IDAHO ROOTS

Well I am publsihing this post in hopes to satisfy my sister-in-law's desire for winter weather that I hear about through her blog. She is longing for snow in the state of Nevada, Henderson to be exact, and I do not think that she will get here wish unfortunately. So, I thought these pictures might pacify her for a while until they can go up to their property or something. So here is what I woke up too. Now I too grew up in Nevada and didn't really experience any snow. However I was born in Idaho where they get plenty of snow, and I have been learning more about Darwin's theory or concept of "natural selection." I am sure my dad shoveled lots of snow growing up so I probably inherited some traits to help me get through. It only took about 35 minutes to shovel it this morning so Brittney could leave for work. But soon hoepfully I will follow suit of my sister Lori and be able to just park the cars in the garage. She has lived here longer than me and learned quicker than me. Ha Ha. Everyone enjoy. This is also our humble little tree that we got last night. We waited too long to get one this year so we decided to just get a little one. But it is really cool.

Surprise!

Joey and I found out last Thursday (yes, I know, it was supposed to be November 10th but I called and begged for an earlier appointment) that we are most definitely having a baby boy! As many of you know, I figured as much, and if we were were to have had any sort of gender preference, a boy would have been it. Obviously most of all we really just wanted to hear that everything looked good so far and that there was a healthy baby in there, and the tech and doctor said it was great! We couldn't have been more thrilled. Once I hook up my scanner I'll post the ultrasound pictures - but the lady said that there was no doubt about the gender. One of my biggest worries is that they'd mistake the gender, but even without the tech I would've been able to tell - it was honestly clear as day! I'd been telling Joey since the day we found out we were going to have a baby that I just knew it was a boy, and there was no doubt in my mind. Turns out mother's instinct is correct, at least in this case. Also, the babe is already quite bossy, just like me - he likes to move around so much already, especially when I'm trying to sleep. Just another sign he's all boy - girls are probably much more polite and lady-like in the womb! And more good news, I've gained about 5 pounds now, maybe more, so no more hospital visit, bed-rest or peanut-butter diet threats from the doctors. He's actually measuring a little big for March 28th, more like March 26th they said. I'm feeling fantastic! This really is the best trimester, I've already sort of forgotten all the puking and fatigue. I could do this a hundred times, this is the easy part - talk to me after delivery though. I might be singing a different tune!

Omen, anyone?

A few weeks ago one of my pregnancy buddies informed me of a website that you could go on to quickly enter your information and receive a free Playtex bottle and those drop-in bags that are oh-so wonderful for baby. I decided to take my chances because it's free and I was bored, keeping in mind that these things are usually a hoax and they sell your information to vendors all over the world. Come to find out, it was legit and our free baby bottle and bags came in the mail yesterday when I got home from work. I had forgotten about it so didn't know what it was when I opened it up. The bottle comes in 6 different colors - two shades of blue, two shades of green, purple and pink. You don't get to choose, they just send you whatever. The girl that told me about it got a purple one and found out that she was having a girl - good thing, right? No baby boy I ever met would want to drink out of a purple bottle. Anyway, out of all those colors, I opened ours up and it looked like this:



What do you think? Will we be blessed with a Joey-Junior to match, or will a girlie little Baby-Brittney have to get in touch with her masculine side and live with a blue bottle? Normally I don't believe in things like these and I don't waste precious mental energy analyzing it, but I've been feeling the baby move around in my belly for about a week now and I'm getting anxious to find out who exactly is poking around in there! And we won't know until November 10th either, unless I break down and spend the $200 to go find out at fetal foto in the mall. Which is most definitely a possibility. Joey suggests I go on a little shopping spree for the baby with the money instead, since we'll find out eventually and it would be a waste of money since we don't pay anything for our doctor's visits. I absolutely loathe not knowing the gender of my child! It drives me insane, to the point that I sometimes cry over it. I cry over a lot of things though, so no biggie. We don't have names picked out yet, even though I feel like a bad mother because of it. I've had names on the brain since high school, but Joey doesn't seem to like any of them. He's pickier than I thought, especially with girls' names. And names for boys are just hard. Can't find the perfect blend of baby cuteness and grown-up masculinity all in one, and therefore I have come to the conclusion that boys' names are by far the most obnoxious to work with. And sometimes, I cry over that too! :)

In other news, Lillian got the most hilarious hair cut you can possibly imagine. We asked for a "sporty-cocker" cut in order to keep her from tracking in yuckies from the outside, instead of just the cute but very fluffy and difficult to maintain cocker cut. They shaved her head, her ears, her back, and her chest, and left her cheeks, legs, and butt long. In other words, she has a moustache and a very fluffy rear end. When we picked her up, we could tell that even she was pissed. She barks at herself in the mirror, even still. The whole way home, Joey went on and on about how ridiculous she looked and how we were never going back to Petsmart again. My normally spastic puppy just hung her little head in shame. I think she knows, and I think she's humiliated. One night while I was sleeping Joey began snipping away at what hair she had left, and now she looks far worse. She's shaved in some areas, fluffy in others, and now has random bald spots. My poor baby. She still, however, is adorable. Here's some pictures of Lilly, both pre- and post- haircut.







So, as you can see, our life is full of good stresses at the moment, and things are great! We're so excited for what's to come, and we truly are blessed. Hope everyone is doing well, and remember to vote McCain!

Top soil and landscaping

Well, I finally had enough of my yard picking, chipping, and grating the rocks and pebbles wonderful Prestige Homes left me when we bought the house. They really left a mess for us, but anyway, I was tired of trying to level the yard with a pick and shovel. I don't have a truck so I couldn't really rent a bobcat or kobata or anything. So, I decided I would level it for sod with some fresh dirt. It is so nice to look out and see all these weeds and rocks covered up with nice dark fill dirt. When I spread it out, it just looks amazing, I think. I can't wait til we get grass next week. It really makes our house look so much better! It is just so nice it is soft and level. We will keep you posted

THE Bump

I've had some requests for proof of our developing offspring. I'm huge - but still fitting into my cute jeans without an issue, so no complaints here (yet). Here "we" are at four months. I've only gained a pound since pregnancy, but you can see how I find that near impossible - look at that tummy! That wasn't there before, was it?! Anyway, please excuse the bad picture - I'd just woken from a long Sunday nap. More commentary to come later - for now, just a bump.

entertainment center

I finished assembling our furniture set today after work. The entertainment center is nice. I like it because living room is pretty small and it is narrow, so it makes it feel better. The chairs got all assembled to for the table. It comes with six but we don't need them right now so I will put the other two up later this week or something. Brittney was feeling festive so we decorated the TV stand.

New dining room set

Brittney bought a new dining room table and six chairs at knights furniture like two months ago. We got it with a combo deal that included a TV entertainment center. She likes it a lot and keeps calling it by the proper marketing name as the "country cottage retreat special" It was special too, a special pain to put together and get to the house. It is solid though, which is good. We need it to last the next 30 - 35 years right Brittney:) That's about how much I want to allocate our money towards furniture for the house ha ha! Especially after I wanted to buy a brand new Chevrolet Silverado crew cab this weekend! Employee pricing at GM is a great thing. For those in the market American Fork has one that is loaded with everything save it be leather for $27,000 which I thought was a pretty good deal. Brittney told me to go ahead and buy it, but I thought I'd better wait. The Parley/Jarvus/Stanton Byington side of me was saying that's a sweet truck get it!!:) While the Lori/Mandy/Melinda/She-ruh side of me was saying why do you need a big A honkin truck? "You will need a mini van pretty soon." I listened to the women voices as of today, but hopefully in the future I will be able to have a truck someday.
Also, Jim Bean company which is based in Kentucky came out with a new wing sauce so stay tune for the next recipe that I make with the famous sauce I am looking forward to it. Brittney got called to teach the 6 year olds in primary. Also my sister-in-law has been talking a lot about fall and she will have to wait and see some of the pictures that i have to post for her. Utah has some amazing beauty along the Wasatch when it comes to fall. I haven't even lived here for two years but it something you notice right away.

Repeated Phrase of the day: "but I'm hungry mother" I really am mother, did you bring me anything to eat?" It has been stuck in my head for a while now. Do you ever have something get stuck in your head all the time from a movie? Can anybody guess the movie besides Brittney?

I saw this one time and it is cool-

character traits now that you are married that you carry out because of the influence of family:

Since I am the youngest i have a lot.

Parley traits: I check Brittney's curling all the time before we leave for church to make sure it is unplugged. I can change the oil because you can't trust other mechanics. I drive with two feet. I look out at the airport outside my house everyday before leaving for work. She gets the "look" when she leaves the lights on and I have to go back and shut them off. She gets blamed for misplacing my tools and keys!! hah ha jk the last one was a joke.

Sheila traits: I have gotten very good at zoning people out when I want to. I can put together a classroom complete with bulletin boards, books, papers, in less than 48 hours two days before the beginning of school, and make it look better than 80% of the other teachers class rooms that have been teaching for ions and I don't even break a sweat. I cook something for breakfast nearly everyday with lots of butter on the either eggs bacons or hash browns.

Lori and Earl traits:
I worry about what type of paint matches with my furniture. I plan for next year's garden and landscaping decor, and look at overstock for good deals. I appreciate diet coke now, the gas stations, holidays especially, and Monsters. Deron and Booz are household favorites.

Jarvus and Corey traits:
My car has to be immaculate inside and out. My neighbor commented that I wash the car too often. I think it is cool that you can drive and ATV/UTV in Richfield on the road. Really cool. Geocaching is american past time, I still route for the dolphins in times of distress. I search for property investments.

Melinda and Steve traits:
I shop for good deals on clothing and random items at Wal-mart. I look for the board game Priceless but can't ever find it. I also enjoy a long game of axis and allies. I still try to win prizes out of those stupid claw game things where you put 50 cents in and position the claw to drop down and retrieve you a prize. oh and how can I forget one word and Brad Frehner will be the only one who gets this. Thanksgiving day driving! ha ha

Brad and Mandy traits:
I constantly look at the new and upcoming MAC computer products. I still critique my lifeguards yearbooks'. I feel a rivalry against Jostens Company. I have Brittney listen to the ST Lunatics, we eat at Fuddruckers when we go to Provo. I look for new conflicts on YouTube with Kimbo Slice. I listen to Sean Hannity when time permits.

You can do it with your siblings.

To all of those

Who are pregnant right now, who have ever been pregnant, or will become so someday. This one goes out to you. I'm home terribly sick today (My first official sick day EVER), and I can't stop thinking about baby. I love this song, and I listen to it over and over. I get that it's cheesy and pathetically sentimental, but that is completely acceptable at this point in my life. So there.

Louisville derby ribs

For those of you who may not know, I have an appreciation for cooking and like to do it. Sunday I cooked some ribs from my mission, with mashed potatoes & gravy and fresh green beans. These just aren't any regualr ribs though.

2-3lbs extra meaty rack of ribs
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup worchester sauce
1/2 white onion sliced
seasoning salt
pepper
smokehouse honey bar-b-que sauce or chipotle rasberry bar-b-que sauce
Kentuckians don't like the latter weird sauces.

Sprinklers & "the little" gets a bath

Well I was tired of looking at my dirt pile in my front yard so I decided I'd better get in gear and get the sprinkler system and some sod in before snow fall. Oh by the way I also got the mailbox installed. Anyway, Earl helped me do it, because I wasn't sure where all the parts went. Luckily it is small yard so it didn't take too much time. I would have finished them and back filled everything for the sod, but school started this week so I go there after work and don't have much time. But this weekend we should be getting it all finished, and if everything goes right I will have a very nice lawn for spring.

Lily or "the little" as my wife calls her got a bath from me today. It was a good bath too, she (the dog) was pretty ticked needless to say. I scrubbed her with a tire scrubber! She didn't like that, but she eventually bowed out and took it. That huge rock is what I pinned her with so she couldn't move it on a string of course. It is actually ribbon from Brittney's craft junk. It worked great! Then she got dried. Those of you who don't know I have a history of kind of tormenting dogs. Not in any form of abusive way or anything of course, just playful ways. I used toss my friend Kole's dog around all the time. His name was BJ. He died while we were back East. So cleaning this dog was fun because I knew she didn't like it at all. But she can't get away. I just sprayed her the whole time and laughed, Then afterwards, I got the laser light pen out, and our dog actually chases it. I know you are probably thinking I thought only cats chase those. I did too, because I used them on my mission all the time in investigators homes, they thought it was so funny. Anyway, unfortunately my dog chases it outside. She isn't that smart. It is hard because growing up we had a really smart chow chow named Jack. But its okay I still am fond of my less intelligent dog now. She is pretty cute.

The brown house is up for sale across the street if anyone is looking to relocate we would love to know our neighbors if anyone is interested in living by the Byingtons!!

Rumor Has It...

If you've heard it, it's true! Joey and I are due to be welcoming our first baby into the world on March 28, 2009. That's right, I'm pregnant! Can you even believe it? We're going to parents! We can't wait! Joey's taking it just fine, as usual. Nothing phases him. I'm still getting used to it myself. It seems as if I can hardly concentrate on anything else! Which is normal, according to the 12 books I bought. To answer all of the questions people may have:

1. Were we trying? Um, not exactly. Let's just say it happened really, really fast.

2. When did we find out? About 5 or 6 weeks ago. I had a feeling I might be, but we'd just barely stopped preventing and I thought maybe it was way too soon. But I was late and feeling a little out of sorts. Which eventually led to a very pink plus sign in the bathroom of Walmart on my way to work. I laughed a lot, cried a little, called Joey, cried some more, and headed back to the store to pick up another test. While I was headed toward the checkout with 3 more tests in my hand (you can ever be too sure, right?), I ran into my sister-in-law Lori. I figured there was no use in chucking the EPT boxes across the store and hope she didn't notice, so I told her. She convinced me that a positive is a positive, and I should put the tests back and get some prenatal vitamins instead. So I did, and sure enough, she was right. A positive really is a positive.

3. How far along am I? About 9.5 weeks. Yikes!

4. What do we want? Whatever we get. I think Joey would really like a boy, and I'm sort of in the middle. When I think about either one, I just about bawl my eyes out. I can't wait to find out what it is.

5. Are we ready for this? Yes, and probably not. But we have about 7 months to let it all sink in, and that's why Heavenly Father gives you 9 months, I suppose.

6. Am I feeling sick? At the moment, absolutely. Not usually, though. I've been really fortunate in that respect and only on occasion feel pukey. But when it hits, it;s bad. I've tried all sorts of remedies for the nausea, but I'm open to any others you may have. I'm going to try those preggie pops if I can find them. Foods that I was fine with before sometimes make me dry heave even when I think about them. I LOVE it!

7. Am I feeling tired? Beyond exhausted. I could sleep all the time, if my busy life permitted it. But it doesn't, and so I sleep as much as I can - in the car (with Joey driving of course), after work, an extra 5 minutes in the morning - I'll take it where I can get it. But it never seems to be enough. Who knew that growing a little person could make you feel like you run a marathon every single day?

8. Any cravings yet? You bet. Soup, of any kind. And, McDonald's chicken nuggets. Sick, I know, but nothing tastes or feels as good as the nuggets. And steak. We've already had to go out for full-on steak dinners many times, which gets a little pricey. Looks like baby already has expensive taste!

9. Any changes in the tummy? I think it's gotten a bit rounder, but other people tell me I'm crazy and that I look the same as I always have. Not for long, though. I'm so short and squatty that I'm sure the little guy or girl will be noticeable in no time.

There you have it. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. We didn't want those of you that read this to find out through some weird grapevine, so now you've heard it from the horse's mouth. Stay tuned!

hiking

More pictures form the hike

Brittney and I went on a hike the other day up behind the G in Pleasant Grove. We saw some young boys in a repelling along this waterfall. It was really cool. That water was nice and cool as well. We had a lot of fun. We took our dog with us too. She really enjoyed it and it definately wore her down for once. Being a puppy she has a lot of energy. The other pictures are being dumb and I can't get them to load for some reason. Anyway, i will post some more tommorrow.
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Back to School

So it's probably not what you're thinking. I know I've talked about returning to BYU to get my master's degree ever since I graduated because I really have a love for learning, but as of now that won't be happening just yet. Some things have changed in the last few weeks, and it turns out that I was offered a position teaching the 5th grade at Pony Express Elementary School beginning on August 18th. (Yes, that's in 8 days!) I'm not really sure how this all came to be - it really sort of just happened. Joey and I had talked about that as an option for me since my seasonal position at the Pleasant Grove Pool was coming to a close, and I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to do. I just applied late one Monday night a few weeks ago, got a call on Tuesday to set up an interview for Wednesday, and got a call on Friday from the principal of the school offering me the position. I was thrilled to say the least - I love the thought of teaching. I am also, however, am utterly terrified out of my mind. Since I've never done it before, I'm going to really use my resources to make this transition as smooth as possible. Luckily, my mom-in-law is anamazing teacher, and Joey has a few sisters that I'll turn to for their expertise on the subject as well. It's good to be surrounded by so many teachers- those who have the experience that I lack. Anyway, it's going to be an adventure. Joey and I know that this is truly a blessing for us, and I can't wait to get started. Check back for updates on this new part of our lives, and updates on my sanity, too! I'll let you know if it's still intact.

The weekend

This weekend Brittney and I had a good time. We got our house picked up and were able to fiind the time to have some fun. On Friday we went to dinner with my sister and her family at Tepanyaki. It is kind of like Bennihana's in Las Vegas. Is that how you spell it? Everyone liked it. Sophie got nervous when they lit the fire to cook in front of you, but she liked the finding Nemo fish that were in the fish tank. Earl also took me out for a round of balls at the driving range which was really fun. I hadn't whacked a few balls in a long time. Saturday we picked up around the house and then went and looked for a dining room table for our home, We found one that Brittney really liked. I liked it too, but I was sweating when it came to the price. But that probably is every young man who just got married hopefully. I dunno maybe not. Afterwards we went to the Timp temple. That was fun. After that we took some pictures because it was sunset and we saw this baby bird in the driveway of the temple. It had fallen out of the nest. If you remember from an earlier post in the year we came across some baby foxes. well this time a bird.I looked around hoping to see its mom but I really couldn't tell. I felt bad, but I didn't know what to do, so Brittney tried to get the bird up on the grass becuase it was walking in the gutter. She got a cone and brushed it up on the grass, but in the process she kind of scared it into a drain and it fell down the drain!!! She was so upset, I secretly laughed, but it was kind of sad. Least it fell into the drain on the temple grounds though. After that we went to sonic to get some drinks for the AF CIty Steel Day's fireworks show. That was fun. I got the Island burger it was so good. If you haven't tried it get it, becasue it is amazing. We enjoyed the Steel Day's show. Sunday we went to church. In Sunday school we talked about Korihor the anti-Christ and how he was struck dumb. Lesson learned; don't tempt God for a sign just pray for an answer if you need one, and listen to the spirit. I really like our Sunday school class. I like studying the BOM in Alma becasue with the way the communities were organized such as the Nephites and Lamanities in Jershon and other cities; it is just like how we are today. Politicians trying to get gain and lie to people. Tell them what they want to hear, and secret combos. All that stuff is going on in our society especially withing the government. It is sad because I love our country and I love America, but you would be foolish to not recognize its fast deteoriation from a dominant righteous nation to a dwindling people of unbeleif and lovers of themselves. But its just a fulfillment of prophecy. After church our good friends Shaun M and his wife came over for dinner. (Unfortunely, we didn't have our table to eat on yet, but we can't wait til it comes so that we can have even bigger parites come over like family and all their kids & Brittney's family.) It was fun we were able to catch up and enjoy pork tenderloin, salad, potatoes, and green bean casserole. My wife did a lot of the cooking and she did a really good job. Shaun is waying his options for law school right now. He is looking into several schools, but UNLV and BYU are on his list, so I encouraged him to be a Rebel at all costs ha! ha! Today is also our good friend's birthday Derek Jappe. He turned 24 like the rest of us. I called him up and he is out protecting the streets of Las Vegas Nevada on graveyard, as a metro police officer. Happy Birthday Derek!!

Stinging Nettle

For those of you who don't know what stinging nettle is, don't feel dumb I didn't either until my brother-in-law explained it to me. It is a plant that will basically make you itch and you can find it up AF canyon. Brittney was so intrigued that she decided to see if it actually did sting. Luckily for her it didn't affect her that much, but I trusted my brother-in-law enough to leave it alone. We went for a hike with my sister's family the other day, and it was really fun. I think the name of the hike was called Angel Flatts. I don't know much about AF Canyon, but it was really a good time. We hike maybe a mile up the trail stopped and had dinner with the kids. We almost got all the way up the mountain without a "meltdown!" Annika just couldn't resist though haha!! As I am sure you can tell by the picture. I should have gotten some audio of lion attacking an impala becuase that's what Annika sounded like up the mountain there for a while. It was funny though. The Soph slept on her dad's back most of the way. Brittney and I had fun. It reminded a little bit of my days in Philmont at the age of 14!

Memories

Today at church in priesthood we had a lesson on the restoration of the church. But before the teacher mentioned the lesson he showed some pictures of things that have become really big. He gave an example of the iPhone and how big it has become, but just started out as an idea, and Steve Jobs probably didn't have the vision that it would become what it is today. Anyway, he asked the class if anyone had ever been apart of something great that is like world known or really popular, Nobody really was. Then he gave an example of how he is a yearbook teacher and how great it is when he sees the kids' faces when they publish a book each year, and he feels like he is a part of something. So when I got home it made me think about some of the past things that I have been a part of that in my little world I think are great. Mostly older things. So these pictures are to memories of some good and great things. Unfortunely, I don't have any yearbook pictures of me working on the yearbook. The picture of the kids was the a picture of our last FHE together before the Steven's moved to Utah that is why some of the other GKs aren't in there. One is of me and one of my best friends Shaun M playing volleyball when we won a state championship (This particular picture was the regional final) and the other is of the "little" our dog that Brittney loves so much. I wish she stayed this small. All great things, that to me, I have been apart of.