November and December at a glance

We had our 20 week ultrasound at the hospital in November. This was to take all of his measurements and such. He moved around so much it took so long to get all the pictures they needed! He is healthy and strong though. The techs kept commenting on how beautiful his heart and hands were :) At 20 weeks 1 day our boy measured at least 21 weeks on all of his measurements, but 21 weeks 6 days for head size! He is a big boy! Such a squirmer.

Not a great picture, but here is his profile!

Again, crummy picture, but here is his little hand

Dylan asked a trillion questions while we were in there. Everything from "what's that weird thing on the screen" to "does diaphragm really have a 'g' in it?" The techs loved it. Apparently not all the parents they see are as enthusiastic as we are.

Dylan has felt the baby move a couple times now, and when the wee babe pounds or has excessively violent hiccups I can both feel and see movement! Also, my belly button almost sticks out farther than my belly. Dylan thinks it's the funnies thing to push it. It's not funny.

We spent Thanksgiving in Enumclaw with my family. All of the siblings were there but Steve (who was in Africa) and William and Keith. Jenny still brought the kids down though so we still got Steve's family! All 13 grandkids (well, 14!) were there. It was a full house but so much fun. I wish I took more pictures! On Thanksgiving I went on a 15 mile bike ride with Dad, Lisa, and Quinn. We went through Green Valley Gorge. It was a route I had done before, so I knew what to expect, but it was still a little harder than I expected. I was on a different bike (trying out Mom's new road bike, it's awesome!) and I hadn't been on a bike for probably 15 weeks. Thankfully the crew didn't mind my slower pace and Natalie and Kalyn rescued me from having to ride back up the driveway. Friday we went shooting in the morning. Dylan and I brought our shot guns so we did clay pigeon shooting too! Watching Mom shoot was my favorite part, followed a close second by watching her try to throw the clay pigeons. All of the pictures are on Kimberly's camera, I'll have to get them from her and post! That afternoon I watched 8 of the 13 kids while the parents went to play volleyball. It was actually really nice. Dylan had a blast playing. It's so awesome that with just our family alone we have enough people for 2 full teams plus subs! And that's without everyone playing! Saturday morning most of the crew went to the temple. There was a storm coming through so Dylan and I had to leave a day early and drove home on Saturday. I was bummed to miss out on a day with the family but we were so so grateful we made that choice!

Some of the boys helping Grandma with the dishes after our 3rd batch of popcorn cake!

Driving through Chinook Pass Saturday morning (yes, Chinook! It was clear both driving to
and from Enumclaw. Such a gorgeous drive and saves us a lot of time. And no traffic :)

We set up our tree when we got home. My first year with a fake tree. It's growing on me.
Atticus stayed at Tom and Glenda's while we were in Enumclaw and needed lots of cuddles
when we got home.

Atti's breath has been terrible and his dentist sticks weren't cutting it. Dylan took
out his old toothbrush and brushed Atti's teeth. He thought it was a game and just
wanted to chew on the toothbrush! It definitely helped though.

Dylan taking a break from finals. Him and Atticus fell asleep like this.
Atti opened his eyes right as I was taking the picture.

Our pipes started to freeze because the temperature was in the negatives for so long!
(we went WEEKS without it getting above 20, and I was happy if it was a positive temperature.
It was too cold!) Dylan put on his jumpsuit to climb under the house and check on the pipes.
Of course Atticus wanted more cuddles when Dylan resurfaced. He forgot how to dog though hah.

My Christmas present! Dylan got this for free off of Craigslist. We paid $16 to rent a piano dolly
and borrowed a trailer and some man power from some of the members in the area. The piano is gorgeous
and sounds wonderful. It's practically identical to the piano Dylan's parents have. I've been practicing so much
(although I'm still very slow at sight reading) and Dylan has filled out house with amazing music.

Scott stayed a weekend with us. It was so fun to have him here!
We learned he looks insanely like Natalie when he smiles.......

I crochet a snowflake! I wanted to try something different so I just looked up a youtube
video. It took forever, and it lopsided, and I missed a couple stitches, but I'm so proud
of myself! 

Family Pictures

My sister-in-law is an incredible, unique, uber-talented, and wonderful photographer. She totally spoils us with family pictures every year. I wanted to share some of the shots from this year!

Another Hunt Day

My handsome hunters

November 5, 2013 - Just some thoughts

We have had snow on the ground for the past two nights! It snows during the day too, but not enough that it's staying yet. However, snow season has begun! (As I am writing this is just started snowing again. It looks like it will be a snowy day! Which I'm okay with :)

Dylan and I aren't fans of daylight savings, although I haven't felt my schedule so thrown off as I have this most recent time. I'm ready to go to bed by 6:30, and fight to make it to 8:30pm. I'm up between 5:30-6:30 in the morning. I guess we are more productive now, but I feel out of wack!

This morning I felt our little boy move! There have been a few times before where I wasn't sure, it could have been movement, but maybe not. But this morning it was definite. I definitely felt him move! I paused for a second, couldn't really believe what just happened, then rolled over to tell Dylan. He wanted to know what it felt like and if I thought it was weird. Not weird for me, I'm excited! But Dylan thought it was weird hah. He tried to feel him moving too but I just got one little.....kick? roll? stretch? before things went back to normal.

And to close, a picture of my sleepy boys from the other night. I am truly so blessed with such a wonderful family.

It's a Boy!

A picture of our little boy flashing the camera.
Due April 2014

Duck Hunting

Dylan and I went out duck hunting Wednesday morning. There is some public land by our house that is only open to hunt Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Holidays, so we try to take advantage of it when we can (we typically drive out to Haines where Dylan's parents live and hunt on private property, but that's a much further drive). Dylan is a master hunter, but I had still yet to pull the trigger!

It was a frosty cold morning but very fun. We walked up to a pond and spotted two drakes. Dylan and I both shot at the first (I'm pretty sure Dylan got it!) and Dylan took down the second. The pond was partly frozen over but that didn't stop Atticus! I am grateful we got him the neoprene hunting vest to help keep him warm but also protect him from charging through the ice!

There wasn't anything flying, so we decided to try our hand at pheasant hunting. It was HARD! We were trail blazing through cattails taller than Dylan. The footing was really uneven and it was hard for me to keep a lookout for birds because I was too busy tripping over myself! We still had a good time though.

Dylan took a picture of me with the spoils. It was pretty fun to get a shot off! Hopefully I'll down something next time ;)

* Note: Dylan and I went hunting again this Saturday and I definitely shot my own duck! Dylan got 3 ducks with 2 shots...I got 1 with 2 shots. But that's progress, right? We made 6 trays of duck jerky. Usually we grind it and season it then dehydrate it in strips, but this time we decided to slice it thin and marinate it for a day. It turned out so delicious!

Maverick Glen Janeway

Kimberly and Sean were blessed with their little baby boy yesterday. Kimberly has NAIT (some sciency term. Her platelets and the baby's platelets don't get along or something) so she had to have a scheduled c-section. Things went wonderfully. I was spoiled and got to video chat with them this morning!

Maverick Glen Janeway
5 lbs 15 oz 20" long

Little Mack's platelet count is at a great level, so they don't need to worry about anything. And no adverse side effects from being born 3 weeks early! He is perfect. The Momma and Dad are doing great, and so happy. I am so blessed with such a wonderful family!

p.s. please ignore me in that picture. I've been studying for finals all morning......

Finals

I only had two finals this term, thank goodness!

Design II: We were assigned groups (3-4 people) and we had to build a sled. There weren't any specifications. My group got a lazyboy couch for free off of craigslist, 4 pairs of skis at a second hand store for $8, and the professor supplied some 2x4s and some bolts and screws. The result? Sheer awesomeness. This sled FLEW and was actually easier than I though it would be to transport and push up the hill.

Me, Jesse, and Christina. Coolest group on the hill.

Digital Processes in Printmaking: The printmaking finals are pretty openended. We use one or more techniques learned in the term. I decided to do screen printing because that was definitely my favorite. It is also pretty fast, so I wanted to tackle multiple layers. You can also get the ink to be pretty transparent, so I wanted to play with that too (although the transparency didn't turn out completely how I wanted it too. I learned about organic/inorganic pigment transparency AFTER I did this......). I wasn't super crazy about the end result, but I learned a lot working on this final. I'm taking a screen printing course next term, so I'm excited to expand on what I learned. Here are some of the steps.

Layer 1 printed and layer 2 stenciled out on the screen

Layers 1 & 2, layer 3 on the screen

Layers 1-3 printed, 4 about to go down

Adding layer 8!

The final product! 

Last Day!!

Today was mine and Dylan's last day of school for the term. And let me tell you, it feels great. We have finals next week, then spring break (which, honestly, wont be much of a break) then it's just ONE MORE term for me! I am elated. Unfortunately, it is not the last for Dylan. I only have classes two days a week, and it's a ten week term, which means I only have 20 days of school left. Every. The end. I loooove school and it's been a great experience, but I am sure grateful to be done.

Hi. My name is Heather. I am a sugar addict.

It got this bad today:

Dylan literally hid the cookie jar from me. And I searched. And I got angry when I couldn't find the cookie jar. I was convinced I had looked everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE. It gave me some ideas for where I could hide things in the future) and I thought the only logical explanation was Dylan took it to work with him. He came home from work on his break and gave in to my pressure and showed me where he hid it. How did I not look there??? Needless to say...I had more cookies. I have some serious issues. Acceptance is the first step, right?

Something old, Something new

I got Dylan this hammock for Christmas. He wants it for camping. He got to thinking that while it eliminates the need for a tent, he still has to pack a sleeping pad (for insulation), a sleeping bag, and a tarp (when the weather is bad). He started doing some research and came across a video in which a guy had a snugpak hammock underblanket. There are all of these technical reasons why it's beneficial, how it prevents compression blah blah blah but since Dylan is the one who understands all of that and I am the one writing on the blog, I'll put it in terms that I understand. It's pretty much a cocoon for his hammock. The guy in the video said that he doesn't need an air mattress or a sleeping bag. One night (50 degrees F) he clocked the internal temperature of his hammock (no bag, blankets, etc) at 90 degrees! He goes camping in freezing weather like that. Needless to say, Dylan started to drool.

Prices for one of these toasty cocoons are anywhere from $100 to $250. Since our budget for preparedness/survival/camping(/Dylan's obsession) is about $10, that wasn't going to fly. However, never being deterred (one thing I absolutely adore about him), Dylan was determined to have one! He grabbed an old fleece sleeping bag from his parents, spend $9.80 on nylon fabric (on clearance for $1.96 a yard and just happened to be digital camo) and a few more dollars on velcro and nylon straps (barely going over budget), Dylan got to work. He cut the zipper off of the sleeping bag, cut the nylon camo into the lengths he wanted, hemmed it, and added the zipper to that. He is about halfway done with the project. Did I mention he hasn't sewn before, or seen a pattern for this? He is making everything up. And sewing better than me. I just showed him the machine basics and he took off!

Thanks for letting us borrow your sewing machine Carly!

 I'm so impressed with Dylan's resourcefulness and his ability to problem solve. He sees something he wants, and he finds a way to make it happen affordably. It was so fun to sit with him while he figured this out.

p.s. Dylan wants to start a man blog where he posts products he likes, tutorials, and manventures. We will give more info when we have more info! Stay tuned!

My quest to be a Gospel Scholar

I have set a personal goal to take a more active role in my spiritual learning. I have had this in the back of my mind for years, honestly, and never quite got the "active" part down. While attending institue these past months, there have been some habits, scriptures, and quotes that have helped me define what that meant, and how I was going to be active about it. I decided it came down to my desire to be a gospel scholar, and I am finally starting that quest. I have a list of 8 things I am trying to do to help me with this (taken from the Gospel Teaching and Learning manual for Seminary and Institute teachers)

1. Develop a habit of daily scripture study
2. Prepare my heart and mind for the influence of the Spirit
3. Discover and express doctrines and principles that are relevant to my personal life
4. Deepen understanding of the scriptures through diligent study, meditation, and prayer
5. Ask questions and seek for answers that help me better understand the gospel and how it applies to
    my life
6. Share insights, experiences, and feelings
7. Explain gospel doctrines and principles to others and testify of their truthfulness
8. Develop scripture study skills, such as marking, cross-referencing, and using the scripture study aids

Along with this list, I am memorizing quotes and scriptures that really stand out to me, and mean something to me in my life right now. Elder Scott said:

              "Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a
               scripture isto forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new
               individual who can helpin a time of need, give inspiration and comfort,
               and be a source of motivation for needed change."

Most of what I am trying to memorize comes from the Doctrine and Covenants, because that is what we are studying in institue right now. They are scriptures I have found in my studying or cross-referencing, and quotes from the institue manual or that have come up in class. I have already seen the power of this active participation in my quest to become a Gospel Scholar. It has also brought me so much peace and comfort.

Curious as to what I'm memorizing (or attempting to memorize) now? Here is a list. Feel free to join me on this journey!

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. -Joseph Smith “Man alone, of all creatures of earth, can change his thought pattern and become the architect of his destiny.” -Miracle of Forgiveness “We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become.” -Pres. Monson “The future is as bright as your faith” -Pres. Monson Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. -Doctrine & Covenants 24:8 We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. - 2 Nephi 25:26 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. -Romans 1:16 If God be for us, who can be against us? -Romans 8:31 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:35, 37-39 For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. -Doctrine & Covenants 25:12 Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive. -Doctrine & Covenants 29:6 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalms 118:24 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. -1 John 2:10 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. -1 John 4:18 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; and none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost. -Doctrine & Covenants 50:41-42 Gird up your loins and be faithful, and ye shall overcome all things, and be lifted up at the last day. -Doctrine & Covenants 75:22 My scripture board. Held up with thumb tacks so I can flip them over as I try to memorize them and can switch them out once they are permanently in my brain. (I learned while doing this that NO MATTER what, I can't cut straight. No amount of measuring, rulers, paper cutters could save these hah) My sleepy companion