How We Met

So, I just realized that a girl I know from my first high school has been married for four years, and I don't know the story of how she and her husband met! I know her husband's and children's names, I keep up on her blog. etc. But I don't know "their story". It ocurred to me that some of you out there may not know the "Tom and Miriah Story". So, for those of you who are interested, here it is:
I moved to Logan, Utah in 2005 to go to USU. I did not know a single soul in the entire city. I lived in some on-campus leadership housing apartments called "Summit Hall". There were 3 bedrooms, and six roomates per apartment. In my apartment, one of the roomates, (not the one I actually shared a bedroom with, but one that lived in the apartment) had a brother on a mission. She and I became pretty good friends; I even went home with her for a long weekend since I couldn't travel all the way home and didn't want to be alone on campus. I ended up sleeping in the brother's bedroom who was gone on a mission. I looked at his trophies, awards, and pictures that decorated the room, slightly curious about this brother she always talked about. But, she had another friend she wanted to set Tom up with when he got home from Guatemala the next semester.
When Tom got home from his mission, we (Jeanette's friends) met him briefly, then went on Christmas break. When we got back, Tom moved in across the hall, in a "boys" apartment. He and his sister are very close, and wanted to live in the same apartment building. Consequently, Tom was over in our apartment a lot. We would bump into each other in the halls, or on our way to class or the gym. We made casual conversation. One evening there was a Martin Luther King Vigil I was going to, and invited him to come along last minute. He came. He also hung out with a lot of other girls too, though. Not so much the one Jeanette wanted him to date, but he seemed to always be just coming from some girl's apartment.
A night shortly after the vigil, a big group of us were watching a movie in my apartment and he came and layed down in the bean bag next to me. We did the awkward inching closer to eachother until he finally got the nerve to hold my hand after like, an hour, ha ha. We laugh so hard now at how awkward that was. After that things progressed pretty quickly. We started spending all of our evenings together, leaving notes for eachother, meeting in between classes, singing in the church choir together, etc. He seemed to see less and less of the other girls, until finally, it became pretty clear we were a couple, although we never did have the big "define the relationship talk".
Then bla bla bla, boy proposes, girl says yes, they get married, they have babies, and have been very happy for five years.
SO--that's how Tom and Miriah got started. And, yes, I know I need to get some pictures up.

Ouch!

So I ran another 5K, and loved it. After I run, I never really want to eat, even though they recommend you do. Well, I needed to go pick up my kids, and was kind of in a hurry anyway, so I decided to skip the food/drink table, grab my shirt and "prize" and get out of there. Three hours later, I'm SOOOO paying for it. Dizzy, cramped muscles, weak, shaky limbs. I guess I should've listened to the experts. I finally did eat something, but it seems like it was too late. We'll see...

To the Friday Slackers (like me).

So it's Friday, probably my favorite day of the week. Although I love Thursdays, because I spend all day thinking about how the next day is Friday. It's "casual" day in the office, meaning I get to wear jeans. The boss is usually out. I usually get to go home early, and everything is just a little bit slower. I used to love Fridays because it meant I would be going out with friends, or going on a hot date. Now I love Fridays because I might be able to get some extra sleep. My hot date? Tom and I trying to stay awake long enough to have a conversation after the kids go to bed.
We were going to try to go to a movie tonight since my birthday is this weekend, but our childcare bailed. And to be honest, I think we were both a little relieved. Sweat pants and a red box suits us just fine! When did we get old? Oh, about the time the second baby came around. I love my kids, but they suck the energy right out of ya.
So here's to all the Friday slackers...I'm in your corner!

Family Pictures and Potty Parties

Hello, Cyberspace. Did you miss us? We've been crazy busy, but trying to remember to take some time for fun, as well. We took some family pictures Sunday morning. Getting a two-year-old and a baby to look at the camera and hold still long enough to take the picture, at the same time, is near impossible! But we got some cute ones.
We took Lucy to Jungle Jim's Playland (what a name) as a reward for not having any accidents. Potty training is a slow, difficult process for everyone. She'll get there. Some days she's great, other days I'm washing 16 pairs of clothes. What can you do?

Hope all is well with all of you! Mama and her girl!
Our favorite family picture. Probably going to use this one with the Christmas cards this year.

I think this one is cute, even though I'm talking. Tom doesn't like it.

Happy boy!

They look so much alike!

Silly faces

Mama and her little man

Daddy and the kiddos

Lucy driving a safari car at Jungle Jim's

The soda is as big as her

Best. Pizza. Ever.

Cut yourself some slack

So lately I've been running on little food, even less sleep, and no fun! Between a two year-old (and yes, I know no one believes that sweet Lucy could ever be a "terrible two", but she is) and a baby, working full-time, learning the ropes of my new promotion, keeping the house clean and stocked, cooking, and training for a race...I just don't have a second to spare.
I kind of reached a breaking point last night. During my run my legs and arms were shaking like crazy. I kept going, telling myself I could just push through it. But each lap only got harder, and I never reached the "second wind". I was so disappointed in myself I almost started crying.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks how silly I was being. Of course my body was giving out; I'm making all these demands of it, and giving it nothing in return!
So to all you "super moms" out there, trying to create this perfect life for yourselves and your family: don't. It's not possible, and you're just making yourself miserable trying. Juggle what you can, be great at a few things...but don't try to outdo yourself at everything all at once. It's not worth it!
Just be happy. That's what will make your family's life the best, anyway. Be happy, and give yourself a break!

Hawaiian party, Blue Ribbon Breakfast, and sleepy babies

Things just never seem to slow down around here, but that's how we like it! We had our big Blue Ribbon Breakfast, which is our one big fundraiser for the year. We do a few smaller ones, but this is the "mother" fundraiser. It went well; I'll be in charge of planning it for next year, and there are a few things I would like to do differently. But overall, I would call it a success. We awarded Mayor Peter Caroon with the Champion of Child Abuse Prevention Award.
In other news, Tom's parents had a Hawaiian party with dancers and everything for their neighborhood! It was so fun, and reminded me of our honeymoon in Maui :0)
The sleepy babies part of the title refers to Lucy falling asleep in the car on the way home from running erronds all morning. She got a sucker at the bank, and was so tired she fell asleep with the sucker in her mouth. It was cute.

Executive Director Bonnie Peters and Mayor Caroon
Diane Spencer (former Development Director aka the woman I'm replacing) and me...she is an incredible woman!!

Papa and Lucy at the party

Taylor, Tom's youngest brother, and his girlfriend Yessenia

Aloha!

The boys chillin'

Lucy loves holding Ethan. She calls herself "good big sister"

Tuckered out

in the news

Probably not a big deal to everyone else, but I was on the news today for the Family Support Center! It was a big deal to me :) Anyway, the footage is on ksl.com under news, if you want to see it.

We're still here!

I know it's been awhile! We're doing well. Mom's gone home, I've gone back to work, and the kids are LOVING their new babysitter. After three TERRIBLE interviews, I was beginning to really panic about childcare. But I found a woman who lives only a few minutes from my office, and has kids Lucy's age. She is FANTASTIC and I feel so blessed to have found her. On my days off, Lucy actually asks if she can go to Erin's, ha ha!
I recently got a big promotion at work! I'm taking my boss's position when she leaves in September. So I'm the new Development Director, in charge of Public Relations, Grant Writing, Fundraising, and Event Planning. I also sit on several community and government councils for stragetic planning to reduce homelessness in SLC. I love it! I've started training with the current director before she goes. She's been here 14 years, so I've got some big shoes to fill, and I'm a little scared, but very excited as well.
Ethan is growing so fast! He's a sweet baby and I love him more every day. Lucy is a wonderful big sister, and she is getting to the age where she says the funniest things! She is clearly getting into the "terrible two's", but she's still just a little tender heart, so I don't stay mad at her for very long.
These photos are kind of snippets of recent things (some more recent than others) that we've done, including a trip to the Hogle Zoo last weekend; a first for the kids and me!

Mixing cookies!

Lucy and her cousin Wyatt

All of my parents' grandkids

We repainted our room and let Lucy help

These are the biggest animals I've ever seen! Could not have been more excited!

Ethan at the Zoo

Pictures of Baby Ethan

These aren't even close to all the photos I wanted to post, but it's a start. Ethan is doing well at home. He's not much of an eater, so we worry a little about his weight, but I'm sure that's just me being a natural-born worrier :)
He sleeps most of the time, still, but I live for those short moments when his sweet little eyes are open and looking around. He has slight jaundice (sp?) so he's on lights for a few more days. But they are just blanket lights instead of the suitcase lights Lucy had to be under, so that's good.
Lucy is doing fairly well with the new addition to our family. She is very careful and gentle with him, but now wants CONSTANT attention. I'm used to her entertaining herself, so it has been a challenge to have her engaging in attention-seeking behaviors all the time. I'm sure she'll adjust soon.
Tom has been an incredible help to me, and took off work until Mom could get here. Now Mom is here, and between Tom and Mom, I'm being very well taken care of. I feel so blessed to have so much help and support.

Lucy meeting Ethan for the first time

A few hours old

Delivery arrived!

Ethan Thomas Griffith is here!

Well, I don't have pictures yet (I'm still in the hospital bed) but I'll post them soon. I just wanted to get the story down while it's all still fresh.
Sunday afternoon I started feeling really sick, having hot flashes, and irregular contractions. I was miserable enough I pulled Tom out of his class and we went home early. I continued feeling pretty crumby the rest of the day. I felt bad because it was Father's Day and I couldn't do as much for Tom as I'd hoped. I was getting so frustrated, thinking "I wish I would go into labor, or not! This in-between, contractions but not in labor sucks!"
I had a doctors apt. scheduled Wed, where I hoped to convince my doctor to induce me a few days early (about 4 days early was my plan). Yes, I know I'm a big baby.
Contractions continued into the night, waking me a few times. At about 3:30 my water finally broke! I had to have my water broken with Lucy so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was excited because it's a for sure sign, instead of having to time the contractions and hope they are long or hard enough to be the real thing.
I jumped out of bed, excitedly woke Tom, called Grandma Griffith to come stay with Lucy, and frantically packed our bags. For some reason, vacuuming the house seemed really important, so my WONDERFUL husband vacuumed our house at 4 a.m. for me :)
The lady checking us in was SUPER annoying because she kept saying things like, "Well we'll have a nurse come look at you and see if we can figure out what's going on."
What does that mean?? My water broke, I"m having contractions, I'm 39 weeks pregnant...I'm freakin' in labor! That's what's going on. I'm not imagining this.
ANYWAY, labor started progressing pretty quickly. Contractions were making me shake and sweat with every single one. I got an epidural, and was AMAZED at how well it worked. With Lucy it was placed wrong and it didn't numb me at all, and HURT going in. But this time, it worked like a charm. I had no idea that much pain could be taken out of labor.
For the last hour, when the labor moved to my back, I started feeling the pain again. Shortly it was time to push.
1 hour of pushing (much longer than Lucy's 20 min of pushing, but he was much bigger), and he was here! We're all healthy and happy. I'm sore and tired of course, and Lucy has a stomach bug that prevented her from meeting Ethan today, but she'll meet him tomorrow.
I'm so excited to have our son here...and to no longer be pregnant. My mom flies in Thursday, so Tom will stay with me until she gets here.
Having a baby is like graduating high school or college; you spend so much time doing this one thing, then all of the sudden it's over! It's an incredible feeling.
Wish me luck adjusting to a family of four! Feel free to pass any advice my way.

Lucy and her best friend Genevieve

For the past 8 months Lucy has been going to Genevieve's house three times a week while I work. She LOVES playing there, loves Becky (Genevieve's mama), loves everything about it. It made going back to work possible because I know Lucy is loved and taken very well care of while she's there.
But life happens, and Becky and her husband are moving their little family across the country for a new adventure; Neil (said husband) got into law school, and will be starting in the fall! I am so excited for them. But, a selfish part of me is SOOOOO sad to see them go. I've been crying for a week, ha ha. Lucy will ask for "Bucky" and "Baby" (even though Genevieve is her same size, she still calls her baby) for a long time after they've gone, I'm sure. I will miss Becky very dearly, as she has become a very good friend, a wonderful example of womanhood, and someone I trust very much.

Because of the way my maternity leave falls, today is Lucy's last day there. It won't be easy to find another place as good as Becky's for Lucy, but I'll have some time while I'm on leave to look around and test a few places out. I know we'll find somewhere she and the new baby will love, and Lucy will make new friends. But gosh, it's hard to let a good thing go!
So, this is a shout out to Genevieve, Lucy's best friend, and Becky, one of mine :0)

We love you!

False Labor

I went into false labor today. I wasn't going to go to the doctor, but my boss insisted and just would not let it go, so I did. As I suspected, the labor stopped. Since then I've done as many exercises as I can think of to start it back up. No luck.
It's official: I am going to be pregnant forever. Yes, I will be the first woman in history to carry her baby for decades.

Complaints turned to blessings

I started out wanting to write a "complaining" post. I've been so frustrated with still being pregnant, and just the ups and downs of life. And it's been difficult for me to make friends in my new ward for some reason, although that reason was probably me not trying hard enough.

But then the thought came to my mind, "Positive attitudes attract positive things." It's so true. I started thinking of a woman in my office, whom I really like, but can be exhausting to be around. She ALWAYS has complaint; she's never just perky. In contrast I thought about another friend who is always making an effort to be cheery; not in a fake annoying way, but in a "I know how to look at the glass half full and be satisfied with my life" way. It's not hard to guess which woman I'd rather spend time with. Then I thought, I want to be more like her.

I began thinking of all the good things I have in my life. My husband, our home, our jobs, our families, my sisters, Lucy, my health....the list goes on and on. I started to really be aware of my thoughts and attitudes these past couple of days, and through a series of small events that were actually answers to my simple prayers, I feel like I may be tapping into the beginnings of some very wonderful friendships with some moms in my new neighborhood.

Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on the problem, we don't look up to see the solution. So in short, I want to commit to being a more cheerful, outgoing person, and hope you all will too!

Tom's Promotion

This actually happened the 25th of May, but I'm a little behind. Tom got promoted to Senior Credit Manager at Wells Fargo Financial! He worked SOOOO hard to get this promotion; he was up for the promotion a few times in the year he's been there, but seemed to just miss it. However, all his persistence and positive attitude paid off!
Wells Fargo sent out a mini-press release on him to all Wells Fargo Financial employees in the district congratulating him on his hard-earned, well-deserved promotion. I am so blessed to be married to such a hard worker and capable, intellegent man.
Tom's way of looking at the glass half-full is probably one of the things people admire about him most.
To celebrate we went to his favorite place...Wingers. I actually don't like Wingers AT ALL, but this night was about him, so I choked the food down with a smile :0)
Congratulations again, honey!

Handsome man
Lucy liked the popcorn

coloring with Daddy

Ha ha, they were both annoyed with me for taking too many pictures

Tom's favorite :)