The Grove

On Thursday Justin's school closed the lab for testing so he was able to have another day off. We went to the Grove in LA (by Beverly Hills) which was really cool since it has lots of places to eat and tons of shopping! The stores had everything from Michael Kors, to Anthropology, to Gap and Children's Place. We met up with Justin's friends Pat and Amy from school and had some lunch together and walked around a bit. We were about to take a picture by this cool fountain, and these foreign tourists came up and asked us to take their picture -or so we thought. Instead the group wanted the five of us in their picture! I'm assuming they just wanted some Americans in their shot, since it's pretty obvious we're not famous or anything. It's a little weird to think that a group of people half way across the world have pictures of us! Anyway, we had a really fun day just being out and about. This semester Justin has been super busy at school, which make me and Body miss him even more when he's gone. But with a few days off it was definitely fun to spend some time together!

Natural History Museum

Justin had a couple days off last week so we decided to make the most off it by taking in a few activities. On Monday we went to the Museum of Natural History next to USC. I was super excited to go since I'm a big fan of dinosaurs, and was so upset when we got there and read a sign telling us the dinosaur hall is closed for remodeling! They did have these two dinosaurs in the entrance, which were a tribute to the triceratops which will soon be leaving the museum. The dinosaurs are huge, it's so cool! So here's some pictures of our day.
The museum has a discovery center which was pretty fun to explore. This top picture is Justin checking out the teeth on some animals. Later he was super interested in all the bugs and insects they had on display. I would have taken a picture, but I really couldn't stomach to look at all the bugs. Although Justin said they were pretty cool.
The discovery center also had a bunch of furs on display which were a little creepy. I thought the skunk one would look appropriate since we do live near the marsh! It made me realize that even if I were to become rich and famous one day I still wouldn't wear furs!!
This last picture is the fossil of a triceratops head which was found in Montana recently. A group of paleontologists are working to preserve the fossil so it can be shipped across country to go on display. And seriously how cool would that be to work as a paleontologist!

Tagged

Well I got tagged by my sister Wendy so here goes, hope you enjoy!

10 years ago I:
Was in the middles of my sophomore year of high school, waiting to turn 16, finishing a season of soccer, and listing to bands like save ferris and the aquabats.

5 things on my to-do list for today:
Go to the grocery store (okay that's like every day)
Do some laundry
Tidy up the house (again that's every day)
Finish a scrapbook page
Try to get dinner made before Justin comes home

Snacks I enjoy:
Brownie bites from Costco
Brownies in general
Anything chocolate!!

What would I do if I was suddenly made a billionaire:
Buy a house with a view
Get a range rover (like the one on Life of Ryan)
Put some money away in a high-yielding cd for Brody (and whoever else comes along)
Travel

5 places I've lived:
Torrance
Salt Lake (in two different houses)
Provo
Torrance (house, apartment, condo)

5 jobs I've had:
Cashier (plunge, Express, RC Willey, MTC Bookstore)
Sales assoc. (Express, Deseret Book)
Swim instructor
TA at BYU
Preschool Teacher

5 things you don't know about me:
My nickname in high school was fatter.
I once scored the game winning goal by heading in the ball, with my eyes closed, and then admitted on camera for a tv interview.
I wanted to study geology to become a volcanologist, but changed to MFHD instead
I've visited one of the seven wonders of the world.
I've broken a rib by coughing

3 people I tag:
Well, the lucky three are: Elissa, Lisa P. and ... Jeremy (to keep you busy until the writers give you the new work). Thanks Wendy!

Finally!

Well Brody is just about seven months now and it seems that he's finally starting to get a little chubby!! I absolutely love chubby babies and have been waiting for Brody to start packing on the pounds! He's cheeks are a little fuller, his tummy is a little rounder, and his thighs have little rolls on them- they're so squeezable! The only down side is he's working so incredibly hard on crawling (it seems to be easier to scoot backwards rather than forward) so I'm worried that he might start working off some of his calories. Either way my little guy is getting cuter and cuter. This stage is so fun and lately he seems to be so easily amused by things, and making him laugh is such a blast! He's so excited to play and be together, it's hard to imagine the day will come when he'll ask me to drop him off multiple blocks away from school so no one will his with his 'uncool' mom. Well I've definitely got a few years until that happens so for now I'll just keep making him laugh and squeezing those rolls!

Soccer game

This post is a little over due, but a few weeks ago Justin and I went to US mens soccer game vs. Sweden. It was a bit of a nightmare getting through the gates and into the stadium (we actually missed the first goal while going through security), but once we were inside the game was really fun. We had pretty close seats behind one of the goals, so we saw plenty of action, which was so exciting! As entertaining as the game was, the banter between fans was pretty comical as well. Obviously the majority of the fans were for the US, so it was funny to hear everyone get all riled up whenever Sweden would make a play or create a foul.

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This other picture was the second goal of the game, which Donovan made from a pk. In the end the US won 2-0 which gives me a little hope for the US men this summer in the olympics! One of the coolest parts of the night was running into my old AYSO coach (of all the places). We had a really fun night at the game. That morning I had woke up with a cold and I'm so glad Justin talked me into going! I guess since my soccer career never took off (I guess I'd need skills for that) I'll have to be a fan instead, but that almost just as fun.

Brody and Mommy just havin' fun

Brody just hit the six month mark and he just seems to be growing so fast! He loves to talk and play so we thought we'd take a little video so our friends can see what Brody like at this stage too. I love all the little talking and singing noises that Brody's been making lately, it's so cute! From our first ride home from the hospital Brody's been a fan of Green Day. The other day I was listening to a mix on my itunes, and Brody spit out his pacifier so he could "sing" When I Come Around, it was so funny (he also did it the next day when I played it, so I guess it wasn't a fluke). Hope you enjoy his little noises too! (if you need to you can pause the music at the bottom of the page).

Fight On!

Now that we're USC fans (and cheer for the same team), we had a little football party to watch USC play in the rose bowl on new years day. The boys had a lot of fun watching the game, and it never hurts that your cheering for the winning team! Just showing off our USC attire.
Here's everyone gathered around the food to watch the game. I never knew seven layer dip could be devoured so quickly. Not surprisingly, the vegetables remained untouched. Justin's workin' the grill during half time.
Justin and Michael are trying to teach Brody all about football. I think Brody learned that watching USC football is a must, and that the Trojans always win! Fight on!