Fine, I'll update...

She's alive!!!

I really haven't been in a blogging mood lately, but today I'm thinking I should, so I better jump on it while I can! We've been so busy, but I'm not sure what to write about. It's the everday stuff that fills all of your time, but seems so boring to say. But I will say this: Dustin's done with finals! Yippee!

Dustin's mom gave him a copy of this book for his birthday:

We fell in love with this book and couldn't put it down. We bought the sequel and thought it was even better than the first. The author is a potter himself and owns a pottery shop in back of his house in Salt Lake. Neither of us had work on Thursday so we made an appointment with the author to come and look at his work. It/He was AMAZING. He's only 36 and is one of the happiest people I have ever met. We chatted and talked for about 30 mins or so about the book and life and then he gave us a discount on some pieces. It was cool when he asked our advice for the third and final book. He's hoping to get it out next summer, so I really hope it happens.

Dustin and I learned so much from this book and can't stop raving about it. Here's a short synopsis:

Jake just graduated from college with a degree in ceramics. Everyone is telling him to get a "real" job, but his heart truly lies with pottery. He becomes the village potter in Niederbipp, PA (which is an actual place) and learns more about the previous potter, Isaac, who was well-loved and just an amazing man who helped anyone he could. The book is supposed to be Jake's sketchbook, so throughout the pages you find drawings and occassional splatters from the glaze. It's visually appealing and fun to read.

It's really one of those books that makes you reflect on life, if you let it.

Other than that, it's been same ol', same ol'. Well, and getting ready for Christmas I guess :) Hope this hasn't been too boring, but I needed to write about something and we STILL haven't gotten a camera. Boo.

Say What?

This past weekend was a little rough. I've been either puking, or feeling like I should be puking (and no I'm NOT pregnant). So Dustin called me today during his break. Here's our little conversation:

Dustin: So how are you feeling today? Did you call the doctor?

Kim: I called, but they said to wait another day. So we'll see. But I'm feeling pretty crappy.

Dustin: Oh cool!

Kim: (Silence)

Either Dustin wasn't really listening or we have some serious issues to clear up...

Life in the fast lane

Oh my goodness, it's been forever!! Well, our camera broke, so I have no new pictures. This was the last one taken, so I had to post it. I never thought Kate would want her toenails painted, but she volunteered when she saw me painting mine. I had to document the girl who never stops surprising her mom.There has been SOOO much going on. First, I got a job at Gold's Gym working in the playroom. I work about 13 hours a week and it's nice to have a little more money coming in. Kate and I love it, although she's still getting used to sharing toys.

Living in South Provo has been awesome, but definitely not convenient. Yesterday we signed a contract for an apartment in Orem. I cannot wait until we move in because we'll have a dishwasher and a washer/dryer. It's too good to be true!! We were planning on moving this week, but something totally unexpected came up.

Dustin got a call from a director asking him to audition for the part of Joseph Smith. Well....he got it!! We're so excited, but a little stressed. I took him to the airport today to fly out to Boston. He'll do filming this week and then go back in November for 2 or 3 weeks. It's great to see Dustin so happy doing something he loves. I got to meet "Emma" on Saturday and love her to pieces. I wish I could go with them, but there's not much I could do anyway while they're filming.

The movie should be coming out in March, and should be in theatres. I read the script on Sunday and it sounds like it should be really good. Joseph is in his early 20's and marries Emma, obtains the plates, translates them, and organizes the Church. We'll give you info as we find out more. I'm so proud of Dustin and can't wait to see how this turns out!

After the airport I took Kate to the doctor's for a follow-up. For the past little while she hasn't been too interested in food. Had tons of diarrhea and was throwing up. Her doctor was pretty worried, so he had me take her to the hospital to get some blood tests and an IV. It was traumatic for her, but definitely helped to get fluids in her. We're still working on getting her better. I worry so much about my baby girl! She's only 20 pounds, which is what she was back in May.

Writing all of this has made me exhausted. Our life is crazy, but nothing short of amazing! Sorry this was so long and boring, but wanted to catch you up!!

A real bed to sleep on!

So...I can't find our camera. I'm sure it's around here somewhere. Well, it better be because it has our Yellowstone pictures on it!! Ahhh!! But it's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I'll write a little blurb tonight and then upload the pictures when I find the camera.

The past couple of weeks have been CRAZY. We went to Yellowstone last week for my family's reunion, so the week before was stressful. Dustin was working 12 hour days and I had to get everything ready to go camping. Never again.

Dustin's brother and wife had their open house in Utah, so I made a dummy wedding cake to display. I had TONS of help, but it turned out so cute! I'll definitely put up a picture. I've decided that I'd like to learn more about cake decorating, so I signed up for a four-week course at BYU Campus Craft and Floral. I'm way excited!

Kate and I have also been doing a lot of gardening. We do it at our friend's home and have enjoyed zucchini and tomatoes so far and are excited for the rest of the produce.

This last Sunday I conducted a combined choir of the Relief Society and Young Womens. It was fun, but my anxiety was way up when thinking about it! I got a trio together before I left and hoped it all would sound good when I got back. I'm sooo glad it's over. And I don't have to do it anymore, because I just got a new calling. Young Women's!!!!! All I can say, is that I won't tell them stories of when I was younger. Can you say trouble maker? Anyway, tonight I went to mutual for the first time in about seven years.

I'm so sorry I've written so much!! I'll stop and end with a picture from my dad's cell phone. He decided to visit our campsite. It looks fake but it's the real thing!

P.S. I got the flu when we got home.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Kate and I were going to go on a walk today, but didn't make it out of the complex. Too many fun things going on! Jen, a neighbor, ended up getting a pool out for the three girls. I absolutely love this pic. They had such a blast together.
These three girls are a few months apart and each have the cutest personalities. We have Kate on the right, Hannah on the left, and Evanie in the back. Doesn't this make you want to be little again?

Tomorrow our ward is celebrating Pioneer Day with a pie social and the kids are going to walk in a parade. I'm wondering if Kate is old enough to do it. She does like to be with the big kids, so I might give it a try. I'm not sure if she knows that she's a baby. Whenever she sees big kids, like 5 or 6 years old, she always says, "baby!" The kids hate being called "baby" by an actual baby, but I find it pretty entertaining.

I totally forgot the camera yesterday, but we all went rock climbing in Rock Canyon with Dustin's friend yesterday. Last time I went I used some really good shoes and didn't have a problem getting up, but Dustin and I didn't rent any this time. Bad idea. We both ended up going bare foot! Our shoes had no traction, so we took our shoes and socks off and put chalk on them. I am so sore today because my feet were slipping and I had to use a lot more upper body strength (which I don't have) instead of my legs. Next time we are definitely renting shoes! Kate was such a good sport, and even tried to climb up some rocks. Summer in Utah rocks because there's so much to do outside. At least I think so :)

Get that corn outta my face!

Tonight we gave Kate lasagna and corn for dinner. However, she ate no lasagna and an ENTIRE can of corn! She refused to eat anything besides corn (well, she did have Go-Gurt before dinner). This picture is taken at the very end when I think she finally realized, "Was that a whole can of corn?" All I can say is, her upcoming diapers are gonna be a doozy.

I'm a Big Kid Now

I think Mom's been holding out on me. Church is definitely not the place for me to run around and have fun. Mom and Dad are kind of boring. I mean, who wants to sit in class when they can run around or smash Nilla Wafers on the piano bench? Well, I finally went to a place they call "Nursery." I'm not totally sure what it is, but it's a WHOLE LOT BETTER than what I've done in the past. Not only are there kids my age, but they have books, toys, snacks, even a slide! All I know is, I'm NEVER going back to classes with Mom and Dad.

It does stink a little right now because Mom has to stay with me until I'm 18 months. Something about a transition month. I couldn't care less what that means, but I would rather not have Mom telling me not to hit or hug boys when they're pulling away from me. Sheesh. Once she's gone, I'll be kissin' them. I've done it before.

In nursery we all sat on a blanket and went on a lion hunt together! I wasn't sure what to do, so I watched the other kids. I'll get it someday. We sing about ducks and monkeys, and sometimes we march around the room. Then the teacher tells us a story about Jesus before we play with the toys. We learned about the Holy Ghost and then we got to sit at a table and color a paper they gave us. Here's mine:
It's not my best work, but Mom seems to like it. It's even on the fridge. What a crazy lady.

My favorite part about nursery are the books and the slide. I wish I had my own slide, because then I could climb up the slide and not have to wait for my turn to go down. Nothing like the wind in my face on the way down!

When it's almost time to go, we all help clean up. I like putting things in the buckets, but I'll admit I get distracted sometimes. There are so many toys to play with! (Mom needs to work on our collection) Then the teacher blows bubbles for us to pop. I couldn't get any, so a nice lady picked me up and was helping me reach the bubbles.

I tell ya, nursery's the life. I can't wait to go back next week! It's Dad's turn to go with me. Maybe I can get away with more stuff.

Kate

Really, Kim...Really??

As you can tell, I'm totally getting Mother of the Year. Kate loves snacking on Cheerios, so what do I decide to do? Give her the whole box. She loves to walk around with it while snacking and it looks so cute. Well, didn't turn out so cute. (And you should see our car. Cereal EVERYWHERE. She's a little obsessed with it and I totally understand. I mean, I have it for at least 2 meals a day.)

"Why?" I ask myself that question multiple times a day. I swear I give in to Kate way too easily.

For instance, she loves Go-Gurt. The other day she got into the fridge (yes, she can open the fridge. and no, I'm not happy about it.) and brought out a Go-Gurt. So I open it for her and she eats a little bit. Well, then she gets another one and refuses to eat the one that it open and wants to eat the new one. This went on for awhile, so now I have 4 opened Go-Gurts in the freezer.

Really, Kim...Really??


I'm thinking I need to learn how to put my foot down.

Summer Fun

Last weekend we went to Nauvoo for Dustin's brother's wedding. I finally got to go inside the temple and cannot believe how gorgeous it is! The day after the wedding, we toured Nauvoo with Dustin's parents. It was a blast, but definitely hot and humid!

We went inside Heber C. Kimball's home and went on a tour with a guy(don't remember his name, so we'll call him Bob) on the BYU Ballroom Dance team and his parents. Dustin's step mom asked Bob if he recognized Dustin from the Restoration, and he did. Anyway, after the tour, Dustin and I stayed after because a sister missionary wanted a picture of me and Dustin (why me, I have no idea). When we went outside, Bob was waiting for us and asked Dustin if he served in England. New England, yes. England, no. I guess a couple days ago this kid on the Ballroom Dance Team was telling everyone that his companion was the guy who played Joseph Smith in the Restoration. He had all these stories about tracting and teaching with him. But he served in England and Dustin had never heard his name before. Funny huh? Well, kind of. I feel bad for the kid because now he's going to have to look at the picture of Bob and Dustin and admit that he made it up. So beware, there may possibly be an impostor out there!


This summer we have season passes to Seven Peaks, a water park a few miles from our apartment. Kate loves the kiddie area and also enjoys splashing her mom in the face. This picture is from the first day that we went. She was so exhausted and took an awesome nap that day. I should try to get over there everyday just for that perk alone!
Today I was making bread and Dustin was kind enough to take Kate upstairs to play. After hearing them laugh and jump around, they came down the stairs to get the tent. Dustin wanted to set it up in Kate's room. As you can see, Kate was a big help :)She loved standing on the tent playing with cups while Dustin worked.

I love this. Dustin looks so excited. He said he set it up for Kate, but I have my doubts...

I just love summer! Oh, and the Rogers Family Reunion is coming up!! Can't wait to see you guys!

Happy Memorial Day!

After Kate and I went grocery shopping this morning (which was quite an adventure as she was hitting me and screaming the whole time), we got together with some other moms and their kids in our complex to paint little wooden cut-outs. Kate and I decided on a pink pig :) And definitely going for the WT look. Just in case she got paint on her clothes. And yes, she sure is scowling in the picture. She's got spunk. That's all I'll say...

Here she is on our patio. She found a rolly polly bug and she's holding him in this picture. Awww...she's being so nice. Oh wait, nevermind, she just threw him down the steps. Hope he's ok.

I decided to make a cake today and decorate it in honor of memorial day. Yep, looks pretty bad. Probably would have looked better if Kate had been napping at that time. Seriously, I used strawberries from a container instead of cutting them up myself. I'll do it better next time. But hey, it's the thought that counts right??

Funny Face

My poor baby. This Sunday was a pretty rough day for her, as you can tell by the scrapes on her forehead and nose. She had a mishap at grandma's and now it looks like we beat her. Kate was having fun this morning squishing her face on the door of our entertainment center. He he. Oh man, I seriously can't stop laughing when I look at these.

What a beauty!! I'm thinking about entering this into a cutest baby contest. Think she has a chance?

Vegas Trip. WARNING: Lots of pictures!!

Before I post the pics of the Vegas trip, I totally forgot to post pictures of Easter! I didn't get a pic of Kate in her actual Easter dress, but this is dress is an Easter present from Grandma Muranaka. How cute is that! I really wish I could pull of clothes like Kate. She's my idol :) And this picture is from Easter morning. You can see in a movie in the basket. "One Man's Treasure." Dustin acted in this last summer, so I surprised him with a copy. Too bad he didn't notice it for forever! I had to show it to him. Kinda ruins the excitement!!

Here we are at Grandma's. Doesn't my mom look good?? She's had people come up to her thinking she's Diane Keaton. Good times.

Me and my baby girl. Can you see how tan she's getting? Got that from me, right?

I had to put this one in. I LOVE MY LITTLE KATERS!! Funny story: The other day we were at the park and there was a little boy, Robbie, at the park. He's a couple months older than Kate, so they played together. I'm talking to his mom, when I glance over at the two and they're kissing each other on the lips. Over and over again. Oh boy. Then they go sit down and Kate starts feeding Robbie little pieces of bark.

She's only 1. What in the world is she going to be like when she gets older? Help me!!

Here's my sister, Melanie and little Andy. Isn't he cute? He had a little mullet but Mel cut it off. Not cool.

Here's Kate smothering Andy. She kept kissing him on the face. Noticing a trend???

My dad and just seven of the fifteen grandkids. Such a cute picture.

Kate using a fork.

Little Andy's toy. Hey Kate? I don't think you fit in there. Just sayin...

Mel and Andy's (the big one) dog, Vader. Kate was terrified of Vader when we got to Mel's house in Cedar, but toally warmed up to him the next day. They played fetch together and Vader kept following her around. Maybe we'll get a dog someday. Maybe...if you know what I mean

So there you have it. Lots of pictures. Oh, and I finally put some curtains up. Even did some sewing. I can be domesticated!!

A New Superhero

We love our little baby Kate! It seems that just recently she discovered she has super powers. Everyday, she brings a bib to me and won't be happy until I've put it on her. The first time she had me do this, she switched it to the back all on her own. She always has to have her "cape" on. Sweetie pie.

I don't know if you've seen this commercial, but it's a mom with her two girls making Rice Krispie Treats shaped like eggs and dipping them in chocolate and sprinkles. I thought it was so cute and told Roxy about it. She and her girls came over today to make them with me and Kate. We had a blast and I wanted to take some pics, but the batteries are running low, so they're a little blurry.

Here's a picture of the gorgeous Kyrie. She's three and such a hoot. Here she is enjoying the melted chocolate. These are just a few of the eggs, and also some strawberries. Luckily I got some at the store today, so we got some great dippage out of them. Little Jaycee, just under a year, was a little too young to join us, but she had the job of snacking on the sprinkles. Little sweetheart was so good and didn't fuss once.

I took some pictures of Kate and Roxy, but the pictures were so blurry!! I know you're sad Roxy, but I'm sure I'll get one of you sometime on here.

This morning we took Kate to an Easter Egg Hunt in our complex. I'm waiting for some pictures, but I'll post them when I get them. Kate had no idea what was going on, but she actually found the "golden egg." It was the special egg and had a dollar inside. We felt somewhat bad because we arrived when everyone was finishing up and that was the first one we found. Sweet. Good times.

Easter is so much fun now that Kate is here. I'll post some pics tomorrow of Kate in her dress and her little basket.

And before I forget, Dustin was just promoted to Assistant Manager at Missionary Mall!!! Good Job Dust! Also, he won the sales per hour competition for March and won $200. He's so awesome. I love my Dust. He's an amazing husband and father and I don't know what we'd do without him.

Spring is Coming!

We have been having FANTASTIC weather lately and so we've pretty much been living outside.
Now that Kate can walk, we love going to the park. Dustin and I will throw a frisbee around and Kate wanders between us. It's awesome. I actually think I got a little sunburnt today from being outside so much. Ok, it's probably in my mind, but that would be sweet. Today Kate and I were walking around the complex and first she found some dog poop to step in. And if that wasn't enough, she kept finding patches of dirty snow and eating it. Yuck. Such a curious little goosie.

Dustin and I had our 2 year anniversary on Tuesday! We weren't able to go out that day, but we went on a date Wednesday. And this is all thanks to Roxy! If you're reading this Roxy, you're the best! We left during the day at 1 and weren't allowed to come back until 5. Apparently Roxy would refuse to open the door if we came back any earlier. We went to Macaroni Grill (one of our favorites), went to the park, and enjoyed the Museum of Art at BYU.

Here are a few pictures of Kate. She's growing up so fast and doing new things every day! This post is getting too long, so I'll talk about it another time.

Ah, here's the diaper on the head. We usually stack 'em up so that there are five or six on her head. And don't worry, the diaper is clean.
Kate and I decided to have a dance party one day. She loves "Human" by The Killers. Here's Kate being a goof and giving a cheezer.

Also during our dance party, she decided to get her baby doll and twirl around with her. She loves this baby so much. She'll give her kisses and pat her on the back. So cute!

Her new thing is to eat apples. I'll take a bite out of one and then she'll take care of the rest. I bought some Pink Lady apples that are so delicious. The best part about them is that they don't turn brown. This apple she's eating lasted about half a day. Sweetness.

Today I was washing the dishes and Kate was having a fit. I was almost done, so I let her play in the fridge (bad, I know, but it looks really cute). When I turned around, she had taken the tortillas out of the bag and they were all over the kitchen. But, at least she was eating one. I don't know why I let her do these things, but seriously, I just love watching her expore.

We are loving life here in Provo. We are making friends and having so much fun as a family. Wow, I can't believe how much I love Dustin and Kate!! Life is great.

Mmmm...Chocolate

This is a post that I started awhile ago and never finished. Ahhh!!! I'm such a nerd! Oh well, better late than never...


Things have been going really well for our little family. It seems like things are getting crazier the older Kate gets. Like for instance, yesterday morning. I was blow drying my hair in the bathroom right next to the living room. Kate was in there and I would check on her often. However, I don't think I did it often enough. When I came into the room, she had chocolate on her face. I was so confused and then remembered that Dustin came home with a little Valentine's Day box with chocolates. She had opened the box and unwrapped a chocolate! I couldn't stop laughing and did what any mom would do. Get the camera. So here she is. It wasn't too bad of a mess.

When Dustin found out what she had done, he decided it would be funny to give her the rest of her chocolate. What a mess! I was impressed that although her face and hand were covered, she didn't even touch her clothes. That's my girl!

My mom and I went to the Draper Temple Open House Monday morning. It was so beautiful inside! We'll have to go again with Dustin. Here's my mom and Kate. It's kinda small, but she wanted the painting in it. This was in the church building next to the temple where they had music, paintings, and yummy cookies.

Mommy and Baby Girl.

And yes, she does have a skirt on. It's just hiked up a little.

Here's Kate playing with one of her birthday presents. Brittany sent it to Kate in the mail. It's so cute! It has some vinyl birds, 1's, and says Happy Birthday Kate.

She was scared of it at first, but loves it now. Although I think Dustin enjoys it quite a bit too! usually have to tell him not to kick it around stuff. He broke something the other day, so he better shape up!! :) I love my Dust!

Tuesday, Kate an appointment with the ophthalmologist. She has a clogged tear duct and has to go to surgery on Feb 26th. I'm a little scared for her, but it's supposed to be a really simple procedure. They'll put her out with some gas and then clean out the duct. I was happy to hear that they'll get me so I'll be in the room when she wakes up.

Other than the fact we're going to Baltimore, Maryland for the summer, things are pretty normal around here. Oh, and Dustin got top sales for January. That's 2 in a row!! He's so awesome!

Birthday Celebration!

"But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom"
-Taming of the Shrew Act II, Scene I

So Kate turns 1 on Thursday. Seriously?? Our little baby is 1??!! Sometimes I have a hard time believing I'm a mom (shouldn't I still be in high school?).

Anywho, yesterday we celebrated Kate's birthday with Dustin's family over at Grandma and Grandpa Muranaka. We did it a little early because Grandpa Muranaka is going to Germany on Friday and we wanted him to be there. We love seeing him with Kate!

At the party, Kate took a few steps for everyone to see. She took her first step this past Friday and has been getting better and better everyday at walking. I'm confused as to how I should be feeling. Happy, Sad, Excited, Scared? Oh well. What can I do. It has arrived. The Total Kate Takeover.

But I digress. Back to the birthday party. Kate had a good time opening her presents. And yes, that is a Victoria's Secret bag. Good times, Grandma. Good times :)Along with these presents she also got some books. One book had a side panel where you push buttons and can listen to different sounds. Yeah, she ripped it off within two minutes and then we had to glue it back on. Good thing Grandma had a hot glue gun.

Kate and Grandma. Two beauties.

Here's the birthday cake Dustin's mom made for everyone. Carrot Cake. Yum!

And here is Kate her cake to destroy. I decided to make an appesauce cake since she loves applesauce. The cake actually stayed intact for awhile. She wasn't that interested in making a mess. She just wanted to eat the frosting and little bits of cake. This is after Dustin helped her smash the cake a little. The she started to dig in.She had been putting her face in the cake, and soon was rubbing her nose to get the cake out!

No cake in the hair (surprisingly), but we still gave her a little bath in the kitchen sink because the rest of her body was covered! I wish I had a sink like this. Perfect size!

We love Kate so much and can't believe how lucky we are to have her as our daughter. We never thought we could laugh so hard and often as we do now that she's in our family. Every day is a new experience and we look forward to the many more years we have with our angel. Happy Birthday Kate! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you know!