Kamryn's Birthday Carnival!

Max with his tickets and yummy party favor on the bouncer!
Max helped Kamryn hand out tickets for a while.
Me and Max at the fairgrounds.
Max with Kamryn the birthday clown! Isn't she adorable?
Max was laying on his blanket talking or "telling stories" and laughing hysterically for the longest time. It was so cute! He has been talking quite a bit more recently. I never really figured out why he thought I was so funny at that particular moment.

Tonight was Kamryn's birthday carnival at the "Peterson Fairgrounds" (a.k.a. her back yard) and we had so much fun! Jess did an amazing job throwing the party- there was a blow up bouncer, cotton candy, cup cakes that looked like balloons, an actual hot dog cooker- these guys go all out every year and it is SO fun to see what they come up with. My favorite was the ticket booth they made. They handed out tickets to all the guests and then there were games to play that cost tickets. So cute! I already reserved Jess for Max's party planner!

Kamryn is such a cute little girl and was great with Max. I can't believe she is three! When we lived in Brigham City she was Max's age and such a little doll. She always was dressed soooo cute and had the most adorable bows (not that those things have changed!). She did all these really funny tricks, like showing her muscles, before she was even a year old. SO funny. She was totally the kind of baby that made me want one of my own!

Addison, one of the guests about Kamryn's age, was so in love with Max! She wanted to hold him, tickle him "help" him stand up, it was pretty funny. It was also fun to see Kevin and Jess' family again. Jess' sister Bub is the best! Max loved her. I was also happy that it only took about a half hour from the office to get to Brigham City- not bad! Danny and I are going to have to hang out with Kevin, Jess and Kamryn more often I think!

Sadly, there was one birthday party we missed this week! Brittany's birthday was on Friday and we are sooooo sad that we were unable to be there for it. Thanks for being my best friend. I miss you like crazy! You have no idea. We love you Britt and we can't wait to see you in August. We're counting down the days already!

New Holidays: The TWENTY fourth of July

As I am not a Utah native, I always forget about pioneer day! I was excited and surprised on the 23rd to make fun plans for the following day. For those of you we don't know, we Utahans celebrate the 24th to honor the Mormon Pioneers who settled the valley (right?). One thing I do know is that it's FUN because everyone gets work off and we get to use up our leftover fire works. We celebrated with our friends Darren and Jody and their little munchkin Hadley by going to a reservoir (the name of which has suddenly escaped me) and out to Tony Roma's for ribs. Yum! As always, here are far more pictures than anyone probably wants to see. =)

my two favorite beach bums

Danny has gotten really good at making Max laugh!

Hadley is the cutest little girl EVER! I had too many to chose from. I could post a milllion of her!

Darren and Hadley. How sweet is that?!

All done!
Hadley loves to hold Max but does NOT like Jody to hold him. She gets VERY jealous! It's pretty funny. =)

I have a TON of really funny face pictures- these are just a few!

Twilight: Not to be a ranting femi-nazi but...

Okay. EVERYONE I know has read and raved about this book. It didn't sound like a book I would normally be interested in (a throwback to R.L. Stine? Admit it. You know you liked the goosebump series too), but I borrowed a copy from my sister nonetheless, fully expecting to love it since it has gotten such great reviews. I must be completely inept, because I really did not like this book. It was interesting, I'll give it credit for that, and I was curious to find out what would happen next (mostly because I was waiting for something to happen to make me fall in love with the book). However, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

First of all, I really did not think the characters were well developed. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking- why are they so in love with each other? Aside from Edward's good looks and magnetism, what else is there to him? He's rude, fickle, and then there's the obvious: he has a hard time not eating her. Then there's Bella: she's clumsy, a self described pale plain-Jane, and comes off as a classic sullen teenager who is easily provoked. Her good qualities? Brains and "bravery" if you want to call it that (seems to me more like self destructive behavior?). I never really felt like I knew or identified with either of the characters.

Here's where my feminist prattle begins. WHEN ARE WE, AS A SOCIETY, GOING TO STOP ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH DANGEROUS MEN?! Bella is this helpless swooney female who repeatedly has to be saved by macho hero Edward, who she REPEATEDLY compares to A GOD. Hmmm. She is portrayed as being completely incapable to take care of herself or stay away from this mesmerizing vampire. The disturbing part is, one, Bella is willing to give up her mortal life, her friends, and her entire family for this guy who may kill her at any moment. Think about it!

Women around the world stay in relationships with physically and emotionally abusive spouses and boyfriends, and now its okay to date men who admittedly struggle to keep from killing you? I don’t get it. We see this same plot presented in a million different ways. Good girl meets bad boy and is inexplicably drawn to him, despite his behavior. Bad boy is abusive/ a jerk/ or just rude to good girl, and then shows his sensitive side. Good girl feels bad for him (usually because he has rough circumstances) and she is strung along until the next time he acts out. Every time he does, he swears he is sorry and it will never happen again. A lot of women DIE trapped in this cycle. The saddest part is that these examples are embedded in our minds from the time we are little girls (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast anyone?). My 14 year old sister and her best friend both read the book and many of their friends are obsessed!

After a few college literature courses and particularly a class on how the media represents race, class and gender in the U.S., I tend to analyze things I read a little differently. I will never for get a video I watched of a psychologist who interviewed a five year old who had just watched Beauty and the Beast. It was something to the effect of:

Interviewer: “ So if you had a friend that was in love with a boy that was mean to her, like the beast is to Belle, what advice would you give her”

Little girl: “I would tell her to be patient and remember the good things about him, because if she is really nice to him he will probably turn into a nice person too.”

Um, disturbing? Note to self: screen all Disney movies from now on.

Girls, lets wise up! Encourage strong females who are self assured and self sufficient and do not rely solely on men, particularly abusive men, to feel happy and complete. Be aware of the subliminal teachings of the media we expose ourselves and our families to.

There, I am done. I feel much better. I hope you don’t all think I am a complete lunatic, this just happens to be a topic I feel strongly about and I couldn’t leave it unsaid. This is also not meant to rip on those who loved the book (i.e. everyone on the planet but me). If you love it, you are entitled to that! I just wanted to throw out an opposing perspective to consider.

Idaho? No, Udaho!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to say that I may not be posting for a while because today is MOVING DAY! I am driving outta Rexburg down to Farmington this afternoon BY MYSELF. Wish me luck given my last experience with this drive with Max. Hopefully I will fair better this go around. So see ya lata Idaho and here we come Utah, land of the Mormons and home of big hair.

Tonight I am ...

... going crazy. we are trying to get ready to move, close on our house, get our crap packed, blah blah blah.

... so in love with Max. he has seriously been doing the cutest things! I will be blogging more about this topic soon, but in short, yesterday he started rolling over, he has been sucking his thumb a lot, and in general has been so happy and funny and good natured. Even being an exceptionally good sleeper. I really am beside myself with joy as my little guy grows and changes and learns more about the world. There is a feeling that comes with seeing my own child that can only accurately be described as a little bit magic. I am so freaking lucky. Sorry. as my mom says, "do not use any words that begin with the letter F." Ha ha Kenzie!

... so proud of Danny. He has been playing a lot of roles lately. Hands on dad, realtor, husband, construction worker, chauffeur, etc. He has been working insanely hard getting the new office ready.

... staying in a hotel. I am 24 years old and the strange excitement over sleeping in a room that requires swiping a card to enter never gets old.

...trying to figure out how in the world I am going to get my choreography done in Idaho Falls before we leave. Crap.

...wondering if I will be able to handle Utah. Don't get me wrong. I am thrilled about the new house and the coming sense of stability and being closer to family. There are some really great things about living here. But I really think I will miss church outside of the state (anyone who has been knows what I mean) and the differentness of living other places (yes I do realize that is not a word) and being surrounded by people who all act and think and were raised very differently from me.

...thinking about what I will do for Max's first birthday party. Ridiculous. I KNOW! But tonight we went to little Noah's party and Tiffany was so creative and we had so much fun! It got me thinking about what I can do for our little boy in February. Tricky time of year you know. If only Chub-Chub had been born in the Spring when he was supposed to! Silly. Jess Peterson- start scheming. You've got to have some good ideas for a little boy up your sleeve.

...extra proud of my Dad. He was released from his calling as bishop after over six years of serving. Dad, you amaze me. I feel so lucky to have you as my father and as a friend and example in my life.


...turning over a new leaf. This blog is really meant to be more of a journal, as I am an awful journal keeper, and I find myself just posting pictures. I really want to record and remember more of my family's experiences and observations. You would think that with a degree in journalism that I would be a pro at this by now. Alas, I am lazy. But I already am starting to regret not WRITING more about Max as an infant and my feelings about him and my sweet husband. Better late than never I suppose.

... feeling very grateful for my life. although I have been pretty stressed lately, when I step back and think about it, I realize that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with so many things. Much more than I really am worthy of.

Max and Nana

I took some pictures of my mom and Max while we were in Sand Point. Here they are! Isn't my mom so pretty?! You would never know looking at her that she is Max's Nana! I thinks some people think she's his mom when she's holding him in public. He totally loves her even though we don't get to see her every day. I know they will always have a special relationship!

Tiff and Nate

Tonight I took pictures of my sister in law Tiffany, her husband Nate and their new puppy Harley. Such a cute little family!

I slept through the night!

Last night was pure bliss! Max went to sleep late at about 9:30, so I didn't think we were off to a great start. But I went into his room and woke him up at 12:30 just for a second, he let out a little scream and went right back to sleep. It sounds weird, but I have read that if you wake up a baby briefly about an hour before they usually wake up in the night, that it disrupts the pattern and they won't wake up again. Apparently it works! Max didn't wake up until 7:00. I couldn't believe it! It was so nice. I find that I am so cranky when I wake up in the middle of the night, especially if I have to feed him. Lately I have really needed my sleep too because I have been doing choreography every day this week. It's exhausting! Needless to say, I was very grateful to get seven strait hours of z's in a row last night. I hope tonight goes just as well (but I'm not exactly holding my breath :).

Hey Naomi...

We saw your super cute shoe picture and just had to do one of our own! This is me and my Aunt Kenzie wearing our Vans. She gave them to me when I was brand spankin new and now they almost fit! I love them!

Vacation at Sand Point

Beautiful Lake Pend Oreille

We had such a fun fourth of July vacation! My parents have a house on lake Pend Oreille (pon duh ray) in Sand Point, Idaho, which is near Coeur d' Alene. Love those french words. Jeez. Anyway, we got there late Tuesday night after a lovely seven hour drive and went strait to bed! The next morning was quite the event- the Sand Point Independence Day Parade! Normally, sure, it's exciting. But this year, oh yes, my whole family was IN the parade representing our friends at Hey Cupcake!, a little shop in town. Tyler was SOOOO funny, with his drum major baton! Unfortunately, by the time I took pictures, his band leader hat came off because he got too hot. He was a hit none the less. My sister and cousins all rode in the truck and even my mom marched behind the banner. It was a sight to be seen. Max slept through most of the parade, then woke up to play with Grandpa. We don't know why, but Max thinks he is the funniest person alive. Max laughs and laughs at him, then one of us will do the exact same thing, and he just smiles. It must be the name thing (Max is named after him). We have so much fun playing in the lake! Our new thing is surfing behind the boat, which is similar to wake boarding, but you get right behind the boat and throw in the rope and just surf the wake! It's more fun than wake boarding because your feet aren't strapped in, so you don't face plant- a big plus for me! Danny is sooo good at it, he throws the rope in and stays up forever! I, on the other hand, try to throw the rope in and I sink pretty much immediately. Oh well, I have fun as long as I have the rope.

Um, we are dorks and love to take weird pictures jumping into the lake. But it's so fun! I prefer playing in the water to laying out any day as long as Mackenzie is around. She keeps me on my toes! I would like to note that I can still do a back flip off the dock into the water. I haven't lost all my skills!

the cousins

Me and Danny

Me and Kenz

Best Buds: Kenz and Tessa

I still got it!

Chad found this canoe floating in the middle of the lake and towed it in with the jet ski. We had so much fun with it! Clearly, we go far beyond traditional paddling.
Maddie and Danny, rowing like pros.

Uh, where is the boat?

Abandon Ship!

My second favorite beach activity: magazines. I can't help myself! I am a total addict.

Nana and Grandpa playing with Max.
Max laughing at my dad again!

Max and Great Grandpa Rands in their matching hats.

My cousin Rachel and her cute husband Chad. She is due Feb. 6th and I couldn't be more excited for them! I hope they have a boy so he can be buddies with Max.