Happy Birthday Lindsi!

Twenty-eight years ago today, Brian and I began our journey into parenthood with the birth of our first baby. I can't believe my baby is 28 and soon to be a mommy herself! I wanted to share her story and a few of my favorite pictures.



I had a fairly easy pregnancy and was so excited to be a momma! In the early 80s, ultrasounds were certainly not routine, so we had no early peeks of our baby, and had no clue if Baby Pugmire was a boy or girl. I really was hoping for a girl and even bought a few pink things. She was due on November 22, but I was getting anxious and hoped she would be early. There is definitely a trend beginning here of my pregnancies lasting no longer than 38 weeks. I had some blood pressure problems, so was put to bed on November 9. I knew that bed rest was not going to last, so on the morning on November 12, I began what I thought was labor. I also liked the idea of having my baby on a Friday so that everyone could come and see us on the weekend.



Always an early morning person, I got up at 5 am and announced to Bri that it was time. Off we went to the hospital where my parents met us. Since my blood pressure was still up, the doctor decided to induce labor. So after a few short hours of labor, I had an epidural which was great and off we went to the delivery room. Things were so different then; Brian had to be in full scrubs and the room resembled an operating room. No soft lights, nice music, or anything. I remember that just before I delivered, the nurses were making a big fuss over how much red hair my baby had. I have to be honest, I wasn't that excited about a red haired baby. But at 1:31 pm the Doctor announced that I had a baby girl. Yahoo!! Bri bought her to me and I rembering saying, " Hi Lindsi, welcome to the world" and she turned her head and looked right at me. Bri said that she knew her momma. I started crying and could not wait to hold my baby girl. Motherhood had begun...

Lindsi Kay

7 pound 3 ounces and 19 inches

She was a beautiful red head!

Lindsi at 2. This is Brian's favorite picture of her. In fact, at her wedding dinner, he showed this picture when he gave his talk.

Age 3

Family picture two years before we had Kristi

And here is my baby today! She is the cutest little mommy to be. She is showing Cashe's going home outfit.

So my Lindsi, happy birthday. Dad and I love you so much and are so proud of the amazing woman you have grown to be. You are going to be the best mom ,and we cannot wait for baby Cashe to arrive. Thanks for being our first, we learned with you and it was an amazing journey to be your parents. We love you!!!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Thirteen years ago our family was complete with the birth of our son. It had been 9 years since we had Kristi, so we were definitely excited to have another baby. I wanted to share a few thoughts about the day Ben was born.



Ben was due on November 26, but both girls were born about two weeks early, so I was hoping for the same with Ben. I went to the doctor on the 4th, and he said that he would see me at my appointment the following week. I was very disappointed as my maternity leave was beginning on the 10th , and I didn't want to waste it being home by myself.


The morning of the 10th I busied myself with errands, and by the time the girls arrived home from school, I was in the early stages of labor. Bri came home around 4 and by 5 we were off to the hospital. Lindsi, Kristi and Grandma joined us around 6 as Lindsi was going to be there for Ben's birth. I had decided I wanted to try another natural delivery and with the support of both Lindsi and Bri, I did it. At 9:00 p.m. Ben arrived! I remember that the minute I held him I just knew that he made our family complete.

Benjamin Earl Pugmire

7 pounds 6 ounces, 20 inches

Bringing Ben home on Lindsi's 15th birthday!


One of my favorite pictures of Ben. Kristi took this picture in our backyard. Ben loved to run around with our dog Max. For some reason, he always wore Kristi's bike helmet. It looked like he had an igloo on his head.

My boy growing up- 4 years old. He always had the biggest smile on his face. He was so blonde too.

And here he is today, 13 years old, sporting his new Utah jersey.

Happy Birthday Ben! You are the best son , and we love you so much. You have the biggest heart and are such a good brother to Lindsi and Kristi. You bring so much joy to Dad and I and we are so proud of the fine young man you are. We know great things are ahead for you. We love you!!!

NYC-Bermuda Trip-Finally!

Brian and I had the great opportunity to go to New York City and Bermuda the end of September with United Underwriters Insurance Company. I'm really late in getting this post done, but it was a fantastic trip.

On the plane, all smiles ready for shopping and sun!

Our first night; we stayed in Jersey City which is just across the river from Manhattan. No matter what people say about Jersey, we found it to be a great place. The NYC skyline in the background.
We took a boat ride on the Hudson River. It was overcast, but you can see the massive skyline in back of us.
On the boat ride. Whenever I see the Statue of Liberty, I appreciate so much what it has meant to those wanting to come to this country.We went to lower Manhattan and toured the 9/11 sites. This is a plaque to all the police and firefighters who lost their lives on that day. It was a sobering experience.
I am in one of the buildings at the World Trade Center. The gorgeous glass cathedral in the background was not damaged on 9/11 even though the building around it fell.
The construction site of the future Freedom Tower. It has a long way to go before its completion. It's hard to fathom that the twin towers once were here.

A shot of Times Square; noisy, crowded, but I love it! I didn't get any pictures of me bargaining for Lindsi and Kristi's purses on Canal Street. The girls really wanted purses and so off we went to find them. I was told to bargain and NOT pay full price. Well, guess I bargained a bit too much. At one point the lady selling the purses was totally done with me and would not show me any more purses. No worries, just walked down the street a bit and found exactly what I wanted and got a great deal.
We were able to see the Lion King on Broadway. It was amazing! There is nothing like a Broadway show. We had the choice to see either the play or the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox game. As you know, Bri is a HUGE Red Sox fan, but he knew how much I wanted to see the play and since he is the BEST hubby, he chose the play. The Red Sox ended up winning the game!
Our first day on the cruise ship and ready to read. Bri choose a John Grisham novel and I read The Help; it was the best book! We finished them both!
Date night on the ship.

Bermuda is a gorgeous island! Here we are at a church courtyard with the ocean behind us.

This is the funniest picture. When you think of Bermuda, you think of shorts. Well, this man and his son are wearing them and it's considered appropriate business attire. Yep, shorts and a tie!
Going back to the ship after our first day in Bermuda; our ship is in the background. Bri is sporting a new hat; I think he looks very fashionable and handsome.
The things you do on a cruise! I never eat onion rings, don't like them, but at lunch at Johnny Rockets, I had to try them. Yum...they were great!
Another date night on the ship waiting for the show to begin. I love the entertainment on cruises; it's always great and so fun. We saw some great dance and variety show, a magician and an ice show.
Clark and Sarah Lee, our waiter Jose and Bri and I; our dinner group every night on the ship. Jose was the best waiter and always fixed my dinner just right. If you know me, I'm a little picky, so that is no easy task.

Maurine, our cute cabin steward. We tend to mess up a room pretty quickly, and she always kept things so neat and tidy. Maurine would make funny animals out of towels for us each night. This one was my fav-a cool elephant with my shades.

One of my favorite couples on the cruise-Neal and Brenda Dastrup. He was so funny and made me laugh all the time.
The United Underwriters CEO, Lynn Connelly and his wife Jill and parents. They were great hosts and so so generous. Thanks UU for a great trip!
The best part of the trip-coming home to the family. Thanks so much Kuri and Jordy for taking care of Ben, Duke, the house and everything else. You two are great. Here's the family (minus Abby) showing off their presents. It was a great trip...can't wait for the next one.

Happy Halloween

For years, we have been going to my sweet mother in law's on Halloween night for soup, treats and great fun with the cousins. This year, she wasn't feeling well and decided to forego the festivities. My kids were disappointed and thought Halloween just wouldn't be the same. Bri had the idea for our kids to come and start a new tradition at our house. So the first annual Pugmire Pumpkin Carving and Soup a Thon was born. The dinner part was easy; lots of yummy soups and breadsticks, veggies, dip and sugar cookies.

The girls always carve pumpkins with their hubbies so I thought we should have a couple's carving contest. Each couple brought a pumpkin and necessary carving tools. The only rule was that carving could only take 30 minutes. Ben, Braden and Abby were appointed judges and each of them came up with a category. It was hilarious as Jord and Kuri take this very seriously and wanted to win from the get go. I promised a prize to the winner, but forgot to buy it...so here are some of the pictures... Nick and Lindsi ready to carve. Lindsi was a good sport and dressed up as a ringmaster. Too cute!

All smiles, confident in their forthcoming victory. Jord looked a long time for the perfect pumpkin. Clearly he had an advantage over our lopsided one:)

Both Jord and Kuri getting serious with the carving.

Poor Bri; carving all alone and didn't have the fancy tools the kids had.

Nick and Pin creating their work of art.

The pumpkins ready for the judges. Bri and I did an old pirate, Jord and Kuri did the Seattle Seahawks logo and Nick and Pin did a scary face.

It was tough on the judges; they spent minutes thinking of the categories and winners. They had best team work (clearly Bri and I did not win that one), the best pumpkin to look like a pro pumpkin carver did it, and the most creative. And the winner was Jord and Kuri's Seattle Seahawk masterpiece.

The humble winners! Congrats you two; it was a ton of fun. And I owe you a prize!

He Won!!!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Ben was running for 7th grade representative. Since I hadn't blogged about the results, perhaps some of you may have thought he lost. Well, he won! He will be busy this year with weekly meetings and activities, but he is excited to be involved in all the happenings at Butler. Here are a few pictures of his campaign posters. Congrats Ben! We are proud of you.

All smiles before the election!

One of my favorite pictures of Ben on the golf course. He came up with the slogan.

Happy Birthday Kristi Blair

Twenty-two years ago today, our beautiful daughter Kristi Blair was born. To me, it seems like only yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting her birth. Since I use this blog as a journal and it wasn't around in 1988, I thought in honor of her birthday, I would share a few thoughts about that day.



We were so excited to have our second baby; it had been almost 6 years since we had Lindsi and we were ready to expand our family! I had an easy pregnancy and felt great. We had an ultrasound at about 20 weeks, but it wasn't clear if we were having a girl or boy. Lindsi was hoping for baby sister, and I had loved having one daughter and really wanted another one. So, preparations were made and I bought both a boy and girl outfit for our new baby to wear home.



About two weeks before my due date, (late October) I went to the doctor, and he thought I would deliver sooner. My mom's birthday is the 11th, and I began thinking how cool it would be to have the baby on my mom's 53rd birthday. So I did! I went to the doctor on the morning on the 11th, and I was ready to go. Brian and I went to the hospital and within a few short hours, I was in labor. I had decided early in the pregnancy that I was going to try and not have any pain meds. Everyone thought I was crazy, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. So all was going well until about 4 hours in. Everything stopped. I was tired and thought "Forget this." I told Bri to get the drugs! The anesthesiologist was in the room and had just prepped my back, when I knew he was too late! My baby was here. My doctor was in the next room and he flew in and said it was time. Too late for the epidural to help with delivery, but I would have a great recovery! At 3:29 p.m. my baby girl was born. I remember Brian saying, "Honey, you got your girl!" I started crying and was so so excited to be blessed with another daughter.



I couldn't wait to tell Lindsi, who was home with my mom, and she was the first person to visit us in the hospital. Kristi Blair Pugmire, 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19 1/2 inches. We knew from the start, she would be a beauty!
Here she is, 22 years later with her cute hubby, Jordan.
Celebrating with Grandma!

A birthday lunch with Mom at her favorite restaurant-Cancun Cafe!

So happy birthday baby girl! We love you and admire the fine young woman you have grown to be. We are so proud of your accomplishments. You are such a loving daughter to us and a wonderful sister to Lindsi and Ben. We were truly blessed 22 years ago when you came into our lives! It's been a privilege to be your mom and dad. Happy Birthday! Love you!!!

And we are off....

On Thursday, we will be shopping here...

And on Monday, we will be cruising here. Yes, Bri and I off on a vacation! Look for the post vacation update! Bon Voyage!!!

First Day of School..a little late.

On August 23, Ben began the journey in middle school. I don't think he was too nervous; he worried about getting his locker open and getting to all of his classes on time, but overall he loved it. In fact he decided to run for 7th grade representative. The elections are next week; stay tuned for the results.

Ben all ready to go in clothes picked out by Kristi

Fall means more than back to school; it means Utah Football. We have had season tickets since the kids were little , so it's been a family tradition for a long time! We were wondering how we were going to work it out with Jordan at BYU, but he is now a UTE, so we are a Utah Family. Yahoo..

It wouldn't be a Utah game without going with our good friends Tony, Nancy, Brit and Calli to Millie's in Sugarhouse for lunch and a glacier which is a slushie with ice cream.
Ben gets to take a friend to the games, but we were a little surprised that his friend for this game was a girl, Aly. They got to go on the field after the game and had a great time. She too enjoyed Millies!