Rode, Katie, and Liv

Smiles

2010-07-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hugs from Big Sis

2010-07-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Sully look thrilled? Don't be mistaken, he loves his big sis, even when she clobbers him over and over again.

Awesome Hair

2010-07-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

A Face to Love

2010-07-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Cousins

2010-07-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

Beautiful

2010-07-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

My Buddy

2010-07-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

The Lady of the House

2010-06-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Most days, I am pretty sure she thinks she is in CHARGE! Oh, so sadly mistaken.

Sully's many smiles

2010-06-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

NAH!!!! Only smiles around here :)

A girl and her rainboots

2010-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

This girl is obsessed with rainboots. Who cares if they are 3 sizes too big?!

Mr. Sullivan

2010-05-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

I thought Grammie and Grampie would appreciate this photo.

And yes, he does have a bad case of male pattern baldness.

The Keeper

2010-04-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

The two newest members of the family

Gato has taken it upon himself to be Sully's personal body guard, protecting him from that big, threatening black lab (HA!), Gunner.

Polka Dot PJ's

2010-04-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grammie for these beauties, too!

Does your grammie love you this much?

2010-04-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Does your grammie love you enough to make you a cute froggy backpack? Mine does.

Man, she's talented!

I wore it to the library to hold my Signing Time videos. I don't want to brag, but I pretty much looked like a million bucks.

We love Sully!

2010-04-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

The boy in the pointy hat

2010-04-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Mom, did you really put us in this when we were kids?

I guess a pointy hood never goes out of style.

Big Sis

2010-04-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

Los Ninos

2010-04-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

The faces we get to love everyday...

I'd say we're pretty lucky!

The longest day of the year

2010-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday March 28th, 9:30 pm- My water broke and after much deliberation with Rode, we decided that I should go to the hospital in spite of the fact that I had gone the previous Sunday convinced I was having the baby only to be told there was no baby coming (much to my shigrin) and I was sent home. I didn't want to be known as the lady who came to the hospital in false labor every Sunday, but I was almost certain this time it was legit. After the first test for amniotic fluid came back negative, I was feeling like the boy who cried wolf but could not deny the fact I was "leaking." Thank heavens the nurse found some newer, unexpired lithmus paper to retest, which showed that I was in fact leaking amniotic fluid and was not a crazy lady.

Monday March 29th, 8:15 am- Sully was born. After cleaning him off, I got the chance to hold him only to have him whisked away when the nurses realized his breathing was not quite right. After 2 hours of CPAP (the little mask over his face helping him breathe), Sully still wasn't breathing right on his own so the doc called the NICU in Provo and arranged to have the NICU team/ambulance come to Heber to pick up the babe.

1:30 pm- The NICU team intubated Sully and put surfactant into his lungs. They transported him in that little incubator looking thing on the stretcher. I cried and then took a much needed nap, Rode stood by the little boy all morning, then headed down the canyon to be with him in the NICU. He was a champ through it all.

5:30 pm- They extubated Sully in Provo and he was breathing fine on his own, but still had plenty of wires, tubes, and machines hooked to his little body to monitor him.

7:15 pm- Thankfully Dr Tayler gave the okay for me to be released from the hospital. After making a quick stop at home to give Liv some love, Aunt Hezzie and I headed down the canyon.

7:30 pm- Grammie landed in SLC from Philadelphia (she was on a trip with friends and jumped on a plane as soon as she got word the baby was coming). Papa Winterton picked her up and brought her to the hospital in Provo so she could meet the new grand baby.

9:30 pm- I got to the hospital to relieve daddy and finally brought him something to eat. Hezzie, Grammie, and I cuddled with Sully and all of his wires until about midnight then headed home. This was the point when I started asking myself "Did I really have a baby this morning?" It seemed like it had been a weeklong day.

Tuesday March 30th- Sully got moved to the "border" nursery where babies are learning how to eat and getting ready to go home. I got a room at the hospital (yay!) so I could nurse him through the night. Liv got to come meet her new little brother through the glass and loves to say "Hi baby!"

Wednesday March 31st, 2 pm- After the docs made sure Sullivan was 100% healthy, they gave us the okay to end our very expensive stay in the NICU. We were all very happy to be headed home, but a little nervous to be in charge of a fragile baby. Grammie, Hezzie, Rode, and I have spent plenty of time anxiously staring at Sully sleeping, analyzing his breathing patterns, and convincing ourselves there is a problem.

Tuesday April 5th- Sully got his tanning bed, which he enjoyed for the first day. He then decided it was much more comfortable and far less sweaty to sleep in someone's arms or mom and dad's bed and didn't want much to do with his new luxury bili-bed.It's been an eventful first couple of weeks, but well worth it for a face this cute. A few things learned...

1. When your baby is in the NICU, you HAVE to ask questions and be persistent until you get the answer you are looking for. It was hard to feel like I was in charge of my child, because he was always in a nurse's care (which i appreciated of course). But I had to remember I was still his mother and could have a say in decisions beibg made. Luckily I learned my mother's interrogation techniques- those poor nurses had sue kane and sue kane in training asking a million questions.

2. Although it felt nice to get a baby out of my large, uncomfortable, 8 months pregnant body, it would have been worth it to keep him cooking for a little bit longer so he could grow some surfactant.

3. A NICU ambulance ride costs $800 down the canyon, just in case any of you were considering that as transportation to provo. It would probably be cheaper to call a cab :)

Sully

2010-04-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to our family...

Sullivan Harvey

March 29th

7 lbs 13 oz

21 1/2 inches long

Holiday Highlights 2009

2010-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Pedersen Chronicles: Holiday Highlights 2009

(aka 3 months worth of abridged blog posts)

Happy Birthday Daddy Rode

Grammy and Buddy's house for Thanksgiving...

and for Buddy's sticky buns...

and for black friday shopping (if you are looking for a place to avoid trampling, the Lilac Mall in Rochester NH was the place to be at 4am Friday Morning- this was the early morning "crowd"- not too bad).

Back to the snow in Utah and playing with Fisher

Baby Boy Pedersen is making his debut April 2010! Name suggestions are welcome.

A package from Aunt Jane with this fabulous holiday dress. Have you ever seen a finer looking Santa?!

Decorating our 3 foot tall (I'm being generous) REAL Christmas tree. Yes, they do sell them that small. I do believe they just cut the top off of an ugly tree. It was so miniature that the man at Home Depot asked me if I was trying to stretch it out by carrying it by the top as I walked to the register. I suddenly understood why short people develop a complex.

An Olivia-sized leather chair. What more could a girl ask for? Thanks Nanny and Poppy :)

Sewing gifts for Nanny and Poppy. Olivia was quality control making sure there were no mistakes.

Nanny's new crocheting bag. Much thanks to Grammie Kane for being the "expert seamstress" behind this project. I really just followed her directions with exactness and look what we got!

Poppy's chef's apron for cake days and Dutch oven cooking

Christmas morning at Nanny and Poppy's- the highlight of the morning was Liv's new $8 play microwave. Probably one of the best $8 we have ever spent.

Kane Family Christmas morning opening stockings. Lesson learned: 18 month olds only need about 5 presents to open before losing interest. Cousin Xander was glad, though, because that meant more for him to help open (apparently 3 year olds need more- aw shucks).

Sleigh Ride in Midway

Thank Heavens for Fathers- these masterpiece shelves are thanks to my dad, Rode, Denver, and Papa Winterton's hard work over the Christmas break. Now, to fill them.

Sledding with the cousins. Olivia had fun if we played by her rules, mom fell on her butt HARD two times, and Heather gets the "Aunt of the Year" award for so many trips up and down the hill.

Rock Band on New Year's Eve

Megan's fun birthday party at Heber Handspringers, complete with trampolines and foam pits.

Another package from Aunt Jane, this time with a staple in every girl's closet- a little black dress. She loves these shoes and wore them all day, with pj's before church, the dress at church, and sweats after church.

The Wallsburg Half Marathon

2009-11-13T13:29:00.001-08:00

Many of you may not have heard about the Wallsburg Half Marathon last Saturday. It is a very small, yet prestigious race. In fact, it is so difficult to qualify that there were only two runners who were asked to run in it this year. Rode and Heather had definitely earned their place in this race, though. Training was rigorous (ie 4 practice runs during the entire 3 month period prior to the race, including a whopping 6 miler which laid them both up for days). Although the competition between the two was fierce (neck and neck as you can see below), they both performed optimally, even with a cramped foot for Rode from mile 4 to 13. Thanks to Olivia, who was a superb water girl, sacrificing nap time to attend to her duties.

Feeling good at mile 4

Crossing the very official finish line

13.1 miles later

The Real Story: Heather signed up to run the St George Half Marathon, but due to some scheduling difficulties, she decided it would be better to stay home. She was determined not to skip out on her goal though, so she decided she would just run her own half marathon. I graciously volunteered Rode to be her running partner for the 13 miles, and being the good man that he is, he consented. The training schedule was exactly as stated above- meager to say the least. Hez and Den charted a 13.1 mile course covering the entire city limits of Wallsburg. We headed out there bright and early Saturday morning (ie like 9:30, which shouldn't surprise anyone) and off they went. Liv and I delivered Gatorade to them at designated spots, as well as some Ibueprofen at about mile 8. Denver, Liv, and I met them at mile 13.1 with a toilet paper finish line, which unfortunately ripped in the wind before either of them ran through it. I don't think they cared though- they were just grateful to be DONE!

Goodbye Mullet, Hello Pigtails

2009-11-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Liv has been sporting a mullet for quite some time now. It is probably the cutest mullet I've seen, but even still, she is a lady and we aren't living in the 80's/early 90's anymore. It was time to update her look. We tried for pigtails a few weeks ago, but I could only keep her still to put one ponytail in and it looked pretty ridiculous (although she still wore it to church because I was determined). Finally this morning, we succeeded in getting two pigtails. She still has fairly small amounts of hair on top, like someone else in the immediate family (insert Rode's name here), but the ribbon hopefully acts as a distraction from that :) I think she is pretty darn cute.

Happy Halloween from the Pedersen Family Circus

2009-11-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Greatest Show on Earth

Introducing...

The Lovely and Talented Tutued Tightrope Walker, Mommy

"The Incredible Daddy Rode, Lion tamer Extraordinaire"...

...taming the fiercest baby lion west of the Mississippi.

Celebrating Autumn

2009-11-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the fall. It reminds me of home in New England, and inevitably makes me homesick. I decided that even though I couldn't see the beautiful trees in New Hampshire, I was going to celebrate autumn. When I told Anthony that I wanted to go apple picking, he was game although a little confused. I think his exact words were, "So what exactly do you mean by 'apple picking?' Like WE are going to go pick apples off of the tree?" to which I replied "Yeah like you go to an orchard and fill a basket with apples to celebrate the autumn season." "Oh okay, that makes more sense. I was just confused because picking apples in my mind seems like work." And, apparently it seems like work to most Utahns who would just as soon leave it to the farmers as they would to pick their own. After researching and calling numerous orchards within a reasonable driving distance, there was not one that was "Pick Your Own" with the exception of one which my friend reported was 4 rows of apple trees bordering a busy street in Salt Lake. Anyhow, I resigned myself to the fact that we would be "picking our own" apples out of the country store at whichever orchard we visited. That would have to do.

I also wanted to pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch, and after a great referral from my sister Kelley's sister-in-law, we went to "The Red Barn" in Santaquin. I think the orchard is Southwicke's Orchard. It was a bit of a drive but well worth it. Aside from the fact that we did not get to "pick our own" it was exactly what I was imagining. After enjoying some delicious ice cream, a divine pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, and some apple cider slush from the store, we went on a hayride through the acres of orchards, to a legit pumpkin patch and picked out our own pumpkin. When we got back to the barn, we bought a few more goodies from the store, including our apples out of the cooler room :) I had a perma-smile the entire time. Sweet, sweet Anthony just smiles and lets me appease my New England desires.

ReLaXiNG

2009-10-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Redeeming Myself

2009-10-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am feeling like a mean aunt for posting a pouty picture of this little stud muffin, so here are some pictures to show how handsome he really is.

Everything is more fun with party hats...

2009-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Like...

...Trying to get out of taking pictures with mom

...Riding a 4-wheeler

...Coloring with cousin Xander

Notice, he wasn't wearing a party hat and this is what happened. I actually think we have a picture somewhere of his mother standing at the top of my parents' stairs that looks strikingly similar to this :)

...Eating your first birthday cake

...Mischieviously climbing stairs

...and Head butting cousins.
Kelley decided on a face mask instead of a party hat to keep us from all catching the swine flu. I thought that to be very considerate, even though party hats are more fun.

Making Us Proud

2009-10-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am 100% sure she did not get the "gaming" gene from the Kane side of the family. She makes Rode proud :)

I can't be too disappointed though, because she has inherited her mother's love for shoes.

Liv and Lil

2009-10-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Getting re-acquainted in the pool at seven peaks.

Kisses in the wagon. Liv is not one to hold back when giving kisses.

Slip 'n Slide

Looks like we may have a bully in the family.

Holding on for dear life. It was warranted after our bully tried shoving her off.
Diaper Butts!

After seeing Liv and Lil's cute butt shot together, Hezzie and I were inspired to do one of our own. It just isn't quite as cute without the diaper.

"Mom's Gone"

2009-10-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Notice her impeccable manners of chewing with her mouth closed and not talking with her mouth full. Hmmm... I wonder where she learned those? She also doesn't seem the least bit bothered that "mom's gone." And can you blame her? Daddy lets her eat as many rolls as she wants and lets her sit on the counter. Sounds like another daddy I know, *cough* Larish *cough* Kane.

Don't Die of Shock...

2009-10-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm about to post some pictures and maybe a few thoughts too, if you're lucky.

Galleria de Olivia

2009-06-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is our latest gallery of pictures...

Liv's Notes on Life

2009-06-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Enjoy life through the eyes of Olivia at http://oliviasnotesonlife.blogspot.com

Our Angel Mothers

2009-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

- Abraham Lincoln

Rode and I somehow lucked out in the mother department. We probably hand picked them because we knew that they would be the best! My mom is a masterpiece. She is the most capable woman I know. Give her a job and she'll get it done, but not just kind of get it done. She will do it, perfecting every minute detail and wowing everyone along the way. She is angelic in more way than one. It seems she has the ability to know exactly what is going on even when no one knows she is around. It was on more than one occasion that I heard my mother say in my youth "I have my ways" when she miraculously knew some sort of shananigans that my sisters or I were into. I only hope to be as alert and in tune as she was. My respect for her guided my actions. I knew what kind of behavior she expected and I didn't want to disappoint her. She is a good woman- a righteous, selfless, super-woman!
And Brooke, Rode's beautiful mother. What a lady! I have loved her since I met her. I will never forget how kindly Rode's mom and dad treated me the first time I went to their home. They welcomed me with no reservations and immediately accepted me as one of their own daughters. I think I loved it so much because that is exactly what my parents would have done. I feel blessed to have a mother-in-law that teaches me so perfectly about selfless service to family and patience in trials. Brooke is ALWAYS thinking of others. Before Anthony and I got married, I was overwhelmed with moving out of my apartment along with everything else I had going on. Brooke showed up with all of her cleaning supplies and scrubbed my bathroom for hours. I had never seen it shine like that before. She spent days at a sewing maching sewing the wedding dress of my dreams. She spent hours ripping out seams, taking in, recutting, and measuring to make it perfect (since I gave her about three patterns and pictures and asked her to "create" exactly what I had in my mind). She was there again, cleaning supplies in hand, when Rode and I headed to the hospital to have Liv (boy, I need to be a better housekeeper so my MIL doesn't have to keep bailing me out). It was such a blessing to come home to an orderly house. Brooke is an angel, an instrument in the Lord's hands as she answers prayers through her selfless service.

We love you Grammie and Nanny. You are the finest women we know!

Like Fathah, Like Daughtah

2009-05-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks Aunt Jane for making me this fabulous hat! I wear it ALL of the time on our walks in the stroller. It blew off in the wind the other day, and when mommy discovered we had lost it, we retraced our whole walk until we found it. Phew... that was a close call.

Like Fathah, Like Daughtah... in more way than one. (ahem...bald heads... oh and always lost in a book)

Pretty Blue Eyes

2009-04-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

The most beautiful, blue eyed little girl (in her parents opinion, of course).

Cool Girl Glasses

2009-04-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

We call these her "cool girl glasses" and she has really taken to them. We went to the park a few days ago. It was a beautiful, bright sunny day. She wore her glasses like it was entirely normal to own and wear a pair of sunglasses at 8 months old. I had to chuckle inside until the OCD part of me took over and I started worrying that her developing sight may forever be affected due to shaded lenses. Any optometrists out there who can put my mind at ease?

The track or the gym?

2009-04-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

I see "hurdler" (as in one who jumps hurdles) or "gymnast" in her future... what do you think?

Skype- We Love It!

2009-04-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is Olivia, deep in conversation with Grammie and Buddy via Skype. The only that could be better is if they were right here in Utah with us.

A Monster in the Closet

2009-03-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

Cousin Fun

2009-03-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Olivia LOVES her cousins. They make her laugh and it is so fun to watch her play with them. Obviously it doesn't take much to make her laugh- one of her great qualities.

The Amazing Escape Artist

2009-03-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

We sure do love her!

2009-03-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

Remember this dress? It finally fits- hooray!

This is Liv's signature raised eye brow. I love this picture- it couldn't be a more true representation of her facial expressions.

Like father, like daughter (after dad had finished all of the soda, of course).

Resting her head during tummy time. It's hard work!

Cuddling with dad before bed.

We sure do love Olivia. She is such a delightful little girl. Last Saturday, I hauled her to Ikea with me at 8:15 in the morning to stand in line waiting for cheap stools. She was great company through our whole day of shopping, shopping, and more shopping. She is like her dad- just along for the ride and happy to be there.

A Voice

2009-03-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, a man stood to bear his testimony. He got to the podium and was fidgeting with something in his hands. Moments later, a computerized voice came from a palm pilot, saying... "I would like to bear my testimony..." A beautiful testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was shared as the man stood there holding the small speaking device up to the microphone. Throughout the rest of the meeting, we learned that this man, had at some point lost the use of his voice, and had just downloaded this speaking device a few weeks prior. The first thing he told his family when he got it was "I am going to bear my testimony this Sunday." What an example of courage and testimony! If only those of us who have the use of our voices were this eager to stand and share. It makes me grateful for modern technology, it makes me grateful for my profession, and it makes me grateful for good examples!

...A Big, Beautiful Butterfly

2009-03-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

This post is primarily for Bethie who always asks if I have any funny work stories. I do love my job.

This past week, I have been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with some of my students. It is a class of special ed students who have down syndrom, autism, etc. They are such an endearing group of kiddos and we always have a ball together. We read the story together and as I came to the ending, I read... "He built a cocoon and stayed inside for more than 2 weeks. Then, he nibbled a hole in the cocoon and pushed his way out and..." At this point, I remembered that a co-worker had told me that she had a butterfly puppet I could use. "Perfect," I thought. " I will build anticipation by leaving the room and come back in with the puppet for the ending. They'll love it!" So, I told the kids to "wait a minute" as I walked out of the room. They knew I obviously had some sort of surprise so they were literally on the edge of their seats. I ran across the hall to grab the butterfly, but the teacher who had made the offer was absent. I searched frantically through all of her cabinets, but to no avail. The clock was ticking and I had a class full of kids waiting for me to return with some "grand finale" and I had nothing! As I got back to the door of the classroom, empty-handed, I knew I had to do SOMETHING. So, I poked my head in the door, said "And he became...", and then I went half hopping/half prancing in while I flapped my arms gracefully in the air and concluded "a BIG, BEAUTIFUL butterfly!" Now, it would have been one thing had I made this entrance into a room full of students ONLY, but that was not the case. In addition to my 7 students, there were a handful of adult aides watching my sad attempt at a human butterfly. In order to minimize the attention on me (because at this point I was feeling really awkward), I invited all of the kids to "Come on everyone, be a big, beautiful butterfly" signaling for everyone to stand up and join in the "fun." Now, generally speaking, this group of kids is uninhibited when it comes to odd or unusual social behaviors, but even they understood the absurdity of my behavior and sat there staring at me blankly. Needless to say, my grand finale wasn't so grand and we all knew it. Maybe next time kids...

Our Lovely Lady

2009-03-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

The New Pad

2009-03-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of the new house. We moved in about 2 1/2 weeks ago and are loving it. It is a work in progress but here is what we have so far...

The living room BEFORE floors, paint, blinds, and furniture (minus a couch which we are still working on)...

... and AFTER

Our bedroom BEFORE carpet, a ceiling fan, doorknobs, and our bed...

... and AFTER

Our bathroom AFTER two different attempts at paint color, two different attempts at vanity lights, and a new granite counter top thanks to Papa W!...

The family room BEFORE a fireplace insert, thrift store and clearance shelf decorations, and lighting...

... and AFTER

The dining room BEFORE paint, wainscoting, table and chairs, and a chandelier...

... and AFTER

The kitchen BEFORE paint, a sink, a fridge, a stove, a dishwasher (yay!), and more bargain decorations... ... and AFTER
The bathroom AFTER "New Hampshire blue" paint (I had to have some piece of home), a mirror I bought on KSL, and a basket full of lovely white towels my mother was kind enough to buy for us...

M.I.A.

2009-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just realized it's been 2 months since our last post! Oops. We have been busy. Here are a few highlights:

1. Christmas with mom, dad, Kelley, Brian, Alexander, and Lil- eating scandinavian almond cookies, shopping, eating dad's salsa, visiting, eating ham, taking family pictures, and eating more ham and almond cookies... need I say more?

2. We bought a house- hooray! The best part about it, although there are many good things about it, is that we got a REALLY great deal on it, which is an accomplishment in Heber. It is a brand new home that wasn't finished. For the past month, we have been putting in flooring, hanging light fixtures, installing toilets and sinks, painting, pouring concrete, and building a back deck. We are now forever indebted to the following individuals for helping us to complete it: Mama and Papa Winterton the Jack and Jill of all trades, Jim the plumber, Matt the electrician, Ed and Bill the concrete guys, Shane the carpenter, and Taycen the vacuumer, along with many others. We feel VERY blessed and know that Heavenly Father has helped us to find such a wonderful place. Amongst the many blessings of having a house, a few of our favorites are:
* A garage- neither Anthony or I have ever had a garage (or at least one in which you could fit a car) in our lives so we are very excited about not having to clean off our cars in the morning.
* A dishwasher- a luxury that we both have dreamed about for the past two years. This is actually a lifetime first for Rode as well.
* A bathtub big enough for Rode- this is a really big feat since he is 6' 3, all muscle :)
* Not just one closet, but two closets in our bedroom, and each one is double in size of our previous one closet. I don't think we have enough clothes combined to fill one of them, let alone two. Surely I will find something to put into the other one.
The list could go on and on, but suffice it to say we are feeling very blessed.

3. Olivia is becoming quite the little girl. She is eating food, sitting by herself (until she falls over and can't get herself back up), and drinking from a sippy. Notice none of those accomplishments involve moving, mostly just eating. She seems to have no interest in rolling, scooting, or crawling, especially if it involves being on her stomach. She will scoot herself into the corner of her crib when she is mad, but that is only on her back. The people at Home Depot just love her- we have been making an appearance there on a regular basis lately. I knew I had been too often when employees started coming up and saying "Hello Olivia, how are you?" She also loves Gunner, Heather and Denver's dog (we are living in there one room basement right now). She puts her hands out so that he can lick them and doesn't seemed the least bit irritated when he kisses her face from chin to forehead. Hopefully this will help to prevent any fear of dogs, like her cousin Xander who spent the better part of his vacation in Utah on Heather's couch because he was afraid of Gunner.

Hmm, well I would say that is about it for our family's happenings as of late. I will post pics of the new house and Liv as soon as things settle down a bit.

Talking with Mrs. Bear

2008-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

Olivia can be quite the "chatty cathy." She went on and on like this to Mrs. Bear, who luckily is a VERY good listener!

Family Pictures

2008-11-29T12:08:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, we had our family pictures done. In typical Kane family fashion, I was rushing around on Friday night trying to find the last minute things we needed. In the midst of my mad dash shopping, I lost a bag full of fabric, patterns, thread, and zipper with which I was going to sew Olivia a dress to wear for the pictures (yes, that in and of itself was a mad idea to attempt to sew a dress in one night, when I have only ever sewn one dress in my entire life- I like to think I get that type of ambition from my mother). So, the mad dash shopping continued on Saturday morning as I tried to find something for Olivia to wear. It all turned out just fine and losing the fabric was a blessing in disguise. Mama Winterton was wonderful to come and not only be our photographer, but also our fashion consultant and seamstress to mend Liv's hat. Thank you, Mama! Here are a few of our favorites...

And this one just makes me laugh...

Laughing

2008-11-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you scare Liv...

It melts my heart everytime I hear it.

Bad Habits

2008-11-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Olivia is developing some bad habits. Aside from being rather inconsiderate about who she farts on and spraying me with spit everytime she sneezes (I think she may have picked that one up from me- oops), she also is a tv tube addict. Don't get me wrong, we don't make a habit of just sitting her down in front of the tv for entertainment, but she is mesmerized anytime a tv is on around her. She will turn her head in order to see it if she isn't facing the right direction. I think her favorite show is "Dancing with the Stars" probably because that is the one that she watches most frequently. I think some good might actually come from this. She kicks her feet everytime she sees them dancing, and has really found a love for watching herself dance in the mirror. You know, I was once a tap dancer... it may be in her genes.

Free Gas: Inquire in Rear

2008-11-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

Aunt Hezzie gave this outfit to Olivia. It cracks me up everytime I see it.

Pretty blue eyes.

All bundled up for a walk. Fortunately, the weather has been beautiful here lately.

Little cousin Katie and Liv- Katie has a talent for making Olivia laugh. When Liv is in her swing, Katie ducks down so she can't see her. Then she jumps up, scares Liv, and says "Ribbit." That's all it takes! Olivia laughs and laughs like it's a new trick every time Katie does it.

Thanks Grammie!

2008-11-24T12:04:00.001-08:00

Thanks, Grammie, for sending me this VERY cute dress! I can't wait for Christmas.

2008-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes, Chancho, when you are a man, you wear estretchy pants in your room. It's for fun."

This was a memorable Halloween! We were invited to a costume party at some friends' house. When I came home from work at 3pm, we still had no plans in place for my and Rode's costumes. We had Liv's "Waldo" costume all ready- that was a stroke of ingenuity the other day when she wore this red and white striped onesie to church. Add some blue pants, a hat with a red pom-pom, and some black glasses made out of quality pipe cleaners and you get "Where's Waldo?". It was hilarious... when we first got her dressed, she just laughed and laughed (a real person laugh, the kind I am in love with but that we rarely hear), which made Rode and I laugh, eventually spiraling into Rode clown laughing and me crying... all of which took place while Rode was wearing this...
... maybe that is what she was laughing at! The ridiculous thing is that I was able to round up a tourquoise pair of pants, large red underpants, and red tights all within Heber city limits. I learned a valuable lesson... never underestimate the power of Kings (the local retailer of choice that somehow gives you the feeling of stepping into the movie "Napolean Dynamite" as soon as you walk through the doors) and Family Dollar. Oh, and Mama Pedersen's "Mary Poppins bag" of anything you could possibly need for a costume. In fact, she supplied almost all of Heather and Denver's costumes made up of clothes from the early 90's. Good thing she has kept all of those classic outfits her daughters wore in their teen years. Yes!

Kelly Kapowski and Zack Morris... Saved by the Bell!

NAAAACCCHHOOOOOO, Sister Encarnacion, and Waldo

HD Cinematic Films

2008-10-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

HD Cinematic Films Website
My brother-in-law, Denver, is an extremely talented videographer. I sometimes watch his wedding videos just to make me feel happy and in love all over again. He has a way of portraying the feelings of a wedding- it is really remarkable. Anyway, this is a little peak at what he does. Please feel free to pass this info onto any friends that are getting ready to tie the knot. He has a website and blog where you can watch more of his films, as well. Enjoy!

Want to share this video on your blog? Click here.

Swimmin', swimmin'

2008-10-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

We have been in the habit of just renting a movie and staying in on Saturday night since we've had Olivia. We attempted one time to take her to the movie theatre (need I say more?). We took turns through the whole movie taking her into the hall and each only saw half of the movie, filling the other in on what we missed. Needless to say, it was not worth the $16 it cost to get into the theatre. Anthony had a fabulous idea for date night this Saturday, though (well I guess technically I should call it a family night since "date night" should be reserved for no kids). We went swimming, which Liv loves to do! We pulled out her $2 swimsuit that I found on a clearance rack at Target and put on her layers of diapers, making her bottom half look disproportionately large to her top half.

Although this face may lead one to believe that she isn't having fun, don't be fooled. She really does enjoy the water. She is generally pretty expressionless- no laughing and smiling, but no hysterical screaming either. I guess that means she likes it.
We took turns playing with Liv, while the other took a break in the hot tub. Olivia jumped off the side of the pool, did the back float, and played pass between mommy and daddy. It was such a good time!

She was such a good sport. It wore her out, though. She was asleep in her car seat by the time we got back to the car to drive home.

Olivia's new dress

2008-10-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Rode went out of town on a fishing trip. I had a break from school for UEA and wondered what Olivia and I would do to keep ourselves distracted while daddy was gone. After a few bits of inspiration at the shabby apple and amy butler websites, I decided to try my hand at sewing. My wonderful mother-in-law took me in for a few days and patiently guided me through the painstaking process of first time sewing. It was actually a lot of fun. After many hours and only a few mistakes, this is what we came up with...

It is still a little too big for Liv. For now, it will just be her "housedress" for lounging around.

I also had this ribbon that I bought with the intention of making headbands. I finally pulled out the thread and needle and made a few. Now maybe people will stop asking me how old my little boy is!

Lovely Lady

2008-10-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hezzie took these pics with her i-Phone. Sorry there is a funky white block beside each of them. Olivia is quite the lovely lady, if I do say so myself.
Mommy Kisses. Someday she'll learn to close her mouth when I do this, so that I won't get covered with so much of her spit.
A piggy-back ride on dad. She basically loves to do anything that involves sprawling out on him.

Mission Friends

2008-10-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got a call from the Peralta's telling me they would be in Heber the following week. Of all the places they could choose to vacation, they chose Heber! I know Ronnie and Jesse from when I served a mission in Las Vegas. I taught them in Henderson for 6 months and shortly after I left, I got a phone call telling me that they were going to be baptized. Then again about 3 months ago, I got another phone call from them telling me that they were going to the temple. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant so I didn't make the drive down. But because they are such great people, they made the trip up to Heber to meet Olivia and catch up. It was such a fun time.
We drove up over the mountain to Cascade Springs and Sundance, went to the Salt Lake temple, strolled Main Street in Park City, and went to the farmer's market. It was so good to see them again. It's been about 4 years and a lot has changed. Thanks for the visit and hopefully we will get to see you again soon when we take a trip to Vegas for some Buffalo Wild Wings!

Olivia's Day

2008-10-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here is what Olivia does to keep herself busy everyday...

A walk in the stroller...

A visit to Nanny and Poppy's...A little crying until she finds the most comfortable spot to fall asleep...
Bath time- this is her favorite part of the day...Getting ready for bed (she seems to be a little annoyed by the camera though)...

And finally, bedtime with her hands above her head like this every night...

Trip Back East

2008-10-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Olivia took her first trip to New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, and all the states in between, at the beginning of September. We flew to NH to Grammie and Grampy Kane's house. Liv did a great job on the plane- hardly any crying, just a lot of sleeping. We visited friend's there and then headed on a 7 hr. car ride to Pennsylvania. She slept for almost the entire ride, except for the little screaming fit in the middle of a NYC traffic jam. Bless Grammie for her patience as she drove under that stress. Olivia met her cousins Alexander and Lil, and her Aunt Kelley and Uncle Brian for the first time. Lil had her baby blessing on Sunday and she looked beautiful in her blessing dress made from Kelley's wedding dress. We got family pictures taken, ate Friendly's ice cream and Rita's water ice, went for a walk... ...met Elder Mensah (my best friend Nita's bother who is on a mission in PA)...ate wings at Buffalo Wild Wings for Heather's birthday... ...and hung out on Buddy's tummy. It was a good trip. Hopefully we'll get to go back soon. Until then, we will have to try to convince Grammie and Buddy to come and visit us here in Utah.

Before and After

2008-10-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is the dresser that we picked out for Olivia's room. I had decided I wanted to refinish an old dresser instead of buying a new one. I was at Anthony's parents' house one day and saw this gem hidden in a back corner of their bedroom. Anthony stripped it, sanded it, and fixed the drawers, and then my dad painted it, stained it, and put pretty knobs on it. We love it and it lets Olivia have a little treasure in her room from her nanny, poppy, grampy kane, and dad.

Olivia's Baby Blessing

2008-09-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Olivia's baby blessing was this past Sunday the 31st. The blessing was beautiful and Olivia was beautiful, too! Mama Pedersen made her blessing dress from the same fabric she used to make my wedding dress. That woman is amazing and talented! I loved Olivia's dress as much as I loved my own. Anthony gave a wonderful blessing. She was blessed with patience for her parents, which I am sure she will need as we are figuring out this parenthood thing. It was such a beautiful blessing and a special day!

She is growing!

2008-09-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here are just some random pictures of the sweet little girl...

This is Olivia's Swiss Days outfit. If she was going to celebrate Switzerland, she was going to do it right in her red and white hat. The options for coordinating clothes to match the hat were limited, but we rounded up these little red overalls which worked just fine.

This is one Olivia's less fashionable days. Can you guess who got her dressed? Anthony came out of the bedroom asking if orange and blue went together. He failed to mention the stripes and the pink socks. The best thing is that she still looked cute even in her mismatched outfit.

Tummy Time

2008-09-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

This is for Grammy to see that Olivia is still enjoying her tummy time, just like you taught her. Her neck is getting so strong, too!

This is one of my favorite photos of Olivia. What a smile!

Gunner meets his grandparents

2008-09-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Gunner (Hez and Denver's pup) got to meet his grandparents for the first time. Boy, was he excited! He smothered them in kisses, curled up on grampy for a little nap, and pestered them like any good granddog would do. I'm sure he can't wait for their next visit :)

Mom seemed to appreciate Gunner's kisses for the most part, although she was always very quick to point out that he did have a bad habit of drinking from the toilet bowl.

Apparently Olivia isn't the only one who has discovered Grampy's belly is a great place for napping.

Pretty in Pink

2008-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Doesn't she look pretty in pink?

Grampy's Pillowtop Belly

2008-09-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Olivia has discovered the comfort and joy of pillowtops. She has always enjoyed our memory foam mattress, but more recently she has found something even better... Grampy's belly. This is how Olivia and grampy spend about 6 hours together everyday. I think he enjoys it as much as she does. I am not sure what I am going to do when he goes home and Olivia won't sleep on her stiff crib mattress. I tried to lay her down on it today for a nap so I could get some cleaning done- it only lasted about 20 minutes before she was awake and wanting to be held. Gramp's pillowtop may have created a little monster- Aaaah!

Napping on Thursday

Napping on Friday

Napping on Saturday

Daddy Daughter Time

2008-08-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Anthony and Liv love their daddy-daughter time. They usually hang out when dad comes home from work, but sometimes Olivia hasn't had enough time with him, so they spend time at 4am in the rocking chair or at 6:45am in bed before the alarm goes off. No matter the time of day, Rode just dotes on her and eats up every cute thing she does. She especially loves to sprawl her little body across him and fall asleep.

Big Beautiful Eyes

2008-08-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Olivia has beautiful eyes... and now we are seeing a lot more of them! She still gets plenty of beauty rest but she is having more and more awake time, which we love!

She LOVES to take baths! She sits in the sling in her bathtub and kicks her foot over the edge so it dangles in the water. She does anything she can to get as much of her body into the warm water, even if it means getting her face dangerously close to being under water, which makes mommy very nervous.

This pic is for Megs. Olivia looks fabulous in her bathrobe and slippers, don't you think?

Tummy time

Olivia loves to just stare at her nanny. She has a special talent for getting Olivia to smile.

This is Anthony's nephew, who people regularly mistake for being his son. Any resemblance between Olivia and Taycen? I think they could pass as siblings.

Pretty Liv

2008-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Nap time

Watching TV with Dad

Olivia's first bath

Cuddling with Grammie

Uncle Denver's innovative drop cloth for eating chips and salsa over Olivia

Healthy as a Horse

2008-08-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Olivia's first doctor's appointment was Monday August 4th. She weighs 8 lbs. 1 oz., so she has gained 3 oz. in the first week. Dr. Tayler said she is healthy and growing well. Olivia did a great job during her appointment- no crying, just squirming. We had to wait for an hour and 15 min. to get in, so she had time for two diaper changes and one snack.

Olivia and Dr. Tayler

Olivia's first outing

2008-08-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Olivia had her first outing to the Heber City Fair Days parade. She slept through the whole thing, but it was nice to get out and get some sun. Since mom and dad are a little slow at outfitting a baby (mostly mom), she still doesn't have a stroller so we just team carried her the four blocks in her car seat. It wasn't the most efficient way to travel with a baby, but it worked.

When Rode saw this next float, he turned to me and said "Hey Katie, there's a bra for you!" His comment actually wasn't that outrageous on this particular day.

Rode the Bounty Hunter

2008-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I called my friend, Cam, for a suggestion on a "couples" halloween costume for Rode and I. He suggested we go as Dog the Bounty Hunter and wife. We decided on something different for that year's costume because Rode didn't have an appropriate mullet and I didn't know how I could possibly duplicate the woman's astonishingly large chest. Well, I do believe the time has come that I could now convincingly play the role as Dog the Bounty Hunter's wife! I will spare you all the pain of seeing me in a tight, revealing shirt... I'll let Beth Smith (Dog's wife) do the honors.

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

We came home from the hospital on Thursday July 31st. It is SO nice to be home. Everyone at the hospital was wonderful, but there is something so nice about rocking in your own chair, sleeping in your own bed, and eating your own food. Our house was all in order, thanks to Mama Pedersen and Mama Kane. Olivia enjoys her bed, except at night when she would much rather be eating. It appears she has inherited her mother's midnight snacking habits. Last night, she woke up 2 times within a one and a half period of time for a quick 3-5 min snack. Maybe this is because when she was in utero she got a snack everynight at about 3am when mom got up to go to the bathroom. We love her, and I guess I can't fault her since I taught her the bad habit.

She has arrived!

2008-08-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Olivia Kate Pedersen has arrived! On Tuesday July 29th at about 5am my water broke. I didn't realize it and since I was not having any contractions, I just went back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I was feeling just fine with no more signs of a baby coming, so I went to the gym. It was about 10 min. into my workout that I started to become a bit more suspicious because the same sensation I had experienced at 5am happened again. Not wanting to be an overanxious first time mother-to-be I continued my workout for a few more minutes, as the feeling continued to come a few more times. I finally decided that it wouldn't be too presumptuous to think that my water had broken, so I left the gym and called Anthony. He suggested I go to the hospital, which is right across the street and see what they thought. The nurse tested for amniotic fluid and said it was a definite yes. The doctor came in to check. I had dilated a centimeter from the day before at my doctor's appointment. Dr. Tayler said we had about 24 hours to have the baby and instructed the nurse to go ahead and get me started on pytocin. This is about where I started to panic. I had not showered, I had nothing with me, my house was a mess (no clean laundry, dirty dishes, house in disarray) and they were going to keep me at the hospital until the baby came. After a little convincing, the doctor said I could go home for 1 hour to take a shower and pack a few things. I called Anthony, who came right home. I called mom to let her know the status. She was still at my sister Kelley's house, who had a baby 9 days before. Mom was not scheduled to fly to Utah until August 8th, a day before my due date, but within an hour, she had showered, packed her bags, changed her flight, and was headed for the airport. She was scheduled to arrive in SLC at 8:45pm, with hopes that the baby could wait until then to come. Anthony's mom came over and we all dashed around, showering, packing, cleaning, etc. As I was giving Anthony a list of things he needed to do to get the house ready for our new baby, he pointed out that perhaps it was a bit too late to start nesting. Very valid point, but I just couldn't stand the thought of coming home to a dirty house! We headed back to the hospital at about 12:45pm, and by about 1:30pm they had me hooked up to an IV with pytocin. For about the first 5 hours or so, the contractions were bearable. I walked the one hall of the hospital, finished up graduation stuff, blogged, and shopped for a car seat online. My sister Heather was planning on stopping at Babies R Us on the way to the hospital to buy one, since that was on my list of things to buy this week before the baby came. At about 7pm, I got an epidural, which was the most eventful moment of the whole day aside from the actual birth. I was having intense contractions by the time the anesthesiologist came. The thought and feeling of something going down beside my spine along with the crazy pain from my contractions was too much for my body at once. I promptly felt like I was going to pass out. My blood pressure dropped to 60/25, my heart rate was 41, and the baby started to freak out. Rode just kept telling me to open my eyes and look at him. Because the baby was in distress they had to stop doing the epidural and give me oxygen and epinephrine. We finally made it through the whole ordeal and within about 15 minutes I was feeling great. Friends and family started to arrive: Anthony's mom (who watched the whole epidural episode from the couch across the room), Anthony's sister Holly, one of my best friends Anita, Mama Winterton, and finally Heather, Denver and my mom. I was ready to start pushing by 9:30pm, but the nurse asked if we wanted to just wait until my mom got there at 10pm. Mom walked in at 10:05pm and by 10:15pm I was pushing. We had a crowd in the room who watched quietly from one side of the room and welcomed Olivia into the world with pictures and cheering after about 1 hour and 15 minutes of pushing. It was such a calm, happy experience. The doctor was great, everyone was very encouraging, and we ended up with a beautiful baby at the end of it all! Olivia weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. She has a delightful personality. Already we are learning about her sweet, calm disposition. Everything she does makes us smile. We love her more and more everyday!

Olivia with her proud Dad...

and her tired Mom

Makayla's Baptism

2008-07-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, our neice Makayla got baptized! She asked Rode to perform the baptism and confirmation. It is always nice when Rode has the chance to be part of these special times in his family member's lives. We are so happy for her! She is such a sweet girl and will be a great strength to her family.

Makayla with her dad and brothers

Makayla and Rode

Makayla with Rode's parents

Following Makayla's baptism, I went to Provo to take the Praxis exam. I will know in 4 weeks how I did. This is the test that I have to pass in order to recieve my national certification in SLP. That afternoon, Rode went to the baptism of one of his coworkers, Manolo and his wife. He said it was a VERY neat experience. The whole baptism was in spanish. One of the owners of the company, Paul, who works alongside Manolo and has been a big part in sharing the gospel with him performed the baptism. It was obviously a very sacred and happy time for both of them. Rode said when Manolo came up out of the water, Paul and he hugged and wept. It makes me think of the scripture: "And if it so be that you should... bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" (D&C 18:15) What a neat experience to be part of. Manolo and his family are wonderful people- I am so glad their family has been blessed with the gospel.

Following my test, I went to Kristin Anstead's sealing at the Mt. Timpanogas temple. She looked absolutely beautiful and I am certain she has married her perfect match. Kristin is one of the most thoughtful and kind people that I know, and from what I can tell, Cam is just like her. I am so happy she has found such a good man! Watching two good people get married makes me think about the day Rode and I got married. Every day I am grateful that I made that decision. Rode is a good man and I love him more all of the time!

38 weeks

2008-07-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

2 more weeks! The baby experienced her first Demolition Derby last night (in the womb, of course). Next year will be the real deal. I'm sure she is already as excited about it as I am :) She needs to learn early to appreciate the arts and culture of Heber. She seemed to enjoy the loud music- she was dancing and kicking like crazy, although it's probably good it was all muffled. It would have been way too loud for a baby. She has had the hiccups as I have been blogging. I feel them in my butt, so her head seems to be pointed in the right direction. I had terrible charlie horses in both of my legs this morning when I was stretching. That is becoming more frequent. I have to go to the bathroom way too often. She is moving so much- I think her space is getting cramped in my belly. We bought her a bassinet on Thursday, so she now has a place to sleep. Now we just need a car seat to get her home from hospital. Worse case scenario, we have to walk her home, right? We are very excited for her to come!

37 Weeks

2008-07-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

Here you go.. large and in charge! The only changes to date are my more frequent charlie horses in the groin area, which nearly send me to my knees everytime they happen. This is especially a problem when I am walking and I have to play it off like I am not having a moment of excruciating pain that makes me want to tumble over. Other than that, she seems to be content right where she is. We'll see if she is as stubborn as her cousin who was due 5 days ago and still isn't here!

Summer School, Hospital Externship, and Playing the Waiting Game

2008-07-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well, as of Friday, I have finished my externship at Intermountain Medical Center. Now, my last grade will be submitted, my information will be sent to the school of graduate studies, and my degree to be posted. Most of my clinical experience has been working in the schools, but I had to complete clinical hours with the adult population. IMC's neuro rehab unit works with adult patients who have had traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or other medical problems that have had neurological affects. I was a little nervous going into the whole experience. Any of you who know my history of fainting and my hypersensitivity to germs, you understand my concerns. It turned out to be a wonderful experience though, and there were only a couple of times I had to sit down when I started to feel woosy. I'm sure everything was intensified (germ phobias and proneness to fainting) due to being pregnant. I just made sure I always wore gloves and washed my hands, and my supervisors were always very good about telling me to look the other way or letting me sit down. I learned so much from this whole experience. It was REALLY great to be able to get some experience in a hospital setting. I feel like it will open up some doors for me in my profession. Up until this externship, I didn't feel very confident in the neuro aspect of speech language pathology. I had taken classes, but had never really had the chance to put all of the information into practice. I still have tons to learn, but this gave me a boost in confidence that I can work with this population successfully. My supervisor was wonderful and very encouraging, which helped me feel more capable. It was such a blessing to get this externship- the timing was perfect, the setting was perfect, and the people I worked with were perfect.
Also, as of Thursday, I am finished teaching summer school. I committed to this before I realized how busy I would be with my externship, so I have had a very full summer so far. I LOVED teaching summer school. I had a class of about 9-11 high school age severe special ed students. I work with most of them during the school year, so it was a pleasure being able to spend some time with them over the summer. Working in special education makes me so happy. I love it! There is something so rewarding and enjoyable about spending time with students who have such special personalities. They never cease to amaze me with what they are capable of doing. They are such an endearing group of kids. We laughed together a lot. I think one of my favorite moments was when we were making toast as part of a cooking activity. I looked over to see one of my students waving his hands above the toaster and humming, much like a magician would do above his magic black cloth before he made something reappear. The toaster popped and with the snap of the student's hand, Voila, the toast appeared. He looked at me with a "Ha, what do you think of that?" look. I just had to chuckle.
So what now? I have 3 weeks of waiting until the baby comes. I take an exam on Saturday for my national certification, so studying for that should keep me busy this week. Aside from that, I think I will read all of my books about labor and how to be a mom, set up the baby's room and wash her clothes, and try to work the baby out of me by moving around as much as possible.

Take me out to the ball game

2008-07-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Another one of Rode's fun summertime activities is playing on his company's softball team. He somehow manages to fit this into his busy schedule, but I think it's good for him to get out and do something he enjoys. He is the star pitcher. I wish I could say that I am the star cheerleader, but I am actually really horrible about making it to his games.

The Rodester!

2008-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

All of our posts lately seem to be about me and the baby, so here is a little tribute to Rode and all of his recent accomplishments and happenings...

He was accepted to the University of Utah, and is taking a surveying class there this summer. He is working on his degree in civil engineering.

He has successfully moved multiple pieces of furniture in and out of our awkardly positioned basement apartment all by himself.

He is a wonderful brother-in-law to my sisters and always lets us hang out as much as we want.

He has mastered the deep pressure back massage, as well appropriate techniques to avoid saying or doing anything that would upset a sometimes irrational pregnant wife.

He had a great review at work and got a raise. Hooray!

He finally bought himself a big screen tv that he has been saving up for for months. In between homework, work, and moving furniture, he has found the time for some of his passions: playing video games and watching movies.

He does the dishes on a regular basis, which makes me extremely grateful.

He just found a new shortcut on his calculator for doing his surveying homework, which is very exciting for him!

He is a great uncle. In fact, his niece included a special thank you to him at her graduation for always helping her with homework over the phone.

He can fix just about any computer problem, and is now officially the head of the IT department at his company.

Rode has had a very successful summer so far and is a wonderful husband. I can't wait to see him with our new baby- I am certain he will just love her dearly. I am a lucky woman to have found such a patient, kind man!

Being Pregnant

2008-06-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

This post is mostly for journaling purposes- I know myself well enough to realize that once our baby comes, I will promptly forget all of the little details of being pregnant. It really has been a fun experience, so here are some random tidbits from the past 8 months...

I've craved... (notice the ratio of healthy to unhealthy items in this list- oops!)
Chips and salsa from Don Pedro's, Cookies and Cream ice cream from the BYU creamery, apples, Peanut Butter Cup ice cream sundae from Friendly's (making this craving especially difficult to satisfy in Utah since there is no Friendly's out here), hard and soft chewy fruity candy, chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies, and fruit snacks.

My body has...
a malfunctioning digestive system (hence my new found appreciation of Fibersure), back fat, and a bigger butt.

I cried like a pregnant lady when...
I watched Juno (hysterically, might I add), I couldn't get the bathroom sink to work, and I read Andria McCaul's blog about her husband and daughters.

I have a new found appreciation for...
a cool basement apartment, elastic band waists, the swimming pool at the Fit Stop, back massage's from Rode, and size XL in the junior's department at Kohl's.

I can still...
touch the ground when I stretch, sleep at night (with 1-3 interruptions for bathroom breaks), jog two miles REALLY slowly, and fit into my shoes.

I love it when...
the baby moves, I find a good deal on baby stuff (we got really good deals on both our crib and rocking chair), I can take a nap in our recliner, and the nurse at the dr's office is generous when recording my weight.

I always hear Anthony say...
"I love the dddddddiddle baby", "Honey, you're pregnant!" (when asked "Do I look big?"), and "The little baby, she's gettin' so big."

Chris and Jenni's Wedding

2008-06-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today was Chris (Rode's bro) and Jenni's wedding at Inn on the Creek in Midway. It was a beautiful, VERY HOT day! The ceremony outside was short, so we didn't sit in the sun very long. I was just grateful I wasn't one of the groomsmen standing out there in a tux. Anthony's family came from Colorado, so it's been a fun weekend with nephews playing x-box on the new tv. Rode is loving his life :)

Jenni and Chris during the ceremony

Mama and Papa Pedersen. Papa Pedersen looked great in his new suit!

The whole Pedersen family- lots and lots of nieces and nephews.

Rode and I- what a fine man I married!

We'll go ahead and count this as my week 33 picture. I'm not sure what I am doing with my hand but it's a lovely side view of my ever-expanding belly.

She's growing a baby...

2008-06-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Feed me, water me, and watch me grow...

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

Weekend in Moab

2008-04-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went to Moab with my dad, Heather, Denver, Nari, and JR (Denver's mom and step-dad). Rode loves hanging out with JR because he says that he gets to do "man" things. He was especially excited for this testosterone-filled trip and his first rock crawling experience. It was a lot of fun, but personally my favorite part was lunch when both of my feet were on the ground :) We actually didn't do anything difficult, but it feels scary when you're driving over rocks and hills where cars don't usually go.

Take a good look at my father's face... I'm pretty sure his favorite part of the trip was lunch too :)

Along the trail where we had lunch, there were dinosaur tracks. It was pretty crazy to see them imprinted in the solid rock.

This is JR and Belle, their little dog. She rode in this basket strapped to JR's chest while he dirt biked along all of the trails and loved it. Crazy!

After our eventful day of rock crawling, we spent the next afternoon visiting some of the beautiful sites in Canyonlands National Park. We went to Dead Horse Point and Gemini Bridges. Dead Horse Point had wonderful views and Gemini Bridges had two red rock arches that form bridges side by side.

Here is my 24 week picture with some beautiful Moab scenery in the background.

Stretchy Pants and Fainting Spells

2008-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Warning- This is a long post, but well-worth the time it will take to read!!!

I have made reference to both my brother-in-law's leopard print stretchy pants, as well as my need to take breaks in order to avoid fainting spells when giving talks or presentations. Some of you may be familiar with these stories, but for those of you who aren't, I hope you enjoy!

I have married into a family that is Heber born and bred. Heber is a small town, that I love, but I would definitely say it has it's fair share of big trucks, demolition derbies, rodeos, and small diners where the waitresses have "regulars." One night, when Rode and I were still dating, we were over at his sister's house hanging out. His brother, Rex, came over to visit. I have to say that when I think of Heber and all of the above listed stereotypes of Heber, I think of Rex. Love the guy! This night was no different. He came rolling in, beer in hand, scruffy beard, wife beater, slippers, and LEOPARD PRINT STRETCHY PANTS. I bust out laughing and asked him where he had found such a stylish looking pair of pants. He informed me that they were his wife's, but that he found them to be very comfortable so he thought he would borrow them. HA! But it gets better. In the course of conversation, we asked what his plans were for the night. "Oh, I'm headed over to the bar here in a little bit for Karaoke night." Hmmm, okay, "Who are you going with?" we asked. "You're lookin' at him!" Once again, HA! I love it. Seriously, let's just hope he changed his pants before he headed out to the bar solo.

When I came home from my mission, I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. Although I had ample opportunities as a missionary to speak in church, it made me particularly nervous to speak in front of my ward on this occasion. I felt like this was the chance to express to my ward everything I had learned over the last year and a half. On the mission when I spoke, it was easy. Everyday was filled with experiences to share about the gospel. I would usually just share one of these experiences, a scripture, and my testimony. For some reason, putting together this homecoming talk was a much greater challenge and by the time I was done with it, I had analogies and thoughts that just weren't as natural for me to share. Needless to say, it was a bad plan to deviate from the successful outline I had used on my mission.
The time came in sacrament meeting for me to speak. I stood up and slowly started into my talk. I started with my first analogy and about half way through it, my mind went blank. I'm not talking a moment of blankness, but an extended period where NOTHING was going through my mind, except for the thought that NOTHING was going through my mind and the fact that I was standing in front of a congregation of people waiting for me to say something! Mind you, it had been about 3 1/2 minutes since I first stood up to speak. I realized at this point I needed to do something to lighten things up. I decided I would just be honest with the crowd. I started to explain that I had given a lot of talks on my mission, none of which were difficult, except for one where I almost fainted. I explained that during that talk, I started to feel a little light headed and then everything started to sound like I was underwater. I then commented that it was a very similar feeling as I was experiencing at that very moment. I knew I didn't have much time before I went down and that in order to spare myself the embarassment of having a full-on fainting spell, I might as well just calmly tell the audience that I wasn't feeling well and that I needed to sit down for a moment. So... that's what I did. I sat down, motioned to the Bishop that he could take a few minutes while I got myself together, and then put my head down to get the blood flowing again.
The Bishop stood and told a story about a man who fainted when giving a talk and then wore a football helmet the next time he was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. I guess my situation could have been worse, right?
I then stood back up, fully realizing that anything that happened at this point needed to redeem my previous attempt at a talk. I scratched what I had prepared and decided that I would just share 3 stories from my mission. I enthusiastically told the first story and was feeling good. I started on the second, and then it happened... the BLANK mind, the lightheadedness, the underwater distortion of sound. I closed my eyes, and quietly said (into the microphone- clearly my judgment was impaired) "Just breathe!" I opened my eyes to see my mother in the back pew waving her hands in the air, motioning and mouthing for me to "SIT DOWN!" At this point, what could I do? I knew I had no other option but to cut my losses and call it a wrap. So... that's what I did. I apologized to the crowd, took two steps back, plopped myself into the closest chair, and threw my head between my legs. My mom rushed to the stand and waved Altoids under my nose. I think one of the Deacon's brought me a cup of water. The Bishop stood and said "Well, we'd like to thank Sister Kane for her thoughts. We're going to go ahead and close this meeting." "THANK YOU!" I thought.
My good friend, Shauna, drove me home following the meeting. I slept for a few good hours, woke up, and just started laughing. What else could I do?! If I couldn't find the humor in nearly fainting two times during my homecoming talk, I would have no sense of "funny". And instead of destroying my self-confidence, I opted for the healthier option of laughing at how hilarious the whole situation was and appreciate it for a good story!

So the moral of the stories... go to my brother-in-law if I am looking for some stylish stretchy pants and take breaks during talks and presentations. THE END!

Primary Pick-of-the-Week: Megan

2008-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

This week's primary pick-of-the-week moment is short, but funny. We have two cute little twin girls in our primary. They get along pretty well, aside from their periodic sibling rivalries in the middle of sharing time. Their older sister, Megan, is also in primary. This week, the twins got glasses. I called Josie, one of the twins, up to find something hidden around the room during an activity. I mentioned to the primary that Josie had new glasses, so she was going to be able to find the hidden paper really easily. Megan, her older sister, then announced to the primary, "Yeah, it's because she has a lazy eye!" No filter. Josie had a lazy eye and everyone was going to know about it, thanks to her older sis! I've never noticed a lazy eye before. It's a good thing these kids are all under the age of 8 and really don't care anyway. It could have made for a traumatic first week with glasses!

23 weeks

2008-04-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry we missed 22 weeks- my photographer was out of town. Here is 23 weeks. The baby is growing so big and it is really making it difficult to find something to wear every morning. I can usually pull something together with a few modifications. She definitely doesn't like it when I wear my old pants, though. It cramps her space, and she kicks like crazy to let me know just how she feels about it. I think it may be time to retire the old jeans and embrace the stretchy pants. Maybe I can borrow my brother-in-law's leopard print ones! A story for another day...

One man's trash, another man's treasure...

2008-04-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

I decided to swing by the thrift store this morning in order to look for an old dresser to refinish for the baby's room. I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find this great chair and ottoman. I couldn't pass up the deal. Apparently, Wednesday morning is the prime time to visit Heber's thrift store. It is the first day it opens in the week, so it is well-stocked if you get there early. Unfortunately, I am not the only one who knows this- it was packed when I showed up at 10:30am. I love finding little treasures like these. Now, if I can only find a dresser...

Ticket to Hollywood

2008-04-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had to present my culminating thesis project to a committe of professors. Essentially, my educational fate was in the hand's of these people. For a split second, I felt like I was in the try-outs for American Idol waiting for them to tell me if I made it to Hollywood or not. Granted my presentation was not any performance that would capture or hold America's attention on national television, the good news is... I made it! It was a case study project, so I reported on the treatment that I have done with two of my students who have autism. Although poor Rode had to suffer through more than a few practice runs of the presenation, he was supportive and helpful, and most of all patient when I was irrationally bossy the night before. I made it through the presentation just fine, with only one break for water in order to prevent a fainting spell (one of these days I will post the story of why Katie should take breaks to prevent fainting spells when giving talks and presentations). It was nice to have a stamp of approval from professors that I respect and to have accomplished something that I have been anticipating for a long time. I feel extremely grateful for all of the help I have had along the way!

21 Weeks

2008-04-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

This picture comes a week late, but here is 21 weeks. No pictures of Rode this time... he looks about the same. Today is my 22 week mark. No pictures yet- maybe Sunday.

The baby definitely has feet and arms and she likes using them. We can feel and see her moving around in my stomach. Rode is convinced that we need to get her on a schedule now so that she will sleep through the night when she is born. I told him I didn't think it should be a problem since it's probably really boring for her when we're sleeping. He insists that she probably stays up late in the womb exploring new things, like her fingers. I guess it's possible.

20 Weeks

2008-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Rode and I at 20 weeks! I think he carries the weight well. I personally have been anxiously awaiting the 20 week mark of pregnancy, because my doctor assured me that I would start to look and feel pregnant at that point instead of just looking and feeling chubby. At our ultrasound on Tuesday, they told us the baby weighs 12 oz. Mind you, that is not even a whole pound, but I've gained 15! You do the math. Yikes!

Primary Pick-of-the-Week: Justin

2008-03-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've decided that Primary is one of the best places to spend time at church. Kids are just downright funny, without even trying. And so, every Sunday I am going to share my Primary pick-of-the-week. Basically, the funniest kid for that week takes the prize. This week, the award goes to Justin, the round-faced, dark haired, speak-what's-on-his-mind boy.

The Bishop had come to share a thought with the kids about Easter. He was talking about how Heavenly Father wants us to think about the Savior on Easter. "But who does Satan NOT want us to think about?" he asked. "Jesus" the kids cried. Well, all this talk about Satan got little Justin thinking. Out of nowhere, we hear Justin tell us how it really is... "Satan is a LIAR!" It caught the Bishop a little off guard but he echoed Justin's thoughts, "Yes, Satan is a liar." Time passed and Bishop shared his testimony of the Resurrection. His dad died many years ago but he feels grateful that he will be able to see him again. Once again, Justin was taking this all in, perhaps considering his own family members who have died. Then, he remembered one who was still around and notably so... "My grandma is 101 years old!" he said. Bishop: "Wow. She too will pass through that experience of death sometime soon." Then Justin chimes in as if completely oblivious to the Bishop's comment, "Yeah, and she STILL won't die." Apparently, he has great faith in his grandma's invincibility. I mean, she has made it this far, right?! Bishop reassured him his grandma would die one of these days, but I just don't know if he believed it. I just had to chuckle. What else goes through this kid's mind in a day, that he somehow manages to hold back? I wish I knew because I am pretty sure it would keep me laughing all week long.

P.S. This isn't REALLY Justin's grandma, but maybe she has been given the same age-defying power.

A sure thing!

2008-03-21T18:07:00.001-07:00

For any of you who have experienced the side effects of pregnancy, you should appreciate my new found testimony of Fibersure. Thanks to my sister, Kelley, who herself has suffered some of these unwanted side effects, I have discovered the joys of this quality fiber supplement. Among it's positive features, it mixes in very nicely with liquids and doesn't add any sort of funny taste. In fact, I am not so sure why I have waited so long to make it a part of my daily diet. It probably has something to do with the steep price of $8.99 a bottle for 34 servings. If I stick to the recommended 3 servings a day, the whole bottle will only last me for 11.3 days. I guess there are some downsides, but I think it would be safe to say it is worth it. And so, I echo the very true quote I found on my own bottle of Fibersure: "A little fiber throughout the day adds up to a sure thing!"

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...

2008-03-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday March 18th was the big ultrasound day. We were so happy to hear the news that the baby is healthy and that we're having a.... girl! When we sent out our text to family and friends telling them "almonds are overrated, we prefer mounds", we got numerous replies asking us to decode the message. Well, everyone knows, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Almond joy's got nuts, Mounds don't. We're so excited to have a little girl. Anthony can't wait to have his life taken over by women :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

I was feeling the St. Patrick's Day spirit this year, so I decided to cook Rode and I an Irish dinner. Rode always said he didn't like corned beef, until he had Hezzie's New England Boiled Dinner, so I figured it was safe. I bought the smallest corned beef they had, and planned I should be able to get it done by at least 7:30 or 8pm. Well, we finally sat down to our delicious corned beef and cabbage Irish dinner at 9:30pm. Cooking meat and lots of root vegetables always takes longer than expected :) It was good, but I would venture to say that it still didn't top Hezzie's.

Hmmm.... What exactly is corned beef? After eating our delicious meal, I got to thinking and wondered about what I had just sunk my teeth into. There are some pretty sketchy meat creations out there, so I thought I would investigate just for my own peace of mind. In case you're wondering like I was, corned beef according to Wikipedia "is a cut of beef (usually brisket, but sometimes round or silverside) cured or pickled in a seasoned brine. The "corn" in "corned beef" refers to the "corn" or grains of coarse salts used to cure it." Not so bad after all!

One year ago...

2008-03-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it was 1 year ago today that Anthony and I stood in front of the divorce judge at the Cambridge, MA courthouse to get permission to be married. How ironic?! After our grand entrance into the courtroom, when the baliff had to charge Anthony to tell him to take his hat off, it was finally our turn to stand before the judge. We plead our case... we wanted to be married the next day, before the 3 days waiting period for our marriage certificate was up. The judge commented that it was refreshing to see smiling faces and signed the waiver. Anthony was insistent, after listening to all of the lawyers who had taken their turns before us, that we HAD to call her "Your Honor." He wasn't going out of there until he had paid his due respects... and so as she dismissed us to leave, he bowed his head and said "Thank you, Your Honor." What a nut! Anyhow, hope you enjoy the few pics from our wedding one year ago tomorrow. It was a rainy day, but we were blessed with a half hour of no rain so we could get some pictures at the temple. It's been a fun year, and I still just think the world of Rode. I am convinced he is the nicest, most mild mannered man alive :)