Inspiring!!!

Enjoy this video of a man carrying his son 2.4 miles through water, 112 miles on a bike, and 26.2 miles on foot. My dad and I did the Ironman last year. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. My dad practically carried me through it, with his encouragement and companionship.

I know that if we let Him, the Savior can carry us through life just the same. He will make it so we CAN cross that finishline, and live forever with Him.

No More Whining

Me and Blake with Elder Pearson and Elder Lusk. We love having the missionaries over to eat!

I whine a lot. I always have. Here's a little story about me that my Grandma Hiatt loves to tell:

She was staying with us for a little while when my parents went on vacation together. I was 5 years old. Grandma picked me up from my ballet lesson. I got in the car and sat there in a huff. Grandma said, "How was ballet?" I replied, "Jenny would NOT stay on her MARK!" (They had little lines taped on the floor that we were supposed to keep our toes touching. I always had my toes lined up perfectly on the line, I remember.) My grandma, a little amused, played along. "Well, did the teacher tell her to get on it??" I said, "NO. BUT I DID."

A born brat. You can see why I am scared that we will ever have a little girl! Anyway, I read on my friend Nicole's blog today a list of things she loves and cannot live without. I truly need to count my many blessings, because I have MANY. So here's my list of things that I am blessed with in my life, that I love and cannot imagine living without:

1. Blake
2. ok ok I'll try to be more specific... Blake's hugs and kisses
3. Talking to Blake about anything and everything
4. Spending time with my mom doing whatever, eating, cleaning, working out
5. Working out with my dad
6. My scriptures and my patriarchal blessing
7. Prayer
8. Friends to talk to!
9. Gilmore Girls
10. Water Recreation - boating, swimming, water aerobics, lap swimming
11. A nice comfy pair of jeans
12. Playing with our nieces and nephews
13. Pillows, lots of them
14. Amen, Nicole, a car that runs!!!
15. Laughing at our dog together (this morning Cozmo woke us up a half hour early because the lightning outside scared him and then the thunder came, and he could not stop barking and FREAKING out! After a while, it was very funny.)
16. Makeup (yes, I'm a girl)

Dude, I take so many things in my life for granted. It's about living it up, loving every moment, enjoying things that are rediculous. Like yesterday, Blake and I went and got a quick lunch together at Wendy's. I should revel in being able to do that with such an awesome person who I love and can never get sick of!

Let's live life enjoying every moment!

6 More Days of September...

I have a hard time with September.

• In September, summer comes to a close and fall begins. Labor day. September 11th. It's all dandy, but I get so excited for the upcoming holidays that I cannot wait til this month is over!!!
• October = beautiful leaves + beautiful weather + Halloween! Yay! I can't wait to dress Cozmo up again this year. His costume is going to be AWESOME.
• November = Ironman + Thanksgiving! We are going to Utah for Thanksgiving! Plus, I am having baby showers that month. FUN!
• December = Christmas + New Years + Possible Snow. Then, of course,
• January = BABY! (+ Blake's birthday, cant leave that out!) I am looking forward to all these exciting things as I sit here in September... waiting. Not to mention September is my 5th month of pregnancy. I mean, dead center of the pregnancy, right when you start to get big and really show, but it still seems too far away to think "Oh it's right around the corner!"
  

What's going on with Dani

Right now I am finishing up my job, which will end on Halloween, reading Hypnobirthing, Happiest Baby on the Block, What to Expect When You're Expecting, starting the book Twilight, and doing a cross stitch that my mom did for me when she was pregnant with me. It looks somewhat like this picture. It is so awesome... so far I have the middle horizontal blue line, the far right vertical blue line, and the bottom blue line done... IT'S TAKING FOREVER! But it's fun and I'm learning perseverance, right? :)

Blakey

Blake is also learning perseverance as he completes his final semester at Belmont University! He has 19 credit hours (yes, NINETEEN) and he is also training for the Ironman and studying to take the GMAT. Needless to say, he's a busy dude.

Cozzy

As for Cozmo, he had his first of 2 dog training sessions this weekend. He is a very smart dog so he's learning fast! We are basically just trying to communicate better with him so that when the baby comes, he wont be a hassle to add to everything. We love Cozmo and want to keep him around!

The pic below is of the other night, when we had our great friends Scott, Tasha, and Emery over. The next thing we knew, Cozmo was asleep, nuzzled tightly between Scott and Tasha's legs!

The video below is Cozmo's new game. He is sooo funny.

Poor Cozmo. Blake found his old Halloween masks and put one on. Then he came downstairs and made it sound like someone came in the front door. Cozmo heard immediately and ran in to see who it was. When he saw Blake, he came to a skidding stop and freaked out. You guys, he literally had the poo scared out of him. Literally. Unfortunately, I did not get that part on video, but we laughed til we cried about it. This video shows how freaked out he was by Blake's mask!

Prevention Drowning Program

Okay. When he is old enough, I want to put our son in this swimming course I have heard about that helps babies and children learn to survive if they are in water. I just saw a video on it and it's a bit shocking, but really amazing. Click here to watch the video. I almost cried watching it, but thought it was incredibly eye-opening.

I've been tagged for the first time! Popular! :)

My Handsome Hubby...

1. What is his name? Blake Lawrence Haines
2. How long have you been together? Almost 3 years. We officially decided we were dating early in October, 2004.
3. When and where did you first meet? We first met 7 years ago when I was 16 and he was 17 at EFY in Idaho!
4. How long did you date? We dated for almost 4 months and were engaged for 3 months
5. How old is he? 24
6. Who eats more? Blakey. Sometimes it's about even, though!
7. Who said I love you first? Blake! After his mission, I called him and we went and hung out a few times. A week after our first hang out, he sent me a text that said, "Good night. I love you." I laughed my head off, thinking it was a joke. Apparently it wasn't. :) I've always loved Blake, though.
8. Who is taller? Blake is 4 inches taller than me.
9. Who sings better? I think we're about the same.
10. Who is smarter? That is a weird question. Blake would probably say me because I have always gotten good grades. But dude, that guy knows everything. Ask him about some random thing in the world and he'll tell you all about it!
11. Whose temper is worse? Mine! Blake is so mild-tempered. Bless him for that.
12. Who does the laundry? Both of us... and my mom... :)
13. Who does the dishes? Both of us, but since I've been pregnant, Blake has done them more often than me!
14. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're facing the bed, I'm on the right side. But that's only since I've been pregnant, so I can lay on my left side and also so I can just scoot out of bed and walk 4 steps to the bathroom at night!
15. Who pays the bills? I do!
16. Who mows the lawn? The lawn mowing company for our Condo's!
17. Who cooks dinner? Me, unless we go out to eat. We love eating out together. But Blake cooks breakfast most often.
18. Who drives when you are together? Whoever feels like it.
19. Who is more stubborn? Oh man... we're probably the same... no it's me. I'm more stubborn.
20. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Blake.
21. Whose parents do you see the most? Now that we are living in Tennessee, we definitely see mine more. Although, we spent 3 weeks at Christmas with Blake's fam, have taken 4 visits to Utah since, one week vacation in Washington with them, and they have visited here twice since we moved!
22. Who kissed who first? Blake kissed me first.
23. Who asked who out? Well, I called Blake after his mission, but he initiated the hangouts and dates from there.
24. Who proposed? Blake!
25. Who is more sensitive? Definitely me. Oh the emotions of a woman.
26. Who has more friends? We are about even.
27. Who has more siblings? Blake has 4 sisters and a brother and I have one brother!
28. Who wears the pants in the family? He he he... I'd like to say me but... Blake does!

I tag Nath, Summer, Randi, Lori, Mel, and Launi!

BLAKE CAN FLIP ON THE WAKEBOARD!!!!

Yay for Blake and my Dad!!!

My dad and Blake did another Sprint-Distance triathlon this weekend. (Above is my dad in the grey shirt, Blake with his shirt off - woo woo!, and you get a little glimpse of me in the blue jeans and blue shirt). My mom, Cozmo, and I went with them up to Hendersonville to support. Blake was pumped - short distance is his forte.

400 meter swim, 1.5 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 1.5 mile run

Blake's times were as follows:

Age Group: Male 20-24
400 Meter Swim - 7 minutes 19.39 seconds

1.5 mile Run - 13 minutes 42.17 seconds
1st Transition - 1 minute 28.15 seconds 12 mile Bike - 36 minutes 44.66 seconds2nd Transition - 38.99 seconds
1.5 mile Run - 10 minutes 55.34 secondsTotal Time - 1 hour 10 minutes 50.56 seconds
Overall, he came in 40th!
1st place in His Age Group! (I'm so proud!)

Click Here to see how Blake's times compared with the other competitors!

We were all so proud of him.

My Popito...

Just a quick note about my dad. I did the Ironman with my dad back in November 2006. That was an amazing experience that I would not have ever dreamed of if it weren't for my dad's help. He has pushed so many people through training and such and helped them accomplish their dreams that they thought were impossible. Blake is one of those people he has lended a hand to. My dad is so awesome. Of course, he did really well in the triathlon just like he always does.

Why Blake is amazing...I pretty much have the most amazing husband ever. Blake is not only training daily for the Ironman right now, but he is also juggling 19 credits of his last semester at school, trying to sell his Auto Detailing Company, AND has an extremely dependent, moody, and needy pregnant wife. The guy's got skills. On top of being able to handle all of that, Blake is always in a positive mood. He is a great ward missionary and home teacher. He always has that incredible, enormous smile I have loved ever since the day we met. Plus, he has natural talent for any sports including soccer, softball, swimming, biking, running, wakeboarding... you name it. What a hottie. I love you Blake.

Not the easiest 5 month transition...

WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A PRENGANT WOMAN:

(I HAVE SOME NEW ONES!)

1. You never know, this may be the only child you ever have.

2. After the baby is born, you are going to cry a lot.

3. Babies put a strain on marriage.

4. Mothers are unappreciated. I hope you're prepared for that for the rest of your life.

5. You think you're gaining a lot of weight now? You'll probably have a hard time getting it off, and may gain more weight after pregnancy.

6. I only gained 10 pounds during my entire pregnancy.

7. Wow. You're getting HUGE.

8. You're uncomfortable now? Just wait a few more weeks and see how you feel.

9. You're excited? Well, children change your life (said in negative tone).

10. My friend lost her baby in her (insert number)th month.

11. You probably shouldn't eat that.

12. You think the emotions will stop once you have the baby? Well, you'll be emotional until the day your last child goes to college.

13. Children make life harder.

14. Well aren't you looking fat and fabulous.

15. You know that lady in our ward who just had her baby? She looked about how you look now when she was 9 months pregnant! (I was 5 months along. Here comes the kicker...) But, she's a skinny person.

16. Someone harpoon that whale! (I got this one from Sara who said a man called it out down a hallway to her mom when she was pregnant. Rude!)

17. Last time I saw you, you were thin and fit!

18. Looks like you've been eating too many hamburgers.

19. My wife is having multiple babies... and look how BIG you look compared to her!

(SAID MOSTLY BY ANGRY MOTHERS)

Of course, I generally respond with a smile and a nod. That's it. But inside, my heart strings are being torn and I want to give them a piece of my mind. Okay, just to let you guys know, I have heard ALL of these several times from people. Yes, that's right, read them again and let your jaws drop. Needless to say, it does not help for people to be negative. Especially not to an emotional pregnant lady. My good friend, Britt, has written about this. Click Here to read her powerful words!

WHAT TO SAY TO A PREGNANT WOMAN:

1. You are going to love being a mom.

2. This little person will bring you so much joy.

3. Pregnancy is the hardest part about having kids, and it only lasts 9 months!

4. You look so small for your (insert number)th month!

5. Wow, you look great. When I was pregnant I looked like the broad side of a barn!

6. After you have the baby, those extra pounds will come off so easily.

7. You SHOULD be excited about this baby!

8. Your little belly is so cute. You make a beautiful pregnant lady.

Yes, life will change. But if I'm happy now, that means I will be happy later. Yes, being a mom is so hard. But it is so rewarding, otherwise why would God have us be mothers? Yes, pregnancy usually means weight gain. I don't care what anyone says, I will lose it later. I can't wait to meet our little dude. He's going to be so cool. Blake and I held Colton, Nath and Chris's baby boy the other day. It brought us so much joy to see their little guy and look forward to being parents. I am so grateful to have a strong, happy family of 2 to bring this little person into.

By the way, if you have any other remarks I can add to my lists that people have said to you or that you think are typical,
just leave a comment!

DAY AT THE LAKE! Cozmo's first time really swimming! Love his life vest...