First day of playschool

Well, we decided to put Raegan in "school." She goes twice a week for two hours at a time. She really needs a sibling (working on that one), so in the meantime we thought it would be good for her to interact with other children and learn to share (which she is not very good at) and not be so bossy (wonder who she got that from--shame on you, Blake!). We thought playschool would be perfect, and so far, so good. She even brought something on the first day for "show-and-tell" (her Ariel flip flops which she has yet to master walking in) and told her friends about them. A couple of her cousins also attended the same playschool, so the program/teacher come highly recommended. Hopefully this will be a good thing for her and help get her ready for a new sibling (yeah, right). She is officially a "Spuhler Sprout". I will put a link to the school's blog for you die-hard Raegan fans. :)
Here she is on her first day. She was so excited to be able to go to school like her cousins!

Labor Day Fun

We spent a fun Labor Day weekend at the Gustafson Family cabin. Of course, Blake got sick and it took us six hours to make the two and a half hour drive home, but in spite of all of that, we had a great time. Traffic was HORRIBLE--it took us 30 minutes to travel four miles just outside of Payson. I thought I was going to lose my mind! We also had a flat tire, surprise, surprise. However, we were very blessed in that some guy pulled up next to us a mile just before a rest area and told us, so we were able to change the flat in the rest area. Wouldn't you know, the spare was flat, but we had a little pump that pumped up the tire and we were on our way at 50 mph for the rest of the trip. Yippee! ( I would highly recommend one of those pumps--it plugs into the power outlet in your car.)

Here are a few photos from our trip:

Raegan's first experience shucking corn

and eating it raw.

She loved it!


Her first time holding a sparkler--so fun!



We sang songs around the campfire and Raegan had her first s'more (with "marshpillows").


Thanks to Uncle Ryan for bathing those sticky, camp-firey smelling kids!

Bathtub Art

Not only is Blake brilliant, but he's also a talented artist. Just notice our latest family portrait. . .



If anyone else would like to contract Blake's unique artistic talent, it can be purchased for a nominal fee. :) I LOVE my beehive hair--isn't it making a comeback? And is this really a subtle hint that my hair is too big?

Our "Summer Vacation"

Well, we spent the weekend (Fri-Tues) at the Gustafson Family cabin. The weather was GORGEOUS and we even had a little rain. It was wonderful. After Blake finished his final project, he was able to relax as well. We watched some of the Olympics, and I finished Breaking Dawn. Good book! I was so thankful to have my parents and Blake there to help me. I'm still feeling sick and am counting down the days until I hit 16 weeks. I'm hoping to feel better by then. This pregnancy is still MUCH better than it was w/ Raegan, and for that I'm grateful. Here are a few pictures from our trip. (This is my first attempt at uploading pictures, so be merciful.)

Here is Raegan, Grandpa and Jake. Raegan could not get enough of that dog. Too bad she is allergic to him.

Raegan on the four wheeler.



Lunchtime. Silly girl.


Snack time with Daddy and Grandpa.


Want some?


Raegan was terrified to get on the four-wheeler at first. She was really afraid of the loud noise. I rode around for a little bit close to the cabin then told my dad to just put her on with me (what a mean mom!). She wasn't too crazy about it, but by the time she went around with her dad, she couldn't get enough of it.

Make a Space for Joy

I was thinking about a one woman musical that was popular when I was at BYU. It is called Polly. It's the story of a pioneer woman (the great, great who knows how many greats grandmother of Janice Kapp Perry) and her experience in joining the church and moving out west. There is a part in the video where Polly gets a letter telling her that her daughter had been killed. She sings a song called, "Make a Space for Joy" that I think is so wonderful and helps me understand a little better about why I need to take life one day at a time. Here are some of the words:

If I’d know from the start what would happen
If I’d known in my heart, well then, what then?
But I chose right
I felt it all along
If I had known what would happen
I might have chosen wrong.
Is that why you keep us guessing?
Is our ignorance protection?
Is it really just a blessing in disguise?
Could you celebrate a birthday
Knowing life would soon be past you?
Could you spend the sweat to build a house
You knew would not outlast you?
Could you bear to love the children
Who would die before their season?
We’d miss so much of happiness
And maybe that’s the reason not to know
To free us from the burden of the future
And make a space for joy

To make a space for joy.

Eight Week Ultrasound

Second post (by the way, this is Blake again). I'm sure everyone thought the Elmo's fire post was submitted by Jennifer - she always throws the most random things on the blog.

Anyway, today was the first ultrasound. I'll let Jennifer add all of the details. Here is the picture. You obviously can't see the heart beating in this still image but it was flickering away like a little hummingbird during the ultrasound.

St. Elmo's Fire

Okay, I have two posts today. First, back by popular demand, I present the tribute to the infamous 1980's Brat Pack flick, St. Elmo's Fire.
St. Elmo's Fire is actually a weather phenomenon in which air molecules ionize creating a plasma which arcs upward into the atmosphere appearing somewhat like lightning from a thunderstorm.