Jake and Katie

Fall 2011

2011-11-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Wow it has been awhile since I have posted anything, but I have lots of good excuses... ;) Really though our lives have been extremely busy. We moved into our house about 4 months ago and so have been trying to get settled-it takes forever it seems, even now I am still decorating and trying to do home improvement projects- and all moved in. Jake and I both started school again this Fall. I am still working on my Exercise Science degree at UVU and Jake started his Masters degree at USU (he goes through a branch at Thanksgiving Point) so we are both busy with taking classes and homework. Jake is still working at Vivint and he still enjoys it for the most part. However they have been making them stay late a lot of times so during the beginning of the month and end I don't see him hardly at all. Jake also got a calling in the ward so he is over varsity scouts and is loving it. Campouts, activities and meetings take up a decent amount of his time too, but I can't complain too much because I know it is such a good thing that he is doing. Besides school I am staying busy taking care of Leah and trying to take care of myself too :) This pregnancy thus far has been pretty relaxed and now that I am going with a midwife that I LOVE everything is great! I can't believe that in less than a month we are going to have a new addition to our family-I am SO, SO, SO excited! It is still crazy to me that we don't know what it is yet, but it is kind of fun too, I think it makes me that much more excited, haha.

And now for a Leah update: Tomorrow she will be 19 months old! Time has flown by so quickly, she defiantly is not a baby anymore and everyday she is learning and growing and just getting bigger. She is talking so much now, mostly just one word at a time, but once in awhile she will say two in a row. She also loves to sing and do the actions to different songs. Her favorite is "A peanut sat on a railroad track", she also likes the "3 little monkeys" song and when she wants to sing it she will say "nap da mooney (pause) tree" (snap that monkey right out of that tree) it really is sooo cute! She still wakes up at night around 2 times, but goes back to sleep easily if we just go in and cover her up. I am not sure what is going to happen when the baby comes, but I have a feeling it might be a big family bedroom. Which is okay with me as long as they both sleep!

Anyway that is our life for now, I will try and post again soon, but with baby coming we will see if that happens :) Here are a few pictures from the past months.

Leah painting a pumpkin for the first time

Jake's birthday. Stef made such a yummy cake!

Leah at the pumpkin patch

Playdate with friends-Leah, Claire, Emma

Our little hiker-she did such a great job keeping up :)

Made it to the top-some hike in Zions Park...cant remember which one.

Papa, Marmie and Leah having a snack break

Our pumpkins that we carved

Jake and Leah's pumpkin

My friend Amber and I on a walk with our girls. Went down the river trail in SF.

Dressed up as a princess for Halloween, that face doesn't look very princess like though, haha

Leah the princess and me a witch

Halloween night-Uncle Matthew, Aunt Hannah and Leah (I decided not to dress her up again because she had already worn her costume twice and I was tired of getting her dressed)

Poor Cedar, Leah thinks she can ride him whenever she wants.

At the park on a cool November day, playing in the wood chips

Back from gathering eggs at Marmie and Papa's

She is such a good helper-putting the eggs in the carton for us :)

Summer fun

2011-06-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Summer time is so much fun! I love it, Jake loves it, Leah loves it-who doesn't? We have done some fun things and are planning on more. We have been busy house hunting though which has taken up a lot of time, but that is at an end because we finally found one and we are just waiting for our financing to go through and then we have got it! We have been living at my parents while we look for houses, it has its challanges, but really it has been wonderful. I have an endless supply of babysitters that I don't have to pay, Leah is entertained with all there is to do around the Newren household (trampoline, bunnies, chickens, dog, cat, turtles, a yard she can play in, lots of toys and books-my mom kept everything from when we were kids and it is wonderful) too. So really I can't complain and I think I will actually miss it when we move. Good thing we are not too far away :) Anyway here are some fun pictures of our summer activities...

Playing with the bunnies in the yard

Jake and I got to see Les Miserable-so cool!

The not so great picture I took of the stage...it was amazing though.

Riding the carousel at Provo Beach Resort

Playing with cousins at Grandma and Grandpa Maughan's house. I love Leah's face, it is so funny :)

Leah got into the dirt, see? She is showing you.

We went fishing on Free Fishing Day! I was fun we caught 3 and the rest in our group each caught about the same. We ate them the next day, yum!

Trying my hand at fishing

Leah playing on the tramp with the sprinkler, she loved it.

Went to dinner with Jake's work in Park City at the Foundry Grill, it was way fun!

Eating popsicles-sooo good :) There will be many more of these to come this summer.

Leah's 1st birthday

2011-05-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Leah turned 1 year old on April 20th! It is absolutally crazy that she is so big! It was not the best birthday though...a few days before we gave her some wheat (which we thought she might be allergic too, but was not for sure) turns out she is. She got really sick on Monday and Tuesday, then Wednesday she was still feeling yucky, but getting a little better. She was still not herself though and I felt so bad :( These are a some pictures of my poor little girl.

Watching Spot, it was the only thing that would make her kind of happy besides nursing.

She had hives all over her face, back and tummy

Even when we gave her a present she was not too thrilled.

That evening she was a little better so we celebrated with Jake's family-pizza and cupcakes. She had fun, but I could tell she still was under the weather. That Saturday she was better though so we had some friends over to play. Leah had fun and she got some fun little presents from her playmates.

Leah opening a present

Pax, Leah and Claire

Cute little kids!

Eating her gluten free birthday cake, she seemed to like it :)

Paxon and Quinlee

Mini Vacations

2011-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Jake, Leah and I dont take a lot of vacations. There are lots of reasons, trying to save money for other things, too busy (school, work), not able to get off work at either jobs etc. However we like to go on little trips and outings with our families and friends and that is good enough for us :) (at least for now). Anyway last weekend was Springbreak for both families so we took advantage and did some fun stuff. Here are some pictures of course of our adventures. Enjoy!

Newren family at the zoo

Matthew, Emily, Leah and Papa

Leah and I by watching the elephants.

She loved her first time to the zoo! They had a cute baby elephant too that kept doing funny things, it was cool to watch them interact.

Jake and Leah by the monkey cage, the monkeys were her favorite.

So wierd...

Leah gave everyone a break from holding her and rode in the stroller.

Jake kept making peacock noises and the peacock would turn around for us. It happened several times, it was kind of funny. Net time you see Jake ask him to make the sound for you, sounds pretty acurate ;)

The gang!

The next bunch of pictures is of the Maughans and our trip up to Salt Lake City last weekend. We had a great time and did some fun stuff!

Stef, Olive, Miles, and James eating dinner at the Mayan

Grandma and Grandpa,thanks for taking us out for a fun night!

Getting ready to go swimming, Jake decided that he would try nursing Leah. It was so funny, she would go for it and then laugh when his hair tickled her, haha

After swimming

Drinking her Bolt House Green Goodness in a bottle, yum!

The next day we went to the Boondocks, Here is Jake at the batting cages.

Leah is getting better at walking, race car track in the background that we went on later.

James, Josh and Olive went in the bumper boats and got WET, we did too, but just a little bit :)

The guys playing basketball, shootin' some hoops.

Later that night we went back to grandma and grandpas for a cookout and games.

Leah had fun in the swing too!

Leah, Stefanie and Olive played in the dirt too, it was a very fun weekend!

Fun times with family

2011-04-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of fun with our family. Both of them, but this post is mostly about mine, the Newrens. The other week we celebrated my uncles birthday by going to a jumping, foam pit, trampoline place....I can't remember what it is called :) Anyway it was way fun! We all had a good time the kids and adults. Here are a few pictures of everyone-

Papa in the foam pit

Grandmama in the foam pit

The Gang-Jake, Matthew, mom and Greg

The rest of the gang- papa, Emma, Greg, Erin and Seth

The boys

Leah in the swing, she loved it!

Daddy and Leah

She was a little scared going through the tunnel, but after the first few times she loved it :)

Climbing on the pads

She loved everything about the place except the foam pits. Silly girl.

She liked riding this bike thing, but loved just pushing it around even more, it was cute to watch.

Leah and I

The daddys were tuckered out after playing hard, haha :)

A few days later Leah, my sister Hannah and I went up to Orem to eat lunch with Jacob. We packed a lunch and went to a park, it was so beautiful outside! It was relaxing, yummy and great to hang out for awhile. We can't wait for the weather to get nice and stay that way. Here are a few more pictures of the day-

My two favorite people!

She was in such a funny mood when we got to the park, she was so calm and just looked around at all the kids playing at the park and us eating lunch, it was cute.

Not the best picture of us girls, but it was the only one I had.

Playing peek-a-boo. This is the first time she wore short sleeves this year and I think she looks so cute! Later that day we went rollerbladding up the canyon and she actually got a little sunburned! I felt so bad.

And here are a few cute pictures just because :)

Sleeping beauty...how come she sleeps so well in our bed???

She looks so big, I can't believe she is almost 1!

Eating breakfast. I usually sit her on the counter and feed her. Probably not the best idea, I may regret it later when she doesn't like sitting in her highchair.

Not sure what she is doing, but I think her little belly is so cute, haha

She is walking sort of, she still won't take more then 5 or 6 steps, but she will when she is ready :) right?

My baby and me! Love her soooo much!

One of her favorite things to do-go through mommy's purse.

Pictures of our Leah bug

2011-03-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Leah on a Rody horse, she loved it! I think we might get it for her birthday. It looks like a little fat mexican horse...oh well :)

Crazy hair after her bath

Leah loves the park, especially the swings, can you tell?

Her new favorite thing to do...sometimes I will let her play in it for awhile or the tupperware cupboard.

Daddy spilled some flour, so we let her play in it. She tried eating it at one point, but didnt like the taste, haha

Our little gangster.

Bike riding to the park for a picnic

Our Sunday walk with the Newrens. We went and fed the horses down the street.

Messy face. Leah loves avacados, one of her favorite foods.

Mommy and Leah eating lunch.

Bath time. Another favorite thing to do. She got some new toys the other day and was so excited. She stayed in the tub for forever!

Leah trying to eat Jake's nose, so funny.

I was not feeling good so Leah and I stayed home from church, we still dressed up though and took some pictures.

She stands up so well, I think only a matter of weeks and she will be walking. Crazy!

My little princess.

She is starting to look more like a toddler now than a baby and it makes me sad.

Playing peek-a-boo. She loves that game :)

Catch up time :)

2011-03-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

So it is time to play catch up on what we have been up to the last month and a half. I wish I was better at blogging and doing it weekly or even everyother week, but alas I am a busy girl and I often put this on the end of my to do list. Anyway, things are going great in our family. Leah is getting bigger and keeping us entertained and busy! She is learning so much these days, it really is amazing. She is not walking yet, but that is okay with me. I am not ready to chase her around. She says mama and dada now and a few other babbling words, its really cute :) She gives hugs and gives me wet, slobbery kisses and she is starting to blow kisses too. She is a big eater now and her new favorite thing to eat is cheese-loves it (but then again who doesn't?) She is finally sleeping a little better, but we are still working on it. She got really sick for the first time last week, it was awful! Throwing up, diarrhea, cold, cough and no appetite. Poor baby all she did was nurse a little and sleep for 2 days and then she slowly started getting better, but she was not back to her old self until a week later. Now I think she is playing catch up because she nurses and eats sooo much. But then again I guess she is a growing baby. So not sure why I can't upload any pictures, but I will get them up as soon as I can so you can see a few of the things we have been doing :) Other then Leah, we are getting ready to move here in the next month or so...we put an offer in on a house and are waiting to see if it will go through. If it doesnt we will just keep looking while living with my parents over the summer. The mortaury has been a great job for the last year and a half, but we are ready to move on. If anyone is interested in moving in, let us know! Free rent, all utilities, internet and cable free+they pay you $200 a month. Granted you do have to work for it, but it is pretty easy for what you get. Let me know if you are interested! Other then that nothing really new, we can't wait for Spring and for it to start getting warmer.

Cold!

2011-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Did I go running last night?

No.

Will I go today? Not if it's 1 degree.
On the flip side, we are going to look at a house tonight if our realitor comes through for us. Keep your fingers crossed!

The last month

2011-02-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

January 2011 was good. A few things happened. I started school again, just 2 classes (Kinesiology and Fitness through the lifespan) they are just enough to keep me busy. Jake moved and started training in the accounting department (raises are so nice!) We decided that we can't stand the mortuary anymore (too many viewings and neighbors that can't change their schedules) and need to get out. So we are looking into other options. Leah is growing up of course. She has started "talking" a lot more, I love hearing her babbling! She can say Dadadadada, bababababa, ttthhhlllaaa (with lots of saliva) and I hear an occasional mamama (we are working on that one for sure!). She still crawls mostly, but loves to stand up and grab onto things. I am sure she will start walking here in the next month or two. Life is good and we are enjoying it :) Here are some cute pictures-

Jake and Leah on a Sunday afternoon

Our little 9 month old

Eating dinner with friends at Red Robin

After dinner in the parking lot. Leah had a big blow out and it got all on her clothes and even her coat too! That is why she is wearing mine, looks cuter on her anyway :)

Cheese

Playing with toys at grandma Newrens house

Love this cute, cheesy face she makes! ha ha

Eating snacks with mommy

She kept blinking right when I would take the picture, kinda funny.

My pretty baby, even when she is dirty :)

Playing dress up with aunt Emily, so hilarious! haha

More dress up

Playing with friends

Pax, Leah and Clair

Friend time

Paxson and Leah trying to get the remote control car, so cute!

Daddy and Leah reading a book.

Leah loves bedtime stories!

The holidays+Our 2nd Anniversary

2011-01-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

Ready for a very long post and a ton of pictures? Here you go...The last few weeks have been so much fun! I have enjoyed every minute of being on break from school, celebrating Christmas, New Years and our 2nd anniversary. To start off Christmas was amazing. We had to split it between both families this year which ended up working out great. Skiing on the 23rd up in Park City with the Maughans, Christmas Eve with the Newrens, sleepover and Christmas morning with the Maughan's and then back over for Christmas dinner with the Newrens. Confused? It really was just fine and I felt like we had enough time with both families. We got a lot of fun things for Christmas. Jake got the Iphone 4, sleeping bags and a few other small items, I got a purse, clothes, shoes, emergency kit for my car and some other stuff. Leah got some toys, books, shoes and hiking backpack (for us to carry her in). Her are some pictures of the big day and also Christmas Sunday pictures too.

Oma and Leah

Excited that it is Christmas

Our family on Christmas Eve

Aunt Emily and Leah

Great-grandma and grandpa Newren

Getting into the presents and ornaments

Her first time eating a pickle, will she love them like me or hate them like Jake??

Aunt Lizzy and Leah

Christmas morning. Leah's favorite book-Heads

All the boys got these remote control cars, Leah loved it more then Jake because it has flashy lights and moves around. She still is fascinated by it and loves playing with it.

The bottom of my new toothbrush, she loved sucking on it. We got her a baby one a few days ago because well she has teeth and we need to start keeping them clean :)

Grandma Maughan and Leah just chillin'

Stef and Miles-He is trying a Gerber puff for the first time, pretty cute :)

The Maughan grandkids playing with their toys, Miles, Olive and Leah

Us, but not a very good picture. Don't we look lovely with our bed heads?!

Leah opening one of my gifts for me.

Aunt Melanie with Leah in the backpack, she didn't like it so much, but I think she was a little grumpy at the time. Hopefully she will like it this summer because we are planning on using it a lot!

Christmas Sunday

She was a little sick, hence the red eyes and nose. So cute.

Not the best lighting, but she just has the funniest face here :)

Daddy and Leah

My two greatest blessings, love them!!!

Jake and I also celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on January 3, 2011. Leah is not quite ready to stay the night without us yet, so we just spent the day doing fun things with and without her. We dropped her off at Aunt Stefanie's house to play with Miles and Olive while we went to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point and then out to lunch at the cafe there. Later we picked her up and took her to my parents for the evening. We went out to dinner at a new Thai resturant on Provo-yum, yum! Then we went to Narnia at the Provo Town Center and then picked up Leah and headed home. It was a wonderful day and I love that Jake was able to take work off so we could spend the whole day together and celebrate the special day that happened 2 years ago. I love him so much and am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. He is an amazing father, husband, brother, son, grandson, uncle, teacher, accountant, ward missionary and so many other things! I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life and the eternities with him by my side. I love you Jacob Bradshaw Maughan! Her are some pictures of course :)

Jake swimming with the fish :)

A cave that we found, you could crawl through it. Sweet huh?!

A Utah Raptor chasing Jake

Me and a T-Rex...Scary! hehe

Us and a weird snail/water creature in the background.

Me getting almost eaten by a huge killer shark...Jaws anyone? :)

We went to a 3-D movie about dinosaurs, we were the only ones in the huge theater! It was cool and a little scary. I made a little scream once or twice, haha I am such a baby.

Jake's yummy mushroom burger. I got a hawiian burger-they were both very messy to eat.

Us at the movie theater later that evening. Thanks Marc for getting us in for free :)

And just for a walk down memory lane...

January 3, 2009

Us exiting the temple

Freezing cold already and we had only been outside for a minute or two. But hey I hardly remember, it was such a happy and wonderful day ;)

Family and friends

So much fun remembering that day!

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

Lovers forever

This was near the end of pictures and we were so cold!

All the family and friends, we love you guys!

Life is wonderful

Snow Day

2010-12-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

So this morning Leah and I were awake pretty early so we decided to go for a walk. We just went down and around the library park and it took us 30 minutes! We trudged through the snow and needless to say I changed my jeans when I got home because they were very damp. It was fun seeing everyone out shoveling and trying to get to work and what not. We also saw a cute couple with their kid building a snowman :) We got a few pictures. Leah liked the walk, but not the snow which explains why she is kind of crabby in the pictures. Just starting out on our walk

She just wanted to be held...

At the park, it was kind of hard getting any decent pictures

Love this face, it totally says "lets go home mom"

Another one of Leah and I, could not get her to smile for anything though.

After our walk, not sure she was doing with her hand?

My little cutie! Love her!

Temple Square Trip 2010

2010-12-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

For family night we went up to Temple Square to see the lights and experience a little Christmas spirit. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We carpooled up with my family, picked Jake up from work on the way and headed up there. Traffic was not as bad as we expected so we got there around 630. We found parking at a church that was close to the temple and started walking. The lights were beautiful as they always are. It seemed like there were not quite as many this year, but maybe I just don't remember from last year :) We watched the nativity, but didn't get all the way through because Leah started getting restless. We kept walking, went into the Tabernacle and had a little nursing session then kept walking some more. The temple of course was the highlight, so stunning and majestic in the dark. The temple grounds were open so people could walk around which I thought was neat. Usually they don't have them open to the public like that. It made me so appreciate the blessings that have come to me through the temple. My family, amazing husband, darling daughter and so many others. I really hope that I can always be worthy to enter through those doors. We finally started back to the car, walked past the reflection pool, more lights, we danced around on the conference center grounds and let Leah get down and walk a little ( with out help of course ). Back at the car we had hot chocolate and then headed home. Leah was super tired so she was a crabby little girl for part of the way home, but then fell asleep. Overall it was a wonderful time with family and it makes it feel more like Christmas going up there every year. We got a few pictures to document the trip. Here you go!

Jake and Leah

Hannah, Leah and I

Mom and Emily

Oma, Papa and Leah

Our family

Us at the Conference Center-Emily, Me, Leah, Jake , Matthew and Hannah on the top.

Matthew and Emily-so cute!

Daddy and Leah by the SLC temple

Leah walking around

The family-We got some nice lady to take the picture for us

Us girls, wish Lizzy and Staci were with us too!

Running recap

2010-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

So last Saturday I ran my 1/2 marathon and it was so awesome! We woke up and left for Park City around 6am, we made it there around 7:30 and picked up our packets, chips and numbers at the Newpark Hotel. We then had an hour and a half to kill so we went to the starting line and talked, stretched, warmed up, went to the bathroom, nursed Leah and got pumped up. Everyone started coming and getting ready and before we knew it we were off! The first 2 miles was under construction so it was a little rocky and it was a narrow trail so it was hard to pass if you wanted to. It was super cold too, my arms felt numb, but my legs were alright. After 2 or 3 miles we got in the sunshine and things started warming up. Miles 3-5 were pretty fun, going through the countryside and some small neighborhoods. When we got to miles 6 and 7 it was a one big switchback that involved hills...yuck. We sucked down some Powerbar gel and kept up the pace even though it was hard. After that the rest of the course was pretty flat and it was beautiful weather outside. Around mile 10 I ate some jelly bean things that seemed to help a little, they tasted good anyway :) The last two miles were tough, but I still felt pretty good, we ran through one last neighborhood and then we could see that finish line. I finished with a time of 2:03 with my little sister Lizzy coming in a few mins behind and my other little sister Hannah a few mins behind her. Our sister-in-law ran in too which was way fun! (She is the one that got us into it). I placed 97th out of 373 participants with an average of 9.24 mins a mile. So I think I did okay for my first 1/2, but there is definantly room for improvement. At the end they totally pampered us, there was a live band, oxygen bar, massages, lots of food, pink water bottles, little necklaces for the participants and raffle prizes too. In our bags they gave us truffles, skull candy ear phones, Downeast shirt, bumper stickers and some other little stuff, all in all I think it was totally worth the money. I have to say that I could not have done it without Jake, he was the most supportive husband ever! Leah, my mom and little sister and Jake would show up at random points on the course and cheer us on and take pictures, it was awesome. And then after Jake was the best because he got things for me, rubbed my back for me and kept telling me how proud he was and what a good job I did. I love him so much! Leah was a good girl too, but she missed me of course :) At the time I was thinking I am NEVER going to do a marathon, but now I really want to so Jake and I are going to train for the Utah Valley Marathon next spring. Here are some pictures of the event, ah it was so fun!

Us before the race

Lizzy, Me, Cassie, Staci, and Hannah

Me running around mile 11

The finish line

Receiving our necklaces and waterbottles and getting our chips cut off.

My sisters and I :)

My amazing husband, Leah and me

Our necklaces... ("run like a girl" was the theme)

After we went out to lunch and spent the day in park city shopping at the outlits. I was so tired that night and a little sore too. But overall it was an amazing day and an amazing race, I love it!

Running for Pink and Halloween

2010-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

So recently Jake and I have been on a running kick. It all got started when my 50+ year old parents ran the Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon in July; Jake and I thought "hey why are we not running?" So began our desire to get into shape and do our own 1/2 marathons. At first 2 or 3 miles seemed super hard and we were tired really fast. Then we made it to 6 miles and thought we were doing good, but we still felt like we had so far to go. A few weeks later we went 8 miles and thought wow we are getting better and yes indeed it was a little easier to run those distances. Then about a week and a half ago I did 11 miles WITH the stroller! It was then that I knew I was finally to the point that I would be ready for my Pink 1/2 marathon. Well I am running tomorrow up in Park City and I am super nervous, but excited too! Jake is doing the Provo Halloween 1/2 in two weeks and his training has been going really well too (check it out). We both have been very motivated and are starting to love to run. We are planning to run the Utah Valley Marathon next spring...26.2 miles yikes! :) Wish us luck!

Family Pictures

2010-09-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

So Sunday we were finally able to get the whole my family (Newren side) together for pictures. It has been forever since we have had them done...literally at least 8 or 9 years ago. It turned out to be a nice day to do them and my cousin Amber was able to come down with her family and take them so everything worked out great. It was funny trying to figure out what everyone should wear and trying to make ourselves look decent, it was a little stressful, but not too bad :) We ended up taking some at a barn across the street from where we live and then we headed up Hobble Creek Canyon to take some more. Here are a few that we took with our camera, but obvisously the ones Amber took are a lot better quality we just don't have them yet.

Our little family

Eric and Staci

Leah looking so cute as usual :)

Newren family (siblings still unmarried )

Jake and I

Pretty girls

Oma and Leah

Jake and I being goofy, I love it!

My man is so handsome! I on the otherhand wish someone would have told me my hair was having issues...oh well.

Lizzy and I

Papa and Leah

Auntie Lizzy and Leah

Like I said the good ones will be coming and I will be sure to post a few of those :) It was great being with everyone though, good times. I have a few more random, fun pictures of Leah and us that I though I would post because she is just so stinkin' cute.

Sunday afternoon just playing with toys, she looks kind of like "what are you doing mom?"

She is sitting up really good now. She still tips over on occasion, but she is learning so fast.

Leah stuck in Jake's jacket...I mean seriously who needs a sling.

Aunt Emily playing with Leah. It's amazing how they can just fold in half like that!

She loves eating her toes now, she is so cute.

Us swinging in the big girl swing at SF library park

Leah loves to stare at people...

She looks tiny in it, but she liked it for the most part. I had to put my purse behind her to give her a little more support.

Funny face, We love our Leah bug!

4 months!

2010-08-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

So last week Leah turned 4 months! We went to her 4 month check up at the doctors, she did really well and is such a good baby as usual :) She weighed 14.1 lbs and is 25 1/2 inches , so she is almost average and he said that she looks healthy and fine. She got two of her shots (we are doing Dr. Sears method) and didn't cry at all! We talked to the doctor and he said that sleepwise she could be doing a little better, but to not worry about it too much yet. He also reccomended that we could start trying to give her a little bit of cereal before bed...we have tried it twice, but it doesn't really seem to do anything. And also I read something today that said you should not start babies on solids till they are 6 months, so ya I am not really sure what to do...any suggestions? He also said that we should continue to give her lots of tummy time and to try and let her sit up without any help so she can start to strengthen her back muscles. Anyway we are finding that there is so much to learn, but we are having so much fun along the way! We love our little Leah bug.

Here is a few recent pictures of her and us...

Leah and her teddy bear. She likes to eat him :)

Lookin' cute in her jean outfit

Daddy and Leah

Mommy and Leah

This was a Sunday afternoon and she was just talking so much that I thought I would get it on tape.

Leah

2010-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

So my friend Amber took some cute pictures of Leah yesterday and I thought I would share. Leah cooperated for the most part, but I realized now why people get pictures done when they are newborns..because they are so much easier to move around and they stay in positions :) haha well they still turned out cute, so I am a happy.

Leah has learned a few more things recently. She has rolled over quite a few times from her tummy to her back, but I think that she still has a ways to go before she actually realizes she can do it :) She also has found her voice, she screeches all the time and it's so funny to hear. She laughs now when we tickle her, but a few times we have just been playing and she will giggle too. She has also been a little monster at night, sometimes she will wake up every two hours!I think she may be on a growth spurt, but soon we are going to start sleep training. We really do love her so much though, she is our little angel (most of the time). We are heading down to our family reunion this weekend...it will be our first vacation with Leah. It's strange packing for three people now instead of two. We hope she will be good on the drive down :) Anyway thats it for now, I will update again soon!

Our life the last few months

2010-07-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

So our little Leah bug is growing so big! It is amazing how they are a newborn and then all of a sudden they are a 3 month old. She is learning to do lots of new things - smile, laugh, lift her head up for long periods, stand up (with our help), look at her toys. "goo" and "gaa" etc - they may seem like small accomplishments, but for a baby they are big steps :) She is sleeping pretty good, but is still waking up quite a few times during the night. Needless to say we are going to start working on the sleep thing soon, haha. Jake and I are absolutally loving being parents! Leah is such a wonderful baby and we love her so much!
Okay, so a little update on us since it has been a few months since we last blogged...Jake got a new job at APEX Alarms which he is enjoying for the most part. The only issue is that he has 12 hour days during the summer months, so it is alot of work on his part. I am enjoying being a stay at home mom, it has a few challanges, but I love being home with my little daughter! We have done a few fun things this summer... camping in the backyard, blessing Leah, 4th of July fireworks and festivities, having friend get togethers and playing soccer and football. The rest of the summer holds some fun too! We are looking forward to the rodeo with Jake's family and the Newren family reunion at the end of this month. We also get to go see the Lion King on broadway next month, we have heard that it is amazing so we are excited! Anyway that is about it, here are a few pictures from the last month or so :)

Us on a Sunday afternoon

We went to the farmers market in Provo. We found some head bands for Leah's hair :)

Leah with Papa and Grandmama

Leah kicked the neck of her nightgown way far down...it was a little big.

She looks like a little referee here, so cute!

Just being a happy girl :)

Jacob got me flowers, he is so sweet.

Me and my little princess.

Leah Update

2010-05-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Our Princess

2010-04-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Holding Mom's Thumb

Tired Yawn

Say What?

Toes

She missed General Conference, but still gave her sustaining vote.

Miss Grumpy

mmmm....cozy

Grandma's Grandkids

Meeting Daddy

An Hour later

Leah Marie Maughan

2010-04-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

More to Come...

Check it out.

2010-03-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.thefatherfactors.blogspot.com/

The intent has changed to a blog with fun little posts to make you smile or gasp...or both.

Second Chances

2010-02-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Remember Jr. High Band

2010-02-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Check out who just got busted for a DUI at 9:30 a.m. KSL link

Calling all Takasakis

2010-02-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I am calling on Steve and Jen Takasaki to make a blog.

It was okay to put it off until Paxson was born.
Now, the world is calling....

If you support me in this endeavor, please make it known.

The Strange Case of USC vs. McCarty

2010-02-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

University of Southern California has an enviable reputation as an education facility, and an endowment of $3.2 billion. It generates half a billion dollars a year in research funding.

The very same USC recently sued a would-be-student for $140,000 after he reported some security vulnerabilities on their web site to a security firm.

Eric McCarty is a young guy in his twenties who went to USC's web site with the intention of becoming a student. He says, upon looking at the site, he wasn't sure if USC's online application process was secure enough to protect his personal information.

So he ran a couple of tests and found that the site had a serious vulnerability - a SQL injection could be performed on the home-grown authentication software, allowing an attacker to circumvent the security and access *any* of the forms in the database - a database which at the time contained data on 275,000 individuals.

McCarty then contacted a reporter at SecurityFocus, which then contacted USC, and informed them of the vulnerability.

Now, California has some excellent laws that detail what organizations must do if personal data is compromised. USC had to follow them - which meant contacting anyone potentially facing data loss or otherwise affected by the vulnerability.

Contacting all these people about the vulnerability cost USC $140,000 - a cost they decided to recover by suing McCarty - the person who originally discovered the breach.

Which is where things get really weird.

According to the FBI, as quoted in SecurityFocus, an email found on McCarty's computer shows that he targeted the school because he was denied admission.

Yet McCarthy, from the standpoint of SecurityFocus' reporting, appears to have acted without malice and done very little - if any - damage, based on his unauthorized testing of the web site.

Upon finding the hole, he did the right thing - he reported it to responsible, third-party authorities who reported it to USC, ahead of their publication of the problem.

The reaction he would have received had he reported it directly to USC cannot be known. But as the CEO of Authentium, a security software company, I have called in more than a few security alerts and I find companies can be surprisingly blase about security vulnerabilities - unless threatened with publication. McCarty did the right thing.

And now for the (un)happy ending.

According to the Computer Science Institute, at the time of the suit, Eric McCarty simply did not have the resources to fight USC, so he negotiated a settlement with the university and the State Prosecutor and agreed to pay almost $36,800 in monthly installments of $500 for the next 72 months (6 years), and spend six months under house arrest.

And I thought universities were supposed to improve the human condition.

USC's motto is palmam qui meruit ferat - "Let whoever earns the palm bear it". USC, it's pretty apparent that you "earned this palm" with your sloppy coding. You should have borne the cost of telling people affected by this vulnerability yourself, not foisted it off onto McCarty.*

*Reposted from here.

Just me thinking...

2010-02-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's 6:31 on Saturday night and I am alone. Katie left at 6:28 to go to her late shift at Macey's. As I packed her a little snack, walked her to the door, gave her a good-bye kiss and watched her leave I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving and love. How did I get so lucky? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed and grateful that you can't believe this is your reality? I have. In fact it happens on a regular basis. Last night I was laying in bed and I thought to myself, "You know, I am in a good position. Life is so good right now." Then sense kicked in my door and proclaimed, "You don't know what you're talking about. You've got no permanent residence, you've got no money, and you've got no job. How could you feel so sure?" I don't know. I just do. I guess that's what you call hope...and maybe faith. I just feel blessed. I know that for some reason, God's grace is shining down on me and I can feel his mercy everyday of my life. Do I deserve it? No. Not by any means. Could I live without it? No. Not by any means. I am busier than ever right now and life seems to be in panic mode, but I couldn't be happier. I love my wife and she loves me. We're as happy as could be!

{insert graduation song here}

2010-02-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

Guess who just applied for graduation!!

*Class of 2010*

Look out world! Here I come!

(come on economy, i need job)

...dang...

Finally updating :)

2010-01-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

So it has been along time since we have updated and I thought it was about time we did. We have had several new things happen since our last post. At the beginning of December we moved to an apartment upstairs at Walker Mortuary. It has been a good experience thus far, we have to be on call several nights a week and on those nights if there is a viewing then we help out with it. Other then that it is just a place to live with free rent, so its a pretty good deal :) School has also started up again and with that all the stress and craziness of trying to manage our schedules, work, and each other. Jake is super busy because he is taking 16 credits and they are all upper division! So needless to say I won't be seeing him much this Spring. He is going to graduate though in April so we are very excited. He also is still teaching seminary, but after the 2 semesters at Maple Mountain he is now over in Pleasent Grove. I am still working at Maceys and going to school part time. And of course still being pregnant :) Our little girl is growing so big, you can tell cause my tummy is getting bigger. It is great because now people actually am starting to realize that I am expecting. And even still people say they can hardly tell, but hey thats alright with me cause that means less weight to lose when she is here, hehe. She also seems to be constantly moving around, its awesome though to be able to look at your stomach and just see her moving around. It is so fun, definantly one of the best parts of being pregnant! We are starting to buy a few baby things, so far we got a crib, rocking chair, diapers and a few outfits and toys. We are realizing that we need quite a bit more before we will be ready for her. Well that is all for now!

19 Weeks 21 Weeks 24 Weeks

2009-12-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, I got the opportunity to play some tackle football. I haven't suitted up in pads since 2002, so strapping on the protective gear was reminesent for me and scary for Katie. I loved it.

After we put away the football and shortly after the turkey was nestled comfortably in our tummies, Katie and I packed up our first apartment and headed back to good ole' Spanish Fork. It was a bitter/sweet move. Here are some preliminary pictures of our new place:

Spare Room (soon to be baby room!)

Kitchen (yep that's carpet)

Living Room

Bedroom

Den

Jake-Happy :)

Katie-Sad :(

As you can see, me and Katie experienced different emotions with moving. Katie was sad to leave the comfort of having the Brysons so near. It was great to live near them and Katie still misses Amber. I'm getting tired of watching our own movies, but excited to save a little money (and the extra space is great!).

The first night in the mortuary was a tough one, but we're getting used to it and we've even decorated for Christmas. Everytime we walk in our door, we're welcomed with the warming smell of pine and the glimmering lights from three different Christmas trees. We just need snow now.

We're on day 4 of our 15 day emprisonment in our own apartment. We had to get all our Christmas shopping done today because we didn't know if we would able to get it done with finals coming up and our commitment to be home from 5 pm to 9 am everyday through the 18th. The upside is that we'll be free from the 18th through the holidays up to our anniversary on the 3rd.

Life is great.

(This bowl of Rocky Road is amazing!)

We're having a baby { and it's a ... }

2009-11-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

If you didn't already know, we're having a baby and it's a girl.

April 29, 2010

I'm thinking about planting some seeds....

2009-11-17T11:05:00.001-08:00

Our happy relationship :)

2009-11-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

So I thought I should take a turn and do some blogging for the second time in my life, haha :) I just wanted to talk a little about what has made our marriage so happy and enjoyable so far...First off my husband is so affectionate and I absolutally love it!!! It really shows me how much he loves and cares about me. So give your spouse some love and attention today if you have not already! Secondly, we have found how much each of us likes surprises, it could be a special breakfast, a sweet note, a little present, flowers, just any act of service will do. So go do an act of service and see how much more your spouse will love you. Thirdly, doing things together is the best!!! We love going to movies, playing games, going to the temple, hiking and doing other athletic things or just sitting around and talking to each other. So, go and do something together, it makes you that much stronger as a couple.
Those are just a few of the ways that we have found helps build our marriage stronger and makes us so much happier and in love as a couple. I am so blessed to have Jake in my life and I am excited to go through life together side by side :)

2009 Turkey Bowl

2009-11-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

I think I'm in over my head. I started planning turkey Bowls three years ago. Last year we had a good turn out of about 100 people. This year looks to be bigger. Maybe.

I'm secretly very excited.

We're thinking of two divisions. Possibly 3 if there are enough girls that wanna play. So far I've heard from 2 that want to. That would make for a small game.

If you wanna play in the Turkey Bowl let me know.

Peace.

If you're interested in check out The Father Factor.

NEWS!!!

2009-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Check it Out!!

www.thefatherfactors.blogspot.com

I'm a New Uncle...of a Snake!

2009-10-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

We all went to my parents house this Saturday to celebrate my mom's birthday. As it turns out, my little brother Josh, bought a 6-foot Boa Constrictor. Why? Ask him. I don't know. The life expectancy of a snake (according to Josh) is 20 years. Therefore, unless he gets bored of the snake and decides to sell it, we've got a snake in the family.

Awful Monsters

2009-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

My class has been working on 2 Nephi 9 this week. I've always read verse 10 thinking that the awful monsters spoken of are physical death and hell. Through my class discussions, I've come to realize that this death is not physical death because the real sting of death comes from sin. The death that Jacob is talking about (and it's apparent to me now) is spiritual death or alienation from God. Jacob mentions in this chapter that temporal death is just another step in the plan of salvation (v. 6). Just thought I'd share!

What Matters Most

2009-09-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

I love you Katie

Seminary Starts in a Week!!

2009-08-12T13:45:00.001-07:00

It’s crazy how fast the summer has flown

Stretching Hurts

2009-06-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

I recently taught a class based out of 1 Nephi 20-22 to a bunch of seminary teachers and I was surprised at the amount of love the Lord demonstrates in these few Isaiah chapters. I'd like to share a few of the main points.

1 Nephi 20:10 "For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

Cross reference

Doctrine & Covenants 95:1 "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you--"

Flip over to 1 Nephi 21:14. Israel was going through many afflictions and felt like they had been forgotten. "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me--but he will show that he hath not."

v. 15 "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion o nthe son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel."

v. 16 "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands..."

After the Nephites were required to abruptly leave their home, friends, and everything that was ever familiar to them, wandered in the dessert for 8 years, beaten, and endured many unspeakable hardships only to arrive in a land where they now had to live out the rest of their days alone, the Lord tells them that He is shaping them. He is leading them. Most importantly, He loves them. The same is true for us. The Lord loves us. I know He does.

In the latter verses of 1 Nephi 22 Isaiah compares the punishments of the wicked to the promises to the righteous and says, "If ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day."

Boyd K. Packer said,"Happily Ever After is never written into the second act." We are in that second act here in mortality. Endure. Your salvation awaits. The Lord loves you. He is refining you throught the furnace of affliction. He invites, "Come ye near unto me." (1 Nephi 20:16) The Lord's message through to words of Isaiah to the Nephites and to us in the latter days is: I love you.

Having a Hard Time?

2009-05-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

This touched me. We all have hard times. If we could all just help each other out... "...Lift where you stand..."

Maple Mountain High School

2009-05-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

I just found out that I have been transferred to the new high school in Spanish Fork. Maple Mountain High School. The seminary building won't be finished until August, so Katie and I will have to have an all-day room decorating party! We're both really excited.

MMHS

2009-05-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Recent Events

2009-05-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

It takes a lot to get out the camera and download the pictures onto the computer. It only happens every so often. Here's a sample from the latest events.

Camping. Cooking Breakfast.
Our wonderful tent and campsite. Men doing manly things.

Katie's got a gun.

Watch out!

Our normal faces.

Silly Faces.

Two Beautiful Girls. Katie. Olive.

Pigeon Toes Prom. Real Pretty.

(Sigh) Young and Innocent. Good Looking.

Y hike? (Get it? We hiked the Y!!) hahah. lame.

We're on top of the mountain looking down on the valley.

< it's simple >

2009-05-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

< Here We Go Again >

2009-05-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Things I am thankful for...

2009-05-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

I realized today how much I have to be thankful for. And so I wanted to write it down...here I go...I am thankful for my loving husband, for the blessings of the gosple in my life, for an amazing family (on both sides), for the beautiful world that we live in, for the opportunity to get an education(even if it is expensive!), for a job, for a strong, healthy body, for friends near and far, for our little apartment, for good food to eat, for holy temples, for a free country, for missionaries, for a television, for good books to read, for the beauty of nature, for music, I am thankful for my Savior, for the scriptures, for the blessing of having a living prophet to lead us, for a car that works :), for the internet, for my two little fish, for my wonderful parents, for movies, for sugar (even though its bad for me, ha ha), for the patience that Jake has for me, for my trials cause it makes me stronger, for the ability to cry, for the opportunity and ability to play sports, for the plan of salvation, for the mountains that surround this valley, for joy that comes from knowing who I am, I am thankful for the different seasons of the year, for games (yeah for Ticket to Ride!), for people that make me a better person, for the Institute program, for having enough money, for the way Jake makes me feel, for little kids, for people that have happy, positive attitudes, for the bright yellow dishes in my cupboard :), for the blessing of having the priesthood in my life, for my grandparents and extended family, for beautiful flowers, for having the most wonderful man in the world as my husband, for Sundays, for artwork, for having a loving Heavenly Father, for the promise of children to come someday, for living here in Utah, for being raised in the church, I am thankful for inspirational individuals, for the men and women in the armed forces, for the past and for the lessons I have learned, for the Holy Ghost to guide me, for my senses, for the memories that I have, for the blessings the Lord has given me, for hard times, for the happiness I feel when I am with the ones I love, for a beautiful ring on my finger, for technology, for all the examples in my life, for planes that can go to far away places, for yummy desserts, for sleep, for all the things in my life that make it good, I am thankful MOST of all for the Lord blessing me with a companion that I can be with forever-I love you Jake.

. Eye of the Tiger .

2009-04-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

. I'm Teaching Seminary!!! .

2009-04-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

I found out yesterday (April 22) that I am going to teach seminary next year. This comes after taking the REL 370 class where a handful of students were asked to come back and take the next class REL 471. Everybody in the REL 471 class was an amazing teacher who was trained and prepared to teach the gospel to the youth. We were informed that only 4 out of the 20 students (in REL 471) would be invited and given a spot to student teach next year. The statistics were against me. In fact, we were also told the because of the churches hiring freeze, very few teachers would actually be hired to teach full time. There's not a lot of turn-over in seminary teaching, so the only reasons why spots would open up are if a teacher retired (fat chance in this economy), if a teacher got sick and wasn't able to teach, or with the opening of new schools. I had prepared myself to accept the Lord's will whatever it may be and was very surprised when I got the call inviting me to accept a position at UCAS - Utah County Academy of Sciences. This is not a full time position, mind you, and I only have a job for the fall semester. After that (and from my understanding), I will be either invited to teach for another semester or thanked for my participation and asked to move on with my life. After two semesters of teaching, I will be offered a full-time teaching position or again, thanked and asked to move on. The statistics are still against me but I've come to the realization (or the faith) that if the Lord wants me to be a seminary teacher then I will be. If not, then He has something for me to learn in the next few months. All I know for sure is that the Lord is opening a door for me and I am going to walk through it. I'm excited for this new adventure. I would love to spend the rest of my life teaching the youth the gospel. It would be a dream come true.

. Me...during Finals .

2009-04-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said

. Let The Playoffs Begin .

2009-04-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

. The Maughan Shack .

2009-04-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home. ...The poorest shack... in which love prevails over a united family is of greater value to God and future humanity than any other riches. In such a home God can work miracles and will work miracles. ... Pure hearts in a pure home are always in whispering distance of Heaven."
--David O. McKay

. What does "Easter" mean? .

2009-04-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't sleep. I had some things on my mind and so I pulled out my journal and began to free write. My mind went a million miles an hour and my pen struggled to keep up, so I began to draw instead of writing. I drew a whip, a crown of thorns, and a wooden cross. I was thinking of today - 1,976 years ago. The day that Christ would be judged by an earthly tribune and sentenced to a most brutal and trialing death. My pen wrote the word "Easter" next to the cross, then I drew a slash and wrote Atonement. I began to think of the betrayal of God's Only Begotten Son and the pain that he must have felt from loosing a friend.
My mind reverted back to the Atonement and I wondered what Christ felt as my image or my name passed through his mind. I remembered these words from the song, "This is the Christ":

I read his words, the words he prayed while bearing sorrow in Gethsemane. I feel his love, the price he paid. How many drops of blood were spilled for me? With saints of old in joyful cry, I, too, can testify, “This is the Christ!”

Then I wrote the word "Easter" on my page and wondered where the name came from. I understood the significance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but I had no idea where the name "Easter" came from. So I googled it and got this response (ironically from ChaCha.com):

The name "easter" comes from the ancient German goddess Ostara "The Teutonic Goddess of Spring" (called Eostre in Anglo-Saxon).

After more online research, this answer was confirmed. So there it is. The day of Christ's resurrection got it's name from a German goddess and the world has turned the day into a celebration of the death of winter and the beginning of spring and summer. We know better. We know that we are not celebrating the death of anything. Yes, we are grateful and ever indebted to the Messiah for "suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind" ( Alma 7:11) and we know that "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isa. 53:5) But we do not celebrate the Saviors death. We celebrate the Saviors life and ressurrection. That is why we don't have the cross as a religious symbol. We celebrate the emtpy tomb because it means that "He is not here, but is risen!" (Luke 24:3-6). Christ triumphed over death making it possible for us to do the same. Our atoning brother bridged the gap between life and death and gives all the free gift of immortality and offers eternal life as a conditional gift. What a glorious and exciting week! I would encourage everyone to take some time and remember what happend on this weekend 1,976 years ago. I love the testimony of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon:

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him.” (D&C 76: 22-23)

Ezra Taft Benson gave said:

As one of His latter-day witnesses, I testify that He lives today. He is a resurrected Being. He is our Savior, our Lord, the very Son of God. I testify that He will come again as our glorified, resurrected Lord. That day is not far distant. To all who accept Him as Savior and Lord, His literal resurrection means that life does not end at death, for He promised: “Because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19)

Christ lives again. That is what we celebrate. That is what Easter is all about.

. A Tribute to Thomas S. Monson .

2009-04-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

For most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Thomas S. Monson has been a role model, a hero and (undoubtedly) a prophet, seer and revelator. I came across these photos today and wanted to share. This is a photo tribute to the Prophet of the Lord.

Voice: the faculty or power of expressing opinion or choice.

2009-04-08T14:34:00.001-07:00

I've recently been thinking about my voice. Not by audible voice that comes from a "a little box inside my throat," but my opinions, beliefs and thoughts. Is it wrong to have an opinion about a subject or controversy that doesn't involve me in the least? Should I be actively voicing my concerns and opinions about the government and the direction in which they are headed to my colleagues ? Should I be publishing my religious expectations and beliefs on facebook? Should I argue about the economy and hard times on my blog? It is my right. Is it my duty?

The first amendment to the constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." and they haven't (for which I am grateful), but it seems to me that more and more people are using their online activities such as facebook, twitter, and blogger to shout their opinions and beliefs louder than their network. Far be it from me to take away anyone's rights, especially the first amendment, but do my friends and family want to see fun and cute pictures of me and the wife or would they rather debate whether Mitt Romney is campaigning for 2012 or if the recession is coming to an end? Would you rather hear about our recent trip to the Logan Temple or hear my opinion about BYU's newspaper's (The Daily Universe) flawed caption that accidently read "The Twelve Apostates" instead of "The Twelve Apostles" under a picture of the brethren? Would my (very small) audience rather see pictures from my intramural football game or highlights from the latest headline crashing sporting event from the NCAA and NFL? Should my voice be about me or about my opinions?

Well...I guess that depends on what you want to hear.

Color Fest!

2009-03-28T18:08:00.001-07:00

Spring Break

2009-03-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how Spring Break is never long enough? We do.

First things first. The Tuesday before we left (we took of on Wednesday morning) we went to pick my brother, Marc, up at the airport. I was teaching a seminary class that day, so Katie and I saw him at the airport, and then we had to make our way back down to Orem.

This is the whole crew that was at the airport when Marc came down that looooooong escalator!

Marc was a little awkward at first. He really didn't know what to do with himself, but he's gotten over that rather quickly. (not knowing what to do, he's still a little awkward--that may never go away!)

This is Mom and Katie at the airport. The two most important women in my life!

For Spring Break we went down to moab. We decided to tag along with Eric and Stacy Newren and we took Lizzie with us. It was way nice to get out in the sun and use our dormant muscles after a long cold (and more or less inactive) winter. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

We feel very blessed to be in a location where we can travel a short distance to see such wonderful geography. We can't wait for summer -although we're both taking summer classes - and the warm sunshine. And don't worry - Jake is working on that gut!!

Many Missed Moments

2009-03-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of special moments recently, but we couldn't find the cord that connects our camera to our computer, so we havent been able to upload many pictures. I was asked to teach the photography merit badge at the Spanish Fork PowWow for the third year straight and so I started digging through all my old photography equipment and found the cord. Here are a few of our recent memories:

Katie was endowed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 30, 2008. It was another cold yet beautiful day. It was a marvelous and sacred experience to be able to go with my bride to the house of the Lord and bask in the peace of the Temple. We ate afterword at the Macaroni Grill in Salt Lake. I had never ate there before, but it was really good food.

For our wedding present, Jordan took me (I know, its not fair to Katie) pheasant hunting with some of his relatives. They bought 60 birds! We ended up only getting about half, but it was still a great day.

Cross Country Skiing!!

I've grown up on the slopes. All through high school my friends and I bought season passes to The Canyons and skiied (or snowboarded) every day we could. Every Saturday you could find us racing down Ninety-Nine 90 or stuck in some poweder. However, I had never been cross country skiing. I had always seen cross country skiiers on flat terrain on the way to and from Park City and thought, "poor guys, that must be painful." As it turns out, cross country skiing is actually a very relaxing and enjoyable sport. It's not an adrenaline rush or a competitive feat, but I had fun. It's a sport where you can talk and enjoy the company of others. I don't think it could ever take over a thrilling flash of muscle-straining kamikaze downward motion, but I enjoyed it.

We had an awesome Valentine's day!

Since it was our first Valentine's day together, we both wanted to make it a memorial one. I did the 14 days of Valentine's with a present and a flower for every day of February leading up until the 14th. The vegetable basket was the 5th day. I had a really fun poem all about veggies. It was a five stanza poem, hence the 5th day. Breakfast in bed was another day. When I was little, my dad used to cut out the middle of our toast and fry an egg in the center. I thought it might be fun to do the same for Katie. (I had to throw in a banana to make it healthy!)

We hope you enjoyed the update. Now that we can upload our pictures, we'll try to keep you updated on our many adventures!

I love Veggies!

2009-02-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

Most of you are going to think, by the title, that this is Katie's post, but guess what...It's not! This might be hard for some of you to believe and Mom probably won't believe it, but I love veggies!! Since Katie and I have gotten married I've put on a little weight and in an effort to get in shape for football, I've been munching on vegetables. My wonderful and healthy wife has been helping me (and at first --- strongly encouraging me) to eat better. She cuts me up a baggie full of vegetables to take to work. At first I would grimace when eating them, but I've come to like them. I really like the peppers. They're a little sweeter then the others. (Too bad we ran out of peppers this morning.) I love this! I feel like I am experiencing something completely new. Don't get me wrong, they're not as delicious as brownies or ice-cream, but I really enjoy munching on them. Now...here's the part that Mom won't believe...Katie had to run to the grocery store yesterday to buy more...get this....GREEN BEANS!! That's right, I like them. For the better part of my life I have claimed that green beans were my worse enemy and now I eat a healthy portion of them everyday. I still don't know if I like the cooked mushy version of my enemy, but I definitely like them raw and uncooked. In fact, I'm eating one as we speak and I'm smiling while I do it!! HA HA HA!! I've overcome my enemy! I win!! (cheesy, I know). Other veggies that I've come to like are carrots and, yep, even the most bitter of them all..Celery! Anyway, I think this veggie post has gone on long enough. Suffice to say that I've recently added a few years on to my sweet chocolaty life! I hope this confession hasn't inspired mine or Katie's mom to stop cooking delicious unhealthy desserts and start preparing steamed vegetables to eat after Sunday dinner. That would be an undeserving punishment for a changed and repentant man. All I'm saying is that my wife has helped me to become a healthier man and I thank her for that.

hhhmm...I wonder what I'll do with those few extra years that have just been added onto the end of my life.... any ideas?

Wedding Pictures

2009-01-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of the photos from our wedding. We still haven't gotten any of our pictures back from the photographer (I just got these of her website). I'll post more when we get them.

Too much T.V.

2009-01-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

So Jake thinks that this is his blog basically because he is the only one that writes on it. But I am here to say its my blog too! :) So, I just thought I would update you on what has been happening. After Jake and I finished 2 seasons of Friday Night Lights, we decided to start LOST, and Jake started Heros too! May I just say that I think we have a hit the lazy, I don't want to do anything but cuddle and watch T.V. stage. And frankly I think its time to stop! There are so many awesome things to do with the little extra time that we have that I don't think it should be wasted on short lived entertainment. So here are some things I thought of and feel free to use these ideas if any of you are caught in the same trap. 1-Go get some exercise(running. swimming, basketball, ultiamate, biking, walking...) 2-Do some service(make cookies, go visit the elderly, heart attack someone, write a letter to a missionary...) 3-Read a good book(fiction, biography, marriage book...) 4-Do something church related(family history work, read scriptures together and discuss, write in your journal, watch a church video...)5- Play some games(card games, board games...) 6- Make food together( find a fun, exotic recipe and try it out :) ...) 6-Do something artistic( go to a museum, do coloring books, scrapbook,paint something, have a sculpture contest with clay...) 7- Get out and enjoy the city(go to a concert, go to a movie, go bowling, go to a play...) 8-Talk to each other( have some fun just laughing or discussing things that you have learned, find out more about each other! ...) 9- Go to the temple(that is always something good to do...) 10-Find something new to learn( strengthen your talents and develope new ones too, start a new hobbie, always be learning, growing, becoming better and making something of your life!)
So those are some of my ideas that I think well help Jake and I get out of our rut and maybe it will help you out too! :)

Friday Night Lights

2009-01-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

When we moved into our apartment, we borrowed the Friday Night Lights series from Stef and James and we've been pretty consistent with watching the first two seasons. Katie's never seen LOST, so we might start it after we finish Friday Night Lights. Jake wants to see Heros, but Katie thinks it's too scary. The only problem is finding time to do our homework!

We're Married! (and now....school)

2009-01-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

It's done! We're finally an old married couple and we LOVE it! We've moved into our new apartment in Provo and we've just started the winter semester at UVU. Katie is wonderful! Even when she doesn't have to, she wakes up early to make me breakfast before I have to be at school or work (She even makes me eat my vegetables and fruits). We've arranged our schedules to coincide so that we both have class at 8:00 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Katie has 2 more years of school and I (hopefully) only have one. One thing that we hated while dating was saying goodbye at night. We're thrilled that we don't have to do that anymore. It's nice waking up next to the person you love. We wish that we could have everyone over for dinner sometime, but we'll have to do it in shifts because our little apartment can't hold very many people, although we'd love everyone to come over and visit us.

The Craziness of Weddings!

2008-12-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

Katie is freaking out! (She is sitting here dictating to me) She wishes we would have just eloped like her dad told her too! It would have been so much easier and less expensive. There's just a lot to do and now that we're coming down to the wire it seems like there's still a ton to do! Jake still hasn't delivered all his invitations yet. *gosh*

We finally got the key to our apartment and are starting to move our stuff in tomorrow (Friday). We get married a week from Saturday and then school starts on that Wednesday so we're trying to get all moved in before. We'll be staying at Invited Inn in Midway on Saturday and Sunday night. We'll only have Tuesday to get situated and to settle into our new lives. Katie's actually pretty nervous to move in with a boy!! (and other things ha ha) Jake's just excited and can't wait.

We had a good Christmas. We both got a wedding for our Christmas presents. We finished our first year of doing the 12 days of Christmas. We're hoping to make it a new tradition for us. We didn't do very well this time though. We're new at this and actually forgot the tenth day of Christmas. We had to make it up on the eleventh day. We even got caught today. It was well worth it though. Service is Great!

Two Weeks To Go!

2008-12-19T09:30:00.001-08:00

It's exhilarating to think that in two weeks Katie and I will be married! aaahhhh!! I'm sure those of you who haven't been married very long can remember what it feels like. Both me and Katie have lost all desires to go to work and/or study. We both just want to be with each other. As far as wedding plans go we're getting pretty close. We just need to buy a few more things to decorate the church. We should be moving into our new apartment any day now.

Jake and Katie

Fall 2011

Summer fun

Leah's 1st birthday

Mini Vacations

Fun times with family

Pictures of our Leah bug

Catch up time :)

Cold!

The last month

The holidays+Our 2nd Anniversary

Snow Day

Temple Square Trip 2010

Running recap

Running for Pink and Halloween

Family Pictures

4 months!

Leah

Our life the last few months

Leah Update

Pictures of Our Princess

Leah Marie Maughan

Check it out.

Second Chances

Remember Jr. High Band

Calling all Takasakis

The Strange Case of USC vs. McCarty

Just me thinking...

{insert graduation song here}

Finally updating :)

We're having a baby { and it's a ... }

I'm thinking about planting some seeds....

Our happy relationship :)

2009 Turkey Bowl

NEWS!!!

I'm a New Uncle...of a Snake!

Awful Monsters

What Matters Most

Seminary Starts in a Week!!

Stretching Hurts

Having a Hard Time?

Maple Mountain High School

MMHS

Recent Events

< it's simple >

< Here We Go Again >

Things I am thankful for...

*. Eye of the Tiger .*

*. I'm Teaching Seminary!!! .*

*. Me...during Finals .*

*. Let The Playoffs Begin .*

*. The Maughan Shack .*

*. What does "Easter" mean? .*

*. A Tribute to Thomas S. Monson .*

Voice: the faculty or power of expressing opinion or choice.

Color Fest!

Spring Break

Many Missed Moments

I love Veggies!

Wedding Pictures

Too much T.V.

Friday Night Lights

We're Married! (and now....school)

The Craziness of Weddings!

Two Weeks To Go!

. Eye of the Tiger .

. I'm Teaching Seminary!!! .

. Me...during Finals .

. Let The Playoffs Begin .

. The Maughan Shack .

. What does "Easter" mean? .

. A Tribute to Thomas S. Monson .