The Mortensen Family

2 posts in 1 month!

2011-02-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

Look at me! 2 posts in one month, dare I say there may be 3.... So Steve and I went to Hawaii back in November with our good friends, The Dastrup's. It was a riot! We spent a whole week in Kona and enjoyed every minute of it! It was quite the adventure getting there, but hey...after a few extra plane rides and a night in Maui, we made it!!

Yes...i am fully aware of the random man with wicked sideburns on his legs! As I was looking thru all our photos of the trip I realized that we took a few pics of random people doing random, yet memorable things....Lol! Sorry if this is anybody's relative, but it was too good to pass up!

Laker turned 4 in December and celebrated with many dragons...If you know my child you will know that he LOVES dragons! It was fun, I cant believe how fast they grow up. And yes, Oakley is still a red head with a pretty rad mullet!

I still have my horse that I am proud to say that I am now riding! I have put about 7 or 8 rides on her and she is doing great. I got her as a yearling and she is now 2 turning 3 this year. She is doing amazing and i would have a picture of this, but its a little hard to take a picture while riding....

Steve is busy gearing up for a new year with Landscaping, i am going to miss my "Winter Steve", but i know he always come back around November... if any of my readers need pest control, fertilizing, landscaping or maintenance services (all three of you..) leave me a comment! He is the best in town!!

On another note, check out my sewing blog to see what i did over the weekend...It freakin rocks!!!

I know, I know...

2011-02-04T23:47:00.000-08:00

ok, so i am well aware that is has been over year since my last post, but lets be honest, I think 3 people actually read it, or did read it. I promise I will catch up, we have had one hell of a year, to say it nicely...but here is to 2011! If we made it thru last year we can make it thru just about anything. No we did not have marriage issues, we just had a lot of crap stuff happened mixed in with some fun stuff. I created another blog to follow me on a new "adventure" and I just wanted to let you all know! So check it out and tell me what you think....www.thesewingnerd.blogspot.com

Christmas with the Fam

2010-01-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

So here is yet another catch up post of our holiday extravaganza! Oh and my favorite picture is the one where I totally caught steve picking his nose!!!!! Enjoy!!!

Catch up from Oct...because all my pictures are still on my camera

2009-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

So this is what we have been up to since October.....i know, i already know that i am the worst blogger ever, and so do my 2 faithful followers!!!!

i love this pic because Laker really wants to be just like his dad...undees and all!

Laker and Ocean hanging out
Picking out our pumpkins which we never got around to carving...i know parents of the year!!!

Steve and i went as Popeye and Olive Oyl to our neighborhood party, and Laker was a dragon while Oaks was a unicorn!

At the friend halloween party Steve and i went as "Octo-mom" and paparazzi.... as you can see thekids were not the only ones having fun!

So back in november one of steve's workers had his son with him doing some work, and i thought...hey just leave him here with Laker and i and they can just play while you work. Great idea right...did i mention i don't speak a lick of spanish and he speaks ZERO english. No big deal, he and laker seemed to be ale to communicate, but what happens when you get 2 kids that think they can talk to each other....well look for your self. this happened in a matter of 15 minutes!!!!

So i promise to get my camera cleared off so i can be "current" on our life.......

The Chatter Box Dec 3rd 4-9pm

2009-11-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here is (I think) the last boutique we will be at for this year. Come and see us, we will have Car Seat Covers, Nursing Covers, Changing Pads and Pillow Case Dresses.

Oh Sweet Sadie

2009-11-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

So some how, i think by miracle, the crabby apple (my little company) got into the Oh Sweet Sadie show out at soda row in daybreak this week. it starts wednesday and runs through sat! how awesome!!!! granted we literally have had 1.5 days to pull everything together. I sent the owners of the show an email saturday night seeing if they had any openings, figuring NOT because the show was the next week. i really was just trying to make contact to see how we could be vendors in the upcoming spring shows and to my surprise we got in. Some come check us out or simply come by and say hi!!!!!

The drama continues......

2009-11-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

for those of you who read my post below, here is his response:

"Walmart carries several very nice Brother machines that are more in the price range you are looking for. Those are brand new also, not used, with a warranty too. Best of luck."

My response: (which, now that i think about it i should have just left it at his response, but still, what a jerk!!!!)

"no, good luck to you. I actually don't mind paying $500 for it, but you have to expect people to low ball you when you place things for sale on KSL. But the way you handled it was rude, so I am gonna take my cash and drop it in a store that sells your same used machine that has been serviced by professionals and know that I will be treated with respect. "

his response:

"I wouldn't have sold my Bernina sewing machine to you no matter what price you offered. You low balled too low and got treated like the cheapskate that you are. You just got a little taste of what you deserve and evidently didn't like it. Oh well, the truth hurts sometimes. Just admit that you're going to buy the SewPro for $40 from Walmart this weekend and sew away to your little heart's content making costumes for your pet dog or whatever silly crap that you have in mind to sew. "

(Ouch by the way!!!!! Do you think this guy is just mad at life or what????)

my final response:

"Thanks for the insight, i just hope you don't treat everyone that makes you an offer you don't like this way. Its just a price game, one you did not want to play, which is fine, but not everyone has thick skin. Good luck and its been interesting chatting with you."

his final response....

"I'm sure that you have very thick skin based on the limited correspondence that we've had. How thick is a hippo's skin btw? Your e-mail has been added to my spam blocker list. Good luck with your low ballin'."

Man i am gonna miss this guy! if anyone wants his email to pay their respects, let me know!!!!!

Who are these people!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

ok, so i know i have been MIA, but i have good reason (for my 2 followers.....) I have been sewing up a storm. I decided to be in a boutique with my carseat covers, nursing covers, changing pads and pillowcase dresses. there were some serious all nighters pulled, i am a talking till 4 in the morning.....to get everything done. Which runs today and tomorrow. the address is 32 W Main Street in AF, and all i can say is AWESOME!!!!!!!so to my point. My awesome friend carrie also loves to sew and quilt and she told me there was a Bernina sewing machine just like hers on KLS for like $515 bucks, so of course i jumped on it. I sent the guy an email asking if he would take $400 cash. Now keep in mind, this is KSL,no one gets what they are asking, so of course you offer something that maybe they would consider. the guy emails me back and all it said was, "no thanks". So i left it like that. A few days later he has relisted the machine, same price. So i sent him another email. All i said was this, "I saw that you relisted your machine, would you still consider $400 in cash?". Here is his glorious response, keep in mind this is a dude.....

"You should stick with Brother or even a SewPro sewing machine, Walmart has a great deal on a SewPro sewing machine for under $40.00. Here's the link to that sewing machine for reference: http://www.walmart.com/Sewpro-Quikstitch-Sewing-Machine-Sp402/ip/5006454. Bernina sewing machines aren't really for people like you I think.

Cheers,
Todd

What an ASS!!!!!! there I said it, but i feel better venting to my blog and my awesome husband who had a few choice words for him! For all he knows i could have been a sweet old lady looking for a new machine. I mean my blood was boiling!!!!! hey, I am no expert at sewing, i taught myself....on a $150 Euro Pro, but i think i have graduated from my machine, we have had a glorious year together but i have learned all i can from her......i had a beautiful email written to just blast this jerk but i decided to take the high road, partly because i really need this machine, but still, the high road right????.......this was my respone:

"a simple "no thanks" would have done. If you still cant sell it at $515 I am willing to pay cash if you lower the price a bit. "

I cant wait for his response!

Steve is asleep so ......

2009-09-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

i guess i need to update my blog. Laker started pre school in the end of august and he loves it! We have been going to farm country at thanksgiving point quite a bit because he loves the pony ride. The kid breaks the bank cause he wont get off! its a dollar a ride....so i decided to take him to the barn and ride to his hearts content!!! we have been a few times and thanks to good old Sunchaser i don't have to walk around with him. Bless her heart, she just walks around the arena, nice and slow and he has a ball! i have also picked up a new "project"...this is my yearling that i am breaking! i am so excited about it. she is such a good girl already. Laker walks with me to her paddock and helps me bring her in to play with her. Come next spring i will put a first ride on her and then its time to grow up during the summer before i really start her training!

oakley is getting so big, where has the time gone??? she is already 3 1/2 months old. i forget how fast they grow, they are not newborns for very long. She is doing awesome, she loves her brother, it is so fun to watch them interact! oh did i mention laker loves being in his "nunees and boots"..

oh, steve has rediscovered guitar hero, he was supposed to be watching the baby and i found them like this...he is playing and she is watching!

I promise we are not dead!!!!!

2009-08-12T22:55:00.001-07:00

So I am a slacker for not posting with a new baby, but hey summer is for enjoying, not blogging every night???? that is my excuse, so i have done my best to update you over the past 2 months, there is a lot! Monday my cute Cousin got married and had quite the party to celebrate. They got married at Rice Eccles Stadium and then had a dinner and reception covering all 4 floors! It was great and the food was fantastic. His mom catered my wedding and so I felt i got to eat all the food i missed at mine, and boy did i ever!!! Can i just say shrimp cocktail, prime rib and turkey and of course the crape station!!! i waited 7 years to get that day back!!!! (For those of you who don't know, i hardly got to eat any food at my wedding and all i wanted was a crape)

Oakley on the other hand has been such a good baby! she is a good eater and sleeper and yes, she sleeps thru the night! She is so mellow and just goes with the flow. she is 2 1/2 months old, i cant believe it. each day she does something new. i forget how fast they grow, i think i was expecting her to stay "newbornish" longer. I love this age though...they are stronger with their heads and smile and make cute noises! Laker is the best big brother. He love to give her kisses and when she is napping he always tells me, "Shhh mommy, baby Oaky is sleeping" and he is soo serious!! I love it! So here is my catch up, i should be working on my etsy stuff, but that will have to wait! Enjoy!!

Swim Lessons and Rancho Relaxo 09

2009-08-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

Laker and I have done Mom and Tot swim classes for the past 2 years, so it was fitting that we finish out his last year of swim lessons with mom at the Scera Pool. It was so fun, it was 2 weeks long and he loved every second of it. Every morning he would get dressed in MY swimming suit and come running our shout "swim pool swim pool!"...i had to edit the photos because my suit did not cover his goods .. I have to thanks my good friend Jeanine and her cute little girl Berlin for sitting with Oakley while we swam, it made things a lot easier! Laker loved to wear his undees out after swim class! We also spent this past weekend up at our friends Ranch up in Heber. It was soo much fun, we rode 4 wheelers,played on the slip'n'slide, played cards, night games and laughed soo hard it hurt. These guys were nuts! when the women and children went to bed i can only imagine what went on......lets just say they all woke up embarrassed each morning due to the early morning festivities.....We also celebrated our 7th anniversary while we were there, nothing special, but good time to be had by all!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! and Oakley's Blessing

2009-08-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Oakley has been know as a party foul in our family....she was born on my brother's birthday, when we called him this is what he said, "Great, not only is there another grandkid to steal my thunder, but she had to be born on my birthday, the one day that I get to shine!" It was soo funny!! So in keeping with her thunder stealing my birthday just happen to fall on the first Sunday of the month and yes, we blessed her! but what a fun day and it will be something that I will always remember. Oh, and Steve totally came through for my B-day, he got me the most fabulous B Makowsky bag ever!!! He has great taste, or should I say the staff and Nordstrom has great taste!!! Thanks Beave!!! p.s. notice laker holding himself in the pic below. this is a common occurrence in our house, but hey ia m not changing any diapers!!!! hip hip horay!

Hanging around the house

2009-08-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of us just bummin around the house. I cant believe the difference in my two kids... blonde hair brown eyes and red hair blue eyes......Laker likes to lay by his Sissy an make her laugh, it is pretty funny. One morning i was sorting Oakley's cloths and putting away the 'newborn" stuff because, well, she no longer fits in it...sniff....sniff and i kid you not, 2 seconds later Laker was putting it on, so I thought I would help accessorize him......what a pretty little thing!!!

24th and Days of 47' Rodeo

2009-08-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

We were pretty mellow for the 24th, as you can see we did our own firework show out front, but hey, you make it what you want right??? We aslo go to go to the Days of 47' Rodeo with the Dastrups. We had a great time!

Carseat Covers

2009-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Before i had Oakley I caught the "sewing bug". I made myself some nursing covers (which was a waste since nursed for like a minute), a few carseat covers and changing pads. Now that we are out and about doing our daily routine, I get stopped at least twice a day by women asking me about my carseat cover. So I have decided to sell them. Here are a few that I have made, some for friends, anyways, if you or someone you know is interested leave me a comment or email me at k24morty@yahoo.com . They will start at $40 for carseat covers, $20 for nursing covers and $25 for changing pads. Also, there is a pic of some fabrics I have at the moment

6 Weeks and the 4th of July!

2009-07-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

For the 4th we went to the Children's Discovery Garden at Thanksgiving Point. We met my mom, stocked up on snacks (which we smuggled in...) and headed over. Laker had such a great time. he loves water, at home we have kiddie pool that he lives in!!! the routine at home is to strip down naked and splash, pee and play all day. We had to keep reminding Laker that that we have to keep our thomas undees on. It was so fun, just to sit and watch him play. Oakley hung out with Nana while we wondered through the garden and played in the tunnels. It was soo much fun! That night we headed over to "The Culdesac of Fire". It was so fun, they had the "Bonus Brothers" come and perform, a few dance numbers and of course fire works. It was great!

Oakley is officially 6 weeks old! My how time flys!! She is such a good baby and she is starting to sleep through the night. she is a creature of routine for sure, she is on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule, then is awake for about 30 min after eating and then down for the count till her tummy wakes her up. Laker is a really good big brother. He is finally calling her Sis Oaky instead of sisy anne, which we have not a clue where it came from even though her middle name is anne, we never told him that.... he likes to help me change her bum and feed her and his favorite this is to give her kisses and stroke her face while saying "awwe". It is soo funny. all in all life is pretty good with 2 so far. We also got Oakley's newborns pics back, my good friend Britty did them, there is a link to her website on our blog but she does such an awesome job!!!! here are some of the pics!!

Mortensen Family Reunion

2009-07-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being a slacker, but we have been busy!!! Last week was the Mortensen Family Reunion. Typically it falls every 3 years, but this one came a year early...only because Steve's Parents are leaving in September to serve another mission, this time they are going to South Africa!!! We are so excited for them and are hoping we can make a trip there when they are finished.

Anyways, the reunion kicked off with all of the boys golfing, they play as many holes as they can fit in, and i was the lucky one who got to feed them all lunch, did I mention there are 8 boys, plus his dad and cousin that played???? It was great!

Saturday we headed up to Aspen Grove for a whole week. There were 62 Mortensen's up there!!! and that is just Steve's brothers and sisters and their kids. We actually were missing one, my nephew, Mac. He is doing his Basic Training for the Army. We had a great time, all the kids split off into their age groups and were gone all day. Laker had a great time with his cousins in his group and it was nice to have a break!!! Oakley was a champ!!! she slept great and just hung out. I could not do much because of our 3-4 hour schedule, but we did manage to hike to the waterfalls. I wrapped her in my Moby Wrap (which is awesome by the way!) and Steve hauled her up the mountain, she slept the whole way. all in all we had a great time and of course each night was filled with card games...rook, mormon bridge, texas holdem, you name it, we played it! Steve and his brothers dominated in the basketball tournaments as well as water b-ball. Actually it was a pick up game amongst the bro which turned out to be a major brawl. It was hilarious to watch. the lifeguard on duty awarded them the most ferocious game of water ball, but highlighted the point that they don't "encourage" this behavior, but she was not about to interrupt!!! It was great! So get ready for the pics!!! There is a few, oh, on a side note, for those of you who commented, and thank you...I ended up drying up while we were up there...not on purpose but i was not able to pump for 12 hours and that pretty much did it for me. It hurt like hell and i was soo lopsided you could tell from a mile a way, but i'll tell you what, i felt soo much better the next day. I lasted 5 weeks...thats better than nothing. Now i can enjoy my baby instead of stressing and being in pain, plus steve can help with the feedings even though she is going 6-7 hours through the night!!!

A Little Update

2009-06-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

So i know everyone loves to hears about my boob problems, but i thought i would give an update. my doc gave me an antibiotic and told me to take Ibuprofen and lortab for the pain. it worked great for like 3 days and then it hit again, this time higher up on my boob. yes, this meant more tears of pain came flowing!!! along with a few choice words that i won't mention. My doc sent me to the er to get a shot of a stronger antibiotic. So they shot me up in one leg and sent me on my way. the next morning all i got was more pain in the boob and now i have sore leg...fantastic!!! so of course i have to go back to the er the next day for another shot in other other leg. Wonderful!!! one sore boob and 2 sore legs, oh did i mention that Laker now has a bad cold with a fever that makes him radiate heat???? sick kids are so fun!!! but good news is this time the shot worked, my boob does not hurt AS bad, still a little sore and i am no longer walking like i am 90! The outcome gave me a bad case of lopsided boobs every time i need to feed, so now i am just waiting to dry up. The devil boob only gives about 1/2 oz of milk while the other gives like 4!!! can you get a mental picture of me when my milk drops.....pretty i know and we leave tomorrow for a week for the Mortensen family reunion. It will be one interesting week as far as feeding goes since i am only pumping. At least i am no longer delirious!

Oh...did I mention.....

2009-06-21T21:38:00.001-07:00

So on top of having all the nursing issues, i woke up saturday morning with extreme pain in my right boob, the one boob that has been a champ - no soreness in the nipple- I thought it had to do with the Reglan I have been taking since it is supposed to increase my milk supply. I did all the things you would do to treat engorgement and nothing helped. Well, after attempting to nurse Oakley and about 15 minutes of both of us bawling.....I called my doc and my lactation specialist, the conclusion......I have mastitis!!!! Life just is not fair I tell ya!

I thought natural labor was painful, well i lied! This is a pain that i wish on no one! and for those of you that have experienced it, you know what i mean. And to make matters worse, steve was gone all day for a golf tourney up in Heber, it just happened to be called "the longest day" tourney. So my poor mom had to come down and take care of me and the kids till he got home. What would i do without her!!!!

So, now that my milk supply is low do to going off the Relgan and both boobs are sore for different reasons, i really have no clue what to do about this whole feeding situation.......I really want to stick it out as long as possible, but come on....how many people purposely torture themselves and for how long?????

Breast feeding Vs. Formula

2009-06-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I am looking for advice on this. Oakley is now 3 weeks old and in these 3 weeks we have seen our lactation specialist 4 times!!! I am pumping right now and am getting around 5-7 oz per session.

The problem: Well first of all, i have the sorest nipples ever!!! she is a great sucker which brought on the problem and now i am paying for it. then on top of it I am having a "let down" disconnect. She can nurse for 40 min and then still suck down 3 oz of pumped milk. My doc put me on Regalon to help with the let down, but i am still having to give her a little extra after i nurse her. I think so far, we have had maybe 3 or 4 successful nursing sessions where she is completely satisfied and zonks out. Now we are starting to get the colic symptoms.

So my question is: how long should one endure 1- pumping and nursing and sore nipples and 2- the fussy baby that may be brought on by colic? i don't know if it is worth the pain and frustration of doing this or if i should switch to formula or every other feeding use formula?

With my first - he was a horrible baby because of this very problem, only i had no clue. i lasted 5 months with nursing and did i mention they were hell??? once he was on formula he was the best baby ever. Don't get me wrong, Oakley is leaps and bounds better than laker was but i was able to get help a lot sooner with nursing with her. i just don't know if i should make the switch now and save myself the agony....

any advice or input would help!!!!

Monkey #2

2009-06-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay...we have been a little busy! So here is a little documentary of the delivery....My doc was going out of town so he induced me that friday. We got to the hospital at 2, they broke my water and got me started at 3:45. Oakley was born at 6:45!! super fast. Here is what happened in between.....as soon as the drugs started i was immediately having contractions. My doc had to run back and forth between Jordan Valley and Alta View. He checked me when I was about a 4 and then took off to Jordan Valley. In the hour he was gone i went from a 4 to COMPLETE!!!! I was having double-decker contractions that cause me to dilate that fast in like 10 minutes. So needless to say, I was complete for 20 minutes!!!! My doctor was racing to get back. the nurse did not realize we were still on speaker phone with my doc so he heard me go through the contractions and trying NOT to push. I was about to pass out because lets face it....the pain of natural child birth is a bitch! Once my doctor arrived I pushed for 5 minutes and little Oakley was out! Steve was awsome and a great coach and I had the best nurses and doc. I am just glad she is out!

Life with two so far has been pretty easy. This little girl just eats and sleeps all day and she already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Laker is really good with her too. We have not had any poking of the eyes and face yet but he loves giving her kisses.

Oakley Anne Mortensen is here!!

2009-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Our little Oakley Anne was born on May 29, 2009. Here's some pics!

Quick Update

2009-05-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

So i have been a huge slacker and i promise to get some pics up of our trip to St. George and what we have been up to, but for now.....i went to my doc today and if i don't have this baby by Thursday....he is inducing me on Friday!!!! so......stay tuned!

Cold Turkey

2009-04-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

So to fix the Poo Nap problem what did i do??????? I duct taped his diaper!! and it totally worked. I have to say that I think it might have been a sign to start potty training...again. I have been playing with Laker about the potty and he went about a month ago on his little toilet but nothing since.

shock #1
Today, while i was going to the bathroom, laker opened the door and took his shorts and diaper off and said "Pee pee mommy", so naturally i put him on the toilet. He went 3 times today without question, and actually pooped in the toilet right before bedtime. Everyone has been telling me to wait to potty train him till after the baby comes, but my cute sister-in-law, Tammy, who is a pro at this said just do it anyways. (she should know, she has 5 kids)

shock #2-
Sunday night as Steve and i were putting Laker to be asked me when we were going to move him into the twin bed. Lakers room won't be ready for another week or so, we have to put doors on our office and make that his room until we finish the basement, so his bed has been on the floor in there collecting toys. So what did we do, drag the mattress into his room next to the crib and put him to bed. To our surprise, he only got out of bed once. Steve gave him a pep talk and we never heard another peep. Today i was a little nervous about the new bed at nap time because, for those who know, Laker takes a 3-4 hour nap everyday and i have been dreading this change and the effect it may have on his nap. Well i put him down and the normal time, and he only tired to get out once! I gave him a pep talk, hoping it was as good as Steve's and sent him to bed. He slept till 5:15! Now, for night number 2.......not one pep!!!

I have been dreading these to things because baby "O" will be here in 4-6 weeks and i figured i would deal with it then, but i guess cold turkey works for some kids!

Mrs. Utah Pagent

So Steve and i went to the Mrs. Utah Pagent saturday night because Steve's oldest sister was one of the contestants. She did not win, but she was 2nd runner up!!! Not too shabby and she won the title of best in physical fitness and swim suit. Did i mention that his sister was the oldest contestant and let me tell you ...she rocked it!!! Go Carol , she is the one on the far right.

Poo Nap #2

2009-04-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

OK- he did it again!!! This time his room was bombarded with turds!!! I put him down for a later nap because we played at Farm Country all afternoon...thinking he would for sure be worn out. WRONG!!! I thought I heard him playing in his crib around 5 so I snuck in to find him dead asleep with nothing but his blanket and a bare bottom. When he actually woke up i had to search his room for the diaper and turds. So my questions is.......how do you get this fun little trick to stop???? Any advice? Luckily he is not playing in it, he just takes it off and chucks it outside the crib. Yet he still leave smears on the sheets along with the pee....YUCK!!! I got to get this nipped soon, i have baby #2 coming soon!

I thought MY child would never do this....

2009-04-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

You hear horror stories about toddlers and their "little" antics like coloring on the walls with markers or crayons, putting rocks in the washer or dumping detergent all over the carpet. Well my child finally had a moment. This past weekend Laker had the croup, so by monday he was pretty much dead to the world. Well today we had a good day - minus the neon green boogers and cough, but at least we did not have to watch Barney for 4 hours STRAIGHT!!! I put Laker down for his nap around 1:30.....by 4:00 i could hear laughter and banging coming from his room, so naturally I went to get him out of his crib only to find all of his blankets, toys and pillows thrown out of his crib piled on top of his humidifier. But that is not the worst.....I noticed a strong poop smell and as I looked around his room I found a poopy (runny from being sick) diaper laying on the floor - Laker only had his t-shirt on - sheets covered in poop as well as his hands and feet. But to my surprise, there was nothing on the walls!!! the kicker for me was when i realized what he had done, all he said.....with a huge grin on his face was, "I didi It!!" i could not help but laugh and think, it could have been MUCH worse!

Easter, Haircuts and Chemo

2009-04-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a little update on us:
Laker and I went up to my cousin's house for an Easter Egg hunt, it was crazy but fun!!! as you can see.....this is the pre hunt stuffing of the eggs

Laker had a hunt on Easter Morning, he filled his shopping cart with all the booty! After church we went up to the Country Club for dinner and a visit from the Easter Bunny. It was nice because we were able to have Steve's parents join my family for dinner. My parents gave Laker a wagon that my brother put together....as you can see the front wheels are on backwards, hey, but who really cares, it moves and thats all Laker needs.

It was time for the "summer do". I got sick of looking at Lakers long hair so Steve gave him the buzz cut, which I love!!! Steve always starts in the middle of his head making him look like an old man!!! it is soo funny! Oh and here is my 32 week belly, great huh!

this is the nightly ritual, jammies, buba and hitting balls with dad either on the course or in the back yard. My favorite is the boots!

I also got to go with my mom to her 3rd Chemo treatment. She only has 5 left before they do radiation and surgery. It was good to see what actaully happens, i am amazed by all the drugs she has to take. she has a small pharmacy on her countertop at home. Each chemo visit for now is like $8500!!! When she is all done they give her a shot to help boost her white blood cells that cost $6000!! yikes, thank goodness for insurance.

It finally Hit Our Family.....

2009-04-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who don't already know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago. The cancer she has is weird in the sense that, they were not able to find the cancer in her breast , but are treating it as if it were breast cancer. she had found a lump in her armpit 6 months ago and had it drained. But once it came back the doctors took a biopsy of it and sure enough it was cancerous. The crazy thing is, is this is where the cancer had manifested itself, but not necessarily were the caner is, so she had to do tons of testing, body scans and other procedures to figure out where was stemming from.

They were able to rule out lung, bone and other spots, but because of the situation her treatment consists of Chemo, Radiation and Surgery. She has had 2 rounds of chemo, (only 6 left) and yes, she has already started losing her hair. But for those of you who know my mom, she is a real trooper! When she was diagnosed and given treatment options all she could say was, "I don't have time for this cancer business!" She has a website that allows those who want to check up on her to do so, so please, pay her a visit and remember.....she is a tough cookie!!!!!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dedelmachin

This picture was taken last sunday, she was so nervous that Laker would not like her with short hair, but of course she was wrong!!!! Laker loves in Nana
This is during one of her Chemo treatments...she is soo cute!

Surprise Shower

2009-03-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

So my cute girlfriends from my old neighborhood threw me a surprise shower last night. We get together once a month and have girls night but this time it was a shower! It was so much fun and what surprised me even more was that Steve was in on it....i know, i was shocked myself!! Thanks girls it was soo fun and the gifts were perfect!

As for what we have been up to, well not much. i have reached the 30 week mile stone and my doc said he was start "stripping" me at at 37 weeks!!!! Hoary, it worked with Laker so i am keeping my fingers crossed. I have yet to put a nursery together because Laker is still in his crib.....i know, but he has not tried to climb out so we still take 3-4 hour naps! I promise, we will move him out before baby O comes.
Laker gave me a great surprise the other day when he actually peed and pooped in his potty and than later that night peed again! It was a shock because i was thinking to myself 2 seconds before he did it that we will never get potty trained!!! It is just a start, we are by no means actively potty training, but we are trying to make it fun for him! My goal is one time on the potty every other day or so.......yeah right!

Here are some random but recent pics of my goof-balls!

Laker and Papa at jump on it for a birthday party
We have discovered the art of dressing ourself and finger paints.....i know, he looks like an orphan

Laker's "after nap" routine...watching Shrek on my bed with Bubba and no pants!

And how could i forget this gem....this is steve's trip to wendover. They had to grow mustaches and wear jerseys.....what a lovely bunch!!! Poor cody could not grow a mustache so he had to pay the penalty...which i won't say! Watch out ladies!!!!

Rachelli Party

2009-03-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

So i had a Rachelli Party tonight and i am just letting those who care know that you can still order your super cute baby clothes at a discount price. Here is the website: rachellidesign.com All of the Classic Collection and Clearence section is $12!!!!!! plus if you buy 3 your get 1 FREE!!! and her new adorable monster collections is $18 for Onsies and $16.50 for Tees. So take a look and let me know if you want to place an order. My email is k24morty@yahoo.com You have to place the order through me to get the party prices!!!! so go take a look and get some cute stuff for those little chumpers!

The "almost 3rd trimester" energy boost

2009-02-24T23:33:00.000-08:00

So i am 26 weeks this week and i am feeling great!! i am no longer dependant on B6 and unisom, although i may slip a uni here and there for a good night sleep, but who's keeping track????? Well it is almost 1 am and i am waiting for my drugs to kick in i thought i'd write about my "crafty-ness". For christmas i gave myself a sewing machine. Steve thought i was a total nerd for buying myself a sewing machine, but i have to say....i have used it quite a lot and i thought i'd show those who care what i have created......

I figured out how to make a nursing cover, granted it needs to be ironed and this white tin to put it in. I dolled it up a bit and figured it would be a great little package to keep it in.

i also figured out how to make those cute baby carseat covers...this one was a booger to figure out, but for an ameture, i am quite proud of myself!!!

I know, i am a huge nerd, but like i said, i have all this new found energy...i have to do something with it!!!

Oh...and speaking of nerds...my husband and some of his "boyfriends" are going to Wendover in March for March Madness and one of the requirements is that they all have to grow a mustache....thats right 3 weeks worth of growth!!! and they all have to wear jerseys. So far they are 1 week in to it. (steve shaped his beard into a nice go-tee this morning) I think all they need is a nice pair of "daisy dukes" and ladies...watch out!! I know my man is gone bring home a real winner...she may even have a better mustache than he does!

30th Birthdays, "Ski Year to Rembembyr" and Road Trip

2009-02-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

So here is what we've been up too.... One of Steve's good buddies turned 30 and the only way to celebrate was to rent out good old classic skating for a night of fun. To sum up the night....all my husband and his friends are still 13!!! Now the goal is to out do each-other's 30th. I can only imagine what Steve's will be like.....

Ski Year to Rembembyr was a ski trip to Sundance with the friends. The boys boarded for 2 days. Laker and i came up for one day and played in the snow and then headed home to make cookies and pack for our upcoming road trip

Ahh...the road trip. So we packed up the fam and headed to Cali, with a few stops on the way. We stoped in St. George to watch my brother play in a golf tourney for Dixie. It was freezing and Laker figured out how to climb out of his pack and play! Ii put him down for his usual nap and about 2 minutes later her came strolling out, plopped on the couch and grabbed the remote all why saying "hi" with a huge grin on his face. Lets just say, with a little creative thinking we barricaded him in and all was well!

Then we headed to Palm Springs to visit my grandparents. they are there for 6 weeks and of course up until the week we came they had 80 degree weather, but not for us! it was about 65, but it was warm enough for us to swim! Steve got to play golf and we just chilled.

From there is was off to LA to see Steve's brother Jay and his cute wife. We got rained out of universal studios, but we did get to go on the shrek ride and the studio tour.did i mention that Laker watched shrek 2 an 3 probably 30 times between the car ride down and hanging out...no joke! So now that we are home, he wants to watch shrek all the time. Saturday was better weather but not nearly warm enough to go to the beach so we hit up the promenade and watched the street performers. All in all it was fun to get away from home for a week, but i still think we need to go to mexico before Baby "O" is born!

Its a GIRL!!!!

2009-01-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

So i have been a total slacker and have neglected my blog. I do apologize, I wish I had a great excuse as to why, like traveled to Tahiti or invented the next best thing.....but no, just pregnant and keeping up with a 2 year old and my "Winter" husband!

When i say "Winter", that means Steve is home...a little more than we are used to because his crews are out pushing snow while he waits for spring. His days consist of waking up at 8:30, a morning movie and then off to the office to collect the mail,do work and send out invoices....or so he says. If you ask me it is more like checking Facebook, meeting his friends, which like to call his boyfriends for lunch at the various restaurants, or more commonly, the Costco food court and then of course the most important part of his day....going to the gym. Then he is home just in time to give me crap for taking a nap while Laker naps, waits for dinner and then off to play basketball with his buddies or teams he play on. Anyone need a husband??????? I can't wait till March gets here!

On a more positive note we found out we are having a girl! Huge surprise! We were expecting another boy because, lets face it. Boy is a dominate trait in the Mortensen family. So it was quite a surprise to find out that we are having a girl! So now i have become motivated to take my christmas present out of the box...a sewing machine. I have all these glorious ideas of things i want to make and now I know the color scheme. We will have to see how that turns out.......

Christmas was fun, we spent it with both families and it was fun. It was great to see Laker's reaction this year because last year he could have cared less. As for photos, lis is what we have been up to....

The Monthly Catch-up

2008-12-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well... not much has happened since I caught myself on fire...but here is what we have been up to!
Laker is finding that he likes to dress himself..in shorts so of course I have to add my motherly touch!

Laker and I paid a visit to the Dinosaur Museum and played in the sand

Laker turned 2 on the 1st of December. He got a trike, a whinnie the pooh phone and of course a basketball hoop thanks to dad. As you can see, he was not quite sure about the candles on his cup cake.....Happy birthday Monkey!!!

I got my Christmas up...thanks for the help mom!

And had a girls night at my house! Heidi, Jana, Morgan and me. The gals from my old neighborhood did a gift swap and talked the night away...at our husbands expense!!!

Some People Never Learn.....

2008-11-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today I had quite the "lesson" of my life. I had planned all day to make spaghetti, i had gotten my mom's recipe-which is soooo good!- Laker and I went to the store, bought all our groceries and diligently headed home. I thought that while Laker is down for his nap i would get things started. He sleeps from 1:30 to 5ish so I though about 4:30 i would get everything going so I did not have to wrestle with him while i made dinner, plus Steve was going to lift after work so the timing would be perfect!

A side note to the story....i promise this come into play....Last night we went to my parents house for dinner and my mom had a bunch of stuff for me to take home. this was not just any stuff, she had cleaned out my old closet and found bag fulls of notes and memorabilia from high school. I could not believe all the stuff she had. So of course it was all sent home with me but there was one item of curiosity....i had a box with 2 locks on it. my mom said she could not find the keys to it so there must be good stuff inside!

So back to the story...as my spaghetti simmered away on the stove I pulled out all my "treasures". By this time Laker was up and steve was one his way home. i had to laugh at all the things I had. I had a tub full of high school dance pictures, souvenirs from past boyfriends...if you can call them that and fun things I had done. Among these things were a set of small keys....which opened my locked box. Once I got it open i could not help but laugh!!! All that was in there was letters from my friends from Oregon ( we used to live there) some horse pictures and random things I had collected when i was little. no juicy love notes, pictures or anything!!!!! Why the heck was it locked, there was more dirt on me in the tub of stuff....like my journal that i wrote in all the time about the boys i liked! yikes!

Just then Steve got home, i showed him my treasures and then started to boil a big pot of water for the noodles. As it was boiling I had to call my mom and tell her what i had found in the locked box, i knew she would get a huge kick out of it. While i was standing over the stove, talking to her, not really paying attention that is when it happened....my camisole i was wearing over a shirt caught on fire!!! I had flames crawling up the front of me. I screamed and ripped the shirt i was wearing like i was the incredible hulk! I don't know where it came from but i dropped the phone, while screaming and ripped my shirt off and threw it to the ground. I had to smother it because it was still burning! I could not believe it! My mom was still on the phone while this was happening and wondered what all the screaming was about. When i told her she was shocked. the funny thing is that i did not feel a thing, my hair did not even get in the way which was weird since it was hanging in my face at the time. The shirt i had on under the tank now has brown burn makes from the fire! Where was Steve, some of you may ask? in the shower.....it would have been nice to have an extra set of hands to put out that small fire...on my body! When i told him what happend he said, " it was time for that shirt to go!"

So yo wonder....what is the lesson learned? Well earlier today on the Today show they did a segment about the most dangerous thing in your kitchen is your burners.....and that if yo have gas, you need to keep an extinguisher on hand just incase of this very instance. While i was watching it I though to myself, what kind of idiot is dumb enough to catch themselves on fire......... well, i can now join that club!

My camisole that is no longer.....

Me at the "scene" after the incident You csn see that my shirt underneath was burned as well

Laker acknowledging that his mom is a goofball

1 2 3 and BABY makes 4!!!!!

2008-11-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well for those of you who don't know yet, Steve and I are expecting baby #2. My due date is June 5th and i bet you anything it will come on the 1st. that is what happened with Laker and this will make them exactly 2 1/2 years apart! We are really excited but as we found, the excitement with #2 lasts for like 5 seconds for everyone around you. For example...by the time we told family they were either expecting it or had a feeling I was already prego....no excitement there. When we went to our doc appointment they did not even want to see me until 10 weeks, with laker it was at 6. the doc came in, did the ultrasound said his congrats and said we will follow my chart with laker.....no print out of the baby, no words of advise...just a pat on the back, pee in a cup and get my blood drawn. It is amazing how the first and the second differ.. For anyone who really cares, i feel like *&%! but thank goodness for B6 and Unisom!! I was put right on the strong stuff when the sickness hit and it only made it worse so i resorted back to the store bought meds...and they work great!

Here are some pics of what we have been up too!

Its October!!!

2008-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already October! I love this time of year. Steve starts slowing down, well... until it snows anyways, I get to wear jeans and sweatshirts again and the colors of nature are just vibrant! Steve had the opportunity to play in a Mountain View Alumni Basket Ball Tourny where each graduating year played each other. Steve's team was the oldest one...go 96-97' but they kicked everyone's butt! The youngest team there was 04-05'. Who would of thought the old guys still had it????

We have now been in our new house for just about a month now and we are just loving it!! I have not gotten around to painting anything yet, but i did get most of my furniture put together.

Every night we sneak on the golf course and hit balls into the pond...well i hit balls into the lake while steve hits them on the fairway, Bubs is usually swimming in the pond and laker is chasing after him with his little clubs saying "bubba bubba bubba" 50 million times. We've been up the canyon for a little tin foil dinner action and Laker, the dog and i just hanging out at home while steve works for our early retirement!

I promise we are not dead!!!!!

2008-09-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

So the last 30 days have been crazy!!! We went to Deer Valley, bought a house then took off to Zions, Steve turned 29!!!! and then moved in when we got back. Now when i say we, I really mean me!!! Steve had his guys do all the heavy lifting and getting furniture in the right rooms, but as for everything else....that was me!! Steve lucked out and had his "brother's retreat" the same week we moved in. All 8 of the Mortensen boys plus the Silver Fox spent 5 joyous days together golfing, swimming, playing cards, watching football games and doing what brothers and father do best!!!

We go to Deer Valley every summer with my dad's side of the family. We all stay in a huge house, thanks to g-pa and g-ma Machin, play games and cause a little mischief!

The girls always get the toes done...the boys get to golf

The Alpine slide....

The front 9 at Park City Golf Course

The grandkids eating breakfast

An attempt at a family photo...what nerds!

My parents, us and brady and Jenna

Steve and Steve being goofy with the kids

Steve giving us a beautiful number!!!! Every year is something new. One year Corby took a picture of his butt with my mom's camera. it was soo funny when she found it later on!

Then off to Zions with our good friends Clayton and Annalisa. She has all the good pics, but here are a few to give you an idea of how it went down. Steve and Clayton become 12 year old boys when they are together. They swam, golfed and practiced for the next summer Olympics...in tricks off the diving board. The little boys played and napped and Annalisa and I relaxed....the best we could. and best of all Steve turned 29....one year away from 30, yikes!!!

Our 12 year old husbands

Little boys jumping on the bed

Laker wondering where is poolside service is....

Little boys demanding their dinner

Clayton and the gainer...poor Steve, it took him a whole day to figure it out, but don't worry, he did it before we left.

Steve playing flag football in Provo with all his friends

As for the house, I will have pics this weekend. i have been hunting for furniture for the house and it will be delivered on Friday!!!! Once everything is in place, I'll post some pics!!

Now you see it......now you don't!

2008-08-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Laker has a tendancy to rub his hands through his hair durring every meal. Well the other day we had Cheereos for breakfast. I thought i cleaned him up real nice, but I discovered a straggeler AFTER he woke up from his nap...at 5pm that day! Amazing. It even lasted through playing at the park with his dad and Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point! That is one magic Cheereo!!

What we've been up to......

2008-08-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I am getting a lot of crap for not up dating my blog as often as some think i should.So here is last week. To start, Steve and I got a house and will be closing next wednesday. Yeah!!! All I can say is we got the deal of the century, even if it means moving to Orem.I don't have pics...soon enough!!!!

Last weekend was jammed packed full of fun. Friday, Steve and I went to see Brian Regan with my brother and his girl friend Jenna. It was so fun and he was hillarious!! There was 4000+ people cramed in to the Thanksgiving Point Ampatheater. He sold out Friday night so they add 2 shows eariler that week. It took us 45 min to get in and park and 1 hour to get from the parking lot to the freeway, but it was worth it!

Saturday, Steve had to go to the Rockwell Charter High School Open House in the Ranches. His company didi the landscaping and they paid them a tribute. It was fun to see everything finished. They were able to landscape the school in 2 weeks!!! Everyone was really impressed with what they had done. We also took took the boat to the lake that afternoon. It has been a while since we've done that and boy was it great! Laker Boy even swam around with his moma! The water was great for me and Steve, but everyone else had to deal with the ruff stuff.

Sunday we headed up the canyon for a little Sunday BBQ with Clayton and Annalisa. The boys threw the ball around. Bubs explored and the boys were facinated with the bridge! It was nice to just get out and away from everything! Did I mention we were the only white people up there....and it was packed. Those Latins really know how to have a good time. There was a large gruop up the hill from us and thier kids would come barreling down this steep hill on thier skateboards. Did i tell you that these kids were probably 5???

Monday Steve's mom and dad got back from thier 6 week, 8100 mile road trip! When you have 11 kids spread across the country, you've got to just get in the car and drive... We kept expecting a call from his mom to say she'd had enough of being with Taylor and that she would be waiting at the airport for us to come get her, but that never happened. They made it home safely and still married! I also went to Raging Water with my cousins and thier kids. I got Annalisa to go with me too. It was soo fun depite that fact that i literally skinned my but going down the kiddy slides. It still hurts to sit down and its pretty much Thursday! It was a blast. Laker and I had a great time in the wave pool and no, we are no pansies. We got pummeled wave after wave and Laker laughed through the whole thing! That night I went out with some of my good friends from our old neighbor hood. We went out for ice cream and caught up on things. I really can't complain, I was the only one who has just one kid. Jana has a4 year old and twin baby boys, Heidi has 2 year old twin girls and Morgan has a 3 year old and a 20 month old. We got a little crazy as the night went one. So much, that we caught the attention of a few wanders, for lack of a better word. I guess that is what you can expect in the Smiths parking lot at 11 o' clock at night....

Tomorrow we head up to Deer Valley for the weekend with my whole family. I am sure I'll procrastinate telling every one about it but i think only 6 people actually read our blog....

Napoleon...is that you???

2008-08-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

So Steve and I spent the weekend in Moab with our good friends, Ryan and Britany. We are both celebrating our 6 yr anniversary so why not spend it on the river??? We were planning to go WHITE water rafting, but it turned out to be a smooth ride ALL day!!! We new we were in for it when the geriatrics ward showed up fully clothed and with canes. Even though we never encountered a true rapid we still had a blast. Our "guide" was straight from Napoleon Dynamite. You could say that he looked and sounded just like Napoleon with a twist of Kip. It was awsome!!! The poor guy had no idea what he signed up with both our husbands on board.....here are some of the pictures and all can say is some need explaining.....

Steve and I totally pumped for the big river trip!!!

Steve and Ryan also showing their enthusiasm for the river....i think?

We all eventually sank in the sand up to our thighs...need I say more

Steve wishing he was this tall

One of our favorite floaters...in the background...can't miss the "Frenchie" in all his glory!!!

Us girls in the river, anything an inch below the surface disappeared...keep your mouth closed!

Saturday was my birthday so we found the nicest place in town....keep in mind we are still in Moab.... and had dinner. It was an old place on top of a cliff that looked a little iffy, but the food and the view was amazing!

Steve and Ryan forgot to put sunscreen in some places and boy did they pay!

Sunday we went into Arches to enjoys nature....as long as it was no more than 100 yards round trip of course. What do you expect, it was 110 degrees!!!

We did do some climbing but the kids in the picture don't do it justice...

This is the Place!

2008-07-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

On monday Laker and I went to This is the Place with my cousins, their kids and my aunts. It was soo much fun. It was hot, but it was worth it!

Laker resting on the pioneers bed

Laker petting the cow...he actually gave the cow kisses and there might have been some tongue....

Catching some shade with my mom's sister's Barb, Jo and Patty

Laker and I getting our lessons in for the day

In the last month we..........

2008-07-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

So i have been quit the slacker when it comes to keep up the old blog, so here what we have been up to in the last month.
Our house sold and we moved out of Eagle Mountain. We are now staying with Steve's parents until we can find a house. We were set on building, but with all the lending "lock down" we figure it is easier to buy, sit on it for a few years and make a little money IF the market ever rebounds.

White Trash weekend!
A few weekends ago we decided to go camping with our good friends Clayton and Annalisa. We ditched the kids and headed up AF canyon for an adventure. We snagged the tent trailer.....the best invention ever and a little white trash like, but oh do we love that thing, packed up our precious things and hit the road. Annalisa and I made some spectacular tinfoil dinners...flank stake and all and boy were they delicious!!!

We had everything ready to go, we had the trailer, the dog, food and off we went. On our way up to the canyon we remembered we needed firewood. The last time we attempted this Clayton and Steve spent most the time dragging trees out of the woods to start a fire. We ended up using random papers in the trucks to keep warm, with the occasional live tree that smoked us out. We did not eat until 10pm!!! Unfortunately we were not the only ones who thought it would be a great weekend to go camping. All the stores and gas stations were out of wood. Lucky for us we have cheap husbands. Instead of being price gouged by the "camp director", we stopped at the mouth of the canon were the river meets the cedar hills golf course. We pulled down to the bank all white trash like and loaded the back of the truck up with drift wood. I am not talking about a few sticks, I mean full tree trunks and 2x4's that had washed down the river!!! We have no shame!

After we gathered our wood it was 7:59pm. Now the canyon closes at 8 and after 8 you don't have to pay to get in. People were parked on the side of the road waiting to get up the canon for free, but since it was pretty much 8 we headed on up. To our surprise there was a line at the toll both and we were not about to turn around with old betsy on the back (that is what steve call the trailer). So a car in front of us pulls out to the side of the cars and drives up to the both, so naturally...steve follows. Come to find out it is the Canyon Pass lane, the car ahead of us flashed his golden ticket and drives on. Now we have no pass and no way to turn around, so what do we do, steve pulls a sweet move and gives the booth girl, who had to be 17, a nod and some hand gesture and keeps driving. It was soo funny, he looked at her and gave the old loop d' loop sign. Now as we pass these poor suckers sitting in line to pay the booth girl gives steve this look as if she were disappointed in the decision we just made. The best part was once we pulled out of line to pass, about 10 cars followed! The was no stopping any of us!!!! Oops We figured next time we'll just hold up a banana or a VISA....

We made it up to the Granite Flats campground which just happened to be full. We had no reservation but at this point nothing was gonna stop us. But we lucked out and found a spot that was reserved for the following day so the "camp director" let us hunker down for the night. We had the best spot, it was right by the river, no neighbors and the bathrooms were DOWN wind of us. It was so much fun!

The next morning we went up to silver lake. We had the privilege of watching the real white trash folks fish from their lawn chairs while drinking their beers, they did not even hold the fishing poles, they had holders stuck into the ground to hold the poles for them. Talk about the lazy getting lazier!!!! The best part was that it was 9 in the morning. Bubs had a great time swimming in the lake and scarring all the fish, he is such a water dog! All in all we had a great time and now Clayton wants to go camping every weekend. I think old betsy stole his heart!

Steve and I at Silver Lake...with the white trash fishers behind us...it was awesome!
Clayton and Annalisa

The gang...and old betsy in the back

The boys being their normal selves

Bubs in the lake fetching his ball

Steve and Bubs

Summer Fun

2008-06-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

So now that we are completely moved out and homeless, Laker and I can focus on what is most important......swim lessons! We have been taking mom and me swim lessons for the past two weeks and we graduated. Horay!!! Now what?????? My days are pretty simple for the time being. We wake up around 7:30 or 8, have some breakfast and play time. Then by 10 we are off to see Bubs, our dog. **He has to stay at Steve's office while we are at his parents.** We take a walk to the park down the street from the office and throw the ball for him and Laker plays on the play ground. By the time we are finished there its lunch time, which leads to the all important nap time!! Laker is down from 1:30 to just about 5. Then we have some dinner, play a little more and then off to bed for Laker...8pm!!! Steve and I then enjoy card games with his parents, so far they are up in spades...they have beat us 2 out of the 3 nights so far, i feel a comeback coming on....

anyways,that is what we have been up to the past week and our days are only going to get more interesting......

So Long and Good Bye

2008-06-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

So we closed on our house this past Wednesday and we have been packing like mad! The "moving truck"- meaning steve, his crew and a 25 foot truck- will be here at 11 am, after a early round of golf , of course.... to take all our stuff to the storage unit. We were able to get pretty much all our stuff into the garage so they can move everything from there. To anyone who may be moving in the near future, may I give some advise....SHRINK WRAP! What a heavenly invention. I have wrapped all our furniture in this stuff and it is awesome! Also...hangers, hangers and more hangers. I can not believe the amount of hangers i have come across. I think we are set for this life and the next. For the next while we will be living out of 3 bins....full of clothes and thats it!

Steve and i are spending the last night sleeping on the floor and playing Guitar Hero. We have no dish... What a sight for sore eyes!

Laker and i spent last saturday at Home Depot doing the kids workshop. He gave Steve this Catamaran he made for Father's Day, it was a blast.

Boxes, boxes and more boxes

2008-06-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

So our closing date is nearing so that means it is packing time. Over this past week we have been gathering our nick nacks and precious things and wrapping them up in bubble wrap and packing peanuts...NOT!!! Now first of all, when I say we I really mean me! I told Steve that I really wanted his help in packing up the house, but the more I thought about it, I really don't. Because Steve packs in the least effective way possible and I really don't want to repack everything he packed. So we agreed that if I pack the house he moves everything. We'll see how that ends up....

So far I have the kitchen packed, decorations, the linen closet, bathrooms, winter clothes and Laker's truck load of stuff that he wore for maybe 10 minutes and then grew out of...not to mention every thing a first time mom buys thinking she has to have it....don't fall for the trap.

But I am excited for next week. Last year I did Mom and Me swim lessons at the PG Pool and it was a blast. It lasts for 2 weeks and it was glorious. Our lessons start on monday and it will be a much needed break from all this packing, not to mention i need to work on my tan that did not happen in Mesquite!

We've been busy!!!

2008-06-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

I know, it has been more than a month since I have updated our blog, so I better have a good excuse right????? Well, this is the best I can do.

1. We sold our house and are set to close on the 26th...yikes...We had an offer come in from a cute lady in California that is moving here for work. She had been eyeing up our house for a while and made an offer on it with out even seeing it. She moved out here at the end of May and is now staying in a hotel until we close. We passed our inspection and are basically waiting to close. So needless to say I have been on a mad hunt trying to find a house. After a few weeks of searching and seeing pretty much everything available we are going to build again. I know....there is a ton of inventory right now but prices are also low when it comes to building. Lumber and other materials are cheap...not to mention contractors are willing to build for next to nothing just to keep working.

2. Laker and I left Steve at home and headed down to Mesquite over Memorial Day. We went down with my mom, her sisters and all my girls cousin's and their kids. Our intention was to spend 4 days by the pool and to let the kids swim, but thanks to the wonderful "sunny" weather we got 3 days of rain and 1/2 a day of sunshine before we headed back to utah. I know, your probably thinking, what the crap do you do with a baby in a casino for 4 days.... well the hallways become jungle gyms because the casinos are soo smokey! We did get a chance to walk around outside in between storms. Either way it was way fun just being with family!

That is really all I have got. I really have spent the bulk of my time looking for houses, but now that we know what direction we are going, I can focus on that.....and packing up our house. Steve's parents have been gracious enough to let us stay in their home for a month and a half while they are on a road trip. They are going to make the rounds and visit all of Steve's brothers and sisters that live out of state. Then, once they get back we'll move on to my parents house. Brady will be heading back to Dixie to finish up his last year of school. I know, we can save a good chunk of money, but I may lose my sanity....

Spur of the Moment

2008-04-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

So last weekend Steve, Laker and i headed down to Zion with our good friends Clayton and Annalisa. Her family has a house in Springdale and let me tell you...it was well worth leaving at 9:30 Thursday night for a weekend in the sun! On Friday we into the the park through the tunnel and then on a small hike with the kids. Saturday and Sunday Steve and Clayton golfed while we shopped and lounged by the pool. It was fantastic!!!! I even got my first sun burn of the year!! Here are a few pictures to prove we were actually there.....

Before we headed out for the weekend this is what i got to deal with.....thank goodness for washing machines! What started out as an innocent little puddle ended up as an hour of entertainment for Laker! I think he gained 5 pounds in mud!

Replaced???

2008-04-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

So we went to IKEA last weekend to kill some time or should i say spend some time together. Now that it is finally "spring" Steve is back to work landscaping meaning, we don't see him because he is slammed. i guess i can't complain, that is excellent news for the business. Anyways, while we were at IKEA Laker snagged a stuffed animal while cruising around. He loved it so much we just had to get it for him. Did i mention it is a bulldog. When we got home he took it over to show Maisy.....i think she thought she was being replaced....based on the look on her face! It was so funny, she was braking and growling through the door. Bub's, our other dog, couldn't care less!

So, Laker is going through a "picky eating phase". I made him some dinner the other day and he was doing just fine, pluggin away....i turned my back for 5 seconds, i am not even kidding, and this is what happend...

if you notice, there is a fork on the floor...which he threw mind you...and thats why he is screaming. I am so glad i mopped the floor prior to his dinner time...what was i thinking???

Easter...Better Late than Never

2008-04-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

Every Easter my family usually goes up to my dad's parents house and have dinner and a big Easter Egg Hunt. But are egg hunts are a little different.... all the little kids get the usual egg hunt, but don't forget about the "big" grandkids...meaning us! My grandpa hides a series of ping pong balls worth a certain amount of money, some are $5, $10 and $20 and then there is the one grand-daddy ping pong ball worth $100 big ones. Now if you know my grandpa, the "eggs" are not easy to find. One year he stuck the $100 ball in the drainpipe under the kitchen sink.....i said IN not ON. I believe there was one in the down spout outside and most original had to be the one he actually buried in the front yard...who would have thought?? That sly dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve after all!

The last few years we have been going to the country club with my family for Easter dinner because they put out a killer spread and no one has to cook. This year Laker managed to get his hands on a few limes and had no reaction what so ever!!! In fact, he wanted more. What I have I done to my child??

After all the Easter clothes and toys Laker got, this is his favorite one....a diaper, his crocks and his "vacuum". Go figure!

Donations for Jenny

2008-04-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a very sad day for us. Our wonderful friend and neighbor, Jenny Pemberton passed away this morning due to complications with her pregnancy. Yesterday morning she suffered from an Amniotic Embolism causing her to go into cardiac arrest. She was 7 months along. They took her to American Fork Hospital and delivered the baby by c-section, but both of them were without oxygen for an extended period of time. Jenny was bleeding and in a coma and the baby had acid in his blood that they tried to clear up.

As of right now, things don't look good for the baby. They have done 2 brain scans, both showing no signs of activity. They are going to give him a name and a blessing tonight before taking him off of Life Support.

Jenny left behind her husband Nate, and three kids, Dakota, Sequoia and their youngest, Theran who is 2 1/2.
Nate and Jenny were and are dear friends of ours. Because he is a contractor and self employed they have no health insurance. There is a donation account set up in her name at Zions Bank. The account name is Jennifer M Pemberton.

This as you can image this is one of the hardest things that a husband could have to deal with. Steve and I are still in shock because it came on with no warning. Jenny was so young and the condition that took her life was so rare. It's hard to image that such a wonderful blessing of being pregnant and bringing a new life into this world could end in such tragedy. It is times like these that i am so greatlful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints and to know that Jenny will have to chance to raise her baby and be with her family again. I am thankful for the Atonement and all the wonderful blessings that come from it.

Steve and I are asking for any donations for Nate and his family.

Sky Box for Ryan

2008-03-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

So Ryan, one of our very best friends finished his Master's Program at the U last week and the one thing he wanted was a night out at Sky Box which happened to be the same night the Jazz spanked the Celtics. It was tons of fun, we sat in the back room of the restaurant with the ginormous screen. It was lots of fun....and so were all the drunks!!!

The girls lasted as long as we could before we busted out and hit the mall. The Jazz game was fun but March Madness????? Kill me now!

Ah...Steve is in heaven!!

Dirty Days

2008-03-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is warming up, the dogs are outside all day......yeah!!!! and Laker thinks that or should I say. just knows that he needs to be outside. That boy loves being outside...just walking around, pick up stuff and of course...getting dirty. Now as a mom you just cringe when you see you "sheltered all winter" little chumper get down and dirty for the first time, although I will admit, it was pretty funny. I just have to remind myself that kids are washable!!! Here is a picture documentation of our little adventure!

After Laker woke from his afternoon nap he was feeling.....mischievous. So I thought to myself, why not let him get into trouble outside, at least he could not break anything.

Well as you can see, he found something to get into...dirt and rocks. He would pick up gravel one piece at a time and bring it to me and then go back to the same spot and grab another. I think a handful of dirt and gravel made it to his mouth...what do you think??

Then Bubs and Maisy had to help out, of course...It is amazing to see what entertains a 15 month old!!!

I am going on TV!!!

2008-03-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I will be going on the "Good Things Utah" morning show tomorrow...March 17th to promote a little business that I started. The show is live and is on at 10am on Channel 4. This should be interesting!!!!! I hope I don't look like an idiot!

What a slacker!!!

2008-03-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

I know, for those of you who keep up on us, which I am sure is few and far between.....I have been a slacker on my blogging! So let me fill you in on what we have been up to.

The Great Flood
The last week of February was an exciting one. We had the pleasure of receiving all of our neighbors "spring run-off". Steve and I spent the entire weekend defending our basement with pumps, trenched and wet vacs... needless to say, we won and thank goodness Steve is a landscaper or we could have been screwed! I must say, we have the best drainage system in all The Ranches!!

The Last Brother.....

Steve and I had the great pleasure of attending his older brother wedding in LA. This was not just any wedding, this was the LAST brother...nay, sibbling of Steve's to tie the knot and just shy of his 30th b-day. Last weekend had to be one of the funnest "quick trips" we have ever done, and we have done a few....Boston, Vegas and now LA. All of Steve's brothers and sisters were there and those Mortensen's come from all over. He's got a sister in Texas, Utah and Michigan, which will soon be Virginia. As for the boys, 3 in Utah including us, Florida, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Missouri and of course, our beloved Jay in LA. since most of us flew in from Utah we had the pleasure of picking everyone up from the airport in the "fun bus"...the 15 seater van. What a riot, it was a blast, but to top it off, Tina, (our Garmin navigator) made sure we arrived at all of our wedding destinations in safety, even if she had to "re-calculate" a few times....sorry Tina!

The wedding was great, they were sealed in the LA Temple, had a luncheon by the beach and to top it off, they had a Maria-chi Band at the reception. they were the best because they downed a case of Bud Light in front of the house before they had to "perform". Jay's wife, Marisa is a convert to the church and has a very latin family. The reception was a blast, how could in not be...excellent food, family and of course, the entertainment!! We love her to death and are excited to have complete the Mortensen circle!!! I'll post some pics when they circulate through the family. Me being the fantastic blogger that I am forgot my camera.....

Laker's Lazy Days

Now that everything is almost back to normal, Laker and I hung out on the couch all day...to catch up from the day light savings of course!!! We did not take him to California so when we got back, he looked so much bigger to me and we were gone for 3 days.

Anika Tagged Me Again!!!!

2008-02-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is my latest tag. At least I am not doing it at midnight!

10 years ago.....I was in middle school going through my awkward big nose, braces phase.

5 Things on my "To Do" list today....clean the house, go to the post office, go to the grocery store, take an "afternoon ciesta" while Laker got his, make dinner and dessert for tonight....when you have kids, forget about Valentine's Day!

Snacks I enjoy.... Lindt white chocolate, apples, thin triscuts with cheese, chocolate milk before bed and Sprite with a lime!

What would I do if i was suddenly a billionaire....build a house on lots of land...well a horse farm, pay off all my family and friends houses, buy/start a company, travel with my little family and invest the rest to live off the spoils!!!

5 Bad Habits....twirl my hair, tell steve the same story over and over again ( i can never remember telling him in the first place...), compulsive cleaner (is that really a bad habit????), always have to have a fridge full of milk and veggies and leaving the laundry in the basket when it is clean hoping steve might put it away...that never happens!

5 Jobs i have had.....rode horses for sandi tillotson..loved it! Thanksgiving Point-registar girl, teller at Zions Bank, eye doctor's for like 2 weeks and back to basics. But here is what i did at back to basics during my 4 years: Customer Service (6 months), Admin Assistant for Product Management (the bulk of my time there), coordinated trade shows, graphic design assistant, then moved to the planning and purchasing department and then ended up at back to basic's d.c. routing trucks for all orders. i did routing while i was pregnant. My work load for the week would be around 4 hours but i was salaried!!! We played all day and got paid for it! It was awesome!

5 Things you don't know about me....I already did this one so i'll try to figure out 5 more things....i have a major crush on pro skater rob dyrdek, if only.... i can only drink milk from winder dairy, everything else is just gross! I won the award for the best D.A.R.E. essay in both 5th and 6th grade, wow steve does not even know this, i'll never hear the end. I love watching American Justice and Modern Marvels on A&E and History Channel, i know..nerd and i want to be the 6th member of Danity Kane, if only i could sing and dance....

Brit.....you are tagged!

Ladies Day at Sundance

2008-02-05T21:26:00.001-08:00

So I attempted to snowboard today at Sundance.....I made it through the day only because I had an awesome instructor who happens to be one of my good friends!!! Now remember, I have not been on the slopes for over 6 years due to a Spinal Fusion I had back in 2001. So my goal today was to figure out a way I could fall without bending my titanium rod that holds my back together!!! Carrie was surprised how fast I was able to pick up on the basic skills, only because she usually only gets 1 or 2 runs down when she teaches... I was able to get the turning thing down by the end of my first run. I also have to say that I was able to make it off the lift without taking anyone or anything out on my way off! It was a glorious moment.

On our way up the second time good old Robert Redford butted in line to sit right in front of us on the lift. I guess he has every right because well, it is his resort! After we had a bite to eat for lunch we headed back up the mountain for another glorious ride. I admit, I had a few more spills this time due to a full tummy, but as I took a breather on my knees looking up the mountain, Robert Redford came swishing by. Sure that is great, but as we made eye contact all I could think about was how he probably though I looked like a complete idiot. Did I mention I was covered in snow and had a stupid smile on my face??? Oh well, I had a blast and was surprised how well I did. My bottom does not hurt but I am sure I will have discovered new muscles tomorrow!

Steve was pretty stoked that I went,thinking eventually I'll be good enough to keep up with him, but when I told him we shared the mountain with Robert Redford all he said was,"Did he give you an Indecent Proposal?" What a dork!

He Shall Be Missed

2008-01-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

Steve and I just heard about the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. What a bitter sweet moment. As I think back on my life, he is really the only Prophet that I can remember. What a sweet and wonderful man. I loved how he was so passionate about the Church. He did so many wonderful things during his Presidency that most people could not do in 10 lifetimes!!! I loved to hear him speak and hear the words he had to share with us, what a treat. You can't help but want to be a better person after, he was so inspirational. I know I am going to miss his sense of humor. He always knew how to connect with his congregation and there is no better way than through laughter. I only wish that my children could have had the chance to understand his teachings during his time as Prophet.

He shall be missed, but I know he is in a wonderful place with his cute wife. Talk about an automatic ticket to Heaven!! I hope that I can be at least half the person that he was. I love this Church so much and I am so thankful to know that families can be together forever. I love the Savior and I know that this Church is true with all my heart. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and it's wonderful teachings. Having President Hinckley pass really makes me want to live my life right and be an great example to those around me so that I to can return to live with my Heavenly Father.

Push it!

2008-01-17T22:39:00.001-08:00

My all-all time favortie

Kia Maniac

2008-01-17T22:31:00.001-08:00

Excellent Commercial

Not much for January.....

2008-01-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

This month has been pretty boring thus far.... we did go up to Park City last weekend- it snowed - not to mention, it was freezing!!!

Laker hung out with Grandpa Machin.

Oh, his new favorite toy is my whisk attachment for my hand mixer. Thats not all. He digs through all my drawers to find it and then puts it in his mouth and carries it around the house while clapping his hands. I guess I'll give him kitchen gadgets next Christmas. They get more play than all his toys combined!

Although he did re-discover one thing he got for Christmas. This one made Steve a proud papa....he figured out how to hit a golf ball with his putter, thats right, Steve finally has that golfing buddy...well...almost! I can only stay focused for 9 holes. My dad has already arranged the first lesson with Laker on the driving range....what a bunch of nerds!!!

Laker gets Tubes

2007-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Laker had to get tubes in his ears a few days after Christmas. Laker got really sick in October and of course that's when the ear infections started. We spent the next few months in and out of the doctor's office for his ear. I am still convinced that we never got rid of the first one, but Dr. Duffy said it was time for tubes. So that's what we did and what a difference it has made. Lake was a happy kid to begin with, but holy cow, there is no more ear pulling, goopy eyes and sleepless nights!!

We had to be at Primary Children's at 7 in the morning for his little surgery. While we were in the waiting room Laker discovered a doll. That's right, not only was this a naked doll, but it was right next to a big tool set and of course we went right past that to the doll. I could not help but snap a picture. Steve tells me that we are going to burn all photos and never speak of this moment again.... Anyways Laker had to wear a little hospital gown but before going into surgery he got to ride around in a car while the Tylenol took effect. He went into surgery at 9 and was out 10 minutes later. I could not believe how fast and easy it was and because all he has was happy gas, he was back to normal after a 4 hour nap!!!

Steve and I got a kick out of all the nurses and anesthesiologist, mostly because English had to have been a 3rd language for all of them. I am not kidding!! His first nurse was hispanic and we could not understand a word she said, luckily she was just checking his vitals and did not need to explain much to us. The next nurse that took us from that room to the surgical waiting room was from Taiwan, she was a hoot but again, we could not make out one word she said. Then to top it off, his Anesthesiologist's name was Dr. Van Geinkle, it might as well of been Hans and Frans coming to "Pump you Up!". He was by far our favorite,but we could not help but laugh the second he left the room with Laker. Steve called him Dr. Haggen Daz, we just hoped our son would return in once piece since we had no clue what he was going to do with him......we could not understand one word!!!!! Incredible!!!! But all turned out just fine and Laker is happy as ever!

Christmas Day

2007-12-30T21:15:00.000-08:00

What a day! We spent the night at my parents and had Christmas morning there. All I can say is Laker made a haul! He was spoiled with tons of cloths, toys and of course, his first set of clubs. When I say clubs, I don't mean plastic clubs. We're talking real clubs cut down for his size and a sweet little bag. We decided that we are gonna wrap them up a give them again next year! He won't even know the difference.....right???? Steve got a bunch of golf stuff as well as new clubs. I got Lasik, which I had done after Thanksgiving....the best present ever!!!! and Rachael Ray cookware!!!! It killed Steve to make the purchase because he can't stand her, but oh what a glorious morning!!!

Because of all the snow that had fallen, Steve, my dad and Brady spent the morning pushing cars up the hill in front of their house. the plows never made it and if you did not have 4-wheel drive....forget about leaving the neighborhood!! We had such a fun day but it was even more fun watching Laker experience Christmas. He is so funny, even though he got tons of toys, he was more interested in my mom's tupperware!

Christmas Eve

2007-12-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve plowing through the snow trying to get to Grandma & Grandpa Machins. We were amazed to see that my brother made it up the hills in his Jetta...in one piece! Once we got there the party started! My dad's sister and her kids were there with all their kids, we ate, played games and opened presents. What a fun night!

Its Party Time!!!

2007-12-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

We had quite the day on Friday. Of course we spent the morning relaxing and playing Guitar Hero, you know, the basics. But with Steve home during the winter, it makes for some serious rockin out! Then we packed up the boy because he was gonna spend the rest of the day and night with Brett and Rachel, Steve's business partner. After we ditched the baby Steve and I headed down to the Gateway to meet my brother and parents. My dad works for the Boyer Company and every year they get the imax theater and we get to watch a new release. This year it was "National Treasure - Book of Secrets". But what is a movie with out a big lunch - California Pizza Kitchen - and then a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolates. It was so good, not to mention the chocolate covered pretzels and caramels!!! The movie was awesome. It was just nice to be child free for the day, although I was missing him only a few hours after we left him.

Once the movie was over we were off the Cedar Hills for the Annual Christmas Party with all the friends. This year it was at Kenny and Tara's, which now that I think about it, it usually is at their house. Anyways it was soo much fun and what is a Christmas party without gift games. This year instead of the hardcore white elephants we did 2 gifts per couple. A good gift and a white elephant. For some reason we always get stuck with the gifts that benefit Steve. He got a warm up shirt and chocolates and I got a Laxative and a blocker...if you know what I mean. Did I mention they were used??? thanks a lot Steve. The Kerekes made off with the best white elephant, the George Forman Grill, although I though the pictures of Steve pulled a close second!

We had a fun time as usual and we did not make it home till 2:30 am. It would not be that bad but Steve had to get up at 7 to head down to Vegas for the BYU Bowl game. Did I mention that Laker woke up with a croupy cough and a faucet for a nose? that's right - were teething again.... and running on NO SLEEP. Steve owes me one!

The many adventures of Bubs and Maisy

2007-12-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

So I was reading my friends blog and she was sharing the many wonderful things that happen to you when you share your home with mans best friend and it got me thinking.....we have 2 dogs so does that mean double the fun? So here are some of the many adventures we have had with Bubs - a lab-pitbull mix and Maisy - a boxer.

Maisy-
* We have lost 1.5 couches to her. Apparently de-stuffing a couch is a lot of fun
* She has eaten the following in her 3 years of life: 2 bags of hershey kisses - with tinfoil, a cheese wheel, 1lb of butter, 3 bags of apple crumble cake mix, a loaf of bread and many sandwiches Steve has made and left on the counter to get a drink.
* Both have had encounters with rat poison (christmas eve 3 years ago)
* She is allergic to everything including some kinds of grass (which makes for interesting camping stories)
* Breaks the same toenail every 3-4 months
* Jumps our fence every other day (but comes back every night at the same time)
* Has an extremely sensitive stomach.....probably due to the earlier comment
* She attempts to swim, but looks like she is drowning
* Brings us her dog bowls when he have forgotten to fill them
* She love balls and any kind of toy that squeaks! She can sit, stay, give hi-fives, lay down and fetch.

Bubs-
* Swims like a fish and could fetch balls in the lake ALL day long!
* Love to hunt birds and other creatures in the backyard...including Maisy
* Buries every bone you give him in the backyard for a later date in time
* Loves to help me give Laker his bath...he is a great supervisor
* The best dog ever! He listens, does all the dog tricks, does not get into mischief and puts up with the boxer.

They both love to play with Laker or should I say "take his abuse", go running with me in the summers and wrestle with each other. Even though I want to ship Maisy off to a funny farm every other day we love our dogs and the endless amounts of entertainment they provide!

Day at the Mall

2007-12-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

Steve, Laker and I spent the day at University Mall to finish up a little Christmas shopping, but what is Christmas shopping without a stop at Cold Stone? Laker took over my shake because his dad inhaled his strawberry cheesecake surprise! Then on the way home we snatched a pic of Laker in his favorite position while in his car seat. He loves to put his leg up on the door....you know so he can sit back and enjoy the ride in comfort!!!! Later that night we went over to Clayton and Annalisa's house to watch the football game, don't ask me which one. Anyways, no night is complete with out a jam session on Guitar Hero. This is what Annalisa and saw the rest of the night, the back of our husbands heads! What nerds!!!

7 Things I love About Christmas

2007-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

This one is for Anika....she tagged me about 2 weeks ago and she called to remind me that I have yet to return the favor. So here they are, the 7 things I love about Christmas!

1. It only takes me 2-3 hours to get ALL my christmas decorations up! thats right, I have got a the system down. This year I hit the 3 hour mark only because the middle section of lights went out on my tree. I know it does not sound that bad, but if you know my mom you must decorate your tree like so: for every foot tall your tree is you must have 100 lights. I had a 7 foot tree and about 5 feet of the tree was dark....you do the math. So this year I got a new tree, but I had to light the thing and did I mention it is a 9 foot tree????? Let me tell you it is a ton easier to light a new tree than take the lights off a tree and then re-light it.

2. Last Christmas I had a brand new baby. Laker was born on the 1st of December and I did not get much sleep, not to mention recovering from giving birth! This Christmas is gonna be tons of fun because Laker is walking, babbling and getting into mischief! I am so excited to share Christmas with him this year!

3. Family Traditions!!! I love being with family and celebrating Christmas. Steve's family always does a live version of the Nativity Scene. All the grandkids dress up and we sing carols.

4. Yankee Swap! This is the greatest game ever created....thanks Michael Scott! I love all gift games but Steve's family really knows how to do this game. Everyone has to bring a present if they want to play and there is no crying allowed...thats right I am talking about the adults!!! In Steve's family it is every man for himself! The gifts in this particular game are extremely good gifts...and then there was one. I don't know where it came from but someone decided to give this ugly stuffed snowman and counts down from 10 and then says the following while shaking and vibrating, " Welcome to the year 2000!" and then giggles. Did I mention that it does all this in what sounds like an Australian accent. This little gem has ended up with either Steve or I 3 times. Thats right out of 25+ excellent gifts we have picked the dud 3 times. Not this years, we'll be on the lookout!!!

5. "The Friend Party". Every year we get together with all our friends for the Christmas Party. It is hilarious to watch Steve and all his friends rem-inis about their glory days in high school. Also we always do the White Elephant game and with this group, it is a riot!! Were talking about a box full of wire hangers, a used breast pump and one muddy boot. You never know what to expect and every year tops the last! I can't wait till this coming Friday!

6. Charlie the Elf. When I was little we had an Elf named Charlie that would come around after Thanksgiving and watch us till Christmas. If we were bad we would get black marks on our bedroom window. We had to be on our best behavior to get those marks erased before Christmas. If they were still there on Christmas morning we would not get any presents. My dad would always "see" Charlie when were not looking! My dad was so convincing that even when I found out that Santa was not real, I still believed that Charlie was around. For some reason my dad always knew when we were being good or bad!

7. Christmas Morning!!! I love Christmas morning, We spend the night at my parents house on Christmas Eve and have Christmas morning with my parents and Brady. It is soo much fun. Then the rest of our family comes over and we have a huge breakfast and open more gifts. When we were little Brady and I would always get Legos. So we would spend all day putting them together! I really hope I get Legos this year!!!!!

My bright-eyed boy!!!

2007-12-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with my camera that is not digital and got this shot of the Lake Man. Look at those eyes!

Our little Family

2007-12-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time again, the dreaded family pics.

Laker's First Birthday

2007-12-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Our little monkey turned the Big 1 on the 1st of December. Steve's parents and my parents came out to help celebrate. We had cake and opened gifts, but Laker was more interested in the wrapping paper and loading up on the cake! There was one thing that he loved......his Bob the Builder Tractor!!! He was cruising all over the place - plowing the garbage and the dogs - and this of course made his dad proud!

Eric Smiley Clinic

2007-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to ride in the Eric Smiley Clinic held at Lynnleigh Farm during the first weekend in November. It was a blast!

6 Things You Don't Know About Me....

2007-11-12T20:50:00.001-08:00

So Annalisa, one of my good friends was telling me about this "6 Things You Don't Know" game and she put it on her blog. It is hilarious and she told me that I had to do the same, the catch is the six things can't be lame. So here they are in no particular order....

1. I secretly want to be a CSI - Crime Scene Investigator - Thanks to CSI:Las Vegas

2. My parents live by Hidden Valley Country Club so their backyard has lots of trees, like a mini forest. The windows in the basement never had blinds on them and when it gets dark, you can see in from outside, but not out from inside. When I was little I was sure that there was some one out there ready to get me and when I would go upstairs I would run as fast as I could because I was sure he was right behind me at the bottom of the stairs. Now that I am 24, I still think there is a guy at the bottom of the staris everytime I go up!

3. I had star stickers on my ceiling that spelled out the names of the boys I liked in middle school. I had to read them every night before I went to bed. Just to ensure that if I looked at them, they would for sure like me too!

4. I have been pulled over twice in my life, both times for speeding (like 8 over). Once on Memorial Day and the other on Labor Day, of the same year, on the same road - one in each direction, by the same cop. I thought for sure I could talk my way out of a ticket, but when he came to my window, I said, " I know, I know..." gave him my license and registration and recieved a ticket - both times. I could not cry my way out of it! No tears!!!!

5. I worked for an eye doctor for 2 weeks. I got new contacts for cheap and then quit.

5.5. I will time myself when I do a Suduko puzzle and then try to beat it on the next one. Steve calls me a major nerd for that, but I love it!

6. If I had no morals and values I would be a hard core coffee drinker. Not coffee straight up, but like live at Star Bucks and indulge on all the magical goodness they create! No smoking or drinking, just the coffee.

Air Time

2007-11-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

Laker loves being thrown in the air by his dad! You know, quality time.....

BYU - TCU Game

2007-11-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

What a view!!!! I mean what a game!!! Steve's family has a Loge at Lavell Edwards Stadium and let me tell you, this is the only way to watch a game. All the food you can eat and best of all, 3rd Quarter Ice Cream, made to order and did I mention exceptional parking!!!! We'll be back at the Loge to enjoy the BYU - Utah Game on the 24th. That is going to be a blast!! Thanks for the good times Mom and Dad!

For Sale

2007-11-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well....we have decided it is time to uproot our little family and head to a new town. Lehi....that is. In 2005 we built our first house in Eagle Mountain. What a place!!! We love it out here - the summers are awsome and we have family right down the street. But as Steve's company is growing, that means that our family too will be growing. NO we are not announcing anything, but that time will come and we want to be in a home that we can grow in to.

Halloween

2007-11-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

Laker was dressed up like a horse this year. Later that night Steve got the lucky job of staying home and "manning" down the fort while providing treats for the "trick or treaters". Laker and I went to the family Halloween party at Aunt Jo's house out at Daybreak. I dressed up like a horse rider and took Laker around the neighborhood with all his cousins!! For his fisrt Halloween, the kid amde a haul!!!!

2007 Mortensen Family Reunion

2007-10-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Every three years Steve family gathers for one heck of a reunion. This year we went to "Rockin' R Ranch" in Antimony, Ut. It was a working cattle ranch with plenty to do. Two hours after we got there our nephew, Zac managed to fall 20 feet from the zip line breaking his arm between his shoulder and elbow. One hour after that, my sister-in-law's husband, who is not a small guy took a ride on the bungee swing. This swing is inteneded for you to "lightly bounce" up and down, while someone is pulling on the bungee cord with a rope. Sure it sounds harmless, but when you have 8 Mortensen boys coaxing you to saddle up a 2X4 and "let" them launch you into the air, you know something is bound to go wrong....and of course, the force of being launched sideways on a ginormous bungee cord left old Matt behind. The force was so great that the swing Matt was sitting on flew out of his hands resulting in a full on back flip, landing on his head. In all fairness, all the brothers told him to "hold on tight!!!"

Along with near death expriences hours after arriving, we got to do a little "bull riding" on calves, mutton bustin for the kids and trial rides. It was so much fun.....it's a good thing they make you sign your life away before getting out of the car or we'd all be rich!!!!

Red Sox Game

2007-10-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

Steve and I were able to take in the last home game for the Red Sox last October, two months before I was due! What a blast!! You really have not lived until you expierence the thrill of "Sweet Caroline" durring the 7th Inning Stretch. Boston really loves thier Sox!!!

Our little Laker!

2007-10-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

What can we say about Laker?? Well to start with, I had to have him the natural way!!! I know, but I did not really have a choice. Because of my spinal fusion my doc was not sure if an epihdural would be effective on me. I figured I had 9 months to get set to the idea, but when we had to go to Lamaze classes, I had some serious doubt!! But thank heaven my labor went the way it did or Laker would be an only child! I went into Labor on the last day of November, we got to the hospitol at midnight, but not before stopping for gas.... I did not have time to think about anything, he just came fast and all was well!!! Laker Thomas joined us at 2:56am on the 1st of December!

He has been nothing but fun!!! He has been such a great baby and now 10 months later, every day is a new and exciting adventure! He is crawling, babbling, tormenting the dogs and trying to walk on his own, yet we still have no teeth! Laker loves his dad and loves his toys. His first birthday should be tons of fun!!!

A little about Katie....

2007-10-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Unlike Steve, I came from a very small family. Brother Brady is all I have, not to mention my loving mother and father! I had back surgery after high school due to Scoliosis. As for my working history after marriage, I worked for Back to Basics for 4 years and in that 4 years I made alot of progress. I started in Customer Service, 6 months later I joined the Product Management Team and as Admin. Assitant. This was one of my favorite stops because of the wonderful friends I made. But it does not stop there, a few years or so later I moved the the Planning and Inventory Department, met a very interesting individual and finished out my time as a Traffic Coordinator at the Distribution Center. That's when Laker came along and I never went back! I still find time to ride my horse although I am not competeing at the moment. There will be time for that later. As for now, I am enjoying my time with Laker and being a stay at home mom! Oh and entertaining Steve and the dogs too!

A Little about Steve....

2007-10-07T11:21:00.001-07:00

What can we say about Steve? Well, besides being a wonderful husband and loving father, he is still just a big kid at heart. He works his butt off 8 months out of the year shaping Utah one yard and one development at a time!! He still manages to find time to play basketball every Tuesday and Wednesday night, golf when ever he gets the chance and spend time with his little family! He loves playing with and watching Sunday football with Laker...or should I say "napping".... All in all, Steve is just a fun guy to be around and we are glad to have all winter with him! Did I mention that he is one of 11...kids?? Thats right! Steve has 7 brothers and 3 sisters. Even though he is the baby boy, he still claims he is the baby over his little sister.

Your probably wondering if I can name all of them, well you better believe it! Not only can I name them, I can attach the 35 or so children that belong to them! His family is so awsome and we love each one of them!!

Mortensen History 101

2007-10-06T22:26:00.001-07:00

So here is a little history lesson on the Mortensen's. I won't bore you with all the details, but enough to catch you up to speed. Steve and I have been married for a little over 5 years. In that 5 years Steve graduated from UVSC with a BA in Business and started Morty's Landscaping. I came close to getting my BA....I guess there is always time for "finishing" later... We built our first house, got a few dogs, went on a cruise and had a baby. Don't worry, there won't be a pop quiz or anything.