The Connell Family: September 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

The Girls

Look at my hot momma friends! I had a glorious weekend with them in sunny So-Cal. I need these women in my life, and I hope by some chance they need me too. I must say, the weekend could have only been topped off if we would have been complete. My bff and Utah-counterpart was sadly missing due to extreme remoteness in upstate New York's wilderness. A new baby is a really good excuse, but Miss Melissa Hales Bales Carlos was dearly missed. This is the day we shopped all day and all night -- even until Kohl's closed -- sans children. Pictured left to right: Lindz (So-Cal), Moi (Jorgs), Colette (Nudy), Jenns (Fezic), Sandy (Chubbuck), Christy (Star). Dislcaimer: If any of the aforementioned ladies don't like their nicknames or have never liked their nicknames ... all I can say is I'm sorry -- they're storybook names in my head.

We spent all day at the beach on Friday. The weather was So-Cal perfect, so we didn't even get in the water. We just sat, talked, and ate burritos. Thank you Pedro - you'll forever be in my heart.

We went to church on Sunday WITHOUT a bag of Cheerios.

We ate seriously good food on this trip. What cracks me up most is that we ate seriously good BBQ meat - Tri-tip to be exact - without our husbands. They seriously missed out. Seriously.

We filled our nights by letting the good times roll. We told stories, shed a few tears, re-lived the glory days, gave each other gifts, and even played Guitar Hero. Fugal 189 + Christy-Star totally rock! May I hear from you all sooner than later and see you all in three long years.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Boastin' on the Blog

There comes a time in every mother's life when she has a right to boast - no questions asked, no judgments passed. Ethan is Potty-Trained y'all - that's with a capital P. Who's your momma???!

Okay, so I really can't take any of the credit. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow Ethan caught on. I can say this - if you're an Olympic Junkie like I am, the Olympic Games is a great time to potty-train.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Happy Anniversary Babes! (5 blissful years and counting)

Yes, we look younger and perhaps a bit more glamorous, but the lines under our current eyes that symbolize hard work and flat out determination to keep on keepin' on are irreplaceable. (You'll see those lines in the last picture.) The main thing that hasn't changed is this: I could say it then and I'll say it now - I thank the Lord every day that I married this man and I love him more than words can say. Five years ago when this picture was taken, some said we looked perfect, like we were in the Garden of Eden (notice the branch). Were we perfect then? Of course :) - we were engaged and totally wrapped up in ourselves! Blah! We lived in our perfect world. Is life even more perfect now? I answer with a resounding YES. Now we not only focus on each other, but our children (those here and not here) as well.

This morning (after Steve went golfing), he gave me five roses - one for each year of our lives together. Then he gave me a charm bracelet with five charms. The first is a gold heart=our first year of marriage (the good ole' days), the second=a small tooth (our second year was all about getting into dental school), the third=ABC blocks (the third year was all about Ethan), the fourth=a small musical note (I started teaching lessons last year, and let's face it: Steve and I were harmonious!), last=a heart with some footprints (Oliver). I thought this was so thoughtful, and I wanted everyone who reads this blog to know that Steve is an incredible person. If you don't know him, you should get to know him!

I also wanted to do something special in my own way. So here are just five of the many reasons I love Steve - not in any particular order. 1) He often sings with a hilarious country accent, "Good Mornin' Beautiful" to me in the morning, which is some song by some country singer. It is so funny, but I love it. 2) He is just as excited to see me and Ethan as we are to see him when he comes home from school. He always kisses me too. There is total jubilation when Steve walks through the door. 3) He loves Ethan and Oliver so much. You can see it in his eyes. He is a wonderful father. 4) He tells the same jokes over and over and thinks he is so funny. And even though I tell him the jokes aren't funny anymore, I secretly can't wait to hear them again. 5) He strives to help spread my wings and urges me to fly. In fact, I have to pump my wings really fast to even catch up to him. He works so hard in school; I am constantly amazed by his wingspan.

So I'm out of town right now, and this is the most current photo of us last week at the UW-BYU game. We met at BYU, now we're at UW, and next year we'll enter non-studentdom and actually grow up. We may look tired, but we're getting tired in style! So here's to you hottie! I can't wait to keep growing up with you! Love you.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Tiger, Eat Your Heart Out

Ethan has discovered a new hobby - Golf. He loves it. According to Steve, this has been the "Summer of Golf." Aside from Steve's more "professional" trips to the green, Ethan and I have accompanied him to some par-3 courses and the range. Ethan takes his club and stretches just like daddy as he prepares to "putt-putt" around. I love it when he does this; he usually does it everytime before he hits the ball. He is very relaxed and composed; stretching totally helps him bring his A-game. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the E-man say, "I wanna go golfing."