Thank you

I just want to say thank you to all of you who care about me. I am so blessed to have so many friends who expressed their concern about my stress level. :) I have great news. Heavenly Father heard my prayers (and yours) and things are so much better.
First of all, Boston suddenly started going to bed around 7! That's right 7!!!And he will only be up for about 15 to 20 minutes around 4:30am and then go back to bed until 8ish! AHHHHHHH! (heavenly chorus singing) Because of this blessed change of events I am now getting what I consider to be a full nights sleep! On top of that because my little stonian (nick name) is going to bed so early, I have time to do my homework and clean a little. It's been wonderful. He also suddenly decided that he doesn't like to be rocked to sleep any more, he just wants to be put down in his bed and he'll go to sleep. Brilliant isn't it? I think so.





Chris has also stepped it up. He'll take a night on the weekend so I can sleep straight through...well that's the idea...I still always wake up with Boston, and don't go back to sleep until Chris is back in bed, but it's only 20 minutes. :)
My sister Mary also got a job in Eagle Mountain so she moved in with us. It has been wonderful having another set of hands in the house to help with Boston or clean the kitchen. I'm loving it. It's not very good for her Social life, so we're encouraging her to go to the local singles ward but she's pretty hesitant about it.
I also got a new cell phone! My cell phone's buttons stopped working, and we got so sick of my phones breaking we decided that instead of getting a new cell phone on KSL, we would buy a completely new phone. It's really nice. It's a touch screen and a megapixel camera all in one. It's pretty cool. but mostly it's nice having a new phone. I feel so hip...which probably shows my lameness because I'm even saying that. lol.
School has slowed down a little the last couple weeks, it's still busy, but it's been a nice little break before things get crazy hectic again while we get ready to be in the school. I start my first semester in student teaching in November and for part of the day we will have 37 students in the class! But we met them already and they're pretty cool, also we have an amazing teacher with us.

California Love

And Here is a quick review of our trip to California. Drove to CA, Boston did pretty well, but has now discovered he hates his car seat. lol. We saw my cute cousin and her new husband and did a little shopping. We went to 6 flags with a group of friends. We all took turns holding Boston, and are so old that by 5 we were all worn out and decided to leave. lol. We also went to the beach where Boston enjoyed dipping his toes in the waves and Chris swam with a shark. No Joke. I was holding Boston on the beach watching Chris, our friends, and some surfers play in the waves. Suddenly the surfers get out of the water and I hear them say "Is that a fin?" as they point towards where Chris was. Sure enough there was a massive black fin with in 5 feet of my husband. I didn't know whether I should scream out shark or if I could just get their attention and get them to get out of the water. Luckily it disappeared after a minute and the surfers got back in the water and I still have a husband. With in 10 minutes the shark helicopters were flying over head, searching the area. They didn't find the shark. We stayed at a friends house which was wonderful. The only thing that wasn't our favorite was that this friend didn't believe in using the AC. Needless to say with the 3 of us in a tiny room it got really hot. We would have died if it had not been for a little fan that kept the air going. We woke up every morning to the sound of a construction worker using a jack hammer right outside our window. Lovely. Especially when we were up all night with a screaming child. :) Overall it was a wonderful trip. We did a lot of relaxing. So that is our trip in a nutshell. Super exciting, I know. :)

PS, I also had the most amazing Frozen Hot Chocolate in LA. It was heavenly!

This made my day!

My Midnight Delight

It's 12:24AM. Both my boys are asleep, and I'm sitting on my couch in the family room enjoying a minute to myself. I should be finishing my paper, but instead I'm watching Kate & Leopold and eating what I'm pretty sure is way more than a serving of Caramel Delight Slow Churned Ice Cream (you have to say the full name in order to get the salivating effect).
As I'm sitting here not thinking about the amount of calories I'm consuming right before I go to bed I look at my house. I spent 3 hours cleaning yesterday, and somehow today it's in worse shape than it was yesterday. How that happens I don't know. I'm doing my best not to let it overwhelm me. Good thing I can ignore it with this heavenly Caramel Delight Slow Churned Ice Cream.
This week has been an intense week and today has been a bittersweet day. I am taking 7 classes right now. 7. I'm so glad that my teachers all feel that they are the most important and the only class we should focus on. How do they know that I have no life and live to do their bidding? Lucky for them I'm flexible enough that bending over backwards in order to do everything they ask is super easy for me! Bless them.
I sat in all of my classes this week writing furiously in my planner everything that I needed to get done this weekend just to keep my head above water. After the first day I drove home and just burst into tears thinking about it all. Hey you wanted honesty, 12:30am is the most honest me you're going to get. It's interesting how ice cream and sleep deprivation can bring out the dark side isn't it?
On top of that Boston hasn't been eating well lately. At his 4 month appointment he was 13 pounds and he's supposed to be around 16. He's only gained a pound since his last check up. Come to find out my milk is drying up. I've been doing everything I can to keep it going. I'm drinking water like crazy, I have been trying to sleep more, I've been pumping, and I even bought that milk herbal stuff "More Milk Plus". It's absolutely horrid stuff by the way. I was still having to supplement with a bottle after each feeding. (On the up side because Boston has been having formula at night he's been sleeping a little better.) I really wanted to keep nursing him especially since it's supposed to be a bad flu season this year. I decided to ask Chris for a blessing. He gave one to me and I would like to say that it said that I would be able to continue nursing like I want, however, it didn't. He told me in the blessing that unfortunately right now with the stresses of school and everything I have to do I wouldn't be able to produce enough milk for Boston. He said to keep nursing to the best of my abilities but that giving Boston a bottle would be needed as well.
For me that was a sad moment. I have really enjoyed nursing and didn't want to stop. At the same time I felt like I could give him a bottle of formula finally and not feel so guilty about it.
And since we're being completely open and honest I may as well spit this next part out. I have gained 60 pounds in the last two and a half years. Yeah sure I had a baby, but about 55 of that 60 was already in place (namely hips, stomach, thighs, and wiggly under arms) before I even got pregnant. Now it's just complimented by stretch marks and saggy breasts and skin. I know I know WAY TOO MUCH information right? lol. Chris still loves me and Boston doesn't care, but it's something that I really care about. I keep saying that I'm going to do something about it...and then I sit down and eat ice cream at 12:30 in the morning.
Well I know I owe you an up beat post about California, and I'll get there. I just needed to vent for a minute and send all of this out there to the 12:30 am world. It feels good to just let it go. Maybe tomorrow I'll realize how ridiculous and semi-depressing this post is and delete it...or maybe I'll keep it.
Just to make sure that you all know that I'm really not completely down on life I wanted to let you know that I have also received some tremendous personal blessings and great experiences that have strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father is there for us when we feel like we are alone or at our wits end. He is a constant friend and there for us when we have those 12:30 Am moments and just need to get things off of our chest. We can each have a very individual and sweet relationship with Him. After all, Look at all of the many things that He has given me to keep me smiling and pushing forward through the exhaustion. A beautiful baby boy, a wonderful husband, blessings I probably don't deserve, answers to prayers, and this marvelous Caramel Delight Slow Churned Ice Cream.

Little Man

Just to tide you over until I can make a post. Here's a picture of my cute little man that Chris took. (Chris is giving me crap because I'm blogging and not studying so I have to make this fast.)A post is coming, I mean we went to CA, school started, Chris swam with a shark...ha! Now I've got you dying for more. Well you'll just have to wait until this weekend...or when I finish my three massive reading and projects due by tuesday! :)

That Time of Year

It's that time of year where Gardens are overflowing with squash and zucchini. Most people don't quite know what to do with all of the extra other than make Zucchini bread. Today I thought I'd share one of my mom's recipes that has always been a family favorite. Plus, I found a killer recipe for Chocolate chip Zucchini Bread. :) Enjoy!

Corn Zucchini Bake

1 giant zucchini, peeled, de-seeded, and steamed till tender
1 can corn, drained
1 to 2 cups grated Swiss cheese, depending on size of zucchini
4 to 6 eggs, depending on size of zucchini
1 to 2 tablespoons of minced onion OR about a quarter chopped onion, sautéed in butter
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, depending on your salt preference (but it definitely needs salt!)

Peel, de-seed a giant zucchini. Cut into big chunks. Boil or steam till tender… about 45 minutes to an hour. (I usually do this step the day before, or earlier in the day, and just let the zucchini set in the fridge.)

Drain all the water from the zucchini. Dump into a large bowl. Smash into a smooth mixture with a potato masher. Add 4 to 6 eggs (depending on size of zucchini), 1 to 2 cups of Swiss cheese (depending on size of zucchini), 1 can of corn, drained, and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of minced onion (or a quarter onion, chopped, that you already sautéed in butter if you prefer fresh onion). Add about a teaspoon of salt… or more. Be generous with the salt, but you can always add more after it is baked. Mix all ingredients together and dump into a greased 11x15 casserole dish, (or a 9x13 if the zucchini was not huge).

Topping: Mix
about 2 to 3 cups dried breadcrumbs
about a half cup of parmesan cheese
about a tablespoon of dried parsley
about a half a teaspoon of garlic salt
about a 1/3 cup melted butter.

Make more topping if you want more.

Spread topping on the zucchini mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean. Better to overbake this than underbake (eggs need to be cooked till set firm).

Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

IF IT ISN’T DELICIOUS… SPRINKLE WITH SALT!!! That always does the trick!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Ingrediants

3c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 c grated zuchini
1 c chocolate chips
1 c walnuts (i leave these out, but if you like them add them)
1 tbs orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I get two 9 by 5 loaf pans and you can grease them with pam if you'd like, but a cool trick one of my friends taught me is to grease the sides of the pan with butter and then sprinkle the sides and the bottom with sugar. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, Spices, and baking soda. In a large bowl beat eggs until ligth and fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until well-blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, chocolate and zest. Stir in sifted ingrediants. Pour into loaf pans. Bake 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Chill before slicing. It yummy if you serve it with a little whipped cream.

Life is so Sweet

First of all, does anybody know how I can set my blog so that I can see who of my friends have updated their blogs without going through and having to click on them to see? I hope that makes sense.

So life is sweet because after 13 days of being without a cell phone we found it in my parents couch cushions.

It's also super sweet because I'm finally able to be home and be a mom...full-time. I'm loving it.

Life is sweet because I will be able to work a little bit from home to help bring in some extra money.

It's sweet because Boston is sleeping in his own room, not through the night, but in his own room and rolling over. Sweet.

It's sweet because we were able to bless Boston this last Sunday and have 50 of our family members over with only one minor glitch...we had no plates or cups for everybody. So we decided the ox was in the myer (did I spell that right?) and ran to Walmart.

It will be even sweeter when next week we go to California after a rough semester and get to spend time just relaxing as a family. :)

So that is why life is sweet. We're loving it!

Pioneer Day Swimming Adventure!

This is a long picture post, so I'll keep it short. For Pioneer day we hung out at a pool with Chris's family and some friends. Boston is a complete water baby and LOVED swimming...So much so that after an hour he fell asleep in the water! I was holding him, don't worry. So instead of telling you all about it, I thought I would post some fun pics form the day.



I love this one...not sure why.


Super Boston!


We thought it would be fun to put googles on Boston and get some cute pics. The following is a swequence of pictures of his reaction as they fell from the top of his head, got stuck over his eyes, and finally fell off his face. We were dying laughing!








Whew!


My Smiley Guy


Only a mom wouldn't notice that drool!


Uncles Showing off their Skills


I love the water dripping off Linley's Chin. (Chris's Youngest sister)


She wouldn't even go near the pool with out a life vest, and she wouldn't jump in without goggles.

So that was our fun day, pool, sun, BBQ, and Fireworks from the hill. Love it!

Yummy Dessert!

You Need:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup cold butter
5 cups frozen sliced peaches, thawed and drained, or 1 can (29 oz) sliced peaches, drained


1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, place cookie mix. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
2. In ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart round casserole, place peaches. Sprinkle cookie mixture over peaches.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm or cool.

This is super easy and incredibly yummy! Costco has some amazing peaches right now and so I bought two cases and have been experimenting with Peach recipes. This is as good as peach cobbler but not nearly as much work! LOVE IT!

Shots

Before



After



Need I Say More?

Little Stories

Wow, life with a new born is so busy, but I am absolutely loving it! Boston is 8 weeks old today! I went back to work two weeks ago and it's been hard, but I'm surviving. :)
So we've had so many things happen these last few weeks I decided to just post pictures and tell short little stories.

Crazy Bird:
So I'm driving along the main road in Lehi headed back home and I see a flock of birds flying over a field. As I'm watching the birds I think to myself "I wonder if birds ever just fly into cars...that would be strange to see..." Suddenly a massive birds slams into my windshield. No Joke. This bird face plants it and I'm pretty sure this poor little bird broke his neck. This little incident has made me a little jumpy, and it seem like his little friends are now constantly swooping towards my car. I have to remind myself not to jump and that my car is bigger than them.

My New Best Friend:
The other day Boston was screaming his head off, and I was at my wits end. I had tried everything I could thinking of and nothing was helping. I remembered that somebody told me that a vacuum helps so I put Boston on the bed and started to vacuum our room. Boston stopped for a minute and then was more upset. Just then I remembered that somebody gave me one of those carries that you strap to yourself and can carry the baby around with you and I decided to try it. Not only did Boston stop crying and fall asleep I was able to finally vacuum my entire house. Now I barely leave the house without it. It is magical. I put an upset baby in it, and within 10 minutes that upset baby is out cold. We are totally BFF!

The Pacifier:
Another life saver, but not quite best friend status. Boston thinks if he's awake he has to be eating so now that he's got breastfeeding down we gave him a pacifier. Whenever we first put it in his mouth he looks relieved, and then after a few minutes he gives us a look like "I know what you're up to!" We have to hold it in his mouth, but it is also an invention inspired by God to help mom's keep there sanity.

Bath Time:
Boston is a huge fan of Bath time. He can be crying for an hour and then as soon as I put him in the bath tub he stops. Last night I was washing his little behind and he spit up. when I flip him over to face me he had spit up from one ear to the other and from right under his nose to past his chin. He looked like an 8-week old Santa Clause, especially since he's going bald just on the top of his head. He just looked at me with those dark blue eyes like "what?" It was so funny.

Broken Dryer:
So It's 1:30am and I'm downstairs pumping so Boston has something to eat at my mom's the next day when I hear a BOOM. I stop and listen for a minute, and everything sounds normal so I go on pumping. about 5 minutes later I hear an even louder BOOM and then a THUD. So I finish pumping and run upstairs. I open the Laundry room door to find water dripping from the walls, window and even the ceiling. Then a horrible smell hits me. Something was frying. I checked the back of the dryer and pulled off the big metal tube, and turned everything off and then pulled out soaking wet clothes. I spent 7 hours at my mom's house that Saturday doing laundry. One week and $200 later it's finally fixed and I can start my normal laundry routine again.

Confession:

I'm completely obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance. Can I just say the first routine of the first show was incredible! I love it. I practically have a count down to it every year. It's the only show I never miss. LOVE. It makes me wish I would have been a little more diligent or a little more talented when it came to dance. Oh well. A girl can dream.

Chris finished his crazy semester and survived. I cut my hair because I was tired of getting spit up in it and was beginning to feel really like an ugly mom with it in a pony tail every day. Baby weight is coming off nicely, and even though I'm with in 5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight, nothing fits. Apparently pregnancy completely changes your body. People told me that, but you never think it's going to happen to you, and then it's worse than you ever imagined. Since finding time to work out is nearly impossible, I strap him in the carrier and do lunges around the table, and run up and down the stairs as many times as possible every day. We're all healthy and happy, I'm sleep deprived, but loving life!