January 29, 2008

January 20, 2003

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have gotten off on the right foot with the New Year. It was so much fun to spend time with those of you whom we were able over the holiday break. Thank you for your thoughtful gifts and the love that you give Daniel, Jaxton and I. We love you all so much!
So my story of the month happened today, just in time for Bobik Bidness. I made spaghetti pie for dinner tonight, I grabbed it with one hand to put it in the oven and it slipped and splattered all over the floor. Daniel had a look on his face like, "is that a joke" and I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. I chose to laugh and you know what I did, I just got a fork and scooped up all of the stuff that wasn't touching the floor and cooked it anyway. I know, that's disgusting, but I have to say that was the best spaghetti pie I have ever eaten!! I'm sure a few of you have stories like that of your own when you were in our shoes.
School has started for Daniel once again and to be honest I think he, along with the rest of the team, is glad because those two a day practices were starting to get really long. They were worth it though because as most of you probably know Oklahoma State beat BYU!!! Daniel and I will always have some cougar blue in our blood but that was one of the sweetest victories that we have ever encountered. The best part of the game was when Travis Hansen fouled out (we are not friends)! I was going crazy up in the stands and all of the OSU managers, red shirt players, etc. were laughing their heads off at me. Before that game they all though that I was a nice, calm and quiet person. Shoot, I blew my cover!! Anyway, the next day at practice Coach Sutton came up to Daniel and asked, "Does your wife get that excited over all of the games?" Just wait until next year baby! OSU also beat their rival OU last Monday. For Daniel and I that was one unbelievable experience. When the team ran out on the court and the fans started to cheer chills ran up my spine because it was so loud. Daniel looked up at me from the floor and said, "Now that's what I'm talking about." I couldn't believe the intensity that was in that arena. You couldn't even hear the refs blow their whistles or the buzzers buzz. It was out of control!! Now I know why Sports Illustrated named it the best college atmosphere in the nation. For all of you BYU fans take the BYU vs. Utah game at the Marriott Center last year and times that by 35 and you would have the noise level about right. I didn't take Jaxton to the game because he has been sick but after experiencing that I don't think I will be taking him next year either. Big 12 games are a lot more intense and physical than we were used to..this is BIG TIME BASKETBALL.
As for me I have been trying to adjust once again to good old Stillwater. Every time I get to go home I go through the whole homesick thing for awhile. I am usually alright until I have to go grocery shopping at Walmart again BOOOOO. The fact that Walmart is the only place to shop here is a little depressing at times, especially after being spoiled by my mom while we were in Utah. We got to go out to dinner and go to the movies and relax with no worries. THANKS MOM! Those of you who have known me forever won't believe that I cut my hair while I was in Utah. It is a little about my chin and I totally look like a little mommy, which is what I was trying to achieve! I love it and it's a totally new look for me because I have never had short hair before. Daniel loves it and there is less for Jaxton to pull, so it works out for all of us. Besides being a mommy I have been sewing my little heart out. My mom bought me a really nice sewing machine for Christmas. It was a total surprise and I was so excited when I opened it I almost peed my pants. I am a beginner but I am having a fabulous time learning and have made some really fun things already. Other than that I am looking forward to the trip Jaxton, my mom, my grandma and I will be taking to Japan in a few weeks to watch my sister Kristi dance at Tokyo Disney. Japan is going to be quite an adventure with a 7 month old baby but with everyone's help it will be a blast! I have missed my sister so much and I am excited to see what she has been doing in Japan the last 6 months. Kristi can't wait to see Jaxton, she has a big surprise coming her way because he has changed so much!
Jaxton has had a hard month. I took him in for his 6 month chec up and he was starting to get a cold. The Doctor said he would be fine and it would pass but 2 days later I took him back and said, "This is not just a little cold." They took x-rays and ruled out pneumonia but he tested positive for RSV, a respiratory infection which can get very dangerous. He didn't smile for 3 days straight which had us worried because he is the happiest baby ever, so Daniel and Sterling Bone came over and they gave him a blessing. 30 minutes after his blessing he smiled and started making his cute little baby sounds and started kicking like crazy. We had to keep him inside for a week straight and give him breathing treatments but he is 100% better now, and as happy as ever. On a happier note, he now has his two little bottom teeth, they are so cute! He weighs almost 17 pounds but is 29 inches long and WAY OFF THE CHARTS! If he keeps growing like this he will be 6 feet tall by the time he is 3! He is starting to eat Gerber foods and his favorites so far are potatoes and green beans. Although most of it ends up on his face we have sure gotten some cute pictures. He is in the imitating stage right now and I can tell already that he things to himself, "I want to be just like my daddy." When Daniel was eating his spaghetti pie tonight Jaxton was watching every bite that he took and copying him. It was so cute because he was chewing just like Daniel (with his mouth open). He is growing up so fast that I honestly can't believe it, even though everybody warned me that he would.
We love you all so much and hope this letter finds you healthy and happy!

December 12, 2002

Thank you for all of your feedback on last month's newsletter. I am glad that you got a laugh out of our Oklahoma adventures. Don't worry, I will keep you updated on all of them. I know there will be many more in these next three years!
Thanksgiving was wonderful!! We had a fabulous day filled with food, laughter, and fun! We celebrated with Sterling and Tara Bone and his side of the family from Utah. His dad made a mean turkey with stuffing that melted in our mouths. YUM!! It makes my teeth sweat just thinking about it! I slaved away all day on my contribution of jello salad and drinks. I felt like the family member that always gets assigned the jello or fruit salad because nobody trust her to make anything that might no turn out!! After we filled our tummies and took our naps we got together again to play UNO ATTACK! Highly recommend that game to any of you who have not played it, especially if you have a big family. It's no Chutes and Ladders, but it's right up there!
I found out why everyone in Oklahoma has bad teeth...it is because there is TOO MUCH fluoride in the water along with large amounts of iron and calcium. In this case, more isn't better. My teeth are totally feeling the effects and I was teasing with Daniel about how we are going to end up with teeth like everybody else out here because we can't afford to go to the dentist. I was nursing Jaxton at the time and jokingly said, "And I am going to have to nurse Jaxton until he is three because we won't be able to afford milk!" The second I said that he pulled off and looked at Daniel like, "Dad, don't you dare let her even thing about it." I swear, he knew exactly what we were talking about and he wasn't about to let that happen! Daniel and I just started laughing hysterically but eventually our laughter turned into tears. Not tears of sadness or feeling sorry for ourselves, but tears of joy because we have so much to be thankful for at this time in our lives. We have each other, we have a sweet, healthy little boy, we have the gospel, and we have LOVE. Who could ask for more? My mom always told Daniel and me, "enjoy being poor while you have every reason to be," that's exactly what we are doing. Plus, we have something money can't buy....POVERTY!!!!!
We recently experienced our first ICE STORM. "What in the heck is that?" you ask. It is when something resembling rain falls from the sky; it is a lot heavier than rain and it hurts when it hits you but it is nothing like hail. Anyway, eventually it becomes ice that thickly wraps itself around everything. It is beautiful but very dangerous because the roads get slick and big tree branches snap off, power goes out for days in some places and it causes havoc. It the trees don't break from the weight of the ice they are bent over touching the ground. Daniel and I drove around taking pictures because we had never seen anything like that before.
Daniel and I are also in the process of our first missionary experience here in the mission field of Oklahoma. One day Daniel left an LDS pass along card that read, "Family happiness can last forever" on our neighbors door. Our neighbors decided to call the number on the back to get the free video about loving family relationships. when people make that call the MTC immediately gets a hold of the missionaries in that area and give them the media referral. Anyway, in church the other week our missionaries asked if there was anyone that would like to come with them to teach a discussion in Chapel Ridge Apartments (that is where we live). Daniel volunteered and after church when he was getting the details he asked what apartment number it was. They said, #1217..."wait a minute," he thought to himself, "those are our neighbors." On the way home he put two and two together and became very excited. We went with the missionaries last Friday for the 2nd discussion but since they weren't able to read the Book of Mormon as much as they would have liked, it was more a question and answer time and we read 3 Nephi 11 together. After the missionaries left we had an unexpected knock on our door. It was our neighbors with a few things about the gospel they were curious about. They asked about Joseph Smith, the Latter-day Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, the priesthood, etc. I busted out my Gospel Principles book because as an EFY counselor I found that it explains difficult things very plainly. Daniel stressed the importance of reading the Book of Mormon because if you know the Book of Mormon is true you know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Church is true. We both got a chance to share a portion of our testimonies and it was a very special experience. I think they are struggling with the whole concept of FAITH and the Holy Ghost being a still, small voice instead of a loud, booming yell. Daniel invited them to come to church with us this past Sunday but they couldn't make it because their little son had the flu. We will leave it to the missionaries for now because the holidays are going to be a busy time for everyone, but when we get back from Utah after Christmas we will extend the invitation again and hopefully they will be able to make it.
Now about our cute, little boy--Jaxton is officially a TOE MUNCHER!! HE found his toes and he knows what to do with them. It is so funny to watch him pull his legs up and munch on his toes for 15-20 minutes at a time. His toes are so big that he gets more toe jam caught in them than Daniel gets lint caught in his belly button! I try to clean that out for him before he gets too carried away because toe jam probably isn't the most nutritious treat he could have, but he sure hasn't seemed to mind so far. He rolled over for the first time last week and it is fun to see his facial expression when he is on his stomach rather than his back, it's like he found a whole new world. He has a favorite toy. A little blue dog that I call "Toofer" I named him that because Jaxton is trying to get some toofs (teeth) right now so he just growls and chews on toofer to make his gums feel better. Jaxton's personality is starting to show and along with being very happy I think that he is going to be very competitive. I say this because he runs races against himself already, it is a joy to watch his legs go crazy and then see him squeal with delight when he crosses his imaginary finish line. He eats more than Daniel already and I think we are in the process of creating a huge monster child. He is seriously bigger )not fatter, just taller) than the 10 and 11 month old babies in the ward and he is just 5 months. He is holding his head up on his own now but reminds me of a bobble head doll! He also has a new favorite activity called Lazy Boy Riding; I sit him up in the lazy boy recliner and then rock it back and forth yelling cowboy slang such as, "YEEEEHAWWWW!!" and "Whoot Doggie!" He giggles and then slobbers all over the place. Jaxton wears a permanent smile on his face and brings so much joy to our lives!
We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Our love is with you this holiday season.

November 20, 2002

Receiving e-mail and letters from close friends and family members has inspired me to start writing a monthly newsletter to all those whom we love. The purpose of this letter is to let you know in detail, what is going on with the Bobik family in Oklahoma.
Daniel and I have come to the conclusion that we will definitely not be living in Oklahoma for the rest of our lives. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice place and we absolutely love the experiences we are having here but to be honest, people here need to get lives. On the news tonight there was a clip about a wife that went on strike because her husband spent all of his free time fishing. She quit doing all of the household chores and had a sign in the front year announcing, "Wife on Strike." A few weeks went by and the sign read, "Wife still on strike." When her husband offered to take her somewhere special for their anniversary she said to him, "does that mean the strike is over?" and the sign in their front yard read, "Strike is over" with two hearts drawn underneath it. Only in Oklahoma would that make the news. Last weekend we had a couple in our ward call to see if we wanted to come over and play CHUTES AND LADDERS!!! (They were totally serious) I don't remember the last time that I played Chutes and Ladders. Daniel happened to be at basketball practice so we weren't able to make it. When I told Daniel about the invitation, he told me to call them back and see if next weekend they wanted to play Candy Land! The people here are so friendly but I have found that they are completely comfortable sharing very personal information. I know things about certain husbands that if they knew that I knew they would probably die. I don't ask for this information. Most of the time I wish I could cover my ears and yell, "I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this." Another thing about Oklahoma is that everyone has bad teeth.
Basketball season has finally started here in Cowboy town and the fans are crazier than ever. People wear orange like it is going out of style. The Cowboys have won both of their exhibition games by 25-30 points so things are looking good. The game I am really looking forward to is when OSU plays BYU in Oklahoma City on January 4th. I hope the Cowboys kick their butts, but it will be so fun to see the BYU players and be able to visit with them after the game. Daniel is really enjoying his red shirt year this year because there is so much to learn from Coach Sutton. Can I just say that Coach Sutton is the bomb!! He changed practice on Sundays so that Daniel and I would be able to go to church together. I am the only wife on the team so he calls me the "bride" and always asks Daniel how I am doing. I really enjoy watching them practice and seeing the way that Eddie coaches. he loves those boys and he tries to make them better people, not just better basketball players. Jaxton loves watching the basketball games also. I had to buy him some earplugs because of the noise in Gallagher-Iba Arena (ranked #1 college arena by Sports Illustrated) and now he just looks at the lights, chew on his hand and falls asleep. The only thing that jerks him is when Pistol Pete shoots his gun but that scares everyone.
Daniel is doing very well in school and I still haven't gotten over the comment he made in the early weeks of the semester, "I feel smart here because everyone else is stupid." I don't think they are stupid necessarily, but their priorities are a little messed up. They just look forward to the weekends so that they can party.
Jaxton is doing great!!! We just took him to his 4 month checkup. he weighs 15 pounds and is 26 1/2 inches long. He can almost roll but in the meantime he has this sweet little scoot that turns him in circles while he is on his back. he spends most of his day eating, sucking on his hand because he is teething, and laughing and playing with his mommy. He loves it when I make up stupid little songs to sing to him and dance around like an idiot but hey, I'm the mom to do it!! He totally has a little attitude and I love it!! I think I am going to have to take credit for the attitude since I can't really take credit for anything else. Everyone tells me how much he looks like Daniel and YES, I agree, and I'm OK with that. I know he has my lips and an attitude but other than that he is his daddy's little boy! Jaxton smiles all the time, he is the happiest baby I have ever see. I think he smiles a lot because he looks at Daniel and me and things to himself, "I have absolutely no chance to be normal!" He responds to the nicknames Boopers (mine) and Bicey Buddy (Daniel's). There is nothing that makes us happier than one of Jaxton's huge smile when we walk into the room. He loves his mommy and daddy and we love him.
As for me, I am doing great! I won't lie, I still have my days that I am very homesick for Utah and all the people that I love, but I get over it. I love every second of being a mommy and feel blessed to be able to stay home with Jaxton each day. Being a full time mom has been the greatest desire of my heart for as long as I can remember and I am thankful for a wonderful husband that understands that desire and sacrifices much so that we can make it possible.
We have met a wonderful couple here that we absolutely love and get along with very well. Their names are Sterling and Tara Bone and they are great!! Every Sunday evening we have our "cooking and milk" time where we just get together to talk, relax, and enjoy each others company. On Halloween they told us that they are expecting. I have had fun telling her what to expect when it comes to pregnancy, hopefully she won't be throwing up as often as I was. We are thankful to have friends like the Bones. It definitely makes it easier to be in Stillwater because we have people that we can trust and enjoy.
Daniel, Jaxton and I are very happy and hope that this letter finds you all the same. We love you, we think of you, and we pray for you. Please keep in touch.
Love always,
The Bobik's in Oklahoma

Here we go...

I've decided for those of you who were not a part of the Bobik "Bidness" subscription in the past, you should have the opportunity to read them, if you choose to do so. I'm not sure I would suggest reading them all at once since I used to do them monthly, but if you have some free time and you'd like to hear about our first experiences ever in Oklahoma, then by all means, knock yourself out!!! Once I get all the old newsletters posted, then I will start where we are now in life and continue from there. Love to you all!