More new picts

I just wanted to post some more pictures of my cutie. I know that this first one is a little blurry (and a little naughty), but I just think it is hilarious!

About time

It's about time that I post some more pictures and things about what's going on around here. So here goes...

We went to the rodeo on the 24th which is a story all in it of itself, but it was fun dressing up and G really enjoyed the horsies and cows (bulls). We had a great time and, as always, found that our favorite part was "mutton bustin'" where crazy parents convince their small children to hold onto a sheep for dear life, while it rockets out into the arena only to step on them once they fall. The announcer called it, "the only legal form of redneck child abuse." Amen, yet still very funny.



We also discovered that the Hawaiian outfit BAB's mom brought G from Hawaii when he was just a few months old, actually fits now. I think it's hilarious since it makes him look like an 80 year old American tourist. He liked the fact that his clothes had an animal he could identify on them, namely a "fishy!" This is him saying, "cheese" by the way.



BAB has also started building forts with G. They both enjoy it a ton--as you can see from the pictures.



And finally, we started ripping out our kitchen in preparation for our new one. Yeah! It is such a mess, our house is a DISASTER! Here is what it looks like right now, I sure hope that this all works out because we're kind of at a point of no return!

Harry, my friend.

Well, it's done. The Harry Potter series is over. I just read the last book, devouring the pages to find out what happened to Harry in his last battle with Voldemort. The book was good, I liked it, but I still can't shake this sad feeling that it's over. Over the last few years Harry and his friends have been something to look forward to, a friend to root for and feel connected to, and now it is gone. I know that you can always go back and read the books, but there is something about actually writing down an ending that makes the whole thing seem so final, like a break up. I miss Harry, Hermione, and Ron already, like I lost real friends. I realize that this post probably seems a little pathetic, but I think it is a great tribute to J. K. Rowling. She didn't just write a little children's book, she wrote a good friend--someone that we all cared about and someone who I (at least) will miss.

The sicky blues

So I have been sick for the last couple of days which is never fun. The funny thing that only parents know, however; is that being sick and having a kid is even 10 times worse! Now I only have one little well mannered child, so I can't even imagine how hard it must be to have more than one. Ahh, bless the makers of Shrek and Nemo. While you feel like a horrible parent letting your kids veg for a day, kids movies are lifesavers when you can barely get off the bed. Now if only I already had the Harry Potter book to read, I would have had a better excuse to lay around all day reading it!

Weird Post

Sorry to all of you (three or four) loyal readers for my weird post yesterday. I was posting that video to show to the class that I teach at BYU, but I ended up getting the movie from the library anyway. So anyway, it was a very strange post.

On a more interesting note, G has a new love for airplanes. I asked him if he wants a teddy bear or an airplane cake for his birthday and now he just repeats, "airplane...cake!" So I guess now I have to make an airplane cake. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be the sorriest looking cake ever, so I'm experimenting early to see if this is something that is even within my realm of cakes. Last year I made the cutest, easiest cake ever and it turned out great. I think I might have peaked at G's first birthday. Lucky for my brother, his birthday is this weekend. Guess who's getting an ugly plane cake!?!?

(These are last year's cake)

BAB's baby pictures

BAB had to take some baby pictures into work, which reminded me that we had a bunch on one of our computers. They just make me laugh, so I'm going to post them for the world to see. They also remind me a lot of G, although I wouldn't say they were carbon copies.

Look at how little he was when he was born, he weighed 4 lbs.



I actually think that this one really looks like G.


These are just cute








And I know that this isn't a baby picture, but it is so darn hilarious!


Who couldn't love BAB?!?!

A Thesis Mention....Almost

My thesis advisor has been getting a lot of press about her ambivalence studies right now and has done a ton of interviews. I just started skimming this article and saw that she mentioned my thesis in it (well--she didn't give me any of the credit but it is from my thesis). So anyway, I'm kind of famous--or would be if my name was actually mentioned as being associated with my own research. The parts from my thesis are highlighted in yellow.


With 'ambivalent' friends like these, who needs enemies? Study shows bad buddies can drive us crazy, even make us sick
By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Launched:06/25/2007 02:06:30 AM MDT

We all have them: Friends we have fun with, but who also make us crazy - and maybe even sick, according to new research.
In research-speak, such friends are called "ambivalent." They can be caring and warm, but maybe they're competitive, critical or frustrating.
And depending on how we interact with them, the relationship can raise our heart rates and blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease, according to Brigham Young University and University of Utah researchers.
They teamed up on a study that will be published today in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
They found that when people discuss past negative events with an ambivalent friend, their health suffers. In fact, their blood pressure and heart rate rises by merely being in the presence of such friends.
"Is it that these people aren't effective sources of support when we need social support in times of stress, or is it that these people are sources of stress themselves? We found evidence for both," said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a BYU assistant professor of psychology and lead author of the study.
Even when participants discussed positive events with ambivalent friends, their health may have suffered. She found their blood pressure was lowest talking about good times. That sounds good, but researchers believe the participants distanced themselves from the discussion and thus weren't gaining the positive benefits - like improved self-esteem - that is supposed to come from sharing positive experiences.
"It makes you wonder, if these relationships are potentially detrimental . . . why do we have these friends?" Holt-Lunstad said.
She's researching that now. But she has some theories on why, as she estimates it, roughly half of people's social networks include such friends: They may be relatives, co-workers or neighbors - people who aren't easy to avoid. People who believe in the ideals of forgiveness and acceptance may be more apt to keep such friends.
Plus, these confidants do have their good sides. But those positive feelings for such friends may be what's causing the negative health problems. When people we don't care about let us down, that's easier to deal with than when the ones we care about do it, the researcher noted.
Holt-Lunstad is also studying ways to cope with ambivalent friends, by adding physical and emotional distance, for example.
The BYU-Utah study included 107 college students whose friendships were rated by experimenters as supportive or ambivalent. They were randomly assigned to bring one of those friends in to talk about a past positive or negative experience. The participants weren't told how their friends were categorized and their heart rate and blood pressure were monitored.
John Cacioppo, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago, said the Utah study furthered the research on the health effects of ambivalent friendships by showing in what circumstances they are detrimental.
He was not involved in the study but is interested in the topic.
"The [traditional] argument is that negative relationships can be caustic, but you don't tend to stay in negative relationships. You avoid [them], just like a painful sting," he said.
With ambivalent relationships, "you sit and maintain [them] over time and negative, caustic aspects accrue."
hmay@sltrib.com