Mark Updates

So, I realized today that I haven't written a stitch about Mark for quite some time.  What does he do all day?  You may well be wondering.  Here's the truth .... schoolwork feels monotonous to him quite often, (he's too smart) and when he comes home he isn't very eager to re-live it and so I don't get too many minute details. 

However, he is definitely working his tail off and Mac and I are so very proud of him .... he is less then a year from graduating!

He has just started his 8th term, where he spends every day in the clinic except for one.  Tuesdays he has class from 8am-7pm, and though he comes home on those days practically cross eyed, he loves all the hands-on experience he gets the rest of the week.  (Literally.)  It is a huge change for him, and he is so glad to have made it this far.

He says that the feel of the school clinic is definitely not quite what he's aiming for with his own clinic someday, and he hates being the "freshman" with a whole lot of "juniors" to show him around, but it's been really good.  Most days he's the only one who speaks Spanish at the clinic, so he gets a lot of people from different countries.  He says it gives him a headache.  But maybe this will inspire him to start speaking to Mac in Spanish a little more often ....

His school's clinic also has deals worked out with some insurance company that takes on a lot of older people.  The only bummer about that for Mark is that he isn't able to do as much adjusting as he is muscle work.  I say, it's a great experience .... specifically if we end up in St. George.  That place is retirement central! 

As far as future plans, we still haven't done too much.  St. George is our tentative plan (if Josh will still take us in), but Mark doesn't see that being permanent and has been weighing the benefits of starting in one place and moving to another as an experienced chiropractor, or starting from scratch as a student and slowly build up clientele.  He also can't decide if it's a good idea to attempt to be a legitimate healthcare professional in the same area where, ten years ago, he was egging cars and tripping people.  Hahaha I loved that ... anyway, basically there's a lot to think through. 

Time is ticking, and I think we'd best start saying some serious prayers and looking thoroughly at all our options.

Whatever we do, Mark will be successful.  That man is driven and dedicated and truly cares about people.  (Don't worry, his tripping days are over.) He is a problem-solver and ridiculously smart.  And he's getting really good at adjusting ... he's finally got my lumbars down!  He tried not to smile too much, but I could definitely see the look of victory in those eyes.  He also got rid of my strep throat the other day ... it was incredible.  A couple of neck adjustments, flushing of the throat, and some bizarre fiddling with my ears ... and I felt better immediately.  By the following day it was completely gone.

Love you Mark, and those healing hands of yours.

Little Fig Gunn

My babycenter.com emails tell me that this little one is about the size of a fig right now.  He's stretching and moving those stubby little alien limbs like crazy right now, and though I'm not supposed to feel it for another month, sometimes I swear I can ... usually there are other explanations, however.

So far my only real complaint about carrying this little tyke around is how quickly my stomach popped.  By nine weeks I was feeling a little flubby, and now I am obviously round.  I still wouldn't call it a "belly" as preggo bellies go, but I feel like I'm already moving past the fat stage.  Is this super fast??  It sure feels like it, but then again ... I'm almost to the second trimester already.  Good grief it's so much easier to be pregnant with your second!  Not worrying about every little twinge you're feeling or not feeling ... it sure makes things move a lot quicker.

Other than that I've been tired ... and that's about it.  I cannot imagine being sick every day and feel terrible for people who are!  Pregnancy is really quite easy for me.  (So far .... knock on wood!)

I've had a lot of dreams about this baby.  Usually it's a boy.  (Though Mark insists it's a girl.  He was right about Mac, so we'll see .... I'm mostly saying boy so that if Mark is wrong, I can be right.)  I didn't dream too much about Mac, but I sure have with this one.  I imagine it has something to do with the fact that Mac was a surprise and this one was prayed for and worked for.  So far my favorite dream has been that I went into labor at Disneyland and had the baby at Sleeping Beauty's castle.  Bomb!  Disney needs to sponser a birthing center.  I would go, no doubt.

Anyway, things are great and I am excited to greet this little person ... especially with all my doula experience.  I love birth!  But I will also say that I am definitely not wishing away these last few months with my little buddy Mac ... it's been really fun to have it be just us.

Sigh. 

It's alright, we're definitely ready to add to the party!

20-Month Mac

Mac is one crazy little kid.  His shyness seems to be dissipating, and he is really getting into sports.  Mark is in heaven.  His latest antics include:

• He loves watching sports.  He'll yell:  "Shoot it!" and "Yaaaaaay!" and "Go go go go!", "Darn it," and "Oh no," at the t.v.  He also loves to watch Mark play softball.  Kenzi has a cute picture or two I need to steal from her... Mac always claps when someone hits the ball, and when the team comes in off the field Mac scurries to greet them all with "Hi", "Dadadadad!", and lot of dirt.
• He can hit a ball with a bat!  Mark practices with him almost every time I bring him lunch at the gym, and Mac loves it.  The other day Mark was late for class, but Mac kept saying, "Peeeeease ... again!  Peeeeeease", and Mark grinned and replied with, "Who could say no to that?"  It's a common occurance.
• Mark ordered a net for the basketball hoop we got from a garage sale, and Mac suddenly realized what has been sitting in his room for the last few months.  He shoots hoop every night ... specifically when I'm trying to put him to bed.
• Lately he's started calling me, "Momees."  Not sure why ... maybe I've been asking him where my nose is too much lately.
• He still eats breakfast like a maniac, and generally becomes a progressively worse eater as the day goes on.  Still, though it seems to go right through him, he definitely can put food away.  I'm already dreading the day he becomes a teenager.

• He is obsessed with Elmo, but the last couple days he has been turning Elmo down to watch "Woods" meaning "words", which means he wants to watch the end credits of any movie.  He'll dance and squeal "Woods!  Woods!"  Over and over ... it's pretty funny, but I wish I could find a movie with credits that last at least twenty minutes.  It's kind of a bummer to push play every three minutes while I'm trying to get dinner going.
• He's getting pretty smart when it comes to getting in trouble.  He cries for the other parent, he'll suddenly stop crying and ask for something with a smile while you are trying to explain to him why he is in time out, and sometimes he'll even hug me while I'm chastising him.  He's already figuring out how to work me over.  He's not even two yet!
• He loves drawing, specifically snakes and "Mac" which looks like a whole lot of little "M"s all over the page.  He holds the pen just so, all the way down towards the tip.  He looks like such a grown-up as he concentrates so hard on what he's working on.

• He fits into his Air Jordans he got from Mark's friends as an infant.  We must have talked them up, because he insists on wearing them every time I mention shoes. 

•  Mac and Seth are still best frenemies.  They love each other and hate each other quite fiercely within a matter of seconds.  It's pretty impressive how quickly they switch.  With Seth's mom feeling an intense case of the first trimester crummies, we have been getting some good playing time together!

• Mac has a train table!  I need to snag a picture of it ... we found it at a yard sale and gave the lady all the money we had -- which was $30, though she wanted $50 -- and got a huge table complete with 3 sets of tracks and about 20 trains.  Mac is obsessed.

Mother's Day '11

Moms are the best.  Especially mine.  She is beautiful, she is giving, she is charity, she is down to earth, and she really loves people.  I don't think I've heard anyone say anything negative about her in my entire life.  She is not just a role model for me, but the role model in my life.  If I turn out anything close to the person she is, I will be doing well.

And of course, my precious mother-in-law deserve's a heaping helping of Mother's Day gratitude.  She raised an incredibly good, loving, hard-working, humble son ... and seven others as well!  Chris Gunn is a woman to be reckoned with, and I work hard to attempt to rise to her level.

And my Mother's Day?  It was really nice.  My cousin Kenzi and her husband Matt stayed with us, so there was definitely a lot of love going around. 

We had a lot on our minds that weekend, and I wasn't expecting much.  But Mark showed up with these gorgeous white flowers on Saturday, and then Sunday I got an enormous plate of Banana French Toast and then Mac came home with some cute little crafts.  After church, Mark handed me the real flowers and then Mac sniffed his paper flower and then insisted I sniff it the rest of the afternoon.

I love nursery.  Bless you wonderful leaders for all you do!

And happy Mother's Day to everyone out there, I hope you know how important you are.

Big News

Hey Aunt Megan, this one's for you:

Little Gunn #2 due to arrive around November 30th

Around Easter Mac was super excited to see his brand new baby cousin Tyler, but when I asked him if he wanted a baby, he kept saying, "No."  Well, too late bubba.  You're going to love this new little tyke!

Miracle Bread

I hate making bread.  I hate it.  Takes too long, never turns out. 

Well, Mama Gunn bought me a baking stone for my birthday and also sent along a book entitled: "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking".  I thought, "Okay sure you can make bread in five minutes if you are Chris Gunn." 

But I'm here to tell you, I made that bread today, and it was So. Good. 

Here is the recipe.  Try it.

Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes four 1-pound loaves.  
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose white floor (do not pack down)
cornmeal for pizza peel

1. Put water in a 1 gallon plastic ice cream bucket.  Add yeast and salt.  It is not necessary to completely dissolve it.
2. Mix in all the flour at once, mix with a wooden spoon till it is evenly moist.  Don't kneed.  This should only take a few minutes.
3. Cover with lid and allow to rise at room temperature for two hours.  Or, place in fridge and keep overnight or up to two weeks.
4. Cover a pizza peel with corn meal (I used a fairly flat plate).  Sprinkle the surface of dough with flour.  Pull out about 1 pound (size of a grapefruit) and gently stretch surface of dough to the bottom till you get a nice round ball.  Cover with flour.  Repeat for a second loaf.
5. Allow loaves to rise on pizza peel for about 40 minutes.
6. At least 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450.  It needs to be hot.  Place a broiler tray or pan that can handle high temperatures at the bottom of your oven.
7. Dust the tops of your loaves with flour and then slash the tops with a knife.
8. Transfer your loaves from the pizza peel to the baking stone in your oven.  Pour about 1 cup of water in the pan at the bottom of your oven.  Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator in your lidded container.  Use it over the next 14 days.  Generally the longer you store it, the better the flavor and texture. 

 Seriously, if I can make this bread, anyone can. 

Music

Mac loves music. He loves to dance. He loves the animal songs CD my mom bought for him. He likes to make noises and count. He also loves Primary Songs and anything Jack Johnson.

This, however, is the only song he specifically asks for and laughs at. We get in the car, and he says, "Ah-ah-ah-ah!" It's the only song he accurately sings.

Thanks Uncle Jake, for making us such a fantastic mix that even Mac goes crazy for.

Right now the two songs I am obsessed about are here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT-5NY83OYI
And here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdVgCqdV9wI
I think I love them so because they sing about my own life, and it's quite romantic.  I am blessed.

First Game of our Last Season

Ah, baseball season has started again.

Mac really seems to enjoy these games.

Especially if I bring a lot of food and coloring books.

Go Angels!

Easter 2011

 After Panguitch, we decided to hang around St. George and spend Easter with our wonderful Gunn family.  We stayed up late talking, got sunburnt while hiking through the gorgeous red rock, went jogging, ate delicious Mama Gunn food actually made by Mama Gunn, saw Matt and Danika's new gorgeously tiled home, did a little wedding-reception-yard prep, and mostly watched Mac become madly in love with everything there.  Notably, he couldn't get enough of cousin Eva, Molly the dog, and the trampoline. 

He didn't ask to watch Elmo once.
We would've told him no anyway, there were too many fun things to do ... but still.  He just had too much fun.

Oh, also worthy of mention .... with Grandma Gunn's little stubby plastic bats, Mark successfully got Mac to swing and hit balls.  I don't know if I've ever seen Mark beam like that.  I always thought that was kind of a funny word, beam, but the mental image it conjures up really is a pretty accurate description of Mark's grinning self.

And of course, we had a massive Easter egg hunt with 15 of the Gunn grandkiddos follwed by a hamburger/hotdog roast-a-thon.

Super-secret hiding place.  Good work Easter Bunny.

 This is how you appropriately run an Easter egg hunt for massive amounts of children:  line them up.  Let the 0-2 year olds out for 3 minutes.  Then let the 3-5 year olds out for 2 minutes.  Then let the rest go crazy.  It worked out well!

 Mac found his basket quickly; the trains drew him in like a bee on honey.  But as far as the egg hunt went, he only picked up the two eggs that were sitting right next to his basket.  Then he got distracted by a full water pitcher and kept trying to throw the contents of his basket into it.

 The only thing that pulled him away from the water was showing him that most of the eggs opened and there was candy inside.  He definitely got into that.

 Also, Mac experienced his first multi-kid bath.  He definitely was unsure about it.  Quite funny.

All in all, it was the perfect break.  We felt like we spent just the right amount of time everywhere, and we loved every second of it.  Now we know for next time, spend the first week of your break out traveling and playing like crazy.  Then spend the last week of your break at home bumming around and getting things done.  It all turns out to be just right.

Too bad we don't have any more free-bee breaks.

Panguitch Getaway

Oh dear.  Here we are, at the close of Mark's last break.  From here on out, he will be at clinics and offices 5 days a week, even through Christmas.  He will leave early and work late.  Lunch with him will be hit or miss.  And if he ever decides to take a day off, it comes out of his pay.

Sigh.  Real life is coming at us too fast.

I have really, really enjoyed our cosey, cheap little student life.

Well, for his last free break ever, Mark wanted to take some friends and go to Panguitch.  To sum it all up in two words, I would say refreshing (due to the clean air and wide open spaces) and relaxing (thanks to all the sitting around we did). 

We loved it.

My number one favorite memory was when we set up Mac's bedroom upstairs.  He suddenly started running, jumping, and squealing with delight; as if he knew what a fantastic place this was and all the memories and sweat and love that went into it.  Mark couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he watched his son find so much joy in a place that means so much to him.  Sigh.

Besides that,  we threw a lot of rocks.

 We went on a lot of drives.  Four wheeling was a favorite.

We went on a lot of nice walks, and loved sucking back that clean, cool air.

 We held many stick-racing contests; a favorite childhood memory of Mark's.

 We watched waaaaay too much Elmo.

 And played a lot of games with our wonderful friends.  Behold ... the final scores for Ticket to Ride.  Yes, "A" stands for "Allie".

We loved the company, loved the relaxation, loved talking to the small-town locals, loved exploring the little shops and wondering how people lived off them, and adored the great outdoors.  Chris Gunn, we can't thank you enough for all the work you've put into this place so we can all make so many memories there!



A Thomas Family Visit

Oh I love these visits so much.  The only mildly tragic thing about this one is that it would be Jamie's last. She is taking off to Rochester, New York for an LDS mission!  I am so proud of her, and will miss her like crazy.  Sigh.

All my family really wanted to do this time around was be with Mac.  And so, we did things that Mac likes to do for the five days they were here.

Like eating sushi.  (Actually, he just wanted the oranges and rice.  The sushi was for Jamie and I.)  Rachel and Trent gagged a little, and Mom did great, until she had a plain old raw piece of fish.  The she stopped eating ... which was troublesome, as we paid for all-you-can-eat.  More for me, I guess!

 Mac loves beaches.  We went to a lot of them.  But he ended up sleeping at home while Mark did homework.  (Finals week.  Fun.)

 We shopped ... few things get Mac as excited as hiding in the clothes racks and such.  He stayed under this table for quite some time.

The rest of our time together was spent at parks, going jogging, playing Telestrations and Guess Who, making food, reading, drawing (occasionally with chalk from Aunt Jamie), and watching lots of the Fringe. (A new obsession introduced to us by my father.)

Mac was spoiled rotten, and loved every minute of it.  He is now passionate about Elmo, and wants to watch the Elmo's World DVD Mom got for him all the time.  He still asks for "Bumpa".  He's started waving good bye, writing his own name (It looks like a lot of zig-zags, like an extension of the "M" we kept drawing for him), and can successfully watch Elmo and his ducks on the ipod without accidentally pausing it.

Every time people visit, Mac seems to learn at least 6 new things.  Thank you my wonderful family, for making the long trek out here!  We sure do love you.

Being Prepared vs. Being Paranoid

Since I have become a mother, life in general seems to be a much bigger deal.  I have always considered myself to be a pretty relaxed, go-with-the-flow kind of person, but some of that has really changed in the past 2 years and 4 months, when I first found out I was pregnant.

The knowledge that I was growing a human being and would have complete responsibility for his welfare spurred me on to eat better and exercise regularly, not just when I had a burst of energy.  I wanted to pack things into that little body that would help him to grow into all he could be, which required me to re-think what "emotional eating" was to me.  I wanted to go for long, slow jogs to get the blood moving through me and through him; to keep the good stuff coming in and the excess moving out of the way.

That has continued on for me, and though I am far from perfect, I won't lie:  I feel about a billion times better about myself and this studly little dude I am attempting to grow into a good human being.

Lately though, I have been quite stressed about emergency prepardness.  Being Mormon, I've heard about it my whole life.  Grow a garden, have food storage, have an emergency plan, etc. etc. etc.  I never gave it much thought, though.

Until all this happened.

There have been all sorts of non-stop updates about the nuclear power plant, about radiation spreading.  Living on the coast as I do, I have been slightly paranoid and have checked reports regularly. 

I finally decided it's time to get some emergency preparedness going.  So I got a list from my always-prepared sister-in-law Heidi, and have packed a bag with the following:

• Water
• 3-day food kit
• Compass
• Ibuprofen
• Crackers
• Chapstick
• Deodorant
• Socks
• Poncho
• Flashlights
• Pocket Knife
• Sewing kit
• Rope
• Can Opener
• Garbage Bag
• Book of Mormon, G's
• Whistle
• Money (small bills)
• First Aid Kit
• Hygine kit - tampons, wipes, tooth brush
• Copies of insurance, emergency contacts, i.d.'s
• Books, card games, coloring books, crayons
• Mess kit
• Matches
• Radio
• Batteries

It stays in the trunk of the car, which I am now attempting to refill whenever it gets to a half tank instead of completely empty.

Am I being paranoid?  Maybe.  But it sure makes me feel better.