The Singers

Ryan Laughing at Jericho*

2012-02-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

So for months Ryan has enjoyed a youtube video of a dog named Jericho. We've tried watching others, but none of them get more than a smile here and there. But with Jericho Ryan laughs hysterically. We've never been able to get it on video because the minute the camera comes out Ryan notices and is then too interested in seeing himself in the camera to care about the video.

Last night, as we were laughing at Ryan laughing, Nate got the genius idea to record him with our computer's built-in camera. The results were pretty awesome. And I can't help but smile every time I watch!

Ryan Being Cheesy

2012-02-13T15:40:00.001-08:00

Ryan Feeding Goats

2012-02-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

A little video from Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Singer's. This was on a visit to Wildlife Safari. And while it costs quite a bit to drive through to see the bigger animals, it's completely free to visit the petting zoo and the walk-through zoo part (complete with cheetahs, alligators, monkeys, etc.)

Oregon Coast 2011

2011-09-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

The best part of living in Salem is being able to leave it when you want to. We decided to run over to the Coast to escape the 95 to 100 degree weather in Salem. Ryan wasn't sure about the wind or sand originally, but as you can see... he acclimated just fine.

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2011-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love you and am so glad you're mine! Happy 30th, you old man!

Forgiveness

2011-08-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little fired up today because of something that recently happened. And I hate feeling this way. I hate drama. I hate confrontation. I hate feeling angry. I hate not being able to control my emotions. I hate not being able to control my physical response... I'm literally shaking. Repeat: I hate feeling this way.

I'm typically the person that gets over things rather quickly. I'm not easily offended in that I usually understand with what intention someone says or does something. But there are those rare times that for one reason or another (typically when the offense is intentional or down right evil, etc) I struggle to fully let go.

Years ago when Nate and I were newly married I received a chastizing letter (meant to be anonymous of course!) from a sister in my ward. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly my kind of person to begin with, but I let this offense be a reason to not like her. Even now when I think of her, I hold back the urge to gag. Was she wrong to send me such a cruel letter (which honestly I thought was HILARIOUS... I'd share, but this blog is public)? Absolutely! Am I still under an obligation to forgive although I never received any sort of apology?

The Lord has commanded, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10)

And I know why the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, requires this of us. It's not just for the offender, but more importantly for the offended. I'm to forgive so I don't have to feel this way anymore. And truthfully, that sounds amazing!

I thought I had forgiven the sister previously mentioned, but does this lingering gag reflex mean I haven't? Yet, I hold no ill-will towards this sister and truly want the best for her. (I'm a firm believer that those who feel they must take it upon themselves to point out others flaws must have some deep-rooted problems and I do, in all seriousness, feel bad about that.)

This recent incident caused all of these past feelings to resurface and I'm just curious what people's thoughts are on the matter. I know I'm not required to want to hang out with these people or hug them the next time I have the misfortune of bumping into them, but what is required?

Needless to say I'm ready to start my "forgiving others process" (reserved only for the vilest of offenses... I only bust this thing out every few years or so) of praying to get over it. I have yet to hit my knees over the issue, because I'm still super upset. I know, I know I should've done it the minute I felt this way.

All I have to say is thank goodness for a Father who wants His children to be happy. Thank goodness for a Father who's provided us with a way to be forgiven of all our offenses and with a way to forgive others of theirs.

I already feel better.

The Peanut Butter to My Jelly

2011-07-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Six years ago Nate and I were married in the temple. And I hate to brag, but I can't imagine marriage being any better than this. Neither one of us is even close to perfect, but some how it just works. Together we are better. Together I can stop being a doormat and learn to say "no." Together I can learn to let go of the things that don't matter. Together I can learn to forgive myself. Together I can breathe and have the faith that everything will be alright. Together I am so much more than I could ever be.

And I don't mean to seem high and mighty, but I like to think that together Nate's reached new heights, too. :)

Nate is the most thoughtful and caring person I know. He's smart, whitty, charismatic, observant, and a total babe. And I am so glad he's mine.

*No pics. The computer won't load them. :(

A Year Ago Yesterday...

2011-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

I was snuggling with this little peanut in my hospital bed... and loving every minute. I was so exhausted after 30 hours of labor (4 1/2 hours of pushing!) and yet I remember he was so perfect and beautiful and mine that I couldn't peel my eyes away from him long enough to get any rest.

The last year has been AMAZING! Hard sometimes, yes, but amazing. I've discovered what it's like to be a mother and could never go back. I thought I knew what it would be like, but really had no idea. I could've never understood just how much I could love someone before I even met them. I could've never understood the sacrifices and the rewards of being a mother. I've loved every minute!

So happy birthday, Ryan! Mommy and Daddy love you and we look forward to watching you learn and grow! You really do make everyday an adventure!

. . .

"On the night you were born,

the moon smiled with such wonder

that the stars peeked in to see you

and the night wind whispered,

"Life will never be the same."

"Because there had never been anyone like you...

ever in the world.

"Not once had there been such eyes,

such a nose,

such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

"For never before in story or rhyme

(not even once upon a time)

has the world ever known a you, my friend,

and it never will, not ever again...

"Heaven blew every trumpet

and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous

night you were born."

-Excerpt from Nancy Tillman's "On the Night You Were Born"

At one year, Ryan:

*weighs 23lbs 10oz (65%), is 29 1/2" tall (45%) and has a 48 1/2 cm head circumference (94%).

*still loves shaking his head "no" to everything we say.

*is obsessed with feet.

*absolutely will not drink from a sippy cup.

*is a master at making messes... the minute he notices I've put something away is the minute he makes his way over there to pull it out

*is a good little crawler... finally.

*says "mom," "dad," and the occassional "na."

*wears his glasses like a champ and rarely takes them off.

*sleeps 11 hours straight a night.

*loves food. He doesn't turn down anything and sometimes he eats more at a meal than I do!

*loves, loves, loves his Daddy. I told Nate last night after he rocked Ryan to sleep that he deserves the favorite status.

*is happiest outside.

*loves closing doors, often resulting in him crying because he then can't get out.

*has 8 teeth.

Peanut

2011-05-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

This little guy makes us so happy! His smile is contagious and his laughter can pull me out of even my worst moods. I've never felt like I've had more purpose in my life than when I became Ryan's mother. He's such a fun little guy to have around.

At 10 months, Ryan:

*still isn't crawling, but has mastered backward-seal movement and is always on all fours rocking back and forth... we're hoping it's soon!

*leaves a mess wherever he goes, despite his inability to crawl

*has 4 teeth, the top two just popping through this last week

*loves feet

*loves grabbing our hands to stand up

*shakes his head "no" all the time (he's been doing it for months, but still does it all the time)

*loves people-watching, especially all the little kids that live in our complex

*enjoys dancing with Momma and watching her cook

*actually makes baskets on his mini b-ball hoop

*expects Mom and Dad to clap when he sits down from standing up (he's still a little nervous about it, so we have to encourage him)

*loves, loves, loves playing with toys

A few of our favorite pictures from the last month.

Being happy no matter what.

2011-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little fired up today and I always feel better after a little writing. There is nothing quite like writing to clear my head. It's the cheapest therapy out there, I'm telling ya! And since none of you who read this blog fall into the following category, I feel like I can go with it.

So I have a little gripe with this world today. Why can't people live within their means? I mean, I get it. Life is tough, the economy's not what it used to be, but I think most people have this feeling of entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I catch myself feeling this way, too. But the truth is, most of us have it pretty good.

I don't own a house. Would I love to have rooms without white walls and neighbors that don't smoke 6 feet from my door? Absolutely! Do I dream of a space to call my own complete with a backyard? Heck yes. Would I love to watch movies from a big flat screen tv with surround sound? Yup, but my circa 1990 television with a depth of 24 inches will just have to do!

Right now we're living within our means... and our means don't inable us to jump into home-ownership just yet or allow us many other luxuries like flat screen tv's... or a Wii... or new couches to replace the 20-year-old set we have now.

We're working towards it, but right now it's just not possible. The hubby and I have tried and tried to cut back and here we are, unable to cut back anymore. Do we eat out? Nope. Go to the movies? Not since 2009. Decorate our apartment? No. Vacations? Those days are long over.

We've actually looked at our budget and determined nothing else can be done, with the exception of $60 for cable/home phone and my $50 monthly shopping allowance. And so we consider it...

And for the most part I'm okay with things. I'm more fortunate than most. And despite my lack of things, I'm really happy.

But occassionally, I'm reminded that while I live within my means there are people that I know that get state assistance (not that I'm against state assistance... as long as it's being used in the way it's intended!) that have more and I mean MUCH more than I do! Nice homes, vacations, big screen tv's, you name it.

I was recently told by someone that I didn't have the right to expect to have nice things when I'm a stay-at-home mom. I get it. We're a one-income home in a two-income world. And I am willing to give up my right to have nice things and, in order to stay home with Ryan, be completely content with "okay" things; with small, but adequate things; with I'll-take-extra-good-care-of-them-to-double-their-lifespan things.

I guess I'm just frustrated that I ever thought it was possible to have those "adequate" things and still live within your means, because so many people that are making the same kind of money as us are living with SUPER nice things.

Which leads me to one conlusion: they do it with tons of debt. And that's what gets me. That on the outside it seems attainable and yet it's really not.

And so I sit here in my 900 square foot apartment, inhaling my neighbor's second-hand smoke as it billows in the window, determined to be happy no matter what.

Inside Out or Outside In...

2011-05-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

So, we are doing one of those really long, scroll down, hope you have a fast Internet connection posts.

Ryan is finally getting some outside time, in between rainstorms, and he is loving it.

The tongue has been out a lot lately with the upper two teeth coming in.

Grandpa Singer came up and visited for a little bit this weekend. Ryan enjoyed getting to be the center of someone else's universe for a while.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

To the Woman that brought me into the world...

The one that makes me laugh...

And the one that makes me smile...

Happy Mother's Day!

But don't forget, you wouldn't have a Mother's Day without me! :-)

For Hallie Bear

2011-04-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

The last 4 posts are dedicated to my neice Hallie, who in her spare time watches Ryan's youtube videos on her sister's ipod touch. It's been awhile since I've added any new ones, so this is for her. Enjoy!

Ryan Sitting

2011-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ryan Bounce

2011-04-24T19:14:00.001-07:00

Ryan Bath Talk

2011-04-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's a new year and we're moving on to new things...

2011-01-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing too major, but with the new year has come some big changes for our family.

The best change has been with Ryan. Christmas was a rough one this year. We spent it with my family in Washington and ended up making the 6 hour trip back early because Ryan was over-the-top fussy. At first we figured it was the change in atmosphere... staying in a house with 4 other kids, plus with having the rest of my family over to visit, things got a little loud and crazy.

A few days after we got back into town Ryan had his 6 month check up. Thanks to a lot of praying by Nate and I (plus some fasting and praying by our family, and another Priesthood blessing), a few days before that I had an "aha" moment.

Before we left for Christmas I hadn't gone grocery shopping because I didn't want what we didn't eat to go bad in the fridge.... and Ryan was an angel. Then while we were in Moses I pigged out and ate all the amazing food that Jaycie put in front of me... and Ryan was grumpy. Then after being home a few days, and before going grocery shopping (besides some basics), Ryan was happy again. So long story short after the doctor's appointment I'm on a new diet. And so far we are moving on to week 3 of a happy baby. And I mean a completely different baby. He is so happy and so fun. And it almost brings me to tears... I am that happy that he's not hurting anymore. My life, in that regard, has become so easy!

And just in time, too. Because the Monday before we went to the doctor the Bishop asked if he could come by our house. I was completely blindsided when he asked me if I would be willing to serve as the Young Women's president. Yikes! One of the Laurels reminded me that I had mentioned once in our Sunday School class that I loved working with the Young Women and that I missed it.

So that week was basically one of many answered prayers as we were able to help Ryan with his problem and I was able to determine who were supposed to be my counselors. I'm excited (and a little nervous, but mostly excited) to dive into 2011!

Ryan's 6 month stats:

weight- 18 lbs 9oz. 70th percentile
head circumference- 88th percentile
height- 56th percentile
hair length- 3 1/2"+ He got his first trim on the 11th just to get it out of his face... I'm not quite ready for it to all come off yet.

His favorite things:

chatting in his crib in the mornings
making funny faces, including an angry face and an old man face
chewing on EVERYTHING!!!
making growling noises
shaking his head "no" to everything Mom and Dad says
Daddy (he doesn't even give me the time of day anymore)
being naked... his favorite time of the day
ABC song and "I wish I were a little bar of soap" song
the game "Where's Ryan?"
eating his feet- sometimes when I'm a little slow getting him out of his crib after a nap the tips of his socks will be drenched.... pretty funny, I know...
peeking around corners
rolling around on the floor
rocking in the glider... it's probably when he's the most vocal
pureed mac and cheese with garden vegetables, prunes, bananas, and mangos

Things he's not so fond of:

his swing (the magic's worn off)
green vegetables and Gerber's "peach cobbler" puree, the former leads to some pretty funny disgusted faces, the later sends him into a screaming fit.... I think it may be the cinnamon?
getting out of his bathtub
sitting in his highchair
rattle noises

Life is good. No, really good...

2010-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

So when Nate and I found out we were pregnant my first concern was that we have a healthy baby, but a close second was that we have a cute baby. Nate and I look so different that I was a little worried about how exactly our genes would mesh together and I was adamant that our child be adorable.

Wish granted. From the minute I laid my eyes on that baby with his long eyelashes and amazing head of hair I determined he really was the cutest baby I've ever seen. Definitely love at first sight. I'll never forget those bright coral lips...

Sadly, while I was so concerned about looks I neglected to worry about personality... and boy does he have a lot of it. There have definately been times where he has worn me out physically as well as emotionally. He is definitely NOT an easy going baby. There have been times where he has been down right difficult. There have been days where the smiles were far and few between, where instead of laughter there was only whining and crying. Then there were brief moments, a week or so here and there, where he was content, even happy.... and I LOVED those days...

Well, the last month was rough, I'm not going to lie. I would go to church and see all the other mothers sitting with their happy babies on their laps and wonder why Ryan couldn't ever just be that happy. I missed seeing him happy... it was so hard to feel like I could never make him happy... I'm sure he was just having tummy troubles or teething pain, but I was starting to feel like I couldn't do anything right. I got online and read about mothers who felt like they were "playing with their babies wrong" and I felt like I could totally relate.

And to add to my frustration Ryan went from sleeping 10-12 hours straight a night (which he's been doing since about 3 weeks old... well at that time it was 7-8 hours straight... definitely lucked out there) to waking up every 3 hours.

One night after saying my nightly prayers this thought popped into my head that I should have Nate give him a father's blessing. I know it was more for me than Ryan. I needed some sort of comfort. So this last Sunday I held Ryan on my lap while Nate gave him a Priesthood blessing.

Now I don't want to jinx it, but since that night Ryan's been sleeping his usual 10-12 hours and has been a little sweetheart. I've been LOVING every single minute. We've been playing together this whole week and I don't think I could get him to stop smiling and talking if I tried.

Nate reminded me that I need to remember these times so when/if he gets grumpy again I can be more patient with him and realize that he's probably in pain, but that with some time he'll be a happy guy again.

I just love my little peanut. He really makes me so happy and I feel like I have a purpose for probably the first time in my life. I feel like I was meant to be a mother. I feel like it's made me a better person. I look forward to seeing Ryan grow up and learn new things. I look forward to having more kids. And I'm definitely enjoying every minute while it lasts.

Wait for it...

Funny, huh?

FREE Stuff

2010-11-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

I always see people with loads of cheap stuff from "couponing" and say to Brittney, we need to do that. And then we put the time in, try to find the stores, try to find the items in the store, etc... and we stop until the next blog post. However, I found something better than that. We got all of these items for free... wait for the best part... and we didn't have to do anything. We didn't clip, print, or search for coupons... we didn't have to run to stores or wait in lines... it is the easiest thing in the world. What is our secret? Mom and Dad's storage. They just gave it to us. Thanks Mom and Dad!

It is a good thing we got all this food too, because Ryan is trying to eat us out of house and home... he has his Mom's eating ability and my ability to make a mess.

And as a final bonus... let us know what you think... Bear or Ewok?

Either way he sure is cute...

Ryan Laughing

2010-11-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I had a photoshoot close to home so we decided to drive the extra hour and pay a quick visit to my family. Ryan just loves his Aunt Jaycie and she is pretty much guaranteed to make him laugh when no one else can.

I think it may be time...

2010-10-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

You know how there are phases in life? And you know how there are times when you know one phase is coming to an end and another is just around the corner? Or maybe you just dream for the next phase? I think I'm there.

When I was attending school and enjoying my single life Nate came along. And while I felt the winds of change coming I resisted a little bit hoping that maybe, just maybe, I had a few more single years left in me (if Nate would wait for me...) But my patriarchal blessing mentioned that I would be married at "the right time" in "the right place" to "the right man" and I soon realized that it was the right time and Nate was definitely the right man.

Then fast forward to last year (and many phases/changes later) and both Nate and I felt like we were ready to progress to the next phase of life-- children. It was time and we both felt it. Then there was the moving on to bigger and better jobs for Nate and leaving La Grande to come to Salem.

Well.... I don't know if it's because our family is growing, or what, but I feel ready to move on to the homeownership phase. I'm ready to have walls that aren't white. I'm ready to have my own yard. I'm ready to have a place for my shoes. I'm ready to have a parking space close to my door. I'm ready to sing as loud as I want without having the neighbors wonder about the crazy girl downstairs. I'm ready to put all my interior designing skills to the test. (I have them... they're there, but I can't seem to commit to spending any money on decorating until we're in "our" place. And all these hours of watching HGTV while nursing Ryan have given me visions of how I want our place to look.) I'm ready for all these things, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the mortgage payments. Can we afford it? Will I have buyer's remorse? What about when the time comes to sell? Will we be stuck with the house?

I've been up hours thinking about it. For me, if I can jot down my thoughts my mind can usually get some rest, so.... let's hope this'll do the trick...

And for some fun here's a video of what's new with us. Ryan's been growing (and my oh my what a little chunk he's becoming) and learning so much lately. He LOVES singing with Mom and Dad. His favorites are Three Little Ducks, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/ABC's, and Oh, What a Beautiful Morning. It doesn't matter how grumpy he is, when we start singing one of the above songs he can't help but join in.

He's also loving a toy that his Aunt Cara, Uncle Matt, and his cousins Mary, Andrew, Whitney and Annie sent him. We call it Mr. Bug and Ryan can't get enough. Everytime I use it as a distraction I worry that maybe the magic has finally worn off. But still to this day Ryan will smile at that thing for HOURS. It's amazing.

And finally just this last week Ryan has finally figured out how to purse his lips and spit. We've been showing him for a month now and while he's been totally intrigued by it, he hadn't quite figured it out beyond sticking his tongue out. But he's got it now and it's so funny to watch him run out of air and turn bright red while doing it. He's so much fun and I love being his mom.

Here's a little video. Please forgive my singing... it definitely is not a talent of mine, but Ryan's so cute in this video, I couldn't not post it.

Ryan's New Trick

2010-10-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Talking

2010-10-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post a few new videos of Ryan for all the long distance relatives. Ryan's really been talking, singing and laughing lately. And more recently he's discovered that there is an alternative to crying... and that's whining. And I love it. So much cuter than crying and so much kinder to the ears.

Ryan talking (above) and Ryan whining (below.)

Whining

2010-10-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

Motherhood is...

2010-09-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

... constantly being impressed with yourself with all you can accomplish one-handed; at other times wishing you could just have a third arm.

... doing a load of laundry without adding the detergent.

... utilizing every last square inch of your Honda Civic just to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa.

... having to decide between eating in 5 minutes flat or eating your dinner cold.

... realizing it's at least been a week since you last shaved your armpits... and even longer since you last shaved your legs.

... never getting too excited about an outfit you're wearing, knowing that at any moment it may be covered in any number of baby bodily fluids. (Learned this one the hard way yesterday about 10 minutes before church.)

... not getting sleep, even when your little one is, because you're too busy worrying about why you haven't heard a peep out of him in the last 7 hours... and then waking him up when you go to check on him.

... making a fool out of yourself everyday for a few smiles.

I love being a mom. And I love this little kid...

Ryan Smiling and Talking

2010-08-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Brittney is taking a nap (fingers crossed) and Ryan is sitting calmly in his swing (fingers crossed) so I figured I would add a couple quick clips to blogger if it will work (fingers crossed).

Just one of those days...

2010-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last night was rough. I didn't get Ryan to sleep until 4:30... needless to say I wasn't the kind and loving mother I usually am. I let him cry in his nursery alone for 30 minutes.... and felt horrible. I grumbled things like, "Man, what was I thinking wanting one of you?" "You're such a little brat."... and felt horrible. I secretly took joy each time I changed his diaper because I know how much he hates it... and then felt horrible.

Then this morning we had his second doctor's appointment. I got up, bathed and fed Ryan, bathed and fed myself and actually did my hair for the first time in 2 weeks (my hatred level for blow drying my hair has quadrupled lately). So far, so good. I had 30 minutes before the appointment and Ryan was in his carseat ready to go. Fifteen minute drive plus arriving 15 minutes early for check-in. Perfect. So I go to find my keys in the diaper bag and they are NO WHERE to be found. No problem... I probably just left them on the table. Nope. The dresser? Nope. The couch? The kitchen countertop? Nope and nope. So off come the couch cushions, the bedroom comforter. Soon I'm dumping out the laundry basket hoping to find them hiding there. No luck. Then... come the tears. Many of them.

So I called Nate and asked if he knew where they were. He didn't, but told me to hold on and he would be home soon.

He got home as my appointment should have been starting and I was in no condition to venture out into public. (Trust me... it was ugly.) So Nate called the doctor's office to let them know that he was running late and would be there soon and left with little Ryan in tow. And...

I went into the bedroom to continue my meltdown.

Apparently it was a bad day for new mothers of newborns. Nate was told that we were already doing better than the other two that had appointments this morning. Both called and canceled and one threated harm to her baby. Showing up 15 minutes late suddenly didn't seem that bad. Nate said the staff was so understanding and even shared their own stories of being a new mother. Anyway, Ryan is doing well. He's weighing in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. I was looking forward to really meeting our doctor... and Nate reassured me that he was a really friendly and funny guy.

So Nate found the keys in the backseat of the car (which has become my new passenger seat since Ryan was born). Nate said that they were covered, so I wouldn't have known they were there anyway (and, of course, the doors were locked.) (Side story: Just last week Nate's car key somehow came off his key chain. How does that happen? We looked EVERYWHERE and finally had to take the car into the Honda dealer. $100 later we had a new computer key. Going back in to get another would have been not only more money down the drain, but super embarrassing.)

Anyway, I just wanted to thank Nate again for being such a sweet husband. I love him to pieces. He never complained that I was acting like a psycho, that I lost something AGAIN, or that he had to take time out of his busy schedule to rescue me. He was only concerned that I was okay. I'm one lucky girl.

One of those posts...

2010-07-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

So just as a warning this is one of those posts that most people will find horribly boring, but it's for my long-distance family that hasn't had the chance to see this little guy in person yet (and for my mom, who has been begging for some video.) Ryan's not quite at that age where he does anything all that entertaining (and yet I still can't stop staring at him), but he sure is cute in these videos. (Unfortunately I can't figure out how to load these to blogger without the quality being horrible.)

This one is from today.

And this video is about a week old, but I thought it was cute.

Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle... Oh My!

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

While Brittney is resting a little bit I thought I would post a couple of quick pictures. We had a nice visit with Grandpa and Grandma Willis and Uncle Brayden this week. Now it is back to Mom and Dad trying to keep this furry monkey under control.

Grandpa Willis with Ryan

Grandma Willis with Ryan

Uncle Brayden with Ryan

And just for fun a little comparison... who does Ryan look like more?

Ryan

Dad (Nate) as a newborn

Monchichi

Love at First Sight

2010-07-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Not much time, but I just thought I'd post a few pictures. Ryan Clemens Singer was born with a full head of hair (which we found out last night is a little curly) this Wednesday June 30th at 1:50 pm after a very long induction process and weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. We're so excited to have him as a part of our family. He sure is a sweet little guy and looks just like his daddy, including the long eyelashes and puppy dog eyes.

Our Two July Arrivals

2010-06-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so obviously we aren't really having twins (or I'd probably be done by now), but Nate's mom came to visit the other day before she and Clem take off for a month long mini mission in Nauvoo this summer. And while she was here she dropped off the baby blessing outfits she's been working on for us. I love them and I'm especially excited that the bottom fabric of the dress came from the Singer boys' bassinet from when they were babies. I'm a sucker for the sentimental. Thank you, Rita! I love them!

I am however looking forward to a second July arrival, in addition to the sure-to-be-adorable baby Singer. A month or so back Nate and I finally found a bedroom set that we loved (after TONS of looking, mind you). Unfortunately, it was on backorder. The whole reason we were looking was so we could get our room all organized before the baby got here, but we loved it so much we quickly got over it. So sometime in the beginning of July we'll also have these beauties delivered (minus the nightstand.)

I can't wait. Now if only our bedroom were that spacious/beautiful... someday, perhaps.

38 weeks

Work hard... play hard.

2010-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

So after weeks of hard work we finally finished sanding, priming and painting our crib and changing table set. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a before picture (maybe Jaycie has one to share?) So you'll just have to imagine that it was covered with a light stain. That was before and here is now:

I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was a lot of work and I definitely wouldn't do it over, but I do really love it. I'm especially crazy for the green knobs that we added. You'll have to imagine a cute little name hanging above the crib that I'll be making... uh... I'd like to say as soon as I get home from the hospital, but it'll probably be more like a month or so later.

And the rest of the room... wish I could've painted the walls.

Now that we're almost there as far as being ready for the baby goes (we do have a few more little things to pick up) we decided that we'd better use this weekend to get away one last time before the baby gets here. So... we hit up the coast. And the weather was beautiful, finally. Otherwise we would've probably gone sooner.

And finally, a 37 weeks along picture. So ready to have this baby before I get any bigger.

33 Down, 7 to Go!

2010-05-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

Nate and I had a crazy, busy weekend. I think Nate could have used another one, just to recoup. (In fact, forget about a crazy weekend. It's been more like a crazy month. I had every intention of doing a Mother's Day blog paying tribute to both of the amazing mothers in my life... didn't happen.) On Friday Nate and I spent almost the whole day sanding our nursery furniture. We thankfully finally broke down and bought an electric sander... SO worth it. I'm not sure we would have ever finished without it. So in a few weekends from now we'll be priming and painting. Man, will it be such a relief to have that finished! We'll post pictures when we're done. (And not to worry, we've done it all outside, I've worn a hot/sweaty mask the whole time, and the paint we've bought is baby safe!)

On Saturday Nate's parents came to visit for a few hours to pick up our treadmill to store until we move into a larger place. (It's been hogging the baby's room. We had to do something with it and Nate's parents were kind enough to help us out. I'm definitely going to miss it though, especially considering how often it rains here.) We all went out to lunch and it was so nice to visit with them for a little bit.

Then we hit up a BBQ that night with a few people from our ward and had a really nice time. I have to admit that I was not in the mood to go... it had been such a busy weekend that I just wanted to be lazy and anti-social, but I've decided if I want to make friends I sometimes have to do things I'm not always comfortable with. It was a good thing we went because we had such a good time and met some new people.

Finally on Sunday I hung out with a new friend at her home while our husbands had 2 hours worth of YM meetings... again it was fun. Sadly she and her husband are actually moving to La Grande here in a month or so. (Can I come, too?) I'm going to miss her. (Have I told you about my curse? Whenever Nate and I bond with someone, they shortly end up moving away. I have to admit though that this is the shortest so far. We've been lucky enough to keep in contact with most of them. In fact, one of our favorite couples of all time now lives a mere hour away and since we've moved we've seen them at least 6 times... they will definitely be lifelong friends.)

That evening we were invited to a family in our ward's home for dinner. It was the perfect ending to an awesome weekend. We totally hit it off and I didn't want to leave, but knew they had little ones that were up past their bedtimes... hopefully they plan on sticking around for awhile. They are definitely our type of people. We both felt so comfortable there.

As far as the pregnancy is concerned, things have been going really well. I've been feeling great. I've traded in the once nightly bathroom breaks for three. And the acid reflux has been a little bit of an issue lately, but the third trimester has so far been my favorite. Weird... I know. I'm not sure how long that will last (it's supposed to start getting uncomfortable soon, right?), but I am certainly enjoying it at the moment.

33 weeks... yep, still growing...

3/4 of the way there!

2010-04-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

The third trimester so far has been better than expected. I've actually been feeling really good lately and have been wishing that things could stay just like this for awhile. A month ago I was so ready to have this kid (the nausea had temporarily come back and I was having really horrible back pain), but now that things are good I'm not so much looking forward to labor.... the baby, yes... labor, not so much. I guess that's the reason the third trimester gets so uncomfortable so we're willing to do whatever it takes to end the suffering. At the moment I'm happy.

The baby has been kicking like crazy. At the last doctors appointment they gave me a "kick count worksheet." What a waste of time... considering this kid kicks me all day long. We have a very active child. And while I love it most of the time (with the exception of when I'm trying to sleep) I'm a little worried that this kid will never settle down. Definitely the makings of a soccer player... (or runner, as Nate just pointed out.)

A 30 weeks picture.

The big belly.

"Holy crap."

I've been keeping myself busy lately working on little projects for the nursery. I've been sanding our nursery furniture getting it ready for paint. And yes, we did decide on a nursery theme. Despite the overwhelming votes for the bird theme, I just couldn't get my mind off the fish one, plus it saved me about $80 to go with it. So I did and when I finally got it in the mail I fell even more in love with it. (I know, I know.... I ask for your opinion and then I totally disregard it...) I've been busy painting baby decor to match.

(The lamp base will soon be primed and painted white.)

The fun tryptch I totally copied.

Frames.

The lamp and clock.

And finally Nate and I spent the weekend doing some planting. We are definitely missing the 10x10 ft. space we used to have to plant in, but thought we would try our hand at a planter garden. We'll see how it works out and are hoping to have some zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs here in a few months or so.

The adorable hubby.

"The Simpsons Laugh"

2010-04-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

So I can always tell when Nate's watching The Simpsons, even when I'm in another room, because it's usually the only show on television that really gets him laughing hard. It's a different laugh from his regular one. And I love it.

And every once in awhile if I'm lucky enough I can get him to laugh "The Simpsons laugh." It's rare, but man does it feel good to know that occasionally I am that funny...

Yum.

2010-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

The other day Nate and I went grocery shopping together and strawberries were on sale (although still a little spendy, since it's not exactly the season.) The only way I could convince Nate to let me buy some was to promise him this:

Just had a piece for breakfast this morning (healthy, I know)... so good.

And then randomly a 27 weeks along picture for all my family who hasn't seen me in months... yup, I am pretty much a whale... it scares me that I still have 3 months of growing to do... yikes! How much bigger do I really have to get? I especially love when I try to squeeze between things that normally wouldn't be a problem, only to find out about halfway through that I don't fit anymore. It's even more awkward when that tight space is two people. Yeah, only had to make that mistake once.

Opinions, please.

2010-03-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

So Nate and I have been trying to decide what to do with the baby's room. Thankfully we both lean away from really frilly girly themes (too much pink and butterflies) and extremely boyish themes (sports and airplane themes.) So when it comes to not knowing what we are having it works out just perfectly. Initially we were considering waiting until the baby gets here. But we've realized that we tend to lean towards more gender neutral themes. So here is the question. Are these options too blue to be used if the baby ends up being a girl (I found them under the "gender neutral" tabs online, but I wasn't sure)? And if so which one do you like more?

Love the bird theme, but this one is a little more spendy.

I love this one too, but especially because I was thinking of doing something similar to this for the walls:

http://www.beitesori.com/item_574/Migi-Splash-Fish-Boutique-Wall-Art-Hanging-Trio.htm

My third option is actually my original plan. A friend of ours gave us some adorable Carter's receiving blankets with little giraffes, hippos, frogs, etc. on them that kind of inspired us. Nate and I had/bought/were given the most adorable stuffed animals (giraffe, elephant, frog, etc.) And so we thought about doing a zoo type theme. The problem is that every crib set we found took the theme WAY too far for our taste (we like things more subtle and simple.) So Rita and I did some fabric shopping and I found these.

I'm hoping to be able to find some subtle matching fabric with little zoo animals that I can use in the quilt pattern below, along with the fabric I already have.

I'd make the quilt, dust ruffle, and window valance; and then get really creative and make some sort of wall art (I love that kind of stuff!) and a matching lamp shade, etc. I was also able to find some matching sheets and a bumper pad so I wouldn't have to make them. Please help me decide....

And finally some fun things I've made recently to keep myself busy...

Singer Snapshots: Take 3

2010-03-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

We've been so lucky since we moved here to Salem. The weather has been nice and sunny about as much as it's rained. Today was a little bit of both, so Nate and I decided to get out with the camera and take some pictures. Some day we'll own two cameras and then we can both do our thing. Right now we eagerly anticipate when the other person's done so we can have our turn. I'm so lucky that Nate and I share a love for the outdoors and photography. In the next few weeks we plan on doing some hiking in the area (and you bet we'll have our camera in tow) and then perhaps a visit to the beach (another thing both Nate and I love!)

Anyway, until then here are a few of our favorites... (Yup, spring is just around the corner...)

Resolution #3... Check!

2010-03-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

This New Year's I made a resolution to learn two new skills/hobbies. Thanks to Rita's help (Nate's mom) I was able to learn to crochet the edges of receiving blankets and burp cloths. So far I've only finished a burp cloth, but I've definitely got it down and am looking forward to finishing 1 more burp cloth and 2 blankets (a boy and a girl set.)

Since the move the photography business has been a little slow... or shall I say non-existent, so I decided that I needed to learn some new skills to occupy my time. (Some time this year I'm thinking of taking on cake decorating for fun.) After talking with my sister Jaycie I decided that for now I would learn to make floral headbands. Over the last few days I've been cutting fabric for flowers. So far I've only assembled 2 different types... there are many more I'd like to try out. I also found an adorable pattern for a purse, so I'm planning on learning to sew some of those, too.

This is what I've got so far:

Organza flowers... you can also do them in satin, but I didn't know that until I got home from the fabric store. Can't wait to buy some satin. (No headbands yet... I couldn't find any at the craft stores. I'm thinking I'll have to order them online.)

A close up of my favorite.

The necklace I made today paired with a flower I made today.

And finally a 24 weeks along picture.

What to say?

2010-03-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Back when I was at BYU I had this really good friend, Luis. For months he talked about how excited he was that his younger brother was about to get off his mission. I was excited, too, realizing that he had a similar relationship with his younger brother as I did with mine and I was excited to meet him. Well, his brother came to BYU to pay Luis a short visit before heading home with the plan to come back in a month or so to start taking classes there in the winter. Sadly a few weeks later I heard from a mutual friend that Luis' brother was killed in a car accident. I was devastated for Luis and while I couldn't exactly comprehend what he must have been going through I had some idea of the sort of pain I would feel if something had happened to my brother.

So what did I do about it? Nothing.

I am such a wimp when it comes to these sort of things. I have intentions of being the kind of friend I would want in that situation, but then I get so sick and nervous about it that I do nothing. For awhile, while things were still fresh, I actually found myself being "too busy" to really spend much time with Luis and when I did accidently run into him (and trust me I wanted to run the other way) we talked as though nothing had happened.

So my question is, "What are you supposed to say in situations like this?" There have been some more recent events that have prompted this question. And I always hear people say things like, "Oh, when my mother passed away everyone would say..... and it drove me crazy. I know they were just trying to help, but really they just made things worse." I know it's better to do something rather than nothing, but what do you say to either a good friend or maybe even an acquaintance who just lost a child, a parent, or miscarried for the 4th time? I'd really like to know...

Maternity Clothes

2010-03-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay... so I know that EVERY post is now about being pregnant, but at the moment that is all that's going on in my sad little boring and pathetic life. I do apologize.

So my last appointment I got to meet my new doctor for the first time and she seemed nice enough (still struggling with my weird old-fashioned brain that for some reason wants a male doctor). Well my previous appointment was to sit down with the nurse and fill out pages and pages of paperwork. One of those pages was a "Rate Your Stress" worksheet. I had to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 my stress caused by work, family, money, etc.

So when I talked with my doctor this last appointment she said that she had noticed looking through my paperwork that I was extremely stressed about money. She asked if this would get better or if things would be changing anytime soon. I pointed out that we had just moved (costing a lot of money) and that we were obviously having to plan for the baby (costing even more money) and then there was supporting the baby when it's here (even more). She said, "Well, I can understand the moving part, but really baby doesn't cost that much." I nearly laughed. "Is this lady crazy?" I thought. I've come to a conclusion. Either, one, she has never had a child. Or, two, being a doctor pays so well that she must not even understand how much the cost of a child can burden the average family.

Nate and I have been more than grateful to accept anything second hand for this baby... and yet with every week comes more expenses. My doctor must be outta her mind. Just today I went maternity clothes shopping (unfortunately haven't received anything second-hand here and I've finally reached that point where I can no longer be comfortable rubberbanding my pre-pregnancy jeans) and just for the basics (3 jeans, 2 nice pants, 1 pair of capris, 2 tanks, and 4 tops) it set me back almost $400. And you know if I'm stressed out Nate must be DYING.... I pray for the poor guy everyday...

That's my boy... or girl!

2010-02-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Brittney and I went to the Dr. today to get her ultrasound. The baby was healthy and moving around like crazy but stayed somewhat still for this profile picture. Doesn't he/she have a cute little button nose?

The baby at one point gave us a thumbs up, and then decided to wave at us as seen below. Everything is looking good, based on the size of the baby Brittney would be about 22 weeks along, moving up the due date by a couple of days to July 1st.

Addicted.

2010-02-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

So I don't know what it is, but I have been crazy for apples this last month. It used to be that I'd buy 4 of them at the store and then 2 would end up going mealy, so we'd use them in Nate's mom's Apple Dutch Babies recipe. (For fun I'll share it below. It's basically a German pancake with cinnamon apples and it is amazing. Hands down my favorite breakfast recipe.) But lately no matter how many we buy I eat them within a few days. Yum, they are so good refridgerated. Just ate my last one this morning... Not sure if it's just a pregnancy craving or what, but it does feels good to support my home state.

Rita's Apple Dutch Babies

6 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

2 large apples (peeled and then thinly sliced)

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a frying pan melt butter. Stir in cinnamon and sugar. Add apple slices and cook until apples are translucent, about 5 minutes. Grease 9x9 inch pan (or whatever you have that is comparable... I use a 7x11 inch pan) and add cooked apples.

In a blender or food processor, whirl eggs and flour until smooth. Blend in milk slowly. Pour batter over apples in pan. Bake uncovered, until pancake is puffy and golden, about 15-18 minutes. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes about 6 servings (but Nate and I usually eat it all.)

I promise you will not be disappointed.

Catching up.

2010-02-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

So Nate and I are officially all moved to Salem. It has been a crazy last few weeks and I'm finally starting to feel settled. (Nate and I had considered looking to buy in the next few months, but I assured him that pregnant Brittney does not want to move again... so maybe 2011 we'll start the search.) Still a few more pictures to hang and a couple of boxes to unpack, but we could officially live in the space now without having to step over things.

We just got our new washer and dryer this weekend. Wahoo! I am so happy to no longer have to save up quarters and lug around bags of dirty clothes to the laundry mat. We also splurged and bought ourselves a really nice new mattress... I need all the help I can get nowadays to get a good night's sleep and the old mattress just wasn't working for us anymore. Sometimes I felt like I'd been slugged in the shoulder a dozen times... and more often than not I would wake up feeling just as tired as when I went to sleep the night before.

Our apartment is certainly an upgrade from the last... much larger, but with less storage space, so it's been a struggle to find a place for everything. I have definitely had to get creative. We also now have two bathrooms. I went out our third day here to pick up some shower curtains and came across these:

And since I didn't have any cute pictures to match, I went ahead and painted these for the walls:

This weekend Nate and I had three days to spend together (which was exactly what I needed... I've been so lonely here.) We had such a nice and relaxing weekend together. And he helped me figure out what photos/art we wanted to hang where. He talked me into this:

I was a little nervous to hang this series, because it's kind of depressing, but once we got it all hung on the wall, I was so glad that Nate suggested it. I've never really hung any of my work front and center in our house... it's usually hidden in the spare bedroom. And I really like it.

Overall, Salem has definitely been an adjustment. I'm certainly not used to this much traffic (and man, the people here are horrible drivers-- I almost t-boned a guy the other day when he decided to run a red light) and it is awfully gloomy here sometimes, but I think I'm beginning to adjust to it. It doesn't quite feel like home yet. Every once in awhile I slip and say "home" when I'm talking about La Grande (which I miss horribly). And I certainly miss lunches with Nate and knowing that I'll see him at 5:05, which has now become 5:50, but I think with time I'll adjust. I always do.

So over the next few weeks I hope to get all my photography websites/business cards, etc. updated and get the ball rolling there so I don't die of boredom and then, of course, there is July when this little kiddo will grace us with his/her presence. I'm definitely looking forward to that. I'm half way there! Wahoo!

The only thing in life that's constant is change.

2010-01-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Salem, OR

Months and months ago, when Nate and I were sitting around dreaming of where life would take us after school, I mentioned that I was opened to moving just about anywhere... Montana, Idaho, Washington or Oregon, even New Mexico (knowing NM would only be temporary)... anywhere that is, but Salem, Oregon.

I had always seen charming pictures of the state capital and imagined that it was a smaller, less busy version of Portland... and then I went there. At one of Nate's trainings I realized just how deceiving pictures can be (I know, I should have suspected it being a photographer myself... you always avoid the unattractive things lurking in the background. I've told Nate that I can get cute pictures of people at any location... the key is to find the one cute spot amongst all the ugly.) Needless to say, it was not what I had expected. The streets were dirty, the buildings in much need of repair, the bus stops full of frightening characters... all much less "charming" than I had expected.

As the months went by, however, I had a change of tune. While my opinion of Salem hasn't changed, I've made a real effort to trust in the Lord to guide our growing family to the place that will be right for us, to the job that will be right for Nate... regardless of where that place may be. Looking back, there have been many instances where the Lord brought me to a place that allow me the experiences and opportunities I would need. First, leaving home. I had always anticipated that I would follow in my sister Jaycie's footsteps and go to BYU Idaho. BUT it just so happened that at the last moment I decided to apply to BYU as well and it just so happened that I received that acceptance letter first. I was so excited that BYU Idaho suddenly became a distant thought in my mind and I wasted no time in accepting the offer to attend BYU. While there, of course, I learned a lot about myself; pushed myself in ways that were often uncomfortable, but that helped me to grow; and of course, it's there that I met so many amazing people... including Nate.

Then there was Roseburg. Nate finished with school and we were both ready to experience some new adventures together.... adventures that we assumed would be in city where Nate would start a new job and I would finish school. But what the Lord had in mind for us was so much better. We moved from Provo to Nate's hometown, Roseburg, to move in with Nate's parents until Nate was able to find employment. It took us about 2 months to find a job and in the meantime I was able to get to know Nate's parents better than any other opportunity would have allowed. I was able to meet so many sweet people in their ward (people I still look forward to seeing when we go home to visit). I was able to work for 2 months at a job that reminded me yet again why I needed to finish my education. Some added bonuses: I now know my way around town and Rita's kitchen.

Of course, with time came that job that we had been waiting for. Nate had many interviews at this time, but the one here in La Grande felt like "the one" from the moment we pulled into town. Immediately I knew this was the place where we should be. (And man is La Grande beautiful in the fall... kind of sealed the deal.) I was able to finish my schooling in an amazing art program with instructors that have forever changed my life. I've had the opportunity to work with many of the youth of the church, both as Activity Day leader, YW secretary and now as Laurels advisor and have met so many amazing kids with such strong testimonies that they have inspired me to be a better person. I've met so many people and have had so many experiences here that have pushed me to be a better person. Who would have ever thought that I would have ever lived here in "The Big"? (I used to tease a friend, Kirk, at BYU about being from La Grande, never imagining in a million years that I would end up here. Too funny.)

And that brings us to now. The last time that Nate and I went to Salem together (Nate was training state employees on a new computer system) we stayed at this hotel that has the worst access to the street. Time and time again, within 2 cars someone would stop to let us out. If they hadn't we could have easily been stuck there 15 minutes each time. I couldn't help but have my mind changed a little considering the kind gesture we experienced again and again. From that day on I concluded to trust that the Lord truly would guide us to the place we needed to be, even if that place might be Salem. I'd like to think this particular experience was His way of helping me to accept this move. I noticed with my change of perspective came some relief on my husband's part. He didn't have to worry about finding a job in a place other than Salem.

So just last week Nate made the 6 hour drive to Salem to interview for a position managing and writing policy for the position he's currently working in. I felt so good about it. I knew that he could do it. I knew he was the best person for the job. I knew he had the right skills and personality.

At lunch today we finally got the call letting us know that Nate got the job. I am so proud of him. I know he's been stressed out, with a little one on the way, wondering how he could support his family. He's spent many sleepless nights dwelling on it... worrying about it. I am so proud of him. And I'm grateful that our prayers have been answered... although not how I originally expected. I'm grateful for the times in my life where I am humbled to remember that I don't always know the plan my Heavenly Father has for me. He knows better. And I truly feel like this is the right move for our family... the Spirit has already made that known to me.

I'm sad to be leaving good friends and my Young Women. I love them so much and am so proud of the decisions they are making. I'm going to miss being up in the mountains. I'm going to miss the flautas at El Erradero. I'm going to miss my cramped, but cozy little apartment that I've called home for the last 3 years. I'm going to miss being able to be anywhere in 5 minutes. I'm going to miss my lunches with Nate since he only works down the street. I'm going to miss going to art shows to know 3/4 of the people there. But I'm excited for some change... a new city plus an addition to our family.

Some fun facts about Salem:

It's the second largest city in Oregon after Portland.

It is a short 1 hour from the ocean (a plus that Nate and I recognized immediately after agreeing we could both accept living in Salem... we both love the ocean!)

It's an even shorter 45 miles to Portland (hello, shopping!), 15 minutes from the Woodburn Outlet Malls, and 2 hours from Roseburg (so happy to still be close to family).

It has nice milder winters, lots of bike trails, and tons of nearby photographic opportunities.

And finally, the crazy guy who caused such a ruckus lately on the Hawaiian Airlines flight calls Salem his home.

On the one hand...

2010-01-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Things I miss since becoming pregnant:

5. My cute jeans (hopefully I will fit back into you one day...)
4. Tuna fish.
3. Ibuprofen.
2. Sleeping anyway I want... I'm usually a side sleeper anyway, but lately the only seconds of relief I get from stomach pains/heartburn is on my back and tummy on my way to flipping to my other side... sometimes I take 3 minutes to do it just to enjoy the relief.
1. And drum roll please.... the number one thing I miss... steaming hot baths. Tried to take a "warm" one as suggested. Didn't like it.

On the flip side though I've found that the positives seem to outweigh the negatives. For example:

5. Officially being able to tell people I will not be able to shoot their June/July weddings. Don't get me wrong. It's my livelihood and I enjoy it, but with the fact that we are more than likely going to be moving, (which is still an uncertainty in this economy), this baby is a certainty... alleviating me from having to get back to brides "in a few months when I know one way or the other."
4. Stronger fingernails from the prenatal vitamins.
3. Not being able to fast. I know this sounds horrible. I know fasting is a blessing and that we can gain spiritual insight and such, but it's always something I've struggled with. Nine times out of ten I end up grumpy and mean instead of uplifted... regardless of how hard I try to stay positive. That 1 in 10 is great, but the other 90%... not so much. (Although I have to admit to some guilt when I have to eat in front of Nate... I try to be careful about it and eat behind a cereal box or while he's in the shower.)
2. Having an excuse to sleep in.... to 9:30 every morning. I really am that tired, but I've finally been able to convince myself that 1. my body must need it (for a long time I felt like such a lazy girl) and 2. after this baby is born I'll never be able to do it again. Might as well enjoy it now.
1. And finally number one goes to "not having to clean the bathroom." I know I could go out and get cleaner that doesn't burn when you inhale it, but what we have gets the job done so well that Nate will just have to bear it for the next 6 months. I've told him, "Take in a big gulp of air, hold your breath and then spray, spray, spray!"

Blue Christmas

2009-12-31T15:56:00.000-08:00

So I had a little bit of rough Christmas this year. It all began shortly after arriving at the Singer home when I got a voicemail from a friend asking if I had heard the bad news. It took me a long time to call her back... at that point I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I finally pumped myself up and made the call to find out that one of my art professors had passed away. Kat Galloway was easily in my top 3 professors of all time. She had such a passion for art and such a love for her students that you could not take one class from her and not be changed. I will definitely miss her and feel so lucky that I was able to be her student.

From then on things got worse. The antibiotics I was taking made me so sick. The side effects included nausea, abdominal cramps, constipation, upset stomach, bloating, and vomiting. I'll spare you the details, but I wasn't immune to any of them... I can't think of a time where I've felt worse. My worst morning sickness was nothing compared to this.

Then on top of that I came down with a cold... the whole headache, congestion, and sore throat bit.

Thankfully, I took my last antibiotic Christmas morning and by that evening was finally getting some relief.

Mom and Dad Singer were so sweet and had a wonderful week planned for us (including really good food.) Dan and Wendy were such good company (and it was so nice to finally get to know Wendy.) Everyone made what should have been an unbearable week, bearable... and even pleasant. Thanks Clem and Rita for everything!

On Wednesday we all drove to the coast to pay a little visit to the beach (Nate and my favorite). The sun was setting and it was beautiful. Then we headed to enjoy the Christmas lights at Shore Acres. Afterwards we ate at this really yummy Italian restaurant and then headed home.

On the beach:

At Shore Acres:

Christmas morning was really nice. We lounged around and Rita fixed us a very impressive Christmas breakfast, which we opted to eat before opening presents. Then we sat around the tree snuggled in blankets while we opened gifts.

So I had saved all the pictures from both Wendy's and Rita's cameras onto my 300GB hard drive and now it's not working. I'm so bummed. There are some really cute pictures on there... and some not so cute pictures on there (Nate and I on Christmas morning). So Rita, if you have a moment if you could email them to me I'll add them to this post.

What I wanted...

2009-12-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

(The back was even more amazing than the front... the most beautifully stacked A-line I've ever seen.)

And what I got...

minus the really horrible bangs, of course.

I'm still wondering why it's so impossible to find someone who can cut my hair. The first picture was the first time in my life that I really loved a haircut... the stylist was amazing. No exaggeration, I had at least 40 people tell me that they loved it (many I didn't even know.) So I call 3 or 4 months later to get a trim and she's gone... fallen off the face of the planet... Since then I haven't been able to get one single decent haircut. Oh well, I'll just wear this one in a ponytail (with about 30 bobbypins, it's so short) for a couple months just like the last ones.

Our Little Nate Jr.

2009-12-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

(Complete with 2 arms and 2 legs.)

Surprise! Nate and I just made it back from our first appointment and as it turns out it isn't all in my head... there is a baby in there. Funny how it takes actually seeing the little booger on a screen before I was 100% convinced (you'd think the 3 pregnancy tests and 2 missed periods would confirm that.) As we were waiting for the ultrasound equipment I asked Nate, "What if there isn't a baby in there? That would be so embarrassing." But I'm officially not crazy. The nausea, "filling out", weird cravings, light-headedness, heartburn, heightened sense of smell, and frequent urination are legit. (Although thankfully the "nausea" part is long over.)

We're now looking forward to the 5th of July. I'm 11 weeks along and the little kiddo is the size of a fig. (Next week's "lime-sized" was more appealing, but I couldn't wait that long and I didn't want to lie.) We're really excited... and occasionally nervous. Especially Nate, who after the initial excitement wore off walked around like a zombie for a week, with money stress written all over his face. (Which has thankfully been relieved greatly thanks to some hand-me-down baby gear that won't have to be purchased... now all that remains is an excited father-to-be. And can I just say that he is adorable about it? He asked me if he could take one of the ultrasound pictures to hang in his cubicle. I love it!)

So far I can't help thinking it's a boy (a mini Nate is what I always picture.) I will be COMPLETELY shocked (although not at all disappointed) if I'm wrong. I won't know until July though because we've decided we want it to be a surprise.

And finally the classic baby bump picture...

Weird... I had to do some scrounging to find a shirt that would "show." Apparently most of my shirts flare away at the belly... so hopefully I can wear most of them as maternity clothes for a little while. Nothing too extreme... but there is definitely an emerging baby bump there. The jeans are definitely a lot more snug...

Mashed Potatoes

2009-12-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

The other day Nate and I were sitting on the couch watching television and a commercial came on. Not sure what restaurant it was, but there were mashed potatoes. I said, "Oh man, mashed potatoes sound so good!" Nate turned to me about ready to get up and said, "Do you want me to go make you some?" I started laughing. "No, Nate, I think I'll be alright." He said, "No, seriously I could just peel and boil a couple potatoes... it's not a big deal. I can even make you some gravy."

And that, my friends, is why I am the luckiest girl....

Deck the Halls

2009-12-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the decorating and while we don't exactly have a whole lot of decorations yet (we are still living in an apartment) Nate and I got out our Christmas boxes this Friday and got to work. We literally spent the whole evening Christmasing up our place while listening to Nat King Cole's Christmas album. There is something about putting up the twinkle lights, decorating the tree, and hanging the mistletoe that officially puts me in the the Christmas spirit.

In our 5 Christmases as a family we've only bought one Christmas tree. Not only is our apartment super tiny, but we just can't justify spending $30 on a tree when we're gone half the month anyway. So this year I got the genius idea to decorate our ficus tree. The branches are a little weak, so we had to be extra careful about only using light ornaments... and then I remembered some cute fabric I had bought recently. We ripped the fabric into strips and then tied them into cute little bows. Nate calls the tree "our Charlie Brown tree." I think it's pretty cute and it definitely helped our place feel a whole lot more Christmasy.

Nate's parents surprised us this summer with a nativity set that they had found at an after Christmas sale. We were so excited to put it up and each took turns adjusting this wisemen and that shepherd to better face the baby Jesus. Again, it's amazing how something so small can make such a big deference. I love it!

There's still a few more strands of twinkle lights to be hung, but overall I am loving our apartment right now. Is there anything better than snuggling on the couch with your hubby sipping hot chocolate in the glow of Christmas lights? I didn't think so...

Nate and I having some fun taking pictures of our deciduous Christmas tree.

What I'm Thankful For

2009-11-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about just how lucky I am to have what I do. Here's a quick list of a few of those things:

1) Nate. Seriously, how is it that I got so lucky? My husband is so good to me. We are a perfect fit. I'm being 100% honest when I say that I never get sick of the guy... in fact, I usually feel like I can't quite get enough of him. I start getting really excited around 4:30 waiting for him to come home. He's a great guy.

2) The gospel. Again, how lucky can one girl be? The truth that I have blesses my life each day. I know why I'm here and what I've gotta do... and it feels good. The Church is true, Christ lives, and I know my Heavenly Father loves me.

3) My calling. I've been the secretary in the Young Women's and now I'm the Laurals advisor and I LOVE my girls. They are such amazing, bright, smart and strong girls. I appreciate their friendship and I try everyday to be a leader that will influence them for the better. I hope they know how much I love them and how much I pray that they'll continue to make good decisions.

4) My family. I have the most amazing family. My siblings really are my best friends. They understand me so well. I love you guys!

5) The sun. It was actually sunny today and after 2 days of dark clouds and crazy wind, I needed it.

6) Food. Whether it's Thanksgiving dinner, Italian food or Mexican, Lindor truffles, homemade stew and rolls, or BBQ chicken... it makes me happy. (Can you tell I'm anxiously awaiting dinner to finish cooking?)

7) Photography/Hobbies. I'm grateful for my talents and even somethings that I'm not so good at, but that still make me happy... like singing to music.

Okay, so the list goes on but that dinner that I was talking about is nearly finished so I'd better run, but I just had to take a minute to vocalize how grateful I am for everything that I've been blessed with. I love this time of year. We get to focus on what we're thankful for and then we get to celebrate the birth of the Savior... not sure I could make it through winter without the holiday season.

Willis Campout 2009

2009-10-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

So every summer my family gets together for a family campout. Since Nate and I have been married they've been rough. The first summer was the year of the bees. We spent the whole time in a screen tent playing games... they were really that bad. Pretty sure that we all got stung at least once. That same year we also saw a rattlesnake and fresh bear poop in our camp.

Then there was summer number 2. Nate came down with something right before we left, but we decided to go anyway. Not only did our campsite (plus our tent) flood, but Nate became so ill (we're talking sweating through a sweatshirt AND sleeping bag) that we decided to head back after the first night. Good thing, too, because Nate had a really serious bacterial infection.

That brings us to this summer. By far the best. We did run into some illness. I'm not sure anyone was immune to it. I was feeling pretty good while camping, but it hit me pretty hard the next day. And it also rained pretty hard one day. Overall I think it was a success and we had a blast. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. (I love the ones of the boys catching the football. Jaycie's kids have the best looks on their face.)

Thanks Brayden.

2009-10-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

My brother Brayden called me this morning to let me know that one of my photographs was published in BYU's Daily Universe. He said he walked by the newspaper stand and did a double take because he recognized the photo. I have to admit I'm a little annoyed that I wasn't given credit, but I still thought it was cool.

Here's the link to the article online: http://universe.byu.edu/node/3483

Oregon Coast 2009

2009-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

The next week after we got back from Italy Nate had to train state employees on a new computer system in Astoria. We stayed in this really nice hotel in Seaside, OR. On Friday, while Nate was at work, I stayed in the hotel to finished up some photographs for a client. Once Nate was finished, we were finally able to go to the beach. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We just relaxed there for awhile and did some wading.

Saturday we got up and hit the beach again. We got ice cream (which was a huge disappointment after gelato), found this amazing candy store with about every candy from your childhood. We bought tons of saltwater taffy in flavors like raspberry lemonade, cinnamon roll, key lime pie, etc. and a bunch of Tootsie Roll brand Frooties (I was so excited... they're my favorite. I used to go to Frank's in Moses (you're right Jaycie, I knew Bob's didn't sound quite right) and buy them for a penny each, but I can never seem to find them anymore.) We had the most delicious fresh fish. It was just the perfect weekend.

Before we left we drove down the coastal highway and went to Canon Beach (the stores and shops there are amazing... cute little boutiques and a dozen kite shops... I told Nate that the next time we go to the coast we definitely have to buy and fly a kite) and this less popular, but in my opinion prettier beach, where we ended up swimming.

Freeze action fun. How is it that it never gets old?

I'm thinking I should've been a gymnast.

Nate excited to be having to answer work emails while on the beach.

I love reflection photos.

Man, my legs are so white.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Nate ever.

It was so cold early Saturday morning.

There is nothing that Nate loves more than the ocean... except for me, of course.

Nate trying his hand at some freeze action jumping.

Getting some serious air. Gotta love that face!

Saturday morning the clouds broke, the wind died down... so we went swimming. It was so cold, but definitely worth it. We have the most amazing luck whenever we go to the coast. The weather is always beautiful.

And for you, Amy and Cara, these are just some pictures of the loot we ended up with from Italy.

Murano glass. The guy who sold us the blue one was the sweetest guy. He told us all about how you could distinguish Venetian glass from impostor glass. Probably one of the nicest people that we met.

Some small watercolors. Loved this artist. He was adorable.

The cow purse. The woman who sold me this purse was one of my other favorite people that we met in Italy. And she was so kind to remind me multiple times that I'd better not use this purse until the summer because it's not a winter season purse. She was so funny.

This leather purse is soooo soft.

The two glass rings, three glass necklaces and two scarves I bought.

Venezia

2009-10-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our last stop was Venice. I was so happy that this was our last city. Not only was it my favorite, but it was the most relaxing part of our trip. There's not a whole lot of sites to see, so we just did a lot of strolling around.

A few cute parts of Venice. I wish this was our hotel... ours reminded me of my 3rd grade classroom.

Everyone that we talked to that had been to Venice told us that it smells really bad. But it wasn't a problem at all. Florence was WAY more smelly than Venice. In Florence, Nate and I would actually cross the street to avoid the sewer vents that were everywhere. Not sure if we just went to Venice at the right time of the year, or what, but I thought it smelled just fine.

And it was beautiful!

Adorable.

Nate in the Piazza San Marco.

One thing Venice is known for is it's glass. Murano Island has a glass blowing facility where many artists create amazing glass pieces. They're really expensive, but we were able to afford 2 glass vases. When I asked Nate what he really wanted to buy while we were in Italy, this was his only request. I also bought a few Venetian glass necklaces and rings that I absolutely love.

On the balcony of our hotel. It was fun in the morning to come out here and watch all the restaurant employees get ready for their day.

The Rialto Bridge.

A view of the Grand Canal. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to have a gondola ride here. I personally prefer the smaller waterways, but that's just me.

We walked around all day. One day we heard a lady saying that the last time she was in Venice a friend of hers had told her that she would pay her $200 if she could find this shoe store that they had earlier stopped by in Venice, because she was regretting not buying a pair of shoes. They were never able to find the store. It made me laugh. The walk ways and store fronts all blended into each other that you could spend days trying to find a certain store or area. We spent hours searching for this scarf store that was in the vicinity of our hotel before we were able to find it again. If you plan to go back to a store, you'd better mark it on your map. The great part about Venice though is that it's an island, so you can never really get lost.

There are hundreds of bridges in Venice.

Man, I loved this place.

4 Euro gelato... strawberry, pistachio and chocolate hazelnut...yum.

Loved the vines that grew everywhere.

Almost finished with my gelato.

Looking across the Grand Canal.

If I ever get to build my own home, it's definitely going to be Italy-inspired.

Love, love, love this home. Isn't the door amazing?

My crazy burgundy and aqua eyeglasses were so normal for Italy. People there wear the funkiest glasses I've ever seen. Next time we go to Italy I think we'll have to hit up an optometrist.

I loved Venice at night.

Our retro hairdryer in our retro hotel. (I figured retro sounded better than outdated.)

St. Mark's Basilica.

Some of the craziest masks we'd seen.

Me with the awesome hippo mask.

Love this one... especially the little girl on the scooter. The Italians have the most beautiful children. I never even saw an average-looking kid there.

I love this picture that Nate took.

Venice is known for it's masks. In some shops they can sell for 500+ Euro each... crazy. This one's only 15ish.

Right after this picture we got chewed out by the vendor for taking pictures. Man, we are so rebellious.

These masks for men are kind of funny. The longer the nose, the more luck you'll have. Must be a "guy thing." Wink. Wink.

Love this house... probably my favorite that we saw.

On our 70 Euro, 45 minute gondola ride. We rowed past homes that Vivaldi and Casa Nova lived in, and the place where Marco Polo was buried. The water in these waterways are about 2 meters deep (6 feet) and sometimes flood up to 3 meters.

More pictures from the gondola ride.

Love this one.

Nate and I and our gondolier.

Nate chillin' on the waterfront watching sailboats and cruise ships.

The store fronts in Venice were amazing. Nate and I did a lot of window shopping. This one is a bakery/candy store. The fruits and veggies are actually candies. Love the bananas.

Venice at night. I sat on a bench while Nate laid on my lap for an hour or so just enjoying this view.

Waiting at the airport. Our last gelato. :(

Yay! My last bottle of San Benedetto water. This stuff was so bad... but there were times it was all we could find. Nate was gone for 20 minutes just trying to find some other brand of water for me.

Some videos... again, sorry about the smooching.

Piazza San Marco. This was upon first arriving in Venice.

Love this video of the gondola ride.

Venice at night. I loved this. We came into the square after walking around Venice and there was this HUGE crowd of people in front of this restaurant just listening to this band... or orchestra... whatever you would call it. After each song the crowd would go wild cheering and the band was really getting into it. After a few songs they went to take a break and the crowd shifted to the next restaurant's band. It was so funny.

Our last morning in Venice, and yes, I did buy the purse. A cute yellow patent leather one that still smells just like cow... not leather, but full-on dairy farm. Didn't realize that until I got it home, but it is beautiful. Hopefully the smell goes away soon.

This was on our way to the airport. It was kind of perfect that we left when we did (although I wish we could have stayed at least another 2 days.) By the time we got to the airport it down-poured.

Our trip ended with a 2 hour flight to Germany (and another stamp in our passport, although we never got to leave the airport), then a 15 hour flight to San Francisco, and finally an hour flight to Portland. We arrived in Portland at about midnight and were wide awake enough to make the 4 hour drive home. It was such an awesome trip, but so good to be home. Hopefully someday we'll get a chance to go back.

Cinque Terre

2009-10-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

So Nate and I are both home sick from church. Whatever this is that's going around it is nasty.

From Firenze we took a day trip to Cinque Terre (pronounced Chinkway Terra), or the Five Lands. We got up at 4:30 in the morning, walked to the train station and took a train up the Western side of Italy.

The train ride up was so picturesque. Beautiful green mountains, miles and miles of vineyards. I had planned on sleeping on the way, but just couldn't do it.

This is Nate enjoying the scenery from his seat on the train. (Nate wrote that.)

The cool alleyways in Riomaggiore.

Riomaggiore, the first village on the hike.

Me in Riomaggiore.

Another view. This was probably my favorite of the five villages.

The start of the hike.

This part of the trail was called the Via dell' Amore, the walk of love... or something like that and so carved into every plant and cactus on the way were the names of couples.

Some Italian guys fishing in the Mediterranean.

View from the tunnel there.

A cactus.

Manarola... I think.

Some cool magenta plant against the teal of the Mediterranean.

A view on the hike.

Nate sometime along the hike.

A rickety old bridge along the way.

Monterosso, the last and largest of the five villages. Nate and I had our best lunch here at a little bakery. We ate on one of these benches overlooking the sea.

We also hopped on the train to get here (skipping that part of the hike) because we had left our swimsuits in Florence and Nate was DYING to swim in the sea. (Those of you who know Nate know that he loves swimming and never passes up the opportunity, regardless of how cold the water is.) We finally found one shop that sold them. Nate bought the most ill fitting shorts I've ever seen... I doubt he ever wears them again. And I bought the only one-piece even close to my size. Only until I put it on did I realize just how scandalous it was, although it was still more modest than a two-piece.

Still in Monteroso.

Again on the Via dell'Amore. Couples place locks on the railings or anything accessable as a symbol of their love being bound together. There are hundreds of locks along this path.

Nate finally swimming in the Mediterranean... notice the big grin. None of me, due to the aforementioned swimwear issue. I did swim, but decided against posting any pictures. It was the saltiest water that I've ever swam in... I think I prefer fresh water. Nate, he really didn't care.

Still stoked about swimming in the Mediterranean.

Man, I don't remember what city this was. It was either Vernazza or Corniglia.

Me after a lot of hiking.

Before returning to Florence we ate dinner in Cinque Terre and it was the worst food we had on our whole trip. Mine was so salty that it was seriously inedible. One bite would have finished up your sodium intake for the day. Nate and I shared his, which was a very small portion. He was so sweet to share.

The trip back was very long and I was very tired from all the hiking that by the time we got to Florence's train station we decided to take a taxi to our hotel. And just like every night in Italy, we slept like babies.

Up next: Venice (my favorite!)

Firenze

2009-10-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

We were sad to leave Rome, but were also really excited for our second stop, Florence, or Firenze in Italian. Florence was much smaller than Rome and our hotel was centrally located so we were able to walk everywhere. Nate and I figure that in Florence and Venice we probably walked an average of 15-20 miles a day... at least. It was nice to not have to take the bus.

My first real train ride. It was probably the nicest one of our trip. We sat next to this sweet lady from Sicily and we were able to communicate with her pretty well with the little English she knew, the even littler Italian that we knew and some pretty awesome hand motions. Again one of my favorite people that we met on the trip.

Our first stop was to see this guy. I didn't take this picture, as we weren't allowed to. (Many places were like this.) It was amazing and much larger than I had imagined. It was so cool that people chatted in the other rooms of the museum, but the minute they came to David everyone was silent. Michelangelo was one talented guy. And after being disappointed with my experience in the Sistine Chapel (it was so crowded, noisy and dark there) it was nice to have a good experience here.

More gelato... we had it everyday. And it was amazing. I'm not the biggest ice cream fan and I'd hear people talk about gelato and I thought, "Ice cream is ice cream." Boy was I wrong. I don't know how they do it, but I don't think I will ever be satisfied with American ice cream again. My favorites were Chocolate Hazelnut, Pistachio (seriously amazing), and strawberry, although they were all really good.

Seriously, how lucky am I?

Okay, so I hate this picture (remember what I told you about the hair?) But I had to put it up because this was one of my other favorite people. We purchased some small watercolors from this artist... the best we'd seen in all of Florence... and trust me we looked everywhere.

Nate and I had the most horrible luck when it came to food. Not only is Italian food... dare I say it... extremely overrated (and I love my pasta!) but we would see food that looked really good and we would plan to go back. But when we'd get hungry we'd search forever trying to find it. We'd finally give in and eat somewhere that wasn't very good. Then immediately after eating we'd find the place we were looking for in the first place!

(Oh, and this is right after getting hit up for money by some gypsies. Funny story... Nate is stingy with his money (He once was asked at Safeway if he would donate his change, which was $0.03, to some cause and he said, "no.") So this woman comes up to us begging for money. I politely said "no", but Nate reached into his pocket. I was surprised. When Nate put his change in her cup her smile immediately disappeared. I asked him how much he gave her and he replied, "One US penny and a .05E." That's right folks about 8 US cents.

I have no idea what church this is.

One of many adorable windows in Italy. My dream is to have a house with windows like these.

Me outside Basilica de San Lorenzo.

Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, depicting 10 scenes from the Old Testament. Funny right after this picture a tour guide moved in with her group and Nate was stuck there for 10 minutes until she was done with her explanation. We really grew to hate guided tours.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo.

Another view.

Nate waiting to get inside.

The stained glass windows inside the Duomo.

Another one.

The cool skeleton man painted in the dome there.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Novella.

A cute street.

Our awesome bathtub. It had a hook on the wall to hang the shower head, but no curtains so it was impossible to not get water everywhere. We just embraced being in a different culture and used it like this.

I apologize in advance for the kissing... we're dorks and thought it would be fun to end each video with a kiss, not thinking that we would post these on a blog. And I don't know how to cut it out (if someone knows how I wouldn't be opposed to it)... sorry!

Coming soon: Cinque Terra.

Roma

2009-10-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I know this is long overdue, but thanks to a cold I actually have the time, so I'd better take advantage of it. Nate and I had talked over the last few years about traveling somewhere before we have kids, otherwise we knew we never would. We finally decided that we'd go as a graduation present for me finishing my bachelors and Nate almost finishing up his MBA. For months we debated on where to go and finally decided on Italy.

Our trip started in Rome.

First stop: the Colosseum. It was amazing, although not as big as Nate and I had pictured it.

Then the Roman Forum. Gotta love those trees.

The view from the Roman Forum.

Our second home in Rome. We got to know the bus/subway system so well that we could get just about anywhere without even thinking about it. While this is definitely the way to travel in Rome it certainly wasn't my favorite time of the day. There were times that the bus driver would pull in at the next stop and I would think, "There is no way one more person can fit on this bus." The doors would open and 6 more people would cram themselves in. It was hot and many people there don't wear deodorant. It was fun.

The view from our hotel. I know, I never thought there would be palm trees in Rome.

Angel Bridge. Nate took this picture. Awesome, huh?

La Pieta by Michelangelo.

One of the domes in St. Peter's.

Nate looking angelic in St. Peter's.

The main dome in St. Peter's.

Me in Saint Peter's Square. (And you'll notice in these pictures that the hair is never looking very good. Despite buying an outlet converter to be able to use anything electric we noticed that it said in the instructions not to use it with things such as curling irons or clothes irons... so a flat iron was out of the question. I had to get along with just blow drying it. Some days it worked, others not so much.)

Looking down in St. Peter's.

The view from the Cupola... taken above someone's head.

Nate and I on top of the Cupola. I about had a panic attack on the climb up. I don't think I could ever do it again. The stairs are really narrow, once we got to the spiral staircases there were no hand holds, and multiple times we had to try to maneuver around people who were having to take a break from the climb. But we made it to the top! We're both terrified of heights, but I thought, "I may only be here once so I'd better get over it and look over the edge." Nate, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with. I had to beg him to scoot close to the edge so I could take a picture that I'm not even using in this blog. I'm so mean! I wasn't looking forward to the trip back down, but oddly enough I was just fine.

Saint Peter's Basilica- view from the roof.

Our first gelato experience. Set us back 20E, which comes to $30 American... for 2 cones. Thankfully we quickly realized that without all the jazz you could get a waffle cone and 2-3 scoops for 3-4E.

The Pantheon. Afterwards we just hung out in the square and people watched. It was so relaxing.

The Trevi Fountain. Legend goes that throwing a coin into the fountain will insure a return to Rome... I couldn't pass that up!

Nate tossing his coin.

One of the few pictures of the two of us.

Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain lit up at night. We just hung out for awhile (and dozed off a bit) and watched it light up. It was nice to just relax for awhile.

The Colossuem at night. Loved it.

I loved this... had to take a picture. Pretty much sums up the driving experience there. It's frightening. We had considered renting a Vespa, but after seeing how people drive there we decided against it.

Waiting at the bus stop.

A lake at the Villa Borghese gardens.

Man I love this kid.

Me at the lake.

The fun bike that we rented to get around the Villa Borghese. Nate was so good being the driver. Every time that I tried we ended up having to get out of a rut or having to push it backwards from a tree.

After the park we had lunch in the ritzy part of town. One of our waiters was really cold. He spoke to us, but you could tell he was annoyed with us Americans. The other waiter was this big-eared goofy looking kid with an adorable smile. He was so excited to speak English and was so sweet. One of my favorite people that we met in Italy.

Dessert... it was so hard to find desserts without coffee or some sort of alcohol in it, so we often ended up getting something that didn't really look that good.

Overall we loved Rome. Definitely was the best city at night. I never felt scared. But from there the trip just continued to get better (although our hotels didn't!) and I was really glad that the trip began here.

Coming soon: Florence.

Italy Teaser

2009-10-01T16:15:00.001-07:00

Just a photo from Italy. I haven't had a chance to even really look at the pictures from our trip. I've been plenty busy with work and finishing up photos for clients that I haven't had the time, but things seem to be slowing down a bit, so I promise there will be more to come.

It was an awesome trip. Nate and I made some good memories. And we're missing the gelato. To be continued....

Singer Snapshots: Take 2

2009-08-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

So Nate and I housesat this weekend at a beautiful home out in Cove, OR. (If we planned on staying in the area this would definitely be the town we'd live in. It's nestled right up against the mountains and all sorts of wildlife can be seen out your backdoor. It is gorgeous there.) We chose to think of this as a mini vacation and it felt just like when we stay in B&B's, only if we wanted breakfast we'd have to make it ourselves. All day Saturday we were looking forward to some great lighting so that we could go out and take some fun pictures. As dinner was in the oven we went out for about 15 minutes and took the following photos (some Nate's and some mine). Again Nate has impressed me with his photographic abilities... I'm a little afraid that he just might be better than me! I know there are a million pictures, but it's our blog and this is what we love to do!

It's Your Last Chance

2009-07-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is officially the last day that you can check out my work at the Blackfish Gallery in down town Portland. Nate and I are headed over there tomorrow to do a temple session and to pick up the work. But for those of you who can't make it, here's a video of the exhibit that Nate found. Mine are the apple/crow photos at the beginning, about 1:06. I have to admit that Devon (ceramic at 4:35) and I definitely represented EOU well. I think our work (plus the bunnies and black square made of straws... oh, and the giant ceramic paper airplane) was some of the best work there.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in my MBA class right now, worked all day, Brittney worked, dealt with picture issues... it was a hot, busy day... but I had to sit down and take a second to say Happy Anniversary to Brittney. I love you babe. 4 great years... and plenty more to go. Love you beautiful.

Four Awesome Years

2009-07-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Nate and my fourth year anniversary. I don't really have the time to do this so I will keep it short. The first time that Nate and I met I was at ward prayer at BYU and I mentioned that I was thirsty. Nate's roommate Bart told me that he had some really good juice in his apartment and if I wanted some I could have some. He said, "It's unlocked... feel free to walk right in." So I ran down the hall to their apartment and let myself in... only to barge in on Nate and his then (crazy) girlfriend kissing. I managed to blurt out some sort of apology, quickly grabbed myself a drink and got out of there as fast as I could.

For the longest time afterward Nate was the "Apt #6 roommate with a girlfriend" and I NEVER saw him even though I hung out in his apartment all the time.

Then fate stepped in and both Nate and I found ourselves single at the same time. I had just broken up with my first boyfriend (and was a little broken up about it) and was very apprehensive to start something with anyone else. Nate, on the other hand, was trying his best to stay broken up with his girlfriend, as she was desperate to work things out.

We started playing hockey together with a huge group of friends and would flirt with each other mercilessly. And then I started dating someone new... not Nate, instead "Naked Dave" (don't ask) but don't worry, it ended fast and Nate was actually the one to help me devise a plan to end that abusive relationship (okay, so he wasn't really abusive... but I did end up with some bruises and a fat lip... Long story...) So I was single again with only a few weeks left before summer break and that's when Nate finally decided to make his move. The next few weeks were perfect. I loved hanging out with this guy. He was funny, confident, and cool. He brought me flowers more often than not and bought a BYU charm that I was really wanting for my bracelet, but was too poor to buy myself (it was really overpriced). He left me the sweetest notes... He loved snuggling as much, if not more, than I did.

Halloween 2004: Nate was so repulsive I had a hard time kissing him.

Hiking 2004: Notice the gut hanging out... I was so rebellious.

Not long after, I left Provo (on 3 hours of sleep thanks to him) and spent the rest of the summer waiting for his letters and emails. We MSN messengered almost every night (which included me laughing out loud the ENTIRE time) and then Nate came up to Moses Lake to visit for the 4th of July, where we kissed for the first time.

When I returned to Provo we continued dating... constantly having a blast between hikes, playing hockey and rollerblading the Provo River Trail... good times. In December we had our first fight. Nate thought we were going to break up... that thought never crossed my mind. We made up the next day. (Neither one of us like confrontation or being angry with each other and still to this day we make up within an hour.)

On March 10th, Nate took me on a hike and when I reached the top I was surprised to find a rose for everyday that we had been dating (I'm horrible at remembering numbers and I didn't want to do the math.) He proposed and, of course, I said yes.

Engagement Photo

We got married on July 22, 2005 in the Columbia River Temple. It seriously was the most perfect day.

I just want to let Nate know that I love him so much. He's perfect for me in every way. Where I'm weak, he's strong. He pushes me to be my best and is always so helpful and encouraging. I don't know what I'd do without you, babe. Happy anniversary!

New Photography Blog

2009-07-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially up and running... It still needs some work, but I'm getting there. Now I just need to decide on a color scheme, design and order business cards, and work on the website. You can check it out at http://brittneysingerphotography.blogspot.com/

Singer Snapshots

2009-07-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Brittney and I really like taking photos together, we decided we are going to try and do this a couple of times a month. We went out to the community garden outside of our apartment and snapped pictures for 15 minutes. Some were taken by Brittney and some by me. It was a fun Saturday!

My Home, Sweet Home

2009-07-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. It's not so much the fireworks, but I love barbecuing, playing with sparklers and snap dragons, and, most of all, spending time with family. Last year Nate and I spent it together and we had such a blast that when I considered visiting my family (I still love you guys!) staying here actually sounded like more fun. (Plus we already travelled this week to Portland to check out the Recent Graduates Show at the Blackfish Gallery and were not looking forward to anymore traveling. You can see some of my work at http://www.blackfish.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=41)

We started out the night grilling some pizza on our BBQ. It was so good... and I ate too much. You should try it. Prepare your usual pizza crust. Roll out in manageable sizes and grill on the first side for 2 minutes, flip, quickly apply your toppings (we did Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, corn, black beans, spinach and cheddar cheese, but you can do anything), cover and grill another 2 minutes or until bottom of crust is golden. Finally, top with cilantro.

A picture of Nate and I since I can't remember the last time we were in a picture together.

And finally, after sparklers, we ended the night sitting outside our apartment in our camping chairs watching the fireworks and eating chocolate mousse for dessert.

I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to have the freedoms I do. I'd just like to thank all those who serve for our country and all those who stand up for what they believe. God bless America!

Lessons Learned

2009-06-20T16:49:00.001-07:00

I just got back from shooting my very first civil wedding (written on Saturday, posted today) and it was quite the learning experience.

Lessons Learned:

1) Regardless of how awkward it feels being in everyone's way... definitely get up close during the ceremony.

2) Regardless of how horrible you feel with your allergies DON'T you dare take Benadryl!

3) Definitely wear a dress with pockets... sorry, Nate, but I guess I have to go shopping.

4) Just deleted this one... still a good lesson learned, but not for everyone to read...

I have another wedding this upcoming Saturday and I can't wait to put these lessons learned to good use!

Some beautiful cupcakes.

I loved that they had a marimba band.

T he groom and his father.

The bride and hers.

The ceremony.

The best man.

Pronounced as Mr. and Mrs.

I love this action shot. They both look so happy.

The bride's daughter and the best man.

One of my favorite teachers EVER, Kerry Loewen, greeting the bride and groom.

In addition to the marimba band, a close friend of theirs played the guitar before the ceremony began.

Yummy lemonade.

This guy was my favorite and he makes a mean shish-kabob.

The bride's parents... the father of the bride was so funny.

These two little girls were sisters and LOVED having their pictures taken. After every picture they'd ask, "Can I see?" It must be hard to be a film photographer now-a-days when children ask to see... I would hate to disappoint. Later after everything died down and most everyone had left they came over and wanted to take my picture and after every shot they were sweet enough to show me how it turned out. Too cute.

This place was beautiful. It had rained the few days before and so the plants were so lush. It was gorgeous.

The bride and groom shots.

Guess who Graduated?!?

2009-06-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

So, I have hijacked the blog again, but news like this has to shared. Brittney has always been one of the hardest working, dedicated, ambitious, driven, hard-nosed, stubborn persons I have ever met (I mean come on how else do you think she landed me?). And today we got to celebrate all of those things with her. Brittney graduated from Eastern Oregon University today with her Bachelor of Science in Art. And in traditional Brittney style, she went above and beyond by not only graduating but being awarded the President's Student Art Award the previous night. I love Brittney and am so proud of her, she stuck with it, and accomplished her goal while excelling constantly throughout the journey. Congrats Brittney, College Graduate!

Brittney walking to get her degree

Brittney not paying attention to me yelling for her to stop so I can take a picture!

Can you find the college graduate?

There she is!

Apparently this is the face of someone that just graduated...

Brittney with her parents and brother.

Brittney and me with my parents

Me getting my reward for Brittney graduating

We did it!

I want a little Nathan Jr.

2009-06-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Nate and I babysat a friend's youngest of two, and all I can say is we had a blast! He was such a sweetheart and would do anything we asked of him after telling us in a really adorable voice, "No." I think he just wanted to feel like he was in charge, even while being so submissive.

So first we went to the park and it was so cute to see Nate with him. Liam just adores Nate. (My favorite Liam story was when they were over at our house one day and the two boys were playing our Gamecube... well, Liam thought he was playing, and he reached up and rubbed Nate's sideburns and asked, "Why you got hair there?" Which is even funnier because usually you can only understand about a fifth of what he says. Our conversations usually go something like this. B: "Liam, that's a cool shirt you have on!" L: words I can't understand... B: "Oh, cool!" L: more mumbling I can't understand... B: "Really!?!" L: still not understanding... "Spiderman..." more mumbling B: getting all excited because I understood something! Spiderman... I got that.)

Anyway we just had so much fun with him that I couldn't help but think how much fun it would be to have a little one around. We'll keep you posted.

Gotta love the silly faces.

My turn.