my Mom's Christmas List

We've all been pestering my Mom about things she might want or need that we could give her for Christmas, and this is the e-mail she sent to us all: (Just as a disclaimer, I don't know if this was a forward she adapted, or if this is ALL her own, but either way, it's my Mom.)

Dear Family,

For the twelve days of Christmas, this is what I want……
Twelve days of hubby happy,
Eleven seminary make-ups,
Ten healthy family members,
Nine financial assets to quadruple,
Eight hours of sleep,
Seven smiles from Sarah,
Six days of rest,
Fiiiiiiiiiiiive A’s for Jenny
Four job offers for John,
Three dinners out,
Two long foot rubs
And one baby Rockwell to sleep all night!!!

Merry Christmas!

Neighborhood Christmas Gifts

Some ladies on my street did this last year, and then continued with the tradition this year-it was so fantastic I wanted to share their idea with everyone:

THEME: Christmas Bonfire and Food Drive

What: in lieu of neighborhood gifts/treats we gathered together to give to those in need. We assembled in the culdesac for hot chocolate, cookies, and friends and brough canned food donations that were then taken to the United Way.

I had such a good time talking with my neighbors and drinking cocoa and cookies. A few people had brought those portable fire pits and we were roasting marshmallows too. Then when the party was done, not only had I enjoyed the socializing but I also felt good about those that would be bennefitting from my canned food donations. I know that my neighbors may have enjoyed my yummy sugar cookies, but not as much as a some one in need would have enjoyed my canned soups, fruits, and vegetables.

We will be living in a different home/neigborhood next year for Christmas and I've decided to instigate this Christmas tradition in the next location I'm in.

Catholic Bishop Decries Religious Bigotry Against Mormons

This article was on the website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the newsroom. The link is listed at the bottom of this post.

SACRAMENTO 7 November 2008 (This news release was issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento) The following statement was released today by Bishop William Weigand, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and former Bishop of Salt Lake City, in response to attacks on (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) for supporting California’s Proposition 8, defending the traditional definition of marriage:
“Catholics stand in solidarity with our Mormon brothers and sisters in support of traditional marriage — the union of one man and one woman — that has been the major building block of Western Civilization for millennia.
“The ProtectMarriage coalition, which led the successful campaign to pass Proposition 8, was an historic alliance of people from every faith and ethnicity. LDS were included — but so were Catholics and Jews, Evangelicals and Orthodox, African-Americans and Latinos, Asians and Anglos.
“Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8.
“As the former bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, I can attest to the fact that followers of the Mormon faith are a good and generous people with a long history of commitment to family and giving to community causes.
“I personally decry the bigotry recently exhibited towards the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — coming from the opponents of Proposition 8, who ironically, have called those of us supporting traditional marriage intolerant.
“I call upon the supporters of same-sex marriage to live by their own words — and to refrain from discrimination against religion and to exercise tolerance for those who differ from them. I call upon them to accept the will of the people of California in the passage of Proposition 8.”
SOURCE: Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/catholic-bishop-decries-religious-bigotry-against-mormons

VOTE YES ON PROP 8! PLEASE!?!

WHY vote YES on Proposition 8:

THE ISSUE:
California voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman. Earlier this year, four activist judges based in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriage.

THE CONSEQUENCES:
The Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters; it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision. This decision has far-reaching consequences. For example, because public schools are already required to teach the role of marriage in society as part of the curriculum, schools will now be required to teach students that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, starting with kindergarteners. By saying that a marriage is between “any two persons” rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of “marriage.” This undermines the value of marriage altogether at a time when we should be restoring marriage, not undermining it.

THE SOLUTION:
Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.Passing Proposition 8 protects our children and places into the Constitution the simple definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman.

The narrow decision of the California Supreme Court isn’t just about “live and let live.” State law may require teachers to instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. (Education Code § 51890.) If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, TEACHERS COULD BE REQUIRED to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

We should not accept a court decision that may result in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay. That is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It shouldn’t be forced on us against our will.
Some will try to tell you that Proposition 8 takes away legal rights of gay domestic partnerships. That is false. Proposition 8 DOES NOT take away any of those rights and does not interfere with gays living the lifestyle they choose.
However, while gays have the right to their private lives, they do not have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else.

CALIFORNIANS HAVE NEVER VOTED FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. If gay activists want to legalize gay marriage, they should put it on the ballot. Instead, they have gone behind the backs of voters and convinced four activist judges in San Francisco to redefine marriage for the rest of society. That is the wrong approach.
Voting YES on Proposition 8 RESTORES the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Voting YES overturns the decision of four activist judges. Voting YES protects our children.
Please vote YES on Proposition 8 to RESTORE the meaning of marriage.

Speed Clean

I stumbled across this really neat article on how to speed clean your house in 19 minutes. I thought it was pretty cool. Granted, your house basically has to be clean to begin with for these little tricks to work, but this site is DEFINITELY worth checking out!

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/home/clean-your-house-in-19-minutes-269031/

Because Rockwell was born in the Spring I never really got around to my "Spring Cleaning". As Dave and I are preparing to buy a house and move AGAIN but for the last time in a long time, I've been referring back to a favorite cleaning book of mine called "Clutter's Last Stand", by Don Aslett. It has some great tips and tricks for keeping one's life De-Junked.
Here's the amazon link for anyone interested:
http://www.amazon.com/Clutters-Last-Stand-Time-junk/dp/1593373295/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225317851&sr=8-1

Happy Four Year Anniversary!

Anniversary activites sure do change once you have children, but it didn't stop us from having a great day! For breakfast Dave took me to my favorite breakfast location, Magelby's Fresh in Provo for their amazing French Toast and carmelized syrup with strawberries and whip cream on the side. We then went to Jake's Archery range (my idea by the way) to learn to shoot some arrows. Wow did we look out of place with a baby in a car seat, and Dave and I the only ones not wearing base ball caps and camo but we had so much fun. Dave is an overall WAY better shot than me but I was the only one to get it in the center ring! Hee hee! We then had to interrupt all anniversary activities for a quick trip to Costco...however when Dave and I were dating we would always go there on Saturdays during in between activity time for samples so it was pretty fitting. My parents happened to be in town this weekend and so my Mom watched Rockwell for the evening while Dave and I went for dinner and a movie-something we've not been able to do as just the two of us since my birthday in JUNE. I'd forgotten what it feels like for it to be just us. It was a refreshing reminder.

These are some fun pictures I've found of the last four years:
This is our wedding announcement picture that Dave took "himself". He set it up on a box I had in my car, set the timer and voila!

October 23, 2004: the best day of our life.

We still only have eyes for each other.

Dave's dental school graduation

Rain or shine, we're at one another's side.

The "Temple of Doom" in Palau: A 150 feet of tunnel with NO light, the ceiling is razor sharp coral, crocodiles have used this as a "highway", the current changes in a matter of minutes-the water changing from a romantic stream to rushing nightmare. The water level also raising and lowering at an almost unpredicatable rate potentially crushing anyone inside the dark tunnel against the razor like ceiling. The ceiling of this cave is made of sharp coral, so sharp in fact that it tore up our leather gloves. One must navigate their way into the "Temple of Doom" carefully and with precision, and pay attention to their surroundings: water flow, water depth, and water current. If you don't take every detail into consideration-you will get hurt. Why would anyone do this? Because on the other side it the most beautiful private Lake with beautiful species that you can only access through this tunnel.

My Problem with going in: (other than the already mentioned, I get claustrophobic and at 26 I'm still afraid of the dark.)

Why I did it: Dave makes me feel like I can do anything. He's the the perfect companion for me.

I'm so greatful for him, and his never ending encouragement and love.

Happy 25th Sheryl. Dave took me to a Dolphin rescue center they have there in Palau for my birthday. We got to shadow a trainer for the day and do everything they did. It was so cool, especially for a dork like me who loves things like this. He also took me on a special dive the following day. It was the best birthday weekend ever!

This is us in Jelly Fish Lake-a Lake full of jelly fish that over time have lost their ability to really sting. This particular day was really sunny so the jelly fish were a little deeper (2 feet from the surface instead of at the surface). In some pictures you can't even see our faces there are so many of these jelly fish everywhere.

Morgan Rockwell, the greatest gift.

After Four wonderful years, our family has multiplied, and our lives have been replenished. Our hearts our full and we are filled with grattitude for the love we share and the life we continue to enjoy together. May we take advantage of each breath, every moment, and be greatful for every day.

Happy Four Years Buppi

Rockwell at 4 months...

two months ago....

I'm obviously grossly behind in posting pictures of the new joy of my life. These pictures are so adroable though that I couldn't resist posting them still. I'm getting his 6 and half month pictures done in just a few weeks so I thought I better get these up first so you see how he's grown.

It's amazing how fast time flies! I look at these pictures and I'm overwhelmed with sentiment. He is so precious to us. Thank goodness for pictures that can capture a little bit of the sweetness that these little ones have to offer.

P.S.

Abbey Kyhl is the amazing photographer that took both these pictures and his 6 week pictures. She will also be doing his pictures again in the next few weeks. She obviously does great work, and she does it at a great price. If you'd like to get in contact with her, let me know.

Rockwell at 6 weeks... (11 weeks ago)

Baby GQ

I Won't Grow Up!

Looking to the ages... This is a three generation picutre: Rockwell, Dave, and Dave's Dad Dean

Daddys love to teach their sons how to be adventurous

We are a happy Family!

A Conversation with Rockwell

Lucky me! I ran into Sheryl at church and enjoyed my conversation with Rockwell! I pulled out my camera to record him. He is such a doll and has quite the personality! Love you Rockwell!!! Mama Coons (Teresa)

This one's for Daddy

Rockwell and I are in California watching the younger half of the Christensens while Daddy (dave) is back in Utah working in order to pay for diapers, wipes, baby clothes, and new clothes for me. Just kidding Dave-kind of. I"ve been trying to send this video to Dave to prove that Rockwell is doing well and he's happy and healthy but I'm too "upload" challenged to figure out to convert it to a smaller size to send it to e-mail. So, all those who've been wanting pictures-enjoy. Especially Dave, isn't out little guy adorable? WE miss you!

(p.S. I sound like a dork in the video because Im talking in my "happy Rockwell" voice to try to keep him happy for the shoot.)

The post you've all been waiting for...

I am proud to introduce:

Morgan Rockwell Babcock

(being held by his proud Father)

He was born March 18, 2008 at 5:40PM. He weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. Dave says he looks like me. Admittedly he does have my mouth, my nose and my ears. However, I think he has Dave's eyes, and chin. The older he gets the more I think he has Dave's face shape too. All in all he's a pretty good mix and we think he's adorable.

It was love at first sight. From the moment they laid him in my arms I knew that my life would never be the same, and I was so grateful it wouldn't be.

He sucked his thumb all the way from labor and delivery to the maternity ward. (He first began sucking his thumb as soon as they laid him on my stomach.)

I've only seen one other baby in my life that has had bigger feet than Rockwell (Becky's baby Luke). I picked up one of his little feet in my hand and was amazed to see this big bird feet on a little baby.

We were (are) so mesmerized by him.

The first night Dave slept on the couch in my room holding Rockwell. It was so adorable to watch this grown man and new father spell bound by this little baby. Dave was so nervous about Rockwell not breathing he kept licking his finger and sticking it under Rockwell's nose to make sure he could feel air. Dave didn't get very much sleep that night.

I wasn't very tired that night after the delivery for some reason, but the next day i was EXHAUSTED. I was nervous about holding Rockwell in my arms in case I fell asleep and dropped him. Since I had been sleeping on an incline pillow (so basically sitting up) for the previous six months, I felt better about letting him sleep on my chest. It also hurt way too much to even TRY to roll over, so I wasn't worried about that. Rockwell slept in this position (on my chest like this) up until about two weeks ago!
It was a very hard pregnancy, relatively easy delivery, and its has been a turbulent last few weeks, and I am loving motherhood.

MY DOCTOR IS GOING OUT OF TOWN FOR THREE & A HALF DAYS BEFORE I'M DUE!!!

Stampin' Up!

I got bit, by the Stampin' Up! bug and became a demonstrator. I'm still not committed to scrapbooking, but I have loved working at Stampin' Up! these past few months and love the products, and LOVE making cards, so I signed up as a demonstrator.

While no one needs to buy anything from me, unless you want to and then-OF COURSE!, but there is a HUGE promotion going on right now that goes on once a year called Sale-A-Bration.
Sale-A-Bration is so cool because for every $50 purchase you get a free stamp set. Also during Sale-A-Bration you can purchase the demonstrator starter kit for only $159, which is a $330 value of product. If you're interested-March 17th is the last time to take advantage of this special promotion.

If you'renot interested-no sweat-we can still be friends! ;)

Check out my new business website at:

http://stampwithsheryl.stampinup.net

Pregnancy Pictures

Here are the long awaited pregnancy pictures!!!
Susie got me thinking, and so I decided I would post these pictures to update you on my glamorous pregnancy.
I've made mention time and again of how pregnancy has changed me-you may not recognize me. I've also decided to go back to brown hair because with all the pre-natals my roots were just growing out way to fast to be blonde.

This is a picture on my way to work.


This is Dave and I leaving church. It is SO hard to find cute Maternity dresses!



Here's Dave and I walking the dogs. You can really see my big belly in this one!

I hope this satisfies the curiosity and mystery of my being pregnant. For those who are still dubious, I will be induced March 18th if the little guys hasn't already decided to make an appearance.

I do have some other pictures to post and haven't yet because our computer has been broken for three weeks, and then with all the preparation for getting ready for our still name-less little man, and working full time, I just haven't been able to blog my pictures.

So this will have to do until this weekend. Enjoy!

The Accident

Baby and I are Ok and in good health as far as the doctors can tell.

This is what happened:
Thursday night I was driving home from work and surprisingly not on my cell phone or going back and forth bewteen country radio stations, or speeding-despite that I had forgotten to use the lady's room before leaving work. This Thursday night was different-the weather wasn't great, the roads were a little icy but it was hard to see where with the light dusting of snow that had fallen earlier. Already 15 under the speed limit with cars passing me by, I decided I was going to slow down a little bit more just to be on the safe side. At the same time I had gently stepped on the breaks, my car hit a patch of black ice, slamming me and my car into the cement center divide and ricocheting my car back into all three lanes of traffic spinning out of control. My car came to a stop finally facing backwards in the middle lane of on-coming traffic.
I was VERY "lucky". I say lucky, but I really know that the Lord had protected me and my baby from what could have been a devestating ending. Not only had my life and the life of my unborn son been spared, but the accident that had occured seconds before mine-that was now behind me-in all the spinning my car had done-had NOT hit them or the people standing around at the scene. I'm telling you- it is IMPOSSIBLE that my car couldn't have hit the people or the other two cars in an accident in the middle of those same three lanes I had just spun through. Only the Lord can make possible what is so seemingly unpossible to us. The police, paramedics, and fire trucks on the seen couldn't understand how my accident and the other accident weren't related. They first thought the accident behind me was from trying to avoid hitting me. The people involved with the other accident didn't even know what had happened to me or I got there on the freeway because they hadn't seen my car spinning.
My air bag hadn't deployed (thank goodness), and I didn't have any whiplash, I didn't hit my head on the window or steering wheel, and my seat belt was low enough that I didn't have pain or bruising from pulling against it. I declined going in the ambulance, and Dave came and drove me to the hospital where the Doctors monitored junior to make sure that with the inertia of the crash that the placenta had not detatched from the uterus. We monitored the baby's heartbeat for 5 hours, and it was strong, and all the while he kept tossing and turning inside me.

The Lord's hand is always available to us. His miracles are never ceasing. Some people don't think miracles occur anymore, and while I've personally seen and experienced them in my life, I'm always humbled again and again by the Lord's great power and mercy. The officers are on the scene told me I was really lucky, I told them I was blessed.

IT'S A BOY!

That's right, the first child born to Dave and Sheryl Babcock will be a boy. We are more than excited about our pending delivery, due March 17th. Having known about out little guy since October 31st, and NOT telling anyone, I finally pleaded with Dave to let me tell him about our wonderful surprise. Dave reluctantly consented. He wanted to wait until D-day (delivery day) for the ultimate surprise and maximum excitement, but he was willing to sacrifice his fun for mine. (thanks Dave!)

So, on New Year's Eve/Day at the stroke of midnight, I gave Dave a puzzle that he had to put together (there were probably 25 pieces or so) and that's how he found out. The thing is-on christmas-I had actually slipped with a pronoune (he) twice, but Dave didn't catch it or realize I had done that. (From the moment I found out I was pregnant I was always referring to the baby as he for some reason. When I found out that the baby was in fact a he, I always referred to the baby as "the baby" though.)So, anyway, I was worried that I was losing my ability to keep tight lipped and wanted to be able to tell Dave in a "fun" way instead of an oh shoot! I slipped way. Dave proceeded to do the boy dance with accompanying whooping and hollering. It was so much fun to have him share in my excitement.

Dave had been thinking it was a girl so he's been coming up with lots of girls' names, and so now he has to switch gears into helping me think of boys' names. Girls names are so much easier to come up with by the way. You don't have to worry about a girls name being too girly or femenine or geeky. With boys' names, it's hard! Any reccomendations are appreciated. We won't actually decide for certain on a name though until we meet our little boy. March 17th is just around the corner, and the weekly count down is entering single digits....YAY!