About Bloody Time...

So third time is a charm and it turns out our Spud is officially a Spudette! We are having a little baby girl. We are thrilled that she didn't turn out to be a hermaphrodite! We don't have any names yet, but we whipped out the book "5000 + 1 baby names" so we got options here.





Here is the only time we will ever post our child's private parts so freely on the Internet:

And I really do feel dumb posting these, but here are more belly shots:

22 weeks

(Black isn't the best color for these pics)

27 weeks

Bundle of Joy!

Our friends Sarah and Jim are way cool, but not as cool as their new baby girl Evelynn Eileen Oman "Evie."

They adopted this cute baby girl two weeks ago; props to them because they only had three weeks notice! The Oman's are really rich and live on the Kansas side and little Evie was born in Missouri. According to the law, the child cannot cross the state border until all the legal mumbo jumbo is complete, even though they only live 20 minutes away! Since we are ghetto and we live in Missouri, the Oman family packed up their stuff (Travis required Jim to bring his X-box... Oh Gahhhh) and they stayed in our basement on our "pee" futon for the first 8 days of Evie's life while waiting for everything to go through.

It was a really neat experience to witness a babies first week of life. We know now what to expect, to a degree. She was a delight and Sarah and Jim weren't so bad themselves. We had a lot of fun; played games, played tennis, watched movies, had a contest to see who showered the least (won't mention the winner), made dinners, played with Evie and mostly watched Travis play X-box... did you know he totally rocks at Halo... that's way hot (not)!


The Oman's were set free to go home and are gone now. We miss them, but to be honest, mostly miss their daughter! After seeing the real Charles family I hope they still want to be friends!

Cute Family

Baby Evie

On the court already

So sleepy!

*PS all comments directed negatively towards Missouri are not meant to be taken seriously... its a great place, home of the Red X!

My Boo

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for you people out there, but Trav is one step closer to practicing medicine. He passed his medical boards this week! Don't worry or flea the country; he still has two years of clinical rotations and two more series of boards to take. He is a genius because he not only passed but he got a little above average on the test. He worked harder for this test than I have ever seen him work! Sorry I nagged so much. I'm so proud of him! Its been a little crazy around here so besides a nice pat on the back from me; we didn't do to much to celebrate. I imagined in my head a huge celebration dinner but just never got around to it... sorry! However; its never too late to celebrate so Trav; if you are reading this we are going to go to a Japanese Steak house to celebrate!

There is your future MD! (PS thanks for the hair cut Brandi, he really needed it!)

I'm so excited to have a fun husband again. We have started playing tennis again (very convenient for him because I'm 6 months prego and not as agile as before). The rest of the Summer is going to ROCK! I declare its the summer of Trav '08.

Its Official...

I think I'm going to have to declare myself a walker from now till after Spud gets here. I tried running Tuesday and failed because my tummy kept cramping up. I thought it was a fluke; or gas so I tried it again yesterday and I felt like I had to hold my tummy the whole time again because I was cramping up. So instead of running I turned on the speed walking. Yes; that is correct; I'm going to be one of those cool people that sways their arms back and forth as fast as possible while taking large swift steps. Maybe I will go and buy a spandex outfit to match; it seems like some of "those" kind of people wear that stuff?

Speed Walking Facts:

• The world's largest registration walking event is the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen.
• You can burn about 440 calories an hour if you weigh 150 pounds and are walking at the brisk pace of 4.5 miles per hour.
• Speed walking was made an official event in the olympics... but then was removed :(
• If competing in a "race walking" competition you always have to have one leg touching the ground. "The advancing leg shall be straightened (i.e. not bent at the knee) from the moment of first contact with the ground until the vertical upright position."

"Going to the Temple, and We're...."

ARIGHT ALREADY!!!! I'm on it, ok? Now that boards are over, my only excuse is I am still in that post-test letdown period while all of my activities are devoted to myself. Milli finds herself even more neglected, oddly, and has to continually pull hair out to get me to update the blog. What better place to do it than gate C45 in the Denver airport? I am stuck here for two hours, more than enough time to get this done. By the way, all of you people I don't quite actually know yet, feel free to comment on how great I am for getting past test season.

Boards are a hard thing for your average medical student. I consider myself one of those. I have to say, though, the odds were stacked against me on these tests. The story starts about 22 years ago, when my brother Wes dropped me on my head, handing me my only concussion in my up-til-now-relatively-accident-free life. How many millions of brain cells were lost on that day only above average medical students may venture to guess. Fast forward to the present summer, when my doofus brother waited 36 years to get married DURING BOARDS WEEK!! I suppose he was just trying to finish off the job that he started so long ago. In response, I guess I roasted him pretty good during my toast at the wedding dinner. Sorry, man, but it was not only a pleasure but a duty of the upmost importance.

Ok, that was the intro. Wes got married! We flew to Utah for a quick weekend wedding fiesta, and left Utah even before they left the state on their honeymoon! We flew two nights before the wedding, and were able to spend wedding eve reacquainting ourselves with my family. The kids are huge, no kidding. We had a neat little wedding dinner at the Lion House near temple square, during which the last batch of "old batchelor" jokes were thrown at Wes. It was kind of a sentimental thing for me; we are all going to have to come up with some new material now!

Wedding day went off without a hitch. The Bountiful temple is gorgeous! During the ceremony, I think Wes had that same cheesy smile that I had plastered all over my face during our wedding. When you're in there, though, it just feels right to smile I suppose. After the wedding, everyone just waited and waited and waited while pictures were being taken. Wow, I don't remember people waiting for Milli and I that long! Seemed like they stuck their faces in front of the camera for a quick pic, and then poof, they were gone! All except for Tammy and Sadie, of course (thanks, ladies).

The backdrop for the reception was impressive. Wish I had a picture, but you will all have to trust me that the view from my brother's place in Glenwild (outside Park City, UT) is hard to beat. There were quite a few friends and family members there, and it was good to see them all. And there was some crazy moves on the dance floor, most provided by the Charles and Wilton families. The top dancers were (in no particular order) Milli, Tracie, and Jesse. The most impressive couples had to be Milli/Jesse and Alex/Shane.

All in all, a good solid trip back to the motherland. Our best wishes to the new couple, we are so happy for the both of you!!!!

Workin' hard (or hardly workin')

These are the people...

This was the job...


The results...

Kitchen Cabinet:

Before:
After:

Kitchen Eating Area:

Before:

After:

Kitchen Patio:

Living Room:

Before:
After:

Curtains:

Baby Room:

We did a "unisex" color of lime green; but bought this stencil just incase Spud is a girl... sorry if your a boy Spud; we didn't buy anything for that scenario.

Stuff we did when we weren't working:

Took walks: Ate: Took in a Royals game (they lost)

I just have to thank my fam for coming. I know that Kansas city is the funnest city to come and visit and I'm sure they were super ancy to go out and party (ps that is sarcasm) but they worked so dang hard! I have such a dedicated and loyal family. My mom won the award for work horse. She is crazy, she never stops... we were spent! TC wins the award for best painter. Anything she would suggest I would take because I have no clue what looks good! My dad won the most random. He went and bought a paint buy number picture at the craft store and colored it during the down times and then bought a frame and put it in our basement... Shoot I need to get a picture of that! Travis won the award for best studyier. He had to take his boards that week and was way stressed! I won the award for most improved. I think I have an ounce of confidence now. Oh and Anabelle won the award for cutest.

Its a...

Okay. I apologize profusely for not updating my blog. I do have an excuse though. My mom, dad and sister came to help paint our house so I was not working and very busy; also we still haven't hooked up the Internet. I felt like a pioneer to be without it for so long. I am flattered that people actually are annoyed that I haven't posted yet, he he! So thanks for your threatening comments! So the answer is... ... ... it is a... ... IT! Spud once again was shy. You can't really blame Spud though. Apparently the baby is sitting very deep in my pelvis and they can't get a clear picture. We kind of think it is a girl because you could clearly not see a little wiener, but the doc said there was no conformation on girl parts either. We will just have to wait for next time! Does anyone have tips on how to prepare for the next ultra sound? I have heard of drinking lots of water, drinking carbonation and other stuff, and I will be honest, I haven't really tried. But I am getting desperate! I have no patience!

Lots to come...

I feel like there is so much going on! I'm super anxious for the next couple of weeks. Let me tell you why!

1. Family Chores

As I said before, we have moved! We are in our roomy three bedroom townhouse. I cannot even believe the difference in space. There are some drawers that I haven't even used yet, and I feel like it is a sin to not fill them. The coolest thing about our home is that is is straight from the 70's. My friends that live in the same co-op have all new tile in the bathroom and new appliances, but I have a bright yellow and green bathroom floor. My thoughts are if you miss the toilet, it will blend right in with the floor! We also have a puke yellow stove that I am hoping will break so it will be replaced with the newer models. I don't know why we have been skipped but I might just go with the 70's and decorate the bathrooms with disco balls and psychedelic patterns. My mom and TC are coming (with Anabelle) on Saturday to help paint because I am very retarded in the home decor department. I'm way excited for them to come (since I haven't seen them for a whole 10 days... he he). I love that they are flying all this way so they can do chores. I love family.

2. Board Brains

Travis is studying for boards like a mad man! He takes one test next week, and another in 2 weeks. Some symptoms of too much studying are: he will ask me really obvious things; for example we were packing one night and moving the next day, and he saw me looking in the fridge and said, "your not packing the food right now are you? We aren't moving till tomorrow." Duh Trav. Other symptoms are: forgetting to shower... wait is that new? Forgetting to eat, I am doing all I can to remind him! This is one symptom that I am very surprised at; he is being very responsible. He was so organized in the move, he has helped others move, he has arranged for services we need for our new home (one was the direct TV, so there might have been other motives). He has been amazing! I sometimes get home from work and I feel sorry for myself because I am so tired and I just think things should be done when I get home (us to be 100% moved in, laundry, dishes) so then I get ornery that I have to do some of the things. I forget that Trav has to study his guts out. I'm 100% sure he will pass, but he wants to get a really good grade so that we will have more choices for residency and where to live. I'm grateful for his motivation! He's cute.

3. Dilemma
We are finding out for real what the baby is going to be on Monday. He/she better cooperate this time or I may have a seizure. This entry is getting long, but I have a lot to talk about in this area. I have always wanted a boy since I was young because I grew up with all girls, and I'm sick of them (no offense sisters, but you understand). This whole time I have been pregnant I have had a strong intuition that Spud is a girl. I was pretty dead set on it in fact. Then I got hit by a call from my sweet Grandma Gladys. She has been known to have very impacting dreams. She dreams of the sex's of babies and has been dead right on all. She called me and said that she had a dream we had a curly haired boy. So now I'm totally confused. Do I trust my pregnant woman instincts, or do I listen to the voice of wisdom?

Side story: My mom told me that last summer there was a dove in their backyard that lived there the whole summer while Sadie was pregnant with Anabelle. She said the bird was beautiful and very sweet. When Anabelle was born the bird never came back and Anabelle has the characteristics of that bird so she said that the bird was Anabelle's spirit. She said that this year there is a bluebird in the yard that has come to live. She is assuming that this is Spud's spirit. One day she left the door open and the bird flew in and crapped on the table. This is what I have to look forward to!

4. Wedding Bells

Lastly I am looking forward to flying home next Thursday for my brother-in-law, Wes's wedding. I know, I was just home 2 weeks ago, but lay off, I'm being supportive! This time we will only be in town for 12 minutes! I'm so excited for Wes and Rachael. Wes is 36, and has never been married. I promise he falls in the 1% of normal Mormon men who have never been married and are 36. Just couldn't find the right one (no offense if you are 36, Mormon and have never been married). He is a handsome guy with the funniest sense of humor, and his pocket book doesn't seem to be hurting either. He is marrying a fun girl named Rachael. She is my age, so he is robbing the cradle! Anyways, we are excited to see them so happy; and for him to finally take the plunge!


Whoa, that was a lot of stuff. I won't feel bad if you had to take naps in between reading. Just had a lot on my mind! I will post pics as soon as my home computer is up and running!

Anabelle Jane

I had the opportunity to go home for about 15 minutes to Utah this past Memorial weekend. The reason I was able to go home was because my niece Anabelle was getting sealed to her cute family. If you don't know the story of Anabelle then go to this link. I don't think I could sum it up better. All I have to say is that the spirit was very strong in the temple. I have never experienced an adoption sealing before. I am so proud of TC and Jon for doing this and preparing their family. And I'm also proud of Sadie for being so supportive and making this whole situation work out the best it possibly could. Seeing Brayden and Jack in the temple wearing all white was another very neat thing to see. The crazy little boys didn't act all too crazy, of course they had the bribe of going to Chucky Cheese if they were good... who wouldn't act like angels with that in mind? All in all, it was a really neat experience for not only me but for the Jolley family. Words can't describe.
If you think he is being funny, he is not. This is honestly how he smiles... so beautiful
Could do this everyday!
Cute family
Sadie and her friend Devin
Cutest baby at this moment... wait till October; mine may cut it close :)

Keep your eyes out for more pics... I have more, but couldn't post all of them because we moved and all the pics were saved on my other computer.

Highlights of the trip:
The temple
Pedicures
Massage
Seeing Allie and Stacie
Shopping
Hanging with my niece and nephews
Family time
Seeing Tiff and Dave and Rian
Seeing Niki and Byron and their awesome new ride
Grandma Jin's grave
Breakfast with Charles'
Seeing my grandma and grandpa everyday
Watching (or falling asleep... Me and TC are wusses) movies in my parents basement with the sweet sound system
Of course all the eating


Lowlights of the trip:
Not seeing everyone I wanted to
Leaving my cute husbie
Being sick
Trying to sleep during the LOUD movies in my parents basement
Having to leave
Regretting all the food I ate

The Great Outdoors

We went on our second annual camping trip down south near Branson, MO (where all the old people flock to... no offense Travis's parents, I know you enjoyed it). We went with Jim and Brandi Hastings for the second year in a row.
Probably the funniest/most frustrating part of the trip was when we found out that Brandi's mom had a fishing boat she said she would let us borrow. She had never used the boat and it had been sitting outside for years, but hey, we were going to save 65 bucks, so we didn't care. We thought the fixing up job would be pretty easy, 3 hours later we realized we were wrong. First of all it was covered in green mildewy water. The boys had to tip it over and let it drain, the girls just encouraged the boys from a distance. Secondly the trailer we were going to use had bad tires. We took it to a tire shop and bought new tires. Thirdly, we realized that the lights on the trailer weren't working because the hookup wasn't the right size; so we had to go to the store again and buy the right cord. Fourthly, we had to run it through the car wash to get the nasty out of it. Fifthly, we had to go and buy gasoline and oil and fishing licenses. At one point, the boys realized that there was a lot of water in the inside of the boat. Hmmmmm... was it going to float or not? This didn't stop us, we invested way too much time to quit. When we finally got to Branson the boys tipped to boat over to let the inside drain for the night. The next day was the big test.

The sea was angry that day my friends... just kidding, it was a beautiful day. We got in the boat and it didn't sink. The sticker on the boat mentioned that it had a 410 pound limit, we were silly to even consider all four of us in the boat, but we are poor med school students, and we were going to get our money's worth on this trip. We all fit in the boat even though if one person moved an inch the boat would sway heavily. We were pretty stoked when the engine worked too. We set off for an amazing fishing adventure and we came back with... .... .... absolutely no fish. Maybe next year! Here is the rest of our trip!

Oh and earlier that week we went to our first official royals game of the season.

Two stadium tickets: $18



Parking in Kaufman stadium: $9


Hot dogs: $12


Sneaking down to the $40 seats and only getting busted once: Priceless



Oh and the Royals beat the Tigers... boo yeah!

One last thing... we had our first ultra sound to see if Spud is indeed a Spud or a Spudette, and the verdict is... Spud is very shy! We will have to wait a couple more weeks!