Hospital Shoot

While we were in the hospital, a photographer came by and did a mini photo shoot of Stetzen and us.  I think she took them on Friday, which makes him two days old in the photos.  I wanted to share the good ones :).

This is one of Zach's favorites.

 This is one of my favorites...

and this one is my favorite.

His poor foot...the hospital did two Bilirubin tests and several glucose tests on him while we were there, so his poor feet had lots of pokes on them :(

The new and improved Young Family :)

Nursery

Baby Teddy's nursery is almost done!  We completely redid what we called the blue room in our trailor.  The previous owner redid this room prior to us moving in, and I can't say it was for the better.  It used to be a pastel blue with a victorian wall paper border around the ceiling.  The sheetrock on the walls was never seamed together correctly, so there were humps and crevices where they came together.  They also didn't texture the walls, so the paint was directly on the sheetrock and made the imperfections even more noticable.  When we tore the wall paper off, we saw that the sheetrock didn't reach the ceiling, leaving a 1-2 inch gap in most places.  Ugh!  So, not only did the room need trim around the floor, window, and door, it'd need some around the ceiling as well.  Needless to say, this room was somewhat atrocious!  I wish I would have taken a before picture to give you a good idea what it really looked like.

When we found out Baby Teddy was coming, we decided this room would be his, since it's closest to our room.  We decided to go with a western/cowboy theme.  Originally, Zach would only accept a John Deere bedroom, with green walls and yellow trim.  He wanted to put up his John Deere tractor collection on the walls and a giant tractor mural/sticker on the wall.  I was ok with a John Deere room, but I did not want a green and yellow room.  After some coaxing, I got him to like the idea of a western/cowboy theme.  Thank goodnesss cuz it looks so cute!

But, before we could do all the fun decorating, we had to fix all the problems in the room.  First, we tried puttying up all the cracks and seems in the wall.  Most of the major seams for the sheetrock couldn't be fixed unless we tore out the sheetrock, so we tried blending and sanding it down as best as we could.  Then we textured the walls.  This helped to hid a lot more problems.  In addition to adding all the trim, I thought it'd be cute to have a chair rail going around the room and split the colors of wall.  After cutting all those out, Zach was ready to be done with the room.  It was supposed to be an easy project, but turned out to be somewhat tedious.  Finally, with that all done, we could get down to the fun part, PAINT!  After the John Deere debacle, we decided on doing blue, cream, and brown for the colors.  The top half of the walls are the blue, the bottowm half and ceiling, cream, and brown for the trim and railings.  I was going to put cow spots on the bottom half of the room in the brown color, but Zach was against it and I never got to it, so it stayed cream.

At last the decorations and furniture!  The best part in my opinion.  I still have one project to finish as far as the decor.  I'm making a barnwood frame for a picture of Baby Teddy when he gets here.  It'll look like the picture we already have in the room.  I couldn't find any wood around the ranch that was big enough to work so I'm aging my own wood.  Hopefully it turns out ok.  Overall, I think the room looks amazing and is the best room in the house!  Teddy's going to live in style!

Here are a few pictures of the (almost) finished project!

The picture frame will go inbetween his hat and rope and spurs.

The 4th Festivities

This year we spent the 4th in good ol' McKinnon.  Most of Zach's family was in Idaho over the weekend and he had to work, so we stuck it out at home for the 4th.  The most excitement we could come up with on a somewhat rainy day was to go fishing...YAY!  

We went to Spirit Lake first, but I was the only one to have a bite and reel one in. The boys couldn't be outdone, so we ended up going to a little creek/pond where the fishing is always good, but miniature. 

The Fishing Spot

From there, I went on to catch two more fish before any of them caught anything.  This was the first one I caught at the new spot.  Isn't he cute?



After that, I lost the fishing race.  I think Brandon ended up catching 8 and Zach and I both caught 7.  I almost think half of what I caught was the same poor fish, lol.  The best part about the whole experience was how hungery these little buggers were!  Two seconds after throwing your line out, you'd always seem to get nibbles or a fish on the line.  Needless to say, between the bursts of rain and reeling in fish, we stayed busy.



One of the bigger fish Zach caught.



Which one is bigger?  That was the everlasting debate of the day. 

After fishing, we came home and got ready to go to the fireworks in Evanston.  Sad to say, but I forgot my camera so I don't have any pics, but it's CRAZY over there.  In the land where illegal fireworks are an avid commodity, everyone is showing off what would be Rupert's big firework show!  There's a smog of firework smoke that settles in over the town at night, and I LOVE it!!  If you ever get a chance, you should come and see it! 

I nabbed this photo from the internet, so you can get an idea of what it's like there.

The city does it's own firework show to music, which was really nice.  We met up with all of Zach's family for the festivities.  Baby Jacob was just mesmerized by all the lights and sounds.  It was cute!  We didn't do our own fireworks because Zach had to work graves over the whole holiday, but overall it was a good 4th and we had fun! 

Photography...Or Attempt Thereof

I admit that I wish I was a professional photographer and that I had an amazing program to edit photos, but I am ametuer at best.  For Christmas, Zach got me an AMAZING Nikon camera, and you'd think with the right stuff I could take some pretty cool pictures.  But, I can't seem to make my camera do what I want.  I have this great mental image in my brain, but it never seems to translate to the photo.  That darn aperature and ISO are kicking my trash.  I think I know how to get what I want, but apparently I don't.  Sad...

Anyways, the reason for my post is finally coming.  My brother-in-law recently got engaged and asked if I would be willing to do their engagement photos.  I was pleasantly surprised they asked, but at the same time a little freaked out.  They really didn't have any ideas what they wanted before hand, so I scrimmadged through my own engagement photos and others online.  The night before, I made Zach model some poses and locations for me to put me at ease.  He always tells me I worry too much...and maybe I do.

The day of, I was grateful the two of them were easy to work with and had some ideas of their own!  It made my life as "photographer" much easier.  Two hours and a couple hundred photos later, I finished and started editing. 

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

Baby Projects

Lately, I have been filling the hours of the day with some sewing projects.  I really haven't bought anything for baby Teddy, other than a few outfits and a crib, so I've been on a blanket frenzy. 

The first one I finished is a receiving blanket.  In young womens, the girls learned (myself included) how to do a single stitch crochet around blankets.  The girls also did burp rags, but I didn't do one.  We used a fuzzy chenelle (spelling?) yarn to go around them.  I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of how fat it is, but I think it turned out pretty good regardless. 

The next one I finished was a quilt for Teddy's crib.  I had a hard time finding a pattern or panel that I really liked, but I finally found this one on the internet that I LOVE!!  My mom helped me hand quilt it.  This one took a while, longer than I thought it would.  After two cutting mishaps, I had to revise how I finished the edges.  Originally, I was just going to have the blue around the edge and sew it over the top from the back panel, but I cut it too short.  Agh!!  So, I had to cut strips for the front border, sew them on, and then I added a brown edge to tie the front and back together.  Again, I cut the brown a little short, so it's about 1/2" thinner than what I would have liked it to be.  But, it turned out pretty good, so I can't complain!

I also sewed two car seat covers.  However, after I finished this John Deere one, I decided it'd be cuter as a blanket.  I might just sew the straps back on if I decide to convert it, who knows.  I'm still a little undecided about it. 

This one I am keeping as a car seat cover.  I wish I would have picked a different back for it.  I thought it looked good at the store, but after I got home, I changed my mind.  I don't think it looks too bad, but it's just a little too busy. 

I'm also working on a fleece blanket, but I haven't finished tying it together yet.  On the front it has different colored foot and hand prints, and on the back it's light blue with white polka dots.  I think it's adorable.  I made it a little larger so Teddy can keep it as he grows all big and handsome. :)

 

Happy Father's Day...

I know Father's Day isn't until Sunday, but I got Zach his present a few days early.  About two weeks ago, our dog Bella Sue either ran away or was dog-napped.  We've looked everywhere for her, but can't find her. 

To fill the void, if  you will, we've been looking at puppies online.  We found one in Evanston that was almost exactly what Zach's been wanting for a dog...a Border Collie Mix.  I went to go check her out Wednesday, and ended up coming home with her. 

Here are a few picutres of her...

She is a very energetic puppy...I can't seem to make her stay anywhere.  I brought her home in a shop-vac box and thought she'd stay in there while I brought some stuff into the house.  It's fairly tall, and she barely could put her paws over the top.  When I came back, she was running loose in the yard, the box tipped over in defeat.  Next, I tried putting her in the truck bed.  Surely she wouldn't attempt jumping out of there.  Two strikes for me...not even five seconds after I put her in there, she was bounding for the ground.  Bells wouldn't even jump out of the truck, and she was more than a year older than her!  Crazy...

When Zach finally got home last night, he was like a little kid!!  You could tell he loved everything about her and was overjoyed to have her!!  So, I hope he enjoys his Father's Day present :)  Love ya!!

Happy Easter!!

Today in Young Women's I gave the Easter lesson and I just wanted to share part of it.  During the April conference in 2006, Elder Wirthlin gave an AMAZING talk titled, "Sunday Will Come".  It was very moving and addressed the wonderful blessings of the atonement, including the love and understanding Christ has for each of us.  He knows each one of us individually and with that knowledge, He knows how to succor us in our times of need.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and remember the true reason for the celebration!!  "He is not here:  for he is risen,"  and so shall we.  I am blessed to have this knowledge and to know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who has prepared a way for me to return to Him and my family.

Priceless...

I have somewhat of an affinity for the old MasterCard "Priceless" commercials, so I decided to create one of my own.

• New 4-wheeler, $7,000
• Gas for the ride, $15
• Beanies, $10
• Roasted Hot Dogs, Chips, and Pop, $10
• Realizing there are three of us in the picture...Priceless!!

Yep, you guessed it.  We're expecting our first on September 1st!!  We have an amazing OB, and we get to have an ultrasound each month!  Sometimes I wonder if I'm really preggers, but when we go to the OB and hear the heartbeat and see it, it becomes so much more real!!  Most days I wish I had a remote for life so I could just fast forward to the part where he/she is born.  I can't wait to see him/her!!  It's exciting to see all the changes from just a little "blob", as I would call it, to what looks like a fully developed baby.  Zach is extremely excited about all of it and wants to be involved in every aspect.  He has a strong opinon of what the room should look like (John Deere Tractors with Green walls), won't miss an appointment with the doctor, and has even nicknamed it already! 

As you may or may not know, Zach, Brandon, Allen, and I all bought colts last fall.  Zach named his Teddy and subsequently nicknamed our baby-to-be Teddy Jr.  So, if you assumed he wants a boy, you're right!  I have held that if we have a girl, he'd be completely devistated. 

Baby Teddy at 12 weeks.  We got a really good picture of Teddy's hand.

At our 16 week appointment with the doctor, we got a lot of special glimpses of our little one.  It was amazing to see how active Teddy already is!  Throughout the whole ultrasound Teddy was bouncing around and would not hold still.  I can only imagine how it will be when I can actually feel it!  I have a feeling I won't get any rest.

In the middle of the ultrasound, Teddy actually yawned.  It was the cutest thing I've seen so far!!  So, here's a picture of it.

We also got a glimpse of Teddy's profile.  It's kind of hard to see, but you can see some of the features of Teddy's face.  Just adorable!

We also were able to find out whether baby Teddy was the boy Zach's been hoping for or a cute little girl all of it's aunts and grandmas want.  Before I make the big reveal, I actually had a couple of dreams about it.  Kind of crazy, I know. 

In my first dream, all of my family was over, and I was holding a boy.  For some reason he would not stop crying.  I did everything imaginable but to no avail.  All the moms in the room tried to take him and tell me what to do, but I would have no part in it.  I was the mom, and I knew what was best.  Not ten seconds after I let everyone know that, he stopped fussing and was an angel.  Then, for some reason I was confused whether or not it was actually a boy and came to believe it was a girl. 

The second dream happened the night before my last doctor's appointment.  I can't really recall the details of the dream, but I do know feeling very strongly that it was going to be a boy.  When I told Zach of them, he was even more convinced that a baby boy was in our near future. 

To be honest, I don't really have a preference boy or girl.  I always wanted an older brother growing up, so having a boy first was ideal.  On the other hand, girls are so much more fun to dress up and have so many more cute things, hand bands, dresses, etc., so I also wanted a girl. 

We already picked out two names that we liked...for a boy Stetson Alva/Albert...and for a girl Tinsley Maurine.  But only one will survive...any guesses?!?

And now for the big reveal...

3...

2...

1...

It's a....



BOY!!! 

Now Zach can sleep well knowing his dream came true, lol.  

Christmas Happenings

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Zach, his parents, and I went up on the mountain and cut down our Christmas tree.  It's the first time I've ever actually gone out and cut down my own tree so it was exciting.  We went  up the the mountains a few miles from where we live and found our tree right away.  It was a cute little thing.  Zach's parents, on the other hand, were on the search for the "perfect blue spruce Christmas tree" and took much longer to find it.  On the way down the mountain, Zach's dad spotted one up on a hill next to the road.  As his dad was climbing up, we all had a good laugh and Zach made fun of the way he crawled up the hill like a little baby.  After he got up, he had Zach come up and bring the chain saw to cut it down.  The best part of the whole day was watching him climb up the hill just like his dad.  We had a good laugh about it all. 

The infamous hill they climbed to get the tree.

Cutting down the tree.

After they cut it down, Zach and the tree slide all the way down to the road and nearly took out the truck.  Below is a picture when he slid into the road.

And, last but not least, the final product!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

As you know, or if you don't, last year I was called as a Primary teacher for the 8-11 year olds in my ward.  In a nutshell you could say they are a rambunctious bunch who love rodeo, are obsessed with roping, and love horses.  Nearly every week there is a comment that floors me or that is probably inappropriate for church but hilarious.  To make matters even more interesting, the one who accounts for 95% of the comments is the bishop's son.  I will share a couple comments made over the last month.

Christmas Lesson:
For our Christmas lesson, one of the older girls in my class wanted to teach so I showed her what to do and she did really well.  In the middle of her lesson, we were talking about how Mary wasn't married when she became pregnant with Christ.  We discussed how this was looked down upon during that time and how blessed she was that Joseph was willing to stay with her.  In the middle of the discussion, the bishop's son asked very honestly,  well how do girls get pregnant in the first place?  Both the girl teaching and I were taken aback and were speachless.  I had no idea what to say to him other than, "Well, I think that's a question you'll have to ask your mom."  Hilarious.

Crackers and Niggas:
After class a couple of weeks ago, the other boy in my class asked me a simple yet surprising question, "Do you know what a cracka is?"  I said. "Sure, isn't it a white guy?"  He abrubtly corrected me and stated that it was in fact a man of color. 

Right after that the bishop's son proudly stated that his older brother calls him a nigga.  I asked if he did all his brother's dirty work for him to be called such a thing.  He simply stated that wasn't the case and that he just likes to call him a nigga.  This turned out to be a very educational class.

Skinny Dipping:
Again, the bishop's son is the culprit here.  Out of the blue, he confessed that his parents like to go skinny dipping outside, and they do it all the time in the summer.  He then informed me what that meant.  Where does this kid come up with these things?  If the show "Kids Say the Darndest Things" was still on, he'd be a perfect candidate.

Trench

This summer we've been working on putting in new corrals for the cows.  We finally got them built and the shed is mostly done, except for the siding and tin roof.  The most important part for me was getting in the water because last winter I had to drag 400 feet of hoses down to the calving corrals to water the cows and roll it up everytime so the water didn't freeze in the hose.  Needless to say, it was a major PAIN.  During the week of Thanksgiving Zach rented a trackhoe and dug a water line so I can water them without any hoses.  JOY!!  Zach wanted a few pics of his skills, and you get to enjoy them too!

 The trench is about 5 feet deep.  It's hard to tell from the pic, though.

 The man at work.

 Zach wanted me to get a pic of the large rock he broke and scooped out in one bucket.  I missed it, but you can see it on the pile.

 Josh & Brand putting in the water line.

My trusty helper, Bells.