Mischa and Donovan

What a cutie!

2010-11-08T17:03:00.004-07:00

So, it's been a while, but compared to my past blogging efforts, I still think I am doing a great job! We have been busy just living life lately! We had a great Halloween; Meeks was the Incredible Hulk. Donovan picked out this costume because Malik used to "Hulk Out" when he was a baby. It was pretty cute. He didn't fully understand the whole Trick or Treating thing, but he did think it was very cool that people were putting stuff in his bucket. Mommy and daddy thought it was pretty cool too, but our waistlines didn't! :)

Donovan's parents paid us a short little visit last week. It was nice to finally host someone at our house! They weren't here for very long, but we were able to fit in some good shopping, great eating, and a fun trip to the Hoover Dam. Malik loved seeing his grandparents! He is going to be pretty spoiled this month because he will get to visit with a lot of family! Talon's wedding is in about 2 weeks, so we will be heading to Idaho for about 10 days! It will be fun to spend a holiday with the family. The only downside is that Donovan can't come into town until the Friday after Thanksgiving, so we will be celebrating it apart! Bummer!

Well, I hope you are all well! Enjoy the beginning of your holiday season. And if any of you get tired of hanging out in the cold, come pay us a visit!

P.S. I was too lazy to plug the camera in today, so these pics are from Donovan's phone. Enjoy!

GYM CATS!!!

2010-10-15T15:01:00.006-06:00

Malik and I go to a little class almost every Friday called Gym Cats. It is at a local gymnastics center and they offer a free baby gym. Malik LOVES it!!! He likes to crawl through the tunnels, climb on everything, bounce on the trampoline, and jump into the foam pit. I don't love the foam pit, because I get stuck in it! I try to bring my camera every time, but today was the first time that I actually remembered it. The pictures aren't great, but I wanted to share some anyway.

I am trying to figure out what to dress Malik up as for Halloween...any suggestions? I am having a hard time deciding. We plan on going to some local events for Halloween and hitting up some Trunk or Treats. Malik needs some candy! :)

We are enjoying the fall. Donovan has been riding his bike all over town and Malik and I enjoy getting out and taking walks now that the weather has cooled down. Malik has claimed ownership of this banana chair, and loves sitting and rocking in it. We are going to Idaho in November for Talon's wedding and are very excited to be able to be there for his special occasion and spend some time with family.

Hope you enjoy the pics! I am getting a little better at this blogging thing! :)

WHAT WHAT?!?!?!

2010-09-29T15:01:00.004-06:00

Yeah, that's right...another post within the same month! It's like someone else has taken over my body. Insanity, I know.

We are getting settled in the new house and are LOVING it! The extra space really does make a world of difference when you have a little one. And Donovan is so industrious! He goes to Lowe's and Walmart all the time, picking up little things to "improve" the house. Malik and I have discovered all the great home good deals that can be found at Ross and Homegoods (part of TJ Maxx). Sometimes you have to pick through things, but you can find some sweet deals! I got a shower curtain, liner, rod, and hanger things at Ross the other day for $12!!! And they are cute too! The cheapest setup from Walmart for all those things was $22, so I felt really proud of myself. We've also acquired quite a few things from my friend Heather. She gave us some indoor plants, artwork, mirrors, etc. to decorate with. Donovan commented "It feels as though we are living in a jungle, with fine artwork hanging from the trees". Foliage does make all the difference in a house though!

Little Meeks is doing well. He is involved in so many little classes and groups...I don't really know what I'm going to do when he actually is older and wants to participate in things! He really is the boss around here. His current favorite things are cars. Heather also hooked us up with a car rug, with streets and a little town on it. He loves zooming his cars all over it and making noises. He shouts out "CARRRRR" all the time, and he loves pretending to drive daddies car. I think he is a very smart boy (but don't all moms?) and he is learning so many new things every day. Life is fun right now.

I am staying busy with work and I have recently started to bake/cook more. I've never been able to make good chocolate chip cookies, but I found a great recipe and have been baking up a storm. I think the neighbors like it, because I always make too many and give them away! This week, I am going to attempt to do some amazing things with butternut and spaghetti squash. Wish me luck!

I hope everyone else is doing well. We will see if I can keep up this pace with updates! Keep your fingers crossed!

I SUCK!!!

2010-09-14T22:00:00.003-06:00

Miracles do happen and I am FINALLY updating my blog! I can't really cover everything that has been going on with us, as it has been like 8 months since I have updated and I have a bad memory. I will just skim over the bigger milestones/happenings, give you all some awesome pics of my adorable baby, and try to do better (hey, I can't really do worse, right?).

We recently moved into a house and we LOVE it!!! The neighborhood is great, the house has a lot more space, and we are really happy that we made the decision to move. We are still enjoying Las Vegas a lot, and we will probably be here for a while longer.

Malik is 15 months old now, and still the perfect little baby! I know he really isn't "perfect", but pretty close! He is a happy little boy, and he is so fun. He loves playing with other children and he is into playing with his toys. He gives lots of kisses, and is very lovable. I wish he had a little more fear (of strangers, water, etc.), but he really doesn't! We just got back from a houseboat trip and he was so good and didn't drown. :)

I am still working for Creative Kids Learning Center, and it has been a wonderful job. I get to work from home and help people learn more about putting there child in preschool. I hope to continue doing it, and Malik will be able to start attending when he is 18 months old. He (and I) are SUPER excited!

I hope all is going great for the rest of all of you! I will try to be better about updating!!! LOVE YA!

CRAZY WINTER

2010-02-27T20:34:00.003-07:00

Yes, it has been a while since I have updated our blog. Trust me, I haven't been just hanging out eating bonbons. We have had quite the winter. While we haven't been bombarded with horrible weather like most, we have been at the mercy of quite a few bouts with illnesses. I could go over the sordid details of all of them, but let's just stick to the worst one. Apparently, Malik is allergic to ammoxicyllin. He woke up one morning covered in the worst hives I have ever seen! He started struggling to breath, so we rushed him to the doctor. Everyone in the practice had to come take a look at them because they had never seen a little guy look so bad! Poor Malik! And little did we know that he was cutting his first 2 teeth at the same time! We got him a steroid shot, and it started to go away. He is doing much better now. He is always really happy and he just jabbers away all day!

Donovan and I are doing well, really busy with new callings at church and with work. Donovan just got a bicycle and he is enjoying getting out and going on little rides here and there. We are planning on going out to Red Rock Canyon with it and maybe doing some family hiking also, when the weather improves. We are really enjoying Vegas. A lot of people come here, so we have been able to see a lot of friends we haven't seen in a long time! Anyone is welcome to come see us!

Holiday Fun

2009-11-27T16:30:00.005-07:00

Thanksgiving was different for us this year. We need to stay in the area because of Donovan's job, so we just had a low key day. We woke up late, played around in bed with the baby, and then went to Claim Jumper for our dinner. The food was really good, and there was a lot of it! I swear we left with like 5 lbs of leftovers! Donovan ended the night going to a movie, while Malik and I just chilled at home. We missed seeing family and friends, but we had a really nice day. I feel like Christmas might be harder to be away. So, anyone that wants to come and visit us between now and then, come on over! I think it will help stave off any holiday depression I may get!

There are a lot of pictures of Malik that I am posting. I'm so bad at getting the camera out and taking pictures, but I will get better! He is such a good baby. He is eating solid foods twice a day now. His favorites seem to be carrots, squash, and apples. He REALLY loves the carrots, just gobbles them down! He is getting really big and he is still as happy as ever. He loves to put both legs up and grab his toes and roll on his side. He also loves to just talk talk talk! He is doing this really cute fake laugh thing now too. Malik is also fascinated with his tongue and mirrors. He likes music and being read to. And he really likes bath time, with his little fish toys! Time is going by so fast! He will be 6 months old in December. We sure do love him!

We hope everyone is having a great holiday season! We miss and love all of you!

I FOUND MY COMPUTER CORD!!!!

2009-09-28T15:42:00.005-06:00

So, I know that I have used this excuse before, but I really do misplace the cord that connects our camera to the computer. I couldn't find it after the move, but I dedicated today to finding it. AND I DID!
So, you will now be able to see all our pictures from when we went on our huoseboat trip at the beginning of September with the Slosberg family. As well as some other random pics. Mostly of the cute one in the family, Malik.
Thanks to everyone that helped us move. A big shout out to Gabe and Talena, who flew to Utah to help us pack and make the drive. I have never been so stressed as the day we moved here. We were under a time cruch and had to get to our apartment complex by a certain time, but we got a late start. If Talena had not been with me to help with Malik, we never would have made it!
Because of all the stress, Malik and I both came down with pretty bad colds. It was awful! It's never fun to unpack and this just made it doubly bad. On top of that, we had to get ready to go to the houseboat. I was nervous that I wouldn't be up to it, but we had excellent timee!
It has been a month of a lot of firsts for Malik. First move, first houseboat trip, first time on a boat, first time in a lake, etc. He was a little angel baby, as per his usual. I gotta say, we got really lucky with this kid! He is so happy, a great sleeper, and so flexible to our schedules. He is showing a lot of personality now; Donovan and he just giggle and giggle when they are together and it is SO cute!
Anyway, we are doing well. We are loving Vegas and having a great time getting settled! And now that I have my cord, I will be blogging more often!

2 MONTHS OLD

2009-09-02T09:34:00.003-06:00

Our little Malik was 2 months on August 14Th. That was also our 5 year anniversary. We had a lot to celebrate that day! Malik is doing so well and is such a sweet little baby. He rolled over for the first time on the 14Th and proceeded to do it a bunch of times for Grandma, but only a couple of times for me and Donovan! He had his first haircut the beginning part of August, as requested by Donovan. He was bald in front and had a ton of hair in the back, so we just wanted it to be a little more uniform! He is a very happy baby, always smiling and talking! His slobbering is getting a little out of control! He is trying so hard to laugh, but he just can't quite figure that sound out yet. We love him a lot and have fun with him everyday!

We are leaving today to move to Las Vegas! It hasn't been too stressful packing up and we had some great friends come and help us. Donovan's BFF Gabe came into to town to help, as did my sister Talena. We are so excited to get down there and start our new lives! We will miss the friends we have made in Utah. And we can't say enough how much we love and appreciate all that Donovan's parents have done for us. Remember, you all have a place to stay in Vegas if you are ever in the area!

BIG MOVE!!!!!!!!

2009-08-04T17:08:00.003-06:00

For those of you who have not yet heard, we will be moving during the first part of September to sunny LAS VEGAS!!! Donovan received a job transfer. We have been wanting to move down that way for a while, so this transfer is a great thing for us! We will miss all our friends in Utah, but are excited to reconnect with those friends in the Las Vegas area. And don't fret...Donovan's family still lives here in Provo, so I am sure we will be able to visit occassionally. And now you all have a good excuse to get out of the cold and come visit us!

OUR SWEET BABY

2009-07-24T13:40:00.003-06:00

So, Malik is almost 6 weeks old now! The time is just going by so quickly! He has already taken his first airplane ride, gone to 3 movies, had his baby blessing, and a ton of other "firsts".

Right after his blessing, his hair started to fall out, but not in the normal way! He still has a ton of hair in back, but he has none in front, so he looks like a little old man! And he either has a bad case of baby acne right now or a little bit of a heat rash. It has been really hot here in Utah!

Here are some more pictures of him! He has already changed a ton, and we just love him more and more every day!

More Pictures of Malik

2009-06-24T13:50:00.003-06:00

The last set of pictures that I put up were from the hospital and the ride home. Here are some good ones that we have taken over the past week. So many cute ones, I really have a hard time just picking them out! My mom was here to help the first week and it was great. The first night after she left was rough, but Donovan and I have a pretty good system for nighttime now. And he is just the sweetest little baby, he is so snuggly and fun already! Enjoy the pictures!

Malik is Here!!!!!!

2009-06-18T21:36:00.002-06:00

So, after 9+ months of waiting, we finally had our little boy! Malik James Bates was born June 14th, at 10:52 am. He was 8lbs 13 oz and 21.5 inches long. I went into the hospital at 4am on Sunday morning and was already dialated to a 6! So, I very quickly got my epidural, and it was a breeze from there! I pushed for 2 hours, but probably would have only had to push half the time, but he was sunnyside up (face up)! Donovan was great and helped me the whole time and cut the cord. He even had bad abdominal cramps that night because he was unconciuosly pushing with me!

We are home now, and I am pretty exhausted. Donovan goes back to work tomorrow and I am sad about that, butit must happen.

I am going to insert a bunch of pictures now. I hope everyone enjoys them! He is a really cute, pleasant baby!

IT'S NOT A TUMOR!!!!!

2009-06-08T22:07:00.002-06:00

So, this baby just does not want to join the world! It's too depressing for him! I'm almost convinced that there is no baby in my belly, just a large tumor with a heartbeat! BUT...my doctor promises me that there really IS a baby in there, and he really does want to meet me and Donovan! I just know this kid is going to be huge and I'm really nervous about it. My due date is officially on the 10th and my doctor said today that he will induce on the 17th if I make it that far. Let's just hope the little guy decides to join us on his own shortly. I have been trying to take really long walks, drinking special tea, and just about every other trick in the book. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated at this point.

If I haven't had a baby by tomorrow (who am I kidding?), I will do another post about our little trip to Park City this weekend. It was fun and we were able to see some friends we hadn't seen in a while! More tomorrow!

AAAWWW!!!!!

2009-05-21T12:05:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I am a really bad blogger! Maybe I will get better with the little one on the way, but I just don't know! I just come up with lots of excuses not to update it! My latest excuse was that I couldn't find the computer cord for our camera. Not a good excuse, all I had to do was look in Donovan's "Drawer O' Wires". He really does have a drawer, just full of random cords and wires that we will no doubt need one day! Anyway...

I am now officially on my maternity leave, and it feels SO great to not have to worry about going into work. I really like my job, but it was getting kind of stressful there at the end! I am trying to fill my days with social activities, organizing stuff, and I have been doing a TON of cleaning! I think Seven Peaks (the water park across the street) opens this weekend, so that would be a nice distraction as well!

I had a doctors appointment this week and I am dialated to a 2. Things are progressing well, but I think that I am still a good week or two from droppin' this kid like a hot record! We do have a name picked out, but you will all have to wait to hear it!

So, I am going to post some "belly pictures", which I think I just look fat in! And I am going to also post some pictures of me with my infamous diaper bag! I love this thing and cannot wait to use it! I hope that I am ready for all this, but I don't really think that is ever possible! Wish me luck!

VACATION FUN

2009-03-02T16:46:00.006-07:00

So, it has come to my attention from a dear friend (Angie) that I am a horrible blogger. It is true. I have just felt really busy lately, although I am pretty sure that it is all in my mind. I know with a baby on the way, people will want to see more, especially of him. So, I am going to try REALLY REALLY hard to be better and at least update once a week. Don't hold your breath though!

We did just get back from an excellent cruise that we took the first week in February. It was so nice to get away, go somewhere warm, and enjoy each others company! We went on a Royal Caribbean ship for the first time and it was really nice. Our room was super comfy and the ship was HUGE! We visited Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. Cozumel was so fun, even though we had been there before. We snorkeled a ton and ate great food! We also quizzed every single couple we saw with a baby! We really want to incorporate our little guy into traveling as soon as possible and we got some good tips.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures that I am posting. In some of them, I am really starting to look pregnant. I have a feeling that I am just looking chubby, but people are being nice about it!

BIG NEWS!!!!

2009-01-22T18:09:00.003-07:00

So, we had the ultrasound this morning and...IT'S A BOY!!!! That's right! I think everyone has been surprised. We are super excited to have the little guy join the family! He is measuring great and was moving around a lot. He yawned during the ultrasound and he liked to cover his face with his arms.

We will be coming to Idaho March 11th-16th. I think there will be a couple of baby showers going on while we are in town! It would be great to see a lot of you we haven't seen in a while!

Sorry it is a short post, just wanted to share the news! We are going on our cruise next week, so we will come back with a lot of pictures and fun stories!

BABY!!!!

2009-01-17T14:18:00.002-07:00

So, on January 22nd, Donovan and I will be going into the doctor to have our ultrasound! I thought it would be fun to see what everyone thinks we will be having! Just to help you make an educated guess, here are a few tidbits about the pregnancy so far:

I have not really gotten sick
The babies heart beat was around 150 last appointment
I haven't really been craving weird things. I do go through phases where I want sweets and others where I just want salty things.
I think it is a boy, Donovan thinks it is a girl!

There you go! Make the best guess you can! You will probably all hear from me on Thursday!

Christmas Excitement!

2008-12-28T17:28:00.004-07:00

Well, we in the Bates family had an excellent Christmas this year! We got our first Christmas tree as a family this year and Donovan and I had a ton of fun decorating it! We didn't get a bunch of decorations or anything, but it was so nice to have it lit up all night! And the smell was awesome! I love the smell of fresh Christmas trees! ShaeLyn and her daughter Kerri also came and visited before Christmas! We went to the Nutcracker, visited Temple Square, and went shopping! It was so nice to have them visit! While we did have to work a lot around the holidays, it wasn't so bad. Donovan and I were able to spend a lot of time with each other and that is one of the best gifts!

We wanted to keep Christmas low key this year, so we had told one another that we weren't gonna get each other any really big gifts. That worked out pretty well for me, but apparently Donovan wasn't about to follow the rules! I got him some shoes, socks, candy, pajamas, and driving gloves. And then he goes and makes me feel bad by getting a bunch of awesome stuff for me! That is just how he is! I got some new scriptures, the Britney CD (cause I love her still), a Nordstrom gift card for WAY to much, and some good candy! But the best gift benefits both of us I guess; he got us a cruise!!!! I am so pumped! He got a great deal on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on a brand new Royal Caribbean ship! We leave the first week in February and I cannot wait to get somewhere warm!

This Christmas is going to be the last of its kind for a long time! We won't really have the luxury of just doing whatever we want anymore. Why, you ask? Well, as most of you already know, we are having a baby! I am due June 10th, so I'm just getting into the first part of my second trimester. I have been lucky enough to have not really gotten sick, and I really don't look any different yet either. We are really excited and nervous at the same time! We find out what we are having in January, so I think it will become a little more real for us then! We have waited a long time for kids, and 2009 will be a great year for us! Lots of changes around the corner!

Hope all of you are well! My New Years Resolution is going to be to blog better! I should have more to blog about, so hopefully that will help!

Shout out to Bonnie

2008-12-06T16:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I recently got a bunch of blog invites from some old high school friends (which totally pumped me up)! However, I noticed that one person (a Mrs. Bonnie "Brent" Brunson) has not invited me to her blog! She probably has no idea I have one! If anyone reads this that has Bonnie's email, can you pass this message on to her? I am crying about it right now...

Two Seperate Trips

2008-11-21T09:37:00.002-07:00

Sorry (once again) that I have taken forever to post again! Donovan and I recently took a couple trips. Donovan went to Vegas to visit his friend Gabriel and I went to Colorado to visit my friend Angela. It was really good to get away before the holidays, since we will be stuck here in Utah for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know Donovan did a lot of video gaming, movies, and poker while he was in Vegas. My trip was quite different! I did a lot of shopping, we had a beauty night, watched movies, got a massage, and then Angie did my hair! She always makes me feel awesome and I just told here I wanted SHORT hair! She took some pictures of our trip. If you would like to check out our pics (and how drastically different my hair is) just click on the Angela and Aaron Henderson link on the side of my blog page. Let me know what you think!

I will post again shortly! We are going to a Coldplay concert on Saturday, maybe I will have some stuff to post then!

CALIFORNIA EPISODE DEUX!!!!

2008-10-05T20:44:00.005-06:00

Okay, sorry it took so long to put part two of our trip to California in September on the blog! I was being a brat and waiting for 10 comments to post, and TA-DA!!! That happened today! Everyone can thank my fantastic sister-in-law Andrea for posting lucky number ten!

So, the second part of our trip was into the big city, SAN FRANCISCO!!! We stayed in a pretty cool hotel, The Serrano. It was a really great location and the price was really nice! The location was super sweet. We could walk to anything and hop on a bus or get the trolley if we needed to go farther. On the first day, we were just walking around and wanted to hit Puma to pick up some new shoes. When we got to the store, there was a line out the door and the jams were bumpin! We found out the Estelle (a hip-hop singer from London) was doing a live signing in the store. So, we went about purchasing our shoes and then as we were heading out, I was able to be the last person to meet her! She signed my wristband, which was pretty cool! Ever since we've been home I have been listening to her album, which is quite good! Then we hitched a ride on the trolley and headed towards Columbus Street. From their we walked up this GINORMOUSLY steep hill to Coit Tower. It was a hard walk, but the views from the tower were spectacular!

The BEST part of day one in the city was dinner! We went to Frescati's, the #1 ranked restaurant in the city. It was DELICIOUS!! We started with a corn risotto appetizer and I was almost ready to end it there, it was so good! For our entrees, Donovan ordered a fillet wrapped in bacon and I got the pork chop. I don't know exactly what the side dishes were, but the pork chop melted in my mouth and everything just melded together in such a great way! Probably one of the best meals of my life. We ended with the chocolate bread pudding, which was also really great! What was funny is that everything looked so great on the menu, so our waiter basically ordered everything for us! He did awesome. We did get a little flack for not being drinkers, because the whole concept of the restaurant is the wine pairings. I did drink some tasty water in nice wine glasses though!

Most of this posting is going to be about food! The next morning, we waited in a line for 45 minutes to eat breakfast at Dottie's True Blue Cafe. It was right around the corner from our hotel, and world famous for its breakfast! It was so great, we went back again during our trip and waited another hour in line to have great breakfast again! It is really small and the daily specials are amazing! I ordered black bean cakes with eggs and the best potatoes I've ever eaten! And I'm from Idaho!

The rest of the second day we walked around A LOT! We walked around Presidio, Haight-Ashbury, and some area with a lot of Asian markets (surprisingly, not Chinatown though)! We capped off the night meeting Gabe and Aaron at one of our sentimental restaurants, Cafe Sport. We love the atmosphere there! And then we headed to a comedy show at The Punch Line. It was a fun night!

The whole trip was a blast! We couldn't have had a better time! We tried to pack in a lot of activities and we were very successful at doing so. We also did a lot of things that we had never done before, making it a more active trip!

If anyone wants to go on trips with us, we are totally game! And we are up for almost anything. Hope all of you guys are doing well!

California Fun (part one)! I went a little crazy with the pictures!

2008-09-10T12:48:00.010-06:00

On August 30th, Donovan and I had the opportunity to take a week long vacation to California! We spent the first 3 days on a houseboat owned by the Slosberg's (Donovan's best friend growing up) and then spent the last 3 days in San Francisco! We bought a new camera as a joint anniversary present before we left. It is an underwater camera and it is super cool!!! We took a lot of pictures of this trip and I am very glad we did!

The houseboat is located at Lake Don Pedro, about two hours southeast of Pleasanton. We drove up on Saturday afternoon. One of the biggest traditions in going to the houseboat is stopping at this great tacqueria in Oakdale, El Agave. I got perhaps the best shrimp burrito ever made! It lasted me a good three meals too! It was huge! Once we got to the boat, we had the most relaxing time. We would swim, read, eat, boogie board, hike, and play games. There was a lot of napping done as well! That was probably Donovan's favorite part of the trip! At night, Malik had an awesome laser that he would use to point out various stars and constellations to us. The sky was SO beautiful!

My family would be shocked to know that I actually PARTICIPATED in the water sports, knowing that I have a big fear of water and anything that involves my head going under water! I did some short roping. Basically, you tie the rope so it is about 10 feet behind the boat and then lay on a kneeboard. Donovan and Aaron were able to move up to their knee's (Aaron even surfed on it) but I just couldn't get quite that adventurous!

We had a really fun time and the trip couldn't have come sooner! We are just so bummed that it went by so quickly! We are so thankful to the Slosberg family for inviting us and for their hospitality! I'm thinking we need to make it a yearly tradition!

I will post in a couple days about the second half of our trip in San Fran! It was totally different than the first part, but just as fun!

I also wanted to thank all of you that have been finding us and posting to our blog! It is so fun to hear from old friends!

FEIST is AWESOME

2008-07-27T18:47:00.005-06:00

Donovan and I went to an awesome concert in Park City on July 17th. It was for FEIST, who is this awesome chick from Canada who writes and performs some of the best music. It was at this awesome outdoor ampitheater that was amazing! Both Donovan and I were a little skeptical that the venue wouldn't be much, but it was really cool. There was a middle section with reserved seating, which we had, and then there was open areas on the side that people could bring blankets or lawn chairs to view from. You can bring picnic stuff and just chill with a group of friends if you want to. We rushed the stage at one point to dance around. We actually got really close. She also had a couple girls in the back doing some visual performance art stuff on a projector. Donovan had purchased these tickets a couple months ago for my birthday, and it was the coolest gift ever. We had a really good time!

CHECK IT OUT!!!

2008-07-07T10:29:00.003-06:00

So, I don't really have any pictures or anything to update my blog, however, my sister-in-law Andrea recently took photos of Donovan and I when she came for a visit in May. She posted the pictures on her photography blog and I have never felt so pretty in my entire life! She is such an awesome photographer, which I am sure you will all be able to see! Her photography blog is in my links on the side, or you can go to andreamariephoto.blogspot.com. Please leave a comment for her and let me know what you think too!

Donovan is now in full swing with his job at AT&T. We are pretty much the couple people go to when they are having cell phone issue! I am just glad that he is done traveling to Denver for training and stuff. My work has been going well. I recently won a Nintendo DS in a sales contest, which is awesome!

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well! We are going to a concert next week, so I will probably have some good updates and pictures then!

5K at Thanksgiving Point

2008-05-24T11:44:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday, May 17th, Donovan and I participated in a 5K run at Thanksgiving Point near Lehi, Utah. Donovan's sister, Sharri, is a runner and she has always wanted someone to do races with her. Since Donovan and I have been trying to live a new, healthy lifestyle we decided that we would train to run some races with Sharri. That in turn motivated her husband Chris to also train to run in the race. It was a huge challenge for me, since I am not a runner whatsoever! It was a fun event and there were a lot of people racing. The hills were huge and steep in the gardens, but it was beautiful to see all the vegetation and flowers.

I Am Technologically Retarded

2008-05-18T17:55:00.003-06:00

So, I had posted some pictures to go with my last post, but they never showed up! I am trying it again now and hopefully it will work! I need some blogging help! Anyone that would like to reach out to me with their expertise, it would be much appreciated!

A Great Birthday for an Old Lady!!

2008-05-17T17:14:00.003-06:00

On May 10th, I had my 28th birthday! I had given Donovan a hard time just a few months before for freaking out about 28. Now I know why he felt that way! I feel so old! But, I did have an awesome birthday weekend to take my mind off of all my wrinkles. On Friday, we went up to Heber City and had a visit with my friend from Colorado, Angie. She is so much fun and I always have a good time with her! She did my hair and then we went out to eat at a relatives Mexican restaurant there in Midway. It was so tasty! More salsa's than the mind can imagine! This little trip really started the weekend out right. On Saturday morning, I awoke to the sweetest gift from Donovan (no, not that). He had a basket and inside were a bunch of envelopes with times and dates on them. The first one was for that morning and it was for massages (AWESOME!). The next envelope was for 3:30, which was an appointment to get my makeup done at my favorite store MAC and a gift card to use there. The next envelope was for May 22nd, 3:30. This one was funny. It was a card for a dentist appointment! I have been really wanting to go, but just haven't been able to find the time to call and make the appointment. The last envelope was for July 17th, and it is tickets for a concert in Park City for one of my favorite artists, FEIST! I didn't even know she was going to be in town, so I am super stoked! Donovan had also gotten me roses the day before my birthday and of course we did the whole dinner and a movie thing. It was just a great day!

We also had a fun couple of weeks because Donovan's sister Andrea came to visit. She brought her little girl Vanessa ( who is just so cute)! Donovan and I hadn't really gotten to get to know Vanessa very well ever, so this was a great opportunity for her to get used to us. I think I am now her favorite aunt (wishful thinking, I know)! We had a great time with Andrea in town. Her birthday is just a little after mine, so as a gift to both of us, Mom Bates took us out for a SHOPPING SPREE!!! We powershopped for like 2 days! I now have some clothes that fit, which is very nice. Andrea also did a wonderful thing for us and took some pictures of Donovan and I the day she left as a birthday gift. She is a very talented photographer and it was really fun. She gave us a disk, but I'd rather people see the professional versions! She will be posting them on her photography blog, andreamariephoto.blogspot.com, which I did add to my favorites. Even if our pics aren't up yet, you should check out her stuff. She is amazing!

I am also gonna throw on a few pics of when Donovan and I went to the airport to see Talon off to Alabama for his mission! We had to wake up super early, but it was awesome to see him! He looked great and sounded very positive. We love him so much and miss him a lot!

Sorry I take so long to post stuff! I am a horrible blogger! I will promise two new posts shortly though, one of the race we just finished and the other tag I haven't done! Hope everyone is well!

Tagged Twice, One Down.

2008-04-21T12:46:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I have been tagged by two different people and I am new to this whole tagging thing. I will do the one from Melissa first and follow up with the one from Heather in a few days!

Six things you don't know about me are...

1. I really don't like things being around my ears. If Donovan tries to whisper in them, I freak out. I can't handle it and usually start to do a laugh/cry combo.

2. I used to really hate my toes and would do almost anything to prevent people from seeing them! I avoided sandals for a long time and then when I did step into that arena of fashion, I wore socks! Tacky, I know! Oh great! Now that I have written this, everyone will be checking out my toes!

3. Speaking of feet, I really dislike being barefoot. If I could always wear shoes, I probably would. And I have always been like this, not just since my accident. Now I think it is a little worse because I have less padding on the bottoms of my feet, therefore making even the tiniest rock I step on feel super painful.

4. I read a lot, which most of you know, but I really enjoy reading chick lit. Give me a light, frothy novel about shopping, boyfriends, and careers in large cities and I can throw it down in like 2 days. I also read serious books, but I just prefer the stuff that makes me fell like a 17-year old.

5. I never wore makeup in high school. Hard to believe, I know. I was a real tomboy and never fixed my hair or wore makeup. I also had probably one of the worst senses of fashion ever. I started dabbling with makeup when I went to San Diego, and it has been a love affair ever since!

6. I would love to learn how to swim better. I love being in the water, and I can float and do basic paddles. However, I cannot go under water without plugging my nose. Donovan has attempted to teach me the basics, but it is really hard to teach someone something they should have learned when they were 5. I get all paranoid when water gets up my nose. And I also get paranoid when I am snorkeling in the ocean and get out too far. I have seen JAWS way too many times and I can vividly imagine a shark just biting me in two! I would be a tasty shark treat!

I am going to tag Laura Turner (don't hate me Laura), and my cousin Whitney! Enjoy! I have one other tag to take care of, so none of you are safe!

WHAT A BUSY MONTH!!!!

2008-03-02T21:15:00.005-07:00

February was a really busy month for us. We started the month with Donovan's birthday. On the 13th, we were able to go to the Missionary Training Center in Provo to see Talon off for his mission. It brought back a lot of memories for Donovan and I to be back in there! Talon seemed to be keeping his cool, but I could also tell that he was pretty nervous! He will be in there for about 2 months before heading out to Alabama. It is nice that we are so close. We can get a letter from him in one day and we can send him huge packages with same day delivery for only $2.00! We have already sent him some fun packages.

That night, I went to work up in the Sandy area. We were hit with a major snow storm and as I was leaving work, I found out that they closed the road that I use to go home! Luckily, Donovan's mom was also in the area. We decided that we needed to play it safe and just stay in a hotel over night. It really sucked, but had Donovan's mom not been there, I probably would still be sitting in my car, crying my eyes out.

The next morning, the roads were clear enough to get home, and it was Valentine's Day! Donovan was really sweet and had some flowers and chocolates delivered (I suspect the chocolate was for him though, since I can't eat it)! We didn't really do anything special for the day, as I had to work later that night.

The last fun event that occurred in February was my trip to Colorado to visit on of my BFF's, Angela Henderson. We have known each other for about 8 years now, and she recently had her first baby, little Finn. He is quite possibly one of the cutest babies I have ever seen! How come all of my friends have the cutest kids? Where does that leave Donovan and I? Anyway, I always feel so great after visiting Angie. She is an awesome friend (and hairdresser)!

DONOVAN'S BIG DAY!!!!

2008-02-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

So, on February 6, Donovan celebrated the big 2-8! He was felling a little blue about getting so old, so we threw him an old-fashioned birthday party. The only thing that we did differently is that we went to Carrabba's instead of Chucky Cheese (birthday boy's choice)! The thing that I think Donovan enjoyed most was that his second BFF (I'm number one of course) surprised him on Monday. Gabe drove up from Vegas and got here late on Monday night. I distracted Donovan and snuck Gabe in downstairs. Then, when Donovan came down, he was shocked to see Gabe sitting on the couch! It was probably one of the only times I was able to keep a secret from him, but it worked and he was totally surprised!

To bring the festivities up a notch, Donovan's mom made him cupcakes, the kind with the Funfetti and frosting. After dinner, we gave our presents to Donovan one by one, and took pictures. He received a universal remote from Gabe, some cold hard cash and socks from the 'rents, and I was able to get him a nice sweater.... AND ROCKBAND!!! I guess we will be hosting the wild parties now! Donovan and Gabe really believe they are a rockband, I think. It was a great birthday and I think that it was one that Donovan won't soon forget!

Also, I want to apologize for not updating our blog more! I will get better about it! But just realize, we are boring people! :)

MORE CRUISE PICS!!!

2008-01-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

We have so many pictures from our super fun trip! Just wanted to highlight the good times!

Bates Family Cruise!!

2008-01-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Right before Christmas, we had the awesome opportunity to go on a cruise with Donovan's family. All the adult children, plus spouses went. No kids allowed (which I am sure was a nice break for those that have 5 children)! The main reason we went was to help Donovan's parents celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. We went on a Freestyle cruise through Norwegian Cruise Lines. Honduras, Belize, Cozumel, and a private island in the Bahamas were the exotic locals that we were able to go to. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. With people living in Maryland, Utah, and Idaho, we rarely have the chance to get to spend so much time together. The food was delicious, the activities were a blast, and the ship was so nice! We are so grateful for Donovan's parents and the great memories we were able to create because of there generosity!