Tagged...

I got tagged on Kjrsten's blog, so here I go...

10 YEARS AGO...
I was living in SLC with my sister and her family. I was deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I never really thought I would have to get a "career". Not knowing what I wanted to do, but knowing that I loved traveling I thought that I should be a flight attendant. I was waiting for training to be a flight attendant for United. In the meantime, I was substitute teaching. Right after spring break I had just gotten a long term sub job at Eastmont Middle School for a world history class because the teacher had gotten fired. The classes were mine until the classes until the end of the year. I was getting paid something like $38 a day. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I loved it and needed to go into teaching. That summer I went home (Carlsbad) and started working on my teaching credential and master's degree.

5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST TODAY...
1. pick up my bedroom
2. mall returns
3. get present for Lisa's bridal shower
4. outdoor training class
5. go to Carlsbad for Lisa's shower

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I BECAME A BILLIONAIRE...
Move!!! I have to be honest, I would have a dang big house with a dream pool, tennis court, basketball court, in-ground trampoline, lawn the size of a football field, big swing set, playhouse, batting cage, guest house, etc (just have to keep it real guys...) Make sure Jay & my families were taken care of... Travel!!! DONATE LOTS!!: Set up scholarships for college; donate to school districts; clothe, feed and build homes and schools for many villages in South Africa; set up afterschool programs for kids in the inner-city...



5 OF MY SECRET BAD HABITS...

1. I am so cluttery. I have a hard time throwing anything away (it is not a secret if you know me!)

2. I love to grab a handful of chocolate chips out of the freezer when I walk by it.

3. I drink lots of diet coke everyday!

4. I don't take my vitamins (esp. calcium-diet coke depletes it and my mom has osteoporosis)

5. I rarely wear sunscreen. (I used to never wear it!)



5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED...

1. Carlsbad, CA

2. Provo, UT

3. Belhar, South Africa (Cape Town)

4. Long Beach, CA

5. Aliso Viejo, CA



5 JOBS I HAVE HAD...

1. Lifeguard

2. Swim Teacher

3. Rich's Bagels (made all the cream cheeses for 2 stores..loved it!!!)

4. Substitute Teacher

5. High School Teacher



5 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME...

1. I love BYU football. When I was in jr. high and high school I used to go to the church to watch the games on satellite. It was me and the old men and the missionaries. In college I was obsessed with football (ok, and the players too). I am not as fanatical about watching the games like I used to be, but still love it!

2. I took a semester off at BYU to become an EMT. I never worked as one, but I loved getting certified. It was so fascinating to me. I really wanted to do something in the medical field, like be a midwife or a nurse, but I thought that it would be a waste because I really wanted to be a mom. (ok, and I decided this my 3rd year of BYU, and I had so many prereques to take and I would never pass the classes....chemistry--ya right! I would never get into the program anyways, but I did get the paperwork for UVSC.)

3. I stepped on a piece of glass from a bottle of olive oil when I was a kid and I got blood poisoning.

4. I cry whenever someone gets an award or succeeds, whether I know them or not. For example, I bawled when Tony Gwynn got his 3000th hit. I mean bawled! I even cry when I watch Miss America. My eyes tear up when someone on American Idol gets good comments from the judges.

5. I love to try new food at restaurants, but I rarely ever like it!

I TAG...
1. Patience Roney
2. Laura Ek
3. Sara Walker

The Time Has Come...

Leah is now 5 months old.... I have to be honest, I have not dieted one single bit since I have had her and I think I might have gone on 2 walks, total....and I have some weight to loose. For some reason I have not been motivated one bit and Jay has even given me a really good incentive, but that still has not worked. Finally I have decided that I am ready to loose the weight.

I signed up for this program that I am really excited about. It is 4 weeks long and I go 4 times a week. Once a week I will do a gravity/GTS resistance session, a private reformers pilates session (I am so excited to try it!!!), a outdoor boot camp session, and a session with a trainer. Today was my first day and I worked on the gravity machines. They are awesome! I am feeling it right now. After working out I went on a walk with Allyson in Laguna Beach. It was a good walk, great company and beautiful scenery (can't complain when you get to see the dolphins playing around in the water). I do think that I am going to be sore tomorrow though.

Gravity Session

You might be wondering why I am posting about this. I will tell you why. I thought that if I blogged about it, people would know, and then I would be held accountable. This is my incentive to make it work! So, I have 4 weeks to get back to normal... Wish me luck!!

Wanted: Decorating Ideas

Love this one! Seems classy and love the pink and black...

What color on the walls...need 2 colors...

Alright...I need help. Those of you who know me well know that I have the hardest time making decisions. I come up with lots of ideas, but just never have the courage to pull the trigger. Well, I am really trying to improve and I am tired of not having the rooms in my house "done". (I am sure I will never have one done either, because by the time I ever get one done, I will be ready to change it). I have already bought stuff for Travis's and Sara's rooms, but I am really struggling for what to do to my little "froggy's" room ( that is Leah...remember, she has frog legs now!). I have a time limit...I have to paint by next Monday....less than one week. Next Monday we have some guys coming out to put crown moulding and a high chair rail (about 2 feet from the crown) in her room. Then all workers will finally be done in my house and we will be getting the carpet.

I found a few "inspiration" rooms. What do you think? ps...just so you know, my furniture is white and I have a white glider, but might recover it (white not good color on a chair...duh!). Just so you know these are only inspirations, between me, my mom and Abi, we can make this stuff, hopefully!

Love the colors! Seems like a cheery room.
Pink & Animal print...enough said!
Simple and classy...and love the color on the wall...a bit different
The whole time I was thinking pink and brown...pink on the main part of the wall and the brown at the very top. Don't love his one, but like I said, "inspiration room".

Lately

Last night set up Travis and Sara in the playhouse in the loft with blankets, sleeping bags and a movie. It was fun for a while. They have loved playing in there lately. I can not wait until it is finished!!
The kids after church.
Lately, Leah is always holding on to her feet. I think it is so cute. She has gotten used to the brace.
A couple days ago I set Leah on the bed and propped her up on some pillows. She would not lean on them, she kept sitting up. I don't know if this counts as sitting, but it is sure close! She is getting too big too quick!

Love it!!

This makes me happy...Grandma Sycamore's bread. Delish!

My friend Heather was in Utah for a couple of days and brought me back this treat. Yes, it is a treat!! Granny bread puts a smile on my face. I love the smell of it. I love how soft and doughy it is. I love, love, love the ends. All I want to do is eat this bread. It is fantastic with pb & j, nutella, and toasted with butter. It is fantastic for my diet (not that I am on one, but I should be!) I don't even want to share it, especially with anyone at my house because nobody appreciates it like me! Thank you so much Heather. You made my week!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

We had a great day...3 Easter egg hunts...family...friends & neighbors...church...and extended family...and enough candy til Halloween!

Travis and Sara had so much fun decorating Easter eggs on Saturday afternoon.

Every year there is a street Easter egg hunt. It is a lot of fun.
After the neighborhood egg hunt, right before the kids looked for eggs that the Easter bunny hide in the house.
The kids seemed to be happy with what the Easter Bunny brought them.

Leah looked so cute (especially without her brace on!!). I decided that it was a special occasion and she did not need to wear it to church.

Travis and Jake

After church we went to Jay's parents house for another Easter egg hunt. We had a lot of fun there. It is always great to get together with family.

Leah & Baylee

They are just 17 days apart. Jake and Travis are 7 weeks apart. It is wonderful that we have kids the same age. It always makes Spongberg family gatherings so fun!

Little Leah

Friday was a long day...Leah had a doctor's appointment with a pediatric orthopedic specialist because they thought there might be a problem with her hips. Let me back track for a minute...when she was a couple of weeks old, her pediatrician noticed that her legs were different lengths. She had to get ultrasounds twice on her legs and that led us to this appointment Friday. Her legs seem more even now, which made me think there was really no problem. I used to joke around that my daughter was going to have to wear "special shoes". Let me tell you, "special shoes" sound pretty good to me about now!

To make a really long story short, Leah has a severe case of some type of hip displacia. Her right hip socket is not formed properly. For the next 3 months she has to wear this splint 24 hours a day. After that, depending on if it is doing any good, she will have other splints and hopefully wear them less and less (night only) until she is about 3. By then, she will be able to take it off herself and they will not do much good. If the splint does not correct the problem, when she is 4 or 5 she can have a surgery where they reshape her hip bone and she can live a normal life.

You know, I know that this is not really a very big deal. This is not some sort of terminal illness. But it is really hard. When the doctor told me, I just about had a heart attack. While he was telling me about it, he was putting this splint on her and I was just thinking, "my little daughter has to wear this 24 hours a day for at least 3 months." "My daughter can only wear oneies and socks for the next 3 months and I just took the tags off and washed all of her 3-6 month clothes." "People are going to look at her everywhere I go and wonder what is wrong with her." "Leah may never be able to go to gymnastics, or ballet, or play soccer...." You get the picture. I know these are things that don't matter, but I do have a crazy brain. It was a hard, hard day!!

I am feeling much better about it now. Leah has yet to wear it for 24 hours. It is a little uncomfortable to sleep in, so we cheated the first night (she kept waking up ever 30 minutes screaming and when I finally took it off her she stopped immediately) and the second night (had a babysitter and wanted to make it easy on her). I did put her to bed in it tonight. We will see how it goes. I know that we will both get used to it and it will be no big deal.

There is a harness on top

Leg straps on the bottom, and velcro straps connecting the top and bottom in the front and back holding her legs in an open squatting position (New nickname...froggy). She has to wear socks past her knee so the velcro doesn't irritate her skin. Does anyone know where to get those leg warmer things at? Those might be perfect if they come small enough. At least the splint is pink!

SISTERS

Couldn't resist putting this one in!!