Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today my Grandma turns 84. She is such an awesome lady. I want to be like her when I am her age. Most grandmas are old and feeble and don't do a whole lot of productive things. Not my grandma! She is the most active woman her age I know. She spends endless hours working on family history and then taking those names to do their work in the temple every week. She also gets together often with ladies from her ward. She does humanitarian aide projects for those less fortunate in other countries. She also does water aerobics to keep in shape. And she makes time every week to go out dancing with her 'boyfriend' Joe. Then she makes sure that all her family and friends birthdays and special days are acknowledged by a card and if close enough, a visit. If my count is right, she has 4 daughters, 11 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren with at least 2 more coming this year. What a great posterity! And she keeps in contact with all of us. It's hard not being able to visit grandma like I used to, but I sure enjoy talking to her on the phone. The boys love talking with her too. We love you Grandma! Happy Birthday!

Dan and Crystal

Here is a fun tag.

How long have you been together? 7 years

How long did you date? Before we got engaged, 9 months; after engagement another 10 months.

How old is he? 28 (such a youngin! Just kidding I'm only 4 months older)

Who eats more? Dan, especially now when food doesn't like to stay in.

Who said I love you first? I don't really remember. I think Dan did. But it was pretty mutual.

Who is taller? Seriously...do I need to answer that question. :) There's more than a head's distance!

Who is smarter? Totally Dan. He can retrieve info about just about anything. He almost made it onto Jeopardy! I'm not dumb, but I don't hold a candle to Dan.

Who does the laundry? I do. Although Dan pitches in when I need him.

Who does the dishes? Depends on who cooks. Whomever cooks the other does dishes.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now I do, but it changes depending on the situation. (Who's closest to the bathroom, who wakes up first so as not to wake the other, etc.)

Who pays the bills? I pay the bills, but Dan makes the moolah. I'm really glad we both have good heads about finances though.

Who mows the lawn? Dan, though I've tried to help out when in crisis. 1/2 acre is really a lot especially when using a reel-mower!

Who cooks dinner? We are supposed to switch off. I get Mon-Thurs. Dan gets Fri-Sun. He justs gets home too late for him to cook during the week. Although he has been pretty extraordinary these last couple of weeks when I haven't been able to.

Who drives when you are together? Usually Dan.

Who is more stubborn? That would definitely be me. I get it from my dad I think. Dan is much more laid-back.

Who kissed who first? Dan kissed me before we were even dating. Scandalous!

Who asked who out? I don't know, it was kind of mutual.

Who proposed? Dan did. We were camping with my family and went for a walk around the lake when he wanted to "go to his tent and change into shorts". He had forgotton to bring the ring with him because of a disagreement we had earlier that day, and he wanted to go get it. I wouldn't let him because the sun was going down and it was going to get cooler. So he very nicely had to tell me the real plan. I was so excited, of course I let him go!

Who is more sensitive? That's hard to say. We are sensitive about different things. I am definitely more emotionally sensitive right now, for reasons I can't imagine!

Who has more friends? Depends on where we're at. Here in MI Dan has more because he grew up north of here, in AZ probably me because I grew up there. We both don't have an easy time making friends though. But the ones we do have I believe will be life-long.

Who has more siblings? I do. But not by much. I have 2 sisters, and Dan has 1 sister. Small families.

Who wears the pants in the family? Depends on the day. We like to think we're equal in our decision-making. But I do know that because Dan has the priesthood, he has a bit more legs in the deal, and that doesn't bother me one bit.

My Big Boys

This picture is from last Sunday. Donovan has now graduated from the nursery and has advanced to the Sunbeam class in our primary. He was so excited (I don't think he realizes that snacks and toy time are no longer included.) He's wearing a crown that says "I am a child of God" that his new teacher Sister Weber helped him make. He still wears it and talks about his new class. There are only 2 other kids his age in his class, Xander and Kenedi. He talks about them all the time too. He's growing up way too fast.
Then there's Elliott. Also growing way too fast. He got to join the nursery last month and has loved it from the get-go. I thought he'd be my cryer and want mommy and daddy, but no, he really didn't care. He saw that Dono was in there, grabbed his hand and had a ball. Too bad they only got to be in the nursery together for 2 weeks. There are also 2 other kids in Elliott's nursery, but 7 more coming this year when they reach 18 months old.
I love my boys, they're just getting so big!

As for an update on myself, I found a miracle pill that has done wonders. Drammamine! Who knew? I've never had morning sickness quite like this. The pill kept me alive and kicking.... for about 2 weeks, then all of a sudden it came back!!!! I thought for sure I was done being sick. Each of the boys' pregnancies I was only sick for 5 weeks. We're now heading for week 9 of being sick. Does this mean it might be a GIRL???? I'm doing ok, at least the bare minimum, there's good days and bad days. I guess I should be grateful to have the evidence that I'm for sure having a baby. I even read somewhere that women who get morning sickness while pregnant have less chances of having breast cancer when they're older. I thought that was interesting. Bring on the barfing!! But anyways, I know others have had it 10 times worse, so I should just stop complaining. If anyone has a cure, old wives tale, etc. that has helped them or a family member, please let me know. I'd love to try it. Here's hoping that the end is around the corner (to the sickies that is).

Biggest Loser Family Competition

As a goal for my whole family, we decided to have a little friendly competition. Through the years we have all gained weight and all of us could stand to lose some. So we're competing with each other to see who can lose the most percentage of weight from now until the end of May. Each week there will be a weigh-in and the new stats will be posted on my sister's newer blog. I cannot participate because of the baby, (but will do so after the birth), but Dan is participating as well as all my family and some of Jake's family. Anyone is welcome to peek in on the progress and to cheer these competitors on, and you are more than welcome to join in too if you wish. I will have the link in my friends and family list. The race is on, good luck!