A= Age: 22
B= Bed size: full for now but as soon as we get a house, we are gonna get a king size! Then my poor husband won’t have his feet hanging off the end of the bed every night
C= Chore you hate: doing dishes and putting laundry away
D= Dogs or Cats? Neither, I don’t really like animals
E= Essential to start your day: glasses or contacts
F= Favorite color: blue, green, or pink
G= Gold or Silver: silver
H= Height: 5'2" or 5’3”
I= Instruments you play(ed): umm…I played the recorder and violin a little bit in elementary school
J= Job Title: Mom! And student til December
K=Kid(s): Alyssa, 3 months
L= Living Arrangements: I live with my sweet husband and baby
M= Mom's name: Shari
O= On time or late: depends but I like to be early or on-time
P= Pet Peeve: Don’t really have any
Q= Quote from a movie: “The florist says they have people everywhere, they don’t mean in the same room.” Can’t remember the exact quote but it’s something like that. It’s from a James Bond movie….
R= Right or Left handed: right
S= Siblings: Cindy (20), Ryan (17) and Amy (14)
T= Time you wake up: Whenever Alyssa wakes up and needs to be fed. Usually 5-7 but then she and I go back to sleep for a little while longer
U= Underwear: G’s
V= Vegetable you dislike: fresh mushrooms (I like the canned kind though if they are chopped small)
W= Water or juice: I like juice better but water is good too
X= X-Rays you've had: teeth, ankle
Y= Yummy food you make: Our new favorite is Pepperoni pasta. Also homemade hamburgers and French fries
Z= Zoo favorite: Tiger!!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
You will be missed Grandpa!
As I was filing papers the other day I came across the funeral program for my Grandpa McLean. I was not able to attend the funeral but my mom brought me back a program. It hit me that my grandfather was actually gone. Charlie McLean passed away on July 6th, 2009. Just 3 days (almost to the hour) before Alyssa was born.We like to think that Alyssa and Grandpa got to meet each other and spend some time together in the spirit world before she came to Earth.I was sad that I couldn’t attend the funeral but got caught up in the birth and life of my new daughter. I hadn’t really had a moment to reflect on my grandpa’s life until now. He was a great man. Grandpa was a quiet man and was soft-spoken. He was a strong man who loved his family and did all he could to support them.
He suffered for most of my life with Parkinson’s disease. This meant that his body didn’t always cooperate with all the things that he wanted to do. It was sometimes hard for him to walk and I remember my Grandma always letting him put his hands on her shoulders for support as he walked behind her.
My grandpa liked to go for walks and I remember going on many walks with him and my grandma. We would go to the park by their house in San Diego and walk around, enjoying the beautiful scenes of nature.
My grandpa also liked to sail. He raced sailboats when he was younger and won many of the races. He would take us out sailing when we went to visit. Sometimes he would even let us help steer the boat. I always loved going sailing with him.
My husband Jim only knew my grandfather for a short time. Jim was only able to meet him after Grandpa got very sick. Jim and I went up to visit him and my Grandma the summer before we got engaged (2007). It was a great trip and I am so glad that we were able to go. One of my favorite memories is going to the waterfall in Oregon where my grandparents lived at the time. It was fun for my grandpa to be able to get out and to enjoy nature again for a short time.
While I miss my Grandpa McLean, I know that he is in a better place, a place where he won’t have to suffer anymore. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have and for the Holy Spirit which brings comfort to us in times of grief. I am grateful to my Grandpa for accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can see my grandpa again. I know that the plan of salvation is real and that there is life after death. I am so glad that I will be able to see him again and get to know him better in the next life. I hope that I can pass on the legacy that my grandfather left me of hard work, strength, intelligence, humility, sacrifice, love and charity.
I love you Grandpa!
He suffered for most of my life with Parkinson’s disease. This meant that his body didn’t always cooperate with all the things that he wanted to do. It was sometimes hard for him to walk and I remember my Grandma always letting him put his hands on her shoulders for support as he walked behind her.
My grandpa liked to go for walks and I remember going on many walks with him and my grandma. We would go to the park by their house in San Diego and walk around, enjoying the beautiful scenes of nature.
My grandpa also liked to sail. He raced sailboats when he was younger and won many of the races. He would take us out sailing when we went to visit. Sometimes he would even let us help steer the boat. I always loved going sailing with him.
My husband Jim only knew my grandfather for a short time. Jim was only able to meet him after Grandpa got very sick. Jim and I went up to visit him and my Grandma the summer before we got engaged (2007). It was a great trip and I am so glad that we were able to go. One of my favorite memories is going to the waterfall in Oregon where my grandparents lived at the time. It was fun for my grandpa to be able to get out and to enjoy nature again for a short time.
While I miss my Grandpa McLean, I know that he is in a better place, a place where he won’t have to suffer anymore. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have and for the Holy Spirit which brings comfort to us in times of grief. I am grateful to my Grandpa for accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can see my grandpa again. I know that the plan of salvation is real and that there is life after death. I am so glad that I will be able to see him again and get to know him better in the next life. I hope that I can pass on the legacy that my grandfather left me of hard work, strength, intelligence, humility, sacrifice, love and charity.
I love you Grandpa!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Shots :(
Alyssa got two of her immunizations yesterday. I am doing her two month shots in 3 sets of 2 instead of all six at once. I almost started crying with her when they gave the first shot, it was so sad to see my baby in pain. She cried really hard for about 5 minutes, then I changed her diaper and nursed her and she was happy after that. What a brave girl!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
House of Order
Our Stake Relief Society is sponsoring a guest speaker named Marie Ricks. She is a BYU education speaker who has a program called "House of Order". The class is 8 weeks long and started last Thursday. After only one class I am motivated! She has such great ideas. One of my favorites is having a housecleaning plan. She talked about it only briefly but she had a sample that people could look at and it was such a great idea that I had to make one!

You use index cards, dividers, and an index card box. I made one tab that says "daily", a divider for each day of the week, and a divider for each month of the year. Then I took 3x5 cards and wrote different tasks on them. In the upper right hand corner write how often the task should be done (daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annually, annually etc.) For example: Read Scriptures, Exercise, and Straighten living room are daily tasks. Clean the bathroom, Vacuuming, and Dusting are weekly tasks. You can decide which days or months you want to do each task and then place the 3x5 card behind that divider. Each morning it is easy to know what needs to be done, just take the daily cards out as well as the weekly cards for whatever day it is. As you complete the tasks, place the cards back in the box.
I truly feel that when our houses are in order, it invites the Holy Spirit to dwell in our homes. I feel much better about myself and my life when the house is clean and having this plan is an easy way to organize the cleaning so everything can get done each day.
You use index cards, dividers, and an index card box. I made one tab that says "daily", a divider for each day of the week, and a divider for each month of the year. Then I took 3x5 cards and wrote different tasks on them. In the upper right hand corner write how often the task should be done (daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annually, annually etc.) For example: Read Scriptures, Exercise, and Straighten living room are daily tasks. Clean the bathroom, Vacuuming, and Dusting are weekly tasks. You can decide which days or months you want to do each task and then place the 3x5 card behind that divider. Each morning it is easy to know what needs to be done, just take the daily cards out as well as the weekly cards for whatever day it is. As you complete the tasks, place the cards back in the box.
I truly feel that when our houses are in order, it invites the Holy Spirit to dwell in our homes. I feel much better about myself and my life when the house is clean and having this plan is an easy way to organize the cleaning so everything can get done each day.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Back in Utah
We are now back in Utah and started school again at BYU on Monday. I only have 2 classes left to take this semester so Alyssa and I get to stay home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. School has gone well the two days we've been. Alyssa has been really good for me but a little fussy for Jim, hopefully she decides to be good for him too. Alyssa and I hang out in the Wilk a lot while Jim is in class because they have a great little mothers lounge. It's inside a bathroom but has two couches and two comfy chairs. I have gotten the hang of breastfeeding in public with a blanket and feel more confident about that after getting two nursing camisoles(that way I can feed Alyssa and still feel modest!)
Alyssa is 8 weeks today and has started to smile recently. It just melts my heart every time she smiles at me. I love being a mom. She is sleeping great and usually sleeps through the night. She goes to bed at 9 or 10 and sleeps until 5 or 6, eats and goes back to sleep for another couple hours. It's a great blessing because I do much better and I'm much happier when I get enough sleep.
Here are some pictures of Alyssa






Alyssa is 8 weeks today and has started to smile recently. It just melts my heart every time she smiles at me. I love being a mom. She is sleeping great and usually sleeps through the night. She goes to bed at 9 or 10 and sleeps until 5 or 6, eats and goes back to sleep for another couple hours. It's a great blessing because I do much better and I'm much happier when I get enough sleep.
Here are some pictures of Alyssa
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