The Tangrens

We traveled Idaho for Thanksgiving this year. The car ride was a little different as Sunny sat in the back trying to keep Hyrum from sleeping (otherwise he'd never sleep that night) or coughing up and throwing up gunk from his throat. Yes he's still got that nasty cough. We were able to keep him awake until his bed time but were not able to avoid a mess down the front of him. Poor guy! We tried to keep him asleep when we got there but with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle buzzing around he woke up and had a tough time getting him back to sleep. The next morning he met Blossom Derek's family dog.

I'm not sure if he knew what to think of her at first but by the time the visit ended Hyrum was reaching for the dog and smiling. Derek's family says Hyrum needs a dog but I says he doesn't. I'm sure before I die I will loose this battle but that won't stop me from fighting. I get nervous around dogs, I hate the hair and didn't grow up in a dog family but I married into one so I'm in for the fight of my life.

In his third outfit of the day ( after throwing up on the second ) we got him ready for his first Thanksgiving dinner with help from my parents who sent him this adorable bib.


He really had no idea what was coming. We decided that since he'd been doing well with cereal for about a month now that we'd try something a little different. So we sat him in his chair and gave him just a little mashed up potato. A potato is perfect right it's pretty tasteless (without butter or salt) and bland with a natural smooth texture, plus it's a great Thanksgiving day food.

I don't even think he closed his mouth...he just made all kinds of horrible faces and then came the gag face and up came everything in his stomach on to the perfect bib. Granted I probably should have mashed it up more and maybe diluted it a bit but I really didn't expect this. He does so well with cereal even when it's really thick. I'm sure the fact that he was sick and prone to throwing up as it was didn't help. I guess we'll just have to wait a bit longer for potatoes.

After dinner we called my family on the webcam so that they could see him. Most of my family hadn't seen him since he was 2 1/2 months old. It was great fun to see them and Hyrum enjoyed all of the attention. He's just barely getting to understand this webcam stuff.

As is tradition in my family we got a newspaper and sifted through the ads to know what good deals to go after the next day. And the next morning Derek and I were out on the streets at the crack of 9 am to get what was miraculously left of the deals. People think I'm crazy for going out shopping the day after thanksgiving but in my defense it's not all that bad in Idaho Falls (especially when we get ourselves out the door) and it's one of the only times Derek helps me shop and make decisions on gifts for people. Gift getting has become my responsibility and with my decision making skills it's nice to have someone to help and bounce ideas off of. Plus this year our shopping trip also heralded the first time Derek and I were out together...ALONE!! Grandma had Hyrum all to herself for two hours until she had to be at work. A first for all!

The rest of the weekend was filled with resting lounging and playing. Derek has gotten what Hyrum is trying to get rid of so it was a pretty low key weekend. Except for the BYU game on Saturday. GO COUGS!! We all got decked out in our BYU gear and WATCHED the game. (for the first time in two seasons)

All in all we are just increasingly grateful for our wonderful families and the health that is fleeting with my boys these days. I am definately grateful that I have an iron clad immune system. (knock on wood) Hyrum just is grateful for all of the attention he got this weekend. We sure are grateful for him.

Hyrum turned 6 months on Sunday and he spent the day at home...sick. He's got a horrible cough. Not your little run of the mill tiny dry cough. No he's got a rattly, hacking, turn your face red, make your eyes water and just about explode, think a lung is going to come up cough. Luckily he has some coughless hours but when they come they make you want to cry for him. He just looks at you with those red watery eyes like "Why does that keep happening?" We really hope he gets better soon. But to honor my sweet 6 month old I'm going to list 6 things I love about Hyrum ( as is becoming a tradition of sorts in my family)

1. He's just so dang cute! Everyday I look at him and think "Man your cute! How can you be mine"

2. He gives me kisses on the cheek. ( He used to suck on my cheeks but now he just keeps his mouth open, sometimes he even shakes his head a little like movie star kisses of my youth)

3. He is always kicking his little legs like it's his job. I can be in another room and hear the tap ,tap, tap of his little feet on whatever he's laying on.

4. He still startles so easy ( just like his mom). His WHOLE body reacts and he throws limbs out in every direction ( just like in the womb).

5. He has taught me SOO many things in the 6 short months of his life.

6. I love rediscovering the world with him...

Do YOU remember the first time you saw a glow stick? ( He kept waving it around like a lightsaber)

Happy 6 month birthday, Little man. We love you!

Sorry I just have to do this...
I was looking at the pictures we took at Halloween and these pictures were in this exact sequence and seemed to tell a story...

"Oh I get it. We walk around and people give us candy that sounds like a good gig...let's do it!"
WHAT!!! I don't get to eat ANY of the candy!?!

Awww Man!! Dang it! Little guys never get to have fun.

But I guess that's alright!


Everyone will know that mom and dad are going to eat that candy themselves and next year all the candy is MINE!!!

So I just happened across a SWEET online tool that I can't help but share. Also, Sunny reminded me that I hadn't posted a cool site of the week for a while, so I thought I better strike while the iron is hot...

The tool is called Mint (www.mint.com). It is an SAAS (Software as a Service) online money management system that is a TON better than anything else out there. I just signed up tonight and have been playing around with it and I'm really impressed. Especially since it is free! They actually have a pretty cool business model that I'll explain a little later on.

So this is how it works. You sign up for an account and then add your various financial institutions and/or credit cards by entering in your account information for each one respectively. They support up to 3,500 different institutions and I was surprised that my local credit union was one of those supported. After adding all of your accounts, you have a one-stop place to view account balances for all your different accounts (useful if you keep your money in several different places like we do).

The real fun begins when you import your transactions. (It must be 1) a sign of old age or 2) the indication of some suppressed accountant tenancies when you start thinking stuff like this is fun....) It automatically recognizes how to categorize different purchases. For example, it automatically identified such transactions as Albertson's as "Groceries", Target as "Shopping" and Carl's Jr. as "Fast Food". Now, it's obviously not perfect, but it has an option so you can easily go through and correct any labels that it didn't get right. But, I was actually amazed at how much it got right.

After your transactions are imported and you have them labeled correctly (took me like 5 minutes top), you can quickly identify how much you are spending where. You can even create a budget and get updates as to where you are at with you budget for each line item. You can easily see how much you are spending on Entertainment, Gas, Shopping, as well as what stores you are spending the most at. You can even set up alerts to be notified when one of your accounts reaches a certain low/high, etc. Maybe it's just the web analytics guru in me, but I think it's totally cool.

Like I said they have a pretty cool business model. They have a "Ways to Save" tab which analyzes your current interest rates for your checking/savings and credit cards. Companies can purchase advertising on that space. Mint will tell you how much more money you could be making/saving in interest if you switch to one of the other offers. Pretty cool inasmuch as it's really a value add for consumers to see what else is out there, especially in this day and age of Internet banking competition.

Certainly well worth your time checking out.

Jen tagged me on Monday and My sister Nikki tagged me today and they are different tags so I'll keep my comments brief. First tag first...

-The best thing you cooked last week?
Can I just tell you that I've been dreading being tagged for this question and this question alone. I am an extremely unimaginative cook and my poor husband gets so sick of my same old things (possibly literally). Ok I'd have to say the steak on Sunday that was suppose to be fajitas but I realized that I didn't have onions when I went to make it. Since then Derek has only been able to stomach 7-up and club crackers. Maybe we need some new ideas for dinner. I may be killing my husband.

-If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
I'd go to Disneyland with my family for a week or two (Derek, Hyrum, Dad, Mom, Sisters and their families) and take turns with the kids then go up the coast to my mission finally and see my areas and if anyone is around anymore. Go with Derek to Germany to visit his mission just the two of us. Take a train across the country and back to Nauvoo. And to Hawaii just for kicks and giggles.

-Five things you were doing ten years ago...
Knocking doors, learning spanish, getting really frustrated with it, telling people some incredible things, choking down beans rice and chicken. (and now I'd kill to have it again...I miss it and I can never get it right when I try to make it) bonus: learning that hot salsa can make your face numb.

-Five things on your to do list today
Shower, laundry, dishes, find something to wear for pictures, prepare the lesson for Sunday

-Five favorite snacks
Popcorn, celery or apples and peanut butter, chips or crackers, candy (I've been trained by Grandma Nellie), and carrots and pretzels.

-Five bad habits
Watching too much T.V.
Not being able to make decisions
Procrastinating
Eating too much sugar, butter and carbs
Being a money miser

-Five favorite foods
Olive Garden soup, salads and breadsticks
Pot roast on Sunday
Mashed potatoes (keep 'em comin')
Pizza!!!!
fresh fruit right from the orchard or field

-Top Five places I've been
Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany,and Austria)
Nauvoo
Michigan
Disneyland
Cruise to the Bahamas

-Five favorite memories
-The day we got married and the subsequent week after. It was seriously perfect!!!
-Derek and I's first kiss "So that's what eveyone's been talking about"
-My year and a half in California. Probably some of the most molding years of my life.
-The summer I spent almost everyday with my cousin Jeannie, at her house, up north and at Grandma Nellie's house making bread, writing mysteries and playing in the barn
-Disneyland with Derek (minus the time-share presentation and losing the camera)

Whew! Done! I tag Nikki and Holly to do this one!

Next one is to write 6 truths about myself:

1. I am stubborn. (yeah I know not a surprise)

2. I'm not a snob! Sometimes I just don't know what to say... okay a lot of times I don't know what to say.

3. I really like cemeteries. It's nothing morbid I just like to get a glimpse into peoples life. They seem really alive to me. I think it has something to do with the fact that I like doing family history. I like documenting and reading about peoples lives and getting to know them even though I've never met them.

4. I run away from conflict. I tend not to be very introspective either, but I'm trying to change that. I'm getting much better at journal writing . It helps me organize my thoughts.

5. I get teary a lot...especially since having Hyrum. Stuff about kids just get to me.

6. I am not a good housekeeper. Again...my poor husband.

For this one I tag Jeannie and Erin.

When I got the 3-6 month hand-me-downs for Hyrum there was included an adorable frog costume. "Perfect" I thought "he'll be a frog for Halloween, that was easy!" Then he grew out of his 3-6 month clothes at 4 months. My other sister offered a pea costume that was 0-9 months but fit him perfectly at 3 months. My mother in law bought us some other costumes but they looked like they'd be too big. Then we found out that Derek's work had the theme of Star Wars and everyone knows we enjoy doing themed Halloween so we got yet a fourth Halloween costume. Well I tried to get him in every costume that wouldn't squish him so here are some pictures of Hyrum's many costumes.

Ok so these aren't really costumes per say but they were cute outfits that he wore the day before Halloween and the night before Halloween.






As you can tell, Hyrum liked dressing up as much as we liked dressing him up!

Ever since I arrived at Omniture, people have been telling me that Halloween is a REALLY big deal there. I'd heard all the stories (like how the CEO flew in little people from Vegas to play Oompa Loompa's when he was Willie Wonka or how the whole place shuts down while everyone's families come down and all the kids go trick or treating throughout the building. However, nothing could have prepared me for the festive madness that is Halloween at Omniture.

It began a few weeks ago when the planning festivities began. In light of the recent signing of Disney as an Omniture client, our department decided we would go with a Disneyland theme with different groups taking different rides or aspects of Disneyland such as Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Alice in Wonderland, Star Tours, Pirates of the Carribean, etc. We were each given a small budget and then set loose to turn our areas into our respective themes. Our travel vertical team combined with two other teams and were assigned Star Tours and I couldn't resist dressing up in Star Wars garb with Hyrum dressing up as R2-D2, Sunny as Padme Amidala and me as Jango Fett. We were a little leary about investing in a Jango Fett costume, but as the families were showing up one little boy ran up and asked if he could get his picture taken with me. That made it all worth it!

The night before Halloween several of us stayed late to make final preparations such as hanging up the black lights, draping several pieces of heavy black tarp to block out the light, hanging up florescent painted asteroids and queuing the music from the Star Tours ride. As was expected, Halloween day was essentially a large party at work (we didn't get a whole lot done). The occasional client interaction also included an explanation of why there was Star Wars Cantina music in the background along with an incessant "Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...." (You need to watch the video!)

All the departments went beyond anything we could have possibly expected. There was a carnival (with popcorn, cotton candy, and other treats) and the decorations made it hard to imagine that there was actually an office hidden behind there somewhere. All the executives were dressed up as different characters and they flew in 7 little people from Vegas to play the part of the Seven Dwarves. Hyrum LOVED them and they thought he was pretty adorable in his costume as well.



The CEO and his wife dressed up as Prince Charming and Cinderella, while the other co-founder dressed up as Sully from Monster's Inc. Also, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there handing out Mouse Ears flown in from Disneyland!



Other areas included a pirate ship with functioning smoke ring cannons, Alice in Wonderland, Finding Nemo and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. We've put together this 5 minute video to try and give everyone an idea of how crazy it was, but even the video doesn't completely do it justice. Enjoy!

Omniture's (my company) mantra is "Mean People Suck." When you get hired on, you get a license plate cover so, if you desire, you can spread the mantra to others on the road while you enjoy the time honored Utah driving tradition of cutting people off on the freeway.

If you are reading this, you know that we recently started requiring people log in to view the latest on our blog. Last week we had a random person, apparently a 45 year-old from South Korea, post a reply to one of our blog posts telling us how cute our baby was along with a link to his blog. We opted not to visit his site (chances of it being a porn site....somewhere in the 90% range...or he has set up some kind of software that posts a link to his site on random people's blogs and has put up a bunch of advertising on his site to rake in the $$$$) and while it's possible he's just some nice 45 year-old South Korean guy, we decided it was certainly better safe than sorry. It reminded me once again that, yes, mean people suck.

So, that's the story of why you now need to go through the rig-a-ma-roe of logging in.

Everyone seems to be posting adorable pictures of their little cherubs from Halloween today but we're having issues getting ours from one place to another. So while we wait I thought I'd indulge myself in posting a few of the cutest pictures from October. I swear we are going to have to delete half of the pictures we take of Hyrum so that our next children don't think we love them less.
I'm not sure if you can tell or not but his hair likes to go up in a little curly Gerber baby faux hawk. I put this apple core to his mouth and he grabbed my hands and didn't let me take the apple away. That's when I started to realize this kid might be ready for solids. :)

Sucking on his favorite purple elephant toy's trunk. I just love this picture.

I snapped some pictures of my bathing blue eyed boy. He's getting so big. Soon he will out grow the baby bath. He's trying to practice his new trick of blowing raspberries. He hasn't quite got it down yet.