Tagged (2 times)

So I haven't blogged in awhile. In the words of my friend Nikki, I just haven't felt like it. There's really no reason, I just haven't been feeling up to it lately. However, I have just reviewed everybody else's blogs and they are all so cute! You all keep up so well!

Donna and Sarah tagged me - a long time ago - so I figured today is the day I am getting around to it! Not much else is going on around here that needs to be blogged about anyway. So you can stay and find out some random facts about Holly or be on your merry way with more important things!!

FIRST TAG

Name 7 Weird or Interesting Things About Yourself:

1. Food is a great place to start! As far as food goes, if I have a weakness it's Double Stuf Oreos. WOW!! I am in love with Double Stuf Oreos. Every time I go to the grocery store and I pass the cookie aisle I literally have an internal struggle. Should I get them? Or not get them? It takes every ounce of strength to not put them in my cart! I would say I lose this internal struggle at least twice a month and I give in and buy them. I dip them in milk - then I cry when I see that I have gained 2 pounds the next morning!! Those cookies have 70 calories a piece!!

2. I am a morning person. I love to get up early. The house is quiet, everyone is sleeping, there's no one to bother me. I like to exercise and read my scriptures before my children get up. I feel physically and spiritually ready to take on my day. Of course I am human and I do take my day or two to sleep in, but for the most part I am up early. Because of this habit I am also an avid nap taker!

3. I have this thing with my feet being dirty. I don't like it! I always have something on my feet. Whether it's shoes or socks or those fluffy slipper socks (those are my favorite!) I have to have something on my feet. I don't like being barefoot because then my feet get dirty or I step in something on the kitchen floor and I can't handle it! Yeah, long walks on the beach - those aren't for me! Sand is the worst! My feet are filthy after walking in the sand! Half the time I wash my feet before climbing into bed.

4. I hate laundry! I more than hate laundry - I despise it! It's never done. You can do any other house chore and it can stay "done" for a little while, but laundry is never done! There are the piles that need washed, the piles to put away in drawers, the piles to hang up in the closet, the pile that needs ironed, and so on. I've tried doing one or two loads a day and I've tried doing it all on one day and I've tried not doing it at all. Nothing works. There is always something that needs laundered! Every time I end up doing a whole bunch of laundry at once I suggest to Craig that we move to a nudist colony. People that live in nudist colonies aren't there because they like being nudie - they just plain hate doing laundry. The only thing those people have to wash is their bath towel. I could live with that.

5. I have a bicornate uterus. It's a birth defect. There is a wall that runs down my uterus that splits it into two sides. Or sometimes doctors refer to it as two horns. (Ha! This Mormon has horns! Hee Hee!) The right side of my uterus is actually bigger than the left side. I have carried all three of my children on the right side. Yes, my stomach does look lopsided, especially in the third trimester. But you can't tell unless I don't have a shirt on. Unfortunately, this wall that divides my uterus in half also divides my birth canal in half. Some women who have this type of uterus - their wall is flexible and will allow the baby to center over the birth canal to come out naturally. We tested the "flexibility" of my "wall" with Chase and found that my wall is not a flexible wall. Chase ended up being taken via emergency c-section. And my other two kids were born c-section as well. Doctors are c-section happy these days, but having a bicornate uterus is actually a true reason to have a c-section.

6. I am smaller now than I was in high school - by four pants sizes. I was teased and called "Fatty".

7. I am not a good conversationalist. I am not a good conversation starter. I always worry about what to say to people. I'm always worried that I have said something to hurt someone's feelings or that they took something I said the wrong way. I am quite shy and prefer to be "wallpaper" in big groups of people. Unless I'm around people I have known a long time or that I know really, really well.

Ok, so now that you know all my weirds here's tag #2.

SECOND TAG

Google your answer and post the first picture that comes up:

What is your favorite food?

Double Stuf Oreo's


What is your age?

25


What is your middle name?

Davis (it was my maiden name)


What is your college major?

I don't have a college major right now, but I do want to go back to school when all my kids are in school. I would love to do something fitness and nutrition oriented.


What is your favorite vacation?

This was a no-brainer. Disneyland! I am a kid at heart!


What is a bad habit of yours?

I am very impatient. To a fault!







(You might have to click on it for it to come up)

What is your pet's name?

Craig is allergic to anything with hair so we just have fish. I think there are 6 fish in the tank and none of them have names. We just flush them down the toilet when they die so we try to stay as unattached as possible :o)


What place would you like to visit?

I have always wanted to visit South America/Central America and see the Indian ruins. You know the Temples that the Mayan Indians and other types of Indians built. I know that there is an LDS cruise that takes you down there to do tours and things. I have always wanted to see those sites.


Where would you like to live?

I would love to live on a ranch in the mountains.

Clark's Half-Birthday!!

Clark turned six months old back on April 11th. I know I'm a little late in posting, but I wanted to post his 6-month pictures too. (We just got them back). He is such a happy baby!! Regardless of the fact that he is cutting three top teeth all at once he hasn't been too fussy. This last week he has learned how to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. Yesterday he moved one knee forward then took a face dive into the floor! So he's just gotta figure out that his hands have to move too. He'll be crawling all over the place real soon!! I know a lot of parents dread their kids crawling/walking, but I love it! They're happier and they can entertain themselves. You don't have to carry them around all the time. I get so much more done!! So I can't wait!!



He weighs 21 pounds. He's a tank! I get some good exercise carrying this kid around! What a cutie he is though. He has been such a blessing in our lives. I love my Clark :-D

Sweet Face


I just LOVE his face in this picture!!


Hands and Knees

You Might Be A Redneck If . . . . . .

Your brother is also your brother-in-law!
If your sister-in-law is your sister-in-law on both sides of the family!
You see the same people on both sides of the family get togethers!

These redneck jokes are from the mouth of my brother Jason! Jason met his wife, Natalie, when he was in high school. She waited for him while he went on his mission and they got married 3 months after he got home. Natalie has a younger sister, Heather.
Meanwhile my cousin Spencer who lived in Utah moved down to Arizona. Spencer ended up meeting Heather and they ended up getting married (This made Jason's cousin his brother-in-law!) Natalie and Heather have a younger sister named Kim. Jason and I have a younger brother named Cameron. Cameron and Kim of course knew each other through our family's close relationship - and church. Cameron and Kim started dating 3 months before his mission. Kim waited and they got married 6 months after Cameron got home. (Jason's brother is now his brother-in-law, and Kim, his sister-in-law is now his sister-in-law on both sides of the family.) Did I lose you there? It's really not as difficult as it sounds and I MUST add that no one who married each other is blood related. And talking to the photographer who took pictures of the wedding - she said things like this happen more often than you think it does. Where brothers marry sisters. She said it makes taking the wedding pictures easier because when you switch both sides of the families in and out for the pictures it's nice that half of the people stay there! So it's a little on the humorous side. My brothers say they often crack jokes about it and Jason says, "I married Natalie first!" We have one more brother left and they have one more sister left. But my brother is on a mission in Thailand and he does have a girlfriend who is waiting for him. And their sister is still in high school so she is probably at least a couple years away from marrying!! Anyway, as I promised earlier, I finally got my hands on some of Kim and Cameron's wedding pictures. Their photographer was eight months pregnant when they got married and she ended up having her baby a month after the wedding. So it took her awhile to get them their wedding pics back! They got married back on January 5th. Their Temple sealing was first thing in the morning and it was gorgeous! It was a beautiful day! Kim looked absolutely stunning in her dress! And my brother was handsome as ever! We had a luncheon at my parents house after the sealing - and then Kim and Cameron went to go "pack" for their honeymoon before the reception. Hee Hee! (Didn't we all "pack" or go "take a nap" before our wedding reception on our big day?!)(Sorry guys! I'm just teasing!) :o) The reception was nice. I LOVE wedding receptions! The music and dancing, seeing people you haven't seen in years, the memories it brings back of my own reception, etc. And I loved Kim and Cameron's wedding song. they picked "Beyond the Sea". I'm not sure which version they had played, but my favorite version is sung by Kevin Spacey. It fit them perfectly because Cameron served his mission in Hong Kong - an ocean away - and the song talks about a lover waiting for him beyond the sea. Great song!
As with all wedding days, it was fun, but long, due to the fact that we have three young children. They didn't get naps so by the time the reception started they were starting to fall apart! It was a great day and we are so glad that Kim is now a member of the family. Aren't you jealous of her red hair?! It's natural too! I can't wait to see what color hair their kids will have! I got to be a bridesmaid for the wedding. I was grateful she chose me for that. Since I don't have any sisters of my own it was nice to feel included that way. (Thanks Kim!) I'm so glad they got married in the Temple. It's so comforting to know that we are all sealed together. Our family links remain strong and unbroken that way. I love you Kim and Cameron!

It's Been SIX Years!!!

Yesterday was our sixth wedding anniversary! I seriously cannot believe it has been six years. We have been through soooooo much together. I am so grateful for Craig. He has been a big support to me. Especially the last four years. I have either been pregnant, healing from a c-section, or been trying to get pregnant the last four years of our marriage. And let me tell ya - I am not a happy camper when I'm pregnant! I am so grateful he has put up with me through it all!! We've made it through some pretty hard times together. We've also made some great memories! I have never laughed so much with anyone else as I do with Craig. Here's to forever!!

Some of my favorite things about Craig are:

1. He rubs my back almost every night. I don't even have to ask.

2. He comes home from work happy everyday. There are really only about 3 or 4 days that I can remember him coming home in a bad mood in our entire marriage. He walks in the door with a smile and a jolly laugh everyday! I absolutely LOVE this about Craig!

3. We like to share a bag of popcorn when we watch TV together after the kids are in bed. When there are only a few handfuls of popcorn left he stops eating and lets me have the rest. He knows I love the half-popped kernels and he lets me have them!

4. Craig is good at talking to people. He is a great conversationalist. I love that he always knows what to say to people. He makes people feel important and even when people are being stupid he has a way of telling them - without actually making them feel stupid. (I don't know if that made sense or not).

5. He's a cry baby! And I mean that in a totally positive way! He played college football - he's a tough guy - yet he cries over everything!! He cries in movies (even action movies), he cries at TV shows, he cries every week when he gives his Gospel Doctrine lesson, he cries when other people cry. I wish I had his sensitivity.

6. He loves me. I know that he loves me. He just has a way with me. He is always worried about how comfortable I am in life. He always asks if there is anything he can do to make my life easier. He makes me feel beautiful - even when the makeup's gone and the hair's all undone. He makes me feel good about myself. He just loves me. :o)

Dreamy isn't he?
I love you Craig!!

What's In a Name?

I got tagged twice for this so I figured I should finally sit down and post on this! I know a lot of people have done this and it's been fun to hear why everyone named their kids what they did. We are so blessed to have had 3 babies to name. With my condition it's truly a miracle that we have ANY children, let alone 3 HEALTHY children!! So here are the what's and why's of our kiddos. I also included my favorite professional picture and a snapshot of them.

CHASE THOMAS





Growing up, my brothers and I used to play at our cousin Nathan's house a lot. Nathan had a friend named Chase who was over there all the time too. He was kind of a crazy kid, but I always thought he had a cool name. When we found out we were having a boy, I ran the name by Craig and he really liked it. So since I picked the first name I told Craig he could pick the middle name. He wanted to name him Chase Rodney. WOW! RODNEY!! No offense to anyone out there with the name Rodney, but I just never had that in mind for one of my children. So I convinced him to pick something else and he came up with Thomas. I'm not too big on Bible names either, but Thomas was way better than Rodney - so it became Thomas. Which is perfect now because he is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine! However, had I known that naming my child Chase would literally mean that I would spend my days "chasing" him around the house, in public, or wherever we are I would have named him Sitting Still. Sounds kind of like an Indian name doesn't it? :O)

MALLORY JADE





We had a very hard time naming Mallory. When I was 18 weeks pregnant with her we went to go find out if she was a girl or a boy at an ultrasound. We found out she was a girl, but we also found out that my body was halfway through the laboring process. Thanks to many priesthood blessings and modern-day medicine she is here today. We were hesitant to name her because we weren't sure if she was going to make it or not. Looking back I think we were trying to stay unattached to her because of how scared we were of losing her. At the end of the pregnancy we finally finalized a name for her. I had read a book - don't remember the name of it - but the main character's name was Mallory. I took it to Craig and he said, "Mallory? Like on Family Ties?" That show must have been before my era because I have never seen an episode. But he liked it so we went with it. We tried to come up with a middle name, but it seemed like nothing fit. I ended up getting one of my friend's wedding announcements in the mail. We were in the same ward for years growing up and she was a great friend - and her name sounded good next to Mallory. So Jade it was!

CLARK TYLER






Clark was actually going to be Corbin for the longest time. We called him Corbin for months while I was still pregnant with him! But Craig and I kept saying, "We love the name Corbin, but it's just not clicking!" We couldn't seem to find anything to "click" as we discussed names. So I finally just asked Heavenly Father if there was a specific name he had in mind for this child. I know that happens in the Bible - Heavenly Father has a certain name that He's wanted a child to have. So I questioned Him, and a couple of days later, we were watching Smallville. The show about Superman (Clark Kent) in his teenage years. The thought ran through my head, "How about Clark?" At first I thought, "No, it's too old fashioned." But a few days passed and Clark still kept coming into my mind. Meanwhile, I had a brother who was on his mission at the time in Hong Kong, China. I had written him an e-mail and had asked him what he thought of the name Clark. I was blown away by his response! When he answered my e-mail he said, "Holly, it's weird that you asked me that because the other night I was laying in bed and the name Clark Kent just popped into my head. And I started thinking about Superman." He said he thought the name was a good name. Wow! So my brother who's on the other side of the world has had a "Clark" impression too! I felt strongly that Clark was this child's name. Then I had to get the guts to bring it to Craig because I was so sure on this! He ended up loving it! He wanted to name him Clark Kent Kurtzeborn. (He LOVES Superman, but I told him there is no way we are doing that to our child!) I said no to Kent. And he suggested Tyler. Which is also his middle name and his mother's maiden name. There was also an Apostle named J. Reuben Clark. Clark was a good name!

I tag Sarah H., Crystal T. (I know he's still in utero!), and Amie W.

Our Easter

It has been so fun to read about everybody's Easter traditions! I never realized there were so many different ways to celebrate! Some just do egg hunts, some just do baskets, some dye eggs, and some just do plastic eggs. Craig and I were talking about what kind of Easter traditions we wanted to establish in our family. I know our oldest child is four, but we never really talked much about this holiday's traditions. We decided that we would dye eggs the night before and leave them on the table along with their empty Easter baskets and the Easter bunny would come in the night and hide them somewhere in the house. We told them when they woke up in the morning they would have to see if they could find where the bunny had hidden their eggs and their baskets. When I first asked Mallory who would be coming in the night, her eyes got really big - and then her smile got really big and she whispered to me, "Santa Claus!" I laughed and had to tell her, "Not quite." She was cute! Anyway, we dyed eggs the night before - successfully with no spills. The kids thought it was the neatest thing in the world to change the color of the egg (we have never done this before).





Craig peeled and ate half of one of the boiled eggs and he offered the other half to Chase and Mallory. They both hated the taste! They love scrambled eggs, but apparently hard-boiled eggs are out of the question!



We didn't fill their baskets with a whole lot of candy this year. One, because we didn't want them to have a sugar rush right before we went to church. And two, because I would end up eating half of their candy anyway - and then I would be mad at myself. (Yes, I have self-control issues when it comes to candy) So we mostly filled their baskets with cheap books and toys. The "Easter Bunny" hid Chase's basket behind the couch in the living room and he hid Mallory's basket in the closet under the stairs.





Mallory loved a fun light toy that she got in her basket. From the look on her face you can tell it was pretty mesmerizing!



Clark snacked a little bit on Mallory's chocolate bunny. He loved it!! It was his first taste of chocolate! (We start early in our family :o))



But I think the biggest hit was from Chase's Easter basket. The "bunny" gave him some Billy-Bob teeth. (88 cents for a 4 pack! We're cheap!) We got the best laughs from these teeth!







We get our kids two formal outfits a year - one at Christmas and one at Easter. So here were their Easter outfits for church:

Chase


Mallory


Clark


I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

5 Months Already!

Clark turned 5 months old yesterday!! Time is flying by so fast. I think the more kids you have the faster time goes because of how busy you are! Clark is getting so big! I can't wait until his 6 month appointment so see how much he weighs. Mallory just wears diapers to bed at night - but Clark is in the same size diaper as Mallory! Yeah, size 4!! I swear he's going to out weigh her by the time he's a year!Clark cut his first tooth on Valentine's Day and he cut his second one the beginning of March. All of my kids teethe so early. By 10 months Chase had every tooth in his mouth except for his 2-year molars. He was biting and eating pizza at 9 months! I love it because we don't have to mash up their table food for very long. He's also sleeping 12 hours at night. He has been since he was 10 weeks old. He's such a good baby!! We've really gotten spoiled having him :o)

Some recent pics of the bebe:

Big Boy Teeth



Contagious Smile :o)


Happy As Can Be


Clark and Me


It's Bathtime!