Year in Review

2009 End of the Year Survey

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?: Had a baby! Had the hubby graduate. Move in with in-laws.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?: I don't remember what they were last year. (: But I definitely have some for 2010.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?: Besides myself, two of my sisters-in-law, my aunt, and a couple of friends.

4. Did anyone close to you die?: My dog, Nick.

5. What countries did you visit?: No countries. I didn't even go out of the state this year. I'm a loser. (:

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?: Money- a steady income. And our own place.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?: March 23-Lucy's birthday!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?: Had a baby. (: Went back to school. Became a really busy photographer (surprisingly!)

9. What was your biggest failure?: Hmm, not getting back to school sooner?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?: Not really.

11. What was the best thing you bought?: Hopefully a car in the next few days!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?: Kyle! He graduated from BYU in less time than it take most with very good grades! He was also incredibly persistent when he was looking for a job. Also, Lucy. She's very smart for her age. Even the doctor was impressed.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled?: No one that I can think of.

14. Where did most of your money go?: Hmm, bills. Christmas. Baby stuff. Insurance.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?: Finding out I was having a girl, and getting to buy all the cute clothes for that! Finding out both my sisters-in-law and my aunt were also having girls. Kyle graduating!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?: That song by Darius Rucker, where he talks about how fast things go by, and someday we'll look back laughing at the week we brought her home. (:

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: Happier, but I was happy then too.
ii. thinner or fatter?: Much thinner, I was almost 8 months preggo.
iii. richer or poorer?: I'm not sure. Probably about the same.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?: Saving money, going to school.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?: Spending money.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?: We spent the night at my parents and then Christmas day between our parents houses. Love that they live so close to each other!

21. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2009?: I dunno. I do a lot of signing and crazy dancing in public with Lucy Jo. I can't really think of anything.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?: Even more with my hubby, and with my little lady.

23. How many one-night stands?: None. Thanks.

24. What was your favorite TV program?: The Office. Love.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?: Nope!

26. What was the best book you read?: I sadly haven't read a ton of new stuff this year. I re-read a lot, cause there were a lot of interruptions. But I still love The Alchemist.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?: I saw Wicked! Does that count?

28. What did you want and get?: A girl, a job for Kyle.

29. What did you want and not get?: A car (yet!), a higher paying job?

30. What was your favorite film of this year?: There were a lot of good ones! I loved loved loved Up! I also really liked Star Trek!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?: I turned 21, we went to lunch with my parents, for cake at Kyle's, and then to Ikea for my present!!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?: I dunno. Maybe finding a job sooner? I'm pretty content with life.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?: Better than ever! I'm loving my clothes, my body. Being not pregnant has given me fantastic self confidence!

34. What kept you sane?: My photography for sure. I love it!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?: Hmm, I'm not sure.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?: Whichever one Kyle's most concerned with at the moment. He's a lot more into that than I am. I do like global warming though, it's so inconvenient. (:

37. Who did you miss?: My Marky!

38. Who was the best new person you met?: Lucy!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: Be happy with your situation, especially when you have no control over it. Why get worked up about it? Be grateful.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "I saw God today..."

Meet Kevyn

This is Kevyn.

We have been harboring her (yes, Kevyn's a girl) here for 2 weeks for Santa. She was for Megan for Christmas. Lucy liked her a lot. She liked to feed her things...

...they both loved to wear pretties...

...Kevyn liked to give Lucy kisses...

...they both liked to play with toys and read books...

...they could both take up professional mess making...

...and they were good buddies.

Despite all of this, we learned from Kevyn that we're not ready to have a dog for a few more years. She was very cute and cuddly, but we're okay just visiting her at grandma's house for now. Maybe someday...

Recent happenings

Here are a few recent photos from my phone. I know they're not great quality, but they're cute.

Lucy loves the Christmas tree!

This is often the face she gets when she's looking at one.

Lucy and her cousin Capri "watching" a BYU game.

Lucy riding Grandpa Austin's horse. She is her mother's daughter. (:

Lucy and Dad at his work party. Lucy won this cool prize-it's pieces are so small she might be able to play with it in, oh, 10 years or so.

Our alternative to a shopping cart where they have none.

Lucy's winter coat. Love it!

Lucy's trying out a few new hair styles right now. This is a personal favorite.

We've decided to raise the baby Amish.

Lucy's new favorite game. Get to the wipes as quickly as possible, then yank out as many as you can before mom stops you. She's probably going to be in the Olympics for it in a few years, she's that good at it.

BYU/Utah game

I know I'm late with this, but the day of the big BYU/U of U game, Kyle and I wanted to take some pictures of Lucy in her BYU shirt. Cute little stinker. It was a pretty good game though, eh?

Christmas Card?

Working on designing our Christmas card for this year. I'm really liking this one. What do you think?

Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family this year. My parents hosted the Stout family at their home. We had a bit of a random group, including-our family, Kyle's brother Paul, my grandparents, the Heidi and Ken's fam, Wendy and Allen's fam, Davey, and my mom's good friend Nancy and her husband. We had a great time!

Okay, how professional is the mom at cooking turkey?

Kyle's mad pineapple cutting skills, byproduct of a mission in the Philippines, I guess.

I was cutting the apples, and this one was particularly decorative. (actually, I just slipped and cut it sideways, but it looked pretty sweet.)

Paul helping with the fruit.

Grandma, Heidi and Abby, Amber

Nancy and Don

4 Generations! My dad, grandpa, me, and Lucy.

Chelsey with Lucy and cousin Abby.

Silly smile!

And my brother Mark had a good Thanksgiving over in Germany too!

Mark's Thanksgiving dinner.

He titled this one "And he himself, the Stout, carved the roast beast."

Kyle got a JOB!

Yup, you heard the title right. My cute hubby finally found a job! We are so excited and grateful!

It is called The Grace Company. They make quilting frames, machines, etc. Random, I know. But he's going to be one of their top engineers! We are so excited about it! He's doing the things he did in school, and that he really loves doing, and they want him long term, which is wonderful! They are located in West Jordan, so it's fairly close by!

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers from everyone! We know it helped us find just what we needed!

Giving Thanks

We are so blessed. I was thinking that I ought to do a post on things I'm thankful for, what with the holiday coming up and all, and I could not believe how many blessings we have right now!

Blessing One: Kyle finding a job. Okay, lets be honest. This economy stinks. When Kyle and I got married, the kids that were graduating in his major were doing so with several job offers each. People who wanted to get their Master's would not even go to the career fairs, because they were always offered jobs too good to pass up. It was comforting to both of us. Then everything went down hill and such. Kyle had done projects for several different companies, and gone to several career fairs. No offers. He went and did a presentation at a huge engineering conference. Still nothing. We weren't too worried. He started applying for jobs. We were optimistic that something would come up soon. He got interviews, but no offers. It began to get frustrating. Isn't it amazing how the Lord looks out for you though? We had the opportunity to house sit over the summer, so Kyle didn't have to work fast food or something, cause we had some savings and didn't have to pay rent. Anyway, he got an internship at a new start-up company doing something he didn't have hardly any experience in. That ended up being a blessing too. It was something Kyle's really enjoyed learning, and has helped with some of my photography stuff. We were also able to earn some extra money. So, he was back on the job market. Then another little blessing, Kyle's parents let us live in their basement. Anyway, we were getting so frustrated. He was getting interviews, but no offers! Finally, about a week ago, Kyle had an offer from a place called The Grace Company. He's loving it (he just started, but still...) and we are so grateful for it!

Blessing Two: Little Miss Lucy. This little friend is seriously so darn cute! I know every parent thinks that their baby is the cutest, and we feel exactly the same way! Lucy has the cutest little personality! Even as I write this she is smearing crackers all over my arms (on purpose), trying to type on the keyboard and move the mouse around (I think she's seen mom and dad use the compy too much.), throwing everything within reach on the floor, and yelling at me every time I try to get her to play with her toys on the floor. And I'm loving it! Being a mom is definitely my calling in life. I'm enjoying almost every minute of it! I recently had a friend place her beautiful baby girl for adoption. I love reading her blog, and it has honestly made me look at motherhood differently. I know that she would love to have that little one with her, changing diapers, cleaning up toys, and all the other crazy things you have to do. I'm so very grateful that I have the opportunity to have my little one with me all day every day. Even when she's tired, grumpy, teething (yeah, just started last week. Yuck.), and just plain wearing me out. I love every time that she learns something new, reaches for her mom, screams in delight for her kitty, laughs at peek-a-boo. She is the best baby. Kyle and I have both found new meaning when the church and scriptures talk about joy in your posterity. She is a joy, and we're so grateful for her!

Lucy went ahead and typed a comment too:

i8xr

gnn o,mj9san nvvvvvvvvvvvvvv /'≈0000000

Little tiny friend.

Lucy with her kitty.

Opps. I had some licorice, Mom.

I'm so big!

Playing the baritone for Uncle Mark.

Pretty girl.

Lucy and Dad, having a rest.

Blessing Three: Our family. We're so grateful for our parents and siblings. Even though I'm pretty sure none of them ever read my blog, here are a few reasons why.

• Dad Stout: Thank you for always being interested and involved in what we're doing! Thanks for helping me learn the basics of lens and lighting. Thanks for hiring Kyle to do some work while he was still looking for a job.
• Mom Stout: Thank you for always being there to listen. You are always so willing to listen if we have a problem, and try to help us solve it. Also, thanks for loving Lucy so much! You really are the only one she still snuggles and kisses!
• Mark: Thank you for being willing to sacrifice 2 years of your life to serve the Lord and the church. Your incredible attitude, especially considering how hard it is to get someone to listen about the church there in Germany, is truly inspiring!
• Chelsey: Thanks for being so fun to be around. You are such a funny person, and I really enjoy messing around with you. Thanks for also being willing to take me and Lucy places, and letting me practice taking pictures with you.
• Megan: Thank you for being one of Lucy's biggest fans. She absolutely loves you, and it's so nice to know you're with her when you babysit. Also, thanks for working for me. It's saving me a heck of a lot of stress. You're fired. (:
• John: Thanks for being the funniest kid I know. You seriously crack me up every time I think about you. Thanks for always going out of your way to say hi to us, and give us a hug. We know you love us!

• Dad Johnson: Thanks for being that quiet stability in our home. Times have been a little bit tough around here lately, and you really have an incredible ability to calm the high-stress situations. Thanks for that example.
• Mom Johnson: Thank you for your willingness to serve. I'm amazed at how literally every thing you do is for someone else. Also, thank you for being my friend while we've lived with you. I think this experience of getting to know you better will be invaluable for the rest of our lives.
• Justin and Jessica: Thanks for being so fun. You guys are so funny, and we really love seeing you and your darling little Capri.
• Bryan: Thanks for being so accepting of me. You were the only one I didn't know when we got married and I was honestly a little nervous to meet you! Thanks for being so nice though! Also, thanks ever so for that DVD. I loved that concert, and can't wait to watch it!
• Kendra and Mikey: Kendra-thanks for being my friend. I don't do a ton with old friends, so I am so grateful for someone close by, that I see regularly, that I can visit with. You are one of my best friends at this point in time, and I love that are situations are so similar that we can be that way! It's so nice to have a friend in my sister-in-law. Mikey-thanks for helping Kyle out with some work while he was still looking. That was an unbelievable financial blessing to us. Also, thanks for being such a good friend.
• Paul: Thank you for being so kind to Lucy. You are seriously so cute with the babies, when you start dating a girl, you'll have to bring her here so that she can see you with them. She'll be in love. (:
• Travis: Thanks for being my buddy. I'm pretty sure I didn't hardly know you at all until we moved here, but you are so funny! Thanks for the good times. We'll have to do more Man VS. Food one of these days.
• Kali: Thanks for being so funny! You just make me laugh. You have such a funny, innocent personality. I absolutely love it.
• Kara: Thanks for being so darn awesome. You are so cute and stylish. I love hearing your fun high school stories! Don't stop telling me.
• Tevin: Thank you for being so great. You really are a good kid, and we love you so much.

50 years...

So, my dad's parents just had their 50th wedding anniversary. They're so sweet to each other, an incredible example of a married couple. Their story is like a fairy tale too.

My grandparents met when they were 11. When they got a little older, they started dating. They went off to college together, then my grandpa went on a mission. He went to the "Far East" mission, meaning Japan, Korea, etc. About half way through the mission, he wrote to my grandma's dad and asked for permission to marry her. He then sold his car, drew a picture of the ring he wanted for her, and had it made. All back when the technology was pretty much non-existent. Then he gave it to my grandma for christmas. The best part is that they have her getting it on video! So cool! Anyway, on his way back, the boat stopped in Hawaii. Meanwhile, my grandma and both her parents and his went to Hawaii. My grandparents were married 3 days after he arrived in the territory (not yet a state) of Hawaii. How cute is that?

Anyway, I am at a point in my life where I had the time and means to help with the celebration some. It was so cool to learn so much about them and their lives. I made a video and took the pictures for the event. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm grateful I was able to participate in it all. I love you, grandma and grandpa!

P.S. The tall man to the right of my grandma is her dad, my great grandpa Shaffer. He passed away while my dad was on his mission, so I never met him. But if any of you know my dad, check out how grandpa Shaffer hugs his daughter. Their mannerisms are exactly the same!

My aunt and her sister in law made a replica of their real wedding cake! Don't you just love their expressions?

This is my cutest ever great grandma Shaffer. 93 and still goin' strong!

How lucky are we?! This is a 5 generation picture!

Right to left: Dad, Grandma Shaffer, Lucy, Grandma Stout, me

All of their descendants, except our Marky. (it was Hawaiian themed)

My gorgeous sisters, Megan and Chelts.

St. George

Megan's did marching band again this year, and the band was incredible. Its the first time in a long time (at least since I was there) that they've felt good about their stuff and seemed serious about getting good. Anyway, we couldn't get enough of them. So, the mom decided that she wanted to go down to St. George where their tour was, so that she could see them. They had two competitions, including one Bands of America one. Well, Chelsey, Lucy and I went down with her. (Kyle wasn't able to at the last minute). It was such a fun girls weekend! We stayed with my dad's cute aunt Shirley, which was so fun. We went to the outlets and watched some of the bands. It was a blast!

Megan and the Mom

Megan

Lucy's first real pigtails! This was right before bed, but I had to get a picture. There are real elastics in her hairs!

Ahh, band hair...

Trying to keep the sun out of her eyes.

Saw AF's show too. Sooo moving!

She takes after her mother. She is totally mesmerized when the band in playing.

So good this year! Look at those lines!

Megan was the section leader this year (yeah, she's a sophmore...second year as a section leader...) Her section wasn't just the baritones, but the whole low brass. (She is the one of the bottom right)