N & M & J & Q

One year ago...

2011-08-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I was 9 months pregnant ready to burst. Ready to meet my baby boy. I went into labor one year ago today. And I held my beautiful Quinn one year ago on September 1st.

One year ago, I became a mother of two boys. Heaven only knew how much fun they would have together.

One year ago, Jude became a big brother. Ready or not.

One year ago, Nick became a wonderful father of two.

They make each other laugh so hard it hurts. No one can make Quinn laugh harder than Jude. They look out for each other. They Quinn already knows how to fend for himself and can throw quite a punch.

Quinn is our peacemaker. Our easy going, fun loving, social, happy, drooling and energetic one year old. Happy birthday my sweet boy. I can't wait to enjoy many more with you.

CHICAGO

2011-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened in the last little while. We had a beautiful baby boy named Quinn and Jude loves having him around! They play really well together. Jude likes to help when Quinn starts crying by trying to make him laugh. He jumps around and then freezes making a face. His new one is coming up to Quinn and saying "Don't worry, it's just a bear" with his hands in a claw shape and then tickles him. It usually gets Quinn to calm down.

Nick graduated from BYU! We also made a pretty big move to Chicago and we are soaking it all in. Nick is working for an advertising agency named Leo Burnett and is really excited. The boys and I are happy that we have a park in our front yard. We are also excited to explore all the many things Chicago has to offer. Zoo's, Children's Museum's, live music in the parks, and a beach at the lake front! We miss friends and family, but are excited for our adventure. Now friends and family have a new place to come and visit:)

We have found a few fun indoor play places to play at while the weather is still a little chilly. We do still go to the parks around here though. Jude always is wanting to go down the slides and talks about them all day.

We have been making new friends and finding lots of nice people. There are lots of boys around Jude's age here so they like to run and play together.

Also Quinn has taken a liking to put his binky in his mouth like this:)

2010-08-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who still even bother to visit our blog, here is a little update:)

Nick, Jude and I have been traveling quite a bit this summer. We went to California while Nick was interning for a company called Aerial 7. We had such a blast with our friends and family. Jude had fun with his friends out there too. We went to Dan (Nick's brother) and Kanani's beautiful wedding in Hawaii. We were so grateful that we were able to go and had such a great time with the Corotan side of the family. We also all got tan for the beginning of the summer:). We also came back to Utah to go to Becky and Elias' gorgeous wedding. It was so fun to be apart of two very special weddings and are so excited about the additions to our families.

Now we are back in Utah and just awaiting the arrival of our new baby boy:). I am technically due 2 weeks from today but at the doctor appointment today, he gave me the option of inducing next week because I am progressing. It's exciting to think that I can plan on having my baby on a certain day, but I am a little nervous about the inducing part. I especially can't wait for Jude to meet his new brother. I am curious how he will react once all the attention isn't just focused on him anymore. Nick's sister Lynsey had a boy in July and Jude has been so sweet with him, so I hope he is the same way with his brother.

I will post pictures soon. We haven't really had a camera this summer because it died on us, but I am going to try to scrounge some up. Jude has grown up quite a bit this summer. He is talking so much more and has quite the personality. He loves to sing, dance, play basketball, blow bubbles, swim and clean:). He is doing pretty well in nursery and I am kinda sad that I don't get to enjoy church for a little bit longer, because I will be starting over with a newborn again. But the last couple months have been nice.

Also I know its a little early, but I am trying to think of some cute Halloween costumes. Let me know if you have any ideas. The best I can think of right now is Batman and Robin for the boys...

Baby number two is a......

2010-04-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

BOY! Cant wait to meet him!

Jude is a toddler!

2010-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that he is walking! It makes me feel like I can handle two now... Enjoy!

Jude is excited to announce....

2010-03-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

that he will be a big brother around September 7!!

So Jude turned 1!...

2010-01-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

on December 23... sorry to those of you who are still waiting for an update. I have been internetless for awhile because Nick takes the computer to school so when I have time to post I don't have a computer.

Anywho, Nick, Jude and I were able to go and celebrate Christmas with my family in Minnesota. It was freezing but so fun to be together! We were even able to go to Iowa for a couple days to see Steph and Adam. We had a great time and were so glad we could celebrate Jude's birthday with almost everyone. :)

Jude still isn't walking (which I am perfectly fine with) on his own. He likes to walk along walls and push toys, chairs, etc to keep himself standing up. He loves everyone he meets! I seriously cant believe how social he is. He pretends he's shy when he first gets someones attention and then is waving and blowing kisses by the time we leave. (Especially to the cute girls!) I think I am going to have a problem with him. He will probably be the kid in kindergarten chasing all the girls until he kisses them and makes them cry.. haha! He is also very interested in how things work. He loves buttons that turn anything off or on, wires and plugs, and wheels. He loves to turn anything over with wheels and just spin it forever. He loves music and a little drum we have for him. He always dances to the beat! He loves dogs and is never afraid of any size. It amazes me! He is such a great baby! We are so lucky to have him in our lives.

I love Jude!

9 Months Today!

2009-09-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little baby is 3/4 of a year old! He is growing up so fast and he learns something new every day. He keeps me so busy. Hence the reason why the last post was 2 months ago...
Right now Jude:
~Army crawls around the house and sweeps/vacuums the floor with body/mouth
~Laughs hysterically when I sneeze!
~Can say bye-bye and wave
~Has 2 of the cutest bottom teeth I have ever seen
~Claps his hands (especially at church after the hymns)
~Sings (la,la,la)
~Loves to dance or bounce (especially when drums are involved)
~Loves when his daddy is rough with him (such a boy!)
~Is extremely ticklish
~Loves bath time
~Gives the best kisses
~Is so very social (has lots of girlfriends at church)
~'s favorite toy is his daddy's acoustic guitar
~Loves to swim under the water & holds his breath so well
~Tries to snap his fingers with his right hand (shown in the pic below)

~Is asleep and I should be too....

6 Month Photo Shoot

2009-07-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

So my cousin Cassidy took some pictures of Jude a little less than a month ago and I thought I should share some of these darling pics! Thanks again Cass!

Updates

2009-07-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

So we have been very busy and I may have lost the pictures on my memory card! I am so sad. We are trying to retrieve them. Hopefully it works!

Well Nick had his 25th birthday on the first of July and we celebrated with friends and family. We had fun enjoying the day! He added to his collection of guitar pedals thanks to everyone. He loves playing with them!

Jude is now almost 7 months, growing strong and healthy. He has been eating rice cereal/sweet potatoes and he is finally getting the hang of it! It took a while for him to realize why we were shoving a spoon in his face. Once he realized there was food on it, he's loved it ever since! :)

We have been swimming lots with Jude and he loves to be outside. He loves the water and even lets us dunk him! We are hoping he will love the water as much as Nick does. It's looking good so far.

He is now sitting up by himself pretty good. We were at a restaurant the other day and set him in his car seat unbuckled. He wouldn't lay back and sat upright the whole time. We finally decided to get a high chair and he was so happy. I am now realizing that as much as we tried to get Jude to sit on his own, he did it when HE was ready. Oh and he also has his first tooth growing in!! I think he is working on his second because he has been pretty fussy today.

Today Nick, Jude and I went grocery shopping and spent a little more than I hoped. As we were walking out, there was a man who looked less fortunate that was walking in. His clothes were worn and his hair wasn't combed. He didn't really catch my eye until he stopped us. I thought he was going to ask us for money and I was preparing myself. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a quarter. He took my hand and put the quarter inside. He grinned and said "Put this in your baby's piggy bank". We were so humbled! What a generous act. I felt embarrassed that I had judged him. I learned my lesson and will be less quick to judge. I am also starting a piggy bank for Jude today!

It's Official!

2009-06-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

So Jude has had this milk allergy where I can't eat ANY dairy, since I am his source of food. He is 6 months now and I figured I would try something I have really been craving.... ice cream! I have had it almost every day for a week and he has been such a happy baby! I think its over! FINALLY!

Hawaii

2009-06-11T18:28:00.001-07:00

We're Back!

2009-06-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

So we are back from Hawaii! We had the best vacation ever! We went with Nick's immediate family to Oahu for 6 days and then to the Big Island for 6 days. We visited with lots of family, had great food, lived on the beach, and had a FABULOUS time! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Corotan for a wonderful time!

Before we went to Hawaii, we were able to spend some time in California with Grandma Baker and the Corotan's. We miss living there and it was good to visit with friends and family! We were so glad Jude got to meet more of our friends.

While we were on Oahu we stayed at a beach house. We had a lot of fun in the sun! Cubworld played at BYU Hawaii while we were there and they had one of the best shows! It was so fun and the crowd loved them. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and spent a fun day there and also went to the night show. Since we had a cousin that got us in, he asked Dan and Kelsey if they wanted to be apart of the parade as Hawaiian royalty. It was fun to have them apart of the show! We also went to the swap meet near Honolulu and went to Waikiki Beach afterwards. We ate good food at Ted's Bakery and had shave ice from Matsumoto's. We also had family pictures taken the last day we were there. I will post them soon.

While we were on the Big Island we spent lots of time with family! We were very well fed and loved all them time we spent with family. We stayed with Uncle Stan and Auntie Linda and their family. It was so nice of them! We saw where Alton (Nick's Dad) grew up in Kohala. It was fun to put a place to all the stories we have heard. We had the best treats called Malasada's. If you haven't had one, you need too! Alton raved about these and then I tried one and I am trying to figure out how I can get more without having to fly back to Hawaii.

We also hiked down to Waipio Beach. It was a good hike down and when we got down there the beach had black sand. It was so awesome! I didn't have my camera though and I was so bummed! I wasn't looking forward to the hike back up, but thankfully I had Jude with me and so some locals picked us up and gave us a ride up the mountain. I can't tell you how happy I was.

The last couple days on the Big Island we lived at the beach. We went snorkeling, body boarding and I learned how to paddle board. It was a blast! We hated to leave. Hopefully we can go back sometime soon....

4 months old and learning new tricks!

2009-05-06T17:19:00.001-07:00

Jude just had his 4 month check up. He is growing well! He is now 13lbs 11oz and 26 inches long. He also had a few shots. He didn't like these ones too much and screamed until we gave him a pacifier. Funny thing is that he really doesn't like his pacifier...so we were amazed when it calmed him down. Glad we had it with us!

Well Jude is now finally enjoying tummy time. We have to line up his toys and help him stay occupied, but it is a huge step forward!

He loves his cousins! Every time he sees them he smiles so big! I think he likes to have people his size around. Kaia and Jude like to hold hands...

He is finally using his hands a ton and grabbing everything in sight! He has a favorite toy that hangs from his carseat and has a ring that he pulls on and it makes a buzzing noise. The other day I was driving in the car and kept hearing that noise over and over again. He loves to let go of it, grab it, and pull. Over and over again. It's great that he can finally entertain himself! He can also hold onto his bottle.

Unfortunately he loves watching TV. But sometimes when he is fussy I can put on a Baby Einstien and he will be occupied while I jump in the shower. At least I feel like it is somewhat stimulating and doesn't fry his brain, right? When I came out I saw him doing this...

I've got a thumbsucker!

Daddy & Jude also have "the trick" mastered! He is growing up so fast. We are so grateful for how healthy and strong he is getting. We love him so much and cherish every moment!

Happy 2 Years & Stuff...

2009-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Nick and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on March 30. It has been an amazing 2 years with Nick and I can't wait to spend many, many more with him. He is my love, my life, my rock and nobody can make me laugh like he can! My Mom came to visit and so did my sister Stephanie and her husband Adam. We were able to get away to St. George and My Mom, Becky, Stephanie, & Adam took turns taking care of Jude. We were so grateful for them to come and watch Jude! It was so nice to get away and spend time together. We enjoyed the nice weather, went miniature golfing, swimming, saw a movie, and got some needed sleep! Oh and went to In n' Out, of course! It was a low-key but much needed vacation!

We went to my Grandparents in Salt Lake for General Conference. It was nice to spend time with them! My Grandma & Grandpa just love Jude! It's so fun to see how excited they both get.

Also my great Aunt Manie was there and just loved Jude! She was cracking us all up by how active she was and running around the room in circles to get Jude's attention. She told us that she went to the doctor for a check up and he told her she could live another 20 years! (Mind you she is 93 years old!) She even went outside with the boys and shot airsoft guns. She is so full of life. I hope I can be that active when I get old like her!

Also my cousin Josh and his wife Anays were there and Jude loves them!! They have a blast with him! We love all our family so much and know that Jude does too!

Vacation here we come!!

2009-04-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

So Nick was entered into a contest at work and his name was randomly selected for a $1500 Expedia.com give away! The farthest east I have been is Minnesota. The farthest west I have been is California. The farthest south I have been is Tijuana. And the farthest north I have been is Canada...Needless to say I am very excited to get off of this continent!! Where would you reccommend to go?

Daddy or Mommy?

2009-03-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I was going through some old pictures because I was curious who Jude looks like. Nick or Me? I put some pictures on here so you can be the judge.

Jude

Nick (love that finger in the mouth!)

Jude

Mandi

Jude (can you believe that drool? it only got worse!!)

Nick

Jude

Nick (Jude must get the drooling from Nick...:))

Mandi (awesome hair!)

Mandi

Nick (I just want to squeeze Nick's little face!)

What do you think???

Fun Times!

2009-03-03T12:25:00.001-08:00

So Nick is now playing in a band with Jake Kongaika. Jake started Cubworld and he has some great music! (Check it out on youtube or myspace). Nick's brothers (Dan and Gabe) are in the band as well. They played an acoustic show last week and Jude and I went with Nick's family. We have discovered Jude really loves lots of loud noise! He is mesmorized with it! So it was nice to get out of the house and take him to something that I knew he would like. The boys played an acoustic show this time.

Auntie Becky is always so good with Jude! He just loves her! They enjoyed the show together.

Also this last weekend we celebrated our little friend Liam's 1st birthday! It was fun to see everybody. We have finally gotten to a point where we can take Jude out more so it is so nice to hang out with friends again! Richie and Emileah are expecting another little one this fall so Liam is going to be a big brother! We are excited for them!
Liam was so fun to watch! It will be fun when Liam and Jude can play together. I can't wait until Jude is one and running around! But I do love the stage he is in now too.

Jude (look at that double chin!) and Liam! This was the best picture we could get... :)

Taking a nap...Jude loves his Uncle Dan!

Emileah made a special cake for Liam to "dig in" to all by himself. As you can see he didn't like it too much! He kept trying to get the chocolate off, but rubbed it all over himself! It was hilarious! Why is it when kids are given the ok to make a mess they get freaked out?

It's Official..

2009-02-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Jude slept 8 solid hours! Not just one night, but TWO! I can't tell you how good it feels to sleep again... He better keep this up!

2 months already?!

2009-02-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

Jude had his 2 month appointment yesterday. So we all know what that means...SHOTS! I was worried but figured that Jude has already dealt with his fair share of needles when he was in the hospital. Jude is always so good for the doctor and gives him some sweet smiles. For example:

This was before the shots....

This was after. Poor little guy cried one tear and then was good to go! He was in more pain after the shots then when he got them.
The nurse weighed him and he weighs 10 lbs. 12 oz. and is in the 30 percentile. He is 22 3/4 inches tall and is in the 45 percentile. His head circumference is 15 inches and is in the 13 percentile. Jude is doing great since he had a rough start! Nick is hoping he will get bigger! I don't mind if he stays small for a little while :).
While I was making Jude's next appointment, the secretary asked if it was for his 2 month and I said it was for his 4 month. A fellow mother walked up with a car seat carrier and said that she couldn't believe that Jude was 2 months! She thought he was here for his 2 week! I was amazed that she thought that until she uncovered her baby (who is 2 months as well) and let me tell you... He looked like he could devour Jude in one sitting! Ha! It was unreal!

* * *

Now about 2 weeks ago Jude had been acting really fussy. He would cry sometimes for 6 hours straight! He would even fall asleep and then wake up in 2 minutes crying even harder! I called an on call nurse and she told me that he was just colicky and I had to deal with his crying. I was in shock that their was no real reason for him crying that hard. So after a week I took him into the doctor because I couldn't handle it anymore. Since I am breastfeeding, he told me to try going off of dairy products for a while and see what happens. So I did that and within 36 hours he was the happy baby that I knew. I was so happy! And then it hit me that I can't eat ANY chocolate, ice cream, butter, cheese, milk, etc! It's amazing how many things have milk in them, try looking at labels of things that you eat. So for the last week and a half, I have probably eaten the healthiest I have ever eaten in my entire life! Lots of fruits and veggies! And thanks to my cousin Janae (she has had this problem with all 3 of her kids!) she has given me hope and great recipes and ideas! Hopefully this non-dairy diet doesn't last too long.. I am really having a hard time with the no ice cream thing!

* * *

Also on a lighter note, Nick was accepted into the BYU Communications Program with an emphasis in Advertising. We are so happy for him! He is such a hard worker and a great dad! He is so supportive and willing to help. I love him so much!

* * *

The weather has been so nice lately that we have been going on walks with Jude in the stroller. He absolutely loves it! We live near a park and golf course and like to walk around them. I can't wait for spring to come and for it to be green again!

Video of Jude

2009-02-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

Jude smiles!

2009-02-09T10:56:00.001-08:00

Doesn't that just make you happy?!

jude's announcement <3

2009-02-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

My cousin Diana made this for me! They turned out to be better than anything I could have imagined! She loves making announcements, invitations, etc. So if any of you are needing something like this done let me know and I can get you in contact with her.

5 weeks old!

2009-01-27T14:03:00.001-08:00

Our little Superman caught in action! Ready to conquer the world after a bath and a fresh, new diaper!

Our Little Man

2009-01-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays! For us the holidays came and went...Jude has kept us pretty busy. Now to give a brief update. Right after Jude was born the nurses noticed he was breathing very shallow and too quick. They took him over to the little NICU and put him on an I.V., feeding tube and oxygen. He was struggling with TTN. He was progressively getting better over the next few days, but still not well enough to leave the hospital. I delivered him at the Orem Community Hospital (I highly reccommend it! The nurses were absolutely fabulous!) and since it is a smaller hospital and it was over the holidays, we were able to stay at the hospital while Jude was needing to stay there. My family and Nick's family were all in town and I was hoping to have Jude blessed before everyone left. Since his stay in the hospital was longer than we had hoped, we were given special permission to take him to our room so he could be blessed. It was a very special moment because we hadn't been able to take him out of the NICU. Nick gave a wonderful blessing and has shown me what a great dad he is and will continue to be.

Kekoa is Jude's middle name and it means strong, courageous warrior. We felt like he was!

We were in the hospital for a week and got the okay from our pediatrician to take him home on December 30. Just in time for the New Year! We were grateful we didn't have to spend two holidays in the hospital. My mom came and spent the next few days with us before she had to leave to get back to teaching school, and she was such an amazing help! Nick and I were so grateful for the time we had with her. She never ceases to amaze me with how much she can get done in one day. It was so nice to have my family here and enjoy our sweet little guy. Nick's mom has been able to stay with us for the last week and will be with us a little longer. It has been so nice to have her around as well. She has taught us a couple tricks to getting Jude to bed and has been so very helpful! It's been so nice that we can depend on family for all their help! Nick and I have been so blessed with all that everyone has done for us and baby Jude. We are forever grateful!

first day home!

Jude is doing well now and is almost 3 weeks old! It is crazy how time flies with a newborn. He has really been such a good baby and is such a joy to have around!

Jude Kekoa Corotan has arrived!

2008-12-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Announcing: JUDE KEKOA COROTAN

At 12:53 on December 23, our son Jude was born. He was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20.5 inches in length. We are so excited for this new addition to our family. We love him so much and feel very blessed to have him with us. More pictures and posts with Baby Jude will be coming soon.

counting down...

2008-12-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

we have been having a great time during the holidays! thanksgiving was so great! we were able to spend time with my extended family at my uncle dave and aunt marg's. we had a fabulous meal! nick and i were trying to not eat too much because we were going to be eating again in a couple hours.. but we couldn't help ourselves! the food was too good! thanks for a wonderful meal guys! then we went and spent time with nick's family and had great food there too! nick's grandma was in town from hawaii and his parents and younger sister came in from california. it's always so nice to see them! they also made a fabulous meal! thanks! we also had family pictures taken while nick's family was in town. unfortunately i was 36 weeks pregnant...

* * *

ok so according to the baby ticker we have less than 2 weeks left to meet our little one. i hope it's right... the doctor said last week that i have a 4 1/2 out of 5 chance of being late! what pregnant woman wants to hear that? so i have been trying the curb walking and hoping that works but if any of you have any ideas how to make sure this baby doesn't come too late, let me know. i am willing to try almost anything (except for drinking that oil stuff...). let me know your secrets!

7 1/2 months

2008-10-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

ok so here are the long awaited "belly" pics. enjoy!

kaia noelani williamson

2008-10-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

nick's sister lynsey and her husband chris introduced us to our new little neice on september 26! she weighed 6lbs. 12oz. and is so beautiful! i have forgotten how little newborns really are since we have been around malina (our other little neice who is one year old now! time really flies!) all the time. she is growing so fast and its been so fun to see what nick and i will have in about 10 more weeks! we love our new little addition to the corotan extended family!

end of summer fun

2008-09-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

so it hit me today that this was our last summer as a young married couple with no baby. i am so excited to have a little one but we can't be as spontaneous as we have been. i am glad we were able to enjoy ourselves, even though the anticipation is killing us. our baby is growing so fast and he is getting strong. there are times when i am sitting and it looks like he's trying to punch through my belly! i love it when he is active, but i am grateful he is not super active. :) we can't wait to have this sweet boy in our arms! only 13 more weeks of being prego!

well lets see to update you on our lives...

we have been staying busy with work and school and also enjoying our evenings together. we were able to go to a jack johnson concert because our friend dave had a couple tickets he wasn't using and was nice enough to think of us. we had so much fun! it was in an outdoor amphitheater in salt lake. you bring your own blankets and enjoy the show.
this wasn't jack but it was the band that played before. the set up
was fun though. we liked the screens so we could see

nick and i also went to the utah state fair with nick's brother dan and his friend linda. i mainly wanted to go because i wanted to try the deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sounds like a heart attack on a stick, i know..) but ended up with funnel cake instead. i love funnel cake anyways so i wasn't too sad. there was lots of entertainment and displays. we saw lots of art and photography. even a sculpture made out of butter. it kind of made me sick. :) they had some tigers there. they were beautiful. but we couldn't see them really well to get a good picture, hence the picture of dan on nick's shoulders so he could see. i should have had him take the picture dang it!

kind of weird that we are making the same face...

last week i heard about this moonlight ride in sundance. it is a 45 minute roundtrip ride on the ski lift when the moon is out. i surprised nick and took him up there with some hot chocolate, treats, a blanket and an ipod. we had a lot of fun just talking and enjoying the ride! i think we went on the last day and i was bummed. i wanted to take some friends and family with us. maybe next year...

well thats all for today but i will post some belly pics soon. and hopefully figure out a way to put some ultrasound pics on here too...

It's a....

2008-08-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

BOY!!

first comes love, then comes marriage....

2008-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

then comes.....

that's right! if you haven't heard already nick and i are expecting a little one to join our family on dec. 21! i am almost 19 weeks pregnant and we are about to find out if it's a boy or girl! i waited for a long time to post anything because we are surprising nick's brother dan and my sister becky who are both on missions and are getting home next week. i didn't want them to find out on the blog before we could tell them ourselves.
we told nick's family over memorial day weekend while we were camping. we put our niece malina in a onesie that we custom made. it said on the front "i can't wait to meet...." and on the back it said "the baby in auntie's belly on dec. 20". i held her facing frontwards until someone noticed and then i flipped her over and handed her to nick. everyone was so excited! (i will post a pic of the onesie soon). this will be the third grandchild for grandma and grandpa corotan in a little over a year!
we told my family by having my mom wrap up a box and gave it to the family to open. nick and i were on the phone but she didn't tell anyone who it was. so they had no idea what was going on! watch this video of them being surprised...

this will be the first grandchild on my side and officially make my parents old!

San Fran pics... finally!

2008-07-14T14:51:00.001-07:00

the beautiful golden gate bridge
nick , me, emileah and richie

a lovely hill we climbed to get to coit tower

coit tower. the view from here was amazing!

can you see the parrots? they were every where in the trees
on our way down from coit tower. they were beautiful!

this pier has all kinds of shops, restaurants, and even magic shows!

alcatraz! i was so bummed the tickets were sold out so this was as close as we got..

fisherman's wharf... need i say more.

we missed the "bushman"! but here are his things.
he sits behind his self made bush and scares people
and makes about 120 grand a year. check it out on youtube.

every woman's dream come true....

so we have been having some trouble with our internet again. i am so sad i haven't posted since may! to give you a quick update nick is has been going to byu this spring and summer and is now currently working for a company called orange soda. i have recently moved salons. it is a cute vintage house and is not a typical hair salon. the salon name is lush studio and is located on state street in orem. for those of you who need the number it is 426-5909. i have really been enjoying it there!

my brother phil has now been in the mtc learning spanish for a month now and is looking forward to go to chile soon. my mom came to drop him off at the mtc and then stayed with nick and i for a little while.( it was so nice to have her here! i never realize how much i miss her until i have her here and then she has to leave.)i have been very impressed with the long detailed letters he has been sending. i am glad because i didn't think we would get much out of him. :) my sister becky will be home from her mission in arizona on july 29! i can't believe it has already been a year and a half! she will hopefully be coming out to byu soon. i can't wait to see her! nick's brother dan is coming home from his mission in south korea on july 30! it's crazy to think that he has been gone two years! we are so excited to see them both and are so proud of all they have accomplished!

we just celebrated nick's 24th birthday on july 1st. i can't believe he is that old! it was a fun day! we celebrated with almost his whole family at red robin and enjoyed the day. he got some new clothes and shoes and a fishing pole. fishing has been a new favorite of his. i am very mad at myself that i didn't get any pictures. well there is always next year....right? i'm terrible...

last saturday we went to a drive in movie! it was so fun but nick and i didn't realize how popular it was going to be! we got there a little to late to see kung fu panda. so we ended up watching 'journey to the center of the earth' and 'get smart'. i have to say i was not to impressed with 'journey to the center of the earth'. maybe i was just bummed because we didn't see 'kung fu panda'. i really did like 'get smart'. you can never go wrong with a movie that steve carell is in.

kevin and lisa's wedding

2008-05-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

so nick and i had a wonderful weekend! we were able to go to kevin and lisa hiatt's wedding in sacramento and it was so beautiful! they were married in the sacramento temple. it was stunning and i was surprised how similar the interior was to the newport beach temple. kevin and lisa make a beautiful couple and we are so excited for them! we were thinking that when we have kids and they have kids we might get them confused. ha! it will be interesting to see if they will be light or dark...

we stayed with steve and ashley smith. richie and emileah and little liam hiatt stayed upstairs with the rest of the hiatt family. and randy and nancy smith were there as well! it was like a big los alamitos party in sacramento! it was so fun! richie and emileah's baby, liam, has gotten so big! he is now 2 months and already weighs more than our petite niece who is almost 7 months. richie and emileah are great parents! it was also good to see bill, terri, aubrey and nate chapman. we all had a blast! the weekend was way too short!

randy, nancy, ashley, steve, and nick

richie, liam and emileah
aubrey, ashley and me
nick, steve, richie and nate

after the wedding and reception, nick and i really wanted to go to san francisco since neither of us had been and we were only about an hour and a half away. richie, emileah, and richie's sisters kendra and laci came with us. we had about half a day there and we saw alot! i will post some pictures later of what we saw and where we went.

nick and i were so glad to leave utah for a little while! once we were in california we were trying to figure out a good excuse to not come back.... but it is good to be off the road :)

2008-03-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

nick and i just celebrated our one year anniversary this weekend by going to park city. we really enjoyed ourselves and it was nice to get away for the weekend. nick and i have really had a great first year and can't wait to see what is in store for the next year! for nick, i made a movie of pictures and clips of us dating. i put it up here mostly for my mom. you are more than welcome to watch but i am going to apologize for how long it is! feel free to skip through... it's fun to see the stages we have been through!

here is a panoramic view of the place we stayed. it was right outside park city on a beautiful frozen lake! i hope we can come back here during the summer. it has to be even more beautiful!

we're back!

2008-03-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

so nick and i moved to orem and we have been living without internet for a good two weeks! i never realized how much i used the internet until we didn't have it. all i have to say is that it's great to be back!

my brother phil received his mission call to rancagua, chile! we are so excited for him and can't wait to hear all about his adventures! he leaves on june 11. that's coming right up!

nick and i saw vantage point last night.... what a movie! i really enoyed it! i heard a lot of negative things before we saw it, so i was determined to see it for myself. it probably wasn't the best movies i have seen but it was really good! it was very intense.

our lives are great! orem has been good to us and we are enoying our new ward and neighbors. now all we need are those dang tax returns and our lives will be complete!

we love our little niece!

2008-02-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

2008!

2008-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

so i can't even believe that christmas just flew by! we spent christmas in provo this year and nick's parents and youngest sister traveled here to be with all of us. the saddest part is that we didn't even take pictures during our first christmas! it makes me so sad....and we didn't even get a picture from new years either! we have a good camera so there is no excuse....

the highlight of our christmas was talking to becky my sister, who is on a mission in arizona, and nick's brother, who is on a mission in south korea. it was so good to hear how they are doing and we miss them so much!

we spent new years with nick's family and it was so fun! we played this great game called ticket to ride and played wii all night! even though it was hard to be away from my family, we had a good time.

so nick and i recently were called to work at the provo temple as ordinance workers. we have been doing it for two weeks now. we work on saturday nights from 5:30-10:30. our lives have been so blessed already for just working the two times. i know that they are in need of workers if you have weekends free. i would recommend it to everyone!

2007-12-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

so i had a long day at work the other day and i came home thinking about what to make for dinner. i walk in the door and i hear music playing and smell an amazing dinner. i looked around the corner and saw nick and a set table with candles lit! what a sweetheart! he knew i had a bad day and made me a great dinner!

after a great dinner of stir fry and rice it was time for a surprise dessert!

creamsicles!!! i love nick!

2007-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

nick and i both had our work christmas parties. they were fun! my work party we ate at carrabba's (i am so sad i have been wasting my time on other food!) it was amazing! for nick's we went to dinner at a hotel and then went to the jazz game! we saw them play the miami heat... nick was stoked to see dwayne wade and shaq play. we had a good time driving on the way there and back... probably because we didn't have to drive...

thanksgiving was so wonderful! we were able to spend time with my grandparents, cousins, phil, steph & adam, and my dad in salt lake city in the morning. i am sad i didn't get any pictures with them. then we went to pleasant grove with nick's family and cousins. it was our first thanksgiving together as a married couple and i was so glad it turned out so smoothly (and that we were able to have two dinners :) ).

so we have been having a great time during the holidays! we hope everyone is too! while i was looking for some gift ideas and ran across this picture....

i can't believe how much it looks like lukey!!! i thought it was hilarious! denise, this would be a great present wouldn't it?! maybe a paperweight for derek at the office?

2007-11-13T09:19:00.001-08:00

so nick has been hard at work and school but when he has free time he has been playing music with his friends that he grew up with in california. they have played a couple shows in provo and have done a great job! it is fun to go and support them (especially because they have fun wives and girlfriend to hang out with :) ). If you live in the area, i think i am going to post when their next shows are if you would like to come and support them. Its always fun to have a big crowd!

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and also i have become a stylist at von curtis salon. i work wednesdays and so if you need to cut, trim, color, or style your hair call me or leave me a comment and we will get you scheduled!

2007-11-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

nick and i had a great halloween! we had a last minute party with some close friends. we only had one other couple dress up....we were so disappointed! :) see if you can tell who we dressed up as....

we hope everyone had a great halloween!

2007-10-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

so for mandi's birthday she got a pretty awesome present... her very first niece! nick's oldest brother gabe and his wife jessica had a beautiful healthy baby girl! her name is malina kailani corotan. she weighed a little under 7 pounds...she's so little! we have been spending a lot of time with them just ooing and ahhing over her.

isn't she adorable? we just love her!

mandi is going to become a stylist at von curtis salon in a couple of weeks and she can't wait! nick has been doing great in school and enjoying the free time that he has. he is playing his first show with his band on saturday. they have been sounding great and it will be exciting to see them play!

its crazy to be back in utah with the crazy weather! it was a blizzard on saturday and has warmed up and a lot of the snow is gone...thank goodness! i mean come on... its not even halloween yet! hopefully the weather stays good for a little longer...

2007-08-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

we have moved to provo a month ago and are finally getting settled. we have been traveling while trying to work and move into our new basement apartment. we were able to go to minnesota twice! once to visit and enjoy the family and once for stephanie and adam's beautiful wedding in nauvoo. we had two family reunions on the same weekend one in utah and one in idaho. we have been enjoying the last of our summer.
nick is starting at byu this fall and going into business. he transferred with his associates degree so he can get right into his major. he is working for a company called logoworks who have recently been acquired by hp. mandi is working at von curtis salon at the shops at riverwoods and is assisting for only 3 months and will soon have her own chair. she will also be taking a few classes at byu. just for fun...if that is fun. i am sure she will soon find out.
we are excited to be in provo and are enjoying our student married ward. we also can't wait until mandi's family moves to utah. hopefully the house sells quickly so keep them in your prayers.