The Caterpillar Years

Domestic goddess

2011-09-06T13:11:00.003-04:00

My cooking/baking skills have been on a sabbatical for the past month..no, two months. It's sad. My poor family.

The other day I had thrown a pork roast in the crockpot and then smothered the beast in BBQ sauce - not much of an effort to redeem myself here. Michael was out golfing so on his way home I had him stop at the grocery store to pick up some rolls for the shredded pork sandwiches. When he gets home dinner is almost ready and I tossed some zucchini from my grandmas garden in the pot to boil and voiala, a meal. While eating that sweet man turns and says "wow babe, I LOVE it when you cook". Fail. I felt so bad that to him that was "cooking". Bless his heart.

To make matters worse on the domestic front, I was out with my mother-in-law on my michaels brothers birthday. For his birthday his request for lunch was lasagna. When we pull in the driveway she says "I should probably start the lasagnas now" In my head I'm thinking Costco frozen lasagna, then I open my big mouth and say "so, how do you do yours?, do you thaw them out in the microwave first and then let them finish heating in the oven?" she looks at me and replies "uhhh, no...I make them...ya know, from scratch". Crap. I can't even layer noodles, spaghetti sauce and cheese. I have to buy it that way. That was my low point.

So today, I am actually cooking! Spaghetti sauce from scratch, homemade bread, fresh mozzarella, homegrown basil..the works people. I'm determined to make a comeback. Wish me luck. If you see any Arby's bags in our trash can this week, you will know that my attempts were for naught.

Lately

2011-07-16T22:19:00.003-04:00

I clearly have a failed blog. It's been an entire year since our last post. Sad.

We have moved from the city and live in the great metropolis of Salt Lake. We traded in our metro cards for car keys and our stroller for a carseat. Seriously, the first week we were back I was driving on the freeway and saw tumbleweed. Yes people, tumbleweed. I cried.

Since leaving the city we vowed to never:
-take our child on a flight...especially a red eye
-live in anything less than 1600 square feet
-pay $5.00 for a gallon of milk
Just small things.

Annie just turned 2 in june and is happy all the time! She talks nonstop and loves to follow me around. She loves friends, gymnastics, trains, books, cooking with me, going running with me and riding her scooter.
Michael quit his job in April and working for himself now. He has 2 companies that he is working on and is loving it! Happy husband = happy wife. He has enjoyed being back in Utah. He spends his free time golfing and creating algorithms. He has also lost a lot of weight.
I am staying busy being a mom, crafting, cooking and shopping. I have also taken up great liking to working out, we used to not be close friends.

We (oh, did I say we? I meant, I) will be better at blogging, I pinky swear.

Phonetically Challenged

2010-07-09T17:59:00.001-04:00

Not the best sounding restaraunt. I have no idea what the food is like
either, we ended up going next door. Welcome to Maui!

World's Most Desired Book

2010-07-08T00:42:00.001-04:00

I know you all have been looking for it, luckily I found it at the
Polynesian Cultural Center! Finally, a book that you can really use!

Aloha from Oahu - Turtle Bay

2010-07-06T01:58:00.001-04:00

What a day! We arrived in Honolulu, forgot our camera on the plane,
went back to get it, I (Michael) accidently jumped on the freeway
instead of circling the airport to pick Shannon up (she went to get
the camera from baggage claim). No worries though, it only took me 30
minutes to figure out how to get back to the airport. We got to
Turtle Bay on the N Shore, which is a fantastic resort. They upgraded
our room, we went to dinner (had some amazing crab legs) and took a
walk on the beach. The picture is of Shannon in a "warrior" stance,
just like the statue. Awesome isn't it! What a great day. I'm looking
forward to Ukelele lessons tomorrow morning!

Hand Mouth Coordination

2010-04-25T17:41:00.001-04:00

Annie is still working on the hand to mouth coordination. She's improving though. More and more is getting on her face as opposed to say the ground.

Hand Mouth Coordination

2010-04-25T17:34:00.001-04:00

Annie is still working on the hand to mouth coordination. She's improving though. More and more is getting on her face as opposed to say the ground.

Michael

Annie and San Fran

2010-04-03T08:17:00.002-04:00

So I realize it's been a super long time since we posted anything. But here is a really cute picture of Annie in a pit of balls. So cute. Last week after getting back fron San Fran we took Annie to a playground and played around a bit. She loved it for the most part. She played in the balls, crawled all over and even jumped on the mini trampoline with Shannon's assistance. It was a really fun day and not something I've had in quite a while-nearly an entire day with Annie. I decided that needs to happen as often as possible. Enjoy the photo.

This second photo has a story. I was in SFC for interviews and I needed to rent a car to get to Sacramento one afternoon. I rented a midsized car thinking it would be economical, etc. Well when I got to the rental shop they were out of the car I ordered so they offered me a royal blue mustang convertible. Typically the mustang isn't really my type of car. Actually, not just typically. It's not my type of car. Regardless I took it because I thought to myself, "how often do I get free upgrades anyway. I might as well take it.". It was an absolutely beautiful day and I thought I might pop the top - didn't happen. The Sacramento trip was pretty uneventful, but below is my proof to the world that when I got in the car there was slightly less than a half tank. If they charge me extra for not returning it full - I have proof!

Swimming

2010-04-02T21:46:00.004-04:00

Annie has taken on a new favorite hobby, SWIMMING! She is so cute floating around the pool. She also discovered a love for sand, she found this love by tasting it....of corse:( If you read this blog you should know by now that 1) I don't blog often and 2) When I do I don't write a lot. So, enjoy a few pictures!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-13T22:26:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

...btw, to listen to the card, turn off the standard music for the blog by scrolling to the bottom of the page and pressing pause on the player.

Boston

2009-10-26T15:11:00.002-04:00

For Labor Day, we took the train to Boston. We headed out of the house at 6 to catch a 7 a.m. train. We went to the Boston Commons and the Public Gardens, a Duck tour, Fenway, Old State House, The Paul Revere home, Old Cemetaries, Long Warf and much more. We had a blast!

Apple picking

2009-10-26T15:02:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago we went with some friends to New Jersey to go apple picking. We had a great time finding apples, playing in the pumpkin patch and taking fun pictures. We had so much fun, Annie fell asleep on the way home!

Annie swinging

2009-10-26T14:32:00.004-04:00

She loves to go to the park. Enjoy this short video.

What is new in the 212?

2009-10-26T14:18:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a good 2 months, I feel like I should. We have been having so much fun lately! Annie LOVES the swing at the park, we go there quite often, I have no idea how we will survive the winter. Here are some snapshots of her.

Annie

2009-08-12T22:54:00.006-04:00

We have had such a fun time with Annie! The last 8 weeks have been the hardest weeks of my life, but we have enjoyed this little bundle SO much! She is such a good baby. She either sleeps through the night or only wakes up once! While we were in Utah we got some really cute pictures of her. We love this little girl and are so glad that she is ours!

Annie Thornton Birth Announcement

2009-07-02T21:31:00.000-04:00

Perfect Father's Day and Birthday

2009-06-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

Our first full day back from the hospital was Father's Day and my
birthday. You guessed it, the big 27. Shannon made these pancakes just
to remind me :). What a perfect day! There couldn't be any better
gift for a birthday/fathers day combo than a new, beautiful daughter!

NYC BBQ Block Party (Madison Square Park)

2009-06-23T11:24:00.002-04:00

Catching up on some posts. This is where Shannon and I were the weekend before Annie was born. It was a really good time and Shannon was an incredible sport to suggest and come along. The lines were long but overall it was worth it. It was a good time!

Sleeping Annie

2009-06-23T11:20:00.001-04:00

Here is another picture of Annie. This girl is soooo adorable!

Presenting...Annie Thornton

2009-06-23T10:51:00.003-04:00

Many of you have been asking when we're going to post pictures of Annie and this morning I received the request that broke the camel's back (and I had a spare moment with Annie and Shannon asleep).

Annie was born on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009, weighing 6 lbs and measuring 18.5".

Thank you all for your support and well wishes.

New York Hospital SWAG

2009-06-19T17:07:00.000-04:00

Only in New York is the hospital SWAG from Chanel :)

Annie in Town (Shannon's Friend not the Baby)

2009-05-16T20:22:00.001-04:00

Shannon's friend Annie came into town this week which was perfect timing. I worked late every night this week so Shannon enjoyed having a friend around. I did find time late Friday night to catch up with them outside Macys and I took a picture of the race car window display. Nice car!

CAIA Exam Level II

2009-04-20T11:59:00.001-04:00

I passed!! I'll find out my exact score in about a week. It feels
good to be done with the CAIA program.

2009-04-19T19:27:00.001-04:00

Yogurtland

2009-04-19T19:21:00.003-04:00

Shannon got hooked on Yogurtland recently and of course is trying to suck me in too. Honestly though it's really good. If you ever go get the Dutch Chocolate of the Cookies and Creme. The toppings are irrelevant. Tell them Michael sent you (they'll look at you weird and make you pay full price) but I'll feel good that you took my advise.

Tavern on the Green

2009-04-19T13:43:00.003-04:00

While my friend Stephen was in town we all went to Tavern on the Green. It's a good restaurant but what really makes the experience is that it overlooks Central Park. It was a lot of fun.

In the Heights

2009-04-19T13:15:00.002-04:00

This is a really good Broadway show and we're soooo indebted to the
Sine's who helped us win the lottery. The show was really good and
Shannon and I had a really good time. If you understand Spanish I'm
sure it's even better. Like most Broadways there are one or two parts that could be left out but overall it was a very good show!

FHE - Rootbeer Floats at the Mansion

2009-04-06T23:20:00.000-04:00

Wow the Mansion rocks! This place continues to be our favorite diner.
It's also a great place to get desert. ...and yes, it was as good as
it looks :)

Almost Spring

2009-04-05T22:11:00.000-04:00

It is almost spring in New York. It's getting warmer and walks along
the East River are fun again. We took a walk in Carl Schurz park. It
was beautiful! I love this weather and the park is a great place to
enjoy it.

Good Thai Restaurant

2009-04-05T22:05:00.001-04:00

If you're looking for a good Thai place I have to recommend Spice. The
prices were reasonable and the food was good. Thanks to the Yorks for
inviting us on Saturday night before Priesthood session!

New York Stroll

2009-03-28T21:27:00.002-04:00

Shannon and I took a stroll around the city today. This picture was taken across the street from Madison Square Garden. Then I edited it with a new free app I got for my phone. It's a pretty cool app (as you can see the whole picture is black and white except for the Pepsi add in the middle).

Family Night Office Trivia

2009-03-23T22:08:00.001-04:00

Nothing like Office trivia for family night. I'm proud to say that I won this evening, though generally Shannon has a way of pulling off the victory in this game. One of the many games that she's better at than me.

Finally!

2009-03-22T22:44:00.002-04:00

I finally got the blog to a reasonable state! I spent like 5 hours trying to figure out how to properly use blogger! It took a while to figure out how to change the background color, add friend's blogs, change the font color in the picture and I feel like maybe it will motivate me to start blogging instead of always Michael! Yay it looks presentable! Lets hope that the blog invites I sent out work!

Week 26

2009-03-19T15:17:00.002-04:00

This for those of you that have been asking to see a picture of me pregnant...and for those of you that didn't ask for one...Sorry!

Daffodils

2009-03-19T15:08:00.002-04:00

I am so excited for spring to finally coming around. One of my favorite things about the spring are the flowers! They had some Daffodils at the corner store the other day and they were too pretty to pass by. We enjoyed them for a few days before they died. We can't wait until the flowers in the park start to bloom!

Dinner with Matt and Julee

2009-03-19T14:56:00.003-04:00

I have been meaning to post this for quite some time now and lets be realistic, I don't really work so, I have no excuses! We met up with our friends, the Nieslen's, a few weeks ago for dinner at Olive Garden. We haven't seen them for about 4 months since they moved to New Jersey. It was so fun to catch up with them over dinner, and because you are at dinner with two pregnant women dessert is a must! We can't wait to see them again this Sunday and I look forward to her baby shower next Saturday! We are so excited to see what they have in a couple weeks!

Fun with the Yorks!

2009-03-19T14:42:00.003-04:00

Lately we have been hanging out a lot with Yuhi and Shane York. Last Saturday we went to lunch at Dallas BBQ (I am craving it again...) and then we went and played in Central Park! We had a blast at Belvedere's Castle, walking around the lake and getting Starbucks! We couldn't ask for more fun friends!

Little Baby Thornton - Week 22

2009-02-15T22:58:00.005-05:00

Wow. We are so excited to find out that we're having a girl!! Annie continues to grow and should be about 11 inches long and 1 pound. On another note, Week 22 holds a lot of changes for the mother. For all of you who are dying to know, and I know that's most of you, below is a list of things many women experience around Week 22. FYI - Shannon has not exhibited all of these, but has some:

• Thicker, more lustrous hair
• Increased body hair
• Faster-growing fingernails
• Skin changes
• Stretch marks
• Skin discolorations
• Larger feet

Wow, what women go through for their children!! Way to go babe and keep up the good work :)

IT'S A GIRL!

2009-02-06T08:43:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday morning, Michael and I went to the hospital for the 20 week sonogram. The baby was all curled up and so it took about 45 minutes until they were able to tell us it was a girl. However, they were able to measure everything and get good pictures. We got to see her holding her hands, rubbing her eyes and( I am not gonna lie, it looked like she was picking her nose at one point). One of the coolest things was that after they measured all the bones they were able to calculate her weight! She only weighs 10 ounces right now, but will grow rapidly from now on. We are so excited to be having a little baby girl and can't wait until June!

Little Baby Thornton - Week 19

2009-01-25T21:40:00.003-05:00

Well, the baby is about 6 inches now, from head to "rump." I'm also very happy that everything should now be proportionate, the ears to the head, the legs and arms to the body, etc. etc. Other than lots of growth, the baby is also starting to develop important areas of the brain, designating areas for sight, smell and sound.

It's so cool. Shannon is still growing, which is awesome. We're both really excited and having a countdown of sorts until we find out whether it's a boy or a girl (9 days from today!!!!!). We'll be sure to let you all know as soon as we find out whether we're having a Clarke Michael or Annie.

Hope you're all well. We love you!

We're Watching...

2009-01-18T15:36:00.004-05:00

Do you sometimes feel like someone is watching you? Bauer does. And rightfully so. Here is a picture taken just moments earlier. We have such a weird dog!!

Little Baby Thornton - Week 18

2009-01-18T15:11:00.003-05:00

It's been a couple weeks. I know I'm slacking, but rather than go back and hash out what has already happened, I'm going to just keep going forward. Shannon and I were out in Utah for a while, so I haven't posted in a while.

This week is week 18 and it's crazy to think that in two weeks we'll find out if we're going to have a girl or a boy. Shannon is hoping for a girl and I'm hoping for a boy. Either way someone should be happy :) jk, of course both of us are super excited regardless.

The baby is now about 5.5 inches head to rump and FINALLY its' ears are in place. Yes, we've been waiting how many weeks now!! jk. Shannon is going through a lot of changes. Besides being more hungry and having growing pains, she's starting to show, which she is really excited about. I guess it's a big day when people start realizing that you're definitely pregnant and haven't just let yourself go.

Hope you all are doing well.

Little Baby Thornton - Week 13

2008-12-14T21:34:00.003-05:00

Wow, another week has already gone by. Shannon is complaining that she's getting bigger. I keep telling her that she's pregnant. It's normal. She should just be glad she has an excuse (as opposed to me).

Cool things going on with the baby this week include:

1. The baby now has fingerprints.

2. The baby's head is now only 1/3 the size of it's entire body. (Luckily this is expected to decrease even more, except for the unfortunate few that seem to keep this ratio fairly constant. You know the people I'm talking about :)... ).

3. Last thing, we're now into the second trimester, which means less morning sickness for most people!!

This week is going to be great. We're both really excited about going back to Salt Lake to be with family for Christmas!!

Little Baby Thornton - Week 12

2008-12-07T13:56:00.003-05:00

I'm loving it. There is now a recognizable baby in Shannon's womb. Alot of things happen this week that are awesome...

1. Face is now unquestionably human.

2. Eyes move from the side, to the front of the head. Thanks heavens. What were they doing on the side in the first place?

3. Ears are in place.

4. Little Baby Thornton is now the size of a lime.

Shannon's starting to feel better with longer amounts of time in between bouts of morning sickness. I keep getting more excited as the weeks go by. I can't believe how fast time is going by, although Shannon wouldn't agree. If it were up to her I think she'd like to fast forward her life to the day after birth. We're also starting to get excited about Christmas in Utah.

Preview of the Christmas Tree

2008-11-30T23:52:00.002-05:00

We'll follow up with additional photos later, but for those of you who
can't wait (me included) here is a preview picture.

The Mother - Week 11

2008-11-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

As cute as ever. Don't tell her I took this photo. :)

Little Baby Thornton - Week 11

2008-11-30T15:26:00.002-05:00

Wow, another week has gone by. My personal observation is that Shannon is starting to feel better and not having nausea as much. Shannon would definitely agree. There are a lot of things going on with the baby this week. Below are my favorites:

1. The baby is getting huge!! (1.5 inches)
2. The baby is now stretching and kicking, but Shannon won't be able to feel it for another month or two.
3. Some of the baby's bones are beginning to harden.

This baby is really incredible! It's facinating how it develops and at the same time to see the effect it has on Shannon. This baby better appreciate everything Shannon is going through for it.

'til next week.

Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, Met Museum and Cloisters

2008-11-23T20:43:00.008-05:00

Last Tuesday Shannon scored tickets for us to the Christmas Spectacular at the Radio City Music Hall. It was a really good show and both of us loved it. It was great to get into the christmas spirit. Above is a picture of Shannon with two Nutcrackers...wow, what lookers. I'd better watch out.

On Saturday Shannon and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters. The Met was great and the Cloisters was really far away. I'm just kidding the Cloisters is definitely worth it, but take the train, not the bus, especially not the local bus. Below are a couple pictures.

Picaso:

When Shannon was getting morning sickness at the Met.

Angry faces!!!!

Little Baby Thornton - Week 10

2008-11-23T20:20:00.004-05:00

Wow, there is a lot going on in Shannon this week. Below are some of my favorites:

1. The baby's limbs now bend

2. No more webbed feet and hands.

3. Most women are now inbetween regular and maternity wear.

4. Womb is now the size of a grapefruit (normally the size of a pear).

5. The baby's hands bend at the wrists and meet at the heart.

Shopping Trip

2008-10-12T23:18:00.002-04:00

Below is a little sampling of our shopping trip this weekend. It was a
lot of fun. The best part is going around and seeing everything. Every
once in a while you come across a real gem like the picture below. It
makes you stop and realize, and really appreciate that in this city
where so many people are serious non-stop there are others that have a
sense of humor and don't take themselves too seriously.

The Pupose of Life (still learning, but I've had a couple good recent experiences)

2008-08-03T20:24:00.001-04:00

I want to share a couple stories of experiences I’ve had over the last month or so. The first experience happened a week ago or so. I was in the locker room at the gym and overheard two young analysts speaking about a town that was familiar to them both. They commented on how it was a great town, a town that you could really live in. Then they contrasted it to Manhattan, what they classified as a town that was only good for working and dying. They said, “Manhattan is only good for working. You work and work and then you die here.” It was interesting and shocking at the same time to hear them discussing this. It reminded me of an experience that had happened a couple weeks prior to this experience. I was sitting in a client meeting and the question came up just how much longer the client expected to work. He answered by telling a story about his father and that he hoped to emulate his father’s example. He told of how his father was an attorney and died at the office, sitting at his board room table. This is how he hoped to die, working and sitting at the board room table.

These were two eye opening experiences for me. Experiences like these have the effect of focusing your thoughts and help you think about life. First of all, there is more to life than working, because to work and work and then die would be a terribly outcome indeed. It makes me glad to have the gospel and to know that there is more to life than just working and/or seeking after worldly things. Working hard is good, but it’s not the purpose of life. Secondly, I thought about how it would be to want to die at work. It made me think about how people like that must be defined by their work. Their self-worth, motivation and purpose in life are to work and make money. Whereas with the gospel my self-worth comes from knowing that I am a son of God with potential to become like him; my motivation comes from my relationships with my wife and family and my desire to be happy and return to live with God; and my purpose in life mirrors my motivation.

I’m glad for these experiences. Living in New York reminds me of the saying that without sorrow we would never come to know happiness and without evil there would be no righteousness.

Bauer

2008-03-08T17:36:00.003-05:00

Oh my...Shannon picked out the cutest mini maltese puppy!! His name is Bauer and he is so cute. He's so white and furry with long hair and he has the most adorable face. I've been pleasantly surprised with how well mannered he is. The first night we had him at home he followed Shannon around everywhere and would never get more than a foot away from her. The first night he wined for about 10 minutes when we went to bed, but he's been fine ever since. Like I said, he is very well mannered and has a very good temperment. He does like to nibble on my toes, though. We'll have to get him to stop that. And with that introduction, I am pleased to introduce Bower!!!!

Weekend of Sept. 16th

2007-09-16T15:43:00.000-04:00

Friday night was fairly uneventful, except for when Shannon picked me up from work. I love it when she does that!! Saturday, Shannon went to work and I picked her up! We then went to dinner at this chinese restraurant near our apartment. Following dinner, we went back to the apartment and watched the final disc of The Office season 3. It was really good and it was even better to finally find out what happened at the end of the season. There were quite a few twists and turns. I'm excited to watch the new season, which I hear will be shown on the NBC website.

Sunday, Harry Reid came to our ward, which was really cool. I had to tell Shannon who he was. We then came home and googled him. It's been a great weekend--very relaxing and just what I needed to re-energize for the coming week.

Central Park Zoo

2007-09-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

For Labor day Michael and I decided to invite some new members to come with us to the zoo. WE HAD AN ABSOLUTE BLAST! We loved it! There was this building right when you walked in the gate that was labeled " Animals in Crisis". We walked in expecting to see some sort of endangered species. However, when you got inside it was a big empty room!!! I guess those animals really are in a crisis! After the zoo, we took a nice walk down 5th Avenue. We walked past Gucci, Versece, Prada, Cole Han, brooks Brothers and many other stores that were fun to see...We didn't do any purchasing! We took a train from Rockefeller Center to the West Village! We walked around for a while down there. We noticed how different the Village was from where we live. The village had a much quieter, smaller town feel. It was REALLY fun! To end the evening we went back home and ordered some food from this restaurant named Jackson Hole!

Powdered Sugar by the Spoonfull

2007-09-01T11:58:00.000-04:00

Wow! All I can say is wow!

I just saw the most amazing thing from my wife. She eats powdered sugar by the spoonfull. She was so kind to make german pancakes, bacon, and muffins this morning for breakfast. We sit down to eat and toward the end...she eats an entire spoonfull of powdered sugar. I couldn't believe it.

And all she can say is yum! ...that means it must be healthy! Wow!