The Curtis Family

Dune Ready

2012-01-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Apparently he paid attention to how it all works when we have gone to the dunes. Ay.

The Halloween that Wasn't...

2011-11-21T06:57:00.000-08:00

We attempted taking Durham trick or treating this year with no luck. He threw a monster tantrum before we could even try to get him in his costume and it was all downhill from there. We managed to get him in his costume and carry him to the houses on our street just to get some candy in his bucket and call it a night.

The only good picture we got of him in his costume

Because all the others look like this. :\

Poor guy, Halloween just was not his thing this year. Wish us better luck next year with 2 trick or treaters. :)

Family Photos and The Punkin' Patch

2011-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

We took some 2011 family photos in September this year with the amazing Sarah from Moments Defined Photography and here are a few of my favorites.

Just this past weekend we took Durham on his first ever visit to the pumpkin patch and he had a blast! He was pointing and laughing at all of the scarecrows (cute ones, not creepy ones). He thought they were great. He also went to a little petting zoo they had set up and of all the cute and cuddly animals that were there, the gnarly-looking turkey was his favorite. He just wanted to stand by it and laugh. Silly boy!

We took a tractor pulled hayride out to the pumpkin patch and got to stomp around in the field to find our pumpkin. Dan would kneel down with Durham so he could pound on the pumpkins to find the right one. We found a great one and were waiting for the next tractor to come back around and pick us up, when Durham decided to throw a "terrible two tantrum" in the middle of the pumpkin patch. Lately he has been really into taking lids off of things and screwing them back on. He wanted to do this with his sippy cup and I wouldn't let him so he threw the biggest fit he has ever publicly thrown. To be even more dramatic than just screaming as loud as he possibly could, he bent forward with his hands on the ground and his butt up in the air (think stinkbug) and was screaming. I think all of the people around just laughed it off... or at least I hope they did. But, wow, the terrible twos really are terrible! He got over his sippy cup anger and was just fine after that, so we wandered around a little more then headed home. It was a great day at the punkin' patch!

Laughing at the scarecrows

My little punkin'!

Watching the nasty white turkey and loving it

Hold on tight!

The tractor

Right before he threw his massive stinkbug fit

Durham and daddy pounding the pumpkins to find the perfect one

They got one!

Calling All Moms!!

2011-09-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

HELP! I have the pickiest little eater in the world! Well maybe not that drastic, but pretty darn close. So if any of you moms have tricks, tips, suggestions for picky little eaters, PLEASE pass them along.

Here is everything I have tried with him and what he will/ will not eat.

He WILL eat:

toast, only if it has a lot of butter with cinnamon and sugar

applesauce

yogurt

pudding

oatmeal

nutri-grain bars

cookies and cupcakes (shocker!)

some dry cereals - cheerios, captain crunch

graham crackers

mashed potatos - only when he feels like it and that is not very often

watermelon

strawberries

bananas on a good day

ice cream (another shocker! haha)

I have tried feeding him all of these things and he will NOT eat them:

pasta - spaghetti, penne, rotini

mac and cheese

cheese - grated, cut, slices, cheese stick, cubed you name it, he hates it!

rice

ground beef

shredded chicken

potato soup

casseroles

cooked carrots

green beans

chicken nuggets

french fries

waffles

those miniature bagels

oranges

peanut butter (including PB & J sandwiches)

peas

those little cups of fruit (really small pieces)

pizza

I always try to feed him whatever I am eating and sometimes he acts like he's interested but maybe is a little afraid. And if I ever do get him to take a bite of what I'm eating, 95% of the time he ends up spitting it out. Any suggestions are welcome besides the "starve your kid until he eats green beans" one, I'm not down with that. Thanks for helping a girl out! :)

My One-Year Old

2011-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Durham is one! Time really does fly, I believe it now. I know I have skipped over the last few months, but this kid is BUSY so he keeps his mama super busy! Here's a little rundown:

He started walking at 10 months and is constantly on the go. This kid has places to see, things to get into, messes to make, you name it! He sure is fun though! He is showing to be a bit of a picky eater (not surprising being a Curtis and all) and his favorite things to eat are graham crackers and yogurt. I cannot for the life of me get him to eat any meat, cheese, mashed potatos, or any of those common foods babies are supposed to love. :\ We're working on it everyday. He loves to get in the fridge and especially loves to get the mustard bottle out and carry it around the house with him. Random!

He's a tiny guy. Tall, but super skinny (also not surprising being a Curtis). At his doctor's appointments he's been below the 5th percentile for weight and in like the 60 - 75th percentile for height. We had a follow-up appointment a month after his 9 month well check so the doctor could make sure he wasn't dropping any lower with his weight and she put him on the "normal" growth curve from the CDC (which compares him to babies in the U.S. only) and he is like a good inch below the bottom line. So then she put him on the growth curve for the World Health Organization (which compares him to babies across the world) and he was much higher on the chart. She said "It looks better if we compare him to babies in third world countries." Haha. Great.

He's a chatty boy. He likes to go on and on saying "dada", "doe", "mama" (not as often as dada), "nene", and many other baby words that I have no idea how to spell. What I love the most is when he gets sleepy, he does this little cooing/chatting that makes my heart smile. :)

He has decided that sleep is not for him. When he is at home with me he will not take a nap until the afternoon and it is his only nap of the day. Then he will stay up until 10:30 p.m. if I'll let him. I've started working on getting him to put himself to sleep and sometimes it works, other times, not so much. He takes 2 naps at Grandma Jessie's house, though. Maybe he just wants to stay up and hang out with his mama. That's what I tell myself at least...

He is sweet. Sometimes I'll be holding him and he will randomly lean in and "kiss" my cheek. I love it, drool and all. He is gaining a ton of independence, but there are times when he just wants to snuggle.

Lastly, he is incredibly difficult to photograph. It takes many, many tries to get a good, or even semi-good picture of him. He doesn't hold still and just wants to get the camera from me! Evidence ----->

We love our Durham! Happy 1st birthday, baby boy!

Two of a Kind

2011-06-08T21:37:00.001-07:00

Like father like son...

Six Months

2011-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Durham is six months old now and is crawling all over the place! He also likes to pull himself up to stand against whatever he can find for leverage. If he is determined to do something, you can bet he'll do it... uh oh, he gets that from his mama. He's a happy, smiley boy who likes to laugh and babble. We're starting to get into that fun period that people talk about. The other night he got the giggles so bad while I was trying to feed him in his highchair that I just had to stop and laugh with him. We laughed for about five minutes straight! He loves to be free to crawl around. I have to chase this boy everywhere! It won't be long before he starts walking. His doctor predicted he'll be walking before 9 months... I bet she's right. Yikes!

Standing up in his crib

He watches his shows like this

or like this

He crawls over to watch the dogs

Then crawls to me to climb up me

Determined to move

Sitting on the floor pulling toys out of his toybox :)

I Don't Usually Do This

2011-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I have never written down new year's resolutions, much less been strict on myself about sticking to and fulfilling new year's resolutions, but this year is going to be different. I don't usually do this but I feel like having other people read my resolutions will push me to stick to them. So here are my resolutions for 2011:

Hug my loved ones every chance I get

Tell the people I love "I love you" more often and mean it

Talk sweeter

Don't be so judgmental

Become a stay-at-home mom

Don't be in such a rush all the time - slooooow down

Do more as a family

Cherish time visiting with family and don't worry so much about every little thing that has to get done

These may sound simple enough, but these are areas where I could use some improvement. Now that I know you all know about these, I HAVE to reach them. Recent events have reminded me that we never know when our last day with our loved ones on this earth will be, so a lot has been on my mind regarding how I will live the rest of my life. Thanks for helping to push me along. :)

Merry Christmas to All

2010-12-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Durham's First Christmas

He got a head start on Christmas Eve on the opening presents drill by getting to open presents from Grandma Bug (my mama).

This is his "smile for the camera" look. We were snapping so many pictures and this was the look he would give. Silly boy!
Opening presents from SANTA Christmas morningSuccess! He likes it!

This Christmas I am especially thankful for the simpler things in life. I am thankful for our home, our health, and the love we have for one another. I spoke in church the Sunday after Christmas on "Following Christ in Faith" and it has been such a great reminder to me of the love and gratitude we need in our lives and the focus we should have on Christ. I am so grateful for our Savior and for His Atonement and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful examples around me. This Christmas has made me more thankful for ALL of my family members and for the love and support they offer me. Merry Christmas to all! Lots of love and well wishes to you all!
Love,
Christie

If You Need a Laugh

2010-12-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

Durham's laugh is contagious.

Sorry for the weird camera angle, but if Durham notices the camera he gets camera shy and just stares at the camera.

Five Months

2010-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Man, the past five months seem like they have just flown by! Where did my sleepy little newborn go? Now he's this big (but still little) boy that wiggles around like crazy when you try to hold him as if he wants you to set him down so he can take off running. He is dangerously close to crawling and sitting up. It will happen any day now. Hopefully I'm ready to be chasing this active little guy around the house! Only time will tell.

I love his happy, positive personality. He is always full of smiles and when he gets to laughing you cannot help but crack up. What joy little Durham brings into our lives. I had always heard that there was nothing better than being a parent, but I don't think I could have ever imagined it to be what it is. Now I can understand the love my mom has for me.

Meses, Mois, Months...

2010-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

One month...

My poor little guy had baby acne all over his face, could roll himself onto his sides, and was still waking up at least once or twice at night.

Two months...

He was getting stronger and more expressive. No more baby acne and he started to LOVE bath time, splish splashing around in his baby tub. He also blessed us by beginning to sleep through the night!

Three months...

He began responding to faces I would make at him by trying to imitate me and smiling and laughing back. What a fun little game! He's super serious in the picture but his little personality has begun to show and I think we have a little jokester on our hands.

Four months...

Rockin' and rollin' and whatnot. This little dude can ROLL. He learned how to roll himself onto his belly and back onto his back a few weeks before turning four months old. The only problem is now that he can do that he tries so hard to get mobile (a.k.a. CRAWL!) that he gets upset. He laughs and smiles all the time and is a snuggly, happy boy.

This walker was his four month present. He's still a tad short for it by a good 4 or 5 inches so he can't really go anywhere, but he still likes to stand in it like a big boy and play with the steering wheel and toys on the tray. I bet once he gets moving we are going to be chasing this active boy all over!

We also took family photos the day Durham turned four months old, so stay tuned for those!

Going Bananas on Halloween

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

With our three and a half month old baby monkey, Durham!

The cutest monkey I've ever seen :)

Where's Durham???
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Baby Blessing

2010-09-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone who would like to come is invited to Durham's baby blessing, this Sunday, September 5th at 9:00 a.m. in the Greasewood building. The address is 2002 N. Greasewood, Tucson, AZ 85745.

We will be having lunch at our house around 12:30 and you are welcome to come to that as well. We will give directions to our house at the church.

Hope to see you there!

Love,

Dan, Christie, and Durham

We Made It - The Story of Durham

2010-07-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the short version:

Durham Everett Curtis was born Tuesday, July 13th at 4:23 p.m. weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces, 19 inches long. We went through a very scary ordeal to get him here via emergency c-section, but we are thankful he and I made it through it. We feel very blessed to have beat the odds and have a healthy baby and a healthy mama.

Here's the long version:

My doctor gave me the option of being induced at 39 weeks and considering how big and miserable I was I decided to do it. My induction was scheduled for Tuesday, July 13th so I spent all day Monday preparing to bring home our little guy possibly Wednesday. Dan had gone to work that day, but ended up leaving early because he couldn't concentrate on anything else besides the fact that his little boy would be here the next day. I made some yummy (easy) chicken and baked potatos for dinner and the grandparents came over to eat with us and talk about how we would soon get to meet our little angel.

Me at 39 weeks pregnant

The morning of the 13th, the hospital called me at 5 a.m. and said my induction would have to be postponed until later in the day because there were too many women already in labor there. So Dan and I took the opportunity to get a few extra hours of sleep and were nice and rested up when the hospital called and said they were ready for us a few hours later.

We arrived to the hospital at about 9:30 a.m. and we met our nurse, Lily. She was great from the very beginning. We immediately connected when she was telling us she was from Milan and Dan told her about his time in Spain for his mission. Then she told us she was a member of the church as well and we connected even more. She was so great the entire time, but they took her away to work in triage and gave us another nurse who was nice, but seemed kind of new and shy. Then we got the best news - they were sending Lily back to be with us because the other nurse was needed to help with another patient in labor.

Me and Lily

Dan and I were just hanging out in our delivery suite with nurse Lily then my mom arrived and the three of us were there just waiting for progress. The contractions were getting pretty painful and I had decided from the beginning of my pregnancy that when it came to delivering there was no need for me to try to be tough - I will get the drugs if they are readily available! So I got an epidural and the world became a much better place. :) I tell ya, I don't know why anyone would go through labor without one, but to each their own!

After getting the epidural I was feeling great and didn't even notice when contractions were coming. Lily was monitoring them and was kind of concerned because they would just stop altogether for chunks of time so she put in a catheter to better monitor the contractions. Not much later my contractions were becoming sporadic again so Lily decided to flush the catheter to be sure there was nothing blocking it causing it to read incorrectly. After flushing the catheter she lowered me down in bed to check my progress and that is when everything changed for the worse. I felt an immediate rush of heat in my ear lobes and felt like I was going to pass out. I said aloud, "I feel hot." This set off an alarm in Lily and she jumped up and pushed the "major emergency only" button she had shown us earlier and said "I need someone in here NOW!" Then I began coughing and I couldn't breathe. I had this pain in my chest that felt like someone had set bricks on top of my lungs, crushing them. The anasthesiologist came rushing into the room and the next thing I knew there were a bunch of other people around my bedside unplugging everything. I was semi-conscious but I remember them running my bed across the hall into the O.R., the anasthesiologist holding my hand the entire time having me squeeze his hand and a lot of other background yelling... "Get Dr. Hutchison here NOW" "Get any OB doctor here NOW", etc. In my mind all I kept thinking was that I was going to leave Dan alone with a brand new baby or completely alone with no baby and no wife because I was feeling pretty certain that I wasn't going to make it and wasn't sure if the baby would either. However, there was a feeling deep inside that I knew I needed to try to remain calm. I didn't know why but I tried to calm myself within. My doctor rushed into the O.R., scrubbed up and leaned in toward my face and said, "We're gonna have this baby now." And that's the last I remember.

I groggily woke up later (not even sure how much later) to see Dan sitting beside my bed wearing a white jumpsuit, holding my hand. Lily and the anasthesiologist were there too. They had stayed past their shift to make sure everything was fine when I woke up. At first I was really confused. I wasn't sure if I was in reality or not because I was honestly surprised to be alive. Then it hit me, where was the baby??? I remember all I kept asking about was the baby. In fact, Dan told me I kept asking the same questions and he thought I had lost my mind. "Where's the baby? Is the baby ok?" I think it was because I didn't really expect to wake up, so when I did I needed the reassurance that my baby was okay and that I wasn't in a dream. He showed me pictures he had taken of our baby when they let him come inside the nursery while they were cleaning him up. I remember I kept saying "He's so cute" and I know I made Dan show me the pictures more than once. :) Dan told me that the doctor had the baby out in a matter of 7 minutes from the time they rushed me out of the room to the O.R. The doctor told us that when they pulled Durham out he was screaming like crazy before they could even get him all the way out. Poor little guy.

Then I got wheeled out to get a CAT (sp?) scan and a chest x-ray. I wasn't sure why at that point but I was still too groggy and confused to ask many questions. Lily came with me and stayed with me the whole time. She was talking with me in the hall of the hospital and she broke down and cried and told me she thought that they were going to lose me and that she knew that Heavenly Father had been watching over me and everyone involved. She also said that someone who went through what I had just gone through should be in the ICU, not awake and getting tests done. I asked her what happened because I didn't even know why they rushed me to get an emergency C-section other than that I felt like I was dying. She told me after I told her I was hot my blood pressure shot up and the baby's heart rate decreased by over 50%. She also told me that my lungs had started to collapse, that's why I had the excruciating chest pain. She explained to me once we got back to my room that the doctor believed I had an amniotic fluid embolism, but a small one that was able to resolve itself.

I still hadn't gotten to see but pictures of my baby so after all the chaos had settled I kept asking the nurse if they could bring the baby down from the nursery so I could see him. I finally met my son around 10 p.m., nearly 6 hours after he was born. I was in love and in awe that only hours before that I was sure that I was taking my last breaths and then there I was, alive and holding a beautiful baby boy in front of me. It was surreal. He had to spend the night in the nursery so they could closely monitor me through the night, so we only got to spend about an hour or so with him.

Meeting Durham for the first time

Later that night I looked up more information about an amniotic fluid embolism and was even more shocked to be alive after learning about it. Apparently it has an 80 - 90 percent mortality rate in the women that go through it and the women who survive it usually have neurological damage. I could not fall asleep that night for the life of me. I was terrified that I would fall asleep and never wake up. They had me hooked up to monitors to watch my oxygen levels and put me on oxygen in the middle of the night because they said my oxygen levels would decrease whenever I would fall asleep. Dan said he couldn't sleep either because he was afraid something would happen while he was asleep and was scared after everything we had just gotten through.

We got the news that my scans had come back clear and that everything was fine. We had to stay in the hospital until Friday and I was so ready to come home by that point. You really get absolutely no rest in the hospital between hospital staff and visitors coming all the time so I was exhausted and ready to be home. Dan stayed with me the entire time we were at the hospital. The only times he left were a few times to run to the cafeteria to eat. He told me he was afraid to leave me. After all, the day Durham was born things changed drastically in the blink of an eye so he wanted to be sure he was with me at all times, just in case.

The doctor told me that what happened to me is extremely rare, occurring in about 1 in 13,000 women and that it should never happen to me again. She said she had only seen it one other time in her career, about ten years ago, and that the woman had neurological damage from it. I feel so blessed to be alive and not have any damage from what I went through. I am so, so thankful to be able to be here with my family and be able to see my beautiful baby grow and get to be with my husband. I know that Heavenly Father was watching over me and Durham that day and that the people at the hospital working to save us had His blessing. For whatever reason, it was not my time to go and I am so grateful to be alive. Each day with my husband and child is such a blessing that I will never take for granted.

Durham is healthy and strong. He could hold his head up when he was not even a day old. Hard to believe, but here's proof.

We love this little guy and are enjoying being new parents. He's a very sweet baby and we feel very blessed to have him in our lives.

We appreciate the love and support we have received from family and friends. We love you all and are thankful for all you do for us.

Meet the Flintstones

2010-06-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is my outlet for complaining about one of the biggest discomforts these final weeks of pregnancy. I sit at a desk for 9 hours a day, which apparently isn't good for your blood circulation especially when you're nearly 9 months pregnant. It produces what I like to call FLINTSTONE FEET.

What a bummer! Right when it's cute sandal season pretty much the only shoes I can comfortably wear are flip flops. I suffer through wearing heals for three hours at church but other than that I'm stuck in flip flops. I'm ready for my little man to come out, which likely won't be anytime soon!

That's all I have to say about that.

Alright Stop ... (pause) ... Shower Time

2010-05-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

The baby shower has come and gone and we are now loaded up with lots of goodies for our little dude. The shower was A-W-E-S-O-M-E thanks to the beautiful party planners behind it. Lillian and Kristina, what the heck would I do without you? These girls pulled off quite the party.There were friends and family...

Me and the gals from work, Alison and Angela

The couch potatos... j/k :)

A Mexican sandwich with the Robles ladies :)

LOTS of presents...

Me and the goodie pile

Homemade crocheted blanket from Grandma Lopez (Durham's great-grandma)

SUPER cute diaper cake filled with diapers, onesies, burp cloths, and toys from Whitney & Stephanie

Dan's manly backpack diaper bag from the cutest little lady I adopted as my grandma, Sister Cole

Durham's dinosaur gear from Alison. He also got lots of other cute clothes and shoes. You know he'll be lookin' fly.

Fun games and delicious jungle cake...

Chocolate cake with raspberry filling from Nadine's...yum!!

And a little photo shoot to boot!

Me, Jannie, Mom, Sky-bee

All the grandmas - Great Grandma Lopez, Grandma Jessie, and Grandma June(bug?) :)

The Curtis girls

I am so thankful for the time and effort put into this shower and for all the awesome gifts and fun company that came from it. Many thanks to everyone involved!

We are approaching the 8-month mark and so far everything has been going really well. Dan and I have completed the classes we signed up for through the hospital so now it's just a matter of organizing and setting up everything to be ready for this little dude to make his grand entrance. Dan has been talking to his baby a lot and little Durham goes nuts anytime he hears daddy's voice. :) My stomach starts moving every which direction when Dan starts talking to him. It's a fun little game. I'll be 33 weeks in a few days so it won't be long until our little family of 4 (you guessed it, Me, Dan, Lola, and Moto) will grow to 5. We can't wait to meet baby Durham!

Silly Dogs

2010-05-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was driving to work I got a call from Dan, which is unusual. He told me he had a funny story to tell me about the dogs. So here's my re-telling of it.

Dan was asleep in our bedroom and heard what sounded like chewing noises so he got up to see what the dogs were doing (I left them free to roam the house when I left because I figured they'd probably just get back in their beds). Well he found them just hanging out, not doing anything so he went back to bed. He heard the noise again so he got up quietly and tip-toed to the room the dogs were in to find them chewing on something. He said Moto was ferociously chewing on whatever he had in his mouth and wouldn't let Dan take it from him. Dan finally got him to come to him and put his finger inside Moto's mouth to get out whatever he had. He pulled and the stuff inside Moto's mouth just stretched. Then he realized, Moto was chewing gum! I don't know where they found gum but apparently they are quite the gum chewers! I'm just glad Dan caught them before it ended up stuck in the carpet or stuck to one of them. What's funny is they tried to hide the fact that they were chewing gum when Dan went out to check on them the first time. I'm sure they were just holding it in their mouths acting totally innocent. Silly dogs!

Back in Action

2010-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

First things first: please excuse my blogging absence. We're alive and well but I have just been so super tired lately that I've slacked off on the blogging. I'll just give some quick recaps of what we've been up to.

*Highway to the Danger Zone* - That's the Top Gun theme song if it doesn't ring a bell. We went to the air show at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and we had a blast. Dan's dream of being a pilot was reinforced and my dream of being a pilot by living vicariously through him was brought to life. I got a wicked sunburn and regretted forgetting sunscreen for many days afterward but it was a good time. The Thunderbirds were AWESOME and Dan bought his boy a souvenir, his very own Thunderbird F16. :) Dan + aircraft = match made in heaven. He looks good posing with it, right?

*GRASS* - Dan and I decided on a whim one day to put a *small* patch of grass in our yard. I fought the whole grass idea for awhile because I don't want to have to maintain it, but we decided our yard needed a little color. So far the dogs have only destroyed a small portion of it. Dang dogs... I told Dan I wanted to come outside and do yoga on the grass, so he demonstrated what that might look like.

*Easter* - Easter was spent at Casa de Robles this year. We had a lovely dinner prepared by Jannie and a super fun Easter egg hunt for all the kids (Skylar, Dan, Christie, Celena, June, Ray, you know, the KIDS). Tim's dogs were visiting for the day and got lucky by finding a few Easter eggs for themselves. I bet the ride home smelled nice... Mom and I took a pic by the lovely lilac bush.

*Christie Lee turns twenty-three* - Yep, I had a birthday and my wonderful husband got me this sweet cruisin' bike. I hadn't ridden a bike since the tender age of about 7 so we had to have a bike riding lesson on my b-day. I took the day off work and gave Dan permission to skip his classes to hang out with me all day. :) I'm happy to report that I can now ride the bicycle. THANKS, DAN! Oh, and this is also evidence of a much larger baby belly now.

*Just one thing missing* - A little baby boy, of course! The crib is all set up, the baby bedding all washed, the room was already painted yellow (hallelujah), and now all we need is a little baby to put in there. Ok, and A LOT of other stuff, but at least the little guy will have a bed all ready for him. I love, love, love this crib set. The animals are just so cute! Stay tuned.

It's a ... (drum roll, please)

2010-03-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

BOY!

I'm 22 weeks now and we just found out last week that we will be having a little baby boy. We are so excited, especially Dan. We both thought it was a boy from the beginning, so who knows if that was our parental intuition or just a lucky guess. :)

Here's the best shot we got of the little guy's face.

Because he did this soon after. He put his little hands over his face! Hunt grandkids, does this remind you of anyone? :)

Little feet.

I could have stayed there for hours watching this little guy move around. Dan and I just had the biggest smiles on our faces the whole time. How exciting! Now the waiting game for him to arrive starts. :) At least I'm over the half-way hump now.

Must Love Dogs

2010-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I have a very large and special place in my heart for dogs. My Lola was a rescue case where I took her and her brother, Captain Jack Sparrow, in when they were at death's door. Jack Sparrow didn't make it but thankfully Lola fought hard and survived and is now a happy, playful, sweet, obedient beast who I love to death. Moto was a case where I just couldn't leave without bringing him home with me. It was puppy love at first sight and the little "brat terror" as we lovingly call him has been such a fun, spunky, sweet addition to our home.

Now, we have another canine addition. Driving on a busy street in town on my way home from work a few weeks ago, I noticed traffic in the opposite direction slamming on their brakes and wondered what the heck they were doing. Then I saw her. A very scared, somewhat wet and dirty puppy was frantic in the street, obviously lost. It had been pouring rain that day and wasn't supposed to let up any time soon and my heart just melted for this little pup. My side of traffic was backed up from a red light so I rolled down my window and yelled "Puppy, puppy!" to get her attention. She came over to my car, I opened my driver side door and scooped her into my lap just in time to take off for the green light. She slammed her little body as close to me as she possibly could the whole ride home and turned every once in a while to plant wet puppy kisses on my face. :) I have tried to locate her owners with no luck whatsoever so she has just been hanging out at our house. She will be going to a good home soon, but it sure has been fun to have this loving little meatball at our house. We (I) would keep her in a heart beat except three dogs (two of them still puppies) and a new baby on the way is a bit too much to handle at the moment.

Thank goodness I have a husband who puts up with my bleeding heart and allows me to spend money fixing my broken dogs and foster stray animals at our house!

Here's the little beauty. :)

She loves your attention more than anything. Being able to sit in your lap and smash her body as close to yours as she can is her favorite.

Moto is a little jealous that he's no longer the only puppy, but he still gets lots of attention, too!

So the requirement at our house is that you must love dogs!

On a sad note, little Barklee went to doggie heaven this week. That little guy lived to be 16 years old and lived a very good life. He went to the ranch more times than can be counted on fingers and toes, went to California, got his own double cheeseburgers or soft tacos and was an awesome little companion the whole time he was with my mom and me. It was really hard and sad to see him go, but it's a relief to know that his little doggie spirit (yes, I believe in dog spirits) is free from the prison his old, aching body was to it. I'll always love my little Barkman! My mom and I like to think that he's doing his "bullet dog" routine in heaven now. :)

16 Weeks

2010-02-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a little peak at what 16 weeks pregnant means for me:

CRAVINGS
Not being able to button my "pre-pregnancy" jeans anymore...bummer
Making frequent trips to Ross to browse the new maternity inventory
A super sweet husband that buys me Snickers bars just because and offers to do the grocery shopping (WHAT?!?!)
The inevitable belly-touches from people and comments about me looking big...ugh...guess I better get used to it or get used to slapping people's hands away

It seems like within the past two weeks the cravings have kicked up in a major way. They're not all the time but obvious enough to know that it's not just me wanting something just because. I've been craving anything hot, like hot wings. I've also been adding jalapenos to things I normally wouldn't, like macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza. :)

Tonight I satisfied a craving that has been driving me crazy the past couple of days. All I wanted was fishsticks with tartar sauce! By the way, I never eat fish or any kind of seafood so this is totally random. So dinner tonight was fishsticks with tartar sauce! Yeah baby! These little bad boys in the blue box totally made my day.

Last but not least, here's a pic that was taken near the end of last week. FYI, I had just eaten a large Mexican dinner. Just sayin'...

It's Time

2010-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Time to let the cat out of the bag. Dan and I are expecting our first baby!

I'm 14 weeks along and the baby is due July 19th. We are so excited! But I am also thankful that Heavenly Father made it so that we have 9 months to prepare for the new little life joining our family. :) Here's a little info on the pregnancy so far.

We had our first ultrasound at 10 weeks and it was so amazing to see this little alien/gummy bear-looking baby wriggling around like crazy. I can't wait until we do the next ultrasound to find out if it is a little boy or little girl. Then the names, baby room decor, etc. can all be put into motion! Woo! I don't like surprises so there's no way I could wait until we have the baby to find out the sex. I need to know ahead of time!

The first trimester was actually pretty easy. I made it through without throwing up once. I was nauseous for a few weeks right around Thanksgiving (good timing, huh?) but other than that I was mainly just really tired. So let's hope the second and third trimester will be just as friendly to me. Keep your fingers crossed. I did buy my first few maternity items: a pair of jeans and two shirts for me to wear in the summer when it's hotter than heck and I have a huge tummy. The jeans are still a bit big for me to wear just yet but my "normal" clothes are starting to get a little tight in the belly region. I also made my first trip to Babies R Us and wanted to buy everything in the store. I ended up coming out with a diaper bag and baby clothes hangers. My mom yelled at me because I'm supposed to wait until after my shower to buy stuff because "other people might want to buy those things" for me. I couldn't help it! I'm excited. But I'll be a good girl and wait now.

Dan is a very excited father-to-be. He talks to my tummy and tries to listen to see if he can hear the baby moving around in there. He's going to be such a good dad!

That's our big exciting news for now but there will be many more updates to come.

3 Cuties All Lined Up in a Row

2010-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

MY LOVES :)

Dos Anos

2009-12-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today marks the two year wedding anniversary for me and Dan. Two years! Time sure does fly by when you're in love! :) So tonight I'm feeling a little nostalgic about our wedding day.

December 21, 2007 was the best day of my life. Now I get to spend time and all eternity with this stud! Back off ladies, he's all mine!

Dirty Dogs and Dirt Bikes

2009-12-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was officially Doggie Bath Day at Casa de Curtis which is quite the ordeal. First Moto gets bathed because he's done in about 5 minutes. Then I have to prep the bathroom for Lola's bath because she's huge. Her bath takes about 20 minutes. Then there's cleaning up the mess in the bathroom afterwards, which takes about 15 minutes. It was all worthwhile because having dogs that don't smell like B.O. is PRICELESS. Then last night Dan and I went to a car race/dirt bike jump show put on by the Metal Mulisha. We froze our nalgas off out there but it was fun! The best part was the finale dirt bike jump show. These guys are crazy!

A Year of Reflection

2009-11-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Exactly one year ago today I lost a dear friend of mine in a car accident. Nych was only 21 when he died and his death shocked everyone who knew him.

I knew Nych from 3rd grade and he and I had remained friends into our adulthood. We had so many memories together from going on school trips together in elementary school, playing in the orchestra together in middle school, and just being goofy in high school. Pretty much all of my memories of Nych from high school make me laugh out loud when I think about them now. He was a huge ball of energy and could always, always make you laugh. He wasn't always a jokester, though, he was a sweetheart as well. I remember my senior year of high school when I was an office aide for my 1st period class he didn't have a first period so he would come to school early just to hang out with me in the office. Then, he would walk me to class just to make sure I wasn't walking alone.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful memories I have with Nych was when he came and danced with me at my wedding. We hadn't seen each other very often after high school but whenever we did he would always make it seem like it had been no time at all and would greet me with a HUGE bear hug and talk to me just like an old friend. I specificallly remember him coming to dance with me during the dollar dance at my reception and he had this giant, loving smile on his face then gave me a huge hug and told me how happy he was for me. I never thought that a year later he would be gone. I think about him and miss him everyday, but I am forever grateful for all of the memories I have to remember him.

Nych, you will be forever missed but you are always in my heart.

Rattlesnakes in our Yard?!?!

2009-11-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

I was about to let Lola outside a few minutes ago and I got a feeling that I should look outside on the patio, just to make sure the light was on and everything was okay. Well, I saw something that at first I thought was a large stick on the mat right outside our sliding glass door...but it wasn't a stick. It was a rattlesnake!!! So I slammed the door shut, screamed then yelled, "DAN! THERE'S A SNAKE!" So he came running to my rescue and we looked at the dang thing through the glass. He wasn't very old; he only had two rattles. Long story short, the snake is gone and hopefully he has no siblings or even worse, a mama, hangin' around in our yard. I hate snakes...

Dune Season Has Begun

2009-11-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Halloween weekend commenced the beginning of dune season for the Curtis family. Dan and I loaded up our truck which I lovingly refer to as Shaq Diesel and probably gave an entertaining show to the neighbors as it was only the two of us loading a quad and dirt bike into the back of the truck. Dan is a pro at it but me, I had no clue what to do. But, we got it all in, threw the dog in with us for his first road trip, and headed out to the dunes.

Dan didn't want to waste any dune time by spraying the dirt off his dirt bike at home so at our first stop for diesel he made good use of the gas station squeegee and gave it a last-minute wash. :) What a little innovator!

This was the first dune trip that the boys (Tyler, Dan, Blake) were able to bring their new dirt bikes. Here they are anxiously awaiting the morning ride.

And here are the lovely girls of the weekend - Kristina, Me, Sherrida, Lillian.

Blake, Tyler, and Dan, my Arab husband...haha. These boys get along so well, it's amazing.

Jessie getting ready to take her little green car, Esmerelda (sp?) for a spin.

Dan was kind and patient enough to take me out for a little ride, just the two of us. I don't really know how to ride a quad in the dunes very well yet so he takes me out to the "little dunes" so I can get in some practice time.

Doesn't he look good?! People like to give him a hard time for being a "little guy" riding a big bike, but let me tell you, he can handle that thing like a pro! So talk all you want! haha.

You know, sometimes I put up a fight about going to the dunes and not being able to get anything done while I'm away, but this weekend was just what I needed. Things have been SUPER busy lately between work, callings, Dan's midterms, housework, etc. that it was a perfect get away from the everyday grind. And Moto behaved himself pretty well, too, minus the growling and snarling at anyone who made a noise in the morning. He's not a morning dog, I guess. :) Here's to happy duning!

Happy Birthday, Twins!

2009-09-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

These ladies are A-W-E-S-O-M-E! We had a fantastic time celebrating their birthday at the Tequila Factory with delicious food and fun company. What the heck would I do without these two wonderful women in my life? My mom has been such a powerful example of what it means to be a strong woman and has shown me how to be able to be independent and goal-oriented. She's the one that pushed me to get to where I am today and I am so thankful. One thing I love about our relationship is that we always, ALWAYS end our phone conversations with "I love you" even if we're mad at each other! I love my mama!

And my Jannie has always been like my second mom. She spent so much time with me when I was kid and always let me do such fun things with her like paint clay pots, stamp up a storm, and cook! When I was a kid I loved "helping" (more like watching) Jannie cook dinner. She has inspired me to learn how to cook and I must say, my cooking skills are progressing. Thank goodness!

I'm so glad these two are in my life. I love you both!

Weekend Update

2009-09-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I live for the weekends. Last week was one such week where I seemed to be counting down the hours until I had actual free time. Here's what my weekend consisted of. You may not find it exciting but sometimes this is all I need to become refreshed and ready to get back to Monday morning and living the crazy, busy life.

1. I got off work 2 hours early Friday to go get my hair done and spend two hours with one of my most favorite people ever. Love her!!
2. I went shopping. A must for having a good weekend.
3. I got to attend the General Relief Society meeting with the woman that inspires me the most, my mama of course.
4. I learned that if you stick my dog Moto under the water in the shower, he swims. Cutest thing ever!
5. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in my new calling and am very thankful for the amazing ladies and fun girls to serve with.

It's early to say, but this week is going better than last. But hey, you can always look forward to the weekend, right?

Football, New Callings, and the Great Outdoors

2009-09-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our lives, sadly, have not been very exciting lately. School and work and church are pretty much all we do. So you can imagine our excitement to have a 3-day weekend to ourselves to do whatever we want!

First, we went to the first U of A football game of the season with the Dyckman's. Although the Cats won, the 45 minute delay of game due to lightning strikes in the area and THIS GUY were probably the highlights.

So it looks like he decided to paint his whole head and ran out of blue paint? Regardless, this guy was C-R-A-Z-Y. Thank goodness he was like 5 rows down from us. Here are some prettier pictures.

Then, on Sunday Dan and I were released from the Nursery and I was called as the Young Women's secretary and Dan had previously been called as the Stake Sunday School secretary. We're both secretaries! Fun, fun!

And Monday, Dan decided to take me on a hike because I always complain that I want to go hiking. Well, the little hike we did was tons of fun but considering that was only my second hike, EVER, I was a little worn out. We did get in a little game of pine cone baseball which was hilarious! I'm sure everyone on Mt. Lemmon heard me laughing at Dan trying to hit the pine cones I was throwing at him. Hehe.

All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully it won't be another month before I have fun stuff to post. I'll leave you with a few rock 'n roll pics!

Three of a Kind

2009-09-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Enough said.

Off to the Races, Kentucky Derby Style

2009-08-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so it was more like off to a housewarming party with a Kentucky Derby theme. Dan and I went looking for a giant fancy hat for me to wear and we could not find one anywhere. So, my husband the artist had a brilliant idea to make me a hat. We went to Michael's and he picked out all the stuff and put together this lovely hat for me! He's good! I loved it and everyone at the party loved it. They were impressed with Dan's hat-designing skills. :-)

We went to Skylar's 10th Birthday party after the housewarming party and spent the evening eating pizza and playing Taboo with the birthday girl! If you've never played that game you should try it! You'll love it. Some infamous quotes of the night developed because of that game. Haha.

Our House Has Gone to the Dogs

2009-07-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

We have a new furry, four-legged friend in our home. We just couldn't help but to fall in love with this little guy. Welcome, Moto, the new rat terrier puppy of the house! Lola seems to like him quite a bit. We think she thinks she's his mama. She will clean him like he's her pup and will go lay down by him when he's napping on the floor. They also like to play tug of war with their lion stuffed animals and she is so gentle with him. We're working on potty training and kennel training and he is doing as well as an 8-week old puppy can do. He's definitely a ball of energy and a very loving companion.

Meet Moto Curtis

New Friends

A Friendly Game of Tug of War

No Place Like Home

2009-07-06T19:54:00.001-07:00

For America's Birthday Dan and I took a little quad & dirt bike ride (after much needed sleeping in) and once again, got a little mud on the tires. It had rained ALL night Friday night so there were plenty of mud puddles to ride and splash through. Somehow I'm the only one that got muddy...oh well, it was tons of fun and I must say, what better celebrates this nation than some good ol' off-roading? ;-) Then we spent the rest of the day with family, bbq at Aunt Jannie's then more bbq at Dan's parents' house. Yay for the 4th of July! All kidding aside, I just want to say that I love the USA. I have had the privilege to travel outside the U.S. and although the places were nice, there's no place like home.

Pre-mud

The Pro

Mud Freckles

And Then There Were None...

2009-06-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Kids left in Mama & Papa Curtis' house, that is! The littlest duckling got married this past weekend, making Don & Jesse empty-nesters (and party animals? hehe). We drove up to Snowflake on Friday to attend the sealing of the lovebirds and it was so nice on many accounts. Nice to get away from brown Tucson to green Northern AZ, nice to spend some alone-time with my husband (long car trips together can lead to some good conversations), nice to be around family and friends, and most importantly it was nice to be able to watch Lillie and Blake become an eternal family and be reminded of how important that is. I am so happy for these two. They really are perfect for each other. And something happens when a girl puts on a wedding dress that immediately transforms her into a regal, radiant woman. Lillian looked gorgeous. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Fish!

Shh I'm Awake

2009-06-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Since I am minutes away from bed time (early mornings are rough!), this will just be a quick post to let you all know that I am still here and I have not fallen off the face of the earth. ;-) I started my new job last week and it's going well. I have A LOT of training and learning ahead of me but I am up for the challenge and I'm really excited to be working for this company. It's pretty cool walking through the halls looking at all the sweet pictures of these big time missiles that defend our country. Dan would be in H-E-A-V-E-N (he watches the Military channel every chance he gets!). My doggie is still recovering from her surgery but I think she's doing pretty well. She's supposed to be "down" for 6 weeks which means little to no physical activity, but it's so hard when she wants to play. I just try to keep her down as much as possible but I know she's bored and it makes me sad. I am so going to be one of those moms that gives in to my kids' sad faces and lets them have what they want! Haha. Well now it's 15 minutes past my 9:00 bed time so I gotta scoot! I hope to have some fun in my life soon so I can do a fun post. ;-)

P.S. As ridiculous as a 9:00 bed time sounds, I wish it were 8:00 but can't bring myself to get in bed that early. Although last week I did go to sleep at 8:30 one night. LOL

P.P.S. or P.S.S. (whatever) Does anyone watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey? I'm officially obsessed. Just curious.

A Bittersweet Time

2009-05-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I graduated from the U of A with my degree in Business Management. I almost quit a few times along the way but I am so glad I stuck it out and came out with my bachelor's degree. I only attended the graduation ceremony for the business school rather than the big university wide ceremony and it was really nice. Here are a few pics.

This woman is my inspiration. She helped push me to go to college and finish my degree. I love you Mama!

We had a little party for me on Saturday night at our house and it turned out to be pretty fun. I got some nice gifts and lots of gift cards so I can build my closet with professional business attire.

These girls are my favorites!

Opening presents.

The loot.

I'm happy that school is over and that I have some time off before starting my new job. It's been quite a rough time ever since graduation.

One of my cousins, Celia, passed away Saturday. It is so sad to lose her. Although there was a large age difference between us, she was always there to support me. She was a great mother to her children as well as a loving daughter, sister, wife, niece, aunt, and teacher. She will be greatly missed but it is comforting that she is part of an eternal family. It is times like these that make me so thankful for the plan of salvation and the opportunity we have to be sealed to our families forever.

I've had a few health problems myself recently. I spent all day yesterday in the Emergency Room because I nearly passed out in the shower yesterday and was extremely dehydated from having stomach flu. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and had to be pumped full of IVs to re-hydrate my body. I was so dehydrated that my veins had flattened out and my blood was dark purple. They could barely get it out of me to run a blood test. My mom and Dan stayed with me there all day and I'm so glad they were there at my side. It was not a good day.

My dog had her surgery on her leg to put in a nylon piece in her knee to hold her bones together and keep them from sliding. She has a large incision wound and can't get around very well so she and I are just staying home being sick and weak together. Hopefully the future gets brighter from here. I'm optimistic about it.

Let's Go Back in Time

2009-05-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

At work I saw the date 12/21/1987 and this is where my brain went:

That was exactly 20 years before Dan and I got married!
I wonder what I was doing that day (I was only 6 months old)?
I wonder what it would be like to go back in time and watch that day, just because it was exactly 20 years before I got married?
I wonder what Dan did that day?

Wouldn't that be so cool to go back in time and see what you were doing on a specific day long ago? Call me crazy but this fascinates me.

Gotta Get A Little Mud on the Tires

2009-05-04T16:23:00.001-07:00

Small disclaimer: If you read my sister-in-law Kristina's blog you may get a slight double dose of the same story, so my apologies.

Saturday night Dan went with his bro Tyler and their friends Scotty, Shauna, and Gary to ride their new dirt bikes on a real dirt track and Kristina and I hung back and decided to go later since we knew the boys would stay until they closed the place down. So we just chilled at my house for awhile then took off across town to go watch our guys...what an adventure we had! First we were about 2 minutes away from getting to the exit for the track when the boys called and asked if we could bring them food. We're loving wives so of course we turned around and stopped at the closest thing we could find which was an A&W inside a gas station which obviously didn't employ the most hygienic employees. The guy making our food was a) not wearing gloves and b) hacking up a lung, so I was convinced we were all going to get the dang swine flu. (I'm happy to report none of us have it so far.) We headed back toward the track and due to some poor directions we were given, we ended up lost and going about 5 miles in the wrong direction. We finally got some good directions and started out again. We found the track! But I turned into what appeared to be the parking lot and ended up being a dead end so I drove around in circles until I found my way out again (it was really dark way out there ok?!). We finally made it!

Kristina and me after a long car ride

I got out of the car to see that my man was sporting my pink riding gear. I aptly named him "The Pink Danther." I don't actually ride, I'm barely learning how to ride a quad but we found all this pink gear at Play it Again Sports and it was super cheap so we got it for me, but Dan and I are basically the same size so it can work for him too, as long as he doesn't mind wearing pink.

It was fun getting to see the guys go crazy and do what they love to do even if it took Kristina and me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to make it there. It was a fun night and well worth the adventure.

Quick Update on Us:

I'm in my final days of school and am trying to not go crazy with all the junk I have to get done during this short period of time. After my last final on May 14th my college career will officially be over and I don't think I could be more excited. If you know me you know that school is definitely not my favorite thing but I have worked my butt off to end with a solid GPA and I will be starting a new career with Raytheon Missile Systems here in Tucson. I am really excited to begin this new chapter in my life and more than anything, I am anxiously awaiting nights with no homework!!!

Dan is currently in Las Vegas for work. He and his dad were doing a job there this morning but those lucky ducks are riding the roller coasters of Vegas tonight. I'm so jealous!

She's Worse than a Kid!

2009-04-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

My dog that is. We have made more trips to the vet this past month than in the past year. First she had a stomach issue, which is now somewhat under control. Then she had a hind right leg issue, which the doctor seemed to think was the dog equivalent of a torn ACL, fixable only with surgery. But just this past Saturday my dog managed to add another to the list: what appears to be a broken something in her hind left leg! So now what used to be her bad leg (the right one) is the one she is depending on to hobble around our house. Not to mention I have been having a super difficult time finding a vet that I like, so it's been a lot of money spent for care that I haven't been satisfied with. But here we go again, we're trying out a new vet tomorrow to get x-rays on her legs and I'm sure we'll find out that she'll need to have surgery. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a less expensive alternative but I guess this is what my portion of our tax return will pay for. So ta ta for now to dreams of a landscaped backyard, dream vacation, or new wardrobe and hello to vet bills.

Lola with her pet lion

She's lucky she has a mom who loves her! Mind you this is not her first big health issue. My mom and I spent weeks getting up at the crack of dawn to stick her with giant needles to administer IV fluids to her when she was just a baby. Poor pup, she's worse than a kid!

Welcome to the Family, Wall-E

2009-04-22T12:52:00.001-07:00

Meet Wallace AKA Wall-E for short:

We got a pretty nice tax return this year and this is how Dan decided to spend his portion of it, a 2008 Honda CR450R. Dan let me name it so he is officially Wall-E. I have yet to decide how I want to spend my portion. Any suggestions???

Attack Dog

2009-04-21T18:33:00.001-07:00

My dog HATES the vacuum cleaner. Every time I vacuum the living room she will hide out behind the love seat...until I get to that area. Then she pounces like a lion and attacks! Watch.

We Know How to Party

2009-04-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last night we celebrated my 22nd birthday (which is really tomorrow, the 6th) at the Tequila Factory at the Casino del Sol right by my house. It was just me, Dan, my mama, Aunt Jannie, Celena, Skylar, Tim & his girlfriend Danielle, and Aunt Irene. And it was a blast! They gave us our own room in the restaurant which is great because we tend to get loud and obnoxious when we're all together. I swear I didn't tell them that when I made the reservation. :-) The food was delicious and the company was delightful. What more could a girl want?

Dan and the birthday girl

Jann & June - here's the conversation that took place after this photo:

Jann: We look alike!

June: We're twins!

Celena & Skylar

Tim & Danielle And thanks to the chef at the Tequila Factory, this was my fabulous complimentary birthday dessert, dulce de leche cheesecake. Yum! It's my fault the B is smudged, I dropped the strawberry on it.

After our awesome dinner I lead the procession back to Star Valley to our house for guess what, more delicious treats. My mom bought me a lemon filled birthday cake from Nadine's bakery, the same place we got my wedding cake, and it was just as good as I remembered! Thanks, Mom!

And, what better way to end a party than to have one cousin pull a knife on another cousin? Just kidding. We love each other, we just have strange ways of showing it.

I love my family! I'm so glad this could all happen and everyone had a blast. I would definitely say this birthday was a success. Until next year...

My Sleeptalker is Back

2009-04-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

Dan left today on a business trip to Mexico and he has been really excited to be a part of the Mexico sales for the company he works for...as evidenced in his sleep last night.

I was sound asleep when I heard him say something to me. After I snapped out of "what-the-heck-is-going-on-I'm-confused" mode, I realized this is what he said, "The blah blah blah (don't really know what he said) is the nicest boiler there is." LOL. After I concluded he was trying to sell a boiler in his sleep, I started laughing and it woke him up. I said, "Do you know you were just talking to me about boilers?" He said, "Yeah..." in a man-I-feel-stupid kind of way. :-)

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in sleeptalking.

Sunshine, you light up my life.

2009-04-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

In case you can't tell by now,

WE LOVE THIS BEAST!

Last night I did absolutely nothing. It was wonderful. Dan and I were just being total couch potatoes and watching TV together and the dog wanted us to play with her tennis ball. Somehow something must have gotten to her because she started sneezing like crazy. She stopped but then Dan pretended to sneeze (she's sitting on the floor next to him) and then she would sneeze. Dan would sneeze, she would sneeze. Dan would sneeze, she would sneeze. You get the picture. It was the funniest thing! She was totally mimicking him. And of course as soon as I got out my phone to record a video of it, she got bored and stopped and walked away.

Vive la France!

2009-03-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

If you watch DWTS, you know what I'm talking about. Gilles Marini is THE MAN....pardon, L'HOMME!!! J'adore Gilles! P.S. I see some similarities between him and Dan. Do I know how to pick 'em or what! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh76S9ZMaM4

Who says dress-up is just for kids???

2009-03-18T13:57:00.001-07:00

So we took these pics a few months ago at Michael's when we discovered these AWESOME animal hats and accessories!

And CLEARLY, Dan was the winner of the dress-up game. Darn. What a cute kitty!!! Or creepy kitty??? You decide.

Happy Birthday to Meeeee!

2009-03-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, so it's three weeks early but I got my first birthday present. I've been wanting an eliptical machine FOREVER and finally found a good deal on one on craigslist so my darling husband went to pick it up for me last night! Yay!

My New Toy

And my exhausted boy!

Poor Dan...he was such a trooper to go all the way across town to get this for me. Seriously it was like a two-hour round-trip for us. He was so tired when we got home he fell asleep at the computer. :-) He's a cutie! Thank you babe for my awesome b-day present. By the way everyone, I have used it every day since I've had it...let's hope that's a permanent trend!

And this is why we need to build a fence inside our yard....

2009-03-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

What you are seeing used to be a beautiful flower bed built for me by wonderful husband. It was full of snapdragons that had survived the winter and grown tall and hearty...and is now a dishevelled mess of soil, roots, and murdered flowers. This would be the devious work of my little princess who I love so much. I actually caught her in the act the other morning, butt up in the air with her back legs on top of the bricks you see in the pic and front legs and head going crazy flinging dirt and flower parts everywhere. So this is the reason we are building a wrought iron fence in our backyard: so we can have pretty things that will be safe from the murderous beast, Lola.

She's so cute and innocent-looking, but is so mischievous and destructive when you're not looking!

Finally an Update

2009-03-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few days. School has been extra busy lately! But as of now, I am officially on Spring Break! THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT! Not like I'm doing anything exciting, I'll just be working more hours to pick up some extra cash-ola on my next paycheck but man, oh man, am I suffering from a bad case of senioritis. It seems like such a chore to sit through class everyday, so getting these extra days off might do me some good and help me get through the rest of the semester. I know I'm only 2 months away from graduating, but it seems like it's going so slow. If you know me at all you know that school is definitely not my favorite. Anywho - enough with the complaining, I'll be homework-free for the next 10 days or so and that is AWESOME!

So, just a quick update on our life: Last weekend Dan and I drove up to Mesa and met up with his parents, his brother and his wife, and his sister to do Dan's "grand-dad's" temple work. It was such an amazing, emotional, heart-warming experience. I love the feelings I get after going to the temple. It's just indescribable.

Dan before we got our day started

Dan's happy parents after our day was through :-)

It was truly a great day. That evening Dan and I went to his parents' house for a mini pizza party (it was just us and them) and all of us were exhausted to the point where EVERYTHING was funny. It was a good time, let me tell ya! :-)

Here's what the weekend holds in store for us: dinner date with awesome friends, landscaping our backyard, possibly some kitchen painting, and some much needed relaxation. I'll try my best to get better at updating this thing. Take care!!!

Slackers are NOT my friends

2009-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Seriously, when you've reached the point where you're a senior in college, can you PLEASE get past the whole slacking off thing? I am putting together a team report for one of my classes and everyone was supposed to send me their parts before today at 6 p.m. Well, guess what, it's now almost 9 p.m. and ONE team member has not sent me anything. Nor has he answered any texts I have sent asking him to send his part. Are you serious??? GROW UP!!!!

Pizza, Great Friends, and Decorating Inspiration = Fun Friday Night

2009-02-28T12:02:00.001-08:00

Friday night our awesome friends Danny and Rachel came over and had a little pizza party with us. It was the first time Rachel had been to our new house and so she and I dove right into the potential decorating ideas I could do to complete the house. This lasted hours! She had sooooo many awesome ideas that we just kept going on and on and on. We decided how to paint the kitchen, something I've been struggling with ever since we moved in, what I needed to change in my bedroom to make it work, and how to accessorize my big brown living room wall. Yay!! You have no idea how excited I am for this closure. I seriously come home everyday and think about what I need to do to complete this decorating stuff and I circle around the same flippin' ideas all the time. It was great to get a fresh opinion because she gave me ideas I never even thought of. So now, time to get to work. I already started with the kitchen/nook accent wall and there is much more to come. Woo hoo!

So I Married a Sleep Talker...

2009-02-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

...And he entertains me on a semi-regular basis. :-)

Dan, don't kill me, this is just too random and funny! Saturday night we drove up to Queen Creek for Dan's brother's (Tyler) birthday dinner celebration and we drove back to Tucson afterward. We got home around 11 but we had been working in our backyard all day so we were pretty exhausted. We were laying in bed just chit-chatting and I quoted lyrics from a song that Dan always sings because it fit with our convo...then silence for about 15 seconds...then Dan says, "Do you have wing lights?"

"Huh??" I was totally confused then realized he was sleep-talking. I burst out laughing because about half an hour before that we were talking about flying planes so it must have still been on his mind. This is not the first time he's talked in his sleep.

Right after we were first married, he blurted out in the middle of the night (scaring me to death), "SHE'S A NICE LADY!" I asked him who he was talking about and he said, "June!" (my mom) then went on sleeping. I couldn't help but crack up. At least we know he likes my mom.

So I married a sleep talker, and I love him! :-)

Diamonds Are This Girl's Best Friend

2009-02-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Let me just start this out by saying I have the best husband in the world. :-)

So for the past few days I've been kind of a jerkface because we'll be at the sand dunes on Valentine's Day...definitely not the most romantic place to be...and I kept seeing all the Valentine's Day goodies at the stores and all over and was just being a brat. Well, about a month ago we got a Helzberg Diamonds catalog and it had this awesome black and white diamond heart necklace that I thought was really cool, so I showed Dan and told him that was his hint.

So yesterday Dan called a few minutes before I left work and said he got off a little early and was going to meet me at my work (we work like 5 min. away from each other). I walked out of the building and there was Dan, Helzberg Diamonds bag in hand and a big smile on his face. He got me the necklace! And on top of that, he wrote me a poem in Spanish that is absolutely amazing. I want to frame it and put it in our house. What a sweetheart! So, now we leave to the dunes tonight and it doesn't really matter if tomorrow is Valentine's Day because I already had mine! :-)

How can you not fall in love with this face?

2009-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here are the reasons why I think my dog is the coolest and why I love her so much:

1. She scares the crap out of people who see her because everyone associates pit bulls with death.
2. She snores louder than most human beings.
3. She answers to Sunshine, Lola, Lulu, Sunny, Sunny Lulu, Puppy, Brat, etc.
4. She will eat anything I give her.
5. She never pees (or worse) in the house. Never.
6. When you give her a big hug she makes piggy grunting noises that is just too dang cute.
7. She had a 60% chance of living through parvo at 8 weeks old... she fought like heck and made it to be the big beast of a dog she is today.
8. She talks back when you yell at her. (Growls... then runs away)
9. She loves playing with her tennis ball, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of how to run after it, pick it up, and bring it back to you. We're working on it.
10. At about 10 weeks old she already knew how to sit, speak, and shake.

And last, but definitely not least, she is just soooo freakin cute! See?

The Candle Wax Incident

2009-01-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

I just finished laughing hysterically at an incident that just occurred in our household. So let me share it with you...

I am a big fan of candles. I have a candle in pretty much every room of the house and I like to light them in the evenings to make the house smell pretty. There is a candle in a little glass holder with a pedestal base on it in the extra bathroom and this is the bathroom that Dan has claimed (I think it's because he doesn't have to squeegie in there after he showers and in the master bath you do). Well, this evening Dan got home late from work (which has been the norm this week) so he was getting ready to take a shower when he decided he wanted to shave off his facial hair. So, trying to be careful with fire, he proceeded to blow out the candle in the bathroom before he began shaving with his electric razor. At the time I was in the laundry room putting some clothes in the washer, then I heard Dan say something to me and walked sheepishly out of the bathroom. I couldn't hear him so I walked to him and he said in a little kid-about-to-get-in-trouble sort of way, "I made a mistake." I walked into the bathroom to see the "mistake" and don't ask me how he managed this but in trying to blow out the candle he blew a ton of the melted wax all over the countertop (which is white marble and has to be cleaned delicately) and all over the mirror. He said he just barely blew on the candle and the wax sprayed out. You believe him? I don't! LOL. So he started scraping away at the wax with his fingernails and managed to get it all off in about 15 minutes. I was helping him scrape off the wax and asked him, "So what have you learned from this?" This was his reply, "Don't blow out candles in the dark. Don't blow out candles. If a candle needs to be blown out go get Christie." LOL! At least the boy learned something!

Dang Karma!

2009-01-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like karma totally got the best of me right now.

I am always the first one to laugh at people's typos and share them with everyone else in the office or wherever I am, so it is with deep regret that I say: I made a typo. :-(

The name of my site was not supposed to be candcurtis. It was supposed to be more like c-and-d curtis, with the whole word "and" spelled out. But somehow I missed that d so let's pretend I meant to do it. Like C an' D Curtis or something like that.

Dang Karma!!!!

One year later...

2009-01-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

Surprise, surprise, we made it to our one-year anniversary! :-) It really is no surprise but I just want to be a smart-alec to those people who told me, "DON'T GET MARRIED." Hahaha. What do they know??? Anywho...we were really busy the weekend of our actual anniversary so we went on a trip a few weeks later to beautiful San Diego, CA. The weather was amazing and we had such a fun time just getting away from everything for a few days. We even got to witness something amazing, something neither Dan nor I had ever seen...dolphins playing in the surf at the beach at Coronado Island. We saw a dolphin riding a wave into shore! How cool is that?!?! We didn't do any of the big tourist-y things. We went there with no set plans except to do whatever came up and whatever we felt like so we ended up riding the rickety, old wooden roller coaster at Mission Beach, spending quite some time on Coronado Island dolphin-watching, and wandering around the San Diego temple grounds. It was a great trip and I'm so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. The pics above are just a few from our one-year celebration.

Bonjour Blog World!

2008-08-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well hello blogging. This is my official blogging debut. I felt the need to join the in-crowd and become a blogger. I hope to keep you filled in on the happenings of life for Dan and me and maybe I'll be able to entertain you somewhat. :-) More to come later...