Nick and Shara Park

Year In Review 2011

2011-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Here are my top 20 albums this year. (Here is the Year In Review 2011 Mix, with the best song off of each album.)

1. Wilco The Whole Love
2. The Strokes Angles
3. Bon Iver Bon Iver
4. Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues
5. Foster The People Torches
6. Young The Giant Young The Giant
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm With You
8. Adele 21
9. The Black Keys El Camino
10. Radiohead The King Of Limbs
11. Incubus If Not Now, When?
12. Foo Fighters Wasting Light
13. Lykke Li Wounded Rhymes
14. Mister Heavenly Out Of Love
15. Coldplay Mylo Xyloto
16. Holy Ghost! Holy Ghost!
17. Washed Out Within and Without
18. Grouplove Never Trust A Happy Song
19. The Head And The Heart The Head And The Heart
20. Wavves Life Sux - EP

Honorable Mentions:
Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
The Decemberists The King Is Dead
Death Cab For Cutie Codes & Keys
Jay-Z & Kanye West Watch The Throne

What are your top 20 albums of the year?

2011-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Will has been walking for about 2 weeks now, but in short spurts. That is until we let him loose in airports and the Kirtland, Ohio Visitor's Center.

Freebies2Deals

2011-10-05T20:14:00.001-07:00

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Top 5 Deli Sandwiches

2011-09-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

Chicken Salad sandwich from The Quilted Bear.
Turkey Bacon Avacado sandwich from Kneaders.
Italian Night Club from Jimmy Johns.
The Empire State from Gandalfo's.
Blimpie Best sub on white from Blimpie.

(I realize I've left off Philly Cheesesteaks. I didn't consider them "Deli" sandwiches, but if I had to choose it would be a close tie between Moochies and DP Cheesesteaks.)

Will's Top 5 recognizable TV show intro's

2011-08-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street Intro
KSL News Intro
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Intro
Little Einsteins Intro
Sportcenter Intro

Top 5 explanation.

2011-08-11T21:11:00.001-07:00

I was recently reminded about the movie High Fidelity with John Cusack, which comes from the book of the same name written by Nick Hornby. In it they are occasionally making top 5 lists of music, girlfriends, movies, episodes of Cheers etc. This made me realize I am constantly making top 5 lists in my head about everything: Top 5 fry sauces, top 5 bread appetizers at restaurants, top 5 songs that remind me of my junior year in high school, top 5 jobs, top 5 ANYTHING.

I realized that though I have been lacking in the photo a day posts, these top 5 lists could come in handy. I also have a couple guys I work with that I always need to have top 5 recommendations in ANY food category handy at any given moment. Sometimes my top 5 lists go into a lot of detail and can change at any given moment. But for the most part, they are just fun for me to compile.

So, in light of the movie/book High Fidelity, todays top 5 is: Top 5 Records: Side One, Track One (Opening Track).

"Everything In It's Right Place", Kid A, by Radiohead.
"Dance Yrself Clean", This is Happening, by LCD Soundsystem.
"Black Dog", IV, By Led Zeppelin
"Privilege", Make Yourself, by Incubus.
"Smack My B**** Up", The Fat Of The Land, by The Prodigy.

Near & Far with Will

2011-05-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Our little boy Will was cracking up when I was doing my Grover impression of Near & Far with him.

Day 169

2011-03-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Will is 17 weeks today and will be 4 months tomorrow. He's growing so fast, and time is starting to fly. He now looks like a little boy to me, and not an infant anymore. I guess it never ends. I love having this little guy around.

Day 168

2011-03-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

About the time Will got RSV, we got him this humidifier. This has been great to use, I hope it is still helping. Maybe we seem like over protective parents by having all of these devices, noise making machines, battery powered nasal suction machine, and humidifiers, but having your baby in the hospital at such a young age will do that do you I guess. And he's our first so BACK OFF! :) (Lovingly)

Day 167

2011-03-21T20:36:00.001-07:00

This is Will's sound machine. He comes by it honestly, because I haven't been able to get rid of mine for around 15 years now. I'm so weird, but so dependent on it.

Day 166

2011-03-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Day 165

2011-03-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Makeshift La-Z Boy.

Day 164

2011-03-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

By far one of my most favorite pictures of Will.

Day 163

2011-03-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

The final project. These are on the wall next to Will's changing table, and sometimes he'll just sit, stare, and smile at them.

Day 162

2011-03-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

But for now, I just hope he stays a little boy full of imagination...

Day 161

2011-03-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

Maybe he'll just be a rock star though...

Day 160

2011-03-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

"Football Will". However, if basketball doesn't work out, I couldn't think of a better sport to play than football. It's almost a tie with basketball. But knowing he'll most likely be super tall, I think he might be better suited for roundball.

Day 159

2011-03-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Basketball Will". Of all sports, I really hope he gravitates to this sport the most, but I am biased and will lovingly persuade him to play as much basketball as possible.

Day 158

2011-03-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

We'd been struggling as to how to decorate Will's room after he was born. Shara came up with an idea for me to draw a few different cartoons of Will and our family. The next few "photo of the day" pictures Will be what I came up with, and then the final product.

This is our little family as it is now.

Day 157

2011-03-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

After years of not having a digital scale, and wanting to help us be more accurate in our weight loss efforts, I elected to purchase this digital scale. So far I love it, and can't complain. I pretty much weight myself every day because it's so cool, plus it lets me know that I can't eat horrible that day either. THIS, was a good purchase.

Day 156

2011-03-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm considering canceling my Rolling Stone subscription, when this is their choice for a cover story.

Day 134-155

2011-03-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

Again, the slacking has ensued, and I need to post many-a pictures in one day to catch up...

Will has been enjoying his Bumbo lately, and this was the first time we put him in it. He didn't know what to expect at first, but I know it's growing on him. We love the Bumbo!

I feel this is a very artistic picture which shows the quiet, contained rage of this cat.

This should be the new face of Gerber.

He's looking older and bigger to us every day! This picture is no exception.

These are my favorite PJ's for him. His little belly shows very easily in these.

He's getting so much better at lifting up his head while on his stomach now.

No matter what position Will is lying in, he will just sit and watch basketball. Which, as a Dad, makes me very proud.

Will gets so many kisses from his mom, that, at times, I get pretty jealous.

He's probably trying to tell us something here.

I'm getting him ready for all the throwing around and wrestling that ill happen when he's older.

"Don't stick your tongue out at me, kid."

When we first got our baby monitors from one of our showers, I instantly thought they looked like Eva from Wall-E.

We are getting very good at taking our Vitamins every day.

We probably eat this once a week. It is amazingly good, and is a perfect serving size for just the two of us. Add an English Muffin, and this meal is complete!

When we came home from the hospital, we realized we needed more than a bulb to suction out Will's nose. Our friend Kira Kitterman let us know about this at Walgreens. We has used it daily, and it's amazing how much it gets out of his nose. Plus, and this might be gross to some of you, but I think it's cool to see how much it pulls out.

Will at 15 weeks.

He's a happy, drooling baby. We can't keep his shirts dry any more. But we love him. He slimes us all the time too, but I know it's only going to get worse. I think I'm getting used to it.

Day 108 - 133

2011-02-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... It's been a while. But I have good excuses (Will being hospitalized being the main reason). However, to just get caught up so that I continue doing this every day, I'll just give a sampling of what happened during these couple of weeks. So, enjoy!

Andy's birthday was a couple of months ago, but we finally got together and went shooting west of Utah Lake. I have to say, aside from the fog and cold temperatures, I had a blast. I love getting together with these guys and just being dorks. We had a really good time.

This may go down in history as one of the best shots of Will during his "baby years" (Credit to my wife Shara for taking this shot, as well as many others I have posted on here as well)

Will's blessing day. Poor guy was so sick as you can see in the following picture as well. He was taken to the hospital and later admitted that night with RSV. More of those pictures to follow as well.

This is Will's SECOND blessing outfit. He outgrew his first one. We ordered this from eBay, and was really excited about the look of it. When it arrived, we pulled it out of the package only to find it smelling of cigarette smoke like the dickens. A wash or two later and it was good, but he barely fit into it on the actual blessing day. Glad we didn't wait any longer.

After a doctor visit to his pediatrician on a Friday, and a trip to the emergency respiratory clinic, Will was admitted Monday morning at 1:45am to the Primary Children's Medical Center in Riverton. We would spend the next 4 nights and 4 days there trying to regulate his breathing, maintain his blood oxygen levels, and get him on a normal eating cycle once again.

Day 1: This was his worst day. He got progressively better every day. On top of symptoms from RSV, he started a fever as well.

Day 2: He's looking better, happy, but still needing suctioning, and albuterol treatments to help his lungs receive more oxygen.

He couldn't move very far from his little 5 foot radius of how far his oxygen and monitor chords would reach, so we had to show him every detail of his room. He loved looking at this screen and seeing it move.

Day 3: My mom was able to come visit, and brought him this little sock monkey, along with some snacks for us at the hospital. It was a lifesaver, we needed snacks! He was improving much better this day, but still needed to stay because of needing to stay suctioned, and oxygen when he slept.

Day 4: He improved significantly this day, and only needed bulb suctioning (something we could do at home) and only needed oxygen when he slept. They sent us home with some oxygen and later delivered out more when we got home. We were relieved to be able to come home after all of that.

This is a sad picture, but I wanted to remember what he looked like with this oxygen tank. He actually was very cooperative with that being in his nose for a few days.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This should catch me up, it's not for every day I missed, but I don't think anyone is really counting anyway. So stay tuned...

Day 107

2011-01-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

Will's 2 month check up went very good. He is 13 lbs even, and 24 1/4 inches long. He has a little torticollis, which is basically a little stiff neck that we will need to do some little stretches with him every day, but other than that, he is looking great!

Will also had to have his 2 month shots today as well. This nurse was FAST! I thought she had only done one shot while I took this video. He was a champ though and even though he cried, he was tough.

Day 106

2011-01-30T21:32:00.002-08:00

Will is starting to put on some weight, check up is on Monday. We'll see how big he is really getting.

Day 105

2011-01-30T21:26:00.001-08:00

I failed to mention in a recent post, that the Reese's Valentine Heart is also 2nd to the Christmas Tree, but I think it's better than the Easter Egg. I'll let you know when Easter rolls around what I truly think though. (Sorry for the cell phone horrible resolution and out of focusness)

Day 104

2011-01-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2011. Will is officially 2 months old today.

Day 103

2011-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Day 102

2011-01-30T21:22:00.001-08:00

Let's just go ahead and add this to the list of some of my favorite pictures of Will.

Day 101

2011-01-30T21:20:00.001-08:00

Once in a while we will catch Stanley playing with Will's toys.

Day 100

2011-01-30T21:19:00.001-08:00

A finished look at the IKEA dresser and Will's room.

Day 99

2011-01-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

And just like that, Will is 8 weeks old today.

Day 98

2011-01-17T18:25:00.001-08:00

The stare down.

Day 97

2011-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

Long story short: After purchasing a dresser from Wal-Mart, finding it was damaged, taking it back and finding another one at IKEA, my Saturday night was set. I put this all together in less than 2 hours and was happy with the outcome. If you know me, I actually really like putting things like this together. Call me crazy, but I do...

Day 96

2011-01-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

Stanley has been acting really strange lately. He's always been a little strange, but lately it's more than normal. Shara found him laying like this in our office. No posing. No enticing. This is just how he is. Then in the blink of an eye, he takes of running 95 miles an hour and jumps up the wall, and will meow for 20 minutes. Then he'll attack Shara's legs and feet at night and draw blood. He has food. He gets (some) attention. His litter box, for the most part, is clean. He gets turkey. I don't get it. He's just...strange.

Day 95

2011-01-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

We are so grateful to the Kitterman's for bringing us dinner Thursday night and coming to see Will and hang out with us. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with them and to hang out with their 3 girls. Thanks again for dinner!

Brooklyn was showing off her earrings.

She also got to hold Will all by herself.

And she had quite the hair do as well.

Day 94

2011-01-17T18:04:00.001-08:00

Will is becoming much more aware of his surroundings now. We are also able to get him to smile (With a lot of baby talk and overly happy faces on our part) but it happens a lot now, not just when he's sleepy. I now know where the term "melted heart" comes from.

Day 93

2011-01-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

As fat as he's been getting this Winter, Stanley still managed to get on the cabinets. Although this is a "no-no" it's still funny/amazing to watch him jump that high.

Day 92

2011-01-11T20:49:00.001-08:00

Will at 7 weeks, and an awesome shirt too by the way! (Someone needs a nap)

Day 91

2011-01-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

STOLEN FROM SHARA'S BLOG FOR TODAY :)

Lately we have been pulling Will into bed with us in the morning around 7:00 when he starts to fuss, as soon as we do he falls asleep again. This weekend in MIdway, when I woke up around 8:30, this is how my two boys looked. So cute!

Day 90

2011-01-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

If you've ever enjoyed breakfast at the Blue Boar Inn in Midway, put it on your list. It's very worth it. Trust me.

Day 89

2011-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Our little Jazz Superstar.

Day 88

2011-01-11T20:27:00.001-08:00

Thanks to one of my best friends and my wife, I was able to go to TWO Jazz games this week. V. Detroit "Pee-Stains" on Monday the 3rd, and v. Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday the 5th. I've never sat as close as I have those games either, (5th row and 11th row respectively) and it was awesome. Thanks again!!

Day 87

2011-01-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

His hair is slowly starting to come in nicely.

Day 86

2011-01-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

Will at 6 weeks. Mighty handsome young fella'.

Day 85

2011-01-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

The wife caught me writing our fast offering check for January.

Day 84

2011-01-03T22:21:00.002-08:00

Meet Gus. Gus is a plant that Shara and I purchased in 2005 from Smith's Marketplace I believe. He was nothing more than about 2 leaves and a small stem at the time. He's been with us through 3 moves, including a one year stint in St. George. More recently though, he's sadly been a little neglected and taking up space, and became victim to our New Years Day reorganization and cleaning of the home. We decided it was time to say goodbye to Gus. He's better off this way... As Shara said, "Yes, we are plant killers. It's a painful title."

Day 83

2011-01-03T22:21:00.001-08:00

Day 82

2011-01-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

This poor little guy has been doing a lot of aimless walking around the house trying to get some attention. We try to give him some, but Will demands more of our time. Hopefully he won't hold it against us. Although he has been attacking Shara's feet a lot more than usual these days.

Day 81

2011-01-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hopefully someday his feet will be bigger than mine!

Day 80

2011-01-03T22:14:00.001-08:00

Lazy bottle feedings. Propping up the bottle with a blanket, if he's not fussy, can be really nice sometimes.

Day 79

2011-01-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

I was, and still am, a huge Sublime fan. Their music is constantly relevant today, even almost 15 years after lead singer Bradley Nowell's death. Back in 1996 I purchased their self titled album, and inside the liner notes was a picture of Bradley Nowell singing to his baby. I've always loved this picture and I always wanted a copy of my own version of that picture when I finally had my own kid. And Shara made that possible....

Year In Review 2010

2010-12-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

The 12th installment of my annual "Year In Review" has been completed. This year came with a few changes, but ultimately stayed the same. In years past I only named the best new artist and best album of the year, and then created a mix of my other favorite albums in no real particular order. However this year, I elected to create and list in order of what I consider the top 20 albums of the year to be. As always, many hours of listening, researching and inner debates went on to put a list together that defined this year for me.

If you are new to how I compile this list, this is basically a mix of 20 songs (that had clean language, this is a family gig as always) from what I consider the 20 best albums that I enjoyed this calendar year. This gives you a chance as the reader/listener to step into the music that was defining the year for me.

This year was a life changing year for both my wife and myself, and these are the bands I listened to, and the music that will forever distinguish this amazing year for me apart from all the others. I have also changed the name of this list. In years past, and I'm not sure why, but I entitled this list the "Year In Rock". However, I've noticed I listen to much more than just rock music, and even a few hip-hop records you will notice got honorable mentions. So it's more than just a "Year In Rock" it is indeed a "Year In Review".

(As always if you would like a copy of this mix, message me or it's in DropBox and here as well: http://www.mediafire.com/?aodmzpmq26iw96y )

And here you go:

1. Vampire Weekend Contra "Run"

2. LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening "Dance Yrself Clean"

3. Arcade Fire The Suburbs "We Used To Wait"

4. The Black Keys Brothers "Ten Cent Pistol"

5. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More "Sigh No More"

6.The National High Violet "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

7. Local Natives* Gorilla Manor "Who Knows Who Cares"

8. Paper Tongues Paper Tongues "Trinity"

9. Gorillaz Plastic Beach "Stylo" (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)

10. Spoon Transference "Nobody Gets Me But You"

11. The Walkmen Lisbon "Angela Surf City"

12. Band of Horses Infinite Arms "Laredo"

13. MGMT Congratulations "Flash Delirium"

14. Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record "All to All"

15. Guster Easy Wonderful 'Stay With Me Jesus"

16. Weezer Death To False Metal "Turning Up The Radio"

17. Ben Folds & Nick Hornby Lonely Avenue "Things You Think" (feat. Pomplamoose)

18. Broken Bells Broken Bells "The High Road"

19. M.I.A. /\/\/\Y/\ "XXXO"

20. Kings Of Leon Come Around Sundown "The End"

*Best New Artist of 2010

Honorable Mentions:

Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The Roots How I Got Over

Wavves King Of The Beach

Surfer Blood Astrocoast

Linkin Park A Thousand Suns

Girl Talk All Day

Brandon Boyd The Wild Trapeze

Beach House Teen Dream

Day 78

2010-12-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

We were able to get a "Four Generations" photo on my Dad's side tonight. Completing both sides of my family, with this photo taken last month. (From left to right, Myself, Will, Grandpa Stewart, and Great Grandpa Bill (William).)

My Grandparents on my Dad's side were also able to meet Will for the first time tonight. Itwas very nice to be able to spend some time with them individually tonight since we were unable to see them on Christmas Day. They got to spend some quality time with Will, which I know they loved.

Day 77

2010-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning 2010 at my parents house. We had such a great year this year and are so thankful for the gifts we got, but mostly the time we got to spend with our families, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was so great to be able to spend our first Christmas with Will, with our families and the people that we love. Hope everyone else had a Happy Christmas!

Day 76

2010-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

This is Shara's niece Haylee holding Will. He was Baby Jesus in the Nativity reenactment this year on Christmas Eve.

Day 75

2010-12-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

There are certain types of candy and treats you always look forward to during the holidays. Egg Nog, fudge, toffee etc. But I submit that the Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Tree has to absolutely be in the Top 5 of all time Christmas Candies. I also believe the Chocolate to Peanut Butter ratio in the Christmas Tree is much better than that of the Easter Egg.

Shara and I are very defensive of our candy. 2 years ago, Shara at my Christmas Tree, and I was so angry. She tried to find me another Christmas Tree, but of course they are seasonal and were gone. She tried to make it up to me with other types of Reese's but it wasn't the same. We now have to buy our own and keep a watchful eye on it.

Day 74

2010-12-26T21:53:00.001-08:00

Will is slowly starting to be ok with bath time. We have his little tub, with his little inclined seat, and his little green foam frog to make it more enjoyable for him.

Day 73

2010-12-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

Shara told me today that Will took naps (notice the plural) today in his crib, which is awesome. We also finally set up our monitors and have started using them when he is in his room. He'll still sleep with us at night for now, but this proves we are having little victories.

Day 72

2010-12-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

William is 4 weeks old today and will officially be 1 month old on December 22. Didn't we just have this baby?!

Day 71

2010-12-21T21:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! We celebrated by taking Will to church for the first time, which included a HUGE and very LOUD explosion in his diaper during a very quiet and nice Sunday School lesson. We also had our annual "Happiness Is Being A Thompson" extended family Christmas party at my cousin's home. It was awesome to have everyone together on my big day and to see everyone! I had a great day!

Day 70

2010-12-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

So during this "tummy time" as soon as I put Will on his tummy, 3 seconds later he was OUT!! Completely asleep. Very interesting contrast to our previous attempts. Notice his "Kyle Korver style" socks.

Day 69

2010-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

Will hates "tummy time" right now. For the most part, as soon as we put him on his tummy to strengthen his little body, he cries pretty hard the entire time. Our pediatrician told us roughly 4 time a day for 10 minutes, but we just do it when we can, we're pretty chill about it.

Day 68

2010-12-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

Although we're not using this a whole lot right now, it's done and ready for use when we are.

Day 67

2010-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

This is becoming an all to familiar site these days.

Day 66

2010-12-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

This, is a CRAP load of diapers! Thank you to the Diaper Genie for containing smells of what I'm sure is to become much more horrible and terrifying.

Day 65

2010-12-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Will is now 3 weeks old today, and we are noticing his growth and that he is definitely eating more. He had his first little mini-vacation to Midway this past weekend and was a champ. He is being a good little boy!

Day 64

2010-12-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

His feet are HUGE.

Day 63

2010-12-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

There is a lone white tree that is lit in the park above our home. Someone has taken the time to light it extensively, and plug it in every night, and I think it's quite cool.

Day 62

2010-12-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

Day 61

2010-12-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

Day 60

2010-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

It's been somewhat of a holiday tradition over the years to change the letters of some holiday words around my Mom's house and my Grandparents house. It started with the word "NOEL" changed to various different spellings (LEON, NOLE, NELO) and it probably drives my Grandma nuts.

I've continued the same tradition in my family with the word "SANTA" and I know it drives my Mom nuts, but it's out of love.

Although she really hates it when I change SANTA to "SATAN".

Day 59

2010-12-14T21:16:00.001-08:00

Tuesday evening a box was delivered to our home. The box contained this awesome cake looking gift for Will. It was from my bosses/owners at Summit Home Health and we absolutely loved it! Very thoughtful of them, and who doesn't love getting huge packages delivered to their home?

Day 58

2010-12-07T21:02:00.001-08:00

Hello there, Will... 2 weeks old
At his 2 week check up, Will is now 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 22 inches long (91%)

Day 57

2010-12-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening we had dinner at my parents house. They had a bunch of my sister Natalie's friends over for dinner as well while she is serving a mission in Kirtland Ohio. It was really great to see them all and introduce Will to them. Again he was the main attraction.

My parents did the same thing every 2nd Sunday of the month with a lot of my friends when I was serving my mission, and my family loved it. Being able to see my friends every month faithfully was very important to them, and they loved keeping up with everyone. I'm glad they are still trying to do it with Natalie's friends.

Day 56

2010-12-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday marked our first "official" use of the stroller. Coupled with the car seat, I freaking LOVE this stroller. I'm not necessarily sure why I love it so much, but I made Shara walk around the mall a little more with it because I was so proud to use it.

Saturday also marked the first "public" diaper change at Chili's. We met my parents for dinner and had a great time, and in the middle of it all, Will of course needed a big time diaper change. Let's just say, I'd rather change him at home. I've never been so concerned about sanitation in my entire life.

Day 55

2010-12-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Last night while sleeping, we heard a crash. Not sure what could possibly make THAT much noise, I entered our office to find this lovely image. You may recall this is what is used to look like.

Compliments of our cat, Stanley, who may or may not be living with us much longer.

Day 54

2010-12-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Shara was mad that I was making squishy faces with Will. She might even be more mad that I now posted it. I can't help it. I'm like a Grandma, his cheeks are just so stinkin' cute.

Day 53

2010-12-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday evening was a banquet for the volleyball girls that Shara coached at Lone Peak High School. From their State Championship win, it was very well deserved. We decided to take Will on his first real "public" outing. Let's just say he instantly had about 15-20 girlfriends. They swarmed around him, and fell in love with him. They have been waiting all season during Shara's pregnancy to see what he would look like. And I think it's very safe to say they were all pleasantly surprised. This photo is just a small sample of all the attention he got that evening.

Day 52

2010-12-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Although the coloring on this photo may or may not show his true color, we are fully convinced that, at least for now, our baby has brown hair. Which, coming from two totally NON brown haired parents, is strange.

Behold, the power of genetics.

Day 51

2010-11-29T20:58:00.001-08:00

Will is a week old today! I swear we just found out Shara was pregnant, and now he's here and already a week old. We celebrated with a Jazz win, and 2 diaper changes in 2 minutes. Hey, at least things are working properly.

Day 50

2010-11-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

Our tree this year. A little trip to Tai Pan for an after Christmas last year sale has really improved our tree this year, we'll keep adding to it. Shara's most favorite item on the tree has to be the golden sparkly ball ornaments. She lit up when we pulled them out of the box. She's a girl, she likes sparkly things.

Day 49

2010-11-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

The Utah v. BYU rivalry was crazy yet again this year. Regardless of which team you cheer for, the last 5 or 6 games have been decided in Overtime, or on a last play/drive. This year was no different. A BYU field goal attempt to win the game was blocked by Brandon Burton in the closing seconds. Shortly after that we all stormed the field. It was an ugly win, and a lucky win, but a "W" nonetheless, and I will take it.

Utah 17 BYU 16. The Utes.

Day 48

2010-11-28T16:53:00.001-08:00

During the Jazz v. Lakers game on Friday night, all the testosterone in the house wanted to sit in one area of the couch. The Jazz won 102-96 and they are playing some amazing basketball right now. The Jazz.

Day 47

2010-11-28T16:38:00.001-08:00

We were able to bring Will home on Thanksgiving day, we were very thankful. The staff at Riverton hospital were amazing. We had such a great and incredible experience there. Aside from taking amazing care of Shara and our baby, they educated and informed us on how to get started in raising an infant. At times I felt like I was in class, because the information they were giving us was awesome and much needed. Thank you!

This was Will's going home outfit.

I especially love the "turkey butt".

Day 46

2010-11-28T16:35:00.001-08:00

We were able to get our 4 generations picture on my Mom's side in the hospital. Just waiting to get one on my Dad's side as well. This is Great Grandmother Thompson, Grandma Spring, Myself and Will.

Day 45

2010-11-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

I came into work for our weekly meeting the day after Will was born. On the chair I usually sit in was this sign. It was pretty cool, this made my day!

Day 44

2010-11-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

William Ashton Park. 8 lbs 9 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. Happy Birthday Dude!!

Day 43

2010-11-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

Although we've had one significant amount of snowfall already this season, this is the snow that will end up staying, and there is more to come. So this was the obligatory photo of the first snow fall of the winter, although it's still technically fall, but it looks like it's winter. It's confusing. I would be taking more pictures today, but we are busily getting things ready for the big day tomorrow. Parenthood, here we come!

Day 42

2010-11-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

Will's room is a work in progress. It is slowly transitioning from my "dorm room" (the room I have slept in for the past 2 years during the work week) to a newborn baby room. We decided to spell his name with some wooden letters as part of the on going deco, and through 2 different rounds of paint, we decided to go with this. (One letter is a different color for a reason.)

Day 41

2010-11-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Day 40

2010-11-18T18:30:00.001-08:00

This was by far my most favorite book growing up. This book tells the story of Grandma Tildy, who is a very hard worker, and had no time to play. Until one day a traveling pet salesman asks is she'd be interested in buying a canary. She ends up buying the canary, but while noticing an elephant in his truck, says, "But NO elephants!" The pet salesman eventually gets her to purchase a beaver, a turtle, and a woodpecker, and after each purchase, she reminds the pet salesman, "But no elephants!" Eventually she gives in and buys the elephant, which then eats up all of her food, breaks through the floor and gets stuck in the house. He feels bad, and ends up walking the entire house to a much nicer and warmer location where they live happily ever after welcoming bus loads of elephants.

I loved this book so much, that my Mom ended up having to record a tape of her reading it, and allowing me time to shout out "But no EH-PHANTS!"

We were recently discussing this book, and I ended up finding it in an old box today, and made Shara read it. It's still one of my favorite books, and the illustrations are hilarious!

Day 39

2010-11-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

At the end of my work day today, I needed to stop for some gas, and I really needed a Diet Dew. I'm not sure if these Jazz cups are in EVERY Chevron, or just the one in Sugarhouse, but I thought they were very rad.

Day 38

2010-11-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

Remember when cassette tapes ruled the world? Remember making mix tapes, recording songs off the radio so you could listen to it whenever you wanted, and having to fast forward through songs to get to the next song? I've had a box full of cassette tapes that had hours worth of music on them for years now, but haven't had any way of even listening to them. I haven't even owned a tape player in my house, or car for what seems like a lifetime. I wanted for the longest time to find a way to transfer these tapes to a digital format but had no way of doing it. I had to borrow a tape player from my Dad, and he had a great little cord that I plugged into my Mac and and eventually figured out how to transfer music on my tapes to mp3's. I'm just about done, but I've gone through and organized all the music from my tapes that I couldn't find on the internet. It was mainly a lot of old tapes of my band from Junior High & High School, stuff I recorded when I had access to a guitar on my mission, and tapes Dave and I recorded when we were roommates. But it is great to finally have this music in my ever expanding music collection.

(Thanks to my Dad for letting me borrow this as long as I have, I promise I'm almost done!)

Day 37

2010-11-15T21:53:00.001-08:00

Did you ever see that commercial where a shirtless man is ironing his wife's blouse while making dinner reservations for their 6 month anniversary? And then at the end of the commercial he is cleaning the toilets as well? Well, I'm not bragging or anything, but that commercial is me to a T. Almost every night of the work week, I am a good husband and iron my wife's clothes for her for the next day. They are neatly hung with a hanger, and ready for use the next day. This is one of my many things I like to do for my wife, on top of trying to maintain a clean home.

And for all those who think I am only doing this because she is pregnant, you are very wrong. I'm old school ironing. I've been ironing for her for like, over 5 years now.

This is the commercial I was referencing:

Traverse Man Ironing - The best video clips are right here

Day 36

2010-11-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

We are now just a little over a week away from Will being delivered. We are getting everything ready for his grand entrance arrival. This closet shows most of what we got from all of our showers. It's amazing...this closet was absolutely empty a month ago, and with a TON of help from friends and family it is now stocked full, minus some large "hardware" items (i.e. Pack N' Play, Stroller, Car Seat, Crib etc.). This picture is incredible to me, because without everyone else, I would be so financially stressed out. We are SOOO thankful to everyone. Thank you so much again to EVERYONE!

Day 35

2010-11-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we had another shower thrown for us for us with all of my best friends. We were yet again amazed and blown away by the generosity, creativity and love from my favorite people. We cannot thank you all enough for the gifts, advice, support and friendship. We love and appreciate you all. We have definitely looked up to all of you who have kids already, and admire you all so much on how you raise such great kids. We hope to be as successful as you. I love just getting together with everyone, laughing, and catching up. Thanks to everyone who planned games, brought food, and are awesome. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The game (as seen in the first picture) was hilarious! 2 "contestants" raced to see who could dress the "baby" the fastest. Diaper, onesie, socks, and then swaddle, CORRECTLY, to win. Shara kicked my butt. And to no surprise, all the ladies beat all the guys. Except in a race where two males competed.

A very special thanks to Lindsay for putting this whole thing together, being such an amazing thoughtful person, and making sure this was special for us. We absolutely loved it... We love you!

Day 34

2010-11-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

This picture was technically taken a day late, but Friday night was a birthday celebration for my good friend Dan Jenson. I've recently decided that instead of just simply writing "Happy Birthday" through Facebook, or a text, I am going to put more effort into my Birthday wishes. I urge everyone to do the same, it was actually quite fun for the reminiscing. This was my first attempt with Dan...

Danimal,
Happy 30th dude!! Some things I remember in the almost 15 years of knowing you:
- Duct tape suits.
- Alta Vision.
- The Drake house visits.
- The dancing duo.
- The Collective Soul concert.
- Making things explode in fires at Hobo Haven.
- Defensive Dan (never credit card Dan, you will be sorry)
- Your camera captured perhaps more memories of our High School experiences collectively than any group of friends that ever existed.
- Whenever you speak Vietnamese. It's very soothing.
- Your never ending love of The Dew.
- The day we realized that a certain verse in "Please" by U2 in 1997 might have seen the future to 9/11.
- Jumping into your Mom's trees in the front yard.
- When we both worked at VF Factory Outlets and had lunch occasionally.

These are obviously not all, but what I could come up with in 5 minutes.
Hope you've had a good day!"

Day 33

2010-11-11T20:12:00.001-08:00

For a good 2 1/2 months back in 2008 I decided to create a new character a day in less than 2 minutes on a Post-It Note. I found the stack of them a while ago, and laughed at myself. It's good to do that, right? Today I'm showcasing the first of those quick creations with my good friend, "Peter The Pencil".

Day 32

2010-11-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today was a bittersweet day. My 2005 Nissan Altima hit the 100,000 Mile Mark. A milestone (heh, get it?) that's been looming for a couple months. I'm very thankful for my car, and I'm so glad we are fortunate enough to afford it. I couldn't do my job without it. But I also know that the 100k mark significantly decreases the value of a vehicle. I usually try to sell my cars well before the 100k mark, but this time around I didn't. Good thing I kind of like this car, I may be keeping it for quite a while.

We've shared many memories together, this Nissan and I. We bought it back in 2007 from a Vietnamese family from Los Angeles off of KSL.com, and at the time it only had roughly 29,000 miles on it. Which means in a little over 3 years, I've put close to 70,000 miles on this car. Multiple trips to St. George, Bear Lake, Park City, Midway/Heber, a summer trip to Jackson Hole, etc.

So, here's to another 100,000 miles. Even if I'm not the owner when it reaches 200,000 miles.