Our Own Place...and Two Weeks Together...

Tomorrow we get to move into our own apartment again. We have been living with family for nearly a year, and while I am very grateful, I am also very anxious to settle into our own space for a while. I am also anxious to settle into a ward for a longer period of time. I am not anxious for Berkeley to leave for tech school in two weeks. Three months apart will not be fun, but I am going to do all I can to make the best of it. I am so glad that I have school to focus on this time around and that Asa is a much happier baby. If you are ever in Bountiful, please call me and come visit!!

Compliment or Burn? You Tell Me.

While on my way to school last week, I called Berkeley to day hello. This is a bit of the conversation that followed:

Annie: "I keep driving the wrong way. I just can't think straight right now."

Berk: "Well, at least you're a beautiful retard."

Hmmm...I said thank you because in my mind I heard the word beautiful, but in response to my thanks, Berkeley laughed out loud, so I think his emphasis was on the retard part.

Oh well.

11 Months, Walking, and InstaCare.

Asa is 11 months old today. This week has been a crazy one mixed with good and bad. First the good: Asa took his first steps on Sunday (Jan. 17)! Of course they were very wobbly and ended in a pretty good face-plant, but that's a start! Since then, he has taken a couple steps a few times a day. Mostly he does it when he doesn't realize he's let go of something. He can stand pretty well on his own for a while but prefers not to, so this walking business might take a while. It is just crazy to think that our little guy will be walking soon. He also has learned how to blow on his food whether it is hot or not. It is really cute to see his little lips form a circle an blow air. He also loves to throw is body around. He will just put his hand in the air and free fall towards anything he wants. He is such a funny boy. Now for the bad. A few days ago, Asa came down with a really bad cold pretty much overnight. He was coughing constantly and his nose was a fountain. Well, on Monday night, he started wheezing and working pretty hard to breathe. I freaked. I saw my little asthmatic brother turn blue a couple times, so I don't take breathing issues lightly. We took Asa into Instacare (which I would never choose to do, but it was Martic Luther King Day so the pediatric office was closed) and they took his vitals. His oxygen levels were just over 60%, which isn't considered an emergency yet, but still low. He received a breathing treatment and his wheezing cleared up after that. They don't diagnose asthma in a baby this young, so the doctor just attributed it to his bad cold. They gave us an Albuterol breathing machine to have at home if we ever needed it again. Since Monday, Asa has had no real breathing trouble, so I am really hoping it was just a bad night. I still am really glad to have that machine on hand if we ever come across this problem again. I think everyone should have one!

FIXED!

We fixed the problem with comments on Berkeley's blog so now you can comment to your heart's desire! Please do!

www.berkinabus.blogspot.com

"Oh"

Asa has started making this hilarious face lately. I think it was an accident at first, but we laughed so hand and mimicked him so often that now he does it pretty much on cue. We call it his "OH" face. Enjoy!

Spread the Word!!

Berkeley has started his own personal blog!! As you all know, Berkeley is leaving for Air Force Technical School next month. He wants to keep family and friends in the loop about what is going on with him while he is away. He also wants to keep a journal of sorts for himself. He has set some personal goals that he would like to achieve during tech school, so the blog will keep track of his progress with those as well. Of course, he will continue to use his blog when he gets back too so he can use it during normal life as well as during future deployments. I think it's a great idea! Please show him your support by reading and commenting often. He would absolutely love it! Now...here is the web address:

www.berkinabus.blogspot.com

Yes, it does say "berk in a bus" but actually the title of his blog is "Berk in ABU's" which is his military clothing. We thought it was catchy! PLEASE READ!

Here's the News

Berkeley got his orders from the Guard and he is scheduled to fly to Texas for tech school on February 15th. He will be there going to school for Security Forces training which is basically Military Police. He gets home May 26th. 3 months and 1 week which will feel like eternity, but we will make it! We are both actually pretty anxious for him to go so that we can get this segment of time apart over with. It will be much better than basic training because we will be able to talk every day with Skype and use webcams to see each other. It will be so nice for him to actually see Asa via webcam while he is away.

In other news, we rented an apartment!! We found a place in Bountiful that we both really like. The complex is in a cul-de-sac within a family neighborhood and just behind an elementary school so it feels really safe and secluded. We will move in around the 1st of February. Berkeley will be able to help get us settled and then he will be off. Tons of people are asking me how I feel about living in an apartment alone for so long with just Asa. I really feel great about it. I will only be 5 minutes from both of our families so if ever I need help, then it's just a call or a short drive to get it. Plus, it will be wonderful to have our own space again filled with our own things. Our families have been so wonderful and generous to let us stay with them over the past year and we will always be grateful to them for their help.

Asa will be 11 months old on the 20th and I am just amazed at all the things he has learned and how much he has grown. He is so much fun now. I really never thought I would enjoy being a mother this much...especially during those first 6 months. He makes me laugh all day and I just love his big personality. He has the most adorable smile in the world and when we get him laughing it is the best!

All in all, life is good for us right now. We are happy and excited to be moving on with life in a few ways. I am back in school, we have our own place again, and Berk will soon be done with training. We hope you guys are doing well!

Play and Playdate!

Yesterday Asa and I went to Spanish Fork to visit my good friends Brooke and Holley and their little boys. We had a good time chatting and it was fun to watch our kids play together. Thanks for the fun time you guys!

This first picture is just to show you how small Asa is. He is a week older than Brooks who is standing beside him. Granted, Brooks is a hulk but Asa is still pretty small.

It was amazing that we were able to get the 3 of them to sit still on the couch long enough for us to get this picture. I'm glad we did because it is so cute. From left to right is Aiden (Brook's baby), Asa, Brooks (Holley's baby).






These days Asa just loves to crawl everywhere and play with everything!! He also has a new love for walking behind a push toy hippo. He is getting so big and learning so fast.

School!

I have started school again. I almost dropped the semester three times before my first day. I was very apprehensive about going back for a few reasons. Berkeley leaves for tech school next month and will be gone for the rest of the semester, single parenting is exhausting, finding time to do homework without a ten month old needing me every two minutes, and having someone else babysit for me every day were just some of my worries. Well, I stayed enrolled and I am SO HAPPY that I did. My mom and mother-in-law have been so sweet to take turns tending Asa throughout the week and I am at ease because I trust them the most with my baby. It has been wonderful to feel like I have something more to focus on and that I am once again progressing, learning, and achieving. I am so close to having my degree and I am so glad to be back at work on it. It is also FANTASTIC to have a couple hours a day to myself. I commute to Weber which is about a 25 min drive each way so it's great just hooking up my I-Pod and singing music at the top of my lungs. I think being in school will make Berkeley's time away go much faster. The last time he was gone I had nothing to focus on but my extremely fussy baby and the fact that he was gone. This time Asa will be a thousand times easier to manage on my own and having school will force me to get out and think about other things. My classes are really interesting so far and I love that I have homework again...weird...but I really missed feeling like I was learning. I no longer feel the need to take daily trips to Wal-Mart just to get out of the house. School is great. What am I going to do when I graduate? Maybe enroll in some of those adult learning courses? Wow, that might make me feel like an oldie.

Noel, Noel, Noel

It is always sad when Christmas is over. I love this time of year. November and December are always the most wonderful months of the year. I just love the spirit of the season and I love being able to spend so much time with our families. This Christmas was no exception. It was wonderful and having Asa made it that much more joyful. I am so grateful for my Savior who was born to this Earth with the mission of living a perfect life and saving mankind. I wish I were better at keeping Him as my focus throughout the entire year. Hopefully this year I will be. Here are some pictures from our Holiday festivities.