I Am A Burden

Today

2012-01-29T23:35:00.001-07:00

Today was kind of rough. We have those days around here occasionally. And unfortunately, occasionally comes more often than I would like to admit. The last couple of months have had lots of these occasional rough days. (Thankfully, Christmas vacation was a nice reprieve and we are back on the wagon of making the awesome days outnumber the hard ones.) So anyway, I have been working on looking for the good, funny, cute things that come out of each day. With the children I have been blessed with, these moments are plentiful!

Big sister was having a serious melt down at some point in the day (well, one of her many meltdowns today) and got sent to time out. Bless her heart, the poor thing can NOT for the life of her stay in time out for more than a second, and I heard her heading upstairs. As I was on the phone with my mom at the moment (and I really didn't care what she was doing so long as it wasn't hitting me or the baby or hurting herself) I let her go. A few minutes later Sis came running down the stairs to tell me, "I cleaned my room and maked my bed, ALL by myself. Come see, Mommy! Come upstairs with me!" Sure enough she had picked up all of her toys and pulled the covers up on her bed the best her 2 (almost 3) year old self could. Looking back on it now, I am in happy and proud tears because that girl knew exactly what I needed. She knows her messy room makes me ca-RAY-zy and she knew that a clean space helps me to be a happier, nicer mom.

Another little funny that Miss E has started lately is saying, "teeny bit, not too much," about lots of things. When I ask her if she is nice to her friends she will respond, "I am a teeny bit mean, not too much." When asked what she wants on her waffle, she will say, "a teeny bit of syrup, not too much." I can ask her if she was sad at the babysitters and she says, "um, a teeny bit, not too much." It totally cracks me up!

Final thought about E, this girl is so stinking smart. I feel like the stereotypical mommy blogger by saying that, but I am so proud of her! She has started drawing people that actually look like people! This is so huge to me. She is also on her way to figuring out shapes and numbers and counting and all of that fun stuff. I feel like I can physically see her brain working and growing every day. It is so cool! Plus, I just love the way she says circles: "suh-cles."

Tonight after I put E to bed I kept the little one up for a few extra minutes of snuggles and laughs. (Can I just tell you what an angel she is! Several times a week I have to tell her to stop smiling so much so she can eat...seriously, she smiles that much.) I love those special moments with my kids when all is quiet and I can whisper and tell them how much I love them and how lucky I am to be their momma.

In hindsight it is so easy for me to see the blessings I have spilling throughout all the aspects of my life. I have been blessed with a wonderful, loving, supportive (and extra handsome) husband and two absolutely beautiful inside and out girlies. I have a family and in-laws who care for me and my family despite our craziness. I have faith in my Savior who knows exactly how I feel on days that are hard and sends innumerable tender mercies my way. I am such a lucky lady! I know that life is good.

Beautiful Girl

2011-12-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

December 6, 2011

This little girl is such a beauty! I love those dark eyes (just like her beautiful big sister's) and her sweet round cheeks. This was the face she gave me after a long evening of running errands. Sweet thing!

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

December 8, 2011

This year Miss E was so excited to set up our Christmas tree! She could hardly contain herself as we put up the lights and pulled out the ornaments. Steve and I spread the ornaments around pretty well, but the tree has since been redecorated with like ornaments (all of the sparkly snowflakes) grouped together by color at a 2 year old's eye level. I have to say, my girls are pretty darn cute!

Cute Friends

2011-12-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

November 23, 2011
Loving lunch at Cafe Rio!

The week of Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to have our friends, the Reids, come stay with us for a night. It was so fun for us to see our girls together and to reminisce about old times (before kids) when we would get together often. Now that we are all "grown up" and they live far away, we just have to look forward to these quick visits and hope for a day when we live close enough to have our girls play together lots!

3 Months

2011-11-22T13:04:00.001-07:00

Nov. 20, 2011
Time is moving faster and faster every day, I am certain of it! This girl has been such a sweet addition to our family, we can't seem to get enough of her huge grins and her squishy cheeks.

Miss E is starting to figure out how to interact with Sis without injuring her :). This is a huge step! E has great intentions but has a hard time recognizing the difference between her sister and a baby doll. She truly does love her sister and tells us all the time how "bee-ful" and "gorgeous" she is (thanks to Alvin and the Chipmunks for that one!).

This is a great representation of E's hair at the end of most days...

Baby H is getting more and more alert and is getting to the point where she recognizes her own hands and eats them constantly. She has started hitting the toys that hang above her on her play mat. We love that she can now predict when we are going to tickle her and laughs/grunts when we start. She has started cooing and talking in the last two weeks, and it is adorable! H is not rolling yet but I know it won't be long. She can get to her side with no problem and it's only a matter of time before she goes all the way. She can scoot her body around about 180 degrees when she is laying on her back. Sadly, her once great sleeping habits are slipping away from us. She is now waking up lots in the night, but this week we are blaming it on a stuffy nose.

We are so blessed to have such sweet girlies!!!

Snow Girl

2011-11-22T12:57:00.001-07:00

Nov. 5, 2011
My E girl LOVES to play outside. She has been dying since the weather has turned cold, because we are mostly stuck inside with the new babe. Thankfully we had a not-too-snowy snow day that allowed her to go out in the back yard for a while. I am excited for the day when we get a fence and I can send her outside any time she wants!!!

She was trying so hard to make and throw snow balls. We'll have to wait for some real snow to teach her how!

Of course she had to taste it!

Pink Tutu

2011-11-02T13:39:00.001-06:00

November 1, 2011

This tutu is perfect for spinning!!!

I'm not sure if you have noticed over my last several posts, but this girl LOVES pink and LOVES dresses/skirts. She would wear a pink dress every day if I let her. Thankfully, her grandmas have helped us out in that department. Grandma Jean bought her his cute tutu at Costco and she finally got to wear it. She cried when I made her take it off to put her jammies on that night. I hope to do a post highlighting all of her pink outfits.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

October 31, 2011

Miss E has known what she wanted to be for Halloween since about July so it has been a long couple of months waiting for "Halloween to start" (as E says). We had a gift card to Chili's (thanks Reids!!!) and kids ate free on that day, so we started our holiday out right.

Our cute little skeleton, smiling at daddy.

Please don't judge that we got molten chocolate cake, and willingly fed it to our 2 year old, before the biggest candy holiday of the year! It was too yummy to pass up.

Yes, I do realize that she looks ridiculous...she was a little excited about Halloween and destroyed her hair in the excitement.

After dinner and a quick run to Home Depot, we hurried home and got our little Angelina Ballerina ready. Thankfully E had no trepidation about knocking on doors and saying, "Trick or treating" at every house. She loved it and we love living in a neighborhood that is so close and safe! After our little neighborhood we had fun passing out candy to the cute kids that stopped at our house.

This is her "cute" smile lately

Being a mousey ballerina

Showing me her beautiful skirt

Our big girl headed to the first house of the night.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-02T13:24:00.001-06:00

October 30, 2011

Before she realized that she wanted no real part in carving pumpkins. She did enjoy telling daddy to make her pumpkin "happy, not naughty."

This girl just loves to be involved in any way!

Taking a break from her dancing to smile for mom.

The real carver.

We had never carved pumpkins until last year, when I realized how unskilled I am and how awesomely skilled Steve is (seriously, he means business)! This year was no exception. E was so excited about carving the pumpkins until she realized two things: pumpkins are gross and stinky, and it takes a long time (anything more than 5 minutes). She decided it was more fun to dance around the kitchen while mom and dad did all of the work. I totally forgot to take pictures of the final product but Steve carved a happy face for E and a cool bat for himself and I carved an owl on a tree branch.

Birthday Party

2011-11-02T13:17:00.000-06:00

October 29, 2011

I am so amazed every day at how big Miss E is getting. She is still a little nervous about new situations, though, so I was so happy that she got invited to her first big kid birthday party. It was a 2 hour party and she clung to me for about half an hour. She finally gave me the boot, however, when they pulled out a huge tub of popcorn and told the kids to dig through it it find suckers! She was in heaven! Thankfully she ended up having a great time and has been talking about it ever since.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-02T13:14:00.002-06:00

October 29, 2011

This year we were struggling to get ready for Halloween. I put up zero decorations and we kept delaying getting a pumpkin. We finally made it out two days before Halloween only to find that the local pumpkin patches we had planned on visiting were closed. We decided to take a detour down to Layton to visit our favorite doughnut shop, Madbrook Donuts, before stopping at one more big pumpkin patch. Thankfully it was open and ready for business! We had come here last year and did all of the festivities, including taking a hay ride out to the field to pick our own pumpkins. This year we were lucky that they still had lots of pumpkins at the Farmer's Market. Steve and I vowed that next year we would go all out again, since both of our girls will be big enough to enjoy it.

It was really cold so we kept the baby covered for all but this one picture to prove she was there too!

She was a little wary of the scary pumpkins!

She cracks me up!

Matchy Matchy

2011-11-02T13:06:00.001-06:00

October 22, 2011

Not such a successful picture, I was trying to hold the camera, hold the baby up, and encourage big sis to smile while not dropping the baby. Whew!

I am so excited to have two girls now because that means matching outfits!!! My sweet grandparents were able to stop by our house the day after Baby H was born and brought these cute sweat suits. I am in love with them. They are soft and fuzzy, not to mention the fact that they have ruffle bums!

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-02T13:01:00.002-06:00

October 21, 2011

We were watching 2 of our cute nieces for the weekend of our ward trunk or treat.

My cute girlies: Purple Cat, Wizard/Witch, Angelina Ballerina, Pink skeleton

It ended up working out great because Steve was working so that meant I had two big helpers!!!

The girls were so cute and had fun getting lots of treats.

My older niece did a great job of entertaining lots of little kids while their parents finished dinner. I wish I would have gotten a picture, but she had the kids all lined up against the wall and did a Simon Says type of game along with some creative adaptations. She's a big help!

It was such a fun night and I'm glad that I decided to brave it with four kids. It ended up being perfect!

2 Months

2011-11-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

Time is flying by! I was so surprised when I realized that Little Sis was two months already! She has been an absolute dream so far. I had alluded to her big sister being a bit difficult. Miss E was very alert and active from day 1. She didn't seem to sleep as much as other babies and she liked a lot of attention. Little Sis is so sweet and mellow. She seems to sleep a ton and is a great eater. Steve and I both agree that our girls have very different personalities already and we are so grateful for the spirit each of them bring into our home.

Not happy to be taking 2 month pictures!

2 month doctor appointment...before the shots...no pictures of after, she was not pleased!

I loved this one, she was mid yawn but looks so goofy

2 Month Stats:

Length: 23 1/2 inches 80th%ile

Weight: 11 lb 12 oz 75th%ile

Head Circumference: 39.5 cm 60th%ile

(She is very similar to her big sis...see here)

Smiles all the time
Follows us with her eyes
Starting to reach for things, starting to like her play mat
Sleeping for longer stretches at night (10 pm-4 am occasionally)
Strong neck!!! She can hold herself up on her elbows for several seconds.
She is getting close to outgrowing several of her 0-3 month outfits, sad!

BYU Day

2011-11-02T09:50:00.000-06:00

October 14, 2011

Steve and I realized that, aside from football games, we really hadn't been back to BYU to visit together since we graduated in 2008. When we found out that my little bro, Matt, was going to be touring the campus with his friend (side note: I CANNOT believe he is old enough to be touring college campuses!!!) we decided to head down, take him to lunch, and make a day of it. It was so fun to go back with the girls and let Miss E run around and play on the beautiful campus. I absolutely love the campus in the fall! We were also able to visit our old boss, Chuck, from when we worked at the field house doing activities support. We loved that job and he was the best boss! I was also so very happy to get some fudge from the bookstore...I love that stuff!


This is at the fountain of the new(ish) JFSB. This building is so beautiful and high tech, I wish I would have been able to spend more time here.

We took Matt to Sammy's in downtown Provo. It was yummy, although it was WAY slow! I attempted to do a little photo shoot with E against the cool red brick. She didn't cooperate too much and these are the silly pictures I did get...

This little missy is a trooper! She has such a sweet disposition and allows us to schlep her all over the state, only crying when she is messy or hungry. LOVE HER!
Sadly, I didn't think to get any pictures of the girls with Matt, not smart. We'll just have to imagine his cute face!

Cute Big Sister

2011-11-02T09:38:00.001-06:00

October 11, 2011

This girl has had an interesting time of becoming a big sister. It is the same story told by every mother I have ever talked to, but it is so much more difficult when it is my life and my kids! (Isn't that how it always feels!) Miss E loves her baby sister so very much, but has had a hard adjustment when it comes to sharing her mama and daddy. She has been acting out and has become so defiant we aren't quite sure what to do sometimes. Her listening "skills" have become nearly nonexistent. Our great sleeper has turned into a nervous Nelly and is up in the middle of the night almost every night. She sometimes tries to love her little sister "to death," with squeezes and loves that would bring a grown man to tears. We try to calm our frustration by (constantly) reminding each other that "this is just a phase" and that "her world has been rocked," but it is still hard! Nevertheless, there are still times each day when E reminds us how much she loves little sis and that she is going to be a fiercely protective and FUN big sister!!! She loves to share her toys and blankie with the little miss and jabbers with her all day long. We love our girls more than words can say and look forward to seeing the relationship that they build!

PS: Thanks to Aunt Mari and girls for the super cute outfit! She seems bigger and bigger each day!
PPS: Mom, notice the "bobbers" in her hair. Oh those take me back!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-02T09:24:00.000-06:00

October 1, 2011

We were so lucky to get our family pictures taken this year. This is the first time we have done "real" pictures since our wedding, six years ago, so we were overdue! We gotten them taken up in Huntsville by the lake and the setting was beautiful. Thanks to Adri Freeman, we are so happy with the result! We would totally recommend her, her price is awesome and she does a fabulous job! Check out her blog for more of our pics:

Family Pictures

Girls' Pictures

Cute Halloweeners!

2011-10-22T08:30:00.001-06:00

We are watching two of our nieces this weekend, lucky us! E loves these little ladies and I love what big helps they are for me. We had our church Halloween party last night so I was accompanied by a witch, purple cat, pink skeleton, and Angelina Ballerina. Cute girls!

Fun Family Day

2011-09-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

Steve's schedule has been really crazy lately. He is still working 7 days on, 7 off. The 7 on are 10 hour shifts, and he is now on the evening/night shift. On top of that, he is in school. On his on weeks, we don't see him much. We have been doing our best to maximize the time we do have with him! We have been spending a lot of time playing in Salt Lake the last few weeks.

On the 20th we decided to do something fun for Miss E. We headed down really early so Steve could go to his morning class. While he was at class the girls and I went to Whole Foods...I SO wish we had one of these in Ogden!!! After his class got out, we went to the Discovery Museum at the Gateway.

E loved it! She was totally in her element. E loves things that are just her size and this place did not disappoint. Her favorite things were the play house, the grocery store, and the water table.

Sis had a great time, obviously! She spent most of her time sleeping in her seat and eating in a quiet corner.

Holy play food! Miss E was going ballistic in here. She was cracking us up making all kinds of "sandwich" concoctions: ketchup, mustard, eggs, fish, and chocolate syrup.

This was the funniest thing. Steve would build wooden houses on this platform, then E would turn on the platform which simulated an earthquake. She would scream and scream!!!

After the museum we ate lunch at the food court and then rode TRAX to Temple Square. Miss E loves trains so that was probably a highlight of her day.

This was such a great day and I really hope that these are the times Miss E and Sis will remember, rather than daddy being gone so much!!! We love these girls so much and want them to have all of the great opportunities and memories we can give them!

1 Month

2011-09-23T11:20:00.000-06:00

I feel like we went to the doctor when Miss E was one month, but Little Sis went at 2 days and 2 weeks, but we don't have to go again until 2 months. So, no stats this month, we just know that she has gotten SO big! We have had a great month with this sweet girl. I really feel like she is the perfect addition to our family!


First bath-August 26: She looks content in this picture, but she really did not love it!!!

September 2-2 Week doctor appointment: She did really well...much better than big sister ever did at the doctor!

Sept. 4-Family picture attempt at the Teeples. Considering we had tried several, this was sadly the best one.

Sept. 8-Snuggling with Grandpa K in Boise. Little Sister was wiped out because she had just projectile vomited everywhere and scared everyone.

September 11-I have the most beautiful sleeping children!!! I love how she sleeps with her hands up by her face.

September 20-1 month old! This picture pretty much sums up the relationship...Miss E being rough and crazy and Little Sis trying to get away.

Such a pretty girl!!!

She Has Arrived!

2011-09-12T00:47:00.000-06:00

Sweet little sister joined our family on August 20. We were all very glad that she decided to make her debut a week before her due date!

Birth Stats:

7:01 am

7 lb 7 oz

20 inches long

Our first family photo as a family of 4...very telling. Little sister sleeping peacefully, Miss E and dad being goofy, and mom trying to look calm while whispering threats through her teeth!!! :) Just kidding, we are totally loving our new addition and are actually adjusting pretty well.

This little girl is an absolute angel! Heavenly Father knew what I needed when He sent her to our family. I am pretty sure that if I had another just like E, I may consider stopping at two children. This baby is so precious! She is a great sleeper (for the most part) and is quite content most of the time.

I cannot express how grateful I feel for the family I have been blessed with! I am completely smitten with my two beautiful daughters and I couldn't ask for a better husband to raise them with. While life is certainly not perfect (I'll save that for another post!) I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Summer Update

2011-08-05T11:17:00.000-06:00

This blog has really taken a backseat to life since I found out I was expecting a baby in December and started feeling really nasty in January! Now that baby is due in three weeks, I guess I can update on our lives!

Memorial Day:

Memorial Day was spent in Boise visiting my family. We were able to go up to my mom and dad's cabin and do some work there for a couple of days. On the actual holiday, the boys went golfing while mom, Kelsi, Miss E, and I went to the memorial flag display in downtown Eagle. Of course we had to enjoy the park and some shave ice afterward! Little Miss loved playing on the big park with the big kids.

JUNE:

We began June with our attempts at potty training. Miss E had lots of rewards of drinks and treats. Sadly, now we're at the beginning of August and we're ready to give up. Hopefully all aspects of potty training will make sense to Missy soon, but as of right now certain things are a little difficult for her!

Steve had a birthday! Our loving hubby and daddy turned 28. He had a fun time celebrating at his sister's house the day of his birthday. We went boating and ate lots of yummy food. We had a family party on the day after with even more yummy food. We sure love that guy!

JULY:

The Fourth of July was spent with my mom and dad and sister. We were able to go to the Plain City festivities. They put on a great parade, which E still talks about. She got a bucketful of candy so she was in heaven! Funny enough, she still talks about being in a parade: there was a childrens parade, but she hated it. She made me carry her and/or her ride on toy for the whole thing. My dad left after the parade and the rest of us went firework shopping (another fav of the Miss), we checked out North Ogden Cherry Days, Tai Pan, and got some yummy Papa Murphey's. Steve was able to get off of work early to do some fireworks with us. Sadly, thanks to the wind, we weren't really able to enjoy the first year of aerial fireworks. Regardless, E thought it was fabulous! She screamed during and after each one and always said, "That was a great one Dad!" It was a really fun day!
I loved that my mom was able to stay for the whole week while my sister was at basketball camp. We did some shopping, visited family, and relaxed a bit. It was so fun! I love having mom here and I can't wait to have her here soon when Little Sister comes!

The week after my birthday we headed up to Boise again for a last hurrah as a family of 3. We spent the week at mom and dad's cabin and had lots of fun...for the most part. We played horseshoes, watched movies, and loved our time by the lake. Sadly there were lots of problems with the new (to us) boat, so we spent our time at the beach. Steve was totally content with that, as he is pretty much a pro sand castle builder! We were able to go to the sweet movie theater in Cascade to see Harry Potter one night. It was nice to be able to go and not have to worry about Little Miss, since she was having fun with grandpa and grandma. Near the end of the week, Miss E got pretty sick and was stuffy with a miserably high fever. We got lots of snuggles, but wished she felt better. Of course she was fine the day after we got back home! Thanks mom and dad for a great (MUCH needed) vacation!!!

On the last Friday of July, Miss E and I needed to get out of the house. Luckily Ogden has a childrens museum that is super cheap on Friday nights, so we headed over for a little date. E loved having the place basically to herself. We hit every exhibit, but her favorite is always the England house because they have a fully stocked play kitchen. After the museum, we headed to Zeppe's for some fabulous water ice, my favorite treat!!!

I have lots more pictures and we did even more than this, but Blogger and I are apparently not getting along today...or I had overloaded the picture uploader!!! Just imagine, a couple more trips to Huntsville (Steve's sister's house), lots of time in the sprinkler and "pool" at our house, popsicles, gardening, kite flying, even more yummy food, and time with friends!!! It has been a great summer and we are looking forward to filling these last few weeks!

She's 2!!! (Six months late...)

2011-08-05T10:38:00.000-06:00

I can't believe the day has come that our little Miss E has entered the land of the "Terrible Twos." She has taken this title to heart and embraced it fully! :) I am having a love/hate relationship with her independence right now, but I know that this stage will teach both her and I lots about life!!!

E's birthday was a lot of fun. I babysit my friend's two daughters on Fridays so Miss E had built in birthday guests! We took them with us to meet the fam for breakfast at Sill's Cafe in Layton. (PS If you have never been there/heard of the place...please look it up and go. It was so good!!!) Little Miss had lots of fun seeing her cousins (and squishing in tight next to them in a little corner booth) and eating yummy scones and pancakes for breakfast.

We spent the next few hours playing with friends and then E gave us a great present by taking a long nap. We had "yummy" Taco Time for dinner. Later Grandma K and Kelsi arrived to make for a great end to a fun birthday.

We had Little E's birthday party on Saturday with more cousins, grandparents, great grandparents, and friends. We had a fun Tiny Party for E, which was great, except for the shot glasses for drinks. I think a few people cheated and got big cups.

Miss E is getting bigger and more fun each day. I am not sure I would be this challenged with one child, but I certainly didn't realize how much fun and love I would have for her either. She is talking like a mad woman and has learned lots of fun new tricks like climbing out of her crib (resulting in a big girl bed), opening doors (resulting in child door handle covers), opening caps (lots of spills), starting the dvd player (another love/hate situation), and finally understanding what she means when she says "I love you Mommy Daddy!" We sure love this girl!!!

Stats:
Height- 35 3/4 inches 90th%
Weight- 26.7 lbs 45th%
Head- 48 3/4 cm 75th%

2 1/2 Update:
This girl is getting so big!

She has totally embraced her two year old self. She is moody and emotional while being wildly silly and fun. Potty training has taken all summer so far and is still not really working out, we have reverted back to diapers to encourage her to "pass stool," if you will. Her talking has exploded, she jabbers all day long. Most of the time we can tell what she is saying, but there are still many times that language causes big misunderstandings around our house.
Some favorite things:
Things to do: play babies, pretend, tea parties, watching all of her shows
Shows: Angelina Ballerina, Max and Ruby, princess movies, Dora, Backyardigans, Care Bears
Foods: FRUIT SNACKS, PICKLE CHEESE TURKEY (sandwich), spicy drink (soda), apple juice, milk, chicken nuggets, fruit, popsicles
Songs: Primary songs, all of her show theme songs, Kukaburra, How Much is that Doggy in the Window, Green Speckled Frog song

A Little Young for Makeup

2011-01-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is the face of a child caught doing something naughty. Let's just say that she hasn't opened my makeup since. (Actually, I scolded her a little and put her in time out, I think she was most embarrassed that she was caught!)

Circus Parade

2011-01-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

At the end of September the CIRCUS came to Salt Lake. Being the super fun (aka CHEAP) mom that I am, we did not get tickets to the actual circus, but instead headed down to the Gateway for the free, fun parade. Little Miss was so excited! We waited for about an hour to stake out some great seats right in the front row and had a blast.

The Police department was there to keep the peace between the animal rights people and the soccer moms. Since they weren't too occupied with that job they passed out clown noses, signs, and stickers. We had lots of fun with our nose. E didn't ever really want to wear it, but loved when I did. I felt super cool, by the way.

Blowing kisses to the pretty ladies on the horses.

Screaming NEIGH to all of the horses. We had the police woman standing by us laughing pretty hard.

So excited about the fun parade. It helped that the elephants were THISCLOSE:

This picture was taken with me leaning back in my seat so I could actually get the elephants in. They were so close. At first E was freaked out, but it took about .5 seconds for her to get over it and want to go ride them!

This was such a fun day! I hope I remember to do it again next year!

Yummy Summer Tomatoes

2010-11-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

This summer we had a small raised box garden. It was so fun to be able to head out to the backyard when I needed produce! Our tomato plant was huge and produced tons of fruit. Little Miss especially loved going out and picking fresh tomatoes and eating them right from the plant. One day Michelle came to hang out and shared a huge red tomato with E and laughed as Miss E gagged through a few hard green ones. This makes me so happy because I really don't like tomatoes. I love them in stuff, but not alone, so I love that Michelle can share this love with her!

August

2010-11-02T23:03:00.000-06:00

We had such a fun, whirlwind summer, we knew that it had to go out with a bang. We decided to take one last trip of the summer and headed to Washington again.

While we were there Steve's parents volunteered to watch the monkey overnight so we could go celebrate our 5th anniversary. We headed to a cute little bed and breakfast in La Conner, WA. This town was so cute! We ate a delicious dinner at a fish restaurant right on the water. After dinner we went out for a drive over Deception Pass. This picture doesn't show very well how high up this old bridge is from the water! It was so beautiful and a much needed getaway!

One of our favorite traditions when visiting Steve's home is to go to the C Shop, a candy store right on the harbor. Miss E was lucky enough to get her very own treat: a chocolate covered marshmallow cone. It was such a mess but she loved it!

I love the beauty of that area! A family friend was back in town the same time we were so several families met down by the bay (...where the watermelons grow...) to have a barbeque and to catch up. It was so fun! I only wished we could have stayed longer but our sweet child was extremely tired and GROUCHY so we had to head home.

We also happened to be there the same week Steve's sister graduated from Western Washington University with her Masters Degree. It was so fun to cheer her on!

Julie also was playing the community theater's production of Arsenic and Old Lace. She played one of the crazy old aunts. The play was hilarious and Julie did an awesome job!

On our way back home we were able to stay with my family overnight and for most of the next day. We were pretty excited that my aunt and uncle and their family also were visiting at the same time so we celebrated by going to the pool. After a summer of hating big pools, Miss E had a fabulous time.

This whole trip was such a wonderful way to end our summer of fun. Although I know Steve doesn't ever look at the blog, I had to take a (Seriously So Blessed) moment and say how lucky and blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband. He is so perfect for me and is such a compliment to all of my quirks! Happy 5 years and here's to an eternity more!!!


Awww weren't we cute, and young, and naive!

Zoo Boise

2010-10-27T20:37:00.000-06:00

After our cross country travels, we decided that we weren't through! Steve wanted some time to vacation as well so we headed up to Boise for week. We relaxed and swam and golfed and had a great time. We went home and then two days later I turned around with Little Miss and headed back to Boise to be with my mom while the rest of the fam was on a pioneer trek. The only pictures I took of that fun week were of the zoo. E loved it!

E's first big girl piggy tails!

Checking out the monkies.

E loves her gwa gwa (grandma).


She was more than likely caught doing something naughty, like chasing the dog or pulling her tail.

Let's Be Friends. Best Friends.

2010-10-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

(Sorry, I just love that quote from the Johnny Depp Willy Wonka movie. It always cracks me up!)

Got to love Olive Garden!

During my years as an Elementary Ed student at BYU I was so lucky to be placed in a program with some amazing women. Some of these girls became some of my best friends. More than likely it was because we were experiencing the same form of torture (girls, you know what I am talking about), but even more than that, it was because we just seemed to get each other. I really miss our freezing morning drives up the canyon and long hours in class watching Meredith watch One Tree Hill! Now it is so fun to see them as we've all grown into our roles as teachers, wives, and mothers. I miss them all and wish we lived closer, but I love those summer lunches. We need to figure out a way to get Leslee out here sometime in the future!!!

Fourth of July

2010-10-25T21:16:00.000-06:00

The day I got back from TN, we all headed up to Steve's sister's house in Ogden Valley. We love it there! It is gorgeous beyond words! We had so much fun with the fam, eating food, talking, and celebrating our country at the sweet bash put on by the city of Huntsville.

Cute nephews loving the glow necklaces and plethora of treats!

Just waiting for the fireworks to start. There was lots of fun music and we all busted a move or two. I was too busy dancing to get any good move busting photos!

I love this pic of my sweet sister in law Ashley and Miss E!

Surprisingly she LOVED the fireworks! I was so glad (and relieved) since we had been traveling ALL day I thought for sure she would freak out, but instead she laughed and squealed and pointed throughout the whole show.

Such a fun weekend!!! We love having family close by and I hope we never take that blessing for granted!

Ketchup, Catsup, Catch Up...

2010-10-25T21:05:00.001-06:00

So...it's been a while. I have put the blog on the back burner the last few months to put other things first. I was getting a little tired of living my life as the next blog post or Facebook update. I wanted to live life. Because I love reading back on old journal entries and blog posts, I think I'm ready to work on catching up! I am doing this now because I think I have worked out how to do it without letting it consume my daily thinking : ). I hope you enjoy the mind purge as much as I do!
-D

Back to School Book Order

2010-09-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

Sorry this is last minute notice but I wanted to let you know that I am closing out a book show tonight on my Usborne website. Here is the rundown for the cost of shipping:

If you order online your shipping will be 8% with a $5 minimum. These will be shipped directly to your home. I would recommend this if your 8% of your order (pre tax) will be $5 or if you live far away from me.
If 8% of your order will be LESS than $5 you can contact me with your order and I will put it through on my system. The tax there will just be 8% regardless of the amount ordered.

Hopefully this cleared up any confusion! Check these books out, though...they are awesome! You can order from this book show until midnight tonight!

Advice Please

2010-09-13T13:53:00.001-06:00

This sweet little child has been a bit of a challenge for me lately. I know I post a lot of cheerfulness on this blog, but she is 19 months so you all know it can't be peachy all the time right?! She started nursery last month and hated it from day 1. I thought as each week passed it would get better, but instead, each week has gotten worse. She screams NON stop the whole time, often leading the nice ladies to bring her back to me or Steve. We have tried sneaking out, leaving slowly, bribing her with treats, everything we could think of but to no avail. She HATES nursery. Any ideas?
But wait...the story gets better. Yesterday as the nice nursery lady was bringing a screaming Miss E back to me, our sweet child BIT her on the neck. Nice, huh? Yep, biting is her new favorite defense. Any ideas for that one?
Thanks in advance to all of you smart, wonderful women/mothers that I am privileged enough to call friends. You are all great examples to me and I need your knowledge now!

Tennessee!

2010-09-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

The day after I got back from NYC, Little Miss and I packed up and flew to Tennessee to visit our good friends, the Reids. These are some of our very best friends: Steve grew up with Parker and I was lucky enough that he married Jessie, since we were going to be spending a lot of time together, like it or not!!! They have two cute little girls that aren't that much older than Miss E, so we knew they needed to spend a little quality time together.

We started the week off right by going to this orchard that had a yummy restaurant and farmer's market. Our favorite feature, however, was the candy store! We stopped there one more time later in the week. Yum!

The girls had fun playing together! Miss E jumped in that pool fully clothed and "shoed." Good thing it was plenty warm so she dried off quickly.

After a long day of shopping the girls were SO tired!

This was a fun splash park that the girls loved. Jessie and I made sure to put the girls in matching swimsuits. So cute!

On our last day, Parker's mom, Jill, came to visit. We drove to the Smoky Mountains and hiked Clingmans Dome. It is not a very long hike, but it is really steep, as shown by the next picture...

Parker was "helping" Jessie and Jill up the mountain. :) Still doesn't do the steep incline justice.

This is the cool lookout tower that is Clingmans Dome. It overlooks both North Carolina (?) and Tennessee. It was very cool!

Beautiful view!

All in all it was a very fun trip. The Reids were so nice to us...Jessie even let me take a long nap while she played with E! It was just what we needed after being away from our friends for WAY too long! Next time Steve needs to come too!!!

Just for the Record

2010-09-11T15:58:00.000-06:00

I just need to record this for personal sake, but I thought you'd enjoy. When I tell Little Miss to say "Mom" she says, "Cool." When I tell her to say "love," she says, "Mommy." Best day ever!

2010-09-09T14:48:00.004-06:00

I totally LOVE the "blog" Seriously So Blessed. If you haven't read it, check it out. It is hilarious. Steve doesn't get it but as a Mormon woman/wife/mother it is so nice to be able to poke fun at myself and the culture sometimes. Here is an interview of the creator of SSB. Please do not be offended by SSB, find and embrace your inner TAMN! (PS I know that I totally sound like her sometimes and I am fine with that! I just hope it's not all the time!)

New York, New York

2010-09-08T23:14:00.007-06:00

I am pretty sure I have said this about every single vacation I have ever taken, but I am pretty sure I left my heart in New York (along with San Fransisco, Boston, the Oregon Coast, Orlando, and on and on...). This summer my mom (complements of dad) took my sisters and I on an awesome girls trip to New York City. This was the first time that my youngest sister, Kelsi, has come on a trip with us, and it was so fun! We left on Michelle's birthday, Wednesday June 23rd and got home the following Monday.

Our first day we started out by riding the PATH train over to Hoboken, NJ to visit Carlos' Bakery, home of The Cake Boss. There was a line to get inside and it was probably 100* and VERY humid. We were so glad to get inside and eat yummy treats before lunch.

We didn't see Buddy, but we did get to see his sisters. I'm sure she would be super happy to know pictures like this are out there...

Walking around Times Square.

Our first night we had tickets to Wicked. We were running kind of late and couldn't get a cab so these "nice" bike trolley guys offered us a ride. It wasn't too long before we realized that they were WAY out of our price range. After controlling our laughter we had to tell them to drop us off only a couple of blocks from where we started. I had to go to an ATM to get more cash to pay them. Stupid tourists!

Once we got to the show, we found that our seats were really good, thanks to our super nice dad who bought them for us!!!

After the show we had to hit another tourist trap, Ellen's Stardust Diner. I will recommend this 100%! It was pricey and busy, but so amazing. The waiters and waitresses all work there while they are in the process of trying to get on Broadway. They sing and dance while they are serving. They are all amazing. If they can't make it onto Broadway, I would NEVER in a million years have a chance!

Our delicious dinner...keeping in mind that we ate at Carlos' bakery that afternoon, we ate a huge sundae and fries for dessert. We were most definitely on vacation!

View of Central Park from the top of Rockefeller Center.

Classic tourist pose :).

We had to stop at American Girl Place. This place was out of control. Little girls were everywhere spending ridiculous amounts of their parents' money. I hope that one day Little Miss will want an American Girl doll. I am totally willing to save pennies to get one for her. They are adorable!

Most of the rest of the pictures are thanks in part to the tour bus we ended up taking the rest of the weekend. This picture shows people standing in line to get day of tickets for Broadway shows. This would have been fun if we would have had a little more time.

This was on Mom's birthday. We took the ferry down the Hudson river to see the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline. You would never know it, but Mom was super sick that day. Doesn't she look beautiful anyway!!!

So amazing and touching to be so near the place that many have started their American dreams.

Something I didn't expect to see was all of the classic architecture around the city.

Lessley, this is for you. Target New York, New York.
Sadly we never made it inside...

It was hard to forget that we were in the middle of the city that lost so many lives on 9/11/01. This was one of a few memorials we saw in the city.

I don't have pictures of Sunday morning, but we were able to go to church in the same building as the temple. It was an interesting experience for sure. I love knowing that the Gospel is the same no matter where you go, even if the whisperings of the spirit are intermingled with the mumblings of the homeless guy sitting behind you in sacrament meeting.

We ended the trip by visiting Serendipity 3. Yes, another tourist trap. I just had to experience the Frozen Hot Chocolate and I was not disappointed.
Look at how huge that thing was:

This was the view from our hotel window:

This was an amazing trip and I can't wait for my next chance to go to NYC. I am working on convincing Steve that he needs to do his masters or PhD there! :)

I am so lucky to have a husband that was willing to stay with our little monkey while I was gone. Thanks again mom and dad for such a fun trip!!!

Until next time...

June 2010

2010-08-31T20:25:00.004-06:00

The second week of June, my Grandma Munro had a condo in St. George. We decided to crash her quiet weekend and visit for a few days before the rest of the family got there. My cousin Lessley and her family also joined us. We had lots of fun eating, shopping, and talking (oh, and the boys went golfing) during our quick trip. Sadly, because of Steve's and my work schedules (I had a book party) we had to leave before the rest of the fun crew arrived.

Enjoying some subpar Pizza Factory. We weren't all that impressed with the quality of the PF in St. George. Luckily all can be improved with a little alfredo and ranch! PS: I don't think my grandma is really irritated with E...I think I took the pic at a bad time!!! :)

Keeping herself entertained in the car...until she figured out how to take of the eraser and dump out all of the lead. I was none too pleased with that trick.

On June 18 Steve's company hosted a party for employees and their families at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. It was awesome! They had a barbeque with all you can eat hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, chips, drinks, and popsicles. We also had full access to the park. This was Miss E's first trip to the zoo and she loved it despite the heat and that it was so close to bed time!

Little Miss loved the big water ball. Any time she can splash in water, she is a happy girl!

The token "Yes, Mom was there, too," photo.

Miss E loved the gorillas. They came right up next to the glass and E was enthralled.

June got pretty hot so we spent lots of time out by our "pool" (it is about three feet wide and 9 inches deep). E was somewhat confused by the cute little strawberries on her swimsuit. She kept wanting to eat them.

The beginning of the month of June was really fun and laid back. Then the craziness of the end of June and beginning of July came along...

Check It Out

2010-07-15T20:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts for all of my loyal readers! ; ) Anyway...I just recently decided to check out the website for those who have questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). I have looked at it many times before, but not recently. It is REALLY cool! Yes, I am Mormon, and therefore a little biased, but for those who haven't looked at it, or who have questions, take a minute to browse the site. I especially liked the section entitled OUR PEOPLE. It has profiles of people who have chosen to talk about their faith and conversion. I also like the FAQ section. Sometimes I feel like the media and people who are not members of the Church put words into our mouths about what our beliefs are. This spells out what we TRULY believe. I really am not very good at sharing my beliefs, I try to live it rather than blast it to the world (no offense to those who do...there is a time and a place and people who are good at that!!!), but this is a really good platform for members of the Church to share their personal beliefs. Sorry for the long post on this really random thing but I found this website to be fascinating, and pretty cool too.

www.mormon.org

Washington-May 2010

2010-07-09T10:38:00.005-06:00

Steve finished his semester at the end of April. We are loving his new-found freedom! In May we decided to take a little impromptu trip to visit Steve's parents in Washington. It was such a fun and relaxing trip! We made a list of all the things we wanted to do while we were there, and ended up doing all but one or two of the items.

We introduced the Little Miss to Edaleen dairy in Lynden, WA. This is one of our favorite ice cream stops. Our days were starting pretty early so we ended up having ice cream as a morning snack. Miss E was not complaining!

Every afternoon was spent in the backyard in the gorgeous sunshine! (At the time, the weather in UT was less than desirable.) We learned that Miss E loves being sprayed by the hose, even fully clothed. : )

She really loved being pulled in the wagon. E would wait in it until someone was willing to drag her around the yard: mom, dad, grandma, aunts, anyone!

We were able to visit Larrabee State Park, which has a beautiful beach full of tide pools and a fun park. Miss E loved exploring the rocks and pools. She even got a little taste of some kelp...yuck! We had fun finding starfish and little crabs, too.

We took a trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit Port Townsend, Fort Warden, and Sequim. We took Steve's mom and nephew, Henry. Henry loves E and she loves him back! They were so cute in the car! E got to take her first ferry ride, which was really fun.

Family picture attempt...FAIL

Steve used to go to Fort Warden for wrestling camp. It was a World War I military camp that is full of huge cement bunkers and look outs. It is now open to explore...a perfect place for a man-child like Steve and his 12 year old nephew. I won't lie, I had a blast too! Luckily for us, Grandma was willing and excited to take the little Munchkin while we went hiking and climbing through these huge buildings.

Family picture attempt 2...success!

Grandma and Miss E bonding in the back seat.
After lots of eating out, naps, movies, and playing, it was time to head back. We were greeted with this beautiful sky and a beautiful sleeping baby to end our trip.

We are so grateful to have a family that loves to have us visit at any time. We are also grateful that they live in such a beautiful place!

Mothers

2010-05-09T22:56:00.002-06:00

My own beautiful mama. I love her more than words can say!
My dad and his parents. I'm pretty sure that this grandma gave me my quiet spunk. She is full of it, even though she doesn't always show it! She is so talented and amazing. I hope that somewhere in me I can find a fraction of the skill she has!

My mom and her mother. I hope that I can glean everything I can from this grandma. She is full of self reliant knowledge and is so strong a beautiful!

My beautiful, wonderful mother in law. I had heard scary stories about how girls struggle with their husbands' mothers. My story could not be further from those!!! This woman would give her life and more for her children and grandchildren. I strive to be that kind of mother!

I have been beyond blessed in my life to be raised and surrounded by strong, amazing, faithful women. I wish I had pictures of every woman that I consider family. These women range from aunts, sister in laws, cousins, sisters, neighbors, and friends.

Today I thought much of these women as I wrangled my crazy baby at church and tried not to cry. I thought of how my mother in law would rock and bounce her and sing, "Pretty baby, pretty baby," while snuggling Little Miss to her chest. I thought of my own mother, an example of reverence and faith with her own squirmy kids at church, distracting us with stories and songs about Jesus. I thought of the neighbor, who's children would all sit quietly in a row while dad played the organ and mom was out nursing a baby. I could go on and on, but I bit back my tears and tried my best to comfort my overly tired baby.

I have always wanted to be a mother. I went into teaching so I could be surrounded by children. I know that it is a divine position, and, even through the hard days, could not wish to be doing anything different with my life. I so look forward to the day when my house will be filled with the sounds of all of my children (however many there may be) working and playing together. That is my heaven.

I love my sweet husband and Miss E for allowing me the opportunity to be a mother. It makes my life more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

15 Month Cutie

2010-05-09T22:12:00.006-06:00

Time flies! Looking back on the last three months, my heart aches because my baby is quickly turning into a little girl, but I can't help but smile at the fact that she is growing and is so healthy and strong.
Our doctor's visit went very well this month. We were glad to hear that E doesn't seem to be anemic anymore (12 month appt showed some signs). Her stats at this time are:

Weight: 21.13 lb ~ 30th percentile
Height: 30 1/4 in ~ 50th percentile
Head: 47 cm ~ 75th percentile
(She may be a little munchkin, but she's got a big head!)

*Full blown walker extraordinaire
*Doesn't really care to talk, but signs a few words: milk, more, food, please
*"Counts" We start counting and she makes sounds like she is counting too.
*Animal sounds: cow-ooo, monkey-oo oo, snake-sssss, piggy-k k k, fishy-she opens and closes her mouth
*Loves mom's "pretties" (bracelets)
*Still LOVES to make a mess and still HATES church...
*Pretty good eater still, but is starting to reject squishy foods, ie: rice with chicken soup.
*Favorite "toy": the rocks that make up our front yard

Fun at the Treehouse museum...blocks, puppets, storytime, fun!

Probably yelling at someone at the museum...she's a bit of a bully...we're working on that!

Fun at Baskin Robbins 31 cent night. It was freezing!

Miss E got her own scoop...Watermelon. Yum!

All of these next pictures were from a park near our house. She kept the sunglasses on for quite a while, which is surprising. Note: She went on all of the fun toys and still chose to play with rocks for the majority of the time we were there.

Little Missy, I never knew this would be possible, but I love you more than the day you were born! You are still my angel girl and I love you more than anything!

A Week of Good Eats

2010-05-08T19:56:00.007-06:00

To be quite honest, our menus lately have been fairly boring. I have been keeping them, just not sharing because there really wasn't much to share. This week, however, we did have a few standout meals that will definitely be returning to our table! Enjoy! (PS I know that I am not a food photographer by ANY means! Don't judge.)

Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches
Adapted from Rachel Ray
Makes enough for ~4 large sandwiches2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons honey1 t seasoning (garlic pepper, Montreal seasoning, etc)
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and let marinate overnight. Heat the grill to medium/medium-high. Place the chicken on the hot grill and let cook until almost cooked through (you can see that it is cooked when no longer clear), flip over just to make grill marks on the other side. Slice the chicken across the grain, 1/4 inch thick slices.I love to serve this on sandwich/hoagie buns from the bakery. (Winco $.30/ea)

Toppings:
Melt cheese on top of the chicken on the bun (I like cheddar, Steve-pepper jack)
Mayo
Avocado
Cucumber
Lettuce (red leaf is really good!)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Tomatoes
Anything else that sounds good

Baguette

http://www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com/

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbs. (2 packages) dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt

In a small bowl mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes - foam should form on the top.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Gradually add the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough becomes a smooth ball and knead for 5 minutes. (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook)

Cut in half and then shape into 2 baguettes. To make them smooth and pretty, roll each half of dough into rectangle and roll up lengthwise. Pinch the edges to seal and place on lightly greased cookie sheet (or silpat) with seam down. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With a very sharp knife (I like to use a serrated blade) gently make a slash down the length of each baguette. This will give it that authentic look. Pour water in a cookie sheet and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Half way through, brush the bread with melted butter.

**This was REALLY fast and REALLY yummy! We ate it with creamy spaghetti (spag. sauce with cream cheese melted in) yum!**

Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins
Adapted From Annies-Eats.com
Ingredients:

2½ cups all-purpose flour (I did 1 1/2 C wheat flour, 1 C AP Flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
¾ cup butterscotch chips
¾ cup chopped apples
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

*I left out the pecans and increased apples and chips. I also added about 1/4 cup wheat germ.*

For topping (optional):
Dried apple slices
Maple syrup
Granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two muffin pans with paper liners (about 18 liners total). Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix lightly with a fork to blend. Stir in the oats. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and beating just until incorporated. Fold in the butterscotch chips, apples, and toasted pecans with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. If desired, press a dried apple slice into the top of the batter in each cup. Drizzle lightly with maple syrup and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 18 muffins

**These were AMAZING! My last couple of batches of muffins have been...subpar. These were awesome and we were very glad to have the extra 6, as most recipes usually make 12. We were also excited that, aside from the little bit of butter and chips, these are really quite healthy. Note: I did not do any kind of topping and I feel like they turned out great.**

Visiting Daddy

2010-04-25T21:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Little Miss and I decided to go visit Steve at work and take him some donuts. Because we were a bit earlier than we had told him, we decided to stop at the new Deseret Book across from Temple Square. It is a beautiful store with a beautiful view! We then were still early so we took a photo shoot outside of ARUP. It was a very fun day!

New Adventure

2010-04-13T22:12:00.003-06:00

Now that I am done teaching for the foreseeable future, I sometimes feel as if I am losing my mind. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE being home with Little Miss, in fact, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have just been struggling with filling my time with meaningful activities (ie: a little more productivity, a little less internet/TV time). Steve and I decided that I needed a hobby and one that could make a little bit of money would even be that much sweeter. I am going to start teaching piano here as soon as I get mine tuned. I am really excited about that!

I also decided to look at some of my other interests. Being somewhat obsessed with literacy and books, the natural step for me was to do something that involved the two of those things. Sorry about the sad cell phone pic!

I have just started selling Usborne Books. If you have not heard of them, you are missing out!
Usborne books are awesome educational books for babies through teenagers. The books are also appealing to parents because of their great content and look. I love their products and I feel very passionate about sharing the love!
If you are interested in checking them out you can give me a call or email me and I would love to come to your house and do a book party a la Mary Kay/Pampered Chef style. Or you can check out my website: www.myubam.com/G3879. In the future I will be starting a blog where I will review some of the books so you can get the inside scoop on some of my favorites (I hope to include some that I have read in my spare time as well). I'm really excited about this little business and I can't wait to get started!!!

Dessert Pizza

2010-04-10T20:51:00.004-06:00

Tonight Steve and I experimented with a treat we saw on a food network challenge. Luckily for us it turned out very well! I do pretty much everything to taste so I don't have amounts for things...just do what tastes good to you.

Dessert Pizza
Cooked breadstick dough (don't put anything on it while cooking)
Softened Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar
Frozen Raspberries
Sugar
Brown Sugar

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together to an icing consistency/flavor. Spread onto breadsticks. Thaw raspberries until soft and smash with white sugar to taste. Spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. At this point you can just eat it as is (we did because we like the cold raspberries) or you can broil it until hot and brown sugar caramelizes.

Enjoy!

Spring Break

2010-04-06T12:26:00.002-06:00

Last week my mom and Kelsi were able to come down and spend a whole week of fun and relaxation and the Burden B&B. It was so wonderful to have them here to talk and laugh with! Michelle came up on Thursday and stayed through the weekend as well. Lucky for us, Matt was then able to come on Saturday night too! We had so much fun eating and watching movies and relaxing together. I was reminded of how important family is and I am so grateful to have family and in-laws who are so wonderful and special. I am so blessed! (Yes mom...seriously so blessed! :) )

Easter Dress

2010-04-06T10:52:00.002-06:00

After a very long day and late night of sewing I was able to finish Little Miss E's Easter dress. I don't have any pictures of her in it yet because it is a little bit large...I think it will be more of a Spring/Summer dress. I am pretty excited about my first clothing sewing experience. I didn't think I could do it without my mom sitting there holding my hand through it, but I did it (after several calls to mom though!). Sadly though, I think I ruined part of it by leaving the iron on the back piece a little too long, the pink flowers are a little discolored. Any ideas or is it going to be "orange-ish" forever?

Our House

2010-03-26T21:57:00.003-06:00

Okay, so we've lived in our house for about 4 months now and I realize that I have still not really posted pictures it. I really am not much of a decorator. I have a hard time spending money on home decor but I am working on it. Miss E's room is the only one that is really done with paint and decor on the walls. I hope that with spring in the air a fire will be lit under my bootie to get some painting done. Then I hope to have a housewarming party (yes, a little late). Here are a few pics, enjoy...

We have all of the letters of E's name on different colored backgrounds hung over her crib.

This isn't a very good pic, but these were the inspiration for the room. I love the Winborg sisters! My mom got E these for Christmas and I love them!

The office portion of the "office." We also have a craft table and two pianos in there. It's a big room!

Master bath...

Family room/kitchen...I love having a gathering space when everyone comes over!

Master bedroom. We are looking for some sort of couch/chaise to put in here soon. I think we are going to go with a natural green color on the walls. Still looking for artwork!

Again, pretty boring. I am still waiting for inspiration to strike me for the color and artwork to place around the house. We are loving our neighborhood and love seeing the growth that is happening around us! I am happy to say that we, for the first time in a long time, feel like we are "home."

Fablehaven Signing

2010-03-25T22:01:00.002-06:00

Steve and I love the Fablehaven book series by Brandon Mull. These books are kids chapter books that are similar in genre to Harry Potter and the like. Our 8 year old niece, Smarty Pants, also loves them, so when we heard the author was going to do a huge signing party at Cottonwood High School, we knew we needed to take her. Unfortunately we knew we would have to go late because Steve had work and Smarty Pants had dance. We hoped that by getting there late the line would have somewhat subsided...not so. It was insane! Apparently you had to get there very early to get an alphabetical ticket. They then would call groups up to have their books signed based upon what letter of the alphabet they had. If you didn't have a ticket, you had to wait until after the letter Z. At 8:15 pm (keeping in mind they probably started somewhere around 7 or so) they were to the letter "D." Sadly, we knew with school and work the next day we couldn't wait to get our books signed.
Smarty Pants took the news very well and was content to have the characters sign her book and pose for pictures. We decided that for her maturity we would reward her with a big ice cream sundae. She was pleased! Now we just need to find a time when we can get Brandon Mull to sign our books elsewhere!

Update on Menus

2010-03-14T21:02:00.002-06:00

I have slacked this week. Actually I made a menu, I was just a little embarrassed to post it because it involved lots of frozen leftovers, etc. I did make a few of the things from last week's menu to catch up because we had to change some days. These were the recipes that really stood out to us and we will definitely make again: Thai Red Curry, Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta, and Maple Glazed Salmon. These were a total hit at our house. I also made this TGI Friday's Bruschetta Chicken Pasta for Steve's family last week and it was AWESOME! I love when new recipes work out!
Our theme this week and last is to use things that we already have in order to keep the grocery bill lower. We try to always have frozen chicken and ground beef on hand and have been lucky enough to have Steve's dad supply us with yummy salmon from his fishing ventures. Since we have those staples we can easily adapt our recipes to be pretty cheap if necessary.
Still struggling with side dishes. If you have suggestions I am listening! Here is this week's menu: (keeping in mind family is coming and this will probably change)

Monday
French Bread Pizza
From My Food Storage Deals
Green Salad

Tuesday
Corn Chile Chowder (freezer meal)

Wednesday-Our sad tribute to St Patrick's Day
Broccoli Chicken Casserole (see...it has green in it!)

Thursday
Hamburgers
We love to stuff our burgers with cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon before we cook them. Yum!

Friday
Visit with family

Saturday
Visit with family

Sunday
Our favorite roast and mashed potatoes!
*Meat was on sale a couple of weeks ago so I bought several roasts for only a couple of dollars a piece. They keep really well in the freezer and are nice to have when you want a nice dinner or you have company coming.

This Just Made My Day

2010-03-14T21:01:00.000-06:00

I love WinCo! Welcome to Ogden...I can't wait for you to open!!!

Trip To Boise

2010-03-14T20:52:00.002-06:00

So this is a little late, but better late than never...right? During Steve's last on week E and I were getting a little bored and going a little stir crazy staying home alone so we decided to head up to Boise for a couple of days. We couldn't leave until Thursday because Miss E had a Dr. appointment and we had to be back on Saturday so I could teach Sunday School, so it really was a quick trip. We had lots of fun eating, playing with Grandma, eating, playing beauty shop with grandpa, watching Kels play some bball, oh, and eating cupcakes. We did lots of eating. It was fun! Thanks for the fun couple of days Mom and Dad!

Just Playing

2010-03-12T09:52:00.002-07:00

I have plenty of real posts in mind, but I was just playing with Picasa and thought I'd share. I never knew you could do all of this with that program...I thought it was just for sharing albums. Oh great...here's to a new time waster! : )

Weekly Menu 3/1-3/6

2010-03-01T11:57:00.003-07:00

After our very heavy meals last week, I am trying to focus on a little bit lighter fare this week. I ended up going to Boise for a few days so we are having pizza tonight rather than last week.

Monday:
Pizza and Breadsticks

Tuesday:
Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup
Turkey Stock
Leftover Turkey
Carrots
Celery
Onions

Wednesday:
Sensational Sirloin Kebobs
Rice

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Thai Red Curry
I am going to use chicken rather than the beef.
From What's On My Menu

Saturday:
Maple Glazed Salmon
From Hold the Onions
Rice
Veggies (whatever is on sale or looks good)

Sunday:
Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
From my friend Courtney Davis

Now I just need to get my shopping done for the week!

Crazy February

2010-02-22T20:34:00.004-07:00

I had every intention of being a great blogger this year...then February came along! We have been so busy this month with the fun and not so fun but we are happy to be home and back to our regular routines. Here is a quick recap of where we've been and what we have been up to:

We were lucky enough to get to spend a week in Salt Lake babysitting our very cute (and very crazy) nieces while their mom and dad were partying it up in Florida. Sadly we dealt with 2 cases of strep throat and a sick baby. The cutie on the right was our only well child for the whole week!

The day we got home from SLC my mom and cute sister Kelsi came down for a long weekend visit and to help with Little Miss E's 1st birthday bash. Sadly, Friday E was very sick so she had to go to the doctor an hour before the party began. The doc couldn't find anything wrong besides a high fever and a nasty cough. We, being the awesome parents we are, insisted that the show must go on. Here are pics from the super fun Polka Dot party we had. (Our only regret was that we couldn't invite everyone that we had on our wish list! If only our house were a little bit bigger!)

Here is the (very sick) birthday girl snuggling up with Auntie Shell.
Here is one of our few smile pics from the evening. I think she ate maybe a crumb of her cake...sad!
Luckily we had Grandma here to snuggle her for the rest of the weekend.
Cute, sick Valentine's girl.
Playing with her sweet Aunt Bekah. We were lucky enough to have Bek come visit from Canada. She stayed with us for two nights...just long enough to get a little shopping in for her little guy who will be coming in June! We are so excited for a new nephew!!!
Finally, after two weeks of fever and coughs and three trips to the doctor, E's doc decided that her lungs looked a little gunky. He decided it was pneumonia and gave her some antibiotics. After about a day on the meds, E was back to her feisty self. We are so happy that she is smiling, playing and eating again. We missed our crazy girl!!! Here she is sharing pizza, hot dog buns, and churros with mom and dad at Costco today...

Wow...now I just hope I can stay caught up!!!

Chile Relleno Casserole

2010-02-22T10:58:00.002-07:00

I saw this on Good Things Utah this morning and thought it looked really yummy! I'll have to try this one soon.

Chile Relleno Casserole

Posted using ShareThis

Weekly Menu

2010-02-21T21:32:00.002-07:00

Whew, it has been a busy couple of weeks! It is nice to get back into my regular routine after all of the craziness. Steve found a cool website called TastyPlanner where I can keep track of my own recipes and weekly menus as well as search for the recipes of others. I will be linking to that one a lot from now on. Here is our menu for this week:

Sunday 21:
Chicken Pillows
Seasoned Green Beans
(frozen crunchy green beans are a yummy way to brighten winter meals)

Monday 22:
Company Casserole
Green Salad
French Bread

Tuesday 23:
Broccoli Cheese Soup
(I will probably play with the amounts in this recipe...I'll let you know how it goes.)
French Bread

Wednesday 24:
German Pancakes
Buttermilk Syrup
Orange Julius

Thursday 25:
Leftovers

Friday 26:
Homemade Pizza
This week I think I'll go easy and use a premade or canned crust. We may go with a homemade alfredo though.
Quick Yeast Breadsticks

Saturday 27:
Grilled Sandwiches
We basically make our sandwiches the same that we normally would, butter the outsides and then grill them in our George Foreman. This is a fun time to add yummy ingredients like avocado, sprouts, pepperocinis, or any other special sandwich toppings.

Sunday 28:
Thanksgiving in February
(Turkey is on sale this week.)
Roast Turkey Breast
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes as you usually would then add whatever sounds good! We usually add (no these are NOT healthy) cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Montreal steak seasoning. Really you just add what sounds good until they taste good.
Stovetop Stuffing
Green Salad

2010-02-09T00:02:00.002-07:00

I am sure many moms go through the nightly, weekly, monthly, etc. ritual of cleaning up their child's toys. Putting sets together and organizing. This article on the CNN website just shed all new light on this situation. It takes a minute to read, but it will make you laugh if you fit into this category.

Mom: Be Sane, Surrender to the Clutter

What a Wonderful Day!

2010-02-05T10:01:00.005-07:00

Our little monkey girl turned 1 yesterday! I can't believe how quickly the last year has flown by. We have spent much of the last two days reminiscing about the day that this sweet girl joined our family.

Steve loves playing with E. Her squeals of delight are music to our ears!

Take a look at that silly grin!

Her special birthday breakfast of her favorite...OATMEAL! We also had another success, Little Miss actually CHOSE to drink her milk, rather than having it poured down her throat.

For dinner she had another favorite...spaghetti! I wish I had a video of her eating it. It is so funny to watch her try to get all of the noodles into her mouth.

We got a video of her being sung to. However, it was not a happy experience. I think it freaked her out and she screamed and screamed. Finally, once we picked her up and snuggled her, E was able to enjoy her birthday donut.

One Year Old Stats:
Weight: 19.6 lbs (25%)
Height: 29.25 in (60%)
Head Circ.: 46.5 cm (90%) Looks like she's a little top heavy :)

*Miss E cut her first molar (top left) this month.
*Loves to eat....most of the time
*Favorite foods: apple juice, orange juice, goldfish crackers, kiwi, oatmeal, bananas
*Loves to play peek a boo
*She is starting to understand what it means to be silly.
*E walks along the edge of the couch and with her walker.
*Miss E thinks she is one of the big kids whenever her cousins are around.
*She loves Sesame Street!
*She is finally starting to look at books without eating them.
*Church is now a huge chore for mom because E CANNOT sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. She will scream if we do not understand this.
*E is still a great sleeper: at least 12 hours at night and 2 daytime naps.
*E LOVES to make a mess...more on that to come.

No Menu...

2010-02-02T11:35:00.002-07:00

This week Steve and I have the fun pleasure of babysitting our 3 sweet nieces. I think for this week we will wing our menu so we can adapt it to the needs/wants of the girls. Some of our ideas for easy kid food are: (recipes will have to come later)

Spaghetti
Tacos
Sweet Baked Chicken
Steak and Baked Potatoes
Crock Pot Pork Roast
Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
Chicken Chili

Weekly Menu

2010-01-25T15:52:00.005-07:00

I thought it would be fun to start posting our weekly menus. It is fun for me to look back on what we've eaten and quickly find recipes. Here is our menu for dinners this week. This first week I am also posting because (as you will see) I struggle with coming up with side dishes. We have no variety! I need input on yummy (preferably healthy, because the main dishes aren't always) sides.

Monday:
Mock Beef Stroganoff
1 Lb browned ground beef
1 Can Cream of Mushroom
(About) 1 Cup of Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
(About) 1/2 pkg Onion Soup Mix, to taste
Milk-until it is as thin as you want it
*Mix all ingredients in a skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Serve over egg noodles.
Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday:
Morning--Apple Muffins (From Food Tastes Good)
Corn and Green Chile Chowder in the Crock Pot (From Prudence Pennywise)
Easy French Bread (From On My Menu)

Wednesday:
Chicken Green Chile Sandwich Braid
I am making this one up with some inspiration from here.
1 Loaf Rhoades white bread, thawed
Cream Cheese
Green Chiles
Mexican Seasoned Chicken? (cumin, chili powder, etc)
Cheddar/Mozzarella Cheese
**Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 12x18" rectangle.
Leaving a 4 in space in the center of the dough, cut the sides into 2 inch wide strips.
Mix cream cheese and chilis. Spread down the middle of the dough.
Top with the rest of the ingredients.
Braid the dough, then place braid on a sprayed cookie sheet.
Brush braid with egg white. Bake at 350* for 30-35 min.

Thursday:
Little Cheddar Meatloaves (Originally found at Taste the Joy)
Potato Wedges
Pour into a large Ziploc bag:
Approx. 4 T olive oil
Any seasonings you would like: Montreal Steak, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika
Salt
Pepper

Cut potatoes into 6-8 wedges and drop into Ziploc bag. Mix around so all of the potatoes are coated.
Put potatoes on a large plate or casserole dish and cook in microwave for about 10 minutes or until soft.
Optional: You can broil the potatoes after microwaving to make them a little crispy.
We like to eat these with cheese and jalapenos and dipped in a spicy ranch. (Ranch mixed with
paprika, chili powder, and any other seasonings that sound good.)

Friday:
Chopped Pizza
Found in HobbleCreek Ward Cookbook
Submitted By Katie Ipsen
8 Rhodes Texas rolls, thawed
1 pkg pepperoni
1 c grated mozzarella cheese
1 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c sliced olives

**Place 2 thawed rolls on cutting board. Top with 4 pieces of pepperoni, 1/4 c mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c cheddar cheese, and 1/4 of the olives. Chop with large knife until ingredients are mixed into rolls. Lift with spatula onto greased cookie sheet. Shape into a 4x6 inch chopped pizza. Repeat to make all 4 pizzas. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Green Salad

Saturday:
Thai Peanut Chicken
HobbleCreek Ward Cookbook
Submitted By Tiffani Larson
2 chicken breasts, diced
4 T soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 T oil
2 tsp ginger
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 C Pace Picante
5 T peanut butter
3 green onions, diced
1/4 C unsalted peanuts
1 can coconut milk

**Combine soy sauce, garlic, oil and ginger. Marinate chicken in this sauce at least overnight. Set aside marinade and cook chicken in hot skillet with 1 T of oil until done. Remove chicken and set aside. Saute peppers and onions until tender. Add remaining ingredients and marinade. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook about 2 more minutes. Serve with rice.

Sunday:
Crock Pot Roast
1 Medium/Large Roast (I just use whatever is on sale)
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
Optional: Chopped carrots and onions

**Place the roast in the crock pot and cover with soup and mix. Add vegetables around the sides of the roast. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Playing With the Cousins

2010-01-18T14:53:00.002-07:00

Little Miss LOVES playing with her cousins. She really thinks she is playing with them, but most of the time I thing she's driving them bonkers. One of her older cousins decided she needed this backpack on. Surprisingly she left it on for a long time. It was pretty funny.

Her sweet cousins trying to keep the crazy monkey entertained. (And doing a great job!)

First Official Ponytail!

2010-01-18T14:48:00.002-07:00

I can't believe Miss E's hair is finally long enough to do this...I've been waiting a long, long time!

**Yes I do realize it is tiny and that bow looks silly but I was just so excited!**

2010-01-15T16:21:00.002-07:00

Miss E is often content to just play by herself. Here is a little video of what the majority of our days consist of. A little toy playing, a little talking to herself, a little dancing to music.

*Note: In the morning all of her toys start out in her toy bin. By the time Little Miss has been awake for 10 minutes or so, the bin has been all but emptied. This is where the toys spend the rest of their days. This is just FYI so if anyone comes to my house, you will know this is par for the course!

Rave Review!

2010-01-14T15:43:00.004-07:00

Steve and I have been trying to tighten our budget lately, which means fewer trips to eat out. However, when I saw this place on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives (on Food Network) I knew we needed to go! Burger Bar is (a dumpy looking place) in Roy, UT and we highly recommend it!

We were there at about 2:30 on a weekday and we still had to wait in line. I've heard it's always busy...it is that good.

The burgers were gigantic!

In true drive-in fashion, we had to eat in our car. Little Miss didn't mind...in fact, she loved it.

Both the fries and the onion rings were so yummy. And they don't skimp on the fry sauce!

Heroes

2010-01-13T20:49:00.005-07:00

(Thanks to my sister Michelle for the idea. Check out her blog here.)
Growing up I was often asked to speak or write about my heroes. I always had a hard time explaining myself when I would choose my parents or grandparents, but I knew they were my heroes. As an adult, I still consider those people to be at the top of my list, but now I have someone else to add: Dr. Geoff Williams.
Dr. Williams has committed and dedicated his life to the betterment of others. He spends his days traveling around the world using his skills as a plastic surgeon to give new life to children in 3rd world countries who were born with cleft lips and palates. He also takes time to train doctors and nurses there to do some of the work on their own, so the magic can continue after he has gone. His work is completely non profit, which means he takes none of the money for himself. All money donated to his organization, the International Children's Surgical Foundation, or ICSF.
Right now Dr. Williams and a team are in Kabankalan, Philippines. Joining his team on this mission are my beautiful parents, my heroes. This is my dad's 4th or 5th mission with Geoff as an associate doctor, and my brave momma's first trip as part of the support team. The idea of Dr. Williams' missions brings tears to my eyes. I urge you to check out the ICSF website here. In a world obsessed with beauty, Dr. Williams provides the greatest kind of true beauty, CHARITY and LOVE.

She's 11 Months!

2010-01-06T23:16:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe how time flies! In one more month my babe will be 1. She is getting more and more animated and fun every day. I have more love for this girl than my heart ever thought possible. We had a fun month with Little Miss celebrating her first Christmas (sorry I don't have many pictures) and New Years (no pics at all because she and daddy were in bed by 10). Sadly E also was truly sick for the first time, with a fever of 102.9. We never really figured out what was wrong (no ear infection) but it was a sad few days.

11 Month Highlights:
*8 total teeth
*pulls to a stand and then lets go, trying to do it on her own
*drinks from a sippy all on her own
*eats pretty much everything that is put in front of her (most days)
*Favorite tricks: "Where is your tongue?" "Where is your fat belly?"
*shakes her head "no" (she's still trying to figure out what it means, but knows it gets a reaction)
*dances to basically all music, including hymns at church (dancing=bobbing her head, shrugging her shoulders, belly thrusting)
*points to things with her pointer finger
*she has started to warm up to people, specifically grandparents, making for some very happy grandmas and grandpas
*laughing and clapping when everyone else is doing it
*lots of hand movement and activity
*she is very inquisitive, E can never let a box go unopened or a full box full...its contents will generally be strewn all over the floor in only a few seconds
*one of our personal favorites: she loves to hold things in her mouth and then flap her hands around as if to say "Look mom! No hands!"

Resolute

2010-01-03T15:39:00.002-07:00

I am not big on New Year’s Resolutions. They are really hard for me to stick with. I have been thinking a lot about why this is so and have come to the conclusion that January is a horrible time to start something new unless it is specifically related to the cold, grey, dismal weather. It is disheartening enough when I don’t have the will power to change habits cold turkey or to start a new lofty goal; I really don’t need the weather to remind me that life is hard sometimes. I think we should make resolutions in June. The weather from that point into the next couple of months is awesome. The sun rises everyday to bright, beautiful blue skies.
Regardless, this is still the time of year where it is customary to commit to ourselves to be better, and I have jumped on board (again) this year. I have heard that one is much more likely to complete a goal or more soundly change their habits if they publicly announce them. Then there is a sense of accountability. Others know about it, so it must be done to save face…or something like that. So here it goes: my resolution for this year (yes, I have only one) is to JUST DO IT [NOW]. Cliché? Yes. Overused? Probably. But is it applicable to my life? Oh yes!
I find myself saying too many times in the day: “I should probably…,” “It would be fun to…,” and the ever infamous “I’ll do it later.” I am tired of never getting things done, and especially tired of never starting things that I want to or should do. Some examples:
*Calling someone that I feel I need to call.
*Taking the pair of socks by my bed to the hamper…NOW.
*Having that cup of hot chocolate in the middle of the day.
*Buying paint and decorations for the baby’s room.
*Going for a walk in the snow with my family.
*Blogging when something fun comes to mind (this is way more for me than you…it’s so fun to look back!).
*Organizing my craft stuff, sooner rather than later!
*Reading my scriptures, writing in my journal, etc.

And the list goes on, and on, and on. This year I resolve to not let my life pass me by because I am too lazy or scared to stop it and enjoy it! Hopefully, by telling you, I will be held more accountable than I have been in all of my past (Failed) attempts at resolutions. So whether you have just one, or many things to resolve this new year, good luck to you!

***END NOTE: Since this post was written on the 31st and I didn't have internet until today, I feel that I must update on my progress to this point. I have since painted my baby's room, started organizing my own room, called and had family over for dinner last night (just for fun), and tried new recipes. I think I can say that I have had the 3 most successful days of a resolution that I have had in my entire life. To borrow a line from the disney channel...Yay Me! Now let's hope that I can keep this up!***

Cottage Cheese Fit of '09

2009-12-30T21:38:00.003-07:00

Tonight E got her first taste of cottage cheese. I didn't know if she would like it or not due to the texture, but happily she loved it. Not so happily, when I told her it was all gone, she FREAKED out. Her fit was reminiscent of a child going through the Terrible 2s.

There was rolling around on the floor.

Kicking. Notice the cottage cheese still in her mouth. She didn't even swallow before starting her mondo fit.

She got up into crawling position, dropped her arms, started going with her legs and rubbed her face into the floor.

This was nearing the end, she was a little tired. And yes, that is a piece of cottage cheese in the corner of her mouth.

Phew, I hope (but know I'm wrong) that this is not a sign of things to come. It was nuts! :)

Just for Grandma

2009-12-21T12:30:00.006-07:00

Our car is in the shop right now so we won't be leaving for Boise tonight as planned. Here's a little preview for Grandma of the fun she's going to have later this week! (BTW Mom, as I am writing this she is leaning against the couch, straight as a board. I guess she doesn't feel the need to go down the hall when there aren't visitors around.)

Another Funny

2009-12-15T21:30:00.001-07:00

I love the original commercial (it makes me smile) but this is so funny to me! Enjoy!

House Pics

2009-12-08T00:18:00.001-07:00

Haha, you were excited weren't you? Well, it's not quite ready for show yet. I promise, as soon as I get a couple more boxes out of the way, I'll give you a little tour.

Lessons in Self Feeding

2009-12-08T00:10:00.004-07:00

First, get a feel for your eating utensil. A gooood feel.

Then, show mom how good of a job you did.
Make sure to cheer yourself on. This is hard work!
After making a HUGE mess, ...
...recognize that it's time for a bath. Strip down right where you are and head for the tub.
While in the tub, revel in your success. You are a big kid now.
Then, commit it all to memory because there is no way mom is going to let you do that again for a long, long time. : )

Thanksgiving Time

2009-12-07T23:56:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving week was a crazy one for us. We moved into our new house (yay!) on Monday, went to Huntsville on Wednesday, ate then came back to our house on Thursday, unpacked and played with my family on Friday, went to Bancroft, ID on Saturday, then drove home on Sunday. Whew! We always have such crazy holidays, but for this time in our lives we love it!

Missy's 1st Thanksgiving...a holiday all about food...of COURSE she loved it!

Yum!

I didn't take any pictures of our lunch in Bancroft or our time at the Lava Hot Springs, but here we are at the yummy pizza place late that night.

Cute sisters!

This girl was past delirium at this point.

Love the Lakemans! We missed the Keys and Jared, though!

I'm pretty sure that besides my own, the Teeples' kids are the CUTEST!

And it's a good thing Cindy and Russ saved the day with the chocolate and ice cream so that we could have our milkshakes! You'll have to look back to last year to hear that story.

This year I was also lucky enough to see a long, lost friend at the pizza restaurant! I don't have any pictures, but hopefully my mom will post at some point : ). We had a great week of fun, family, and food!!!

We've Reached 10 Months

2009-12-07T23:34:00.003-07:00

And she's getting cuter every day! Little Miss is practically growing right before our eyes. I can't believe how expressive and silly she is becoming. We are having a blast watching her little personality develop. Here are some 10 month highlights:

*Pulling herself to a stand
*Getting into a sitting position on her own
*Lots of "talking": neeneenee, dada, mama, mmmmmm, the occasional scream/outburst, and we still get some "Bob" sprinkled in every now and then
*Laughing at silly things (anytime mom holds things in her mouth: keys, baby spoon, straws, combs)
*"Feistyness": she is very opinionated and will let you know how she feels, she will also try to take toys from other kids, she won't let anything/anyone get in her way if she wants something
*Very attached to mom and dad still. We both spend lots of time spouting phrases like: it's not you, it's her. etc.
*Lots of interest in food! She will at least try everything that is put in front of her. She will like pretty much everything that she tries more than once. If she doesn't like something, she pulls a stink face.
*Still has just 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth but is working on adding 2 more to the bottom.

Not quite sure what that face was all about, but it makes me laugh.

The shirt says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my grandma." So true on both sides!

For all those who don't see her beautiful smile because she's hiding in my shoulder...here it is, eat it up!

And my favorite shirt..."SUPER CUTE"

Just For Laughs

2009-12-06T18:01:00.001-07:00

Here is something to tide you over until I do a big post overload soon. Enjoy...

Seriously...what. the. heck?

9 Month Girl!

2009-11-08T20:51:00.003-07:00

Her first Halloween...our cute little flower.

This was at her Dr. appointment. She made this face every single time I tried to take her picture!

I'm a little bit behind on this one, but Little Miss turned 9 months old this week. This has been a big, fun month for her! She (sadly) had to go to the doctor again this month, where we found out she is growing beautifully before they tortured her with more shots.

9 Month Stats:
*Height: 29 inches (95th %)
*Weight: 18.1 lbs (50th %)
*Head: 43 cm (90th %)
*Signs: more (food), milk
*Waves and (sort of) says "hi" and "bye"
*Pulls herself to a stand
* Can now crawl on hands and knees but would still rather army crawl.
*Can get into a bear crawl position on hands and feet.
*Sits very well on her own but cannot get there by herself.

Another House Post

2009-10-21T15:59:00.005-06:00

I realize that the only things I have been posting about are my house and baby (if you have reader and can't see it, I did post about Miss E again today :) ). But I guess that's what happens when those are the only things on my mind right now. Thanks for not chastising me! :)

Here are the beginnings of our kitchen cabinets. From the left: pantry, fridge space, cabinets, laundry room.

The babe and I being extra helpful while Steve was trying to figure out the laminate.

The beginnings of our laminate flooring. Wish us luck this week in installing the rest!

Master bath and shower. They will be installing the glass for the shower next week.

Kitchen before cabinets. I am loving the huge pantry!

From left: understairs closet, hall from entry, coat closet, art niche, to the right of the art niche is the master bedroom.

Entry way

And here's the front of the house! Hopefully tomorrow (realistically next week) I will post some pictures of the finished cabinetry as well as the rock on the front of the house!

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-10-21T15:47:00.003-06:00

Today my pretty girl and I went out for a drive and, since I dressed her so cute and, since the day was so pretty, we decided to take some pictures. I found this beautiful place out in West Weber that was so perfect for fall pictures.

She was looking so sweet and thoughtful...really what she was thinking was something along the lines of: How can I get this stick and that leaf into my mouth without mom stopping me?

Check out the massive teeth! I love them!

This girl was so happy to be out playing in the grass, leaves, and dirt!

House Update

2009-10-05T23:05:00.003-06:00

Family room/kitchen area

Storage room upstairs

Back side of house (l to r: sliding glass door from kitchen, fam. room window, master bed. window)

Here's the front of our cute little house!

Things are moving along quickly, which we are very grateful for! I am so looking forward to getting in to our new house for the holidays. Little Miss is looking forward to baths in my new big tub : )!

8 Months!

2009-10-05T22:54:00.004-06:00

Wow, how time flies!!! I can't believe Little Miss is 8 months already. I have been horrible at taking pictures of her this month, but you had better believe that she has not stopped growing! She is so big and full of smiles. There were not tons of firsts this month, but she is the proud new owner of 4 teeth and is working on adding 2 more. Miss E also loves to play pat-a-cake and terrorize her older cousins. I'm sure they can't wait for the day that we move out so they can leave their small toys on the floor : )!

Dear Pretty Girl,
I hope you know how much your daddy and I love you. That's the reason we sprinkle your face with kisses ALL the time! You are so precious to us and bring us more joy than we could ever have imagined. You are full of fun and spunk and are always making us laugh. We are so glad you were able to join our family and we look forward to watching you grow!!!
Love,
Mommy

Let's Partay!

2009-09-18T22:09:00.004-06:00

Today we celebrated our nephew, Parker's, 5th birthday. It was a fun party with cake, ice cream, and an awesome pinata. (PS My sister-in-law made that cake...and yes, it looked even more awesome in real life!)

House Progress

2009-09-18T21:57:00.004-06:00

Yes, we have finally made a decision on our living situation! We are building a house in Plain City, UT. Never heard of it? No worries...no one has. : ) It is north of Ogden. Yes, it is going to be a far commute for Steve, but it will be worth it. We felt really good about the price, which made us okay with the location. We also love the neighborhood where we are building. Here are some pictures of what's been going on so far in our build.

Our footings were poured the Friday before Labor Day. Look at that view out our back!

I couldn't resist a picture of my cuties!

Our slab (foundation) was poured yesterday (Thursday).
When we went back tonight our house was framed!

We are grateful to have a great builder (plug for Hawkins Homes!!!) that is willing to move quickly so we will be able to meet the deadline to get the $8,000 federal grant. We're going to be in before December, HOORAY!!!

Closer to 1 Than "Newborn"

2009-09-08T22:54:00.003-06:00

My baby is growing so fast! I feel like I just barely wrote her 6 month post, and yet here I am thinking back on her 7th month.

(Most of the pictures I would have used were posted in the Purge posts. This was taken in the FREEZING Seattle airport after.)

This was a big month for Little Miss E! She had many firsts:

*First airplane ride (champ!)
*First camping trip (champ!)
*First two teeth
*Crawling (at least an army crawl)
*Real intro to solids (champ!)
*She is now a full-blown thumb sucker! She (we) would not survive without that appendage!

As I have looked back on the last 7 months I have come to realize that this little girl was worth every moment I had to wait for her. I love her more and more each day!!! I realize what a blessing it is to have a beautiful, healthy child and I thank my Heavenly Father for her constantly. I hope to never take for granted the stewardship I have been given.

Summer Photo Purge #2

2009-09-01T14:28:00.003-06:00

We (E and I) spent the weekend with extended family at the Munro family reunion. This was full of the usual: people watching, eating, people watching, chatting with cousins and friends, oh, did I mention people watching?

Moving...this is really the only picture I have of moving. This was how Little Miss felt about the whole process.

Little Sis Kelsi came to visit. This was so fun and so helpful!!! She helped us in our house hunt by holding Miss E and giving her insightful opinion.

More house hunting. E was a trooper! She hardly cried or fussed at all. The following picture is of one of the two houses we put an offer on and then retracted. Short sells are a pain!

The following two pictures are of my friend Margaret's wedding to her sweetie James. This was a cool Native American ceremony, but it was really hot. E was exhausted as we used this time as our break from cleaning the apartment. We were both grumpy at the end of that long hot day!

On E's 6 month birthday she was able to fly for the first time, from Boise to Seattle. She was awesome!

Beautiful Mt. Rainier (we think?)

Stay tuned! More to come...(lucky you!)

Last and Final!

2009-09-01T14:16:00.008-06:00

This last post starts with our big "vacay" of the year. We went to WA to camp at one of Steve's favorite childhood places, Ross Lake. We had a great time swimming and eating before we were basically kicked out of our spot because we had too many people at the campground that knew each other...weird. Regardless of the strange rule, we had a blast!

Lots of small cliff jumping!

Little Miss really was a happy camper (considering she was teething).

Fishing with Grandpa: this particular time resulted in a huge catch for Mason, making Grandpa very proud!

Birthday celebrations

Plenty of naps for E and I

After our return to Gma and Gpa's the kids played and played!

More birthday celebrating!

The next stop for E and I was the Kartchner family reunion where we did lots of work to help Grandpa and Grandma K fix up their house and rental property. E also cut her first tooth this weekend!

E developed a taste for the "hard stuff." (Actually she was just amusingly amazed with the bottle...I swear!)

Lots of fun swimming and sliding at Downata Hot Springs.

Whew...almost done! The following week all 3 of us headed up to Boise for a visit to my family. (E cut her second tooth on this trip!)

E loved listening to Lessley read stories at the cabin.

The usual stop at Starlight Mountain Theater for 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.

Much bonding time with my cute cousins!

Lots of loves and snuggles for E by her Grandma K!

Silliness at the pool!

So as you can see, I've had good reason to get behind in my blogging this summer! Now as we are working on building our house life is getting kind of crazy again, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

2009-08-28T23:22:00.006-06:00

Here is the beginning of a photo purge :). Our busy summer in a couple of nutshells.

*Quick trip to Yellowstone

*Our family at Yellowstone Falls.

*North Entrance to Yellowstone

*Obligatory visit to Old Faithful...sadly Steve wasn't impressed

*Our trooper traveler. She did great!

*Cousin Stacy's wedding

*The happy couple after their sealing at the Manti temple

*The flowers were beautiful!

*The happy/tired babe with her daddy

*In-Laws coming to stay with us for a week:

*E loves her snuggly Grandma Jean!

*Lunch with Court and her little man:

*I loved the chance to sit down and talk with Court after having not seen her for a couple of years!

***BEWARE: More photo purging to come!

Little Miss

2009-08-12T22:15:00.006-06:00

This sweet babe is 6 months old! She got to spend her 6 month birthday on an airplane for the first time ever. This girl is a fabulous traveler!

I will have to add some pictures later as my camera is at my mom and dad's house, but for now the stats and a cute little video will have to do.

Stats:
Weight: 15.1 lbs (50th %)
Height: 27 in. (90th %)
Head: 17 1/2 in. (90th %)
This is one long, skinny girl!

*Started solids on 7/28 and likes it! So far she's had rice cereal, applesauce, and pears.
*She's got some crazy stranger anxiety (we call it stranger danger) and would almost always rather be with mom or dad.
*Laughs and squeals when tickled and teased
*Rolls and turns on her tummy
*As of Tuesday (8/11) CRAWLS! (This was a long work in progress and she is now very happy that she is mobile.) Here is some cell phone video proof:

2009-08-12T21:54:00.003-06:00

I have been informed that it has been too long since I last posted. Because my great intentions to update this week were (somewhat) foiled when I left my camera at my parents' house, I will just do a quick written update.

*Quick trip to Yellowstone: sighted 3 bears and many moose and elk; lots of time in the car with tag-teaming screaming little girls; obligatory trip to Old Faithful (Steve was unimpressed :)); and the usual awe that comes from being surrounded by the beauty of nature

*Cousin Stacy's wedding: enjoyed the quickest wedding ceremony ever (literally 5 minutes or less!), feeling the beautiful spirit that can only be found in the walls of the temple, spending time with family!

*In-Laws coming to stay with us for a week: lots of love and snuggles for Miss E!

*Lunch with Court and her little man: it was so fun to see one of my greatest friends and to meet her little guy Colter

*House Hunting: this was a long, trying experience; we have decided not to buy at this time but see below for current plans

*Munro Reunion: this was my mom's dad's family reunion; always interesting...

*Little Sis Kelsi visits: lots of fun!

*MOVING!: one word...YUCK!; we are officially out of Midway and off into the unknown; we are looking into building a house near Ogden, but in the meantime we are staying with Steve's brother's family

*Cleaning of apartment, weddings, and birthday parties!

*Ross Lake/Blaine trip: we went to Steve's childhood camping spot this last week and introduced E to her first true camping experience; lots of eating, sleeping, communing with nature; meeting Rangers "Rick" and Greg on not so cheerful terms (our rowdy family was told we had to leave...actually our group size was just too big for the park); food at McD's in Canada is way better than the US!; a very fun week!!!

Whoa...this has been a very busy month! Needless to say we are exhausted and trying to take a breath this week before more reunions and fun, fun, fun!

5 Months!

2009-07-05T23:11:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pics of Miss E's 5th Month:

Playing at Bear Lake.

Uh Oh! What'd I do?! (I love her face in this one!)

Snoozing after a 4th of July drive.

This little girl gets cuter and cuter (and sassier) every single day! It sometimes crosses my mind that it would be easier for me if she would just sit still and stay quiet...but then I realize that she wouldn't be my E. I love this girl with everything I've got and I wouldn't wish her to be any other way!!!
Here are some 5 month updates...probably very similar to 4 months but now she just does everything so much more often (and on purpose!):
*Rolling Over: She is such a mover! I now make a point of vacuuming the floor where she plays every morning. I am much more aware of what is on my carpet!
*"Talking": E squeals and screams in delight, disgust, and whatever else she fancies. Usually this is done at church or any other time when quiet is expected. I love that she now responds when I talk to her, as if she is trying to talk back to me.
*Reaching and grabbing with intent: She's been reaching and grabbing for awhile, but now she can really get what she wants...toys, earrings, hair...look out!
*Blowing Raspberries: Oooh, this is a fun one : ). She thinks this is so funny and really gets a kick out of it when she does it and then you do it back to her.
*This is such a fun age and I can't believe how big she is getting...I only wish time would slow down a little bit!

100th Post and a Mover!

2009-07-03T11:32:00.002-06:00

I just had to share this funny picture I just took of Miss E after she rolled across the floor from her play area. She looks so proud of herself. Funny enough, she now is mad because there is nothing to play with over there so she is crying.

Happy Birthday Steve!

2009-06-25T11:32:00.004-06:00

Today is my sweet husband's 26th birthday. I am so blessed to have him in my life!!! He is a wonderful dad to Miss E as well. I couldn't ask for a better companion to enjoy the journey with! I love you Steve!

2009-06-23T21:59:00.003-06:00

Tonight I watched the ABC Primetime special on teen pregnancy and my heart broke right in half. It really brought to the surface feelings I had on my own pregnancy and how trying it was as a happily married woman. I am lucky enough to have had the means to afford a child and to care for her as well as to have a loving husband who is here for E and I and would do anything for the two of us. I absolutely cannot imagine having gone through pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and the first few months of E's life without Steve. I am not sure I would have made it. These girls who were pregnant at 14, 15, 16, 17 had nothing like the support that I have. Granted, their parents are helping them out, but in most of the cases the babies' dads are not around and those who were around had relationship problems. In some cases the girls chose to give their babies up for adoption, but most chose to keep them. I just wish I had the means (and emotional/physical ability) to adopt a baby from a girl who needs a loving home for their child. I would love to encourage the girls to continue to live their lives as the young girls that they are and to let their children grow up in a family with a mom and a dad. I cannot imagine how hard of a thing that would be after carrying and delivering a child, but I also cannot imagine raising a child in a home or situation that I knew was less than wonderful.

Sorry for my little soapbox rant, but I have been thinking about the situation of teenage pregnancy so much lately. Our country has some of the most sex education in the world and yet we have such a high incidence of teenage/unwed pregnancy. It is beyond me! I feel for these young girls and even more for their sweet babies. I just want to bring them home to my loving home!!! I hope this hasn't offended anyone in any way..I just needed to vent a little bit... I think I'm going to go snuggle my little munchkin now!

Wow!

2009-06-12T21:08:00.003-06:00

I have always been really easily touched by music. I cry whenever I see musicals or someone sings in church. Jon Schmidt is one of my favorite composers and when I saw this on several other blogs I just had to share. This arrangement of Love Story by Taylor Swift and Viva la Vida by Coldplay made my heart soar and brought tears to my eyes. I realize it's quite long but for a musical uplift take a few minutes to not only listen, but watch. (Around 4 minutes I'm pretty sure his fingers are going to fall off...it is unnatural for anyone's fingers to move that fast!!!)

Enjoy!

More E

2009-06-12T11:15:00.005-06:00

I was thinking this week about the post I made about E being 4 months and I realized that I left out a few things. This post is mostly for me, but I'll add some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

*E has started not only grabbing toys but her feet as well. This is really entertaining for us and was what helped her to learn to roll from her back to her tummy.
*Her new security and comfort "thing" is to suck her thumb. I never wanted my children to suck their thumbs, but when the binky didn't work and the thumb went in, I wasn't complaining. This has helped her to sleep through the night because she wakes up and cries for about 20 seconds and then pops it in and goes back to sleep....blessed relief for me!!!
The foot grab in action...I tried to get a picture of it in her mouth but to no avail.

My mom got E this super cute outfit so of course I had to get a picture! (She had black jeans and silver sandals on also!)

Blessing Day

2009-06-07T22:10:00.006-06:00

Today was a very special day for our family. In our church babies are given a name and a blessing (kind of like a christening). This is done by their father or any other worthy Priesthood holder in their family or a close friend. Steve was able to perform E's blessing today and it was beautiful. We were so lucky to have so many in our family attend. We even had some friends drive up to be a part of our sacred day. Thanks to all who drove from all over Utah, Nevada, and Idaho to help us celebrate!!! I am so grateful to be a part of a church that celebrates the family and teaches that we can live eternally with our families. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who provided a way in our Savior to be cleansed from our sins so this is possible!

Family portrait (E's dress was made by my Grandma on my Dad's side...it is gorgeous!!!)

This is my sweet family...I love these guys!

Maternal 4 Generation picture

Paternal 4 Generation picture

4 Months Old!

2009-06-07T21:49:00.005-06:00

Some highlights from this month...

E got to have her first pool day over Memorial Day weekend. She liked it as long as we were holding her close!

This is my cute little sunglasses model. She seems to like them because she can see when it is so sunny.

E turned 4 months old on Thursday! We took her to the doctor and found out that she is doing great and growing just like she should. Sadly she had to get more shots and this time she screamed! (No pictures after the doctor this time.)

Just waiting for the doctor to come back from lunch...glamour shot!

4 Month Stats and Milestones:
Weight: 14.3 lbs (75%)
Height: 26 in (100 %)
Head: 16 1/4 in (75%)
*Grabbing: Miss E started grabbing for things this month! This includes hair, jewelry, and her own feet. Most of the things she grabs end up in her mouth. This is fun though, because the toys we have hanging from her carseat actually serve a purpose now!
*Rolling over from front to back...
***Update: Tonight she actually rolled from her back to her front! Hooray!
*Voice: She as discovered that she has a voice and she will share it all the time.
*Giggles and laughs

Basically (not to brag or anything ; ) ) she has accomplished the majority of the milestones the doctor has told us to look for in the next two months. Next we have to look forward to baby proofing our house! I never knew I could love this little munchkin so much but my heart grows more and more each day!!!

Gotta Love It

2009-06-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

This was the scene yesterday after church...I am one lucky mamma!

Tootsie Roll

2009-05-17T20:06:00.005-06:00

I don't know if any of you remember the song Tootsie Roll from the 90's but it came to mind as I was about to post this little video of E rolling for the first time...watch this Tootsie roll!