Go Dodgers!

We had a great week with Mark and Nat. They came up from Utah for their Spring Break. This is such a great spring break spot because of Baseball Spring Training. We did it last year with my parents, now this year was my little bro's turn. We new Kade would be a Dodger fan from day one because I started labor the night I went to the Dodger game last year. I also got to watch the Dodgers play during delivery because they had a double header...Kade was born in the 9th inning! I was so happy to take little Kade to his first Dodger game. Hopefully it will just be the first of many.

So maybe Natalie and I were checking out some of the players...can you blame us?? Andre Either is so cute!

Kade LOVED getting to pick at the grass and be around all the people. It was a little hot, and the game was pretty long so he hasn't quite learned to go the whole 9 without a nap :)

We had a baby sitter for this game on St. Patrick's Day. It was fun to be able to just relax more, but we really missed our little mascot!

The best thing about Mark and Nat is they are always up for a good time. We crammed in as many things as we could during the week and had such a blast with them.

One of my favorite parts of the week is Mark got to play in 2 of my soccer games with me! These pics of our outdoor league. And then he got to play in my indoor game too. Nat was the good babysitter. I loved getting to play with him and it brought me back to the times when I would live at home during the summer during college days. Mark and I would stay up all night watching games, and playing under a light in our yard. I can't get enough of playing with him. The only downside, is that I am washed up and just play twice a week. Mark is better than he's ever been and playing in college. He did amazing and scored in both games. He really did a great job and we had a blast being on the same team. If you look closely you'll notice my nasty soccer wings. Yes, I said wings. They are the weird pieces of hair that poke out right above my ears. I try so hard to spray them back and they tend to poke out every single game. I wish they would help me run faster cause I need all the help I can get!

Of course we can't have anyone come down without dragging them to the lake with us for some fishing. Kade was sporting his Bass Pro Shop outfit that we bought for him as soon as we found out we were having a boy. Don't ask what Nate has on his head. I wasn't the best sport on this trip. I offered to stay on shore because there wasn't enough room for all of us on the boat. Me and Kade had a fine time for the first few hours...but after 4 1/2 hours being alone on shore with my little man...no pack n play for a nap, and no shade, we both weren't too happy with Dad when they came back :). We did enjoy being at the Lake though, it's always nice to have some fresh air.

Thanks guys for the visit! If anyone wants to come to AZ we have a twin bed and floor for ya!!!! (sorry Mark that the floor was yours all week)

Perfectly Stated

I am obsessed with reading, and will read most anything I can get my hands on. I had already read Nicholas Sparks', The Wedding, once before but I decided to read it again cause it had been a while and I didn't have anything else to read. I got to a part in the book that had a WHOLE new meaning for me. It is kind of long, but it almost states my feelings perfectly so I want to record it. It seems that motherhood for some people is just a natural talent. I feel like the biggest strug in the world sometimes. Just when I think I am getting a hang of things, then a new trial comes up. I start to feel lame because I don't have a baby with any major health issues, I have support of a wonderful husband and family....but man sometimes it is just hard for me! Kade isn't sleeping through the night anymore. It lasted about 3 weeks and then I don't know what happened. One day I want to just not second guess myself on all my decisions and just feel like I am doing it all just right :)....hmmm, I am not sure that will happen ever. But I can always dream!

SERIOUSLY, this is SO worth reading. Is it considered copy write? Opps...It may sound negative at the beginning...just keep reading to the end :)

"For my wife and I, the most challenging years were those that followed the births of our children. There seems to be a misconception that the first year of a child's life resembles a Hallmark commercial, complete with cooing babies and smiling, calm parents. In contrast, y wife still refers to that period as "the hateful years." By "hateful", what Jane meant was this: There were moments when she hated practically everything. She hated how she looked and how she felt. She hated women whose breasts didn't ache and women who still fit into their clothes. She hated how oily her skin became and hated the pimples that appeared for the first time since adolescence. But it was the lack of sleep that raised her ire most of all, and consequently, nothing irritated her more than hearing stories of other mothers whose infants slept through the night within weeks of leaving the hospital. In fact, she hated everyone who had thee opportunity to sleep more than three hours at a stretch, and there were times, it seemed, that she even hated me for my role in all this. After all, I couldn't breast-feed, and because of my long hours at the law firm, I had no choice but to sleep in the guest room occasionally so I could function at the office the next day. Though I'm certain that she understood this intellectually, it often didn't seem that way. "Good Morning," I might say when I saw her staggering into the kitchen, "How did the baby sleep?" Instead of answering, she would sigh impatiently as she moved toward the coffeepot. "Up a lot?" I'd ask tentatively. "You wouldn't last a week" On cue, the baby would start to cry. Jane would grit her teeth, slam her coffee cup down, and looks as if she wondered why it was the God seemed to hate her so. In time, I learned that it was wiser not to say anything. Then, of course, there is the fact that having a child transforms the basic marriage relationship. No longer are you simply husband and wife, you are mother and father as well, and all spontaneity vanishes immediately. Going out to dinner? Have to find out whether her parents can watch the baby. New movie? Haven't seen one these in over a year. Weekend getaways? Couldn't even conceive of them. This is not to say that the first year was entirely miserable. When people ask me what it's like to be a parent. I say it's among the hardest things you'll ever do, but in exchange, it teachers you the meaning of unconditional love. Everything a baby does strikes a parent as the most magical thing he or she has ever seen. I'll always remember the day each of my children first smiled at me; I remember clapping and watching the tears spill down Jane's face as they took their first steps; and there is nothing quite as peaceful as holding a sleeping child in the comfort of your arms and wondering how it's possible to care so deeply. Those are the moments that I find myself remembering the vivid detail now. the challenges--though I can speak of them dispassionately---are nothing but distant and foggy images, more akin to a dream than reality. No, there's no experience quite like having children, and despite the challenges we once faced, I've considered myself blessed because of the family we created. As I said, however, I've just learned to be prepared for surprises....."


Almost to the T my own thoughts. The non sleeping; Nate having to sleep during the days so he can function for work. Which leaves me all alone during the night.... and basically alone during the day too so he can sleep; Nate and I haven't been on a real date in ages. We tried so hard to arrange for his mom to take Kade. We picked out a matinee movie to see so that we could be back in time to pick up Kade, bring him home, and get him in bed a good time. Well, Kade had a bad afternoon. He wouldn't go down for a nap until right before we were going to leave. By the time I got done with him our movie was almost going to start, and I hadn't had time for myself to get ready and I really wanted to get dressed up a little and try to look cute for once. I was really disappointed that we couldn't go to the movies together. Later that evening we were sitting at the dinner table chatting. I felt a little pat pat on my leg. I look down and Kade had crawled under the table and was giving me the biggest smile. That little stinker just melted my heart and I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. It is so crazy that this spirit who is sometimes my biggest stress in life...is also always my greatest pride and joy.

Mover

Saturday ended up being such a great day. We didn't do anything big, I just really enjoyed our time as a family working around the house. Nate taught me how to mow and edge the lawn. Yes, I know it's pathetic that I've never mowed a lawn before. We basically had boy jobs, and girl jobs at my house growing up. Since I was the only girl I didn't ever mow the lawn or take out the trash. I ended up LOVING mowing our lawn. Outside chores are always more fun when it's a nice day. We pulled weeds and pruned some bushes. I didn't have any loud music playing like I usually do when we pull weeds. It was just really relaxing to have some quiet time. It may sound cliche' or cheesy...but I liked hearing the dogs barking, birds chirping, and the kids playing next door. I am so grateful that our Father in Heaven created this beautiful world for us to experience. One of our lessons in church today was about how we can take care of, and beautify, the things God has blessed us with. I hope it motivates me to get out and take care of our weeds and house work more often. Kade was just happy he's not big enough to pull weeds yet. He had a fun time playing with his toys on his blanket while we worked :)

My baby boy turns 7 months tomorrow. I can't even believe it. I am tearing up just thinking about how much joy he has brought to my life. I love him more than I ever even knew was possible. Kade seems to have grown up so fast just this week. He learned to crawl on Wednesday! We sit around and watch him inch across the floor and just laugh and laugh! Kade also cut two teeth on Thursday. I haven't experience any biting yet and I hope that it doesn't happen. Does anyone know what to do if it does? He has been quite the stubborn nurser this past few weeks. He won't really take a bottle either. I have had to start feeding him in a dark room so there is no other distractions. He kept trying to dive off my lap. The doctor says he needs the majority of his nutrition from breast milk or formula and all Kade wanted was baby food from a spoon. I was getting really frustrated with it all and was having to pump to keep up my supply. It now seems that since his teeth finally came in he is eating better. I wonder if it was just painful on his gums? Those darn teeth!

Trying to feed himself the little puffs.

With the crawling comes a trouble maker. He loves to explore everywhere and has already knocked down 2 garbage cans. I think I am going to be in for it.

Bloggers....

So I am trying to update my friends and family blog list because I have other blogs I look at and forget to copy and paste them into my list. Could you help me out??? Can you look to see if I have you in my blog list??? If not, then will you leave a comment so I can link to your blog. Most likely if you are looking at mine, I am looking at yours.....or I wish I was!!! THANKS!

Little campers

Nate has such a funny schedule because he works a lot of weekends, and then has time off during the week. Well JJ had a week off of Medical School so we planned a camping trip during the week. It was so much fun! We love the Annie and JJ live in AZ. There 2 boys were so much fun and Kade loved them. Little Cole and Logan had the biggest vocabularies I have ever seen in such young kids. They cracked me up the whole time. There was an awesome park close at our campsite so it entertained the boys while Annie and I could chat. I am so glad that they could come with us.

We met the funniest/craziest old guy while we were camping. Of course his name was Bill. He didn't even remember how long he'd been camping at the Lake for! He was all by him self and loving every second of it. He had a sweet bass boat and took Nate and JJ out with him. I swear he is Nate's new hero. He fishes tournaments all over, he is a hunting guide, teaches fly fishing lessons, had crafts antler lamps and chandeliers. I got a glimpse of what Nate will be like in 30 years.

Nate was a bit of a strug on this trip. I really thinking I am wearing off on him....that isn't so good cause you have to have one person in the house that actually has a brain! Annie and I were having a hard time trying to get the dutch oven dinners ready while doing the kids too. It was getting dark and we needed some boy scouts to get the fire going. I called the men and "kindly" urged them to hurry and come back to camp. Nate accidentally left his boats trolling motor next to his truck because he was in a hurry...yep, it was gone the next day! :( So day 2 of camping the boys had to paddle in the boat. Nate's fishing pole got caught on a under water tree and while he was tugging it snapped right in half! Oh joy! Just what I was hoping we'd spend our tax return money on....new fishing stuff.

Kade LOVED the dirt! I would set him on a blanket and he would scoot over to the side so he could pat the dirt and pick up rocks. I was so proud! Now that he likes to rub dirt all over him and get it under his fingernails...he is a real man! Camping is a lot more difficult now with a little nugget. I am worrying the whole night if he is cold, making sure he doesn't get sun burned in the day, always checking if he is too close to the fire, and making sure the surrounding campers don't hear him waking up at his usual 3 a.m. scream. Plus, our stinkin air mattress had a slow leak so after an hour of laying on it it was totally flat. Sleeping on hard groud just isn't what it used to be. We already have 2 more camping trips planned in March. Yikes, I am thinking one a month is all I may be able to handle now!

Half Baked!

So before I start I have to borrow my friend Marisa's words, I am not going to apologise for this being such a long post because you don't have to look at it if you don't want to :)

Seems as if the past month has been super busy. I have started subbing, Nate ran a half-marathon, Kade and I took a trip to see my family, we did a fun hike with some friends, celebrated Valentines day, and Kade turned 6 MONTHS!!!

GO BABE!!!!!! Nate ran the Lost Dutchman's Half Marathon on Valentines day. When he signed up for it a while back I thought there was no way I'd be ready for it. I ran with Nate while he trained and when the time came I was kinda sad I didn't sign up cause I felt like I maybe could have done it. I was SOOOO proud of Nate though! He did great! He got 1 hour and 46 min. and finished 6th in his division. I have to brag for Nate because he wasn't able to train as much as he'd of liked and he still got a good time. I wish I was as good of a runner as he is. I love that Nate likes to run long distance and we can share that hobby together. It was really fun to bring Kade to cheer for his daddy. My favorite pic is the random guy in the green shirt trying to get in the picture. If you blow up the collage you can see it better. Cracks me up every time.

We decided to do low key Valentines day this year, but I still loved it. I am sucker for all Holidays. Nate made me a thoughtful, homemade gift and I LOVED it. He made a balloon bouquet and put little love notes in each of the balloons. Those kinds of presents are my favorite. I made up a cheesy poem for Nate and gave him some running socks and energy GU for his race. One of my dearest friends, old roommate, old soccer teammate, Lindsey Sombs...came to visit it Valentines weekend. She spoiled Kade and he loved her. Grandma and Grandpa Sager of course had some Valentines treats for the little man too.

My poor mother had a bit of a spill about a week ago. She tripped down some stairs while going out to eat with friends. She broke one ankle and tore the ligaments....AND sprained the other one! I felt SO bad because she can't even walk at all because both ankles are shot! She has to be in a wheel chair until the sprain heels and she can maybe move on to crutches. I flew up to Utah to try to help her. Although I must admit, I am not a very good help. I still tried to make her do things with me instead of resting. She was a very good sport. It was such a fast trip, I was only there for a few days but it was SO good to see the fam. We went to this sweet indoor pool by Jeff and Brandi's house. Dylan and Kennedy (Carolyn's little miss) were so funny playing on the slide. Kade was such a lounge cat. He only wanted to float on his back and lay his head on the life jacket head rest. It was so funny! He actually feel asleep in the water for like 45 min. while my dad was floating him around! We were all dying. To bad I can't put water in his crib! I was able to squeeze some other fun things while I was there. My cousin Amy is a Cougarette and we went to their dance concert. They are amazing. I got to see Mark and Nat's sweet apartment. I stayed a night with Jeff and Brandi. We got to visit my grandparents in Springville. Kade loved getting spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa Davis. We also through Des a Bridal shower. As always, it was a lot of fun to get together with the high school girls. I miss all my Utah friends and family already! Get feeling better mom!

My man turned 6 months on February 15th!!!!! What??? Has it really been a year? I just want to freeze him in this stage for a while. I am lovin it so much. He cracks me up everyday. I really think he has to be the funniest baby ever invented. He is such a ham and getting more personality everyday. This little guy is super happy and loves to play. He likes anyone to hold him and entertain him.

Stats:

Weight= 16 lbs 9 oz... 27% He used to be in the 50% for weight but has gone down. Kinda shocked me cause he looks like a chunk to me. He eats like a horse but still barfs a lot.

Height= 26.5 inches....49%

Head Circumference= 18inches... 92% Can you say noggin??? I think once he gets hair and grows into it it'll be a lot better for him.

*Kade sits up all on his own. It's great cause he can sit and play with toys for long periods of time.

*Kade is rolling around/scooting...not so great cause I already need to start baby proofing.

*He is still taking his acid reflex medicine which seems to help a lot.

Kade Loves:

*Blowing out his pants and rolling around in it. There goes the new carpet

*All fruit baby food, rice, and oatmeal. He pants like a puppy between every bite to try to get you to hurry

*Nursing. I am glad I stuck with it because I love it now. I have to do bottles when I am subbing and he only likes to drink bottles arched upside down. Don't ask

*Loves taking showers with Nate

*Still loves going to my soccer games. He's always in the best mood while we are there.

*Nights and naps are getting much better. Sometimes still hit and miss with waking up screaming around 3 am

*He loves to fake cough to try to make himself cry when he wants out of his crib

We did this hike with the Greens and Sombs. It was the day after Nate's race and he still had to drag me up some of the hills. The Greens brought their dog Wally. Kade loves him. He makes a good substitute doggy.

Dog for a Day...

So we decided we weren't going to tell anyone about this temporary brain fart...but I thought it's just too funny/good/dumb of a story to not blog about. So anyone who knows me well knows that I like animals about as much as I like going to the dentist for a root canal. My family has always grown up with animals by the plenty. And I have never liked even one of the many: hamsters, lizards, birds, rabbits, salamanders, cats (especially cats, sorry mom), dogs, or chinchillas. As kids, my parents would take us to petting zoos. The pictures would show Jeff hugging all the animals and me lurking off to the side with my arms folded and a scowl on my face. But even an avid animal hater is a sucker for a cute puppy every now and again. Well this past week I decided I really wanted a puppy golden retriever. I had been doing all sorts of research online about them. I even took a quiz on what type of dog fit our personality. I had to take the quiz twice because the first time it told me I wanted this ugly, random dog that I have never heard of. Apparently that dog didn't: shed, smell as bad, need/want a lot of attention, didn't need much grooming, and its fur was good for people with allergies. So I took the quiz again pretending that I wanted a dog that need a lot of attention, and wanted to be part of the family just so I could be told that a golden retriever is what I should get. That should have been my first clue that this might not work out. I just kept picturing Kade and Baxter (our one day puppy’s name) growing up together. I pictured taking the dog hiking and camping with us, and going on morning runs with the dog. Not to mention I get a little nervous that Nate works nights so it'd be nice to have a dog around... But, I guess I forgot to picture all the other times in day to day life when we aren't running or camping. Like when I am playing with my baby and the dog is barking all day because I am not playing with it. Or Nate is trying to sleep after working a 14 hr. night shift and the dog is still barking. The sad part about this story is that it really was such a good puppy as far as puppies go. He was SO loveable and cute. And slept pretty well during the night. I just don't have the time to give it all the attention that it needs. Hmmmm, maybe should have thought of this sooner. We just didn't want to be like my neighbors who stick their dogs in the yard to bark all day and they NEVER even walk them or interact with them. My husband is so nice and said I could get one (because I begged) even though he didn't think it was the best idea with how busy we already are right now. We went and looked at a bunch of different litters and then found our little dog. We picked him up Saturday night, and then gave him back Sunday night. I was also crazy allergic to the puppy so that was the excuse we used when we returned it, not that we couldn't really handle it right now. But I truly couldn't even swallow the next morning and my eyes were pretty swollen. We played like 50 games of paper, rock scissors to see who had to be the one to call the lady to ask if we could take it back. I finally just dialed her number, handed the phone to Nate, and ran out of the room as fast as I could! I guess when it comes down to it I really hate the way animals smell. Their fur grosses me out. When they lick me I feel like I am getting some type of diseases, but I am grateful that most of Americans have better hearts than I do to house these cute animals. You may suggest to one day get an older, already trained dog..But that wouldn't work either because then you don't even own them when they are at least cute.



Well, before you start judging us and thinking, "Man, Nate and Michelle are really bad impulse buyers and they don't really think before they buy things"...you don't have to secretly think that because we very well know that we are pretty pathetic. We acknowledge that we don't think about things before we buy things. I know that I am pretty much any salesman’s dream. We always swear that we are never going to get something without thinking about it again....but somehow a week later we are in another similar situation. I guess the saying "You learn from your mistakes" hasn't really hit home at the Sager household yet. At least it does provide us with great comic relief. I wonder what we'll get into next??? The best quote one of my Institute teachers taught us is, "Don't be a grass licker". Basically cows are famous for trying to eat the grass on the other side of the fence instead of what is already offered to them. I really have been such a "grass licker" lately and instead of just being content with what I have in my life right now I keep looking for what else is out there. My goal for this next month is to just slow down my life a bit, and be grateful for our blessings. "Stoping to smell the roses" seems better than "licking grass" anyday.

Oh yea, and to make the story even better. I told Nate that I wanted a puppy so bad that I would prove it buy cleaning out our garage and having a yard sale. Yes, the only reason I probably even needed to have a yard sale is because I go to them so much. But can you blame me? Other people's crap is WAY cooler than your own. Plus, the yard sales in AZ rock. I earned enough money in my sale to buy the puppy. This pic was just some of the stuff, I sold most of it before I took this pic. I was the worst seller. Basically whatever anyone wanted to pay for it is what they got it for.

Buyer's question on something marked $5:  "I give you one dollah for dis??" ...My response: "Deal!"

Other stuff we've been up to lately. Imagine that, fishing! 

Still not the biggest fan of the life jacket. It kinda squeezes his chubby cheeks.

Nate's first good catch of the year. Good job Honey!!!!!! I love when he catches a good fish because he's in a great mood all week.

Kade and I lasted longer on the boat now that he is getting older. After Nate caught his fish he dropped us off at the truck so I could nurse Kade and play with him on shore. I didn't even almost get attacked by a bobcat this time!

Now this is the saddest part of my post. I don't even like to think about it cause then I can pretend it didn't happen. But as much as we disliked the old hut we used to live in. We did LOVE all  the amazing friends we me there. It was so nice because all the couples were pretty much in the same boat...in school, just married, low on the dough, and we all lived in huts so nobody cared what the houses looked like. Most of us all started drifting away. A few close friends still live out there. Lots of us have gotten houses around the area. But it's just not the same when you are all right there on campus. It makes me wish I would've taken more advantage of living that close to our friends when were all in walking distance! Up until now we all still remained somewhere in AZ. The Ivins decided to up and move to Blanding, Utah and buy a cattle ranch. I have to give a shout out to Lacey, Tyler, and little Aspyn. We love the many memories we have made with this great family. I am going to miss all the Sunday dinners, holiday parties, Chilies dates, cabin trips, having our first child exactly one week apart, campouts...and MOST of all card nights! You know your good friends and comfortable with each other when me and Tyler get in cussing fights over cards, I go storming out of the room ,and we can still be friends after! :) Don't worry Ivins, we are coming to visit and gonna help you castrate those bulls! We love you guys!!!