Mangum Life

Future delinquent?

2011-12-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

Michael has now reached the age were he can truly entertain himself for minutes on end. No more running to mom and dad for constant attention, which means that we are now free to take a shower while he's still awake without worrying about him standing outside the shower begging to be let in. So while Jay and I were enjoying a "whine" free warm shower Michael entertained himself with his books, the most recent football game on TV, and his car set that he got for Christmas. A short time into our relaxing shower I noticed that Michael was being extra quiet. I didn't think to much of it cause I always double check to make sure all rooms that he's not allowed into are blocked off and anything that could cause grief to us or him are kept out of his reach. He remained quiet up unto the time we were getting ready to get out upon which he enters that bathroom calling for us to get out of the water. Jay dries off first and exits the bathroom where he runs into a little surprise ... apparently Michael had found his bag full of markers and figured out how to unzip it. Upon which he grabbed the black marker and preceded to color on the walls, TV, his rocking chair, a few storage containers, and even a few of my keyboard keys. When Jay confronted him he proudly said "color WALL!" "color WALL!" Hmm mm guess I'll pay better attention to what toys of his are lying around before our next shower (thankfully everything washed off easily and that he doesn't know where we keep the permanent markers).

On a happier note ...

2011-12-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I added any new updates about Michael I figured it was high time that I did. Besides what better way to add joy to a blackened mood (bed rest sucks!) then our sweet little boy. Enjoy the pictures :-)

FYI: This is more for my own personal record, hence the reason it's so long

Age: 19 months
Words he can now say: hmm this might take awhile ...
Momma
Dadda
Cat (or kitty) + noise
Dog + noise
Cow + noise
Horse + noise
Sheep + noise
Pig + noise
Goose + noise
Turkey + noise
Lion + noise
Zebra + noise
Bear + noise (which isn't a growl but bear quickly repeated twice lol)
Dinosaur + noise
Mouse + noise
Fish
Bird
Butterfly
Puppy
Rabbit
Eye + where it's located on the body
Nose + where it's located on the body
Ear + where it's located on the body
Chin + where it's located on the body
Cheek + where it's located on the body
Mouth + where it's located on the body
Teeth + where it's located on the body
Chest + where it's located on the body
Tummy + where it's located on the body
Arm + where it's located on the body
Elbow + where it's located on the body (somewhat)
Fingers + where it's located on the body
Hand + where it's located on the body
Leg + where it's located on the body
Knee + where it's located on the body
Foot + where it's located on the body
Toes + where it's located on the body
Most of the alphabet
Pink
Purple
Blue
Red
Orange
Green
Yellow
Truck
Car
Big
Small
Balloon
Bubbles
Bath
Shoes
Boots
Socks
Vacuum
Cart
Book
Story
Prayer
Nursery (some what)
Baby
Blanket
Diaper
Butt Paste (lol I keep trying to get him to say "bum" paste but it's not working)
Shirt
Pants
Jacket
Hat
Gloves
Toothbrush
Water
Music (kinda --- he calls it ee)
Football
Ball
T.V.
Phone
Pillow
Bed
Hello
Goodbye
Good night
Please (still a work in progress, sometimes he says it but he mostly just signs it)
Computer
Tree
Grass
Sidewalk
Walk
Tel (one of the kid's in our apartment complex that he likes to play with)
Gate
Girl (he's already a ladies man)
Broke
Snow
Uh-Oh
Button
Paper
Couch (favorite thing to say about the couch ... "broke couch" see below for reason)
Color (meaning he wants to color something)
Markers
Candy cane
Cookie
Milk
Juice
Potato
Shake
Hot cocoa
Smarties (one of his favorite candies)
Chocolate
Snack
Bread
Corn
Peas
Tea
Waffles
Cheese

Phew that's a lot and there's still tons more to add, but I need a break from typing and the computer so I'll just add some recent pictures of him and then create a second blog with more words and things that he can now do.

** Relaxing after a brisk walk **

** Ready for winter --- kind of --- it appears he's missing gloves **

** Look out snowball attack!!!! **

** Michael and mommy - He's enjoying some nice hot cocoa **

** about to take his sock off **

** "broke couch" -- little monster **

** Trying on mommy's boots **

** Relaxing in John's baby swing **

** Figuring out the snow **

** Happy boy **

The dreaded day has arrived ... BED REST!!!!

2011-12-07T13:41:00.001-08:00

I was warned of the dreaded possibility of bed rest ever since my first ultrasound at 24 weeks where it was learned that I had a shortened cervix. At 28 weeks when I went in for another ultrasound (this time internal) and it showed an even lower number than before I was cautioned that bed rest was probably going to happen. At my 30 week ultrasound (again internal) my numbers had gone back up again and I was told that for now bed rest was avoided but since I was still below average to just try and take it as easy as possible (uh sure ... I'll just tell my active 19 month old that). I had another appointment at 32 weeks (this time no ultrasound, just a regular check-up to make sure I was still measuring well and John's heart rate was still going strong etc. etc.). I really didn't want to drive to drive the 35 minutes that it took to get to Idaho Falls just for a 5 minute check-up, especially since I felt just fine and all of the other "check-ups" showed that he was doing so well. So the day before (just to make sure nothing unusual showed up) I canceled the appointment and made another one for 34 weeks. I was feeling good, no issues other than normal aches and pains of pregnancy. Then Sunday rolls around (mind you this is 5 days after the canceled appointment). I started my day out like normal but about two hours or so into the morning I started experiencing more Braxton Hicks contractions than normal (about 1 every 3-5 minutes), they weren't painful just uncomfortable and annoying since every time my stomach tightened it would push John further under my ribs. This lasted for half the day but by evening (after upping my water intake) they slacked off and where back to what they normally were. I just figured I was dehydrated and probably over did it the day before when we were out grocery shopping. Monday rolls around, my contractions are back to normal, but I was now experiencing a dull ache on my right side in my pelvic region so i tried to take it easy for the day...no biggie. 2:30am: Experienced low back pain and menstrual like cramping in my abdomen. I was too uncomfortable to sleep and starting to get a bit worried so I ask Jay for a blessing. The blessing calms my fears with the assurance that all was well with John and that he would be born strong and healthy but also the council to contact my Physician. About 2 hours after it started the pain subsides and I was able to get a little but of rest. As soon as the clinic opened at 8 I called, explained my situation and got myself an appointment lined up for 2 hours later. 30 minutes after I was seen I'm admitted to EIRMC hospital by my doctor for observation, I was showing signs of pre-term labor. I was dilated to a 3/75% effaced with a very soft cervix. 1 IV line, a shot to stop contractions, and about 6 hours after being admitted I was finally able to go home but with "strict" bed rest instructions. So thus begins day 1 of bed rest with at least 28(or more)to go.

Michael's Pregnancy vs John's Pregnancy

2011-12-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Before going into a blog about the changes that have been happening in our family I just wanted to quickly write up a pregnancy comparison note, mainly for my own personal records but also for family if they're curious.

Pregnancy Differences:
Michael
Sickness: Experienced a horrible gag reflex for the first and part of the second trimester
Weight gained: 27lbs (gave birth at 37 weeks)
Food cravings: first trimester I craved these little beef empanadas that I found at the Winchester Walmart when I was home visiting but sadly our Walmart didn't sell them (I craved them so bad I could practically taste them so you can imagine my dissapointment when I found out I couldn't have my craving satisfied). I also craved chili (as most of my family knows, chili and pizza where my usual lunch growing up) so I about broke down crying when I looked on the back of my favorite chili can while shopping and found that it had over 1100mg of Sodium in, which meant ... NO CHILI either!
First time feeling movement: 16 weeks
Headaches: I use to get bad tension headaches before pregnancy but while pregnant with Michael they all just miraculously disappeared :-)
Ultrasounds: Had ultrasounds done at 11 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks (when we found out the sex), and had my 37 week ultrasound scheduled to check fluid levels when my water broke (2 hours before the appointment I might add)
Birth Place: Alaska (Homer)
Labor: Natural --- 12 hours --- 3 of which were spent pushing
Problems: Michael developed a spontaneous pneumothorax and had to be life-flighted to Anchorage, AK where he spent 12 days in the NICU
Weight: 6lbs 13oz
Length: 19 inches
Time Born: 9:52pm
Date Born: April 20, 2010
Other: I had gestational diabetes

John
Sickness: thankfully no gag reflex
Weight gained: 33lbs (YUCK!) by 33 weeks so possibly more to follow though I sure hope not
Food cravings: I crave milk at times
First time feeling movement: 10 weeks but became a lot more noticeable by 16 weeks
Headaches: Tension headaches did not "miraculously disappear" this time but instead intensified and became migraines --- I've experienced at least 4 migraines since becoming pregnant
Ultrasounds: 24 weeks (when we found out the sex), 28 weeks (internal - to check the cervix and then she did an external 3D ultrasound so I could see our little guy, it was pretty cool) and 30 weeks (internal - to check the cervix)
Birth Place: will be Idaho (Rexburg)
Other: No gestational diabetes (Yay!) but I have a shortened cervix and have now (at 33 weeks) been placed on strict bed rest due to early signs of labor (Boo! Hiss!!!!)

Pregnancy Similarities:
Morning sickness: Slight feelings of nausea if I allowed my stomach to go completely empty otherwise nothing (only lasted for 1st trimester)
Appetite: Hungry and willing to eat TONS more than was normal for me (must have been a boy thing)
Aches & Pains: Rib pain, they both found great joy in pushing their feet as far up under my rib cage as possible, right hip pain (especially while walking)
First time daddy felt movement: 20 weeks
Other: Fatigued a lot more during the first trimester, difficulty breathing and sleeping during last trimester, horrible heartburn 6 months and on.

That about sums everything up (or at least everything that I can think of right now).

North to Alaska

2011-05-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

As of 12:15am Saturday May 14th Alaska has become our new home for the summertime (we'll be here until August 29th). Jay thankfully found another internship and since this, out of numerous others that he has applied for, been the only one to offer him an internship we didn't want to possibly miss our only opportunity so we jumped at the chance and took off once again for an Alaskan adventure. The weather has been cloudy and wet since we got here but the sun is starting to come back out and the temperature's starting to rise so we're crossing our fingers for a nice relaxing summer full of work, fishing, hunting, and spending time with family. The most recent adventure that has been undertaken was a bout of black bear hunting. Jay and his dad (along with a few other people) flew across the bay and on Friday Jay was able to bring down a bear. From what has been described it's quite a beaut standing almost 6 feet tall. The King's are starting to come in also so starting Monday we're going to start fishing in hopes of catching on of these monsters. I'll write longer, more descriptive posts of our adventures here as time goes on but for now enjoy the view that we get to look at every day outside our kitchen window ;-D.

Date Night

2011-02-14T22:38:00.001-08:00

This will be a short post since it's 11:30pm and I'm beat but I wanted y'all to know just how sweet my hubby was this Friday.

He kept the details of this date a secret from me for almost a month. Michael got a babysitter so that we could have an enjoyable and relaxing time together alone plus it was going to be an outside activity according to Jay so we didn't want him to get to chilled (it is still winter here ya know... mid 30s are the high as of late). Well after dropping Michael off at a friends place we drove to campus where the activity was going to first start. From there we drove about 10min until we arrived at our destination, a volunteer's farm. We got to go on a relaxing sleigh ride with a fun group of students and eat chicken alfredo cooked outside under the shelter of a large sheep herders tent, it was tons of fun, met some really nice people, and the horses were massive Percherons ... sigh* I miss being around horses, aside from our toes freezing we had a nice relaxing evening together. Okay so it doesn't sound like a very spectacular date but we had a lot of fun on it (which honestly is all that matters) plus it was nice taking a break, just the two of us. Michael was very well behaved with Torrey and had tons of fun with her (though he was pretty excited to see us when we went and picked him up) Well gotta run ta ta for now

WARNING Due to the graphic nature of this post viewer discretion is advised ...

2011-01-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

Today started out like any other day ... not enough sleep (thanks to baby growing pains), no time for breakfast, Jay rushing out the door to get to school, me wishing I could fall back asleep but the crying baby in the room next to mine begs to differ ,,, etc. etc. So around 1pm Jay comes home from school to drop off my car that we had lent to a friend of ours the previous evening. He had a buisness seminar at 2pm that he didn't want to miss so after wolfing down some homemade mac n' cheese he grabbed his backpack and headed out the door to walk the 12minutes that it takes to get to school. When he left I was in the restroom watching Michael standing up by the tub, it was about his nap time so I went out to the living room to get something (can't remember what now-oh and by the way this was probably 10 or so minutes after Jay had left) when I just happened to glance out our window and see Jay on the sidewalk by our apartment fiddling with his phone, I was like "great, he accidently dropped his phone and it's now busted bet he's really ticked right now." So to see what was up I opened our window and yelled down to see if he was okay. Imagine my shock when he yelled back that he had broken his leg ... "WHAT!!!!" I knock on our neighbors door and ask her if she could watch Michael for a few minutes for me then I rush downstairs to my fallen husband. Sure enough the moment I get close to him I can tell right away that he was right about the broken leg I mean it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when the leg is pointing in the opposite direction that there's something not quite right. He had already called an ambulance (hence the fiddling with his phone) and about 10 or so minutes later they pull up to my now poor agonizing husband. After the ambulance takes him to the hospital I load Michael up and we both head on over there as well. To make a long story short he ended up breaking his fibia and badly dislocating his tibia and hence had to be taken into to surgery to place a metal plate into his ankle to give it the proper support once it was fully healed. It took about 3 hours before he was able to go in for surgery (2 other ankle breaks were before him ... hmmmm go figure) and now he's having to spend the night in the hospital for observation but thankfully he should be able to come home in the morning. He's doing well just very tired (thanks to the anethesia and pain meds) and of course pretty uncomfortable.

FYI: Michael is still recovering from the flu but is doing much better (despite the fact that he chose to barf all over me, the floor, and himself while we were at the hospital ... lol he acted pretty pleased with himself the little stinker).

***NOTE*** If you have a weak stomach do not look at these

Okay I had to show at least one cute picture to help make up for the others :-)

First Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

Today was Michael's first thanksgiving, and ours as new parents. What a true blessing it is to have him in our life, especially with the inital trial that we went through with him when he was born. Though we;ve experienced many trials this year as a family we still have been extrememly blessed and I'm truly grateful to God for all that he has blessed me and my family with.

This thanksgiving was a day of firsts ...
First thanksgiving for Michael
First thanksgiving as parents
First thanksgiving without family

Though it wasn't a complete lost, we still got to spend it together and also got to spend time with a new friend. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, potato rolls, stuffing, corn, and homemade apple pie yum yum (my first time making a pie, tasted oh so yummy). We did have one downside to the evening; right before we left we noticed some water dripping down from one of the cubboards so we went upstairs to see what was going on and low and behold we find the upstairs bathroom covered in about 2 inches of water ... dozen towels later and a shop vac to suck up all the water and we finally got it all cleaned up and the pipes fixed so the water would run through them properly (they got a bit frozen due to the extremem temperature drop the previous evening). Definitely a memorable thanksgiving :-)

Gosh it's been ages!

2010-10-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

So since it's been so freakin' long I better add a few updates before pressing onward with the pictures.

1) School has started back up again and for poor Jay the work never ends

2) Michael is now 6 months old and he can ...
- Sit up compeltely unassisted
- Is trying to sit up on his own while lying down (work in progress)
- Trying to rock himself up onto all fours
- Jabbering nonstop
- Smiling and laughing constantly
- When not smiling/laughing he's whining and wishing to be held by mommy (sigh*)
- Absolutely LOVES eating solids (one that he really wishes to try but just can't yet is pizza ... goes to show you that he's certainly my son)
- Grabs at everything (he especially likes the feel of the cats fur)
- Sit up in the bathtub on his own now (makes washing his hair so much easier)
- Found his toes and now sucks on them
- Now has 2 bottom teeth (which are pretty darn sharp by the way)

3) I'm trying to get back into shape (work in progress) ... BYU-I holds some free exercise programs in the evenings that I've been trying to go to (Turbo kick and yoga are the 2 that I'll be doing)

4) Went apple picking for the first time after recently finding out that BYU-I orchards are opened to the public (did you know that they have over 100 different types of apples growing in their orchards! ... because we went so late in the season most of the trees were picked clean but the few apples that we did get were very delicious --- Michael even agreed)

Now ... Onto pictures ...

Michael enjoying the sweet nectar of a BYU-I apple

Future Linebacker

Newest pictures of our chubby guy

2010-08-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

So Michael will be 4 months old next week (HOLY COW! time is flying by so fast) so I thought I'd add the newest pictures of our little chunky monkey ... Enjoy :-D

MOM! I'm naked!

Holding his bottle all by himself

Such a big boy siting up on his own

And they call it ... Puppy Love

2010-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Michael has this little dog, that his grammie Mangum got him, that hums "rock a bye baby" when you pull it's tail. He absolutely LOVES this little dog and will fall asleep while it plays its little song. This little pup has saved us many pouty fits and is a sure bet to crack a smile or laugh. Hope y'all enjoy the video :-)

Kitty Love

2010-07-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's early morning and Michael is awake demanding his morning feed. I'm cold and still pretty tired so I do what I normally do if I want more sleep, go in, change his diaper, and bring him back to bed with me where he happily nurses next to me while Ilazily doze for a few extra minutes. Socrates and Bella, like usual are lounging about on different sides of the bed, completely relax and asleep. After Michael finishes his meal we both doze off for a short time, blissfully enjoying the warmth that the blankets offers us. After a short time I awake and look over at Michael when to my surprise I notice something different ... Socrates has decided to join us for a quick nap of his own. He's curled up directly behind Michael with the back of his head against the back of michael's head, completely sprawled out with both front paws drapped over Michael's side. It was pretty hillarious, Socrates puts up with Michael very well. One of those times I wished I had my camera. :-)

2 1/2 Months

2010-06-30T22:01:00.001-07:00

Michael is getting pretty darn close to his 3 month mark (HOLY COW!) and he's growing like a weed, his baby blessing will be on the 11th of July. He's moving around constantly, has pretty much outgrown his swaddle blanket, and his hair is lightening up to a reddish/brown color. He found his fist and loves sucking on it every chance he gets (especially when I'm carrying him around in his sling/wrap) He also smiles every time he wakes up (granted it only lasts for a short time before the pouty face starts but its sure cute ... he also has the BEST pouty faces EVER! lol). He's all about movement, so I can't wait to get him into a bouncer swing. Well there's tons of stuff I could keep writing about but I need to get off the internet so I hope y'all enjoy his latest pictures.

Earthquake test

2010-06-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

One thing about Michael that is always predicatable is that he absolutely LOVES movement. Bounce him around, take him for a car ride, swinging in his swing, or even being swung around while in his carseat, he doesn't care just keep him moving and he'll be completely happy and even give you a smile or two to show his appreciation.

Halibut Fishing

2010-06-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Lisa and Brad surprised us with a chance to go halibut fishing on Saturday (May 29th). At 7:30am we met the caption of our charter while Michael happily spent some one-on-one time with his grandparents. We went about 15miles out to sea and for 4 hours cast our lines overboard, allowing the 2lb weight to sink 200 feet. Any time we had a bite we had to reel and reel and REEL our catch up to the surface where the crew would hook it and bring it the rest of the way up onto the boat. It was fun but very tiring. Jay and I each caught at least 6 halibut (could only keep 2), I caugh one of the biggest fish of the day weighing in at a whopping 50lbs (and boy was it tiring reeling that sucker up, Jay had to finally help hold my pole while I reeled cause my arm got so tired). On the way back to port we incounted numerous birds, a gang of sea otters, and 3 harper seals. The weather was just perfect and all in all it was a very relaxing adventure, and much needed time alone together.

--- My fish is the one farthest to the left (right next to Jay)

--- I caught a fish this big ---

Life Thus Far

2010-05-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am now the proud parent of a 1 month old 9lb happy and healthy baby boy. After a rough start in the beginning of life Michael appears to have completely recovered from his ordeal and is happily guzzling 4-5oz of milk a feeding and growing like a weed (lol at least weight wise). He's a fairly easy goping child who is fairly happy and content most of the time, calms down quickly when he starts fussing, and usually sleeps 3 hours in between feedings. The cats could care less about having a new addition to the house, and usually look the other way when he's any where near them. Michael just started tummy time this week and has altready scooted himself off his mat and lifted his head a few times before he breaks down crying from frustration (he'll be a strong son buck before long). He has pretty beastly thighs and forearms, hopefully he got his daddy's strength. Life as a parent is great if not a bit tiring and Jay's job/internship is going very well and we're hoping that his boss will allow him to stay on for his 2nd and final internship so once we return back home to Idaho we can just concenrate on schooling and then make a final move to wherever Jay gets a job (instead of moving around for an internship, school, and then job). Alaska is gorgeous (you se Eagles and moose everwhere). Summer has officially set in, blue skies and 50 degree weather now with it staying light out till midnight. All in all life is pretty darn good :-)

---- Below is Michael's most recent pictures (1 month)

Recent Pictures of Michael

2010-04-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Michael Jay Mangum

2010-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Michael Jay Mangum
Born: April 20, 2010 at 9:52pm
Weight: 6lbs 13.8oz
Length: 20 inches
Miscellaneous Information: Born at exactly 37 weeks, water broke unexpectedly 2 hours before I was suppose to go in for an ultrasound appointment. Labor was a total of 12 hours, 3 of which was spent pushing. He was born face up and slightly turned, which explains the long time spent pushing. He developed pneumothorax which turned quickly into tension pneumothorax. He had to be put on oxygen and came very close to having a chest tube. He was life-flighted from the Homer hospital to the Providence hospital in Anchorage (5 hours away) where he was instantly put on an oxygen canula and placed under an oxygen tent where he was kept for the next 2 days of his life. He was able to be taken off the oxygen after a few days and appeared to be doing well. The tension pneumothorax resolved itself, he'll be stopping his antibiotics for a possible pneumonia Wednesday (April 28th) at 6pm, and if all continues to go well he should be able to come home Thursday.

UPDATE: We ran into a set back today (April 27th), he has been placed back onto oxygen to help relieve some possible apnea-like episodes that caused his oxygen levels to drop while in deep sleep. Hopefully all will be resolved soon - may your prayers continue to be with little Michael as he heals.

Alaskan Life

2010-04-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so horrible about staying on top of my blog (it seems so much easier plus I seem to get more comments when I update facebook instead) but ... I will try harder especially now that I'm getting closer to one of the biggest changes in my life. I am now almost 35 1/2 weeks along and my ribs and mid back (mainly on my right side) are always aching, the braxton hicks contractions are a lot more cosntant (and of course thanks to my back/rib pain more uncomfortable), and my belly feels like it's going to burst any time lol (I will post pics soon). Aside from my lack of sleep at time (thank you Michael for trying to keep your little tootsies warm under my ribs cage) life here in Alaska hasn't been to bad. I get to see moose and bald eagles on a ragular basis and now that my sister in law is here with her kids I'm outside more often taking walks by the beach and spending time with my niece and nephew. It's been aboiut 2 1/2 weeks since I've seen Jay and still another 10 days (or more depending on the weather while they are traveling) before I get to see him again, we're both handling it a lot better than we originally thought we were going to but it's still torture and I'm counting down the days when I can be held in my sweeties arms once again (FYI it's no fun having to fall asleep alone). Well that's it for now I need to stand up and walk around cause my ribs are KILLING ME!!!! I'll post more updates along with some picture updates sometime this week so stay tuned.

Jay and Britt's Greatest Adventure

2010-02-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

We are sooooo nomadic! It appears that we move pretty much every semester either to a new apartment (this is our 3rd one since moving to Idaho) or a new state. As most of you know Jay has to complete 2 construction management internships in order to graduate from his construction/architecture program at BYU-I. We were a bit worried about being able to find 2 internships (let alone 2 that would pay him anything so that we could still pay the bills). We've been praying for quite some time now and it appears that the Lord has heard our pleas. Jay has found an internship in Homer, Alaska for this spring semster (and if all works out accordinly an internship for the fall semster too!). It came as quite a surprise but it appears that we are now alaskan bound this spring. I'll be heading out March 21st (dang pregnancy regulations) and Jay will follow about 3 weeks later (April 8th) once finals are over with. I'll be staying with Jay's parents until he is able to join me. It will be really hard being apart for so long but we're grateful that he has been given this opportunity, especially with the way the economy is. This will be our 4th state that we have lived in since getting married less than 3 years ago ... it should be an interesting life adventure. We hope everyone will continue to pray with us that all continues to go the way we are hoping it does and that there are no unpleasant surprises awaiting us lol.

28 weeks (Already?)

2010-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

How time flies. I am now 28 weeks along and aside from the ever growing belly I've been feeling pretty good. I'm so thankful that my pregnancy has been so easy and I hope that it continues to be so for the last remaining weeks. The only downfall to my pregnancy is the fact that I was just diagnosed with gestational diabetes (LAME!) so now I have to start on a specific diet to help keep my sugar levels in check (oh well, I needed to start eating better anyways lol --- those 20 years of sweets were so worth it though). Well I gotta go start dinner and finish cleaning the house so I'll end with a few maternity pics, along with a few misc. ones. Enjoy!

Jay fell asleep petting Bella

Bella's favorite spot to sleep (on my pillow!)

School can be so tiring

I'm really bad with updating this blog (can't you tell)

2010-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,
Wow so much has happened since last I wrote on you. So many changes, happy and sad, that I don't really have time to write everything up in detail so I will just summarize.

December 17th - My last ultrasound for the year 2009 --- WE'RE HAVING A BOY!
December 18th - Left for our two week vacation visiting family
December 19th - In Vegas now visiting my mom's siblings (it's been over a year so it was really good seeing everyone)
December 20th - Got to see my grandma for the first time in a little over a year, not to long ago she turned 93, her short term memory is fading fast but thankfully her long term is as sharp as ever (so she was able to recognize me when I stopped by) - sadly Jay was sick so was unable to go with me. Grandma looks good (for her age) but you can definitely tell she's getting more frail with each passing year, it was a real treat being able to see her again.
December 25th - Back in utah with all of Jay's family - it's been a while since we've seen his whole immediate family so it was a fabulous Christmas visting with everyone
December 28th - Had papa's 80th birthday celebration today (big gathering), we all pitched in and made him his very own "money tree" --- it was really cool
January 1st - drove back home from St. George (long and tiring drive), when from 40 and 50 degree weather bck down into the negatives with at least a good foot or two of snow on the ground in Rexburg
January 2nd - Tom was looking pretty sick when we got home late last night so we took him to the vet this morning - Kidney and Liver failure - Decided to spare him any more pain and suffering so we graciously put allowed him to sleep peacefully (Good bye Old' fat we will miss you dearly - you lived a long and good 18 1/2 years)
January 2nd - went to the pet adoption place and got Socrates a new friend so he wouldn't be lonely when we're not home (Her name is Bella, she's a long hair orange tabby)
January 5th - Jay started school again (been a long and tiring week for him, his classes are already proving brutal, but at least he says he's going to enjoy all of them)

That about sums everything up --- below is a side shot of little Michael from my last ultrasound.

It's been awhile ...

2009-10-31T13:46:00.001-07:00

Well it's been almost two months since last I updated our blog and I figured I'd better findt he time to do so. Still in school (until Dec. 15th when we get our Christmas break), works been tiring but the paycheck has been good so not to many complaints there, stress in running our life but we're beginning to get a hold on things and are now just taking one day at a time. Aside from all that life is actually pretty darn good. Tom is still alive and Socrates is getting pretty fat (both have the funniest personalities EVER!), had my first doctors appointment last week and got to see our baby for the first time via ultrasound (I must admit it was pretty darn cool, I think I'm going to have a big baby though lol ... after the ultrasound it feels a lot more real and I can actually start saying I'm pregnant). Below I'll be posting some belly pics of me at 12 1/2 weeks (I'm already noticing a HUGE change in my body but after taking the pics they don't appear to be as noticeable lol go figure right... guess my eyes are playing tricks on me). Looking forward to feeling to baby kick for the first time and of course finding out if its a boy or a girl. I was kinda upset at how quickly I seemed to be showing (doesn't seem right lol) --- so I've been weighing myself (thankfully still the same weight that I've been for the last 6 or so years --- though my belly seems to say otherwise, oh well) :-) Well gotta run and get back to studying (math exam this monday - yuck!)

This is what I looked like about 2 or so months ago (I'm really sucking my stomach in right now - not to awful comfortable let me just tell you lol)

This is me relaxed and normal

(sucking in my stomach again -- my stomach was empty so not very comfortable)

(Completely relaxed)

Unexpected Surprise

2009-09-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well it certainly has been an extraordinarily long time since last I posted anything new so I figured I better update before school starts getting to far underway and I get preoccupied with my studies. As many of you probably already know Jay and I are expecting. I'm really probably only about 6 weeks along, being so new and all I'm still a bit nervous that so many people knowing already, for many things can still happen to change the fact. However we're both ecstatic and so far all seems to running smoothly (a little nauseous in the morning but that's probably more me then the fact I'm pregnant, lol I never was a morning person). School has officially started and I'm so grateful that I'm only taking 12credits this semester ... it appears that 3 out of the 4 classes I'm taking are going to be fairly time consuming, especially my Anat. & Phys. class. Still no luck with finding Jay an Internship but we just found out that if he gets on the fast track (meaning he goes to school year round and takes a min. of 15credits each semester) he'd be able to determine which semester to take off and do an internship (winter, spring, or fall would all be options then not just the winter like it was originally). Since receiving this vital piece of information, we've been trying to figure out our options and get Jay on the fast track. Hopefully within the next 2 months we'll have everything worked out and underway. I need to go talk to a nursing counselor and get my semester list written up so I know which classes I have to take and which ones are not required so that I don't accidentally take a class I didn't really need. Also within another week or two I'll be setting up a doctor's appointment to see how far along I really am, make sure everything is ok, and hopefully figure out a tentative due date. Well got to go finish getting ready for work tooda loo (hmmm not sure if that's even pronounced right --- oh well).

Weekend Adventure

2009-07-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely sunny day outside with a nice refreshing breeze that helped to keep the hot sun from roasting us ... perfect day for a little fun and adventure. Cody and Katie came down for a few days and we all decided to travel to Yellowstone (pictures not added yet) since Katie's never been there (plus the fact that it was only an 1 1/2 hours from our house helped some on the decision). We had a nice relaxing drive, the scenery was gorgeous, and we got to see Ole' Faithful to boot. Unfortunately we didn't see very many animals on our trip (just a few buffalo and elk) but it was still fun. Afterwards, due to the lack of animals, we traveled to BearWorld a cool park that's about 12min from our house and got to FEED THE BEARS!!! It was pretty sweet. At Bearworld we saw elk, deer, buffalo, turkeys, a moose, some pretty big trout, and of course the bears plus there was a cool little petting zoo that we got to visit after our tour of the park. Hope y'all enjoy the pics
Note: Below you'll see a "rare" white elk, a pot-belly pig that would grunt everytime you pet him, and a a bull elk with a MASSIVE rack lol enjoy

Time Flies!!!!

2009-06-21T19:45:00.001-07:00

WOW it's been 2 months now since I last updated our blog... I figured I better post something new otherwise y'all might think Jay and I have completely disappeared. Here's just a quick outline of everything that's been happening since April.
1) Got a new cat, we named him Socrates. He's about 2 years old and so far he and Tom get along decently. He likes to mock-fight Tom and will come up behind him, wack him on the butt then jump back a few steps when Tom whirls around... it's pretty funny to watch. Though a few night ago Tom got real upset with Socrates and pushed him into a door box him in the face the whole time. (Don't think he's learned his lesson though since he still bugs Tom).
2) Still in school but we're now counting down the days until FREEEEDOM!!!!! (4 more weeks)
3) We were called, the VERY FIRST DAY in our new ward, to be nursery assistants. It's been a fun and interesting time. You know it's nursery time when you walk out of sacrament and start hearing kids crying lol

School is kicking out butts right now so there hasn't been much free time to do anything real relaxing so I guess that's really about all the update that I have for right now. Now.... on to a few pictures :-)

Note: My computer wouldn't let me post any new headings with my pictures so I figured I write a few quick notes about the last few. There's an Idaho Sunset that I like, and the rest are of Socrates (and yes that's the way he actually sleeps a large portion of the time--- silly kitty)

--- Love this picture of the Idaho Falls Temple
Jay and I were out roller blading and this guy and his girlfriend passed us biking... I just thought his "bicycle idea" was ingenious lol and just had to take a quick pic of him as he passed us

Some deer we saw in Provo behind Cody & Katie's apartment building

Ah School

2009-04-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

The challenges of school has officially begun for Jay and I. Five days a week from 9am to 5pm classes will consume our daily lives. Our professors are pretty cool, and so far we are both enjoying our classes though feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. It has been so long since I've been in a pubic acedemic atmosphere, afer all this time it seems so strange caring around a backpack full of books. My five, 14 credit hour, classes are keeping me plenty busy and I was quite suprise that homework is already being dished out full-force on the first week of classes. Poor jay, who has 16 credit hours, is getting slammed at the moment will numerous 500-2000word essays and class projects. We're trying to get better organized at the moment so we don't get behind in any of our assignments as we're both striving for A's, though by the end of the semester we'll probably both be happy to just be done and alive no matter what the grade might be lol. May you all keep us in your prayers that we'll survive this semester with our sanity still intact. heehee

Rocky and now Bullwinkle?!

2009-03-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

We've had so many interesting things happen to us since moving out here. For those who read the previous blog, y'all know that we made a fuzzy new friend last week and this week we met his partner in crime. Our little friend of last week I've decided to call Rocky due to the circumstances. Well to get to the point of this story Jay and I finally got out Idaho D.L. which meant that we could also get our fishing license. We found time today to go down to the South Fork of the Snake River for a little R&R (namely fishing). Unfortunately we didn't have to right type of bait so no bites but we had an even better encounter though... We decided to walk down to a different part of the River that wasn't so choppy and try fishing when lo and behold a young moose made an appearance from out of the trees. He just calmly walked out and starting munching on some willow branches by the shoreline just staring at us. After a few minutes he decided to take a nap and laid down only a few feet from us and dozed off in the snow. It was pretty crazy, the pictures are hard to make out since they were taken with out phone but hopefully you'll be able to see enough of this guy :-) So there you have it we met Rocky last week and now Bullwinkle this week hehe

Deciding to take a quick nap next to us

That's A Lot of Nuts!

2009-03-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

While out for our normal sunday stroll Jay and I had the funniest experience while walking through Porter Park. This crazy and fearless little critter came bounding out from under the trees right up to Jay and I begging for some of the food that we had (peanuts lol). This little guy would stand up on his hind legs begging, and would eat right out of our hands. It was so funny! Hope y'all enjoy the pictures that we took (thank goodness I brought my camera along for this walk) ;-)

Our Little Begger

Excited For School

2009-03-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just recently got accepted to BYU-I and will be going through the Spring/Fall Track... which means that my first class starts April 20th (YIKES!). I'm excited about going back to school and finishing an education but I'm also pretty nervous (I haven't been to school in a few years and haven't been in a public environment like this since 5th grade lol). My major is Nursing (ASN) and thankfully I'll be talking to a nursing counseler this afternoon to figure out which classes would better benefit me this semester (and the semesters to come) so that I can apply for the actual nursing program faster. Wish me luck

PS: Jay will probably be starting his Construction Mangagement program during the Fall/Winter track

Stake Conference & Ducks?

2009-02-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Today was our Stake Conference and might I just add what a glorious day it was! Still a tid bit nippy but wonderful. Our ward building was so packed they had to open up the other chapel - I couldn't beleive how HUGE our stake is!!!! The choir was outstanding, and the talks given gave us alot of insight into things we need to improve and thankfully things we're actually doing (phew) it's made me want to be a better person and serve more faithfully. We are so blessed to have been able to attend both the Saturday night and Sunday Stake sessions... what a great valentines date to be able to attend Stake Conference together.
Afterwards Jay and I came home, ate some lunch (Cashew Chicken.. yum yum!), then went to a park we found Friday when we went to the Animal Shelter. There are all these ponds with TONS & TONS of ducks! We had a blast feeding them, some would get impatient to be fed and would start pecking at our pant legs. One duck actually would grab the back of Jay's pant leg and shake it until he turned around and gave him a piece of bread lol. All in all it was a great day and a true blessing to be able to spend with my hunny :-)

Engagement

2009-02-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

I just found out 2nights ago that a really good friend of mine (Tim Richardson) just got engaged!!!!! YAY ---- To a track star from ISU no less (and from what Jay & I read on the ISU website she's freakin' FAST!!!!) But anyway, I'm pretty excited about this news :-)

What a Coincidence

2009-02-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

So I went to the bank to deposit Jay's first paycheck (YAY!)and it was pretty funny cause the girl that helped me saw the contractor's name on the check and asked how long Jay has been working for him. Come to find out her husband use to work for Jay's boss in the same company and acording to her it sounds like he's a really nice and easy going guy who is very willing to work with you if you're going through school or going on vactation etc. What's funny is not only did her husband work for the same guy but he's also going through the same construction management program at BYU-I that Jay is trying to get into and on top of all that.... the girl's name was Brittany, it was even spelled the same too. LOL how crazy is that

Before & After

2009-01-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Deed Is Done (inside joke for ashley hehe)
I've finally come around and decided after much debate (mainly... Jay sucking my hair in at night causing him to choke + when he'd hug me he'd accidently yank my head back cause my hair was just so darn long) that I've come to the conclusion... it's time for a haircut. Yesterday was the dreaded day (Jan. 27th), I went in at 11:30am and after an hour and a half I walked out about 13in. shorter and what felt like pounds lighter lol. I'm not to dissapointed in my choice, though it defintitely feels different and will take me a bit to figure out the best ways to style my new do --- (I'm hopeless when it comes to styling so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated) ;-) So... here's the new me --- enjoy

Updates

2009-01-24T21:02:00.001-08:00

Just some quick updates since getting out here to Rexburg,ID ...

1) Saw a BALD EAGLE! while driving back home from Panguitch,UT
(Jan.7)
2) Saw some Swans in a river in St. Anthony,ID (Jan.18)
3) Jay got a job working construction (Jan.21) -- it's only temporary (his boss only guaranteed him 3wks of work framing a house cause it's the slow season but we're praying that Jay will be able to get on another project and keep working for this guy)
4) Our first trip to the mountains since getting here and on the way back home we sink all the way up to the door on Jay's truck in nice fluffy white snow ... and we we're stuck to say the least. We did see some deer though right next to us actually. It was starting to get dark out and poor Jay was outside trying to shovel the snow out of the way to make a path for the truck to drive through. Thank goodness there were still a few snowmobilers out and they stopped to offer assistance (otherwise it might have been a very long and possibly cold night), they hooked a tow chain up to Jay's truck and helped pull us out with one of their trucks. Once we got home we saw the humor in our previous situation ;-) (Jan. 20)

Winter Fun

2009-01-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

Late afternoon is when the snow started and it hasn't stopped since then. It's around 27degrees outside and we've already gotten over 6in. of snow and counting. Roads are slick, the wind is cold, and we just had a blast out in the canyon playing in the snow. We had mini snow fights (or I should say Jay did I ws just trying to dodge his snowballs... unsuccesfully I might add lol), in fact while trying to run away I sunk into some waist-deep snow, fell forward (right when Jay was throwing a snowball), it was suppose to hit my back but because I was already falling forward it beaned me inthe back of the head (I had a huge lump of snow tangled up in my hair after that one). We slid down a hill (on our butts since we had no sleds --- hmmm I think we need to invest in some soon), then ate some snow ice cream before heading back home. On the way out of the canyon we saw a Golden Eagle perched on a telephone pole --- It was enormous, it's wing-span was massive (I tried to take a picture when it took off but my camera wasn't quick enough --- darn these Cheap-o cameras!). Had fun but looking forward for the snow to stop so I can take better pictures without my camera getting all wet.
Jay in full snow gear

You can't really tell but my hair was COVERED in snow!
"The Main Attraction -- A Golden Eagle"
Golden Eagle

He's DEAD!!! Oh wait my bad

2009-01-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ok that probably wasn't the best title but it goes great with the story I'm about to tell that happened to us almost 2weeks ago.

Dedicated: To my Sister Ashley (Hope you get a kick out of this sis) & to my
mom who thought this story was disgusting upon hearing it

This story took place our last night at Mom and Dad Mangum's place. It was approx. 4 in the morning when after tossing and turing all night I finally decided to call it quits and get out of bed, you know to see if maybe eating something would calm me down. Well I sat up in bed and stretched a little bit which caused our air mattress to move --- waking my hubby up from his deep slumber. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and turned to ask Jay if he wanted to get up for a bit too. When I did so I noticed something unusual sticking out from underneath his head and leaned down to get a closer look (Y'all should know by now how blind I am w/o my glasses or contacts on). What I saw took my breath away... Ole' Tom's back legs were sticking straight out from underneath Jay's neck. My gasp of surprise caused Jay to sit straight up and there was Tom... Back and front legs sticking straight out. We couldn't believe it, Jay rolled him over and Holy Cow his position didn't change a bit. We couldn't believe that Tom traveled from Oklahoma to Tennessee, lived with us for 7months, traveled all the way BACK to Oklahoma and only 2.5days at Jay's parents place died... In the most unusal manner no less. I couldn't believe Jay had squashed Tom in his sleep... we were speechless. Jay rolled him over once more and nudged him a bit and we about jumped off our bed when Ole' Tom let out a tired MEOW! He sat up, meowed again, looked at us once more with a huffy "I can't beleive you just woke me up from this relaxing nap" stare, and walked out the door. We were quiet for a short time then we both burst out laughing... even now when we think about it we can't help but chuckle a bit. Till this day we still have NO IDEA how Tom got under Jay's neck... Sadly no picture (we were both a bit to freaked out at first to do it, by the time we knew the truth it was to late).

Count Your Many Blessings

2009-01-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Well its official... we're tired AND frustrated with our situation right now! We've been traveling none stop since leaving Tennessee (or so it seems), the truck dealership (in Texas) where we got Jay's 4x4 truck is hucking truckloads of crap at us right now that we're trying to shovel up.. and on top of that NO ONE IS HIRING!!!! Oh yeah the school is also feeding is some piece of garbage also but that one seems to be working out (lol at least it doesn't smell to bad). Luckily our bills for this month we had enough saved up to be able to pay (which is a real blessing), our ward and Bishop seem really nice, Jay's family is fairly close, but Jay knows some people that live down here which has really helped us out alot. Despite all the problem that keep piling up it's nice to be able to take a step back and see the blessings on top of the trials. We'll get through all this, life really isn't so bad. Just keep us in your prayers that we don't go Stark Raving Mad!!! lol --- Love and miss y'all!

PS: Will post some pictures soon

Driving? I Hate Driving!!!

2009-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

We've been married for a year and 5months now and according to our calculations, we've traveled approx. 3,000miles a month since getting married. Wow!!! I guess it's safe to say we're more than ready for a break - definitely looking forward to not traveling more than an hour to someplace for at least 2months (lol longer if we can help it). We just recently made the longest trip by far (since being married) approx. 2,200 miles in a weeks time. Our trip consisted of my car getting banged up cause the stinkin' dolly was just a "little" to big for it, Jay's truck tank (the extra one we had installed in the back) accidently overflowing before we realized that the people who put the tank in didn't install it properly so we had to be sure to manually shut it off everytime it reached full otherwise we might just go KaBOOM!!!,We packed, unpacked, and then repacked everything we owned to try and get it all to fit in our vechicles. Traveled approx. 12 or so hours to Oklahoma the first night and stayed at Jay's parents place (for the next 2nights and half of the 3rd day + traveled an extra 12hours while there). We then traveled another 10 or so hours to New Mexico and stayed at Jay's Aunt & Uncle's place for a day, afterward we traveled another 8hours to Panguitch, UT (visted for an hour or so with Jay's grandparents and Aunt + Cousin) then traveled another hour to Cedar City, UT where we stayed for the next 2days at Jay's cousin's place (spent New Years with them, some friends, and Jay's brother and his wife... Had TONS of fun playing games and goofing off). After that was all done we traveled 3 or so hours to Provo, UT where we decided to spend the night at Jay's brother's place to catch or breath. First thing next morning we left to finally head to our actual destintion (Rexburg, ID) which was... hehe another 5hours away. It was soooo nice when we finally got there and got into our apartment (Cougar Court). It's was a long and VERY exhausting trip but at the same time we're grateful for all the help we recieved before and along the way. Thank you to everyone who helped and supported us during this whirlwind adventure of ours. :-)

On the road again... Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway

2008-12-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yep we're still on the road and wishing it all to be over with so we can unpack and relax for once. It's been a LONG and TRYING process trying to get this move in order and we'll definitley be glad when it's all done. At this moment we're in Lawton, OK with Jay's parents spending a little bit of time with them. Tomorrow morning (early) we'll be heading down to Bloomfield, NM to spend the night at Jay's Aunts place then onward to Cedar City, UT were we'll be spending New Years (and a few days afterwards) with Jay's cousin Wes and his wife Emily. We were hoping to head straight up to Rexburg, ID as soon as New Years was over with but unfortunately our apartment wont be ready for us until Jan. 5th (sigh*)... Oh well at least we get to spend some time with family until then. Miss y'all!!!

Moving update

2008-11-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Due to some personal changes, Jay and I are no longer moving to Utah. More info to come as time goes on :-)

Picture Day

2008-10-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally Jay and I were able to go down and visit mom and dad without having to work at all. It was a very relaxing weekend that was much needed and gratefully recieved. Our last day (Saturday) was absolutely gorgeous, couldn't have asked for a better day to spend time with mom and dad and of course take pictures. Here are some updated pictures that we took -- enjoy :-)
Beginning of our picture taking
Nickajack Lake - Chattanooga, TN
NickaJack Lake
Sawanee, TN
Sawannee, TN

Teeth check

HELP

2008-10-20T00:20:00.000-07:00

Help to all who know how to do this blogging buisnesss... I'm seem to be having great difficulty figuring out how to create a link to a new blog page that I want to create. Can anyone give me some instructions lol I tried creating a new blog but it just didn't seem to work out.

Halloween Fun

2008-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a bright, sunny, and cool fall day that was absolutely PERFECT for carving pumpkins. To set the mood we baked some fall cookies (yum yum!), went for a quick 5mi roller skating stroll, then came home and set about business carving our masterpieces. It was tons of fun, and a great way to spend a weekend. It also helped me get out of my poor mood for being called off from work yesterday and today. Anyway, tell me what you think of our creations :-)

P.S. Stay tuned for more of our masterpieces for we're planning on buying more pumpkins

2008-10-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Jay - John Wayne

Britt - Dragon

Homemaker?

2008-10-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

Not quite but I am excited about some future activities that I'm hoping to start soon. Sewing is one of them, Jay's sister Mindy has been so gracious as to give me her sewing machine that she's not using so that we don't have to go out and spend $100s on a new one. I'm so excited to start learning how to sew, I can't wait to start! :-) Another activity is learning how to can our own fruits and vegetables I'm pretty excited about that too but I probably wont even get started on that till the summer. A few more are...
Emergency preparedness
Family History
Camping (it's been so long I'm not so sure about this one lol)
Digital scrapbooking
etc. etc. etc.

Lowering fuel costs

2008-10-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

While Jay and I were out and about and getting ready to head to the park for a nice walk before work we drove by a gas station that caused me to do a double take. Low and behold I saw gas down to $3.19/gallon for the first time in MONTHS!!! Diesel too was in the $3.00 range. What a nice change of pace.. I was starting to get real sick having to pay those outrageous prices for diesel (For cripes sake it's the crap from gas it should be CHEAPER than gas! grrrr ... oh well at least it's finally lowered down). Well back to work

First Ever

2008-10-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Introducing the new Brittany and Jay blog! Started by me, Ashley, Brittany's sister. I convinced Brittany to make a blog and keep the family and their friends updated on their many adventures. Get writing sis!