I Done Graduated

Well, the end has come and I have officially graduated. It feels really weird. I have been in school for six years and have no clue what I am going to do next. I received my Masters in Business Administration with specializations in Marketing and International Business. I have been applying to jobs everyday, and if anyone has any connections, let me know. I will do just about anything, and if worse comes to worse, I will get my PH.d I will eventually get it, but I hope to pay off these student loans before accruing other student loans.

I owe a special thanks to Codilyn for all her support. When I get stressed out, I become a jerk, and she patiently put up with it. Thanks babe.

Happy Thanksgiving Yall!!

We hope that everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving. For most people Thanksgiving begins the anticipation for Christmas and in anticipation of Christmas, my sister Lindsey made this for us and we just had to let everyone see it. Enjoy!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9567751806

IF YOU THINK I'M CUTE... YOU SHOULD SEE MY DAD!

For those of you who don't know.... Zach is blessed with great sense of style. In fact, many of the times in which I have received compliments on my outfit, or shoes... they have been items which Zach has either told me to buy, or bought for me himself (yes ladies, my husband does know my sizes and can fit me to a T!). Apparently our little Xander has inherited this trait from his dad and I have the pictures to prove it. See... Xander HATES to get dressed. If he could be naked all day long, HE WOULD BE (another trait he inherited from Zach). So in an attempt to make getting dressed fun for him I decided to let him pick out his outfit for the day all by himself. Granted, he probably had no idea what was going on, but the outcome was quite entertaining. We began with the pant drawer, from which he chose a pair of light blue and white striped pants. I immediately began seeing all the mismatched shirts he could possibly choose to go with the pants as we moved on to the shirt drawer. To my surprise however he chose a white polo shirt that matched perfectly. Thinking it a fluke (especially since the polo was closer to the back of the drawer and surrounded by many other colorful options), we moved on to the onesies where to my astonishment the little guy pulled out a light blue onesie that perfectly matched the above mentioned pants. So there you have it.... I am a woman surrounded by good looking men, with great sense of style. It's enough to make one extremely self-conscious. Do I look okay?

Hallo-Weenie

So we have had a wonderfully fun last week. I am not much of a Halloween person, even though I love free candy and scary movies, but I feel that Halloween is a time for guys who want to dress up like women and for women to dress like sl#ts. But Codi is slowly making me enjoy Halloween. Last Friday we had out ward party and it was really fun, except that we were one of two couples who actually dressed up for Halloween, and I don't know how we won first place with such competition. Xander was a hot dog, which he loved being in because it kept him warm and Codi and I were ketchup and mustard. It was fun.
Then, on Saturday a group of friends, the Lee's, the Wright's and some other couple, went to the ZOO and they had a little themed activity, and by little I mean little. We waited in this huge long line and overall walked two miles to occasionally pick up a couple pieces of candy, a Dr. Pepper, and baked Cheetos. It was worth the six bucks.
Then, on Halloween night we went trick r treating, and Codi and I were a little embarrassed. We felt kind of dumb walking around with a kid who could not even eat candy. So after only 30 minutes of trick r treating, and having people give us dumb looks, one guy, while he was putting candy in the basket said, "well, here is some candy, even though it is really for dad anyways." So we stopped doing that and headed over to the Wright's for a little party. We had a pumpkin dinner, Jell-o eyes, snake bread, fruit, and a graveyard cake. It was really fun. I am beginning to like Halloween a little more, I guess Holidays get more exciting when you have kids.

P.S. Xanders two teeth popped through this past week, he is taking it really well, just a little clingy.





And another picture of everyone dressed up. We are loving the family themed outfits.

Flipped Upside Down

So our lives have completely changed as we knew them. First, Xander has been drooling a lot more and has been a little more onry, so we think he is teething, but the worst thing is that he is now standing on his own. Codilyn put him down in his crib while she was running the bath and when she came back he was standing up. Now when we put him down to take a nap he has too much fun standing up, how do you teach kids that the crib is the place to sleep and now have fun.


We all took a WALK the other day just to get out of the house. Xander had a good time and it was a really good workout for me carrying him. I now know why overweight people breathe heavily.

THE WEEK OF WEEKS!!!

So we have had some hard times this past two weeks. First, my laptop, which has all my school stuff on it, especially my graduate thesis, broke and I tried taking it to the Mac store but they have become so popular you have to have an appointment 48 hours in advance with them. I went and they told me that it would cost $1500 to fix it. So we decided to think on it for a while. Then, I found out I did not get the job that I wanted, but it turns out it was a good thing because I only wanted to do it temporarily. Then, my professor has been riding my butt about my thesis because he decided he wanted me to turn it in early. Then, my dad is having a lot of complications with his back surgery and I cant stand hearing my wonderful dad in pain. And some other stuff, but we gained a testimony that Heavenly Father looks after us and helps us in times of need.

Example #1: General Conference was this past weekend and the Priesthood session had a great impact on my week and overall helped us a lot.
Example #2: Heavenly Father sent inspiration to a couple of people that we were having a bad week and helped us greatly. (Thanks Jennifer Roberts, Michelle, Carma, and Grandpa Kendell)
Example #3: We were able to buy a new computer with the help from Grandpa Kendell at the perfect time, when the new Leopard system was announced and when we could not wait anymore.

We are lucky people. Here are some pictures of our little one. The playdate group went to Chesters Party Barn about two weeks ago. Xander had a good time with the pumpkins, which he loved by the way, and actually rode a pony with a smile on his face. We also got him a new little toy. The toy is supposed to help him walk but he is so tall that he can actually use the toy.

Protesting

So I am officially protesting. I am protesting posting any new steps that Xander is taking. I am protesting talking about his new milestones and will not post them anymore. I hate the feeling of competition I have when I hear about another baby doing things Xander doesn't and know that other parents feel the same. I hate thinking that my baby is slow and so when I dont compare, I dont feel that way. This is not an angry post, just a "I dont WANT to BE ANGRY post." So you will not find out when he talks more, crawls more or begins walking. We will just post pictures of our kid and let him grow as he wants without feeling pressure of competiton from his father (I am only going to get worse, never ask me to coach my sons teams). Or Codi says I maybe should not read others blogs, but then what would I do with my time?

Attention CPS

So do you remember when Britney Spears just had her kids and the CPS were called because one of her kids fell out of their highchair and she almost dropped one? Well, I officially feel as though we are worse than her. Sign #1, we put our kid in a cardboard box and left him in there while we ate (he was loving it). Sign #2, we thought it was funny to sign our names to his feet, showing that we made him. And Sign #3, Codi held his head done while I went at him with some scissors and then some clippers, yes, we gave him his first hair cut this morning. He looks a lot older. I guess that it is a rule as a parent that you must feel incompetent 90% of the time, but we must be doing something right to have such a happy baby.



P.S. Dang the Beck cowlick curse.

Thank you Francisco's

The Fransico's found this. He was the branch president in Ulan-Ude when Codi and I both served there. They are a great family.

http://meridianmagazine.com/exstories/070919vodka.html

Bubbalicious

So this past week has been kinda crazy for us. I think Codilyn and I are sick and we hope that Xander does not get it. Its funny how everytime the kids get together from the ward, everyone gets sick, even the parents. We had a doctors appointment for Xander and he is now 29 inches tall and weighs 20 lbs even with his diaper off (the new nurse took it off, weighed him, and gave him to Codi, all the while we were hoping that he would not pee on the way from the scale to the room). I have been busy with school work, then my bosses boss came in wanting to talk to me, very nervewracking, but oddly enough, very enjoyable. Then, I am working for a company at the state fair and on the first day one lady decided not to show up for work, so I had to cover for her and work my butt of this whole weekend and will have to in the upcoming week. It is a lot of fun, but I will have to say that there needs to be a sign posted at the entrance that states: NOT WEARING BRAS IS PROHIBITED!! I have never seen so many people with missing teeth, missing limbs and missing bras in once place at one time. But oddly enough, they can pay 8 dollars for admission, 30 dollars for one meal, and 150 dollars worth of fragrances, but cant afford a bra that could have the potential of lasting years.

Here are some pictures of Xander first experience with bubbles. He loved them...

Do Elephants Have A Good Memory?

Our good friends the Spikes sent us this and it made me think.

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.


Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teen-aged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.



Probably wasn't the same elephant.

And Daddy Was His Name-O

So Xander officially uttered his first word yesterday, oh should I say words. He now says Dada and Dad. It is very clear and I was so excited. I just got lucky that his first sounds were d sounds and not m sounds.

There's always a first time....

So I have decided to get over my silly fear of blogging and give it a try! If however something happens to our computer or our webpage is mysteriously out of commision for some time I will deny ever even touching the computer whatsoever. Anyhow, now for the reason I have decided to make a blog.... I recently came to the sad realization that my "baby" is no longer a baby anymore. It happened while I was holding little Cole, and had Xander standing next to me on the sofa. As I took a few quick back and forth looks from one to the other, I realized just how quickly time is really passing by with my little guy. So in light of my AHA! moment I decided to put together a little picture tribute to my "little" one and come to the realization that (no matter how much I wish it weren't true) sooner than latter he will be my little MAN.

P.S. This is Zach now and I just realized that Codi said she had " an AHA moment." Someone has been watching a little too much Oprah, aka, Satan in the flesh. Give me an Oprah hug.

A Busy Week

For the past two weeks we have been in Dallas at my parents and it was a very busy vacation. My sister Aleshia had a baby on Tuesday and we had to see the cute new addition. They kept his name a secret, to prevent other people from stealing it, and Timothy Cole Garland was born. He weighed 7 lbs. even and seems so small compared to Xander. He does this cue little feet thing that just made him even cuter. I attatched a picture. Then while we were there, we were put in charge of making sure my parents kitchen renovations were done while they were in Japan picking up my sister. Then my sister Lindsey came home from her mission on Monday to meet Cole, Xander, Jacob and Elliott (my brother-in-laws). Quite a shock!! We spent that whole week just hanging out with my family and got our fill. Lindsey brought home some gifts for us and brought the girls kimonos, here is a picture of the Geisha's, which Lindsey told me are not really prostitues like I had thought, but women who excelled in the arts.

Boot-Scootin' Boogie

Not a lot has happened this uneventful Summer. We seem to be doing a lot of waiting. Waiting for a job, then waiting to see if we can move, waiting for Aleshia to have her baby, waiting for Lindsey to come home from her mission, and finally waiting for Xander to start crawling. He loves getting on all fours (sounds like a dog huh?) and rocks back and forth, and everyone tells us that he is so close to crawling. We are excited and scared about this. Here are a couple of pictures of Xander on all fours. We will keep everyone posted as our waiting comes to an end, hopefully everything happens within three weeks. Here's to hoping.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY--LOVER!!

730 Days Later

Our two year anniversary came and went today. It is crazy to think how fast time has flown by. We moved to Lubbock, got jobs, got fat, got educated, got pregnant, then moved to Oklahoma, got a kid, got new haricuts, and got a new diet. Wow, we have accomplished lots. And you know what we have learned...washing the dishes is just something we can't do together.

How Do You Compete?

I just reconnected with some friends and noticed that they all were doing some great things like ski trips, trips to Europe; they all had trendy clothing and looked really happy. I also am really happy, but haven't gone anywhere except to Dallas and Provo a couple of times to visit family, so how do you compete with other people? How do you compete in how you dress when you would rather spend money on your child and give him everything he needs than buy yourself something. How do you compete with other married couples that wait so long to have kids and are out traveling, when you felt it was the right thing for you to do to have kids soon after you got married? How do you compete with people who don’t understand your importance of family? How do you compete with people who are in the same situation as you, and seem to be doing better than you? I don't understand how some people do it. I mean, buying houses when there is no income coming in, having nice cars when you are going to school, now I am not condemning or accusing anyone of anything but how are we supposed to compete with you? I guess all I am trying to say is that this transition process is hard. It is hard trying to phase into the next stage of life-adulthood, when most people your age don't even think of children, and those who have families seem to have skipped the whole transition process. How do you compete with someone, when the happiness you feel is something that can't be measured. - Zach

P.S. This is an old picture. Can you tell I have lost 15 lbs.? Compare with picture below.

Why is It?

Why is it that only crazy Mormons get on television?
Why is it that many smart people are socially inept?
Why is it that the more women get plastic surgery the
more they start to look like lions?
Why is it that more and more people talk to themselves?
And why is it that my son only looks at me when his
mom is holding him and visa versa (that's what's in the pic)?


The other picture is when Xander somehow caught his leg into his play pen.

All Grown Up

Picture Perfect

We decided to finally get Xanders pictures taken and decided to use that as a Mother's Day gift for our mom's because it is becoming increasingly difficult to get presents for them. He was really funny taking those pictures, but we are glad we got some pictures of him smiling. We went to the doctor today to get some more of his immunizations and he weighs 17 lbs. 6 oz. He is getting so big and we are enjoying him more and more. Well a little update on us, Codi was just called to be in the Primary Presidency at church and she is now so busy with doing all of that. I am still in school and summer school is kicking my behind, but it will be nice when I will be completly done with school this December, that is unless I find a job that wants me to get my Phd, and they will pay for it, then I would love to. I dont know why, but after getting my Bachelors and almost my Masters and spending six years in higher education, I hate school, but I love learning. Who knows what the future is going to hold for us. I am going to start sending out my resume to some bussinesses here in Oklahoma City, because the dean of marketing gave me some places that I needed to send my resume and hopefully I can start working full time in August and then hopefully we can move into our first house sometime soon. Well thats it with us. We hope you enjoy the pictures of our fun little Xander and hope you are all doing well. Congrats Hafens!!

Rice Anyone?

At our last doctor's appointment our doctor suggested that we start feeding Xander rice cereal (just like every pedatrician does) and we were a little weary on starting the whole rice cereal thing already. But after talking to some friends with young kids, we found out that it takes a lot longer to get kids adjusted to different foods and since it took our friends a couple of months to get their daughter adjusted to new foods, we decided we should go ahead and try the whole rice cereal thing. Needless to say, he did not take it very well. The pictures say sit all. I love the first picture, I think he looks like my little brother Dustin did when he was a baby and Codi thinks he looks like her little brother Cameron. Whoever he looks like, everyone can agree he looks cute.

XANDERS REVENGE- VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED

One of my favorite things about having a little kid is having the opportunity to throw him up in the air, but I should have known not to do this right after he has eaten.

Not only does stuff come up and out, but it also comes down and out and almost everywhere. His diapers are either wet or they have poop all the way up his back, there is no middle. He thinks it is funny though and thank goodness Codi has yet to have gagged. Yeah Codi!!!! And her family thought she couldn't do it.

Many Faces of Xander