including the famous peanut game with Maddie loves (Maddie is Nick's cousin, she's the one in the leotard because she performed a ballet number for us, so cute!!). Nick, Toph and Enj had an arm wrestling contest, played some Guitar Hero, Boogle, Pit and we all played a mean game of House of Fire. Gloria made Toph an ugly sweater. It was so funny, I remember how those sweaters use to be so cool! I think the Petersons dog looked hilarious, I think that just might be our Christmas card next year.

My dad was so cute and suprised my mom with a big screen TV for her new living room, dining room and kitchen (they are currently redoing their house). She was so suprised that she almost cried! My dog even got her yearly present, which she managed to rip apart in a few hours. After leaving Logan Nick and I enjoyed our time off together. It was so much fun to relax and get things done around the house. We even finally hung up some pics around the house! Nick made an awesome spread of pictures he took from his travels, it's amazing I love it!! We also went out to eat with Kristin and Kolony and their families. I swear the kids are getting so big, so fast! I love the Holiday season for a million reasons and am always sad to see them end.

Merry Christmas!!!!

2008-12-21T14:41:00.003-07:00

In case I don't get to see all of you I want to make sure to wish you Happy Holidays!!! I would put a cute picture like all the christmas cards we keep getting but I'm afraid we don't have one. Maybe some day when we have kids.

Christmas present idea for the ironing challenged

2008-12-10T22:04:00.005-07:00

Yes we are still alive. We have been really busy and I'll be honest, not really had anything exciting to post. Poor Nick came to bed at 5:00 this morning and my alarm went off at 5:15. We had 15 minutes of quality cuddling. I've been meeting Nick for dinner up at school since I was on call the last two nights - ahh, kind of crazy! He has yet to come home at a normal hour if at all, I feel so bad - he works so hard! Just a few more weeks of craziness this semester! In the mist of the madness I had to post about my steamer (I know not a very exciting post, sorry, but I keep using it and just have to share). 3 years ago for Christmas my parents gave us a clothes steamer. Now for most people this might seem like a silly present but I almost cried. I do not like to iron. Really do not like to iron. My mom is an ironing manic. She even irons underware, towels, sheets, you get the idea, and everything looks like it just got back from the dry cleaner (my dad is amazing at it too). Apparently the ironing gene skips a generation. Even when we were dating Nick had to iron for me. He would come over early before church and help me. I know sad, I can handle most domestic things but I can't seem to get the hang of ironing. Even when I do iron whatever I iron ends up looking about the same, I just don't get it! Anyway, the steamer must be one of the best inventions ever. My clothes have never looked so good. So for anyone looking for a last minute present for Christma I highly recommend it! If anyone has any other secrets about how to have ironed looking clothes without ironing I would love to hear them!

Europe

2008-10-25T21:23:00.007-06:00

We went to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. We saw lots of sweet modern buildings (too many to put on the blog), drove through the swiss alps, found my dream car, went to the Mercedes and BMW museum, visited the Olympic stadium and about a million other things (and no that is not beer but there were really men in Lederhosen).

It's over!!

2008-10-17T21:46:00.002-06:00

I took my second board exam today. It was 9 hours long and was kind of crazy! But I'm done. It was so sweet Nick figured out how to call me this morning from Switzerland to wish me good luck! I think it was the middle of the night there and he had no idea how he was going to call but he figured something out. I have the sweetest husband ever! Now I just have to wait forever for the results! And count down the minutes until Nick gets home!

Lots of Studying

2008-10-09T18:45:00.005-06:00

This is how exciting our lives look right now. I know I haven't posted forever but way too much of our time has been spent sitting at this table studying side by side. Not very glamorous! I have my second board exam next week and Nick is trying to get a lot of homework done before he leaves for Europe on Saturday. Sad, I know, I am going to be an architecture widow again. But I'm excited for Nick to see an amazing part of the world that I love! Things have been kind of crazy trying to apply for Residency and schedule interviews. That and trying to fit every outdoor activity we can think of in before it snows: road biking, tennis, golf, soft ball, long walks, and sitting by the pool, it's been so fun in spite of the many hours we have been studying! I can't believe how time flies. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful companion to share this sweet journey with. It's so fun to know he is right next to me every step of the way! And I'm amazed by how long he can sit in one chair and stare at the computer screen without getting up!

Legacy Highway

2008-09-17T14:35:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know already Legacy Highway is now open! My favorite part is the new trail for biking. We love road biking and the more trails closer to us the better! Check it out if you get a second.

My New Favorite Thing

2008-09-11T21:48:00.003-06:00

So my friend Anne Marie put this on her blog awhile ago and I have finally gotten around to using it and this is the best thing ever! Instead of using 411 (which we do often to find phone numbers and addresses) you can use the free google version - 800-goog-411 or 800-466-4411. We have saved lots of money! Hope you will all enjoy it as much as I have! Thanks Anne Marie.

The Last Days of Summer

2008-08-27T16:17:00.013-06:00

I'm sorry I know this is way overdue (sorry girls) but I kept forgetting to post these fun pictures. These last few weeks have been such a blast, we have been trying to soak up every last minute of summer that we could. Ty and Karli's wedding was beautiful and so much fun (especially watching everyone dance). It was so great to be with all of Nick's friends and their cute wives. Karli's dress was so amazing and she looked so beautiful. We have to do it again soon for sure! We have also spent a lot of time with our families. Nick was Toph's caddy for the Utah Amatuer golf tournament. It was cute to watch the two of them together. We also had a bbq with both our families on the 24th. My favorite was trying to watch Toph hit a golf ball to the country club from my parents backyard (which is very far away), sorry if anyone between here and there got hit with a golf ball that day. Just barely we had our last dinner with Brit before she moves back to New York. It is so sad to see her go! Sorry for the millions of pictures!

Good Times

2008-07-24T12:51:00.001-06:00

Memories!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together (or my sweet husband). It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Happy Anniversary

2008-07-21T18:13:00.004-06:00

Nick and I have been married for three wonderful years. We have had so much fun traveling, studying together, and just hanging out. We feel so blessed and so lucky to have each other. We were truly made for each other. I have the most amazing husband in the world! For our anniversary he took me to Park City where we rode the Alpine Slides, Coaster, and played mini golf. We also got to go shopping and eat at Sabor! It was so much fun! Sorry the pictures are so bad but I forgot the camera and had to use my phone. Happy 3 years babe, I love you forever!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-08T16:47:00.008-06:00

The Fourth of July is always so much fun and so is Logan! Our families got together for a BBQ, a mean game of croquet and a movie on the lawn. Nick went golfing with his fam and then his boys. We all went to the Cruise In and we got to hang out with our friends, Brit and Jared and even see Mama and Papa Lowe!

I Love Cali

2008-07-06T18:12:00.011-06:00

Last minute Nick and I decided to go to Cali and play. I forgot how fun it could be. Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth. You feel like a little kid as soon as you enter. We ran around and tried to ride all the rides and got drenched on Splash Mountain. We also went to Sea World, which was incredible. I forgot how awesome animals are. Shamu was my favorite and I loved petting the dolphins and sting rays. We also spend a day at the beach and a day checking out some amazing buildings (I am married to an architecture student). We went to the Getty and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. If anyone ever wants to make another quick trip, let us know!

Japan, Part 3

2008-07-03T10:20:00.008-06:00

I promise this is the last of the Japan pictures. Japan was just an incredible country. The culture is really "cute". Everyone has little uniforms and are very respectful. I went with my class to study Japanese architecture. There are so many amazing buildings. We were there for almost 5 weeks and we had the opportunity to do so many different things, even karokee. I can't wait to go back!

Japan, Part 2

2008-07-01T17:19:00.009-06:00

I think I took over 2,000 pics. Here are a few that help to show some of the experiences I had. What an amazing place!

Father's Day

2008-06-22T14:15:00.006-06:00

I know I'm a little late but this week has been crazy finishing up with my surgery rotation and exam. This year Father's Day meant a little more to me because my sweet dear grandpa passed away. He was truly an amazing person and a wonderful example to me. He was always optimistic and made everything fun! He will be very missed in our family. As for all of the rest of the wonderful men in my life, I am so blessed. I have the most wonderful father and father-in-law in the world. I am so lucky. I also have an incredible husband who will be a great father some day.

Toph is famous

2008-06-10T21:16:00.003-06:00

My brother-in-law, Toph, is on the golf team at USU and just had an amazing day. He was 9 under par with a score of 62 at the Northern Qualifier yesterday at the Logan Country Club. He qualified for the State Amateur in July. We are super excited for him. Awesome job, Toph!

If you want to read the whole article here is the link:

The Herald Journal Serving Logan and Cache Valley > Sports > Ags make some noise

Japan, Part 1

2008-05-23T17:00:00.008-06:00

Happy Birthday Nick

2008-05-17T17:03:00.002-06:00

Even though I am not going to see Nick on his birthday and technically he already celebrated it since he is 15 hours ahead in Japan I have to wish him a Happy Birthday today. He is an absolutely wonderful husband and I miss him like crazy. Happy Birthday sweetie!

My Parents Homecoming

2008-05-16T19:54:00.002-06:00

For all of those in Logan this weekend I just thought I'd let you know that my parents homecoming is at 1:00 at the church on the island (Lauralin Dr). We would love to see you all there!

Nick's Graduation

2008-05-06T21:34:00.005-06:00

Nick graduated! He received his Bachelors last week. He has worked so hard, I'm so proud of him. He is that much closer to being done! Congrats, sweetie!

They're Home!

2008-05-04T11:46:00.007-06:00

I can't believe how time flies! It feels like my parents just left and like we just went to visit them in Brazil and now they are home. It was amazing to see them with their tan smiling faces and looking like missionaries. I missed them like crazy and am so excited that they are finally home! It was funny because they came from 90 degree to snow. I know the sign is enormous but I made it one letter at a time because I was kind of busy and didn't realize how big it was until I put it all together. It was fun for them to see all the grandkids and how much they have grown and of course the new addition, Kohler. We surprised them with Keisha (their dog) who of course remembered them. It's awesome to hear all of their amazing stories and the love they have for the people of Brazil. I think they are ready to go back already!

Baby Blessing

2008-04-27T18:09:00.009-06:00

Today Kolony blessed her new baby boy, Kohler. It was fun to see everyone. He is so cute. It was really sweet to see him in the blanket that our Grandma King made (she passed away last year). The blessing was absolutely wonderful. It was really touching. Everyone thinks that Kohler looks like Grandpa King with his almost red hair. My favorite pic is the one of Kapri after eating a chocolate cupcake (especially because she was wearing a white dress). I can't believe how big everyone else is getting. Klancey is almost 8 and Kellstin is starting high school next year. Time flies! I remember when they were just little. Poor Snug had just gotten Lasik and was stuck wearing sun glasses. It is always wonderful to spend time with family. Sorry the pictures aren't great but I forgot the camera and had to take these with my phone.

My Amazing Husband

2008-04-26T19:53:00.005-06:00

So for those of you who don't know much about architecture school let me tell you it's crazy! My poor husband has probably only slept around 12 hours since Monday. He has a huge project due tomorrow and has been working non stop. I just wanted to show off part of his project that is just awesome. He had to make a light for the building he is designing and we will hang it up in our house as soon as he has presented.

Crepes

2008-04-22T20:28:00.002-06:00

So I love cooking (if I have time) and I have a ton of recipes that I love but I thought I'd share some comfort food. Nick and I eat these all the time because they are easy, made from ingredients you usually have and you can put a million different things in them. I actually got this recipe from one of my friends who served a mission in France (thanks Tim) so I'm thinking it's pretty authentic. I actually think they taste a lot like the crepes we used to get from the street vendors in Paris. Here's the recipe:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 T melted butter
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 cups flour
Just whisk everything together. Make sure the frying pan is already warm. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and pour into pan and move pan around to spread as thin as possible. Cook on both sides. Ideas for serving: powder sugar and fruit (all berries are great, peaches are awesome), nutella (which is incredible) and even ham and cheese. Roll or fold and serve warm. This makes 8-12 depending on the size and thickness you make them.

American Idol

2008-04-15T21:50:00.002-06:00

So I am kind of out of the loop on American Idol this season but I actually was home in time to watch it tonight and I have to say I was impressed with the variety of people left on the show. It seemed like everyone really had their own style and I thought it was cool. I was reminded how amazing Myriah Carey is too. She has an incredible range. Anyway, I think my favorite of the night was David Cook just because it was so different.

Life's Little Moments

2008-04-08T21:13:00.004-06:00

I know I haven't written anything forever but I recently started a new rotation and since that time have spent a lot of time at the hospital. One morning I was driving to school (way too early) and this is what I saw when I left our street. I couldn't help but take a picture with my phone. I think so often I forget to stop and "smell the roses". Life is filled with so many beautiful, special moments and we have to remember to enjoy every one!

Happy Birthday Leila

2008-03-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to take a second to wish the love of my life a happy 26th Birthday. You mean everything to me. I love you forever. Have a great day Lei.

Love Always, Nick

Congrats to Nick

2008-03-24T22:17:00.000-06:00

I just have to say how excited I am for Nick. He just got his acceptance letter to the Masters program for the University of Utah School of Architecture. Architecture school has turned out to be a lot of work. Nick has worked really hard and done really well. He is extremely creative and has pulled a lot of all nighters. He had to apply to get into the program two years ago and now again to get into the Masters. He made an awesome portfolio of all of his work which I am sure they loved and I am so proud of him!

Arches

2008-03-24T15:42:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry for all of the pictures but we had about a million of all the beautiful landscapes that I just couldn't decide. We just went to Arches and for those of you who haven't been I highly recommend it. We hadn't been for a few years but it is so incredible. There is one amazing thing to see after another and being outdoors when there are very few people is almost spiritual. We loved being outside, camping and hiking. Nick's favorite was the fiery furnance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you do it together. We had such a blast!

From Drab to Fab

2008-03-14T17:18:00.000-06:00

Brittany, my sister-in-law, worked in New York as a fashion designer. She obviously has incredible taste (as does the rest of the family). She spoke at a recent conference in Logan about how to build your wardrobe. Her talk was in the Herald Journal. Check it out if you want some awesome tips about how to make make your wardrobe fantastic! Here is the website:
http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2008/03/03/news/news04.txt

Utah Jazz

2008-03-13T21:07:00.000-06:00

Nick and I love the Utah Jazz (and the Aggies - who won today, yeah!). We talk about the days when Stockton and Malone played and all of the fun games. We have been watching a lot of the recent games and we were able to go to the Denver Nuggets game with Nick's wonderful parents. I love when they come to see us. We hope the Jazz do well in the playoffs!

Rascal Flatts

2008-03-10T18:30:00.000-06:00

Even though Nick isn't as into country music as I am, we spent a lot of our courtship listening to Rascal Flatts. I remember playing Tetris and having Rascal Flatts in the background. We had so much fun. We went to the Rascal Flatts concert on Friday and the songs brought back a lot of wonderful memories. Our first dance at our wedding was to our song "Bless the Broken Road" (that is what the video is of if you can get it to play). I know, cheesy, but I love my husband very much and cherish every memory we have made. For the last song they had the Marine Corps come out and honored them. I thought it was awesome because I think so often we take for granted what others are doing for us. Because they are willing to sacrifice we can live in this wonderful country with all the freedoms we have!

John McCain

2008-03-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Nick and I have been way into this election trying to watch the debates and news coverage to decide who the best candidate is. I saw this and couldn't help but laugh. It's funny what your subconscious inadvertently tells you. So what do you all think? Is he conservative or liberal?

Our New House

2008-03-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

This post is for Anne Marie and my parents as promised. For all of you that don't know the story of our new house here it is. When we moved down to Salt Lake we bought an awesome town home. We loved it and had worked on it some. Last summer Nick and I were looking at the real estate market (this was before the market crashed). Nick had been looking at a new development for awhile which had grown like crazy and the prices were increasing a lot (he thought it would be a good investment). Just to see what we could get for our house we put it on craigslist for a lot more than we thought we could get. Within a week we had two interested parties and decided to go ahead and sell it. Since we sold just at the right time we were able to put a big down payment and build in the area Nick had been looking at.

It was one of the cookie cutter homes which was hard for Nick (since he is in architecture school) but we figured we could change a lot to make it our own later. Our house was finished in December. It's crazy that it's our house. We feel so lucky! It's not a lot bigger than our town home but little things make a huge difference. I think my favorite part is the pantry (Nick's favorite is the garage). It's amazing. We are so blessed. You can tell Nick is in architecture school and loves the modern style. Good thing he has amazing taste. I do think we took too many projects on ourselves to save money. In our last house we painted the cabinets. We decided to do that in this house. I forgot how horrible it was to do. Last time I had my moms help and no school. This time it took forever but it's finally done, yeah!! We still have a lot to do (like our yard and floors). Nick is currently working on concrete countertops. We will keep you updated and show more pictures when more gets done. You are welcome to visit any time!

Kohler M. Tippets

2008-02-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

Kolony had her second child last week. He is absolutely beautiful and so sweet. I spent the afternoon with them. This is Kapri holding Kohler. I can't believe I now have 5 nieces and nephews.

My Wonderful Parents

2008-02-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

So I don't have beautiful children to show off but I have incredible parents. This is a picture of them by the Recife temple. We actually went to see them last Christmas and loved seeing what they are up to. They are the missionaries in charge of the
Perpetual Education Fund and Welfare in Northern Brazil.

They are stationed in Recife but constantly travel. They
have absolutely loved their mission. They are suppose to
come home in April but I think they will stay until May. Even though most of the work they have been asked to do is
mainly with PEF they have also had some wonderful experiences with non-members. My dad has baptized quite a few people and they were waiting to come home because of some new prospects. When we went to see them we saw their cute apartment and met some of their wonderful neighbors.

I think it will be hard for them to come home except maybe for the weather. When we were there it was about 95 degrees with 100% humidity almost all of the time. You constantly feel wet but because of that they have the most amazing fruit. My parents recently received an email from the director of PEF that told them that the last meeting President Hinkley attended was for the PEF that he started and was very proud of.

Blogging is the Thing to Do

2008-02-26T12:38:00.001-07:00

So everyone keeps asking me if we have a blog so I guess this is the thing to do. I'm actually not even quite sure what I'm doing but I love looking at what everyone else is up to. I'm afraid our life isn't exciting like everyone with beautiful children but I am excited to check out what everyone else is up to. I think our lives might seem somewhat boring compared to everyone else.