The Help

Some of the med student wives have started a book club. I had the privileged of picking the first book. I chose The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I loved the book!! I didn't actually read it; I listened to it instead. I would definitely suggest the audio version because it will make you want to talk in a deep southern accent after listening to it. We had book club early Sat. morning on the 21st. Despite the fact that it was 9 in the morning, I couldn't resist making "Minny's Chocolate Pie - minus her special ingredient." Everyone who has read the book will get the joke. I also made some blueberry muffins for those who couldn't stomach a piece of pie so early in the morning.

Date Night at the Rodeo

We took Nicholas to his first rodeo last Friday (the 20th) because we got free tickets through UT Southwestern. Nicholas loved the rodeo. I could barely get him to look at the camera because he was so interested in the horses. When he got bored with the horses he would side shuffle along the benches and visit other people watching the rodeo. This was the first outing that he started to get upset because it was past his bedtime. Usually, he doesn't mind staying up late as long as he has our complete attention. This time he spent a good portion of the drive home crying. If this continues, it is going to put a serious damper on our social life.

Joseph and I enjoyed the rodeo and loved going with our friends Dave and Laura. (Dave is also a 2nd year medical student.) I loved the bull riding and Joseph loved the mutton busting. Mutton busting is when terrified children ride terrified sheep. I have a feeling that Nicholas will get signed up to do this if Joseph can find a way. The arena was nice and air conditioned! (It has been over a hundred for the past three weeks.)

Nicholas at 10 1/2 months!!

Weight: 25 lbs with a diaper (90%)

Height: 29 inches (50%)
Head Cir: 18.25 inches (65%)

Cuteness/Happiness: Off the Charts

Tooth Count: 3 (The three bottom ones have come in. The middle one is very crooked. It looks like he is going to have teeth like his mama's. We are going to have to start saving now for all the dental work he will need done. Sorry, little guy.)

Joseph Would Rather Be A Cowboy Than A Doctor

We LOVE having people come visit and stay at our house. We were lucky enough to have Joseph's cousins Nancy and Rachel come stay a night with us. Nancy served her mission in Fort Worth and was visiting some members before she had to go to BYU. We were lucky enough to get to tag along while she visited one of her converts named Chico. He works at a beautiful ranch in Fort Worth. He let us all have the opportunity to ride some of the horses. Joseph took to it naturally!!! He was at home in the saddle. Nicholas on the other hand was scared of the horses, but he did love Chico and riding in the golf cart!

It rained most of the time we were there. It poured while we were headed to Fort Worth making the freeway dangerous! It was worth the scary trip because the rain cooled everything down and we loved watching lightning streak across the sky as the sun set.

This horse is worth over a million dollars. It was fun riding a horse that was worth more than I ever will be.

Nancy

Welcome to Japan

After our trip to Utah, I was a little sad because I realized that a vacation is not really a vacation when you are a mother. There are no breaks from being a mother. My funk was mainly due to the fact that I was exhausted and desperately in need of a nap. Joseph offered to watch Nicholas and cook dinner while I took a nap. I woke up to this. Oh how I love my sweet husband!!!

(Nicholas was dressed up as a Sumo wrestler and loved eating his chopsticks.)

Our Trip to Utah

Joseph had one week off this summer, so we decided to make the trip up to Utah during the last week in June. During the ride, Nicholas got his first tooth. It seemed to me like he cried about 15 of the 22 hours we were in the car. We also hit a dead deer and the check engine light came on around Vernal. Needless to say, the drive up was not one of my favorite memories. The drive did have some highlights. We drove through Aspen, which was breathtaking, and we stopped at Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. Once we finally made it to Utah, we had a fun time hanging out with our families. I have included a few pictures of some of our favorite memories that made the trip worth it.

BBQ with the Wells

My older brother Richard.

Grandma Wells and Nicholas

Grandpa Wells

My little brother Thomas and Emily

Megan, Lyndie, and Joseph

The Muhlestein Family Reunion in Monticello, UT

Riding in Uncle Jim's side by side.

Nicholas, Joseph, and Grandpa Muhlestein

Joseph and Nicholas in front of the Muhlestein cabin.

Great Grandma Muhlestein with Nicholas

Uncle George, Nicholas and Grandpa Muhlestein

Visiting my Grandpa Wells and getting another four generation photo.

Grandpa Wells, Me, Nicholas, and Great Grandpa Wells

Hogle Zoo

I couldn't pick a favorite picture of Nicholas with his grandparents at the zoo.

We had a lot of fun besides what was captured in these photos. Joseph and I were also able to attend two temple sessions during the trip thanks to wonderful grandparents that were willing to babysit. It was really fun going to the Monticello temple for the first time. Joseph also enjoyed spending a day rafting the Colorado river. That provided another one of the trips memories when he lost his glasses after jumping in the river. We are grateful he kept his old mission pair and are grateful for Christina letting him borrow hers so he could help on the drive home.

The drive back to Texas was a lot better than the drive up to Utah. Nicholas slept a lot because the trip had worn him out. Besides a big, scary hail storm (which Nicholas couldn't stop laughing at!), we didn't run into any problems. We had a really fun time and enjoyed the vacation.

My 26th Birthday!

Birthday plans included:

1. Visit IKEA (Joseph was a wonderful sport and didn't complain at all during our two hour long trip. He had Nicholas try out all the beds and even sit on a few couches. We ended up only getting a shower curtain liner and some curtain rods.)
2. Eat at Macaroni Grill. (I even got a big piece of free chocolate cake for my birthday.)
3. Watch Netflix movies. (Joseph surprised me with a subscription to Netflix. We are doing the one month free trial right now and really enjoying it.)
4. Not to deal with anybody's bodily fluids besides my own. (I failed on this birthday goal. I wanted to go one day without changing a diaper, cleaning up a blow out, or wiping up spit up. I don't think I will have a day free of this until Nicholas is out of the house.
5. Go to yard sales. (I scored two beach ball and 3 pool noodles for 75 cents.)
6. Pick up a free smoothie at McDonalds. (Nicholas LOVED the smoothie. He drank half of it and cried when it was gone.)

It was a wonderful day. Joseph is an amazing husband and he loves to spoil me. My favorite part of the day was spending it with my two favorite men. I am so very blessed.

More Muhlesteins in TX

Mary, George, Tanner, Morgan, and Grandmother Muhlestein all decided to brave the 100 degree heat in Texas. Their visit was quick because they were headed to Ohio for Lucas' blessing. They came on Wednesday the 11th at 2 in the morning and left very early on Thursday morning. While they were here, we went swimming, played in the park, celebrated my birthday, and ate at CiCi's pizza. It was so nice to see everyone and Joseph loved showing off the house and his favorite climbing tree. I loved showing off Nicholas. We had a great time and loved having family near, even if it was only for a day.

10 months

Favorite Foods: Popsicles, Ice Cream, Sauerkraut, Cottage Cheese and Yogurt, Ritz crackers, and Applesauce (You can see he is a man of varied and refined tastes.)

Tooth Count: 1 1/2 (So far, he gets a runny nose every time he is getting a new tooth.)

Weight: 23.6 lbs

Height: Approximately 29 inches (He wouldn't cooperate.)

Clothing Size: He wears 12-18 month clothes.

Favorite Toy: His fingernail clippers and a blue spray bottle

Favorite Things to Chew On: Shoes and Cords

Mode of Transportation: He can army crawl. It takes all his strength to drag his pudgy body across the floor. He works up a big sweat doing it. He does get in crawling position, but doesn't try to go forwards or backwards. He prefers to sit or stand over laying on his belly or back.

Favorite Song: Sadly, the ABCs no longer have a magical effect on him. He doesn't really have a song that he likes at the moment.

Newest Tricks: He can give high fives and will turn the light off when we leave a room. He sat up by himself for the first time the day he turned 10 months old.

Newest Fears: Dogs and horses scare him.

Sleep Schedule: He is down to two naps, most days. He naps around 10 and again at 3:30. He will only sleep for Mama when he is in his crib or in his car seat. Papa can get him to fall asleep in his arms. When I keep him up, he is still a happy child as long as I'm willing to hold him.

Favorite Noise: Why talk when a grunt says so much more? He grunts at things that he really likes and he will grunt at people to get their attention. He also loves to whine when I make him crawl around on the floor to get the things that he wants. The only time he is a silent crawler is when he is headed for something he knows he is not supposed to have (aka stealth mode).

New Hobby: We have taken Nicholas swimming a couple times and he has really enjoyed it. He mainly goes to people watch, but he also loves splashing. He does hate water getting splashed in his face. Bath time is also a lot of fun now.

Most Notable Quality: Everyone comments about how much Nicholas smiles. He always has a huge grin for people and that makes everyone happy.

Favorite Book: Moo, Baa, La La La (He likes the animal noises.) He really would rather eat the book than have me flip the pages.

Dislikes: Getting his diaper changed.