The Pool Hall

Holy freaking mother of a post... finally!

2009-07-16T21:19:00.001-07:00

Hello again! The Pool family just got home from a wonderful trip visiting Mandy and Rob in Orlando, FL. It was a blast, but I think we may have pushed the little guy too hard a few days. It was so hot and humid there it was really unbearable for us dry climate livers! Anyway, a good time regardless... here are a TON of pics to prove it. As usual, I have uploaded from end to beginning, so just pretend time goes backwards here!

Liam on the plan ride home. He was asleep before take-off!!!
Downtown Disney, our last stop for some shopping before the airport home. I love this place! Shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did Seaworld the morning before we went to the airport... big mistake. Liam was ready to go home and did not want to be there at all. Shamu looks happy here, but when we went to her show, she and her friends threw a temper-tantrum and refused to perform! It was quite funny, but they had to cancel the show. Mandy was handy (ha - Handy Mandy!!!) to have with us because she was able to explain the behaviors that were going on which was really interesting. Every time we go there with her we end up having people surrounding us every time she talks about the animals because she knows so much. It's like having your own private tour behind the scenes. I really learn a lot from her every time. It's really fun!

Dumbo at DisneyWorld. My dad likes to tell me a story about him waiting in line for an hour with me to ride this silly ride when I was really little. Payback is a ***** because I waited with Liam for about 50 minutes and he was not happy about it even though he really wanted to ride. Patience is hard when you are 3!

Liam having a fit in line for Dumbo.

Cute family pic!

Jer and Liam getting into the race car. Liam was ecstatic because Jeremy let him drive the whole time! Both of my boys were super cute on this one!

Liam has never seen Toy Story, but he really liked Buzz LightYear. Especially after we had just riden his wicked cool ride!

Liam took this pic at the Wild Animal Park. We were sitting in a gift shop during a huge rain storm. Wow! I forgot it really knows how to rain in Florida, but it's also gone so fast!

Cute!

On the Safari at the Animal Park. Surprisingly, this was my first time at this park. I really liked it and the Lion King show is a must see! It's awesome!

Picture in front of the Tree of Life!

African drums

I carried this fanny pack to each park. Even though I looked like a major dork, Jeremy and I figured out the savings on water and snacks the pack provided on this day was over $100. We drank so much water by refilling the bottles and I had the dang thing full of granola bars and chips. It was really great and worth the dorkiness!

The first night at Hollywood Studios. There is nothing to see here, especially for little kids. But Jeremy got his "turkey leg" - actually emu - GROSS! It was all he wanted and said it was really sick... go figure!

Done with Disney! The boys - Zachary, Tyson and Liam - at the 4th of July parade!

Liam with Ronnie Price at the Fanzz by the ice cream store. Such a cutie... I mean Liam...ya... Liam!

Sherry and I took Conner and Liam to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point. Very fun...

Liam on the pony ride.

We went to the Buzz game a few weeks ago and got totally rained out. We were not ready to go home so we stopped at Fat Cats and Liam played his first game of bowling. He loved it, and did pretty well with the kids helper thingy.

Liam did a 2 week summer camp where they had a swimming lesson every day too. The last day is supposed to be all exciting when they "get to jump" off the diving board. Liam did not like this at all so they dropped him in the water. Not sure how I felt about that, but he lived to tell!

Getting ready for the diving board...

Swimming...

Liam being Hannah Montana with his Elmo guitar. So funny! Look at Jager hanging out in the sandbox in the back. That's funny too!

Liam in my dad's hat of Father's Day! Ahhh...

So, that's us in a nutshell! I forgot my camera on the days we went to Clearwater Beach in Tampa. Mandy took pics so I will get some from her and post them later. This summer vacation thing is the bomb! I highly recommend it to everyone. Next week I have to start thinking about school again, but I think I will be ready when school starts. I hope everyone is having a nice summer as well!

Liam's First Soccer Practice

2009-04-21T21:16:00.001-07:00

Hey! Yes, I'm alive! I've been updating my facebook page more often than this, mostly because it seems a little easier. But, life is good and Liam had his first soccer practice tonight! He's #7 and adorable of course. He did very well, he's way more social than the other kids, but by far the smallest! I will get pics of him at the game on Saturday as well. The weather is supposed to be horrible!!!

Liam is #7. See how short his is! I think he's so big until he's next to other kids!

Oops! I cut his head off here, but he's still cute!

Liam's gymnastics

2009-01-29T16:43:00.001-08:00

Yea! A post! So, I got an "Ashton Kutcher" camera for my b-day! It's even purple! Here are some fun pictures of Liam at his gymnastics awards night. He's so cute, especially with his "girlfriend" Teagan. They are so cute together, but the teacher has to split them up now because they don't pay any attention when they are together. I think this a sign of bad things to come! Anyway, the first picture is actually Liam being a puppy in the car. We have to get places about 5 minutes lately so Liam can be a puppy in the car and sit at the window and bark! It's funny but it gets a little old.

Liam and Teagan got their medals. Liam is showing his to Teagan, so cute!

Liam doing his caterpillar routine.

Liam says he and Teagan are in the car!

Now they are swinging on the bars, not supposed to do that at this time...

Liam sitting on the equipment, probably should be on the floor.

Somersaulting down the air track

Liam loves gymnastics. He goes to the Little Gym and we will be going for a while, I can't imagine him without it now! Alright, Pool... out!

Post without pics...

2009-01-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep up with my blog a little more. As busy as I am, blogging seems to be a little therapeutic. It's fun to reflect about things that have been going on in our lives, and, of course, to talk about Liam! The funniest part of this resolution, is Christmas Eve, I took my camera out of the case and the screen on the back had completely cracked. The camera doesn't work at all any more, so I have no pictures to post of this Christmas. It's kind of okay though because it was maybe the most laid back Christmas I can remember having. Christmas Eve was with my dad and then my mom and Nat and Will and his mom came over early for Christmas morning. The weather was horrible so it was really cool to be snowed in all day! Hopefully I will be getting a new camera for my b-day which is in a few weeks, but until then, there will probably not be any picture posts! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Cheers to 2009! :)
Mary

Just some pics!

2008-12-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

Me and Jer on the ice skating rink at the Galivan Center. It was past midnight so it was closed, but it was beautiful so Nat took this pic for us. This was after the "big party!"

The second generation "McGeary girls" that are old enough to go to the bar now! This was Keys on Main for Nat's 21st b-day party. We stayed at the Marriott at the Galivan Center and had a blast.

Amanda and I took the boys to Temple Square to see the lights. They had a great time, it's fun to have the boys together.

The day before we saw the lights, I kept Ty and Zachary for the afternoon. This pic made me cut Liam's hair. It was way too long and next to the Averett boys, he looks like a girl!

Nat and I saw New Kids on the Block when they were here. It was very fun and cool to introduce my little sister to my old crush!

So there is the monthly update! I have other things I really should be doing, like homework, making Nativity angels costumes, playing with Liam, cleaning house etc, but here I sit posting pics. We are doing well, but we are freakishly busy. Next week is my last week of teaching school and going to school for almost 3 weeks. I can't wait... mama needs a break!

October is over?

2008-11-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

I really don't know what I would do if life was simple! We sure like to pack it in around here! Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I really have been so busy. The store had an awesome summer but has slowed down a little since fall and school started. Teaching for me has been a blast, and I think I'm doing pretty well at it. My masters is kicking my butt as far as time goes, but I have to say it hasn't been as hard work as I expected. Liam is going to start daycare at my school tomorrow which will be so dang cool! Jeremy, Liam and I will all be together every day! It will be so convienent! :) These pics are very out of order, I hate how blogger posts pictures. But they are fun and let you into what we have been up to for a while!

Trick-or-treating with daddy. Liam was a very cute construction worker! Go figure!
Carving pumpkins. I never get in the blog!

Ahhhh! Pumpkin guts!

Before the school carnival. Cute!!!

I set the camera up to take this pick of me and Liam. I thought it turned out quite cute!

Will, Liam, Jer and Karl after Liam's b-day party. The boys!

We rented a bouncer for Liam's party but the weather was horrible so our friends let us borrow this one to put up in the living room! It was chaos, but the kids had fun!

The boys decorated ice cream cupcakes at Liam's digger party with oreo and gummy worms. Fun!

Liam opening presents. It wouldn't be a McGeary party without football on tv!

The kids painted pumpkins at the party too. They turned out awesome!

On Liam's birthday, we went to Bonsai for dinner then to my moms for cake and presents. Liam got a huge dumptruck from my dad and was in heaven!

He got this crab and Jeremy scared him with it so he tried to scare people all night. It was funny!

Wow! He turned 3 and he was spoiled rotten!

I love this face. He was so overwhelmed!

Anyway, there you have it! That was a huge post! I will try to follow up once a month at least!

Pool --- OUT!

A ton of pictures for a quick update!

2008-09-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Howdy Strangers! I'm sure I should be doing homework or making lesson plans instead of this, but I need a break a have felt out of the loop! Here are a few cute pics from the last month or so. I just noticed I did not take one picture of Jeremy or his Jeep in Moab so that is missing from our month of chaos! Other than that, here is the quick and dirty so I can get back to work!

This of course, is when Casey from Channel 2 came to the Slab! It was a blast, and I think Jeremy did awesome considering how nervous he was!

This is my SUPER CUTE class!!! I love them and I think they love me too! The room looks really bare in this pic, but I have bulletin boards and center stuff up now too. I just wanted you to see how cute they are!
This is them being silly. Very typical of my class!

This was the day before school started. Natalie is my hero, this room would be nothing without her.

My desk! I have a computer now! Thank goodness!

Jessi's birthday in Vegas!! Wahoo! We had a really great time for the b-day bash! Everyone had gone to bed, but Jessi and Sherry and I decided to keep partying! This was at the Beatles Revolution bar in the Mirage where we stayed. It was super fun!

My classroom!

2008-08-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

Yea! I finally got to see my classroom! It's not even close to being done, in fact, they have pushed the start of school back 2 days. Fine with me, that much more time for me to prepare! I've been getting my classes mapped out and materials together. My mom bought me a whole library of books... thanks mom!... so I feel much better now! I think just knowing the students will have something to do if there is down time, makes me a little more comfortable! If anyone has any words of wisdom, or cool books we can read for the first week of school, feel free to fill me in! Also, I'm thinking about starting the year reading "Because of Winn Dixie" as a read aloud book. After that, I have no idea... so any suggestions??

This is the front of the school. I was a little freaked out with all the colors splashed all over the outside of the building, but now that it's coming together, it looks really cool!
A little blurry, but this is my "pod." I'm so excited to be in blue (my fave color!) That's my classroom door on the left.
This is the south facing wall. The whole wall is windows! I'm so excited how bright and cheery it is!
This is the north wall! Tons of storage and my own desk in the back!
And ME! Do I look like a teacher? I'm not so sure, but I will be the best teacher ever, even if I don't wear a denim skirt and vest!
So that's it for now! I will try to post as time goes on! I am starting school for myself the same day school starts for my students, so if you think about it, say a little prayer for me the morning of the 20th! I'm so nervous and excited, I can't believe this is really happening. It's going to be a crazy year, but very worth it in the end!

It's all about me!

2008-07-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Shoot, I forgot I have to put my pics on first, so pretend that these are at the bottom of the post!!

Jeremy's been taking Liam fishing that the ponds in S. Jordan. He loves it and even has his own "Cars" tackle box! This is the first (and only) fish!
We babysat Conner one day! He is so dang cute.

It's so freakin hot, I made cupcakes one day and the neighbor boys came over and decorated them with Liam. It was super fun, but now Liam is obsessed with putting sprinkles on ALL food. Like his corn on the cob last night!

Finally, a post, and it's all about me (with a few pics of Liam at the end!) I got a new job!!! And it's the best job ever in the world, and I'm so excited and stressed, and anxious, and stressed, and stressed and ... Okay, so I'm going to be the 2nd grade teacher at the new St. Andrew's Catholic elementary school in Riverton!!! :):):):):) I applied for the job months ago, April in fact, and even interviewed with the principal (who happens to be a nun!) but got no warm and fuzzies, so I've been pretty much thinking all summer that it wasn't meant to be. I went ahead and enrolled in the U. of Phoenix masters in education program to see if I could get a job next year with a year of school under my belt. Suddenly, Sister Karla asked me to come in for a second interview and she offered me the position!! I said yes right away then got in my car and nearly threw up! I've been observing a 2nd grade class in a year-round public school in Herriman this week, but then today I went to St. John's to see how they teach there, and I had a huge wake up call. The teaching is totally different, and the curriculum is so much harder. I was all ready to teach after visiting the public school, but after today I'm a wreck again!

So, needless to say, I am very, very excited, but I realize I have a huge challenge to work through. I have a lot to do to set up my classroom. I don't have nearly enough books for a classroom library so I'm going to the DI tomorrow to see what I can find there. I don't think I realized how much those little things mean to a teacher! I am going to do my classroom in a fish/underwater theme (since my last name is Pool!), I think that will be fun.

Also, the best part is, I only have 12 students in my class this year! It's going to be so fun getting to know them and learning with them as well. I pray to God, I can handle 12 kids!!! So that's what I've been doing! I'm sure you will see more posts about my class. I can't wait to see my classroom!!!!

Oh ya... here's Liam! It will be so nice in the next few years to have him in school with me. We will have summers and school holidays together, this is the perfect job for a mom! Here are some pictures of some fun things we have been doing. It's been great having this summer off, even though I admittedly have kept him in daycare!! :)

I'm MRS. POOL!!!!

Dude!

2008-07-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps asking me what I'm up to, you know - since I don't have a job or anything! I have an update, I'm just too lazy/busy to download pics and post! But my update is freakin' good! No, I'm not freakin' pregnant, but I know someone who is and is not telling anyone and it's driving me crazy! Anyway, I'm going to see Batman tonight so maybe I will post tomorrow before I leave town. That way I can do another post when I get back of my trip with my mom and Nat!
See ya!

Nursery Bedding

2008-07-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at selling things, but I am going to sell Liam's nursery bedding. It's so nice, but I'm the type of person who is going to want something new if I ever have another baby, so I might as well let someone else enjoy this set. All of you girls out there are either having babies or know someone having a baby, so this is what I have! The set is really nice, and very well made. It's by Kimberly Grant from her Farm Yard set, you can see the entire set on her web site. I got it at Babinski's Baby in Foothill village. I am asking $130 for it, I paid almost $300 for all the pieces. The sheet it came with is worn, so I will keep that, but the colors are very easy to match! I had this in Liam's room with a red changing table cover, and it was adorable.

This is the mobile, very cute! This is my favorite part! This quilt has never been on a bed or seen a baby. It's always hung on the wall. The words say "Laugh" "Dance" and "Dream." The farm animals are embroidered and embellished.

Window Valance
Bumper pad. Also very clean!
Bumper detail.
Crib Skirt. It has black and white gingham around the trim.
Comment if you or someone you know is interested! I have it on KSL too!

A busy July so far

2008-07-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

At the Stingers Game.

Well, hello again! We have had a very busy July, and today is only the 7th! Sometimes I wonder how Liam can keep up with me. This is going to be a picture blog, so I will narrate the pics as we go!

Anyone who knows Liam, knows he is obsessed with construction equipment! We stopped at a work site on Sunday to let him climb on the machines, and he was in heaven! He knows what they are all called and what they are used for, it's actually quite incredible!

The bobcat is his favorite!
We cleaned out my mom's office this weekend and she found this hard hat and gave it to Liam. Now he looks official!

The 4th of July pics got a little out of order, but here they are. This is Liam checking out a June bug in my Aunt SoSo's back yard. He thought that huge sucker was pretty cool.

So he caught it on a plate! He looks thrilled doesn't he?
Then all the boys had to go looking for more bugs. I love this pic of the 3 boys!

These are pictures of the Murray parade. It's always a blast!

Liam is getting really good at baseball! Here he is playing with my mom!
Snaps!

Nat and I took Liam to the zoo Wednesday morning to check out the new carousel. It was cool, but I was expecting a little more of the new area.

Liam at the Draper pool. It has a gorgeous view.

We set up in a model house at the party in Daybreak for their new subdivision, NorthShore. It was really fun, but Natalie and I scooped over 2500 scoops of ice cream. We were suffering big time. We didn't expect to see that many people, but it was great exposure for "the Slab!"

Liam and I decided we are going to keep the camera with us so we can take his pic next to a fire truck from each city. Here is Riverton...
We happened upon a car show/fundraiser at Murray Park last weekend. It was really fun, and even more fun because we didn't even know it was there and it was cool! Here is Liam with his snow cone.

And there were 2 fire trucks there!

That's all!

10 Years Already???

2008-06-30T21:09:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been 10 years since I graduated from good old Judge High School! My 10 year reunion was a few weeks ago and I had decided I wasn't going to go. We went to Jeremy's last year and it was kind of lame so I thought I could pass. Then I heard there was an "unofficial" reunion party at Hogs Wallow the night before the official reunion so I decided to do that instead. It was fun seeing everyone, I really don't keep up with anyone at all. I have to say, I've come a long way in 10 years. It was fun to have something to talk about, like Jeremy, Liam, the store, the new job, etc. So here is a cute pic, these are my cronies I used to hang with 24/7. Mary Duricy is on the far left, she and I were in school together from 4th grade. She was Mary D. and I was Mary T. (Thorne, for you guys who don't know!) It was a total trip, but I'm really glad I'm done with that part of my life. On to bigger and better things!!!

Mary Duricy, Nicole Fritz, Me, and Maren Slaugh

Jamaica Mon

2008-06-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, We survived the much anticipated trip to Jamaica! It was a blast, so much fun, very relaxing and worth the stress of leaving the store! Which did very well by itself I must add! I have tons of pictures posted, but I'm suprised I didn't take more. It was so beautiful, the pictures would not have done justice even if I had taken them.

We stayed in an all-inclusive resort so there was no reason to leave so we didn't! We stayed in pretty much the whole time and it was plenty for us. I guess that's why there's not a huge assortment of pics!

On with the show!...

Liam in the Atlanta airport anxiously waiting to get on the next plane to Jamaica. He was so good on the way there, he slept the whole time. Coming home, not so much, but not bad! I think this is so cute, he was so excited about the airplanes!
The first night in Jamaica after a long day traveling. This little reagge man came to the resort and gave us the history of reagge music and sang to us. He also did the electric slide to a reagge beat and I have to say I was the only one who did the dance!
Liam watching the Rastafarian! I did find out that Rastafarian is it's own religion too. I know the whole history, if you are interested ask me, but I thought it was very cool. Maybe next time you see me I will have dreads! :)
Liam bellied up to the bar! He was pooped! They had the best fruit punch there. I think Liam could drink that the rest of his life!
The first day Liam was not so fond of the water. The next day it was better, but by the last trip to the beach we had to watch him very carefully because he had no fear! It was cool to watch him! That was my chair in the water, I could really sit there all day!

The second day I thought I should be brave and take the boat trip out with the group. I should have known it was a bad idea, but it was beautiful and the water was calm. The way out was great, beautiful and scenic...
This is a shot of where our boat dropped us off. It's not a great picture, but you get somewhat of an idea of how the locals live. There were little huts between the trees that were their houses. No one warned me Jamaica is a third world country, it was awful!
This is the storm that rolled in while we were out shopping. Needless to say, we got back in our dingy to get home and the water was crashing and chopping. I was so sea sick I was balling because I wanted to barf so bad. Because of the rough water it took us over an hour to get back, it took about 20 minutes to get there! It was terrible, I will NEVER do a small boat in the ocean again. This is twice and both times were awful!
Oh cute! "All" the girls out on yet another girls night. Jeremy took this picture. Where was I? Oh ya - not invited... again! This is Rob with Mandy and Jeremy - he was the groom.

Oh Beautiful!
The bride at sunset, it really was gorgeous!

My cute family. This didn't really turn out the way I wanted, but I think it's cool regardless.

Liam in his cute wedding outfit. If you can believe I forgot to take my camera to the wedding. I'm sure everyone else has pics of Liam so I will try to get some.
The bride and groom.
This was a crab on the beach that Jeremy and his dad were tourchering. It was really funny to see it defend himself!

Op - now the claws are out! It really was entertaining, I took a ton of pics of this!
Liam is winding down wedding night. The kid was pooped! But he was the best little ring bearer! I didn't even have to call him down the aisle.
And he's done! And we found out he is a true McGeary! His sweat glands pump just like the rest of us!
This movie and dvd player got us through the trip. If you don't know the Wonder Pets, you are missing out - they are so cute!
Cute!

Laim playing and sinking in the sand. He finally likes the water!
Umm... what happened?
Where's Liam?
I know, wrong baby, but I think this is super cute of me and Jer! This is Lily, the other baby in our group. She was great too! Jeremy was helping at the moment.

There you have it! A few things to note that I don't have pictures of - We rented jet skis! I had my own and it was freakin awesome and pouring down rain! Oh, I loved it! I fell of my "sled" as Jeremy calls them (silly!) like a freakin rock star, but lost my glasses! It was worth it because everyone said I looked like the x-games!

Also, we did a His and Hers massage - best massage I've ever had! I wanted it in a cabana on the beach but the weather was bad but the garden was great!

And the wedding was beautiful. The weather was great for the whole day. Liam did a spectacular job and we all looked great!

That's it, this is the longest post ever!

Antelope Island

2008-05-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

We went to Antelope Island on Sunday and had a blast! I had never been there and I didn't know what I was missing. It was so beautiful, I can't wait to go back! Marcie, Alex, Sean, Jeremy and I drove in the new Jeep out there. We had tons of fun, here are a few pics of our day...
Marcie being a nerd... nothing new!

Me and Marcie being cute... nothing new again! We are always cute!

Sean in a zen moment.
A descriptive pic of Marcie and Alex's relationship!
The New Jeep! Fancy!!!

Skipping rocks - Sean was the BOMB at rock skipping!

Ahhh fer cute!

This looks like an engagement photo... but it's not! :(

Ohhh fer cute!
I'm not a photographer... but this looks beautiful! Sean is walking on water!
Brother and sister - where's my sister? Oh ya, in Spain!
Oh, Beautiful!

Bison.

Marcie and Mary in an old building.
Jeremy showing us his mad lasso skills. Yes, he's an Eagle Scout and knows this stuff!
Sean caught something!
Yee Haw!

3:55 pm on Tues. May 27th

2008-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am at work, 3 days left!! They moved my computer to the back cubies today and took off all my filters so I'm able to do a post! I'm super excited about that so I thought I would let everyone know. Come Monday (that's a Jimmy Buffett song!) I will be unemployed and couldn't be happier! I am going to start my own little biz and go to school - life will be great!

Marcie was here over the weekend and I have some fun pics of Antelope Island. I will hopefully get those up tonight!

Natalie is home from Spain! Thank God - I really missed her! :)

Mother's Day!

2008-05-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, Happy Mother's Day to me! It was a great day... I went for a walk with my friend Heather at 7:00 am (hence no sleeping in,) then made my own breakfast for Jeremy's parents, mowed my own lawn and did yard work, then made my own dinner for my parents! Can you believe it - I was a mom on Mother's Day! I have decided Mother's Day is completely commercialized and mom's get this idea in their head that it's going to be relaxing and peaceful, that kids are going to magically behave and it will be a different kind of day! Then WHAP! Reality hits you in the face and you realize it's just another day, but that kind of day is what you love about being a mom! I did get a fancy iPod from Liam so that was really great, (it's my first one if you can believe it!) I have decided though, from now on I am going to make everyday Mother's Day and just enjoy being a mom all the time. It's what I've always wanted and I feel very lucky to be a mom! Here a some really cute pics of Liam from the day. Love, love, love his outfit! The Dogwood warehouse sale goes until the end of the month, if you want the info on the place, let me know. I got some great clothes for Liam and they are super cute!

Cute pic of Liam, but I didn't shower all day so I look like crap!

Liam took this of me and Tassy.

I think I will have to blow this up and frame it. It's too cute! Don't you love his hair? It's growing out so much, he's the cutest thing ever!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's! To my mom, you are the most amazing person and I am so lucky to have you! To the women in my life that are like mom's to me, I love you too!

The Monthly Update

2008-05-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Hello! It's starting to become the monthly update blog, I hope that's okay, I just don't have as much to post as I used to! I have to say, that's okay with me! Life is starting to settle down and we are getting more used to being business owners. Jeremy is still working a lot, but it's getting a little easier and more steady. He is trying to get our staff ready so we can go to Jamaica the 5th of June! He's very nervous, but we are just trying to get everything in place so we can leave and have fun. Other than that, things are pretty much the same. We finally got Liam a swing set! I have wanted one since he was an infant, so this was the year! He loves it, but still loves to swing in the baby swing. I really don't blame him, he seems so comfy! I noticed as I was downloading all of the new pictures, I do not have any pictures of the dang thing yet, so I guess I will be taking some tomorrow.

Also, I put in my notice at my job at First American! I'm feeling very free, but at the same time, very nervous! I'm questioning myself, but at the same time already feeling the pressure is so much less. It will be a good move, and I will have another job very soon.

Alright, so here are some new pictures. It has been a crazy start to spring! It's literally 80 degrees one day and snowing the next. Everyone says "that's Utah!" but I haven't had a 2 year old that didn't understand until now! He get's really mad that he can play outside all day one day, then has to be inside the next. These pics are funny because you can tell he doesn't care what the weather is!

These construction trucks were in the parking lot behind my office for a while. I took Liam over there a few Sundays ago to check them out. He's OBSESSED with any kind of construction equipment! I think these were a little too big for him, he was very intimidated! He wouldn't go near them for a pic without me, so this is what we get!
Liam's serving his first tea party! Cute! He dragged his table out into the yard and scooped dirt for "all the kids." I was inside making dinner and saw this when I went out to check on him. I thought it was adorable!

This was the day after we went to see the construction trucks! (My pics got out of order!) He didn't care one hoot that it was snowing!
These are more from the Jordan River parkway behind my office. With a picture like this, how could you want to live anywhere other than Utah? Look at those mountains!!!
CUTE!

Playing Catch Up...

2008-04-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap! Be prepared... get a drink and make yourself comfortable because I have a ton of catching up to do! I'm so sorry I have been out of the loop. I just haven't had time to sit and blog. We have had a lot of fun lately and we are really itching for the nice weather to get here and stay. Liam is so confused that somedays we can play outside and go on walks and other days we can't because it's "freezing cold," as he likes to say! It's going to be nice for all of us to get outside for some fresh air. I have spring fever in the worst way!

March was a time for a lot of changes in our little guy. First, I'm happy to say he's about 97% potty trained, even with the number 2's! It's the most fantastic thing that can happen to a mom! Everyone keeps asking me when I'm going to have another baby, but why would I when the one I have is getting easier everyday? Also, just last Saturday I put Liam in his crib for a nap and before I was out the door, he was behind me! He crawled out of his crib like it was no thing and had been planning his escape for a while. I called my mom in a panic because I have been dredding this for a while. We brought the twin bed up from the basement and got him some Lightening McQueen bedding and he's the happiest kid in America. I have not had one problem with him in a big boy bed, it's been so nice!

So the rest of this will be a picture story. I will try to keep up a little better! As a side note - last Friday was the 6 month b-day of the ice cream store! It has been so much fun and more successful than we could have dreamed! We had a 700% sales increase from the first day to April 4th! We are very proud and excited to see it continue to succeed and grow!

Natalie and I went to the Rascal Flatts concert at the last minute! We sat one row from the top but it was a blast! Thanks for going with me Nat! :)

The stage was the coolest I have ever seen at a concert! The floor was one big movie screen! This was the last song - Life is a Highway! It was so cool!

Liam being silly Easter morning. He put my headband on his head himself and looked very funny!

The dogs have spring fever too. Jager has to have surgery on his back knee. I'm not excited about it at all.
My mom and Nat came over for a bbq on Easter then we went for a walk to the park. This is Liam rolling down the hill. It was hilarious! He was laughing so hard!
I swear he's catching air at this point...
Liam saying "Let's go again Dad!"

The new big boy bed! He's so cute!

Liam launching off of the big boy bed, his favorite activity!
We left the crib in his room just incase, but we are taking it out today because he's doing so well. It a little bitter sweet taking the crib out of his room.

My mom and I took Liam to the Sesame Street exhibit at the Children's Museum. It was very fun and Liam really loved it. I was trying to take a pic of Liam with Big Bird but there was so much going on, he couldn't concentrate!

Again, problems concentrating!
Liam took this pic of me all by himself. I'm telling ya, he's a great photographer!
Liam on the front steps of Sesame Street!
Driving, driving...

Jeremy and I took an overnight this weekend to St. George. He gave me tickets to the Colbie Caillat concert at Tuacahn for my birthday in January. It was a great concert and it's always beautiful down there. We set up the camera to take pics of ourselves. Yes, I have to wear glasses now! But they are cute and have bling on the sides!

We sat 5 rows from the front. It was amazing, I've never been that close at a concert! Tim Fagen is a guy in Colbie's band that played before she came out and I thought he was great, and really cute! This is the two of them singing "Realize"together, they were really good!

Well, that's one whole month in a nut shell! I changed the template of my blog and I lost some friends and family links. Jenni, Meadow and Marcie... can you please email me the web sites to your blogs again so I can relink them?

Thanks - Love you all!

Mary

Poor Sebastian...

2008-03-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days now (and no, I did not take pictures), but Sebastian the crab is no longer with us... The unthinkable happened! This crab did not want to be "Under the Sea!" The crab crawled out of the fish tank and Jager dog ate it! I'm not even kidding, he brought the shell to my lap after he finished with it. It was so sick, and I was freaking out. There were little pieces of him all over the family room floor. I still can't believe it really happened! The PetCo guy said it could happen and I really didn't believe him. I guess we learn to listen. To all of you who have a crab, good luck! As for us, we will not be getting another! Liam still looks for the crab in the tank and I've told him he's gone to visit Baby Jesus. He seems to think that's okay!
That's all for now!
Good night!

Cheers to Brett!

2008-03-04T20:44:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the memories! To Brett...

At Home America

2008-03-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hello! I've started selling for At Home America for a little extra money on the side. It's been going really well and it's been a lot of fun too! It's a direct selling company that sells home decor. I wanted to let everyone know I have a website that you can go to if you want to look at the product or if you want to make a purchase. The website is www.athome.com/marypool. There is a clearance center called the Attic on there that is really great, I suggest you check it out! If you or anyone that you know wants to do a party, you can comment on the blog or just email me on the website. I don't really want to put my email address on this blog so I think that would be the best way to do it!
Mary

2008-03-02T11:36:00.001-08:00

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

100 Things...

2008-02-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

1. I love, love, love being a mom!!!
2. I think I'm a good listener and a half way decent problem solver (maybe that's why everyone tells me their problems and woes!)
3. If I ever have another boy I will name him Harrison and call him Harry after a hilarious inside joke between my nerdy husband and myself. Ask me sometime, I will tell you the story and you will understand how incredibly nerdy Jeremy really is... but I really actually like the name. Then I would have Prince William and Prince Harry!
4. I really have no passion or hobby other than this blogging thing.
5. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up...
6. I really wish I had more time to volunteer, I think it's so important. Maybe when I'm old...
7. I love my huge extended family and really don't know what I would do without every single person in it. They all represent a different part of who I am...
8. I wish I could play the piano and fully intend to take lessons again some day...
9. I have no interest in anything Asian - not the decor, history or culture. I do like the food though - alot - but not sushi...
10. I am obsessed with the news... like really, really obsessed! My tv comes on in the morning to wake me up with the channel 2 news, I watch it at 6 and again at 10 and check msn and kutv.com a few times during the day to see if I am missing anything... I agree it's pathetic!
11. Along with local and national news, I am almost equally obsessed with the entertainment industry and tabloids. I watch inside edition or entertainment tonight almost every night and check the entertainment section of msn every time I log on...
12. I think my house is a hodge podge and really hope it all comes together some day...
13. 13 is my favorite, most lucky number. It was always my number when I played soccer and I love Friday the 13th...
14. I am terrified of earthquakes... they are the natural disaster I fear most. Good thing I live in UT!
15. I am still undecided if I will ever have another baby... Jeremy would say I am very decided that I am having another baby, but I just don't know about the whole being pregnant again thing...
16. I love cheesy teen movies (High School Musical, She's the Man and Mean Girls and a few of my faves!)
17. I have had the same best friend since I was in 4th grade! Love you Marcie!
18. I would love for Liam to grow up to be a weather man! I have no idea why, I just think that would be cool...
19. I love new cars (for myself!)
20. I love all things country! I love the music, the movies, and especially the cowboys! I don't think people would guess that about me, but I really do. Some of my fave things are the movies 8 Seconds, Broken Bridges and that George Strait movie I can't think of right now! Garth, Rascall Flatts, Chris Ledoux and Kenny Chesney are my favorite artists!
21. I love that my Uncle Don taught me the greatness of Jimmy Buffett! I am a Parott Head to the bone!
22. I'm not sympathetic at all, but I am extremely compassionate. I think the difference is I don't feel bad for people, but I do feel for people in my heart!
23. I truly feel that if I picked up Britney Spears and brought her to my home I could help her to be a normal person...
24. I voted for Hillary Clinton :)
25. I love being a McGeary!
26. I love that Liam will know my grandparents through the memories my family shares...
27. I am glad that Jeremy and I are so open with each other... I'm glad we fight, I'm glad we are interested in the same things, and I'm glad we can fart in front of each other. I know that sounds stupid, we are so incredibly comfortable with each other. Nothing surprises us...
28. I am NOT romantic!
29. I really love Utah and can't imagine living anywhere else...
30. I hate bad grammar (especially in professional emails)
31. I don't think playing dumb is ever cute...
32. I think I am hilarious when I am with my mom and my sister but not really any other time. I am a different person with them, but I know they bring out the best in me!
33. I am proud of the woman I have become! I like who I am and wouldn't change anything about me. I love my body and my soul and am completely content!
34. I think I get #33 from my mom!
35. See #33 and #34 - I wish upon wish that I can instill that same confidence in my children!
36. I have to work at being "in fashion." Mostly because I am a true t-shirt and jeans kind of girl and maybe even a little bit granola!
37. This list has turned out to be a little harder than I thought it would and I'm only on number 37...
38. I am only snobby about 2 things... MAC makeup and Smith sunglasses.
39. I love gifts - more giving than receiving! I get so excited about holidays mostly for that reason.
40. My favorite movies are: Pretty Woman, French Kiss, Grease and the Holiday.
41. But I will always stop to watch You've Got Mail every time it's on tv!
42. Even though it's Corny, I love to scrapbook and I think I'm pretty good at it too. I just don't have the time or space to do it...
43. I really don't like mopping my floors. I don't mind any other cores, but I hate mopping...
44. I only do my grocery shopping at Harmons. (Okay, I guess that's 3 things I'm snobby about!) Jeremy gets mad that I shop there because he says it's too expensive, but they have the best meat department, the cleanest store and the friendliest employees! I hope people say that about my store someday, (except ice cream, not meat!)
45. I love to blog!
46. My Tassy dog is named after my mom! It's her nick-name in my family...
47. I was in 3 high school musicals: 42nd Street, Fiddler on the Roof and Grease! I am really glad I did that, I think it gave me an appreciation for the shows and the music. And I got to learn to tap dance in 42nd street, I would have never done that without that show!
48. My favorite meal is breakfast and I'm a sucker for muffins of any kind.
49. I would love to love running... I would even love to run a marathon at sometime in my life but I'm just to dang lazy!
50. Finally, I'm at freakin' 50! I really thought I was an interesting person, but this is a hard task!
51. I have been to Paris but have only seen the Eiffel Tower from a distance. One thing I will never forget is hiking to the Sacré Coeur late, late one night and seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance. I have to take my mom there someday!
52. I wish I was more educated in politics. I don't have an opinion as much as I love listening to other people's...
53. I love concerts but think they are way too expensive. It actually makes me mad that entertainers charge the fans as much as they do. I think they should perform for the fans because we keep them in business. (Concerts I loved: Garth... above all, NKOTB, Toby Keith 2x's, Rascall Flatts, Billy Joel 2x's, and Aerosmith)
54. I really love coffee - anyway you serve it!
55. I love beer too! - I couldn't claim to be a McGeary if I didn't!
56. I am an avid reader. I love books that take me out of reality, I love to live other people's lives for a little bit. My favorite author is Nicholas Sparks. I have read everyone of his books and can usually read them in a few nights.
57. I have to buy my books. I don't like to get them from the library and I know that's ridiculous, but I get that from my dad. Maybe one day I can have my own library!
58. I am the best sleeper, but I hate naps. I can fall asleep in seconds at the end of the day, but I think naps are a waste of time.
59. I never, ever miss a meal. In fact, most of my day is spent wondering what I will eat next!
60. I love that we own an ice cream store and that "Marble Slab Creamery" was my idea!
I can't believe I got to #60 before I said that!
61. My favorite ice cream is peppermint with brownie and hot fudge in a waffle bowl.
62. I have a BS in Sociology from the University of Utah. I'm very thankful that I have it, it was hard for me, but it's one of my greatest accomplishments!
63. I love that Liam says he loves me now without me telling him I love him first!
64. I get giddy about the word phenomenal! I know it's weird!
65. I am so very thankful for the time I had with my grandpa. Without my grandpa I would never know about the big silver dollar and the little brown cent or about the old man who was laying in the gutter all guzzled up with beer, or what the bread of an Englishman smells like, or how hard it is to get unstuck from a vice, or how to truly love and take care of your family!
66. One of my favorite inventions is the black Old Navy flip-flop! Without it I really don't think my life would be complete.
67. I don't like to cook dinner and I really don't think I'm that good at it, but when I don't cook I always feel a little guilty that I should have...
68. I have a true appreciation for instant gratification. That's probably the true reason I don't cook, it's so much easier to get take out!
69. I had too much fun at Utah State and really don't think I would have ever graduated college if I hadn't moved home. Even still, it was by far one of the funnest times of my life! I really learned a lot and have kept some great friends from there!
70. I was president of the Newman Club at USU. It's the Catholic kids support group in a world full of Mormons! I'm not a churchey person, but that was an awesome title to hold. Without that, I wouldn't have gotten to go to Paris and Rome!
71. I really don't like cats, and really really don't like that I have 2 of them... I'm not just saying that!
72. I don't like scary movies or haunted houses. I don't like to pay money for some idiot to scare the crap out of me!
73. Speaking of scary movies and such... I hate thunder. I know that's a little kid thing, but I really don't like it!
74. I loved my wedding, it was exactly what I wanted and dreamed of as a little girl! In fact, I would love to be a wedding planner... maybe that's what I should be when I grow up!
75. I love to shop! My favorite stores are Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Express, Sephora and the Tanger Outlet Center in Park City!
76. Speaking of Park City... I've never been to the Sundance Film Festival. Maybe I should do that some day!
77. I have realized that I have written too much on each line and this is going to be the longest post in history! It will probably take up all the memory of blog spot.
78. My favorite TV show of all time is Friends but Grey's Anatomy is a close second.
79. We have another dog named Jeager..He's Jeremy's dog and has bitten me 3 times, but I still think he's pretty cool.
80. My favorite vacation spots are Vegas and San Diego. But now that we have Cheesecake Factory, Vegas isn't such a big deal... now if we could just get a Sephora!
81. I love sweets... anything with sugar but especially brownies with no nuts!
82. My favorite sport is NFL football, but I'm starting to appreciate college football more and more. I feel like they play because they love the game!
83. I prefer snow to rain. Rain just makes everything messy.
84. Being a mom, I have recognized all the sacrifices moms make everyday... like not watching your favorite show, not relaxing on the couch after work, but having a child is better than not!
85. I now know I prefer Barney over Bob the Builder.
86. I have always been okay with people saying I'm a goodey-goodey. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
87. I love having family pictures taken. I think they are important.
88. I love the mountains and the beach equally but I love living by the mountains more. I don't like the humidity as much as the constant dry weather that leaves my lips and hands cracked and my nose stinging and my hair brittle... It's true though!
89. I subscribe to Netflix but still buy movies on pay-per-view. I guess that's that instant gratification thing again!
90. I would love to have a salad with blue cheese, a steak and a sweet potato for dinner tonight at Ruby River. I wonder what my dad is doing tonight...
91. I think I have the personality of my mom, but the same likes as my dad. I think that's interesting... I have the spending habits of both though...
92. I am thankful that I went to Catholic school my whole life. Liam will definitely go to Catholic school, I think it's important!
93. I just read from #1 and am thinking that no one will really be surprised by what they have read about me. I am a very open person and pride myself in having nothing to hide. I think all things that happen in life happen for a reason and you should always be proud of yourself.
94. I would love to adopt an older child some day. I think there are tons of children who need a home and someone to love them, but everyone wants babies. That way I don't have to be pregnant again!
95. My favorite quote from a book is: "Never do anything you can't tell your mom about" from the biography of Author Ashe. I read that book when I was young and always have that saying in the back of my mind. I think that keeps me in check!
96. I believe that kids today are too greedy. I think kids should get good grades and behave because they respect themselves and their parents not because they get treats or even money. I think my sister and I were both good kids because we had that pride in ourselves and our families.
97. I know I've already kind of said this, but I really hope Jeremy and I can be the parents that my parents were. I had a great childhood and have had a great life all because of them.
98. I truly believe it takes a village to raise a child. I know Liam will be an awesome kid because of all the different things my family and friends can teach him.
99. I think someday soon I will read the Bible cover to cover. I've never done that and think it would be cool.
100. I challenge everyone to write 100 things about themselves. It look me a whole week to write this list and almost 3 hours to type it. I really learned a lot about myself just in doing this list. A few points I laughed out loud, even got teary-eyed a couple times (maybe that should be #100, I cry at the drop of a hat!) I think I am very lucky to be where I am in life and hope I can give Liam all the blessings I have had in my life!

We finally get to go skiing!

2008-02-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am so glad we didn't go skiing a few weeks before, because last week when we finally went, it was so freakin' beautiful! Jeremy and I went to Brighton for the first time in a long time. I was actually embarrassed because I couldn't remember the lifts and how to get to Great Western so I was asking everyone on the lifts, but once we got going it all started coming back to me! The weather was awesome, we just wore our thermals and coats. I love when that happens! We stopped for lunch and a beer and ate outside too! But after being at Brighton all day I remembered why I love Alta and Solitude so much more. There were too many young punk snowboarders and it's too small. Solitude and Alta have a more mature crowd and I think their runs are a little more challenging too. Now I feel old that I have said that! Anyway, here are some pics from our fun day...

Oh, Beautiful!
Ahhh!
Yikes!!!

Yea... A new post!!!

2008-02-24T11:56:00.001-08:00

Jeremy and I were supposed to go skiing on Super Bowl Sunday, but the weather was awful and we got tons of snow. We were still longing to play in the snow so we bundled up and built the biggest snowman I've ever built! Liam thought it was the greatest thing ever, but I think it was Jeremy who got the biggest kick out of it! We built the snowman, then went inside and had our own personal Super Bowl party complete with wings, jalapeno poppers and chili! It was fun, and I thought the game ended how it should have! At least the Packers lost to the champs!

The first layer of the snowman is already bigger than Liam!
Liam is fascinated by the snow plows. Here he is fixated on them, you can see them in the circle in the back.
Lookin' Good!
The finished product! Maybe one more layer would have cleaned up all the snow in the front yard!

Hi!

2008-02-21T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well Hello! My dad got me this fancy new scanner/printer/copier (just wish it would do the laundry) thing for my birthday so I decided to check out the scanner. I scanned a couple pics of my wedding that are my favorite.

I have a few posts I want to get on, I just haven't made the time. I will try to get them done this weekend. Until then, enjoy my wedding pics!

Nothing to post about...

2008-02-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

Here I am, I'm pretty disappointed with myself! I have had absolutely nothing to blog about. That may be a good thing though because it means my life has setteled down a little! Liam and I have just been hanging out and being bums. Since I have nothing to talk about, I will just talk about Liam and how he is the cutest kid in America!

1. We have not watched Cars one time since my last post. For the last month, the whole world has been about Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder and Barney. Then Friday night I brought the new Disney movie Snow Buddies home and I bet we have watched it 30 times in 4 days! It is a really cute movie, I don't mind watching it at all. And it's real people instead of a cartoon!

2. Liam is obsessed with construction equipment! I took him to the zoo Sunday morning because it was a beautiful day and because he was learning about the zoo at school all week. I thought he would have so much fun seeing the animals he had been learning about, but instead we found out they are doing construction at the zoo for the winter and there were diggers and bulldozers all over the place! It took me forever to get him to see the elephants, he would have much rather played on those big machines!

3. Liam is talking so much better lately. I can actually understand him most of the time! He is so inquisitive about everything. Especially about where all of our cars are, he wants to make sure they are accounted for. With all of the snow Jeremy has been driving our pos truck and I've been driving the Jeep. Liam really thinks that truck is the best thing that has ever happened! He wants to know where it is and when he can see it. He makes the sound of the truck all the time!

4. One of Liam's favorite new tricks is snorting! He will laugh and remember that he knows how to snort then he's laughing and snorting so hard he forgets to breath! It's so funny! I pick him up at school all the time and they tell me he just laughed all day!

5. Finally, potty training... He's doing so well at school! He goes at least twice a day and has a dry pull-up almost all day! As far as going at home... he would rather not. I've bought tons of m&ms, tons of stickers made him a chart like at school, everything! He doesn't have the peer pressure at home like he does at school, and frankly he couldn't care less!

That's us in a nut shell! Jeremy and I are going skiing this weekend so hopefully I have some fun pics to post after that. Hopefully this was entertaining enough for now!

Mary

Cars Soundtrack

2008-01-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

Liam's favorite movie in the world is Cars! He watches it a few times every day. He loves Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Car, Doc, Luigi and Pit Stop (Guido)! I put a few songs from the movie on my play list. I love the Sh-Boom song. I know it's nerdy, but every time that part of the movie is on, Liam and I have to stop and watch and dance. The cars are so cute and it's just fun to see. When Life is a Highway comes on Liam is the happiest kid in the world. (I love that he loves Rascal Flatts - they are my favorite!) He dances his guts out, it's great! Enjoy!!!

Welcoming a new addition...

2008-01-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Sebastian - The Crab!

We got this fish tank for Christmas and Jeremy is OBSESSED! I had this innocent idea to maybe get a crab. You would think the words of God came out of my mouth! So, now we have this crab in our fish tank. The guy at PetSmart said they are harmless and just hide under the fixtures in the tank. He said we will never see him and the worst thing that can happen is it can climb out of the filter in the back of the tank. **Read my lips... if that crab climbs out of this tank I will seriously freak out! It will NOT be a good thing.** The crab does not hide, in fact, it comes out to play rather regularly. The albino cat fish (if you are wondering a cat fish says meow.) we have dive bombs the sucker and it pinches at the poor fish! Jeremy and Liam think this crab is the coolest thing that ever happened. Liam has to keep tabs on it at all times. Below there is a picture of my husband and his new favorite seat in the house. If anyone wants to come over and entertain me, that's fine. My husband has his new entertainment and obviously doesn't need me anymore!!!

It climbs to the top of this big piece of drift wood and claims "king of the tank."
Jeremy watching the damn fish! Thanks dad!

The Children's Museum

2008-01-14T20:12:00.001-08:00

My friend Heidi and I had babies 2 days apart. Her daughter Haley is 2 days younger than Liam, even though she was due almost 2 weeks before me! We don't get together often enough, but when we do, we have a great time! This Sunday we took the train (Trax) from 10000 S. to to the Children's Museum at the Gateway. The kids had a blast on the train, but it was too long of a ride for them. Note to self... drive to 3300 S. and go from there next time! Anyway, we had a blast, I highly recommend it to anyone with kids! Blogger is having issues tonight, so I'm having to paste a few pics at a time. They are in no order at all. Sorry for the randomness!

Liam is looking out the window of the bird house. Everything was really tiny in there, cute!
The helicopter. I think Liam almost pooped his pants when he saw it. He's talking about it non-stop!
Haley and Liam in the "copter."

On the choo-choo train.
The big water fountain. Can anyone tell me how I can get one of these in my house. What a cool idea!
Liam driving the Jeep at the service station.
Haley and Heidi on the horse. Liam didn't really like the horse.
In the bird house.

PS - My b-day is a week from today... just incase anyone is wondering! It's also Martin's b-day and because of that... I don't have to work!! (but the daycare is still open - heeheehee!)

Christmas 2007

2007-12-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

Jeremy, Liam and I had a wonderful Christmas this year! We had my dad and Natalie over for Prime Rib dinner on Christmas Eve and opened gifts with them. Jeremy and Liam got a 55 gallon fish tank that is really cool! Then Christmas morning, my mom and Natalie came over to open Santa's gifts and hang out with us. Liam got a train table from my mom that he is absolutely in love with! After the gifts were open, Jeremy's friend Will and his mom came over for breakfast. It was wonderful having them here, they are a big part of our family. I hope we can start a new tradition of that in the years to come. After breakfast, we let Liam take a nap and Jeremy and I cleaned up a little. Then we headed to Jeremy's parents house for our third Christmas celebration! We had a great ham dinner then it was time to go home to bed. It was a huge day with lots of excitement. Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts! Until next year...

Liam inside the base of the fish tank.
Now Natalie has helped him get inside of the cat condo.
Christmas morning, coming down to see the gifts!
The first look! (even though Liam had a sleeper on, he insisted on having the Elmo socks my dad gave him too!)

The new train table.
Breakfast with the fam.
Ohhh!
I'm not sure who likes the train more, Liam or Jer!
This kid is really spoiled and has a million people that love him! A week after Christmas, he's still overwhelmed with all the new toys he has!!!

Random bits of fun

2007-12-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

These are some ranom pictures I would like to share! First, Liam has two new passions. One is cooking, the other is taking pictures with my camera. We've been working on the picture taking (mostly he gets his fingers infront of the lense so all you get are pictures of his fingers) but the other day he got a good one so I have to share. Also, the Saturday before Christmas, Liam and I went out to get the mail and there was a huge hot air balloon practically in our front yard. We got really excited and took a few pictures of that too. It was a beautiful day and the balloon was awesome!

Liam helping me cook.
The picture Liam took of me and Tassy! Pretty good, huh!
These are my two crazy dogs!
Pretty balloon!

Snow day!

2007-12-30T15:01:00.001-08:00

Helping dad...

Liam's pink nose and cheeks!

First, I have to document the fact that Jeremy shoveled! Jeremy and Liam bundled up to shovel the driveway that big storm before Christmas. Liam loves to "shabol." I can't really spell how he says "shovel" but it's really cute!

Trimming the tree!

2007-12-09T13:15:00.001-08:00

Liam was having a rough night the other night and I was having a hard time finding something to entertain him with. Then I had a wonderful idea! Let's trim the tree! He and I had a great time, he was really good with the ornaments (I was a little concerned about him being careful with some of them, but he did really well!) We turned on some Christmas music and had a few dances too. When we were all done, Liam had his first cup of hot chocolate. I thought it was fitting! Now he's obsessed with marshmallows, but he was so cute with it.

Liam got his own "Cars" ornaments for this year.
Liam's favorite ornaments! He kept moving them around the tree but they were always hung together!

His first cup of Hot Cocoa! Not too hot though!
My finished nativity set! The pic is a little blurry, but you get the idea. I've been getting pieces for my b-day (which is in January, after Christmas) for the last few years and now it's finally complete this year. It's so beautiful, I love it. I would love to collect nativities. I think they are a beautiful piece of art and it illustrates the best story of all time!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2007-12-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! I've been trying to blog these pictures for days, but my internet has been having serious issues. The Comcast guy promised I would be able to blog now, so I'm holding him to it. I don't think he understands the importance of the LiamClink blog! :)

Anyway, last weekend we had the December family party at my mom's. It was a really fun party! The boys got to decorate gingerbread houses and play in the snow. Zachary won the gingerbread house contest, he was really good at getting that candy on the frosting. Liam, Ty and Conner just wanted to eat it all and not worry about the house! Here are some fun pictures of the boys. Christmas becomes more fun with them every year! I can't believe this is Liam's 3rd Christmas already!

Liam, the poser as usual. (Wonder where he gets that from?) Zachary looks like he is in heaven!

Tyson's gingerbread house...
Zachary's gingerbread house...
Conner's house is looking a little bare!
Thank goodness Liam has an aunt. She's the best helper!
I did what I could, but it was really messy!

(note: Please notice 3 generations of the lip hanging out! I must have gotten that from SoSo! And poor Liam may have gotten it from me! At least I have proof that I'm not the only one that looks like a dork in pictures. It was hard work that required a lot of concentration!)

Our Elfin' Family

2007-12-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Check out our Elfin' Dance!!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1157448521

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

I wish you could hear Liam say "gobble gobble" in this blog. He's the cutest kid ever!! We had a wonderful time at SoSo's house for dinner this year. The food was the best I think we've ever had. Nanny made stuffing from scratch with sausage. I don't even like stuffing, but I ate about 3 helpings. She also smoked the turkey, and that was the best I've ever had too! My whole side of the family was there, except Dave, Sherry and Conner. It was really nice to all be together. Here are some pictures of our really fun day!

Liam eating pie. I didn't think he would like the pumpkin, but it was his favorite.
Liam and my mom eating pie.

Uncle Jeff, Amanda and Zach, Natalie, Jessi, Nanny and mom.
Amanda and Zach, SoSo and Tyson the ham.
Holy cow... alert the press... Natalie and Brynn are doing dishes? Is this right?
Marcia's beautiful pies. The cake on the left is spice cake with toffee icing. Ohh, so good! It was SoSo's b-day so we got cake too!
Marcia, Nanny and my mom.

I guess we'll start getting ready for Christmas now!

A Slow November

2007-11-23T20:58:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I think you can always tell when I'm into a book because I don't blog for a while. I've been reading John Grisham's Playing for Pizza. If you like football, it was a great book. I really liked it!! If you're not so much into the sport, I can see how it might be a little boring. Anyway, November has been pretty blah. I'm kind of glad though, maybe that means my life is settling down a little!

The store is kicking butt, and I think kicking Jeremy's butt! He's working a ton, but loving every minute of it. I've been working Sundays to give him a break and some time with Liam. I think they both appreciate that.

Like I said, not much has been going on other than Liam is really getting so big. We had to get tubes put in his ears about two weeks ago and he has changed. He is talking so much and understanding so much better. I was really trying to believe he wasn't struggling, but now that we've had it done, I feel a little guilty waiting so long. At least now it's done and we can go on from here!

This was the only picture I could get of him at the hospital. He wasn't able to eat and we had to wake him up really early, so needless to say he was not in the mood for pictures. These are his hospital jammies. He actually really liked them! Not so much the socks though!

Other than a harmless surgery, it's been really low key. We've been starting potty training. He and I are not so much in synch on this yet. He "tries" many times a day, but has yet to actually get some potty in the toilet. They say he is trying at day care too, but I think this will be a long road ahead! These are pictures of Liam with his new big boy britches on. He is showing them to you!

I kept calling the britches panties, and Jeremy was having a cow! Being a girl, I had no other word for them. Kim in my office suggested britches, so there we go! Ohhh, cute britches Liam!!! :)

By the way... I cut all of his hair off. I know it's ugly, I won't do it again. You live and learn!!!

The sound track...

2007-11-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to add a playlist to my blog. I tried to pick songs that reminded me of Liam and my family. I hope you enjoy my selection...

Liam's Halloween

2007-11-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

I decided to put some of Liam's Halloween pictures all in the same blog. There's not much to post since Liam's frankly as excited about Halloween as his mother! He refused to wear his pumpkin costume by screaming "NO PU-KAN" a billion times before his Halloween party at school. Therefore I took the costume back and he was nothing for Halloween. Then when I tried to take him Trick-or-Treating, he decided he would rather "Wat Mitey" (watch Mickey) so we did that and just passed out candy. The only Halloween-ish thing we did right was carve a pumpkin. He actually really liked that and was super cute during the carve. Sadly, all of our pumpkins were stolen off of our porch the next day. The a** h**** were nice enough to leave Liam's jack-o-lantern though.

Liam really enjoying his school Halloween party... you can tell he was really getting jiggy with his bad self!
The pumpkin carve

The final product...

Happy Halloween at the Office

2007-11-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE MAC! Little black pots of color totally make me happy! Anyway, this is Amber who was brought into my life as a notary, but really is a super cool person, and she's a MAC Pro! She came to our office and painted our faces for Halloween so we looked Super Bad! Here are some really cool pictures of my very best friends. Note the amazing make up case on the desk! Seriously...

Amber painting a prism on Kim's face. She looked like Pink Floyd!!
Melissa, Kim, Shonna and Me
Me and Melder! (Melissa Elder, but I like to call her Melder!)

Our cool faces!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Liam Clink's 2nd Birthday Party!

2007-10-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

This was the most beautiful day for a party! We rented a bounce house and set it up right in the front yard! It was totally awesome and I think everyone had a great time. Liam had the time of his life. I think he was in heaven when I walked him outside and that huge bouncer was out there! Here are a ton of pics. Thank you to everyone who came! I think I might rent a bounce house for every party. That thing was a blast!

Tyson and Liam...Tyson was not sure he wanted to bounce at this point. Wait a few pics!
Liam was not hesitant at all. He dove in with force!
This was the awesome Elmo cake we made. It was ice cream that I decorated with sugar.
Tyson decided he liked bouncing too!

Hazel was the only girl of the bunch. I think she enjoyed it!
Liam sliding out of the door head first on his back!
Kids jumping!
CHEESE!
Mom...There's a girl sitting by me...

Mom...She's going to kiss me! Liam's first kiss!
Super cute pic of Liam!
Even Tassy enjoyed the party!
This is the bike my mom bought Liam. This was the first ride.
It was short lived, but very cool! Now if he could just figure out how to steer!

One more b-day post!

2007-10-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have to show you this too... This is about 9:30 at night after his b-day party. He was obsessed wit this race track. It didn't even have batteries yet! He was so cute playing with his new toys.

The future John Stockton? Liam loves the "basetbull" hoop Nat gave him!
Slam Dunk!

Liam's Second Birthday

2007-10-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

This evening was one of the best evening ever. Liam was so excited and had no idea why! First, we took ice cream to his school for all the kids to enjoy and they all loved it. Everyone was thinking Liam and he was oblivious! Then I picked him up and we went out to the District. We ate at Red Robin so Jeremy could be there with us. Liam was great at dinner, which is very rare! Then we opened presents in front of Marble Slab, and pretty much took over the whole sidewalk. It was funny! The first gift Liam opened was a sweat suit. He pulled it out of the packaging, held it up for everyone to see and said with force, "Ohh Cute!" It was seriously one of the funniest things ever! We all died laughing! :) After that, everything was "Cute!" I think he had a blast at his birthday party. Sunday should be an interesting day with his b-day party. He's going to have so much attention, he's not going to know what to do with himself!

Cute pic of Liam and Nat. That's a balloon string in the middle of the pic.
Not the best pic, but we took tons to try to get one. Liam was way more interested in the balloons than having a family picture taken.
Liam being very silly! He was force-laughing so hard. It was hilarious!
Liam is shoving this in my face, screaming "Elmo Cheese!" Like - "take a freaking picture of me and my new jacket!"
Grandma helping open a new race track. My mom bought Liam a motorized motorcycle that I thought I had a picture of. I will take one at the party on Sunday and post it. It's amazing!

Opening Day!

2007-10-12T06:19:00.001-07:00

October 4, 2007...It happened...We opened our doors...and people came! This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We have been waiting almost 2 years exaxtly, for this day! The emotions were almost too much to handle! I think Jeremy is still shocked that he actually has an ice cream store, much less a business to call his own. There were 2 boys circling the parking lot waiting for us to open, so they were our first customers. It was very exciting!

Taking down the "Coming Soon" banner and replacing it with store hours.
Opening the front doors! It was an awesome moment!

Yes, this is me scooping ice cream. It looks hard, but it's even harder than it looks!

Friends and Family Night

2007-10-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

The night has finally arrived. We had a opening night social where we invited our families, but we also invited the families of our new employees. The store was packed, but the employees and Jeremy kept the line moving all night. It was so fun having everyone together for this spectacular night, it means a lot to have the support we have! Here are a few fun pictures from the beginning of the night. As the party went on, I was unable to take more pics because Liam was psycho! He's so used to having the store all to himself, he couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to run all over and behind the swinging door. We had a great time though and I hope everyone comes back for seconds!

Uncle Pat - need I say more?! This is him very excited as we opened the doors!
Shanel, Mandy and Jessica - the only employees I could get a pic of!

The line! Everyone was so patient! I'm sure it was worth waiting for!
Jessi with her fantastic creation!
Zachary seemed to really like his too!
Even Connor got a taste of moms.
Liam - after a long, crazy night. He grabbed his "this" blanket and laid down in the middle of the store. You can see the people standing in line right next to him. I think he likes to be the star of the show. I wonder where he got that from....

The first batch...

2007-09-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

The first batch of sweet cream was made last night. Chad brought Ridge and Jagger, Natalie and Ashton were there with Liam, Jeremy and myself. We all witnessed the first batch going in a cream and coming out as sweet goodness!

Jeremy pouring in 14% fat - cream (pretend I didn't tell you that.)
Extracting the wonderful ice cream.
This is what heaven looks like!
Chad having a sample.
Jeremy "cleaning" the machine! We will be a little more sanitary when we open! I hope everyone finds the ice cream as wonderful as we do! Come and get it!

The store is done!!

2007-09-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, This is it! We have an ice cream store and we are ready for business. The official opening date is October 4th. For all of you reading this, please pass the word along. We are at The District in South Jordan (11400 S. Bangeter.) It's been a long time coming, I don't think any of us can believe it's actually going to happen. Here's to success!

Funny Liam

2007-09-22T13:30:00.001-07:00

You probably would never know that this was taken after we saw the flags. We went home and Jeremy made spaghetti and meatballs. Liam ate 6 meatballs and a whole plate of spaghetti. He thinks he's so dang funny after being a total butt at the Healing Field. Maybe he really was hungry!...

September 11, 2007

2007-09-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

We took Liam to Sandy City Hall to see the flags at the Healing Field. When we first got there, he really did think it was cool, but after a few muinutes he decided he was very hungry and tired and ready to go home. We were hoping to stay for the ceremony, but Liam wasn't being very respectful. If you haven't seen the Healing Field, I recommend it. It's beautiful and a great way to remember.

This is a great pic of my bum, but since I don't ever seem to get into the blog, this is what you get!

How I blog...

2007-09-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

I thought I was so funny with this~ Jeremy wanted a fire, I wanted to blog. This is what we got! Thank goodness for wireless internet!

New Music

2007-09-09T20:36:00.001-07:00

Jeremy says this is the perfect song for my blog. I guess Colbie reminds him of me! I LOVE Colbie Callait! Her cd is the best, at work at home or in the car. If you haven't heard of her, check it out. I think she's in concert here pretty soon too. Anyway... Enjoy!

Oktober Fest

2007-09-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

It was a BEAUTIFUL day at the "bird" today! Liam was awesome and we had so much fun. The food was better than I think it's been and it was packed (which was kind of fun too.) Jeremy and I rode the zip line, Bill took pictures that I should get tomorrow. Liam was so freakin' funny rolling down the hills. Jeremy even got down and rolled with him! Here are some really fun pictures of all of us. The pic of the 3 of us isn't the best, but you do what ya can!

Water!!!

2007-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Liam loves the water! The holds the hose and screams "Water!" Or he holds the sprinklers or sprayer, and screams "Water!" He also likes to point out every sprinkler head in the yard and yell, "Water!" The other night I was trying to talk to Jeremy on the phone while he's screaming "Water!" so I finally attached the sprinkler and let him play. Tassy drinks out of the sprinkler, so Liam decided to see what he could do too! I was laughing so hard as he put his face right into the sprinkler. Here are some super cute pics!

MSC, Quick Update

2007-09-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

So, I'm horribly embarrased that I have not updated this sooner. These pics are from weeks and weeks ago. The store is done! These are so old so Jeremy is going to take the camera tomorrow to get us some updated pictures. Here is what I have since the last time...

The store was supposed to open next weekend, but it's not looking that way now. I think it's going to be more like the end of the month now. If anyone knows of a teenager looking for a job, tell them to call us. We need employees!

Fun Pic

2007-08-19T18:54:00.001-07:00

This is a very cute picture of my mom and my sister. I think they should be in the LiamClink blog!

We've Been Tagged

2007-08-15T20:35:00.001-07:00

4 Jobs I've had...
1. Salt Lake County Parks & Rec (West Jordan Pool)
2. Sports Feet
3. Express
4. First American Title Insurance

4 Movies I can watch over and over...
1. French Kiss
2. Pretty Woman
3. You've Got Mail
4. Sweet Home Alabama

4 Favorite TV Shows...
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. American Idol
3. Friends
4. Sesame Street

4 Places I have lived...
1. Sandy, UT
2. Logan, UT
3. Salt Lake City, UT (I'm Lame!)
4. Sarasota, FL

4 Places I have been...
1. Paris, France
2. Rome, Italy
3. Mazatlan, Mexico
4. Honolulu, HI

4 Favorite Foods...
1. Anything Mexican
2. Steak
3. Frosted Cheerios
4. Chips & Salsa

4 Favorite Websites...
1. Anything ".blogspot.com"
2. RedEnvelope
3. BabyCenter
4. MSN (mostly for the entertainment section)

4 buddies I'm tagging...
1. Jenni Oman
2. Meadow Wilde
3. I don't have any other friends that will do this, so that's it!
4.

Almost done!!!

2007-08-14T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here is the store as it is today. I can't believe how fast it has gone up now that it's finally being worked on. The construction was finished today, but there are still some little things that need to be done. I seriously can not wait for every one to see it. You have to be there to believe how cool it is!

From the front door

The Super Cool Mural!

Catching up...

2007-08-14T19:34:00.001-07:00

I have a bunch of cute pictures that I've wanted to post. Here they are! Sunday was not so much of a lazy day considering we did tons of yard work and got out spinkler trenches dug. I will post another pic of the new grass in a few days. It may not be exciting to anyone else, but we are stoked!

Really cute pic of Liam! Corona Please!

Lazy Sunday w/ the Dogs

Lazy Sunday with Dad (Busted!)

Picking blackberries at Papa Pool's

Liam after eating a butt-load of blackberries

I am a Country Nerd!

2007-08-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

I know, it's lame, but I am head over heels in love with Kenny Chesney's music. Especially in the summer! And since I left my camera at my office today and am unable to post my new pics, you all get some music entertainment courtesy of Kenny! I hope you are not too annoyed with my choice, but listening to Kenny makes me think of Jimmy Buffett and there is never anything wrong with that! Cheers to margaritas! :)

Check back tomorrow... I have cool pics of the store!

So, I'm a little behind...

2007-08-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while so I'm going to catch you up. The store is 14 days a head of progress, it's going to be done by the 14th! Jeremy put his 2 weeks in at RC Willey, so we are getting ready to go. It is seriously the coolest thing in the world! I can't wait for every one to see it!

We've been really lazy lately, just hanging out. We still haven't cleaned up from the flood, but we are having a yard sale next Saturday to hopefully get rid of some of the junk. Maybe making a little $$ will motivate us to clean up!

Also, we have hatched some butterflies for Liam. He thinks they are just about the coolest thing ever. He calls them butterbys. He says it so well, it's so damn cute! He's talking so much lately. He prays at meals and says "amen." It's awesome! I can't believe how much he changes every day.

Enjoy the pics, some of them are a little darker than I thought. Sorry! I will try to keep this updated a little more often!

Let's go swimming!

2007-07-15T19:30:00.001-07:00

We had the best time at the pool today! I can't believe we haven't done that before. Liam was a little unsure of the water and he spent most of the time sitting on my lap (see pics.) As he warmed up, he enjoyed it a little more. We need to go more often so he's more sure of the water. I don't think I will need an excuse though, it was really fun! Enjoy the pictures! :)

She once was lost...

2007-07-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

But now is found! My friend Adriana and I haven't seen each other in years, and we went out for dinner and drinks Friday night. It was nice to see her again. Here's a cute pic!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-07T13:56:00.001-07:00

We had a blast this 4th of July! We went with the aunts and uncles to the Murray parade and Liam thought it was the coolest thing he had ever seen! They were throwing tootsie rolls like crazy and that was about the greatest thing that ever happened to him! We spent the rest of the day at my mom's. Liam played in the pool and we had a bbq with Rex. We were able to keep Liam up for fireworks, but he was so tired he couldn't settle down and neither of us enjoyed them at all. It was nice being able to see them from my mom's front yard though. That was pretty handy! I hope all of you had a great day as well. Love you!

They're building!

2007-07-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

So, the contractors have finally started building the guts of our store. The sign is in the window, so if anyone is out at the District, you should check it out. We found out Cookie Cutters (a kids hair cut place that we love) is going in right next door to us. I think there will be some bribery with mom's and kids. "If you're good, we'll get icecream!" It could be very beneficial for us. Anyway, I will get more pics as I get out there and things are coming along. Jeremy wrote a $45,000 check Friday for freezers and other equipment to be ordered. It's moving right along!!!

Love you all!

Zoo Trip

2007-06-30T20:41:00.001-07:00

I love this picture! He thought it was the funnies thing in the world that I went down the slide. I won't publish the pic Nat took of me trying to get my fat a.. out of the slide. It's a sight to see!

Um, Liam accidentially hit his cup into the pond! Natalie had to get security to fish it out for us. It was funny, but we threw the cup away.

Do I measure up?

There was a man in front of us with his kids that stood here and then Liam had too of course!

Oh, my sweet boy and a rhino!

Natalie and I took Liam to the zoo today. It was bloody hot, but we had a blast! We let Liam run where he wanted rather than trying to do the loop to see everything. Everytime we pointed something out to him he would act like he could see what we were talking about, then all of a sudden he would shreek and you could tell he saw it too! He got so excited about the monkeys, expecially the gorillas. I was pretty impressed how active they were in the heat. If you haven't seen the white alligator yet, it's worth making the trip. It's just weird to see a white alligator! Here are a few pics, you can tell we had a blast!

The Great Flood

2007-06-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let you all miss out on the excitement we had last Sunday. Jeremy and I were planning to have a relaxing afternoon, maybe take Liam to the pool. Instead we had a pool party in our basement when we realized our sprinklers had broken and our basement was filled with about 8 inched of water. Many many thanks to our parents and Gothard who helped us with the mess. I'm sure it wasn't in anyone's plans to clean my basement on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Here is a picture, but it does not do justice to the mess we had. In this picture, the carpet is floating, not absorbing the water!! Jeremy's poor poker room...

My first pic...

2007-06-28T20:30:00.001-07:00

So here are my first pictures. Hopefully there will be many more in the future.

It's my first time...

2007-06-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Howdy,
A friend of mine's sister has this cool blog, so I thought I would check it out. I think this is a great way for family and friends to check up on us and see how we are doing. I will keep track of Liam (of course!), the store and anything else in our lives that may be a little bit interesting. I'm sure this will get more interesting as I learn how to use it.
Ciao!