Tim and Ash

Special Visitor

2012-02-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

We are learning a new song in Primary this month. It's one of my most favorite hymns, and I would say probably one of the most well known too.

What's the song you ask? Well...it's Choose the Right of course!

Oh...and yes, I'm still the Primary Music Leader. I think it's my lot in life...and yes, I really am a terrible person for saying that.

Anyway, to make things more fun for the Jr. Primary during singing time, I invited a very special guest to come and help us know exactly what it means to choose the right.

Who'd I invite you ask? Well...none other than Captain CTR of course!

Now, I know some of you may be thinking that Captain CTR looks A LOT like my incredibly handsome and good looking husband...but you would be wrong. It would have been impossible for Tim to come into primary today because he was in Elders Quorum...not prancing around in a mask and cape with a CTR shield spreading choose the right cheer.

I have to say, Captain CTR was quite the hit. In fact, he was so loved that I had requests for him to join us for Sr. Primary singing time as well.

Sometimes...I can be quite clever with my choices for teaching a song. But I have to admit, this one was probably one of my favorites. Captain CTR even had his own theme song...

What was the theme song you ask? Well...The Army of Helman of course!

Everyone knows that a Super Hero is nothing without a theme song announcing his entrance into a room :)

Emmy...a.k.a The Destroyer

2012-01-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

Our main goal this month was to get rid of one thing in our home.

The binky.

We were successful...but it did make nap time interesting for a few days. Emmy discovered a new hobby to occupy her time instead of sleeping.

Here are some before "naptime" pictures of her room:

Here are some after "naptime" pictures of her room:

Believe it or not...she accomplished this with total silence. I had absolutely no idea my darling daughter had become a master of destruction and was having a ton of fun demolishing her room while her Mommy folded laundry just feet away from her bedroom door...completely oblivious to the mayhem that was taking place.

Did I mention she did this for almost a week...?

Emmy = winning

Mommy = not very happy

However, we have since returned to nap time as it should be, and my destroyer child has traded in her bad habits for some precious and much needed sleepy time.

Thank goodness for that! :)

Delicious Enough Your Whole Face Will Love It!

2012-01-16T14:41:00.001-08:00

For as long as I can remember, my mom has made the most delicious stew in the entire world. Whenever I would see her pull out her big red oven pot, my brain would communicate with my stomach about the wonderful deliciousness it would be consuming later that day and I would receive growling messages from my tummy for hours until we had finally partaken of the splendidness.

A few weeks ago...I made that stew.

It was epic.

And because I'm such an awesome person, I'm going to share that amazing recipe with you.

It will change your life.

It's that good :)

Park City Oven Stew

2 1/2 lb. beef cubes (I usually buy a rump roast and then cut it up into bite size pieces)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chunked

2 large carrots, peeled and cut up into small pieces

2 stalks celery, cut up into small pieces

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can beefy mushroom soup

Layer 1/2 beef cubes, vegetables, and bay leaf and repeat with other half. Sprinkle with dry onion soup. Mix soups and tomato sauce and pour over top. Cook at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

side note: when I make this, I like to double it because the leftovers are so yummy. However...when I do double it, I don't double the meat. The veggies are my most favorite part anyway :)

I serve this with my homemade cornbread. That recipe is found in the post just below this one.

As you can see...Emmy quite liked dinner that night too. She was rather enthusiastic while eating it.

Enjoy!

You can thank me later :)

My Cooking Breakthrough...and a Little Bit of Meatloaf

2012-01-10T19:07:00.001-08:00

I'm not gonna lie...

I. Hate. Cooking.

Ever since the beginning of time, I have never enjoyed the process of planning, preparing, cooking, and then eating a meal that I have made. It just isn't an enjoyable experience for me. Especially the cleanup. I HATE the cleanup.

When Tim and I got married, I tried. But I would SO much rather go out and have someone else make something for me.

However...I really did put forth my best effort to be the typical good wife that makes sure there's a delicious home cooked meal ready and waiting as soon as her husband gets home from work. But my efforts lasted maybe a week at a time at most and then we'd fall back into the habit of just going out somewhere real quick.

Finally...a little over three months ago...I had a breakthrough. I knew Tim was suffering as a husband from lack of good home cooked meals. So...I decided that I needed to make a change in my very selfish lifestyle. With Tim's help, we came up with the idea of picking a certain type of meal for each day of the week. In otherwords...

Monday: Meat night

Tuesday: Mexican night

Wednesday: Italian night

Thursday: Crockpot night

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Going out night (my most favorite night of the week...)

One of my problems was that I would get into a rut of making the same old things over and over and then I'd just get sick of it and stop. But, picking a different type of meal for every night of the week would help me to explore more options and plan a little bit easier. Get out of my box a little bit.

Let me tell you something...this was quite possibly the most brilliant idea Tim and I have ever had. It has seriously worked miracles for me in the kitchen! I know many of you are probably thinking..."that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard...", which is fine. Kinda rude to be honest...but everyone is entitled to their opinions :)

Anyway...I feel better about my role as a wife and mother and I know that Tim is a much better fed and happier man. He looks forward to what's on the menu for the week...and as he has always been, is super helpful with getting dinner ready and cleaned up. Which...I might add...makes for a happy wife too.

So...to share a little bit of what we've been eating at our house...here's what I made for dinner on Monday, also known as Meat night in our house:

Polka Dot Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. plain breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

6 cheese sticks

1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix ground beef, 1/4 c. ketchup, breadcrumbs, worchestershire sauce, salt, and egg. Press 1/3 of ground beef mixture in bottom of ungreased 8"x4" loaf pan.

2. Place two pieces of string cheese lengthwise and evenly spaced over beef mixture, with one end of the cheese about 1/2 inch from the edge of the pan. Cut two pieces of string cheese in half crosswise. Place two half pieces on beef mixture so cheese extends full length of pan. Press cheese into beef mixture.

3. Top with half of remaining beef mixture. Top with remaining string cheese in two rows and press into beef mixture. Press remaining beef mixture over cheese. Press ends and edges of beef mixture to seal in cheese and smooth the top.

4. Bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 c. ketchup, the mustard and brown sugar.

5. Remove meatloaf from oven. Spoon the juices from the meatloaf, and then spoon ketchup mixture evenly over the top.

6. Return to oven and bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes .

side note: Tim and I really like the sauce that is put on top of the meatloaf, so I usually double it...

Marie Calendar's Copycat Cornbread

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

3 c. Bisquick

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine all dry ingredients

3. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients and mix well

4. Pour into greased 9"x13" pan

5. Bake 35 minutes

side note: Tim and I like a little bit sweeter of a cornbread...so I usually do a heaping cup of sugar...it makes it just a little bit more perfect for us...

Anyway, we completed the meal with baked potatoes and broccoli, and had a very delicious night indeed!

And...surprise...I took a picture with my amazing picture taking skills.

Hahaha :)

Enjoy!

I know we did :)

Excuse me sir...

2012-01-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

...but I "mustache" you a question...

Hahaha

Just a little bit of Mommy humor for you :)

Enjoy your weekend!

Farewell 2011

2012-01-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Yet again we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year...and once again we find ourselves thankful for all the many blessing our Heavenly Father provided us with during 2011. It's always fun to look back on the year and remember things that took place making memories that will last us a lifetime. Like last year...here's a short run down of our month by month events that took place...it was a pretty good year :)

January:

Tim's brother Brig and his wife Kari welcomed a new baby boy into the Tappana family

I received a new calling at church...Primary Music Leader

After an afternoon of snow shoeing in Cottonwood Canyon, we hit a bear with our car on our way back down the mountain. Since then, I've discovered a variety of bear meat recipes on Pintrest that we've enjoyed throughout the year. If you're craving a delicious bear burger...come on over...we still have a freezer full of bear steaks!

February:

Completely against my will, I turned 28 (ugh!)

We headed to Las Vegas for a few days to witness our niece Brynn's baptism

Emmy got her first tooth and started crawling!

Tim finally had his dream come true when he spent a week as a contestant on Jeopardy. Sadly, his week reign ended when he missed a question about Mormon pop culture...go figure :)

March:

I entered a cooking competition and was awarded first place and a check for $10,000 until 24 hours later, three of the judges reported food poisoning and they disqualified me after the competition

April:

Tim started taking his last round of finals EVER! (well...at least until med school)

We successfully adopted a monkey named Zulu from Indonesia. So far, I've taught her how to cook, clean, balance the check book, iron, and drive a car. It's amazing how much more time I have on my hands!

May:

Emmy turned one!

Tim graduated with his Bachelor's from the University of Utah

I got into my first car accident going 5 miles per hour

Tim decided to take up a new hobby with all his spare time...currently he parades around at night dressed as Batman keeping the streets of Salt Lake City safe at night once more

June:

I chopped 12 inches of my hair off

Tim and I celebrated our 6th anniversary and left Emmy overnight for the very first time

The weather finally decided to cooperate so that Tim could plant his beloved garden

While digging in the dirt for his potatoes, Tim discovered a funny looking bone. After contacting the Archeology Department of Utah, we were told that Tim had found the femur of a prehistoric Stegosaurus. Since then, we have hosted close to 82 different scientists from around the world...they keep telling us the excavation will be finished "next week"...yeah right

July:

We found out we were pregnant with our second baby

Tim's brother Sammy and his wife Caitlin welcomed their first baby to their family...a girl!

We went and saw the very anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2...ending 10 years of anticipation for the next movie and making it a bittersweet night

Tim started a research project up at the University of Utah studying the ultrasound vocalization of rats

Tim helped birth a Lama for one of his service projects for school. Sadly, the mother died shortly after. Because Tim has such a soft spot in his heart for baby Lama's, he brought it home and she's been a member of our family ever since.

August:

We went with my entire family to a cabin in Brian Head for a few days

Tim and I were able to spend 8 awesome days in Hawaii as just the two of us

Emmy started walking!

We took Emmy to the zoo for the very first time

While at the zoo...some punk kid let out the hungry Siberian Tiger and a couple of lions. After climbing a tree, I surveyed the area and discovered them lurking by the zebras. Using my mad ninja skills...I had them back in their cages in a matter of minutes. The zoo officials awarded me a medal for my bravery and we were given a free lifetime family pass to the zoo as well as a couple gift certificates to Burger King

September:

Tim took the MCAT...again

We successfully canned our first batch of salsa for the season using tomatoes from our garden

We watched Tim's beloved BYU loose their pride to the University of Utah for the second year in a row

Our family was offered a chance to go on a family version of Survivor being filmed in Cambodia in the Spring of 2012. We turned it down though due to the size of spiders that can be found in that area.

October:

We started applying for Medical School...again

We took Emmy trick-or-treating for the very first time

We attended our third annual Halloween party thrown by Brig and Kari dressed as an oven and a baker

We found out we're expecting a boy!

After being told that we were having a healthy baby boy...the ultrasound tech then informed us that our healthy baby boy also has three heads...a first in medical history. We've already been contacted by twenty seven different hospitals throughout the country asking permission to be present at the birth. I'm not so sure how I feel about that. On top of that stress, we're trying to decide if we should name each head differently, or just stick with Jackson 1, Jackson 2, and Jackson 3...

November:

We started receiving secondary application requests...again

After an emotional OCD meltdown...I successfully made my very first batch of homemade rolls

Emmy turned 18 months!

Emmy spent her fist night in a big girl bed

Tim was promoted to a Medical Laboratory Scientist at ARUP

I got into my second car accident...this one however, was not my fault!

Emmy started nursery!

I felt our little man move for the first time!

After much debate, Tim and I decided that we would build an igloo out of the first snow of the year and live in it for the entire winter season. Sadly, mother nature has yet to provide any sort of decent snow fall, so we've been forced to live indoors all season long.

December:

We celebrated Christmas with my whole family this year

Tim turned 29!

We started a new Tappana family tradition...chinese food and Bingo on New Year's Eve :)

Emmy is now attending Harvard University. She's studying Biomedical Engineering and finds the field challenging but enjoyable. She's able to come home every other weekend for visits and it's been nice having her for a longer period of time for the winter break. Our little girl is growing up!

We hope your year was just as awesome as ours was and wish you a very Happy New Year with many happy memories to last a lifetime :)

Need Some Bling?

2011-12-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

As a kid...I grew up with about 11 different boys in our neighborhood. I was the only girl my age. Every now and then there would be a girl that would move onto our street...but it was never for very long and I would eventually be stuck having only boys to play with yet again.

That being said...I was undeniably a tomboy.

There was nothing girly about me.

Emmy on the other hand is in love with all that is

pretty and feminine in this world.

She likes to dress up in her "pretties" and walk around the house all "blinged" out in her bead necklaces and bracelets. However...one necklace will not do. She's not fully dressed until she has every single one hanging off of her body in one fashion or another.

Doesn't she look pretty?

You can often find her at church, at the store, or pretty much anywhere donning one of her beaded necklaces.

As you can tell from this picture...I'm amazing at snapping shots of the two of us together. I should be awarded for my talents. Sometimes I even surprise myself with my skills.

Please...don't be jealous :)

A Month Full of Thanks...

2011-11-30T12:15:00.000-08:00

My most favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. I love everything that comes with it...the turkey, the stuffing, the potatoes, the gravy...everything! But one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much is because of the many opportunities it gives me to think about those things in my life for which I'm most grateful.

We had an interesting month...with good days and not so good days. But with every single event that happened, we were shown and given incredible blessings from our Heavenly Father. Just thinking about how some things could have turned out overwhelms me with the knowledge of the love Heavenly Father has for me and for my family. That He is very aware of us. That we matter. That He hears and answers prayers.

I'm just going to list a few of the things that went on in our family during the month of November that helped me to understand even better how truly blessed I am. While you may not think they're very significant...they made all the difference in the world to me.

1. Tim took his Medical Laboratory Science certification test and passed! After months of studying, planning, preparing, and then studying some more...his hard work and diligence paid off. I know it was a huge relief to him. Especially with everything else he has on his plate with work, research, volunteering, medical school applications, church callings, and family...this was one thing he could check off and move on.

2. We found out we're adding a baby boy to our family...but most importantly...that everything seems to be developing the way it should with his little body. He looks healthy and strong...and didn't stop wiggling around the entire time.

3. Tim found out fairly early one morning that his debit card information had been compromised and nearly $800 had been stolen from our account. Our bank was wonderful though. Within 24 hours, everything had been sorted out. It could have been so much worse if our bank didn't work so quickly to notice that suspicious activity had occurred and taken action. It was not a fun 24 hours...but it was only 24 hours. I've heard horror stories of things like this happening to people with so much more being stolen and then having to spend months and months trying to get things figured out. It was truly a blessing that we didn't have to go through that.

4. We renewed our temple recommends. I have a friend that is currently in Missouri right now with her husband attending a medical school. A few months ago, they planned a temple trip. Instead of just hopping in the car, and driving down the road for fifteen minutes or so...they had to make a weekend out of it by driving to St. Louis and getting a hotel. Not only do I have one temple within about 20 miles from my house...but six temples that I could easily drive to, attend a session, and return home within just a couple hours. I'm grateful for the example of my friend. There's a great possibility that Tim and I could end up out of state for medical school and not have the blessing of having a temple so close. So, for right now, I'm going to try and take advantage of having so many to choose from.

5. After about a month and a half of not hearing anything back from any medical schools after sending in Tim's primary applications, we received an email on November 18th letting us know that Tim's forms had finally been processed. This may not seem like that big of a deal...but considering the fact that Tim had everything submitted on October 10th and that 2 of the schools had deadlines for October 21st, and eleven schools had deadlines for November 17th...we were a bit worried. Because we received that email on November 18th, that meant that we had missed the deadlines for 13 of the fifteen schools, eleven of which by just one day. However...after many prayers, and worrying about what the heck we were going to do, we received a small miracle by suddenly receiving several secondary application requests within just a couple days. Yet again, Heavenly Father was showing us that He does hear and answer us, and that He is aware of our concerns, our heartaches, and our needs. That was another huge blessing.

6. Emmy turned 18 months! Everyday I look at this little girl that is the complete and utter joy of our lives and think how incredible it is that she grew in my tummy. That Tim and I created her. It amazes me. I am so grateful to be a Mommy. From her smile, to her giggle, to even her little tantrums that she throws...I'm grateful for it all.

7. I got into a car accident the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I'm grateful for this because it could have been so much worse. It was a very minor accident. While yielding at a merging point to an on-ramp on the freeway, a car behind me ran into the back of my car. I had Emmy with me, who wasn't fazed at all...making me also grateful for carseats and seatbelts. Everyday I pray for safety for my family and for me. Heavenly Father was watching out for me that day. I am so thankful for that.

We truly had a month full of events that could have been so much worse, but in the end turned out to be huge blessings in our lives. I have so many things to be thankful for. Each day is a blessing. I need to remind myself of that more often. Hope your month of November was just as blessed as ours was!

We're Having a...

2011-11-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!

Sadly...he was much too busy moving around to let the ultrasound tech get any good pictures. In fact, she spent a good hour trying to get him to move his little legs just an teeny little bit so she could at least give us a guess.

A 90% sure guess.

It amazed me to see how much the little guy wiggled and squirmed inside my tummy :)

I seriously LOVE that!

Some things that have been different about this pregnancy:

I am carrying way low. Emmy was all the way up in my ribs. In fact, my doctor use to joke with me that I'd probably deliver her out my throat. Real funny. I love doctors with an awesome sense of humor...especially when it's just them laughing at an emotional pregnant woman's expense.

I haven't really had much heartburn. I had horrible, terrible, no good, very bad heartburn with Emmy. All I had to do was look at food and I'd have to take a dozen tums.

I'm feeling him move. I know that's a common thing with your second pregnancy, but I didn't feel Emmy until I was about 24 weeks. So...I'm kinda lovin' the whole recognition of the nudges inside a lot sooner. It makes me smile :)

When I was pregnant with Emmy...Tim got a phone call on his way home from work about three times a week letting him know that I was in major need of a Coldstone and to please indulge me in my cravings by bringing one home with him for me to stuff my face with. This time around...sweet stuff does not sound good AT ALL. However...bring on the salty pickles, barbeque chips, and cheese fries. They sound fabulous!

I have lost weight! A total of 6 pounds in fact! With Emmy I was up about 6 pounds at this point. Is my doctor concerned you ask? Heck no! If I was a petite size zero instead of the hefty "none of your business" size I'm sure we'd be chatting about the fact I haven't gained anything. However...I'm sure it will catch up with me sooner or later. That's the one nice thing about being pregnant...you gain a belly and no one questions anything.

I am completely and utterly wasted by about 10:00 everyday. You may not think that's all that bad...until I tell you that it's 10:00 am, not pm. I have no energy and quite honestly would be perfectly happy to sit and watch Emmy run circles around me all day. Being exhausted is the worst. I had energy to go and go and go the first time around. This time I consider myself productive if the bed gets made...

I obsessed about being pregnant with Emmy. I thought about it all the time. This time, some days will go by that I totally forget that I'm pregnant. I know...I'm a terrible person. However...I've started wearing maternity pants because they're so dang comfy. That's a great reminder for me :)

Almost halfway there!

We're looking forward to meeting this little guy!

I Realize it's the 3rd of November, But...

2011-11-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

But I couldn't resist showing off our Halloween costumes :)

Tim was a Baker...

...and I was an oven.

Clever, clever!

(wink)

I was rather proud of my oven. I slaved over it for days. Can you believe it was once a plain ole' Uhaul moving box? After about ten coats of harvest yellow craft paint and a little bit of Ashley magic, a star was born.

Yes...I am rather attached :)

I had knobs featuring my current trimester, month, and a knob turned halfway between boy or a girl as well as a timer with a countdown of my weeks and days left.

The front of it even opened.

It was a masterpiece!

Emmy donned an adorable strawberry costume that I have to say was quite possibly the cutest costume in the entire world. Unfortunately, she refused to let us get one picture of her smiling at the camera. So...we got a few snapshots of her digging through her candy stash at the end of the night. I don't know that trick-or-treating has ever been as fun as it was going with Emmy. Thank you Brig and Kari for convincing us to go...it was so much fun!

Emmy was quite protective of her pumpkin bucket. By the end of the night, it had gotten quite full and was rather heavy. But instead of letting Tim or I carry it for her, she dragged it on the ground. If we did try to take it from her, she made it known to everyone that her candy bucket had just been stolen.

Seriously...cutest strawberry ever!

Hope your Halloween night was just as enjoyable as ours :)

This was definitely one of our favorites!

Investigation...

2011-10-18T16:47:00.001-07:00

The other morning I walked into Emmy's bedroom to get her out of her crib.

Instead of the usual smiles and giggle that I receive when she sees me in the morning...I was greeted with a terrible scowl.

As I got closer...I discovered the reason why she was scowling at me.

My baby had a black eye.

What the heck?!

I went over the events of the previous day trying to think of anything that would have caused a black eye. But, I couldn't think of one thing that had happened that would have resulted in a bruise. No bumps. No falls. No screaming pleas of hurt.

Nothing.

So...I came to the conclusion that someone or something had attacked her while she was sleeping. That was the only logical possibility.

After surveying the scene of the crime and gathering evidence...I have been able to gather a list of suspects who were there at the time of the crime. Each has possible motive. Each has reason to seek revenge. Why would anyone do this you ask? Well...let me introduce you to the criminals and you can judge for yourself.

Suspect #1

Baby

Motive: Baby use to be Emmy's favorite stuffed thing. Until Brownie moved into the crib and Emmy forgot all about Baby. Since then, Baby has been quietly sitting in the corner waiting for the perfect moment in which she could seek her revenge.

Suspect #2

Chloe the Poodle

Motive: She's a poodle and she's purple. She needs no more motive than that.

Suspect :3

Mr. Hippo

Motive: After being thrown out of the crib onto his head more times than he can count, Mr. Hippo decided that he could no longer take the abuse and decided to take matters into his own hands...or hoofs...or whatever you call Hippo feet.

All of the suspects are currently being held for questioning. Justice will be served.

Until then...Emmy is recovering.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts or suspicious activities of any of the above suspects...please contact me as soon as possible. Anything you may be able to provide could help me crack this case.

Emmy Announces...

2011-10-10T13:34:00.001-07:00

I'm gonna be a big sister!

Newest Tappana baby due to arrive April 6th, 2012

We're super excited :)

10 Reasons...

2011-10-03T15:20:00.001-07:00

This past weekend has made me realize even greater how very blessed I am in my life and how many things I have to be thankful for.

There's no question that my two most favorite blessing are Tim and Emmy. They are the two people that make me happier than anything else in this world.

Each of them has qualities about them that I love more and more each day.

{My 10 most favorite things about Emmy...}

1. The way she sings to herself while she plays with her toys.

2. The way she will bring me books and then sit down in my lap for me to read them to her.

3. Her "uh-oh" face.

4. Her giggle.

5. The way she says "happy" over and over and over...

6. Her independence...although sometimes this one drives Mommy a little crazy.

7. The way she looks in her bead necklaces that she insists on wearing everywhere.

8. Her snuggles.

9. The way she toddles around the house and points at all the pictures of her Daddy.

10. She made me a Mommy.

{My 10 most favorite things about Tim...}

1. He is the most gentle person I know as well as the most selfless, kind, and patient.

2. He strives everyday to be a better person than the day he was before.

3. The way he will say something or do something just to make me laugh no matter how ridiculous he may look while doing it.

4. The way he looks at Emmy like she's the greatest thing in the entire world.

5. How amazing he looks in a suit and tie.

6. How excited he gets about his garden every year.

7. His testimony of the gospel.

8. The sacrifices he continues to make so that he can provide for our family.

9. His desire to serve everyone around him.

10. He's my eternal companion.

There are days when I think that I cannot possibly be any luckier.

Then I wake up, and start a new day and discover more things that I'm thankful for.

I'm grateful for things that remind me how very blessed I am.

Look-A-Like?

2011-09-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was folding laundry and watching a re-run episode of Dr. Phil. Emmy was running around and "helping" me fold the laundry. By helping...I mean pulling clothes out of the basket and then

randomly throwing them around the room.

Anyway...

As Emmy was tossing one of Tim's shirts near the t.v. she paused to watch for just a second. A moment later, she was slapping the screen and yelling "Papa, Papa" over, and over.

I'm not sure if it's the male pattern baldness or the mustache...but either way, anytime

Dr. Phil is on...Emmy is convinced she's watching her Papa.

It makes me giggle every single time :)

I'll Take One Of Those...Smothered in Chocolate Please :)

2011-08-30T17:26:00.001-07:00

When we were in Hawaii, we were lucky enough to have the best babysitters in the world!

Papa and Grammy Brigman

and

Grandpa and Grandma Tappana

We know that they took amazing care of her, and we know that there wasn't anyone better for the job.

However...we also know that Emmy got spoiled rotten.

My mom's excuse? She's Grammy.

On our second day, I called my mom to see how things were going. She informed me that Emmy had gotten into the pantry and caused a little bit of a mess.

Lucky for us...she took pictures!

Upon investigating the situation...this is what Grammy found:

My mom told me that Emmy was shoveling the chocolate into her mouth by the handful.

Looks like this little one takes after her Mama.

Although I'm a little less messy.

(most of the time)

Eight Days In Paradise

2011-08-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

We've been back now for four days...and although I missed my Emmy immensely, I kinda miss waking up each morning knowing that I was on an island in the middle of the ocean.

Here's a few of our adventures while we explored Oahu...

We hiked the famous Diamond Head

and after climbing most of a mountain, and then 790 stairs to the top...

we saw views like this:

Swam in some awesome lagoons...

Visited the La'ie Temple...

Viewed Mother Nature's wrath...

Hiked to a beautiful waterfall...

Made some new friends on the beach...

Tasted the famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice...

Hiked to a lighthouse that was also seen on LOST...

Participated in carnivorous activities...

Drank out of a pineapple...

Was forced to learn the Hula...

(yes...it was humiliating)

Played some Tongan games...

Visited a Buddhist Temple...

Enjoyed shenanigans at the Dole Plantation...

Sat on the beach and watched many of these...

Visited Pearl Harbor...

Practiced using heavy artillery machines...

Needless to say, Hawaii kept us busy.

Hopefully, someday...we'll make it back. We kinda fell in love with it there :)

A Mommy's Letter

2011-08-23T01:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Emmy,

After eight days of not being able to snuggle you or see your beautiful face, give you kisses and sing you songs, see your sweet smile and hear your darling giggle...I promise I will never

ever

EVER

leave you again. I've missed you more than I thought possible. I'll see you in 36 hours baby.

Love you,

Mommy

In Less Than 24 Hours...

2011-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tim and I will be on a plane flying over the pacific ocean 2,991 miles to spend 8 beautiful days on the island of Oahu.

I'm a little bit excited :)

Here's some fun facts about Hawaii:

1. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth

2. Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee

3. From East to West, Hawaii is the widest state in the U.S.

4. Hawaii produces about 320,000 tons of pineapple each year

5. Hawaii has it's own time zone

6. The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 12 letters: A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P, and W

7. Hawaii is the only state whose land area is increasing

8. Hawaii is the only state whose majority of people are non-white

9. More birds have become extinct in Hawaii than any other part of the world

10. Hawaii has the oldest newspaper West of the Rocky Mountains - The Sandwich Island Gazette

11. Hawaii has the highest life expectancy in the United States

12. Hawaii has the fewest overweight people in the U.S.

13. Hawaiian people consume more SPAM than any other state

14. The islands of Hawaii were one of the last places on earth to be discovered and occupied by people

15. Hawaii has no snakes, seagulls, or...rabies :)

See you later Salt Lake City...

Aloha Hawaii!

Emmy's Top 10

2011-07-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Emmy loves lots of things. But she does have her favorites :)

Here are her top 10...in no particular order

{1}

Pulling out the alphabetized DVD's

This particular favorite of Emmy's is definitely not one of mine. In fact...the only time she ever gets a chance to destroy the organization of this shelf is when Daddy is watching her and Mommy is elsewhere.

In the few seconds it takes Emmy to pull out all the movies...it takes me about 30 minutes to repair the damage. Remember how I said they were alphabetized? Sometimes I hate the fact that I'm OCD.

{2}

Stuffed anythings

If you'll pay particular attention to all of the stuffed anythings to the left of her crib...on the floor. While Emmy loves to snuggle and kiss each and everyone of her little friends...I think she actually enjoys chucking them on the floor when she wakes up in the morning or after naps even more.

{3}

Books, books, books

Emmy can look at her books a hundred times a day and still want to look at them a hundred times more. She will spend hours in her little pile of books looking through each one. She'll usually grab a book, scoot it on the floor to me, crawl into my lap, and then point at it for me to read to her. Even though I end up cleaning the pile of books and putting them away about a dozen times a day...I love having my little girl climb into my lap. It makes me happy :)

{4}

Her baskets of toys

One of my favorite things is seeing Emmy wander over to her baskets, pull one out...peek over the side of it...and then reach her little hand in and grab something. I also enjoy how busy she stays while I fold a basket of laundry or make the bed or some other such wifey/motherly thing :). As you can tell from the picture...Emmy quite enjoys herself too. In fact...I think anything that can potentially cause a mess is something that she would gladly participate in.

{5}

FOOD!

If there is one thing that Emmy loves above anything else...it's eating. Besides peas...we've yet to discover anything that she doesn't like. Some of her favorites include: green beans, macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, sloppy joes, strawberries, banannas, blackberries, tomatoes, and animal crackers. We've tried going the whole fork and spoon route...but she still prefers her hands. Hopefully we'll eventually train her to be the prim and proper princess that she truly is :)

{6}

Bath time

Emmy has always loved bath time. She's now to the point where she will toddle over to the tub while I'm filling it with water and try to climb in while simultaneously pulling on her clothes to get them off. However...bath time has also become a sore spot for Mommy because Emmy thinks it's hilarious to throw out all of her toys and soak the bathroom floor. Because a firm "NO" wasn't working...we've had to put the toys away for awhile. But even without them...she still loves being in the tub :)

{7}

Seeking out Mommy's unmentionables

I posted a picture of Emmy several months ago after finding her enthralled with her new "toys" that she discovered in one of the bathroom drawers. Her excitement at her discovery has only increased over the months as this continues to be one of her favorite activities...much to my dismay.

{8}

Brownie

Meet Brownie.

Emmy and Brownie first met two months ago...and it was love at first sight. While she loves stuffed anythings...she will always, always, always pick Brownie over anything else.

If you're wondering where we came up with the name Brownie...it was Tim's brilliant invention. Because she has brown hair. Yep. That's about as imaginative as we get :)

{9}

Swinging

Emmy loves to swing. Really high. The higher she goes...the more she squeals. It's as simple as that :)

{10}

Anything and everything Daddy

These two are inseparable when Tim is home. Emmy is quite smitten with him...and I'm sure the feeling is completely mutual :). Tim was made to be a Daddy. Emmy will be a Daddy's girl...and I couldn't be happier watching the two of them together.

I feel blessed to have them both in my life, and to know they are mine forever.

They're definitely one of MY favorite things :)

Guess I'll Go Eat Worms...

2011-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me

Guess I'll go eat worms!

Long thin slimy ones, short fat juicy ones

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms!

Do you ever have weeks where you feel like every thing you do is wrong?

That's kinda how my week has been.

Crappy.

The primary kids hate me.

A little boy gave me a dirty look at the store after I smiled at him.

My Grandma got angry with me when I took her to get her hair done.

One of the assistants I work with was not very nice.

My sister informed me I have a big mouth.

Tim was too busy to talk to me when I called him.

A lady that I've never seen before in my life glared at me.

Emmy has done nothing but scowl at me all week.

I'm pretty sure all my patients would rather see the other hygienist...

and to top it off...

This little monster bit me for the very first time.

Because she was mad.

I realize that none of those things are horribly terrible.

They just seemed like it at the time.

Especially piled one on top of the other.

And in Tim's defense...he really was busy at work.

At least the week is almost over.

Except for primary.

Maybe I'll call in sick... :)

More Like Emmy...

2011-07-08T11:26:00.001-07:00

The other day I informed Tim that I thought I deserved a treat...and being the wonderful husband he is...he agreed with me :)

What was the treat you ask?

Dinner at Fiesta Ole!

Fiesta Ole is this little hole in the wall restaurant in Kearns that is a lot like

Taco Time...but better.

I love it.

Anyway, after we had ordered our food and begun enjoying the deliciousness that is Fiesta Ole, two women walked in. I noticed them instantly, and judged them based on what they looked like. I wondered to myself what had happened in the lives of these two women that would make them look so defeated. I thought about the choices that they must have made that would have been so different from my own.

I'm ashamed that I made those judgments. But I know I do it everyday without even realizing it.

A few minutes later, the two women sat in the booth directly behind us. One of them smiled and greeted Emmy. Almost instantly, she turned her little body towards these two women and started smiling right back at them. By the time we left the restaurant, Emmy had made two new friends. She could have cared less about what they looked like, where they were from, or what choices they had made in their lives. All she knew was that they were people...and she likes people. Especially ones that smile at her.

I now have a greater understanding as to why our Heavenly Father has asked us to become like little children....and although Emmy doesn't realize it, I'm grateful for her example.

She makes me want to be a better me.

That's pretty amazing :)

Six

2011-06-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

Tim and I celebrated our sixth anniversary this past weekend.

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe how truly lucky I am to be married to my best friend.

I'm grateful for him and his goodness.

He is my other half.

In six years of marriage:

We've moved three times

Had two dogs

Owned four cars

Been to Disneyland five times

Gained two college degrees

Fought off one bear

Had six different employers

Gone fishing twice

Caught three fish

Held eleven different church callings

Been in two car accidents

Used our tent once

Planted four gardens

Owned seven cell phones

Carved 30 pumpkins

and...

Had one gorgeous baby!

Here's to the rest of eternity! I can't imagine spending it with anyone else :)

Daddy's Little Girl

2011-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

When Tim and I got married, we knew that we wanted children.

After our first anniversary, Tim said that he was ready to have kids.

I however, was not.

So...patiently he waited four years until I finally agreed that I was ready too.

When I told Tim I was pregnant, he didn't believe me.

When he first felt Emmy wiggle in my tummy, he couldn't stop smiling.

When he saw Emmy for the very first time, he cried.

Then, when I saw him hold our daughter my heart almost burst. He was

completely and entirely happy.

I knew from that moment on that Emmy would be the luckiest girl in the entire world.

I don't know if there is anything more tender than seeing a father with his daughter.

I've always been a Daddy's girl.

I have no doubt that Emmy will be too.

A Disturbing Trend...

2011-06-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

While Tim and I were at Leatherby's this evening with my nieces enjoying a delicious basket of cheese fries and the ever famous Tracy's Peanut Butter Cup...I couldn't help but notice the girl sitting directly in my view...and then I had to quickly look away. Why you ask? Well...about an inch or so of her bum was hanging out of her jeans. I didn't want to stare...it's rude.

A few weeks ago while I was working on a patient, her phone happened to ring. So...she quickly jumped up and out of the chair to answer it, exposing her entire bottom to me. Reaching back to grab her jeans to pull them back up and over, I was shocked she didn't even seem to care. What the heck?

Yesterday upon entering Costco, my eyes were instantly accosted by a man sitting down in a pair of pants that were about three sizes too small allowing a portion of his bum to pop out of the top. On that same visit, a woman bent down to pick up her keys that had fallen out of her purse from the ground and nearly everyone in the store was introduced to her pink lacy lady underwares.

What is the world coming to?

I'm beginning to think I'm the one out of fashion for covering up my bottom. However...I think I'll stick with being unpopular...my bum is nobody's business!

Please...just keep it in your pants :)

365 Days...

2011-06-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am a mother to a 1 year old.

A gorgeous 1 year old.

Not to brag or anything... :)

A good friend of mine took some pictures of Emmy for me right around her birthday. These are a few of my favorites:

It's amazing how quickly they grow up.

Babies are such a nice way to start people :)

Now You See It...

2011-06-07T16:47:00.001-07:00

Now you don't!

Ten inches later...

I feel like a new woman :)

Inspiring All To Prevent Forrest Fires :)

2011-06-01T18:31:00.001-07:00

Our little firefighter...

She's my hero :)

The Day Our Whole World Changed

2011-05-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time I was sitting in the hospital holding the most beautiful baby in the entire world. Tim's and my world completely changed from that moment on.

I don't think either one of us knew the joy that we were going to experience.

I don't think either one of us knew how happy she would make us.

May 25, 2010 was a really good day :)

A few things that we adore about our little Miss Emery:

She gives snuggles all the time

She says "Hi" to everyone

She waves goodbye

She thinks Peek-A-Boo is the coolest thing ever :)

Her giggle is completely contagious

She LOVES books

Her jibberish is adorable

She has the most beautiful smile

She dances to any and all music that she hears

She is the cutest baby in the world

A year ago Tim and I became completely and entirely smitten.

Twelve months later and she still has us both wrapped around her little finger.

Happy Birthday Emmy! We love you!

Now...Presenting the Graduating Class of 2011!

2011-05-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

I don't think that it's possible for there to be a prouder wife anywhere in the world today.

Tim became a graduate of the University of Utah this afternoon...and let me just say that he looked pretty much amazing in his cap and gown.

Tim is the tall dark and handsome one...just in case you didn't know :)

I was able to get a one on one exclusive interview with the newest Medical Laboratory Sciences graduate...and asked some pretty tough questions about his plans for the future, what his hope and dreams are, and of coarse...all of his deep dark secrets. I, of coarse, added my own personal remarks after each question because I couldn't help myself. Lucky for you...I'm posting all his answers below :)

1. You're a college graduate! What are you gonna do next?

Work and improve my medical school application and spend time with my family

I was hoping his answer to this one would be "I'm taking my family to Disneyland!" Obviously I married a man who is way too practical. Oh well...

2. What will you do with the first million you make?

His actual answer was pay off student loans...but after some prompting on giving me not so lame and responsible answers he said "buy a porche". That's my boy :)

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to play in the NBA for the Jazz and have my name changed to John Stockton Jr.

What a cute dream...too bad the Jazz suck!

4. Now that you have your Bachelor's degree...did your favorite color change?

Nope...still green

5. How about your favorite movie?

Nope...still Dumb and Dumber

I was really hoping that this one would change because supposedly he was becoming more intellectual and Dumb and Dumber is quite possibly the most brain cell frying movie that has ever been made.

6. What is next on your list of aspirations?

To become the world's best mountain climber

What the heck?

7. If you could invent anything with your newfound college education what would it be?

Fake blood

Personally, I would have said flying cars. But to each his own I guess...

8. What kind of doctor do you want to be?

The best kind in the world

I keep having this reoccurring nightmare of Tim coming home from med school one day after rotations and telling me that his dream is to be a gynecologist. Yeah...his answer above was a little too vague for me :)

9. What was the hardest thing about college?

Not enough time for sleep, study, work, and spending time with my family

I'm just grateful I get my husband back for a year...then I won't ever see him again. At least until after medical school. Which is only six or eight years. I try not to think about it really... :)

10. If you could be any superhero in the world...which one would you be?

Batman

Actually...Tim dresses up as Batman on the weekends and goes masquerading around town on his "bat-mo-bike" keeping Salt Lake City safe for another night...bet you didn't know that little bit of information :)

11. If you were to compare your life to a movie...which one would be the closest match?

I Am Legend

When he gave me this answer he informed me that the title is more fitting to his life and not the actual movie itself. Wow. He did just graduate today...so I guess he's pretty full of himself. I'll just let him bask in his glory...I guess he's earned it :)

12. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees now that you have your Bachelor's degree?

I would rather be attacked by a big bear because I've had bear training and they aren't poisonous.

Personally I would have picked bees because they don't have teeth...and technically...a swarm could just be considered as three bees really...I'd fight them off with my rad ninja skills!

13. Now that you are a college graduate...will you run for president?

Heck. No.

Well there goes my dream of being Mrs. First Lady President

14. As an official graduate of the University of Utah, what is one word that you would use to describe you?

Hungry...hungry for family, friends, fun, knowledge...and food. Oh, and sports entertainment.

I have nothing to add. I'm still trying to grip my mind around the entirety of his answer. It's deep.

15. With your college degree...what will you entitle your biography?

I have a BS degree...get used to it!

Probably not a New York Times best seller...but oh well. He's gonna be a doctor...not a writer :)

16. Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

That's for me to know and for you to find out.

Dang. I was really hoping to get an answer for that one...

17. What is one thing that you regret about your college education?

That I didn't get to study in the campus library more...

Wow. I'm married to a nerd :)

18. With your new college degree...how are you going to change the world?

One test tube at a time.

Personally I think this answer sounds gross...

19. Now that you are officially smarter...are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

They're colorless with black and white stripes.

So much for the "officially smarter" part of the question :)

20. Finally...now that you have received a higher education...who is the most beautiful woman in the world?

Ashley Anne Tappana

Hear that folks? He is a college graduate...so it must be true :)

Congratulations Darling! I am so proud of you!

Leave It To Me...

2011-05-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

No matter what, I have this ability to bring a lot of attention to myself.

Tim and I went to St. George this weekend. I had a seminar that I went to on Saturday, and Tim was able to spend the day with Emmy roaming the streets and enjoying the weather. Which, I might add, was incredibly lovely.

During one of the classes, I, of coarse, needed to use the facilities. I carefully got out of my seat to head down the stairs and out the door without bringing too much attention to myself. However, I was thwarted. By my own foot none the less. I ended up tumbling, quite ungracefully, down more than half of the stairs. So much for my attempt to be discreet. Brilliant.

Just a few hours later, Tim and I wandered around the Red Cliffs mall. My pride was still mending itself, but all in all, we were having a great time. As we walked by Aeropostale, I noticed a shirt that would have looked amazing on Tim, so we went into the store. Only seconds after entering however, I somehow managed to knock down an entire rack of shirts and shorts bringing the entire attention of the store and the onlookers walking by instantly upon me.

Crap.

To top it all off, I have quite possibly the largest pimple on my chin that the world has ever known. I started getting it on Thursday. By Friday, it needed its own zip code. By Saturday it needed it's own state capitol. Yes, I realize that I have a pimple to put the rest of the pimples that have ever been to shame growing on my chin...please don't stare at it. I am very aware of it's existence. I am also, quite honestly, a menace to society.

Leave it to me to make an impression.

Needless to say, I'm not going to be leaving my house anytime soon :)

Following In Her Mother's Footsteps...

2011-04-21T20:15:00.003-07:00

If you know me...then you know this face very well...

Well...I'm proud to announce that my beautiful baby girl is taking after her mother

I know you may find this hard to believe...but she's even cuter in person :)

A Little Bit About Me...

2011-04-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

I know that most of you probably don't care to know anything more about me. But...because I have nothing better to blog about lately...and because my lovely sister-in-law tagged me, I'm going to let you know 15 things that you may (or most likely didn't) want to know about me :).

{1. Dream job...}

I would love to be an interior designer. I absolutely LOVE to decorate, and being able to do it on someone else's dime would totally rock.

{2. Favorite drink...}

Diet Coke...enough said.

{3. Most important beauty secret...}

Beauty secret? My make-up bag consists of two things. Mascara and a concealer stick. How sad is that? In fact...I don't even know how to apply blush or eyeliner. I think lipstick is yucky. I'm pretty much a Burt's Bee's kinda girl...I really love that stuff. I stash one in nearly anything that has a pocket.

{4. If you had an all expenses paid vacation...where would you go?}

Easy...first, we would fly to Disneyland, jump aboard a cruise ship to Hawaii, fly to Japan, spend some time in Australia, visit Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, and England. Then we would fly to New Zealand, bask on the beaches of Tahiti, take a cruise to the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Then we'd finish up with a week in Disneyworld and New York City. Hey...a person can dream right? :)

{5. If you had three wishes, what would they be?}

I'll be honest...I'm too selfish to be the "I wish for world peace" kinda girl. So, I'm keeping it real...

#1-I would LOVE to live in Disneyland

#2-I really want to be twinkled

#3-Life would be so wonderful if Tim got accepted to the University of Utah medical school

{6. If you could have one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?}

Bread. In all varieties. I could live on bread for the rest of my life and be perfectly and entirely happy. I realize that this would also result in my being perfectly and entirely plump. But, I'd be happy and that's what matters right? :)

{7. What is one talent you wish you had?}

I really wish I could sew. My mom is a beautiful seamstress. She tried and tried to get me to learn how to sew when I was growing up...and as a teenager can sometimes be...I was stupid and told her that I wasn't interested. Now, I'm totally regretting that. I really want a sewing machine...and I'm determined to become good at it one of these days. Lucky for me...my mom is still willing to teach her stubborn daughter how to do it.

{8. Biggest celebrity crushes...}

Considering the fact that I'm married to quite possibly the best looking man in the entire world...it's hard to think of anyone that could even compare to his incredibly stunning good looks. But, because the question has been asked...I guess I have to come up with some type of answer...

*Chace Crawford-I had a dream I made out with him once. I felt so guilty when I woke up, I told Tim right away. He laughed at me, but at least my conscience is clear :)

*Carey Grant-I realize he's an old dead guy...but he was incredibly dreamy back in his day

*Paul Wesley-Seriously...why did they not cast this handsome fella as Edward in the Twilight movies? I might actually have enjoyed watching them.

{9. If you could look into the future, would you?}

There's only one thing I'd like to know...and that's where Tim and I will end up for medical school. If someone could please tell me that...I'd be perfectly fine letting everything else fall into place. However...if this included information about future lotteries...I'd be all about that as well :)

{10. What made you start a blog?}

I'd been wanting to start a blog for a long time...but I didn't really know how. I'm really quite stupid when it comes to anything that has to do with a computer. So...Tim being the amazing husband that he is, got my sister's help, and surprised me by getting one all set up. I've been a part of the blogging world ever since :)

{11. What was the happiest day of your life?}

I realize that everyone gives the typical answer of "the day I got married". But honestly...the day I married Tim really was the happiest day of my life. Knowing that I'm going to be with my best friend for the rest of forever no matter what is what I waited for my entire life. Every girl should be as lucky as me.

{12. Top 4 book recommendations...}

I love reading. I really, really wish that I made more time for it because I enjoy lounging on the couch, curled up with a blanket and a good book. Especially on rainy days...which have been quite frequent as of late :). I love to read books that are a series...so my list comes in sets of several.

#1. The Hunger Games

#2. Harry Potter

#3. The Mortal Instruments

#4. Work and the Glory

{13. What's your guilty pleasure movie?}

The BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. This movie is a total of 5 hours and 23 minutes long making it my guilty pleasure movie because I could be doing something way more productive than wasting almost half of my day watching something that is almost six hours long. It's totally worth it though. I usually go back to the parts where Elizabeth rips Mr. Darcy to pieces after he proposes to her...and then the very end when he proclaims his love. It's so romantic. Even Tim enjoys watching this one with me :)

{14. What's your worst habit?}

I bite my nails. I've tried everything to stop...but I can't seem to break the habit. I see girls with long gorgeous nails...and I envy them. If only I had some other bad habit...like smoking or kicking people. Oh well, such is life.

{15. What Golden Girl would you be?}

I hated this show when I was growing up. So...I choose to be none of them! Instead, I'm going to pick a character from Little House on the Prairie. Hmmmm...if I were any of the characters from Little House, I would probably be Laura. She was a tom boy growing up...changed to get the attention of a boy, was totally a Daddy's girl, and married the man of her dreams. That pretty much sums up my life...except for the whole growing up on a prairie part... :)

There you have it! 15 useless fact about little ol' me.

Remembering...

2011-04-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Emmy has this habit of twirling her feet. She does it all the time. It's actually really cute...and for the longest time, I tried to remember why it looked so familiar to me. Then...I remembered.

Growing up, there was an older lady that lived across the street from my family. Her name was Florence Austin. I was lucky enough to call her Grandma.

She wasn't really my Grandma. But I didn't care. She felt like my grandma. She was sweeter to me than anyone I knew, and I loved going across the street and spending hours at her house.

Sometimes I would go over early enough that she hadn't put her dentures in yet. I remember I use to go into her bathroom, and her teeth would be sitting by the sink in a plastic cup of blue water.

She use to make me fried eggs, sunny-side up. She made them better than anyone. Still to this day, I can't eat them. They just aren't as good as hers.

We use to play Cootie and Skip-Bo at her kitchen table. She always let me win.

She use to wear polyester pants and sweaters with crocheted flowers on them. She loved the color blue.

She ordered Avon and I could always guarantee that she would have flower shaped soap in her bathroom and that I would get a flavored Avon chapstick at Christmas.

She came to every single birthday party I ever had.

She had a blue couch in her t.v. room that she use to sit at and do hours of plastic canvas. She taught me how to do it with her. She use to make tissue box holders and barbie furniture. The barbie furniture was for me. I still have every single piece. It is one of my most cherished and prized possessions. She made me a bedroom set and a living room set. A tub, sink, and toilet, a refrigerator and stove. I had the dining room table and chairs, an entertainment center, lamp, and t.v. I knew each piece took hours to complete. I also knew how much she loved me.

She died when I was fourteen. I still miss her every single day.

One day, while folding the laundry and watching this little beauty play on the floor twirling her feet, I remembered. My Grandma Florence use to twirl her feet anytime she was sitting down. Whether it was while playing Cootie, or eating birthday cake at my house. Singing Hymns during sacrament meeting, or watching t.v. on her blue couch...she was constantly twirling her feet.

I smiled as I thought about Emmy sitting with my Grandma Florence in heaven, waiting to come to earth and join our family. I'm sure she told Emmy all about me. I'm sure she stayed with her until she was ready.

I'm also just as sure she taught my Emmy how to twirl her feet :)

Singing Time and Wet Noses...

2011-03-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

For just a minute...I'm gonna take you back five years.

Tim and I were in a ward in Sugarhouse. One Sunday, a member of the bishopric asked to meet with us after church. Upon sitting down in the little office, I was asked to fill the position of Primary Chorister.

My answer..."No."

Tim's response..."She doesn't really mean that."

My response to Tim's ridiculousness..."Yes, I do."

In the end, Tim accepted my calling for me. Did I have a bad attitude? Yes, yes I did.

Now, flash forward to current happenings. I've served in the Young Women's for the past four years in two different wards. I was just recently released...and extended a new calling. Can you guess what it is? Two words...Primary Chorister. I said no again. Tim told them I would be wonderful. I'm still not speaking to him.

I know some of you are thinking that being the Primary Chorister would completely rock...I however think that it is one of the hardest callings in the church. I can say that because I've done it before. I also thought that I would never have to do it again. Obviously, I was misinformed.

I realize that I still have a bad attitude. I'm working on it.

Each week I walk into Primary with a big smile on my face and try to make singing time super fun. The little kids love me. The older kids roll their eyes to make it quite clear they aren't impressed. It's kinda funny how that hurts my feelings. They're 10 years old. I guess it's because I put so much effort into it that I want them to get excited. It's a work in progress. I'll win their hearts one of these weeks...or...I'll bribe them with candy. That always seems to do the trick.

I also have the responsibility of going into the nursery each week to sing songs with the really little kids. They usually don't sing with me...but they also don't cry which is good sign.

Last week, as I was getting ready to go, one of the nursery leaders told the kids to give me a hug. Excitedly, one little boy ran to my side and gave me a great big hug. He also tried to give me a kiss. I dodged it. But he really, really wanted to give me a kiss, so he threw his arms around my neck and tried again. I successfully dodged it another three times. However...as I was trying to escape the grasp of this three year old little boy...another little boy ran right up to my face, smiled big at me...and then...to my complete surprise, he licked me on the nose.

I guess it could have been worse.

He could have peed on me.

Mind Your Own Calories Lady!

2011-03-09T21:48:00.001-08:00

I have a confession. I'm a bit ashamed to admit it...but, I feel like I just need to get it out there.

I love food.

And...because of that fact, I have become what I like to call a skinny girl in a curvy girls body :)

However, my curves are not entirely my fault. Like a good wife, I blame Tim. He makes me feel like the most beautiful person in the world...and to top that off, he tells me that I never need to change, and he loves me exactly how I am.

I'm a smart girl...so, I know he's lying. He's a smart guy...so he won't tell me the truth. I know he really does think I'm beautiful though. But, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I lost a few pounds.

So, I've recently started doing a water aerobics class and I've been joining my friend a couple times a week to do this horrible workout video called Insanity. In fact, I'm wondering if she even likes me at all. It's brutal, and deep down I think she hates me :)

(Just kidding Julie...I know you don't hate me. You just love to see me suffer)

Anyway, the other day I went to Costco. Lately, they've had a stack of boxes full of these:

Red. Velvet. Cupcakes. They've been calling my name each time I've gone...but I've resisted the temptation and kept walking. But, on this particular visit...I saw this woman who had the type of body that I know I could never have unless I had bones surgically removed from my body and then lived on a diet of spinach and water the rest of my life. She was pushing a cart with two girls in it. As they passed the cupcakes, the girls squealed with delight. So...making an effort to care about her children's excitement, she pushed the cart over to the table of heaven and picked up a box. Then, after reading how many calories were in one, she dropped the box like it was diseased and then turned and looked at me. I know what she was thinking. I believe she wanted to tell me that the carrots were in the refrigerated section at the back of Costco, and that I shouldn't even be looking at the cupcakes because I was probably getting fatter by just standing there. So...in pure and total spite, I picked up a box tucked it under my arm, smiled at this woman who was looking at me with disgust and bought 12 red velvet cupcakes.

I've had one. It was delectable. I even licked my fingers when I was done.

However...I have 11 cupcakes left over that I can't bring myself to eat. So...if you want one, just let me know. I'd be happy to bring it to you :)

Perspective

2011-02-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a busy day.

When Emmy and I got home from an afternoon full or errands, I made her a delicious bowl of oatmeal and mixed garden vegetables, gave her a bath, put on her pajamas, rocked together in the rocking chair, sang primary songs before I told her I loved her, and then I put her to bed. It's our nightly routine.

Then, after finding the link on my friend Julie's Facebook status, I read this blog...

After wiping my tears, I crept back into my sleeping baby's room, gently picked her up, sat back down in the rocking chair, and quietly sang to her again. I studied her face. I kissed her cheeks. I held her close. I couldn't keep myself from crying.

After laying her back down, I stayed by the side of her crib and watched her for awhile. I listened to her soft snores and smiled. I love her more than I ever thought possible.

I will never take anything about her for granted again.

She is Tim's and my whole world.

Tonight I feel especially grateful.

Blackmail

2011-02-17T14:14:00.001-08:00

The other morning as I was getting ready, my phone rang in the other room. Quickly I ran to answer it. I was gone no more than 15 seconds. However...that was plenty of time for Emmy to do some discovery. When I walked back into the bathroom, I found this...

Hopefully we won't be having this talk for several years. Poor girl, if only she knew.

Looks like we'll be putting safety locks on the drawers :)

My Heart Loves Your Heart Forever

2011-02-14T20:35:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to meet Tim my sophomore year of high school. I remember walking into Mrs. Brown's math class that first day at Taylorsville. I hated math. I remember taking my seat, and then, as discretely as I could...scanning over my classmates. I had gone to a Jr. High where 90% of my friends went to a different high school. I was pretty much starting over in the friend category. It sucked. So...as I was checking out the 15 year old kids that I would be going to school with for the next three years, my eyes stopped on Tim. I remember that he was wearing shorts. They were khaki. His legs were hairy. And I knew, that one day, he would be my boyfriend.

Three years later...in the middle of our senior year...he was :)

This picture was taken the day of Jr. Prom, senior year. We were both 18 :)

This Valentines Day marks our 10th Valentines Day together. Ten years ago...Tim gave me gerber daisies for the very first time. Ten years ago, I became completely and utterly smitten. I'll never be the same. Here's a list of 10 of our favorite random little tid bits about our relationship over the last 10 years...

1. The very first time Tim "introduced" himself to me was in gym class. After chucking a basketball at my head and knocking me spread eagle to the ground to get my attention because he desperately wanted to meet me...he ran to my rescue and then asked if my glasses were okay. Ummm...yeah, they're great. My nose however might be broken, thank you. Now...his version of the story is completely different. He'd like you to think that hitting me in the head was an accident. Believe me...not even John Stockton has that good of aim :)

2. Tim asked me out three times before I finally said yes. Luckily...for me...he was quite a determined young man.

3. After walking me to the door after our first date...Tim shook my hand. That's right folks. He has quite a firm grip too :)

4. The February before Tim left on his mission, he surprised me every single day of the month with a chocolate heart hidden in the most random places. Wrapped inside each one was a sweet little note listing reasons why he loved me. The first February after his mission he did it again...and every February since then too. My note today said "Happy 10th Valentines Day, I love you". I'm already anticipating where I'll find my heart tomorrow...

5. Tim told me he loved me for the first time at a park near where we both grew up. We were sitting on a bench by the playground eating ice cream cones. It was wonderful.

6. The night before we got engaged was Christmas Eve...and Tim managed to make me really, really mad. As he left my house, I told him to not bother coming over the next day. Ummm...yeah, I can be a bit dramatic at times :). Anyway...the next morning, when he came over (without my knowledge) my mom said to him in all seriousness, "Good luck, I don't know what she'll say to you". Luckily for him, diamond rings seem to have a calming affect on me :)

7. I've only seen Tim get mad once. In ten years. It was during a game of Monopoly that we were playing with his 10 year old little brother. I had no intention of playing the game by the rules...as I do with most games. This was my first mistake. The second was telling Tim that it was just a game. I now know exactly how seriously Tim takes Monopoly. To this day, I have refused to play Monopoly with him. I also warn anyone who offers to play it with him of the consequences of that decision. They usually back out.

8. After researching it online, watching several you tube videos, and hours of practice...Tim has mastered how to french braid my hair. He did this because I can't braid my own hair. Now he can do it for me. I think that's incredibly sweet.

9. On the day we got married, I woke up and hour and a half late. I was supposed to meet my mother-in-law at her salon at 6:00 in the morning. I woke up at 7:00. I was supposed to be at the temple at 8:20. I got there at 9:20. I believe my arrival calmed a very nervous Tim. He woke up on time and had been pacing in the waiting room for over an hour. Better late than never I always say. I just wanted to make an entrance :)

10. I soon discovered, very early in our marriage that Tim is particular of two things. Number one being the way the toilet paper roll is placed into the holder. Number two...the way the dishes are loaded into the dishwasher. Now...you should know...I despise doing the dishes. I think it's disgusting. I could care less how the dishes are loaded in the dishwasher as long as I'm not touching their grossness for very long before I "neatly" chuck them into the racks. However...I guess loading the dishwasher is an art. Tim has mastered this art. He likes to reload what I've loaded behind my back...and I do have to admit, it is quite amazing how well he gets things to fit. He could probably win a contest if there was a contest for loading dishwashers. In fact...Tim could probably win a lot of contests. He's pretty much that amazing.

Happy Valentines Day!

28 Years Ago Today, the World Became Awesome. You're Welcome :)

2011-02-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Who'd have ever thought that this little beauty...

would turn into this...

The top picture is of me at the age of seven, when life was entirely about recess, barbies, and my amazing imagination.

Now...at the age of 28, I can look back on those times and smile because I had such a wonderful childhood. Back then, I looked forward to my birthdays. I couldn't wait to grow up. Get bigger. Drive a car. Have a boyfriend.

I don't quite remember getting bigger. It seems to have happened over night. But, there are certain events that stick out in my mind over the last 28 years that have changed me. Helped me to become the person that I am today. Events that I will forever be grateful for because, as I look back, they are the happiest moments of my life. In honor of turning 28, here they are (and in no particular order)...

1. Being baptized

I don't remember much about being baptized. This fact, at times, makes me kind of sad. I hear other people talk about their baptisms and how much they remember from that day, and I wish that I could recall it as well as they have been able to do. What I do remember is my blue dress my Mom made for the occasion. The picture of Christ my neighbors, the Nielsens, gave to me. My very own set of scriptures engraved with my name on the front of them. My friend, Erica, who was baptized the same day. But, the most important thing I remember, is knowing, even at the young age of 8, that what I was doing was making my Heavenly Father, and Savior happy. I knew it was right, and I was excited.

2. The 3 months before Tim got home from his mission

If you know me well, you might be surprised that I'm including those few months. This was not an easy or particularly happy time in my life. But, the reason I have included it, is because during this small moment in my life, I gained an incredible relationship with my Heavenly Father. I relied on him more than I had ever done before in my life. I wanted to do what he wanted me to do more than anything else. I gained a knowledge that my Heavenly Father is very aware of me. He knows me. He wants me to be happy. I will forever be grateful for those few short months. I truly came to know who I am.

3. My trip to Hawaii

When I was 19, my good friend Missy and I went on a week long vacation to the beautiful island of Oahu. It was just the two of us. We had never been that far away from home...especially without adult supervision. That week was incredible. I remember walking down to the beach every night at sunset. We would go and get ice cream from Coldstone, walk out onto the sand and watch the waves roll in and the sun slowly descend until we were surrounded by darkness and the sound of the ocean. I was so happy to be sitting there with her, laughing and talking about nothing in particular. It was one of the best weeks of my life. I will never forget it.

4. The very first time I saw Tim after he got home from Japan

I don't even know that he knew at the time that it was my car pulling out of the street as he was walking down the sidewalk to my house. But, as I saw him, a flood of memories came back to me. I loved him...and in those few seconds that passed by, I knew, with absolute certainty that I was supposed to marry him. He was mine, and I was his and I was entirely content knowing that we would be together forever, and I wanted that more than anything.

5. Graduation

When I talk about graduation, I'm not talking about High School. I'm talking about the big event. A day 22 years in the making. The day that I was forever done with school. The day I graduated from Dental Hygiene. I cannot begin to express the absolute joy that comes with graduating from college. There is no other feeling like it. It is such a sense of accomplishment. It was, quite possibly, one of the best days of my life.

6. The day I went to the temple

One of my most favorite primary songs is "I Love to See The Temple". I remember singing it as a little girl and imagining the day that I would finally be able to go inside. A week before Tim and I were married, I entered the Bountiful temple and made sacred promises with my Heavenly Father. I remember being in the locker room changing out of my temple clothing and feeling an overwhelming sense of love. This was a moment that I had been looking forward to my entire life. It was one of those moments that you don't ever think will come because you want it to so badly. I was incredibly happy.

7. Tim's and my first kiss

I won't lie. I've kissed a LOT of boys. Many were just for fun, some were kind of gross, and a couple were mistakes. But...none of them can even come close to the first time that Tim kissed me. We had been dating for almost three months. I had NEVER dated anyone that long without kissing them. But, Tim was shy, I was his first girlfriend, and he hadn't ever kissed a girl before. For our choir class, we went on tour to Anaheim, California. We were lucky enough to spend two days in Disneyland. Now...prepare yourself for compete sappiness. We were in high school after all :). On our last night there, Tim and I wandered over the the Disney castle. We made wishes into the mote around the castle, and then made our way onto the bridge that leads to Fantasyland. I asked him what he had wished for, and he said "I wished that I could kiss you"...so, I looked at him and said "of coarse you can kiss me". Well...instead of leaning forward, he just sat there. Staring at me. For five minutes. Wow. Awkward. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he gave me a quick, shy, but perfect first kiss. It was very sweet. Very cheesy, and incredibly romantic. Especially for an 18 year old girl.

8. Our honeymoon to Disneyland

There is nothing better than going to the happiest place on earth after experiencing the happiest day of your life, and spending all day, everyday, with your best friend. Our honeymoon was perfect. It might be why Tim and I go back to Disneyland so often. We have fantastic memories there. Plus, it's impossible to be in Disneyland, surrounded by magic, and not be incredibly happy.

9. The day I became a Mommy

I had absolutely no idea how much I would love being a Mommy. I know I've said it before, but Emmy is the joy of our life. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I was smitten with the little bean inside of me. When I could finally feel her squirm around in my belly, I felt a connection with this child that I hadn't even met yet, and would already do anything to keep her safe. When the nurses placed her into my arms, I knew that I would never, ever be the same. Each day, it still amazes me that Tim and I created this beautiful little baby girl. She is mine. No matter what. That's a great feeling.

10. The day I became Mrs. Timothy Tappana

There are few days that I can think back on and remember being completely, entirely, blissfully happy. The day I was married tops them all. I married the person that completes me. The person that makes me happier than anyone else in the world. The person that I look forward to being with more than anything. I married a man that makes me want to be a better person. A man that still looks at me as though I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes on. A man who honors me, cherishes me, adores me, and still, almost 6 years later, makes me laugh every single day. Knowing that, you can see why the day I became Mrs. Timothy Tappana was, I can say, the best day of my life. It was beautifully, wonderfully, amazingly perfect.

Life is good. Even if I'm a year older :)

What the Heck is That Big Red Thing?

2011-02-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant, Tim and I always use to talk about what we thought our baby would look like. I wanted her to have my eyes and Tim's beautiful olive skin tone. Tim just wanted her to look like me. However, there were two traits I hoped our poor child wouldn't inherit. My nose...and her Daddy's ears.

Right after she was born, Tim and I counted all her fingers and toes. I was ecstatic about the amount of hair on her little head. We instantly noticed her dimple, she inherited that from my dad. Then...we noticed her ears. She had her Daddy's ears. Exactly. Tim has always been very proud of this...because quite honestly, she looks exactly like me. So, he loves the fact that she has his funny ears.

Then...when Emmy was about two months old, Tim and I noticed a little red spot in her ear. Her pediatrician didn't say it was anything to be concerned about, so we didn't worry. But when her Aunt Kari and Uncle Brig saw it, they informed us that they thought it was the same thing her cousin Lydia had on top her her head...a hemangioma.

A hemangioma is a blood tumor. It usually appears when a baby is just a couple days old and goes away around the age of 10. It is the most common type of tumor. No one is sure exactly what causes a hemangioma, but recent research has discovered a gene, suggesting that it is hereditary.

Then, about three weeks later, Emmy's ear looked like this:

The little red spot was now very large. It also started to develop a scab in the middle of it...and it looked quite gross. So, I called her pediatrician, and he had us come in to look at it.

Hemangiomas are quite common. But, because of the rapid growth, and the ulceration, he was concerned about it causing problems with her ear. He referred us to a dermatologist for a second opinion.

I won't go into any details about our experience with the dermatologist, other than the fact that it was a complete and utter waste of time. He was useless...and everything he told us ended up being completely wrong.

After a month, the dermatologist referred us to a specialist at Primary Children's hospital. Dr. Grimmer was wonderful. He asked me how much I knew about hemangiomas, and then informed me, after I had told him everything that Dr. Dumb Dermatologist had told us, that we had been very misinformed. He told us about a treatment that would involve Emmy taking a drug for several months, three times a day. The drug is called Propanolol, and is a well known drug for cardiac problems. It was discovered, by accident, that it clears up hemangiomas quite quickly. He told us that he had used the treatment on hundreds of patients, and the results were amazing. Dr. Grimmer felt that the Propanolol would be a really good option because he was worried that if the hemangioma got any bigger, it would cause a deformity with Emmy's ear, and possibly cause problems with her hearing. He took some pictures for record, and he wanted us to go home, research it on our own, and then come back in a month.

So...Tim and I took the next month to research and pray. Everything I found about Propanolol was extremely positive. Parents wrote about the miracles it worked for their children. I never found anything discouraging...and after praying about it together, Tim and I both felt that we should do the treatment.

At her appointment, Dr. Grimmer took a couple more pictures, and then compared them to the pictures he had taken a month before. Her ulceration had cleared up entirely, and surprisingly, her hemangioma appeared to be smaller. Because of those two things, Dr. Grimmer wanted us to wait on the treatment. He felt that within a couple years, it would go away on it's own. He told us to call if we noticed any changes in it, and that he wanted to see us in a year.

I'll be honest. I was disappointed. I was looking forward to having this horrible thing on my baby's ear disappear. So having the doctor tell me that we would wait to see if it would go away on it's own was not the news I was hoping to hear. I think I was mostly worried that Emmy would be made fun of...and that broke my heart.

Well...a couple weeks ago, we noticed a change in it. It looked to us as though the hemangioma had gotten bigger. Emmy was also pulling on that ear a lot. So, I called Dr. Grimmer's office again, went in for another appointment, and sure enough...it had gotten bigger. He sent us down for an EKG to make sure there weren't any concerns with Emmy's heart before starting her on the Propanolol.

Today is her third day on the medication, and we've already noticed a difference. The bulging on the back of her ear is almost entirely gone and the swelling into her ear canal has gone down substantially. She has to take the medication 3 times a day, and because of the nature of Propanolol, we have to monitor her heart rate an hour after each dose. She is doing amazing!

And...here she is! Our beautiful, sweet, smiley, happy baby.

Oh...and yes, she got my nose. Poor girl.

I'm so in love with her :)

Because I Have Nothing Better To Blog About...

2011-01-31T18:37:00.000-08:00

I must like punishment, I must enjoy annoying myself, and I must love pure and utter torture. Those are the only reasons I can figure why I do this to myself every season. What season you ask? Well...not winter. Not summer. Definitely not spring or fall. The season I'm talking about has nothing to do with the weather, and has everything to do with television and a lame reality show called The Bachelor. I'm sure you're familiar with it, and if you aren't, don't. Just stay away. It's awful. Which makes it all the more ridiculous that I get sucked in every season. But I can't stop. I've become addicted to the whole messy horribleness that defines each and every episode.

Tonight was no different. At 7:00, I turned the t.v. on. I sat and rolled my eyes. I moaned at the sappy parts. I groaned at the hormonal overload that seriously sucks. I complained out loud about the same old drama drama drama that plays out each episode...and guess what? I came up with a list of ridiculous catch phrases that need to be permanently banned from the show. You know how much I love making lists...so here they are :)...

1. "I didn't think it would be this hard"

Seriously? You didn't realize going onto a show with 20 other women to fight for the attention of one man while watching him go out with and make out with every other girl would be hard? Define hard. Because I'm pretty sure your definition of it is wrong. Math is hard. Rocks are hard. Dating a guy along with 20 other women? Super easy!

2. "I hate seeing you with the other women"

Really? Because I know I would LOVE to be in a situation where my "potential" husband was macking on 20 other women. In fact, I wish that's how Tim and I would have met. So romantic, don't you think?

3. "This is the best date ever"

Of coarse it is. How many people do you know that get to go on a date where you take off in a private jet to Paris and eat a very romantic dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower, and then bravely jump off and are caught by 10 billion butterflies that are trained to fly you to a dolphin sanctuary where you magically turn into mermaids and follow the underground yellow brick road to Atlantis where you are showered by diamonds and rubies, all of which you get to keep. Really? Have fun coming back to reality when the show is over, and you have to plan your own dates which will most likely involve staying at home and watching your season of The Bachelor and seeing your man mack on all the other women before he chose you. Sounds like a blast to me!

4. "I have so much to give"

This is usually said while the girl is doing the sad walk of shame after not receiving a rose. I know I'm sounding a bit repetitive, but...20 other women have "so much to give" as well. They just gave a little bit more than you...usually in the form of some type of gross make out session which usually involves me having to close my eyes because it's way to graphic for my innocent Mormon girl upbringing.

5. "I'm really falling for this girl"

No you're not. You just think you are because of all the fancy la-dee-da that you've been experiencing to help you on your way to love. Give it a couple weeks after the cameras have left, and you're stuck at home on a weekend having to think up things to do together. It better be good too...because after all...she's kinda gotten use to the lavish outings that she got to go on during the show...and I don't think dinner and a movie is gonna cut it. Maybe if diamonds are involved...or a private jet to some unknown island...good luck with that.

Who knows. Maybe this season will be different. Maybe Brad will really find love. Maybe they'll really end up getting married. Maybe they'll have 8 kids. Maybe they'll discover a unicorn in their backyard. Maybe they'll raise dragons. Maybe they'll find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Maybe they'll live happily ever after. However...I highly doubt it.

Just keeping it real.

So...I'm Gonna Brag Just A Bit...

2011-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

So...I've pretty much sucked at the monthly updates on our sweet Emmy. In fact, I'm pretty much terrible at doing any posts about her. Which, is a shame, because she's so dang cute, and I'm only doing an injustice to the world by not sharing her adorableness. Who knows...I could possibly change someone's life just through a simple blog post on my daughter. Imagine...an out of work, depressed, sad, sad little man. He reads my blog. The post just happens to be about the most beautiful baby in the world. Suddenly, he becomes inspired. After three months, he finally showers. He puts on a suit. He goes out the next day...and BOOM! Donald Trump runs into him on the street...hires him on the spot...and BOOM! He's a millionaire by the next week. It could happen. Just saying... :)

I took this picture on my phone the other day, and fell in love with my daughter all over again. She makes me so immensely happy. I will forever be grateful for the five years that Tim and I had together before we started our family. Yes, I know, our reasons for waiting were completely and totally selfish, but also, completely and totally worth it. However, being parents has helped us to develop a deeper bond with one another. I love him even more because of her. She is the joy of our lives. She has helped us to understand better what true happiness is. Nothing can take that away from us. I am a better person because of my daughter. So...even if your life hasn't forever been changed...I know mine has.

That Went By Fast!

2010-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

2010 was a very good year for Tim and me. So many incredible things happened, and so often we were reminded of how aware our Father in Heaven is of our family, and how much He loves us. As usual, it was filled with ups and downs, but mostly blessings that helped us gain a greater appreciation of those things that are most important in life. Here's a play by play month by month of some of the events that filled the lives of these Tappana's:

January:

Tim and I found out the little being growing in my tummy was a sweet baby girl

We felt Emmy move for the first time

After 89 years on this earth, my Grandma Marker returned to her Heavenly Father

I hopped on an airplane and spent 5 days in Texas at a board review, leaving Tim for the very first time since we have been married

Tim and I were lucky enough to be seated next to Tom Cruise at the Hard Rock Cafe, had a pretty good conversation with him, and then caught a movie afterward. He's a pretty nice guy....

February:

I celebrated my 27th (yuck) birthday

Tim and I were asked to be on a local television show to tell our "story" of how we met, fell in love, and got married...as a thank you, the network gave us an all expense paid cruise to the Caribbean

March:

After 7 years of faithful employment, Tim left Bayer Healthcare and ventured on to a wonderful place called ARUP

I left Tim yet again for a 3 day trip to Lava Hot Springs with some girls from school to study for our upcoming board exams

I took the national written board exam for Dental Hygiene

I received the highest score ever recorded for the national written board exam, and was given the opportunity to tour five different states and give demonstrations on why I was so successful

April:

I took my anesthesia written and anesthesia clinical board exam for Dental Hygiene

I took my clinical board exam for Dental Hygiene

I took a break from taking exams :)

My boards patient died while I was in the middle of my test...so I was given a warning, issued a new patient, and told that if this one died, it would be an automatic fail

May:

I graduated :)

My brother and his wife had their first baby

Tim and I welcomed the first addition to our family on May 25th, a beautiful baby girl who has stolen our hearts everyday since then

Tim finished his first year in the Medical Laboratory Science program at the University of Utah

LOST aired it's finale....making the last 6 years totally worth it

President Obama personally called our family to congratulate us on our new addition, and I gave him a piece of my mind!

June:

Tim and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary...we stayed at home :)

I received my Dental Hygiene license and officially became a Dental Hygienist

Tim was offered a position with NASA and was asked to be on the first space shuttle to Mars, but turned it down because it would take away time with our family

July:

Tim blessed Emmy on July 4th

I worked my first day as a Dental Hygienist

Tim bought some illegal fireworks and accidently blew up the neighbors house up. Luckily...the lesson in Sunday school was about forgiving and forgetting...our neighbors haven't mentioned it since...

August:

Adam and Carrie blessed Mia in Las Vegas, taking us on our first road trip with a baby

We went to Disneyland with a 3 month old baby...something we swore we'd never do!

Disneyland "discovered" Emmy on our trip and begged us to sign a movie contract, but we turned it down because it only gave us visitation rights for the summer and every other Christmas

September:

Tim took the MCAT

Tim started his final year of the Medical Laboratory Sciences program at the University of Utah

I got a job! (a very, very part time job...which is exactly how I like it)

I was offered Paula's old position on American Idol, but when I found out Simon was leaving, I just didn't think it would be the same

October:

We started applying for Medical School

We went and picked pumpkins at a pumpkin patch for the very first time ever

Emmy dressed up as the cutest ladybug anyone has ever seen and went to her very first Halloween party

Tim was assaulted by a giant pickle walking down the street...but when he tried to pick him out of the line up, he chose the sweet pickle...not the dill and the dude got away (hehehehe)

November:

We started receiving secondary application requests from Medical schools

We celebrated my most favorite holiday, Thanksgiving :)

We watched Tim's beloved BYU lose their pride to the University of Utah

We went to the ever anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 midnight showing

Emmy turned 6 months old!

Tim quit his job and is currently living his dream as an "Alien Hunter"...the new television show will air on the History channel in January

December:

Tim finished up his last fall semester EVER (well...at least until med school :))

We celebrated our first Christmas with Emmy, who actually got excited about her presents...and not the wrapping paper

Tim turned 28!

Emmy is now employed full time at the local Smith's and is working in the butcher shop. It's been nice having her income to help with some of our student loans...after all, that's why we had a baby in the first place! :)

Well...we hope your year was as fantastic as ours! We're looking forward to 2011 and crossing our fingers it brings just as many happy memories as the last.

Happy New Year!

28 is Great!!!

2010-12-29T10:22:00.000-08:00

28 years ago today...the world became a better place. History was made. Lives were changed forever. The baby form of my future eternal companion entered the world and to this day...remains one of the greatest men to walk this earth as we know it :)

Over the last several months, I've gained a greater appreciation and love for this man that I am blessed to call my husband and best friend. He is amazing. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me perfectly to have created a man specifically designed and meant for me. We're one of those "Saturday's Warrior" kinda couples complete with cheesy music and dancing and everything.

So...in honor of Tim and his 28 years upon this earth...here's a list complied especially for him.

I love you Darling!

1. He is super ticklish. Especially on his tummy. But...once you get him going, he is ticklish EVERYWHERE!!!

2. He LOVES eggnog. He looks forward to this time of year so that he can sample every type of eggnog there is on the market. I think he keeps the eggnog companies in business, because honestly, that stuff is disgusting!

3. He has incredibly sexy legs. I especially like it when he walks around in his garments :)

4. His most favorite basketball team is the Jazz. This baffles me...I can't figure out why he would continually support a team that is an utter disappointment every year...hmmmm

5. His most favorite college basketball team is Duke.

6. He knows more random information that any other person I know.

7. He is very particular about how the toilet paper roll goes on the toilet paper holder. I discovered this very soon into our marriage... :)

8. His favorite superhero is Batman.

9. He loves to eat at the weirdest places...even the ones that look like you'd get food poisoning or be shot while eating there...

10. He is the kindest most selfless person I know

11. He sings to Emmy when he gets her ready in the morning

12. He is an incredibly hard worker, and sacrifices so much for our little family

13. He is the oldest of four boys...and doesn't let his little brothers forget it :)

14. He doesn't have a favorite color...but if he had to choose one...it would be green

15. His favorite movie is Field of Dreams...but he has been known to enjoy lame movies like Dumb and Dumber (seriously stupidest movie ever)

16. He is super excellent at ironing, and enjoys it. He thinks it is relaxing

17. His dream car is a Porche 911 Carrera GT, silver in color

18. He is going to be an amazing doctor...as long as he doesn't come home one day from med school and tell me his dream is to be a gynecologist...

19. He LOVES LOST. I think he might be the biggest fan out there...

20. He LOVES listening to the crazies on George Norey's Coast to Coast

21. He likes to joke about being abducted by aliens...but I think deep down inside, he really hopes one day he is abducted by aliens...

22. He speaks Japanese

23. He wants to name our children weirdo names like Don Carlos, Fox, and Stone...ummmm, no

24. He LOVES Community, Modern Family, and The Office

25. He quite possibly has the biggest boogers I have ever seen!

26. I am absolutely certain there is not one person who doesn't like him...it's kind of irritating sometimes...there's a ton of people who don't like me!

27. He started reading the newspaper when he was six

and...last but not least

28. He loves his family more than anything else in this world. Everything he does shows Emmy and me that this is true.

Happy Birthday!

Seriously...look at those legs! He is so incredibly good looking :)

The Boy Who Was 9...

2010-12-08T21:09:00.001-08:00

When I was growing up, I always wished I had a little brother. but no matter how much I begged and pleaded, I remained the youngest in my family. So...when I first started dating Tim, I was totally drawn to the fact that he was lucky enough to have not one younger brother...but three! Considering the fact that we started dating our senior year of high school, I have pretty much watched all three of them grow up and become incredible men. I love all three of them very much, and consider them my brothers. But...I have a very special place in my heart for the youngest Tappana, Jake.

The very first time I met Jake, he was 9. He was little and freckled with bed head hair and in a pair of little boy boxers. He was so embarrassed by my presence and his lack of clothes that he raced up the stairs and locked himself in his bedroom. I was smitten by how adorable he was. He was Tim's shadow and wanted to be exactly like his big brothers. He has Tim's interest in sports, Brig's musical abilities, and Sam's interest in anything from bands to clothing. He is the perfect mixture of his older brothers...and can pretty much get me to do anything for him.

When Tim was on his mission, Jake became my little bodyguard. He would call me on the weekends to see if we could hang out. When my friends would go out, he would be my date. I've watched him go from elementary to high school graduation. He was about 4 feet tall when I met him, and now he's almost 6 foot, has sideburns, and has to shave. He has big feet too.

I was there when he got his mission call. I was there when he went through the temple. I was there when he was set apart as a missionary and bore his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know he's going to be an incredible missionary. He has his older brothers in him...and they turned out pretty fantastic if I do say so myself.

This morning as I hugged him goodbye for the last time for two years, I told him I loved him, that I was proud of him, and that I knew what he was doing was so important. I'm grateful for his excitement and willingness to spread the gospel that I love so much. I'm gonna miss him. He's my little brother. But, he'll still be my little brother when he gets back. He'll just be a little bit older, most likely bigger, and definitely a little bit better.

ElderJacob Scott Tappana

Canada, Toronto East mission

Yes, I am a little bit proud :)

Annoying things that quite clearly...must go

2010-11-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Well...here is another one of my lists. What can I say? I really, really enjoy coming up with lists of totally random things. Especially things that annoy me. I often find myself people watching and thinking to myself "what the heck". So, here is my list of things that must go. Soon.

Please don't be annoyed with me :)

#1. Kristen Stewart

I use to really love the Twilight series...that is...until the movies came out and ruined it for me. The number one factor of my dislike? Kristen Stewart. Seriously...can the girl even act? Ugh! I guess I get mostly annoyed when she screams. It sounds like someone is dying. It's awful. But then again...I annoy myself by going to see the movies. Really, what the heck is wrong with me?

#2. People who get in the "10 Items or Less" line with carts that look like this...

Seriously...it's rude. I'm sorry you think that you are more important than everyone else, but please don't make the rest of us wait because you're all high and mighty. And yes...I am one of those people who counts how many items the person in front of me has. I'm sure...that fact quite possibly...might annoy some of you :)

#3. The Cart Leaver

The other day, I was walking out of Target and saw a woman probably around 25 who pushed her cart to the front of her car, hopped in her white Honda Civic, and drove away. The most horrible part of this sad sad tale...the shopping cart return was right next to her parking spot. Rude. Seriously...be a good citizen and please return your cart. It is for the benefit of the world.

#4. Pit Bulls

I have some neighbors that have pit bulls. At one point, they had a grand total of 13. I believe they are now down to 7. However...I am getting a little bit sick of their darn dogs digging holes under our fence and into our backyard and then running a muck...especially if it is 2:30 in the morning. Plus...they leave mega sized poo! Gross. Worst part...the neighbor has the nerve to accuse me of digging the holes myself. Seriously dude? Wow. What a winner!

#5. Texas sized pimples...I'm freaking 27 years old for crying out loud!

I think the thing I hate most about pimples is the people who stare at them and then forget that we're having a conversation because they're concentrating so hard on the new continent growing on my face. I'm 27. I shouldn't be getting the nasty pests to begin with. Also...please don't ask me what is on my face. I am very aware that I have a growth that is getting bigger by the second.

#6. Pepsi and restaurants who serve it

I hate Pepsi. I think it is gross. I am a Diet Coke drinker. In fact...I am so loyal to the makers of Coke, that if I go to a restaurant who serves Pepsi, I will never go there again. That's right. I'm a prude. But I can't help it! Does it help if I admit that I'm addicted? Does that make me any less of a jerk? Seriously though...if I am really looking forward to a Diet Coke, and I go to a restaurant who serves Pepsi...it almost ruins my day. Almost. I'm sorry all you Pepsi drinkers...but Diet Pepsi just doesn't cut it. I need my Diet Coke fix. A crappy substitute isn't gonna make it better.

#7. Skinny Jeans

I am so tired of going to the store to buy a new pair of jeans and finding racks upon racks of these horrible excuses for fashion! There is a very few percentage of people who can wear the skinny jean and actually pull it off. I, am NOT one of those people. I'm curvy (that's my nice way of calling myself chubby so I don't hurt my feelings :) ). Skinny jeans are NOT made for curvy girls. Plus...when I see someone that totally rocks the skinny jeans, it makes me jealous. Therefore; I am breaking a commandment...which is never good. Hopefully big baggy jeans that hide my chub come back into style soon :). Otherwise, I might start sporting a pair of sweats...and that my friends, will be a sad day indeed.

#8. The disappointment that is the Utah Jazz

I'm sorry all you Utah Jazz fans. But, it's true. I am NOT a Jazz fan, and proud of it. The fact is, they're SO predictable. Let me give you a rundown of their season. It goes as follows: they do really really well the first 10 or so games, and then they suck. The rest of the time. I guess I am just fed up with them NEVER pulling through for all their loyal fans. Not once. In 30 some odd years. I think, quite possibly, it could be a conspiracy...

#9. People who smoke right next to the entrance of stores

I am perfectly fine with the fact that people smoke. I am perfectly fine with the fact that they are okay with killing themselves slowly with poison. That's their choice. It's quite gross, and they smell and their teeth are yellow and their lungs are black. I am not perfectly fine with them imposing their disgusting habit on me. I do not want to breathe in their choice of death. I like my healthy pink lungs. I would like them to stay that way. Please...just stay 25 feet from the building, and we'll all be happy. You're able to smoke, and I don't have to live with the consequences of your choices.

#10. People who choose to use the stall next to you when there are 10 other empty stalls to choose from...

I hate using public bathrooms. Period. It's kinda, pretty much, really gross. If I can handle it, I almost always wait until I get home. There are those occasions though where I just can't hold it any longer and I have to run to the nearest germ infested stall. I LOVE empty bathrooms on these occasions. However, every now and then, someone will come into the nearly empty bathroom at the same time as me, and out of the 100 other empty stalls, they choose to use the one next to mine. I think this is weird. But...maybe that's just me.

#11. People who like to decorate their license plate with their yearly registration sticker

I HATE this! UGH! Tim laughs at me because I get so annoyed. Please, please, PLEASE...follow the directions and place your new yearly sticker ON TOP of the old one. It is really quite simple. Unless...you are really that dumb. But, I guess some people are.

#12. People who think they have the cutest baby in the world...

...when clearly and quite honestly...it's obvious that I have the cutest baby in the world :). I had to add that one. I just couldn't help myself.

Halloween...a little late

2010-11-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

We attended our second annual Tappana Halloween party this year thrown by Tim's brother Brig and his wife Kari. Although, I'm pretty sure Kari does most of the work :). Also...it's not their second annual throwing of the Halloween party...but we only became cool enough to be invited to go a year ago...making this year our second time-hence-our second annual Tappana Halloween party! It was lots of fun, and Kari always plans fun activities throughout the night. We played a few games, ate lots of yummy food...and won the costume contest second year running! That's right, we Tappana's know how to make a costume look good! I take this whole costume thing pretty serious...especially when prizes are on the line!

Tim and I went as Mario and Luigi. I am very proud to say that I made our costumes. Not that it was difficult or anything...it just makes me feel more homemakerish :) (if that even is a word). The overalls were borrowed, the hats were on clearance at Walmart, the shirts were a $4.00 Target special, and the felt was $.20 a piece at JoAnn's Fabrics! Grand total...$14.00. That's right folks...pretty darn proud of that :). I do have to say that we looked pretty much amazing.

Our little sweet pea went as a very darling ladybug. We had so much fun showing her off. This picture is one of about 50 that I took trying to get the little stinker to smile at me. But...alas, she refused to budge even just a little. She's still adorable though, even if she's not smiling :)

I found this costume on clearance the day before Halloween and couldn't resist. Tabby looked so cute...although she moped around the house the entire time she had it on. She's such a good sport :). She puts up with a lot...especially since Emmy has discovered Tabby's ears...poor dog.

Happy Halloween (even if it is 15 days overdue)!

Beautiful

2010-11-07T19:04:00.001-08:00

About two weeks ago, our faithful laptop finally gave up the ghost after four great years. I've been using my parent's internet when I get a chance, and I have been anxiously awaiting our new computer so that I can join the blogging world again. I don't want to upload any pictures on my parent's computer...but my talented sister posted some pictures of my adorable little sweet pea on Facebook tonight...and I thought that I could use one to show off how truly gorgeous she is.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how just a year ago I was pregnant. Now I look at my almost 6 month old baby and think how fast time flies. She is so beautiful. Sometimes I can't believe she's mine. But she is. Forever. How cool is that? :)

Pumpkins Make Me Happy :)

2010-10-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this time of year! Fall always makes me want to turn on my fireplace, curl up in a blanket, and read a good book or watch the 6 hour version of Pride and Prejudice. That's right...6 hours. It's pretty much amazing. However...being a Mommy has made those two things a little bit difficult. Emmy's naps usually last about 2 hours, 2 times a day. So...instead of wasting my precious alone time doing lazy nothingness, I get things done like cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, or beginning on the dreaded laundry piles. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE laundry. I would rather do pretty much anything other than laundry. Sometimes, I'm tempted to just throw away all the dirty clothes, and go out and buy new ones. If I was a billionaire...I would definately do that! But then again, if I was a billionaire, I would hire someone to do my laundry for me...and still go out and buy new clothes. Oh, to have the life of a billionaire (sigh). Anyway...enough of my pointless daydreaming...

One of my most favorite things about October is pumpkin hunting. It is a HUGE event in the Tappana household. I look forward to it all year long. We usually go to the local Macey's grocery store (because everyone know's they're the best) and pick out five or six amazing pumpkins. This year, we decided to go to an actual pumpkin patch. It was SO fun! Emmy took quite an interest in the different shapes and textures of the pumpkins...and (with her Mommy's help) picked out her very own pumpkin. I'm really looking forward to carving them. I get a little crazy when it comes to pumpkin carving :). Seriously.

Tim pushing the wheelbarrow. I asked him why he didn't smile, and he said "I wanted to look manly". Oh. Smiling=not manly. Good to know.

Our pumpkin haul. Did you know picking out pumpkins is an art? There's a lot of pressure when it comes to picking out the perfect pumpkin. Luckily, I've mastered it. :)

Our cute little pumpkin family

Emmy's pumpkin

She is seriously the cutest baby in the world! I am really looking forward to all the holidays this year. Having a baby makes everything different. But, it also makes everything so much better.

Advice. Please. Help.

2010-10-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

For the last month or so...Emmy has woken up at 7:00 am on the dot. It doesn't matter what time she goes to bed, she still wakes up at exactly 7:00. It's like she's my own personal rooster. Only her "cockadoodledoo" typically is a wimper followed soon after by screaming :). I don't know if there is a way to break her of this habit...but if there is, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I consider myself a morning person. But...I typically like to be an 8:00 am or later morning person :). I guess I should be grateful that it's 7:00 and not 3:00. Either way, I'd still like some help from my more experienced friends. Please and thank you :).

Not As Easy As It Looks...

2010-10-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today, while I was eating lunch...Emmy kept trying to grab my sandwich...and watched me take bite after delicious bite quite intently. So, I thought tonight would be a good night to try rice cereal for the very first time. Easy. Or...so I thought.

Picture #1: Proof that my baby is usually squeaky clean

Picture #2: Not so sure she likes this stuff...

Picture #3: Second attempt...

Picture #4: Several attempts later and beginning to think it's pretty tasty...and pretty messy

Picture #5: 40 minutes into it and I'm not quite sure she got anything into her tummy...but she sure had fun :)

Today I Bid Farewell To An Old Friend...

2010-09-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Some people may say I'm a bit obsessive about certain things in my life. Which is probably true. When I first started dating Tim, I knew we were meant to be the minute I found out that this 18 year old high school boy ironed his clothes. By himself. Everyday. Most importantly...he ENJOYED it! Could Heavenly Father have created a more perfect person for me? I think not.

Since we have been married, Tim and I have gone through exactly 5 irons. That's right...five. The first four we bought, used, and killed within the first year and a half of our marriage. Then for our second Christmas as husband and wife, my parents gave us a Rowenta iron. If you aren't familiar with the wonderful world of ironing, let me break it down for you. A Rowenta is the Cadillac of all irons. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

Today, as I was ironing our sheets (that's right...I iron our sheets. I like them to look crisp when I make the bed. I have issues about wrinkles...), my Rowenta shut off. All by itself. So, I unplugged it, and then plugged it back in thinking maybe there was a glitch or something. But...the friendly little red "hello" light didn't glow, and the beautiful chrome plate didn't heat up. It was a very, very sad moment for me as I realized my Rowenta had given up the ghost, just like that. When I informed Tim of our loss, I think he actually shed a tear.

So...I bid farewell to my old friend. The best iron I ever had. You made my life so much easier over the last four years with your amazing ironing abilities. I replaced you with a mediocre Sunbeam. I'm ashamed to admit it. But, someday, I'll own another Rowenta. Until then, I'll remember how good you were to me.

I know. I'm pathetic. But no one can argue that I've got heart :).

Gross

2010-08-30T22:34:00.001-07:00

Emmy was giving me so many smiles tonight right before I put her down for bed. It was seriously so, so cute!

Then...she threw up all over me.

Gross.

Wanna See Something Cute?

2010-08-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking...and I'll answer the thought for you. Yes...she is the cutest baby in the world. I know because I'm her Mommy...and let me just say, I absolutely LOVE being a Mommy. Especially when Emmy looks up at me with her beautiful little face and gives me a great big smile. Highlight of my day. Simple as that :).

10 Reasons Why I Don't Get Anything Done...

2010-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I'll admit...I like to steal post ideas from other blogs...and this idea is courtesy of my sister-in-law, Caitlin. So...thank you dear sister. You have inspired me with your cleverness :).

I am in no way a television fanatic. However, there are a few shows that make me a couch potato as I sit and watch the newest episode...or in some cases...reruns of old episodes. I love shows that make me laugh, shows that make me cry, and shows that make me think for hours about what in the heck just happened. So, I have compiled my top 10...and here is why they made my list...

1. Community-I love how this show totally paints the perfect picture of what a community college is really like. I laugh because it's funny...and so SO true. It gives me the opportunity to laugh at myself...because I am, in fact, a recent community college graduate. However...if you ask me if I went there...I'll just deny it.

2. Glee-Ah, Glee. This show just makes me smile. The only person that I know that doesn't like this show is my little brother Jake...and he's not the brightest bulb in the box, so his opinion really doesn't count :). Seriously, how can you not love a show that has drama, comedy, amazing music, and an incredibly good looking Glee Club teacher. If you don't like this show...just keep it to yourself buddy. You're treading in seriously dangerous waters!

3. Scrubs-Zach Braff rocks. Plain and simple. Scrubs was fantastic until he left the show. Now I just watch the reruns and smile to myself. JD's hilariously crazy and sometimes horribly awkward thought processes played out on screen are just enjoyable to me. Sometimes it's just fun to watch someone make a complete fool out of themselves. I'm just thankful it's not me.

4. The Mentalist-If you haven't seen this show, I HIGHLY recommend it. I love how this show is totally different from the other crime and investigation dramas on television. Patrick Jane is one of the cleverest characters I've ever watched on tv. I find myself getting lost in the episode as it plays out on the screen. This is one of those shows that I can see myself watching reruns of while eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream and trying to figure out what in the heck Patrick Jane is thinking.

5. Matlock-I know, I know. You're thinking "Matlock? Seriously, what is wrong with you"...but let me explain myself. Okay...there really isn't anything to explain except that I LOVE this show. For no apparent reason either, except that I really like Matlock. He's a cute old guy who always wins his cases. I don't know about you, but I'd totally want him to be my lawyer if I was ever accused of murder! He's just simply brilliant. Oh...and I love how he argues his cases :). Totally unbelievable, but I don't care. He's the best.

6. Little House On The Prairie-If you know me...you know how much I love this show. I think it has to do with the simpleness of it all. Sometimes I wish that I had been born during a time like that...and then they show the episodes where Laura, Mary or Karey run to the outhouse in the middle of the night and I change my mind. Nothing bad ever happens to them...but I'm sure I'd get eaten by a coyote or something like that. Plus...I think Michael Landon is really dreamy. He's the perfect husband and father...kinda like my Tim :). I've seen all the episodes at least three times each...and I never get sick of them. I don't think I ever will either.

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer-I know what you're thinking. I go from Little House to Buffy. But I love Buffy. I love Angel. I love Willow and Xander and Giles. I have all the seasons on DVD, and I watch them regularly. I think I love the friendships the most in this series. I secretly hope that they bring the show back so that I can finally find out if Angel and Buffy end up together...although, in my perfect world...they do :).

8. LOST-Best show ever. Enough said.

9. The Office-Oh how I love Michael Scott! His stupidity is the highlight of my week. He's like JD on Scrubs in the sense of how awkward he can make a situation in less than 2 seconds. Sometimes I have to close my eyes because I can't watch him make a fool of himself. It's almost painful in a way. But...I love the show! It will be a sad sad day when this sitcom ends...it will be the end of a legacy. A unpolitically correct legacy.

10. Clean House-I like this show because it shocks me. I am a very clean person. Messes make me twitch. So, I'm always amazed at these people who call the show for help, and then won't give anything up for the yard sale to make money to fix up their house. Still...the crew always manage to make the house clean and pretty even if the yard sale doesn't make much. But...these people who hang on to the craziest and sometimes scariest things make me laugh. Please...just get rid of the weird costumes, scary doll collections, and 13 broken vacuums. I, myself, just can't seem to understand the inner workings of some people's minds...and thank goodness for that.

Well...there you have it! My top 10. Please don't judge me. :)

My Hero For The Day

2010-08-13T01:18:00.000-07:00

Once you've met me...it doesn't take long to figure out my greatest phobia. Spiders. I don't like them. In fact, I HATE them. I tell Tim all the time that when we create worlds, there will BE NO spiders. He keeps telling me that my request is impossible. I would be perfectly fine with eight legged butterflies that suck the blood out of insects. Butterflies are pretty. I can handle pretty. Our good friends Mark and Kimmi use to live in Idaho. They had a cute little house that unfortunately provided a cute little home for spiders. Mark use to spray their house before we would come visit so that I wouldn't be tortured with the idea that spiders might be crawling around me. I always appreciated that...especially coming from Mark. Mark has this habit of trying to make me miserable most of the time...and I in turn love to reciprocate the misery. So the fact that he would actually try to make things more comfortable for me always meant a lot :).

I refuse to have anything to do with the horrid little creatures that only live to make me cringe. My entire life I have been terrified of them. In the house I grew up in, we had millions of them. Black ones. BIG, fast, black ones. Eight legged, horrible, hairy, humongous spiders. My response to them has never changed. Almost instantaneously, I cry. Not just a boo-hoo cry, but a full blown out sobbing terror cry. It just isn't pretty.

So...when Tim and I made the decision to move into the apartment in my parents basement...I knew that we would be dealing with spiders. For some creepy reason...spiders really like to hang out in basements. However, we've been having the basement sprayed every three months for the last two years, and honestly haven't had too many problems. Sure...they'll be the little one every now and then and I'll just yell for Tim and he comes to my rescue. But, for the last two weeks it seems like we have had an infestation of them. I finally worked up the nerve to squish the small ones. In fact, I've killed close to twenty of them with either Tim's shoe (I WON'T use my own. Gross), or by sucking them up in the vaccuum. I don't like it...but I'd rather that they were dead than let them run around having a party in my house.

Last night was a different story. Tim was at work. The whole 7 on 7 off schedule becomes quite inconvenient when it leaves me alone until 1:00 in the morning during his on schedule. That week I have to fend for myself when it comes to spiders. But, like I said...I've finally worked up the nerve to squish the SMALL ones. With our recent infestation, I had already killed about seven. But then I saw it. I had just dusted my small end table when I looked up. There it was. Big, black, eight-legged, and yes...hairy. We're talking the mother of all spiders. Of coarse...this was different than the little ones I had talked myself into killing all night long. The tears were flowing before I think I even registered what I was seeing. I backed myself into a corner very, very far away from it...and I called Tim. I'm still not sure exactly why I called him because he would be absolutely no help. He was at work...at least 20 minutes away. I guess I was just hoping he would do the whole snap of his fingers and miraculously appear in our family room with a big shoe in his hand to smoosh it. All he could do though was tell me it would be okay. However...I knew it would NOT be okay. He was lying to me! So...in broken sobs, I told him I was going to call my Dad. They live upstairs. I didn't need to call. But, I was worried that the minute I turned away, the monster spider would disappear. Then we would really have a problem. I called. My Dad was downstairs within seconds. The hugeness of the spider even startled him. But...with bravery I don't have I'm afraid...he killed the invader. However...for the rest of the night...I donned a pair of Tim's tennis shoes. WAY to big for my feet, but there was no way I was gonna use my shoes to squish a spider that might sneak up behind me. No way, no how. Although I miss my cute little house and look forward to the day when we have our own place again, last night I was very grateful that I live at home with my parents. My Dad is my hero. He's still willing to kill spiders for his very grown up daughter :).

Like Mother...Like Daughter...

2010-08-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Okay. I'm going to tell you about the three most horrible hours of my life.

Literally.

In my last post, I told you all about my wonderful ongoing urinary tract infection that I still have. Since that post, my doctor referred me out to a Urologist because he didn't know what else to do. The antibiotics weren't working, so he thought that maybe something had happened during my labor with Emmy causing some problems that the antibiotics weren't clearing up. So...I went to a wonderful doctor, who told me that the antibiotics that I've been on haven't been strong enough, and that he was going to put me on another antibiotic that he thought would clear things up. However...the downside of it was that I would have to stop nursing Emmy. She wouldn't be able to handle the antibiotic in her system. So, for the last two weeks (almost), I've been "pumping and dumping". I tell Tim that the worst part of my day is to sit and pump for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a day...and then dump all that hard work down the drain. Ugh! Anyway...Emmy has had a diet of my milk that I had pumped and frozen before the antibiotic fiasco, and formula. Mainly formula. Okay...now that you know that little piece of information...

About a week ago, we took a super quick trip down to Las Vegas for the blessing of my niece Mia. When we got down there, Emmy felt warm to me. But, it's freaking hot in Las Vegas, so I figured that was why. When we got back on Sunday night, she still felt really warm to me. So, I took her temperature. She was at 101.4 degrees. Well...we had just taken her in for her two month appointment, at which the doctor told us that if she got a fever, not to be too concerned because she was past the age of it being really scary. He told us that we could just give her some Tylenol, wait it out and take her into the office the next day. No big deal. Plus...she had just started taking formula, and had her shots...and gotten home from a long road trip. She was acting fine, smiling and wiggling around like normal. When I checked her temperature in the morning when she got up, it was at 99.4 degrees. I called the pediatrician's office, and they told me to bring her in. When they checked her temperature then, it was totally normal.

However...when the doctor came in, he asked a couple questions, and then with a look of serious concern on his face said "I'm worried that she has menningitis". Total shock. Not the words a new mother wants to hear. He told me that they were going to take a urine sample, and then send me up to Primary Children's for some other tests. I was in tears. Horrible mother. That's what kept running through my mind. I'm a horrible mother. The nurse came in, put a tiny little catheter into my sweet baby girl. She cried, and I cried right along with her. I picked her up and loved her, and then waited about five very long minutes. When the doctor came back in, he told me that there was a possibility that based off of her urine sample she could have a bladder infection, but he was still not convinced that it wasn't menningitis.

I called Tim on my way to the car. Still crying. Still in shock. I was a horrible mother. He was going to meet me at Primary Children's. When we got there, they took her blood, ran some tests, and then sent us on our way. Tim kept telling me that if they were really concerned that they would have started a spinal tap right then. But I was still worried. Three hours after I first went to the pediatrician's office with her, I got a phone call from the doctor. He was no longer concerned it was menningitis. Huge relief. But, he was fairly certain she had a really bad bladder infection. He told us he wanted her to be on an antibiotic, and that he wanted us to come into the office again the next day.

At the appointment on Tuesday, he sat down and told us that it usually takes about 24-36 hours for a urine culture to show the type of bacteria that is growing. Emmy's bacteria popped up in 12 hours. She had one nasty infection. He said that she had probably had it for about 4 or 5 weeks. Again...horrible, horrible mother. He said that there was so much inflammation and infection it had gone up into her kidneys and turned into a kidney infection. He also told us that it was a blessing that I had to stop nursing. Because I've been on antibiotics for the last almost three months, she was getting them as well through my milk masking any symptoms that she might have had. Because I had to stop nursing, it caused her body to react to the fact that there was a lot of bad stuff inside of her, and she got the fever. He told us that she was very close to becoming septic and having the infection enter her blood stream. Oh my goodness!

So...Emmy, like her mommy, has a bladder infection that has affected her kidneys. On Friday, we have to take her to Primary Children's Hospital again for an ultrasound on her kidneys. Then they have to do this procedure where they inject a dye up into her bladder (through a catheter), and take x-rays to see if she has a urinary reflux. If she does, and it's not bad, then she has to be on a low dose antibiotic for about a year, and they'll check her again at that time. If she does and it is bad, then she has to have a surgery to correct the problem.

Feeling like a really horrible mother, I asked the doctor if there was anything that I did to cause the infection. Tim and I always make sure that we are careful with wiping when we change her diapers, and we never make her stay in a dirty diaper for very long at all. He told us it wasn't anything that we did. It's just something that happened. He also said that there was no way for me to know she was so sick. But I still can't get over the feeling that I should have been paying more attention.

Something really special that did come out of all of this was the knowledge that Heavenly Father was looking out for our family. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had to stop nursing. What was somthing of a nuisance turned out to be such a blessing. Tim was able to give his daughter a blessing for the first time other than her baby blessing. It was such an incredible experience for me as her mommy. I felt so much gratitude for both of them in my life.

After finding out about all of this, my friend Kimmi sent me a text message telling me that both my bladder and Emmy's bladder suck. It made me laugh :). Hopefully...someday...we'll both be able to pee normally again. Goodness gracious!

Give me a U..give me a T...give me an I...what does that spell? Yuck :(

2010-07-17T22:35:00.001-07:00

Okay...I'm gonna warn all of you. This post may contain a little bit more information than you would like to know. So...if you can't handle "personal", STOP reading now. With that out of the way...let me start from the very beginning (a very good place to start)... :)

Back in May, about a week before I had Emmy, I had been going in for weekly stress tests to make sure everything was okay with the baby. Along with being hooked up to a bunch of machines, they had me pee in a cup. When the results came back from my urine sample, it was discovered that after 27 years on this earth...I had my very first UTI. It wasn't a big deal though. Heck...I didn't even know I had one! They put me on antibiotics and sent me on my way. However...this little UTI has now become quite the pest! It's been two months and I STILL have it!

The trouble began when my bladder didn't wake up right away after my epidural. The antibiotics I was on had cleared up most of the infection, but because I couldn't pee, I had to have a catheter placed three different times while I was in the hospital. LUCKY me! However, the nurses felt that I was able to go enough on my own by the time I went home that they didn't worry too much.

Six days after I had Emmy...I was at the hospital again. Only this time, it was at St. Marks, in the emergency room. I was in so much pain that I couldn't move. I had a horrible pain in my back that kept moving further up my side. Diagnosis? Kidney infection because I had let my UTI go to long untreated. Treatment? Morphine (wonderful), antibiotics, and yes...another catheter. Did I tell you how much I LOVE getting a catheter? It's just my most FAVORITE thing.

Kidney infections suck. One of the reasons is because the pain just doesn't go away. My side hurt for a good week before it started to feel better, even with the antibiotics. After I finished that round of antibiotics, they had me go in again for another urine culture, only to find that I have a super infection! Seriously...this thing is impossible! So, they put me on another dose of a different antibiotic. Ten days later...I still had the infection. They tried another antibiotic. Seven days after that, they did another culture. They didn't need to tell me that I was still infected because I could feel it. I really think my pharmacy is beginning to wonder if I'm addicted to antibiotics...

I just finished my last ten day dose. I went in for another urine sample on Thursday. The lab girl and I are now on a first name basis. I think she's going to invite me to her wedding. Okay...not really...but I'm sure she's wondering what in the heck is wrong with me and if I could please just go away. With it being the weekend, I haven't heard back from my doctor's office yet with the results. However...I am quite positive that I'm still riddled with infection. Gross, I know. I called the office answering service because I didn't want to end up in the ER again. My doctor called me back a couple hours later and guess what? I'm on yet another fabulous round of antibiotics!

Usually I can take away something useful from events or experiences in my life. However...not to sound pessimistic or anything...but there is nothing useful about this experience. Except maybe the empty antibiotic bottles. I could probably make something cool out of them if I thought about it real hard. Maybe I'll sell it on Ebay.

Emery's Blessing

2010-07-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

Emery was blessed on July 4th. Her Daddy gave her such a beautiful blessing. I was crying before Tim even started the blessing as I thought about how much I love our little girl. I'm so grateful for the priesthood, and that I'm married to a man who honors it and strengthens our family through it. I'm so grateful for a sweet little baby that has brought so much joy into our lives, and I'm grateful for the gospel, and the knowledge that I have that my family is forever.

She looked so beautiful. It's hard to imagine that not that long ago she was with our Heavenly Father waiting to join our family. Sometimes when she smiles as she's sleeping, I wonder if she's dreaming about heaven. I'm sure she remembers what it was like. She's so lucky. I wish I could remember too :).

An Event 22 Years In The Making...

2010-07-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

When I was little...I wanted to be a veterinarian. I remember pretending to take care of my "sick" stuffed animals. Still to this day I have a soft spot for our four legged furry friends. When I watch movies...I'm fine if a bus full of people die...but if a poor helpless puppy is in any type of danger...pull out the Kleenex because I can assure you that I'm bawling my eyes out. However...by the time I reached high school...I realized that my ambition to become the world's best animal doctor was probably not ever going to happen. Most likely due to the unfortunate fact that I am horrible with any type of subject having to do with math or science. So...I changed my mind and decided that I was more interested in being a teacher. After I graduated high school...I focused my efforts on getting things in order to get my degree. All of that changed when I started working for a man named Dr. Kenneth King. A dentist...who in fact...inspired me to become a dental hygienist.

So...for the last six years of my life, I've worked towards that goal. Two years of prerequisites...two years of wishing, hoping, and waiting...and two incredibly hard and stressful years in a program that was probably the most difficult thing I've ever put myself through. Finally, after 1000 clinic hours, 18 classes, countless patients, lots and lots of money, 72 pimples, 16 gallons of tears, 10 pairs of scrubs, hours upon hours of studying, at least 18 textbooks, 14 instructors, 83 tests, and one baby later...I GRADUATED! I'm a Registered Dental Hygienist...and darn proud of it too!

I'm the one sitting down :). After standing for three hours...and being nine months pregnant...I needed to rest my feet. It was pure torture! Seriously...whoever came up with the idea of making a graduate wait and listen to people that they don't know or even care about for two hours needs to get their priorities straight! All we want is our flipping diploma! Just give it to us and let us move on! However...I finally got my diploma...in the mail...a MONTH later! Stupid two hour graduation ceremony that ended up in me getting an EMPTY diploma holder! REALLY, really LAME!

My baby belly :)

I do have to say...as I said on many occasions before...I have the most amazing husband. I never could have done the program without him. He was supportive and wonderful through the entire two years with everything I needed him to do...including coming into the clinic for a lot of really long appointments...even though he REALLY hates going to the dentist.

Thank you to all of my friends and family who encouraged me over the last two years. I couldn't have done it without you and sincerely hope you know how much you mean to me. Remember...if you ever need your teeth cleaned...you have a friend in the teeth business!

One Month Already?

2010-06-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

Looking back over the last few weeks...it's hard to believe that I've been a Mommy for an entire month now. But then...at the same time...it's hard to remember not having Emmy in our family. It feels like she's always been with us, and Tim and I both know that she was meant to be ours. A couple things that we've discovered about our sweet little girl over the last 30 days:

She is VERY alert

She LOVES to wiggle

She has her Daddy's ears

She has her Mommy's nose

She is an AWESOME sleeper

She's GORGEOUS

She LOVES to eat

She has her Grandpa's dimple

She has big feet

She has the sweetest smile

She sleeps 7 to 8 hours a night

She makes us so incredibly happy

She KNOWS her Mommy's voice

She is fantastic at tummy time

She LOVES to cuddle

And last but certainly not least...she is the cutest baby in the entire world!

Top 10 Retraction...

2010-06-23T21:55:00.001-07:00

After the latest Hollywood scandal hit the news...I had to do an update on our last blog post and make a retraction. Bachelor Jake is no longer considered one of our top 10 most annoying famous people. I am sure that he heard news of making it on our list...looked up our blog...and was so upset by the fact that I, Ashley Tappana, considered him annoying that he immediately went home to correct his mistake. He is no longer thinking with his man part...and has since started following his heart. I wouldn't be surprised if I receive a letter from Bachelor Jake thanking me for inspiring him to do good.

However...that left a spot open on our top 10 most annoying people...and after much deliberation, we have decided that the best candidate for the spot is (drumroll)...

The channel 4 news team! Those of you who have ever actually watched an evening of news put on by this ridiculous excuse for a reliable source of information have probably lost brain cells. They are the WORST team of anchors this side of the Mississippi...and honestly the other side of the Mississippi too!

Our List of the Top 10 Most Annoying Famous People

2010-06-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

I actually saw a post like this on another blog. It made me giggle. So...I am stealing the idea, and Tim and I decided to come up with our own list of annoying famous people who, quite honestly, drive us nuts! Some of them I hope are self explanatory. However...if I have included someone on this list that you think is greatest thing since sliced bread...I offer you my sincerest condolences. Personally though...I think they are all just annoying!

Vienna

I think the Bachelor is the stupidest show on television. But...somehow I got sucked into the last season of absolute ridiculousness. Vienna however was the WORST! I got so ANNOYED with her constant complaints about Jake macking on the other women. Of coarse he's gonna mack on the other women! That's what the whole show is about! Yeah he kissed you...SO WHAT! He's just gonna kiss someone else the minute you aren't looking. So ANNOYING!

Kate Gosselin

You have EIGHT kids for crying out loud! Go home and take care of them instead of making a fool out of yourself on Dancing With The Stars. Speaking as someone who can't dance...you REALLY can't dance. So ANNOYING!

Paris Hilton

You are mean to dogs. That makes you plenty ANNOYING for me to NOT like you.

Rosie O'Donnell

I don't know that I even need to explain my point of view on this one. She's incredibly ANNOYING!

Mary Murphey

If you wanted to torture me...lock me in a room with a recording of this womans laugh. I don't think there is a more HORRIBLE sound in the ENTIRE world! Honestly...you could get any bit of information you were seeking from me after a few short seconds of me listening to her AWFUL laughter. It's pure torture...and SO ANNOYING!

Bachelor Jake

I thought you were a good guy until you chose the WRONG girl! Why in the world didn't you choose Tenley? EVERYONE LOVED Tenley. But instead...you had to choose Vienna. I'm sure you have since found out how ANNOYING she is...which makes you ANNOYING! Next time...think with your heart and not your man part.

Oprah

When I found out Oprah was going to be doing her last season...it was possibly one of the happiest days of my life. Oprah just has WAY too much power. It's scary. However...I would NEVER want to be on her bad side. Can you imagine if Oprah and Walmart joined ranks? They would be an UNSTOPPABLE force. I hope I never live in a world run by Oprah and Walmart. I'm probably just jealous that she has so much money and hasn't given me any of it. I find that TOTALLY ANNOYING!

RCWilley Commercial Lady

I don't know her name...and I'm sure she is a VERY nice lady...but every time an RCWilley commercial comes on starring this little jewel...I change the channel. I'm sorry RCWilley...but get yourselves a new spokeswoman. I think you might be loosing business.

Miley Cyrus

If Miley Cyrus can sing...then I can dance. Which really...lets be honest...NO ONE wants to see that! I'm possibly the WORST dancer in the world. Which, in my book, makes Miley one of the WORST singers in the world. I just find her ANNOYING!

Andre Kirilenko

I'll be honest...I'm not a Jazz fan. Andre was NOT on Tim's list of the top 10 annoying famous people. But...he DEFINATELY made mine! I think it's time that #47 get traded or retired or fired or sent back to Russia or something. I MIGHT consider becoming a Jazz fan when that happens.

Well...I hope you enjoyed our list of the top 10 most annoying famous people...and again, if I ruined your day because I included someone that you think is fantastic...make me #1 on your list of the top 10 most annoying people you know. I won't be offended :).

My Two Most Favorite People In The World!

2010-06-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't think it was possible to love my husband anymore than I did...but I was so wrong. Each time I hear Tim talk to Emmy over the monitor, or hear him sing to her, or watch him cuddle her my love for him expands beyond what I even knew was possible. Not only is he the most amazing husband in the world...but he is also an amazing Daddy. He came home today between class and work and gave me a chance to get ready for the day. When I got out of the shower and walked back into the family room...this is what I discovered on the couch. I truely am the luckiest woman in the world. I am married to an incredible man and I'm a Mommy to the most beautiful little girl ever born. Lucky, lucky, lucky me :).

The Most Beautiful Thing We've Ever Made...

2010-05-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

Labor is a funny thing. Until you actually experience it...nothing anyone says to you ever makes you feel better about the whole thing. I had my regular weekly appointment on Monday, the 24th...also Emery's due date. I had no expectations. My last couple appointments I was exactly the same. Barely dilated to a one. Plus...I had been on bed rest for about two weeks which wasn't exactly helping my situation move along. So, when Dr. Barton came in and checked me out, Tim and I weren't expecting him to tell us to head down to labor and delivery. He said he just didn't see any reason to keep me pregnant any longer. We looked at each other in total shock. By 6:30, I was hooked up to all the machines and had pitocin flowing through my veins. My contractions started about 20 minutes later...but thankfully Dr. Barton had told the nurse to have me get my epidural as soon as possible. Everything was going fantastically...until the epidural wore off in a very important region :). So, the nurse had me get another dose of the anesthesia. An hour after that...it had worn off again. I was numb in my belly and my legs...but not the other place of importance. The anesthesiologist came in for a third time...gave me a third dose...and yet again...an hour later I was feeling it. By then though, it was time for me to start pushing. Now...this was the part of labor that I had imagined entirely different! I was completely exhausted. It was 5 am, and I hadn't slept at all from the time they started me until then. I didn't realize that pushing meant I would be using every ounce of energy and strength my body had. After an hour...I was in tears. I could feel everything because the epidural was gone. After two hours...I just couldn't do it anymore. Tim was absolutely wonderful and encouraging and supportive...and yet everytime he said anything...I would get so mad.

Finally, Dr. Barton came in the room. At that point, I knew I was close to finally having my baby. It gave me the extra strength to push about six or seven more times...and then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. My sweet baby that had grown in my tummy for the last ten months was finally crying. My sweet baby that I had felt kicking and squirming around inside of me was kicking and squirming in my arms. I was finally meeting my daughter. Emery Elizabeth Tappana was born at 7:16 am May 25th 2010 weighing a hefty 8 pounds 8 ounces and measuring in at 19 inches long.

First comes love...then comes marriage...then comes a baby in a baby carriage!

Exhausted...but entirely and completely happy Mommy

Extremely proud Daddy

The most beautiful baby girl in the world. Of coarse...I am her Mommy...so I am a little biased :).

The Nursery

2010-05-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

When Tim and I first found out we were pregnant...I have to admit, we both wanted it to be a boy. I don't know if it's because my brother is the oldest in my family, or because my dad was the oldest in his family, or maybe because Tim is the oldest in his family...but I have always wanted to have a boy first. I've always had an image in my head of an older brother to look after his younger brothers and sisters. That being said however...I've always felt that I would have a girl first. So...even though we wanted a boy...I just knew that the little baby growing inside of me was a girl. It was a shock to Tim at first because boys run in his family...but I know our sweet baby girl is going to be a Daddy's girl...and I am so excited to see them together once she is born.

I have since decided that getting everything ready for a girl is SO much easier than getting things ready for a boy. There are just so many cute girls things...and really not a lot of cute boy things. On top of that...I absolutely LOVE decorating. It is one of my most favorite hobbies. I totally enjoy beautifying a room. So...I was super excited to be able to decorate for a baby girl. For the last month or two, Tim and I have been busy getting as much ready as possible. However...not being in school has made it SO much easier to get my projects done, and make things look perfect. I'm very proud of the almost finished product. I hope you like what I've done as much as I do! :)

One of the things I loved so much about her bedding was all the colors that I was able to use. I just love how it looks so bright and happy. Sometimes I'll just walk into her room, sit down in the glider, and smile. Our lives are going to change so much, but I'm looking forward to bringing my baby girl home for the very first time.

Introducing...

2010-05-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mia Melinda Brigman

6 pounds 7 ounces 18 3/4 inches long

My brother and his beautiful wife Carrie welcomed a sweet baby girl into the world today. I however, am sitting here on bed rest not any closer to meeting our little Emery. The worst part of it all...Carrie and I had the same due date! I have to admit...I am a little jealous. Seeing my brother with his brand new daughter (over skype...they live in Las Vegas) made me so excited to see Tim with our little sweetheart. She's going to have him wrapped around her finger the instant he lays eyes on her. I love feeling her squirm around inside of me, but I'm looking forward to finally meeting her. I hope she doesn't make us wait too long!

Congratulations Adam and Carrie! We are so excited to meet her!

Just letting off a little steam...

2010-05-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

I had an experience today that totally shocked me. Maybe it's because of all my wacked out hormones...but, needless to say, I was not a happy pregnant chick this afternoon!

My cute little brother Jake has started trying to build his way in a company called Send Out Cards. I wanted to be a supportive older sister, so I agreed to go to a meeting with him today about the company. When I walked into the room, it was packed. There was not one open seat. Now...the other thing you should know is that the majority of people in this room were men. What really ticked me off is that not one of those men offered an obviously very pregnant woman their seat. That obviously very pregnant woman being me. I had to stand for over an hour during the presentation. Honestly, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal if I weren't pregnant...but being practically nine months along...I was really starting to get uncomfortable.

What in the heck has happened to all the gentleman in the world? I can't imagine that I was the only person on the earth raised to believe that men should walk on the outside of the road, open doors, and offer their seats to a woman. But believe me...if I have any boys...they will know what it means to be chivalrous because they have a dad that treats their mom like she is a queen.

I'll get off my soapbox now :). Thanks for letting me vent!

Bad Hairday...

2010-05-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that Tim and I are the parents of a cute little dog named Tabby. We adopted her last year from my sister-in-laws family in Washington shortly after Poodie died. We are...needless to say...quite smitten with her. She is such a cute little dog, and has the sweetest little face with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen! Tonight, however...her cuteness was robbed from her. Let me explain...

Just like Poodie...Tabby likes to go upstairs. Tonight was no different. I got home from running errands, and after happily greeting me at the door, she ran to the french doors that separate Tim's and my place from my parents. I spent the evening busying myself with projects that I need to finish before our baby girl arrives, and Tabby spent the evening upstairs hanging out with my dad. Bad idea...

I finally went upstairs to visit with my mom and to bring Tabby back downstairs for the rest of the night. I took one look at my little dog and knew that my dad had a little bit too much fun with my poor Tabby. This is what I saw...

My sweet little innocent dog now has a rather sad looking mohawk. I went in to accuse my father of his bad deed only to find him ready for bed and on his knees in prayer...shaking uncontrollably with laughter. The wise guy thinks he's pretty clever. What a jerk...

The worst part of the whole thing? Waiting for her hair to grow back out so I don't have a dog that looks like a punk. It's gonna be awhile though seen as how I paid good money to have her groomed just last week! But...as most of you know...I am my father's daughter, and great minds think alike. It's only a matter of time before I even the score...

Horrible...terrible...no good, very bad dream!

2010-04-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a bad dream. It wasn't your typical bad dream. I wasn't being chased by something scary, or trapped by something sinister...I was just in a very large room. The room was full of hundreds of people sitting in desks. I was in a desk on the front row, and I was surrounded by people I knew and people that I didn't know. Tim was sitting in a desk next to me. One of my school instructors entered the room and stood at the front of all of us. She wanted those who had not yet found a boards patient to stand up. I stood up from my desk and looked around to see that no one else was standing. I was the only person out of the hundreds of people in the room who didn't have a boards patient. Some of these people were people who didn't even need to have a boards patient...my husband being one of them. Pleadingly, I turned to the desk next to me where Tim was sitting and asked him to give me his patient. He just looked at me, shook his head, and turned to face the instructor. Then...(luckily)...I woke up.

Now...you may think that this was a silly dream. You may wonder how this dream could have possibly been bad. Well...let me enlighten you. I have spent the most part of the last two years preparing myself for a test that I will be taking in a little less than three weeks. This test is dependant upon my finding a qualified boards patient. Finding this qualified patient isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. There are specific requirements that this patient has to meet in order to qualify for this test that is the test of all tests...and today at school...I discovered that I am now one of two that has yet to find a boards patient. So...I'm begging all of you...pray that my boards patient will finally introduce themselves to me because three weeks is a lot shorter than I would like it to be...and I don't want my bad dream to turn into a real life nightmare :)

The Sweet Taste of Success

2010-04-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Up until about a week ago...my life has been a bucket of stress. In order to become a Dental Hygienist, you have to put yourself through two years worth of utter pain and suffering. It is a brutal program and to be quite honest...has made me question my sanity on several occasions as to why in the heck I would do this to myself. But...I'm nearing the end of the tunnel, and believe it or not...I can see the light.

I took the written national board a little over a week ago. The written board is a terrible, awful, no good, very bad thing. It brought my life so much stress and anguish that I'm surprised Tim didn't move out during the whole time I studied for it. I'm sure I was not the easiest person to live with because I pretty much only studied, ate, and slept for about two months. Our house was a disaster, and he was pretty much left to fend for himself. I'm sure a lot of you thought we had fallen off the face of the earth entirely.

As soon as I walked out of the six hour exam I felt so much relief. But...today was the day of judgement as I got my results in the mail. My mom called me, informed me that it had come, and then told me she was going to open it. I didn't want her to. In fact, I was planning on coming home, locking myself in a closet, and then after reading the results...crying myself to sleep. This was not acceptable to my mother however...and she opened it anyway. When she told me my score, I literally screamed outloud. After hours and hours of studying...it paid off. I passed!

So...with 26 days left and three boards to go, I'm finally on the downhill side of things. Lets just hope my next three tests go as well as the first one did...

Fat is Just Another Word For Beautiful...

2010-03-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

There's an old Tongan lady that lives in our ward. Her name is Toa. I've known her my entire life. She taught me in nursery when I was little, and I can still remember how much I loved her then. As I grew up, she would always tell me about what I was like when I was little, and I've always thought of her as a grandma. I love watching her in church with the little kids because of her sweetness with them. She is a very tender woman. I just wanted to introduce her to you before I told you the story about what happened today right before sacrament meeting started.

Tim and I were sitting in our seats when Toa walked into the chapel. As she started to make her way onto the bench in front of us, she looked up at me and smiled...and then her face lit up as she pointed at my belly and said with so much excitement in her voice "You're fat!". She waved me over to her, pulled me into her arms, and whispered to me with tears in her eyes, "I like you fat." It may surprise you to know that this touched my heart, and made me even more grateful to know this incredible lady. With all the sweetness in the world, and in her beautiful broken english, Toa told me how excited she was that I'm going to be a mother.

It made me think that amidst all the heartburn, constipation, numerous nightly bathroom breaks, stretch marks, and all the other wonderful things we women put our bodies through during pregnancy how truely grateful I am to be experiencing this in my life. It's okay that my belly is now three times the size it use to be, and I can barely tie my shoes anymore. I love this baby inside of me more than I thought was possible. I haven't even met her yet, and she already has such a strong hold upon my heart that it amazes me. It's hard to believe that in a little over ten weeks, I will be holding her in my arms, and meeting my daughter for the very first time. So...with that in mind...telling me that I'm fat is probably one of the biggest compliments you can give me right now. I have a baby inside. :)

Sweet Surprise

2010-03-09T13:54:00.001-08:00

Back in September, one bright beautiful clinic day, I was in the locker room with my good friend Jill, when she looked at me and said in all seriousness "Are you pregnant?". Of coarse I wasn't pregnant! Silly friend of mine...but she continued to question me. It is actually because of that good friend that I ended up taking a pregnancy test later that night (followed by two more pregnancy tests because I was in utter disbelief :)). Jill texted me every hour asking me if I had taken one because she was convinced I was pregnant. After telling Tim the amazing news (and getting over the shock myself) I called Jill. She was the second person to know. She, along with four other girls that have become some of my closest friends kept my secret for sixteen weeks. I am grateful for them, and for their friendship. But today, they made me feel even more lucky by throwing me a surprise shower for my sweet baby girl. They planned it, put everything together, and invited our entire dental hygiene class. It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me...and I was totally surprised!

Holli, Laurie, Jill, Dyanna, and Ashley are so amazing! Thank you so much for the sweet surprise! It was so much fun, and meant so much to me. You guys are the best! :)

27...Yuck!

2010-03-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

So...I turned 27 last month. I'm not a huge fan of getting older. In fact...I dread having birthdays. Getting older just isn't my idea of fun! I think it has something to do with me still feeling like I'm 20, and the impossible reality that I'm now just three short years from turning 30. However...even though I hate getting older...I do love my life. So...in honor of turning 27 (yuck), I wanted to write a short list of 27 quirky things about me that you may or may not have known.

1. I married my high school sweetheart
2. I love weird movies...some examples of this include: The NeverEnding Story (I, II, and III, The Dark Crystal, The BFG, and The Last Unicorn (just to name a few).
3. I am OCD when it comes to my house. If something is out of place, it will keep me up at night until I go and put it back where it belongs.
4. I don't really like chocolate chips...so, when I make chocolate chip cookies, I'll usually put in less than 1/2 of what it calls for. It drives Tim nuts!
5. I've never flipped anyone off in my entire life. I give the thumbs down!
6. I've never seen a rated R movie...although I have been tempted.
7. I've seen every episode of Little House on the Prairie at least three times.
8. I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
9. I love to clean...I seriously look forward to scrubbing down my kitchen and bathroom each week, it makes me feel so good afterward!
10. I LOVE peaches! I could eat them all day long and never get sick of them.
11. I will often tell people that I don't like something, even if I've never tried it before.
12. I'm a really picky eater...but it has nothing to do with taste for me, it has everything to do with texture.
13. I hate yogurt. I hate that it is healthy for me! It makes my mouth feel all weird.
14. I've had three speeding tickets. One of them was for going 3 miles over the speed limit.
15. I've been taken away in an ambulance.
16. I love to go fishing. I even love to gut and clean the fish. However...I hate the taste of fish!
17. My guilty pleasure is getting a pedicure. It is absolute bliss for me!
18. The day I got married was the happiest and best day of my life.
19. I have been in school for 22 years of my life.
20. I sucked my thumb until I was 7 years old.
21. I love cheese. I think it is possibly one of the greatest inventions of mankind!
22. I love getting my teeth cleaned! I think it feels wonderful!
23. I learned how to juggle in 10th grade for extra credit in order to pass my chemistry class. It was my first and only C I have ever gotten in school.
24. I want to be a stay at home mom when I grow up :).
25. I kissed a lot of boys in high school.
26. I only sluffed seminary once...and I felt so guilty about it, I went (in tears) and told my seminary teacher.
27. I've never said a swear word in my life! I'm really proud of that one!

Well...you may or may not have learned something new about me...and you may or may not really care anyway :).

Please...just lie to me

2010-02-16T21:15:00.001-08:00

Honestly, I have to say that my pregnancy has been really easy so far. I haven't been sick a day and I don't feel miserable in the slightest. In fact...up until about a couple weeks ago, I had to keep reminding myself that I was pregnant. Now our sweet baby girl kicks all day long so it's kind of hard to forget :). I've finally entered the 3rd trimester zone...and I'm just a couple days away from the six month mark. I haven't really looked pregnant until the last couple weeks...I've just looked terribly fat :). So...the other day when someone asked me when I was due, I smiled to myself...happy with the fact that I looked pregnant to someone and not just like I had eaten one to many twinkies.

However...tonight at young womens, one of the women in our stake (who I really don't know very well) asked me when I was due. I smiled and let her know that my baby girl would be here in May. In response...her mouth dropped open (quite literally) and she said "You're HUGE!". So, I politely punched her in the face, told her she was fat, and walked away. Okay, okay...I didn't really punch her in the face, and I didn't tell her she was fat, but I wanted to!
So...I just wanted to let everyone know, who isn't aware of the proper etiquette to use when dealing with a pregnant woman...LIE to her! Even if you think she is the size of a whale! Tell her how beautiful she is and how fantastic she looks! When you get home, let everyone else know how fat you think she is...but never, ever, ever tell a pregnant woman you think she is HUGE! For crying out loud, I have a BABY growing inside of me!

So, please, if you see me at the store, or at church, or at school...or anywhere you might happen to run into me...lie to me. Because, honestly, I can't handle the truth. :)

Oh to be loved...and to be so in love!

2010-02-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

As most of you know...Tim and I first met in high school. It took him most of our high school career before he finally got the courage to ask me out...and when he finally did I told him no :). But, that's a whole other story!

Whenever Valentines Day rolls along, I always think about the first Valentines Day with Tim. We were in our last year of high school, and we had an early morning concert chior practice on February 14th. After practice, Tim came up and told me he had something for me in his locker. So...with butterflies in my stomach, I grabbed my backpack, and headed down D hall with him...wondering what in the heck he would have for me in his locker. I never expected him to pull out five gerber daisies. I had mentioned to him once in passing a while before that my most favorite flowers were gerber daisies because they really are just the happiest flower, but I had no idea that he would remember. When he handed them to me, I was so surprised...and yet at that exact moment...completely and entirely smitten with him. I carried those flowers around with me all day to every single class knowing that I was the luckiest girl at Taylorsville High School because a boy, a cute, shy, sweet boy had given me gerber daisies because he knew how much I loved them.

So...in honor of Valentines Day, I want to list 14 of the reasons I love my sweet husband...because as you know...I married the boy who gave me daisies :).

1. He makes me feel beautiful everyday, and I can count on him telling me at least once a day exactly how beautiful he thinks I am

2. Because of Tim...I am a better me. I want to be better each and everyday so that I can be the type of person that he is

3. He lives what the word love means

4. He is so excited to be a daddy, and loves our sweet little girl so much already

5. His testimony of the gospel

6. He makes me laugh everyday...he'll even do silly things on purpose just to hear me giggle

7. Being around him makes me happier than anything in this world

8. He works so hard for our little family

9. He is the most unselfish person I know

10. He is full of goodness

11. He is incredibly smart

12. He always holds my hand

13. He tells me every day how much he loves me...and I can always count on a kiss in the morning before he leaves for work, and a kiss a night before he falls asleep

14. He is incredibly good looking :)

So Tim...I just want you to know how grateful I am for you, how much I love you, and how much you mean to mean. You truely have made me the luckiest woman in the world! I love you!

JERK!!!

2010-02-01T16:40:00.001-08:00

I like to say that I'm a curtious driver. I always let people in, let people over, and do all the stuff that you wish people would do for you when you're out driving. I do have to say however, that when you don't thank me with the universal "wave", I get a little testy in the car. It's a wave people! It takes all of two seconds and is entirely and completely necessary to show common decency and good breeding! That's a whole other story though...so I won't go into that :).

I did want to relate a story about my drive home today because I was so totally shocked, and because...honestly...I want to vent. Venting is healthy. Anyway, I'm on rotations up at the VA hospital this month, and I don't know how many of you have driven on Foothill Drive between 4 and 5 in the afternoon, but it totally sucks. I was on my way home, and I signaled to get over into the lane next to me. There was a black mercedes behind me in the next lane over, and there was plenty of room for me to make the move, but when I tried the guy driving the mercedes decided to speed up and wouldn't let me over. So...I thought, okay, I'll just get behind him. But, when I then tried to signal and get over to get behind him, he slowed down so I couldn't. I tried three more times to get over, and he did the same thing all three times...sped up, and then slowed down. I was starting to get frusterated because the freeway entrance was getting closer and closer and I really needed to get over, and also because I didn't understand what the heck his problem was. So, on my fourth attempt to get over, as he sped up, I just went over anyway, and I ended up cutting him off. But, I didn't cut him off on purpose. He didn't see it that way however. As soon as I was over, he signaled and got into the lane next to me, sped up in front of me, cut me off, and then slammed on his brakes and started driving 10miles per hour. Well, I got over into the lane next to me, and just as I was about to pass him, he cut me off again, slammed on his brakes, and did the same thing. So, I attempted one more time...I got over, and just as I was about to pass him, he cut me off again! By then I was really getting angry. I did not understand why he was being such a jerk! I decided that unless I wanted to get into a car accident, I better just stay behind him, which would have been totally fine if he didn't keep slamming on his brakes. By then I had had it! I finally just laid on my horn. Now...I have never in my life flipped anyone off, and I wasn't about to break my streak on him...however...I do have another finger that I like to give people when I drive, and that is my thumb in the downward position :). So, I gave him my famous signal to let him know that I did not in anyway appreciate the way he was treating me. At this point, we had finally reached the freeway, and I now had more than two lanes to be able to maneuver my car around, so I promptly tried to get away from that wretched black mercedes, only to have him try to stop me. But...I was victorious! As I FINALLY drove past him, he had the nerve to stick his tongue out at me. That's right...some punk teenager spoiled rotten jerk kid driving a mercedes stuck his tongue out at me. Wow. Seriously...wow. I wasn't expecting that.

Well, that was my experience on the road today. I hope all of you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Decisions...Decisions...

2010-01-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

So, along with the excitement of having a baby comes the excitement (and expense) of getting things ready for baby. Last weekend Tim and I went out and bought our sweet baby girl's crib and dresser...and it's made me even more excited to find the perfect bedding to go with it. I've found three that I like. But...I can't decide which one I like best. So, I'm hoping for your help with this very important decision! The three contenders are:

If you wouldn't mind commenting and casting your vote for which one is your favorite...you'd be helping me out a lot. I know I still have four months...but those four months are also going to be swamped with studying and tests and boards...and stuff that isn't near as much fun as getting a nursery together, so Tim and I want to get as much done as possible before I REALLY won't have time to do anything but eat, sleep, and dream dental hygiene. :)

I believe in miracles!

2010-01-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the outcome of my previous post...

They didn't kick me out!

I received all my packet information in the mail today...so it is official. I can honestly say that once again, Heavenly Father has blessed me and answered my prayers. This was just another one of the many times that my testimony has grown because of the miracles he has made become possible in my life.

Now...I have three months to prepare myself for possibly the worst day of my life. :)

Just when you think...can things get any worse?

2010-01-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was not a good day. Neither was today (for the most part). I spent last weekend in Texas at a dental hygiene boards review seminar. After three days of 10 hours classes, my brain was fried...but I was feeling confident! On Tuesday, the first of the bad news hit. As dental hygienists, we have four tests we have to take before we can get our licenses. The most major of the four being our clinical board. We found out last fall that our school was not considered as a site for testing this year. The first time that has ever happened! Stressful...yes, but we all dealt with the fact that we would have to go to Ogden or Orem. The problem came when both the schools where we could take our testing filled up within 24 hours. Something else that has never happened! Only eight of the students in our class had registered to take the test, the rest of us had been waiting for our loan money to go through so we could pay the thousands of dollars that it costs. The other options given to us were to find a patient willing to travel to Dixie, and we could take the test there. Problem number one...Dixie's test was offered right smack dab on the same day as my due date. Problem number two...the next test was offered in Phoenix two days after my due date. My only option was to be able to take the test in Orem...which wasn't looking so good. After hours on the phone with WREB (the people who give the test), our instructor was able to work out a deal with them to open 16 slots. But that's it. Just 16, even though there were 24 of us that still needed to get in. It was incredibly frustrating for me due to the fact that Orem was the only location that was a possibility for me, and yet, I still wasn't guaranteed a spot. I was beginning to think that the last 2 years of my life, and $20,000 was a waste because I wouldn't be able to get my license to practice in the end anyway. So...after many tears and prayers that all would work out, I logged onto my computer at 5:30 in the hopes that I would be lucky and quick enough to get a spot. Luckily for me...Tim was doing the same thing at work. I was able to log on after a few attempts, but when I got to the screen to enter my social...I totally went blank. I couldn't remember a number that I usually recite at least three times a week! However, Tim didn't have any problems remembering it on his end, and was able to get me registered. It felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders! I had my spot.

However...that should have left eight students from my class not being able to register. Should have...but for some reason, only four students weren't able to register. Which means, four girls will get kicked out. I'm crossing my fingers it's not me.

And the verdict is in...

2010-01-06T09:10:00.001-08:00

Tim and I had our 20 week appointment today! That's right...I'm halfway! I can't even describe how happy it makes me to see our sweet little baby on the screen and know that we're going to be parents to one of Heavenly Father's children. It is such a blessing and we are so so so excited! The ultrasound tech did all the measurements, and checked to make sure everything was developing the way that it should...and I'm happy to say that our little one is exactly on track! The most exciting part of coarse was when we found out we're having a baby girl! It's so nice to be able to refer to this baby as something other than "it"! I know that as soon as she's born, she'll have her daddy wrapped around her little finger in no time!

May All Your Days Be Merry and Bright...Just As Ours Have Been!

2009-12-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas friends! I know it's a few days late...but the spirit is still there :). Tim and I have been incredibly blessed this year, and I hope all of you had as wonderful of a year as we did. Sure, it was full of stress and the occasional trial that we all have to face every now and then, but I am very grateful for the things that we learned and how much closer every experience we had brought us together. Just to name a few exciting things that happened to the Tappana family this year:

1. Tim's brother Brig and his wife Kari added a new addition to our family in March. Lydia is adorable, and we love her so much! It's been nice to have a niece so close to home.
2. Tim started his program up at the University of Utah. He's loving it...and I'm loving how much closer it's bringing us to applying for medical school (finally!).
3. My brother Adam got married in May, and made one of the best additions to our family that we have ever had. Not only did I get another sister (whom I love very much), but also a nephew (whom I also love very much).
4. Tim's brother Sammy got married the day after my brother did, and that also made another one of the best additions to our family that we have ever had. We love Caitlin!
5. Tim had the opportunity to baptize our niece Hailey in June. I can't believe she's eight already!
6. We celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Time flies so fast when you are as lucky as me :).
7. We went on an amazing trip to Disneyland with some of our closest friends, making it one of the best trips that we have ever been on!
8. I started my last year of Dental Hygiene school!
9. In September, we found out that we were pregnant! Expecting baby Tappana May 2010!
10. We both survived our fall semesters at school :).

I love this time of year. Life has certainly been exciting for us this past year, and I hope next year will bring even more blessings and learning experiences. I am so grateful for the gift of our Savior. I know that every good thing that Tim and I have in our lives is because of Him. I love the opportunity that this time of year brings for us to remember Christ, and all that He did for us. We both are wishing all of you well, and hoping you have a Happy New Year!