The Suspense is the Best Part

We all know that the best part of scary movies is the tense buildup and the best part of roller coasters is the climb up the hill while you're sitting there freaking out about what's about to happen to you.

Mav's favorite part of being thrown in the air is NOT actually being thrown. It's the countdown.

And he shows it with his awesome, old man, gaspy laugh.



PS Sorry about the lousy video - the lights are really low. But it's the sound that's important anyway ;-)

Happy Birthday Danny!!

It's been a busy year!

You're a dad!


You've decided to and actually competed in three triathlons (a sport we were previously only vaguely aware of ;-) )


And you continue to set your goals high!


We're so proud of everything you are, babe! Happy 27th Birthday! (And congratulations on your acquisition of all of the knowledge and wisdom afforded to 27 year-olds.)

Down South

For those who haven't heard, we are moving down to Phoenix in February. Danny's job is taking us down there and we're excited to be starting a new phase in life! Plus, by mid-february, I should be pretty ready to say good-bye to snow and hello to some 70 degree weather ;-)

We went down there this last weekend to get an idea of the area and where we'll be wanting to live. Saw several houses (that place got so hacked by the economy!) and it's gonna be a hard choice! We stayed with our friends down there and had a blast with their kids! Mav hadn't ever seen so many kids to play with outside of Primary and I was convinced he'd never want to sleep the whole time we were down there. We got this video of him playing on the swing set:



The higher we pushed the happier he got! This boy is too brave sometimes. I hope that isn't a sign of things to come ;-)

Quick update on Maverick in general! He's got crawling down to a fine science and is now working on walking! Scratch that, running. This boy is convinced he can run, no matter how many times the floor proves him wrong. It's so fun to watch him be so determined to make it work and I'm pretty sure he'll have it down in a month or so.

Turkey Tri 2010

This last Saturday was Danny's last triathlon of the year. For Danny, it was perfect weather! For those of us standing still, it was a little bit chilly! But I bundled Maverick up like a burrito and he was a total champ.

This tri was a little different than most in that it was what's known as a Reverse Triathlon. You can probably guess what that means, but I'll say it anyway: the order of events is backwards from a typical tri. Run, bike, swim. They probably did it because to go swimming and then go outside, soaking wet in 40-50 degree weather would have been unwise, but it's also fairly common at other times of the year too. Anyway, Danny didn't like it. Swimming is his toughest event, so to have it last after he's already run and biked was a pain. He also just likes to get it out of the way and on to the rest of the race. Still, he had a great time and is anxious for next season to begin!

Here's pictures!

Morning of the race. It wasn't that early - probably 7-7:30 at this point - so that was nice!


The mass of people getting ready to start the run.


Off they go! Go Danny!


This run route was kinda cool because it passed the start area again before swinging around for the finish, so I got to see him about 3/4ths of the way through the run!


Off on the bike!


The swim was in the Orem Rec Center's pool. Danny had never done a pool tri before and he's...not fond of it ;-). It was just too crowded and too hard to find any kind of rhythm. You have to try to pass the slower swimmers, like on the freeway, but (also like on the freeway) the pass lane was usually occupied by someone going the same speed as the guy in the slow lane! So, it was a little tricky and he ended up walking a lot more of it than he'd wanted. (On a side note, I apologize for the horrid picture. Mav and I were watching up in the observation deck behind glass and the pool was very badly lit. This was the best i could do!)


1:15 was his total time. That included a gnarly hill on the bike that they had to take on twice and swimming in a pool filled with other racers. Yay Danny!!!

3 Years!!

Three years ago, Danny woke up to find that his temple bag, including his clothes and (most importantly) his recommend, were gone. They'd been stolen out of my car two days beforehand and we didn't realize until the morning of the wedding. After performing a veritable circus act of hoop-jumping, his dad (and bishop), Randy, got everything pulled through and we were able to get married.
It was a beautiful fall day, but as we all know, the wedding is possibly the smallest part of marriage. In the last three years we've faced a lot! Moving 4-5 times, tackling 3 puppies, losing one, losing a baby, buying a home, and (most importantly) successfully starting our family. Maverick is the best part of our lives now, but it all started with just the two of us - and that's one heck of a beginning!
I love you, Danny! Happy Anniversary!!

Stansbury Days Triathlon

This last Saturday Danny participated in his first ever Triathlon! This has been a long hard road for him, but he's enjoyed every minute of it. He's trained week after week for a few months now and the first one finally came.

Saturday was perfect weather, especially at 7:00 in the morning. There were about 95 people in this tri (it was a community event, part of Stansbury Days) so it was a pretty good turnout! And for a community event it was very well put on! Very organized and exciting! Here are some pictures that will tell the story better than I can:

Stansbury Lake. See that little buoy waaaayyy out there? Danny had to swim to that, then to the other hiding in and amongst the houses, and then back. Long way!


Danny's number. They mark it on our arm so you can be identified in the swim before you have your bib on.


Right before the swim. He didn't know I was taking a picture otherwise I'm sure he wold have smiled rather than looking so fierce!


All of the swimmers headed out! I love the ducks that look completely unfazed in the bottom corner.


Out of the water, headed for transition 1


Peeling off the wetsuit


Headed out on the bike!


Coming back in at the end of the 12 mile bike for transition 2


Transition 2


Action shots as he heads out on the run


Coming into the Finish Line!


He did it!


Placed 2nd in his division! First race ever and he got a medal!


You can see why I'm so proud of and excited for him! 400 m swim, 12 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run - all in 1 hour 28 minutes! I can't wait for the next one. Bear Lake, here we come!

Little Versions

Those of you that have known me for a while know that I have a strange obsession with small versions of pretty much anything. So when we were walking around Ikea and saw the display for their POÄNG chair (a surprisingly comfortable chair that looks something like a '70s deck chair), I was ecstatic to see that they had a baby version! It's like a fourth the size of a normal one and I couldn't resist sitting Mav in it, even though he can't really sit yet:




I kinda wish I'd bought it, but I'm excessively cheap. Maybe when Mav really can sit in a chair I'll think about it ;~)

As for a general update, Mav (who looks pretty much like a mini version of Danny!) is now 5 months old, weighs roughly 16 lbs and is 27 inches tall. He's gotten to the point that he knows what he does and doesn't want and what he wants pretty much all the time is DAD!! He's a total daddy's boy and I love it. He lights up every time Danny walks into the room - but it's not like he's all that hard to please in general. He's started on "solid" food (I don't know why they call it that when it's not much thicker than formula) and has a blast trying to "help" me put the spoon in his mouth. I get the feeling meal times won't ever be boring with him. He sleeps through the night and is just starting to take regular naps, which is nice.

Overall he's a happy kid! And we couldn't be happier with him.

A Long Way Coming

If anyone has talked to Danny sometime in the last four months or so, you may have noticed he looks a little different. Not long after Mav was born, we both decided it was time to get healthy. I've taken after it with gusto, but the little I've done pales in comparison to all the work Danny's put in! From day one he was at the gym every day he possibly could and altering his entire lifestyle all with one intention: feeling good.

Sometime in May, though, he realized he needed a more tangible goal. So he started looking into races and decided that he could, given a few weeks of specific training, run the Freedom 5k on July 3rd. Not long after that he decided that he could also do a triathlon! But more on that in a later post.

July 3rd turned out to be a pretty chilly morning, considering the time of year, but that was perfect for all of the runners. We got there at 6:30, Danny hopped on the bus, and Mav and I settled in to wait. (As a bit of a side note, we have a seriously easy baby. We dragged him out of bed at 5:30 in the morning, threw him in the car, and then paraded him around in the cold morning air for several hours before he even started showing signs of wear!)

At about 8:00, Danny crossed the finish line! He'd done it! His goal had been to finish with a time of at least 35 min, so he waited eagerly to find out if he'd done it or not.

27:44. He blew his goal out of the water, surprising himself most of all! He came in second in his age division!

We had a fun time entering the world of race runners and talking to seasoned vets. They were all super nice and helpful, giving tips to us both and congratulating Danny on his race.

In 4 months, Danny's lost 35 lbs. He's gone from struggling to complete a 3 min run on the treadmill to blasting through his first race. I can't tell you how proud I am of his accomplishment! 5 kilometers may not be super far to run, but 4 months of hard work and diligence sure is a long way to come.



To be continued at the end of August, after Tri #1...

The Giggles

I love this little boy's laugh! It's just infectious and while he's a generally happy kid, this bout of giggles came out of the blue. He just started laughing at nothing, so I decided to encourage it with a little tickling ;-)

Maverick's Favorite Game

Danny has discovered just about the best thing Maverick can think of: Pat-a-Cake! He loves playing with his dad, to the point that all Danny has to say is "Wanna play pat-a-cake?" and Mav lights up, all grins and giggles! He probably laughs the hardest at this - though tickling him gets him going pretty good too ;-)

3 Months!

Our baby is already three months old. This is his exactly-three-month-old-picture, taken specifically on May 14th:


He's had a few milestones lately. First of all, he rolled over for the first time! He's been trying desperately for about a week now, but he couldn't quite get up and over his little arm. But on Saturday he pushed and pushed and finally got from his back to his tummy! He looked quite pleased with himself, as well.

Friday, the night before, Danny was going to do some laps at our local Aquatic Center, so Mav and I tagged along so he could have his first swimming experience! After the fist initial shock at being plunged chest deep in slightly-less-than-warm water, he settled in and loved it! We have a little lazy river thing that goes around a water slide and we just went around and around and he had a blast. Then I helped him float on his back and I don't think I've ever seen anyone so relaxed in a pool. I was glad to see my fears hadn't transferred to him! I hope he really loves the pool.

In his little swim trunks


This is our pool - you can see the "river" winding around the back, there.


He just couldn't stop chattering away excitedly after we got out (forgive the image quality - Danny was swimming and I was on my own for these ones!)


He finally just crashed after a little while, only to wake up again and talk all the way home! I think he had a good time

Maverick talking

A Belly Button!!

8 weeks! After testing, waiting, cleaning, and being generally frustrated with that little stubby nothing, his umbilical finally fell off on April 11th, exactly 8 weeks after he was born. He now has an adorable little "inny" belly button!

Mav's Blessing Day

March 28th was Mav's blessing. Our families and friends drove all the way out to our house and attended our ward's sacrament meeting to witness Danny give our son an absolutely beautiful blessing. He told Maverick that struggles and temptations are part of this world, but that he would have the power to overcome them, and also be fortunate enough to be part of and experience good things and good people. It was honestly the most spiritual sacrament meeting that we've had since we've been married!
Afterward, everyone came to our house to play, hang out, and see Mav. I was dumb and was so busy running around that I never brought out my camera. Luckily my dad had my back and took these for me:

Verbal Skills

I tried to get a video of Mav talking. He's started making more sounds than his grunting and creaky door impersonations and I love it! This isn't the best video, but I think you'll get the idea. And just so everyone knows, repeating their noises back to them is helpful for their verbal development. As is acting like an idiot for a camera. Okay I made the last part up, but the other part is true!

We had a tiny scare with him the other day. His umbilical cord still hasn't fallen off (it's supposed to fall off before week 2 and we're headed into week 7 now) so his doctor had us take him in for testing. I don't much like holding my baby down while someone jabs a needle around inside his arm looking for a vein. They were checking to see if his white blood cells were doing what they were supposed to be doing. They called back the next day and I guess they are! Everything's fine, we just have to be patient and wait for the fool thing to fall off by itself. Grandma Julie says that he's hanging onto it because he just want to be a newborn for a little longer. But considering he's already 11 lbs and 23 inches, I'm thinking he's fighting a losing battle! So he's doing fine - perfectly healthy and happy!

Studio Pics

These are a few pictures taken by Laura Bruschke at Busath. She took a TON of beautiful pictures that are getting processed right now. Thanks Laura!