Just a Few Random Things

1. Everyone needs a Grandpa Jones! My dad loves babies, and babies LOVE my dad. We were so excited to tell him that we were prego because we knew he would be so excited. It wasn't that long after we told him that the baby was a boy that we received the traditional Cabella's box. I knew what it was before I opened it and I must say, it is pretty dang cute! I don't think that we will dress the baby in all of the camo at once, I mean what if we can't find him (and I can't be too redneck) but really the shoes and the cargo pants are darling! Like I said, everyone needs a Grandpa Jones!

2. I love that through blogging we are getting in touch with people! A special thanks goes out to Marissa for giving me the "in" for the Kara truffles at the Foothill Dans! I plan to make an emergency run as soon as possible! I am still trying to find the time to figure out how to put music, the baby timer countdown, and links to other blogs, so if I don't have your blog address would you leave it for me in the comment thingy?

3. I love Eric's new job, and thankfully so does he! I especially love that busy season is no longer four months of complete isolation but is only five days during the year of twelve hour days. Let us all take a moment of silence for the blessing of private CPA stuff!

4. DO NOT ever cut your own bangs after taking lots of medication for some crappy sinus infection/cough crap! I usually tolerate drugs pretty well, especially after the whole back surgery thing. But for some reason this concoction of who knows what in the prescription cough syrup makes me really loopy. I for sure should have not picked up the scissors that day! I am willing them to grow back FAST!

5. Speaking of hair, I have discovered something quite disturbing. I have a patch of white hair. Not like really blond hair but like old man hair, wiry and everything. I can't figure it out. So I have toyed with the idea of going back to dyeing it, but my hair grows so friggin' fast, the money really adds up. So I am wondering if I should just embrace my elderlyness.

6. I love Dancing with the Stars. Huge fan. But I am a little disappointed this season, I had heard rumors that my man Tom Selleck was going to be on it. The contestants were unveiled on Monday and no Tom. I was so excited, I mean I love Tom Selleck. There is nothing like the Magnum P.I. reruns and those cute short shorts. Quigley Down Under was one of my favorite movies. The man just has the look. But alas, no Tom on Dancing. Speaking of reality TV, were Eric and I the only ones surprised about Craig being the Mole this season?

7. The face has cleared up. Thank Heavens I no longer look like a mountain range! I think the sun and no makeup for Flaming Gorge really helped and I am mucho grateful!

Flaming Gorge

It must be known that I love Flaming Gorge! I mean it is really one of my favorite places on earth. If I were to get cremated, I would want to be spread at the Gorge. It is the perfect temperature and it is not busy at all. So this past weekend we headed up with the Swans and the Jones fam to Mustang Ridge. We had such a great time and Eric for sure got his "wake board" on. The only thing that really really stunk it up was a nasty ol' sinus infection. I am sorry but the timing was awful, my all time favorite place and I have a sinus infection for the very first time! So while Eric was out soaking up the glorious rays of sun, I was in a hoodie parked in a camping chair. But honestly, I would so much rather be sick at Flaming Gorge then at home and the company was amazing as always. Good memories at the Gorge!

Yippee!

Since I'm not sure how to spell the title that my wife used and I'm too lazy to look it up, I'll stick with more elementary exclamations.

But either way, it is true that we're now the owners of a sweet new - OK, new about 4 years ago. Well, technically 5 years since the new model year of any car is introduced in the middle of the year before. Why is that anyway? I mean how can you have a "2009 car" right now? but clearly I've digressed a bit - 2004 Honda Pilot. I have to say, I never thought I would own one of these things. It does seem a bit "fancy schmancy" for this simpleton. You can just look at its roots to know that it comes from good stock.

NOTE* I'm going into some car stuff for the next little bit so if that doesn't suit you, feel free to skip ahead. Anyway, the Pilot is based on the Acura MDX platform, meaning it's based on a luxury SUV (we'll just skip over the fact that said MDX's lineage can be traced to Honda's minivan; The Odyssey) and boy does it feel like it. No, we don't have leather, a DVD system, or Heated Seats (poor, poor Annie), but it's certainly got a few things we haven't had before. Can you say climate control? No more fiddling with the A/C and the heater to get the temp just right. Also, I love having the car stereo controls mounted on the steering wheel. It comes with a pair of "keyless entry" remotes, has more compartments than you can shake a stick at, and plenty of #@&! cupholders (that's for you, dad). Then there's the space. It's got seating for 8, though the back 3 seats are more to the liking of the vertically challenged. But the front seats and the second row are quite comfy. And then there's the space back there. Both the 3rd and 2nd row of seats fold down easily, and a sheet of 4X8 plywood can lie flat with ease. We actually made a run to the DI on Saturday, along with a trip to the recycle bins thanks to the copious amounts of cardboard after Annie's killer find on baby furniture a little while ago.

OK, I'm done with the specs. Long story short, we love it. I think we got a great deal since demand for anything with more than 4 cylinders is kind of low right now. And with any luck we won't need to buy a car for 10 years - wishful thinking probably, but who knows?.

Hallelujah!

Can it be? Is it true, the Larsen fam is no longer a one car family? YES! Oh the excitement of not being stranded at home all day anymore. We finally decided on the Pilot that I mentioned in the earlier post. (I am going to let Eric give you all of the specs because let's be honest, I am a woman he is a man. He is much more equipped to tell about the car.) I do love it though and I still feel like I am driving a tank, but I am positive that it is the right car for us!

I am so excited that there will not be anymore, "What is it going to take for us to get you in this vehicle today?" or "Help yourself to free (amazingly flat) soda and (stale) popcorn. I mean after all it's all on Larry (Larry H. Miller)." No more hitting twenty dealerships in one day, and test drives where I wonder if a dead body has been in the vehicle. In commemoration of this GLORIOUS event, I have decided to share my favorite dealership/test drive story.

My mom was coming to pick me up and shuttle me off to all of my errands (Thanks Momma J, I would have gone crazy without you) when Eric called and said that he saw this Pilot at a super great price. In our search for the perfect vehicle, we have learned that if you see a deal, you must act on it ASAP! So I asked Mom if she would mind taking me to test drive this car. So, we head on down to State Street, now I realize that State is not all total trash but we were headed to Ghetto State. But, I tried for the life of me to keep an open mind. We finally found the dealership, if you could call it that and turn in. Mom starts laughing.... hysterically. I guess I should have picked up that something was amiss when not only were there many vehicles on blocks, but I guess the "dealer" was also had a soft spot for Pawn Shops. That's right the Pawn Shop and the Dealership were one business. I kept on repeating the mantra in my head that I am open minded and totally non-judgemental. We found the Pilot in the parking lot, and I am not kidding it was SO nice. I mean not even a scratch or blemish on the outside. We ran into get the keys to test drive and found this secretary at the front desk (who keep in mind that I called earlier asking if the vehicle was clean and in good running condition). She came and pulled out the car and then gave me ten bucks to fill up at the gas station next door. Okay, whatever so it was low on gas. I fill up the tank while mom waits in the car. I hear the door locks and then buzzing. Huh, cars aren't supposed to buzz. I look inside and once again mom is laughing hysterically. She has locked the doors and can't unlock them to get out! Once again I repeat my mantra, so maybe we would have to buy a motor for the locks, big deal. I get back in the car and notice that even though I put in the ten for gas, the gas light is still on and the little lever thingy has not moved. Great know the lady is going to think that I am a thief and pocketed the ten. We pull out of the gas station for the drive. Not only do the doors unlock, the radio doesn't work, power windows are dead, mirrors... take a guess not moving. What? The body was is such great condition. So I try to call Eric, and he doesn't answer so I put in a call to Pappa Jones. He immediately says to take the car back and don't look back, definitely a flood car. We pull over and get out to take a closer look. Well sure enough the body was in great condition but, then we started noticing rust. Inside the wheel wells, under the trunk. So of course, what do we do but laugh. Except my imagination starts to run wild. I start to think that maybe someone got murdered in the car and then the murderer drove the car and the body into the bay. I DON"T want to get back in the car! Thankfully mom was there to drive the car while I was having major heebie jeebies in the passenger side. So we get back to Pawn Shop, I mean Dealership and I go return the keys to be attackedd with a thousand questions. "Didn't we love the car?", "Isn't the body in great shape?", "When was I bringing my husband back?" I told her that there were a few problems with all of the electrical stuff, like everything. I then told her that I filled up the tank but nothing happened, and then she replied with, "Ya, that doesn't surprise me that much." What? When I called earlier the car was perfectly clean and working completely soundly. I guess that is what you get for going to a Pawn Shop for a car. I just know that some poor old sap is going to buy that car. I am just glad that the sap isn't me!

Updates

Eric is a sweetie! I read his post (by the way, I didn't have to force him to write one AND he was the one who kept bugging me to blog) and I just laughed. He will be such a great Dad. I have seen him with so many babies and kids and I have no doubt that he will be the best Dad. But he was right about one thing: We will have the cutest little baby boy in the world!

Car Update: I am still hating life without Honnie, I don't think that it would be so bad if I had a replacement car.... but to no avail. In the middle of the "perfect CRV" search we had a realization: We could get a Honda Pilot for about the same amount of money with LESS mileage. Bless my amazingly brilliant husband/accountant for figuring out that per year, the gas would not be that much more then the CRV. So alas, we started a new search. AHH!!! More car salesmen, more test drives, and more time out in the scalding heat. We think that we maybe have found the one, but who knows. So, if there are any Pilot owners out there, let me know what you think. Both of us really like them. I however feel like I am driving a massive tank, I mean really, going from a Honda Civic Coupe to a 8-passenger seating Pilot? It does drive so well and it is pretty darn cute though. I do look in the back seat and see six empty spaces and I can't fathom EVER filling them up (Other parts of my body can't fathom it right now either)! So I put down the very back seat and saw a huge space for Toby and a little baby boy in a carseat. (This was a much easier visual for me then six screaming Larsens on a road trip to Wally World.)

Truffle Update: I think that I have a grasp on the whole truffle craving, I haven't been to Provo in over a week and I ran out a few days ago. I think I might have found a pseudo-replacement. If I mix the original Mike and Ike's with plain chocolate M&M's, I am satisfied. Don't get me wrong though, not nearly as satisfied as the truffles. The MMM (M&M, Mike & Ike mix) keeps my taste buds at bay for a little while, one truffle could satisfy me for a day.

My Face Update: I think the big whopper has subsided..... maybe. But man they keep coming, I have enough peaks to be a mountain range. I still have a little hope though, proactive is a three step cleanser and I have been out of step #3 for a week. Bad news only using two steps when there are really three. So I have been anxiously awaiting the mailman's knock at my door with my trusty proactive in hand. He came today. I think that I may have had another prego moment. I greeted him with a hearty hello and scores of thanks. I closed the door and then got all teary because I was so thankful he came. Yeah, that had to be a prego moment.

Daddy-to-be

As Annie was kind enough to inform me , "You know, you can blog too." I feebly attempted to inform her that I didn't know how. She then pointed out the fancy little LOGIN button on the top right. Thus the reason you're now getting the mindless ramblings of a father-in-training.

I say father-in-training but that's not entirely accurate. I'm still very much a husband-in-training. The idea of being a dad is both exhilarating and terrifying. It reminds me of something my dad would say to us periodically when we were kids. It was something to the effect of, "You seem to think that when you were born, they gave us the instruction manual on how to be parents." There's definitely some truth there, but that wasn't so much it as I just assumed that they'd always been old. No offense, but as a kid that's how you function. The world revolves around you, and everyone - particularly mom and dad - is there to have the joyous opportunity of participating in your life.

Sure I saw pictures of them and heard stories of them when they were young, but it almost seemed like that was an entirely different life. And indeed it was. Life without children vs. life with them. We're now moving from being DINKs (Dual Income No Kids) to parents. I'm not sure where I first heard the following quote, but I very much intend to remind my kids of it from time to time; "Remember, your parents WERE cool until you were born."

Getting back to the beginning of my last paragraph, I can't even begin to tell you how bizarre it is to think that I was 5 years old when my dad was how old I am RIGHT NOW. I mean, I don't have a perfect memory of being 5 (makes me wonder what I was involved in that would cause my parents to erase most of my memory at such a tender age) but I do have memories from that far back. And all I knew was that anybody older than me was pretty old, and my parents had been around when dinosaurs were hunted for food.

The point is, I can't believe that my parents were so young and seemed to have such a firm grasp on parenthood. I find myself trying to think of everything they did and how I can copy it. I'm also attempting to make sure I'm perfect. Somehow I always thought I'd have that down by the time kids started coming into the picture. Believe it or not, I'm beginning to have some doubts. But when I look at how many billions of people have had kids and seemed to do all right, I figure it must be possible. The biggest relief is knowing that I have a wife who will be more than capable of making up for my shortcomings. Any of you that know Annie (and let's be honest, you'd have to if you're reading this since I still haven't put this blog link in my emails and I don't exactly have a rockin' myspace page to get you here either) know that I speak the truth. She'll be great. I'll be serviceable. And we're gonna have the cutest darn kid you've ever seen.

It's a.....BOY!

Today was a GREAT day! The baby is a BOY! It is so exciting to finally see baby as a boy or a girl. It was a remarkable, unbelievable day and both of us feel incredibly blessed. Baby suddenly becomes very real when you can see him kicking and moving inside of you. So far his measurements look great, and wow he was not shy at all about showing us that he was a boy! Technology is amazing, we both actually knew what we were looking at. We couldn't believe that we could see toes, chambers of the heart, the different arm and leg bones and oh the cutest little bum ever! He was very active making it a little more difficult to get the pictures and the measurements, but that was great because we just got to look at him longer. Our ultrasound technician was great and so sweet. The only really uncomfortable part was having to down the 32 oz. of water and hour before the ultrasound and not getting to go to the bathroom! Really we can't get over how amazing it is to see our little boy! To be completely honest, we both wanted a little boy SO badly but didn't want to say anything in case we jinxed it. What a day, all last night I dreamt about today and then woke up at five because I was so excited to find out! So, I think I might go crash until the cute new dad comes home! I do however have car and breakout updates that will be coming shortly!

Two Causes of Concern

Pregnancy has been different for me. I am doing things that I never before have done. First things first, I am looking for ANY reason to head on south down to Utah County, nay even Provo. WHAT? Provo has never been my place, I am a Ute through and through. But there is this draw.....I have an ENORMOUS craving that I can only satisfy at the stupid University Mall. (Which as far as malls go, I have to admit it rocks!) Eric and I went down to the GAP Maternity store (only one in Utah, at least they know where all the breeding is) and my super sensitive smeller picked up the most delightful smell. Chocolate truffles. For those of you who know me well I am a salt girl, I can eat chocolate but unlike Eric I don't need it to survive. So moving on, it was then that we discovered the Kara Chocolate store. Holy smokes! Mint truffles unlike any I have ever laid my lips on. This is fine chocolate we are talking about folks. Not the waxy hard kind but the delightfully smooth and creamy type. In fact I close my eyes to shut off that sense so I can focus more on the yumminess floating down into my tummy. So after that episode I have managed to make it to Provo A LOT. The reasons just keep coming: baby furniture, car shopping, really anything that I can think of. I must have my truffles! Which leads me to my next "issue".

Is it possible that this new fixation and need for truffles has caused the most noteworthy and massive breakout on my face? Oh my goodness, so the other day I walk into the bathroom and lo and behold I have a pimple the size of the Lone Star state on my chin! Immediately I run to Eric carefully watching where his eyes roam. Amazingly he did not notice. But my theory is that he did notice before I went into the bathroom because for the life of him, the kid would not break eye contact. Anyway, I am exasperated! Many of you know that I am a complete fan of Proactive. In fact if given the opportunity I would be advertising with Jessica Simpson and Puff Daddy (or P. Diddy, Sean Puffy Combs, whatever his name is!). Where is my proactive now? Is it the truffles that are causing me to look like I have a third eye on my chin? Bless my hubby for listening to me complain about it and then sleeping next to a mud faced me for nights in a row!

The End of an Era

Well, it was a sad day for the Larsen's last Thursday. We had thrown around the idea of selling Honnie before the baby came, so we just decided to list her on KSL to see what would happen. We listed her at 11:00 pm on Tuesday night and she was gone by 5:00 pm on Thursday night. Both of us had no idea that she would go SO quickly. I loved that car, she was my coming of age car...... so many good memories in that car: the wrong way in the one way street in San Fran, countless road trips, long conversations, drives to the canyon with the windows down and music blaring. I think it was probably all of the prego hormones that made me cry, but I was so sad to see her go. I know she will be taken care of though. Todd, her new owner brought down wheel shine and headlight cleaner to put on before he showed his friends.

So now the Larsens have the horrible task of finding a new car! Yuck. Last Saturday we were out all day, like literally ALL day. We are pretty sure that we want a Honda CRV, but who knows maybe that will change. All that I know is that I want more then two doors!