William

August 17, 2008 We welcomed a new part of our family into the world! After about 11 hours of labor and 55 minutes of pushing, Weighing in at 5lbs 12 oz and 19 and a half inches long. our baby boy William Floyd Dougal! He was born at 4:30 somthing Pm. here are a few pictures for you!

My projects

This week I have been very busy working on lots of projects for the nursery. Some of these projects I've had for quite a while. Others I began and finished just this week. I don't usually do many "crafty" things, so this is a big deal for me. I've decided to post pictures of my projects, so I hope you enjoy them. Who knows, maybe you'll even get inspired to do something that I did. And so you know, my nursery has a theme of stars and I'm using chocolate brown and light blue to decorate.

This is a magnet board that I bought at Roberts for $3.99. I then covered the board and the magnetic frames that came with the board with paper. I got this idea from Good Things Utah on Monday. It was really fun and super easy to do this project.

I bought the board and vinyl lettering for this next project back in May. This week I finally bought the paint and brushes so I could do this project. I think it turned out really cute.

This shelf was given to me by my friend, Dedra. David and I painted it back in June when we painted our dresser/changing table. I just had to paint the stars blue. Since I bought the paint for the board above, I was able to finish this project as well. Thanks Dedra! Kanien, my sister-in-law, got this next project idea from a girl she works with. We made curtains out of bed sheets. We had to cut and sew the sheets so they would be the appropriate size. Then we ironed on our decorations that we cut out of other fabric. Kanien's curtains are white with flowers ironed on. These are the curtains I made. It was a fun project! I love my curtains! It did take a while though. But it was worth it!
I am currently working on a quilt for the crib. I'll post pictures of that next week sometime.

New Things

Well, we moved into our new apartment about 2 weeks ago. I will post pictures of the apartment later. Today I just wanted to post a few pictures of some of our new things.

This is the crib that my father-in-law made for us. It is made out of walnut. My dad had a piece of walnut that he had saved for years, so that is why we chose walnut. I love the crib! It is so beautiful!

This is my new glider and ottoman. I love it! It is super comfy. Marcella (my niece) and I like to sit in it and read stories together. I'm excited to rock my baby in it someday!

This is actually not new. This the dresser I used growing up. It is also a changing table. I think my parents got this for their first baby. So it is about 29 years old. My dad and brother stripped the old paint off. I did the sanding. And then David and I painted it. The color is called Chocolate Coco. When we poured the paint on the tray it looked like melted chocolate.

And this is a view of our laundry room. We decided to use our stimulus check to "stimulate" Home Depot by buying a new washer and dryer. It is so nice to have my very own washer and dryer. The washer is a front loader. The first time we ran it, David and I sat in front of it and watched it. It's pretty cool. I don't think I'll post a video though. It would be way too exciting. Both machines are GE. They are super nice. And because our washer is an Energy Star product we get lots of rebates! Even better!

I was tagged, so no tag backs!!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Around this time I was at Scout camp having fun.

2. What was on my to-do list for today? Come home from work, eat dinner, and go to sleep.

3. What would I do if I suddenly became a billionaire? Buy an ice cream cone from Macey's

4. 3 Bad habits... 1.) Talking bad about any and every job I have had. 2.)Laziness. 3.) not blogging...

5. Places I have lived..... Idaho, Utah, Kasai, Maebashi, Fukui, Koga and back.

6. Places I have worked... my parents backyard, crestwood growers, peter piper pizza, e-co marketing, arizona big salad, reams, xango llc.

7. 3 Things people don't know about me.... 1.) i like japanese comics like this (click on picture to see more pages) 2i like exercising but i don't like to get up the energy to do it. 3.) i like raw fish and rice.

Tagged

Tag:
A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and post their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? I was 13 years old. So that means I had girls camp and I think that this was the year my friend and I made up a fantastic story about a lost girl scout, a racoon, and a tent that was missing its cover. I wish I could remember the story better because it was great! I was also getting ready for 8th grade!
2. What was on my to-do list for today? Go to Crystal's house and help her with a project. Go to a Relief Society Book Club in my old ward. Unpack a couple boxes of books and put them away. I did two of the three. David was very kind to unpack the boxes for me while I was at my book club this evening.
3. What would I do if I suddenly became a billionaire? I would pay tithing first and donate a nice portion of it to the Church. I would pay off our car. I would buy a house that we could live in forever that has a very big, nice backyard and is in a nice quiet neighborhood where birds love to come and sing for you. I would buy horses. I would save a lot of it and invest it too. Give some to family and friends. I would help a special friend of mine with her car problems and make sure she has enough so that she won't have to worry about money and buying necessary things while her husband is in school.
4. 3 Bad habits... 1.) Procrastination. "Tomorrow... Tomorrow I love ya tomorrow You're only a day away!" 2.) Judging other people. 3.) I am a terribly inconsistent journal writer. I used to be wonderful at it but then the dreaded P word snuck in and destroyed that habit. I'm trying to get back in the habit, though.
5. Places I have lived..... California, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Utah.
6. Places I have worked... Arizona Big Salad, BYU custodial, Kroger Ice Cream and Novelty Factory, The Malt Shoppe, Deseret Towers, and Sharon Elementary
7. 3 Things people don't know about me.... 1.) I have a crazy fish named Cosmo. He likes to watch TV and he loves to hide! 2.) I love books! I love to read them and I love to buy them! 3.) I like to name my plants.

I'm going to skip Rule C listed above. If anyone objects to that then they can do the tag if they so desire!
David will post his tag soon!

Baby & Mommy Update

I am now 26 weeks (6 months) pregnant. I love feeling my baby move off and on through out the day and night. He is very active in the evenings. It is fun to lay down and watch my belly move all by itself! David loves this too. He loves feeling the baby move around. We are so excited to have a baby! We recently purchased a stroller and yesterday we got a car seat. Now we just have to wait 3 more months to put our little baby in them! Here is our new car seat! Isn't it so cute? The current placement of the buckle seems too small for a baby! But maybe he will fit in that!


And here I am, 6 months pregnant! We will be moving soon to another apartment in Orem. We are super excited for several reasons. 1. Cheaper rent. 2. Nicer carpet! 3. Two bedrooms! 4. It is right above Jon and Kanien (David's sister). 5. We will no longer be "basement dwellers"! 6. Jon says this is a plus, but I don't know... we can walk to Macey's!
We will be moving the first week of July! I am so excited to start setting up my baby's room! I will also attempt to make the quilt for the crib. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. Luckily I'm moving above one of the best quilter's I know! If I need help, I know who to ask. She's amazing!
Oh, and one more thing. This is in regards to my birthday a few weeks ago. Kanien did the nicest thing for me. She surprised me on Friday the 23rd by bringing a huge bouquet of balloons, a bouquet of flowers, and chocolate chip cookies into my classroom during the last hour of school. My students were surprised and excited because they each got a cookie. Marcella had fun playing in my classroom and watching my fish. It was so thoughtful of Kanien to do that. I have always seen that type of thing done for other people, and I always wondered what it would be like. Now I know! So, thanks, Kanien, for making my birthday so special and memorable! The rest of my birthday was great, but that was the highlight! I'm excited to live by you! I love ya lots!

Calvin and Hobbs

While I was in Nebraska I totally fell in love with Anthony. He is just so stinkin' cute! He loves to carry around his kitty and Mickey. The way he played with his kitty reminded me so much of Calvin and Hobbs. You can read some Calvin and Hobbs at this web site.

Isn't he so cute?

Happy Birthday!!!!

Dear Rosalee,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! i just wanted to take some time and tell the world how much i love you! you are a wonderfull wife and i love that i get to see how you are with children. you are so sweet and caring, i can't wait until our baby boy comes into this world. it might be rough but i wouldn't want to go through it with anyone but you. i know that we will have a loving family together because of your example and how well you teach children to do/be good. not only that but our home will be one of laughter! i hope that you are having a good birthday weekend and i can't wait until monday!

From the mouths of babes

Oh how I love kindergartners. So sweet, so innocent. So FUNNY!!! I told my students on April 1st that I am having a baby. Half of them didn't believe me because we had just read a story about April Fools Day and they said that I wasn't fat, so of course I couldn't be pregnant. On April 21st I told them that I am having a baby and that it is a boy. Of course the boys were thrilled that it is a boy and the girls were excited that I am having a baby. Isn't that how it works? Today I had a few hilarious things said to me. The first was this morning. One of my darling girls said to me, "I can tell you are having a baby because you are getting fat!" Ouch. Yes, it stung just a tad. One of my boys quickly jumped to my defense and said, "Don't say that. That is NOT nice!" The same girl later told me that she liked my tummy.
But my favorite thing that was said to me today was priceless. Another little girl came up to me during our rest time after lunch and whispered this to me. "Does Mr. Dougal know that you are having a baby?" I smiled and said yes. So sweet and innocent. So hilarious! I laughed later when she wasn't close by.
This last comment came April 11th, the Friday before our splendid Spring Break. One boy was coloring in his coloring book during centers. He was talking about how much he loves school. Then he exclaimed, "Kindergarten Rocks!"
My thoughts exactly.

Vacuuming

Becky pulled out the vacuum Tuesday evening to vacuum the living room floor. Right behind her was Anthony with his own little vacuum. What a good helper!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Belly Pictures

Well, here they are. The long-awaited, much anticipated belly pictures! Enjoy! My sister had lots of fun taking them, and I had lots of fun making funny faces. This is me at 19 weeks!

More Safari

So at the Safari they also have a place you can walk around and look at birds, foxes, and bobcats. They have a big tent-like net hanging to keep the birds in. We went inside the net and saw lots of little birds like house sparrows. They also had some quail and two pheasants. Josie decided that she wanted to catch one of the quail. I hope you enjoy the video! Sorry it gets really shaky in a couple of parts.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wildlife Safari

Close to Becky's house is a Wildlife Safari. Josie (the 3 year old) likes to call it the drive thru zoo. In it you can find elk, deer, turkeys, turtles, American Pelicans, Gray Wolves, bears, bison, and antelope. Yesterday we drove through and saw lots of great animals. Here are some highlights from the trip through the safari.

Pelicans almost sound like pigs! I mentioned that to Josie and she stuck her head out the window and said to the pelicans "why do you sound like pigs?!" So funny.

If you look really closely by the tree you can see a wolf. Sorry I couldn't zoom in any more.

Gobble, Gobble!

Does anyone know why this bison is white? Maybe it's just because he's younger. Who knows?

Anthony

Anthony loves to dance! He will turn the radio on and off and dance to the music. He also loves to talk and show off!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's a boy!!!

Well on Friday I had an ultrasound. It wasn't my "official" ultrasound, that will be on the 24th. I just really wanted to know what gender my baby is so that I could go shopping with my sister in Nebraska. The ultrasound went super well! Our baby was very cooperative (thanks, baby!), probably because I sang to it and talked to it about not being afraid to show us what it is. Anyway, this is how my doctor said it. "Here's one leg, here's the other leg, oh and there's something in between. Any questions?" When I saw what he was talking about there was no doubt in my mind that I am a tradition breaker (will explain momentarily). It is a boy! He was not shy at all about sharing with us. We are so excited! All of my siblings who have children have had a girl first, hence I am a tradition breaker.
I arrived in Nebraska yesterday and our first main stop after the airport was the Carter's warehouse sale! I got lots of cute things for my sweet little boy. I didn't even spend nearly as much as I thought I was going to. The only problem, I have to wait FOREVER to put them on my baby. But he will look so cute in them when the time comes. I think I even know what I want to put him in when I bring him home from the hospital. I've decided to only buy a few things for now. One of the next things I definitely want to get him is a cute little BYU shirt or onesie.
Since I am at my sister's and posting pictures is way easier, expect more pictures throughout the week. And I am planning on posting the much anticipated belly pictures this week. Check back soon!

Favorite Videos

I have seen some other people post their favorite videos from YouTube. David and I have a couple that we really like. Make sure you have your volume on. You will also need to pause or stop the music at the bottom. We hope you enjoy these! I think that Becky will especially like the second one.
Laughing Babies


Sneezing Panda

Tags, tags, and more tags

So I was tagged... again....by Crystal. I guess I must not post enough so my friends tag me so I will post. So Crystal (and Alyssa because I didn't post last week) this post is for you!
100 things about myself
1. I was born on a Sunday.
2. My mom says that I was her most beautiful baby.
3. I wore cloth diapers. YUCK!
4. When I was three months old we got our dog Koko who was two months old.
5. Koko is the best dog EVER!!!
6. Koko was a black lab/pit bull mix.
7. He loved Chocolate.
8. He loved little children.
9. He loved when little children had chocolate.
10. Koko died when we both were 16. It was and is the only death of a close loved one that I have experienced. It was very hard and I still get choked up if I talk about his death too much.
11. I share my birthday with John Wayne.
12. I also share my birthday with Lenny Kravitz.
13. This year the whole nation will honor my birthday.
14. I have had stitches in my forehead two times. Once when I was 1 and the other time when I was 5. Both times my "accident" was caused by my loving elder brother Jacob.
15. I love my big brother Jacob!
16. I went to all day kindergarten.
17. I teach all day kindergarten.
18. I had my first boyfriend in 1st grade. This lasted until 3rd grade. His name was David Peterson.
19. The first bike I rode was a She-Ra bike. It only had one training wheel. So I learned very quickly.
20. I lost my first tooth in first grade.
21. I was baptized in Utah even though we lived in Louisiana at the time.
22. It "snowed" (technically iced) one time while we lived in Louisiana. It froze one of our big pine trees in the front yard. The tree fell over. Luckily it fell the opposite direction of the house.
23. We moved to Nebraska when I was 8 1/2.
24. I love Nebraska!
25. I love climbing trees. I did it frequently when I lived in NE.
26. - 38. One time my dad made my brother Jacob and I walk home from church. Now for all the Utah folks, that's not a problem. But in Nebraska our church building was more than 2 miles from our house. He did this as a punishment because we had been fighting while setting up for a ward dinner. He punished us, though, after I had tripped and my brother had been very kind and helped me up. My dad thought we were fighting again and sent us home. We were supposed to walk holding hands all the way down the busiest street in Papillion. We also had to cross a highway. We held hands for maybe 5 minutes, and ran the rest of the way home. When we got home, my dad met us there, and told us he knew we didn't hold hands. So, he made us walk back to church. This time we had to hold hands because we knew this time that he was following us. He took pity on us after we had walked a mile or so more and drove us the rest of the way to church.
39. I cut off part of my sister's finger when I slammed the bathroom door.
40. - 45. Koko was great at escaping. One time he ran away and crossed the two busiest streets in Papillion and proceeded to go to Target. He walked in the store and was caught and eventually taken to the Humane Society. We always joke that we was going Christmas shopping for us. Oh and he was 15 when he did this. The ladies at the humane society were surprised when we told them that he was 15 because he acted very young.
46. My students really like that story about Koko.
47. I moved to Utah when I was 15 1/2.
48. I have liked 5 guys during my lifetime whose names start with J - Josh, John, Jordan, Jeff, and another Josh.
49. I have liked 3 guys named David.
50. I figured I would either marry a David or a guy whose name starts with J.
51. I am married to David James.
52. Isn't that ironic?
53. I love my husband!
54. My favorite College football and basketball teams are the COUGARS!!!
55. I am registered as a republican.
56. Some of my favorite movies are Pride and Prejudice (both the A&E version and the new version), Ever After, and What a Girl Wants.
57. I love watching Chick flicks.
58. I have watched the 5 hour Pride and Prejudice movie several times.
59. I didn't think Mr. Darcy was hot until the 4th episode when he went for a swim and walked to his house in a wet shirt.
60. I have read Pride and Prejudice 3 times and will most definitely read it many more times.
61. I want to name one of my daughters Eliza Jane. Yes, it is somewhat inspired by Pride and Prejudice.
62. I think Shannon Hale is a great author! I highly recommend her books!
63. I have a goal to read all of the Newbery Medal books.
64. I love buying books!
65. I collect Willow Tree Figurines and am excited that I am pregnant because I can FINALLY get the willow tree figurines that are pregnant women or women with babies.
66. I love giving Willow Tree Figurines as gifts.
67. I have done work in 11 different temples. St. Louis, Winter Quarters, Denver, Logan, Bountiful, Ogden, Salt Lake, Jordan River, Mt. Timpanogos, Provo, and St. George.
68. I love going to the temple!!!
69. Probably one of my favorite temples to do work in is the Provo temple. I love the Provo Temple!
70. I was married in the Salt Lake Temple.
71. I am at least the fourth generation in my dad's family to be married in the Salt Lake Temple.
72. I have been on a behind the scenes tour of the Conference Center.
73. I love milk. So does David.
74. I love chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Especially if it is from the BYU creamery.
75. I love Taco Bell.
76. I love pickles!
77. I have read/studied the Book of Mormon several times! I love it! I know that it is true!
78. I met President Hinckley when I was 10 and had a brief conversation with him.
79. I love Country Music!
80. I have been to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in concert two times. Once in Utah and once in Nebraska last year with my sister.
81. I have seen Rascal Flatts in concert twice.
82. I have seen Kenny Chesney in concert.
83. I want to see Keith Urban and Martina McBride in concert sometime.
84. Whenever I drive through Wyoming I always stop at Little America. I have been doing this for as long as I remember. And I have always used the same bathroom stall for as long as I remember. They have the NICEST bathrooms!
85. My family always buys ice cream cones when we go to Little America. When Koko traveled with us we always gave him the bottom of our cone.
86. I love bird watching and want to do it more so I can get better at it.
87. I am almost done!
88. I love math!
89. I am 16 weeks pregnant and I think I have felt the baby moving a few times.
90. I am having another ultrasound in 16 days to determine the gender of my baby! I am super excited!
91. I love stars! I love looking for constellations. I love using a telescope. And I plan on decorating my baby's room with stars.
92. My father-in-law is making my crib! It will be made out of walnut. Some of the walnut is from my dad. He used walnut to make a cradle when my parents were first married. He has had this piece of walnut for almost 30 years!
93. I love Wolf Brand Chili! It is seriously the best canned chili!
94. I love reading classics and children's novels.
95. A Tale of Two Cities is one of the most incredible books I have ever read. If you have never read it, you should!
96. My family used to have burping contests as part of our family home evening. And my dad wonders why I burp so much and so well!?!
97. I love David's red, curly hair! I hope that some of our children have red hair!
98. I own a sewing machine and want to make a quilt for my baby.
99. I want to get better at crocheting.
100. I have lived in or had my bedroom in a basement since I was 8 1/2.
101. I know I'm technically done, but I have to write this. David says really funny things when I talk to him when he is asleep!

COMING SOON..... BELLY PICTURES (because Alyssa has requested them plus I think they are fun)

More Tales from Mrs. Dougal's Kindergarten

Well last week one of my favorite students moved! Very sad. My emotions must be really out of wack because of pregnancy because I bawled that evening. I had found out right after the bell rang for the end of school that he was moving and that he wouldn't be back. So it was very sad for me. However, I had a pleasant surprise the next day when he got to come for one last day. All my students and I miss him. He is a great, sweet student and very bright.
Last Wednesday the 5th my students and I were talking about community helpers. I had mentioned doctors and dentists and then the kids were telling me other helpers. One little boy raised his hand and I thought he said "teachers". So of course I go off about how wonderful teachers are and all the great things they do for us. Well, a little girl stopped me and said "No! That's not what he said. He said Jesus." So then we talked about how we can't really talk about Jesus in school because some people don't like it. A lot of my students were like "What? That's so stupid!" So to validate the boy's comment I ended the little discussion by saying, "but yes, Jesus does help us."
On Tuesday the 11th one of my little girls fell off the monkey bars and hurt her back. She came running up to me, bawling. So while she hugged my leg I rubbed her back and said "It's ok. It's ok." After a minute, she looks up at me with big tears and says "No, it's not ok!" Very cute and funny. She was ok a minute later.
Today my later gators (the kids who come from 9:15 to 3:30) were lined up to go home when I overheard a great conversation.
Boy 1: Jesus is our friend.
Boy 2: Yeah!
Boy 1: He died and went to the spirit world.
Boy 3: The spirit world? What?
Boy 1: Yeah, he was dead for three days. Yeah 1,2,3 days! And then he came back to life! And these other guys rolled the stone away from the tomb.
I talked to Boy 1's mother about it when she picked him up. They have been talking about Easter at home. We were laughing about it. He'll make a great missionary! It's amazing how fearless children are and how they can talk to anyone about anything!
One more story. Last Thursday another little girl in my class told me, "My dad has to pick me up today because my mom is taking a pregnancy test right now." Then the next day she mentioned something about it again and how her mom wasn't pregnant but had something wrong. I don't know. All I can say is be careful about what you say around your children!

Tagged Again!

Alyssa tagged me to motivate me to post, so here it goes...
10 years ago…
I was 12 years old and living in Nebraska. I was a 7th grader at Papillion Junior High. I had my first boyfriend, Russell. He was diagnosed with diabetes around this time.

5 things on my to-do list:
1. Go to the temple
2. Eat ice cream (thanks Kanien for leaving it here!)
3. Do laundry
4. Buy a plane ticket to Nebraska for spring break
5. Make a baby quilt

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Buy my dream home with land for horses
2. Pay off our car and loans
3. Give David's dad $3 million so he can buy his Aunt Frankie's house in Oregon
4. Save and invest lots of money!
5. Get David a nice computer with the programs he wants so he can animate at home

3 bad habits:
1. Leaving the laundry in the dryer for a few days
2. Not emailing people back
3. Burping

5 places I have lived:
1. Mather AFB, California
2. Haughton, Louisiana
3. Papillion, Nebraska
4. Layton, Utah
5. Provo, Utah

5 jobs I have had:
1. Cashier/ Salad Bar Girl at Arizona Big Salad
2. Custodian
3. Resident Assistant at Deseret Towers
4. Teacher's Aide
5. Kindergarten Teacher

Things that you may or may not know about me:
1. I love reading children's literature. I also love reading classics.
2. I love watching the end of While you were sleeping over and over.
3. I like watching Hannah Montana!
4. I have never broken a bone, but I have had foot surgery 3 times.
5. I collect Willow Tree Figurines and am so excited that I can finally get the pregnancy/mommy and baby ones!
6. I love being an aunt! I think my nieces and nephews are the greatest!
7. I love canned mushrooms. I can eat them right out of the can.
8. I love chili! The best chili in the world is Wolf Brand chili, but you can only get it at the Commissary on Base! Lame!
9. I am really bad at sports that require me to hold and swing something to hit a ball. I can't even do it on the Wii.
10. Oh yah, we own a Wii. David sold his Game Cube and some games and got a Wii. Pretty nifty. My favorite thing about it is that David got Super Mario Brothers for it. Sweet.

There's a rumbly in my tummy

I have great news! I'm hungry! Yes it is true, I am hungry. Why am I hungry? I ate a big lunch, I ate a snack an hour before lunch, I ate a big breakfast. Who knows? Well actually, I do know. There is this little thing that is about the size of a lima bean that is making me so hungry. If you haven't guessed it yet, I am pregnant!!!!! I am eight weeks along and starving. I would rather be starving than vomiting, though. I have been to the doctor already and things look great. David and I were able to see the heart beating which is a great sign early in the pregnancy (and through out life!). I am due September 9th or 11th depending upon your calculation method. Our family already knows, but many of our friends do not. Yeah!! I am super excited... and hungry!!!!