My Secret Love

I'll be honest, I have quite a few secret loves, but the one I am sharing with you today is the Cannon Center at BYU. My freshman year I lived in Helaman Halls which was a great experience for me my first year away from home. It also allowed me the joys of cafeteria food. Now fortunately for me I had Dining Plus so I did not have to eat every meal in the Cannon Center and usually only ate breakfast there. I love the options: waffles, french toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, breakfast casserole, french toast sticks, bacon, sausage, ham, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, omelets, fresh fruit, tons of cereals, three different kinds of milk, orange juice, apple juice, passion orange guava juice, oatmeal, toast,donuts, bagels, and the list goes on.

The place had a lot of history. I say "had" specifically, because BYU recently TORE IT DOWN. I was devastated to say the least. I will admit that I have frequented the Cannon Center even as recently as this past year. It has a special place in my heart. I appreciated that Brad did not judge me for this secret love of mine. Which probably wasn't too secret for anyone who knows me very well.

We decided that we had to try out the new Commons at the Cannon Center that replaced the original cafeteria. We went for breakfast on a Saturday in September and really enjoyed ourselves. Well, Brad and I did, Johnny hung out in his stroller. And yes, people did look at us wondering if we lived in the dorms or what our story was. Even though I still love the original, this new Cannon Center is definitely an improvement from my freshmen year. So if you're ever in Provo and want a fun and family-friendly dining experience, I would suggest heading over to the Cannon Center.

And I promise I was trying to get Johnny to not make the fish-face and smile, but as you can see, he won.

The Hiatus Is Over

I am back in the blogging world. Let's be honest here, I doubt that many people actually read this blog besides a few family members and friends, but I myself have missed writing and sharing pictures about what's going on in our lives, so hopefully I'll get back in the habit again.

There are many things I haven't blogged about, and I'm not sure how much I want to go back in detail or even how exciting it would be to describe. But there are a few notable events, that I would like to share so I might break those up into a few posts depending on how much I end up sharing.

I did want to share two pictures with everyone though. Let me preface their appearance on the blog with the fact that I am actually quite an animal lover. But there is just something wrong with this picture. It's a picture of Gus, the 2008 winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest.


Now, I was a bit taken aback by Gus's picture. That is, until I saw last year's winner, Elwood:

Brad's Little Football Player

My baby boy is huge, and Brad is very pleased that he is well on his way to becoming a star football player for BYU. We went to his check-up appointment yesterday morning, and after waiting for a while baby Johnny got weighed and measured. For those of you who do not remember (let's be honest here, who remembers everyone else's baby stats) Johnny was 8 lb. 9 oz. when he was born and 20.5 in long. He is now, drumroll please, a whopping 16 pounds and 25 inches long!!! That means he's over 2 feet tall, when he stands up that is. He's in the 75th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for weight. He's definitely our chunky monkey. The doctor said he's developing just beautifully, and has great neck support and strong legs. We love our precious baby, but it is crazy to see how fast he is growing. Brad always teases me about how I'm going to cry when he leaves for his mission. I told him I'll probably cry when he graduates nursery and goes into Sunbeams.

Part Two

Friday was our last full day in Washington and we tried to fill every minute of it with fun. My friends Amanda and Dennis came over and met Johnny for the first time and then we headed over to Southcenter to eat lunch. I definitely got lost in that mall, it's completely different than when I used to live here. Fran laughed at me because I got so disoriented.




Later on we watched Emma and Stevie play on the toys at the mall and headed back home so they could take a dip in their little wading pool. I'll have to post some video of Uncle Stevie joining in on the fun. He couldn't stay in for too long though, because he and Brad headed downtown to go to the Mariners game. Brad had never been to Safeco field before, and even though the Mariners are having a rough season, they won their game.



Brad said he and Stephen had a great time and he would love to go back. Especially if the Mariners happen to play the Cubs in an interleague game. He probably just would not get the chilli nachos again. Maybe next time we'll go to a game together.


Johnny loved meeting his Uncle Stevie for the first time as well, and I think Stephen liked meeting his new little nephew too. Stephen thanks again for being such a great baby-sitter. I'm sure it was probably not just your favorite hour, but also Johnny's. He can just tell when someone feels very comfortable with a baby. He wants you to hurry up and come to Utah so you can watch him again real soon.
We had so much fun visiting and were sad to say good-bye, but we hope to see everyone again soon. We also just want to give a special thanks to Johnny, for being the best baby ever and not crying at all on either flight. He's a keeper.

Anniversary Fun

We headed out to Snoqualmie Falls with Fran and her kids on Thursday morning. It was lots of fun watching her kids run around and it also made me very grateful that my kid can't walk yet.

Brad was very pleased Johnny had on his "little engineer" onesie, and took a picture in front of the engineering landmark plaque at the observation deck

Brad liked the waterfall, and the kids loved stomping in the puddles. Since it was our anniversary, Emma was sweet enough to agree to baby-sit for us. Such a little helper that girl is. With Johnny in such great hands (ok, so Fran helped Emma) Brad and I were free to enjoy the evening together. We went to our first session together at the Seattle Temple, and then headed over to Maggiano's for some delicious dinner and dessert. Our reception in Washington was held here, and Brad really liked the food. He especially enjoyed the cheesecake and was grateful for the chance to eat it once again. I didn't get a picture of it before we chowed down, but here is the empty plate in all of its glory:

It was such a great night to celebrate a wonderful occasion. Thanks for such a great date Brad!

Wow

Does a year really go by this fast?

Isn't he so cute? This was taken on our wedding day exactly one year ago today. Happy anniversary handsome!! You have brought me so much happiness. You've made me laugh, you've been thoughtful, sweet, kind, patient, and understanding. You'd have to be, I was pregnant for 9 of the first 12 months of our marriage. I can honestly say you are the best husband I have ever had!!!

I love you handsome. We've made so many wonderful memories together already. Now with Johnny I can't wait to see where our life takes us. You are amazing. I love you. I hope you have a wonderful anniversary.

I love you Bradley

Our Week in Washington - Part One

My little baby is growing up!! Johnny loved this toy of my sister's so much while we were visiting. He was working his way in a circle, trying out all the toys, making noises, smiling at the sunshine, and even getting the music to play all by himself. I can't believe it. We're going to look for one of these for him to play with at home because he loved it so much. Emma and Stevie must have remembered it used to be theirs, or they just liked it so much, that they jumped in and played with it (or tried to) when Johnny was taking a rest. Those kids are too much fun.

Saturday Johnny met his Great Grandpa and Grandma Goodrich for the first time. He was very smiley and let them both hold him for as long as they liked. We had so much visiting and hope we'll be able to come back again soon. Afterward, Brad and I baby-sat for my sister. Okay, so I love my sister and her kids too, but with that crazy heat wave her house was literally like an oven. With Brad, Johnny, me, Emma, and little Stevie cooking inside. The kids jumped at the chance to cool down in the bath. All I can say is those kids sure know how to splash.

My Dad took me, Brad, and Stephen for a drive down-town on Sunday. He made sure to show Brad lots of fun things, and especially to stop at Kerry Park so we could take a picture. I love this place so much, it's such a beautiful view of the city and the water, especially at nighttime with the water and the lights. Brad said he loved seeing the city and especially loved walking downtown with Stephen and going to the Mariners game with him on Friday. I just loved being able to share with him so many of the places I loved while growing up in Washington.

Stephen, Brad, and I went to see the new Batman movie at the IMAX theater downtown on Monday. I saw Batman Begins on the same screen and thought Brad would like seeing this one at an IMAX theater too. The screen was over six stories tall, and the sound is really amazing. The ticket price is a little more than I'd like to spend, but let's be honest here, with a little baby, we don't get out much. Thanks to my Mom for baby-sitting Johnny for us.