Jack's First Independent Hike- 7/25

I have to say, I am such a proud mommy! On Friday afternoon, one day before Jack turned 13 months, I decided to see how he would do hiking. So mom and I went on our favorite little walk to the apple tree in her neighborhood. It is a mile round trip, not too far, but for little legs it's quite an adventure. Well, Jack made it all the way to the apple tree by himself! No stroller, no backpack, no carrying! He stopped everyonce in awhile to see the rocks, pick up his adored nuk, and so on, but when mom and I would begin skipping, or pretending to be airplanes he would start laughing and running after us. I carried him home, but he did manage a full 1/2 mile all by himself!

Our lovely dog Chase was able to distroy Jack's swimming pool during this last week, so since the heat of summer is still going strong, I went out and found this adorable froggy. Jack likes it so much more than his old one! Especially because there is this cute spouting system on the front lip that he gets to play with.Here is Jack playing in his TeePee. We like to play peek-a-boo in and out of it.

I have been trying for several months now to get a shot of Jack's teeth. No easy task! All four came in about the same time, and finally I was able to get my shot!

Orem Small Business Development Center

Since I have switched jobs a few months ago I have had many questions as to what I do. This article just came out about our business. I thought it would be a good way to introduce you to my co-workers and what the Small Business Development Center does.

Photo by Michael Rigert The Orem Small Business Development Center, located just west of Utah Valley University, assists startup business owners and entrepreneurs to navigate the often treacherous waters of becoming self employed. Among the center's staff are (left to right) consultant Marynika Miche, managing director Ken Fakler and consultant Laurie Ann Thomas.

With the economic turmoil depleting personal finances, displacing employees and forcing some to seek new career paths, more and more Utah County residents are turning to self-employment to support themselves and their families. Floralyn Martinez, a master hair stylist for 17 years, researched the possibility of opening her own salon last summer. It was at that time that she came into contact with the Orem Small Business Development Center located just west of Utah Valley University. She didn't have a clue about the steps to starting her own business.
"I'm an artist behind the chair, but I'm computer illiterate," she said. "I was either going to start up my own place or go to another salon."
A free resource provided to entrepreneurs, startup businesses and existing merchants, the Orem Small Business Development Center is one in a network of such centers across the state tasked with not only helping the self-employed get into business, but stay in business, said Ken Fakler, the Orem center's managing director.
Funded through the Small Business Administration, the state of Utah and Utah Valley University, the Orem center assists clients in applying for SBA loans, putting together a business plan, doing market research and strategies, and learning the nuts and bolts of business ownership. It serves clients in both Utah and Wasatch counties.
Martinez said Fakler and Orem center consultant Laurie Ann Thomas taught her how to write up a business proposal, where to find resources and apply for funding, and how to navigate the often treacherous waters of self employment.
In October, Martinez and her husband, Marcos, opened Katumba's Day Spa and Salon, 1015 S. State St. in Orem, which offers a wide range of services from hair styling, massage therapy, skin care and aesthetics. Their salon employs a full staff of stylists and therapists, and business is slowly but steadily increasing, she said.
"Ken is absolutely incredible and knows what he's talking about," Martinez said. "It was a huge, huge help. I would say they are a major aspect of getting me started."
With the housing slump and high gas and food prices hurting businesses and residents, Fakler said the center has seen a large influx of clients in recent months. From the newly unemployed to people looking to earn some income on the side, the center's clients come from all walks of life and range from college-age students to people in their 70s.
The center supports clients who own businesses with dozens of employees to stay-at-home moms who want to take their eBay sales to the next level.
The center works with about 35 to 40 new businesses a month, or nearly 500 per year. About 50 percent of the center's clients are women, Thomas said.
"It's really an entrepreneurial area," she said.
Because approximately 80 percent of small businesses go under in the first five years, the center stresses the importance of formulating a strong business plan and funding options as well as forming a long-term relationship with owners to continue to provide advice as their companies grow. The center also offers free classes on a variety of related topics taught by professionals.
"We have very, very few businesses that go broke if they're doing the things we ask them to do," Fakler said.
Just two weeks ago, Martinez said Fakler stopped by her salon to inquire about her business's progress and see if there was anything he could do to help. Without the assistance of resources like the Orem Small Business Development Center, she doubts if she would have taken the risk of living out her dream.
"I would have probably ended up going to another salon," she said. "I wouldn't have had the guts to try to go out on my own."
For more information about the Orem Small Business Development Center and the services it offers, contact the center at (801) 863-8230, send an e-mail to

Pioneer Day

Today we decided to have a bundle of fun! After taking a nice walk with Claudine and Gavin, we all headed up to the Thanksgiving Point Discovery Gardens. The boys had a blast playing in Noah's Arc. Gavin is into a smelling phase and kept wanting to smell all the flowers, which was super sweet, and Jack wanted to hold my hand and drag me around everywhere. I love this phase of total mommy attachment:) After the water section, we decided to see the rest of the gardens, going through the tunnels, climbing up the lighthouse ladder, and greeting the iron ducks. I think we wore both boys out sufficiently well. Jack slept all the way home and is still napping. A very nice way to spend Pioneer Day.

This is a little clip from one of Jack's favorite books, 'Moo, Baa, La La La'. He anticipates one part so much, and reads along with me. Listen closely, I love it!

one hundred push ups

So I have decided to do a new challenge for myself, I would love it if some of my loyal readers;) would like to join in on this as well. It is called the 100 push up challenge. How this works, it is a 6 week program with doing push up intervals 3 times a week. You start out slow, but eventually, you will get to 100 push ups, it can take you longer to get to your goal, but that is just fine, the main thing is to challenge yourself. I am doing this as I know this along with my yoga routines should really tone my arms well, and it is a challenge, like running a marathon! Something that it is fun to push yourself atleast once in your life to do. (I have taken a break from marathon running after my two claims to fame in the Honolulu and Top of Utah- Logan marathons, but would love to get into that kind of shape again someday).
For this first week, I have posted the sequence. This is week 1, so it starts nice and slow. I am going to try for the intermediate level- so far I have completed day 1 and day 2, and my upper back was feeling it the next day, but definetly a good soarness. I have a link attached at the bottom of this post if anyone would like to check out the whole program and keep up to date on it.

As a reward to a job well done, they have merchandise- yeahy! I want to get myself a t-shirt if (or when I should say) I am able to complete this program.

one hundred push ups

Sunday Fun

Sunday we ended up having a very nice family day. We went shooting at the range in the morning (something I haven't done in almost 2 years!) Stephen said I had a good stance in this picture. It was the first time I had ever shot the legendary AR-15, and I even hit some of the targets! I was really impressed that it didn't recoil back on my shoulder!

Afterwards we had family home evening, and let the kids play on the trampoline. This picture is litte Jack just completely exhausted after many attempts at jumping as shown on the video below. It was a good time:)

Gavin ended up stealing Jack's jump the whole time, it was really cute watching them play. Jack was really trying to figure out how to keep his balance.

The Early Show - Rescued Hiker Meets Her Hero

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4247245n

So dramatic waterfall rescue I was talking about last time. Yesterday, Kenny got a phone call from CBS and they flew him and the two sisters out to New York to be on the early show! How exciting! There is great footage on this clip, and fun to see your brother-in-law on tv.

Waterfall Search and Rescue

Video Library - Channel 2 News Utah

Above is a news clip from the guys' search and rescue call yesterday. Check out the raw footage as well that is directly under this video on the link. This girl they were saving fell about 20 feet down some rocks and was able to catch onto and hold herself in upper falls on the Timp Trail for an hour and a half while Kenny, Stephen, Jim and the rest of search and rescue worked on saving her. Stephen and Jim lowered Kenny down in his dry suit to her, and then he was able to get her across the waterfall and out of the water safely, after what sounded like a near drowning experience. You guys are amazing! Kenny has done such a good job with all the trainings, and I'm very proud of Stephen for his hard work and all of their skills! It's amazing how diverse your training has to be, but you guys make an awesome team!

Sandbox Fun

Today I wanted to give a little speculation on the fun adventures of being a mom. Jack and I went to the grocery store, and since my little guy has such ants in his pants this is always an adventure. He lasted in the seat of the cart for a total of two minutes before wiggling out of the seat belt, so I moved him into the big cart. This was fun for a few minutes, before Jack decided that throwing groceries out of the cart was a blast, and stepping on them. Two very crushed boxes of pop tarts later, a nearly broken bottle of olive oil, and eggs and tomatoes that I just barely saved, I put my little monkey on my shoulders. This was a good and preferrable view for him, I kept getting big kisses on my cheeks when he would lean over, luckily no spit up this time:) And so goes the grocery shopping. Ahh! The fun of being a mom! I always look at the other moms with their kids so nicely seated in the carts, and wonder how would it be to have a child who knows how to sit for 2 seconds? I guess I'll never know.

I was tagged by Zoe, so here it goes:


1- What is his name? Stephen Thomas Miche
2- Who eats more? Stephen does, but every once in awhile he has no appetite and doesn't eat at all
3- Who said I love you first? Stephen did, infront of the Dunkin' Donuts in Hawaii (was he talking to me or the donuts- he he:)
4- Who is taller? Stephen is, by almost a foot
5- Who is smarter? Street smarts- Stephen; Book Smarts- me
6- Who is more sensitive? I am
7- Who does the laundry? I do
8- Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are looking at it from the foot of the bed I do.
9- Who pays the bills? I do
10- Who cooks more? I do
11- What meals do you eat together? We try to eat dinner together, unless Stephen gets home to late and Jack and I are to hungry
12- Who is more stubborn? Stephen
13- Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Neither one of us is good at that
14- Who has more sibling? Stephen (totalling 9 or 14, however you count it, I have one sister)
15- Who wears the pants in the relationship? It depends on the day.
16- What do you like to do together? Go on adventures and hikes, watch movies
17- Who eats more sweets? Stephen
18- Guilty Pleasures? alone time.
19- How did you meet? At Sundance, I was a deli girl and Stephen was the handsome Safety Officer with a thirst for Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothies:)
20- Who asked who out first? Stephen- on my last day of work just before my moving to Hawaii
21- Who kissed who first? Stephen kissed me
22- Who proposed? Stephen did at Thanksgiving Point. The ring came out on a beautiful chocolate cake and he got down on own knee
23- His best features? Strong shoulders and arms and a cute tushee
24- What is his greatest quality? He always makes sure Jack and I are safe and taken care of

I tag Alexis, Natalie and Brandy

Jack's 1st Birthday!

Our Little guy has officially turned one! His birthday was on Thursday, June 26th. We celebrated with friends and family on Sunday. He is 31.7 inches tall - in the 95 percentile for his age group, and 21 pounds - in the 24 percentile for his age. So it looks like he's going to be tall and skinny, just like daddy:)

We knew Jack would be loving his birthday cake, and he did! He dove face first into that delicious chocolatey decadence. And he even remembered to lick off the candle! (That's always my favorite part)

Babunia got Jack these awesome blocks for his birthday, he loves to watch me stalk them and then knock them over. He was a very lucky little guy, getting a teepee from his auntie (Jack and Gavin love chasing each other through it) a dump truck, fire truck, legos, ball and sand box toys, as well as some cute clothes and books.

In Poland we have a tradition that on the first Birthday you give baby a glass (symbolizing love to party) a book (highly intellectual) and money (always wealthy). After looking at all the objects carefully, Jack chose the glass. Our little party animal! I had a really cute picture, but it just disappeared and my guy woke up- sorry, got to go!