He did it!

A pathetic attempt at graduation/Christmas/family photos. this is as good as it gets. you are just lucky(or unlucky) that i am still allowing photographs of myself to be taken. Jonathan should be way more relieved/excited but knowing that graduate school starts in August makes him feel much less "done". a milestone anyway. i am so proud of him and appreciative of him taking 24 credits this semester so we could be done sooner. i am really looking forward to having him around in the evenings for a few months anyway. Merry Christmas everyone.

Fat 'N Sassy

Soooo, I'm writing a book. I know, shocking to some of you because I am not particularly skilled at writing. But I have had an idea for a book for years and figured it will most likely take me 5 years to complete it, so I should get started. I realize it is pretty unorthodox to tell people the title and topic of your book prior to publication but i would love some feed-back on the subject matter from the smartest people I know, my friends.

it's called "Fat 'n Sassy". Some of you know that my mother is from the south and she has always used this saying but to her and her family it has an entirely different meaning than to most of us. It means "life is good" you're fat cause you're well-fed and your sassy cause you can be. My take on it is that this is how we should all view the phrase but in reality it's not common to be "fat" and "sassy" because our society teaches us that unless we are nice to look at, we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves.
I am in no way endorsing obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle- it's something I've been fighting my whole life. but my point is that you can still have a fabulous life. you do the best with what you have, try to be healthy, and never let being overweight stop you from living life to the fullest.
some topics covered are
-self-confidence
-diet pressures
-dating- the best friend syndrome with guys- this one is good. anyone who knew me in college knows that i was always in love with guys who were my best friends, who wouldn't date me because i was overweight but who in actuality, i was way too good for anyway. i will most likely be plagiarizing a quote from Rebbecca i have lived by- that "rejection is the Lord's protection" Honestly can any of you imagine me married to Stuart or Dan? oh, good times.
-I talk about bathing suits and how i never understood girls not wanting to be seen in bathing suits because they weren't a size 2. like if when you come out in your suit every one's gonna be like, "snaps, she's fat, i had no idea."
-how if you do draw attention to yourself you should be self deprecating. yeah right.
-always being the "fat-friend"
-learning to love "me"
-how I've learned that not everyone is as judgemental as i am. thankfully.

anyway- these are just some basic thoughts, i promise it will be much more detailed and Witty. what do you think though? do you think i could get away with using real names?

these are fun. i was looking for a really fat picture of myself since there are some of you who never saw me as fat as i was, and some you who probably remember me much fatter. anyway- i had a hard time finding pictures of myself that were really horrible, because why would i save those. anyway, i came across these randoms that i thought some of you would enjoy.

Jonathan took the opportunity the other day to teach Micahlyn some important life lessons. We were on a walk around cougar stadium- which Micahlyn quickly recognizes whenever we pass, shouting out "mom, it's cougar time!". So as we were walking around, Micahlyn noticed the loads of acorns that had fallen from the trees and Jonathan quickly seized the opportunity to teach her that acorns are fabulous things to throw. Apparently their size to weight ratio makes them a quite affective weapon. She was instantly addicted and we spent the next hour throwing acorns at trees, bushes and mom. I now know what to get her for Christmas.




The next lesson Micahlyn learned is that when there is a big grassy hill, you should never walk down it but you should roll, regardless of what you are wearing or where you are going, always roll down grassy hills. It must be fun to be a 3 year old, or a man.

Cousins

Jonathan's sister Lauren and her kids and Jonathan's sister Rhiannon stopped in for short visit on their way to Canada this week. It was so much fun for my kids to get to know them, since they have always lived so far away. Micahlyn was kind of a monster but hopefully they knew that it was just because she was so excited to have them. She's been saying, "i want my maggie" ever since they left. Till next time.



Micahlyn sharing her dresses with Maggie and Ella

Isaac and Thomas- what I think Issac will look like in 2 years.

Yummy caramel apples. and soooo messy.




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MICAHLYN'S BIRTHDAY

Such a princess. We had such a good time and she was spoiled by her friends, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Thanks to all.




We ended up having to go and get Isaac a horse (don't worry, it was more masculine) because he wouldn't relinquish hers.

It's a boy!

Now most of you are thinking, " I didn't even know they were pregnant." Or maybe you were thinking "So that's why she looks so bloated and has been so cranky." Either way-we've had a few bumps along the way so we decided not to tell anyone until we were well past the first timester. But things are lookin good for little Hudson Russell Gainor to join us in March. I know it's ridiculous that he's already named, but Jonathan and I have had 2 girl names and 2 boy names picked out before we even had kids and so far it's worked out.

In Case You Missed It

Seriously one of the best games i've ever seen, let alone been to. Cougar stadium has never been so loud!

Dessert Night

Remember Sunday nights in Provo? Especially in the fall. Everyone has their doors open. People are flowing in and out of apartments and there is something electric in the air. I've watched this for the last year that we've been living here, with envy, remembering when I actually knew enough people here to fill an apartment(and I do mean fill). So anyway- last week I thought, "enough pouting". We had a dessert night and although the children do put a twist on the socializing, it was great. We are so glad to have Damon and Jess back in Utah too.



These are just pictures of sissa, because helloooo, look how freakin cute she is.

Boyz ll Men

We don't even talk anymore
And we don't even know what we argue about
Don't even say I love you no more
Cause sayin' how we feel is no longer allowed
Some people will work things out
And some just don't know how to change

Let's don't wait till the water runs dry
We might watch our whole lives pass us by
Let's don't wait till the water runs dry
We'll make the biggest mistake of our lives
Don't do it baby

Now they can see the tears in our eyes
But we deny the pain that lies deep in our hearts
Well maybe that's a pain we can't hide
Cause everybody knows that we're both torn apart
Why do we hurt each other
Why do we push love away

These lyrics take me to 2 places. The first is a church dance. The second is the parking lot of Centennial High, inside a black 1990 mitsubishi eclipse. The music is loud. Ridiculously loud. 3 teenage girls are singing/screaming along with their eyes closed, fists clinched as if reliving some actual painful relationship they had experienced themselves(at the age of 16). Good times, great oldies.

This concert was soooo much fun. And may I say, Motownphilly, I'll make love to you, a song for mama, On bended knee- the Boyz still got it!


Jonathan and I enjoying the "end of the road"

Natalie, Ben and baby Abrie(3 weeks old)

Boyz ll Men, ABC, BBD, the east coast family

Seriously So Blessed

We all need a little humor in our lives. If you aren't already an avid reader, you need to check out seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com It makes fun of young married LDS blogging mothers. It's great. People who will most appreciate this- Chelsea, Mehrsa, Rebecca and Janay.

The Innaguaral Gainor/Hunt Family Vacation

If anyone is looking for a cooler climate these days- head to the pacific northwest. Holy Cow. It was in the 60's and 70's(that's Fahrenheit) (: the whole time. We had a great time though. We spent the first night in Seattle with Jonathan's sister Caroline and her family. Micahlyn had a ball picking flowers in the yard with Caroline. The next day we took the ferry out to the island and got to see some killer whales along the way. We spent some time downtown Victoria hunting down the best fish and chips, and we also got to go deep sea fishing- a first for me. The highlight though was just hanging out at "Mum and Dad's" house, eating Jonathan's mother's cooking and picking vegetables from the garden. Micahlyn wouldn't let Rhiannon out of her sight and I'm sure the family is all recouping now that we are gone.

The kids loving the sea otters.

dan, janay and miss kenzie





Can you believe he grew up in such a gorgeous place?

This is Jonathan literally running to catch the ferry back after being held up for an hour and a half by immigration. Don't ever marry a foreigner.

Golfing with the fam

Jonathan loves golfing. I mean he really loves it. Sadly his current schedule doesn't allow him to play much but there is a course right by his work so the other day the kids and i surprised him and were waiting, clubs loaded in the cart, shoes on the floor, glove on the seat, at the first tee box when he got off work at 6pm so we could get in 9 holes before dark. I'm sure this is not his ideal round of golf; constantly hushing the kids by the tee boxes, chasing them while they chase the ducks, dodging their swings with their miniture clubs and Isaac's habit of throwing anything he can get his hands on out of the cart while it's moving. But he is so patient with them and the kids love being outside and adore being with their dad. Isaac already gets frustrated with his swing. Jonathan gave him a few pointers- i'm sure they won't be the last.

TAGGED by the most unlikely blogger

When i am tagged I usually just pretend that I didn't see it. I justify it by telling myself that the person was just being polite or that so many others will respond so they won't really care. But this time, Chelsea tagged me. She has just recently converted to interactive blogging so I am responding. Love you.

What is your husbands name? Jonathan David

How long have you been together? 5 years next month

Who said I love you first? he said "I am falling in love with you" i think that counts.

How old is he? he is just a babe-27

Who's taller? Jonathan by 10 inches(he's 6'8")

Who can sing better? I think me and he thinks him.

Who is smarter? I'm better at studying/retaining and test taking- he's just naturally bright. also i can't spell.

Who does the laundry? i do

Who does the dishes? 6 days out of seven i do, or don't and then he does.

Who is the better housekeeper? our mothers are both amazing at this and we just didn't get that- but i am better at it.

Who sleeps on the right side? I do.

Who mows the lawn? HOA

Who cooks dinner? boy would starve if he had to cook for himself.

Who drives? always him.

Who is a better driver? agree to disagree. i hate his driving, he prides himself in it.

Who is more stubborn? me

Who kissed who first? he went 90, i went 10

Who proposed? he did-vegas baby!

Who has more friends? I do, Jonathan is not very good about keeping in touch.

Who is more sensitive? during pregnancy? me. if not, him.

Who has more siblings? he has 3 and I have 4.

Ode to Aunt Lola

Aunt Laura took some fun pictures of the kids a few months ago. Ignore the ones that I am ruining. I love these kiddles. Isaac really looks so different now than he did in these photos. I think it's the teeth.










This one is my favorite.
you can see them all at her website. myfourseasonsphotography.com