.boyadjian.

catch-up!

2011-12-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well hello there! It's sure has been a while. A little while ago, the power went out and surged my computer, so I've been a little MIA. Bummer. Anyways, a few fun things have happened so I will just dive right in!

Mike finally got moved to the day shift! No more night owl!! It's only the first week, and it's awesome!!

Ethan turned 3! Boy oh boy, has it been a challenge! Anyone else notice and HUGE difference from the 2's to 3's?! Seriously. Anyways, he sure is funny. He says the most hilarious things! And he is super smart. He remembers EVERYTHING!!!!!

Tommy is still the same docile little boy. He is so easy to please. I'm pretty sure one of his favorite things is playing with his toes. I'm not even joking.

We went to Disneyland for Christmas, but I will post about that later! Anyways, I'm hoping to be blogging more again, so see ya lata!!!

I want it Wednesday.

2011-10-12T23:21:00.001-06:00

Isn't it funny how when you've decided to eat healthy, all you EVER want is junk food? No, it's not. It's cruel. I have been craving a JBC, fries, and mint chocolate chip ice cream for daaaaaays.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-11T20:02:00.001-06:00

I have a special today! I tried two very yummy recipes this past week so I'm going to share both! Watch out, don't fall out of your chair in excitement like I just did.

The first, an avocado ranch dip with homemade potato chips. Yuuuuummm. I basically licked the bowl clean. But don't you worry, I was nice enough to share with my neighbor, first! I'm always about doing nice things like that. Anyways, I got it from my favorite addiction. My husband informed me the other day that I am always the one to jump on inviting people to pinterest. Well, I'm just trying to do my fellow woman a few favors. You can thank me later. Anyways, the recipe is from food for my family. Go now and make it. You will not regret it. Go. GO NOW!!!

Avocado Ranch Dip

2 avocados
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
chips and vegetables for dipping

Peel and mash avocados. Mix avocados with Greek yogurt and lemon juice. Stir in chives, parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Serve with homemade potato chips, pita chips or fresh vegetables for dipping.

Makes 3 cups.

Homemade Potato Chips

2 pounds potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, shave potatoes into very thin slices. Lay slices onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush lightly with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes or until potatoes start to turn golden on one side. Flip the slices and continue baking for another 7-10 minutes. Flip again and bake until potatoes are golden brown and crisp, another 5-10 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight container.

Makes 6 cups potato chips.

I liked the chips but the dip was also really good with these babies. I buy the big bag at costco and ~~scarf the whole thing by myself~~ share with my family.

The next was a total spur of the moment one. I really wanted tomato basil soup that wasn't too...basil-y. I just don't enjoy being overwhelmed with weird smelling plants in my food. Go easy on the herbs, I say. So I decided to do it myself! Keep in mind that I had no direction while doing this, so my measurements might be ~~totally~~ a little off.

Tomato Basil Soup

3 roma tomatoes
small bunch of basil
half an onion
tablespoon minced garlic
olive oil
salt & peppa
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 cup water
2 chicken buillion cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tomatoes and onion in quarters, and roughly chop the basil. Place on a cookie sheet with garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & peppa. Mix it all around to get everything coated. Place in oven for 20 minutes, mixing occasionally.

When done roasting, put it all into a blender with the milk. Mix until smooth(there will be a lot of pulp, but we will get to that later). Pour into a pan. Add water and chicken buillion. Bring to a mild boil to re-heat. When you are ready to eat, put it through a strainer. I left a tiny bit of pulp in it, but you can leave in or take out as much as you like!

Makes 2 servings

*recipe taken from Food for My Family

Maybe we pick on Tommy too much...

2011-10-09T16:36:00.001-06:00

I want it Wednesday

2011-10-05T21:06:00.001-06:00

The Madden girl Zandora boot. I looove these! And I have finally found them for a semi-reasonable price. I usually don't spend a lot on clothes. But, I think for a good pair of boots that will last me a few winters, totally worth it. Now, all I have to do it just make Mike believe my logic as well :)

Tasty Tuesday

2011-10-04T16:11:00.001-06:00

I found the BEST alternative for high carb/calorie tacos! Instead of using a tortilla (which are about 120 calories for one tortilla) use romaine lettuce sleeves! Genius! And surprisingly, very filling! And you can have like 3 or 4 "taco wraps" and not even feel guilty about it!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
Inner romaine lettuce sleeves
Taco seasoning of choosing
Tomatoes
Olives
Low-fat cheese
Non-fat sour cream
Any other preferred taco toppings. These are the ones I use but feel free to dress it up as you like!

Assemble as you would a regular taco and enjoy!

Now I realize that not everyone is on a calorie cutting kick like me, but for the next month or so, you're just going to have to deal with my boring and healthy recipes. And, you will probably be hearing from me on a more regular basis! The hubs got me an iPad for my birthday and I got the blogger app! Wooo!

Week 2

2011-10-03T10:23:00.001-06:00

Does anyone else find it more difficult to eat healthy on the weekends than during the week? Maybe it's because I'm a social eater, but I didn't do well AT ALL with my challenge this weekend!

Mike isn't doing this challenge with me, so he will enjoy a couple cookies every once in a while...but guess who makes them?! ME! And I end up eating one or two as well. At first, I was telling myself "as long as you aren't over your calorie limit for the day, you'll be fine!" and off I was! But, I'm now getting to the point that I can't enjoy what I used to. My body is changing, and apparently it doesn't like the old food I used to eat because I feel really sick this morning.

Last night, we had Mike's family over for dinner. I made pasta, rolls, a salad, and a cake. While it was all really good in the moment, I'm regretting it now!

Maybe I should just lay down he law. I'm not baking another cookie, another cake, or making a huge carb-filled meal until I'm done! October 22nd...I can do that.

In other news, I have lost 3 pounds!

Until next time...

Week 1 - a little late.

2011-09-28T10:44:00.001-06:00

So I'm actually quite surprised at how well I'm doing at this whole challenge
I have put myself up to. I missed 2 days last week but only because I was out all day on both of those days. Changing my eating habits has by far been the hardest. I'm not overeating, I'm just eating small portions of what I want to eat. And I'm tracking everything
I eat through the "my fitness pal" app on my iPad. I have seen a major difference in my stamina, which is really awesome. I haven't seen any visual differences in my appearance but I have lost an inch in my waist and both thighs! Woo!! I read online a bunch of people who did the workout, and all of them said they got really bored with the workouts. So, instead of doing level 1 for 10 consecutive days, level 2 for the next 10, then end with level 3, they alternated exercises every three days. With that, they said they got better results. So, I have been doing that and it's fantastic! I also gave myself Sundays to rest, so I guess I am doing this a little longer than 30 days!

Let's get physical!!

2011-09-16T17:58:00.001-06:00

So, I have been struggling with maintaining a healthy lifestyle for quite some time. When it comes to eating healthy and exercising, I lack a lot of discipline. If you know me, you know that I never turn down ice cream. Biiiig problem. I make a lot of excuses, and lately they just keep on piling up. So in an effort to better myself, I have decided to share my journey with all of you! Whoever YOU are. I figure by sharing, I will feel somewhat accountable to someone other than myself. I will post weekly for the duration of the program...can't be all THAT bad, right?! I'm going to start and FINISH the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. I have started this program a bajillion times and I guess it's about time I follow through. It's a great workout for me. Mostly because it's only 25 minutes and I don't have enough time to myself in the mornings to do anything longer. And, I hate the gym.

I have 3 goals and here they are:
1. Lose about 10 lbs. with the program. From what I have read, it's not unrealistic.
2. Eat healthy all day long and don't eat after 8.
3. Get to bed by 10:30 each night.

I'm also going to take all of my measurements and take before and after pictures. For now, you don't get that info. Farrrr too embarrassing. If I get some good results I will be happy to share :) Wish me luck!!

Nor. Cal.

2011-09-08T20:14:00.026-06:00

We went to Northern California with my family a few weeks ago and it was so fun! I mean, other than the stupid flat tire on the way there. Oh, and the awful 14 hour drive. Hahaha oh well, it was a fun trip!

The Painted Ladies

My crazy sisters :)

Lombard Street

Coit Tower

Pier 39

The BEST crepe place I have ever been to. Mmmm

Overlooking Alcatraz

Fisherman's Warf

Golden Gate Bridge

Salmon Creek Beach

The Redwoods

Swimmin' Fun

New York

2011-09-07T19:43:00.055-06:00

Despite the awful, awful heat, our trip to the big apple was a lot of fun!

Times Square

Rockefeller Center

Lombardi's Pizza...Thank you Jon Stewart!

Street Market

Grand Central Station

The Empire State Building & The Chrysler Building

New York City Public Library

The Rose Reading Room
Getting rained on in Central Park.. :)

Bethesda Fountain

The boy refused to take a good picture.

BUS TOUR!

Manhattan Temple

This is where Jon Lennon was shot. Yoko Ono still lives in the penthouse. The most exclusive building in New York.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art & The Guggenheim

Central Park
Wicked!

AMAZING!!!

Another day of the bus tour :)

A Salt & Battery. Yummy fish and chips :)

Washington Square

The New World Trade Center Tower

Sailing out to Liberty Island

Lady Liberty

Seinfeld!

White Collar!

The Met

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-11T21:42:00.004-06:00

I haven't done one of these for a while, but my heart is full today so I thought I would hop on here and share. A friend of mine posted a link to a blog on his facebook. I clicked on it, started reading, and was immediately in tears. In short, this little family from California is going through a very tragic experience. Their 7 month old little girl is suffering from a rare liver condition called Caroli Disease. Basically she has a ton of cysts in her liver blocking her bile ducts, causing liver failure. She is in desperate need of a transplant, basically, TODAY. She was in septic shock just the other day and so they are really hoping for a match as soon as possible. You can read their blog here. It's well worth the read.

I can't even imagine going through anything like it. As I read her blog, I was in awe at how strong they have been through all of this. I'm sure it is one of the hardest things in this world to watch your sick child get worse and worse as the days go on.

This has really made me think about my little guys. Obviously, I love them so much. But, I can be a impatient instead of just enjoying them.

I'm thankful that they are HEALTHY and STRONG little boys.
I'm thankful for their little smiles that make everything better.
I'm thankful for all of the times that Ethan asks me "why?" (which is A LOT)
I'm thankful for all of the times they want to cuddle with me.
I'm thankful for all of the sweet little kisses. Even if some of them contain drainage from the nose.
I'm thankful that they can walk and talk with no issues.
I'm thankful they both have their own unique personalities.
I'm thankful they love Mike & I.
I'm thankful that the Lord has trusted me with these little ones and that I get to watch them learn and grow through life.

I am making a pact with myself to always enjoy them. Love them. And always cherish them. Because, you never really know what could happen.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-07-19T12:57:00.004-06:00

If you haven't made homemade fries, you have not lived!! No just kidding. But seriously...

It's simple and really yummy. NOT diet friendly. I repeat, NOT diet friendly. But who cares about that anyways...?

-Yellow potatoes(I used Idaho the first time, but the yellow were so much better)
-Fry Oil(I use vegetable but canola would work just fine, too)
-Salt

Heat oil on medium-high heat. Cut potatoes into sticks, not too thin, not too thick. Fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle on salt while hot!

Also, you can't eat fries without fry sauce. That's just weird. Here's a simple recipe :)

-Ketchup
-Mayo
-Pickle juice(I'm not even joking)

I never measure, I just keep adding until it tastes good. Mix and enjoy!

I know, I know. These are really hard to make. Don't worry, you can do it! I believe in you ;)

Monday Mania

2011-07-18T22:10:00.003-06:00

I figure it's time for an update on us. You know, since it's been...a while...

There isn't much new with Mike & I, except that we are leaving for NYC on Friday and we cannot wait!!

Ethan is doing great! He's so hilarious all the time! Today, I asked him if he was poopy. He replied with "no, I'm just farting." And walked away liked nothing. He was poopy, by the way. He is getting so smart. He just picks up on things so easily. Except for potty training. We gave up on that after 3 weeks. He started peeing right next to the toilet with all his clothes on. We decided he just wasn't ready. Oh well. Pick your battles I guess. He turns 3 in October and I still can't believe it! Has it really been that long? My my how time does fly.

Tommy has turned 1!!!! Crazy! He is still kind of small and he still looks like a baby. Ethan just seemed so much older when he turned 1. {birthday post coming soon} He is teething with a vengeance and it sucks. Teething is of the devil. He wants to be held ALL the time and he has no appetite. Awful. On the bright side, he is really into cuddling lately, so that's nice. He walks but still prefers to crawl. I think it's because he can keep up with Ethan that way. And, Ethan can't push him over when he's crawling...poor guy.

Weekend re-cap:

Friday: We spent a quiet night at home. Mike usually likes to have at least one day of the weekend where we can just be at home as a family. Since he is usually sleeping all day Sunday after church, it's either Friday or Saturday.

Saturday: One of Mike's co-workers had a get-together up at his cabin in Hobble Creek Canyon and it was so fun! We spent time with good friends, at yummy food, roasted s'mores, an sat around the campfire chatting. So fun. I love the people Mike works with, it's always a good time.

Sunday: Church and another day at home :)

Tasty Tuesday

2011-07-12T17:40:00.002-06:00

Well, I can't remember the last time I did one of these, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten! I tried a really yummy recipe. While, I'm pretty sure I ate my entire calorie limit, for a whole week, it was definitely enjoyable and very tasty! And, like many of the other recipes I try out, this one is also from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Classic Baked Ziti

1 pound 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ziti or other similar pasta (like penne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (about 5 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil (use 1/2 cup fresh basil if you have it but add it to the sauce after it has simmered and you take it off the heat)
1 teaspoon sugar
Black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or substitute whole milk but increase the amount of cornstarch to 2 teaspoons and the cooking time in step 3 by 1 to 2 minutes)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup of the paremsan cheese together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain pasta and leave in colander. Do not wash the large pot.

While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir cornstarch into heavy cream and transfer mixture to the now-empty large pot the pasta cooked in. Set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

Transfer mixture to a 9X13-inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to about 1 hour. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

*Recipe Taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

4th of July

2011-07-10T20:30:00.018-06:00

OK, I do realize that I haven't blogged in FOREVA. Lay off me.

We had a great 4th of July! It is our favorite holiday! Every year since we got married, we spend it in Kaysville. The parade and all around feel is a lot of fun. Now that we live in Payson and have 2 kids, it's a little different. Instead of surrounding ourselves with friends, we spent it with my family this year. We went up to Murray park and spent the day there. Yummy food and great company. All in all it was a great day!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-06-14T20:56:00.003-06:00

I don't have a recipe today. Mostly because I have been kind of lazy and haven't been trying new recipes. I shall get on that soon...ish. I'm also doing the insanity workout, which actually does live up to it's name. So, that could be a factor in the laziness. Anyways, Mike and I were at Costco one day, testing all the samples. I love samples. We came across these bad boys...
Best idea ever. I love bagels and I haven't bought any in about 6 months because they have so many calories. Most people would say "just eat half." Ha, who in their right mind eats HALF of a bagel? Not this girl. I LOOOOOVE bagels. If I wasn't trying to lose a ridiculous amount of weight, I would eat them every day. I could do the whole wheat ones but they just aren't very good. And I am all into the whole grain stuff lately, but the whole wheat bagels are no bueno. These are bagel thins. An entire bagel thin is less calories and carbs than one piece of bread. Awesome. I ate one with turkey and provolone cheese and it was delish. I also like them with some plain old cream cheese. Mmmm.

The Wood Connection: Facebook Giveaway

2011-06-14T16:57:00.001-06:00

The Wood Connection: Facebook Giveaway:

We are so close to 1,000 fans on our facebook page!

In order to help us get there, we are giving away a $50 gift certificate.

To enter this giveaway, become a fan of our Facebook page.

For a second entry, share this giveaway on your Facebook wall.

For a third entry, share this post on your own blog.

For a fourth entry, suggest The Wood Connection Facebook page

to your friends.

Leave a comment in this post letting us know the entries you've done.

We will announce the winner when we've hit 1,000 fans!

We love our customers! Thank you for helping us make it this far.

I want it Wednesday

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

Mike & I just finished booking our trip to NEW YORK CITY!!! Eeeeeep I'm so excited! I want it to be July 22nd FAST!

While in NY, we are going to see WICKED on broadway! So awesome, I can't wait!!!!!!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-05-24T21:42:00.002-06:00

I am in love with zucchini lately. I could eat it all day long. While trying to eat healthier and lighter, I made a zucchini parmesan and it is delish. I just kind of threw this together one day, so bear with me on the directions :)

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce
Diced tomatoes{When I'm in a hurry, I use canned tomatoes but it's always best with fresh}
Onion
Garlic
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
S & P
Zucchini
Any type of cheese you like. I like to use fresh parmesan or mozzarella.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Chop onion and garlic. Add to olive oil and cook until tender. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, italian seasoning, & salt & pepper. Let simmer on low until heated through. Cut zucchini diagonally. Sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil & salt & pepper. Pour tomato sauce over zucchini in a baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes.

*I modify how much ingredients I use to how many people I cook for so sorry I don't have any specific measurements :)

Monday Mania

2011-05-23T21:02:00.005-06:00

Who's ready for an update?!

I have been kind of lazy in the blogging department lately. I just haven't had the motivation to dish out the story of my life. I don't have anything better to do, so here ya go!

Ethan is still the same little rascal. Lately, all he likes to do is take toys from Tommy, drive trucks on Tommy's head, and push Tommy over. There is a pattern here...anyone know how to nip that one in the butt?! It's frustrating! But he also likes to entertain Tommy as well, so that's nice. He plays "peek-a-boo" with him and Tommy LOVES it. He also likes to crawl with him and Tommy gets a kick out of that! He is also very informative. Today, I was feeding Tommy his bottle on the couch and he fell asleep. Ethan then informed me that Tommy was sleeping by yelling it in Tommy's face. The sleeping didn't last long but a whole lot of crying did! He is getting to be very smart. Some days, I don't believe what is coming out of his mouth! He remembers everything! We have been using a reward system at night. He gets a little toy in the morning if he goes to bed nicely, and so far it has been working! Every morning, he comes out of his room asking for a toy because he went to bed nicely. The bank account wishes he wouldn't remember, though.
Tommy is so cute. He is chubby in all the right places and it's adorable! He is well on his way to walking. He tries all the time but he gets too scared when it comes time to let go of whatever he is holding onto. I think it will happen in the next little while here so stay tuned! He loves to eat. I can get him to eat ANYTHING. It's like a breath of fresh air next to Ethan. Getting Ethan to eat something other than chips or nutella on bread is like pulling teeth. He is definitely a momma's boy. I like it. And it's nice because Ethan is a daddy's boy all the way. He's still got the never-ending stream of drool coming out of his mouth. It's getting kind of old...teething needs to STOP!

Weekend re-cap:

Friday: I had the chance to go up to SLC to visit family and friends. It was so fun! I got to meet my newest nephew Asher Izaiah. He is SO cute! He has dark hair and dark skin which is weird because all 3 of his brothers have blonde hair and fair skin. He is so cute and cuddly. And I have to admit, he didn't make me baby hungry. I have enough to handle for now. I also went to a girls night with some friends and my sisters. My mom watched my boys so that was a nice little break. My friend Melissa is going into the Air Force and she needed a proper send off! Her mom makes the best Mexican food so we chowed down on that and had a great time! Afterwards, everyone went to see the movie Bridesmaids. I couldn't go because I had an hour drive ahead of me, and thought it was best not to be doing that at midnight, so I went over to my sister Dorothy's and hung out with her and my mom for a bit. It was so fun catching up and hanging out with them.
Saturday: We didn't do much. We cleaned, lazed around, and went grocery shopping. After the boys went to bed, we grilled up some burgers, had dinner together, then called it a night!
Sunday: We went to church and hung out at home. A typical Sunday night :)

I want it Wednesday

2011-05-18T20:51:00.003-06:00

No comment on my absence recently.

I want some TOMS shoes. Trendy yes, but cute none the less.

The pros and cons of quiet time.

2011-05-18T20:24:00.004-06:00

Each day, Ethan has quiet time. It has it's ups and downs.

Pros:
Exhibit A-

Let's admit it. If you're a stay-at-home mom, sleeping during the day is like a little piece of heaven. Seriously. I loooove dozing off on my couch in the middle of the day. So much so, that it even happens, sometimes, while my little monsters are running a muck around me. I can't help it. Bad, I know. {Insert quiet time} This has saved me...ahhhh. Tommy is pretty easy to maintain, so Ethan gets about an hour and a half to himself in his room, playing with his toys to his little hearts content, while I get to do whatever I want. Also, a little piece of heaven.

Cons:
Exhibit B-
This needs NO explanation.

Moab

2011-05-15T21:18:00.037-06:00

I guess maybe I should blog now...

We went to Moab last weekend and it was SO MUCH FUN! We went with our good friends Jon & Tina, and they are always a blast.

We drove down on Thursday afternoon. We ALMOST made it without getting a ticket. Then next thing you know, 10 minutes out of Moab, Mike gets pulled over. KILL JOY. Then, we start looking for a campground. Ya, we're smart. Wait until you get there to find a place to stay. Not. We looked everywhere and every place was booked. Finally, we found a place with enough room for us. Forget the fact that the place was sitting on a red ant hill and the giant spider webs in the trees, it was pretty good. Then we went to dinner at Moab Brewery. It was delish after a day of snack food. Oh, and don't worry..we didn't forget Tommy boy. He spent a wonderful weekend with his Grandma Christelle.

The next day was spent hiking Arches National Park. So much fun! First, we hiked Delicate Arch. Hiking is a whole other work-out. I have been getting up early everyday and working out on my Gazelle, and I was still struggling a little bit! haha

Next, we went to Devil's Garden. We were hungry so we ate lunch first, then hit the hike! I think there are about 9 different arches in Devil's Garden. We only saw 3, though. The other ones are on a much longer hike and non of us felt like doing it. Plus, it gets to be a much harder hike for the other ones, and we didn't think Ethan would make it very easily.

After the hikes, we decided to go swimming at the Moab pool. The outdoor one wasn't open so we had to settle for the indoor pool. Weird. It was almost 90 degrees and their outdoor pool isn't going to open for another few weeks. Oh well. Anyways, it was a lot of fun...until Ethan had a very messy accident. IN THE POOL. It was mortifying. At least, I think it probably would have been. Mike was in the pool with him while I was getting dressed. I had to clean him up though! No fun. Bleh! After that, we went to dinner at Subway. Yuuuum. Love me some Subway. Then, we went to the store to get some stuff for a campfire and smores! Ethan fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep when we moved him to the tent, and he was done for the night! He had a long day! Mike & I didn't bring camp chairs with us so the boys...and eventually Tina...improvised...

The next day was our last day in Moab and we decided to spend it in Canyonlands National Park. First we hiked Aztec Butte. This hike is really cool. Really steep for the last half but so worth it in the end! You hike up to a huge plateau that looks out onto a huge canyon and you can walk around the mountain and see all the old granaries. Really fun hike.

Next up we went to Mesa Arch. This one was really easy :)

We then went to some of the lookout points...

Freaky Friday

2011-04-22T13:45:00.002-06:00

We were getting our routine all finished up for the morning. I was trying to decide what we were going to do before the boys went down for naps, something that DIDN'T involve the T.V. Lately, it has been on a lot and I'm not proud to say that I'm pretty sure Ethan has memorized "Tangled" and "Shrek 2". Anyways, I told Ethan that we were going to go color and draw pictures. He said "ok" but he left the room. He came back with his horses, his buzz lightyear doll, iron man action figure, and some other random toys. He sat them on the couch and came up to me and said "Mommy, toys watch movie." As if I don't understand what he's trying to do! What a little weasel!

Monday Mania

2011-04-19T21:21:00.004-06:00

Let's play a game of pretend..

Let's pretend that it's Monday and I didn't already blog about Tasty Tuesday.

Got it? Deal.

Things are going great around here! Sure always has it's ups and downs, but that's life, and it's great!

Mike is still working nights for Digicert. Hopefully he gets offered a day position because I want my husband back. Things have been better because he has been really strict with his sleeping schedule, so he isn't sleeping all day long, but I would love to have him to cuddle at night!

I am quite proud of myself. Or at least, I was last week when I got up EVERY SINGLE MORNING and worked out. Long before the kids got up, I was up breakin' a sweat! I lost my steam over the weekend...and haven't been able to find it yet this week. Where oh where are you?! I am also going to challenge myself to cut out all unhealthy carbs for 30 days. Mike was telling me about an article saying that it's not the fat that is harming us, it's all the carbs. Obviously, there are some healthy carbs out there for you, but I am going to try to cut out the bad ones. Don't worry, I'm going to enjoy some carby goodness before I start. Tomorrow. Or the next day..this doesn't sound too promising yet, does it?

Ethan is still the same little goof. I swear, the kid is a sponge. He is talking a lot more these days. And I can understand most of what he says now. Except when he wakes up in the morning. All that comes out of his mouth for the first half hour of him being awake is jibberish. We are having difficultly with him bullying Tommy. Ya ya, they're boys, but you don't say that when he knocks little Tom Tom over and he smacks his little head on the corner of the entertainment center. Solid wood people. I think we are going to sign him up for a gymnastics class. The child has major energy and he needs to release it!

Tommy is well on his way to being a full blown toddler. Last week, he started crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. This morning, he started walking assisted with furniture. It's freaking me out. He is also teething with vengeance! And I'm pretty sure he's going through a growth spurt. He slept for 4 hours straight today...and yesterday. Usually he breaks up the nap, but he has decided to just mesh it all into one these days! It's madness!!!!! Ok ok, not so much.

Weekend re-cap:

Friday: Digicert hosted yet another fun date night! We went to dinner at Carrabba's in Orem. Yummy! Then, they got us gift cards to go to a movie. We got caught up talking with friends and didn't go. Plus we had to go pick up our kids. So we will just use it another time! Thanks Digicert!

Saturday: We went to go see "Atlas Shrugged" and dinner at Zupas with Mike's family & Jon & Tina. Mike, his mom & dad, and his sister all read the book together and all wanted to see the movie together, so that was a lot of fun! After all that, we picked the kids up from my mom's house, and went home. Jon & Tina came down and we watched X-Men 3. We like hanging out with them!

Sunday: Church and hung out at home!

Such a fun weekend!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-04-19T13:23:00.004-06:00

I'm baaaack.

And I honestly don't even know where I have been..

Ok, so these aren't the most diet friendly things ever but, they were delish!

Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 3/4 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add Baking soda, powder, and salt and mix. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
I baked mine on 325 degrees for 12 minutes.
*recipe taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe website

I want it Wednesday

2011-04-13T21:49:00.003-06:00

I want the weekend to be here! I can't tell you what we are doing because that would spoil my "Monday Mania" for next week and then I wouldn't have anything to blog about. And I ALWAYS blog on Mondays. Always.

Right...

Anyways, we have a really fun weekend planned! Friday needs to come FAST!

Freaky Friday

2011-04-08T21:24:00.003-06:00

Wow, haven't done one of these in a while. I don't have/can't remember any specific stories so thought I would share some funny things the boys are doing these days...

.Ethan usually insists on wearing his Flash Halloween costume. From a year & a half ago. It doesn't fit anymore, & it's freaking hilarious. In fact, he's wearing it tonight in bed because he screamed when I tried to put him in his actual pajamas. I swear the vein in his forehead was going to pop out at me.

.Ethan put Tommy in the corner, again. This time though, Tommy cried. So, when I went to get him, I told Ethan to not do it anymore, and Tommy had a huge smile on his face. What a little rascal, he's catching on!

.Ethan tried to put ME in the corner the other day. HA!

.Whenever we sit down to eat, Ethan shouts out, "Eat your food, NOW".

.Tommy is a very angry crawler.

.Ethan is getting to age where, he doesn't cry when he doesn't want to go to bed, but he gets up every time I put him back into bed to ask for stuff such as: cheese, hugs, loves, bread, water, etc. It makes the bedtime process REALLY long.

.Tommy has a never ending stream of drool coming out of his mouth.

.Apparently, the only way to get Ethan to eat bananas is to turn on the Sesame Street episode focusing on bananas. He ate like 4 today. In an hour. Well, probably 5 if you count the one he jacked from Mike. We don't have anymore bananas.

.Tommy growls at everyone & everything.

.Tommy laughs EVERY TIME Ethan cries.

I love my crazy boys.

I want it Wednesday

2011-04-06T21:33:00.007-06:00

Motivation.

To keep losing weight.

My fire has died down, dramatically.

All I want is to eat a chocolate ice cream cone. Actually, speaking of ice cream, I was proud of myself yesterday. I was at wal-mart browsing through the frozen food section and I stumbled upon the ice cream...I have no idea how I got there..

Anyways...

I saw that they were selling huge buckets of superman ice cream. I LOVE superman ice cream. It reminds me of the imaginary food in the movie "Hook". And it tastes really yummy, too. Mike thinks I'm insane, but it makes me feel like a kid again :) Anyways, I haven't given in to the ice cream obsession(yet), which is kind of a small miracle.

I have come a long ways, but I'm still not quite satisfied. Is that greedy? I mean, I've lost 30 pounds, and the fact that I have more than 30 pounds to lose depresses me, but I have to remind myself that I have had 2 kids. Not to mention, that up until 9 months ago, I had done very little healthy eating. But, then I begin to think of all those women who have also had 2 kids and look amazing. And then I get depressed again.

I am not blessed with a fast metabolism.

In high school, I was active enough that I didn't have to really worry about what I was eating. Now, that is an entirely different story. I should have taken better care of myself these past years. I know exactly how I got to where I was, and I don't want to get there again. I just need to learn to remind myself of that while the donuts are yelling at me through the glass. Evil EVIL donuts.

Monday Mania

2011-04-04T21:11:00.009-06:00

Ok, so this move has completely thrown me off my groove. I suck at blogging lately. I always forget! Anyways...

Ethan: There isn't much else to say about him except that he is still a little spitfire! Seriously, he has so much energy. It makes me tired just watching him play. We are having a little bit of difficulty with him in the listening area. I imagine this is quite common with a 2 year old, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about how frustrating it is! Especially when the difficulty is just when I ask him to do things. He will listen to Mike. Mike is convinced it's because Ethan is scared of him, to a certain degree. After tonight, I choose to agree.

Tommy: He is growing up so fast. This past week, he has really started crawling. I think he still gets a little scared, and I will tell you why. I found out today. Ethan, being the loving big brother that he is, has been stepping on Tommy's fingers while he tries to crawl. I never knew exactly why Tommy would cry whenever he started to crawl, and now I do. Sheesh! Hopefully the 10 minute time out nipped that in the butt! ;) Anyways, he will be 9 months on the 14th of this month! Time is seriously flying by. He is all over the place!!! He used to just sit, and now that he has discovered the power of his legs, he doesn't do a whole lot of sitting still. I can't believe he is going to be 1 in 3 months. Actually, that isn't true. I can believe it, I just don't want to. He's growing up too fast.

Weekend re-cap:

Friday: We went on our first bike ride since moving to Payson. This place is full of dead end bike rails! LOL so we just biked around different neighborhoods. That night, some of Mike's family came over for dinner and a movie. It was a good time.

Saturday: Conference weekend! So spiritually filling. I love hearing the messages prepared for us. And its nice because the messages always seem to hit close to home, especially this past weekend. I have been having a hard time lately, and I'm not sure exactly why, but I was able to take a lot from this past conference. It was like, some of them, were just speaking to me. Incredible.

Sunday: We watched more conference! And that is all :)

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-24T20:46:00.004-06:00

Financial stability and being a stay-at-home mom. This truly is one of the greatest blessings I could have ever asked for. For the first 3 years of mine & Mike's marriage, we were very unstable financially. It was a hard road. Both of us were in and out of jobs. When I was pregnant with Ethan, I was sure I would have to continue to work. Luckily, a month before I gave birth, Mike got an awesome job working for Microsoft, which started him into the IT field. Such a blessing. For 3 years, we haven't really had to worry a whole lot about "where the money was coming from." I also haven't had to worry about who was going to be taking care of my kids, because I can stay home. This is the most amazing blessing. Sure, it gets really exhausting chasing Ethan around while he's telling me "no" whenever I ask him to do something. But, I would rather be handling it myself than someone else who I don't know, and how they will react with him. I haven't had to experience being a working mom and I really hope I never do. Mike is doing such an amazing job taking care of us and providing for us and I am so thankful for it.

I want it Wednesday

2011-03-23T13:08:00.004-06:00

I know, I'm a dork. I really really really want a Singer Confidence 7470 sewing machine.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-03-22T21:01:00.003-06:00

Sweet and sour chicken. Yuuumm. I found this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and it was divine. Mike doesn't really enjoy chicken all that much and he absolutely loved this! He said it was even better that Panda Express!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.

*recipe taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe website

Monday Mania

2011-03-21T21:09:00.003-06:00

Wow. It's kind of been a while. I do apologize. We are all moved and mostly unpacked. I just have to do the bathroom tonight, then the boys clothes tomorrow then we are good to go! Woo! I am so shocked at how fast we got it all done. We love it down here. I have never lived out of the city before and I gotta say, I kind of enjoy it. Mike went a little crazy and stayed up 36 hours straight. He got up on Thursday afternoon at 1, went to work at 9:30, got off work at 6, went and picked up the moving truck, and was moving all day long. Then he went to sleep around 1:30 that night, then woke up at 8 on Saturday and was up doing stuff all day. He got to rest on Sunday though. What a guy :) I'm so glad to be done with moving. It's nice to not be living out of boxes anymore. Or planning what you are going to need for the next week so you don't pack it. Our new place is really nice, too. I was telling Mike it will be nice to not be decorating to cover up crap. The new place has nice, new features. Yipee! Anyways, I will just go on with my Monday Mania. I have missed it so :)

Ethan: He is such a goon. He gets funnier as the days pass. He is also getting a lot more talkative. Sometimes, I will be talking to someone and he will just repeat each word I say as I say it. I am in awe each time. It's adorable. It's gets kind of annoying at times, but at least he's learning. He is also starting to catch on to when Mike & I argue. He will stand between us and say "Stop! No more! Shush!!" It lightens the mood every time. Haha He is also starting to listen a little better. He still likes to tell me "no" whenever he gets the chance, but he is getting a lot better at it. I can't believe he's going to be 3 this year. He's getting old and it's making me feel old.
Tommy: He is really trying his best to crawl. He was trying so hard today but he just couldn't get it. He was so frustrated he started to cry. It was so funny, but kind of sad at the same time. He gets into a perfect "downward dog". haha It's great. He is also drooling all over everything, which is also, great. He is now 8 months old. Wow how time flies! He fits into 12 month clothes and wears the same size diapers as Ethan. The kid is a tank. I love it! I saw some of my baby pictures the other day, and I couldn't believe how much he looks like me. Ethan is a spitting image of Mike so I never got that "oh, he looks so much like you" reaction from people, until now. I gotta say, it's nice. Especially since he's so dang cute :)

Weekend re-cap:
Friday: Moved all day long.
Saturday: Unpacked all day long.
Sunday: Unpacked and cleaned out our fridge at the old house.

Exciting weekend, eh?

I lied...

2011-03-16T11:55:00.001-06:00

...I'm not back this week. Hubby has pink eye, we are moving this weekend, and I m too tired to blog. So, next weekend...but I'm not making any promises :)

neglect.

2011-03-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

I have been sick and tired. Both of which have kept me from keeping up with the blog. I'm going to take a break for the rest of this week and will pick back up on Monday! Till then... :)

Freaky Friday

2011-03-05T23:51:00.002-07:00

My mind has been completely gone this week...I keep forgetting to do my blogging. We are starting to pack and get all of that ready so I do apologize.
Obviously, my story this week is about Ethan, again. This kid is seriously hilarious. He LOVES gum. Like, it's a problem. He constantly asks for it, even after I have told him that we don't have any. He's really good with it, though. He doesn't play with it or leave it anywhere. The gum is very precious. If he gives it to me, I better not throw it away because he ALWAYS remembers he gave it to me. I forgot the other day and threw it away. You can imagine how that went. Anyways, each day, since he doesn't nap anymore, he has quiet time in his room for about an hour and a half. The other day, while he was in quiet time, Mike slipped a piece of gum under his door. Ethan was so excited and GRATEFUL. He kept saying "thank you" profusely! I have never seen him so grateful for something before! It was awesome! Then he slip the wrapper back under the door, such a good kid :)

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-03T23:27:00.003-07:00

Today I am thankful for sleeping children. It has been a looong day and I am so glad that both my beautiful boys sleep throughout the night so I can also get a full nights sleep.

goodnight world :)

I want it Wednesday

2011-03-02T22:05:00.005-07:00

A slurpee. I seriously love these, and I haven't had one in FOR-EV-ER. (picture the chubby kid in sandlot saying for-ev-er. I chuckled a bit.) One of the many reasons to be anticipating summer because it's too dang cold to get one! Plus it's not very "diet-friendly". Whatever that means.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-03-01T19:52:00.004-07:00

Tonight for dinner I tried a yummy soup! It was a garden minestrone and it was delish! I halved the recipe because I'm only cooking for 3 and it still made a TON. Here is the recipe, with the full portions, not halved.

Ingredients
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (I used dried oregano because I didn't have any fresh)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped yellow squash
3 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup corn
4 cups chopped tomato
3 cans fat-free chicken broth (I used 1 1/2 cans and 1 1/2 cups water)
1/2 uncooked ditalini pasta (I used orzo)
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups spinach
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup freshly grated asiago cheese (I used fresh parmesan)

Directions
1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion to pan, saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add oregano and garlic, saute 1 minute. Stir in squash, zucchini, carrot, and corn, saute 5 minutes or until vegetable are tender. Remove from heat.
2. Place 3 cups tomato and 1 can broth in a blender, process until smooth. Add tomato mixture to pan, return pan to heat. Stir in remaining tomato and chicken broth., bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
3. Add pasta and beans to pan, cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, salt, and pepper. Serve, garnish with cheese.

*recipe taken from cooking light, soup cookbook

Monday Mania

2011-03-01T19:21:00.003-07:00

I totally missed Monday Mania yesterday. I think you will forgive me when I tell you that Ethan woke me up at 3 am yesterday morning, throwing up. It was terrible and set a certain mood for the rest of the day. So here I am now :)

We are moving. To Payson. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, we are going to be saving a ton of money so we can pay off the rest of our debt faster and get into a house. On the other, we are moving further away from family & friends. It's a bitter sweet move.

.Ethan: He is doing much better from yesterday. He isn't throwing up anymore and he is back to his normal self. I don't know what it is with him but whenever he throws up, it happens once and in the middle of the night, so I'm not sure what to make of it. There isn't much more to report on him, so this is short and sweet :)

.Tommy: He is so cute! Not crawling yet, but he gets around by rolling all over the place. Today he was playing with a ball and Ethan kicked it across the room. Tommy seemed really upset by it and was trying to figure out how to get the ball back. It was so funny watching him try to figure this out, he was really concentrating on the ball! He got on his knees, tried to crawl, and figured out that he doesn't know how to do that. Then he decided that if he rolled his way to the ball he could get it. And that is what he did. He rolled across the entire living room and got the ball. Only to have Ethan kick it AGAIN. He gave up at that point.

Weekend Recap:
Friday: We went to go see the new place. It's a basement apartment, and it's really nice. It's bigger than the place we have now, has a separate entrance, a veggie garden, a backyard, and everything is on one floor. Yipee! We will be renting from some good friends of ours, Sam & Sarah. Mike works with Sam on the night shift so they will be carpooling to work, which is going to be working out GREAT. And Sarah & I won't be home alone at night anymore! Woohoo! After that, we went to the mall to get our new kindles covered. Love those. It has really encouraged me to read more. I have already finished one of the many books on my long long list.
Saturday: A day spent at home. Mike went out with his dad for a little while, in the mean time, Ethan & Tommy napped, and I got to get some much needed relaxing time. It was nice. We didn't do much of anything later on that night. It seems that our lives are getting more boring as the weeks go on...I will try to make things more fun to read! Hopefully spring & summer are coming so we will get out more! Woo!
Sunday: We went to church then spent another day at home. Seriously, we need to get out more. LOL Maybe this coming weekend will be better with more to do.

Until next time :)

Freaky Friday

2011-02-25T20:51:00.004-07:00

On Monday, the boys were playing in the kitchen while I was doing the dishes. I left the room for a minute to go to the bathroom, and I heard Ethan yelling at Tommy in his jibberish and ended with "bad bad Tommy". I go back in the kitchen to find this...I still don't know why Ethan felt that he needed to put Tommy in the corner. hahahaha I was dying laughing!

Thankful Thursday

2011-02-24T10:30:00.003-07:00

Today I am thankful for the fuzzy socks on my feet. It's always cold in our house. If my feet are cold, the rest of my body is cold. YAY for fuzzy warm socks!

I want it Wednesday

2011-02-23T21:22:00.005-07:00

Dresses. Lots and lots of dresses!

Tasty Tuesday

2011-02-22T19:38:00.007-07:00

Surprise surprise, my next recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. Mike is cutting down his consumption of meat and he is a big fan of mushrooms so I made him this the other night and he loved it. Woo!

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Butter
16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
⅓ cups Sherry Or Wine
3 Tablespoons (additional) Sherry Or Wine
Kosher Salt And Pepper To Taste
1 bag Baby Spinach
12 whole Flour Tortillas (Soft Taco Size)
8 ounces, weight Fontina (or Monterey Jack) Cheese, Grated
3 ounces, weight Goat Cheese (chevre)
Extra Butter, For Tortillas
Salsa, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet and add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then pour in sherry. Add salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 6 to 8 minutes, or until all liquid is evaporated. Remove mushrooms from skillet and set aside.

Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium-low. Melt additional 1 tablespoons of butter and add a couple of tablespooons of sherry. Add spinach to skillet and stir gently as it wilts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook for 2 minutes, max. Remove from skillet.

To assemble the quesadillas, arrange grated Fontina, spinach, and mushrooms on top of one flour tortilla. Dot with goat cheese. Top with a little more Fontina, then top with second tortilla. Smear softened butter lightly on both sides of the quesadilla, then grill until golden brown and until cheese is totally melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Slice quesadillas into four wedges and serve immediately.

*recipe taken from the pioneer woman website

Monday Mania

2011-02-21T20:35:00.008-07:00

Hello friends! We are all doing really good around here. Mike & I aren't up to anything new, so an update on the boys will be all you're getting today!

.Ethan: This kid kills me. He is hysterical. Today he told me that Tommy is gross because of all the saliva that comes out of his mouth. He also put Tommy in time-out for unknown reasons. Such a great big brother. Seriously. I am happy to report though, that he has been eating all food placed in front of him! Yay! Before I couldn't get him to eat hardly anything. It is a nice turn of events. I can't believe he's going to be 3 this year. It's freaking me out. And it makes me sad. I wish my kids could stay little forever.

.Tommy: Such a fun baby. He puts up with his big brother pretty good. He let's him do pretty much anything and he hardly even cries anymore. Even when Ethan drops his hot wheel cars on his head. Poor kid. He's gonna have to learn to defend himself, Ethan is feisty. He is almost crawling...he gets on all 4 fours, rocks back and forth, then Ethan comes and plows him over like a bull-dozer. I think he's afraid to try anymore. LOL. He has cut 2 teeth with 4 more on the way. I can see them, they just haven't cut yet. He is so miserable. I feel so bad for him.

Weekend Recap:
Friday: Such a fun day! My kids go to bed pretty early. Tommy goes to bed at 6:30 and Ethan by 7:30. It's so nice. Especially when my good friend Tina wants to hang out with me! Her husband Jon needed help with his programming homework so he asked Mike to lend a hand. Tina and I were not going to sit through another one of those, so we decided to go to the local hair school and get back treatments with a massage. It was divine! I have never felt so relaxed. They were telling us about a synergy wrap, and apparently it gets rid of stretch marks. Heaven knows I need those babies to be GONE! So we will definitely be going back. Or at least, I will be :) Then we went to the grocery store and picked up some ice cream then went back to my house and hung out with the boys, who didn't get any programming done while we were gone. Typical. We hung out and watched a 13 going on 30 while the boys did their programming. We love hanging out with Jon and Tina!
Saturday: A very lazy day. Did absolutely nothing. It was awesome. Later on though, Mike's sister Tiffany stopped by after visiting their grandparents. We like her. After she left, I wasn't feeling very well so I laid on the couch and watched Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. Best thing ever. Mike was up in the office trying out his new Batman game. He's such a nerd. A cute nerd, though.
Sunday: Also a very lazy day. Have I mentioned how much a love lazy days. I do. I love them. It was also a snow day so it worked out pretty great. For most of the day you couldn't see hardly anything outside. When is it going to end?!

Until next time :)

Freaky Friday

2011-02-18T10:19:00.004-07:00

Welcome to the first Freaky Friday! My boys do a lot of things that I want to start documenting! I figure, one story a week will suffice :)

Ethan always does A LOT of funny things. Choosing just one story is hard but I think I got a good one. This morning while trying to get Ethan to sit on the potty, he outright told me to "suck it"! You can guess who taught him that. It wasn't me. It was really funny and had me laughing for quite a while. Which, probably isn't a good thing to laugh at, but it was just so dang funny!!!!!!!

Thankful Thursday

2011-02-17T09:47:00.003-07:00

Today I am thankful for my hubby. I know I know, it's a cliche, but I really am full of gratitude and love for him. Here are a few reasons why:

He loves me.
He listens to me.
He is an amazing dad.
He's an even better husband, if that's even possible.
He works hard so I can stay home with our boys.
He makes me laugh.
Even on my cranky days, he's still nice to me.
He's motivated.
He's spontaneous.
He's patient with me when I have a terrible migraine.
He encourages me to be my own person.
He's smart.
He's funny.
He can talk and talk and talk and talk.
He likes to watch cartoons with Ethan.
He's not much a people person, but he knows that I am, and he goes along and enjoys himself when I want to be around people.

I love you Mikey poo :)

Beauty.

2011-02-16T00:35:00.002-07:00

I absolutely love this video. What an inspiration she is. You can read more about her here

I want it Wednesday

2011-02-16T00:07:00.003-07:00

I do realize that it is just barely Wednesday. 12:10 to be exact. But, I'm awake and can't sleep. Go figure. How is it, that a mother of 2 finds it difficult to fall asleep before 1 am? If someone figures this out, please, do tell. Anyways, back to the post. I want an ice cream attachment for my kitchenaid! We have discussed my obsession with ice cream many, many times. How awesome would it be to be able to make my own ice cream. I would die. I have been scowering the internet for yummy homemade ice cream recipes and let me tell you, my mouth has been salivating. Maybe that's because I'm on a no-carb diet and I've been deprived of any sort of ice cream happiness. My name is Cynthia and I'm an ice cream addict. I've been sober for an entire month. Whew, that was hard. Anyways, I really want one of these suckers. I will gladly take donations if you desire to help me get what I want :)

Tasty Tuesday

2011-02-15T09:16:00.005-07:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day so I figure, for my first edition of Tasty Tuesday, I would share the Meal I made for Mikey :)

As we all know, I love The Pioneer Woman. I find myself reading her blog for hours on end. Her recipes are to die for! When Mike & I were first married, we were meat & potatoes kind of people. Now, not so much. But, when I saw this I couldn't resist. It was simple but looked so good! Try it, you won't regret it.

Ingredients

3 pounds Cube Steak (round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
3 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper, Or To Taste
Salt, For Seasoning Meat
½ cups Canola Oil (more If Needed)
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Mix together flour, seasoned salt, and pepper.

Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece in flour mixture, pressing to coat with as much flour as possible.

Add butter to pan right before frying.

When butter is melted, fry pieces of steak in butter/oil mixture. Flip when sides are deep golden brown and cook about 1 minute on the other side.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately.

Next was the biggest hit of the meal. Garlic Knots from Mel's kitchen Cafe. Another one of my favorite cooking blogs. These were delicious! I think Mike ate half the pan...and I may have eaten the other half. She uses her French Bread Rolls recipe for the dough and the garlic knots recipe for the butter mixture.

French Bread Rolls
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water

3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons

Preparation Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels (see a tutorial on working with yeast here). The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.

Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).

Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

1 recipe French Bread Rolls

4-6 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation Instructions

Mix butter and garlic together in a small bowl and let sit while making the rolls (I put the garlic-butter mixture on top of the stove while the oven is on to bake the rolls so the butter stays warm and melted). Follow the recipe for the French Bread Rolls, the only change being that instead of shaping them into balls, roll each piece into a four to six-inch rope and form into a knot, tucking the loose ends into the center of the knot. Immediately after the rolls come out of the oven brush the butter/garlic mixture over the rolls. These are best eaten warm!

Next I made grilled potatoes. Nothing special. I like a hint of garlic, so I just smash a clove of garlic and let it soak in the olive oil I cook the potatoes in *be sure to remember you put the garlic in the pan, or you might end up eating a nice chunk of garlic, only leaving a distinct garlic taste in your mouth. I may have done this. It isn't pleasant. Then throw in a couple cubed potatoes seasoned with salt & pepper and cook until tender.

I also made some basic steamed green beans. But, instead of steaming them in water I did chicken broth...I couldn't taste a difference :)

*recipes taken from the pioneer woman website & mel's kitchen cafe

My valentines : the pros and cons

2011-02-14T10:39:00.011-07:00

I am totally copying this from The Pioneer Woman. Love her.

Tommy..
pros: he's chubby, laughs at me, sleeps like a rock, and the easiest baby there ever was.
cons: he's going to grow up and leave me one day.

Ethan..
pros: he's very forgiving, he loves to play with me even when I'm cranky, he can make a joke out of pretty much anything, he's as sweet as sweet can get.
cons: he's going to grow up and leave me one day.

Mike:
pros: he's a great cuddler, works hard, motivated, family man.
cons: he doesn't like Mexican food. SIN. But at least he won't leave me.

Monday Mania

2011-02-14T09:12:00.006-07:00

Here goes to the first Monday Mania!!! Thanks for joining me :)

We are all doing really well so I guess this is where we start the update.
.Mike is still working at Digicert which has been great. He's also been running a lot, he has really grown to love it. Makes for a happy Mike. He is also studying to get some certifications which locks him up in his office for a few hours of the day. We miss him but it's all worth it, right?

.I have been doing this whole dieting thing for the past month. It's excruciating but worth it. I have lost about 40 pounds now and it's really nice. I hate that I had 40+ pounds to drop but that's only more motivation to maintain a healthier life. Other than that, I'm just hangin' out with my boys having a blast.

. Ethan is continuing to be a monster! He is growing up so fast and it's making me kind of sad. But I do have to say that I am looking forward to the years ahead. It's going to be fun I think. We have started potty training, which is NOT easy. He loves it one day, then wants nothing to do with it the next. He is also under the assumption that there is a scary monster in every part of the house. He will literally come screaming down the hall because "the scary monster is in the kitchen." He is also a lot more verbal these days, and not in a good way. He mimics pretty much anything people say, which isn't always a good thing. He is loving that Tommy is getting to the play age. Sometimes he's too rough with him and doesn't know when to stop, but he's just trying to have fun.

.Tommy is getting so big! He is 7 months, today! Wow how time flies! He is going to start crawling pretty soon. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. It's adorable. He loves to watch his big brother play and most of the time, Ethan is the only one to get him to laugh. He does this silent laughing thing where you know he's laughing because the expression in his face but he isn't making any noise, but Ethan can always get him to let out a little chuckle. It's hilarious. He especially likes to watch Ethan jump. He loves to play in his exersaucer from his grandparents and also his playmat. He's a REALLY easy baby. He's really calm and just sits there most of the time. It's awesome with how much a handful Ethan is. lol

Weekend Recap:
We had a really fun weekend. We were able to spend time with friends and a lot of time as a fam.
Friday: One of Mike's co-workers daughters held a bake sale for a family in Eagle Mountain who are trying to adopt 3 kids from a Ukrainian orphanage. They need $40,000 by March. She decided she wanted to help so they held a bake sale! I offered to help bake so I made some valentines cupcakes and oatmeal cookie bars. It was really cool. Between donations and the bake sale they raised $1,767.85 and her parents decided to match whatever she was able to raise so they ended up giving the family $3,535.70! Isn't that amazing?! I thought it was so cool. You can read more about the family here. Later on at night, we went to dinner at Winger's with our good friends Jon & Tina. We have really grown close to them and we always have fun with them. Not to mention, our kids absolutely ADORE them. Ethan always asks for them, ALL THE TIME.
Saturday: We took it easy. It was a laaazy morning. Which is fine by me! Eventually, we got up, got ready and went on a drive. Ethan fell asleep in the car so after he woke up, we decided we needed to tire him out again so he would sleep that night. We decided to take him to nickel city! It wasn't that great, but it was fun enough! Ethan just liked putting all the coins in the slots. And he loved the driving games. After that, we went home, had dinner, put the kids to bed then just hung out a little bit.
Sunday: Sunday was also a lazy day. We missed church...oops. We have been better at it, but yesterday was a really slow day. We lounged for most of the morning then we decided to go on a bike ride up Provo Canyon. That was a lot of fun! I think we are going to make that a regular Sunday activity! After that, we went home and just hung out for the rest of the day. After the kids went to bed, Mike and I were able to get some much needed alone time. It doesn't come very often these days. We were able to sit down together to read our scriptures, catch up with each other, cuddled a little bit, and watched Planet Earth. I have been loving it! hahaha I know, it sounds really dorky but it's fun to see all the different sights the world has. And all the cool animals! After that, Mike went to work and I got some "me time". Ahhh it was a perfect weekend :)

New stuff!

2011-02-14T09:02:00.003-07:00

I have been wanting to figure out a way to blog more often, I just can't find that many things in life to share. I was thinking I would start some fun themes to base my blogging around that go something like this:

Monday Mania where I will give a brief update of what's going on with our crazy family and a re-cap of our weekends.

Tasty Tuesday where I will share a new recipe that I have made and loved.

I want it Wednesday where I will share with you something that I want. I have seen a few people do this on their blogs and I think it's fun.

Thankful Thursday where I will share one thing I am grateful for that week.

Freaky Friday where I will share funny stories about my 3 favorite boys.

No Saturday or Sunday, FREE DAYS!

I'm hoping this will encourage me to blog more. I want to make a scrapbook one day and I think this will be a fun addition!

Day 30

2011-02-06T21:50:00.004-07:00

A picture of yourself today and 3 good things that have happened in the past.

1. I married Mikey Poo :)
2. Ethan & Tommy were born.
3. I realized how much my family actually means to me. I'm kind of a "family gal" these days :)

Day 29

2011-02-06T21:21:00.003-07:00

I know, I know. I totally FAILED at finishing this blog challenge. Honestly, I had a really busy/fun weekend. I barely had any time to be on the computer, let alone be at home. We had lots and lots of things to do, so I'm going to finish this tonight! So here goes...

Something you could never get tired of doing.

Well, there are a few things. I could never get tired of sleep. I LOVE sleep. Another thing, that I re-discovered this weekend, is watching dance. I went to watch the state drill team competition this past Friday and was there most of the day. My sweet sweet husband stayed up all day, after an entire night at work, to watch the boys so I could go. What a guy :) I hadn't been to a competition in a while and I forgot how much I missed it. Hopefully going to be getting back into that world soon. More on that to come later! I also could never get tired of hanging out with my family. They truly are the best people ever. Even though we all have a dose of crazy, I sure do love them a bunch!

Day 28

2011-02-03T12:39:00.002-07:00

Your favorite movie.

Hmm...I don't really have a favorite. I like a lot of movies, though. I love comedies and chick flicks, and I really enjoy a heartfelt drama once in a while. And, being married to a comic book geek, oh wait, graphic novel, my bad...I do like the Iron Man and Batman movies. I've even watched the cartoon ones and they aren't all that bad...I sure do love him. I absolutely love 80's teen movies. Molly Ringwald is awesome. I also love some of the old 90's - early 2000's comedies. Never Been Kissed is one of my favorites. Oh and I really like all the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks films. Which brings me to Forrest Gump. BEST MOVIE EVER. Some of the newer comedies and chick flicks are cutting it for me. It's a different rendition of the same story. Blah. I did really like The Proposal, though. And Baby Mama, that movie is hysterical. I will also admit that I did happen to like all of the Lord of The Rings movies. Mike made me watch them when we were first married. I resisted at first, but ended up liking them in the end.

Anyways, that's my spill for the day. I hope you are all enjoying my 30 blogging challenge. I have loved doing it, and may find another blog challenge to do when this one is done!

Day 27

2011-02-02T19:33:00.003-07:00

A picture of you last year and now and how you have changed since then.

This picture was taken in May of last year. I was 7 months pregnant with Tommy

This was taken just a few weeks ago.

Hmm...how have I changed? Well, I'm not pregnant anymore! My hair is about 8 inches shorter. I have lost 35 pounds. I've gotten a lot more opinionated, which still isn't really opinionated, I've just learned to speak my mind and stand up for myself. I kind of enjoy reading these days. I have 2 kids. I'm not so worried about friendships anymore, I'm more focused on my family. Which, I think, is a good priority. I value the friends who put in the same amount of effort as I do...no more one sided friendships. I guess I have changed quite a bit...you don't really think about it until you write it all out. I think they are all really good changes, it can only go up from here! :)

Day 26

2011-02-01T10:41:00.004-07:00

A picture of a place you have been to.

We were able to travel quite a bit last year, and I couldn't choose just one place, so I chose 2 of my favorites.

San Francisco

Hawaii

Day 25

2011-01-31T11:18:00.004-07:00

What's in your purse?

It really depends on what I'm doing. If I'm going out with the kids, I have a diaper bag. If it's just me and Mike, I take just a purse. So, I will do both :)

Diaper bag:
Diapers
Wipes
Baby Powder
Snacks for Ethan
Bottle & Formula
Sippy Cup
Extra Clothes
Burp Cloths
Small Toys
Chapstick
Wallet
Phone
Notebook & Pen
Kleenex

Purse:
Wallet
Small Make-up Bag
Notebook & Pen
Phone

Day 24

2011-01-30T14:43:00.002-07:00

A picture of something that means a lot to you.

Mi familia :)

Day 23

2011-01-29T08:35:00.003-07:00

15 facts about yourself.

1. I don't really like to read, but I have been trying to read more lately and I've kind of been enjoying myself.
2. I'm a loyal friend.
3. I love white v-neck shirts.
4. I like it when people stare at me because it then gives me the opportunity to stare back at them and make them squirm.
5. I am so happy.
6. I have completely lost touch with most of my old friends, but I'm content with it.
7. I love blasting music in the car and singing.
8. Neither of my kids were planned but I wouldn't go back for a second.
9. Keeping a journal for myself is like pulling teeth.
10. I hate the dentist.
11. I LOVE skinny jeans.
12. I have lost 35 lbs. since having Tommy and I'm still going! Woo!
13. I don't want a minivan but am slowly coming to the conclusion that I might just have to breakdown and get one.
14. I have a very unhealthy and illogical obsession with ice cream.
15. I am so very grateful for my life and the people in it. Wouldn't change one thing.

Day 22

2011-01-28T12:36:00.003-07:00

A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

I can't really think of anything that has happened recently. I do, however, have things to say to someone who hurt me a few years ago, but I don't want to open that box again. It was a HORRIBLE time in my life and I was very hurt by it all, but I think that getting back into it wouldn't be uplifting in my life right now. I haven't talked to her in a long long time. I don't know if she reads this, but if she does, I would rather not saying anything. I just hope that she has found peace with everything that happened and I hope she's happy in her life.

Day 21

2011-01-27T12:21:00.003-07:00

A picture of something that makes you happy.

This is the first time Ethan & Tommy met. I love the look that him & Mike are giving each other :)

Day 20

2011-01-26T12:22:00.002-07:00

The meaning behind your blog name.

It's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think? LOL

Day 19

2011-01-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

Another picture of yourself.

Day 18

2011-01-24T13:06:00.002-07:00

Something you crave a lot.

I seriously have an addiction to ice cream cones. Actually, just ice cream in general, but having it in a cone makes it that much better. Especially the soft-serve from Arctic Circle. Mmmm. I'm a freak when it comes to ice cream. It's my one BIG weakness and it's kind of a curse. But a really good curse :)

Day 17

2011-01-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

A photo of you and your family.

Day 16

2011-01-22T22:10:00.004-07:00

My celebrity crush.

I would exactly say I have celebrity crush's. I enjoy some actors, some more than most, but I don't have a crush on them by any means. LOL I think it's silly. You probably aren't ever going to meet this supposed crush, and, if you're married like me, it's kind of pointless. Let's be realistic here people! Here are a few actors I do enjoy watching on the big screen:

Ryan Reynolds. He's hilarious and he's pretty good looking. Even Mike can admit that. hahaha

Robert Downey Jr. Even though he's a freakin' crazy(or was), he's a really good and entertaining actor. Love him as Iron Man.

Eric Dane. I haven't seen him in much except for Grey's Anatomy and I love him on that show!

Day 15

2011-01-21T10:52:00.005-07:00

Something you don't leave the house without.

My Diaper bag. I know, its a ton of stuff, but I never leave the house without any of it. Unless I'm not taking the kids, which rarely happens. LOL

Day 14

2011-01-20T15:02:00.002-07:00

A TV show you are currently addicted to.

GLEE!!! I absolutely love this show. While it's REALLY cheesy, I can't get enough!

Day 13

2011-01-19T19:47:00.004-07:00

Your favorite musician and why?

Hmm...I have a lot of artists I love. I will pick 2.

My favorite band would have to be Anberlin. I LOVE THEM. Mike and I went to their concert last fall and it was awesome. I love their sound and their lyrics are awesome :)
My other absolute favorite is Ingrid Michaelson. Her voice is so beautiful and her songs are some of my very favorites.

I wanna win I wanna win!!

2011-01-18T23:27:00.003-07:00

I REALLY HOPE I WIN!!!

A SILLOUETTE SD
It's so beautiful. It even cuts fabric!!!!!

Day 12

2011-01-18T19:29:00.003-07:00

A photograph of the town you live in.

This is the Provo Tabernacle. It has recently burned down. I thought I would put up this picture because it was a big part of historic Provo. It's only about 2 blocks away from our house and happened to be our stake center, too!

Day 11

2011-01-17T23:30:00.003-07:00

What is in your make-up bag?

I am not a big fan of a "big to-do" when it comes to make-up. I like to keep it clean and simple. I can't pull off sparkly eye shadow or red lips, so hats off to those who can!

Covergirl Pressed Powder - Classic Tan
Burts Bees Chapstick
Rimmel Eyeliner - Black Magic
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Very Black
MAC Eye Velvet - Glare
Clinique Face Moisturizer
N.Y.C. Bronzer
MAC Blush Brush
Eyelash Curler
Tweezers
Bobby pins
Hair Elastics

Day 10

2011-01-16T21:56:00.002-07:00

A photo of your favorite place to eat.

This picture was taken at Tucanos. Mmmm need I say more?!

Day 9

2011-01-16T08:54:00.003-07:00

A picture of the thing you last purchased.Oh the glamorous life of a mother :)

Day 8

2011-01-14T09:40:00.003-07:00

I am supposed to put a song that describes my mood, but I can't find one, I'm just really liking this one today :)

Day 7

2011-01-13T21:45:00.004-07:00

My idea of my perfect wedding.

While I liked my wedding, I have grown up and have developed into a completely different person, I would now change EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT IT. Seriously, the colors, my dress, the decorations, everything. It was a really pretty day, but it's no longer me. It was also kind of disorganized...haha my fault. I was a child. Seriously, I was in high school while I was planning it. My colors were orange, green, and white. I would now choose midnight blue and ivory with brown accents. My dress would be COMPLETELY different. I designed it myself which I would still do, because I don't even know how many times I have seen girls wearing the same dress. Ugh I would hate that. You want it to be yours. Not the same dress some other girl picked off the rack at David's Bridal :) I would make it more classy. More ME. And while I love my mom's backyard, it was small. I would now choose a bigger place, still outside, with lots and lots of white lights. And a tent. I LOVE tent weddings. Sooo pretty! Things would definitely be a lot more organized and put together. We had to wait to cut the cake because idiot here forgot to arrange for someone to get a cake knife! I would have done more with the bouquet toss and the garder throw. And also more of a "grand exit". I'm like a little girl thinking about this. hahaha I better have a daughter some day :)

Day 6

2011-01-12T10:49:00.003-07:00

A picture of an animal I would like to keep as a pet.

A baby panther! Sooo cute. But I would only like it if it stayed a baby forever...hahahahaha

Day 5

2011-01-11T13:13:00.002-07:00

A picture of your self from high school.

This was my junior year when I went to New York with my drill team. In front of the building for the Philippine Mission to the United Nations :)

Day 4

2011-01-10T21:36:00.002-07:00

My favorite picture of my best friend :)

Day 3

2011-01-09T21:30:00.003-07:00

My idea of a perfect first date...hmm I like simple. Something you can do to get to know that person better. I hate when guys plan this whole elaborate thing and you don't even get a chance to talk. Mike decided to completely freak me out on our first date. But we did get a little time to chat, it was fun. It was Halloween and he took me up to a scary place in Kaysville, Kay's Cross, and played a REALLY mean prank on me! Oh, and when I drove up to his house, he was dressed as a scarecrow with a real pumpkin on his head scaring trick or treaters. It was memorable, which is always really important for a first date!

Day 2

2011-01-09T21:22:00.004-07:00

Ok ok, so I missed my blog yesterday. Woops! We had a fun and busy day and I completely forgot! OR maybe I just fell asleep..anyways, I'm doing it now! I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE salad! Mmmm I love buffet type restaurants simply for the fact that they always have amazing salad bars. But I only like salads if it has the good ranch dressing. BYU creamery has THE BEST ranch dressing. I'm pretty sure I could just drink it straight. No joke. This salad was from Tucanos. We love that place and we go there pretty often. They have a really really good salad bar...all my favorite toppings!

My boys.

2011-01-07T23:46:00.004-07:00

I have been meaning to blog about the boys for a while now, and I have completely failed. Up until now...obviously. I love blogging and I'm hoping to do it more often. We have a lot of fun things to document so I really want to keep up with it all!

Ethan:

He is a little rascal! I love him to death. Really. Him and Mike have an amazing connection. Ethan just absolutely adores his daddy. They like to rough-house with each other. Which has been fine, because Ethan can hold his own. But recently, he has been thinking he can play like that with daddy AND Tommy. Which presents a problem. Mike will sometimes bit his fingers, not hard, just playful. And he will let Ethan do the same to him. Ethan now bites Tommy ALL THE TIME. It's so sad because he just wants to play with him, but he doesn't understand that Tommy can't play like that. So, it's a learning experience. Hopefully he will start to understand. Only 6 months until he and Tommy will really be able to play together!

Tommy:
Such a happy baby! Right now, he has RSV. So sad. It all started at the beginning of December. We went to Disneyland and both of the boys came back with colds. Nothing to be worried about, until they didn't go away. They were both just steady colds. Not getting worse but not getting better, either. They weren't breathing funny or anything serious so the doctor didn't need to see them. Just lots of vitamin C and a humidifier. Ethan starting getting better, then he got worse, and now he's much much better. Tommy didn't start getting bad until this past Monday. I was immediately worried about him so I call the doctor and they asked us to come in. He was having a hard time breathing and was REALLY congested. They did the RSV test which he tested positive for and he also has an ear infection. Poor kiddo. I feel so bad, I should have caught it sooner! The on-call doctor didn't give him the breathing treatments because she didn't think he needed it because she thinks he's on the tail-end of it. Well, yesterday, he woke up from his nap and he was really having to work at breathing. I could see his ribs! Which never happens because he's kind of chubby :) So I called the doctor and they wanted to see him. Right when the doctor saw him, he knew he should be on the breathing treatments. He listened to his breathing, did the breathing treatment, then listened to him again and he said that the treatment definitely worked. What a relief! I was so confused as to why he didn't get the treatments in the first place. He is already starting to improve, so great. So hopefully the sickness goes away and he will be all better soon! Other than that, he is now 6 months old! I can't believe it. He's growing up TOO FAST! I am excited for him and Ethan to be able to play together, that's going to be awesome! I'm sure they will keep me on my toes but it will be great.

Day 1

2011-01-07T23:25:00.003-07:00

My day today was pretty good. Average. Normal. But I'm at the point in my life where I am completely happy with that. Tommy is demanding a lot of attention right now because he has RSV, so that is kind of stressful, but he is still the same smiling baby! It makes him being sick a whole lot easier! Plus, he is still taking his 4 hour naps! Ethan is such an awesome kid. Today, I put him in his room for some quiet playtime so I could take a shower. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw that he had shoved all of his ABC books under the door and he had his little fingers poking out the bottom of the door, and he was saying "mama, read." hahaha he's so cute and it made my day! I then went in his room and we read books for almost an hour! He loves to read and be sung to. I sure love him! Later on, we went to Mike's little brothers acoustic show. We missed his performance by about 10 minutes! Dang! He is really good on the guitar, I wish we could have seen him. Hopefully they do another one soon. Then we went to his parent's house and chatted with them for a bit. Now, we are home. The boys are in bed and we are hanging out in the office. Mike's watching a movie and here I am blogging :) It's been a pretty good day, if I do say so myself! And I do :)

30 day blog challenge!

2011-01-07T13:24:00.004-07:00

I thought this looked like a lot of fun! Hopefully I can keep up with it!

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself from high school.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past

Hawaii

2010-12-27T23:48:00.023-07:00

About a week after Disneyland, we got to go to Hawaii. It was a blast! We left the kiddies behind with my mom and got to get away from everything for a whole week! It was great, but by the end, we were ready to see our boys! It was really nice to be alone with each other for a little bit, that almost never happens! Thanks again Digicert! You guys sure do spoil us! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

We got leid :)

Strolling around Waikiki beach

Our cool hand carved statue!

This was in the lobby at our hotel.

The view from our room. So pretty.

Mike driving our rental car...a convertible mini cooper!

Mmmm Ice cold coconut juice

Laie

A view looking at Waimanalo Bay

Kaena Point State Park

Dole Plantation

Best fried shrimp!

Best fish n' chips! mmm

Waimea Valley

Chinaman's Hat

About to get rained on at the Polynesian Cultural Center

They moved the canoe show inside due to the rain :(
It was still good though!

IMAX!

Luau time! Yummy food!!

Utah's weatherman, Mark Eubanks! Him & his wife have been serving there for 3 years! He gave us our very own weather report...which turned out to be wrong..LOL

Laie Temple

View from the Entrance to Diamond Head Crater. The hike was closed when we went :(

Rabbit Island

Makapuu Point Lighthouse

Digi-Disney!

2010-12-27T23:25:00.010-07:00

We got to go to Disneyland and California Adventure again this year with Digicert and it was SO FUN! Ethan had a blast this year because he now recognizes most of the Disney characters. I'm pretty sure he almost died when he got to meet Buzz. The look on his face was completely priceless! We are so blessed to be a part of such an amazing company. Thank you Digicert!

Family Pictures

2010-12-27T22:44:00.011-07:00

A little while ago, our good friend Megan took our family pictures. You can check out her other work here. She's really awesome. Our kids weren't very cooperative so she even came down to Provo another day and did more pictures of them. Such a sweetie. They turned out better than we thought they would, the boys really weren't having it. Luckily she got some really great shots!

2010-12-22T22:33:00.005-07:00

OK, I know I told you I wasn't going to blog today, BUT I just miss my little guys SO MUCH! I m going to write about them. I thought that leaving them home would be fairly easy. When Mike & I discussed leaving them home with grandma, he said that he would miss them too much. He also asked me why I insisted on it so much. I told him:

"I am around them 24/7. While I love them VERY much, I need a break. My job never ends. If they wake up in the middle of the night, I'm up. You work nights so I don't even have the option of you getting up with them at night. So...I NEED A BREAK. And we need some alone time. AND traveling with children this young is terrible,they aren't even going to remember it."

Trust me, I gave quite the speech on the subject. While I am glad we left them, because honestly, we would have had a very different trip if had we brought them, I MISS THEM SO MUCH! We had an amazing trip but now I'm ready to be in my cozy home with my boys and enjoy a white Christmas. Hawaii post coming soon :)

Sorry...

2010-12-22T22:22:00.004-07:00

...for having been M.I.A. It has been a busy few months for us! In the midst of the holiday season, we have been enjoying vacations to Disneyland and Hawaii. Right now, I am sitting on my laptop in the Honolulu airport missing my kiddos terribly. In an effort to pass some time and distract my thoughts of home, I thought I would let you all know, whoever YOU are, that I'm still alive. Yep, very much alive just neglecting my beloved blog to enjoy some time with the family. But I do have A LOT to blog about when I get home...after Christmas, of course. So there are things to look forward to here! Stay tuned!!! Happy Holidays!

Christmas Cards

2010-11-30T14:45:00.002-07:00

Hello friends! We are getting ready to send out our Christmas cards and need your addresses! If you want one, just leave it in a comment or email it to browneyedgirl_ut6@hotmail.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Gardner Village

2010-11-06T21:29:00.006-06:00

I totally forgot to blog about this! A few weeks ago, the boys & I went up to Gardner Village for the afternoon with my mom and sister! It was a lot of fun! The whole place has the cutest Halloween decor and witches EVERYWHERE! Next year, we decided we want to dress up as witches and participate in all the fun activities!