The Basil Family

Making this Private

2008-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all you bloggers! Sorry, I know I've been VERY absent the last few months. It all started because life was too hectic and crazy to blog and then I got a little nervous about the privacy matter so I haven't written. In short, I'd like to make this private. I know in order to do that I need to get all your sign in info or emails and I don't have many of those. After posting this I'll check very frequently throughout the day to get your information should you choose to post it and then after a quick response from me you can take it off. Alrighty? Hope this works! If anyone has any better ideas I'd love to have them! Thanks!

Children

2008-06-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

I never write, and I want to write. So I'm going to, and we'll see if anyone listens (or reads... whatever).
Has anyone been to an event, or a party, or some type of gathering in which YOUR child is the bad example. She hits, she spits, she pulls her clothes off, and all the other children follow her? It's one of those moments where you hear your own, younger voice echo in your head saying "My child will never do that." and then it bites you. HARD. The other parents, while condemning their own children's actions (which are exactly what your child showed them that they can do) tries to be polite and tell you "It's okay" as you apologize profusely. Finally, after your last futile attempt to get them to sit still and chill out (hey, look at the other kids sitting quietly on their mothers laps, let's try that!) you try to save yourself anymore embarrassment and pick up and leave.
Children are such interesting little people. They each are so different and individual. Which I suppose it the way that it should be. My daughter is just barely 12 months old, but can truly hold her own. She knows her opinion and is anxious to share it. I remember when she was just a few weeks old another mother in the" mothers' room" at church, while trying to control her 12 month old, was telling me to enjoy her being so little and young, because "You just wait till she has an opinion!" I Just laughed and bit my tongue from snidely saying, "Oh, she came that way." And boy did she ever. She is quite the ring leader and can get 2 year olds to act naughty when they know better. Sometimes my husband and I debate over whether or not she really knows what she's doing. There are times that I'm sure we've hit a break through and think "Yes!!!! She finally knows what sit means! But let me tell you, just because she knows the meaning of "sit" leaves no guarantee that she'll actually perform.
But, as difficult as it is to make her "sit and be still", in today's times, I'm so grateful she doesn't. I can see the leader in her. Such strong opinions can serve her well. She is a girl on a mission, and is not about to be stopped, hindered, or told no. She will not be deterred and never holds back her opinion, even when it's not socially acceptable (and I can tell you, she knows when it's not!). So what if we were all so strong? What if we weren't shy and apologetic about what we know is right? What if each day we woke with ambition and a purpose to accomplish? The world would be a different place.
So start today folks! Find a purpose and a mission and don't be shy. Take a lesson from our little ones and do what you were sent here to do and never hold back! I'll do my best too!

SLEEP

2008-03-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've seen a few of you post questions to the blogging world in regards to parenting with some great responses so I thought I'd send out a question of my own.

As you can probably tell from the title, my dear sweet Megan is not a great sleeper. Some nights are good (only up once) other nights it can be more like 3 or 4 times. Although, she is usually good and only eats and is back asleep. Those nights I get like a 4 to 5 hour block of time I feel like I could go all day. It's great. But most times I get a hour or two here and there. It's killer.
And naps are on no kind of schedule either. For a while she was really doing great and we had a good schedule, but now she's totally off and I don't know what's happened or what to do to fix it. Sometimes we get two naps and sometimes just one, and at no particular time.
In short, I'm not sleeping in neither is she. I can tell she's tired a lot of the time because she's grumpy but too overtired to fall asleep. Or am I trying to make her sleep too much? I never rock her to sleep, she always falls asleep on her own (mostly because she can't fall asleep with any one or anything around her, it's too much stimulation for her active little personality). It kills me that, what seems like so many people, have such great sleepers and all they had to do is let them cry it out a few times, or not even that. Well, not me, been there, tried that(and a million other things), like almost every night, nap, etc. What am I doing wrong? Is there some quick trick fix here that I'm missing? Is there some great book out there that I need to read? Is she really hungry at night (because even if I go in and just assure her that I'm there, she's still very persistant). Or do I just need to be patient and look for a lesson to be learned?
As you give advice here, will you please be extremely specific. Don't worry if your answer is forever long. You can email me if you'd like. I really need help here and I feel like I've tried everything. Thanks to you all!
Sweet Dreams!

Marko Polo

2008-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

What is his name? Mark Frederick (or Fredrick, even his mom doesn't know) Basil

How long have you been together? We are coming up on our 3 year Anniversary on March 24th!
How long did you date? Our first date, a blind lunch date, was December 11th. We were officially engaged Februaruy 18th (although it was a long time coming) and married March 24th. When we first decided we were going to get married, which was only a few weeks after we met, we thought we'd probably do it in June (June 2nd actually which happens to be 2 of Mark's sisters Anniversary and Megan's birthday) because like all of you, we thought we were nuts to be thinking about marriage so soon. Then, we moved it to May, then April and finally our bishop suggested March 24th, and that's that. He was living in the house alone and I was living with 4 little boys that loved to crawl all over him. So neither house were great for dating and it just seemed to work. Crazy, I know, but here we are.
How old is he? 29, he'll be 30 in September. Whoa, so old!
Who eats more? We're probably pretty even here. Although, I tend to snack all day, and he can eat more in one sitting.
Who said I love you first? Mark did-- after some prodding. We were actually already talking like we were getting married and he still hadn't said it. I refused to be the first one to say it and he wanted to wait till the "perfect" moment. He said it just before midnight on New Years 2004/05.
Who is taller? Mark, luckily. I had this weird thing when I was dating someone that they had to be taller than me with heels on and always weigh more than me, even when I was pregnant. Vain I know.
Who can sing better? Defintely me. Don't tell him I said this but he can't hit a note with the broad side of a barn!

Who is smarter? Definitely Mark. I will think I learned this really cool thing and be talking to him about it and he alreadys knows it, plus the counter arguments (usually about a health matter). It drives me crazy sometimes, but my GPA is way better than his because I'm not that smart, but I'm organized and can get an assignment done and in on time. He's just the opposite. Way to smart for his own britches (yes, even correcting his BYU for his professors, at their request of course, because is knows that most updated information) but so disorganized his assignments were always late!
Who does the laundry? I do. I don't love it, but someone's got to do it.
Who pays the bills? I do. I also do all the finances for the business from our home. This one I really wish I could pass on, but I like to keep track of everything.
Who sleeps in the right side? If you are looking at the bed, I do. It's the closest side to the door to wake up and take care of the babe.
Who mows the lawn? I take care of all the yard maintenance stuff (weeding, pruning, etc), but I don't mow, that's where I've drawn the line. And sad to say, we have our neighbor boy do it. Mark works upwards of 60 to 80 hours a week and really doesn't have the time so thanks Josh!
Who cooks dinner? Definetely me. Again, he's really never home and when he is he always says, "I'll be in in a minute to help", but we all really know what that means right?
Who drives? We trade. Sometimes he does, because I prefer him to because that way I know I have his undivided attention. But sometimes he has calls he needs to make or other things to do and so I drive.
Who is more stubborn? Me. No, him. I don't know. We're both pretty stubborn, but I am more vocal about it.
Who asked who out first? We were set up on a blind date, but he called my parents house (thinking I was expecting the call, which I wasn't) and asked me out. The conversation is actually pretty funny. It went something like this.
Mark: Hello, is Stefanie there?
Stef: This is she.
Mark: Hi this is Mark Basil!
Stef: Hi Mark Basil.
Mark: .... I'm friends with the Haglund's?
Stef: (getting it now) Oh, hi.
We talked for a little while and I was pretending I knew who he was, and that they had told me he was going to call. He kept telling me he was a trainer and I kept pressing him to know what kind of a trainer he was (dog, horse, etc. I never thought a people trainer, duh?). Then he realized I had no idea who he was. He felt a little sheepish, but we went out that following Saturay to lunch at Cafe Rio.
Who proposed? Mark did. He had quite an event set up in the backyard. I had no idea he was going to propose that night. I knew it was coming, but he "got off work" later than I had hoped and than he told me he had left his wallet at the house, so we had to go and get it. The jewlery store had also called me earlier that day to let me know that the ring was ready, just to throw me off his trail. He then told me just to come in the house for a second because he wanted to show me something downstairs. So as I was going down, he said he was going to grab something from the bedroom and really ran out and around back under the deck where I was. It was beautiful. There were over 2,000 candles of all different sizes lit on the ground and hanging from the trees, a little mesh tent like area set up, with a little table and space heater (it was February) and tons of pillows, and 50 long stem roses. He had been there all day with my family and a couple of his clients setting up. It was a magical moment. It's one of the few moments I've seen him cry.
Who has more friends? Probably Mark. His clients are his friends and we're always running in to them everywhere. I tend to just hang out with my family.
Who is more sensitive? Me. I can take things way too personal and get all defensive, which is not good.
Who has more siblings? Me. I'm the only girl of 5 and Mark is the only boy of 4.
Who wears the pants? We pretty much consult each other on everything. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes he's right. We're always striving to maintain a good balance.

Love you Mark!

President Hinckley

2008-02-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

I know this is old news to many of you avid Basil Family readers (ha, ha). But just as a journal entry of sorts for myself I just want to express a few of my feelings.
He truly was the President of my youth. Since his passing I've had so many different emotions, but mostly I'm so happy for him and that he was able to return to be with is wife and so many others who have been waiting for him on the other side. Also, when I heard on the radio that he was having a 2 day viewing I so wanted to go. It almost felt like I had to go because I feel so close to that man. Although I've never me him, or any of his family, or shaken his hand, I still feel like he is very dear to me. He almost seems as much a part of me as my own grandfather. My cousins and I have often commented on how much the two of them are similar to us in our minds. They even look somewhat the same. I am so grateful for him and his positive outlook on life. He and his wife have been marvelous examples to me and I feel so blessed to be a part of this church and to have a knowledge of this gospel. It brings a great light and peace to my life that cannot be found anywhere else. I'll miss you President Hinckley, your example in life meant more to me than you'll ever know.

Crazy Hair!

2008-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

Some of it's long, some of it's still way way short. But boy does it love to stick straight up! My mommy doesn't know what to do with it and I won't stay still very long. So please help her and give her some ideas! We need some hair help and fast. Thanks!

What a Week

2008-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm, so another week is gone and I haven't much to say. Megan and I have both not been feeling our best so we've spent a lot of time hanging out on the living room floor. The house is a mess and frankly I don't really have the energy to clean it, so messy it will have to stay. And even if I did have the energy it would still be a mess because Megan will hardly let me out of her reach. She's not sleeping much and with being sick and sleep deprived she wants me to hold her, or at least be her jungle gym, every second. It's okay though. I do really enjoy the time I get to spend with her.
As for Mark, he's been gone, gone, gone. Working from about 6am to 7pm (give or take an hour or so) all week. He's always worked 6 days/wk, but some weeks are harder than others. We can't go outside because it's too cold and with Mark being as busy as he was it was Thursday before we even had a decent conversation. I wish I could tell you college fams that once your husband's got out of school and on the career path things would get better, and maybe for you they will, but oh boy, being married to a business owner is a toughy. I don't know who has it harder, the wives at home or the sleep deprived, meal deprived husband workers.
Luckily, life isn't all bleak, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, and I truly mean that. Sometimes weeks are like that, "even in Australia".
P.S. Meg has a wicked diaper rash, thus the airing out prosses and the naked baby picture. Hope one is offended. Cheers!

Mobile Megan and a Mother's Worst Nighmare

2008-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Megan is now a little over 7 months old and has become so much more mobile and in control of her body, although she is still working on all the particulars.
Well exactly a week ago today the most terrifying thing happened. We have a large tub sink in the kitchen which has been really nice for giving Megan a bath in. Even when she was too little to sit up there was plenty of room for her to lie down and since the only bath tub we have is downstairs, the sink is a lot more convenient. So last week I was giving her a bath in the morning, and I turned around for literally 1 second and took maybe 2 steps away, when I hear a "slip" only to turn around to see my baby fall head first from the sink to the hard tile floor!!!! Ahhh! She was just outside my reach and it was as if in slow motion. There was nothing I could do, but I picked her up quickly and ran for the phone. She, of course was hysterical and I was shaking so hard I didn't know what to do. What if she had a broken neck? Don't they say that when most people break their necks they don't even know it until later because the bodies adrenaline kicks in and they don't feel the pain? I don't know. What if there's internal bleeding? I was so terrified that I had just killed my baby. So I immediately called 911 (my second time in a year, thanks Em!). To some this may sound paranoid, but I just didn't want to "wait and see" on a head injury. While I was waiting with the person on the phone (they make you stay on the line until the people get there) I was able to give Megan a few emergency homeopathy's (my natural health training kicking in) and they were there in minutes. They came right in and took a look at her and reassured me that my baby was very lucky and just fine. Her head was a little red where she hit it, but other than seeming a little shaken up and tired from the experience she was perfectly alert and her eyes looked just fine and she had no visible cuts. They left a few short minutes after they came, reassuring me that if there was any hint of a problem they'd take her, but they were sure she was fine.
Just a month ago my grandma was telling me a story about how my mom had flipped herself out of her car seat that was sitting on the counter onto the floor at 1 month and how she was just sure she had killed her baby. That story kept replaying in my mind thinking how horrible that would be if that happened to me, and here it did. Oh, I felt so horrible. I cried and felt so guilty for letting something like this happen. And then I had to keep replaying the horrible event for all my wonderful, caring neighbors who were calling to make sure we were okay after they saw the EMT outside. It was probably the lowest moment I have had as a mother. I am so grateful that my baby was watched over that day. She never even got a bump on her head! She been a lot more cautious with all her new found mobility, but she's here, happy, and healthy, and I couldn't ask for more. We truly are so blessed.

More Christmas Pictures

2008-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

There really are SO many adorable pictures from Christmas morning, but I can't fit them all! Megan is is the "hand to mouth" stage and just loved getting everything she could in her mouth. What lucky parents we are to have such a fun, zesty little girl!

Christmas Time.. at Last

2008-01-14T17:23:00.001-08:00

Every year we trade off Christmas and Thanksgiving between the Basil and Willhite sides. This year it was a Californian Christmas. The first few days weren't as warm as expected, but the last half of the trip the weather warmed up and it was quite nice.
Mark, his sister's and their families were all together (and Mom and Dad Basil, of course) which made it really nice.
The first day we arrived ended up being a full day of Christmas shopping since I didn't want to shop here and then have to pack them over. Although it certainly would have been nice to have extra luggage room on the way home. The other two days were also spent shopping, cooking and eating really great food. Megan even had her first food while in California. We also got to visit Santa, which was fun. It is so nice when there are two cooks in the kitchen and another mother at home to watch the baby while Mark and I got to go out and just be together. We don't get a lot of time to do things with just the two of us very often and it was especially nice because EVERYTHIHNG out there is just 5 minutes away, where here it takes at least 15 minutes to get just about anywhere. Living and a more populated area certainly has its advantages.
Christmas Eve was spent at Mom and Dad Basil's where Mark and I got to play Mary and Joseph. Megan was supposed to be Baby Jesus, but the though of waking her up mid-night sleep didn't sound real great to us, so a doll filled in for her. The theme this year was Itanilan dishes and I made Mark favorite bar-b-que chicken pizza. It was a real hit! P.S. yeast rises MUCH fast and better in California-- bakers beware!
Christmas morning, Megan was the center of attention. Santa "Basil" lovingly took care of our stockings and visited us all. Megan started her "Little People" collection via grandma and grandpa, with a few other toys, a dress, and pajamas. Although, we could have given her wrapping paper and she would have been just as happy. We spent the day cooking, sleeping, eating and enjoying each other's company until it was time to go to Grandma and Grampa Mathonis's where we did it all over again just with more people.
We had one day after that and then early the next morning we were off and home to Utah again. The trip was way too fast and we were sad to have to leave, but we had a great time and Megan had a blast playing with all her cousins!

On New Years we spent some time with the Willhite's and exchanged gifts as well. It's sad to have to split time between the families, but its also good because we get to feel relaxed with whom ever we are with without feeling as if we have to spend the days "Party Hopping", so to speak.
It was indeed a very Merry Christmas!

Deer Valley

2007-12-20T17:32:00.001-08:00

In the last year Mark has started doing the Health and Fitness portion of the "Leadership Training Week" for Franklin Covey. It takes place about every month or so at different resorts here in Utah (i.e. Homestead, Sundance). But just recently they changed the location to The Lodges up at Deer Valley Resort. With the new changes Mark needed to be there 2 days so rather than drive up and back they graciously put us up in an AMAZING room-- all expenses paid! Wow!!!!
The room was not just a room, but consisted of a master bedroom and bath, another bathroom off the hallway a full blown kitchen with all the amenities a bar and dinner table, a nice living room with a fireplace and a large deck extending from the bedroom and living room. When we walked in we were stunned, to say the very least. It was beautiful and far beyond anything we would have stayed in on our own.

Also, one day my parents and brother Pierson came up and dad, Pierson and I skied (I love Deer Valley, it's the only place I like to ski anymore because local passes are such a great deal and the lifts are NEVER busy), while my mom graciously watch baby Meg. I haven't had the opportunity to ski in a few years and it was so fun, even though the snow wasn't that great being so early in the season. When you ski at Deer Valley it's the whole experience that's great, now just the slopes.

We had a wonderful time! Thank you Mark and Mom for making this all possible-- oh yeah and thanks Covey!

So Many Important things

2007-12-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

Time flies by all too quickly and I don't get (or should I say make), the opportunity to write things down. Megan has hit some major milestones this last month and I think it's time I jot those down:

Monday, November 26, 2007-- Sat alone for the first time (about 20-30 seconds)
Said first word "dada", although I'm not so sure she knows what it means

Tuesday, November 27, 2007-- Got her first tooth on her lower right side

Thursday, November 28, 2007-- Learned to "army crawl"

Since that very busy week in Megan's life she's been busily practicing up on her mobility skills and is a much more content baby. Before she always wanted to be held up to where she could see everything that was going on and now she prefers to be able to move out on her own (although she still likes me close by). Then yesterday, Sunday, December 16, 2007, she popped up on her knees all by herself. She doesn't get that she can move better in that position, but it's only a matter of time until she does. Also, today she started to imitate my noises. I was making a popping sound with my lips that she thought was so funny and interesting and suddenly she started to click her tongue on her lips. Every time I would then click my tongue, she would do it back. It was so cute. It's so fascinating how fast they grow and learn. We are truly blessed to have such a fun little girl in our family!

More from Mexico

2007-12-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to Mexico. Most of them are from the zipline tour we went on (monkey in the cage, hanging out by the river, and if you look really close up in the sky you can see little dots of people flying through the air over the canyon).
Also, Meg "Muffin" (as my dad calls her) and her grandpa in the pool.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2007-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

Four days after Pierson returned home we all left for a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was fun to be back as a family, with all my siblings together again. We had a marvelous time, playing at the beach, hanging out at the pool, and seeing some sights. Megan was not so sure she cared for the beach (I think the waves kind of freaked her out). So Mark, Meg and I spent our time mostly at the pool.
We stayed at a resort right on the beach so we could head up and put Megan down for her much needed naps, which was nice because she isn't so great at sleeping on the go (except she does sleep really good on the plane).
Travel days down and back were long because we had some lengthy layovers in Guadalajara, but we still had fun eating and talking. The plane ride down from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta was pretty intense. We were in a little "puddle jumper" type plane and we hit a little turbulence. It felt like we were on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride at Disneyland.
One day we all headed up in the mountains and did a Jungle Zip-Line tour. First the rest of my family went up and we stayed at the bottom looking at the monkey's and snakes and sitting by the river. Then, when the boys and my parents were done, they took Megan and Mark and I went up. It was very fun. The zip lines were long and some were VERY high, but we really had fun. Although, I'm not so sure my mom had fun since Megan was pretty upset that I left her. She decided that week that she wanted mom,and only mom. She didn't like anyone else to hold her. Part of that attitude was quite endearing, but I felt bad for everyone else, and it would have been nice to eat a meal in peace, but I love her dearly anyway.
We also spent one evening wandering around down town. It was neat to see where and how the people live down there. The taxi ride down there was pretty crazy since driving laws don't really exist. We just had to hold on for the ride. Mark also had a good time bringing back his old Spanish skills from the mission. It was nice to have a translator on hand. And I even got to do a little para sailing!

It was a great trip and a great big thank you to Mom and Dad Willhite for that one. Mostly it was just nice to be away from "it all" for a while. No cell phones, clients, no work. Just lots of time to spend together. We miss Mark with his crazy schedule so it was a great opportunity for us to be together as a family and for Megan to have a little more one on one with her daddy. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving week!

Welcome Home Elder Pierson Willhite

2007-12-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

On November 14 my brother Pierson returned from the Birmingham, England Mission. He spent most his days in middle England and Wales (hence the very cool hat). Unfortunately, in the chaos of the moment I was unable to get any real good photos. Megan has warmed up quickly to her easy going and very caring uncle. We are so grateful for his service and are happy to have him home.

Blogging

2007-12-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, I know, to everyone who reads this (because I know there are sooo many of you who have been anxiously awaiting my return to the bloggin world, haha), I apologize! I officially get an "F" in blogging. I have never been good at record keeping of ANY kind. My journal is full of "I'm sorry I haven't written for so long"'s and many other sayings like that. I don't like to scrapbook, so that's out of the question, so I thought this blog would help keep my on track. In all honesty, writing something down just once a month before would have been really GOOD. So, without further adieu, here are a few things that we have been up to this last month.

5 MONTHS

2007-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well 5 months with little Megan have come and gone. I know these pictures aren't fabulous, but they are the best I could get because this little girls just doesn't stop moving! So the blurs are just personality. She is a goer and a mover and a doer. We love her to death and are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Sleeping Tiger, Hidden Baby

2007-11-05T10:49:00.001-08:00

The other night Megan wet through her pajamas and the closest thing on hand was her little Tigger halloween costume-- so that's what I put on her. Good thing she doesn't know the difference. Poor girl!

The Hair

2007-11-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

BEFORE...

AFTER...

After the pregnancy I needed a change, and it was either shorter (which didn't sit too well with Mark) or longer. So this is what we got. Lindsay, with 3 kids in 3 years I'm surprised you're hair is not purple by now. Maybe you're better than me. A little vain, I suppose, but certainly lots of fun.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2007-11-01T08:13:00.001-07:00

We had a fun little Halloween night. Megan was Tigger (who knew when we got the costume that it would be so befitting her "Bouncy Trouncy, Fun" personality), and my brothers, Jordan and Skyler, were Thing 1 and Thing 2. It was fun to get together, roast hot dogs and pass out (and eat) candy. We didn't dress up this year, I know, how boreing, so watch out next year!

Blogging.... finally!

2007-10-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

So sorry all, I've kind of fallen off the blogging wagon. For some reason I've really gotten into surfing around YouTube and have spent all my time I have on the internet there, and not here. Things are good, so here is a real quick rundown of the last month.

We spent a few days in California. Mark went to a conference and Megan and I got to hang out with Mark's parents. It was very fun. I have the greatest mother-in-law. We get along really well and it's always just a big party when we get to see her.

This is a picture of Megan and her uncle John. He is so good with babies!

Also this month I spent a considerable amount of time organizing the back part of my living room. Because the office had to become a baby room, the office moved out into the living room, and so did the hurricane of Mark's papers (mostly excerise and nutrition type articles). He kept telling me he was going to take care of them, and I kept encouraging him (because I did not want one more job to do). And so it went for months, and months, and over a YEAR!!! Finally I had had enough and took the job upon myself to organize this mess.

Here one angle of the "Before".

Even Megan chipped in a bit!

And here it is all finished!!!!! Look how surprised Mark is. Who knew we could get it done! I certainly wasn't a believer-- if you saw Mark's dad's garage you'd know what I mean. I feel so relieved to finally have that done and out of my living room.

Oh, and yes, I do have new hair, but I'll have to post pictures of that later.

SO SO LATE!!!

2007-10-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot that I didn't post Mark's Birthday. How awful! He is greatly loved and appreciated, although this is sooooo belated. He is such a great dad and I don't know what I would do without him in my life.

We love you!!!

Ode to Megan

2007-10-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

4 MONTHS

CHATS
GIGGLES
LOOKS
WATCHES
OPINIONATED
SLEEPS
WIGGLES
PROPS
STANDS
SUCKS
SLOBBERS
GRABS
EATS

& MAKES OUR LIVES GREAT EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!!

Inspiration

2007-09-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Like many women in the world I am at that time in life where I'm trying to loose the baby weight. Who knew it could be so vicious. I have seen many of you shortly after you had had baby's and you all looked fabulous; most of you where even able to wear their pre-baby clothes very shortly after birth. Because of that fact, I've been rather hesitant to write anything about my weight and ex cerise goals. At times I've been absolutely mortified to see many of you, not because I don't like you, or because you make me feel this way, but because my weight is a little embarrassing to me. Stupid, I know.

Now, let me clarify, I understand I'm not like 200 lbs or anything, but certainly bigger than many of you, and it botherd me. So as I've started off on my weight loss journey I've not written anything about it because I was way embarrassed. First, though, I have to thank Lyssa for inspiring me to actually write this down and put it out there to see. But I think it will help in my motivation.

But just as a general update on my weight loss. On June 23 (3 weeks after baby), I was 143. Today, September 29 (17 weeks out, 15 weeks later), I'm 130. That's a little less that a lb a week, but most of that has come in the last month or so since I've really gotten a hold of my nutrition. I still have a ways to go, but yeah for me. 13 lbs down, and I'm feeling awesome and mostly really proud of myself! Thanks Mark (my personal trainer husband) for all of your help and support. You're the one that's made this possible.

ICKY, YUCKY, STINKY!

2007-09-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Before we left for Texas I had noticed a peculiar smell down in the basement and attributed it to the toilet that is down there that was don't use often. So I cleaned it and we left.

Well, guess what... I was wrong.

When we returned the smell was worse (not too bad yet since the basement door was shut), but the hour was late and so we let it go.

Next day was Sunday, and we went downstairs to try and figure it out, but left it until after church because we just couldn't see anything. Mark was still in meetings (we have late church) and so I went down alone to try and find where the smell was. It wasn't the bathroom, it wasn't the living room, it wasn't the bedrooms.... what was it? Just as I thought that I might have a dead animal in the walls of my home I opened the door to the little closet/room with the heater/ac and water heater. The floor drain that was in that room had bubbled over with nothing but icky, yucky, stinky raw sewage!!! It was after 6 on a Sunday, so the only way to get a plumber out at that time would be to pay like an extra $200 bucks, and honestly, it wasn't more than a teeny, tiny bit. So we left it until the next morning. Mark took a shower (bad idea), and I immediately called the plumber. He was there by 8 had to take off our toilet and rooter all the way to the street. Still, I didn't know the problem was as bad as it was. Then by 9 the clean up guys where there and they tested showed me how far it had gotten in the carpet. Luckily we caught it early and it hadn't soaked up in the walls yet. So they spent the day in my basement, pulling out all the furniture, ripping out the carpet and 3 of the four rooms downstairs, scrubbing everything down, and setting up the little "sanitation area". They blocked off the whole part of the house that had sewage stuff in it and now there are all sort of fans and de-humidifiers (yes, those exist), down there. The insurance claim is in, and I guess we'll be getting new carpet in the basement. Not really what I wanted to spend my money on, but oh, well.

Oh, also that day, the heater broke so that guy had to come out and fix that too. All in all it was a very expensive day. Yikes!

Texas

2007-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Mark, Megan and I flew down to Dallas/ Forth Worth area for one of Mark's conferences. We kind of have a fun little family tradition of going to the conferences with him. He goes to classes (which he loves) and I get to spend the time at the pool, wandering around where ever we are, and shopping. It usually is a really fun time. Unfortunately, this time the experience wasn't as great as I'd hoped.

Note to self: check out the location (we were 10 miles from the nearest restaurant)and the details of the room (it was literally the size of a dorm room, with a king size bed, hmmmm) and hotel (the pool was, let's say, interesting) BEFORE going.

Check out Megan's little "bed" we made her on the floor-- poor girl, there was only space enough as big as she is.

Lake Powell

2007-09-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday morning we headed down to Bullfrog and then came back Saturday night. It was a short trip, but it was a lot of fun. It was Megan's first time on the boat and she wasn't so sure about the bumpy ride(if you can see in the picture she had an iron grip on the boat), but she adjusted quickly and was a great little boater. She has really become a great little girl. I mean, she was always great, but she is starting to sleep so well and is so fun when she's awake. She giggles and smiles all the time, we can't get enough of her. She even got in the water a little bit. As you can see Mark and I also tried our hands at a little surfing (I spared you the pictures of me flashing my bright white legs) and just pretty much enjoyed a few days in the sun and water with my family. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we got to go down.

P.S. Way to go Spencer (my sponsored wakeboarding brother) on his "slayer" wakeboarding skills! He is amazing and so fun to watch. We each took a turn riding backwards on the tube about 10 ft in front of him wakeboarding and got an awsome front row seat to the Spencer show.

Rolling Over & Finding Toys

2007-09-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Megan rolled over last Friday in her crib, but I didn't see it, I just put her on her tummy at night and the next morning she was on her back. But then Sunday night (when she turned 3 months), I was putting her down and she rolled over again. It was an exciting event in the Basil household.

Also, within this last week she's really liked starting to play with toys. Before this she really didn't show any interest in it, but now she can keep herself pretty entertained, which is a big difference from how it used to be.

It's very fun to watch this little one grow. I'm so lucky I get to be a part of it.

3 Months!!!

2007-09-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Megan turned 3 months yesterday! I have to say that I think she is quite a doll. She is getting so responsive and fun, although she is very strong willed. She is a girl that knows what she wants! We just love her to pieces and I'm so glad she's a part of my life.

no camera!

2007-08-29T18:15:00.001-07:00

Because I was without a camera for some time I was unable to get pictures of my graduation on August 17th, and thus forgot to post anything about it. My dad got some, but who knows when I'll be able to get my hands on those. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I FINALLY graduated with a BS in Home and Family Living from BYU! It was definitely and adventure to get this degree. But it was fun and I'm glad after all is said and done that I stuck to it and finished. Yay for me!

The Beach House

2007-08-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised pictures from our trip to California. As I had said, we spent the week at a house just a few steps from the beach in Ventura with Mark's family and it was a lot of fun. Here you can see Megan on her first plane ride, and catching up on some much needed zzz's. She was an AMAZING sleeper on this trip and has not slept as well since we got back. She must have known it was vaca time. Also, here she is with her two of her girl cousins, Maddie and Kayliegh-- what pretty girls! Then there's Mark becoming the in house trainer for the entire family. We had a lot of fun. Thanks to the mommy and daddy Basil for making it so awesome!

Chatty Cathy

2007-08-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Megan has definitey found her voice. Yesterday at stake conference she talked almost the entire 2 hours. Luckily we went to the broadcast at the stake center rather than attending at the Alpine Tabernacle so the kids there were all a lot louder than her anyway. it wasn't the squealing kind that is very distracting and it was so hard to want to even stop her because it is so cute!
Last Friday she did the same thing, only it was from 1-3 AM! At least she wasn't fussing and crying! Anyway, this may seem like a lame blog, but it's my life and I love it. Her talking (okay, just babbling) is so dang cute!!!

Update

2007-08-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a while since I last posted. I actually put one up for about 15 minutes, before my husband commented that it was too negative (it was a rough day), and since then I haven't written. We've also been gone, so sorry it's been so long.
Anyway, here's what's up with us.

1) Megan turned 2 months on August 2nd. We had her 2 mo check up and she was 10 lbs 2 oz and 21.5 in. long. I tried to take a good picture of her, but she was not about to be set down. She insists on being held up and out so she can seen the world and does not care to be laid down. People are always so amazed that a little 2 month old is so alert because she is always so wide eyed, holding her head up, staring at everything, and cooing all the time. It's very cute and fun to see her become so social (she is definitely her mother's daughter). Unfortunately, she doesn't sleep well on the go, but she sure does like to take in the world!
2)Last week we went to the beach house in Ventura, CA with Mark's family. It was a lot of fun. The beach was rather cold and windy but we had our hands full at the house with 5 kids under 5 and there was really never a dull moment. The kids had fun screaming and running around the house and we spent our time chatting, cooking, and getting ready to go (it took a least 2 hours to get everyone packed and ready to go anywhere!). We had a lot of fun and it was great to get to spend time with Mark (without work), Mark's sisters and mom.
3) Last night Mark called from Sundance (where he was working for the day) and said we had a free room for the night. So I pack up again and headed out for a fun little over nighter at one of the Sundance cabins. I've not ever spent much time up there, but the room was really nice and it was a fun little adventure!

Unfortunately, after all this reading I have no pictures. I left my camera in CA and it's on it's way here. So when I get pictures, I'll post them. Just thought I'd give you all a little update from the Basil's!

Just a few Pictures!

2007-07-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my sweet little Megan from this last week-- bath time (she loves the water), and hanging out in her little bumpo seat. Her neck is already so strong so she seems to really like the seat! Enjoy!

7 Things

2007-07-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been "tagged" and I need to write 7 things about me. This has taken some time to compile cause, well, I don't feel like I'm that interesting of a person. but here ya go.

I love gardening: Not so much the fruits and vegetable kind of gardening, but the flower kind (but don't come and look at my yard right now, because it definitely doesn't show it). I subscribe to a gardening magazine and have an obsession with learning what different plants are and going running or walking just so I can find look at other people's beautiful yards and flowers. I've even drawn up a landscape plan for my yard-- so one day I'll re-do my yard and it will be my own little Garden of Eden.
I like exercising and health food (the yummy kind): Unfortunately, I'm not like a lot of you who don't have to do a thing and you just stay skinny or just walk out of the hospital after having a baby wearing your normal pants (I'll admit that I'm still wearing maternity clothes at 2 months out, how sad!)-- I actually have to work at keeping weight off! So lucky for me I married a man who can help me along and teach me how to do it right. All in all I just feel a lot better when I take care of this old bod of mine!
I'm obsessed with anything Megan: My life has changed drastically since my little Meggy came along, but I love it. She is so fun and so sweet! I drink in every little smile and coo I can get. She's really started to try and use her voice this week and it's been so fun! She also found her tongue and loves to play with it in her mouth all the time. Every little thing with her is so big to me and I love it!
I like photography: I know by my pictures I've posted you must think I'm nuts, or I must really stink at it. But I really enjoy it. But I mostly enjoy taking pictures of buildings and landscapes. One day I want to have a bunch of pictures hanging in my home that are mine, not some other guys work.
I hate scrap booking! I know this may sound blasphemous to many of you reading this—but I do. I enjoy taking pictures and playing with them on Adobe—but I hate scrap booking. It super expensive, it takes forever to do just one page and then I’m not creative enough to even make it look good. Needless to say, I don’t have anything scrap booked since high school—how terrible!
I love the water: I love anything that has to do with the water-- canoeing, boating, swimming, beaching, skiing (frozen water), etc. I love the water.
I'm finally graduating in August! Hurray! It's been a long journey, and interestingly enough, after attending Southern Virginia University, Utah Valley State College, and Brigham Young University- Idaho, I'm actually graduating from BYU-Provo. Some of you may know my little school hopping journey that I've taken and the crazy BYU situation for me, but funny how it's all turned out and I'm finishing there! What a relief to have it all done. Even little Meg waited so I could finish. I took my last final Tuesday evening (when I was 2 days over due) and woke up Wednesday morning with contractions (but don't worry she wasn't born until Saturday). I can’t believe I actually did it, I’m glad to be done!

Sorry to be the end of the line but I don't know 7 other people who haven't been 'tagged' so if you're reading this and you haven't then feel free to write!

Swimming!!!

2007-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I've found something that my little Meg loves-- water! I took her swimming at my parents pool for her first time and she absolutely loved it! She has always liked her baths, and considering my parents pool is a whopping 94 degrees, she was loving it. She doesn't always show a lot of emotion, but at least she didn't scream. It was a fun time and she looked so cute in her little suit!

The First 6 Weeks

2007-07-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday Megan turned 6 weeks old! Yeah! I see light at the end of the tunnel. Let me explain. For the last 6 weeks we've been dealing with a bit of colic and have spent days, and sleepless nights, bouncing, rocking, excessivly feeding, pretty much anything to stop the fussing and crying. The poor little girl has had the worst stomache pains and it's so sad to see her in pain and harder still because I've been so sleep deprived. I never knew my whole existence could be centered around trying to get some more sleep!
Anyway, from everything I've heard and read, 6 weeks is a landmark. "They" say that after 6 weeks of age the fussiness and crying starts to decrease, maybe even a little, but that from here on out it is only going to get better. So in essense, we've been through the worst of it. So here's hoping that "they" are right!

In the mean time here are our 6 Favoritive Things at 6 Weeks (in no particular order):

The changing table pad: strange as it sounds she loves being on the changing table pad. Somehow it must lay her in just the right position to relieve some pain and she really seems to like it. I sometimes just put the pad on the kitchen counter and it keeps her happy-- at least for a little while.
The pacifier: Oh wow, this has been a life saver for me and my body! More often than not the thing she want to do is nurse, not for food, but for comfort. For a while there I was trying to keep pace because I thought that possibly I wasn't making enough milk for her, but I've found she just likes to suck-- a lot. So, with the introduction of the pacifier I've had a little reprieve from the endless hours of nursing!
The Baby Bjorn: If you saw me in my house you'd think I was gearing up for a hike, but I'm actually just trying to do laundry, dishes or maybe sneak in a second on the eliptical! Megan loves to be held in this thing. She can cry and cry in your arms, but for some reason this carrier holds her tummy in just the right position and she loves it! She falls alseep most times I put her in it, but as soon as I take her out and lay her down she's up and crying within 5 minutes. So I am usually carring around a sleeping baby. It's killer on my back, but it's been that or my sanity. I choose the Baby Bjorn!
The white noise machine: We realized there was a problem when the only thing that quieted the cries was either the sound of the blow dryer or the vacuum. Unfortunately, we can't keep either of these things running all night long. Fortunately, there is this little thing called the Sound Mate, and it has saved us all. She sleeps better and sounder because noises that used to wake her get drowned out. It's been a wonderful addition to the family!
The rocker and ottoman: I've spent many a night rocking, rocking, rocking on this thing. It's so comfy and I'm so grateful to have it.
The Boppy: I don't even know that I can nurse without it! It's a wonderful invention and has made life so much simpler! It's a great pillow, what more can I say!

Now let me say, though, that the last 6 weeks have not been all bad. She does respond and smile at times. It's also fun to have her just look into my eyes and recognize her mommy! I never knew I could love someone so much as I love my little girl. She is so sweet, her little tummy just hurts so much. But things are already getting better and she's sleeping longer and better already!

Our little photoshoot!

2007-07-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Also, for those of you who care, a bunch of pictures that were taken by a neighbor are posted here: http://sessions.studio111.com/basil/
Enjoy!

Pictures of the first month!

2007-07-09T09:47:00.001-07:00

I really can't get enough of my cute little girl and am always snapping pictures! So here are a few! She is already getting bigger and I just don't want to miss a moment! Hope you all enjoy the pictures!

Our New Little Girl!

2007-07-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Megan Nicole Basil-- born June 2, 2007

I started having contractions about 10 minutes apart Wednesday morning and things finally started to pick up Friday around noon. We stayed home until about 9pm and then went to the hospital and labored there until about 7am and then pushed from then until noon. They gave me pitocin at the end to kick start my contraction (they hadn't been very strong previously, that's why I'd been in labor for so long) and finally pulled her out with a vacuum at the end! All this without an epidural! I don't know if I'll do it that way again, but all in all it was worth the work to get this sweet little girl!

She was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and looks just like her daddy! Their baby pictures are identical!

We're so happy to have this sweet little girl in our family!

2007-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

We had a fun little baby shower given by my ward this last week and I thought I'd just put up a picture so that you could get an idea about how "big" things are getting over here. We are getting excited! It was a great shower and we got lots of fun, cute clothes. Megan will definitely be well dressed!

2007-04-12T08:28:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to see if I can actually get this thing up and going before our sweet baby Megan comes. A couple of my friends have this and I think it's a great idea. Hope you all enjoy!