Rachel, Chris, Boston & Madison

Chicken Enchiladas & Mexican Rice

2012-02-14T19:23:00.006-07:00

This was our Valentines day meal. Wasn't planned, but I think it turned out pretty well for just throwing together whatever I had in the pantry and fridge. If I thought it would have turned out so well I would have taken a picture for you! Mostly I'm putting this up here so I can remember how to make it in the future. :)

Mexican Rice & Black Beans (3 WWP+ a serving)
Makes 5

3/4 cup rice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tbs chopped onions (dried)
salt to taste
1 can Chicken Broth
1 1/2 TBS tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained

Mix all ingredients but the beans in rice cooker or pot and cook until soft. Once the rice is done add the black beans.

Chicken Enchiladas (3 WWp+ per serving)
Makes 9 servings

2 chicken breasts shredded
4 oz fat free cream cheese
2 TBS sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp lime juice
1/3 onion diced
1 TBS honey
1 can diced green chilis
1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
3 TBS salsa
9-10 corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400. Cook chicken, shred and set aside. Put a little olive oil into a skillet. Add the onions. When the onions become translucent add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the green chilis, enchilada sauce, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, honey (yes honey) and cream cheese and stir until well mix. Turn the heat down to low, add the shredded chicken.

Warm the tortillas so you can easily fold them. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and place seam down in a 9x13 pan. When all the tortillas are in the pan, put a little salsa on the top and a little cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes. :)

Our First Kiss

2012-02-13T21:46:00.003-07:00

Yes, 3 new posts in one day. In the spirit of Valentines day I thought I'd post about our first Kiss. Most of you know it, but I'm putting it one here anyway, mostly because I think it's fun.

The year is 2002. Chris and I had literally both ended up in B4 spanish 2 class, (neither of us had wanted to be in that particular class, but it was the only way Spanish would fit into our schedules). I was coming up on 18 and had never been kissed. One of my best friends, who had also never been kissed, and myself made a bet. Whoever of us got kissed first had to take the other one to a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant. Looking back on it, I can't remember if that dinner happened, or which one of us had lost the bet first....hmmmm.
Anyway, So we made this bet and told all of our friends about it. Well, one of our good friends happened to work with Chris. The two of them were pretty good friends, and one day they got on the subject of me. Apparently, Justin was convinced that we would be a great couple and was trying to convince Chris to ask me out. (Chris and I knew who the other person was, but weren't really friends). When Justin heard about this bet he decided to tell Chris about it, and then the two of them decided it would be so funny if they made me lose the bet. They decided that the next day Chris would just walk up to me in Spanish class and plant one on me before I could react. That way I'd lose.
So the next day I just so happened to leave my friends early at lunch and head into my mom's classroom to get some last minute homework done before class started. It was just me and my mom for a bit, when Chris walked in. He walked up to me, then walked right past me and sat on a desk, just quietly laughing at himself. I ignored him and went back to my work. A couple minutes later one of his friends came in. They talked in hushed voices for a minute, then another of his friends came in, and another and another. Within a few minutes there were a group of boys huddling together in the corner of the room. In my mind, I was thinking the valentines dance was coming up, and this cluster of boys were probably planning on asking a girl out. Then I clued in to the fact that they would talk for a minute, then all look at me, chuckle, and keep talking in their hudle. I asked them "What are you guys talking about?"
"Scheming" they said.
Then a boy named David, who I was friends with, but not interested in, came up to me. He pulled me out of my chair, put his arm around me, and as we were walking he suddenly went in for a kiss. I put my hand on his face and quickly pushed him away saying "What are you doing?" He explained that he really wanted to kiss me. I told him no. He, and many of the other boys spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince me to kiss David. They even offered me money, like $5. I was not interested in kissing David, ever. I liked him as a friend, but that was the extent of it. During all of this, Chris just sat in his favorite blue hoodie laughing to himself quietly in the corner.
When they could tell there was no amount of Money I would take to kiss David somebody said "Well, kiss Chris then!" For the briefest of moments I thought, "that's not a bad idea." Then I said no. They continued to push it while Chris said nothing. Lunch was coming to end, and pretty soon my entire spanish class was there as well as the group of extra guys who had come to watch. They were offering $40, $50 and $55 if I kissed him, but I was standing my ground. Then Billy turned to my mom and said "Senora, tell her to do it!" My mom had been helping a student and had been oblivious to the whole situation until now (if you knew my mom you'd understand). When they explained the situation, and that the pot was up to $65 she said "Rachel, you're almost 18. It's time! Just do it! For $65 you should definitely do it!!!"

Betrayed by my own mother.

Well, all of my arguments were crumbling fast, especially now that my mom was on their side. I started thinking to myself, "it would be a good story, and I do need new mascara." The fact that it was Chris didn't hurt either.
So I finally caved and said yes. I was going to get my first kiss from a boy I hardly knew, in front of my entire spanish class, AND MY MOM.
So I stood up and turned toward him and he planted one on me. The first thought that entered my mind was how soft his lips were, and how I wanted more of it! I think he unleashed the beast. I went from having a 3 foot bubble around my head, to wanting to grab him, take him out behind the school and having him teach me more. :)
After that we became good friends, we always sat next to each other in class, and started liking each other. He, however, refused to asked me out, so after giving him multiple opportunities to ask me out, I asked him out. Ok, fine. Justin actually asked him out for me. But the next date after that I totally asked him. :)

I honestly love our story. There's so much more to it, but I'll reserve it for later. I love that looking back Heavenly Father's hand is so apparent in bringing us together.

Triathlon Week 5

2012-02-13T21:35:00.002-07:00

This week was amazing! Last week I skipped the running, and focused on breaking my bad habit of crappy breathing while swimming with my mom. I'll be honest I was avoiding getting into the pool so I ran first, and then biked, and then hesitated. I took my time changing, and walking out to the pool. Then I hesitated some more putting on my swim cap and deciding where to swim. The Lone Peak swim team were in most of the lanes, and then a little kids swim team were practicing on the other side with about 3 lanes in between. I considered going to the far end of the pool so nobody would see me if I failed, but then a thought occurred to me, what if swimming in the lanes forced me to keep swimming because I couldn't touch the bottom. It would force me to figure it out and get into a rhythm. So I picked a lane right in the middle of the two swim teams. And you know what? I did it!!!! The breathing, the form, everything just fell right into place like I had been doing it for years! I was so excited I was almost giggling as I was swimming (not recommended). I finished without feeling water logged (?). I want to go back tomorrow and the next day and the next day to see how fast I could get it done!

Running: 3 miles: 40 minutes
Biking: 12 miles: 21 minutes
Swimming: 400 meters: 14 minutes.
Weight: 192

Laundry

2012-02-13T10:25:00.002-07:00

On Christmas Eve we had to get a new washer and dryer, fun right? Our laundry room was small before, but the new washer and dryer made it feel even smaller. I didn't have a lot of room for things. One day on Pinterest I saw a shelf that some one had converted to put Laundry baskets in and I got inspired. I drew up plans to make my laundry room more efficient and took them to an incredibly talented lady in my neighborhood who turned that idea into a real life laundry room solution! Check it out!!!

I'm in LOVE with them already! I've got a slot for each person in the house as well as for towels or whatever on top. It's inspiring me to start thinking about other projects I'd like done around the house.
Chris saw them and wants to paint the laundry room so that it flows better with the black cabinets. We're thinking pale grey, what do you think? What color would you do? I'm also thinking about getting bead board, painting it to match the cabinets, and putting it inside the section where I can hang clothes all the way down to the floor so it looks more like a complete build in. Do you think that would look weird?

In the spirit of Valentines...

2012-02-12T22:07:00.002-07:00

Valentines day is coming up, and to be honest, Chris and I don't do a very good job of celebrating. February is already a month of celebrations. February 3rd=Anniversary and February 27th my birthday, and cram the 14th in there and it can be a bit of celebration overload. So this year I'm thinking about turning Valentines day into something we share with our kids. Maybe making a special macaroni and cheese dinner by candlelight, with a little mashed bananas on the side. :) So romantic right?
But, as I've been reflecting on the 10 years that Chris and I have been together there's a story that keeps coming back to me, so I'm going to share it with you. Mostly I want to have it written somewhere.
The year was 1996 and Chris was living in Draper. His family was building a house in Alpine and decided to send Chris to school there at the beginning of the year so he wouldn't have to transfer half way through. He was less than thrilled. He wanted to go to school with his friends. To make some friends he started playing club soccer, and it helped, but it wasn't the same as going to school where he lived. He had to drive every day from Draper to Alpine and back. He was miserable. One night he was praying and he had a very strong, sudden feeling that he would meet his wife in school. You'd think a 13 year old wouldn't care less about meeting his future wife, but this feeling calmed him, and his attitude changed.
Jump three years forward to 1999. I was living in Riverton and was a happy 15 year girl. I was looking forward to high school and getting ready for cheer tryouts with some of my friends. One day my parents came to me wanting to know if I would be interested in going to Lone Peak where my mom taught. They said it was a great school, with good people. They told me to take a few days and think about it, then get back to them.
So I thought about it a few days, and decided I didn't want to leave my friends, and go to Riverton High School. I went into my parents room that night and told them my decision. They were quiet for a moment and then told me they felt strongly that I needed to go to Lone Peak, and that the cheer tryouts were that week and the clinic started tomorrow. I sat there dumbfounded for a minute, and then we proceeded to have a monumental fight. Which I lost. I remember running outside and dramatically collapsing to the stairs on our front porch in hysterical sobs. I don't know how long I cried for, but it was a while. I remember praying and asking Heavenly Father why. Why did they feel so strongly? Then, it hit me for the briefest moment, a thought that I would meet my future husband in high school. The thought was fleeting, but I held on to it. It didn't change my attitude, but it gave me a little reason to hope.
Jump forward to 2001. Chris had pretty much given up hope that he would meet anyone worth while in high school, and I had convinced myself that that feeling I had was basically a ridiculous dream of a 15 year old girl. However, events had taken place that put us in the same spanish class. We had our first kiss in that class, and became friends. We started dating right before graduation and the rest is history. :)
I love Chris, and am so glad he's my husband!

Week 4: Triathlon

2012-02-07T10:55:00.003-07:00

Well, This week I went with the intention of Running, Biking and swimming, but I ended up just swimming.
As I've mentioned before, My swimming is not the best, so I called my mom and had her meet me at the pool to try and help me break my bad form/breathing habit. We spent about two hours there, and I showed improvement.
I now have the form down and can do the breathing for the most part, but apparently I can't do them simultaneously. I don't know if you've heard, but breathing while swimming is kind of an important thing. I know, Shock of the world right?
Everytime I would get the proper form, I would begin "fake" breathing. I would open my mouth at the right part, but not really take a breath. Or I would Take a breath, but not exhale.
I guess I missed a breathing 101 class as a baby. Inhale then exhale. When you do both it makes getting oxygen 10x easier. Look at all these things you're learning today!
Well, by the end I was getting it. I'm looking forward to next week, and trying to improve.

Hopefully soon I will have an awesome post all about our AWESOME anniversary weekend. :)

Running: none
Swimming: 2 hours No idea on the lap time
Biking: none
Weight: 197. YUP, I refer you back to the anniversary weekend.

I'm thinking I'll probably have to go later this week and get in the biking running and swimming...or maybe just wait until next week. :)

BMW

2012-01-31T09:20:00.004-07:00

Our good friends just had a baby, whose initials are BMW. I think that's pretty sweet. I was lucky enough to take her pictures. She is so adorable! This little angel was the best baby I've photographed ever! She slept the entire time. Even though we kept moving her around. It was amazing. It was like she was made to be a model. :) Here are a couple of my favorites for her mom and dad.

Sprint Triathlon Training: Week 3

2012-01-30T20:51:00.002-07:00

Today sucked. I'm sorry but it did. I woke up this morning less than excited about training today. I just wanted to stay at home and be lazy. I kept telling myself that once I worked out I would be glad I did.

FALSE.

I worked out. And all I can think is at least it's over with. What happened to all that excitement from last week? Don't know. Honestly, every step, ever stroke, every rotation of the pedals, I tried talking myself into quitting. I told myself I was too tired/hungry/good looking to finish (ok, the last one isn't true).

You'd think I'd be super excited to go this week since I bought goggles, a swim cap, and even a speedo swimsuit. Yeah. I'm that serious. But I think those things partially killed my excitement. I put them on and looked like somebody who knows what they're doing when they swim. But once I got into the pool, it would become clear I'm just a wanna be.

But I do Wanna Be. So I'll keep going.

I'm still glad I finished and I don't have to do it again until next week.

Swimming: 14 laps, 350 meters, ? I didn't really time it. Probably 40 minutes. I took a lot of breaks.
Biking: 12 miles: 21 minutes.
Running. 2.4 miles, 30 minutes even. I run for 3 minutes and walk for one minute and repeat 6 times. I hated every second of those three minutes, but I feel that way every time I move up a training week for running.
Weight: 192.5

Proud of myself

2012-01-24T20:02:00.002-07:00

I'm helping throw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Amber, and she super into Giraffes for the baby. So after looking around everywhere, I couldn't find any invites with a giraffe that weren't expensive. So I decided to try and make the invites myself. It only took about an hour, but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out! What do you think? (only answer that if you like them.)

Sprint Triathlon Training: Week 2

2012-01-23T20:58:00.002-07:00

I'm pretty sure signing up for this Triathlon was one of the best things I've done in a LONG time! I don't know why I was so nervous before. I find that now I look forward to Monday for days. It's gone from one of my least favorite days, to probably one of my favorite. I did much better today, and I'm sure next week will be even better.

Run: 2.5 miles 26 minutes (Yeah, I'm working on this one, don't worry I have a plan)
Bike: 12 Miles, 33 minutes
Swim: 12 laps, 25 minutes.
Weight: 194.

So I'm working on improving all of my times, especially running and swimming. And I have to say that I'm quite proud of myself for finishing all 12 laps today. When I got to the locker room I discovered it was full of loud teenage girls. When I got out to the pool I quickly noticed that all of the lanes, with the exception of one, was taken by a swim team of what seemed like 50 kids ranging from the ages of 14 to 17. Then, on the other side of this one open lane, there was another swim team with 7 or 8 kids ranging from the ages of 7 to 11 or so. Then there was my lane in the middle. Now, swimming with novice swimmers I can hold my own, and actually I do really well against novice swimmers. However, when put up against swimmers who are one: have better form, two: have figured out how to breathe out of their nose under water, and three: have been swimming a lot longer than I have, I kind of look like a tool. Ok, maybe not, but that's how I felt.
I stood there after having assessed the scene in front of me and really considered turning around and going home. After all, I had just run and biked. That was good enough right?
But there is that part of me that can't quit once I commit to something. So I dropped the towel and headed for the one open lane. I did my best to ignore the kids around me, and actually I as keeping up with some of them as they swam free-style...until they noticed that I was keeping up, and actually started putting some effort into it, then they schooled me. As I rested in between laps, I noticed that even the 7 year olds had the breathing down. I was faster, but only because I'm a little (and I mean a LITTLE stronger) than they are. I wanted to get out of the pool after lap 4 because with all the swimming that was going on around me there were waves in my lane and I was having a hard time breathing. But I kept going. On one of the backstrokes I passed the flags and thought, "I should be getting to the wall any second now" so I tipped my head back a tiny bit to see how close I was, when my head hit the wall. I stopped swimming, as you do when a wall stops you, and smiled at myself. I also noticed the life guard who had been watching me was trying really hard to hide his laughing. :) That's ok, laugh. It was kind of funny. Luckily, I hadn't been going at full speed, because if I had, I'm sure my head would probably have a...very small bump. lol.
I called my mom on the way home and asked her to come with me next week to see if she can teach me how to breathe better while free-style swimming. :) I'll let you know how it goes.

On a side note, I have to Share this AWESOME/Healthy recipe with you. It literally takes 5 minutes to put together.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 diced onion
2 chicken breasts (I left mine frozen)
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilis (8 oz)
1 can green enchilada sauce (15 oz)
1 can chicken broth.

Through all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken and let cook for 1 more hour. Top with your favorite Mexican toppings. :)
Weights watchers Points Plus: 2 points per serving. (makes 15 servings)

Sprint Triathlon Training: Day 1

2012-01-16T21:31:00.002-07:00

Day 1:

8am. What was I thinking? Is it too late to back out of this? I feel a tickle in my throat. I'm sure I'm getting sick. I should just skip working out today. I'll start training tomorrow...or Saturday. I also got an hour of sleep last night, so I bet if I work out I'll be too tired to do anything else today.

2 pm: Both kids are asleep. I should go running. I feel like I have water in my lungs. I'm pretty sure it would make me cough like crazy the rest of the day. Oh yeah, I'm really tired. I think instead of running I'll go lie down, but I should work out today. I promise I'll do it before bed tonight.

4:30 pm: If I don't do it now, I won't do it. Swimsuit, check. Work out clothes, check. Running shoes, check. Wow, I'm actually excited for this. I haven't been swimming for a long time. Last time was a year ago. After four laps I was boom roasted. Shakey the rest of the day. Ok, Rachel. You know what? Even if you can only swim two laps today, that's a start. You've got until May to build up to 12.

5pm: I pull up to the rec center. What was I thinking signing up for a triathlon? The running, I can build up to, the biking not a big deal. But the swimming. I'm pretty sure it's going to kill me. Oh the horror. Well, now that I've gotten other people involved, and paid the $, it's too late to back out now, and if I don't start training, I won't be able to do it.

Laura meets me, and we exchange looks. We know exactly what the other is thinking. What were we thinking? Oh well. What's done is done, and now we have a few months to get ready. And this will give us the push we need to gets our behinds moving, and start dropping weight like it's too hot to carry.

We go into the cardio room. Bikes on. Set for 20 minutes. Hmmm. This isn't too bad. 4 minutes and I've done almost 3 miles.

20 minutes. 8 miles. Not bad. Now for the hard part. The swimming. I strip off my workout clothes, and come out in a swim suit. Lucky for me the walk from the showers to the pool wasn't too far. Not a lot of people here. Good. Now I won't have to suffer humiliation in front of everybody. (because of course, everybody watching me). I jump in one lane, Laura jumps in the lane next to me. Each lap is 25 meters. So we need to do 12. Alright let's get started.

1- small break. Not too bad.
2-small break. I could keep going.
3-4-5 Take a breather. My stroke at the end is getting a little sloppy.
6-backstroke. Just for fun.
7-Holy cow! My legs are burning, but I'm not nearly as tired as I thought.
8-Slowing down a touch, but I could keep going.

I get to the end of the pool and realize I did much better than I thought. I CAN DO THIS!!! If I already can swim 8 of 12 laps, and not be tired, PLUS an 8 mile bike ride. By May I should be completely ready to go for the sprint Triathlon!

Try to pull myself out of the side of the pool without the ladder. Failed on the first attempt. Shakier than I thought. Ended up on my tummy, kind of like a beach whale trying to get out of the water. (I'm not calling myself a beached whale, that's just the image that came to mind as I was attempting to get out of the pool). Failed attempt at a graceful/athletic/cool exit from the pool. Good thing there isn't anybody who's paying attention.

What was I scared of? I wish I could come here and do this every day! I can't wait until next Monday! This is so fun! Now I have to get a hair cap, ear plugs, and a good pair of goggles. I'm so excited for this!

Run: 2.5 miles in 30 minutes
Swim: 8 laps (200 meters) in ? wasn't timing.
Biking: 8 miles in 20 minutes.
Weight: 195
Days until triathlon: 124 days=4 months 3 days
Will I be sore tomorrow? Without a doubt. But good sore.

Christmas 2012

2012-01-10T23:29:00.007-07:00

Christmas this year was a BLAST! My parents came over on Christmas Eve so they could be there Christmas morning. We had Tamales, eggnog, cookies, and lots of yummy, not so good for you food.
Growing up, my family had a tradition of leaving a sheet out for Santa to hang up in front of the Tree, so that on Christmas morning when we all came down, none of us could see what Santa brought until we were all together. My grandparents started the tradition with my mom, but before they dropped the sheet, they all had Christmas breakfast first. There's no way we would have been patient enough to wait through breakfast, so we got to drop the sheet before breakfast. We all have such fun memories of f seeing the lights of the Christmas tree through the sheet, hearing the train running, and anticipating the awesome presents Santa brought. It was the tradition I looked forward to sharing with my kids the most. So this year, My mom and I made the Santa sheet to leave for him to hang up.
I went to Walmart and bought three $5 sheets. One green, one red, and one cream. I thought since I was just going to cut them into strips and sew them together it wouldn't take more than a couple hours to make. Boy, was I WRONG! My mom and worked for 6 hours to make that sheet. I felt so bad. She was so sweet and stayed up with me until 4am sewing. In the end it turned out amazing, and it's something we'll have for years to come!

Boston didn't really get the whole santa thing. Anytime we asked him about Santa this year he would tell us "Santa is on the moon!" and that's about it. Christmas Eve we made cookies for Santa, and mommy (me) ended up eating 90% of them. Christmas morning we were expecting Boston to LOVE Opening presents, but he was more interested in getting his chocolate milk fix before the idea of presents could even be discussed.

Once he had his chocolate milk, we got on to presents. Boston really had no interest. He loved his Truck, and was not interested in opening any more. Every time we finally convinced him to open another present, he thought his life could not get any better. It took us all morning to get him to open his gifts. The kid got spoiled this year. He got trucks and trains, dinosaurs, puzzles, mario, and a Lightening McQueen chair. It was too much. I ended up hiding many of his gifts. I plan on pulling them out slowly throw out the year so he's excited about them. :)

Maddie got a couple of toys and sweater dresses, but was impartial to it all.

My cousins came over and we all enjoyed a big Christmas breakfast. It was a blast. I'm already excited for next year!

Oh life.

2012-01-08T22:26:00.002-07:00

We got a new washer and dryer, and they are blow your mind AMAZING!!! in the time that it took to dry one load of clothes with the old stackable, I can do three FULL loads, start to finish and they come out completely dry! I've never been so excited about dirty clothes in my life. When Maddie was throwing up like crazy tonight, all I could think of was how I could wash everything she got dirty in 40 minutes, start to finish! Our old ones were working, but not well, so we took them apart, and couldn't get them back together so on Christmas Eve we surrendered, and bought new ones. They told us it would only take a couple days to get them, but a couple days turned into 2 weeks! It was so annoying. I had clothes piled up EVERYWHERE! Luckily I have an awesome neighbor who let me do whatever I needed to at her house. On top of that I discovered that we have a MOUSE IN OUR HOUSE! Oh the HORROR!
I've got four traps laid out for that blasted mouse, but haven't caught anything yet. Disgusting. I hate walking around and then getting into bed, knowing my feet have mouse germs on them. I try not to think about it too much.

Boston is talking like crazy! Seriously the last three weeks he is suddenly speaking in full sentences and you can clearly understand what he's saying 90% of the time. I have two funny stories to tell you about him. So the other day we were in the guest bedroom and the bed is pulled out from the wall so you can slide the curtains (which are finally fixed after hanging crooked for a year) open and closed. Well he was messing around on the bed, and the way it was made you couldn't tell there was a gap there. He was jumping and laughing, when suddenly he was gone! He started screaming a beyond terrified scream, and I, being the loving mom that I am, burst out laughing instead of rushing to his aid. He had fallen right into the crack, and all the pillows came down on top of him, and he was stuck. I've never seen him more terrified! I pulled him out, and made sure he was ok, but the rest of the night he kept talking about how he'd fallen in Mary's room and how it was scary. lol. He even woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare, and when I asked him what was wrong he said he fell in Mary's room. lol. *Side note, whenever we ask him where Mary is he says "Mawy on a miss-un" He doensn't really understand what that means, but he knows she's on a mission. Oh and he's started to pray. Like at the end of a prayer he'll say "In na name, a Jesus Chis (kyse), amen." I love it!
Second story. So he's been really into Toy Story Three and the other day after watching it he grabbed Maddie's little doll, which he's claimed as his own even though it's pink, in one hand and his little buzz light year in the other and stood on the armrest of the long couch in the family room. He slowly raised both his arms high up above his head and yelled "To infinity, and BEYOND!" and jumped off the couch into the air. He landed almost on his face and laid there for a minute. He sighed "huhhhhhh" and then, while sitting up said, "Mommy, I no fly like Buzz." It reminded me of the moment in the first Toy Story when Buzz realizes he's just a toy and can't fly. I laughed so hard! He's doing more and more things like that all the time. It's so fun!

What's not so fun is that Maddie has her first stomach bug. She ate dinner around 6 tonight, and about an hour later she started throwing up everything she ate. She continued throwing up for the next hour until she was dry-heaving. She was exhausted, but every time she would finally fall asleep, she'd wake up and throw up again. I changed three times, and she changed pj's twice before I figured out how to arch my back in a way that it would go over my shoulder instead of on both of us. Poor thing.

I feel like life over here is sometimes a mad-house, but a fun mad-house. I'd rather be part of this craziness, than anywhere else. :)

Before Bedtime

2012-01-04T20:18:00.002-07:00

Tonight Boston and I found ourselves alone by 7:30pm. Chris was at scouts, and Maddie was asleep (hopefully for the night). We hadn't had much time to just hang out so once Maddie was down we went into our horribly messy kitchen, and made three chocolate chip cookies. While they were baking we played Angry birds on the ipad. Then we enjoyed hot cookies and ice cream.

I love this little man. These little moments are priceless.

Look at Maddie

2011-12-26T22:19:00.003-07:00

Alright, I know I've been posting a lot of Maddie lately, but seriously she's so cute it's hard not too. PLUS, she lets me take pictures of her. Boston runs away from me every time he sees me holding a camera. Check out my little Christmas Angel. :)

I know, You're jealous and you wish she were yours. I am one LUCKY DUCK!

Christmas

2011-12-19T22:19:00.005-07:00

I have LOVED this Christmas! My house is a mess, but this is the first year I've been HOME! No working at 5:00 am, no finals to worry about. Just two little handfuls needing love and attention.

The other night Boston and I had some time to just hangout. We spent our time playing around with the Christmas train and marveling at the tree. Ok, not marveling, but enjoying the tree. I love this little boy. He drives me nuts sometimes, but I wouldn't trade him for the world!

He's starting to realize what happens on Christmas, but still is a little fuzzy on the details. He knows Santa will bring toys, and that he lives on the moon. Not sure where that last bit of information came from, but he's convinced.

I know this one is blurry, but this is Boston's new hat. He loves to run around with his laundry basket on his head. I just thought it was cute. :)

If you want to laugh....

2011-12-14T22:37:00.002-07:00

You pretty much have to check out this blog. I think it's my new favorite. I spent way too much time reading it when I should've been asleep in bed. : )

Enjoy!

http://itjustgetsstranger.blogspot.com/

Our little Parrot/Dad of the Year

2011-12-12T22:31:00.001-07:00

Our little Parrot

So the other day I'm driving with Boston & Maddie and I'm taking to Boston and pointing out all the Christmas lights when suddenly a little voice in the back says "SHUT UP MOMMY!" at first it didn't click, but then I heard again "SHUT UP MOMMY!!!"
I gasped! Almost crashed the car, and while completely stunned explained why we don't say that, ever. At first he was mad that he got in trouble and yelled at me, and then he felt bad and kept saying "I no hit people mommy. I no hit people. I nice people, mommy." It was sweet.
I was literally in shock for two days after that. My baby told me to shut up. And not very nicely. There is no protecting him from the world. All I can do is teach him, and hope my rules stick and not the world's. lol. He's never said it again.
He's becoming a little parrot. We have to be super careful about what we say around him. Tonight as I was putting Maddie to bed, he was playing in her room beside me and he dropped something. Suddenly, he said "Oh Crap." And then he trips and said "What the..." It's amazing. He here's it once, and then picks it up and starts using it.
Kids.

Dad of the Year!

So our dryer has been taking forever to dry. Chris says we need a new one, but before we spend $1000 I wanted to get a repairman to come and check it out. So The repair man says he'll be there at 12:30pm. Well 1pm comes around and he's not here yet. The kids were asleep, so I woke chris up form his nap and told him the the repair guy would be there any minute and to stay awake to let him in. So I go to the dentist (2 cavities, lame) and when I get home, Maddie is upstairs whining in her crib. I notice there's a receipt from the repair man on the dryer and got Maddie and went on with my day. Around 6 pm that night Chris says,
"Did you pay the repairman?"
"No, Didn't you?" I say.
"No, weren't you here when he was here?" he asks me.
"No, Weren't you here?" I say?
"Well, yeah, but you got home before he left and paid him I thought" He said.
"When I got home there was a receipt on the dryer, and you were asleep."
We both just stared at each other for a minute and then we realized that he hadn't got paid.
I called him and apologized for not paying him. He said that Chris let him in, and then laid down on his bed while he cleaned and checked the dryer. He said that Maddie started crying, and Chris wasn't waking up. He was a little worried about the baby, so he went and tried to wake up Chris by shaking his leg and tapping him on the arm. He said "Sir? Your baby's awake." But Chris didn't wake up. So the guy, not knowing what to do, went into Maddie's room, gave her a pacifier to calm her down, left her door open and our bedroom door open, and left the receipt on the dryer.
Luckily, he was a nice guy, and was laughing as he told me. lol. Chris was so embarrassed! In his defense, the night before was the Qualtrics work party and we were up until 11. So Chris had been up since 2am, and then only got 3 hours of sleep on top of it.

My Little Boy

2011-11-29T22:49:00.004-07:00

Oh, Boston.

What can I say about my little boy.

Opinionated, stubborn, demanding, and yet so sweet. He wakes up in the morning and calls for me. When I go in and get him, he throws his arms around me and says "I wuv you mommy!" Then when Maddie wakes up, he runs into her room, looks over the side of her crib and says "Hi baby girl!" Then he demands to hold her, and when he's holding her he puts his face right up next to hers and says "I wuv you baby girl Maddie!"

Through out the day we have our little meltdowns, and battles, but over all I just love this little guy guy of mine! His new way to be funny is to say say "Hey Wachel, guess what?" Then I say, "I'm MOMMY" and he says, "No, Wachel" and laughs and laughs. He loves to make people laugh.

One of my favorite times of the day is bedtime. Usually, the two of us go into his room, and he picks a book for us to read. Then we finish, and he asks for another book. I tell him it's going to be the last one, but usually we end up reading 5 or 6. I love just having time with just him! The he gives me a hug, a kiss, double checks his lightening McQueen cars, and says " I wuv you mommy."

He also loves to be the bad guy. He puts his head down, and runs, while looking at the floor, scowling/snarling. Not sure where it came from, but it's hilarious.

His overall demeanor is so different from our little Miss Maddie, but he adds so much to our family!

He does not like having his pictures taken. Something about holding still and smiling is, in his mind, the worst possible thing we could ever ask him to do!

We tried to take big family pictures with Chris's side of the family over Thanksgiving and this gives you an idea of what we got out of him.

This is him telling me to stop taking his picture...

This is him running while we tried to get him to come sit down and join the family pictures.

Half of the time you just see his arm or leg in the picture as he's running out the frame. Maybe one day....

My Baby Girl

2011-11-28T22:44:00.003-07:00

This post is all about Maddie.

She is coming up on 5 months, and it's amazing watching her change. Yesterday, I sat her down and she just kind of stayed there! I can't leave her, but she'll stay up on her own for about 1 minute or so. I already have the next pictures I'm going to take of her planned out in my head, but I have to wait until she's a little more stable.

She is finally on a schedule! Two naps and asleep from about 7:30pm to 8am! Granted, she'll wake up usually 3 times in there somewhere, but sleep is sleep!

She is honestly the happiest, sweetest baby in the world! I'm so glad she's my baby! She has such a calming influence on our home it's amazing! I seriously LOVE her SO MUCH!!

I know I've said it before but I feel so lucky I get to be her mom!

Here are some cute pictures of my cute baby girl!

My Sweet Sister

2011-11-21T22:03:00.003-07:00

My sister has lived with me for a little over a year and a half. She recently moved out and boy do we miss her! But I guess since she's leaving for Peru in a couple weeks, so she wanted to spend some time with my parents. Heaven knows I tried multiple times to keep her home, by setting her up, but to no avail. We did some pictures for her missionary plaque, and here are a couple of my favorites.

What boys do

2011-11-14T00:20:00.003-07:00

What's more fun than taking family pictures? (Notice the toddler hand in the bottom right of the picture?)

Throwing rocks into the water of course!

October

2011-11-01T00:42:00.006-06:00

It's 12:42 am and I should be sleeping. Instead I'm blogging...there's something wrong with me. Really.

The thing is, October has been such a FUN month! I had to post some of the things we've been up to, as well as a few MOVIES I've taken with my new iphone (LOVE).

When ever we go anywhere with these two, people think they are twins.

Boston figured since nobody else was really watching he would get upclose and personal with the chickens. He was shocked when the fox popped up, it scared him pretty good.

He loved the wheels in the maze! He kept cutting through the corn so he could get to the wheels faster.

I wish I had a video of this, but I missed it. I tried to put Boston in the little cow tractor pull, and once he realized I wasn't riding with him, it was GAME OVER! He had a look of panic on his face as the tractor pulled around the corner and was calling "MOMMY!!" Every adult was dying laughing. Then he disappeared around the corner and I thought "I've traumatized him for life." Just then the tractor driver runs around the corner carrying a screaming Boston. I guess he's not ready for independence yet.

His favorite part of the whole night was this Hay jumping thing. He and Ethan had a blast. What you don't see is them throwing the hay all over me. They thought it was hilarious.

Next up is the family Halloween Party.

This year we were a few family member short, but everybody had a blast.

We decided to see what Maddie would look like as a Canadian...She wasn't a fan.

My mom is always so creative. She's a black widow.

David is also creative. He's Canadian. Big stretch right?

Boston's first time with a Pinata. He wasn't too sure about it at first, but once he realized he was ALLOWED to hit something with a stick, he was all for it.

My brother David ALWAYS wins this...he has since he was two. Watch the video and you'll see why.

NEXT is Halloween:

I got so many compliments on our pumpkins! I was pretty proud of them. I'm a firm believer that you should have a pumpkin for each member of the family. I thought I'd carve mine and Maddie's, Chris would carve his and Boston's, and Mary would carve her own...but I ended up carving mine, Boston's, and Maddie's. Oh well. I can be super proud of myself.

I was thrilled that Boston still fit into his Dragon costume this year! Especially since Monsters and dragons are the coolest for him right now. He loves his costume and for the last couple days wants to wear it all day, even during naps.

We decided it would be more fun to go with our neighbors, who Boston LOVES! I was thrilled that the boys held still long enough to get anything decent.

We stayed out for almost 2 hours! We were so glad the weather was nice! I was even working up a sweat towards the end which is bound to happen when your toddler demands to be carried from house to house.
Can you see how much Loot he came home with? I mean seriously! And it was all good stuff too! Lucky kid.
We didn't have nearly as many Trick or Treaters this year. Usually we're lucky to have enough candy with two Costco bags, but this year, we barely made it through one. No clue what happened.

Boston's figured out that he loves suckers. Go figure.

I think this video speaks for itself.

I'm so glad that I get to be a stay at home mom so that I can catch moments like this!

He had no idea the marshmellow was on his head. He had picked all the other marshmellows out of the cereal, and left the rest. We're working on eating non-sugary things. Halloween doesn't help much.

And Last of all Maddie has started laughing. Here is a little taste of her cute laugh. She's doing it more and more often, but only for Chris.

Friends

2011-11-01T00:13:00.003-06:00

These are our friends. We LOVE them! We have been so lucky to have these kids as neighbors and friends for Boston! The two little boys on the left moved, and we're all bummed out over that. They were awesome little play mates! (I couldn't get Boston to get in the picture for anything. Oh well.)

Baby V

2011-10-21T19:14:00.002-06:00

Wow, I feel like I've come a LONG way since I started doing pictures a year and a half ago! I still have a lot to learn but I'm pretty proud of how far I've come. Meet Baby V. He is probably one of the most cooperative babies I've ever taken pictures of! He slept when we wanted him to sleep and was awake when we wanted him awake. Look at those eyes. Look at that face! He's going to be a heart breaker for sure! More pics of this little darling boy to come!

Maddie's Blessing

2011-10-18T15:24:00.003-06:00

Maddie's blessing was wonderful. I wasn't thinking too clearly when I bought her blessing dress. I bought a beautiful silky dress, but it made Maddie very slippery to hold while she was squirming up there. I'm glad Chris was able to hold on to her.

Little Miss Maddie is my little angel. She is so patient, and just has a calm about her. Her favorite thing in the world is to smile and try to talk to you as you smile and talk to her. She is a daddy's girl already. She LOVES to hear Chris's voice and just hangout with him. She brings a wonderful spirit into our home and we are SO LUCKY to have her in our family!

Witches night out!

2011-10-18T15:07:00.003-06:00

Finally, a night where I can be myself!

My friend Camie told me about this last year and it sounded like so much fun I wanted to bring the witches in my family. So we got what we thought was "decked out" and went to Gardner's Village for Witches night out. Turns out we were underdressed. Now that we know what to expect, next year we are going to be the talk of all the witches!

The thing we noticed was the higher the hat the cooler the costume was. Next year we're going for height!
Can't wait until next year!

Numbers....

2011-10-14T01:51:00.002-06:00

My evening weight is 204.4

My morning weight is 200.2

So close to breaking that barrier.

I've had a few people tell me I'm brave for putting my weight on my blog and being so open about it.

Those numbers don't define me.

I'm SO MUCH MORE!

Those numbers mean that I love food. :) That I'm curvy. But what those numbers don't tell you is that I'm a happy person. I have interests and hobbies. I'm a good mom, a good friend, and I'll work really hard to bring happiness to those around me. Those numbers don't tell you about the service I give to others or the wife I am to my husband. By looking at those numbers you won't know that I love to sing and dance, run and do yoga.

You ever notice that when we fear something we don't like to talk about it? Like in Harry Potter and "He who must not be named". Harry was one of the very few people who used his name. And it gave him a sort of confidence and strength. It gave him courage and took away some of his fear. When he used the name of Voldemort, it took away a little of the power that Voldemort had over Harry.

Maybe it's the same thing with our weight. When we keep our weight a secret, it's giving power to those numbers. When we put them out there, they become just numbers. That's it. They're not scary or something to be ashamed of. Just numbers. And numbers that you can change or be proud of.

Maybe the reason there are so many body issues in the first place is because so many women give power to those numbers they see on the scale. They LET those NUMBERS define them. They look at those numbers and see just bad things. They don't dare to breath those numbers to another living soul because of the shame and embarrassment they bring. In turn, they connect those numbers with their view of their body. They're shamed and embarrassed by what they see on the scale and therefore, shamed and embarrassed by what they see in the mirror.

Those numbers define them.

So I ask you. Are you defined by numbers? Or do you really TRULY see yourself as SO MUCH MORE?

Call Me The BLACK HOLE

2011-10-06T23:30:00.004-06:00

You know what I forgot while I was pregnant? I forgot how big my stomach is. I'm not talking about the look of it (that's an entirely different post), I'm talking about what I can cram inside.

Seriously I could out eat any of you PLUS your husbands, brothers, dads, neighbors, etc. I'm pretty sure of it.

Now that I'm trying to loose weight and watching portions very carefully, It's hitting me like a ton of bricks the recollection that I am a bottomless pit. Have you ever gone to lunch with friends, or family and the women order a sandwich and eat almost half and a couple fries, then leaning back in their seats declare themselves full? I know you know what I'm talking about. In fact, I bet you are one of those women.

What I can't decide is are you really as full as you so delicately declare or do you simply push aside half your food because you know you shouldn't eat the entire thing?

You know what I'm thinking as I watch you push your half finished plate away? I'm thinking:

"Oh man, I should probably do the same thing.

I'm going to put down my fork and be done...

(one minute later)

Well maybe one more bite...

(ten bites later)

Well there's only a little bit left. I should probably leave it on my plate...Or I'll just finish it up...

(after another minute)

Man, their food is still sitting there. I could eat that too. I'm still hungry. How do they do it? They probably are thinking about the amount I ate. Ugghhhh."

I'm sure you're sitting reading this thinking you know men who could put away more food than me. Honestly, There may be a few out there, but I easily find myself eating more than full grown men all the time.

Sometimes I find myself at dinner with my husband and his friends, and while they're all full with food still left on their plates, mine is licked clean and I'm snacking on what's left behind on theirs.

Let me tell you what I mean. I eat a Cafe Rio Salad, and I'm still hungry and could easily eat a second. I could down a whole pizza in probably ten minutes and still have room for more. Burger and fries? Try three burgers and everybody's fries, plus a shake and it doesn't even phase me. I'm not making this up.

I watch other people become full after only a few bites, and I'm amazed. I often find myself having to tell myself that I've had enough and I shouldn't eat any more...and then I do.

So let me ask you, do you honestly get full after a few bites or do you push the food aside pretending to be full because that's what girls are supposed to do? And if you're a guy, what do you think of a girl who finishes her plate, while you leave food on yours?

Again, maybe I just feel this way because I'm trying to lose weight, but seriously. Even at my skinniest I could out eat any girl without blinking an eye. Will I ever be a girl who can push away half of a burger claiming to be full and actually mean it?

I doubt it.

Cookies, Chocolates, and Miss Maddie

2011-09-29T22:45:00.006-06:00

This week seems to have flown by! I began the week by making Chocolate Chip cookies. That was probably my mistake of the week, because with in 24 hours all of the cookies were gone and when the final tally was taken Boston had 1 cookie, Mary had 1 cookie, Chris had five, and I had...well...the rest. Do we really need to put a number on it?

Those sweet little cookies were begging me to eat them, and I figured if out of sight out of mind right?...

I was justifying. I know.

Did you know that if you start the day off with 5 cookies you will be craving sugar like a crazy person the rest of the day?

Yeah, so did I.

Well, it's in the past now, and since I finished the last cookie I haven't had any more cookies. :) Let's not even mention all the Chocolates I ate that Chris brought home from his latest trip to Europe...

I was super careful the rest of the week and wound up losing 4.4 pounds this week, weighting in at 204.6.

On a even better note, my sweet Maddie has begun to sleep. I mean, really sleep. In turn, I've begun to sleep, and as long as I don't fall asleep in the rocking chair I wake up in the morning feeling pretty well rested.
It blows my mind how fast she's growing. She's such a happy baby! She loves to smile and just take in everything that is going on around her. I wouldn't trade her for the world. I don't know that I would have said that even a month ago. :) Here are some pictures of my sweet baby girl.

Look at that face!!!

She loves her brother, most of the time. You can't see it, but he's driving his Lightening McQueen car on her tummy.

Seriously, have you seen a cuter baby? (not counting your own)

I also went to a workshop this weekend and learned some ways to improve my pictures. I'll post some of those soon. I also have done some newborn sessions and have a family session this week. So far I've loved some of the pictures we've gotten out of them. Here are a couple of cute baby Austin.

Baby weight be gone ( and the little extra)

2011-09-23T09:07:00.004-06:00

Well, it's time for me to put it all out there so I can be held accountable to everybody. And you know what? I'm not even a little afraid to do it. Maybe it's because I'm not worried about the outcome. I know I'll try a little harder when I have to report to you all and not just one other person.
Many of you watched as I lost 60 pounds last year and then slowly, but happily put it back on when I was pregnant with Madison. Well, I'm happy to announce that I never made it back to my previous heavy weight record (225), but I came pretty darn close. I'll be honest I was a little disappointed when the scale stop coming down around week 3 after having Maddie. It seemed to settle in happily at 212.
So I'm starting the process all over again. I'm excited to do it. Maybe because I know I've done it once before, and I know I can do it again, but this time I plan on getting with in my goal weight range which is 130-155. I'd like to be about 145, but we'll see when I get to 150.
I started weight watchers again (LOVE) and so far so good. I now weigh in at 209, and my first goal is to get to 199. If I wasn't nursing I think I would have planned to be there by mid October, but my milk dried up before and I don't want that to happen until I've hit the 6 month mark, so I have to be careful and take losing weight a little bit slower. About a pound a week...maybe two. I figure the weeks are going to pass by anyway, so why not be lighter at the end of it all.
This is about me and my family. I'm not doing this to fit into a pair of skinny jeans, I'm doing this to feel better about myself, and to set an example for my family. Chris and I are both thicker, and gain weight super easily if we're not careful, and we're pretty sure our kids are going to inherit that lovely trait so we want them to grow up knowing that exercise and eating right are a part of life.
Ok, so right now all I can get Boston to eat is Macaroni and Cheese, but he's eating. That's the first step in a healthy lifestyle, right?
I've noticed that when I eat like I'm pregnant, my family does too and they all gain weight. When I take care of myself it inspires them to do the same.
Ok, I'm rambling. Anyway, I'm going to share my experience with all of you, because it's not always easy, or fun, but it's totally worth it.
When you're healthy, you're happy. Not only that, but I really believe (and this is just my OPINION) that taking GOOD care of our bodies is a part of the Word of Wisdom. By letting myself get so overweight I was basically trashing my body. I wasn't keeping my covenants. You know how you here people say that after this life our bodies will be perfected and all the extra weight will be gone? I hear that all the time, and I don't think that's true. You can't smoke and drink and do drugs in this life saying it's too hard to change, and expect those desires to be gone after this life. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that. At some point you've got to overcome those shortcomings, and it's probably better to get them taken care of in this life, and the sooner the better.
Now obviously I'm far from perfect, and all of this is just something that hit me after I had Boston and was having a hard time getting up the stairs. At 25, I was having a hard time getting UP THE STAIRS! My joints were hurting and I had the energy of a 60 year old. That's when I realized that while I wasn't doing drugs or drinking, I was still breaking the Word of Wisdom and I had to change.
I made a mistake while I was pregnant by eating literally WHATEVER I wanted and not working out. This pregnancy was a lot easier than the last one because I started at a healthier weight, but because of bad choices, especially at the end of the pregnancy, I'm almost back to where I started.
So here I sit, inviting you all to help me on my journey once again. Don't freak out if you see me eating ice cream or cake or whatever, because I love food too much to cut all of that out. Just know that I will have planned for the splurge, and am enjoying every second of it.
This post is going on forever, sorry about that.
These first couple weeks have been great, and tough at the same time. I've started working out again 3-4 times a week for at least 20 minutes a day. It's not much, but it's what I can do right now. My knees are sore from running again, and my muscles usually scream at me for a day or two after my weights workout, but it's the good kind of pain. The kind you know is bringing you one step closer to your goal.
Thanks for listening. This is going to be fun watching all this weight drop together. Who knows, maybe some of you will do it with me and then next summer we'll all be hot mamas and run a ragnar in our bikinis (yeah right! how about a 10k or half marathon instead, but not in bikinis unless you really want to.)

Mischief Managed

2011-09-16T14:42:00.006-06:00

What if one day you opened your laundry room door to find this...

Then you step further in only to find this....

So you vacuum it all up, and it takes you twice as long because you keep finding more and more laundry soap hidden in every square inch of the room. Then after 30 minutes have gone by you turn around and see this...

And you know that it's all courtesy of THIS mischief maker....What would you do?

You'd probably grumble a little because it's the third time it's happened, swear to yourself that next time he's going to get it, and then laugh and take some pictures too.

Duck Story

2011-09-16T14:12:00.012-06:00

We're trying to help Boston learn how to play with other kids better and frankly, sometimes I just need to get out of the house, so we play a lot.

My friend Kayla and her daughter Brinley are the perfecy playmates. Kayla had the great idea of taking the kids to feed ducks at the park by Lone Peak. Boston was so excited....until

Duh-duh-done

These apparently STARVING ducks got a little TOO close. Then things went from happy to almost terrifying.
We ended up having to hold Boston and Brinley while feeding the ducks because, let's be honest, when a duck as big as you are comes right up to you and grabs the bread out of your hand you'd freak out a little too.

It doesn't take a detective to notice that he's trying to run away from me in the pictures. He did not want the ducks behind him where he couldn't see what they were doing.

So we decided to take a stroll around the lake and throw some rocks into the water...but the ducks followed us.

That's where we met this little guy. He was the odd man out, maybe that's why we liked him.

Then There was the rebellious one with the side ways mo-hawk.There's one in every flock right?

Boston wasn't a fan, so he got as far away from the ducks as he could.

We strolled over to the dock, where the ducks still followed us, but they were in the water, and couldn't get to where we were, so the kids were happy. The loved throwing rocks in the water. The ducks still thought it was food and would dive for the rocks. Poor things.

Boston even took the following pictures with a little help from me to steady the camera. I was surprised that he actually got anything.

Then we finished our little adventure by sitting on the beach for a minute and throwing rocks in the water. Only one little duck followed us over there. We were all out of bread and felt kind of bad. Once he realized that he left and Boston was brave again.

And baby Maddie slept threw it all.

THE END

At any given moment....

2011-09-16T14:03:00.003-06:00

At any given moment, on any given day, when Daddy is home, you'll find Boston busy at work in his new favorite chair with his new favorite accessory/gadget/toy.

At any given moment, on any given day, when Daddy is home, you'll find Maddie with her favorite naptime buddy/new favorite chair with his new favorite accessory/gadget/toy.

Post-a-holic

2011-09-13T21:52:00.004-06:00

I know you all can't get enough of me and my exciting life, and are dying to read about all my latest adventures. Ok, not really. Actually this next post is just so I remember in the future, because it's funny. Here are three happenings in my life as a mother of a little boy named Boston.

So the last week I've been trying really hard to speak spanish to Boston. The first couple days he didn't respond and just kind of looked at me. But the last three days he's caught on that I'm speaking a different language and he gets so mad! (I'm currently trying to get a video of it and will post it as soon as I do.)
As soon as I start speaking even one spanish word he starts SCREAMING "NOOO!!!" Then when I switch back to english he calms down. I'm having so much fun with it. It's so hard not to burst out laughing when he's so mad. But I figure if I keep speaking it to him and Maddie then he'll understand more and not be so frustrated and join in my speaking spanish with me. I was reading him a story last night and a couple pages in it dawned on him I was reading it in spanish and he jumped up and put his hand over my mouth. "No mommy!" He kept it there until I spoke English. And the minute I would switch back, he would put his hand over my mouth again and scream NO. At one point he had one hand over my mouth and the other over my eyes, as if that could stop me from speaking spanish. lol.

He's also picking up words like crazy lately. I mean like 10 new words a day. So last night he was laying on my bed when he lifted up his legs high in the air and said, very clearly, "Da Butt" while pointing to his derrière. Chris and I just looked at him and said "what?" he pointed and said "Da Butt". Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not offended by the word Butt at all. In fact, I don't think I've even ever given it a second thought. But for some reason it sounds like a bad word coming from my two year old...not sure how I feel about this.

So lately I've been feeling like it's time to start really creating good gospel habits at home like daily family prayer and family scripture. So last night we wrestled him into the living room and corralled him in. We sang a song, read a quick scripture about Jesus, and said a family prayer. We made it through, but barely. I'm determined to make this a habit in our family, so tonight before Chris went to bed we all gathered together for a second attempt. Boston was NOT having it tonight. After giving up on negotiating with him to join us, I grabbed him and held him in my lap. I was hoping to calm him down and set a spiritual kind of mood so we started by singing "I am a Child of God." But Chris was the only one who could get through it. Mary and I burst out laughing when we got to the line "has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear." Why did we burst out laughing? Well because myself, being the kind and loving parent that I am, was literally fighting with my two year old to keep him on my lap while he was kicking and thrashing and screaming "I want go Bed!" But I was determined. Yes he missed nap time, and yes he hadn't eaten anything almsot all day (that story is next) but I was, and am, determined to have family prayer and scripture. So, while still fighting Boston with one hand I opened to Mosiah 2:17. And read in a loud, voice, "Behold..." I was practically shouting over Boston. Great setting for the spirit to be felt huh? This was quickly becoming a traumatic experience for Boston as our battle of wills took place. Boston changed his tune from "I want go bed" to "I want Daddy" (Daddy is always the hero and the good guy for whom Boston will behave like an angel.) I handed Chris's son to him, and Boston was still shuddering with sobs but calmed down enough that we could get through a quick prayer. I'm determined to make daily family prayer and scripture and habit in this family...even if it means future therapy sessions for my kids apparently. Would you call it quits after day two?

This is the last one:
Tonight I made meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner. I made Boston a little plate and was really hoping he'd eat even a couple bites since I topped it with his favorite food, cheese. He wanted no part of it, but I also am trying to get in the habit of family dinners, at the kitchen table. After I wrestled him into his high chair and he was locked in, he was thrashing all around and I could tell this wasn't going to go well. I quickly ate my dinner while he and Maddie were screaming and then I focused on Boston. He wanted to go outside and roll his car down the driveway, but I told him he couldn't until he had one bite. Just ONE TEENY TINY BITE. Again he threw a fit. Screaming, wailing, gnashing of teeth kind of tantrum that you only hear about in horror parent stories (are you seeing a trend here?) In fact, it was such a spectacular tantrum that even Maddie stopped crying and just watched him until she fell asleep. (Not sure how you fall asleep with someone screaming like they're about to die.)
I sat trying to get him to take one bite as he cried. Then He said he wanted cheese. I told him he could have a slice of cheese if he took just one little bite. Nope. Instead he waited until my attention was on something else and he grabbed the slice of cheese I had to bribe him out of my hand and tried to eat it as quick as he could. But this mama is too quick for that. I grabbed the cheese out of his little hand and said for the thousandth time, "If you take this one bite, you can have the slice of cheese." He cried and screamed and thrashed for another 5 minutes and I just sat calmly explaining to him his choices. After a couple more attempts to grab the cheese slice out of my hand he realized he'd have to switch tactics. What does he do? He calls for his daddy. "I want daddy" he says. "If daddy helps you will you eat?" I asked patiently. "I want daddy." He cries as he takes the fork of food he's refused to eat out of my hand and hands it lovingly to his dad. I watch, in only semi-shock, as he opens his mouth wide to let his dad put the one bite I had tried to get him to eat for over 30 minutes into his mouth. As soon as he gets it in his mouth Chris and I both say "good job!" and Chris tells him he can have the piece of cheese. I hand Boston the cheese, and as soon as it is in his possession, he gags on the food, and spits it out dramatically wiping his tongue off with his hand as if it had been poison. Great. Then before Chris and I could realize his plan he shoved the cheese in his mouth and was happy. He outsmarted us. We were defeated by a two year old, and we knew it. We burst out laughing. This kid of ours.

These weren't the only tantrums that he threw today. Maybe tomorrow I'll keep a tally of some sort. If I kept one today I would say there were easily 10 full on tantrums. Ever since Maddie came along my sweet little buddy has disappeared. I still adore him, but he's a terror. Funny, but a terror. Even his nursery leader said he's been more "aggressive" with the other kids lately. Great, he's THAT kid.

I may have waited too long to set good habits and teach consequences. But two isn't too late...right? I'm not doomed to have a terror child for the rest of my days right? All these battles will eventually work out and he'll be grateful for me as his mom right?
I sure hope so.

A Miracle!

2011-09-13T09:50:00.006-06:00

It's a MIRACLE!!! (Heavenly Choirs Singing Hallelujah)

Last night Madison slept from 9pm to 3am. I went to bed at 10 and got 5 HOURS of uninterrupted SLEEP!!! (Heavenly Choir singing Aaaahhhhhh)

Then once she ate, (which was much needed for both of us) she slept from 3:30am until 6:30am. So I got another 3 hours of sleep after that!!! (Heavenly Choirs Singing Hallelujah)

Can I get an AMEN Sista??

I haven't had that much sleep since July 8th, 2011.

I doubt it will happen again tonight, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the new normal.

I'm going to do this!

2011-09-02T09:26:00.000-06:00

I'm totally going to do this! Check it out!

Remember Box

Ewwwww

2011-08-31T10:09:00.002-06:00

6 Years ago in the border town of douglas Arizona....

"Hi Elder....We're both sick...OH no, he's sick too?...Yeah we have our numbers....We ended up taking a nap at a member's house before our lesson and then we just came right home afterwards...That's a good idea, we'll go to the store when we get off the phone...Is there anything you can do for us? Why yes, yes there is...Elder, will you teach us how to hawk a loogie?"

"What?"
"Elder, We're dying here. Niether of us can breathe and we're pretty sure if we could just get this stuff out of our heads and lungs we'd feel so much better."
"I can't teach the sisters how to hawk a loogie"
"Elder, trust us, we wouldn't be asking unless we were desperate. And we're desperate. You said 'Anything'"
"Oh come on. You're serious aren't you?"
"Seriously sick, Elder Please?"
*Long Sigh* "Alright. OH I can't believe I'm doing this"
"Hold on, let me put you on speaker so we both can learn...Ok, go ahead."
Laughing "Oh my gosh. Ok, so first of all you....."

Dear, sweet, Elder Pendleton proceeded to give my companion and I lessons on how to hawk a loogie. We had been trying all day and ended up just gagging ourselves. With some very detailed lessons over the phone he taught us how to hawk a loogie and what it's supposed to sound like when you do it right.

My companion and I were mildy successful that night, and the next day were feeling well enough to go out. I wish that those lessons would have stuck. I still can't hawk a loogie and I'm wishing I could. I've been sick with a cold for coming up on 8 weeks now, and although I'm to the point where I'm feeling great and not coughing so much like a dying smoker anymore, I still have grossness stuck in my sinuses and I'm pretty sure if I could just hawk a proper loogie I could rid myself of this yuckiness.

I know, what kind of girl WANTS to hawk a loogie?

This one.

Banana Pancakes

2011-08-27T09:56:00.003-06:00

I. LOVE. Food.

I'm pretty sure that it comes as no surprise to any of you. I seriously LOVE food. If you were to come to my house at any given time of the day you would find my watching or listening to food network. I'm addicted to watching people talk about and create (and let's be honest) eat some of the most delicious food you can find.

So when I'm bored I often find myself scouring food blogs and websites for fun new recipes to try at home. So the other day I was in a Jack Johnson kind of mood, which then put me in the mood for banana pancakes. I found the following recipe and thought, why not? Well, it is delicious, and is now my go to recipe for any fruit pancake. It's super moist, yet dense and fluffy at the same time. Then you get little nuggets of banana in every bite. I've made them twice in the last three days and look forward to eating the left overs for lunch today.

Thank you barefoot contessa.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup
Directions
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/banana-sour-cream-pancakes-recipe/index.html

2011-08-26T21:42:00.002-06:00

Dayna posted this and I thought it was funny. Check out barbie and ken's wedding.

http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/08/real-wedding-album-barbie-ken.html?mbid=fb_fanpage

More of Madison

2011-08-18T09:24:00.003-06:00

You really can never get enough of a baby girl as cute as this!

My good friend Dayna is an incredible photographer and was able to squeeze me in for newborn pics.You can check her out here Here are some of my favorites.

First Camping Trip

2011-08-14T10:24:00.003-06:00

This last Thursday and Friday Boston had his first camping trip! I was so excited! I know, I know, you're probably thinking -why would she be excited to go on a camping trip with a newborn?-
Well, I didn't go. That's why I was excited. Chris took Boston to Pineview to go boating with his family which meant I had Thursday night and all day friday to myself! Madi still sleeps a good portion of the day so I was thrilled to be able to catch up on some much needed rest, fold a mountain of laundry (I forgot how much a baby goes through), and organize and do some general cleaning.
Chris and Boston left Thursday afternoon and as soon as they left, I fed Madi and began my chore list. First on my list was cleaning out my car. After Chris's friend camping trip, and all the yard work we've been doing it was pretty dirty. I had been planning on cleaning it, but as soon as I got in the car on Thursday I realized Chris had left a tarp covered in Manure in the back. Needless to say cleaning the car suddenly jumped to the top of my chore list.
So I deep cleaned my car, picked up dinner at Cafe Rio, and headed home. I enjoyed a nice quiet evening at home and planned on starting my chores in the morning. Funny how plans can quickly change. When I woke up in the morning I had a terrible stomach ache which got worse and turned out to be food poisoning. My hopes and dreams for my day off (sort off) were out the window, and I spent the day taking care of Madi, cleaning out my system (to put it nicely) and resting.
While I was enjoying myself at home, Boston and Chris were having a blast. Chris took Boston to Cabella's to pick up something on their way up to Pineview and Boston discovered a love for that store. He bawled when they had to leave. He loved sleeping in a tent with his dad and especially loved being in the water and boating! He even went on the tube!
Turns out it was the perfect day for me to be sick because I only had one baby to worry about, which was really nice. Here are some cute pictures from the day.

Summer Fun

2011-08-09T14:44:00.011-06:00

We've had so much fun this summer! i can't believe it's August already. Here's a few of the things we've done.

Our little soccer star playing with dad before fireworks in Cedar Hills.

His new favorite hobby...throwing rocks.

Boston teaching Chris a few new tricks!

We've spent a lot of our time this summer at splash parks. Bless the mind who came up with that idea!

Boston LOVES to play with his friends across the street! They joined us at the splash park in Alpine and had a blast!

Spent some time with Uncle Destin before he left on his mission to Russia.

Then we welcomed our newest addition, Madison Rachel Adams!

Boston stayed with both sets of grandparents while we were in the hospital. Here he is being spoiled with JCW ice cream right before bed time. I wish my parents were that cool when I was growing up. You ever notice how parents become less sticklers for the rules with each child? I didn't stop it because i got ice cream too.

Chris saw this picture and thought it was Boston. She is an Adams. But couldn't you just squish those chubby cheeks?

Chris is toast. She's already got him wrapped around her cute finger!

I love this picture!!! This is how we find Boston hugging Madi if we're not around to supervise. But at least he loves her!

hang of it

2011-08-01T14:56:00.003-06:00

So I was worried about being alone with a toddler and a newborn...I still am. I haven't really had to do it all by myself since my mom has been staying with me since we came home from the hospital in order to help me recover.

Today, was really the first day that I've spent the majority of it by myself. Luckily I have an awesome neighbor who helps me. (She seriously is the greatest neighbor ever!) Boston spent a little time with them which helped me eat breakfast and get Maddie fed. When Boston came home he helped me clean while she slept, and then she woke up and the craziness began.

Maddie was screaming because she was starving, and Boston was screaming because it was nap time, but he wanted to color. I thought if I let him color that would buy me some time to feed her and then get him down. I got him settled with markers (yes, markers) and his coloring book at the table and then as I was about to feed Maddie I got a phone call from Chris. In my two minute conversation with him, Maddie was screaming and suddenly Boston had decided it was much more fun to color himself than the coloring book. One minute he was a perfectly clean child, and the next both his arms were yellow! No Joke, from just below his shoulder to his finger tips lemon yellow. Awesome. Lol. Chris caught on that things were a little hectic so we got off the phone and I began to wash Boston's arms off all the while Maddie is livid.

Boston was finally cleaned, and only semi-stained yellow when he decided that he needed milk for his nap right then. So I picked up Maddie, and warmed up some milk for him and finally got my two kids upstairs to his room. He won't go down unless I read at least one Choo-Choo book (thomas the train). So I read him his book and he went down. Oh, did I mention that this entire last part I was nursing. That's right. I've decided that the only way to take care of my older child while, at the same time, taking care of my younger child is to nurse while walking around. Luckily she's small enough right now that this is possible.

Can I just say, how talented am I? lol.

A few Pictures

2011-07-25T22:39:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of Madi until I can get the amazing ones Dayna took for me. :)

On a side note, My sister got her Mission call to Cuzco, Peru! This is her finding out where she's going. I think it's a cute picture. She leaves December 7th.

I have a lot of things I would LOVE to post, but they'll have to wait. Hopefully not too long.

Tender Mercy

2011-07-16T11:43:00.003-06:00

I know a lot of you are wanting details and pictures of our little Madison, and I promise I will get that up here asap. I don't have a way to post pics right now, but I will as soon as I can. This is a longer post, so settle in if you're really wanting to read it. :)

I wanted to share how my labor and delivery was really a tender mercy from Heavenly Father and reminded me of how, just like a loving parent, He does what He can to bring us happiness and let us know He loves us.

Many of you know I had a c-section with Boston. Click here if you want the whole story for him, but if you don't want to read that basically the doctor told me that after 13 hours of labor it was clear that I would not be able to have him naturally because my pelvis is angled smaller than normal and he wouldn't fit.

This time around I was really worried about having a c-section with Boston around. The healing process after my first c-section was absolutely awful. It's not something that I really looked forward to having to go through again, especially with a toddler who loved to use me as a jungle gym.

As my due date grew closer I became a little worried about labor and what it would bring. I really wanted to do a VBAC, but was uncertain I would be able to do it. Also, at least with a c-section I knew what I was getting into. As I started going to my weekly doctor's appointments and found I wasn't dilating at all I wrestled with the idea of what to do. I went back and forth on whether to schedule my c-section, or wait to see if I would go into labor. But if I waited, I ran the risk of Chris being in Paris when the big moment came. Because I had a previous c-section they couldn't enduce my labor or do anything to help me along. It was all up to me if I wanted to do a VBAC. In the end I decided to schedule the c-section for the 13th and was for the most part ok with the idea since it seemed like my body wasn't doing anything. After my last appointment and finding that I was still at a Zero I burst into tears and called Chris. I was so frustrated. I told Chris that nothing was happening and that I had given up my hopes of a VBAC. He reminded me that Heavenly Father could help me go into Labor if I asked Him, and I, being discouraged, said something along the lines of "I doubt it." To which he replied, "Well, I guess you don't have enough faith." That hit me. I really hadn't even asked.

I decided I needed to take my worries to Heavenly Father. I knew He knew whether or not it was possible for me to have kids naturally or not. I asked Him to help me go into labor early if it was possible for me to have kids naturally. I really didn't want to go to the hospital, have a c-section and always wonder if I would have been able to have kids the same way as everybody else if I had just waited for my body to go into labor. I wanted so badly for just the chance to have the baby vaginally. I also felt like if I went into labor and needed a c-section anyway, then I would know that it would never be possible for me to have kids without a c-section. (I hope this is making sense). I was constantly praying and asking Heavenly Father for the chance to go into labor. I also knew that whatever happened was supposed to happen and it was in the Lord's hands.

On saturday night Chris and I went out on our traditional last date before baby. We joked that the last date sent me into labor with Boston and, even though I still had 10 days before I was due, maybe it would work again. We went to dinner, picked out trees for our yard, then went to Transformers 3 (long, but better than I thought).

At 4:30 am I woke up to Boston calling for me. I decided to go to the bathroom before I went in to lay down with him. While in the bathroom I felt something weird and thought maybe my bladder was just acting up. I figured it was probably nothing and began washing my hands when it felt like I wet my pants a little. I began to wonder if my water had broke. I sent Mary in with Boston and, after some research, decided to wake Chris up and go to the hospital to see if my water had broke. We packed a hospital bag and left. I was still barely leaking and figured since I wasn't having contractions we would probably get sent home with the "You just have a weak bladder" explanation for the leaking.

We got to the hospital and as soon as I stepped out of the car water went gushing down my legs. My water was definitely broken. The confirmed it, and said I was still at a 0. I told them I would like to try a VBAC and they told me it was going to be a long day. They continued to check me through out the morning only to discover that she wasn't dropping at all so I wasn't dilating. At one point the nurse came in and said "How are you doing with your contractions?" I looked at her and said, "I'm not having any." She looked at the monitor and said "You're actually having one right now." They moved me into a more suitable "laboring postition" and left me.

Around 8:40am we figured nothing was going to happen for a while, I was still at a zero, and Chris left to get something to eat. Not 5 minutes later the Nurse and the doctor came in and the doctor said "How are you doing with your contractions?" I said "I think I felt something about 15 minutes ago" He and the nurse looked at me and said "well you're actually having contractions every 3-4 minutes. The fact that you're not feeling them at all is telling us they're not working and this isn't going to happen. What do you say we just get this done and have this baby right now by c-section." Now, many women probably would be disappointed to hear that, but at this point I knew that this was as much as my body could do, and that she would never drop.

Heavenly Father had answered my prayers. He let me go into labor and learn for myself that having my babies naturally would never really be an option for me. My body just can't do it. I was at complete peace with having a c-section, and was so grateful that I had had the chance to experience my water breaking.

Since Chris was gone, we set the surgery for 9:30 am. He had left his cell phone so there was no way to get a hold of him. I sat watching the clock as time ticked away. Finally, at 9:15 am Chris came strolling in with a big burrito from Beto's only to discover I was about to leave to get prepped and he had only a few minutes to eat and get in the operating room. He shoved the burrito in his mouth and quickly got changed. They did a spinal tap on me and began a few minutes before he walked in the door.

The moment I heard her cry my heart filled with so much love, and I couldn't help but smile. She is a very special little girl, and we're blessed to have her a part of out family.

Because I didn't labor relly at all this c-section has been a million times better than my first. I feel great! Really! The hardest part so far has been finding the right pain meds to put me on. I had a bad reaction to the first two, and was itching like crazy the first 36 hours. I felt like I wanted to rip my skin off. Nothing could touch and I barely was able to stand even holding her to nurse. The anesthegiologist and the charge nurse finally figure out the problem and switched my meds. Since then I have felt fantastic!

Madi is doing amazing!She was born at 8 pounds 9 oz and was 19 inches. She's got light brown hair with a hint of red and is beautiful! The first day she looked so much like Boston that i had a hard time calling her "she" or "her" because, to me, it was Boston all over again. As the days passed she came into her own, and while she still looks like her brother, she has taken on a look all her own. She is sweet, and calm, but super impatient. When she's ready to eat, she wanted it 5 minutes ago. lol.

We are all completly in love with her. Especially Boston! Whew! He absolutely adores her and is so gentle and sweet with her. He loves to show her his favorite toys and play cars with her. He will put one of his favorite cars in her hand so she can hold it and then he'll drive his car around her and show her what to do.

Looking back on the whole thing I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father. He knows me so well, and really does what He can to answer my prayers. Even if the things I'm wanting and hoping for really don't matter in the long run, like having a c-section verses VBAC, He knows that they matter to me, and does what He can to help me out. He has blessed me with an incredible husband, and two amazing spirits for my children. He really is a loving parent who wants to do what He can for his Children, and will. I know He hears our prayers, no matter how ridiculous, and loves us more than we know. I love my Heavenly Father, and am so thankful for the tender mercies He is constantly giving me.

Middle Name

2011-06-22T09:49:00.002-06:00

Ok people, This baby is coming in a few weeks, and I still have no clue what I should use for a middle name. Chris loves Madison Rachel, but I'm not sold on it. Would you help me and throw some things out there? Maybe you'll be the lucky one and I'll use your name. :)

A Woman's Sacrifice

2011-06-20T09:20:00.002-06:00

I read this article, and really liked it. I wanted to share it with you.

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/20831/A-womans-sacrifice?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

A woman's sacrifice
Author: Kathryn Soper : Guest Blog See all from this author
Source: For Mormon Times
14 May 2011 6:00am

I shifted my weight on the pew and sighed as the sacrament meeting speaker stood to begin his talk.

Seven months pregnant, I was swollen and sore, big-bellied and exhausted from the constant demands of my five young children. I wasn't sure I could last the remaining 15 minutes of the meeting, let alone the final months of the pregnancy.

I nearly let out an audible groan when the speaker launched into his topic: pioneers. The last thing I wanted to hear was heroic tales of mothers who kept walking resolutely to Zion no matter what they had to leave behind. I could barely drag myself from my living room to my kitchen.

I closed my eyes and drifted into half-sleep as the speaker droned on, only to be jolted upright by my toddler's stray elbow jamming into my abdomen. The baby inside began to kick in response, pummeling my bladder and ribs as he somersaulted in his watery nest. I bit my lip trying not to cry or scream as waves of frustration broke over me.

It's horribly cliché to claim that at that very moment, the speaker said the very words I needed to hear, but that's exactly what happened. He was reading the story of the Sweetwater crossing, the day that grown men and women sat down and cried on the banks of the half-frozen river because their strength was utterly spent, the day that three young men carried dozens of people through the chunks of ice and onto the continuing path west that waited on the opposite bank.

And as those words penetrated the hazy fatigue that enveloped me, the Spirit spoke. Not with words, but with a deep impression that I roughly translate here: "Your sacrifice is like unto theirs."

I sensed within myself and how there were spirits waiting on that bank needing to cross to the other side. And how I was carrying them, one at a time, to the opposite bank, so that they could continue along the path to Zion.

Paul's words sprang to my mind, words that had burned into me years before at the start of my fourth pregnancy, when I was wondering how I would ever manage another baby.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

Present your body as a living sacrifice. Sacrifice — the word comes from the Latin "sancire," meaning to make sacred. That's exactly what I was doing: offering my very flesh and blood to God, to meet his purposes, to fulfill the desires for children he had planted within me.

All the pain and discomfort and difficulty, I suddenly understood, was having a sanctifying effect.

It sure doesn't seem that way, I thought as I shifted my ample weight on the pew and rearranged the various limbs of my children. I didn't feel sacred; I felt bloated, achy, irritable — even desperate, but even so, I knew it was true.

A year later, I had a miscarriage. My first. In the aftermath I grappled with many difficult feelings— grief, anger, longing. Sure, I had only been pregnant for a few weeks, but I had already invested great physical, emotional and spiritual energy in this new life and for what?

A few weeks later, I spoke with a close friend of mine who had just suffered her second miscarriage. I confided my sense of emptiness and futility. But as I continued to speak, I heard surprising words coming from my mouth.

"It wasn't a waste," I said. "It wasn't a waste."

I wasn't quite sure what I meant. But I knew that somehow, my loss counted. It was known by God and would, in some inexplicable way, contribute to his work and his glory, as well as my personal holiness.

I felt better after that, even though it still took more time to recover, both physically and emotionally. I became convinced that when women offer their bodies as vehicles for new life, they are consecrating themselves to God's purposes, and God honors this offering, whether or not it results in live birth.

I realized that this is true for women in a variety of circumstances: women who try and try, but are unable to conceive; women who face the rigors of adopting a child; women who remain single in this lifetime, who must forego maternity as well as intimacy on a number of levels.

I came to this conclusion. Every woman of faith consecrates her body as a living sacrifice. Whether our particular burden is fullness or emptiness, each of us is pushing against the world's current with our eyes on the kingdom of God.

Can you relate?

2011-06-08T07:26:00.001-06:00

Do you ever feel like this is you? I do.

Are you ready For Kids?

2011-06-05T13:31:00.002-06:00

Saw this on a friends blog and stole it for you all to enjoy.

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids
Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Moooo!!!

2011-05-23T15:34:00.006-06:00

DON'T CLICK ON ANYTHING HIGHLIGHTED. IT PULLS UP PAGES YOU DON'T WANT. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT'S DOING IT, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET IT TO STOP.

So we went to Steamboat springs this weekend with Chris's team at work. While we were there we decided to try out this yummy burger place that we'd heard some people rave about.
I looked looked at their menu ahead of time and was craving a grilled chicken salad. Fate had other plans apparently. A group of 10 of us showed up and were quickly seated. After some rearranging of tables we were ready to order, except that we had no menus.
Our waiter let the hostess know and what did she bring us? Not menus, but a printed piece of paper with 6 burgers on it. "This is all we're serving today" she said. I picked up the menu, very disappointed. I just wanted a salad. I looked at my friend and our two toddler boys, and we quickly realized there wasn't one kid friendly burger on there.
I called the waiter over and asked if what was on the paper were really our only choices. He said "yes".
Lame.
It wouldn't have been so bad if there were normal burgers to choose from, but these burgers were local creations. Who really wants a burger with apple slices and goat cheese? Or a mushroom and truffle sauce with blue cheese? Definitely not me. None of us were too pleased, but since we had already made them group tables together, and felt bad for our waiter who had spilled all of our drinks, we decided to stay. What's the worst that could happen right?
So To make a long story short, the waiter came back twice to make sure he had all of our orders, because he was somehow only counting 9 when there were 10 of us. 45 minutes later, everybody's food came...except mine.
No worries, I only have a two year old son that I've been trying to entertain while he starves to death and grows more and more cranky by the milisecond.
So 5 minutes after everybody else gets their food my burger arrives. I hear some light complaining around the table of the food not being cooked all the way, or literally soaked in grease, but I didn't think too much of it, and began to cut my burger in half.
When I pulled out the knife, I noticed something odd. There was a red substance on my knife. Not blood. It wasn't any type of sauce, so I inspected it a little. It looked like uncooked meat...? So I pulled my burger open and began to inspect it a little bit more.
My. Burger. Was. Raw.
When I say Raw, I don't mean a little pink on the inside. I mean R-A-W as in never been cooked, still Moo-ing piece of meat.
Really?
Everybody then cut their burgers open to find that many of theirs weren't cooked too well. One burger was had puddled grease on it and the bun had been saturated in grease so much so that it would fall apart when touched.
We sent back 6 of the 10 burgers, and didn't request that they be remade. Two people just left, and the rest of us were grossed out enough that nothing sounded good. We waited for the four people who's food was edible to finish, and left.
Those four people were sick that night.
You know, I know this sounds weird, but I would actually consider going back to that place, just to give them a second chance. That's how bad the overall experience was. :)

On a side note, I ate 3 pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream this weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. :)
So to make a long story short, we all ended up ordering off of the

Finally Finished!

2011-05-16T13:43:00.008-06:00

BEFORE:

This project turned out to be so much more expensive and time consuming than I had originally anticipated, but in the end totally worth it.
I realized before I could do anything with curtains I had to paint my wall. $42
I picked up these babies at Iron Rod Works for $8.95 each and the tie backs which all together cost $103. Ouch.

Found 118 inch curtains at IKEA for $24.99
Bought white blackout curtains for $24.99 at Walmart.
Discovered that the panels weren't big enough, so went back and bought a second set of panels for $24.99. Lame.
Realized that I should probably buy little screw jackets for the Knob thingys so went to Home Depot and bought screw jackets for $5.
I painted. It took forever, but glad that my room finally has a 4th wall to match the rest of it. Next time Chris is doing it, or I'm paying somebody to come.
I placed sticky tack on the wall so we could evenly space out the curtains and see where we needed to screw in the pegs.
My Wonderful mom came over and helped me drill holes for all the jackets, and even come up with creative ways to fix some that weren't working.
We began to hang the curtains. Stupid us, we didn't measure the pegs, or test them out and discovered we had drilled the holes to close to the ceiling and the wall, and couldn't get the pegs in without destroying the wall. Awesome.
Realized the straight cut curtains wouldn't work AT ALL because of the diagonal of the wall. More Awesome.
Measured the angle of the wall.
Cut the curtains.
Ripped out the seam at the top of the curtains and all the little loops.
Created a new binding using the old one.
Reattached the loops to the newly angled curtain.
Patched the wall.
Bought new jackets at home depot. $2. Luckily I only needed 6 this time, as some of the jackets were usable.
Drilled new holes in the wall.
Attached the fabric hooks to the inside of the curtains.
Hung the curtains.
Dropped the drill and dinged the wall.
Another patch job.
Hung the blackout liners inside the curtains.
Blackout liners are straight cut, so they weren't hanging at all the way I needed them to.
Used super awesome Command Strips to attach the blackout liners to each other.
Use More command strips to anchor the tie backs to the wall. I love those things!
Stand back and admire the work.

I know when the curtains are closed it still allows some light through. That's the best I could do. Also I should mention my mom is a sewing genius so she's the one who sewed. Not me. I did, however, help take out the seams and cut. :)

Happenings

2011-05-02T21:37:00.005-06:00

I did it! I'm done! I'm so excited to be done with school.
Last fall I almost quit, threw in the towel.
But with the support and encouragement of the people around me, I pushed forward. Looking back I'm so happy I finished!
Here are a few pictures of that glorious day!

My Support System

Me singing with a group at the convocation for the school of education. I actually had a solo part, and I was terrified. There were a lot more people there than I had imagined. But I made it through without my voice squeaking...too much. :)

I seriously could NOT have done this without my amazing family. I'm so blessed to have such an incredible support system!

Today was also Boston's Birthday!!! I can't believe my baby is two! I wish I could freeze him in time.

He was a little nervous when everybody started singing Happy Birthday. He got over it pretty quickly and was happy to blow out his candles.

He's obsessed with Cars (the Movie) and Tangled. I figured since Tangled wasn't as manly as cars we'd go with a Cars/Lightening Mcqueen birthday.

This is my attempt at a race car track cake. I had planned to make a heavenly cream cheese frosting, but failed miserably. Chris broke the sabbath and went to the store to buy frosting 30 minutes before everybody arrived to help calm me down and stop me from crying. What? I'm pregnant!

Boston gets so spoiled on his birthday since he is the only grandchild, nephew, etc. He got crayons, cars, coloring books, everything a kid could want! His favorite gift was a soccer ball, and pop up goals so he could practice his shooting.

He kicks the ball into the net, then throws up his arms and screams "GOAL!!!!" I love it.

Here is Boston, surrounded by his toys and watching Tangled. This kid doesn't know how good he has it. :)

Last night we moved him into his big boy bed. I burst into tears after we shut his door (remember, I'm pregnant). I was sad that he is no longer my baby, except that he is and will always be. If I'm not careful, I'll end up like Marie on Everybody loves Raymond.

Life is fantastic. I'm currently 28.5 weeks pregnant, and feeling like I'm 35 weeks pregnant. She's healthy, I'm healthy, and we're all looking forward to her joining us in July.

Decorating Help with Curtains

2011-04-27T13:21:00.008-06:00

Ok Friends,
I need your help.
Our bedroom window faces east and around 5am everyday the window gets lit up from the sunrise. It's driven us nuts for two years, and we've decided it's time to do something about it. Here's where you come in. I can't decide how to hang the curtains.

You see, in the day I love all the light in our room, but in the early morning it's waking me up. Also, since Chris is up at 3am for work he usually will come home and take a nap for a couple hours. If we could cut down on the light during those two times during the day it would be marvelous!

I've come up with three options for hanging curtains and cutting down the light in our room and I want your opinion on what you think would look the best.

Above is option #1. I would hang the curtains outside of the inset window. So when the curtains were closed it would be covering the entire cove. (I'm calling it a cove because I'm not sure what else to call it.) This would be a more dramatic effect, and I'm not sure about it. But I could open the curtains whenever and still let all the light of the full window in.

Above is option #2. With this option I would split the window into two parts. The arch, and the big window. I would hang the curtains inside the cove and just over the square window. The arch I would block out all the light by using a piece of white particle board and covering it with a white fabric. I could remove it if I wanted to, but in all honesty it will probably just stay there. I like the look of this option, but I don't like that the light from the arch would be blocked out all the time...so I'm torn.

Above is option #3. With this option their are two curtain rods hung parallel to the ceiling. I would put a small hook at the top to keep the curtains from sliding back down when closed. When the curtains are closed they'll block the entire window, but they won't hang parallel to the floor, like the picture shows. When they're open they'll allow all the light from the window, and hang at all the same length.

So there are my three options for hanging curtains in our room. Let me know your top choice and why you like it the best, and maybe why the other two options wouldn't look good/work. I know you are all much more creative than I am, so that's why I'm turning to you for your opinion. Also, if you think of a better way please let me know!

Also, below is a sneak peak of Boston's new room. We're still working on it, but we're excited what it's looking like so far. :)

And here's a picture of my little guy, busy at work. He's been super into coloring lately. He's very focused on staying inside the lines. :)

I'm Lovin' It!

2011-04-05T19:03:00.002-06:00

I love that I'm home now.
I love that when Boston wakes up in the morning we jump into my bed and just cuddle and hang out.
I love that I'm home with him so I can get huge hugs and kisses from him.
I love that he'll follow me around and just "talk" to me for hours. I love being able to play with him.
I love that I have time to make dinners again, and do laundry and a chore a day.
I love that Chris is happier since we can spend time together.
I love that I have time for projects, like making a quilt, or developing other talents.
I love that I can sit down and read a book.
I love that I can focus on things like my son and my husband with out being stressed or losing sleep because I still have homework.

I just love this time of my life.

Seriously.

I'M DONE!!!!

2011-03-30T21:20:00.002-06:00

I feel like a saga has come to an end! I started my quest to finish school at the beginning of 2003, and 8 years later, I'm finally done! Today, I finished my senior project and my portfolio! Everything is ready to go, tomorrow is my last class, and on April 7th I will have my exit interview.
I'm so glad I stuck it out. In the end it was completely worth it! I'm going to have a SUPER BIG CELEBRATION!!!!

Yay for being done with school and moving on with my life!!

Precious

2011-03-21T07:40:00.003-06:00

I did pictures for my good friend Samantha of her daughter Airis. This little girl is the most adorable thing I've ever see!! We got some great pictures, but I think this one is my favorite!

Made My Day...

2011-03-21T07:29:00.003-06:00

I'm officially DONE with Student Teaching! I have learned so much! On friday I graded a bunch of papers and quickly began to feel like I had learned more than my students. I was kind of down and feeling like a horrible teacher when I saw the following note on my computer.

Front: I'll Miss You

Inside:
Dear Mrs. Adams,
I am very sad that you are leaving. I hope that you had the best time with us. I've had trubles with math and you have helped me if I didn't get something. I hope you remember me and the class! I will miss you! I've never felt like a teacher liked me but you never yell, you are ALWAYS nice and don't ever get mad. I've loved you as a teacher and I will never forget you!!

From Lauren

P.S. You are always funny and sweet and you do a lot of fun things with us. Plase come visit us! You come anytime you want. I am very proud of what you did hear and I would even say you changed my life. I hope you fined the pirfect job for you even if it means beaing a mom. I know you will have a next good year. I'm going to miss you! Buena Suerte!

I almost cried when I read it! It seriously made my day, and helped me feel like I wasn't a failure! I love being a teacher, and little things that make it all worth it. That same day I got many more notes saying similar things. So sweet. I'm kind of sad that I won't be teaching, but the joy of getting to be a full-time mom makes that sadness go away. :D

You probably already know...

2011-03-12T16:50:00.002-07:00

"A girl?!!? I might 'a known she'd have a girl!"

Quick, what's that from? (hint, it was one of my favorite movies when I was little)

So if you haven't already heard on facebook, I'm pregnant, and we found out yesterday it's a girl. We are beyond thrilled!!! Last night, I spent most of my time thinking about how to decorate the nursery and Boston's new room. Now, if I can only think of a way to PAY for my new ideas. lol.
We have a first name and are stuck on a middle name. Madison is the first and some options for the middle are: Rachel, Kate, Kaylee, and Faith. Maybe we're a little bit ahead of ourselves, but we can't help it. What do you think would be a good middle name? (You don't have to pick from what I posted)

Boston has no idea what's coming. Every time Chris asks Boston where mommy's baby is, he points to himself and looks at Chris like, "I'm right here dad, why would you ask such a dumb question?"

Speaking of Boston, he's had a rough few days. It's the first time in his little life that he's been super sick. He's been throwing up, had diarrhea, a cough, and a fever that was hovering between 102 and 104 and that's with Tylenol! Thursday night was the roughest, and I stayed up with him all night trying to keep his fever down so we wouldn't have to take him to the E.R. I finally got him settled enough to sleep for a bit around 5am. I stayed home Friday to take care of him and take him to the doctor should his fever not come down. Today has been better. He's only thrown up once, so far hasn't had much of a fever, and he ate TWO individual fruit snacks! This was a big development because he has refused to eat anything at all since Wednesday. I'm hanging out with him at home tonight and going to see if I get get him to eat. Wednesday he had a 6 hour nap, and today he's slept 5 hours. I figure if that's what his little body needs than go for it.

I've got exactly 7 days of student teaching left, and I'm so ready to be done! It has been an amazing experience, and I've learned and grown so much from it. However, I feel that I'm ready to move on to the next phase in my life and focus on just being a mom. So while I'm sad to not be able to teach, the happiness I feel about being a stay at home mom makes everything else seem less important. :)

Change

2011-03-06T14:29:00.002-07:00

I guess I loved my calling way too much because I got released today. I was a teacher in the Relief Society, and I LOVED it. I've only been there for about 5 or 6 months, and now they're putting me in Primary with the 4-year old class.
It's good. 4 year olds will be energetic and fun, but I will really miss teaching in RS.

Half Way Point

2011-02-07T22:30:00.003-07:00

5 weeks down and only 5 weeks to go!!

This is really starting to get more and more fun. The more control over the classroom I have the better it gets. Probably because I'm bossy and a control freak, and what's more fun than bossing around 28 eleven year olds all day long? lol. ;) Ok, so I don't boss them around.
In fact, I find that if I'm not careful they're the ones bossing me around...ok that's not entirely true either, but trust me, they would if they could. They are constantly trying to distract me and get me off topic.

But what they don't realize is that I was once a 5th grade student as well...and let's be honest, even in recent semesters I've used this tactic with teachers. :)

So I know their tricks and I won't be sucked in, unless I choose to. :) I've discovered one of their favorite things to learn is phrases in other languages. So I use that as a bribe. If at the end of the day they have done awesome I will spend a minute or two teaching them a phrase in Spanish or French to take home and teach to their parents.
I have also introduced some Spanish games my mom plays in her class, ok just one, but they love it.
I'm teaching every subject but one, and I'll pick that up next week. Wahoo. :)
My favorite subject right now is persuasive writing. I just started them as reporters for the true story of the 3 little pigs. Today they got the inside scoop from A. Wolf and on Thursday they will hear the pigs side of the story. They will pick a side and write a newspaper article basically trying to persuade readers of either the pigs story or the wolf's. Once they are edited and ready for publishing we will illustrate and hang them in the hall so they will officially be published. It's fun stuff.
It's late, and I really should be finishing up my literature book for the meeting tomorrow with the book group, and reading the first chapter of Two Tickets To Freedom, which is an amazing true story of a slave woman who dressed as a white plantation owner and bought tickets to the north for herself and her husband and their escape to England, since I'm supposed to teach a lesson on it tomorrow.
But I'll be honest, I needed a break from planning, and although I'm going to regret it at 5:30 tomorrow morning when I have to get up, right now it's needed. So I'm blogging, and listening to Glee, Little & Ashley and Ryan Innes.
Speaking of Ryan Innes if you haven't heard of him I feel bad for you. He's a local guy with an incredible talent. My sister and my good friend Broderick introduced me to him and I listen to him all the time now. His voice makes me happy. Next To You is probably my favorite song of his. It's just refreshing. Call To Arms is also good, and actually all of his stuff is fantastic.
I'm gaining weight like crazy right now, but that makes sense with the way I've been eating. I should probably reign it in, but part of me figures that once I'm done being pregnant I'll have to go back to my healthier ways and have things that I truly love (like french fries) every once in a while, so I may as well enjoy it now while I don't feel quite so guilty.
Speaking of good food, Chris and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary this weekend. It was awesome. We kicked it off by going to Cheesecake Factory, and the 60 minute wait was totally worth it! We spent the night in a hotel and then got up early and went to do a session and sealings at the Salt Lake Temple. It was awesome! I loved hearing the promises in the sealing ceremony, especially since 4 years ago I was just trying not to cry that I didn't get all of it. That night we went to P.F. Changs, also awesome and worth the 50 minute wait. Afterward we rented Redbox and went back to the hotel. Oh did I mention the first night we were squeezed into a full size bed? Never again. The second night we got bumped up to a king. Much nicer. Sunday we came home and enjoyed time with friends.
The men watched football and the women tried to talk over 6 screaming and hyper kids. They had been running all over the house when my sister went upstairs and saw it. My walls had become masterpieces. lol. They all took part in it, each taking a wall or a door and gave me some lovely new artwork. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I'm sure Boston enjoyed every minute of it. Luckily it all came off fairly easy.
Boston also shocked me when he climbed up on our counter height chairs and then got back down as if he'd done it a million and a half times. See he's not a climber, but he saw some of the other kids doing it and after a few times of watching he popped right up there like a pro. So much for my time out chair. Oh well. Also bound to happen eventually. lol.
Wow this has turned into a beast. Sorry about that. I guess I had more to say than I thought. Thanks for the break. :)
I'm heading back to my lesson planning but I'm not so secretly wishing I could be in bed instead. Oh well. In 5 weeks! :D

Funny Moment. (To me at least.)

2011-02-01T15:54:00.003-07:00

I'm sitting here in my classroom after having the kids to myself all day. I'm wiped out. It was a lot of fun and I had to be a big meanie sometimes, but overall I think it went pretty well.
During the last hour of the day I only have half the kids. We were going over How to Read Maps and studying a map of Florida. I was asking them certain questions and they were having to use the information given to them in the key to find the answer. At one point I decided to throw something new at them and ask them a question from a caption on the map.
Me: "What is the most important industry in Florida?"
Student A: "Tourism!"
Student B looking very confused: "What? Tourism is the most important?"
Me: "Who can tell me what tourism is?"
Student B: "Isn't that where people kill each other?"

Other students around me say things like "That's what I thought."
I realize the students are all thinking Terrorism not tourism is the most important industry in Florida. lol.
So we take a minute to clarify between tourism and terrorism as well as what a tourist is verses a terrorist. I couldn't help but giggle to myself. They are just so funny. :)

What Makes Me Happy

2011-01-28T21:30:00.003-07:00

You can't listen to this and tell me you didn't smile once and feel happy at the end. Don't even look at the pictures. Just close your eyes and listen. (Ignore that first 15 seconds when it's the name of the company and not the actual song.)

Eden Roc by Ludovico Einaudi

Life is good.

2011-01-01T21:16:00.006-07:00

The last two weeks have been awesome. I wish Chris could be home with us all the time.

Some good friends of ours came to visit and their little boy left this cute Santa hat. Boston has worn it almost everyday since. He finds it, puts it on and just lounges in it. This is pretty amazing since the kid hates clothes. :)

Today he really loved just hanging out with me and Chris and watching football. He had his mom, a soft blanket, and his football. Life (for him) couldn't get better!

Update/Christmas Card

2010-12-22T16:59:00.002-07:00

So I haven't really been in a blogging mood lately. Not sure why, but let's be honest, who really cares what I write here. It's not like it changes the world or anything. On the other hand it is a nice way to keep in touch with my favorite people, all 7 of you who read this. lol.

Yes, I am preganant! I'm 10 weeks along and we saw the baby on Monday. It is definitely a boy or girl. The doctor said he's quite sure and never been wrong yet. So here's hoping right? :) I'm due July 20th, however, Chris leaves for Paris on the 19th and can't change it so we're planning on bringing this baby here around the 13th so he has time to get me through the hospital and home. My mom will come and take over from there. Thank Heavens for Moms! We're really excited! When I say we I mean Chris and myself. Boston could really care less. He has no idea how much his little world will change next summer. I'm feeling a little guilty for making him share me. I'm sure we'll all adjust just fine, just like we did when Boston came.

Chris is loving his job, and frankly so am I. He gets two weeks off at Christmas, and did I mention it's PAID time off, not using any vacation days? It's especially nice because while I'm in school he gets ignored and I end up taking out my stress on him. So it's nice to just hangout and get life steady again.

I have one semester left in school and I wish I could pay triple tuition instead of actually doing it. Luckily, being with the kids is the fun part so I'm sure it will fly by.

We are ready for Christmas at our house. I discovered that it's very easy to buy for Boston. It seems like every time I go to the store I come back with a new Christmas present for him. It's bad. I know he could receive one thing and be thrilled, but I can get a little carried away sometimes. Chris, on the other hand, was very had to buy for. If I could get him anything I would get him an ipad. Maybe when dropping $800 without cringing becomes an easy thing to do I'll do it. lol.

2010 has been an amazing year for our family and we truly feel so blessed. I hope that 2011 is just as awesome. We are so thankful for the Gospel, prayer, the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives. We know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and are so humbled for what He did for us. We know that it is through the power of the Atonement that we will return and live with our Heavenly Father again one day and be able to be an eternal family. We pray that 2011 brings nothing but joy to you all. We love you all and are so incredibly thankful to have you all in our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

*I wasn't intending for this to be in Christmas card style, but it worked out well:) )

Hi.

2010-12-03T09:22:00.002-07:00

I thought I would jump on and just say hi to my friends and family. I'm so thankful for you all in my life!!

Best Pumpkin Cake Ever!!!

2010-11-20T10:57:00.003-07:00

If you want something that is going to be melt in your mouth, can hardly stop eating kind of dessert for Thanksgiving that's a step above the usual pumpkin pie you've got to try this. Trust me it will change the way you think about pumpkin. Even pumpkin haters LOVE this pie and have asked me for the recipe. :) My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Even if I had a picture it wouldn't do it justice.

Pumpkin Cake

Crust:
1 pkg yellow cake mix, minus one cup (must be dry for topping)
1 egg
1cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Beat with spoon and press into greased 9x13 pan

Filling
1 30oz can pumpkin pie mix (make sure it the pie mix and not just pumpkin)
2 eggs
2/3 cup evaporated milk (a 5oz can)

Mix together well and pour over crust

Topping:
1 cup dry yellow cake mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 TBS cold butter cut up into pieces

Mix dry ingredients then add the butter. Using two knives slice through the butter over and over until a crumb mixture is formed. Sprinkle over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes (if it's glass pan 325) or until the center is set and top is golden brown.

Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

I love it when...

2010-11-18T16:24:00.002-07:00

I love when I come home to this.

To Die For...

2010-11-08T15:49:00.002-07:00

Want a pizza that is truly melt in your mouth and honestly truly to die for?
Trust me it's easy and totally worth it!!!

From The Pioneer Woman. She's a new love of my life. (Along with melskitchencafe)

Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto Pizza

SIDE NOTE: The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added a thinly sliced tomatoe, tons of spinach, and substituted the Prosciutto for Turkey bacon and it was still a party in my mouth!!!

If you do one thing in your life, try this.

My little Dragon

2010-10-30T23:00:00.006-06:00

Boston LOVED Halloween. We saw this Dragon costume and he ran up to it and started "Ooing." I thought it was so cute that I just had to get it. He loves it and has pretty much been wearing it for the last two days, hood and everything. We took him to the houses on our street and after about 3 houses he got it. He started running between the houses, ran right up to the front door and knocked. When they opened he would point to the candy bowl, I would say "take just one." He would take one, and drop it in his candy bucket, smile, and run to the next house laughing the whole way. I loved it! It was a Halloween to remember!

He was fascinated by the Jack-O-lanterns and had to be right by his dad the entire time he put the candles in.

When we got home he stood at the door and begged to go back out. We had to bribe him with candy to get him stay in.

He had so much fun with Broderick and Chris eating candy Obviously. I let him pick three pieces and go at it. He was up for a while on a sugar high afterwards, but he eventually crashed I'm sure dreaming of next year.

Kiersten

2010-10-27T22:13:00.005-06:00

This is my sister-in-law Kiersten. She is beautiful and sweet and we love her! Boston gets so excited every time she walks in the room. I can't believe she's a senior this year. When Chris and I started dating she was 10. 10!!! I can't believe how quickly time goes. Anyway, here are some of her senior pictures we did. She is beautiful! We love you Kiersten!

The Role of Governement....

2010-10-22T12:15:00.003-06:00

Last night I went to a big band concert with my mom, grandma, and sister. It was so much fun! One song was about what it means to be American, and I realized halfway through that I was uncomfortable listening to it!!! The moment I realized that I realized what an effect everything has on me. That so much of what we hear about the Governement and America seems to be numbing. Patriotism seems to be looked down on as something that is wrong and ignorant. The idea of America is changing so rapidly (I Have felt this for some time) but I also thought it wasn't really as bad as I thought. That it wasn't a big deal, and people, the American People, wouldn't let things get so bad.
Then I had my moment of feeling uncomfortable with a patriotic song and I realized we, the good people of America, are not doing anything to protect patriotism and what our county stands for.
My cousin sent me this talk and it is eye-opening and incredible. This is what she had to say about it.
Hi family and friends who I adore and love,

This morning I listened to one of President Benson's talks. The one that jumped out to me was:
"The Proper Role of Government."

This is one of the most profound speeches about government that I have ever heard or read (and I love political books and lectures!). Such marvelous brilliance, clarity, and foresight.

Please take some time today to listen to it or read it.

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1636

I echo her sentiments and am asking you to please read this. With Elections coming up, especially right now, it is imperative that we are prepared and know exactly who and what we are voting for. It's going to take some time, but I plan on going through my VOTE UTAH information pamphlet I received and looking up each candidate to find out what they stand for. I also plan on reading each of the Amendments so that I know what going on.
Last time I voted I knew about one topic, and wanted to vote on that. This time it's not enough.
Listening to President Benson's talk really opened my eyes to how close we really are to socialism and becoming everything our forefathers fought against.

Sorry to be on a soap box, but this is something that has been on my mind lately and I really felt like I've had my eyes opened and am no longer willing to be a complacent citizen.

Three Things

2010-10-10T20:44:00.003-06:00

We had a great and very inspired lesson today in Relief Society and I thought I'd share it with you all.
We talked about three things we need to Cultivate in our lives to become more of who we want to be. if you want the definition: Foster the growth of/prepare for/work the soil/nurture/tend/educate/teach/refine/consciously pursue/focus on/bestow time or attention for self-improvement or for the benefit of others/advancement. President Hinkley used this word all the time when addressing the Saints.

1. Happiness. Happiness is something that the majority of us truly have to cultivate. We have to work on it daily. We choose it. Elder jack deJager said "Words such as reap, restored, and desire imply that happiness is a consequence, not a reward. We are restored to a state of happiness when we have chosen to live according to the plan of happiness. Our joy in God's kingdom will be a natural extension of the happiness we CULTIVATE in this life...Striving for happiness is a long, hard journey with many challenges. It requires eternal vigilance to win the victory. You cannot succeed with sporadic little flashes of effort." So what do you DO to bring happiness in to your life?
Some people said serving others, one woman said "do the opposite of unhappy people", some said smile even if you don't feel like it, and so on. As I was listening to what other people were saying I thought about what brings happiness into my life. I've noticed there are three things that can really impact my happiness. First, a clean house. When my house isn't clean I feel gloomy. I also tend to snap at the people I love a little more. Second is exercise. If I don't exercise I feel yucky and lethargic. And I tend to snap at the people I love a little more. Third, is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. When I'm ignoring it I'm annoyed easily, and tend to snap at everybody.
When I have these three things in order I am truly much happier, and easier to be around.
So I want to think about the things that help you to feel happy and start doing them!

2. Holy Ghost: What effect does the Holy Ghost have on you? Does it make you angry? Mad, depressed or scared? NO! It "inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature...inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, charity, develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates...strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short...marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being." Parley P. Pratt.
What are you DOING to Cultivate the Holy Ghost in your life? These last few days I turned off the T.V. and just enjoyed silence. At first it was semi-annoying since Chris was gone, but soon I was able to have some very special experiences and even some personal revelation. I'm thankful for that. Have you ever met anybody that exudes the Holy Ghost? I have and it's amazing to be around.

3. Temple: You need to Cultivate a love for the temple. Think about this. As you attend the Temple you are inviting the Spirit into your life, and if you have the spirit in your life you will be happy. That is a fruit of the spirit. Maybe you say you don't have time to do a full session once a week. Do Initiatories. There are some other things you can do that take less time but you still receive all of the blessings. This is something that I have to work on. I love the temple, but it took multiple trips for me to love it. The teacher asked us What are you SACRIFICING to get there? That hit me. I'm not sacrificing anything. I go when it's convenient. Our teacher said that she was going once a month, and at the same time struggling with some things in her life. So she took it to Heavenly Father and asked Him what to do. She felt the question of sacrifice asked to her. She decided one of the things she could sacrifice was sleep. Yup. Sleep. She gets up once a week at 4:45 am, and is home by 7:30 am. To me that's amazing and inspiring. So I'm thinking of ways that I can get to the temple more often, and if not with Chris then by myself.

I know this is a long post but I felt like it was worth sharing. Sometimes we feel like something is missing in our life and I really believe that as we work on these three things we will find that we feel more complete and fulfilled. Suddenly what we feel is one of life's gargantuan problems becomes more like an average thunderstorm and conquerable.

I'm really going to try to work on these three things. I'll let you know how it goes in a month. :)

Dear Whoever is listening.

2010-10-03T08:41:00.003-06:00

Dear all who want to listen to me vent.

Have you ever felt like when you really commit to something life throws everything against you to make you fail?

It happened to me this last week. I need to get out of my weight slump I've been in all summer so I started doing P90x and really trying to be careful what I ate...then the weekend happened. Boating (Yay!) but Pizza and ice cream through a wrench in that day. It's ok, I've got a little wiggle room, I'll just do better tomorrow.

So I start the day off cleaning, forgot to eat breakfast. Oh well. Today is going to be a big food day (conference & Priesthood) so I'm going to make good decisions today. Lunch with some friends at zupas. Dinner at Cafe Rio with the in-laws and I cut out the tortilla, 3/4 of the dressing, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla strips. The workers looked at me like I was crazy. lol. I don't care, I'm being healthy. At least I thought.
Then to my grandma's house for dessert. Yes I taste the three different kinds of soups there, but I've eaten so all I do is taste.

I made a peanut butter & chocolate pudding cake for dessert, which lucky for me didn't turn out the way I had expected, so I only had a little of that. My mom's peach cobbler was to die for, so I helped myself to a little more of that, and then topped it all with ice cream. Yeah I know. Not a great thing to do if you're loosing weight.

I thought I had done pretty decent for myself at the end of the day, all things considered. I ate two salads, a small sandwich, and some dessert.

I woke up this morning and stepped on the scale to find out that IN ONE DAY I gained 3.5 pounds. Ok, I know you're all laughing to yourselves thinking 3.5 pounds? Who cares? That's nothing to stress about. Since when did you become obsessed over something so little.

To the average person not trying to lose weight, 3.5 pounds is no big deal. But to the person who is struggling to lose weight that's an extra 10500 calories that we have to work off! 3.5 pounds takes me about 2.5 weeks to burn off. Lame. After my zupas trip i had spent 26 of my 25 points, cafe rio added another 9 and everthing else put me at a grand total of 76 points for the entrire day. No wonder I gained a couple pounds.

I'm now officially boy-cotting zupas since they don't offer Nutritional info and if you really want it you have to search forever online to find it or find the nearest thing. Zupas I love you, but you are dead to me for the next little while. I feel so betrayed. But mostly by myself.

I know better than to assume that a salad and a small sandwich with no cheese is a healthier option than a burger. Lame. Well, today is a new day and I'm starting over. I think I'll start a weight counter on the side, and post it every week so you all can help me shape up.

Thanks for listening,

Love me.

Fantastic Veggie Burrito!!!

2010-09-30T20:23:00.004-06:00

So last night I made a to die for curry and have been looking forward to the left overs all day today. I had some for lunch and was excited to have some more for dinner. Before my weight watchers meeting I decided to check out how many points this curry was including the naan bread that you eat with it. 18 point. That's right. For one serving! 18 out of my 25 points all day! I brushed it off and went to weight watchers thinking "I'll eat it when I get home, use my 35 points and start over tomorrow." During my meeting I realized that if I really want to get to my my next weight goal I need to choose not to eat that curry. I had a 20 minute conversation with myself on the way home about all the reasons why I wasn't going to eat that curry.

So when I got home I pulled out a whole grain, whole wheat tortilla. Low-fat refried beans, an onion, a jalepeno, a green pepper, and garlic. I added a couple things some things for flavor and sat down to the yummiest burrito I've eaten for a really long time! By eating the veggie burrito instead of the curry I saved myself 14 points! Here's how to make it!

Yummy Veggie Burrito (makes 1, and this is a rough estimate of what I threw in, you can adjust according to what you like)

1 tsp Safflower oil.
1/4 onion sliced
1 jalepeno diced into little pieces, seeded
1/4 Green Pepper thinly sliced
1 garlic clove diced into little pieces
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 TBS Worcestire Sauce
1 TBS original BBQ Sauce (Trust me this adds a sweetness but you can't even tell it's in there)
1/2 cup low-fat refried beans
1 whole wheat/whole grain tortilla (I've only found these at costco)
3 small slices of Mozarella cheese

Heat up the Safflower oil. Add all of the veggies on med-high heat. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add cumin, crushed red pepper, chili powder, and bbq sauce and pepper. Stir together then turn off heat and let sit. Pull out a tortilla, spread the refried beans over the entire thing (If you don't do the entire thing the edges get crispy). Break up the cheese and spread it over the beans. Pop it in the microwave for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, add the veggies, and salsa and knudsen's low-fat sour cream (if you want) and heat for 30 seconds. Wrap it all up and enjoy!

*I'm sure you could add more veggies if you wanted, I just threw in what I had.

Seriously guys please try this! It's filling, and you'll love it, I promise. And it doesn't take more than a few minutes!

I love it when...

2010-09-24T16:39:00.001-06:00

I love it when after Boston drinks from a regular cup he always goes "AHHHHH" afterwards.

Moves like you've never seen!

2010-09-23T16:40:00.003-06:00

These are a couple of my favorite shots that I had to share!

Shout out!

2010-09-20T19:42:00.002-06:00

This is a shout out to my wonderful friend Mandi and her husband Bryce! I'm so thankful that our husband's were mission companion and that they're in my life! We've got crazy lives so we don't get to hang out very often, but they're always there if we need them.
Today Mandi made dinner for us because she's been through the teaching program herself and knows how crazy it can get. When Bryce got here to drop of the food he said that the boys have had a really rough day. I am so thankful that she is so sweet. She is constantly putting others first, and is a real example to me with her always positive attitude! Dinner couldn't have come on a better night for me! Thank you so much!! We love you guys!

Boston's To Do List

2010-09-16T22:38:00.003-06:00

Hi Mom, it's me your only and favorite most adorable son Boston. I've noticed you have been calling me your little tornado lately, I'm not sure what that means but I think it has something to do with you cleaning up after me all the time.
You know mom, I've noticed that you've been pretty busy lately and I don't know why you insist on following me around and putting things I try to pull out for you away. SO in order to help you out I thought I'd let you see my daily check list. FYI I'm a pretty spontaneous guy and sometimes don't stick to it perfectly, but it should give you a pretty good idea of my plans for tomorrow.

1. Wake up at 4 am Check
2. Climb all over mom for the next three hours Check
3. Practice my Picasso impression out of my yogurt at breakfast Check
4. Turn my bath into my own personal toilet Double check (hehehe)
5. Throw clean and dirty clothes into the same pile at the bottom of the stairs and basically all over the house so you can't tell which is which Check
6. Eat whatever food I can get out of the kitchen garbage (even if it's moldy) Check
7. Pull things off the counter that are close to the edge check
8. Take out all of the pots and pans out of the cabinets Noisy check
9. Hide the measuring cups and silverware all over the kitchen check
10. Dump out any messy substance all over the kitchen floor check
11. Throw up on mom during Regional conference Check (this is a once in a while thing)
12. Throw at least 5 head banging/self-injury inflicting tantrums every day
12. Get into your mascara Check
13. Eat your mascara Check
14. Paint the carpet with your mascara Triple Check (it was beautiful, I'm particularly proud of this one)
15. Paint your new WHITE bedspread with your mascara Check
16. Scatter garbage all over Check
17. Dump Laundry soap wherever possible Check
18. Give you at least 1 kiss Check
19. Jump on you during your yoga workout Check
20. Give as many hugs as possible Check Check Check check check

Mom, we both know there is a lot more I can add to this list, and many things I won't think to add until you leave it out or leave a door open. Just know that I love you and I'm not trying to drive you and dad crazy.

Love,
Boston

A secret?

2010-09-02T17:27:00.003-06:00

Do you want to know where I'm blogging right now? Well if you guessed in the bathroom you would be correct. It seems like lately that's the only place I can get 5 minutes to myself. Even as I type this there are little fingers reaching under the door and some little person is yelling at me to either 1) let him in (not happening) 2) get out (also not happening...yet) I'll be honest, I rather enjoy the few minutes to just relax and not have to worry about what he's getting into or for how long he's been chewing on the toilet scrubber (a new favorite toy for him).
So while I have about one minute left before he has a melt down and starts slamming his head on the tile during said tantrum and because I don't want the massive bruise on his forehead to get any bigger I'll give you a quick update on life as we know it.
School is getting better. I have amazing teachers, and the classes are interesting. I'm trying to have a positive attitude and enjoy being back. I'm not working on changing my attitude about all of the large quantities of reading given to us, but I'll survive. I don't think anyone has ever died from reading. My classes are Literacy 2, Math methods, PE, ESL, Diferentiation, and Classroom management. Today for PE we got to have recess. A bunch of us played kick ball which was a blast.
Boston is having a hard time adjusting to being away from me and has become even clingy-er which I didn't think was possible. He's suddenly waking up at night and really moody all the time because he's apparently refusing to take naps. By the time I get him it's too late to put him down. But he too will adjust.
Chris is loving not having to go to school or do homework and is being very supportive of me. The other night I was so tired when I got home. Boston and I laid down on the couch and slept for almost 90 minutes. When I woke up the house was clean and dinner was ready. Remind to never complain about my husband again. He's wonderful.
So that's about it. The head slamming has commenced so I guess it's time I get back out there to my full time job.

Pure Joy

2010-08-28T11:57:00.002-06:00

Meet Joy. She is my cousin's sweet little girl. She had her while we were in California and were lucky enough to be able to capture some sweet pictures of her. Christy and James are beyond thrilled to have this little angel in their home. She's pretty lucky herself to go to a home with such amazing parents. :)

Quick and Easy Paninis

2010-08-27T12:37:00.004-06:00

So I've been craving Mexican like crazy lately (no I'm not pregnant) and so to take a small break form the deliciousness that is all food Mexican I decided to make paninis. These are my own creation but they are ridiculously easy and yummy! They're not horrible for you either...

This is actually filling and the flavors are awesome. We had some chicken left over and so I places it in the fridge. The next morning as I was rushing around getting ready for school I thought "what can I eat for lunch today?" Since the chicken was already cooked I was able to throw this sandwich together in less than 3 minutes. When I heated it up and took it out for lunch I had quite a few people tell me it smelled amazing. I told them it tasted as amazing as it smelled.

Anyway, make it. It's quick and easy and a husband pleaser. :) I'm about to go make one for myself right now as a matter of fact. I'm telling you it will become a family dinner staple.

Chicken spinach & tomato Pesto Paninis
Makes 6

1 loaf whole wheat/grain french bread (you can get this at walmart)
2 chicken breasts
1 jar sun dried tomato pesto
1 bag baby spinach
Swiss cheese slices
Salt & pepper (I like Lawry's Seasoning Salt)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook on stove top pan for 7-9 minutes on each side until chicken is cooked through and a little carmelization starts to happen on the chicken. Pull the chicken out, set it on a plate and tent with foil. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. While it's resting slice the french bread. Spreak pesto on both sides on the bread. Put half a slice of cheese on one half and spinach on the other half. Place the 2nd half of the cheese on the spinach. Slice the chicken into thin strips. Take 3-4 strips of chicken and lay on top of the spinach and cheese. Put the other side of the sandwich on the chicken and place in panini maker for two minutes. ( I Don't have a panini maker so I use a george forman grill).

Happiness

2010-08-25T21:43:00.003-06:00

School started today, so I'm going to do a post about things that make me happy.

This picture makes me happy

This baby makes me happy

And this wonderful man makes me happy.

Three in one night

2010-08-09T22:48:00.004-06:00

Yup third post tonight. I've now had four cookies and I'm just waiting for my movie to end before I go to bed. I wanted to post some pictures of the sky I took the night before that amazing/dreadful storm came through. I didn't mess with the colors or anything except to make it black and white which I felt was fitting. And the last photo is of Chris's cousin. I don't know if anyone could be more ready for a modeling career than she is. :)

late night rant

2010-08-09T22:03:00.002-06:00

I'm baking chocolate chip cookies. I've already eaten two and I'm already counting down until the next batch comes out of the oven so I can eat a third and then maybe just maybe a fourth. Let's not think about the amount of cookie dough I've eaten already. I'm pretty sure they're not weight watchers friendly.
To entertain myself while I'm using my extra 35 points this week in one sitting I'm watching one of my favorite movies Definitely Maybe. This movie makes me happy.
I felt like talking to somebody...but there's nobody here but me.
Actually it's a good thing. No seriously. I'm enjoying the quiet. Chris is completely wrapped up in Harry Potter which I think is super Sexy. Yes I'm a nerd. He tells me that all the time. But it's true. Now only do I think it's sexy that he's reading, but it's sexy that it's Harry Potter, and what's even sexier is that he can hardly put it down. Even right now I can hear our squeaky bed moving around as he's trying to get comfortable but he's still reading and it's been three hours. :D LOVE IT!!!
Boston is getting his molars and just wants to be cuddled all the time. I keep telling myself to soak it all in because he's not a cuddly baby. His favorite thing is to be wrapped up in his blanket and danced around the room to songs by Glee. I figured it's a fantastic work out because he's a 27 pound weight.
My sister is dating Chris's best friend which I'm totally excited about! I'm secretly hoping that they get married...actually I'm pretty sure it's not secret. I tell just about everybody and now I'm telling all of you. :) Chris would officially be brothers with his best friend. It doesn't get much cooler than that.
Let's see what else. I'm dreading school but let's not talk about that. If I don't think about it it won't happen. Right?
The timer just went off so I'm off to enjoy another melt in my mouth cookie! This night couldn't get much better!

Events in the Adams family.

2010-08-09T21:32:00.002-06:00

This kid left on his mission to Santa Rosa, California.

We are seriously going to miss him. Especially Chris. Those two were thick as thieves. We are so proud of him and excited for what he's supposed to go through. He is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. Is it bad we're already counting down? lol.

This girl...

got baptized. We are so proud of her as well! All of this happened with in a week and a half. We have been busy and happy and sad all once. Awesome stuff.

I figured it out!

2010-08-06T10:06:00.003-06:00

So I'm sure all of you are spectacular at keeping your house clean while doing everything else you have to do in life. I bet most of you figured it out a long time ago.
Well on the off chance there are any of you out there who get behind and suddenly one day you look around and see that your house is a disaster and are overwhelmed by how to clean it and keep it clean this is for you.
A couple weeks ago I was so overwhelmed by how gross my house felt and realized my current system wasn't doing much to help (the current system being that I would do minimal things during the week and then one day when I couldn't handle it any more I would spend 4-5 hours cleaning everything and still not get done).
So I created a little system which has worked wonders in our house, with my mood, and with my time. My house stays amazingly clean and the laundry gets done!
I thought I'd share this with any of you who may struggle like me. It takes no more than 30 minutes a day but it makes a huge difference. I promise it works!

Monday:
Vacuum carpet
baseboards and doors
One load of laundry

Tuesday:
Dust
One load of laundry
Straighten Bedrooms

Wednesday:
Sweep/Mop tile floors
One load of Laundry
Take out garbages

Thursday:
One load of laundry
Toilets

Friday:
Tubs
One load of laundry
Plan next weeks meals

Saturday:
Sinks
One load of laundry
grocery shopping

So there you go. It's saved me so much time during the week and it's kept the house pretty much spotless. It's made my life easier, and Boston even helps aka follow me around pulling things out of drawers.

Hail NO!

2010-08-04T20:51:00.002-06:00

Can you believe this rain and hail? We sure couldn't. It couldn't have come at a worse time. We just finished our yard and the hydroseed has only been down for a week. So when this hail came and the street turned into a river and our back yard turned into a lake there was nothing to keep the dirt in it's place. This lovely storm carried away so much of our dirt that in some parts of our yard the ground was eroded even below the sprinkler pipe! When we realized that the water was carrying our dirt down the street Chris ran out there with a large piece of cardboard to try and divert the water. It worked until the hail got to be about nickel size and was hurting Chris. We tried to put paint cans out there to divert the water, and it helped but the damage was already done and because the hail was so large and the water running through our yard was so strong that really in the end all we could do was watch as our Hydroseed and dirt was washed away. When it all stopped and we were surveying the damage to our yard we noticed that the neighbor's trampoline had been blown up against our fence. At first it looked like it had put a hole in it, but on closer examination we saw it was just bent, but in one piece.
When it was all over I cried. Sure did. Luckily, the Hydroseed guy said he would come and redo our entire yard for free. The landscaper guy is coming tomorrow morning with new dirt to try and fix the chunks that are missing in the front and in the back. It's going to cost us $ to fix it, but it's got to be fixed. Lame.
On a side note my brother backed into my car which now has a massive dent in the passenger side door. So that's going to have to wait to be fixed since the yard needs to be fixed asap so all the work done isn't lost.
Life has a funny sense of humor sometimes. The one thing that kept us smiling today was Boston. While we were horrified to watch our yard be washed away, he thought the hail and especially dad be pelted by the hail was quite comical. Oh sweet innocence. It must be so wonderful to only see the good in things. :)

Cool Stuff

2010-07-29T14:15:00.000-06:00

Check this guy out. He does wedding videos and I think he's awesome!

http://www.kalefitchfilms.com

I did it!

2010-07-20T22:18:00.002-06:00

I HIT 50 POUNDS TODAY!!!!

I'M BEYOND EXCITED!!!!!

Ready...Set...

2010-07-13T14:24:00.002-06:00

Go!...no really....GO! Any time now. GO. Go? Please? For the love of...GO! Ehhhh, we'll try again tomorrow.

This is what I happens everyday lately. I wake up all inspired to begin a and commit to being "a little better today than yesterday" but as the day goes on I find I just can't get moving. I mean I get out of bed and all that, but I find myself overindulging and doing everything I can to not work out. Suddenly my day that started out pumped up is deflated.
I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about. Let me see if I can put it into a picture for you.
You wake up, put on your work out clothes and eat a healthy breakfast. You clean the house get your kids looking cute and ready for the day then suddenly the house is a mess, you clean it up. It's a mess again, you clean it up again. Kids down for a nap, you think to yourself "I have my workout clothes on, but I've got time to clean and do laundry or workout." As you start to do one or the other you realize you're tired so you give up and take a nap knowing full well your one chance to workout and really clean is gone. Kids wake up and you just surrender and think. Tomorrow I'll get everything done...
I need a drill sergeant or something to get me going again...

Maybe I'll look into it tomorrow...

:)

Balloons, Parade, and My Cute Boy!

2010-07-07T21:22:00.007-06:00

(This is a long picture post)

We had a fantastic 4th...actually 5th...it felt like the 4th. :)

We started the day at 4:45 a.m. Chris and I woke up and got ready for the balloon festival. We woke Boston around 5:15 and headed out. He was not happy about the early morning wake up call but it's tradition and we thought he'd like it.
Once we got there he took a few minutes to get used to things but after that he loved watching the balloons fill with air and take off. Chris was equally impressed. He had never been before and I grew up with this tradition. It's one I look forward to every year.

After the Balloon festival we headed over to our usually family spot for the Provo Parade. Boston loved the fire trucks, and motorcycle cops, but he loved playing with his cousins most of all.

I love being able to pass along these fun traditions to my son and continue them with my family!

I know this is already a long post, but I had to add these pictures in. Isn't he the cutest? He walked around in his dad's hat all day just waiting for him to get home from work.

Baby Brother...Married

2010-07-06T10:09:00.001-06:00

He's married and very much in love. :)

Bad Mom Moment

2010-06-20T08:16:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had a bad mom moment? I have, but yesterday's was a doosey(?).
I was at The mall with my mom shopping for an outfit to wear to my brother's wedding. Boston was wondering around and I was following. We were upstairs in Nordstroms when Boston decided he wanted to go down the escalator. So I figured I would intercept him before he got there and take him back to where my mom and the sales woman was. So I playfully scooped him up and threw him high up in the air (you know like all parents do with their kids). Apparently I let go of him a little too late so instead of going straight up and back down in front of me, he went OVER MY HEAD behind me. Realizing the error I made and trying to catch him before he landed on his head I reached up and grabbed his arm and tried to pull him safely back into my arms. I quickly realized that there was no way I would be able to catch him so I tried to hold on to his arm and slow his fall but it didn't work. He was falling too fast for me to get a good grip and he slipped right through my hands and landed about two feet away from me on the tile floor. The whole time he was in the air I was praying that he wouldn't land on his head, and some how (angels) he landed on his bottom and then his head hit the tile.
I ran over and scooped my terrified, hurt and screaming baby up. His little face looked like he had just been betrayed by the person he trusted most in the world. Suddenly I was surrounded by a group of women, workers and my mom. I was crying as hard as he was I felt so bad. One woman said as she rubbed my arm "He'll be ok, I saw him, he didn't hit his head that hard. It scared him more than anything." A worker asked me if I needed to sit down while another offered to get me a drink. My mom was right there hugging Boston and I. One woman started to tear up because I was so upset by what happened.
Boston cried and just held me as tight as he could for about 30 minutes. I cried for 15 minutes and just felt like the crappiest mom ever. Who is so dumb to throw their baby OVER their head. I've played that game with him a million times so I'm not quite sure what went wrong this time other than a didn't let go in time and was walking at the same time...I don't know.
I'm so thankfully that kids are so loving and trusting of their parents that even when we do things like throw them over our head and drop them on a tile floor they still love us.
He's fine and back to being his happy and adorable self. I'm back to being his favorite person in the whole world.

Cougar, Hailey & Heidi

2010-06-16T12:39:00.005-06:00

Cougar was fantastic! He slept through almost the entire thing. He was so patient with us as we move him around. Hailey and Heidi were my special helpers. They are such great big sisters! Tiffany's joy for life has certainly been passed on to her kids! So much fun!

New Favorite Website

2010-06-15T10:33:00.002-06:00

So my friend posted this website on her blog, and after 5 minutes I was hooked. It's a cooking blog. Last night for dinner I made Smoked Turkey Brie and Apple Paninis they were awesome! I've got two weeks worth of menus from this site already planned out. I'm so excited to make them!
I love it because most of the ingredients I already have in stock. Check it out!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com

Tonight I'm making Tender Grilled Pork Chops.

Full Report

2010-06-10T10:44:00.007-06:00

Trip to Tucson: My dad was in the hospital in Tucson and what started out as something serious mysteriously went away. He wasn't allowed to eat anything for 4 days so when they finally gave him the green light to eat "anything he wanted" he sent me straight to McDonalds for a Large #1 Bigmac Combo.
I felt like a criminal carrying such horrible food into a sick man's room at the hospital. But he's my dad, how can you say no to your dad when he's in the hospital?

I also read Dan Brown's the Lost Symbol. Honestly I was disappointed in this book. It was completely predictable. Normally he has me on the edge of my seat, but with this book I was trying not to fall asleep. In fact I didn't even finish the last three chapters because I just couldn't get motivated to sit through it.
Being a stay at home mom: BEST JOB EVER!!!! Every day is busy busy busy, but I love it. He always keeps me on my toes and I am constantly laughing as he discovers new things. Yesterday I got distracted editing some photos (very distracted). I suddenly realized that it had been extremely quiet for a long time. Here is the trail of destruction I followed to find the culprit.

And taking pictures. I love it! I really could spend all my time doing it! Here are a couple I took in Tucson

What have I been up to?

2010-06-02T13:21:00.003-06:00

Trip to Tucson: Taught me how much I value family and how quickly things can change.
Reading: Sometimes when everybody says it's an awesome book it isn't.
Being Mom: This is the BEST job in the whole wide world!!!
Cleaning: It never ends with a toddler around.
Taking pictures: I learn more and more with each picture!
AND...
Painting my room: It's been scary and a no turning back kind of thing...still not completed but I'm liking it more and more. The change is refreshing.

Pictures of all fo the above to come!

A taste of what's to come...

2010-05-17T16:42:00.002-06:00

This is for my mom, and the lovely couple!
Thanks to Dayna for giving me great tips and showing me this amazing place!

Can't handle it!

2010-05-13T17:19:00.001-06:00

Can you even handle this cuteness?