PP... Also known as Plant Problems

So I know its been like a LONG time since I last have posted anything on my blog and normally I would update things about my family like how we are doing (which we are doing great), where we are living nowadays (Spanish Fork, Utah), how Mason is doing (He is doing great! Learns new things hourly it seems like), and what is new in our lives (nothing really) but this is a different blog! This blog I am discussing my biggest struggle in life! PP also known as Plant Problems! I have the hardest time keeping plants alive. For Mother's Day this year my dad gave me this beautiful rose bush. I was so excited about it... until I realized that I actually have to keep it alive. I mean give me a fake flower and somehow because it is in my presence it will find a way to shrivel up and die. Like my friend Amara says "I couldn't keep a cactus alive!" If my dad gave me a rose I would feel a little better throwing it away after a couple of days because it was cut and was already on it's way to dying, but no... he gave me a gorgeous rose plant. A plant.... A plant that continues to grow roses so that you never run out of roses unless you're me and then somehow the whole plant dies. The worse part about this whole thing is that I have to watch my little innocent plant suffer and slowly lose life. I knew that I had plant problems before my dad gave me this bush so once he gave it to me, I was SUPER determined to keep this one alive. I put the best soil in the pot, I put rocks at the bottom so it doesn't drown, I even put the insides of a diaper (yes... a diaper) in the soil to keep the moisture in the soil longer than usual. I mean I went above and beyond the normal measures of keeping a plant alive..... BUT it still is on its way to the garbage. I mean I don't know what to do. At the beginning I watered it everyday and then it started dying ok maybe I'm watering it too much so I'll back off a little so I did and then it seems like it was dehydrated. What the heck! These plants are more demanding then my toddler! So I read online about mini rose bushes. They can get sun burnt. Umm ok so should I put sunscreen on the leaves? I mean what the heck I thought plants were the easiest things in the world but somehow I am able to keep my 2 year old alive and well but can't figure out for the life of me how to keep a daggum rose bush from wilting. Here are some pictures so show how unfortunate this plant is to have entered my life.

 See that pretty one on top... give it a couple of days, no hours and it'll look like the poor sibling down there wishing it was in someone else's care.

 Moss or mold growing on the soil... I can grow mold but can't keep a plant from dying how sad :(

 Look at those sun burnt leaves! Dang maybe I should've put SPF 1000 on them.

 Now these leaves aren't sun burnt.... they are just dead or on their way to dying.

See the left door that's mine, the right door that's my neighbor. See her plant..... if that plant somehow were to be 10 feet to the left it would recognize that it's on my property and die. Even if I did the exact same thing my neighbor did. Water it every day, put it out in the sun.... it would just hold it' breath and suffocate.

The joys about raising children!

I have loved having Mason in our family! I mean I'm not going to lie... there are days when I want to give up and I see teenagers running around without a worry in the world and sometimes it looks more fun, but being a mother or a father is the greatest gift anyone can receive! I love having a child because it gives me a reason to do child-like things right along with him like watch movies all day, play with toys, eat food with your fingers, not wear shoes outside, not having to keep the house spotless, and much more! I love seeing excitement in his eyes! There is nothing more fulfilling then seeing your child's' eyes light up and having him get so excited! Every time I say, "Get your shoes, let's go to the park!" his little face gets so excited and he bounces his way over to his shoes and then pounds on the door until I open it. Having a child gives us an excuse to go to Disney every week. I mean how much I want to say that Kyle and I go for ourselves, it really is all for Mason..... right? :)

Mason is so smart! It shocks me how quickly he catches onto things! He has gotten in this habit where he screams if something is taken away from him... and I mean SCREAMS! It is so high pitched you would think windows would break, or my eardrum, but nothing has broken so far besides my patience. So the other day I was talking to my mom and asked her for advice on what she would do with Mason screaming and as soon as I said "scream", Mason all of a sudden screams. What the heck? Mason totally knows the word scream!! How does he know that word?? I say door and he heads to the door, I say shoes and he grabs his shoes, books, food, blanket.... and the list keeps going! I can't believe how quickly he is learning! It puts a lot of pressure on parents for sure!

He loves to mimic! (which is a really good thing, but very scary as well). He see's Kyle wearing headphones:

So Mason wants to wear them! Mason has been such a joy in our lives! I honestly cannot imagine my life without this innocent human being in it! Having children makes the world a fun place to live in, especially when you actually see what kind of world we are living in! I have learned so much from this little child of mine and he is just starting to make sounds! I'm in for a treat once this kid starts communicating! 

Mom and Dad love you so much Mason!!

Update

It has been a while since I last wrote on my blog.... totally slacking!! If your options were Disneyland, the beach, the park, or writing a blog... I'm sure you would choose all except blog :) Living in California has been a blast so far. My entire life I have been taught to work hard and your hard work will pay off, but no one ever told me that life was suppose to be a blast while you are working hard. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Like going to the beach should be only on occasions... and Disney...Psshhh that's like only on special vacations! Kyle works his TAIL off but somehow we are able to still go to Disneyland every. single. week! That's right! Every week. And let's not talk about the beach... I mean that's where we go if we are just bored out of our minds and Disney just seems so far away (I hope you read that with sarcasm) We live at the perfect distance between the beach (10 minutes) and Disneyland (20 minutes). I honestly feel like I'm living this life that I shouldn't be living. Like one day I'm going to wake up and go back to working that 5 days a week and have no social life. It is really strange to me that the life I'm living right now.... is actually a life (if that makes sense). 

Well Mason is 13 months old today! Holy cow! I feel like I just had him! It honestly blows my mind that I have a toddler. He is crazy! He is all over the place. Recently he started walked like 100% of the time! So now you can imagine this little creature that never rolled, never crawled and now he is walking?? He is interested in EVERYTHING! Like everything. I can't even begin to explain how much energy this little person has. Here we are at Disney and he is not even interested in the rides... I mean who on earth is interested in Peter Pan or Bugs Life when there is a stick and gum on the ground? He is the sweetest little boy. He loves giving mom kiss and hits dad all the time... no I'm kidding, well kinda he does like to hit a lot though... but he is so sweet. He is the BEST eater! I mean this kid eats more than Kyle and I! When we eat out at restaurants and they ask if we want a kids menu it's like "For who? This kid needs an adult size portion!" He loves to sleep! I am so glad that we never put Mason in the bed with us, I know it was so tempting when he was little and wouldn't move when he slept and now it's definitely paying off! It literally takes us about 2 seconds to lay him down in his crib, say "good night", and then walk out. He doesn't cry or anything. I am still amazed at how good of a kid he is. Mason loves to flirt! And it doesn't matter what age the woman are! I mean just the other Sunday he was playing peek-a-boo with a lady at the very back of the chapel (keep in mind we were sitting on the VERY front row in the chapel) who happened to be in a wheel chair because she is around 90 years old! So here we are in Fast and Testimony meeting and you hear this little voice go "Boo" and then his little head comes up and looks back at the lady. haha Like seriously I have never laughed at someone more than I have at Mason. He has the funniest personality.

Well that's pretty much our life right now. I love my life! I love my husband! He is a great man who is hard working and such a great spouse and father!

We have moved... again!

It's been a while since I have last posted anything on here. I cannot believe where time is going! I mean Mason is almost 1!! WHHAAAT??? 1?? Where the heck has this past year gone? It makes me sad thinking that I almost have a 1 year old. I have absolutely loved having Mason in our lives this past year! Kyle and I have grown so close because of him and our love for another person has grown immensely! Since Mason has been born we have made him change time zones 3 times! Poor guy. But he is a champ and does it so well! When Mason was 5 months old we moved to China. Then when he was 9 months old, we moved back to Utah. And now he is almost 12 months old and we have moved to California.

Kyle got a job out here in California just over a month ago, so he has been living out here for just over a month. And Mason and I just moved out here last week. So ya we have been here a week and we are in love with this place! We have gone to the beach more times in a week than I have been my entire life! I love living 10 minutes from the beach! Mason is so close to walking, he will take 10-12 steps at a time, and so it's really fun taking him to the beach and having him walk to us.

When Mason and I first moved out here, I had a really hard time with being homesick. I love the feeling of being surrounded by family members or just being surrounded in a familiar place, it's a comfort to anyone I think. For some reason moving to California was harder on me than moving to China was... don't ask me why but it was. We have been so blessed to have good friends Chris and Randi Holmes out here with us, so it's been nice being able to hang out with people we already know. When Sunday rolled around I was over the moon ecstatic to go to church. As soon as we walked into our church building, that familiar feeling of being surrounded by family entered my soul. I felt like I was at home! I felt that feeling of relief, love, comfort, shoulders to cry on... home. I LOVE the church! I LOVE being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I LOVE it! All the members were so welcoming to Kyle and I, I even got invited to a 1 year old's birthday party haha

All-in-all we have loved living in California! I would post some pictures of what we have been doing, but my phone is being retarded and I can't access my pictures. But take my word for it, living 10 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from Disneyland... it doesn't get better! When my phone stops acting like a teenager and starts listening to me when I push it's buttons.... I will post pictures.

Slacking on the blog!!

I definitely have been slacking when it comes to blogging! But life as a mom... well it's busy! Little Mason is wanting to be on the move 24/7 but the only problem is, is that he can't walk yet and he wants to so bad!! I can't believe that he is almost 11 months! Oh my goodness... he's almost 1!! Ahh before I know it, he's going to be going off to college!! I keep telling myself  "I definitely enjoy this stage better than the last one" Every stage is my favorite!

Loves giving kisses

Typical guy-thing to do

LOVE HIM!!

Loves Poco (Grandpa)

Loves helping mom with laundry

He loves stuffed animals!! He got a giraffe for Valentines Day and hugged it so tight!

8 months old

Mason is just days away from being 8 months old! I can't believe how quickly time has gone, if only pregnancy went this fast right?? He is the sweetest little thing! He puts a smile on our faces every day. I love to just sit and watch him play, knowing that not one thing is stressing him out! I wish I could go back to those days when the only thing on your mind was play play and more play. I love being a mother. Yes, there are some really hard times when it comes to being a parent, but I cannot imagine my life without Mason in it. He is simply what makes our world go 'round. I love seeing the new growth in his life each and every day. It still amazes me and is such a testimony builder that I have a son of my own. I love seeing his face light up when he see's Kyle or I walk into his room to get him out of bed. I love hearing him moan and groan as he is eating his food and enjoying every bite. I love seeing him play in the water as we bathe him at night. I love seeing his brain work and learn new things as we show him the world around us. A baby is nothing short of a miracle and how blessed Kyle and I are to have a miracle live in our home every minute of every day! It's amazing how much you can learn from someone who can't say one word!

Looks like we have a future quarterback!

Too school for cool!!!

Love this little family of mine and wouldn't trade it for the world!!

China Experience Closing

What a crazy week this one has been. Almost exactly one week ago, Kyle and I were planning on living in China until next year sometime but things have changed drastically since then. The company that we worked for didn't have as much business as they were hoping for and so they were going to send us to Hong Kong for a few days to renew our visas and our boss gave us the option of heading to Hong Kong and then going home once we were done sight seeing there. We were not expecting that option so soon! Kyle and I decided that it would probably be best to come home and work for a different company where we knew that the business and pay would be more reliable. I was so sad to leave China. We had the best time and greatest experience while living there. I'm sad that we were only able to live there for 3 months, but all good things must come to an end right? So on November 4th, we flew into Hong Kong with about 6 massive suitcases! I am so glad that that day has come and gone because that was pretty much a nightmare! Oh my goodness. If we would've thought how complex it would've been to go to Hong Kong with the amount of luggage we had, I think we would have rethought our plan of coming home.

Waiting for our flight to Hong Kong

I found this interesting and something that you would only see in China airport. Here we have the option of Food & Beverage/Massage?? Massage? How random! Who has time to lay down for a massage at an airport? I don't know about you guys, but I'm always that person who is running to catch their flight! A massage is the last thing on my mind.

Window View

Mason was excited to get his own seat!

We got into the airport and had to take a 45 minute bus ride to the Hong Kong Temple where they provide Temple housing for a really decent price. Just imagine Kyle carrying/rolling 5 suitcases and me pushing Mason in his stroller with the diaper bag strapped on and I had a heavy suitcase behind me, running to catch the bus! WOW it was a mess, I seriously wanted to start crying, sit on the curb and just give up! Well we finally made it to the Temple housing and it was the BEST feeling walking into it! You could feel the spirit immediately! It is amazing what living in a country where you have freedom of religion does to a person. My heart aches for the people who live in China, they have no choice of religion. How sad! We could tell an immediate difference in the people of Hong Kong. They were a lot more willing to help out and overall just nicer people. I know for a fact it's because there is religion in the country!

Mason's bed

Our bed (Sorry for the mess) I felt like I was at EFY again!

The view outside our window

The Temple housing was in the same building as their chapel and the mission office. So this is the front door that heads into the chapel.

The parking lot. You can see the Temple in the background

The whole building. So on the right is the chapel and on the left (the 3rd floor) is the Temple housing. On the first floor was the Distribution Center

One "rule" of staying in the Temple housing is that you have to do 2 sessions per day and then you get to stay there for $10 a night! TOTALLY WORTH IT! The Celestial Room was absolutely gorgeous! I am so grateful to be a member of this church and to be worthy enough to go inside the Lords house! It was an amazing experience and one that I will always cherish.

After we got done with the Temple we were off to Disneyland!! YAY! We had to take the metro to get there, and let me tell you that was so much fun! Once we got the metro system figured out, it was a lot of fun to travel that way! We switched metro's three times and then we got onto a metro owned by Disney, and like usual they always go above and beyond to make the whole experience magical! They had everything from purple seats, to windows shaped like Mickey to music playing throughout the metro. It was so cool!

Disneyland, like always, is a blast! We were told not to waste our time by going to this Disneyland because it is so small and doesn't compare to the one's in the States, but Kyle and I are like kids and could have easily spent 2 days at this one! It was smaller then the ones in the States, but it's Disney!! Who doesn't love Disneyland!? We rode as many rides as we could, which was a ton because there were hardly any lines! There were things that were similar to Disneyland here, like Tomorrowland and It's a Small World (which we rode twice) and then there was a "land" called The Grizzly Gulch and also Toy Story Land. It was a blast! We didn't want to leave, but Mason started getting tired towards the end and we knew that we had to get back so he could get a good nights rest before travelling home.

Sweet little thing!

American Food!!!!!!!

Almost forgot we were still in Asia!

It's A Small World

An awesome ride in Toy Story Land!!

Whinny the Pooh

Dumbo Ride

The castle

We found these drum things and I started playing on them and for some reason Mason thought it was the funniest thing!

 The next day we woke up, did two sessions at the temple and then got ready to head to the airport for our LONG flight home... oh man I have been dreading this flight from the moment that we decided we would head home. We got to the Hong Kong airport around 1 p.m. and checked in our 100 suitcases! By this time I told Kyle that I wouldn't even be mad if he just chucked the luggage in the garbage! We flew from H.K. to Taipei, Taiwan and had a one hour layover and then had a 10 1/2 hour flight to San Francisco (which Mason being the amazing child he is, slept for 9 hours of that flight! Hallelujah). We landed in San Fran at 3 p.m. and then we were suppose to have a 5 hour layover, but our flight got pushed back twice so we ended up having the longest layover possible! Ugh I just wanted to get home! We finally flew out at 10:30 p.m. and arrived in Salt Lake at 1 a.m. It was honestly the best feeling seeing Salt Lake!! I was so excited to be home! My parents were awesome and were there at the airport ready to take us home. Once we got home, Mason was wide awake! I swear... I hate jetlag! We have been home for about 2 days and Mason's schedule is so off! He is wanting to be awake all night and sleep all day, but we are slowly adjusting the 15 hour time difference! We will get back into the swing of things soon. As for right now, we are living in Heber and we are loving it! I have never loved peace and quiet so much in my life! And Timp! Holy cow! We live in such a gorgeous area! So long story short... we're home!!