Miyah Pics

So one of my best friends from High School does photography and she took some AWESOME pictures of Miyah. She has only put a few up on her website (check it out eyecandybykacie.blogspot.com)but the ones she has up are really good! I can't wait to see the rest. It was so good to visit with her and see her two gorgeous kids. It's funny to think about old days... thanks again kacie!

4 years

Landen and I celebrated our four year anniversary on wed nov 11. I can't believe how fast it has gone. Days can go by slow while you live them, but looking back it seems like they just flew by. We have come a long way since we were first married and have a long way to go. The last four years have been tough at times, but they have also been the greatest. Landen and I are so different, but at the same time so much alike. The greatest times we have together are when we are laughing and joking together. He is always making me smile! He really is the man of my dreams- and more! I love him so much. My kids are so lucky to have a dad like him.

We went to Mindful Medical and Day Spa in ogden for a couples massage on wednesday while my awesome sister watched BOTH our kids (she has a baby and a three year old too!). It was so great. Everyone needs to do that a few times a year. It was so relaxing and the atmosphere in the spa was meditative (i might have just made that word up). I am surprising him this week with a vacation. He knows where we are going but he doesn't know what we are doing. Thanks to everyone who has helped me with it. I will thank you publicly after he knows what we are doing. I will post some awesome pictures too!

Well- here's what you all wanted. More pictures of the kids!

Blessing pics!

 

 

 

 

Blessing Today!

This is pre blessing, but I am excited to see everyone and have them all see miyah! I wish Jill could be here, but thanks to Lauren, I get to see her and jeremy over Christmas! Anyways, can't wait!

WARNING: hunting pictures!

So I was introduced to a whole new world this October. Apparently we coexisist with a different species AKA Hunters. I married Landen not knowing the extent of this "hobby" but I was baptized by fire this year. He hasn't hardly gone at all since we got married almost four years ago because he has been working but with doing summer sales this year he had a lot of time to go. Really, I am not against hunting, I just don't understand it. I didn't get to go this year because we had Miyah but I am excited to experience it first hand and see what the fuss is all about. Honestly, I love hiking and being outdoors but I prefer a camera over a gun. Maybe I will change, but as for now that's where I stand. Still love you tons babe :)

Landen, however, did get to do a lot of gun carrying this year and was quite successful. Results, lots of deer pictures and jerky.
WARNING: dead animals in pictures...

Rexburg Getaway... sort of

It's not a true getaway- I still have kids! We are having fun being with Wada and Grampa for a few days. Wada needed some help with cleaning and I wanted to get away from so called "Zion" for a few days... :) I like it here. There are people to converse with. Walker is just learning to be a conversationalist- he asks a lot of questions and observes so much. He is growing up so fast. This is the first hunting season where Landen has been gone a lot and Walker now wants a gun for Christmas. He saw Landen's deer and asked, "did he go to Heavenly Father?" It was so cute.

He wanted to be spiderman for halloween- what two year old doesn't? So we went to Walgreens and he put the costume on right there in the store and wouldn't take it off. IT was so cute. I loved it. He has it on again today and shoots webs at people and tries to climb walls. It is the cutest thing in the world. I don't know what we are going to do for Miyah. She is so cute without a costume- plus she is just going to be all wrapped up anyway. On the other hand, the little tiny costumes are so cute!!

A dios from Idaho..
jen

Great Inspiration to Act TODAY!

Choose This Day

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The Greatest Words

Some poeple say the most life changing words a mother can hear from her child are "I love you." I contend that the 5 greatest, most life changing words moms hear from kids are : I pooped in the potty!

Wait to go Walker!

Party in the USA

So I might be twelve, but I love Miley Cyrus new song. I just put it on my running playlist! I can't wait. Tonight is going to be my first official running night- got the ok from the doctor yesterday at my six week check up. I have never been so excited to go running in my life!!

anyone have good running music you would like to share with me?

p.s. Translated the chinese morris code! I now have nine songs on my ipod- eight of which work and one i can't figure out why but it is not playing. But I love it!

Walker and grampa

 

Miyah edited- slightly

 

Miyah 5 weeks

 

Best Dessert Ever!

ingredients: one bunch of fairly ripe bananas, fruit fresh

one of those things you make popsicles in

directions: mash up bananas in bowl until smooth (I used a hand mixer to make it really smooth). pour into popsicle maker. wait over night. Enjoy!

Healthy alternative to ice cream and sugary popsicles. And it tastes so good!

Taking on Photoshop

elements 8. i am using the free trial. It has been fun so far but i think I need to take a photography class to really even scrape the surface of what can be done with the program. I have learned some pretty cool things so far. Will post some pictures soon.

still no luck with the chinese morris code.

Went on a walk..ipod illiterate

Walker and I succeeded in going on a short walk today. He stayed in the stroller til the last 100 yards- that is an accomplishment! We just walked around our neighborhood but it felt so good to actually breathe hard!

On another note, I am trying to figure out this little tiny ipod landen won over the summer. I thought I knew something about electronics but aparently I am electronically illiterate. The button blinks in chinese morris code and that is the only mode of instruction. I think I will figure it out.. eventually.

Made Cookies Today... that's about it.

Sometimes I wonder what my life is amounting to. At least they tasted really good- and were completely fat free! Minus the pound of butter and cup of shortening (and chocolate chips- but at this point who's counting!).

It's me!

Well, a month after having a baby, I am still alive! It has been so great so far. Miyah is a great baby. She is just so perfect and sweet. We have been so blessed with her so far. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous because walker was a really hard when he was first born. He was sick the night we brought him home and cried the whole night- so did I. He had trouble latching on and didn't ever really eat very well. Suffice it to say, it was a rough first few months. I wouldn't trade it for anything because the last two and half years have been the greatest and he is such a joy- and that is really the only word that works for him is joy- to have. Anyway, Miyah just hasn't had any complications. She eats well, sleeps well, and is just, well, great! :)
I am trying to get everything figured out on paying for Miyah now- that's the fun part. And can I just say that I am so glad that we live in a free country with options and choices in health care! We just got our new premium after adding miyah and it's almost $600- a month!! We are changing to a high deductible health plan with an HSA this month and i can't wait. I am glad we have health insurance but also glad that i can control it- sort of. Let's not get into that though- too political.

Life is good- and i am extremely blessed. Thanks for all of our friends and family for dinners and gifts and also for all the well wishing we have received.
Love you all.

 
 
 
 

Miyah Jayne Lish

She is here! She came saturday august 29 at 1236pm. She was 6 lbs 11 oz and 20.5 inches long. She has been a great baby so far. She is beautiful and fun!

Husband-less.. and Family Reunion

So I am going on three weeks without a husband- it's so hard to be apart. I miss him and want him to come home but I know that he is working hard to be able to be with us a lot more often. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished this summer. He has changed and grown so much- we both have. I can't wait to see him!! He is going to try and be home for family pictures on thursday- WOO HOO!!

Bringing me to the family reunion: I feel the same way as my sister, I know my family reads this so I am just going to say what I really feel. I CAN'T WAIT! I love being with my siblings and parents. We always have so much fun when we are together- there is never a dull moment. We have a fun week planned. I am most excited to be in the temple with everyone. Kevin is going to get his endowments on friday. He had an amazing one on one temple prep class with bishop anderson. I learned more listening to five minutes of that than I have ever learned about the temple!

Anyways, I am really excited for this week!

New Blue Walls- the best parents and brother ever

I have the best parents and brother anyone could ask for. I asked them if they would come help me paint my house when I got home and lo and behold they had it done for me. I never lifted a paint brush. THANKS SO MUCH GUYS!! and the color looks great!

 

Cute Family Photo

 

Arch Collage

 

The Arch

We decided today to take Walker to see the arch. It was a beautiful day. The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous. The last week and a half it has been between 65-80everyday. I am an extremely amateur photographer but i think I took some pretty good shots of the arch. Landen and Walker ran up the steps and played for a few minutes while I stayed by the car. Some guy took a picture for us when they came down and it actually turned out pretty good too. Its so huge you can barely see it in some of the pictures but it is still an awesome sight. We were not going to go see it because we have seen it before but we were glad we went. Walker thought it was the coolest thing ever- plus we went to Costco after and got some frozen yogurt, which he also loved.

Also, I am still reading The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood and it is seriously changing my life so much. We are really working hard to be healthier in every aspect of life, physically, mentally spiritually emotionally and especially nutritionally. I don't think we realize the truth to the statement, "you are what you eat." The book mentions this (much more eloquently but i will try) our cells are reproducing at an extremely rapid rate, and what is it that these new cells are made of?? What we are fueling our bodies with. So if you eat fries and a shake and a big mac- you are literally a walking value meal. Just something to ponder.
We are trying really hard to eat healthier meals and snacks, but the convenience of the microwave is really hard to escape! If anyone has any good healthy recipes, share them with me please!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

Of all the.... and some new pics

So I am leaving next week and Landen's office decided this week would be a good time to go and stay two hours away for the week! I am so bummed! I am going to go stay friday night and ride home with him but talk about bad timing. They say it is a great place to sell, so that's how I should think of it. Landen is going to sell amazingly and get to come home a few days early!

Here are some fun pictures i have taken recently. Just so you guys will look at my blog... :)

Going Home or Leaving it?

Walker and I are leaving St. Louis on July 28th. That's less than two weeks away! I am having some bitter sweet feelings about it. There are so many positives about being here. The number one thing is that I get to be with my best friend and husband. Going home means I will be without Landen for three weeks! That is a long time! I also have a lot of fun things to do out here. If it weren't for the high crime rate, this would be one of the most family friendly places on earth! They have a great zoo that is free if you can find a parking spot, grant's farm, also free, too many malls to name including the second biggest in the usa, I live really close to a TJ Maxx which is a good and bad thing, the library is absolutely awesome- we go every week, they have free summer movies somewhere mon- thurs every week, we live in an apartment complex with a pool, I have made a great friend in Rachel and I am sad to be leaving her, it's so green and beautiful. ALso, the ward here is so great, I have mentioned it before but I love the feeling and the people. I have learned a lot about getting involved with things and being an active participant in ward actvities etc.
Some things are not physical, but i am probably more gratful for them than the other things. We have been able to get closer to each other and to the Lord out here. For some reason, there have been less distractions or we have been sufficiently humbled, either way, this has been the best three months of our marriage! It has been fun. We see each other less than ever before, but are more in love. Landen is so great. I am so thankful that we got married- i don't know what I would do without him.

So- after that, I am so excited to go home for a lot of reasons too. I get to see my family! Julie is picking us up from the airport and we are dying to see her. walker is especially excited, but mostly to see kido! Jill and jeremy will even be coming to go to the temple with Kevin. Which is another reason I am excited to go home- Kevin is going on his mission! We are going to all be together in the temple for the first time (if I don't have my baby before the 21st!). I am going to paint my house and get the blue right this time, going home means I am only 4 weeks away from havimg Miyah ( I am just over 6 weeks right now), and I get to see all my friends in tremonton that are having babies too (and the ones that aren't).

Here is my dilemma, laid out for all of you! But I am going home, so I am mostly excited not sad. Can't wait to see everyone!

A Belly Picture and the Frog

I have had a few requests for a belly picture so here is one that Walker helped Landen take a couple weeks ago.

A few nights ago Landen brought home a tiny frog for walker to see. It was so cute! Walker was so excited and had a blast watching him (or her I guess- I always think of animals as being male for some reason...) jump around on the floor. It was the tiniest frog I have ever seen! When walker realized we couldn't keep it and had to take it outside, he was devestated. He cried the whole time, even when he had let it go and was saying "goodbye froggy." I will post the videos I got when I get them uploaded on you tube, for now here is a picture of pure extasy!

Happy Fourth!

Happy fourth of July everyone! We had fun last night going to the OFallon Heritage and Freedom Festival. We didn't realize how crowded it would be so we only got to stay for about an hour but it was fun to be there. It reminded me of the fair. They had the midway rides and games which was fun to watch. Walker actually really wanted to ride some of the rides but the prices were a joke and he fell out of one last year so I don't trust them (carnival rides). Walker did ride a pony. He loved it! I thought he would need me right by him but he just rode it around and waved every couple times by. The saddle had a seatbelt sewed onto it which I thought was genius. The was also a separate part that was sponsered by a church. It had free kids games, the big blow up toys and some booths. The games had glow necklaces as the prizes and walker had a blast. Landen called at about 915 and we left to go get him. We had to walk to get to the shuttle which took us back to our car where we proceeded to get lost. Landen's car group dropped him off at a gas station (really far out of their way) and we found him eventually. We sat at the gas station and watched fire works! It was crazy but fun! There were a lot of people at the gas station watching them and about 15 minutes into it, the sprinklers turned on! It was funny but kinda sad. We didn't get home til really late.
Today, walker and I went to Ice Age 3 and he really liked it. I thought it was ok but it made me frustrated that you can't even go to a kids show without some adult humor. However, it was a lot better than the last two movies I saw. (transformers and the proposal). I loved the story and the baby mammoth was so cute!! Scrat is trying to take over the film.

Anyway, my baby dragon (as walker has taken to calling himself) is calling me to come play.
love you guys.

Father's Day Dance

My two boys! Aren't they so cute!

My husband the Champ and other news

Landen did amazing this last week in his region tournament for APX. He stomped his competition 10 points to 1.75. It really was a shocker that he won by that much because this kid usually does a lot of sales. We felt blessed to be able to win the rookie regional and Landen stepped up to the plate. This week is the seeding week for the next contest and I will try and keep everyone updated on the results of that one too. It just depends on when we have our sporadic internet connection.

On other news, I have 9.5 weeks left until the big due date. Although I do expect to have a september baby. Sorry jill. I went and got some maternity shorts today and I am so thankful for them. I wore Landen's shorts yesterday and they looked terrible and were not much more comfortable than my pants. So thank goodness for shorts. I have just started to get uncomfortable at night- which is actually good because I am so far along. I swear my bladder is the size of a doctor suess speck- which is really adding to the no sleeping thing. It was about 115 degrees in my car when I went outside today and I felt like the wicked witch of the west: melting. So with all that complaining out of the way, I do feel pretty much amazing: With Walker I had to take my wedding ring off at about 12 weeks pregnant (not sure but it seemed like I didn't wear it for about a year) and I still have it on my finger with no circulation problems; Miyah is kicking like mad, and she loves to have her back scratched and tickled. Her elbows and knees and feet and hands push out on the skin of my belly and it's the neatest thing to watch. I really miss being at home because they do an ultrasound at every doctors appoinment so I would get to see her a lot. I haven't seen her in 10 weeks. The last ultrasound we had was the big one at just under 20 weeks. In that one she was growing about a week ahead of schedule but I am sure she has caught up to herself. The doc said that was pretty normal, but that I could be looking at an 8-9 pound baby.

There is the scoop on the baby. Oh- something else cool is that my insurance company now covers a portion of a breast pump under the durable medical equipment part of my policy. Woo hoo. Oh wait, maybe that's why they just hiked up our premium 80 bucks a month- oh and not to mention the 5000 dollar separate maternity deductible. At least i will get a nice breast pump right??
All in all we are having fun and feeling extremely greatful that we came here to st. louis. Our family has grown closer than we ever could have if we would have stayed at home. We give all the credit for everything we recieve to the Lord. It has been a great refresher to be out here and witness a new version of the same gospel i have believed in for years. I hate the term utah mormons, but I realize, at least in my experience, that there is some truth to it. Here, people are more friendly because they know it might be the only chance they get to make an impression on someone coming to church for the first time. It's almost inexplicable really because sitting here I cant think of a difference that i can point out other than a stronger bond as a ward. Everyone feels at home because not a lot of people have family that live close by, and more people reach out for that same reason. I hope to take a lot of these things home with me and act differently when we get home. One things for sure, either way the gospel is amazing how it brings people closer together.


sorry for the long post. love you guys.
jen

The Greatest Man on Earth!

Landen took walker to go pick up his business cards yesterday and came home with these for me just because!



They are so beautiful- and the best part is that walker came into our room holding them out and saying I love you mommy. Then he cried because I wouldn't give him his own rose (I know I am selfish!). It brought tears to my eyes.

Wada,Grampa and Walker

This video is hilarious. My favorite parts are when Walker tells wada to stop it, when they are doing the horsie noises and Walker says, "that's a good one," and when they are howling like wolves- and wada makes a pretty awesome face when shes growling like a bear. This was last week when we got to see wada and grampa in Louisville (which is actually pronounced more like loo-vul according to people who live there and here in st louis). Enjoy! p.s. there are more pictures now on the slide show under my st louis pictures post.

No Internet! Louisville Visit

We haven't had the internet and I don't know how long we will have it this time. we are working on getting our own- yes we are stealing it right now- but we are having trouble finding a company that doesn't want all our money we are making cause we want it for a short time period.
Everything is good here- I got to see my mom and dad on thurs, fri, and sat of this week in Louisville. They were there for their TEAM convention and it is only about 4.5 hours away- which is way better than 24! Walker was happy to see them and got to swim with grampa. We had a great time seeing them. We even watched a race at Churchill Downs- which was fun.
I don't know how long we will have the internet but I will try and post some pictures later.
Love you all!
ps it was great to see some pictures on your blog mist!

St Loo Pictures!

Double click to see the whole album. It's walker at the zoo, the lake and the mall playground. We are having a blast!

Easter!!!

Sorry this is so late but here are some pictures from easter. Walker sort of got it, but he would get distracted really easily from finding eggs. I am thinking that I want to do Easter eggs with church related things in them. I read in the ensign that this lady gets her kids scripture markers, bookmarks, children song books etc. It would have to be adjusted for age for sure but I am thinking that it would be a better reminder of why we truly celebrate easter than eggs filled with candy brought by the easter bunny... where do we come up with these things?? Any other ideas on having a Christ centered Easter?

New Niece- and other updates

We are having a blast in st louis! I really like it here- it's so much fun because there is always somewhere to go. They have a zoo (haven't been yet), tons of malls (including the second biggest in the us- been there) lots of parks, an awesome lake that I live really close to and lots of other fun things. I think I just opened my eyes to what is out there.

Landen has been doing extremely well. He was the number one 1st year sales rep in the company last week and 3rd overall (that was in preseason)! He would kill me for saying it but he tore it up. This week has been a slower week, for him and everyone else in the office, but he called me earlier and already has three accounta for today (which is really good!). It is kinda funny because people always come home and say things like "yeah it was worth the money but i hated it" but Landen actually really likes it! I get nervous because sometimes they are in areas where I wouldn't want him to be but I guess that comes with the territory (area and the job). So overall, he really enjoys what he is doing and is trying to get used to the ups and downs of it. It definately takes some getting used to with the hours that they work but we are adjusting. They are gone from 12-1 for a meeting then he comes home for a quick lunch and is out for the day by 130. He gets home anywhere from 8:45 (earliest) and 10:00 (latest). It isn't terrible but i do miss him a lot!

We are in a great ward. The first week we were here we went to a 1:00 church and it was terrible. Not the ward, but just for walker. He isn't very quiet in sacrament meeting anyways but that is right at nap time. So we decided to go to a 9:00 with the other couples here. It was so fun! Walker still wasn't exceptional during sacrament (he threw a coloring book two rows but to a guy who said he had a great arm..) but he LOVED nursery. I stayed in there for probably ten minutes then he was fine the rest of the time. He has never done that (at least without kicking and screaming) at home. The ladies in there were great. Had it down to a system. he didn't want to leave when they were done! There were some girls there from another company (pest control or security, i am not sure)and one of them is due in july and having her baby out here! It is her first so more power to her. But they were all so welcoming to us. They had us write our email addresses and phone numbers so they could call and email us about play group and other relief society stuff. It has been fun to see the difference in the gospel out here- and the similarities. I feel so much more responsible here to speak up, stand out and sacrifice. People are always curious when they find out we are members of the church- and i feel so much closer to the Lord because i am thinking about Him more. I really like it. At home, i intend to be better at it.

Walker is finally starting to feel like he is home. he had a rough couple days, but is doing much better now. He and I have been sick the last few days but I think we are coming out of it. Hopefully not swine flu...
We are excited about our new neice/cousin Alexis Elizabeth Lee. Jax had her on Wednesday morning. She was big and healthy even at a month early. 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19.5 inches. She is so cute! Jill has the pics on her blog if you want to see them.
I will post some pictures later tonight, I don't feel like uploading them right now. Lazy I know. Love you guys!

St. Louis MO

WOW! A lot has happened since I posted last about our house being up for rent. We have successfully rented it out to a great family who is looking for a home in tremonton. We arrived in st. louis last sunday and have had a lot of adjusting to do. Whoever said two year olds don't have a problem moving, didn't know ours. He was so upset when we got here and gramma and kido were not here to greet him. He thought that everyone would be here. The first two days were really rough for him- which made them really rough for me too. We don't have a computer or gps so I have felt kind of trapped but it has been fun to use maps and be old fashioned too. My card is full on my camera from easter videos and pictures so i haven't even taken any pictures yet but as soon as I do, I will put some up. I miss everyone but I really want to like it out here too. Like my sister told me, if I am going to be a world traveler I can't let a little city scare me! Thanks for everyone helping us to get out here with travel packs (bobby and amanda) notes (shawn and brit) and awesome candy apples (brandee). And everyone else who was encouraging- it is tough to do something different but when you do, the rewards are great. We will keep you posted.
love
jen landen and walker (and miyah- who is growing and already kicking me like crazy- so much for a calm sweet little girl!)

SUSPENSE...

ITS A GIRL!!! Miyah Ja(y)ne Lish

HOUSE FOR RENT!

Landen and I are trying to rent our house. If you know anyone who is in a situation where they would like to rent (ie. living with parents, renting a small apartment, building a home etc) PLEASE tell them to call us or let us know and we will call them. Here is our ad from KSL.

We are looking for a trustworthy family or person to rent our home for 4-6 months ASAP. The price is negotiable- depending on what services we can trade. ex.The lawn needs to be mowed and watered (sprinkler system) weekly, house kept and cleaned, we have a dog that will need to be taken care of- fed and watered and let out to run around. He is an outside dog so he doesn't get to come in the house, ever. He has a kennel and dog house in the back. The house is furnished with couches, table, king size master bed, queen size guest bed and room with a crib. Can be moved if needed. Built in 2003, the home is new and in great condition. Fiber optic internet connection included. Big fenced backyard with swing set and grill. We are willing to negotiate the price depending on several factors. Call Landen 435 452 2808 for details and questions.

IT's a ...

We found out today what we are having! Who can guess? If you know... don't say so!! Good Luck!

For Jill.

(Jax is on the right, me in the middle, Misty on the left) Jax is the furthest along- she is due in May. Misty is next and due in June. I am last and not due until august. Our sister Jill lives in Washington DC and really wanted a picture of all three of us- here we are!! Love you jill. Wish I was coming with mom and dad to see you. :( Hopefully I will get another chance sometime soon!!

Walker's Birthday- 2 years!!

I just can't believe how big my little baby boy is getting! He is so grown up and wants to be independent (until he gets an owie and needs me to kiss it better). The last month has been so much fun. He has started to throw more fits, which has been a challenge, but he has also started to understand things and talk ALOT. I love his little voice, especially when he is saying I love you mommy and thank you. He is the sweetest little boy in the world and I love him more than anything! It's a love you can't even explain- my parents tried to tell me that, everyone talked about it but i never understood it until I had my own son. Wow- it brings me to tears just thinking about it. The closest thing I can think of is the love of a sibling. There are so many things that he means to me, he is a clone of my husband which means I am never without him, he is my best friend and playmate, my comfort when I am sad, my pride and joy whenever he does anything at all, and everything else you can think of. I am so excited for him to be a big brother and show our new baby just how to act! most of the time...
Happy Birthday walker i love you so much!!