Today is a very special someone's birthday. Troy Jay turns 32 today! Regrettably, that same special someone is {still} in Texas so we can't celebrate in person. Luckily he is with Matt and Suz, and I know he'll be well taken care of today. I love you so much Troy. Being apart has been even harder than I thought it would be. You are my rock, my best friend, my confidant, and, to quote the Cinderella Man, the 'champion of my heart.' I'll be forever grateful we met 6 years ago and eternally grateful that I'll have you for forever and always. You are my everything.
This little slideshow is for you. The words to this song are just perfect for us. You make me so happy.
Troy's Bday 2012 web version from Brooke Bushman on Vimeo.
Happy Birthday my love!
"You Make Me Happy" By Lindsey Ray
It's the heart on your sleeve never making me wonder
It's the bond that we tie up and over and under
You're the sun and the rain and my grass is always green
With a kiss on my cheek, always letting me know I'm the birds and the bees
I'm the apple in your eye
I know that you know that I know you're all I need
CHORUS:
And just when I thought it couldn't get any better
There you go and do it all again
Hope this feeling never ends
'Cause you
You make me happy
You
You make me happy
It's the sound of your voice at the end of the phone line
A tickle in my toes just to know that you're all mine
Like an ice cream sundae with a cherry on the top
It's the look in your eyes when I'm wearing your t-shirt
Your cute little smile after a long day of hard work
And I know that you know that I can't give you up
CHORUS
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better
There you go and do it all again
Hope this feeling never ends
You
You make me happy
You
You make me happy
You
You make me happy
You
You make me happy
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Bountiful Favorites
I've been cleaning out the drafts in my blogger account. Turns out I had all kinds of stuff in there. I found this post I started way back in May 2010. I think I had just come home from a trip to Utah, and while I was there I took pictures of some of my favorite scenes in Bountiful. Some of these pictures bring back so many memories.
This view driving up 5th South in B town. It just reminds me of driving home. Mostly that freshman year at BYU when I'd come home on the weekends to visit. Freshman year was hard for me. I'd be driving up this street, see the temple and know I was just minutes away from my house and all my family. I missed them all so much, I can remember seeing this view and feeling anxious. Almost there! Now when I visit I get the same feeling of excitement, but without all the anxiety. I still can't wait to get there and see all the people I love waiting there for me.
Mill street. Your crowded and sometimes treacherous road during lunchtime and before/after school. The BHS parking lot off Mill Street was always a disaster. So far I am the only female in my family to make it out of high school without a car accident in that parking area. :)
View of the mountain from Davis Boulevard in between Mill and 1800 South. I tell you what, I miss those mountains.
The Bountiful Tabernacle, and my Stake Center growing up. This is where I'd go for all my stake YW broadcasts, youth firesides, choir practices. This is also where my Great-Grandma's funeral was held. It's a neat old building with so much history, and I inherited the coolest retro picture of the inside from my Great Grandma. Love this place.
I've always loved this view of the Bountiful temple from y parents front yard. I'm glad I took this photo too because now there are two giant houses blocking my beloved picturesque view. Lame.
My parents house. We moved in a month before I graduated from high school. I actually didn't live here for very many months, even when you add them all together, but I love this house. So many memories of so many fun times.
I also love seeing my mom's beautiful garden every time we visit. She does such a good job. Probably my favorite are the peony's which were transplanted from my Great-Grandma's yard. If I remember correctly, those bulbs were brought over from England by her mother, Great Great Grandma Annie Law Call. Someday I hope to have them planted in my yard too. I'm going to have to remember to get a good picture when they are in bloom.
Driving to my parents house via the Davis Boulevard route. I still love this view.
The Bountiful temple. Always a favorite thing to see when we're in town.
And another favorite view: sunset from my parents' front porch. Just lovely.
Clara, 8 Months!
I'm not sure how this happened, but Clara hit the 8 month mark this week. Eight months. She is getting so big! She had a check up with the pediatrician this week. She weighed in 14 lbs. 13 oz. She has really packed on the weight, we are so proud. She was 26 inches long. That put her at 54% for both height and weight on the Down syndrome growth chart. Way to be babe, exactly average. We like it! Also in good news, the appointments have calmed down considerably. We went to two this week, but have had almost two weeks off prior to that. What a vacation! :) Everyone feels confident she is doing well and so can go longer between visits. Hooray for that!
New things Clara is up to these days:
Jackson thought his little football helmet would fit on Clara because he said "Her head is little." It was a no go. Ha!
New things Clara is up to these days:
- Smiling. This isn't new, she's always been a smiley baby. She really is happy 98% of the time and I promise I'm not exaggerating. She grins and grins and if she is tickled, she'll grin and eventually go into a very short giggle that sounds more like a shriek. And that's Clara's laugh for you.
- Rolling. Clara wasn't supposed to be on her stomach for 6 weeks post-op. The pain kept her from moving much for about two weeks, but after that, it was a constant battle to keep her on her back. I ended up strapping her into her bouncy seat most of the time because if I laid her on the floor she'd immediately roll to her tummy. As soon as restrictions were lifted, she was set free on our floors and now she rolls all around the room and gets stuck in every small space you can imagine. Limbs stuck under couches, face wedged into door jams, entire body under her crib, or better yet, under mine and Troy's bed. She is a tricky lady. She loves to roll and explore the floor. She is starting to get up on her knees and scoot a little. However, she hates putting weight on her arms, so I suspect that will be our next battle. The therapists are already on it. :) Her core strength has improved remarkably and her balance is improving, so hopefully she'll be able to sit on her own soon. Right now, her flexibility makes it easier to lie flat on her face between her outstretched legs.
- Eating. Clara's eating has really improved since the surgery. In fact, she jumped up in volume so fast that I gave up breastfeeding all together. Pumping for thirty minutes to get half a bottle wasn't seeming worth it any more. Of course I felt tremendous guilt at that, but to be honest, Clara likes her formula just fine, and I feel pretty good about making to 7.5 months with strictly pumped milk. We are starting on solid food now. She is learning how to swallow. It takes extra work since the muscles in her mouth are weak. But she is once again improving quickly. Speech Therapy is helping too. This girl just needs a little practice, and then she seems to figure things out quickly from there.
- Daddy's Girl. Clara is the biggest Daddy's girl ever. She beams when she sees her dad and she often lets out a sigh of relief when he gets home from school and picks her up for the first time. Since Troy has been out of town we've tried to webcam once or twice a day. Clara looks around for Troy when she hears his voice. Sometimes she can tell he is on the computer screen and will flash him a smile. They are special buddies, Troy and Clara.
- Talking. This week Clara started babbling for the first time. It sounds like a small accomplishment, but we've been waiting for it to happen and were thrilled when it did. Our speech therapist told us to start talking to her in repetitive sounds like "mamamamama" and "dadadada." So of course, I started with "mama," and Troy started with "dada." Clara listens intently whenever we do this as if she is concentrating on how she'll be able to mimic the sound. I am proud to say, I won! This week she started saying "mama" by herself. She says "mamamama" over and over. At first she was saying it only when in distress which makes me think she knows the word is somehow connected to me, but now she says it often. Jackson thinks it's completely hilarious Clara can say something. Apparently from a speech therapy standpoint, "mama" is harder to say than "dada" so look at her, being advanced. Ha! Also Clara has completely mastered blowing raspberries, which is also a milestone. Who knew?
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is a lucky day. On July 13, 2007 I carefully selected a summery outfit and went on a very special date with a very special guy. When he came to pick me up he asked me what I'd like to do. Not cool. I was angry, but he quickly told me he was teasing. He pulled out four envelopes labeled direction (north, south, east, or west), Distance (10-40 miles), Food (to be opened after driving specified direction and distance) and Activity (#1-6). I remember being a little disappointed. I thought the night's date would end in a proposal and I couldn't see how that was going to happen with so many possibilities on the table.
But I played along and selected the direction "North'"and a distance of "20 miles." Troy told me it was very important I not see the other of the options as it would ruin the rest of the night's activities. I should have known something was up. I learned later all the options in each envelope were the same. Tricky Troy. We got on the freeway in Provo and headed north. He cleared the speedometer on Lavell (the name of his 1996 Mazda 6.) When we'd gone 20 miles, we were at the point of the Mountain in Draper and he got off on the next exit. He pulled over and I opened the third envelope. I drew out "The Spaghetti Factory", my favorite place to eat at the time. How convenient, yet I still suspected nothing. We had a enjoyable meal. I can still remember sitting at our little booth and how happy we both were. He is his brown polo and me in my green polka dot blouse.
When we were done eating, I drew out "Utah Valley Blind Folded Escapade" from the activity envelope. He blindfolded me and took me on a long winding drive all across the Salt Lake Valley, to confuse me of my whereabouts. Then he helped change into some more comfortable shoes {while still blindfolded} and we went on a short hike. He led me with arm, and carried a crate with roses in it with the other. It was a slow hike, with lots of people commenting on my state on our way up, and me being afraid I would fall the entire time. Let's all be honest here, I'm clumsy and I was not going to get engaged wearing white pants covered in dirt. Troy kept saying, "It's okay babe, you can go faster-- I'm right in front of you." The poor man's other arm was probably breaking balancing that crate. Eventually we agreed it would be easier if I could see my feet, so the blindfold was adjusted up a tiny bit so I could see where I was walking. It was much faster after that.
We arrived at the top of Ensign peak, just as the sun was setting. I was completely out of breath. I guess because I was a little nervous and the anticipation was killing me. He face me south and took off my blindfold. The Salt Lake valley twinkled in lights and the sky was a deep orange red and that very special guy told me how much he loved me and about all his hopes for our future together. He ran to the other side of the monument and retrieved the crate which he had so carefully carried up the hill. Then he said he thought it was time for him to get down on one knee. He knelt in front of me and told me he might fumble through what he was about to say. He talked about the pioneers and how Brigham Young had visited this very spot and had looked out on the desert with faith it would become an Ensign to the Nations. It took faith for such a miraculous change to occur, and it would be the same with us. There was a lot to come for us, and as we would begin our marriage it would be hard to see how such miraculous things would come to pass, but they would. It was all very Troy, and also very sweet. Then he asked me to marry him and I said yes. And he gave me a dozen red roses. And he slipped a pretend wedding ring on my finger because the real one wasn't quite ready yet.
And now we've almost been married five years, and we have two children, and I still couldn't be happier with my choice. Yes, Friday the 13th is a lucky day indeed.
It was windy and my camera was really struggling. So we didn't get one decent picture of the event. Oh well, it was still a lucky day.
But I played along and selected the direction "North'"and a distance of "20 miles." Troy told me it was very important I not see the other of the options as it would ruin the rest of the night's activities. I should have known something was up. I learned later all the options in each envelope were the same. Tricky Troy. We got on the freeway in Provo and headed north. He cleared the speedometer on Lavell (the name of his 1996 Mazda 6.) When we'd gone 20 miles, we were at the point of the Mountain in Draper and he got off on the next exit. He pulled over and I opened the third envelope. I drew out "The Spaghetti Factory", my favorite place to eat at the time. How convenient, yet I still suspected nothing. We had a enjoyable meal. I can still remember sitting at our little booth and how happy we both were. He is his brown polo and me in my green polka dot blouse.
When we were done eating, I drew out "Utah Valley Blind Folded Escapade" from the activity envelope. He blindfolded me and took me on a long winding drive all across the Salt Lake Valley, to confuse me of my whereabouts. Then he helped change into some more comfortable shoes {while still blindfolded} and we went on a short hike. He led me with arm, and carried a crate with roses in it with the other. It was a slow hike, with lots of people commenting on my state on our way up, and me being afraid I would fall the entire time. Let's all be honest here, I'm clumsy and I was not going to get engaged wearing white pants covered in dirt. Troy kept saying, "It's okay babe, you can go faster-- I'm right in front of you." The poor man's other arm was probably breaking balancing that crate. Eventually we agreed it would be easier if I could see my feet, so the blindfold was adjusted up a tiny bit so I could see where I was walking. It was much faster after that.
We arrived at the top of Ensign peak, just as the sun was setting. I was completely out of breath. I guess because I was a little nervous and the anticipation was killing me. He face me south and took off my blindfold. The Salt Lake valley twinkled in lights and the sky was a deep orange red and that very special guy told me how much he loved me and about all his hopes for our future together. He ran to the other side of the monument and retrieved the crate which he had so carefully carried up the hill. Then he said he thought it was time for him to get down on one knee. He knelt in front of me and told me he might fumble through what he was about to say. He talked about the pioneers and how Brigham Young had visited this very spot and had looked out on the desert with faith it would become an Ensign to the Nations. It took faith for such a miraculous change to occur, and it would be the same with us. There was a lot to come for us, and as we would begin our marriage it would be hard to see how such miraculous things would come to pass, but they would. It was all very Troy, and also very sweet. Then he asked me to marry him and I said yes. And he gave me a dozen red roses. And he slipped a pretend wedding ring on my finger because the real one wasn't quite ready yet.
And now we've almost been married five years, and we have two children, and I still couldn't be happier with my choice. Yes, Friday the 13th is a lucky day indeed.
It was windy and my camera was really struggling. So we didn't get one decent picture of the event. Oh well, it was still a lucky day.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Indepedence Day 2012
The 4th of July is Troy's most favorite holiday. He likes it more than Christmas. (And yes, there is a difference between "favorite" and "most favorite." "Most favorite," is superior. Because in my case, I have lots of favorites and therefore they require distinction. :) We did not want to disappoint Mr. Troy on his "most favorite" favorite holiday, but the man worked the night before. So he came home exhausted at 7 a.m. the morning of the "most favorite" holiday in question and shortly thereafter fell into bed.
Lucky for us, we were invited to the 4th of July BBQ of the century. No really. The Jacobsens invited us to a swimming BBQ bash at their house. For those of you who don't know, Chrissy is a chef. Everything she makes is melt in your mouth, crazy good. So once Troy had risen from his slumber, and Jackson had risen from his afternoon nap slumber, we headed to their house for a "most favorite holiday" 4th of July good time.
Troy, being the good man he is, helped me assemble some festive holiday straws to go with the bright red punch I made. (Seriously, I think it probably stained all of our GI tracts, most notably our teeth.) He didn't want me to take this picture, but has that ever stopped me before?
Jackson borrowing the Jacobsens' "gobbles." "Gobbles" are a hot commodity that I always forget to purchase for our little fish. Jackson loves them. I really should remember to buy him some one of these days.
After the swimming, we headed indoors for playing and eating time. Jackson and Tyler enjoyed a good Foosball game. We enjoyed all sorts of deliciousness. Yummy burgers with all the gourmet toppings, homemade onion rings, fruits and veggies, and then ended the eating with the most delicious apple pie topped with a pecan crumble crust. My mouth waters about it as I type. Mmm-mmm.
Fireworks were lit on the back patio after the meal. We had so many to light, that experiments were performed lighting multiple fireworks at once. Scary business. What is it about boys and fire? Even when they are over 30? Jackson loved it. Frankly, we all did. {P.S. don't mind my crazy blurry pictures. Our camera struggles at night.}
Jackson could hardly contain his excitement. I caught him sort of biting on his hand at one point. Ha!
Eric and Chrissy are some of the most generous people we know. They have been great friends to us. I can't really think about how they are moving to Oregon in just a few weeks. We'll miss them so much. Guess we'll just have to visit! :)
Lucky for us, we were invited to the 4th of July BBQ of the century. No really. The Jacobsens invited us to a swimming BBQ bash at their house. For those of you who don't know, Chrissy is a chef. Everything she makes is melt in your mouth, crazy good. So once Troy had risen from his slumber, and Jackson had risen from his afternoon nap slumber, we headed to their house for a "most favorite holiday" 4th of July good time.
Clara looking very festive and happy to celebrate the U.S.A.
Jackson and Tyler enjoying snacks by the pool.
Jackson, Tyler, Ella & Chloe. (Note the mountain of fireworks on the table :)
Fireworks were lit on the back patio after the meal. We had so many to light, that experiments were performed lighting multiple fireworks at once. Scary business. What is it about boys and fire? Even when they are over 30? Jackson loved it. Frankly, we all did. {P.S. don't mind my crazy blurry pictures. Our camera struggles at night.}
This pic kills me. Oh Jackson, why are you doing that? Boys!
See? Even men are attracted to fire.
Thanks to the Jacobsens for a wonderful holiday! We loved it.
Eric and Chrissy are some of the most generous people we know. They have been great friends to us. I can't really think about how they are moving to Oregon in just a few weeks. We'll miss them so much. Guess we'll just have to visit! :)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Troy Goes to Philadelphia Again, this time with two friends
At the end of June, Troy headed back to Philadelphia to take his clinical board exam. It is an 8 hour test where the students see 12 patients and then have to write up notes for them, all while being timed! Intense. In the weeks leading up to the test, I was Troy's practice patient. It was pretty amusing. Anyway, this time John Tefteller and Sam Ashby went along with him. The boys had to leave at 7 a.m. {4 a.m. Phoenix time} to take their test. No bueno. So they arrived a day early and enjoyed a day of sight seeing in order to make the experience more enjoyable. Troy took lots of fun pictures on his phone. (Such a proud moment for me ;) Check out the fun these boys had:
Troy's first experience riding a subway train. He said it was pretty exciting. (I'm thinking he is going to LOVE New York someday. And Troy claims In need to visit Philadelphia. I said it was a deal. :)
Independence National Historical Park. You can see Independence Hall in the background of Troy's picture below.
This is the original foundation of... something cool I'm sure.... (I wish Troy was here to help me identify more of these pictures. I should have finished this post before he left town!)
Room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Isn't the architecture and furniture so cool?
The next few pictures were taken at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Building. Apparently it is the birthplace of American medicine. Unfortunately, the boys arrived right before closing time, so this is all they saw. Ha. It's a pretty building though!
More fun architectural shots of Philly. My Husband is turning into quite the phone photographer!
Johnny and Sam at the Train station.
This is the inkstand believed to be used during the signing of the Declaration.
Benjamin and Deborah Franklin's graves.
The next few pictures were taken at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Building. Apparently it is the birthplace of American medicine. Unfortunately, the boys arrived right before closing time, so this is all they saw. Ha. It's a pretty building though!
More fun architectural shots of Philly. My Husband is turning into quite the phone photographer!
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