Way to be, Jenna!

Yay, Jenna! You're done with high school. I've got to admit, I wasn't sad to see it go and move on to college. And even though in all the speeches they talked about all you've been through--the exams, homework, etc.--let me just warn you...college is much harder! But, it's also much more fun and pretty cool (but expensive!) to grow up and become an adult. You're already taller than me, so you look older already. Keep being amazing and as your school motto says: "keep flying higher." ha!

Really, we are proud of Jenna, and it was fun to be here to watch her graduate--even though it was very long and they had way too many speakers. But, we endured it all because we love her :)
Jenna will be starting at BYU in the fall with a full-ride scholarship (mom & dad are happy), and will be graduating again before we know it!

Andrew & I with the glowing white graduate. Those robes are hot.

Lots of people.

Ashlyn & I waving for the camera before dinner. She wore pigtails for the first time and I LOVED it. So cute.

The fam. Minus dad (photographer), Tim & the kids (at home--they didn't want to try to endure a whole graduation), and Ty & Carissa, who are in Colorado/Seattle this summer for an internship. We missed you guys! And apparently, the graduation wore Brennan out.

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!!

My ADORABLE niece, Ashlyn, turned 1 recently and we went to the Thanksgiving Point petting zoo to celebrate. She is such a fun, sweet-spirited little girl, and we are so glad to have her in our family! Happy Birthday, Ashlyn.

Andrew and I, amazed after seeing all the neat animals!

Ashlyn joins the rest of the family in her love of ketchup!

She got a little tired after a while...well, she is only 1 after all!

Jace, unaware that the baby cow is about to lick his head.

They had a fake jail and we told Jace to make a mean face. Pretty scary...

Canarie Prints.

So, I'm branching off from Andrew's print company and creating my own--specialized in more feminine designs for stationary, recipe cards, etc. So, check it out here! Remember--it's a work in progress :)

Random facts.

So, we're not dead. Sorry it's been so long since a post. We're just busy with school and work and all that great stuff!

As I've mentioned before, I'm in a Holistic Nursing class for the spring. We go to different "alternative" doctors, herbalists, etc. and learn new ideas that we don't really hear about in traditional nursing school. Some of it is a bit much for me; but, some of it seems pretty legit.

Well, we had a pediatrician come talk to our class the other day and he brought up some really interesting stuff. (Disclaimer: he is an actual MD and seemed very knowledgable. Most of what he told us was from his own personal research.) Anyway, he brought up the topic of ADHD and Autism. Apparently, both of these neurological disorders are linked to an omega-3 fatty acid, particularly known as DHA. In the last trimester, a baby's brain begins developing RAPIDLY. The coatings of the nerve connections begin to form and are formed from fatty acids (DHA). Often times, neurological disorders can be caused by low intake of DHA by the mother during pregnancy. Most women should get about 500 mg/day--however, they only get about 40-50 mg/day! Women should continue taking DHA during breastfeeding and give supplements to the child up to 2 years old, as that is the time of most rapid brain development.

This particular pediatrician has actually treated several cases of ADHD and autism using DHA supplements. It takes longer to work than Ritalin; however, it's usually a permanent cure, rather than a suppressor of the symptoms of the disorder.

So, all pregnant women, get your DHA! It also doesn't hurt to take it as an adult when you're not pregnant. It can help improve memory, critical thinking skills, etc. You can get DHA by taking fish oil pills or drinking fish oil straight. You can get it from most health food stores. Anyway, just thought it was an interesting bit of info that most people don't know!

Happy Birthday to you.

Just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely, wonderful, amazing husband who I love SO much! He turned the big 2-4 yesterday, and we celebrated with a little indoor skydiving. Pictures or video will hopefully follow!

Pretty Recipes.

So, for a class I am taking this Spring semester called Individual Studies--or something like that--I am assigned to spend 6 hours a week studying and learning something of my choice. It's supposed to emphasize "lifelong learning", which I am totally down with. For my learning, I am going to organize my recipes from my mom, grandmas, mother-in-law, etc, which I have been meaning to do for a long time. I'll also practice cooking some of the stuff occasionally for Andrew's benefit :) But, before I could begin, I of course needed a totally fab recipe card! Andrew saved the day, as always, and created me this cute little number with my insightful help. I am so much more excited about the daunting task ahead now!

PS--I also helped design my own stationary...I think I want to start my own line! he he. I'll call it Jane Austen, it's my font of choice.

Shredding.

So, on a whim I bought this workout DVD called "Jillian's 30 Day Shred" off of Amazon.com--Jillian being the intense trainer from the show The Biggest Loser. One of my friends had tried it and loved it, and since I hadn't exercised in about a year, I figured it was time to get started again! The DVD has three 20-minute workouts--easy, intermediate, and advanced. I started with the easy and it kicked my trash! Andrew started laughing at me and I challenged him to try it. So, he did and it also kicked his trash. I was pretty happy about it. So, he has become my workout partner! We've been going strong for like eight days, which is pretty big for me! I'll let you know how shredded we really are in 30 days :)

Craft Day!

During one of the few days that we had off of school--I start classes again tomorrow, yuck!--Andrew and I decided to get our creative juices flowing and create some homemade artwork. Or, Andrew was creative and I just followed along for the fun. Sounds more like it! Either way, I think our stuff turned out pretty spiffy :)

Hard at work...

Not so hard at work...

The finished product--to match our bathroom towels!

And some room decor! Yay for cheap painting.

Growing up is hard to do.

With the newly engaged Camille, and recently returned sis-mish, Emily

Today I did lunch with three of my best friends in the whole world! All of whom I met while at BYU. I guess the cold weather of Provo was worth it in some aspects. Anyway, it was a sort of bittersweet reunion as Emily (right, above) has just returned from a mission in Spain, Camille (middle, above) just got ENGAGED and is moving to Texas after her wedding in late July, and Lauren (below) is preparing to move to New York to attend Columbia University's nursing program. I've got some pretty spiffy friends if I might say so myself :) We were missing one of the four original roommates--Amanda, we missed you! She is married and in the process of moving from Washington to California. Anyway, it was great to see them all and chat, and weird to realize we are all grown up! Sigh...

Lauren & I--She will be missed! I hope she survives New York better than I did...

For good ol' times' sake--the first day the "Wiz Kids", as we called ourselves, moved into our new apartment together.

Pistol.

So, we watched all the Prusse kids last night--overnight--so Tim & Kristin could have a night off to celebrate Tim's birthday. They really are good kids and were great to watch. I was, however, given a small glimpse of motherhood as I was up with Ashlyn for most of the night! She wasn't even hungry or sad--in fact, she was blowing bubbles, laughing, and just AWAKE! She's a pistol, this one. At one point I just had to crack up. If she weren't so darn cute, I would be much more upset about the small amount of sleep I got to kick of finals week... Andrew, however, slept like a rock--another glimpse into my mothering future! But, we were more than happy to do it for our great bro-in-law and sister. Let's just hope our kids are as cute as Ashlyn, or I don't know how I'll handle things :)

And the award goes to...

So, Andrew entered the "1/2 Show" advertising competition on campus recently. He submitted a few ads--and won two awards! Second place in the non-traditional category, and overall Best Concept. Both awards were for his Havaianas ad pictured above. It had an ad placed on an airline tray table to look like your feet extend to wear Havaianas sandals.

I was SUPER proud to be his wifey and am so glad we have some creative juices in our family, thanks to him!

He also entered a Diet Coke at featuring one of my wedding pictures! It's pictured above.

Here's an IKEA ad he did--the one with the couch.

And here's the Havaianas ad closer up.

I also got inducted to the International Honor Society of Nursing--Sigma Theta Tau--last month. Andrew attended the awards ceremony with me, and I got some cool purple cords to wear at graduation!

My dedicated nursing friends and I--we've endured a lot together!

California Pics

Haven and her little friend, Jane, already learning tanning basics

The girls at Katie's birthday dinner!

The two adorable little munchkins--I married into a cute family!

Had to put this one...what a little peach.

At the Spectrum with Katie and the youngsters, about to ride the Ferris Wheel.

Such a fun trip--we miss the fam and California already!

Beautiful Burn.

We went to California this weekend to visit the fam for birthdays and General Conference. It was SO fun and nice to get away from the cold in Utah and to some warmer weather. The little kids are all so cute and were fun to be with. Also, it was Beth and Katie's birthdays over the weekend so we celebrated those. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Only down side--we got fried in the sun. I wore sunscreen, and I swear it wasn't THAT hot. But, none the less, we are "well done" and popping Advil. But, it was so worth it! Pictures to follow.

It's a Gem.

Delicious. And somewhat healthier than most "snack mixes" out there--whole grains and baked and all. Andrew was a big fan of these types of snacks and has converted me. Not helping with my lose-the-winter-weight-and-look-hot-for-summer plan though...

Adorable.

So, my so cute sis-in-law, Summer, and her husband, Bryan came down to Utah for the weekend. Summer is David Archuleta's stylist and came down to help with his concert in Salt Lake. Andrew and I planned to meet Summer and Bryan for lunch on Saturday up in Salt Lake--Summer had said that we probably couldn't meet David, and we were okay with that since we didn't want to be annoying.

Well, on the way up, Summer called and said we could come by the place where she was helping David get ready for the concert and his upcoming international tour since she was still there! We were excited, to say the least. Let's just say I cried after he didn't win AI last season. We both think the kid's a stud. Well, after meeting him, he totally proved us right! He's the kindest, funniest, and most talented kid--and still so humble after all his success. So GO DAVID! Ha.