The McNeil Family

Lately

2011-11-06T22:03:00.002-07:00

Ok, so it's been a while since our last post, but I promise you won't be disappointed. There has been so much going on around here that I'm not quite sure were to start. Back in September our branch went up to Nauvoo for the day. It's about a 3 1/2 hour drive from us. We started out pretty early in the morning to get there and on the way Zoey got car sick and threw up-- lots of fun. We had a change of pants for her but no top; luckily one of our friends had an extra sweater for their little boy. So Zoey sported the tomboy look for the day. I had been there once before back when I was 13, but Paul had never been. We were able to see alot in the time that we had there but I would definitely like to go back and spend more time there.

Our Branch President gave us that bucket in case Zoey got sick again, but she found other uses for it:)

Zoey loved this horse.

Two weeks ago My mom and little sister Anna came out. We had a relaxed weekend and it was great to see them. Then last weekend my sister Jennie came out We celebrated Halloween and went to our branch's trunk-or-treat. Zoey was dressed as one of her favorite princesses, Cinderella (or, as she says, "Rella"). We made cloth bags that are totally styling, went to the zoo, Forest Park, and Cheesecake Factory. All in all, it was a great couple of weeks!

In more recent news, Zoey is getting potty trained, and she's doing pretty well at home, but public toilets are scary to her... I don't blame her! Any advice on how to help her?

Her dress was a $3.00 find at Goodwill.

And, last but not least, we're expecting our second baby! I'm 15 weeks along, and so far, so good. I've been able to feel the baby way early this time. Our due date is April 30.

12 week ultrasound.

Grandpa Came to Town

2011-09-03T22:02:00.001-06:00

Last week Paul's Dad came to visit for the weekend. We had a lot of fun and were able to see a lot. We started out by going to the Botanical Gardens straight from the airport. At first Zoey was shy around Grandpa, but she quickly warmed up to him, and was ready to show "Grandma" around. Yes Zoey called him Grandma the entire time:)

On Sunday we went to church and after nap we were able to go to the Temple and walk around the grounds. Luckily we live about ten minutes away from the Temple and Zoey will ask to go and see it.

On Monday we went to the zoo. Grandpa got Zoey a drink that she would not put down. We had a ride on the train and was able to pet the Manta Rays and Sharks! Yes there were baby sharks in the tank.

After the zoo we had lunch and then it was time to take Don to the airport. It was sad to have him go so soon, but we know it won't be the last time for him to come and visit.

More Zoeyisms

2011-07-10T18:09:00.002-06:00

"Sticks" - You can see above yet another use for this word!

"Body here?" - She likes go running around at home or at stores asking this.

"Roar your roar" - Where the Wild Things Are

"Alright, let's go!" - "I really want to leave the house. C'mon!"

"Dinosaur" then "Dinosaur horse" then "Horsey" - Someone gave her a little plush giraffe, and this is the progression of name's she's given it.

"Chicken" - Any kind of meat, from eggs to chicken to pork.

"Ank you" and "gras-ees" - "Thank you" and "gracias" - she's very polite, in both languages.

"Elmo Street" - Sesame Street

"Groger" - Grover, including the book "The Monster at the End of this Book" with Grover in it

"No more no more!" (singing) - That's how she sings this Jason Mraz song from Sesame Street:

"Dancing" - Not only does it include dancing, but she associates dresses with dancing, as well as Karalee's tanktops. She pulls them out of Karalee's drawer, puts her head through both armholes, and dances around with the tanktop dangling from her neck. (Sorry, no pics, yet.)

"1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9!" - How she counts.

"Fork" - All kinds of silverware.

"Angled" - "Tangled," she says this for the movie, but she'll also take two butter knives and hit them against each other saying "angled!" We think it's because that's probably the only movie she's seen with sword fighting.

"Hop pop pop!" - Hop on Pop

"Licious" - the book Pinkilicious

"K, bye!" - "Go away!"

Meet Buttyear!

2011-07-07T18:19:00.004-06:00

Yup, for Zoey, Buzz Lightyear is "Buttyear." In honor of this amazing Zoeyism, here are some of Zoey's other amazing phrases.

"Baby airplane" = when Zoey sees an airplane in the sky, she calls it a baby airplane, probably because it looks so small.

"Me mees" - Excuse me

"You too" - Sometimes she says this even when we haven't said "I love you" yet.

"Te quiero, too" - Sometimes, if I say "Te quiero" (Spanish for "I love you"), she'll say this.

"Swerries" - Strawberries

"Teeshoo" - She says this when she wants us to hold her... we have no idea where it came from.

"Piggy!" - Any time she sees money, she says this and wants to put the money in her piggy bank.

"Baby sister" - She says this when she sees babies now. Is she giving us a hint?

"Rabbit!" - She says it for rabbits, but also when she wants to take her shirt off, because her mommy says "let's skin a rabbit"

"Rella shoes" - She has some slippers with a picture of (Cinde)Rella on them.

"Sticks" - Sticks, butter-knives, or french fries. When we drive by a Wendy's, she says "I want sticks!"

"Amazing!" - One of her favorite words. Ex: "Amazing sky!" or "Amazing colors!"

And, when she sings "Ring Around the Rosie," she says "asses, asses! fall down!" Here's a video of her playing the piano and singing (this video is rated PG13 for language):

Zoey's two years old already!!!

2011-06-19T16:56:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday our little Zoey (who is obstinately getting bigger and older every day) turned 2! So, last Saturday we went to the Magic House (a Children's museum) and let her run wild. Our camera ran out of batteries, though, so all we have is this handful of pictures from the Alice in Wonderland room. After this, she went on to play with bubbles, see a giant train set, and play in the sand, among other things. She then got to have some mac and cheese and fries (she calls them "sticks") at Steak n' Shake.

She's definitely in full toddler mode, which keeps Karalee and me busy, but we love out little girl a ton and wanted you all to be able to wish her a (belated) birthday!

And a video of her victory dance... "Yay! I did it!"

What's Been Going On

2011-05-06T11:19:00.005-06:00

Well, it’s been a while since my last post and a lot of things have come up in that time. Back in April I received a new calling in our Branch as Relief Society President which keeps me busy. Along with that calling I will be attending girls’ camp in June with our young women. I am excited to be going to camp this year, but I’ll definitely be happy when it’s done.

During mid April my Mom was able to come out for her spring break. She was able to come with me to a women’s Conference held by our Stake, and hear from the special speaker Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson. Some of you may know her better from her blog the nieniedialogues. She is an LDS woman that survived a plane crash along with her husband back in 2008. Over 80% of her body was covered with burns. She came out to St. Louis to celebrate her Mother’s birthday. Her parents are serving as Mission President in our stake's area. Hearing her speak on her experience was so up lifting. She was funny and filled with hope. She also spoke on showing gratitude for the simple things that matter most to us each day. I’m so grateful that my Mom was able to come out for that short trip. And I’m sorry to say that I do not have any pictures to share of her visit.

Last week we were able to move to a different apartment. There wasn’t anything wrong with the one we were in before we were just able to find a cheaper one nearby. Our new apartment is smaller by few hundred square feet, but it was recently renovated from the floor up and it has everything we need at this time. We’re still unpacking and Paul is working on his finals so hopefully we’ll be settled in soon, and be able to enjoy our summer.

My Girls

2011-04-20T22:03:00.002-06:00

This post was supposed to happen a long time ago (like over a year ago), but now it's finally happening. This song by Animal Collective has the perfect lyrics to express what it is to be a young father and want to provide everything my girls need. It's so simple, but it sums it up so well (although the line about his father's grave definitely doesn't apply to me).

Also it may be too trippy for some of you, so don't say I didn't warn you...

There isn't much that I feel I need
A solid soul and the blood I bleed
With a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house

I don't care for fancy things
Or to take part in the vicious race
But to provide for mine who ask
I will, with heart, on my father's grave

I don't mean to seem like I care about material things
Like our social stats
I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls

Saturday afternoon at the park

2011-03-12T23:05:00.002-07:00

Today, Zoey and I went to the park and had a good time finding rocks, picking up sticks, going down slides, and saying hi to everyone. She was so tired when she was done that she laid down on the sidewalk on the way home and said "night night," and laid there for a couple of minutes!

(By the way, these look like old polaroids because I was messing around with a new app on my phone today... Yay for phone nerds!)

Zoey's New Dress

2011-03-04T19:23:00.001-07:00

Back in November the Relief Society had a service auction and one of the things I won was a free sewing lesson from one of the sisters in our branch. I took a sewing class back in high school where I made a pair of sweat pants, and a fleece jacket (nothing fancy), but I haven’t done much other than small projects here and there since then. I decided that I wanted to make a dress for Zoey so I picked out a pattern and some cute fabric and after three days of teaching this is how it turned out.

Icy week

2011-02-05T17:50:00.002-07:00

Well, like much of the country, we've had plenty of ice and snow this last week (although, thankfully, it hasn't been too bad). I did spend my birthday indoors thanks to the freezing rain, but before it got too bad, I managed to snap this photo on a footbridge to Washington University. Bad for walking, but rather pretty!

Groundhog Day

2011-02-01T21:11:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day, a day whose supreme purpose is to serve as a reminder to watch Harold Ramis' (Wash U grad, by the way) film of the same name. It's the kind of film that's better every time you watch it, a film that's incredibly fun and emotionally true, and just overall well-made from start to finish. I remember thinking it was good when I first saw it, but it wasn't until later that I realized how much I like this movie. Apparently, Roger Ebert went through a similar process of gradual appreciation, as he shares in his "Great Movies" entry:

"Groundhog Day" is a film that finds its note and purpose so precisely that its genius may not be immediately noticeable. It unfolds so inevitably, is so entertaining, so apparently effortless, that you have to stand back and slap yourself before you see how good it really is.

I would say I feel that way too. In it's small corner of the film world, it's a perfect example of a movie that does exactly what it sets out to do, even if it isn't flashy about it. So, tomorrow, pull out your well-worn copy of the DVD, or head over to Netflix's Watch Instantly, and celebrate February 2 in style.

Oh, and here's a trailer if you've been under a rock for the last 15 years:

My Favorite Christmas Hymn

2010-12-24T13:08:00.009-07:00

For our Christmas post this year I would love to share with all my friends, family and whomever may come across our blog my favorite Christmas Hymn. This particular hymn in the past has never caught my attention, because it is often not sung or played in church or on the radio. It has always been the more popular songs like O Holy Night, Joy to the World, Silent Night and many others that I believe are beautiful, and should continued to be sung as often as they have, because they welcome the true Christmas spirit.

The song I will be sharing with you this Christmas Eve will be Once in Royal David's City. Last year as part of or Christmas program a sister in my word played this hymn on the violin. It was one of the most beautiful arrangement of have heard. As I was listening I was overwhelmed with the Spirit and tears came to my eyes. When we came home from church I was still remembering that song and so I looked up the words and again I was able to feel the Spirit. Like many other songs it begins in the first and second verse describing the humble birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, but as I continued on, the third verse popped out to me, and I received the message so clearly, or at least the message which I believe was intended by the writer to be shared. The words:

And our eyes at last shall see him, Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heav'n above,
and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone

It occurred to me that I may have not been there to witness that special night, but I am able to know that our Savior was born. He came to live on this earth so that all may live. As I pray and study in the scriptures, I have come to know Christ as the Holy Ghost has testified in spirit. I know that it is only through his atoning love that we my return to live with him. I wish to share my simple testimony with family and friends so that they too my come to see and know the redeemer of all, our savior Jesus Christ, and I say these things in his name, Amen.

The video on top is from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and this one here below is by Sufjan Stevens:

Creative utensil use!

2010-12-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

The other night, Zoey decided a normal fork and spoon weren't enough. Yes, she ate her whole meal with the salad tongs!

And here's a short video of it:

Zoey's Family

2010-11-21T23:48:00.002-07:00

We ended up putting this together super-fast at the last minute, but now Zoey will have a book of pictures of family to look at, even when we're far away from everyone!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Fall Afternoons

2010-11-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

The other day, Zoey and daddy went for an afternoon stroll, and as you can see fall is in full effect. I snapped some photos and video with my cell phone, and liked them, so now you all get to see them whether you like it or not!

She loves to run ahead


She also loves to lean back in the swing and stare at the sky as she swings, just like her daddy did as a kid!

She also loves playing in the leaves, as you can see in this video. We were walking along, and she just went into the leaves, plopped down, and started playing with them!

Sesame Street- Not Just for Kids!

2010-11-16T21:05:00.003-07:00

I've recently found, when watching Sesame Street with Zoey, that they like to do spoofs of popular media that kids wouldn't get, and I love it! For example, here's Rhyme Scene Investigation:

And here's Law and Order: SLU (Special Letters Unit)

Or how about 30 Rocks?

They've had a bunch of others, like Mad Men, True Mud, and The Closer, plus a great bit where Will Arnett (Gob on Arrested Development) is a magician.

And, let's not forget the special musical guests... These ones make me happy:

Hap-Bee Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:06:00.003-06:00

On Friday, Zoey and I went the the branch trunk-or-treat,and we had lots of fun. Everyone loved Zoey's bee costume (which her Grandma Wilder gave her) and she loved to wander around- no corner was too dark! Our trunk won 1st prize for best decoration, and only two people were bitten by it.

Fun at the Zoo and the Gardens!

2010-10-24T14:29:00.003-06:00

Last week my mom came out and we were able to enjoy the wonderful weather by visiting the St. Louis Zoo one day and the Botanical Gardens the next. As you can see from the pictures and video, we had a great time!

The Butterfly House

2010-10-08T09:20:00.012-06:00

Earlier this week Zoey and I went to the Butterfly House with some friends. I enjoyed it all, but Zoey was a bit scared when we went into the room with the live butterflies.

For the month of October the theme was Owls and Orchids.

With all of the beautiful surroundings I was able to work on my photography.

At the house I learned that a butterfly is made in a chrysalis and moths come from a cocoon.

When we got home and I was making lunch I let Zoey watch a bit of one of her favorite movies (Monsters Inc.)

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

2010-09-29T14:10:00.004-06:00

I have come to find out while living here in St. Louis that many things are free. Like the Zoo, along with many different museums for adults and children, and even with a lot of the attractions that you do pay for they always offer at least free admission one day of the month. I have found this out from the many moms that are here for their or their husbands' schooling. When you have to live on a budget of stipends and student loans you start to better value all you have, and what others no longer appreciate. In University City (where we technically live), twice a year there is a Bulk Item Collection. Each household is allowed to put three large items or seven smaller items out to their curb to be picked up for trash. This my include large furniture and appliances. It has become sort of a tradition for some of the girls in the branch to go out on the nights before pickups and look at what you can find, because you can find some really nice things to be used in your homes or to fix up a bit and sell in the classifieds.

This is what I got this time....

a cute suitcase, a way comfy brown chair. a small rocking chair, the set of doors in the back, a wooden box organizer, an old wine box, and a decorative shelf.

Yep, both of these were also found out on the hunt.

With many of the things, I plan on fixing them up and when I do I will make sure to make a post on my work, but as for this beautiful chair, all it needed was a good vacuum to look brand new. Paul will be spending countless hours in it now, with all the reading he has to do for school!

When a music video is not just a video

2010-08-31T21:12:00.001-06:00

Here is a link to Arcade Fire's new music video/interactive experience for "We Used To Wait." Even if you don't know or care who Arcade Fire are, this video is a must see. The way this video employs Google Maps combined with original imagery is impressive, to say the least. It is meant to be seen in Google Chrome (which is a good enough browser to give Firefox a run for its money).

Click here, and be prepared for a cool experience and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

She's a walker! She's a dancer!

2010-08-25T20:54:00.001-06:00

And she's off! Just a week ago, Zoey was just taking a couple of steps at a time. now she's walking everywhere... and she likes to boogie too, as you can see in this video. You can also tell she loves her squeaker shoes!

Meet Me in Saint Louis

2010-08-25T20:33:00.001-06:00

Karalee took this photo of the Arch.

Well, we've made it here to St. Louis, and we've almost made it a whole month! Getting out was an adventure for all of us, as I drove a 26-foot rental truck with our car towing behind for three days to get here, and Karalee and Zoey spent all day in the SLC airport with flight delays before only getting to Denver that first day, and finally met up with me the next day after getting a flight here on standby (so much for them taking a plane to get here faster!). Luckily, Zoey was an angel! The first few days, Karalee's mother and sister, Anna, were with us, an we had the chance to see a few things with them, like the Art Museum and the St. Louis Arch.

Zoey went to the Arch in style.

Zoey's not afraid of heights.

Zoey and Daddy looking out the window of the Arch.

The view from the top of the Arch. That's where the Cardinals play.

Family photo

Our new place is great, with a ton more space... in fact, we're still not sure what to do with all of it. Air conditioning, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher are other great perks to our new place, and things we did not have in Utah.

Zoey's favorite place in the apartment- under the sink! She'll get in and close the door!

Bad hair day... it's been really hot, and this is what she did to her hair after being outside.

Our picture-perfect girl!

IKEA Photo Shoot, Part 2

2010-08-25T19:09:00.003-06:00

Here they are- the rest of the photos from our shoot with Whitney Lewis! For Zoey's pics go here, and for the family shots, go here.

We met Whitney about a year ago when Paul ran in to her at Five Guys. I was at work and Paul had Zoey for the day. While he was waiting in line, she had noticed Zoey and gave him a business card and offered a great price on a session. I went to her website and loved the photos I saw. Soon after we had our first shoot with her and they turned out amazing. By doing some trades, with me cutting hair, we have been able to have two additional sessions for a low price. In fact, with this last one we were surprised at the end when she gave it to us for free! I don't think my hair cutting skills had much to do with the her generosity- most of it had to do with the fact that she loves to take photos of Zoey, and I don't blame her! Whitney is a very talented photographer, particularly with weddings and lighting. If you have the chance go check out her website to see her beautiful work.

The Amazing IKEA Photo Shoot, Part 1

2010-08-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone... we are getting settled in St. Louis (more on that coming soon), but for now we'd like to share some of the wonderful photos Whitney Lewis took of us a little while back. She's finished touching up the first half, but more are coming soon.

Click here to see the rest!

Zoey's Awesome GROWL!

2010-07-16T18:41:00.000-06:00

Zoey loves to talk, loves to squeal, and loves to growl!

A song for my dad

2010-07-04T13:17:00.004-06:00

As some of you may know, my father passed away two years ago on the 4th of July. I heard this song a few months ago that has brought back memories. The band's called Local Natives, and this song was written about the singer's grandfather who passed away before the singer was born. This makes me think of Zoey, especially the last part of the song, because the times that I start to miss him, I just think of when we'll meet again. I put the song and the lyrics below.

Local Natives - "Airplanes"

The desk where you sit inside of a
frame made of wood
I keep those chopsticks you had from when
you taught abroad in Japan

I love it all so much
I call
I want you back

I did not know you as well
as my father knew you
every question you took the
time to sit and look it up in the
encyclopedia

I love it all so much
I call
I want you back

It sounds like we
would of had a great deal to say
to each other
I bet when I leave
my body for the sky the wait will
be worth it

Zoey's First Birthday!!!

2010-06-13T21:46:00.003-06:00

I can't believe this day has come! Yesterday our little girl turned one! We have been so blessed to have Zoey in our home and to see her grow and learn. She loves to crawl and climb and climb up on the couch all by herself. She loves to go down the slide and she's so close to walking. She constantly talks and her vocabulary consists of these words: mama, dada, agua, ball, cracker (cuacua), and shoes (shhhhh). She has eleven teeth with more coming, and three of them are molars! She waves to everyone, loves to dance and to clap, and blows kisses.

For her birthday, she had her first cake (and her first sugar rush!), got some great presents, including a Cabbage Patch Doll, and we went to the Hogle Zoo. Zoey loved it-- especially the elephants. It was so cute- she kept saying "elah, elah."

Memorial Day message

2010-05-30T23:23:00.001-06:00

Our bilingual girl...

2010-05-28T18:51:00.000-06:00

Well, as most of you know, I am working on a graduate degree in Spanish. Karalee and I want Zoey to learn both languages, so we decided I would speak to her in Spanish and Karalee in English. The cutest thing is that now I can tell she understands some words from both. For example, she waves if you say "hello" and "hola" as well as "bye bye" and "chau chau." She also seems to think it's easier to try to say "agua" than "water." But, sometimes it's the other way around- her favorite word is "ball," and I don't blame her for picking that over the more difficult "pelota!"

Zoey's also started blowing kisses (well, she holds her hand over her mouth then moves it out, and if you're close enough she'll smack you in the face with her hand). Usually she'll do it if we say "blow kisses" in English, but today I said "te quiero" ("I love you") and she blew me kisses! It was so cute that I had to come on here and tell you all about it. Being a dad, it's amazing how often Zoey surprises me by showing how much she can understand and respond already.

On a side note, this is our blog's 100th post, so here's to 100 more!

Playful girl!

2010-05-25T12:19:00.000-06:00

Anyone that knows Zoey knows that she's a happy, playful girl with a great smile, and we have the photographs to back that up!

And here is a video showing that she'll find a way to play with you, even through closed doors! She always loves to wait for Karalee to get out of the shower, and will bang on the door to make sure mommy knows she's there.

Gotta get mo' Zo'!

2010-05-16T15:20:00.000-06:00

You can never have enough photos of the Zoenator!

Zoey loves to feed herself!

Zoey also loves to play guitar...

... especially with daddy!

This is what we call the Zoenado!

First time with pigtails!

"Hey, what are these things?"

Bedhead!

Crazy girl...

2010-05-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

One of Zoey's favorite things to do is cover her face and head with blankets or towels, then crawl and roll around bumping into things and laughing the whole time. It's good fun for her, and for us...

I pity the fool who don't love his mama.

2010-05-09T13:51:00.001-06:00

I think the illustrious Mr. T said it best:

Indeed. Truer words were never spoken, and Mr. T, poet that he is, has given us words to live by. (In other news, this video was referenced several times by the speaker at church today, which is, of course, awesome.)

And it's especially true for Karalee because its been scientifically proven that she's the best and that all current equipment for measuring awesomeness doesn't have a reading high enough for her. Zoey's lucky to have such a great mom, and I'm lucky to have such a great wife. Here they are together, and if you look at Karalee's neck you'll see her Mother's Day gift- a turquoise silver necklace.

Learning to walk (Zoey is, not Karalee)

So happy together...

Just for fun! (And you can see her snazzy necklace!)

And to everyone else: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

My Masterpiece

2010-04-22T22:36:00.003-06:00

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I have started a painting class. I have always enjoyed the arts, and when a friend in my ward asked if I would like to come with her to the lessons I had to jump at the chance. I love to paint, and I have worked with water colors and acrylic, but never oil. My teacher is David Price, a local artist in Utah who works with oil paints. I have really enjoyed my class. I like that David is really just there to help you with whatever you would like to paint so you're painting from day one. I have completed my first painting, and am extremely happy with the outcome. I will need to wait a month for it to dry and be lacquered before I can frame it, but this is a sneak peek of my masterpiece:

And here is the original image that inspired it:

...which you may recognize from your Windows wallpaper...

A well-deserved award

2010-04-21T21:17:00.005-06:00

A little over a week ago we attended an end of the year banquet for the Spanish department at BYU. There they honored Paul with an award for Outstanding Grad Student of 2010. He was nominated by all of his professors for all of his hard work and for his amazing use of literary theory. Paul well deserves this honor not only for his hard work at school, but also for his role as a Husband and Father.

This past week Paul had to travel to Kentucky for a conference in which he presented. He left on Wednesday and came bake on the following Monday. I was feeling confident at the beginning of Paul's absence, but as the week went on my confidence slowly dwindled. Zoey was getting over being sick, was grumpy and not her usual cheerful self. Things started to pile up like the trash, picking up the mail and the dishes. These are all jobs that Paul does, not because I nag or even ask him to do, but because he just does it. I am extremely grateful for the trials, and stress of this past week for reminding me how wonderful it is to have such an amazing husband. for how great it is to have a man that doesn't go to work and then just crash when he gets home. Paul is awesome with Zoey, and has been a big support as I go to work. Paul is some one to put 100% in all aspects of his life- home, church, work and school. I try to say thank you for every thing he does, and I know that I say I Love You every time I leave the house or at night, but here I go again. Thank you Paul for being such a big help.

LOVE, Karalee and Zoey

Photos on the go...

2010-03-27T12:51:00.002-06:00

This post will serve two purposes: First, I'm seeing if this mobile posting feature works from my phone. Second, these are some cute photos of Zoey, and they need to be out in the wild. As you can see, two of her favorite things are playing outside and playing in the bath!

The new layout...

2010-03-27T08:46:00.002-06:00

We decided to rework the blog's layout yesterday. What do you all think?

Zoey's Studio Shots

2010-03-16T20:12:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, Zoey did a studio shoot with Whitney Lewis, and the results are adorable. Head on over to this page to see them all! (You'll notice if you go to her website, Zoey's on the front page!)

Our Birthdays, Big news, and Zoey

2010-02-15T21:39:00.002-07:00

So much has happened in the month of February. We started off by celebrating our birthdays. Paul is on the first and mine was on the forth. I love having our birthdays so close together, and being able to party all week. Because Paul had his masters exam on my birthday, we decided to not do much 'til the weekend. We were able to drop Zoey off at my mom's and go to dinner (yummy sushi) and a movie (Fantastic Mr. Fox). Paul got a new phone with a side of birthday waffles, and I got oil paints for my new painting class that I started with a friend from church and a dozen tulips (my favorite flower!).

As for the big news Paul was accepted to multiple doctorate programs including our number one pick- Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. We have accepted the offer to Washington, and we'll be starting in August. I'm excited and a little nervous to be moving and to be starting a new chapter in our lives. I think that the realization of being so far away from my family is starting to sink in. It's crazy how fast every thing changes, and I've learned to just sit back and take it all in. The good and the bad. It's what makes us who we are. We have been so blessed as a family, and I know that as we work hard we will continue to receive many more.

We love having Zoey in our family, and I am amazed at what she learns to do every day. Within weeks she has learned to pull her self up, walk along the furniture, wave, clap, all while talking, and smiling constantly. Two of her top teeth have cut through and she love to follow Mommy everywhere. It is a joy to have her in our home!

Zoey's home photo shoot

2010-01-26T20:43:00.004-07:00

I decided to take some pictures at home yesterday, and the results are cute, as can be expected from Zoey. The first picture below was entered into the Beautiful Baby Contest, so here's hoping she's as cute to them as she is to us.

Our Wild Thing

2010-01-23T15:31:00.001-07:00

Our wild thing got a hold of the book Where the Wild Thing Are. Here are the results:

Happy Brithday Ashley!

2010-01-22T12:53:00.005-07:00

Today is the day that my sister-in-law and good friend Ashley turns 24. Even though the two of us went to the same high school and both graduated in 2004 we didn't know much about one another until a few years later. Ashley is the 6th child of 12 kids, and the loving mother of two beautiful boys. She's creative, funny, friendly, beautiful, smart, giving, and can play a wicked game of cards. I fill very blessed to have her be a part of my life, and I’m looking forward to the good times and laughs we’ll share with one another.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!

Ash and Brigham at Provo Falls

The cute Wilder family.

Ashley with sweet, little Ezra.

And She's Off

2010-01-13T21:34:00.002-07:00

It looks like Zoey has gotten the hang of crawling really well now. Which means that I can no longer live the room for more then a second without her getting in to everything!

Some more Zoey!

2010-01-08T16:58:00.002-07:00

For this first video, I was making faces at Zoey and she thought it was funny. As you can hear, she likes to squeal!

And, for this next video, you can see how Zoey gets around. She can't quite crawl, so she does "the worm." She has a long future in breakdancing (and spitting up) ahead of her!

Plans For 2010

2010-01-07T20:36:00.004-07:00

For this new year we have a lot to look forward to: Paul is now sending in applications for PhD schools (all of which are out of Utah), and if all goes well with Paul's schooling we will be moving in June or July. We are excited to get our taxes in- I know that might seem lame, but for the first time in our marriage we will be getting money back instead of having to pay. As for my plans, I plan to go a year without sugar. I have decided to do this not only to lose some weight, but to live a healthier life style. My chances of getting type two diabetes are higher than normal. Both my mom and dad along with other members of my family have or have had it, and I want to do all that I can to avoid getting it when I'm older. I’m not going completely off of sugar. Mostly soda, snacks and candy. I also plan to cut down on white breads and starches.

One other thing that I’ll be excited to do this year is family history. I was recently called to be a family history consultant in my ward. It is a calling that I never thought I would get, but am looking forward in having. When I signed up for the new Family Search website, I was in shock of how much was done. I knew that my grandpa Wilder had done a lot of genealogy, but not that much. He had names dating bake to the 1400s. I don’t plan on trying to do that much, but I would like to work on learning more about my ancestors, finding photos, reading journals, and all that good stuff.

And, to wrap up, here are some new fashions that Paul and Zoey tried out over Christmas break:

I did it!

2009-12-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had made it a goal while I was pregnant to be able to nurse Zoey for at least six months. Little did I know that it would have been so hard for me to do so. For the first two or three weeks of Zoey's life I would find myself praying before each feeding for it to become a little easier for the two of us to have it work out. At the end of some, I would be in tears because of frustration. I was to the point of giving up when one day it just started to work and to be more bearable. As of yesterday I have made it to my six month goal. I have been able to make it through the good and the bad. I have been able to accomplish this goal even with going back to work, teething (yikes!) and traveling. As of now I still plan to nurse, but I'm not sure for how long. I just needed to give myself a pat on the back, and for all the rest of you blog readers who have nursed or are still nursing, congratulations on a job well done.

One more note: Zoey is doing well, and is getting to be so big. She is starting to get up on her knees, and doing the cute baby rock. Even though she hasn't started to crawl she still manages to always end up by the Christmas tree by rolling and scooting backwards.

Jack-Jack Attack?

2009-11-30T22:01:00.003-07:00

So, we've been told Zoey bears a resemblance to Jack-Jack of The Incredibles. Let's see if you agree:

And, here's me making Zoey laugh. Apparently, she has a ticklish tummy!

Zoey's Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-26T23:15:00.005-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving- Karalee learned how to cook some delicious turkey and I was the Yahtzee king. For Zoey, her Thanksgiving feast was doubly special, because it was her first solid food. She had some baby rice cereal, and at first she was a little confused, but she ate it and didn't spit any out! She's independent, and has already decided, 30 seconds in, that she wants to hold the spoon and the bowl. As you can see, she was as adorable as can be!

"Please, no pictures!"

5 Things to know about Zoey

2009-11-12T20:38:00.006-07:00

As of today Zoey is five months old, and I decided to make a list of five things that you blog readers may not know about our little miss Zoey:

(1) She is a Daddy's girl. Zoey just adores the time she has with Paul. She is always laughing and smiling when the two of them are together.

(2) She always gets a case of the giggles right before bed. Seriously, she will start to laugh at anything that Paul and I will say.

(3) She sucks her thumb. Having Zoey suck her thumb has helped her sleep so well at night. From about the time that she was six weeks old she has slept 8 to 12 hours at night without ever waking us up crying. I just hope that we don't have to pay for it when she gets older.

(4) She loves to be outside. When she starts to get fussy all I have to do is take her outside and she will stop crying. She also loves it when we go on walks, or on a drive.

(5) She loves being around people. When we go out or when we're at church Zoey will always smile or talk to the people around us.

The photos below are of the walk we went on this week to the Provo Temple. We are so blessed to live just 5 minutes away.

Another One!

2009-11-04T20:20:00.003-07:00

Poor Zoey! :( One more of her bottom teeth has popped through. She seems to be doing pretty well with it until she has to eat, and then you can tell that it bugs her. She some times doesn't even eat... Poor girl!

First Tooth

2009-11-02T22:35:00.002-07:00

Yesterday morning when I was feeding Zoey I noticed that she wasn't eating that well, so I checked her mouth and found that a tooth had cut through! It is on the bottom left, and it looks like the one to the right of it could be coming soon. Most babies get their first tooth around or after 6 months, but I kind of was expecting Zoey to get hers a little earlier, because my Mother-in-law said that Paul got his first at around three months. As for me I'm not sure, because my mom couldn't remember after having six kids. So that is why I'm writing this down, to remember.

Halloween

2009-11-01T12:50:00.006-07:00

Last night we had some fun for Halloween... As you can see, Zoey matched with her cousin Brigham:
Isn't she the cutest monkey ever?

And I was a Ghostbuster:
But it wasn't the first time...

Zoey's incredibly cute photo shoot

2009-10-27T11:22:00.003-06:00

Recently, Zoey had her first professional photo shoot, with Whitney Lewis behind the camera. As you can see, Zoey was as adorable as can be.

To see the rest of the photos, click here to see the whole album.

4 months

2009-10-23T10:44:00.005-06:00

So I'm a little late getting this up, but at lest I got it up before Zoey is 5 month old. On Wednesday Zoey went in for her 4 month checkup. She was 15.1 lbs and was 24 1/2 inches long. She is getting so big! She is rolling over from back to tummy now and can sit on her own, but only for a short amount of time. I took these pictures a few weeks back.

Enjoy:)

Where The Wilder Things Are

2009-10-19T23:44:00.008-06:00

Over the past weekend Zoey and I Made a short trip to California along with some of my family for my nephew's baptism. It was a 11 hour drive with 4 adults and two kids. Zoey did so well for having to sit that long in her car seat. We got in at about 10pm on Thursday night and after that long drive Zoey was so excited to get out of the car. All she wanted to do was look around to see every thing. Even when I tried to nurse her before bed she would keep on looking up all around and wouldn't eat.

On Friday we played with all the cousins and had a BBQ. It was so fun to see Zoey with all her cousins she was so happy to be with them, and she lasted the day with only having one short nap. On Saturday we went to the church for Vincent's baptism. It was so wonderful to be with Vincent on that special day. My mom and Vincent's other grandma both gave wonderful talks, and my brother John did a great job when confirming him. On Sunday it was sad to go so soon, but I was also happy to be home with Paul. It was the first time in our marriage that we were apart.

Silly Daddy, Silly Zoey

2009-09-30T17:56:00.002-06:00

When Dad is being a goober, Zoey just has to laugh...

Laughter is contagious

2009-09-15T20:04:00.002-06:00

Tonight, we all got a case of the LOLz...

Sunday Drive

2009-09-14T20:46:00.006-06:00

At least once a year my family and I try to make a trip up to Provo Falls. This year we were happy to bring Zoey with us. On the drive up it started to rain a little and I wasn't sure that we would be able to get out much, but after feeding Zoey in the car the sun came out and we were able to have a wonderful Sunday afternoon with family. We all enjoyed the time outside, especially Zoey. As soon as we got her into her carrier she had the biggest smile on her face. She loves to be outside and to look all around (as you can also see in our last post). We are so blessed to be surrounded by a beautiful world, and it sometimes takes experiencing it with a child for the first time to remind us of that blessing.

At the end of the day Zoey fell fast asleep.

The many faces of little miss Zoey

2009-09-13T21:55:00.005-06:00

More Zoey

2009-09-03T19:56:00.004-06:00

Oh How They Grow

2009-08-19T21:27:00.005-06:00

Today Zoey went in for her two month checkup, and she is still as healthy as can be. She was so cute while the nurse was checking her heartbeat with a monitor that clamped onto her foot- she was trying so hard to grab it. Her length measured at 23 inches, and she weighed in at 12lb, 11oz. At the end of the visit she received some of her vaccine shots. She cryed a little while getting them and a little during the day, but I think that she handled them better then Paul and I.

Zoey is growing up so fast. She has been able to roll over from three weeks on, has been sleeping through the night since about five. She's smiling, laughing, cooing and is full of life and personality.

Our little girl is blossoming!

And here she is, working on her gut!

And, working on her sleep!

Daddy's Favorite Shrimp

2009-08-09T09:47:00.002-06:00

Tired + dizzy + Brigham = Hilarious

2009-08-02T18:40:00.002-06:00

Last night our nephew was over at our place, and he was very tired, which was already making him a little woozy, and then he wanted to be spun around (as all kids do), making him very dizzy. The result: comedy gold.

Now, even the 5 year-olds are shooting men in Reno...

2009-07-28T13:34:00.001-06:00

Time for an episode of Law and Order: RCTU (Ridiculously Cute Task Unit). This week's perp, a 5 year-old performing Johnny Cash's classic "Folsom Prison Blues":

Zoey's Blessing

2009-07-23T20:19:00.003-06:00

This weekend we blessed Zoey in Church, and had a wonderful time as family visited from around the country. I won't blabber on about things, but I will put up all these pictures!

Zoey's cousin Allie decided she wanted to climb into Zoey's carseat.

With Grandma.

With Grandpa and Amber.

One Month Old...

2009-07-13T19:15:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Zoey had her one-month birthday. It's been a wonderful and tiring month. She's so chill and happy, and we, of course couldn't be happier!

And here's our first picture of the three of us together. It only took a month for us to ask someone else to hold the camera...

Where most people like to fold their hands, she likes to fold her feet:

And here she is getting some birthday kisses from her cousin Brigham:

Roly Poly Zoey

2009-07-03T22:29:00.006-06:00

She started doing this a couple of days ago, and we were shocked! Today she's three weeks old. She's growing up so fast!

Zoey's announcement!

2009-07-01T22:47:00.005-06:00

My sister Megan was kind enough to use her digital scrapbooking skills to make this wonderful announcement that we will be printing off and sending out soon. She did an amazing job, as you can see, and if you're at all interested in scrapbooking, you can see her great designs at her scrap blog as well as at the Scrap Orchard store. It's nice having a pro at something like this in the family!

In other exciting news, Zoey can now turn over from her stomach to her back! She surprised us by doing it last night, and I guess she wanted to prove it wasn't a fluke, so she did it again this morning!

Happy Fathers Day!!!

2009-06-21T21:03:00.004-06:00

I have had the privilege of knowing Paul for three years and to be married to him for two. He has been a father for just over a week, and in this short time I have come to love him more than I thought I ever would. I love seeing him with Zoey, and since the day she was born he has had the biggest smile on his face. I love being a family, and I love having Paul as my husband. Paul I wish you a Happy Fathers Day!!!

Love, Karalee

Say hello to our little friend!

2009-06-20T22:18:00.003-06:00

She's now over a week old! She's a wonderful, happy, healthy baby and we are so happy to have her with us... Here are some pictures of her from the last few days, including a couple with her cousin, Brigham, who always love seeing "beebee!"

Meet Zoey!

2009-06-13T19:23:00.007-06:00

On Thursday morning at 8:30 A.M., Karalee's water broke, but she wasn't feeling any contractions. We called the doctor, got things together, then headed into the hospital at noon. Then we waited. Then we waited some more, and then a little more. At 4 AM, Friday morning, things were finally progressed enough to start pushing, and pushing, and pushing... After an hour of pushing, things got a little scary when Karalee started to get a fever and the baby's heart rate got going faster than the doctor would have liked, so they put Karalee on antibiotics and had her wait about 45 minutes before pushing again. Then, we went another hour or so, but when not much was happening, they found out our little girl was posterior (facing up instead of down). Once they knew that, the doctor got things ready, used the forceps to turn her around, and a few pushes later Zoey Adele McNeil was born at 7:04 AM yesterday!

As you can see, she's big girl- 9 lbs, 5 oz. and 21 inches long. And, as you can see below, she's as cute as can be, with the chubbiest little cheeks...

And as this picture shows, she has monkey feet! No joke, her big toe is almost like an opposable thumb!

Her first bath. You can get a glimpse of her little smile.

Karalee makes almost 24-hour labor marathons look good.

So far, she seems to like us... hopefully we can still say that in 16 years!

As you can see, being a dad is tiring...

Ready for her first ride home...

And here you can see a short video of her, doing what she does best!

So, in case you couldn't tell we're very excited to meet our little Zoey... She and her mom are doing great, and we couldn't be happier!

Two Years!

2009-06-02T20:41:00.003-06:00

Today is our second anniversary, and even though we didn't do too much, we still splurged a bit and had a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill. It's been two amazing years, and we hope to make the next two just as amazing, and better!

In other news, I'm less than a week from my due date... We went to the doctor's today, and I'm dilated 1 cm... yeah for progress!

My First Quilt

2009-04-29T21:37:00.003-06:00

It isn't anything too fancy or difficult, but I made it with love:) For now it's just the top of a baby quilt. I'll be receiving help with putting the rest of it together from my cousin Heidi who has a quilting machine. I can't wait to have it all done and to have it wrapped around our little girl!

33 Weeks Ultrasound Pictures (Almost There!!!)

2009-04-23T12:58:00.003-06:00

Her face

Her little hand

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T11:05:00.009-06:00

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter today, with family and food, but also with a remembrance of the real reason for this day. Elder Holland's talk last week gives us a powerful reminder of the importance and power of the Atonement. If you missed it, or want to hear it again, you can watch or listen here, and read it here. Or watch this beautiful video with excerpts from the talk:

Here are his closing paragraphs, which I think sum up the importance of this day perfectly:

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, “I will not leave you comfortless. [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone.

May you all have a wonderful Easter full of happiness and love, as well as a profound gratitude for our Lord and Savior.

Hoodsies!

2009-04-07T17:56:00.003-06:00

Now that we are getting closer to the birth of our daughter (we're still favoring the name Broomhilda, of course), we've been looking at more clothes. One site that I have bought shirts from in the past, Threadless, has a unique type of clothing that I find awesome- the hoodsie. It's just a onesie with a hood, but combine that with the designs, and I'm sold. Here are a couple of my favorites (even though we haven't bought any yet because they're kind of expensive):

Pretty cute, huh? What do you think? Should we get one for our little girl?

"Where the Wild Things Are" trailer = awesomeness X 2

2009-03-25T15:25:00.003-06:00

Here's the trailer for Spike Jonze's upcoming film of Maurice Sendark's classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. Just seeing this brought back all sorts of memories of that book and its wonderful artwork. I hadn't seen too much about this, but seeing that Spike Jonze is directing and that Dave Eggers, one of my favorite authors, collaborated on the screenplay makes me very interested... and Arcade Fire in the trailer doesn't hurt either! This looks like it has the potential to be one of those epic children's movies that adults can love too. Or at least adults like me that were raised on this stuff... Sadly though, we still have to wait until October...

Head over here for some higher-quality trailer action!.

Fun with Allie!

2009-03-04T14:56:00.003-07:00

This last weekend we were in Arizona for my sister Jacque's wedding. The wedding and reception were both very nice. As is usual for weddings, we didn't see too much of the bride and groom, but we did get to spend time with the rest of the family. Except for Caleb, who is on his mission in Brazil, everyone was there- which hasn't happened in a long time. Also great was that we got to spend time with our niece, Allie, whom we hadn't seen since her baby blessing a little over a year ago. Isn't she adorable?

Karalee and Allie enjoy some Eegee's:

Here she is playing with my shoes- they're about as big as she is!

Just three more months, and we'll have a little girl of our own! Allie just made us even more excited for our baby.

Karalee gives Brigham a haircut!

2009-02-20T14:52:00.003-07:00

It was an adventure. He laughed, he cried, and laughed some more!

And here he is, all done!

Pictures of our little girl!

2009-02-13T21:35:00.004-07:00

Here are a couple of snapshots from our little girl's ultrasound at 21 weeks (she's now at 24). You can see a pretty clear shot of her head and profile in top pictures, and her little arm in the bottom picture. Isn't she cute?

She's very active and always moves around in my belly. You could see her moving all over the place in the ultrasound!

Paul makes himself a new corner of the web (Nerdiness Warning!)

2009-02-11T17:24:00.002-07:00

Well, I've been all over the place, digitally speaking, and have decided to consolidate most of my blogging efforts into one place. My new corner of the web is Somewhere I'm Not, where I'll post on life, books, movies, and various randomness. And, I will be continuing the BYU Fail Blog concept on that blog whenever new things come along that deserve a big fail stamp! So come on over... but I must warn you, nerdiness will ensue!

I'm a symbol!

2009-02-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

There's something fun about websites that allow you to take a photo and turn it into some kind of pop culture spoof. Obamicon.me lets you take whatever picture you want and turn it into the style of the iconic red, blue, and off-white poster style made famous during the election. I did the one of myself above, and this one of my nephew below:

Here are a few good ones other people have done:

Fine print: This use of pop culture imagery is used purely in jest. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental, except for in cases where it is purposeful. If you are a Democrat, pretend this is a homage to the President. If you are a Republican, pretend it is a mockery. If you just enjoy anything that subverts the faulty logic of the political system, just pretend it is exactly that. There, everyone is happy!

Happy Birthday Karalee!!!

2009-02-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

Now, three days later, it's my turn to wish the love of my life a very happy birthday! She the most amazing person in my life, and I'm grateful every day that I get to be her companion. Happy birthday, Karalee!

Happy Birthday Paul

2009-02-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Forget the Super Bowl- today we celebrated Paul's 26th birthday. Last night we went to Fuddruckers and ate some tasty tasty burgers followed by a Monk episode; while today we had cake and ice cream with some of the family. It wasn't much of a party, but I guess that's all you get when you're 26. Next year for the 27th we'll have a blowout!

Here's Paul (on the left) with his cousin. This photo was taken a few years ago...

Whoever ever thought that a boy like this could grow up to be a graduate student and soon-to-be daddy! I love him soooooo much! Happy birthday Paul!

La policía mexicana

2009-01-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

If you ever wonder what my job is like teaching Spanish, often it's something like this. Only I never ask my students where the bomb is...

P.S. Some basic Spanish makes this a lot funnier. But, I think it will be funny no matter how much Spanish you know.

It's a girl!!!!

2009-01-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the doctor's office, and IT'S A GIRL!!! We're really excited and look forward to meeting Broomhilda Gretchen McNeil in June!

(P.S. We're not really considering that name. And that's not our kid. We just want to see if you'll read the fine print!)

Would you ever wash your car again?

2009-01-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

I randomly found Scott Wade's dirty car art website, where you can find a bunch of these awesome images, done completely in the dirt covering the cars! I would feel incredibly guilty washing my car is something this awesome were on my rear window...

Farewell, beard...

2009-01-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Now, for some pointless news: For Christmas break, I gave my face a break from shaving. Here I am, all pensive and whatnot... though I guess it kind of gave me a "hobo-ish" appearance. But hey, what's a vacation if not a brief respite from being expected not to look like a hobo?

Of course, tomorrow face and blade shall meet again, for school is about to start up again. Remember, you can't have a beard at the school named after this guy:

Perhaps it was named after him at this more clean-shaven time of his life:

In any case, it's probably good I don't wait too long to shave, or I might risk looking like this guy here:

The amazing progress of the construction right outside our apartment...

2009-01-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago, we posted this picture of what our front yard had become:

In the month since it has progressed into this:

Ah, eternal construction of the spotless Wymount!

3.3 down, 996.7 to go.

2009-01-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

I, Paul, have made a resolution that in 2009 I will be a runner.

No, not that kind of runner. This kind of runner:

I want to run more than this past year, so I've set a goal of 1000 miles this year. Today I did my first run, so I only have 996.7 miles to go! I need to average about 20 miles a week, but that's totally doable. Here's to my running in 2009!

¡Feliz Navidad!

2008-12-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Here's our cute little Christmas tree. Well, it's that time of year again! We hope you all have a marvelous Christmas day!

The BYU Fail Blog

2008-12-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd let you all know about my new blog on the side, the BYU Fail Blog. It's inspired by the Fail Blog, a large collection of photos and videos that deserve the tag line "FAIL." I'll be posting photos, Daily Universe headlines, Honor Code posters, Police Beat amazingness, and the ever mind-numbing letters to the editor. There will be no shortage of fail, that's for sure.

Here's one example, from a bathroom in the library:

Check it all out here (I plan to update a few times a week once school gets going again!).

Our baby's first pictures!

2008-11-22T18:00:00.001-07:00

Yup, we're pregnant! Karalee's due on June 8, and we're really excited! We won't know the sex until 20 weeks, so we're looking forward to that. Karalee's feeling well, and life is good!

You can make your prediction on the baby's gender in the poll on the right!

Ah, our beautiful front yard!

2008-11-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

They're doing all sorts of construction, so we have this beautiful view to greet us every day!

Camping pics from a few weeks ago!

2008-11-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since we went camping with Tommy and Ashley, but since Karalee took some excellent pictures we figure you all would like to see some of them!

Tommy and Karalee caught this little guy-

Yup. I was camping and yet I still spent time reading. I'm that much of a nerd. But, hey, it was the excellent Pedro Páramo, so it's all good.

I took this last picture, which is surprising because I kind of like it!

Awesome Halloween Costumes!

2008-10-22T21:38:00.000-06:00

Can we just fast forward to November 5?

2008-10-16T16:21:00.000-06:00

My name is Paul McNeil, and I approve this political cartoon.

More Karalee Photos of the Week!

2008-10-02T20:24:00.000-06:00

Well, the photo of the week hasn't even been close to weekly, but here are a couple more Karalee specials! She's been playing with some Photoshop filters to give her black and white pictures the warm and cool touches you see in these photos.

I learned to speak Brighamese!

2008-09-20T22:55:00.000-06:00

So tonight I (Paul) babysat Brigham while Karalee was at a girl's night out with family. We laughed, we cried, we jumped on the bed. We even had this enlightening conversation... Not too long after, Brigham decided to throw up everywhere, which wasn't as cool, but I forgive him (this time).