Happy

Chelsea sent me this picture today, and I couldn't stop looking at it: she is SO HAPPY. She is so happy to be pregnant, so happy to be a mom, so happy to have a family of her own. She is being such a good sport about being tired, sick, achy and everything else that comes with pregnancy. She still goes to the gym even when she can't workout the way she wants to, still looks adorable, and still works hard. I'm so proud of her and SO happy for her--Chel, you deserve to be happy.

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

Tonight my whole family got together at my parents house to watch my brother Joe open his mission call. We are so blessed to be part of such a huge support system. The room was totally full as he tore open the envelope and started reading..........ORLANDO FLORIDA!!!

I am so excited for him. He has grown up so much lately and is totally ready for this incredible experience. As the only boy with 4 sisters it hasn't always been easy for him, but he is a solid individual with a strong testimony that is becoming more and more obvious.

I realized the other day I haven't dedicated near enough of this blog to him, so Joe, this one's for you:

*** He's really good at making things out of wood. He made his mom and sisters cutting boards for Christmas and they are fabulous. He's currently working on a baby mobile.
*** He is genuinely sweet and a good listener. We've had many a conversation about the mysteries of dating, and its been so fun to get a male perspective from someone who is so concerned for my welfare.
*** He is a great uncle to Jackson and Miles. This fall while they were visiting he made marshmallow guns with them. I know they look up to him and watch everything he does.
*** He has a temper just like mine. Which means he understands me when I get riled up.
*** He is good at finding ways to serve. This winter my parents were out of town and he was home alone. They came home to a message from the neighbors, thanking him for shoveling the snow off their walks. He offers to babysit Katie's kids, helps with yardwork, and has moved me countless times.
*** He used to make appointments to come in for a haircut at my salon under fake names. I'd spend the whole afternoon trying to figure out who was coming in, and then be pleasantly surprised when he walked through the door, always with a diet coke in hand.
*** One night we were the only 2 at my parent's house, and he talked me into playing xBox with him. We played a car racing game, and he let me design my own purple sports car and then let me not lose by too much.
*** He is always up for a game of Ticket to Ride or a beverage run.
*** He is responsible. I learned that last summer when he and I took dad's boat up to Flaming Gorge a couple days before the rest of the family came up. He is confident and experienced and realizes when its ok to be silly and when its time to be cautious.

I'm so proud of you Joe. I know I can be hard on you but I hope you know how much I love you and how important you are to me. You're gonna rock this missionary thing--you'll love it and they'll love you--I can't wait to start getting the letters.

Girls Trip

I'm so behind on my blogging!!

In January my mom, all the sisters, and little Stella headed down to Sunny St. George for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and shopping. Thanks to Chelsea's in-laws we had a fabulous place to stay, and we spent the weekend eating good food, sleeping in, chillin at the pool, visiting the temple, and finding fabulous new places to shop (they loved us so much they offered us jobs there!)

Stella was a doll and got more attention than any baby should ever get from all of us girls as well as every stranger we ran into. Lola was a little perturbed that she got passed over for the fun...maybe next year Lo!

I'm so grateful for my mom and my sisters and how close we are. There aren't many people I always know I'm going to have as good a time with as them. We never run out of things to gossip about, rant about, or laugh about.

It was so great to just chill for a couple days--definitely a tradition worth repeating!!

Life, or Something Like It

In the last 2 weeks I've had 2 close friends lose their dads. One was expected, one was a surprise. Before last Saturday, it had been a long time since I'd been to a funeral. I feel like I am much too young to enter the phase of life where my friends start losing parents. I remember a few years out of college, when my friends started getting married. It felt like we were playing dress-ups. Then they started having babies, and it seemed like something my sister and her friends did, not my friends. Then one of my best friends had a miscarriage, and others I love struggled with infertility, and I couldn't comprehend that I was old enough to have loved ones dealing with this type of pain--grown up pain. And now, a new, huge version of grown up pain.

My dad asked me today whether our attempts to defy death aren't in reality a lack of faith of something better waiting for us, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that. Because I do have faith in something better, in life after this, in eternal families. I guess it comes down to selfishness on the part of those of us left behind. Jenni will have a wedding without her dad, and Lance and Jamee's baby won't know her grandpa. I think of the examples of my dad and grandpas, and the wisdom they have passed on, and the love they have shared, and I ache for the huge hole that they would leave were they not here.

Jenni, Lance, Jame--I love you!

Stelly Belly

Our family welcomed Stokes baby #4, Stella Kate, on November 16! She weighed in at 7 lbs 3 oz, and is absolutely perfect. Her brothers and sister are adorable with her, and Katie is back up and about like nothing happened. It is so fun having a baby in the family again. We all love her so much! Congratulations Katie and Nate.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum!

The Christmas season is officially here, kicked off with a killer snowstorm and our annual family Christmas tree hunt. This year proved especially challenging with over 2 feet of snow to wade through, and all the trees covered so you had to shake them off to see what they looked like. Katie and Stella stayed in the warm car, and Elise and Joe had other obligations, but the rest of us had a ton of fun and got a great workout tromping through the forest.

Me

I am...T. I guess that's a lot of things. I think...too many things. I have an opinion about everything. I'm working on not being so outspoken. I want...to be stable. secure. to not have to worry. I have...a great family. I don't know what I'd do without them. I wish...I were 5'8". I hate...that there is only one word in our language for LOVE. I use the same word to say I love diet coke as I do to say I love my family. That's not ok. I miss...the college days. What did I think was so stressful? I fear...cats. I know its not rational. I feel...a little cold. a little nervous for a new job. excited to go finish a quilt. I hear... Ben Folds. and that someone has sent me a message. I smell...nothing right now. I'd like to get rid of this cold. I search...for obscure things I obsess over at the time. My sister calls this questing. I wonder...how deep should I go with this? I wonder why I still haven't found him. I wonder why the road that found success for some doesn't for others. I wonder who I'll be one day. I regret...going on certain blind dates. I love...so many things. My family. China. A cold diet coke. Rocky Road ice cream. Fall. I care...about looking good. Blame it on the day job. I always...sleep too late. I hit snooze a million times and then run around frantically trying to leave the house on time. I am not...one to be lied to by mechanics. One of my biggest pet peeves, and I weirdly pride myself on not letting them take advantage of me. I believe... The unplanned life is no less a life. I heard that last night. I believe I'm here for a reason. One day I'll understand why. I dance...all the time. Last night I was dancing at the atm. I had Sam (who was in the car) convinced there was music playing out of it. I sing...all the time. I wish could I remember song lyrics better. Sam is the first guy I've dated who sings more than me. I love it. I don't...like loud music. If affects my mood too much. I write... rarely. I should be better. I win...Ticket to Ride when I play with Sam. I lose...to Sam at Uno. Every. Single. Time. I never... I listen... to clients all day. I'm gonna miss that. I love hearing about what is going on in their world and what makes them tick. I love figuring out how to make them happy. I can usually be found...at work. Or doing a project at home. I am scared of...failing. I read...everything. anything. clearance books. book club books. I am happy about...new possibilities. a bright future. discovering what's coming.

I tag Amie. Mel. J-Had. Anyone else who wants to.