Comic Con 2016

Something that has taken me years to understand and fully appreciate is that I am a nerd! 

I think I was always secretly one, but then I married Garett and this whole new side of crazy came out.

I now play PC games like League of Legends and Borderlands 2 with Garett.

I follow League's World tournament like other people follow football.

We also love Nintendo and their family oriented fun.

We watch normal shows, but also anime which can be pretty cool.

I am part of 2 Facebook groups: Gaming Mommies and Legit Lady Gamers and that is the best thing about Facebook anymore.

Garett and I have played D&D with friends and I had an incredibly awesome Dragon disciple bard.(yeah you had never even imagined that combo before had you?)

I read fantasy and I read 26 of the 28 Shannara books by Terry Brooks this summer in the course of 5 months. (I can't believe I did that either!)

So yes I am a big hearted geek nerd and I love it!

This all culminated to bring about us going to Salt Lake Comic Con this year!

To be fair Mark Hamill and William Shatner were speaking and how on earth could I live with myself if I didn't go to that????

(If you don't know who they are, just letting you know, you are breaking my heart.)

Over 10,000 people showed up to hear Mark Hamill speak and let me tell you it was worth it!

He was hilarious, fun and humble oddly enough. You would think playing one of the most famous roles in film, that it would get to his head, but no he's an older guy who just happens to be famous.

He even brought his dog on stage and talked to a crowded room like we were all just sitting in his home talking over lunch. He is truly a remarkable man (no pun intended).

Shatner on the other hand is a straight up comedian who does not take himself seriously at all.

He's had his career and seems content to just laugh off the rest of his life. 

Now onto the good stuff....the actual Comic Con!

It was amazing. It's like Disneyland for nerdy adults!

People dress up and it's really cool! The more people get into it the cooler it is! We got a few pictures of people, but most of them are on here. 

We took UTA down to Comic Con and it was fun to see all the cosplayers on the train. 

Also a shout out to Taryn for recommending the multiday pass, because you cannot see it all in one go.

There were hundreds of booths with an artists section, and then tons of vendors for authors and people selling cool stuff like this shirt:

We took the picture and posted it on instagram and then showed it to the vendor to get a free Midna poster (not pictured on here).

Gosh we just wanted to buy everything!

The few treasures we did find though:

A shardblade necklace from the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson

(This series will be going on for at least another 14+ years so if you want a finished series I recommend waiting another decade or 2.)

If you can name all 3 of these shows/movies (below) then you are a true anime nerd.

For everyone else from left to right:

Princess Mononoke by Miyazaki (an environmentally friendly movie, not as cutesy as his other movies)

Beyond the Boundary (a cool short show about girl with a blood sword hunting creatures, mostly humorous)

Erased (NOT HUMOROUS, about a guy that goes back in time to when he is 11 to try to stop a serial killer, still ongoing)

P.S. These were my favorite artists! This guy does the mock ups and then his girlfriend does the digital renderings and they were all beautiful. It was difficult to narrow it down to 3.

We also got these (below) for Joshua's room and I am in love!

This guy prints his pictures on the same paper he does his originals so they keep all their colorful glory!

They are watercolors of Miyazaki movies and some of my favorites.

Left to right:

Kiki's Delivery Service

My Neighbor Totoro

Howl's Moving Castle

Not pictured:

2 post-apocalyptic books by this cool new author J Kowallis called the Enertia Trials. 

We walked around to lots of author's tables and most of them told us what they thought we wanted to hear, but she told us what she loved about the books and really just sold them to us through her telling.

We later found out she was the author and happily bought the books. They are a distopia but with actual adults (around 30's I think) because she was tired of teenage angst and I appreciated that. 

I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but I can't wait. Garett has liked them a lot and that's a big deal so I look forward to letting you know how it goes.

I put lots of links throughout this post so if you want to learn more about anything you can find it through the links or google it. 

We had a blast and would recommend Comic Con to anyone whether you be a closet nerd or a scream and shout it kind of nerd. 

Love y'all!

Megan

"Go Go"

Guess what!

We moved about a month ago!

There are still no pictures of our apartment because it is never clean during the daylight hours, which is truly a shame because we get some great natural light here.

One morning I will be proactive before Joshua wakes up and destroys my hard work and take pictures of our new home.

In the midst of moving and unpacking we decided to take a 24 hour trip up to Idaho to see our niece get baptized.

Despite being completely exhausted from leaving at 4:30 in the morning to make it on time (if but barely) we had a blast!

Garett and I are in love with Idaho and going back is always a treat. 

Getting to see family was the icing on the cake and getting to play in the river was the sprinkles on top of it all.

Joshua warmed up to all his cousins and aunts effortlessly (probably uncles too but I wasn't always paying attention) and of course his grandparents. He found out one of his cousins would carry him around and take him outside so I think they are probably best friends now.

Then to top it all off we got to play in a river!

I thought Joshua was going to die of happiness from splashing around and throwing the biggest rocks he could find. (Note the HUGE diaper full of water and rock in his hand. We didn't bring any pool diapers so he got to enjoy an incredibly heavy diaper full of water, it was almost as big as him by time we changed him)

It was a nice, but a fast trip. The weather was perfect and the company was wonderful.

Since then we have been working on settling into our new routine. Garett works evenings which is an adjustment, but probably for the best. We all kind of get grumpy in the evenings, but when it is just Joshua and I we handle being grumpy a little better together. 

Though since we've been here Joshua has become even more of an angel 

(I didn't think it was possible!)

The pictures are from this past week where Garett has been teaching Joshua (and me) how to long board. Apparently I ride goofy (meaning I ride with my right foot forward). Garett rides normal, but kicks mongo (meaning he pushes off with his front foot instead of his back which is much harder and awkward) 

It is Joshua's new favorite thing and he would make Garett ride around the parking lot all day if he could. Sadly daddy gets tired after awhile, but we have lots of fun when we can.

Having settled in I have decided children are a lot like fish. They need the proper sized living quarters for their energy and growth.

We just came from being with family that has a nice sized house, to a 2 bedroom apartment.

This means our small fry goes a bit stir crazy when there isn't enough to explore. 

We have 2 options to help with this.

The 1st is we have a balcony which is lovely and easy to access (only downfall right now are the bars are not as close together as I would like, but we are getting some netting for my peace of mind).

The 2nd is taking walks to the playground or the nice big lawn over by the church (depending on the heat and mommy's energy levels).

The other day we took his cart with us on our walk which ended up with him pushing for the 1st block and then me carrying him and his cart the rest of the time. Oh well, it was still fun.

Joshua is learning lots of new words lately.

His favorites are Eye Brow

"I" which means yes (we have decided he is a pirate)

"Go go" from the Dr. Suess Cat in the Hat show

"Dog dog"

"Ding ding" from trolley on Daniel Tiger 

and "bye bye"

He also said his first sentence yesterday which was "Go bye bye" when we had to leave the play ground and he kept saying it as we walked away. 

To be fair we were at the play ground for a long time and it was nearing bedtime.

Overall this move has been great for us. Joshua has been better behaved, mornings are now family cuddle time while we watch cartoons together and snuggles are frequent. 

Joshua is learning to help more around the house including turning his sound machine and night light on and off at the beginning and end of each nap/bedtime/morning which actually makes putting him to bed much easier.

We still don't have everything down perfectly, but we're getting there one day at a time.

I'll leave you with a fun video of Joshua and Garett riding the long

board together.

-Megan

Spring Brings Showers with May Flowers

I proudly present my SPRING UPDATE!

Maybe I should only make the promise of blogging quarterly. That seems reasonable right?

I'll make that deal and then hope that I happen to blog a little more often than that.

So spring is great right????

Here in Utah we've been getting a great deal of rain surprisingly.

I love and dislike rain. 

Personally I find it soothing and wonderful, but as a mom it means keeping Joshua indoors most of the time.

So Garett and I found the best $20 deal ever at Ikea!

This tent has already proven its worth a thousand times over.

Joshua loves it and the tunnel that attaches to it and I love that they fold up easily for storage.

That's a win win, am I right?

Joshua is almost a year and a half old and growing like a weed.

He knows tons of words, but only says a few of them.

He loves playing chase and hide-and-go-seek.

Grandpa recently refinished my childhood dresser for Joshua.

It now matches his crib and changing table and looks amazing!

I wish I had a before picture to show you the wear and water damage, but you will just have to take me word for it that it looks MUCH better! (Thank you dad!)

Joshua dances and smiles and makes everyone he meets swoon in his cuteness.

April started out right with a mission reunion for Garett.

We only went once 3 years ago and it felt right to go again.

It was great to see old friends and especially Elder Dube, Garett's mission president.

Even better was that weekend they announced that a temple would be built in Zimbabwe, where Garett served his church mission for 2 years.

I would like to hope that we will get to see everyone again next year, but there are no promises as life gets busy.

I keep waiting for life to slow down, but I think I am only just starting to hit the part where life speeds up and doesn't stop for at least the next 30 years.

Along with April came new glasses.

A few months ago we were at Sunday dinner with family and I decided for the fun of it to try on Aaron's glasses. Little did I realize that there was stuff I couldn't see before and now could see more clearly!

Now these aren't a strong prescription by any means. They are meant for seeing things a bit sharper. Tiny words are in focus or detail in wood, a little more distinction in trees. I can choose when to wear them, but I try to wear them most of the time. 

I'm told I look like a librarian in them. Any truth to that?

(Also a side note that that is a compliment since my sister is a librarian!)

I may have recently bought Joshua and Garett matching shirts. It is my favorite. 

Buying matching clothes....that means I'm legit-ly a mom right? I feel like that is a mom thing to do.

Spring has also brought about going out to the park often.

Don't be fooled by the sunshine. It wasn't that warm, hence my hoodie.

Garett is just crazy and is always warm. 

This family picture was brought to you buy Taco Bell's Strawberry Starburst Freeze

 (The only way we could lure Joshua to sit with us for said picture).

Around Garett's birthday we decided to meet up with his sister in Salt Lake.

To make it more fun we took the Train and Trax (Thanks UTA!)

Joshua was in awe and waved to everything that passed by out the window.

(Not pictured) We found out every Saturday at 10am they let you feed the fish at City Creek Mall.

Joshua loves throwing things so throwing food to the fishies was a real winner in his book.

We got to go across the sky bridge and wave to people walking by.

Garett rescued a butterfly from running into the glass over and over.

Then we went to the splash pad in the mall.

It's a small water area where kids can run through.

Joshua about died of joy!

Hr didn't want to leave, but eventually had to, because he was soaked and cold.

About a week later my sister and her family flew in from Michigan!

Joshua and Miri are about 7 weeks apart and are finally at the age where they can play together, or at least follow each other around.

We had a blast having them there, especially for Aaron's wedding where Joshua along with his cousins were all troopers. 

He got a bit tired towards the end, but held on fairly well.

We decided to take Niko, Miri and Joshua on the train, because what is better than trains to little kids?

Not much I tell you!

Miri and Joshua decided to try and hide in the cupboard. 

What sillies!

They left to go home on Tuesday which is sad, but they are going to start a great new adventure in Moldova this fall and I am excited for them.

Finally we are caught up to the present! Huzzah!

Garett just started work on Monday as a Pathologists Lab Technician!

This is his post-bachelors/pre-graduate dream job!

I have never seen anyone more excited about cutting up pieces of organs to look for cancer and things of that nature.

If you get a chance, ask him about it. His face lights up and he gets this boyish grin on his face that melts my heart. Seeing him so excited just makes me all the happier. It helps me  to put my mind at ease knowing he is going to work everyday and loving it. (Also he calls it his big boy job because the work he is doing is very important. Once slip up and that's a misdiagnoses...no biggie right?)

Because of said work, we are planning on moving closer to his work down in Murray. 

We are excited for this new development and moving forward with our lives.

As for me I have been on a reading hype. 

I have been huge into Terry Brooks recently and have decided to take on his entire Shannara series. 

Below is what I have read so far since the end of March I believe.

We own ALL of his Shannara and Pre-Shannara books, minus The Sorceress's Daughter which came out on Tuesday.

I am averaging about a book a week and I am hoping to be done with this series by mid August.

No pressure...

But in all seriousness I am loving it. 

I have found a daily pace that I can live with and still have plenty of time to play with Joshua and get everything done that I need to.

Speaking of which I have started working out regularly! 

This is the 2nd time in my life that I have ever been consistent at working out. The last time was 4 years ago when Garett and I were dating/engaged and it was my off track.

This isn't meant to be a bragging post, because there is not much to brag about it.

This is for me, to help hold me accountable.

I realized after I had Joshua that my body went through some changes. Mostly they are changes only I could see, but it made me realize that I needed to start putting in more effort. 

This is for me, to help me feel good about myself. Mainly it is about having energy to keep up with Joshua. I noticed I was tired all the time and I didn't like that so I have decided to make a change. I like the energy I have after starting my day with a good workout. I am happier and and all around better I think.

Life is funny, it is a series of ups and downs, slowings and speeding ups.

The last few months have been incredibly slow, but now things are picking up.

I can mark the changes and growing to our lives and I love it. I hate feeling stagnate. 

What is life if not for constantly growing and improving?

So here's to fresh starts, growing and improving. 

Or in Joshua's case learning to snuggle in bed.

I know it's the middle of the year already, but don't let that deter you from making changes in your life. I didn't really start until April and that is alright. You always have to start somewhere right?

I love you all and hope to post again in the next few months.

-Megan

Double Rainbow, What Does It Even Mean?

If you get that reference you are nerdy and I love you. 

Last post I covered Joshua's accomplishments at 11 months old and of course he's a completely new person at 14 months.

When people ask how old he is I say "1" and they look at me like "Um no I meant in months". Don't make me be one of those moms! So for all you moms who need his exact age he is 14 months today.

Anyway I'm pretty sure right after I posted in December that he learned to walk the next day.

Joshua has fantastic balance for his age and can even run. (I mean it's not a jog or anything, but he can move fast, especially if the fridge is open) 

Guys he learned to walk 3 months ago and now he can basically run. 

Is that not crazy?

I wish I could name all of his little accomplishments which mean the world to me, but it being late and me feeling sentimental, I think I will focus on the cute things he does.

He loves to be tickled and play hide and go seek.

He tries to blow on his food before he eats it, because that is what mommy does.

Sometimes he puts his food on the lid of his sippy cup and then eats it off of there when he goes for a drink. We think he is trying to us it like a spoon?

Every morning the first time he says "All done" he actually just wants a drink and will keep eating until his cereal is done.

He loves spicy food, which I find odd for being a year old, but hey who am I to stop him from eating sweet and spicy chicken?

He likes to carry things around like the recycling bin, trash cans or his stepping stool. The other day the recycling bin was in the bathroom and the bathroom trashcan was behind my bedroom door.

Since it has started to warm up here in Utah, Joshua loves going to the park and I more or less have to drag him away from the park. (Well once I put him in the stroller and start walking he is fine)

(This is him being taken away from eating dirty snow and going home)

He loves going down the slide on his tummy, and not even the baby slide, he likes the BIG slide.

I always wonder if he knows how much Garett and I love him.
The joy he brings to us is incredible.

About a year ago I posted my feelings of Joshua in our lives after only 8 weeks and how much our love has grown....these cute little things are just tiny examples of why our little munchkin is so great.

We have a fun habit of brushing our teeth together every morning.

Good habits start young right?

Did I mention he likes climbing?

He climbs all over everything, so much so that we have rearranged his room recently.

It was partially due to an old poopy diaper in the crib....but also due to him being close to climbing out of his crib.

Recently we have gotten to see lots of cousins.

Joshua isn't sure what to make of Julie yet, but he seems okay with her.

Miriam was much more of a challenge for Joshua though. She liked to play with all his toys and took a bath in his tub and he wasn't too happy about it at first.

But eventually they got along pretty well. 

I have a feeling they will be driving each other crazy for years to come.

P.S. They are 7ish weeks apart and I think that's rather cool.

I think Miriam wore him out, especially how hyper she gets when she takes a bath.

That girl might love baths more than life itself....I am not even kidding.

After they left Joshua was bummed, but we tried to make up for it a month later by going to Rexburg.

Joshua loved our friends apartments because there were endless amounts of things to touch and pull off, move, etc.

We had a blast staying up playing League of Legends with our friends and having a marvelous time.

We even stayed up late like we were teenagers! Oh to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and then be able to sleep until noon the next day....

All the same we had fun and our angel of a friend Bryton made us this sweet charm before we left!

I am still ogling it and feeling spoiled!

How we miss our dear friends and hope one day they we can all live relatively close to one another.
Though the dream will always be to be neighbors.

Now to conclude this post with a handful of pictures of Joshua for I am his mom and therefore I must take a ridiculously large number of photos of him.

I wish I could explain my love for him. People always say the reason they don't want children is because they smell and cry all the time, but let me tell you, there are a million more wonderful reasons to have children and these pictures show just a few.

This is from yesterday. Joshua was teething and not feeling well and he just hung out with me on the couch and even let me cuddle him. Days like yesterday make my heart melt.

How can I not look at that face and want to give that little boy the world?

Did I mention we have a few games?

One is when we sit up against the wall, Joshua comes up behind us and makes us move then sits down on the floor behind us.

The other is that he likes to lay on our faces....

I will leave you with this photo that sums up my entire world.

I fully believe I am the luckiest lady in the world and I would not trade these boys for anything.

Being a mom really is the greatest. Yeah there are hard times, but there are far more wonderful, fun, silly and all around grand moments. I call Joshua my little angel, because he is a gift from God.

I can't imagine my life without him. It truly is incredible how much a little person, that has only been on this earth just over a year, can change your world and heart forever.

Thank you for all those who have been apart of our lives and adding to our joy in this grand adventure of life. We love you all and hope to be better at keeping you updated on our meanderings.

(Is it too late to start a New Year resolution in March?)

-Love you all,

Megan