The Big Hunt

Yes I married a Hunter! This weekend was the big hunt so off we went to Wyoming to meet up with Chill's family. You know there isn't a lot in Wyoming, but apparently it is a great place to hunt. I will say that it was beautiful because all the leaves are changing and it totally felt like fall! We had such a good time. It was so much fun and definitely too short!!! We stayed in the cutest little cabin that is surrounded by trees and right by a pond. The boys went out hunting each morning and evening and Carson and I stayed in the cabin and hung out with Chill's mom. We spent much of the time relaxing and listening to General Conference which was great. Chill's mom made yummy food the entire time we were there. We definitely didn't go hungry. Carson absolutely loved being outside and seeing all that there is to see. He even caught his first fish... with grandpa's help that is. It was a little chilly and it even snowed a little. I'm not sure that I am ready for winter although it was really fun sitting inside by the warm fire. I really would have loved to spend a few more days, but we all had to get home to jobs, school, etc. Thanks Doug and Claudia for such a fun, fun weekend!!!

Chill
Chill's brother Brett
Me and Carson
Grandpa and Carson
Grandpa, Carson, Grandma
Cute Boy
First Fish
Big Smile
Carson and Uncle Brett

Carson and Dad

The Breast is Best!

Okay so I totally forgot to post about this. About a week and a half ago I got an e-mail from Chill with "Extra Money" in the subject line. Chill is always talking about how I should find something to do that could make a little money. I try and explain to him that I am not crafty and creative like all those other stay at home moms that make and sell stuff. It's just not who I am. I have no creativeness in me and really don't have a sense of style. Well I opened the e-mail and here is what I found...

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk
Group Says Move Would Help Humans, Cows

POSTED: 1:48 pm EDT September 23, 2008
UPDATED: 9:53 am EDT September 24, 2008


WATERBURY, Vt. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

"PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk

PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."

"We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," said a spokesperson for Ben and Jerry's.

I'm sure many of you have seen and read this and I think it is so funny. We were talking to our friends about it and we just can't imagine bodily fluids in ice cream. So although I appreciate Chill's offer to make extra money I think I'll have to turn it down. Produce milk...now I can do that. Eat the milk in ice cream...NO THANKS!! Ha ha. The best part of all this is the letter PETA sent to Ben and Jerry's...

September 23, 2008

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Cofounders

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.

Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,

On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I'd like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry's.

Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers-and cows-would reap the benefits.

Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow's milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease-America's number one cause of death.

Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.

And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry. Because male calves can't produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can't even turn around.

The breast is best! Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream? Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman

Executive Vice President

6 Months Old

I can't belive our little man is 6 months old. He'll be a year old before we know it. We just got back from the doctor and he is super healthy. The doc said we can take him off the reflux medication hes been on since he was 2 months so we're happy about that. He got more shots today which is always a treat. Carson was screaming before he even got the shots so it didn't seem as bad today to watch. Usually it breaks my heart to watch him get shots. I just hate seeing him in pain. Carson seems really big to me, but he's pretty average. He is just super tall and skinny. Here's the latest stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz (30th percentile)
Height: 27 1/4 inch (79th percentile)

Not only did he get shots, but he is teething again. He has been a little miserable at times for the past week and a half. He screams when we put him down for a nap or for bed. (not always but a lot of the time) I just feel so bad for him. He won't take his binky because it hurts him to suck. I just keep telling myself that we'll make it through this and it isn't goint to last forever. Other than that Carson is a super happy little dude. He wakes up really happy in the morning and his favorite thing to do is hang out with Chill on our bed. He loves to go out and about so we go to the park, the grocery store, or the mall and that keeps him really happy. He's a trooper! The best news is that the car is no longer an issue. It makes going places so easy!!!

Here are some cute pictures of him at 6 months:

One Happy Boy!

He loves to take a bath in this ducky!

Carson and Mom

Carson and his cute friend Ellie (they are 3 weeks apart)

He loves to bounce and bounce and bounce

He loves to bite his toes and pull off his socks

He just learned to drink out of his sippy cup

He's ready to crawl, but doesn't quite know how to move!

Friends

Last week I was able to visit my friend Melanie who I haven't seen if a long time. Her little boy Roc is darling. She is about to have a baby girl next week and I am so excited for her. Chill and I were also about to get together with the Phungs last night who we haven't seen forever. We went out for a bite to eat and catching up. It was nice to have a little much needed adult interaction. Their little man Kyson is so funny! He is a very busy boy and I just love his hair!

Carson and Roc

Stephen, Kyson, Carson, and Chill

Sitting Up

Carson is finally sitting up on his own. Like always I'm a little late posting. For weeks he has been wobbling back and forth, but he has it down now. He is just so dang cute. I just can't believe how fast he grows and changes!!! He'll be 6 months next week. CRAZY!

Finally...A Normal Weekend

This past weekend was wonderful. Chill, Carson and I were finally able to spend the entire weekend together. It has been a very long time since that has happened. Chill's rotation right now is Mon-Fri 8-5 (somedays earlier) and it is wonderful. I actually felt like a normal famiily for the weekend. On Friday night we were able to go to the State Fair. I love the state fair. I'm not sure if its all the weird interesting people that I can stare at for hours, or the yummy Frozen Lemonade. Probably a little of both. Anyway Carson had a great time. He didn't really know what to think of it all, but he was really good the entire time. He loves his stroller so he was happy.

On Saturday Chill was able to go golfing with his dad and brother Brett and then Chill, Carson, Brett and I went to Iggy's for dinner and to watch the Utah vs. Utah State game. I had the NASTIEST salad (Chinese Chicken Salad). Don't EVER get it. I ate 2 bites and was not happy about it. Chill was nice enough to eat the salad without complaining and he gave me his fries and burger! In the end everyone seemed happy and we had a great time.

Sunday was Regional Conference and we were able to go to the conference center. We had great seats right down on the floor just a few rows back. Not sure how we pulled that one off, but we weren't complaining. It was a great conference and the Prophet spoke which made it even better. It was such a beautiful day so we sat outside for awhile after, took some pictures and then headed home.

The Time Has Come

Well after much resistance, Chill and I decided it was finally time to move Carson to his own room and into his crib. It was a tough decision for me, but it had to be done. His room is upstiars and ours is downs and I just didn't want him to be that far away. He has been spending the last 5 1/2 months in our room in a pack n play. I'm not sure why we didn't move him sooner. I mean he has this beautiful crib that Chill's mom bought for us and I know it is way more comfortable than the pack n play. I just loved having him right by my bed and the convienence of feeding him right there. After much talk I agreed that I would move him after we got montitors. Well I put that off for a really long time and then we finally made a trip to the store and got the video monitor I wanted. It is the coolest thing ever. We have some friends that have them and I've wanted it ever since I saw it. I am happy to say Carson is now sleeping in his own bed in his own room and has done for the past three nights. He still is not sleeping through the night, but I am planning to work on that one next. One step at a time.