April Showers Bring May Flowers

April showers; that's one thing I'm looking forward to in April. I have been getting way too excited about the baby coming over the past few weeks or so, and I know I need to slow it down. So, here is my list of things to be excited about this month:

• Tulips. They are bound to come up somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley this month, right?
• My friend Lindsey's baby!!!!! I am most excited about this to be honest. She doesn't know what she is having so it will be an extra big surprise. She is due in only a few days and I can't wait to meet the little one (who is bound to have oodles of hair just like it's big sister).
• Music class. Will is starting a music class this month. It's a big deal. Every time I try to sing to him he says, "No, Mom! No!" I'm hoping this will help bring him out of that. He has been a little bit better about it the last few weeks.
• End of Spring Semester. I can't wait for a break from school. I have a final tomorrow, the 31st of March, in one class, and I will only have one test during finals week. Yes.
• Beethoven's Ninth. I get to see my talented Aunt Jenn sing in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with her choir in Logan. I have wanted to see it since high school and it shouldn't let me down.
• Utah Jazz in the playoffs. A girl can hope can't she?
• Bunko. I love to play with this group of girls! They are all about my age and we always laugh a ton when we get together.
• General Conference. My Mom told me I would love it when I got older. She's right, once again. Plus, she lent me some fabulous apple pie filling to use when I make crepes for my family on Sunday. Delish.
• Grey's Anatomy. Izzy better live and her friends better stop being idiots. That's all I have to say.

Now that I've shared my list, what are you looking forward to?

Quickie

To answer some questions:
Yes, we agree on the name Annie. When Dallas says he doesn't, he's doing it to tick me off.
I'm not sure how he feels about the background yet. I like this one better. I wasn't really a fan of the other, but I just needed something chipper :o).
Go Team Jacob.

Torture

I have decided (and this really is nothing new) that being a Jazz fan is pure torture. What happened to consistency? Clutch performance? After the Suns game the other night, I feel like I should pick a new team after what they are doing to my emotions; toying with them like they're from the dollar store. Hardly. I'll just have to wait for Saturday night to make my final decision.... D-Will better step it up. That's all I have to say.

Moab 2009

We just got back from Moab over this last weekend. (Okay, so not really "just got back" but we got back on Sunday; it just feels like we just got back because of the events that happened after Moab- which is a topic for a different post). We went with Dallas' sister Liesel and her husband Jordan, my cousin Laura and her husband Tyler, then Dallas' sister Sierra and her boyfriend Seth made a late appearance as well as a whole grundle of Jordan's friends.

The first day we took the jeeps and the four wheelers on Hell's Revenge. I thought that riding in a jeep would be okay because there would be less bouncing (I was wrong. Thank goodness you can take Tylenol while you are pregnant). It was HOT which was fabulous. We all forgot sunscreen and ended up getting burned (everyone except Will that is, thank you tender mercy from Heaven). It was a long ride waiting for the jeeps to keep up, so they decided on the next rides to not go together.

We came home for a quick lunch and then the guys headed out on the Moab Rim trail while the girls stayed back, got cleaned up and chatted. I'm sure it was nice not to have the girls slowing them down.

The next day they went on the Poisonous Spider trail. I hear it was much more fun than the first day because the four wheelers could do the trail so much quicker- plus it was a little bit overcast.

We did some shopping, roasting hot dogs and playing at the park, too. The most hilarious part about the trip is where we stayed- inside of my brother-in-law Jordan's empty office supply store. We pitched tents and stayed out of the dirt... if only there were showers in the office!

We had so much fun with everyone and we were grateful to spend some time where it really felt like spring- the trees were getting their leaves and the blossoms were out while we were there. Here's to next year when I can do more trails!!!

Laura and Tyler
Sierra and Seth

Liesel and Jordan

Representation

I just changed our blog background because I thought it needed a spring face lift.
Dallas tells me tonight, "I don't like the blog background. It's too girly. This blog represents our whole family and I want to be represented accurately."
Just when you think they couldn't care less about things...

All I Want For Christmas, Easter, My Birthday, Anniversary, Thanksgiving, etc. etc, is 32 teeth.

March 16, 2009

I have been journaling Dallas' full mouth reconstruction over the last few months. I did really well at first and then it sort of dropped off. Oh well! I still wanted to post what I had. It's out of order- starting with March and then going to December and January and skipping his late January and February appointments all together. (I guess we've just been busy and blogging hasn't been a priority). Here's the latest:
Dallas had his last of the major dental appointments last Friday, March 13th. He has spent over 30 hours in the dental chair, and it has been completely worth it! His teeth are still sore today from his last visit, but the bite is already better. He looks so amazing. I really feel like I got a new husband from this whole experience. He is still self conscious about his teeth, but not at all like he used to be. He is still looking forward to the day when his mouth doesn't bother him while eating though. Hopefully it will be soon! I love to see him smile with his mouth open (although now he smiles with his mouth shut just to tease me sometimes). Most of all, I love to see him laugh out loud and not close his mouth quickly to hide his teeth. He can just be Dallas.
When all is said and done, it was worth every penny. In fact, I don't think we have ever invested our money so wisely. We would recommend Dr. P.K. Clark and The White Cap Institute to anyone!

December 22, 2008

Today is a HUGE day in our family. Dallas started his dental work!! Because of many problems (soft enamel, grinding, bad bite, the list goes on) Dallas' teeth have been significantly worn away. We have been getting quotes from dentists and prosthodontists for years hoping that one day we would actually be able to do something about the pain it has been causing him. The day is finally here! Dallas is having a full mouth reconstruction by a specialized dentist named PK Clark that owns the White Cap Institute. He teaches dentistry (and specializes in crowns and implants) and gave us a deal to be able to use Dallas as a model. Dallas is having his entire top mouth ground down today. He will just have temporary teeth for a few weeks until they get the final teeth back from the lab in a few weeks. We took some before pictures so you will be able to see the "transformation". (It seriously feels like he is on Extreme Makeover or something. Except that we are paying for it... and boy are we. Major dentistry isn't cheap).

You can see how his teeth are worn down to the pulp. His molars are even worn down on the outside, if you can believe that.

I stopped in at 12:30 PM to drop off our last payment and to see him. He was completely out of it, thank goodness. He had been there for 4 hours already and he still had a good couple of hours left. I got to see his teeth all ground down and how his gums looked after the gum surgery. His teeth are so small now- about the same size as Will's. They are crowning or capping all of them. His gums look awesome! They are completely symmetrical and beautiful. His mouth was pretty bloody when I saw it. I'm sure he is going to be in quite a bit of pain today.

Dallas doesn't ever smile with his mouth open, so this is the best of the awkward "before" pictures I could get :o). It's bad. He'll kill me when he sees this posted on here.

I picked Dallas up at 3:00 PM. He is hammered! His jaw aches and his gums feel like they've been put through a shredder. On top of that he only ate a small breakfast this morning at 8:00 AM and he lost that because the anesthesia made him nauseated. His temporary teeth are just a plastic insert type thing (it's glued in) and looks different than the final product will. He looks SO DIFFERENT! It is going to take a lot of getting used to because it is such a huge change.

First set of temporary teeth- only the top are completed.

January 2, 2009

On December 30th Dallas was able to meet with the dentist and the guy that will be making his permanent teeth. After having the temporary teeth for awhile we had a few concerns. The teeth seemed pretty bulky and too large for Dallas' mouth, and he also felt that they were too white. He was very self conscious for a few days (who wouldn't be???). After talking with them we feel much better. They are going to scale the teeth down a little bit. Dr. Clark also adjusted the temporary teeth a bit. He shaved off some of the bulk and made them smaller so they look a lot more natural in his mouth. They are still just plastic teeth, but they actually look really good. I am used to how he looks now and I think he looks so handsome! He has another appointment on January 8th to adjust the temporaries a little bit more to make sure they are where we want them so that we can make final adjustments to the permanent teeth.

His gums have pretty much healed from the gingevectomy and are back to a normal pink color. He's glad he doesn't have all of the pain while he's eating or brushing his teeth anymore. I'm sure it has been awful. I watched him brush one time and couldn't believe the amount of blood he spit out.

We also learned that Dallas is getting top of the line crowns made. They will have zirconia centers instead of metal (what most doctors use). It is supposed to be the latest and greatest material for crowns and will keep them from turning grey as they age. The guy that is making his teeth is one of the top in the country. He left the best lab in the country to come to Salt Lake to start up a lab here. He is in such good hands and we feel so blessed to be able to be working with Dr. Clark and the White Cap Institute for this experience. We've been able to see all of the work, time, and experience that is going into his reconstruction and we feel like we are really getting an incredible deal.

One year older and wiser, too

We celebrated Dallas' 26th birthday this last weekend. It was fun to get together with some friends at Tommy's Barbecue (delicious if you are ever in the area), spend time with just our little family of 3.5, and make some new memories. He said that this year he actually feels like he is an adult. Maybe it's the fact that we have almost 2 kids, I'm not sure, but he doesn't feel like a "kid" anymore.

Dallas had to work and do school ALL DAY on his birthday, except for lunch. At his request I made a gourmet meal- chili dogs- and he even blew out the tea light candle on his brownie. (I swear I had birthday candles).

What can I say about the most incredible man I have ever known? I love you. I'm so glad you're mine. I'm so glad you get older before I do!

When you're feeling down...

...sometimes fabulous things happen.

Brown Santa, aka the UPS man, will come and deliver your baby bedding.

Your little boy will play quietly for 2 hours while you zonk on the couch.

A friend will post an amazing recipe that you get to make.

A long lost friend will come for a visit and lift your spirits with pregnancy jokes, education system annoyances, and light political conversation.

Your hubby will pick you up from where you are sleeping on the couch and tuck you nice and safe in your bed.

Jillian will be named Bachelorette.

Your professor will forget you were supposed to have a long quiz on WWII and just give everyone bonus points.

There's an extra 1/2 hour of A Baby Story on TLC.

You will get to have play group with "the Wardies".

Your sister will go to her OB visit and find that everything is wonderful with her new little baby.

Your Mom will call to talk about that ridiculous Bachelor... (we will not mention his name).

Then you can sit back and realize, hey, life isn't so bad afterall.

Bleck

I'm feeling burnt out lately.
Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's because every time I try to move my schooling forward I'm faced with a whole set of new road blocks. Maybe it's because I'm just tired all the time. I don't know, but whatever the cause, all I want to do is cuddle with Will and watch shows and read books. I feel like I only have a limited amount of time to get as much "Will time" in as possible before the baby comes, and other things just get in the way. (Look at me being so pessimistic; I do have it in me somewhere Whit!) Most of what is getting the blame for my attitude is school. Why do they have to make it so gosh darn difficult???!!! I could just scream... actually, I have; those people in the parking lot at UVU think I'm a crazy person. (Maybe they're right). Or, maybe, they are all wishing they could do the same thing.
So, who wants to scream with me? On the count of three- ONE, TWO.....