Movin' to IOWA.

        It's official.  We're moving to Iowa City, Iowa on August 17th so Brian can pursue his dream of attaining a doctor philosophiae (PhD), which is quite an admirable feat.  Plus, it sounds good.
        "Dr. Brian and Lady Natalie Green, please enter the court!" (Herald taps his staff three times). We'll probably meet baby Prince George someday.
        The Brain will attend his grad school orientation on August 20th, and begin the journey to a Chemical Engineering Degree.  I'm thrilled for him.  I remember him and I sharing our goals in life on one or our first long runs/dates back in '09.  I wanted to complete a half ironman before I die, and he wanted to get a PhD.  I think he'll complete his goal first, this baby is a real triathlon dream killer, but I can wait.  She's cute.

         We got to experience a 10-week sabbatical in Iowa City last summer.  He interned for the Chemical Engineering Dept. and assisted/observed a graduate student with his research, and I worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor with a bunch of undergrads who loved to party.  It was a win-win.  We really enjoyed ourselves, except for the two weeks we melted from a suffocating, humid heat wave. We got to go to some cool cities, bike some mildly hilly terrain, go inside the Nauvoo temple, and watch a LOT of Food Network.
        I get asked, "Are you excited/sad/nervous to be moving?" So, because I love how tidy and effective lists can be, I recorded my thoughts using them--complete with descriptive titles and poor punctuation.
       

Things Nat Wants To Do In Utah Before We Move (You Are Invited To Be Involved).

 

Sell the Toyota. It's red and great and I think we're asking $2,300.

 

Hike Ben Lomond --hopefully August 3rd.

Go to Bear Lake

Go Swimming.  I gotta teach my baby how to back float.

Get my cowgirl swimsuit from Weber State's pool.  Do you have it McKell?

Go biking with my Hubsand.    

Go to Dan and Nicole's Wedding--August 6th.  MAZEL TOV!!

Get a Hair Cut

 

Go to Lava with Jeff and Abby....
 

 

Things Nat Will Dearly Miss in UT

 

Sunday dinners and games with my family.

 

Competitive badminton with Renae (especially when she cries when she loses).
 

Cool kids on a family hike on Conference Sunday.
 

Scarlett's G-parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins loving her for being alive.

 

My job. I'm a Medical Technologist at a small ER in Roy (I run samples and interpret results in the Laboratory), and I've finally got the hang of phlebotomy. I have a weird satisfaction when I draw blood, and I love the patient interaction, as well as the nursing staff here. And my schedule is so wonderful. 7 on 7 off swing shift, you were perfect, you will be missed.

 

Zupa's café and Costa Vida.

 

The dry climate (less mosquitoes, perfect summer nights, finding solace in shade).

 

My sisters, sisters-in-law, and girrrrl friends.

 

My ward and all the cute kids we taught in Primary.

 

Our parents. They do so much for us its crazy...

 

Things Nat is Looking Forward To in Iowa City

 

Being on our own. I think it'll be good for our growing family to create our own home vibes and traditions.   Also, we'll have to branch out of our small bubbles and make friends to replace the void our big famdillys left.  Brian and I are out of practice, and we tend to just hang out by ourselves or with family most nights, so this might be a challenge.

 

Scarlett getting bigger.  It doesn't matter where this happens, but its tickles me to think about her walking and talking.
 

 

The yummy restaurants.  There's this burger joint called Short's and Brian and I are planning on going there many a Monday Night for the 6 dollar burger and fries.  I'm not really much of a burger person, but these are so fresh and spectacular.

 

The Road Trips.  I want to visit Chicago and Minneapolis and Nauvoo(again) and St. Louis.  Brian wants to see when the Jazz play in one of the big cities and make a vacation out of it.

 

The University Campus Recreation.  I'm so excited to get my student spouse gym pass and go to classes and use the pools and courts at our leisure. 

 

The Iowa City Married Student ward.  I just loved them.  They were quick to welcome us and give us callings and made us feel like we were apart of them.  They were our family. I think that's my greatest  comfort--knowing we will a ward family wherever we go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Kid is Hyper

My Baby's Baby Blessing

      First off, yeah, I know that Scarlett is really our baby not my baby, but it sounded more personal and this will be a personal post (aren't they all). So, I have decided to leave that title up just now. Sorry, Brian. 
       Ever since our Scarlett was born, I have been dreaming up her coming out party after her baby blessing.  We were going to have a luncheon outside with enough food prepared for ALL our friends and family, and it was going to be GOOD. And everyone was going to ooh and awe at how precious that lil' girl was in her beautiful, one-of-a-kind homemade dress Grandma made for her.  And we would sit outside in the warm weather and visit with all the people who love us. All these fun things did happen (I'll post the recipe for our Café Rio Grande meal, trust me, you'll want it), but now I realize that those things were trivial compared to the sweet priesthood blessing that Scarlett received from her father.

Handmade down to the tiniest details...booties, headband, and bracelet!

       I decided to do some research on baby blessings, because I honestly don't know much about them. I believe that a baby blessing is not a saving ordinance required to enter into the highest degree in the Celestial Kingdom. The Family Guidebook to Priesthood Ordinances and Blessings says:
       "Priesthood ordinances are sacred acts given by the Lord and performed by the authority of the priesthood." A few examples of saving ordinances:  baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost (4th AOF), initiatory & endowments, sealing in the temple, and keeping covenants made ever after.
       "Priesthood blessings are given by the authority of the priesthood for healing, comfort, and encouragement."
       Ah, so our newborn babies need comfort and encouragement.  Can't blame them. Its a cold, hard world sometimes. Don't worry Scarlett, its only temporary. Ha, reminds me of my upstairs neighbor.  Every time our paths meet, she warns, "Oh, I'm so glad I'm not raising a child in this day and age." Uh, thanks, neighbor.  I guess I shouldn't have been so careless and have a baby in these dreadful times.  I'm glad her negativity isn't infectious.
        Moving on, D&C 20:70 reads: “Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.”
         Okay, okay, so I guess it is both an ordinance and a blessing...and it can be given to older children up to 8 as well. You Melchizedek Priesthood holders probably already knew this and are bored with my discovery....but hey I still learn things about the gospel and our church all the time. 
       I probably should have prepared better spiritually for Scar's blessing than fussing over the after party.  I didn't stop to think that Brian's blessing was going to be so special.  Scarlett was so peaceful that day at church, which is unusual if she is awake in the afternoon.  She just sat still on my lap until Brian uttered that he was a little nervous and Scarlett Claire Green was called over the podium. He took her up to the front of the chapel while other Priesthood holders in our ward and family gathered around her and he gave her a name and a sweet simple blessing.  I remember him blessing her that she would know how to make the right decisions quickly and that she would get married to a worthy man in the temple, but I mostly remember the feeling.
        I felt like Heavenly Father really loved our little baby, and that He was proud of her for coming on this mission to earth.  I felt like He was blessing me and trusting me with the hefty responsibility to care for her, and  I felt like Scarlett  knew more about Heavenly Father and his love than I.  These thoughts and feelings struck me subtly, but honestly.  It was a unique feeling, seeing the power that my baby and our family holds.  It sorta makes me nervous, when I think about our eternal potential. Hopefully we live up to it, because I know and He knows its there.
       Brian said that she kept still, sucked on her binky (of course) and looked up for the entire blessing, not that it was long. Then I had to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting because I couldn't get my heart to stop churning in my stomach or my bladder to calm down until I did. Brian followed later and one-upped me with a much more composed, wiser testimony (when I get nervous I tend to babble). Oh, I love him.  It was a such a happy day, and luckily, we didn't run out of food feeding this crowd....

 I gave myself a new dress for the blessing. I am so good to me. Nice Davis turn-out.

 Love baby love. Uncle Rob and Cousin Hallie.

Grandpa Alan, Newly Weds, & Some Rustic Machinery

 The seamstress herself, loungin'.

 Heremy.

     
       

The Color Purple

         Brian's sister Katie and her cute chil'ins came down for Pleasant View Founder's Day (which in my opinion is even better than the 4th of July) so they could meet baby Scarlett.  It was a great weekend, especially when we saw a patch of trees catch fire from the Weber High Stadium.
    OKAY, this side story must be told... The Green family decided to sit on the South side of the stadium right next to the track for a speedy exit (very important for us Greens) for the annual Founder's Day firework show.  AND, it was rather cold. We all speculated about how Scarbaby would react to fireworks, and when the show started she jumped once, then turned stone cold and awestruck for the rest of the show.  Maybe she was just internalizing her fear, idk.  She's a tough kid.


Jeff and Abby Being Cute AuNcles at the Fireworks.

      I think it was during the last song when we saw the smoke rising from the Southwest, over by the school and the football team's "Mountain Climbers Hill".  PS-I loved the music this year, did you? It was then that a few disapproving onlookers scurried over to get a better look.  Get some class,  people!  But then it got bigger, so we swallowed our pride (it was pretty easy) and ran the heck over there.  Before we reached the flames, the fireworks finale lit the sky and an EPIC song finished its boom over the crowd.  That was really the word to describe it, EPIC. It was like we were in a movie and I was the heroine running with a baby in her arms, trying not to lose my husband while the people around us ran for their lives before the world lit up in flames and aliens came down and shot craters into the football field and Voldemort stopped us from destroying his last Horcrux....or something like that.  It was the biggest fire I've ever seen in person, we could feel the heat from where we were standing.  Look it up on Youtube.  Also, we got to visit with George Barlow for a minute. That was fun.
    Anyway, this post was primarily formulated to show off how cute my baby is. Of course.

I have been told that purple is her color by two different sources. Must be so.

     Scarlett has been a barrel of monkeys lately.  She loves to smile, especially in the morning.  You can even tell when she smiles with her bink in, because her eyes turn into crescent moons. She is a morning person if I ever knew one; she usually gets crankier as the day goes on. She doesn't spit up  much, but when she does its a teaspoon here or there.  She usually smiles after that, maybe because we smile at her and tell her in an obnoxious high baby voice, "good job!"

     I love being able to sooth her after a good cry (Mommy Magic), and I love it after when she lets out a defeated sigh of relief when she's calmed down.  She yelps like a puppy when she's hungry, and after a good meal she'll curl up on my chest. That is the best. If Brian and I are ever in a tizzy, we take her for a walk in the stroller or a drive in the car and she's out.  A couple of nights ago she discovered that her fist and fingers were delicious, and she's preferred them ever since.  She slurps them with no regard for Brian's pet peeve of loud eating habits.  Good girl. 

Having a family forever is wonderful, isn't it?





All things Scarlett

          When we first decided on our baby girl's name, we received a little bit of Weird Name Woe from a few family members and coworkers and EVEN friends, can you believe it? These woes were most often associated with her name consisting of two different colors, because our last name is Green, and scarlet is a "bright red color inclining toward orange," says Dictionary.com. Notice the name Scarlett is spelled with two t's, and the color with one.  Brian and I used to tell people we we going to have her middle name be Violet, so she could be half a rainbow. Yes, her name is essentially Red Green (like the Canadian fix-it TV show) but it could be worse, right?  If we're lucky enough to have a boy we'll name him Forrest or Jungle so they can get picked on together.                                                                                                          
         Brian and I have been on a Scarlett craze because we love our Scarlett child, and lately we've been immersing ourselves in movies or books that have a Scarlett or scarlet in them. For example,

Scarlett Johansson.  So curvy, so hot. Prestige, Avengers, Iron Man.

Scarlett O'Hara.  A complex, conflicted character from Gone with the Wind.  She's got Attitude.

That danged, elusive, Scarlet Pimpernel.  Sink me. One of my favorite movies and books. I have a crush on him.

Seventeen Again. She pulls off the nickname Scar, so we can use it too.  Favorite part: LOTR Elvish date.  

The Scarlet Letter.  A classic I've started reading and have not finished. Should I keep going?  Opinions please, I'm afraid I don't have the deep, Old English novel appreciation/wisdom to keep going unless something crazy happens at the end.

Scarlett on the TV show Nashville.  She's the only character who isn't going through a rebel stage right now.  And I love her li'l drawl and curly hair.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnd then there's this Scarlett. Little cutie.
Any we've missed?