The Bryners

Blessing!

2012-01-11T18:54:00.005-07:00

Sunday, January 8th, Coraline was blessed in Sacrament meeting by her daddy! It was such a beautiful blessing, and although I don't remember all the details (luckily my Mom takes notes at these things!) I do remember that she was blessed several times that she will be an influence and an example to everyone around her. I am so blessed to be her mother and can't wait to see how she grows and progresses throughout her life!

I love you my little Angel!

We had a packed house after the blessing. This picture doesn't even do justice at capturing all the kiddos running around screaming and playing, nor does it show the fact that every toy in this house was being played with!

Coraline wore the dress and shoes that I wore 32 years ago on my blessing day!

I don't love this picture of me, but at least we got a family shot... plus look how cute and happy Bronson is!

Our Little Angel

2011-11-22T12:56:00.010-07:00

Coraline Marie Bryner

Born 11.18.11 - 5:08 a.m.

6 lbs. 1 oz. - 20 inches

And yes, for you family who understand this, you can call her Little "PorFavor"!

................................

The Birth Story:

Because my blog is my journal, I want to document everything that happened. This is long, so if you don't want to know all the details, now is the time to stop reading this post. :)

When I was pregnant with Bronson, I loved being pregnant! (Well, for the most part...) I wasn't anxious for him to get here and enjoyed every minute of feeling him move around inside of me, and of watching my belly grow and shape-shift.

But this pregnancy was a lot harder on me. Maybe because I had another baby to chase around. And maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that my body never really had a chance to fully heal and recover from baby #1 before getting pregnant and having to do it all over again. Hmmm, ya think? Whatever the case may be, I was miserable from the beginning. Super sick during the first trimester, and then so exhausted and emotionally drained that I was constantly in tears for the second trimester. And then once the belly started growing, I was in constant pain. My ribs hurt. My sciatic nerve hurt. I had horrible heartburn. My back hurt worse than normal and for a few weeks, I could barely lift a gallon of milk (let alone my heavy son) without crying in pain. I could only sleep sitting upright (due to the heartburn) and ended up sleeping on the couch for the last two months.

I finally saw a chiropractor for my back and sciatic and that helped quite a bit. But I still hobbled around the house most of the time, and avoided going anywhere because it was too hard to lift Bronson in and out of his car seat and in an out of the shopping carts. I was miserable and just wanted to be done being pregnant.

On October 18th, I was at home, probably working on one of my millions of nesting projects, when suddenly the thought came to me "My little girl will be here by November 18th". I don't know why that thought came to me at that time, but I have had similar experiences with thoughts like that before, and felt like it might be a tiny little revelation given to me to help me cope with the last month of my pregnancy. I felt peace and got excited as I thought about the arrival of my sweet daughter.

As November came, Jeff and I became even more antsy for little sister to come. We worked on projects around the house. (Well, Jeff sweetly did projects for me as I frantically pointed out things that HAD to be done.) And we talked about how cool it would be to have her on 11.11.11. I talked to my doctor about how soon he could induce me, and we scheduled the induction for 11.22.11. But deep down inside, I just knew that she wouldn't be coming on the 11th, and that she wouldn't make it to the 22nd.

I had an appointment with my OB on the 16th, and I was still only at a 2+, and 50% effaced. My doctor talked to me about the induction and seemed certain that it wouldn't happen before then. The next day, on the 17th, I started contracting. Just little sporadic contractions that kept coming all morning and afternoon. It was just like with Bronson. They kept coming, but sometimes they were an hour apart, and sometimes they were 20 minutes apart. Then I might have one or two that were 10 minute apart. Then another hour would go by before I felt anything. By that evening, I wasn't sure what we should do. It wasn't like we could just run up to the hospital, get checked, and go from there. I had to work around Bronson and his schedule and babysitters, etc.

Jeff was at work at McGrath's for the evening, but he was panicking and kept texting me to see how I was. I finally talked to him on the phone and told him to come home as soon as he could. We decided to finish Bronson's dinner, pack him up and take him up to his Nana Bryner's house for the night. That way we could go get checked and stay if we needed to, or come back and just take him home the next morning if it ended up that we weren't in labor.

So we got to the Bryner's, gave them instructions on Bronson (which, by the way, isn't easy when your child is on 3 different medications, plus has extra medications and special needs for his food and other allergies), and just chatted with the family. My father in law, a retired OBGYN, kept telling me that my contractions weren't close enough together. So I kept doubting my feelings that I was in labor and wondering if we should even go up to the hospital or if we should just wait and see how I was in the morning. But Jeff's mom and sister were adamant that I should at least get checked.

So we headed over to the hospital. I think that even the nurses first doubted me as I stood there calmly checking in and chatting with them. But they checked me. Still only a 2+ and 50% effaced. They had us walk around the halls of L&D for 45 minutes to see if that would change anything. So Jeff and I walked and walked and walked and walked. My contractions started getting harder and more painful and were now between 2 & 4 minutes apart. So when they checked me again and told me that I was still the same, I almost cried. I just knew that my doctor was going to send me home, but I also knew that my little girl was on her way. My nurse fought for me and tried convincing the doctor to keep me there for another hour at least, but he said that the induction was scheduled for Tuesday and that I needed to go home for the night. He told the nurses to give me a shot of Morphine to help ease the pain of the contractions. I was told that if it was false labor, it would stop the contractions completely, and I think my doctor thought that's what would really happen.

Well, all the morphine did over the next few hours was make me sleepy and loopy and even more miserable. We got back to the Bryner's house just after midnight. I was scared out of my mind because I was already in pain and KNEW that I was in labor, even if my doctor doubted me, and didn't know how I was going to know when to go back to the hospital. I was terrified of not getting back in time for an epidural. So again, my father-in-law gave me guidelines of how far apart the contractions should be and how long they should last. 3 minutes between and lasting at least one minute each.

So Jeff fell asleep on the floor and I sat in a big chair with oodles of pillows. I started timing the contractions. 8-10 minutes apart. Then 6 minutes apart. The morphine would knock me out between contractions, and then the pain of the next one would wake me up again. I was in tears. I was miserable and confused and scared. Finally, just after 4 a.m. the pain was so unbearable that I didn't care if the contractions weren't close enough together. I staggered into the family room where Jeff was asleep and told him that we had to go right then. He helped me to the truck and drove like a maniac through the avenues and back to LDS hospital.

As Jeff wheeled me back up to Labor & Delivery, the nurses at the desk all said they knew I would be back. They rushed me back into a room and told Jeff he could sign all the paperwork later. I almost couldn't even get my gown back on I was in so much pain, but I finally got it on, and they strapped me to the monitors. The nurse checked me. I was a 7. She said she'd get the anasthesiologist there right away, but we both knew he wasn't coming and that I wasn't getting an epidural.

The next thing I knew, there were what seemed like a million nurses in the room, and someone told me that my doctor wouldn't be there in time but that the on-call doctor would be right in. My body felt like it was on fire and that it was going to rip into pieces. I felt so much pressure and knew that my body was ready to push. I don't remember seeing anything else, just feeling intense pain and hearing myself scream. I've heard that when a woman is in labor without medication, the mind loses all reason. It's true. The nurses were telling me to hold my legs, pull them into my chest and push. But I kept pushing them back down, telling them that I needed to put my legs down and sit up. I kept crying out that I couldn't do this. I do remember seeing one nurse right in my face telling me "Jessie, you CAN do this, and you HAVE to do this."

I guess that seeing me like that scared my husband out of his mind... he later told me that he had a death grip on one of my legs and that he was pushing my head into my pillow with his other hand. Again, I don't remember anything except the pain. I finally started allowing myself to push. I felt the gush of my water breaking. I heard someone say that her head was coming and to keep pushing. Then I felt her fall right out of me and an enormous wave of relief washed over me. I heard her cry, and then there she was... this beautiful little angel, being placed on my bare chest. I sat and held her and stared at her. I think I was too stunned to even cry right then. All I could do was look at this tiny little girl in amazement. My little Cora was here!

My doctor arrived right then and finished things up. Don't worry, I wasn't nice to him. I let him know how unhappy I was that he sent me home and that as a result, I came back almost too late. Oh yeah, did I mention that had we left the house any later, she probably would have been born in the car. We checked back in at 4:45, and she was born at 5:08.

Now I can proudly join the club of women who can brag about giving birth naturally. But I don't EVER want to go through that again. I wasn't planning on it, it scared me to death, and it hurt more than I could have imagined. I love my drugs and will forever be grateful for modern medicine and for epidurals.

I survived, and we are both doing really well! She is such a pleasant and sweet little girl, which is such a blessing after Bronson being such a colicky and fussy baby. She sleeps well, has been eating well and even though she was so tiny when she was born, she is already putting on a little weight. And she is so beautiful! Honestly, I just stare at her and can't believe was a pretty little girl she is! Plus I can already tell that there is just this amazing little spirit about her. I am so excited that she is mine and that I have the pleasure of raising her and getting to know her and her little personality.

Bronson is also adjusting quite well to the new little person at our house. He is curious and will watch her and try to hit her or grab her leg or head. It makes him laugh when he does touch her. Most of the time he is fairly gentle, but occasionally he really whacks her on the head. But most of the time, he just ignores her and is content with me feeding and holding her as long as I read the books he brings to me.

I love my little family so much. While I was in the hospital, I missed my boys and could hardly stand to be away from them. I had intended to stay the full two days before going home, but Saturday morning I was almost in tears and knew that I just needed to be home. So I checked out that afternoon, and that night was the happiest night ever. Bronson was so happy to be back in his own home and have both of his parents there, and Jeff and I were so happy to be together and to have both of our beautiful children under the same roof.

With Thanksgiving being this week, I am so overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father has sent us these two beautiful spirits, and so thankful that everyone is healthy and doing well. We have a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood, with such amazing family, friends, and neighbors who want to help and support us! And I have the best husband a woman could ask for! He is such a great father, and such a support and help to me.

I am so blessed!

Projects

2011-11-14T12:59:00.006-07:00

So if you remember my post back a couple of months ago, I have been nesting like crazy for weeks and weeks and weeks now. There have been soooo many projects that I have wanted to complete. And I am proud to say that I have pretty much finished everything I wanted to have done before our little sis comes.

I organized all the cupboards and cabinets and drawers and closets. I have washed all the little clothes and hung them or folded them into drawers. I have hauled stuff to DI. I have gotten all the baby stuff out and washed and put in the right places. I have shopped for all the last minute little things I might need. I have typed up notes of Bronson's schedule and medications and allergies and everything for the babysitters. I have packed our bags. I've pretty much done it all.

But there were a few additional projects on my list that I have wanted to do for some time now. Like our bathroom. When we bought the house, it had this tiny little ugly bathroom with pink tile. It wasn't in our budget to remodel it right away, so I knew I was going to have to live with it. I kept telling myself that it was okay. But I have HATED this bathroom from day one. So during the month of October, it was my goal to get the bathroom painted and get some curtains for the window (I am sick of wondering if the entire street can see our naked shadows when we get out of the shower). I spent an entire weekend painting while Jeff was off hunting. I had decided that a nice gray would look good with the pink tile, and then I would accent everything with black, white and gray. The paint didn't turn out like I had hoped, and occasionally it picks up the pink from the tile and appears to have this periwinkle hue; but for the most part, it looks a million times better and the color is starting to grow on me. Then Jeff's sister, Jessica, helped me pick out material and sew some fantastic curtains.

BATHROOM BEFORE:

BATHROOM AFTER:

My next project was re-covering a bassinet that was given to me. Believe me, I was grateful for the generous gift (Kirstin was given the bassinet when she had Cael, and she passed it on to me), especially since it meant not having to buy another crib right now! However, it was covered in a not-cute Winnie the Pooh pattern. (Sorry if you like Winnie the Pooh.... I've just never been a fan and really didn't like all the ugly ruffles and things covering the bassinet).

So again, I enlisted the help of Jessica and together we were able to come up with a cute new bed for my little girl!!! The mobile had little bees on it, and they were cute but the blue satin wings were pretty ugly and definitely didn't match the new covering. So I took them apart, removed the wings, and made my own new and improved bumblebee wings! I am so happy with how it turned out and am even more excited for my little girl to show up now!

BASSINET BEFORE:

BASSINET AFTER:

Rrrrrawr!

2011-11-07T13:01:00.003-07:00

Lucky me! My fabulous sister-in-law made an adorable lion costume years ago for her son, and it just so happened to be the perfect size for Bronson to wear this year for Halloween! She also had a pregnant Dorothy costume complete with ruby slippers, and a scarecrow costume for Jeff. But I was too pooped to care about dressing up this year, and for those of you who know Jeff... well there is NO way in hell he is going to put a costume on. So this year it was just our little cowardly lion. I think he looked pretty darn adorable and we had a lot of fun taking him around the neighborhood to collect candy (for mom, of course!) from all our friends in the ward.

(P.S. See the cool pumpkins on the porch? Yeah, we grew those! I think they are the coolest looking pumpkins, and we can't wait to grow more next year!)

One Year Photos

2011-10-31T09:50:00.000-06:00

Better late than never, right?

We meant to take pictures of the boy in August, shortly after his birthday, but he kept getting sick and it just never happened. Well a couple of weekends ago we decided that if we didn't do it then, it was just never going to happen. Yes, he was sick... *again*... but despite him being fussy and unpleasant all morning, he was really happy and full of personality during the photo shoot, and we were pleased with the results! So thanks Jessica for taking these backyard photos of our handsome boy!

Enjoy just a few of our favorite shots:

A Nappy Situation

2011-10-04T19:17:00.004-06:00

Dear Experienced Mama's,

Bronson has been a great sleeper and napper since he was just a couple of months old. I thank my lucky stars for this. He takes a 2 hour morning nap usually from about 10-noon. And then he takes another 2 hour nap from 3-5. It has been heavenly and has allowed this super tired and incubating mama to get things done and take little naps herself!

But now......

For several days he has refused to take his afternoon nap. He will sit in his crib and play or cry or scream. the. entire. time. I've tried adjusting the times he goes down to see if that helps. Nope. I've even tried keeping him awake from his morning nap to see if he would take his afternoon nap. That just made for a miserable morning, and he still wouldn't nap that afternoon.

So what do I do?

Sometimes when he is teething, his naps tend to get out of whack. And he IS currently cutting 4 molars... so maybe this is the problem? Do I wait it out for a little bit longer, keep trying the afternoon naps, and hope that it is just a phase?

Do I resort to the fact that he may possibly be transitioning to the dreaded one nap a day?

Is there something else I need to be doing or trying?

And all you mamas who have already gone through this, what times do your one-nap-a-dayer's usually take that one said nap?

Sincerely,

One Exhausted Lady

Ward Service Day

2011-09-10T22:57:00.009-06:00

I guess one of the perks of buying the dumpy house in a well taken care of neighborhood, and then being too busy or too pregnant to actually keep up with all the projects that need to happen is that your wonderful ward steps in to help!

Today was our ward service day. A couple of months ago, when it the announcement was made in Relief Society that we would be doing something in our own community, I was oh so tempted to jokingly raise my hand and let them know that if they were looking for a project, I just happened to know of a yard that was in need of some desperate weeding. But I refrained. Well, ironically enough, a couple of weeks later a member of the service committee stopped by the house and told me that the bishop had suggested they ask us if we could use some help. I almost laughed out loud!

Jeff and I were excited for some help, but also hoped that the ward wasn't putting us in front of the needs of the many more deserving people in our neighborhood. After all, we are capable of taking care of things.... even though it may not look like it. But we were told that a couple of people would still be coming to help. I think we expected two or three people to show up, and for a few weeds to get pulled and maybe one of our bigger projects to get started.

Um...

There were a couple of people to start out with, and little by little more people showed up to help. By the end of the 4 hour block, other projects in other yards had been completed so people just kept showing up to help at our house. If I was expecting just a little bit of clean up in the yard, I was SOOOO wrong. Every major project (except for the removal of one tree which is too close to power lines) was not only started, but was also completed. Everything was weeded; bushes were pruned; trees were trimmed; trees, shrubs, roots, rocks, and even random metal rods were completely removed and everything was cleaned up.

As I looked over my yard at the mass of people working so hard, and saw the progress that Jeff and I expected to take us the next couple of summers to really complete, I was so overwhelmed (and maybe, just maybe, cried a little...) by the love of our neighbors and by just how wonderful they all are, and how extremely blessed we are to live in this ward. Thank you all for your kindness, and for the sacrifice you all made to spend your Saturday morning helping our little family!

BEFORE:

(overgrown weeds in flower garden)

AFTER:

(didn't get a before shot, but they removed some bushes and trees that were in pretty bad shape)

BEFORE:

(an overgrown jungle complete with unwanted trees from neighbor's yard)

AFTER:

BEFORE:

(well, you can see.... it's a mess)

AFTER:

BEFORE:

(overgrown everything, and what in the world are those metal rods for?)

AFTER:

BEFORE:

(weeds, broken glass, and tons of other junk)

AFTER:

BEFORE:

(rotten apples, ivy climbing everywhere, and lots of non-producing branches down lower)

AFTER:

BEFORE:

(basically, I just couldn't keep up with the weeds)

AFTER:

(didn't get a before shot, but the neighbor's tree had grown over the wall so much that we couldn't even see the compost pit)

AFTER:

(once again, didn't get a before shot, but all the flower beds and around the stairs were completely covered in weeds)

P.S. Exactly one year ago today we signed the papers and closed on this house! What an awesome one year anniversary present we received today!!!

Why is it....

2011-09-06T20:34:00.003-06:00

... that whenever I try to organize something, I just end up making an even bigger mess?

I have been on a mission to clean and organize my entire house. I have this sense of urgency about being completely organized before my entire world is consumed with 2 babies. Plus, don't you just feel so peaceful and content when things are clean and easy to find and when there isn't so much stuff cluttering up your life? So for a couple of months now I have been working on accomplishing this goal.

What do I have to show for it?

* boxes of D.I. crud piling up in my kitchen and garage

* bags of baby clothing to still sort through hidden behind the recliner in Bronson's room

* grocery sacks of junk from junk drawers that I still need to sort through sitting on top of my desk

* multiple unorganized closest and drawers

* STUFF EVERYWHERE

My goals before November:

* the closet in Bronson's room organized and sorted with little sister's stuff too

* the master bedroom closet de-cluttered and organized

* the closets and drawers in the hall organized and sorted so that I can easily find towels, sheets, and other stuff

* a completely organized, clutter-free, and functional desk

* a pantry where I can find the food and cans I am looking for

* a designated spot or closet for all the extra baby junk and gear

* a LOT of stuff hauled to D.I. or thrown away

Here's to hoping I can get it all done in the next two months!

One!

2011-08-23T15:30:00.011-06:00

(WARNING: LONG POST. Read at your own risk.)

THE BIRTHDAY:

August 10th was an exciting day at our home.... it was the big FIRST BIRTHDAY for my baby boy! I can't believe that a year ago, he was just a tiny little guy. Now he is getting so big, is oh so mobile, and has so much personality!

We we originally supposed to be in Lake Powell during his birthday, but circumstances changed and the trip was cancelled. So instead we got to have both of our families over to help us celebrate!

Because Bronson is allergic to egg, I have been learning to bake eggless cakes and goodies. I practiced making an eggless cake the week before his birthday. I wanted to test it out incase the mix didn't work out well (yeah, I don't have the energy right now to try a cake from scratch, so I was just hoping that the egg replacer stuff I bought would be compatible with Ms. Crocker or Mr. Heinz)... plus I wanted to try out the giant cupcake mold that I bought and make sure that the cake didn't stick or anything. Everything turned out just great.

So on the morning of his birthday, I started early and made a chocolate cake. When I pulled it out of the oven, this is what I had:

A big sunken mess.

So back to Smith's for a different cake mix. Luckily Funfetti worked (that's what I had tried before) and I was able to make a successful Birthday cake.

**Side note about egg replacer: I bought EnerG Egg Replacer from Whole Foods. I decided to go this route instead of trying applesauce or some other natural replacer. I have since learned more about using gelatin to replace eggs in baking and will try that sometime as well. But my experience with EnerG is that is works well and doesn't change the flavor of the baked good at all. The only noticable difference is that the cake doesn't rise as much and is a lot more dense, but is quite moist and still tasty!**

Anyway, the giant cupcake turned out super cute, but I didn't like the way the plain cake looked on the bottom (that's why I wanted to do chocolate because I thought it might look cuter than the white cake), so I used tin foil to make a giant cupcake wrapper to match the smaller cupcakes I had made for everyone else. Turned out pretty darn cute if Ido say so myself! I also had fun making the cupcake toppers and the pennant birthday banner. Everyone brought food and we had a great BBQ potluck dinner!

Thanks everyone for the generous gifts, food, and for being a part of my baby.... wait, BIG boy's day!

Excited about his big day!

Everyone gathered for presents!

"Happy Birthday to YOUUUU!"

He mostly liked the sprinkles and wasn't interest in the cake! (I love the sprinkle stuck to his chest!)

Quick family photo

Getting sugared out...

"I'm DONE! Get it out of my face!"

After the festivities, we moved to the backyard for a little marshmallow roasting!

A bedtime bottle while sitting next to the fire.

THE 12 MONTH CHECKUP & UPDATES:

Poor baby caught a cold the weekend after his birthday and had a super severe asthma attack.... Lucky for us, we already had his 12 month well-child visit scheduled for Monday. So after a long weekend of being unable to breathe and of being so sick that he just sat in my lap for hours at a time (which NEVER happens....), we went in and talked to the Dr. about what we could do to get his asthma under control.

Now besides just being on daily Singulair and a rescue nebulizer for severe attacks, we are also on a twice daily nebulizer for preventative measures. Let me tell you how fun it is adding the extra breathing treatments every day to his routine. It's not. But if it will help him in the long run, it is worth it.

His weight has not gone up much from his 9 month visit (in fact, it went down from 2 months ago when I brought him in because I thought he possibly had pneumonia). My boy now weighs 22 lbs (41%) and is 30 inches tall (47%), but his head still continues to climb the charts and is now at 99%! He looks like quite the little bobble head! He has been a super picky eater and didn't want to be spoon fed anymore. So now we are trying a larger variety of finger foods and he is eating quite a bit! I am expecting a nice little growth spurt here soon!

Here are some of the changes we have seen in the past little bit:

He has finally figured out how to crawl on his hands and knees, but still prefers the army crawl if he is in a hurry to get somewhere!
Still no walking. He cruises along the furniture at rapid speeds and will stand up without holding on to anything. Occasionally he will attempt a small step, but it frightens him and he sits back down. I am PRAYING that he starts walking before baby #2 arrives. It is getting so hard to carry and lift him.
He LOVES grapes (he can't shove them in fast enough), cottage cheese, string cheese, hot dogs, zucchini, and an assortment of other finger foods. And when he is done eating, he thinks it is pretty funny to slyly drop the remainder of his food over the side of his tray.
He likes to imitate certain sounds I make. When I hum a little tune, he hums back at me. If I click my tongue, he will do it back.
He still doesn't wave bye-bye or blow kisses, but thinks it is hilarious when I do it to daddy in the mornings when he leaves for work. I'm waiting for him to join me instead of just laughing as I ridiculously make these gestures.
He will soon have 8 teeth... he has two teeth next to his bottom teeth that are on the verge of breaking through!
He went from LOVING bath time, to hating it (I got pretty good at scrubbing him down and rinsing everything in 30 seconds flat), to now liking them again.

I love my little boy so much and am so thankful for all that he has taught me, for all the smiles he has given me, and for how absolutely happy he has made me this past year! Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Crazy? Perhaps.

2011-08-08T11:08:00.004-06:00

Is it possible to start nesting this early?

I am 24 weeks along but I have been insanely obsessed with cleaning, sorting, packing, boxing, storing, organizing, washing, and over-all preparing my house for our new arrival. And I have been obsessed with this for about 5 weeks now. I honestly think to myself "As soon as we finish organizing _______, I'll be okay with how things are".

Wrong.

Once the _______ is organized and cleaned, I think of another little nook or cranny or closet or corner that needs to be organized. And then I find all sorts of unfinished projects inside the house that I "NEED" to have finished by November. And then I think of "better" ways to organize what I have already put away.

Honestly, is this normal or am I a little early in this part of the pregnancy crazies?

Only 16 more weeks of this. Poor Jeff!

Pink... It's My New Obsession

2011-06-30T15:21:00.008-06:00

Looks like we will be painting half of Bronson's room PINK.

Yup!

Oh wait, had I not mentioned it yet? We're preggers... again!

I dunno why but we've been a little hesitant to tell everyone this time around. Maybe it's because nobody gets as excited to hear about a second child. Maybe it's because we've been enjoying our son and trying to focus on him right now. Maybe it's because we wanted to avoid the barrage of questions and criticism. So to answer what you're already thinking:

Woah... they'll be close together. Was this planned?

Sort of. It took us so long to get pregnant with Bronson that we figured we just wouldn't prevent and whatever happened was meant to be. Apparently our Little Sister was anxious to join us!

What were you thinking?

We weren't. But we are overjoyed, nonetheless!

When are you due?

November 28th!

So how close in age will they be?

15 months. We wanted our children to be close in age. Maybe not this close, but we're still excited.

Are you nervous about having them this close together?

Um YEAH! I keep having panic attacks about what kind of frazzled mother I will be. I'm scared out of my mind to have two babies under 18 months of age. But I also know that we are SO blessed to have this little spirit come join us.

Little Sister was pretty shy during the ultrasound and didn't want to show her face much, but she did want to show us that she was excited and feeling good!!!

(Can you see the thumbs up in the picture on the left?)

Our House, In The Middle Of Our Street

2011-05-23T09:25:00.001-06:00

We finally had a tree expert come and look at our poor trees and bushes. The sad news was that our favorite tree, the flowering plum in the back yard, was completely rotten and had to come down. Jeff and I were quite devastated with the news, and I think I may have even shed a tear or two. But once the crew came and cut it down, I could see that the entire middle was sawdust and that it really wouldn't have lasted. Plus, now we don't have to worry about it crashing through our roof or bedroom window.

the tree: before we bought the house and before the lawn was dead...

...the dead backyard the day we closed on the house...

...and now (nice weeds, eh?)

We do have plans to plant another beautiful flowering tree in its spot, and it will be fun to watch it grow over the years!

Our pretty crabapple tree was completely removed as well.

before...

...and now

But the beautiful pink bush in the backyard, and the lilac bushes that are now in full bloom almost make up for the losses!

And guess what else? Remember our ugly, brown, hideous front yard? Remember how all our neighbors (who by the way are retired and spend all their time on their immaculate yards) have been asking non-stop when we were planning on watering our lawn? Or doing something with the yard? Remember how this is what it used to look like?

terrible picture, I know, but you can at least tell the grass is dead, right?

Well, we are no longer the eyesore of the street! We have grass!!!

Thanks to Jeff and my father-in-law, and our two neighbors, Dick and Van,we have a front yard to be proud of! Jeff spent as much time as he could during the week to till the front yard and dig up the little patches of grass that actually did survive, but it still took an entire Saturday of tilling, digging, leveling, fixing sprinkler problems as they cropped up, and laying the sod. That evening, Jeff and I ran an errand, and coming home we honestly drove right past our house. We had become so used to looking for the brown lawn and turning there that we actually missed our driveway and had to back up!

Thanks for the Mother's Day grass honey!

The Allergies

2011-05-19T08:45:00.000-06:00

Monday I took Bronson to his appointment with the allergy specialist. I was just so ready to find out what problems he has so that we can deal with them and move on.

The morning started out with an oh so fun scratch test. My boy squirmed so much that the nurse was hardly able to write the numbers on his back.

15 minutes later the results were ready to read. So apparently my baby has some food allergies and some animal allergies, just like we suspected. He was positive for peanuts and eggs, and negative for wheat. Which means that the reaction to bread was due to eggs. The good news is that now we don't have to deal with a gluten free diet! The bad news is that a lot of things that contain wheat, also contain egg. I was given several websites and references of places where I can find recipes and ways to cook and bake without using egg.

And as for the animal allergies, he is very allergic to cats and dogs. Which unfortunately means that he is supposed to completely stay away from those animals, and will be hard since we have a couple of family members who have cats.

It is also confirmed that B has asthma just like his dad. So he will be on a daily asthma medication, and we will also still use his nebulizer and albuterol as needed. And for the other allergies, we will have to carry around an Epipen , and keep Benadryl on hand.

After the appointment, we had to go the Primary Children's to have blood drawn so that they could test the severity of his food allergies. The nurse called me the next day to tell me that the peanut allergy is low which means that there is a good chance he will grow out of it. Hooray! However, the egg allergy is quite high and it is unlikely that he will grow out of it.

Jeff is sad thinking that his poor boy my not be able to play sports due to asthma and worries that he will be a colossal dork with his Epipen, inhaler, and allergies! I'm not so worried and am just glad that we aren't dealing with worse problems!

9 Months!!!

2011-05-18T14:13:00.006-06:00

So this is the only recent picture I could find on my camera. Guess I need to stop sucking and take more pictures!

I can't believe that I have been able to play with and cuddle and kiss my little boy for as long as he was growing in my belly! It sure seems to go by so much slower when they are cooking inside. I sure love him and am so thankful that he made me a mommy!

Bronson is now crawling all over the house, and he is into EVERYTHING! He loves crawling over to the air intake vent and strumming it to make "music"!

He also tries to pull himself up on things. He can do it when he is on the couch or has pillows or cushions to pull himself up on, but can't quite do it without these aids yet.

He has 5 teeth, his two bottom teeth, and three of his top teeth (the other top one looks like it will break through any day now!) He is fascinated with the new "toys" in his mouth and loves to use his fingers and tongue to play with them. He also likes to grit his teeth together, which makes mommy cringe every time.

He talks non-stop and uses a lot of fluctuation in his voice. He really seems to know what he is saying and has lengthy conversations with his toys. He has also started clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

He LOVES being outside. I'll put him in his pack and play outside while working in the garden or the yard and he is happy as can be. He also loves it when I walk around the yard with him, pointing out the trees and birds and flowers, and let him grab branches, twigs and leaves. When we open the front door, he crawls over to it at lightning speed, trying to get out the door before we shut it. And whenever we do shut the door or come inside after being out, he screams and cries.

_____________________________

Here are the stats from his 9 month visit:

Weight: 21 lbs. 5 oz. (65%)

Height: 29 inches (76%)

Head: 98%!!! ("Heead...pants...now!")

So after the Dr. looked at his head measurement, he told me that when babies start getting over 100%, there is a concern that there may be fluid on the brain causing the large cranium. I had to remind him that my husband has a big head, and that big heads run in the Bryner family! (Not the DeCastro's, though... we have pinheads!)

Side note: Speaking of Bronson's big head, the other day we were in Target and I saw a cute little pair of baby sunglasses. I wanted to try them on B since every time we go on a walk, the sun gets in his eyes and makes him mad. Jeff started cracking up when I put them on Bronson's face and the ear pieces stuck straight out. So Jeff then proceeded to measure the width of my head with the width of Bronson's head. Yep, same size! Guess I'll just let him wear MY sunglasses!

Back to the 9 month visit: I was finally able to talk to the Dr. about B-man's allergies, my concerns, and where to go from there. I first brought up the bread issue, and my concern that it was a wheat allergy. He said that we will wait until 1 year, and then possibly test him for it. Okay. So I then brought up the fact that after being around cats, he has had some severe allergic reactions: wheezing, coughing, chest caving in with each breath, hardly even able to breathe kind of issues (and it happened 3 times in one month). Dr. Carter then started to get concerned. He said that normally babies that age don't have allergic reactions to pets yet, but that with B's history of RSV, and other respiratory problems, there could be some severe allergies and that we needed to get to the bottom of it all. He referred me to an allergy specialist and said that there we would be able to get B tested for all sorts of possible allergies, including wheat.

Stay tuned for the results of his allergy test!

This is what happens when you buy a bank-owned home and the bank has not watered the lawn or the trees the entire, hot, dry summer:

2011-04-15T12:37:00.006-06:00

Remember this lovely broken branch after a snow storm in November?

Well, we had just barely gotten that huge branch cleaned up, when a lovely spring snow storm hit and did this:

And this:

And then the wind and rain storm the other evening caused this:

We're getting a little worried that all of our trees might be doomed and we may end up cutting down more than we had planned on. Sad.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2011-03-31T12:46:00.004-06:00

I was wanting to post this super handsome picture of my boys ready for church in their suits and ties:

...and then I found these other pictures that I just had to share. Enjoy:

I can't hold still, even when playing in my bouncer

Aren't I cute when I get out of the tub?

Remind anyone of "A Christmas Story"?

Rough Ride

2011-03-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

We had a pretty rough couple of weeks at our house. Bronson caught his second cold and it lingered just a little bit too long. After he had suffered with his runny nose for two weeks, the cough started. I called the pediatrician's office and got him in to see the nurse. She diagnosed him with pneumonia and sent us on our way with a prescription for antibiotics.

B-man HATED the antibiotics. The first night I gave them to him wasn't too bad. He took them and only shuddered a little bit. But the next morning, he cried and gagged and choked and ended up puking them back up along with his entire bottle. Fun. And so it was, twice a day, for the next couple of days.

Over the course of the weekend, he seemed to be getting worse. I tried not to be a paranoid mom, but by Monday morning, his cough was worse and I just knew that things weren't good. So I called and got him right in to see his doctor. Yup. It was worse. Dr Carter did suspect that he had pneumonia, but said that he also had an ear infection. And RSV. So the rest of our afternoon was spent suctioning out his nose, hooking him up to a nebulizer, getting chest x-rays (which confirmed the pneumonia), running to the pharmacy, and waiting for 40 minutes only to be told that, oops, they didn't have what we needed but they would call another pharmacy for me.

For the next few days, I had to plan an extra 30 minutes per dose of antibiotics so that I could slowly give him his 6 ml without him puking. I also had to plan in an extra 15 minutes of nebulizer, 4 times a day. Oh, and did I mention that his antibiotics gave him some awesome poop which caused extra blow outs and major diaper rash. Desatin wasn't working. Someone suggested A&D. That didn't work. So I finally tried Aquaphor. MIRACLE CREAM! (That stuff has not only cleared up his cradles cap, and his eczema, but now his diaper rash!)

But wait. There's more. Yep, just as Bronson was getting over all of his illnesses, we found a food allergy. While up at Jeff's sister's house, B-man was getting pretty fussy, so I saw a basket of bread slices on the counter. You know, the small slices from a loaf of sourdough bread from Costco. I handed him a slice and let him suck and chew on it for the next 20 minutes. As he was chewing, I noticed that he was getting all red and raw around his mouth, but I figured that it was just from the hard crust on the bread.

Long story short, once we got him back home, we noticed that his entire body was covered in hives and a rash. He refused to eat his bottle and then turned and puked ALL down the front of me. And then he did it again. And again. And again. Until he was just sitting there in my arms dry heaving. Jeff helped me get the bath ready for my boy and cleaned up the couch where we had been sitting. I got the baby bathed and cleaned up, and soothed to sleep, and was finally able to change my cold vomit covered clothes.

Apparently now I have to wait until his next well-child visit at 9 months to find out if he really has a food allergy, and if we will become a gluten free family, or if we can try wheat again. Until then, I guess we're sticking to his fruits and veggies (which he LOVES, by the way).

Oh, here's what your baby will look like after an allergic reaction. And this is when the rash was already starting to get better.

P.S. We survived all of this, and are all finally healthy and happy at our home!

7 Months

2011-03-21T14:41:00.005-06:00

So I'm behind on blogging. It basically comes down to the fact that I have been lazy and just haven't felt like catching up. But there are plenty of things to share with all 2 of my readers! So for your blogging enjoyment, here is a picture of my little man on his 7 month birthday!

B-man has gotten one tooth on the bottom, and the one next to it is on the verge of breaking loose. And he will be crawling any minute now. He loves to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth, but when he tries to move he just ends up scooting backward.

He enjoys eating everything, including his toes. I prefer chewing on those chubby thighs!

6 Months

2011-02-18T18:44:00.006-07:00

Last week, Bronson hit his six month mark. Holy crap, time flies! My baby makes me laugh every day and I love watching him grow and progress. Here are his stats from his doctors visit:

Weight: 18 lbs. 3 oz. (64%)

Height: 27 inches (71%)

Head: ..... drumroll ..... 91% Yup, got his dad's melon!

B-man is becoming so fun:

He can roll from front to back AND now from back to front.
He scoots all over the floor while doing tummy time.
He can sit up on his own.
His favorite toys are stackable cups. He loves knocking them over when I stack them, and is great at grabbing them and moving them from hand to hand.
Pulls his binki out of his mouth, turns it around to chew on other sides, and then turns it again to put it back in the right way.
He babbles all the time now. He makes "th" and "ggggook" sounds, and says "mamama" and "dadada". Can't wait until he says those and knows what they mean!
He loves scooting around in his walker. He scoots backward around the house, and it's pretty humorous when he gets stuck in random places (like between his crib and the recliner in his room).
He LOVES bath time and splashing all the water out of his little tub. Sometimes I have to fill it up twice just to finish washing him.
He has discovered that he can grab and eat his feet now. Makes diaper changes pretty difficult.
He is now 100% formula fed. I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I love not pumping anymore, and love the convenience of the bottle.... oh, and love that I don't flash people in public due to his excessive squirminess while eating. But I do miss what a bonding experience we had while feeding. Plus formula is so dang expensive.
He started eating rice cereal at 5 months, and really enjoyed it!
And after his 6 month appointment, he started solids. So far we have tried peas (which he isn't fond of... he purses his lips together and looks down at his bib), and squash (which he can't get enough of)!
He is on a nice regular schedule. LOVE IT! He completely sleeps through the night (from about 8:30 pm until 7:30 am), and takes two good naps every day.
In my last post I was worried about his schedule and him hating people and going places. Well, things quickly changed and now he is the happiest little guy, loves going places, and even smiles and talks to me the whole time we're at the grocery store!
Also, he no longer needs to be swaddled at night! Hooray!
And remember the flat head? Well it seems to be improving on its own, so I asked the pediatrician about it. Good news! No helmet needed!

Now, enjoy a couple of catch-up pictures:

B-man got to be Baby Jesus at the Bryner Christmas Nativity

Family picture during Christmas Eve with the DeCastros

Trying rice cereal for the first time... Mmmm!

No more peas, please.

Bet I can grab that camera, Mom.

Help!

2010-12-21T16:11:00.005-07:00

Okay all you mommies... I need help and advice. I have such a cute, fun, active baby boy. But he is SO fussy, and mommy is starting to lose it!

He hates running errands and rarely falls asleep in his car seat anymore. Instead he gets bored and mad and starts crying and SCREAMING. Oh, did I mention that he now does this super high pitched scream? Yeah. It's fun. It's getting to the point where I hate to even take him to the grocery store with me, and have to plan everything around Jeff's schedule so that he can stay home with the boy while I run errands. Either that, or I send Jeff to get the groceries.

He hates other people. Well, sometimes. Sometimes he is super sweet and loves letting his grandmas or aunts, or the cute older ladies in the ward hold him. And other times he screams bloody murder if he is anywhere other than in mama's arms. Ward parties, work parties, girls nights, family events.... not so fun any more. I usually end up finding a dark room or hallway and having my own party with a hysterical boy.

Even when we just stay home, he wants my constant attention. I used to be able to let him play in his bouncer or on his blanket with toys for 30 minutes at a time while I got things done. Now, he screams until I come back in the room and play with him. The BabyBjorn has helped so that he can do things around the house with me, but there are some things (like Christmas scrapbooking projects) that can't be done with a 4 month old strapped to your front.

And he used to be so good about going to bed and taking naps. Some days he still does well. But other days his naps are short (45 minutes at best, instead of the usual 2 hours), and he cries and screams for 2 hours when I put him down for the night. I am trying to figure out how to wean him from being swaddled (he usually gets his arms free anyway, but wakes himself easier once they are out...). I've tried leaving one arm out and swaddling one arm, but the hand that is free is usually ice cold by morning.

So here's where I need advice. Do I need to be adjusting his schedule differently? Do I need to get babysitters more often just so that he gets used to other people (and so I can gain back a little sanity)? Or do I just take him to run my errands and learn to tune out the screaming and the strangers staring at us? Even at home I have a hard time just letting him cry it out.... but maybe I need to be better about that? He is still exclusively breast feeding (the Dr. said to wait until 5 months to start solids), but maybe I am not producing enough anymore, and he's still hungry?... Do I try supplementing formula?

Tips. Tricks. Advice. I welcome it all right now. (Andi, I wish you lived closer... from what I remember of your past blog posts, it sounds like our boys were cut from the same mold!)

4 Months!

2010-12-14T18:16:00.005-07:00

I know, I know. I've become one of those people who only blogs about my baby. But honestly, I don't really have all that much else to share right now. So deal with it!

B-man is now 4 months old! Holy crap, time flies! He had his 4 month checkup yesterday and here are the stats:

15 lbs. 12 oz. (67%)

26 inches long (86%) He's a TALL boy!!!

And his head is 69%... thank goodness he doesn't have too big of a melon... yet!

We've had fun with a lot of changes over the past month:

His eyes are lightening and we can finally tell that they are brown!

His fuzzy little eyebrows have darkened and you can finally see them.

He can roll from his stomach to his back, and while doing tummy time, he will scoot himself around in a full circle on his blanket.

He talks like crazy, and has also discovered that he can screech... It's a cute sound when he's happy, but is quite shrill when he's mad.

Speaking of mad, he HATES big crowds. Jeff's work Christmas party was a disaster. A big room full of autistic clients, their parents, all the staff and their spouses + all those people in his face wanting to touch and hold him = total and utter hysteria. I couldn't calm him down, and finally had to leave. He screamed the entire drive home and for 20 minutes after.

He has also started feeding less frequently! However, my body doesn't realize that this is a good thing. Less feedings has caused, um, some painful problems (clogged ducts), and I'm not sure how to keep this from happening other than pumping more, which kind of ruins my excitement of less feedings. *sigh*

He loves sitting in his bumbo chair. Loves cheering for the Jazz when we watch the games on TV. And Loves using his legs to stand (I think he needs a Johnny Jump-up for Christmas!!!).

He is also quite ticklish which mommy takes advantage of several times a day!

And he is about the gassiest boy I've ever met! (I have NO clue where he gets it from.... ahem...) It is particularly funny during Sacrament. Our ward has very few children and only a couple of babies, so it is very quiet during the meeting. Which means that B-man's gas echoes quite loudly in the chapel. Jeff and I are so mature that we of course don't laugh ourselves to tears whenever this happens.

I pretty much have the cutest boy in the world!

Ho Ho Ho

2010-12-04T11:51:00.006-07:00

Santa came to our Ward brunch. Somebody wasn't too thrilled...

"Was That There Last Night?"

2010-11-30T14:27:00.003-07:00

A little over a week ago, we had a terrible snow storm. It hit hard and dumped tons of WET heavy snow. Apparently one of our trees couldn't handle the weight. This is what we woke up to... one branch broke, hitting a power line, knocking out the power to only 1/2 of our house. Yep, only 1/2..... the kitchen and the bedrooms still had power... but the living room and half of the basement (the half with the heater) didn't have power. Strange! Luckily the big branch missed hitting the kitchen window by a couple of inches.

Dear BabyBjorn...

2010-11-15T16:45:00.003-07:00

Because of you, I have a constantly aching back, and a permanent growth on my front. But I also have a semi-clean house, laundry in the dryer, a warm lunch for my husband, and cookies in the oven.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

Fussy McFusserpant's Mama

3 Months

2010-11-10T16:26:00.005-07:00

My Baby is 3 Months Old Today!

And he "talks" non stop!

LOVES doing the actions to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

tries shoving his entire fist into his mouth

"talks" while his fist is in his mouth

uses his legs to stand up

and gets very excited when daddy comes home

Blessing Day

2010-11-09T15:10:00.004-07:00

This past Sunday we blessed Bronson, and it was an absolutely perfect day. Jeff gave our son a beautiful blessing, and we were so happy to have our families and so many good friends there to share the moment with us. Our small house was packed after church, and we enjoyed food, desserts, and lots of socializing!

My heart has been full since Sunday. Thanksgiving is around the corner and I am feeling so blessed and so thankful for the wonderful life I have. I have a sweet husband who works so hard to provide for our family. I have a beautiful son who makes me laugh every day, and I am so lucky to be able to stay at home with him! We have a beautiful, warm home and wonderful neighbors. I couldn't ask for a better life!

Unfortunately we didn't get a family picture :( But I did get a few good shots of B-man in his oh so adorable little tux! (The shoes were Jeff's when he was blessed!)

Happy Halloweeeeeen!

2010-11-01T20:21:00.003-06:00

B-man had two costumes this year. On Saturday, he was a cute little devil (the same costume my little brother wore when he was a tiny tyke), and on Sunday he decided to dress up as a mini dad! For those of you who know Jeff, you know that he owns about 5o black Eaton Alliance (the company he works for) t-shirts, and that's what he wears EVERY DAY. So I bought a little black onesie and painted it to look like daddy's shirt, gave him a bright red beard, and voila!

Nana Bryner and B-devil

I already look just like my daddy, and now I dress like him too!

Such A Boob

2010-11-01T14:33:00.002-06:00

I love my boy SO much. But he is the fussiest little guy ever, and only wants to be held. This makes it slightly hard for me to get much done around the house, which has been especially frustrating while we have been trying to remodel and fix so many things in our new house (a post and pictures of the house coming soon). So Jeff's mom decided to come hold and play with B-man on Saturday so that we could get a lot of work done. I was thrilled at the idea of someone else taking care of him when he fussed, and couldn't wait to get walls painted!

"Nana" arrived and had so much fun taking him on a little walk around the yard and around the house, singing to him, and playing with him. And mama had fun working without having to haul a heavy little guy around.

Well, I have been breastfeeding, and unfortunately had not yet tried a bottle. It is something that we have been meaning to do for weeks now, but I wanted Jeff or someone else to feed him so as to avoid the confusion that I hear happens to some babies when their moms try to bottle feed them. And Jeff has been so busy and is never really home to try the bottle feeding, so it just hadn't yet happened. Until Saturday. Nana volunteered to feed him a bottle.

So I pumped and got the bottle all ready.

Bronson had no problems taking it, and just sat and watched his Nana while he ate!

Momma had problems with Bronson taking the bottle.

I had to go into the other room and bawl. I have been feeding my boy several times a day for almost 12 weeks now. It has been such a bonding experience and I treasure those times during the day where I get to just hold his warm little body against mine, and stare at his beautiful face, his tiny nose, his big curious eyes and the long lashes that frame them, hold his tiny little fingers and toes, examine the cowlicks in his hair... And I just lost it watching someone else taking that moment from me. Don't get me wrong, I have been waiting for this moment for weeks and am excited that he doesn't have any sort of nipple confusion, and to know that I can have a babysitter if I need one. But it was definitely bitter-sweet.

Well, after I wiped all the tears and makeup off my face, we put Bronson in his little devil costume so that Nana could take him to meet up with his cousins for some Halloween festivities. As I put the car seat in her car and watched them drive away, I lost it again. Another bitter-sweet moment. I love having people come take him off my hands for a little bit so that I can get things done and give my poor aching back and arms a rest. But usually this happens at my house, so even though I am not the one holding or taking care of him, I am just in the other room and can run and snuggle him the moment he starts crying, or the moment I start to miss him. But this time he was driving away from me.

The whole time they were gone, I kept telling Jeff that maybe I should call his mom and make sure that everything was okay. Or check to make sure he was warm enough. Or to make sure that he had enough blankets. Or to find out if they got caught in the rain storm. And Jeff just held me as I cried and reminded me that his mom successfully raised 5 kids of her own and that she has quite a few grandchildren and that she would call me if anything was wrong.

Let's just say that when my little man got back home, I could not stop hugging him and kissing his little cheeks.

I'm already dreading his first day of school. I'm such a boob!

Two Months and Growing!

2010-10-12T11:33:00.004-06:00

Bronson had his 2 month check-up yesterday:

12 lbs. 11 oz. (72%)

23.5 inches long (72%)

and his head is in the 62nd percentile

(My little chunky monkey!)

Had 3 shots, which led to one slight fever and a very sad boy.

Also asked the doctor about his flat head. He favors lying on one side of his head, and no matter how many times I turn his head to the other side, he immediately turns it back. I've been warning him that if he doesn't start lying on other parts of his head, he's going to end up wearing one of those plastic helmets. And just as I suspected, the pediatrician referred us to a plastic surgeon to see about fitting him for a dorky little helmet, and we're going to need to see a physical therapist to work on loosening his neck muscles.

Yesterday we also had 3 outfit changes due to throwing up, and 2 other outfit changes because of poop up the back. Then, just as I put him to bed last night, his nose decided to stuff up and he couldn't breathe at all. So we used the bulb syringe (aka "the booger sucker thingie"), salt water spray up the nostrils, did lots of cuddling, and not much sleeping.

More highlights at 2 months:

smiles and coos at Mom and Dad

can pick out Mom's voice in a crowd of people

follows Mom around the room with his eyes

discovered his tongue 2 weeks ago and is constantly moving it around and blowing spit bubbles

has also discovered that he can suck on his hands

has a very strong neck and holds his head up on his own

sleeps through the night (WAHOO!)

Have I mentioned how much I love my little boy?

The Labor

2010-10-11T15:25:00.009-06:00

It has already been two months since Bronson was born, but before I forget the details, I wanted to write down my thoughts and feelings and everthing that happened leading up to his arrival. If you don't care about all of this, don't read on.

The couple of weeks before Bronson actually came, Jeff and I were so ready to have this baby. I was particularly anxious because he was sitting low and was right on the nerves in my legs causing me to frequently collapse. I didn't dare leave the house without Jeff for fear that I would end up face down in the middle of aisle 6 at Smith's, quoting Steve Urkel in an "I've fallen and I can't get up!" moment. I was also quite worried that I wouldn't realize I was having contractions, or that I would go into labor while Jeff was doing the overnight for work and wouldn't be able to get someone to come cover, and that I would be calling people in the middle of the night to come take me to the hospital. So I started willing my baby boy to come. I tried running up and down the stairs in our house (until my legs would collapse I would have to crawl back up the stairs). I tried jumping on my sister-in-law's trampoline. We would go on power walks. We tried... ahem...well, you know. But my baby boy was comfortable right where he was.

Then on the morning of August 9th, I started having contractions. Jeff would only leave for work that day after I promised him about 4 dozen times that I would call him in PLENTY of time for him to leave work and get home to me. I knew that we would be going to the hospital by that evening, so I frantically cleaned the house and finished washing and hanging up tiny onesies and pajamas.

At around 4:00 that afternoon, the contractions started getting stronger and closer together, so I started timing them. And then at around 8:00, I texted Jeff to tell him that they were about 5 minutes apart. He was immediately in his car and was home by 8:40. We finished packing my bag, and got in the car to head up to LDS Hospital. The entire drive up there was surreal, knowing that we were driving up just the two of us, but would be coming home as a little family.

We got up to Labor and Delivery at about 9:45, and my nurse hooked me up to the machines to monitor my contractions and checked to see how dilated I was. Much to my surprise I was still only a little bigger than a 1. I thought for sure that she was going to send me home, but she came back a little bit later and told me that the baby's heart rate was dropping after every few contractions, so they were going to keep me to monitor him. Also, because he was sitting so low and my cervix was clear behind his head, the contractions weren't helping to dilate me, so they called the on-call doctor in to break my water hoping that would help tomove things along. The doctor came in and tried breaking my water, but said that my cervix was so posterior that he couldn't reach it to break my water. Jeff still laughs as he says the real reason is that the doctor had the shortest fingers in the world (the rubber gloves had room in the finger tips). So after the doctor left the nurse decided she had better put me on petocin. After she gave me the petocin, my contractions started getting really strong and painful. She told me that I could have the epidural at any time, but I didn't want to seem like a wuss so I kept waiting just a little bit longer. Finally I decided that I didn't care whether I was a wuss or not, I wanted to not be in pain and enjoy the experience so I told the nurse to get the anesthesiologist in there as soon as possible. During all of this, Jeff was fast asleep, snoring like crazy on the couch in the room. He was pretty out of it at about 2:00 a.m. when the anesthesiologist came in, but woke up enough to hold my hand while I suffered through the contractions and the large needle entering my back. (Jeff told the nurse that he thought he was going to lose his thumb I was squeezing his hand so hard.) It took a while for the epidural to kick in, and I had to push the button for more drugs a couple of times before I finally stopped feeling anything. But once the numbness hit, I was in heaven! I couldn't feel a thing, so Jeff went back to sleep and I just laid there, listening to him snoring, and watching the monitor. I loved seeing the little blips of my baby's heart beat, and loved seeing the big blips that signified yet another contraction that I had not even felt! (However, I did NOT love farting on my nurse and having no control over it!)

I don't know what time it was when the nurse came back in to tell me that the baby's heart rate had dropped quite a bit and that they wanted to put me on oxygen. She also helped me to roll over onto my other side to see if that would help. She came back a little bit later and said that she wanted to hook a heart rate monitor up to his head, so she broke my water, hooked up the monitor and left again. I just laid in my bed, watched the monitor and waited. At 5:00 a.m. she came in, checked me and said that I had dilated to an 8. When she came back a while later she said that I was dilated to a 10+ and that she was going to call the doctor and that I would soon be pushing. Jeff woke up and we both sat there, excited that in just a little bit we would be meeting our son. This was finally real. We would soon have a son and life would never be the same!

When the nurse came back in, she said that she had called my doctor and that he was on his way in. She and Jeff came and held my legs and told me I was going to start pushing, but I had barely even started to push when she quickly told me to stop. The baby was crowning and if I kept pushing, he'd be here before the doctor arrived. So she went to go call the doctor again and rush him over to the hospital.

Again, we sat and waited. When Dr. Johnson finally walked in the room wearing his scrubs, he apologized saying that he figured he would have time to shower, not realizing that I was crowning and that this would be happening fast. The nurse started to ask if I wanted a mirror so I could watch, but before I could respond, they were telling me to push. 19 minutes later, I was still pushing (the epidural was so good that I felt NOTHING.... not even any pressure) when my doctor told me that I could stop.... our son had arrived! I looked down at the table, saw my little boy, started to cry, looked at Jeff, saw the tears in his eyes, and cried even more. I was completely overwhelmed that this little boy had been sent from Heavenly Father to be our son. He was so perfect! I watched as he cried, and as Jeff cut the umbilical cord, and as they wiped him off and placed him on my bare chest. As he snuggled into me, and then held his tiny head up to look at me, I couldn't believe that he was mine.

Because everything happened so fast and they never did get the mirror for me, I missed seeing him born. But apparently my little man was ready to come out. Jeff tells me that one of his arms was out with his head. Well he took that little arm, dug his elbow into the table, pulled out his other arm, dug that arm into the table and then army crawled the rest of the way out! That's my guy!

Jeff and I cried non-stop for the next two weeks. Every time we would look at each other or at our son, we would start bawling. Even now, I tear up when I think about how blessed I am. I love being this little boy's mother. I love taking care of him. I love watching him grow. And I love that he is mine for eternity! Thanks for being a part of our family Bronson!

2010-08-15T17:59:00.005-06:00

Bronson Charles Bryner

Born August 10th, 2010

8:09 a.m.

7 lbs 3 oz

20 inches

And he is absolutely perfect!

Sooooo Ready

2010-08-03T16:08:00.006-06:00

Stats at my appointment today: just under 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor's response when checking me: "Good CRAP this boy is sitting low!" No wonder I'm waddling.

So come on little man... We're ready for you!

Nesting

2010-07-27T11:46:00.006-06:00

I get asked a lot if I am "nesting". I've heard that the nesting phase is when a pregnant woman cleans... no, SCRUBS her house and prepares a nursery. I've heard women talk about how many times they have washed and organized their new little one's clothing, and how they've obsessed with every cutesy detail in the nursery. I've heard that they just stand in their baby's room and stare to make sure everything is in its perfect place.

We thought we would be moving before our little man arrived. I thought I would have time to semi-organize and cutesify a nursery before he showed up. But due to our purchasing a bank owned home with extra paper work, and unexpected twists, the move is being delayed a couple of weeks. Which means that all my baby stuff and half of the rest of my house is currently packed up and in either the garage or the living room.

So my "nesting" has been spent organizing boxes, finding the boxes that I will need for the first little bit of our little guy's life, and trying not to cry as I look at the chaos and disgustingness that is my home right now. My other "nesting" projects have consisted of vacuuming out my car and installing the car seat attachment thingie (that is the technical name for it, right?), semi-packing my hospital bag, cleaning enough space in our room and the spare room for a temporary "nursery", and eating lots of ice-cream.

Now, I just sit and wait until the oh-so-scary yet oh-so-exciting moment when I get to meet my son and become a parent.

This Baby's A Cookin'

2010-07-14T01:11:00.004-06:00

I've had a few people wanting picture updates of the belly, so here is a shot of week 35. I am so blessed to have had such a good and healthy pregnancy. Our little man is growing and progressing well. He loves to kick me in the ribs, and has taken over my lung capacity, so I run out of breath even walking up the stairs (pathetic, I know). The heartburn is about to kill me, and I am completely exhausted every day, but other than that, things are wonderful!

The only thing stressing me out: both of my sister's kids came 2 weeks early, and my mom had all of us a week or two early. I may be the only pregnant woman on the face of the planet to wish for her baby to come late! HA! But I am honestly stressed thinking about him coming right while we are trying to close on our house, or right in the middle of the move. Oh well, whatever happens, happens. Right?

What Were We Thinking? - Part 2

2010-07-14T00:46:00.004-06:00

So we thought we were crazy to undertake the flooring project. I figured that we'd have the house in shambles for a few weeks, then the floors would be done and I would put my house back together, and then focus all my energies on creating a perfectly adorable nursery.

Wrong.

Instead, we ended up selling our house (much to our surprise), and beginning the oh-so-fun process of house hunting and making offers. We spent a few days searching the MLS for homes to look at, and then a few hours walking through house after house after miserable house.

Long story short, we fell in love with a bank owned home, found out that it had just barely gone under contract, then a few short days later found out the offer fell through. Now we are the ones under contract on the house, and are anxiously awaiting the time we can move in! The house is a cute brick rambler built in '61. A lot of the features remind me of my grandparents house: hardwood floors, cupboards built into the hall walls, pink tile in the bathroom, and the garage even smells like "grandpa's garage" (sisters, you know exactly what I am talking about!). The house is live-able, but also needs a lot of updating and fixing... so needless to say, Jeff is excited to have yet another home full of projects!

Now I am just packing up our house, and praying that our little man doesn't decide to come early. I need these last 4 1/2 weeks to pack and move and try to get a little bit settled.

Think we'll make it? I sure hope so!

What Were We Thinking?

2010-06-08T12:04:00.004-06:00

As if we didn't already have enough going on in our lives: Jeff works 65+ hours a week PLUS goes to school; I'm trying to make magical things happen in the world of real estate; and I am getting fatter, more tired, and definitely able to do less as I incubate a tiny human and try to figure out all this baby stuff (what to buy, where, what kinds, etc. etc. etc.)... And then we decide to take on another project.

Our home which had been on the market for over 7 months was just not appealing to anyone. We hardly had any calls, even after lowering the price to a ridiculously low amount, and finally just decided to stick it out here for a while longer. That being said, we decided to redo our floors! We've talked about it the whole time we've lived here, and now that we're staying, we want it to feel like a nicer home (plus the upgrades will hopefully help sell it next time we try). So Jeff has spent all his spare time (which isn't much) ripping up carpet, and learning to lay hardwood.

Our house is currently a disaster, and we feel like our home is one of those puzzles where you keep moving all the tiny pieces until the picture is finally complete. All the furniture is either in the garage, the spare room (which means that I haven't even been able to THINK about a nursery yet) or moves from living room to dining room to living room and back to dining room. But we think the result will be well worth it!

With the carpet ripped up and the ugly stained sub-floors.

And the nice new bamboo!

Living room is done, now to move on to the dining room and kitchen...

Calling All Moms:

2010-05-20T11:12:00.005-06:00

Um, so I am starting to FREAK OUT! Up until a few days ago, I hadn't even thought about buying all the stuff we will need for the little man. But now.... well, I am sitting here at my computer, researching cribs, car seats, strollers, etc. I am reading all the reviews and I am feeling oh so overwhelmed.

HELP!

All you moms out there, I need your opinions and advice. Which brands have you loved? Which brands have you hated? Which brands and items are good quality and sturdy but are affordable on a budget? What do I absolutely need and what can I wait to get? Any tips or advice? Oh, and which kinds of paper bags do you prefer to breathe into while hyperventilating over situations like this?

My Sleepless Future

2010-04-28T17:13:00.004-06:00

Last night, I stayed up with Jeff until 2:00 in the morning helping him to finish a final project for school. As I was cutting paper, punching holes, printing things, and gluing, I had a glimpse into my future. I pictured my son taking after his father. I picture him procrastinating his school projects. I imagined myself up until 2:00 a.m. the night before science projects and research papers are due.

Oh boy.

Thank You Panel Pants!

2010-04-21T14:54:00.006-06:00

Why didn't someone tell me sooner just how comfy maternity pants are? I'm in love, and may never go back to regular jeans again!

The Belly

2010-04-09T15:27:00.005-06:00

This is for all you out there who have asked to see belly shots. We started out by taking a picture every week to document the thickening of my waistline. In the beginning, I thought I was showing. Then I looked at the pics. Um, yeah.... not even noticeable. Then we slacked and took a break for a few weeks... That's when I started to pop. I'm just glad that people can finally tell I am incubating a little man.

14 Weeks

15 Weeks

16 Weeks

17 Weeks

18 Weeks

22 Weeks

OH BOY!!!

2010-03-17T15:21:00.007-06:00

That's right, the Bryner Bun is a BOY!!! And boy, oh boy was he NOT shy about showing us his junk (or "tallywhacker" as the hubby and father-in-law call it).

Does he not have the cutest little profile you've ever seen?

It was a couple of days before Thanksgiving of '08 that Jeff and I drove to the exact same hospital clinic for an ultrasound... the day we found out that we were having a miscarriage. It was an emotional day and a heartbreaking holiday season. It took me a long time to find peace about the situation and even longer to stop hating every pregnant woman I came in contact with. And then it was a long emotional road as we tried month after month after month to get pregnant again. But today, driving up to the hospital, my heart was full. It was such a perfectly sunny spring day, and my stomach was full of butterflies at the anticipation of seeing pictures of my little bun.

I can't even being to express the emotions that flooded over me as the technician began the ultrasound. I don't think I quite knew what to expect. My baby appeared on the screen in front of me, and next thing I knew, arms and legs were flailing and waving and his little body was moving like crazy. We saw his perfect little heart beating, and he even turned and waved at us once! He is one active little boy already, and apparently loves to pull his legs and feet up over his head. (He did NOT get that flexibility from me... that's for sure!)

Look at him stretching and twisting. His spine looks SO cool!

Jeff is already a very proud daddy! During the entire examination, he was beaming and practically bouncing all over the room. As we were leaving the clinic, he had to shout for all the other patrons to hear: "IT'S A BOY!" And I have not been able to stop staring at the picture of my little boy's profile. Wait.... um, how weird is that... I just said "my little boy".... I have already teared up a few times thinking how lucky I am to be this little boy's mother. How excited I am to watch him grow. And pack lunches for him and his daddy as they go on fishing/hunting trips. Words can't even describe how much I already love this little guy!

"Hi Mom and Dad!" Can you see his little hand up by his face?

And last but not least, the "tallywhacker". I was debating giving him his privacy, but it's just too exciting not to share! I had been giving my belly pep talks all week about not being shy during the ultrasound.... maybe that's why he kept pulling his legs up. "Look Mom!" He was just showing me what I had asked for!

Your Agent!

2010-03-05T15:22:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to let all my friends and family know that I am now officially a Real Estate Agent. For those of you who are worried about it, yes, I will still be working on my art business and will continue to paint and take commissions. (In fact, I am currently working on some fun stuff, and will probably soon be posting about my art ambitions and adventures again!) But this is just another fun way for me to help supplement our income, while doing something that I enjoy! If you already have an agent you love, awesome! But if you are in the market to buy or sell a home, and need an agent, I'd love to be your gal!

August is a Magical Month!!!

2010-02-09T16:54:00.009-07:00

This time of year I always get the winter blues and longingly pine for sunshine and warm weather. So naturally lately I have been thinking a lot about the month of August and all the fun that it brings.

August takes us to Lake Powell with the Bryner Family...which means a full week of this:

...and this:

August also means we celebrate the birth of this handsome fella:

In August we celebrate the anniversary of this perfect day:

And now, August also means:

Yep! Our little Bryner Bun will be fully incubated August 13th and we will begin the joys of sleepless nights, poopy diapers, chubby cheeks, and a family of 3! I guess you could say we're pretty excited for August!

Get It Off My Chest:

2010-01-29T18:05:00.005-07:00

I have recently discovered a HUGE pet peeve of mine. It is like fingernails on a chalk board when I hear girls talking about shoes and calling them "high hills". It's even worse when I read blogs or facebook posts and see that someone has written about their shoes and TYPED the words "high hills".

COME ON GIRLS! We are NOT wearing little mountains on our feet. We are wearing HEELS!

Thank you for letting me vent! (Hope I didn't offend too many people...)

Beat It...

2009-12-15T21:02:00.008-07:00

Jeff and I have lived in our home for two and a half years now. Our neighbors are all nice, and our only complaint has been that the neighbor who shares our back wall smokes and we can all too frequently point out the exact moment that he lights up. But other than that, he is the nicest guy in the world. I take my HOA check over to him each month and we have a friendly little chat.

He's older. Single. Has a few cats. And we've never heard the slightest sound coming from his house.

Until last week.

I believe it was Thursday. At about 10:30 a.m., I was sitting at the kitchen table working on some stuff on my laptop. Suddenly the entire room was pounding and shaking and I could feel the vibrations through my chair. It sounded like our neighbor suddenly decided to crank up the bass on his dusty old stereo and jam out to "Super Dance Hits, 2001". I found it fairly humorous, until it lasted for hours.

I guess around 3:00 that afternoon, he'd had enough dance party, and decided to get mellow and sentimental, because suddenly it was as if Celine herself was in my dining room serenading me. I could hear EVERY WORD to the Titanic theme song. On repeat. 4 times. I tried not to be annoyed because I am well aware that Jeff loves to crank up his Tool. But my blood started to boil when we were woken up the next morning at 7:15 to a Michael Jackson concert.

I tried ignoring the pounding for the rest of the weekend and thought that maybe it was getting better, but again on Monday morning, Michael Jackson woke me up by reminding me that it don't matter if I'm black or white. I decided that enough was enough, and I stormed outside in my sweat pants. When walking up to his door, I noticed that the aluminum siding was literally rattling.

I rang the doorbell.

30 seconds later, the music was turned down a little and our neighbor's new roommate/boyfriend/son/brother (not sure exactly how this scraggly white trash man is connected with my neighbor) opened the door and stared at me. I'm sure I was a sight to behold, in my pj's, hair matted to one side, and a massive glare plastered on my face. I tried to be friendly as I explained how my husband had been up until 2:00 am studying for a final and that neither of us appreciated being woken up in this fashion; that the music has been so loud that I have known every artist and song he has been listening to.

He gave me a blank look and mumbled: "Oh really? It's that loud?" I think he must be retarded.

As we were chatting and I was telling him that I work from home and it's hard to concentrate, one of the cats decided to break free from the lung cancerous, deafening hell hole he'd been trapped in and ran under a car in the parking lot. Mr. White Trash glared at me, "You need to get my cat."

I'm pretty sure I mumbled something to the effect of "I am NOT climbing under your car to get that cat. Turn your damn music down." I then turned and walked around the corner back to my house.

Today, I could tell by the beat that it was Michael again, but at least I couldn't hear every word.

Currently on my mind...

2009-11-03T12:54:00.010-07:00

NOTE: this is going to be a looooong rambley post. But I am a terrible journal keeper and this is about the only place I actually write down what it happening in my life and how I am feeling. That being said, if you choose not to read this, I understand. I just needed to write how I am feeling today so that if the discouragement creeps back in, I will be able to read this and remember how I was feeling today!

When I started back in school up at the U, I had plans to apply for their graphic design program. I spent my whole first year building up my portfolio specifically for this purpose. But on a daily basis one of my painting teachers would tell me that I needed to be a painting major, that I would do so well as a painting major, that I just HAD to be a painting major. She got into my head, and the week that we were supposed to turn in our portfolios to apply for the graphic design program, I changed my mind and decided that I, Jessie DeCastro, was DESTINED to be a painter.

Well, almost daily during the next three years, I doubted my choice. I would have anxiety attacks. I would worry that I was doing the wrong thing. I would wonder what life would be like after graduation as a painting major. I would cry. But I would also pray about my decision. And I received confirmation that I was doing what I was supposed to do. I even had my home teacher give me a blessing. And although he didn't fully know my dilemma, his words confirmed that I was on the right path. So I stuck with it and graduated with a BFA in Painting and Drawing.

Right after graduation, I got engaged and was busy planning a wedding, purchasing a home, and making said home livable. I stopped painting. I swore that as soon as we were married, things would settle down and I would get right back into my painting. We even turned the spare room into my studio so that I would have a work space. But then we both got busy with jobs and trying to make ends meet. And I still didn't paint. I swore that as soon as we had a little more "security" I would start painting again.

Then last year at this time, Jeff and I decided that it was time for me to quit my job and focus on being a full time artist! Some of you may remember my happy post when I stated that I was pursuing my dream job. I had such high aspirations and just KNEW that I would do oh so well. But day after day I would struggle with staying focused. I got scared. I feared that I wasn't a good enough artist. I worried that I would never make money doing what I loved. When I finally finished some commissioned pieces, I felt rejuvenated. I felt like a true artist. I felt like a GOOD artist!

Then a couple of hopeful commissions fell through due to the rough economic times, and our financial situation got really tight. Art is something that isn't really a priority when money is scarce. So I got scared again. I worried once again that I had made the wrong decision in school... that if only I had majored in graphic design, I would have a good job and we would have money. And I stopped painting.

Over the past few months I have threatened to pack up all my art supplies and put them in storage. I wanted to forget that art was even a part of my life. I have become depressed about art. I have wished that I could be happy doing something else.

Lucky for me, I have an inspired husband, wonderful family and great friends who won't let me get away with thinking this way. Jeff has constantly reminded me that this is my calling in life. That I am an artist. That I have been given a talent that I need to do something with. And just the other weekend, a good friend slapped some sense into me and reminded me that I have had the confirmation numerous times, and that I am supposed to be a painter, so I need to stop doubting it and stop being scared, and stop complaining about it, and just do something with it. (Thanks Bri!)

And although it still seems like such an impractical career choice, I know that there is something that I am supposed to be doing with my art. Someone higher wants me to be doing this and knows that I will do something great with it. I still have no clue what will come of me painting, but I am finally feeling excited about it all again! I have plans. I have ideas. I am super excited about what I am currently working on. And although I am still job hunting so I can help bring in the bacon again, I know that I will still paint and will forever be an artist.

Now, if you read this entire rant, I apologize. Like I said, I just needed to write this down so that tomorrow when I doubt myself again, I have a reminder of what I really feel.

When it rains, it pours...

2009-10-02T17:47:00.012-06:00

"If we had to pick one of our cars to get rid of, which would it be?" This question has caused a few laughs between Jeff and I lately. We both drive unimpressive cars anyway, but the past couple of months have been a doozy when it comes to car related issues:

Let's go back to the beginning of the summer. I was heading down to Pleasant Grove for Jeff's summer work party. Of course it was on a Friday at 6:00 pm, so the traffic was terrible. I started noticing that I was having a hard time getting into first or second gear as I trudged through rush-hour traffic. I'd had a similar problem before and figured that it just had to be my clutch going out. Well, I drove it all summer anyway, and as the problem got progressively worse and worse, I simply minimized my car time to quick trips to the grocery store and back.

Now let's go back to the beginning of August, as I was following Jeff in rush hour traffic on 700 E. Some idiot in a big red truck rear ended me causing me to tap Jeff's car in front of me. As I recovered from the whip lash and looked in my rear view mirror, I saw "the idiot" (as he shall from this point on be referred to) waving and giving me a thumbs up. I got out of my car to survey the damage and he was still waving at me. So I raised one eyebrow and gave a half wave back. Jeff was pretty mad by this point and got out of his car. The guy rolled down his window and told Jeff "No, she's okay! She waved!" Jeff told "the idiot" to get out of his car and look at the smashed bumper. "Oh....... $*!%" he mumbled.

Long story short, we got a cop over to file a report, exchanged insurance and other info and were back on our way. Over the next couple of weeks, we found out that "the idiot" really didn't have insurance (not surprised). But he seemed like a decent guy as he returned phone calls and made arrangements with a body shop. I met him at the body shop one morning, dropped my car off, and he spoke with the owner to "make payment arrangements".

One week later, the body shop called to say sorry they hadn't fixed my car, but the guy hadn't made any payments and they didn't want to have to hold my car hostage, so I'd probably better just come pick it up. I called "the idiot". Jeff called "the idiot". We called "the idiot's" other phone number. You guessed it... they've both been disconnected.

So my bumper and messed up trunk didn't get fixed (yes, I know we can do it through our insurance, but we haven't wanted to pay the deductible). But I figured that at least we could get my clutch fixed. So we took my car to Jeff's cousin, the mechanic, for a clutch replacement. I was so excited last Saturday thinking that I would have my car back and would finally be able to drive further than Albertson's. Nope. They replaced the clutch, but that still didn't fix it, and the mechanic thinks that it may be the master cylinder. So I have my car back again, but it drives worse than before. (I am crossing my fingers that the master cylinder will finally fix it. If not, anyone want to help me push the car over a cliff???)

Well at least we have one working car. Right?

Monday after his classes, Jeff called to tell me that when he tried to start his car it wouldn't turn over. Then a small curl of smoke came out of the ignition, and lots more smoke came out from under the dash. Great! So his car was towed back to the shop where the mechanic cousin is hoping to find out what wire blew up. (Have I mentioned that we are in the shop at LEAST quarterly for new things that have broken down on Jeff's car? And have I told you that his car is on it's THIRD engine?)

So Jeff has ridden the bus, we've borrowed cars from friends (which we are SO thankful for), and we're just waiting for it to stop raining and looking forward to the rainbow!

My Ring

2009-09-08T21:00:00.002-06:00

On May 9th, 2007, Jeff proposed to me. The whole event was a surprise. We had talked about marriage, but hadn't been ring shopping so I really didn't expect it to happen that night. We went 4-wheeling on Stansbury Island and shot his .45 at rocks and bushes. The entire day was an adventure and Jeff was great at setting the camera up to capture everything, and even caught the proposal:

I always worried that I would HATE the ring if my future husband surprised me when proposing. I've had friends who ended up with swirly piles of ugliness. And how do you tell the love of your life that he sucks at picking out jewelery? ("Sure I'll marry you, but damn this ring is UGLY!") So when he pulled out the ring box and I caught a glimpse of my ring sparking in the sunset light, I was oh so pleasantly surprised! The diamond was the cut I loved (emerald!), the ring was beautiful, and I have been in love with it for over two years now.

But for some reason, my ring has decided that it doesn't love me as much as I love it. The tiny pave diamonds keep falling out (see my post about the pies). It started out with one falling out a year and a half ago. It was an easy fix and I thought all was well. For a few months. Then it was one more diamond. Then two, or even four at a time. The jeweler has been fantastic about fixing it each time, and has even had all the diamonds checked numerous times to make sure that they are securely set in the ring. After the pie incident, and parting with my ring yet again for a week long repair job, I thought that I might be okay for at least a few more months.

Nope.

Another diamond is MIA, and it hasn't even been a month since the last incident. I have spoken with my jeweler and they say that they cannot remake my ring. So my options are 1) keep bringing it in each month to have missing diamonds replaced, or 2) bring it in and exchange it for a new ring. Personally, I don't like either option. As I have stated, I LOVE my ring. I hate having to part with it every month for repairs. And I don't want to pick a new ring. This is the one that my sweet husband picked out, and I'm a sentimental gal.

So tell me friends, what would you do? Would you keep the ring that you love and know that you'll be losing diamonds frequently? Or would you trade it in for a more reliable model?

I Heart Coupons

2009-08-31T17:02:00.006-06:00

I have been looking for ways to save a buck, so my friend Kelli introduced me to the wonderful world of couponing. It has taken me a few months to get the hang of it, and honestly, I still don't enjoy it. It takes me way too long to get my list together, make sure I have all the coupons I need, and make sure that everything I wanted is in stock so that my deals work out right. But by the time I am at the cash register and see the price dropping, I am a happy camper. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Albertson's was having one of their awesome Kraft deals, where if you spent $25 in participating items, you received a $5 coupon towards your next shopping trip and a $20 mail in rebate. I have since thrown away the receipt depicting my totals, but here is a really close guestimate of what I spent:

Actual value of groceries: $80

Total value of coupons/savings: $50

Total amount handed to cashier: $30

PLUS: $6 towards next purchase ($5 for promotional deal, plus $1 for a random item I bought)

AND: $20 mail in rebate

Total amount spent when all is said and done: $4

1 Cougar, 3 Pies, and a Birthday Surprise

2009-08-31T16:21:00.007-06:00

This August, Jeff caught up in age to his "cougar" of a wifey and turned the big 3 0. I wanted to have a little get-together to celebrate, so we invited a few of his closest friends to join us for dinner at McGrath's Fish House, and then had everyone over for dessert. Jeff is not a cake person, but he sure loves him some pie (note to reader: you MUST say "pie", in an Eric Cartman voice), so I turned into a little Suzy Homemaker and baked three, yes, THREE pies for Jeff.... key lime, lemon cream cheese, and pecan... and they turned out fantastic (at least I thought so for my first attempt at making either of the pies).

(ignore my mug in the photo, but aren't my pies nice?)

Funny side story on the pies: Jeff had to come home a couple of days early from Lake Powell to go back to work. When I got home, he told me he had taken my ring into the jewelers to be cleaned. When we went to pick the ring up, two of the pave diamonds had fallen out during cleaning. It was the weekend so I just wore the ring home and figured I'd take it back the next week to be fixed. Well, on the big birthday, I took Jeff to lunch. While we were waiting for our food, he was holding my hand, and suddenly gasped. I looked down to see that two more of the diamonds had fallen out. I was bummed, but then realized that I had already baked two of the pies, meaning the missing diamonds could have been anywhere from the grass in the front yard, to the crust of a homemade dessert. Needless to say, while serving our guests their dessert, I also had to warn them to chew carefully.

Surprise! Nobody ended up finding a sparkly party favor in their food.

Lake Powell

2009-08-26T17:33:00.009-06:00

August always brings the annual Lake Powell trip with the Bryner clan. And despite the usual problems (only one engine worked on the house boat, one fridge was out of commission, the ants took over the kitchen, and we had to siphon gas into the gas cans), it was a memorable trip.

The full moon was beautiful, but made it hard to sleep

We piled into the boat for daily fishing

Wally struggled with his life jacket

Not sure if he was tired or pissed

Strike a pose...

...show off the muscles...

...and then DIVE!

The kiddos dressed up like pirates...

...and then went on a treasure hunt

Hiking into the narrows

The rocks right next to our house boat

I love the patterns the water makes!

Three Oh

2009-08-26T17:10:00.009-06:00

In July, I turned the magical age of thirty. No, I am not depressed. No, I don't feel any different. Yes, I am excited to start this next chapter in my life. And yes, I did look in the mirror and realize that I am starting to look older. Bummer.

My actual birthday was pretty low key, but the celebrating continued for a few days afterward. That Saturday, we did a little fishing at Strawberry Reservoir. I was able to work on my tan and take a little nappy nap on the boat too! Later that evening, Jeff took me to dinner and then surprised me with a party up at his parents house! (Thanks to the family and friends who put it all together and helped my husband in all the lying!)

Jeff's biggest surprise, though, was the beautiful frame that he made for me! He loves working in his dad's wood shop, and he spent days up there building my present. Remember my post about Craig Tovey and the head shots he took of me? Jeff wanted to frame those as a reminder of how beautiful he thinks I am (I think I may have cried a little bit as he was telling me this). He even cut the matting around the pictures himself! So thank you sugar bum for the wonderful birthday and the perfect gift!

Friends

2009-08-26T16:30:00.008-06:00

I love getting together with all my High School girlfriends. We don't do it often enough (as we were talking about it, we realized that the last time we had all gotten together was right before I got married, two years ago), but when we do.... oh the fun we have! So I just wanted to post the picture of all us girls at dinner in June, and let them know how much I love them!

Ready, Set, BLOG!

2009-08-24T19:30:00.004-06:00

I have been a total slacker when it comes to blogging. I've just had no motivation whatsoever. This being said, I have decided over the next couple of days to catch up on oodles of blogging, which means there will be a bundle of summer photos, random stories, and rambling.

Coming soon: birthdays, an anniversary, a bit of fishing, and anything else I can remember

2009-08-11T15:46:00.008-06:00

Happy 30th Birthday, my sweetheart!

Love, your "Chicken"

New Paintings

2009-05-29T17:03:00.011-06:00

Well folks, here they are. The six paintings I just this morning delivered to my friend. There is a story behind each of them, but you'll have to wait, as my friend who commissioned these is still writing them up. Enjoy!

Swarm Theory

14x14 Oil on Board

Tumbleweed

14x14 Oil on Board

Fractal

14x14 Oil on Board

DNA Strand

14x14 Oil on Board

Cat's Eye Nebula

14x14 Oil on Board

Aurora Borealis

14x14 Oil on Board

And here is one I just finished for someone in New York:

The Kiss

8x12 Oil on Canvas

I Heart Your Talent, Craig Tovey...

2009-05-29T14:31:00.009-06:00

I recently finished 6 paintings that a friend commissioned me to do, and I wanted to get some good photos of the art before I gave them to said friend. I have several friends who are phenomenal photographers, but when I talked to my friend Craig, he was excited for the challenge! He didn't just do a good job... he did a SUPERBLY AWESOME job of photographing my art! Basically, he's hired.

So this blog is purely a plug for the fantastic photographer, Craig Tovey. Check out his PhotoBlog to see what he has been up to. Or better yet, go to his website to check out his services, and then give him a call. I've never seen anyone capture a personality on film quite like Craiggers.

Hey YOU...click on the link:

Oh, did I mention that after he photographed my art, he forced me sit for some head shots. I hate hate HATE pictures of myself.... until now. Here are a few of the great shots he took of me:

The Official Website

2009-04-24T13:57:00.008-06:00

Well folks, this is it. I finally got my art website up. HOORAY! It isn't fancy. I don't have a cool logo or any sweet moving text. (Anyone know how to do java? Or want to create a cool logo or font or something?) I'll be obsessed with making it better. But this is where I have displayed my displayable art. This is where I will be putting images of my new art. This is my website! Check it out. Tell your friends and family about it. Create a link to it from your blog. When you overhear someone saying "Man, I wish I knew a really great artist who could do a portrait of my kid", tell them about it. And check it periodically if you'd like to see what I've been up to.

http://www.jessiebrynerart.com

P.S. I'd like to thank my mac for allowing me to build a simple website using a simple program.

Yet Another Awesome Compliment...

2009-04-13T15:12:00.006-06:00

This is our nephew Max. He, like Kira, and all children I suppose, can be very blunt and to the point. This is a conversation he had with Jeff at Easter dinner yesterday:

Max: Jeff, you are a lot like my papa!

Jeff: Yes I am buddy, in a lot of ways.

Shannon (Max's mama): Max, in what way would you say Jeff is like Papa?

Max: (turning to Jeff) You're fat!

Shannon quickly put her head in her hands and sighed.

Honesty Isn't Always The Best Policy

2009-04-07T10:47:00.009-06:00

This is my beautiful niece Kira. She is 8 years old, and never sugar coats what she is thinking. The other day while at my sister-in-law's house, I was chatting with Kira while she pretended to practice the piano. She suddenly cocked her head to one side, and changed the subject:

Kira: Jessie, do you need braces?

Me: Well, I never had them as a kid. Yes, my teeth are a little crooked.

Kira: (with complete pity in her voice) Oh, I feel SO bad for kids who don't get braces when they are little. Then they grow up and look like...... (her voice trails off)

Me: What, they look like me?

Kira: Well....yeah!

The Pros and Cons of Smelling Like an Armpit

2009-04-03T17:13:00.013-06:00

While I absolutely LOVE my "at home" business (aka: calling myself an artist while getting high on oil paint and turpentine in the spare bedroom), I have recently been wondering if it's really such a good idea to "work from home".

PROS:

I love my boss: ME!
I make my own schedule, which usually involves sleeping in and long lunches.
Jeff and I actually spend time together during the week.
I can wear my pajamas to work, and don't have to do my hair.
I am doing what I have always dreamed of doing!

CONS:

I am constantly tempted to do laundry, clean the kitchen, or play on my computer when I should be painting.
I very seldom do anything with myself anymore. I mean, why even put mascara on when I won't see a soul all day. And don't even get me started on person hygiene. Today was the first in a couple of days that I even considered putting deodorant on. I'm disgusting, I know.
I am an "artist" which means that the paychecks I used to bring in are no longer there. I am making a little bit of money on the commissioned pieces I am doing, but nothing like the steady paychecks I used to have.

So now I am wondering, is it worth it? Is it worth smelling like armpit and crying every time I balance the checkbook to have my dream job?

(Anyone with advice on how to motivate myself to shower, ignore the piles of laundry, or paint a million dollar picture, let's do lunch!)

For Me

2009-03-25T18:41:00.010-06:00

This week has been so gloomy that I decided: why can't a girl buy herself flowers?

So I did.

Maybe

2009-03-12T17:15:00.003-06:00

I have been reluctant to blog lately. I dunno why. Maybe it's because my life is fairly ordinary and I have nothing interesting to share. Maybe it is because I feel like my posts need to be witty. Maybe it's because I've been working on other projects so blogging has been shoved aside. Maybe I'm just lazy.

Maybe I'll feel inspired soon!

One Hell Of A Show

2009-02-18T12:37:00.015-07:00

I was introduced to the talented Dave Eaton two years ago, and was an immediate fan of his music. And now...my awesome husband is one of the newest members of his band! So join us this Saturday for a live show. Sing along, dance if you want to, meet the band, and just have an all around awesome time.

WHO? Dave Eaton and his super sweet band

WHEN? Saturday, February 21, 2009

WHERE? Janey's House, 1333 E. 400 S., SLC

TIME? 8-11PM

Mr. Bryner

2009-01-19T15:02:00.010-07:00

After I graduated from the U, I took a waaaaay-too-long break from my art, and I have actually been pretty scared to start painting again. I've been especially afraid of portraits; but last week I took the bull by the horns, and used my manly husband as inspiration. I think it turned out pretty well! Here is my process of painting a small portrait of Jeff:

I Love The Smell of Turpentine..

2009-01-15T13:29:00.004-07:00

... I really do! It makes me giddy. I love the smell of oil paints. I love buying new paintbrushes. And I love love love the feeling of starting a painting, and watching the paint transform into what I want it to be. There's just something about it that gives me butterflies!

For The Love of Cheerwine

2009-01-12T23:27:00.008-07:00

I was first introduced this bubbly goodness while on my mission in Tennessee. The husband of a lady we were teaching stocked soda in several vending machines around town. He told me and my companion that we had to try this soda pop. My first thought was that it tasted like carbonated cough syrup, but I was hooked by my third or fourth sip. Since Cheerwine is typically only distributed in the southern states, I thought I might never taste it again. Then, as fate would have it, I discovered it one day a few years ago at the Liberty Heights Fresh store on 1300 S. and 1100 E.

Tonight, I came home from work, opened my fridge, and found a bottle of my dear sweet Cheerwine sitting on the top shelf, accompanied by a post it note. My baby sure loves me!

Rehab

2009-01-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

It's kind of like AA... Only, for artists. Over a year ago a friend of mine suggested I read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron: a 12 week process of re-discovering one's inner artist. Now, one year later, I have decided to finally brush the dust off the book, and devote myself to the full 12 weeks of "rehab". Each week helps the reader to recover a specific aspect of unblocking their creative self. Ms. Cameron bring a very spiritual aspect to the book as well, and reminds us often that creativity is from God and that He wants us to succeed.

I have just started week three, which is teaching me to recover a sense of power; one way of doing this is by learning to listen to and accept the right kinds of criticism. One quote from my reading today was especially intriguing: "We like to pretend it is hard to follow our heart's dreams. The truth is, it is difficult to avoid walking through the many doors that will open.... We say we are scared by failure, but what frightens us more is the possibility of success." Oooh, I am excited to see what the next 9 weeks teach me!

Oh How I Love My Sisters....

2009-01-06T19:33:00.005-07:00

"Sister's Night" started quite a few years ago on the eve before Christmas Eve. All the sisters would get together for dinner and last minute Christmas shopping, and then we'd pull out the sleeping bags and blankets for a sleepover. Now, we are all grown and living in different places, but we still enjoy getting together for a night of food, movies, and laughing. This year, we enjoyed dinner at Los Hermanos, after which we spent too many hours and too many dollars at Robert's, teaching Kirstin how to pick out scrapbooking supplies! Oh, and we had an addition to the girls this year: adorable Halle! (Thanks for the peep show, little girl!)

Christmas Jig

2008-12-18T11:04:00.009-07:00

In lieu of a Christmas card this year, Jeff and I decided to do a little dance for everyone! And how could we forget to include our misfit "offspring"! Merry Christmas, and enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A New Chapter....

2008-12-15T19:47:00.009-07:00

So, I did it. I quit my full-time, steady paycheck, big girl job. And now? Now I am pursuing the exciting life of a full-time, struggling artist. I have wanted to do this for as long as I can remember, but being the practical person that I am, never quite thought it would ever be possible. Jeff is such a supporter of my art habits and has talked to me a LOT about following my dreams. I don't know if it has been the fear of failing, or just responsible me who knows there are bills to pay, but I have not dared to do this.... until a few weeks ago. The time finally seemed right, so I put in my two weeks notice, and finished my job last Friday. Today marks the first day of my dream job. And let's just say that I REALLY like my new boss!

Giving Thanks

2008-12-05T20:24:00.006-07:00

This is a little late, but every time I sit down to write this post, my thoughts become jumbled and I struggle to convey exactly what I am feeling. I have always had a hard time putting my thoughts into words, so bear with me as I stumble through this post.

Thanksgiving is obviously a time to sit and reflect on our blessings and on all that we have, but this year Thanksgiving came with some misfortune. My heart has been aching and it took me until yesterday to finally grasp the complete peace I have needed.

This trial that Jeff and I have had to bear has caused me to truly reflect on my life, my testimony, and my faith in my Heavenly Father. I have a strong testimony of the gospel, and know with all my heart that Heavenly Father has a plan, and that He has a purpose in all things. I am thankful for the power of prayer, and for the enlightenment to understand that just because I don't always get the answers I want, doesn't mean that He isn't listening to me. I am extremely grateful for Jeff - for his strength, his big heart, his calming spirit, his overwhelming love for me, and that he is mine for eternity. I am also thankful for his unwavering faith and that he can give his frantic wife a priesthood blessing when she so desperately needs it. I am so lucky to have family and friends who are supportive, who call to check on me, and who make my days brighter. And last, but not least, I am surprisingly thankful for trials - that they strengthen my faith and bring me closer to my Heavenly Father, and that I am able to see the blessings that come with them.

~Philippians 4:13~

W.H.S.

2008-11-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Kirstin and Brookey both tagged me on this one, so now you all get to read how pathetic I was in High School:

1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL?
Um, "date" was a word that I didn't even know existed until I LEFT high school.
2. WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE?
When I turned 16, my dad gave me his old copper colored Plymouth Horizon. I LOVED that thing, until the clutch went out. Then I was car-less until I bought an old red Ford Escort hatchback. That thing was a treat. It had an am radio that could only pick up two radio stations: the local Heber station, and some Mexican polka station. My favorite was when I would hit a pot-hole, and the radio would just turn itself on!
3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY?
Yes, although I'm sure that Mr. Moss was a little apprehensive of my driving skills my first time in the drivers-ed car with him. I distinctly remember him using his passenger side brake numerous times.
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL?
Between being totally geeky and shy, and being grounded 90% of the time, I rarely even made it out of the house.
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT?
Again, I was so geeky and shy that I doubt I even made eye contact with a boy. If you are interested in hearing all my traumatic crush stories, ask me. I have plenty!
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR?
I think I tried out for choir my Senior year, but was so nervous that my voice shook and I was barely able to squeak out the notes.
7. WERE YOU A NERD?
In the words of my dad: "OH YEAH!" I was probably one of the biggest nerds in my class! (Some things don't change!)
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS?
Since there wasn't such a thing as "Varsity Art Club", the answer is NO.
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED?
Are you kidding? I was never even late to class. I was too afraid to do anything wrong.
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG?
I don't think I even knew it while I was in high school.
11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS?
I loved Mrs. Southerland. She was a mean one, but she taught me so much about thinking critically.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH?
We either sat in the commons area, out on the lawn, or we went to Jenn's house! She had a garage stocked high with Pepsi!
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME?
Wasatch High School
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS?
Our mascot is the mighty WASP, and our colors are gold and black.
16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU?
HELL no!
17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION?
I remember my Dad had to have emergency surgery on his eye the morning before graduation. I was sad because he wasn't able to make it to the ceremony. I also remember being so excited to leave high school and to get a fresh start at college.
18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY?
Did we have a Senior Skip Day? If so, I really don't remember....
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS?
I honestly think that I have blocked out 98% of High School, and honestly can't even remember if I was in a club or not...
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN?
Thank goodness, Yes! I was a bean pole! Okay, I'm still a twig, but at least there's not still a huge gap between my thighs.
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE?
I went to Junior Prom, my Senior year with Jeremiah Knight. (Thanks Miah for being the only guy nice enough to ask me out!)
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION?
It was last year, and I didn't go. I kind of wish I would have now, but at the time I really didn't care to relive the WHS days. Plus it was on Jeff's birthday, so I used that as an excuse to make other plans.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL?
Yes, I worked for Mountain Sprouts as an alfalfa sprout packer! What a treat! And then my Senior year I worked for Designs For All Seasons, the local flower shop in town. I LOVED that job!

I tag Cuzzin' Andi, and would also love to hear what my WHS girls have to say!

You Got The Right Stuff....Baby!

2008-11-18T21:33:00.011-07:00

Saturday...November 15th...the E-Center...me...Lindsey...and NKOTB. Yeah, that's right, I was "Hangin' Tough" with my old crushes from the 4th grade: Danny, Donnie, Jonathan, Jordan and Joey! The boys from Beantown put on a great show, and every 30 year old woman there was still drooling! Happy Birthday Lindsey, and thanks for the great show!

"Please don't go giiiiiiiirl..."

They're all nearly 40 and still "Got The Right Stuff"

Their dance moves haven't changed at all.

We could almost smell their sweat!

The music even inspired a few love birds to share a romantic dance...

Oh Boy!

2008-11-03T07:51:00.005-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Jenn to post the 6th picture in my 6th folder. I'm not so glad that this is the lucky winner... I was hoping it would be a nice pic of Jeff, or of one of our nieces or nephews, but no, it is a typical dorky Jessie shot. Oh well, enjoy!

I tag anyone else who wants to post a humiliating picture!

You Remind Me Of The Babe...

2008-10-21T17:40:00.000-06:00

...What Babe?

I must say, Jessica and Andy did a fabulous job on their costumes from "Labyrinth". Jessica's hair could not have looked more like Sarah's from the ballroom scene, and Andy even stuffed a sock down his pants to look more like David Bowie!

And I think Jeff and I looked pretty good for throwing together our Halloween costumes at the last minute!

Thanks Mike and all the Schubach gang for inviting us to a fun Halloween party!

Pat Myself on the Back...

2008-10-13T18:20:00.004-06:00

I have gone for 11 whole days without a single caffeinated beverage! I am pretty proud of myself, especially considering how addicted I have been to Dr. Pepper. But I did find the 'Caffeine Free' version of the tasty brown beverage at my local Smith's. I have less frequent headaches, and I am a very happy girl!

Things that I hate

2008-10-07T23:14:00.002-06:00

After months of allowing Jessie to dominate this posting with all of her wonderful ideas, and not by way of drawing comparisons, I have decided to finally post something. I don’t really have any clever stories or interesting things to say right now, but I’m not going to let that stop me. For those of you who choose to read on, let me just say that just because I say that I hate a certain thing does not mean that I have always been innocent of the very thing I despise. With all of that now being said, feel free to condemn or applaud me in posted comment form.

The term “blog-stalking”
Hippie foods
Hippies in general
“Organic”
Blue-collar lingo and clichés
Dude-humor (when taken seriously; i.e. when somebody tells me a stupid dirty joke and watches me to see if I laugh, and then hopes for an exchange of gradually worsening crass jokes)
Ridiculous abbreviations, acronyms, and hyphenations
When people intentionally misspell words, like for the name of a second rate business (“Kopy Korner,” or “Klip and Kurl,”). This was brought to my attention by my sister and now I must kill any business that does this, as I now find it impossible to either ignore or tolerate.
People who try too hard to assign or stick too adamantly to generation labeling. What does “generation X” really mean, and should I be offended if I’m said to be within its’ ranks?
Receiving unsolicited advice about what I’m eating and why its going to kill me
Being ignored
“Road rage”
The fact that I still don’t own a motorcycle
Anybody who lives in Utah by choice and still chooses to gripe about Mormons
Uncertainty
Indecisiveness
When gay dudes tell gay jokes: I never know if I should laugh
Complex universal remote controllers that only make things more complicated
Office gossip and clichés
Barbara Streisand
The fact that I may in fact be the most gullible human being on the planet
Realizing that I have yet again been lied to and yet again totally believed every word
Being judged or treated unfairly based on stereotype or preconceived notions, however unfounded
People who offend my wife
Any song written or performed by Sheryl Crow
Text messaging abbreviations and clever little faces with tongues
“Salad Fingers,” if you need further explanation of this feel free to youtube it. I felt like taking a shower while singing Hymns after I watch the one called “rusty spoon”
Not seeing my closest friends for extended periods of time
The fact that I really think that I can taste a true difference between bottled waters, and have my favorites and the ones that I don’t really like. I feel like such a tool because I will take a trip down to the Maverick to buy a liter of Aquafina for two bucks instead of sticking my head under the faucet and I don’t ever stop to think about how ridiculous this is. I’m drinking one right now!

8 Things

2008-10-01T16:09:00.006-06:00

Sorry that you all have to read another tag blog. (Well, I guess technically you don't have to read it....I mean you do have a choice here...it's not like I tie people down and force them to read my blog...just in case you were wondering!)

8 Favorite TV shows...
1. Scrubs
2. Arrested Development
3. CSI
4. Burn Notice
5. Law and Order
6. Dirty Jobs
7. The Office
8. Flip This House

8 Favorite Eating Establishments...
1. Bucca di Beppo
2. Spaghetti Factory
3. Cracker Barrel
4. Macaroni Grill
5. Red Iguana
6. Cafe Rio
7. Paradise Bakery
8. Any place that has good mashed taters...

8 things that happened yesterday...
1. Went to work.
2. Sat on the phone, at work, called people and left a lot of voice mails.
3. Left a few more voice mails.
4. Left yet a few more voice mails, and scheduled a few people for future phone calls.
5. Did I mention that it was a 12 hour day of phone calls?
6. Had a chat with a head honcho at work about an awkward situation.... yikes!
7. FINALLY left work.
8. Curled up in bed and talked to Jeff about random topics, including an awkward situation.

8 things to look forward to...
1. Being a full time artist.
2. Finally deciding if Jeff and I are going to sell our house, or rent it out.
3. General Conference.
4. Carving pumpkins.
5. Paying off all our debt!!!
6. Thanksgiving.
7. New houses and new projects.
8. The Disney Cruise!!!

8 things I love about Fall...
1. Leaves changing color.
2. Long drives in the canyon, looking at the changing leaves.
3. The smell!
4. Anything pumpkin!
5. The chill in the air.
6. Halloween.
7. Thanksgiving.
8. Layered clothing.

8 things on my wishlist...
1. A MacBook.
2. A cute older brick house in a nice neighborhood.
3. A car that doesn't have one tire in need of air every time it is driven.
4. Real furniture...(couches!)
5. Laser hair removal on everything below my eyebrows.
6. Lasik.
7. To be able to actually see my husband on more than just Saturdays and Sundays.
8. A shopping spree!

8 people I tag...
I already tagged people for my last blog, so I will not tag anyone. But feel free to share your favorites as well!

Quirky Me

2008-09-22T20:19:00.014-06:00

My sister, Kirstin, tagged me, so now I have to share 6 quirky things about myself. Only 6? It's hard to narrow it down, but here goes...

1. I absolutely HATE condiments. Yes, ALL condiments. I hate ketchup, mayonnaise, miracle whip, mustard, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, vinegar, etc. etc. etc. The fun part is discussing this quirk with co-workers or friends, as they try to figure out what exactly constitutes a condiment. (What is the difference between a condiment, a topping, and a sauce?) Maybe I'll blog about that sometime, just to clear things up!

2. I pluck my toe hair. I know, I know, most normal girls just shave it off, but I prefer to pluck. Yeah, I hate hair and will one day laser everything from my eyebrows down, but until then, I will continue to pluck.

3. I hate eye things. I love blood and guts and brains and all the gory things they show on CSI, but I cannot stand it if it involves an eye. I get super grossed out when people poke or touch their eyes, or when they turn their eyelids inside out. (I shuddered right now just typing about it...) Jeff loves torturing me by trying to get me to touch his eye, or asking if he can touch mine.

4. I am a closet Korn lover. No, not on the cob. I love the metal band Korn! I get giddy whenever I hear one of their songs, and even went to their concert a few years ago! And when I am not head banging to Korn, I tend to think I am booty-licious, and can be found jamming out to rap.

5. I can make a sound like a bike horn. I'm not quite sure how I discovered that I could make this sound, but it has become quite the hit with my coworkers.

6. I am afraid of the gym. I become quite paranoid thinking that someone might be watching me work out. I used to give myself pep talks, just so I would get in my car and drive there. But there have been numerous times that I have pulled into the parking lot, sat in my car in a cold sweat for about 5 minutes before turning around and heading straight home. I am getting better at this one, and have been able to make myself go a lot more frequently. However, I still have issues trying new machines or routines, for fear that someone will be watching me and noticing how dorky I look.

So there you have it, just a handful of Jessie's quirks. I think I am only supposed to tag 6 people, but oh well... I tag Brookey, Cynde, Emily, Jenn, Julie B, Stephanie, and Saundra.

To Procreate, Or Not to Procreate...

2008-09-09T19:13:00.007-06:00

Thanks to our good friend Craig and his mad skills with Photoshop, I think that Jeff and I may rethink having chilren.

(To see more of Craig's fine skills, check out his blog!)

The Short (or even shorter) Of It.....

2008-09-04T17:12:00.008-06:00

Those of you who have known me for a while know about the obsession I have with my hair. I am never content with one particular style. I am always cutting or growing, and I have had almost every imaginable color as well. Okay, okay, so I've never done the drastic hot pink, or some other funky color.... but I have had everything from platinum, to red, to dark brown, to a multiplicity of shades of blond and brown. And my length has been everything from "oh my goodness, did she turn lesbian?" (thanks to some stylist who promised she knew what she was doing), to pixie cut, to various bobs and longer styles. I love changing the texture of my hair, and can never decide between natural curl, big barreled curls, messy and texturized, or stick straight.

I grew my hair out until after my wedding a year ago (which was quite the feat for me!), and then started cutting again. But due to a husband who, like most men, prefers longer hair, have never really chopped it like I love to do. But now the time has come. I am extremely restless, and just don't know what to do with this mop on my head.

Here's where you, my friends, come in: Please, please, PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Jeff tells me that he'll think I'm hot no matter what (GOOD answer, sweetie)! And of the survey results I have gotten via text messages, we have a tie. But I am torn. Do I just trim it up but add some fun messy layers? Or do I go back to a short, sassy do?

*DISCLAIMER: Yes, Jessie is aware that she has issues. Anyone know of a help group?

One Blissful Year

2008-08-18T21:55:00.012-06:00

August 18, 2007: a sweltering summer day. I woke up full of anxiety. Not because I was nervous about getting married. No, the anxiety stemmed from the fact that I still didn't know how I was going to do my hair. And as traumatic as that seemed at the moment, I may or may not still look at pictures and wish I had planned the hair thing a little better! (In talking to my sisters about this, they have informed me that I have had frizzy hair my whole life, and did I really think it would be any different just because it was my wedding day?! Thanks a lot girls!!)

But other than the hair, I could not have asked for a better day. The rain stopped before Jeff and I drove together to the Salt Lake Temple. Family and friends filled the chairs in the sealing room. I got the cry-giggles during the ceremony. And Jeff sighed a big loud "Mmmmm!" after kissing me across the altar!

Yes, it was a perfect day. But even better than the day is the fact that I married my absolute perfect match! Jeff, I just want you to know how much I love you and admire everything that you do. I knew one year ago that I was making the right decision, but even today I am surprised at how much you complete my life. I've never been able to communicate with someone so well, or laugh so hard. You make me smile every single day! Thank you for being my eternal sweetheart. Thank you for being a wonderful husband, priesthood holder, caregiver, and for being my best friend.

Happy Anniversary Sugar Bum!

Happy Birthday Sugar Bum!

2008-08-11T20:27:00.014-06:00

Yes, that's right, today is the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the love of my life! Whew, a month after my birthday, he finally catches up in age and turns the big 29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE! I love you more!

Hey, and Happy 22nd to you too Annika! I love you sister!

Any takers?

2008-07-30T22:41:00.002-06:00

Well, we did it..we put our house up for sale. With Jeff's work schedule being what it is, and his job being in Provo, we NEVER see each other. It has finally gotten to the point that neither of us can handle the "long distance" relationship anymore, and we've decided that the best option will be to sell our house here in Salt Lake, and move closer to his work. Now comes the hard part: trying to be patient while crossing our fingers and praying that it sells quickly!!!

**If you're interested in purchasing, call me..... and, um, just ignore that last post... it smells (ahem) GREAT in here... uh, yeah!**

My awesome neighbor

2008-07-22T23:17:00.005-06:00

For any of you who were wondering, my neighbor smokes cheap cigarettes laced with cat crap (to put it nicely). At least that's what it smells like when he lights up and the smoke seeps through the walls and into my house. I love sitting in my living room, closing my eyes, taking a big whiff, and pretending that I am in Motel 6......... !

Me.........

2008-07-22T22:43:00.006-06:00

We all have those times in our life when we start realizing things about ourselves...right? I have been going through some soul searching lately, and today has been a pinnacle of self realization. A few weeks ago, while having one of my late night phone conversations with Jeff, he challenged me to really ponder how I identify myself. The gospel? Family? Love? He told me that once I figured out what it is, he'd tell me what he discovered about himself.

We have not had that conversation yet, and tonight as I came home to an empty house and started missing Jeff, I remembered his challenge. I sat on the couch and started wallowing. The wallowing turned to thinking, and the thinking turned to pondering, and the pondering turned to soul searching, and the soul searching turned to awakening.

I'm not quite sure that I am ready to share the things I discovered about myself. Let's just say that when you start poking around in those deepest corners of your soul, you may be surprised at what you find...

Memory Tag...

2008-07-16T22:41:00.002-06:00

This tag was on my sister's site and seems pretty fun:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Journey

2008-07-14T21:14:00.003-06:00

Life doesn't get much better than a Journey concert with great friends. I think we laughed too hard as we watched our new favorite person (the crazy lady with the hips that wouldn't stop moving). Thanks Jessica and Andy for taking us!

Just chillin' before the show

"Don't stop believin'...."

"Faithfully..."

Jessica and Andy

I think the night made us crazy

The Big 29

2008-07-09T20:42:00.007-06:00

Today was the first of many 29th Birthdays for me. I wasn't looking forward to this birthday, but ended up having a really great day! Jeff took me fishing at Jordanelle this morning, where we caught a couple of BEAUTIFUL fish. And then this evening, I was able to spend time with family and friends! Thanks Brookey, Chris, Stephanie, Steve, Shannon and kids, Katie, Wally and Bonnie for joining us for dinner. And thanks to all my friends and family who called or texted to wish me a Happy Birthday, especially Damon!

Thank you all for making my 29th a wonderful day!

J & J Enjoying the Lake

I was pretty proud of this fish!

Jeff's pretty trout

Chris and Brookey

Wally, Bonnie, and Katie

The Birthday Dinner

2008-07-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

Well, I decided that it was finally time to join the world of blogging. Flash back to one year ago. Several friends of mine emailed saying that they were starting blogs and that all of us friends should check them out! HA! I thought this sounded like the silliest thing I had ever heard of. Why would anyone ever keep tabs on someone else through a Christmas-family-update-letter type of thing on the internet.

Well, I slowly started checking out a few of those friends' blogs and enjoyed reading them, but still thought it was silly to have a blog unless you had your own children and wanted to share your millions of pictures of said children with the world wide web.

Little by little, I started reading more and more blogs. Blogs of friends who were married and had children. Blogs of friends who didn't have children yet. Blogs of friends who were single. Political blogs. Rambling blogs. And then....... I became a blog stalker. I started not only reading the blogs of friends who told me to check them out, but I started reading the blogs of their friends, and of their friends' friends. And of their friends' friends' friends. I would get bored at work and decide to "catch up" on the lives of people I didn't even know.

I still thought that I wold never start my own blog until I had millions of cute pics of tiny little Bryners to share with all the other blog stalkers. But then I started talking to Jeff about how I was going to start an art blog to post on my website (more about the website later), and how exciting it would be to post all sorts of random art news and tips and happenings. And wouldn't you know it, I even started thinking about having a personal blog.

Well, here it is. There are no tiny little Bryners, so no millions of cute pics. It's just me and Jeff and all of our crazy happenings and ramblings. I have always been a terrible journal keeper, but I will try to be dedicated at keeping all 3 of my potential readers (Mom, Kirstin, and that random stalker) up to date on our life!

Enjoy!