We are alive...

Don't worry. I know it has been awhile since we posted. My family is in town for Zoee's birthday so we have been busy doing lots of fun stuff. I will post about what has been going on soon. (Gus's first food, house hunting, Zoee's birthday) We are about to leave to go do some "strip" stuff. I hate going to the strip but my dad wants to take Zoee to FAO Shwarz so we are on our way. Until then...

Daniel

There are some people that you meet in your life that just make an impression that will always stay. Some people that just make the world a better place. Daniel is one of those people.

I remember the first time I met Daniel. He came to my house for the bachelor. He walked in the door and gave me the biggest hug like he had known me forever. I instantly felt a friendship with him. He was so fun and easy going. I remember staying up talking forever that night as he told me about himself and let me ask anything I wanted. He taught me a lot about different things. (some too juicy to share!) He taught me about being strong when it might not be the easiest thing to do. He taught me that it is most important to be yourself and by doing so, you will be happy. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He is accepting and understanding and funny. He would do anything to help anyone. He spent a lot of time helping me with a computer program and it meant so much to me. He makes the best stinky pinwheels and he is just one of those people that you feel comfortable around and no matter what, he will always be your friend.

I have not known Daniel for very long but I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to become his friend and learn more about him. Thank you being you and for being a good example to me. Thank you for always being so kind.

We miss you at the Bachelor parties. It is not the same without you and I wish you could be here with us!!

To my Husband, Officer Garrard

I am home from church because Gus is asleep. I would normally wake him up and take him but he had a rough day yesterday and this morning so now that he is finally asleep, I don't want to wake him. I am not sure if he is sick or just having a few bad days but the poor little guy just isn't too happy. I will go to church when he wakes up. Nate took Zoee to church and the house is so quiet.

I am sitting here thinking about how grateful I am for my husband. His post about graduation was so sweet and it made me feel so good. I don't feel like I deserve any of the credit for him making it through the last 10 weeks. If anything, I feel like I should have done more to help him. I offered a lot of times to shine his boots or read his homework and he kindly declined saying he needed to do it himself. (I don't think he wanted me to mess up the shine on his boots that he worked so hard to get!) I am SO proud of him for working so hard and doing his best during the academy. I know that there were many nights when he went to bed dreading the next day. There were so many nights he would get home and go upstairs to study or work on homework. I tried to keep the kids entertained and not bug him but there were some times I just needed him and he was always willing to help even when he had stuff to do. He got up early to make it there on time and he always made sure to kiss me goodbye when he left. That meant so much to me. He is just a good man to do what he has for our little family. I know how important it is to him to provide for us and I am so thankful he has found something that he will enjoy doing. He will be very good at his work! I know, because he is strong, physically and mentally. (and he has tried a few of the things they do to restrain people on me and it works really well!!) I look forward to seeing him acheive his goals and advance in his career. Looking at him in that uniform isn't too bad either!

I love you baby. I love you more than you will know. I am so proud of you. Thank you for giving me everything I have ever wanted in my life. I love you to the moon and back.

10 LONG, HARD WEEKS

Well, the end of the academy has finally come! I'm proud to say that I survived and have succeeded and am now officially a corrections officer. I would absolutely be wrong to not acknowledge Stac in this accomplishment. She had been equally as strong, if not, stronger than I have throughout this whole process. It was her that kept me hoping even before the academy that they would call. They finally called. It was she that made sure I got up in time to make it to all the early appointments during the hiring process when I'd been up till 2 working the night before. It was she who has taken the full brunt of the kid work while I've been immersed in academy life. She has been stuck with the kids long hours, early mornings, late late nights, fussy days, and screaming fits, while I studied, memorized, shined, and prepped for the academy. Stac has totally kept me in the game by standing by me and being there for me when I needed her to just take the kids and go. Or let me leave when I know that ll she wanted was an hour of quiet, alone time to herself. They warned us on day one in the academy that this would be hardest on those of us with kids (specifically small kids) and that it would almost surely affect spouses. I would be lying if I said that it has been easy on us. Stac has just put up with so much of my freaking out while I stressed about what I needed to be doing and wasn't or letting me just go to bed while she stayed up ironing my uniforms and making my lunches. She truly has been what has gotten me through this and I give her all the credit she deserves.

The academy has been really tough and in ways that I never could've imagined. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with this job, a wife who has gotten me this far, the ability to do what I need to do, and the chance to do something I believe I'm going to enjoy a lot. This is one of the biggest blessings of my life.

Today was the graduation. For as big of a deal as the TAC Staff made it out to be, it really wasn't much. Neither of the speakers were really that great (the keynote speaker was obviously misinformed and aimed her speech to all of the graduating Marshals, which was none..... we're CO's, not Marshals), our white gloves were really goofy looking and are about the only thing you notice in the pictures against all the dark uniforms, the 2 awards the Staff gives out went to the one guy in the class who thought he deserved them the least and didn't even want them (he's been a cop for years and this is his second time around so he admitted that he thought had an unfair advantage where the rest of us were really stressed out or in the dark about things), and it was just a lot of work up over not a whole lot. Oh well.

WOW!

I accomplished a great task today...

I FINALLY mailed my baby shower thank you's.
I am such a slacker. I wrote them all the first week of Gus's life but they have been sitting in a basket on my kitchen table since then. I know Gus is 4 months old and I know I should have had them out way before now but I didn't. Sorry to all those that probably thought I forgot about the thoughtful gift they gave me. I didn't.

I am just lazy.

Nate's Graduation

The time has finally come. It's been a long, stressful 10 weeks but we are happy to announce that it is almost over and you are all invited. We slacked on getting them all mailed so if you want to come you are welcome.

ATTENTION EVERYBODY........

ZOEE HAS OFFICIALLY MADE HER FIRST POO IN THE TOILET!!

She has been really good since yesterday morning about telling us she needs to go to the bathroom and going pee, but also hasn't poo'd since yesterday too (we think whe's been holding it wearing her big girl underwear and all,) so tonight right after her little nap, she said she needed to go to that bathroom. Boy did she. It hardly took any begging or prodding for pushes or anything like that. We're super stoked that the light at the end of the (expensive) diaper tunnel is within sight for her.

Stac dressed Gus up.
In Zoee's clothes.
Poor guy.

Anyone else see how much they look alike???

Gus's first haircut

We gave Gus his first haircut on Sunday. We didn't cut much off, just the wings on the side and the mullet. The pictures are dark and it's hard to tell but here are some before pictures.



Here are some after pictures. It looks much better but now I just need to decided what to do with the top!

What'd you do this morning???

Saved some boobies. :)

Our academy class ran this this morning. Not bad at all and we finished the 5K (3.1ish miles) in about 37 minutes flat. That was a pretty comfortable pace too. Good to know that I did something good for myself and others and it's not even 11 saturday morning. Feels good.