Brenton's Birthday!

My sweetheart turned 24 this past week. Since it was on Tuesday, we opened his presents on Monday night for Family Home Evening. This way we didn't have to get up super early on Tuesday morning and open them before work.

Nationals hat and cap rack for his closet.

Golf tees that Ryan helped pick out by kicking to the right or left to show preference.

Digital picture frame that was on my desk at work, that will now be for his desk at work.

Then on Tuesday, we had cake and Brenton made his birthday wish.

I managed to get him a few presents he wasn't expecting, which was a success for me. I have a hard time getting Brenton presents. Boys tend to like expensive things, and when you've set a budget for the birthday, pricey stuff isn't really feasible. However, I feel I did pretty well, and Brenton was happy.

BYU game-day flags for the car.

Coach's size baseball bag for his work's softball team.

Official Bobby Flay cast-iron skillet and quesadilla flipper for my Master Chef.

Happy Birthday, Brenton. I love you more and more every single day, and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you, including the upcoming official birth day of our little boy!

Pizza and a Piano

Well I'm 37 weeks, and little Ryan could arrive any time. Most likely, he'll go right to his due date, maybe even a little past. That's pretty normal with first pregnancies so I hear. They'll be checking to see if I'm dilated at my appointment this week, which could mean he'll be coming in a few days, or another few weeks. Either way I'm so excited for him to come. Everything's all ready to go!

As our summer is starting to draw to a close, we enjoyed a fun "Pizza Date" with our friends, Todd and Lisa. We each designed personal pizzas. It made me laugh to see how each person designed his/hers. It was a pretty good indication of our personalities. The boys wanted every topping on the table, and threw it all over their pizzas haphazardly. Lisa and I made ours much more organized and aesthetically pleasing. For dessert, Lisa made an amazing fruit and cookie pizza. A true masterpiece that would make Martha Stewart proud. We had a really fun time. Here are some pictures from the event.

This past week, my dear husband surprised me by getting me a piano for our home. I've wanted one for over a year now, but it hasn't been in the financial cards for us. As it turned out, Brenton was researching pianos in the local ads for weeks looking for an affordable one. He found that renting one (not even a good one, mind you) was around $50 a month. We didn't want to add another monthly payment to our budget, so that was out. However, he found someone who was moving that week, and was selling a piano for $300. Brenton talked him down to $250, and had it deliverd for free to our house the very next day. I am so happy to have it! It felt so good to sit down and play a Chopin waltz, Beethoven Sonata, even just several scales! It' s a small upright, fits perfectly for our home, and will do nicely for us to have the next few years. It has brought me so much joy already. I am amazed continually at what an incredible husband I have. I marvel every single day at how fortunate I am to have someone as wonderful as him. I truly believe he wakes up each day and thinks, "What can I do to make my sweet wife happy today?" I love him more than I can type in a blogpost, that's for sure. Oh, and did I mention that his birthday is this week? And instead of thinking about himself, he gets me a piano? Amazing. (Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about his big day. The presents are already purchased and wrapped).

Zucchinis and Bumpers

Thursday I finally harvested our first zucchinis from the garden. They were huge! We were so excited to see our hard work from planting, weeding, and watering finally turn out a delicious result. So far we had only been able to pick our herbs from the garden, so it was really nice to finally pick some veggies. Here is a picture of the three of them together, and then of the largest one by itself. I put it next to a soda can for a size reference so you can see just how big it really was when harvested. Needless to say we had our first zucchini bread of the summer that day, too.

In other exciting news, I had my 34-week check-up this past week, and everything looks great. Ryan moves a lot in my tummy. He's very responsive to us when we speak to him, and is getting bigger by the day. He's gearing up for his big day, and we can't wait!

We have practically everything in place for when he comes. One of the last few things needed was his crib bumpers. I found this adorable baseball fabric at the store that I decided to use for the bumpers. Originally, I bought foam that Brenton and I were going to cut to make the bumpers ourselves, but after trying to cut foam just right, and realizing it was much more difficult than anticipated, we went to the store and bought a simple set of cream bumpers that I just covered with the baseball fabric. It's one of the first big projects I've attempted on my sewing machine, and it came out just as perfect as I had hoped. I'm pretty proud of myself. Now all that's left is using the leftover fabric to make curtains and a pillow for the glider in his nursery. Here's a picture of his crib. I also crocheted the stacking rings in the corner.

That's about it for now. We're narrowing down to the last few weeks, and I'm so ready! I'm not nervous or worried, just excited, tired, and very hot in the sweltering July weather. Remind me to plan for a winter delivery when it comes to round two of Hoyos' babies.

The Passive Generation

I have noticed for years that the generation I have grown up with has some serious flaws in its perception of standards versus exceptions. It's taken me awhile to finally pinpoint what the real issue is, and this is the conclusion I have come to: the exceptions are being taught to take precedence over the standards. Due to previous problems with racial and cultural stereotyping, when it came time for my generation to start school the lesson material all focused heavily on equality, fairness, and understanding of everyone's backgrounds. We were all taught how horrible it is to judge others, and how we need to be completely understanding of everyone's decisions.

There is nothing wrong in teaching the principle of not judging others and to look for the good in everyone. However, I feel the scale was tipped too far in that direction, teaching that we should be all-accepting of everything. It has made those who may be quite evil appear good, and those who stand up for what's right appear evil.

There are countless examples of this that I have encountered almost daily upon interacting with my generation. I will give only a few. First is the idea that it is better to preach the exception rather than the rule in order to avoid offending someone. Second is the idea that it is wrong to have opinions, because it might upset someone. And third, because we don't know everyone's situation, we need to accept everything they do, or we are the "bad person."

First. I recently sat in a Sunday school lesson taught by a couple who are around my age. The lesson was on the role of mothers in the family. There are very clear guidelines set by the church as to how the Lord feels on this particular issue. "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World). This role is the standard. Mothers should be in the home raising their children. However, instead of the lesson being focused on this principle, the entire instruction was about exceptions to this rule. "Some mothers have to work full time." "There is no difference between a righteous mother who works and one who stays home and raises her family." "Since the Lord loves them, He will bless them anyway." Really? Where in the scriptures does it say that? What chapter in the scriptures is all about how it's ok to make exceptions to the commandments? There are plenty of examples about how we're not blessed when we don't keep the commandments, not the other way around. The class was all in my age group, and shared several examples about how they knew someone or they themselves went against this council of the prophets and that it was ok. I was so disappointed that what could have been a great lesson focusing on the commandments was completely reversed to strengthen the "exception to the rule" so as not to offend anyone.

Second. I have noticed often that my generation has struggled with the ability to write a decent paper. Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation aside, the biggest problem is their inability to stick to an opinion and defend it. Most papers are littered with phrases such as, "it is believed," or, "many think that," or, "it may be supposed that." Even argumentative essays are full of this type of language. As I teach students to outline their ideas, I spend much of my time trying to nail them to a point. My guidance is always followed by nervous looks and questions like, "but what if the person grading my essay feels differently? What if they don't agree? Isn't that wrong?" No! The entire essay is about defending with good logic your own opinion. However, my generation was taught not to have opinions because they're wrong, offensive, and hurtful to others.

Third. Many individuals from my generation are so "accepting" of people that they accept the actions as being good because, after all, it is "their choice." This, I believe, is the most dangerous result of the education we were given in school. The worth of every individual is infinite. That is true. However, that does not excuse their actions, nor the consequences that follow. If a person chooses to do something like drink alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car, that action is wrong. Most people agree with that. But what about a woman who chooses to have intimate relations, becomes pregnant, and aborts the unborn child? Suddenly, everyone squirms and says, "Well, we don't know her situation, so we can't judge what she chooses to do." Do you see how the exception has become the standard? The standard is that abortion is wrong. It is taking away another's life. Are there exceptions? Yes, and VERY few. However, these exceptions have become what everyone focuses on when in reality, she already made her choice: to sleep with a guy. Choice made. Consequence followed. What happens to the person who stood up and said, "Abortion is wrong?" He/she becomes the evil, unsympathetic person who has no right to judge. But it's not the individual that's being judged, it's the action. Where was that critical lesson in my generation's education? I learned it from my parents, just as my son will learn it from me.

Now there are many people who follow after this belief that the exception is more important than the standard, but none more so than those of the generation I was raised in. It's tragic, really. We've become so accepting that our entire perception is warped. What we need is a good slap in the face, and someone to say, "You're not going to please everyone. You will offend people, and that's ok. There is a standard that needs to be followed, and without it, you have no structure. So 'do what is right, let the consequence follow'." For those lucky few of us who got that education, it's about time we stood up for the standard, and not the exception.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

These past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind of trials and blessings. I've further realized, as I've always known, keeping the Lord's commandments is the safest road. I have seen time and time again that if we are doing what the Lord asks of us, we will be fine. If we are not, we won't be ready when life's storms fall upon us, as they can and always do.

It all began on Monday, June 7th. I had a final dentist appointment in a series of long, painful appointments to fix several cavities since becoming pregnant. One of the teeth had been given a root canal weeks prior, which sucked up my entire dental coverage for the year. I still had seven fillings needed, all to be paid out of pocket. Brenton and I had been keeping our emergency savings in tact, a lesson learned from our parents and latter-day prophets, so we were covered. "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (D&C 30:38) we thought, and so I went in for the appointment. After a few hours of intense pain and tears, the fillings were done, and the month-long ordeal finally over. Puffy and swollen I went to pay the bill. In an act of mercy we found that it would only cost 15% of what we had originally planned. I was overwhelmed by the Lord's love for us, and grateful that we did not have to dip into our savings at all.

We contemplated that night over Family Home Evening why the Lord let us keep that money. We saw it as a tender mercy and expressed sincere gratitude to Him. We did not know at the time how much we would need that funding later.

Friday of that week, June 11th, I was in my very first car accident. I miscalculated for one second, another driver did not watch the road, and 10 seconds later I was hit on both sides, pulled over on the road in complete shock. It was absolutely terrifying, and I remember the instant feeling of monumental regret and shame. Miraculously, no one was hurt, or issued a citation. Brenton raced over from work as I dealt with the damage, questions by police authority, and panic because I couldn't feel my baby kicking. Looking back now, I see how the Lord completely numbed my emotions allowing me to answer and deal with the situation until Brenton could be there. Then he dealt with calling our insurance, getting the car towed, and getting a rental car. Husbands are amazing for those kinds of things.

I've never been so grateful for auto insurance. They were wonderful every step of the process. I was still a nervous wreck after leaving the accident, and couldn't close my eyes without reliving what happened. It was pouring rain at the time and I hadn't eaten in several hours. We received help everywhere we needed it, and I was able to get food, then get to the doctor's office to check on our baby. It wasn't until the nurse placed the doppler on my belly and told me Ryan's heartbeat was just fine that I finally broke down into body shaking sobs. Anything else I could handle, now that I knew he was just fine.

As the next few days passed I mostly struggled with an overwhelming shroud of guilt and regret. "If I'd only done this," or "why couldn't I have just done that." I was so grateful that Brenton forgave me instantly and the only person left for forgive was myself. I poured my heart out in prayer begging for the ability to emotionally move on and get past it. As I prayed I was lead to the words of the hymn, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way." The verse that meant the most to me was this. "Ye fearful Saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break, in blessings on your head." My mind was opened to see where the Lord had blessed us every step of the way, and I was able to let go of the guilt in myself. It was a powerful step in moving on.

Earlier this week we learned that our car was assessed as a total loss, even though it was still drivable. While that brought on a whole new wave of guilt for me, we took it for what it was and began to look for a new car. In yet another blessing, we were given far more from the insurance than we were expecting, allowing us to place a significant down payment. Wednesday, June 16th, we were driving home in a new car within our financial means. It's a wonderful car, and we are very pleased with it.

And so I sit here, a full week later from the accident, reflecting on how smooth the week has gone. I've once again learned that we were blessed because we were doing the right things beforehand. The Lord knows us, is aware of our circumstances, and loves us dearly. He will protect and take care of us. He knows we're not perfect. I had no idea we would need that money from the dentist towards purchasing a new car, but the Lord did. Since we cannot predict our lives, we need to do everything we can to keep His Spirit and guiding influence with us. So that when the "mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12). For me, those storm clouds were ones filled with mercy, that did, indeed, break with blessings on my head.

Our Photo Expedition Week 1

Last week I received an e-mail from Kodak Gallery, and they mentioned a photo expedition sweepstakes they were promoting through Facebook. I clicked on the link and found that each week this summer, Kodak will pick five random objects for contestants to take pictures of and submit. Brenton and I figured we didn't stand a chance winning, but that it would be a fun thing for us to do to record the summer we had Ryan. So, we spent the day on Saturday taking pictures of the five things for last week. They were an umbrella, a cupcake, a sunset, a U.S. flag, and something with polka dots. Although it's not a requirement, we decided that both of us should be in each picture, something definitely doable when you have a tripod and a timer on the camera. It was a blast. Here are the pictures taken in color. To see the pictures in black and white, with the certain object highlighted, see my Facebook profile.

The first picture we took was the cupcake. We went to "The Sweet-Tooth Fairy's Bakery" in Provo, and picked out the prettiest cupcake we could find. A kind lady at the bakery took this picture for us. The cupcake was incredible. Very, very tasty.

Next, we took a picture of the umbrella. We came up with the idea because we recently bought a hose attachment for our garden called a "rain-maker." So we watered the garden with me under the umbrella. Also note, those are my new gardening/rain boots, and I LOVE them!.

After the garden, we took a picture of something with polka-dots. Really, it just ended up as an excuse to eat a root beer float. We filled up my big frosty mug, put in two straws, and oh yeah, I put a polka-dot ribbon in my hair from an Easter gift basket my mom gave me back in college. It actually ended up being my favorite photo of the whole set.

Our last two photos proved more difficult. We looked up online to see when the sun was setting, and thought we'd try and take the pictures down by Utah Lake. However, we went the wrong way and by the time we realized it, we would miss the sunset if we turned back. So we found a pretty field, set up the tripod, and took a quick picture.

Our last picture proved to be the hardest. We just couldn't seem to come up with a nice way to take a picture with an American flag. It has so much symbolism in it, and so we didn't want it to look cheesy or disrespectful. As we were driving back from the sunset field, we saw an elementary school with a flag. Brenton pulled up, and said, "This is the flag we're using. We'll make it work." With minutes of daylight left, we set up the tripod and just, stood there. It took a few tries to get one with the wind blowing, but it turned out ok.

It was a really fun day. We're excited to see what this week's five objects are, and create more memories for our first summer in Utah. On the off chance that we win, I'll be sure to let y'all know.

Fruit Tarts and Gardens

We had a wonderful three-day weekend. Of course, it never seems long enough, but ours was just the right balance of relaxation and projects we'd been putting off. We got a lot accomplished, and I'm starting the really see the benefits of getting up a bit earlier in order to enjoy more of your day.

One of the fun projects I was able to do over the weekend was to make Martha Stewart's fruit tarts from her May issue. I've been trying more and more of her recipes, and I never seem to get them just right. Last month I attempted to make her rhubarb cake, which turned into rhubarb cobbler. This month, I wanted to make one of her tarts because it looked so good in the picture, and I love tarts. I even had little ones served at my wedding reception. So I got all the ingredients, complete with two little tart dishes from Ikea, and began to follow the recipe. It's pretty time consuming, with a lot of hurry up and wait preparation. Much to my chagrin, even though I followed directions explicitly, the crust did not turn out like it was supposed to. But it tasted delicious so instead of popping them out of the little pans, I just kept them in there.

The final product actually turned out pretty fantastic. The filling was amazing, and I think they turned out very similar to the picture from the magazine. So I'm going to call this one a success, even though the crust didn't turn out perfectly. Either way it was fun to make. I've always felt that baking is more enjoyable than cooking. Brenton feels the opposite, so we make a great match in that respect. Here are some photos of the finished product, one with the article's picture of what it should look like. It's the top right one in the article.

Another one of our projects that we finally accomplished was the planting of our garden. I am so excited about it. From talking to friends in the area, tomatoes do very well in Utah soil, so we planted some of those, along with some herbs and zucchini. I love the summer, and I'm really thrilled to watch it all grow and eat the delicious vegetables over the next few months. I've always wanted to plant a garden, and our landlord already rototilled a piece of the yard for us. It'll be interesting to see if we'll have challenges with bunnies or gophers, because I'm not at home during the day to keep an eye on it. We also share the yard with our neighbors who have three children that seem to think everything we own is theirs too. So that will also be interesting. Those factors aside, we're really hoping this will be a fruitful venture for the summer.