Elmo Underpants

I have been on a mission to find Elmo underpants in a size 2T. "That can't be too hard" you may say...well, if you did say that you would be DEAD WRONG!

On Saturday Marcus, Connor, and I went to EVERY, and I mean EVERY, single store we could think of from Spanish Fork to Orem that could possibly sell them. We got really creative too, I even checked grocery stores, just in case. Well, our search turned up unsuccessful and we had to call it quits until yesterday. After some hard-core internet research I came up with a list of random places to check. After a few more failed attempts we finally found some at Sears! HOORAY!

Connor is now ready for potty-training...now I just need to do it. I plan on starting as soon as I run out of diapers (which will definitely be in the next few days).

Nothig Says "I Love You" Quite Like...

...a note on a box filled with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Thanks Hub!

Fun Summer Days (Even Though It's Not Really Summer...I Know)

Connor has had a VERY fun few days this week (and I've had a fun time with him)! Marcus has been picking up lots of extra shifts to earn what we need to compensate for the Teacher's Aid job he no longer has now that school is over. We decided our preference was for him to just get the extra shifts out of the way in May so that we did not have to worry about it throughout June, July, and August. So, he's been super-busy with work (and sleep) and it has left Connor and I with lots of time on our hands to fill. Abigail has been coming up in the morning to play and then we have been going out with her and her mom in the afternoons to do some fun summertime activities!

This week we went to lunch on Wednesday (thanks to Abby's Grandma), went swimming for two hours at the Orem Rec Center on Thursday, and then rode the "choo choo" (Trax) up to the Gateway yesterday to go to the Children's Discovery Museum and see "Sesame Street Presents the Body". We were gone for eight hours, and even though we came home absolutely exhausted, we all had a blast!

Connor is really turning into a good little swimmer! With the help of his trusty floaties he now swims all by himself in the big pool. He kicks his little legs as furiously as he can and he is able to actually make his way from one end of the pool to the other.



Connor was in an entirely different world when we were on the "choo choo" and at the Sesame Museum. He was completely unresponsive to me or anything else around him as he ran from one display to another. I was desperately hoping to get some good pictures of him in front of all the cute Sesame Street backdrops they had, but like I said, he was checked out of reality. I did get lots of "action" shots, however, and hope you enjoy them!

Enjoying the train ride on the way to Salt Lake City.


Connor was desperately trying to get Big Bird to open the door. "Hi Big Bird. This is Connor. Connor at your house!"


Shopping at Hooper's Store.


I wish I could have captured the look on his face when he saw this! He could hardly believe that we were at "Elmo's House!"


"Hi Dorthy!"


Another desperate attempt to get someone to open the door. "Elmo...this is Connor! Open!"


Playing the Count's organ.


Maybe nobody answered any of the doors but everybody was on the phone. (When he'd pick the phone up the different characters would take turns answering and talking). Connor spent nearly 30 minutes talking to everyone and telling them that he was at their house.


Big Bird.


Happy to say hi to Big Bird...Connor had no idea this was just a cardboard cutout.


Sleeping on the train ride home.

Last Trimester!

Today I am officially in my last trimester! WAHOO! I am:

1-EXCITED! (can hardly wait for my little James to be here!)
2-Nervous. (I do not want to get sick at all or have any complications).

So...here's to hoping the next few weeks go as smoothly as possible!

Neil Diamond

So last night was Neil Diamond night on American Idol (yes, I watch American Idol). I am not writing this post to comment on the show, however, I am writing this post because of all the memories that came flooding back to me as I heard the Neil Diamond songs last night.

My Grandma Olson, Mother, Aunt Julie, Aunt Sharon, and my best friend's mother, Karma Barlow, were all Neil Diamond FANATICS when I was younger (and they really still are). Every time we were in the car the big N.D. was blaring through the speakers. Every Saturday morning (cleaning time) Neil Diamond was blasting throughout the house (and it didn't matter if I was at the Barlow's, at Grandma's, at my own home, or at my aunts). In fact, as the American Idol contestants sang last night I swear I could smell lemon pledge and windex.

When I was in first grade I told my class during show and tell that my Grandma Olson used to play in the sandbox with Neil Diamond when she was little (of course, she did not, but she lied to me and told me she did. I believed her, and I was embarressed in front of my class when my teacher busted up laughing at me. Lesson: Do not lie to five year olds about your made-up childhood celebrity friendships).

I always thought their Neil Diamond obsession was funny (and I guess I really stil do). However, when I was a freshman in college a guy asked me on a date to a Neil Diamond concert. I have to admit, the sequine-jump-suit-wearing-man can sure put on a good show.

So...here's to you Neil, and all the memories of my childhood that your music soundtracks. I just wish someone would have sang "I Am the Lion" last night. If you don't know the song (and I congratulate you if you don't) look it up and take a listen...HILARIOUS!

Summer (sort of)

I am so happy that it is Summer break (even though it is technically not summer yet). It is nice to think that Marcus only goes to work now...no school schedule to deal with as well. I also have no classes to go to or complete online.

Our little neighbor Abigail has been coming up in the mornings to play with Connor while both of her parents are at work. If all goes well, her mom will be quitting her job at the end of this month, but we love having Abby here in the meantime. It is nice for Connor to be able to play with her for a few hours every day.

I am suddenly realizing that James is going to be born sometime this summer and then we are going to have to pack up and move. I am very excited for both of these events, but they have seemed far enough away to not really feel real, until now. I feel like I have a lot to get done to prepare for both, and I really need to dig in and get to work. In all reality, James could come any time during my last trimester (depending on my health). Of course, I am desperately hoping he will not come until July, but I guess I need to be prepared for all possible outcomes.

So...today I am cleaning my kitchen and making banana bread. I have no idea why that really makes me feel like I am getting anything important done, but for some odd reason it does. Maybe just because I'm craving banana bread.

Graduation and All That Jazz

Marcus and I were both able to graduate from UVU this last Friday. We were happy to have been able to have both of his parents here with us to celebrate the occasion. His mother came last Monday night and his dad arrived late Thursday. We sure enjoyed having them here and are thankful for all they did for us. We were definitely spoiled while they were in town. Connor is going to think Marcus and I are really boring now that it's just the three of us again. Here's a few pictures from our last week:

Marcus and I after graduation


Connor loving his stuffed Willie the Wolverine


Four generations of Poole's. Robert Sr., Robert Jr., Marcus, and Connor


Connor "driving" the boat at the Living Planet Aquarium. Oh so much fun.


Well, like I said, we had a good week. We are now looking forward to a schedule that is a bit more relaxed this summer, and of course, the arrival of our little James! We have a lot of work to do to get things ready for our move this fall, but I'm sure we'll be able to get it all taken care of.

Kid Tag

Connor's aunt Joy and adorable cousin Paityn tagged us, so I get to tell you 5 interesting things about Connor that you may not know! Here goes:

1. Connor holds the record at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for being the smallest full-term baby that was not a multiple. He was 4 lbs. 10 oz. when he was born and only 16 inches long.

2. Ever since his birth Connor has consistently been lower than the 2 percentile (which is as low as it goes) on his weight. He just hit 21 lbs. at his last Dr.'s visit and our Pediatrician, Dr. Bailey, said that was the longest he has seen one of his patient's take to hit the 20 lb. mark.

3. Connor talks in his sleep almost every night. Often he talks about his friend Abby from downstairs. Sometimes he sings.

4. Connor has been on a plane 22 times (11 round trip flights).

5. Connor has only had a fever once since his birth. Hope he always stays so healthy!

Now...Connor is going to Tag his cousins Erin, Erik, Mike, and Dan! He know's there's probably lots of really cool stuff to learn about them!

Done!

As of about 30 seconds ago I am DONE with school (at least for now)! I am pretty sure I am getting the A's I wanted this semester and I am now ready to GRADUATE this Friday! Wahoo!

Final Day of Class

Marcus wrote a post on his blog about going to his final day of class today for his bachelor's degree and all the time, work, and money that has gone in to making this time of our life possible. We have been talking a lot about the whole experience lately and I just wanted to write down some of the things we have talked about. Maybe one day if our kids get as frustrated with how hard schooling can be as we found ourselves feeling at one point they can read this and know that we've been there, but made it through.

It was 12 years ago that Marcus first started working towards his bachelors degree and nearly 7 since I started working on mine. Of course, neither one of us has actually been in school that long, we both had "time off" periods. When we first got married we were both in that state (with exception of a few random online classes that Marcus was attempting). It didn't take long after being married for the two of us to decide that graduating from college was something we absolutely had to choose to do, no matter what sacrifices it meant we would need to make.

I vividly remember the day Marcus came home from UVSC after meeting with the Exercise Science department head three years ago. He found out he had more classes left to take then he thought and discovered he would also have to fork out over $5,000 per semester the first year just to cover out-of-state tuition and fees. We definitely did not have that type of money just lying around and felt totally discouraged. After a few minutes of moping we decided feeling defeated would do us no good and we decided to find a way to make it happen. Marcus and I spent a lot of time working over-time that summer and fall and lived on a tight budget.

Once Connor came along the challenges increased but so did the desire to succeed. In fact, it was around that time that Marcus and I both decided that we wanted to go to graduate school. It was the first time either of us saw that potential in ourselves.

Now, here we are, three years after that initial decision was made and we are done with classes (but not finals quite yet). Marcus has spent a combined total of 100 hours a week working two jobs and attending school. And surprisingly enough, we both still feel like we have been able to spend a lot of time together growing and strengthening our little family. We have actually enjoyed classes and some of them have been highlights in our lives. Neither one of us feel that we would trade these years for anything, and as hard as they've been, we strongly feel they would have been even harder if we weren't doing what we knew we needed to do. We know our educations will pay off in many ways for the rest of our lives. And although we're leaving this stage dirt-poor financially, we're richly blessed with the satisfaction of knowing we worked hard to make this happen and actually got it done!

Thank you to all our family members and friends who have been supportive and encouraging to us as we've done this! And thank you to Grandma Olson for the tremendous guilt trip that kept me going...I might have dropped out without it.