Friday, December 12, 2008

Photo Phriday

Our dining room is carpeted, which I see as being a major design flaw. Jane, of course, is a messy eater/toddler.
Tan carpet + Food + Toddler = Disaster
Because I am tired of cleaning the carpet I decided to get a rug for under Jane's highchair. It is a lovely shade of clear and made of plastic. Okay, it's a shower curtain, but it works for me. The day after I put it under her chair, it was already saving the day.

At the very instant I was taking the above picture, Jane flung a piece of Jell-o behind her and it hit my hand just perfectly. I decided to document it for you all. She is a pretty good shot.


Since decorating the tree we have had many hours of tutorial about how she needs to leave the ornaments on the tree.


It's tough when the tree is so fascinating.

Here is a slideshow from the local Christmas parade last weekend.



A description of Jane Eating Cream of Wheat



A trip to the local Children's Museum




Friday, December 05, 2008

4th Photo in 4th Folder

I wasn't tagged or anything, but I thought this picture was a good one. Last summer we went to Delta, Utah for the weekend to visit family and along the way we ran into an odd sight for a city girl. The cows were migrating or something all over the desert and the highway. These 2 were a little close for comfort so we stopped and stared while they stopped and stared. We had a moment.

Anyone else want to show off their 4th in their 4th?
Let's see it...

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Jane, Jane, Bo Bane

Banana, fana, fo fane. Me, my, mo, mane. Jay-ane. I love this baby. She is so cute and suddenly getting so big! Check her out!She's suddenly into her dolly again. She'll carry her around all day with a rag or wipe and clean and cover her up. It's very cute. She's my little baby mama.
Her favorite hang out for about a week. Luckily she's forgotten about it for now.My little goggled pirate......showing off her little booty while digging for booty.Here we see an awesome display of morning hair.
And a coat I got on clearance at Old Navy. I love clearance shopping.
Look at her supermodel eyes! Such a little dolly.******************************************************************
I finally convinced Scott to wear some jeans. He hasn't worn any since high school and that was 10 years ago. He told me he felt weird all day at school dressed like this. I tried to get him to understand that he looked awesome, but he hasn't worn them again since. Doesn't he look handsome?!**************************************************************************
Some of her latest bath time hijinks.


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Helping daddy make pumpkin pie. She's become my kitchen helper, of sorts.



Tuesday, December 02, 2008

We're in the paper!

We just noticed that we are in the local paper. We had Thanksgiving with some people from Scott's program at school and they had a journalist there taking pictures. We didn't think anything of it until Scott remembered today. Our little Jane is making the news!

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Elder Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints passed away last night. There are some articles regarding his life and passing which can be found online. One can be found here. Something that touched me from that article was this:
"There is old proverb," Elder Wirthlin was wont to say, "which says, 'An inch of gold will not buy an inch of time.' We must put a sufficiently high value on time. It is valuable and should not be wasted."
I am such a time waster! I don't want to be, however, I feel trapped by my own laziness and sometimes don't know how to rise above it. However, I feel inspired by an apostle's words and I am going to strive to use my time more wisely. The article also stated that Elder Wirthlin would each morning type his schedule for the day. I remember as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I would write out my schedule for the day the night before, and then review it in the morning and would stick to it as best as possible. I am going to implement that again in my life. I'm excited about all the things that I will accomplish!

Monday, December 01, 2008

Black Friday

We love Black Friday. Probably we shouldn't as much as we do considering we have no money, but then when else are you going to get DVDs for $2?!?! Scott did his usual middle of the night shopping at Best Buy and Circuit City. I stayed home until the late hour of 6:30 am waiting for my turn since Jane was still sleeping and I couldn't bring myself to face the crowds with a tired baby. Once Scott finally made it back to the house I hit Home Depot for a drill/driver I've been wanting for about 2 years. The salesman asked if it was for me or my "boyfriend" (I was too tired to put mywedding ring on at 6 am). I thought, Am I being flirted with?. Then when I was asking for help in the bit department he called me "sweetheart". So, I think it was more of a condescending thing more than a flirting thing, but it was fun to think, if only for a second, that someone other than Scott might think I was cute without makeup or my hair done at 6:30 am. After that fun, I hit 2 Walmarts. Yes, 2. The first one was completely wiped out, so I thought I'd try another that had only opened a couple of months ago. I'm glad I did, because I found almost everything that I had wanted. I told Scott that next year, that is the Walmart that I'm hitting first thing. Those people in that neighborhood must still be
Black Friday Virgins.
So, what is so great about shopping at 5 am? Having ALL your Christmas shopping done by 7 am of course! Only 24 days left until my favorite day of the year!
Welcome to the Christmas season!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Poo Poo In The Potty!

So, it was probably just a fluke, but we had a poo poo in the potty this morning! Jane was trying to go and then was signing to go in the bath. Most of you know what that combination means...But I put her in the bath anyway to test out my other theory of maybe getting her to poop in the potty when I know it's coming. So, she was playing in the bath when she started trying to go. I picked her right up and put her on the potty. She screamed a little, but then gave in a went in the potty! I hoorayed for her, then got her down and we looked at her accomplishment and waved bye-bye as it went bye-bye. Now, I don't think she really understood the magnitude of what just happened, but we celebrated anyway by dancing to Float On by Modest Mouse (I have no shame).

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This is what Jane's been up to today.

*********************************************************************
This morning I woke up and told Scott that I had visions of bloggy dreams dancing in my head. I was a little blog-crazy yesterday and so all night I kept dreaming about blogs and layouts and the fun that it all is. Maybe I should start another hobby.

Monday, November 10, 2008

I'll Humbly Wear It With Pride

My super sister-in-law Steph just honored
little ole' me with a blogging award!
I am very excited to show it off! The rules for this award are as follows:
  • Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
  • Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
  • Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
  • Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
  • Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
I hereby nominate the following awesome blogs for this awesome award:
The Woods of North Dakota (always creative and cute)
Bridget (never afraid to strut her stuff)
Cumulative Record (my gateway to the left)
Veronica Ernest (always has a good mommy tale)
and last but not least...
lebraun (always willing to show her underbelly, no matter how seething it is ;)

Good job ladies. Keep the laughs a comin'!

...And We All Came Tumbling Down!

Yesterday, while carrying Jane, I fell down. It has been one of my greatest fears and it finally came true and yet, we both survived. We had just left our friend's house who had fed us yummy veggie curry. I was carrying Jane and noticed that her hoodie hood and the hat to her coat had just fallen off so I put them both back on her head (a blessing in disguise). Then we went outside, with Scott along beside us, when, as I stepped off the curb my right ankle collapsed beneath me and Jane and I went tumbling down. It was one of those experiences that is so scary that while it happens, and when you think about it after, the situation occurs in slow motion. I was carrying Jane in my right arm, her face was facing mine (another blessing in disguise). I remember my right ankle twisting beneath me so I tried to fall to the left to protect Jane, then I fell forward into the gravelly asphalt landing on my left hand, then my left knee skid on the ground, then, nightmare of all nightmares, I saw Jane looking at me with her GIANT eyes saying with those eyes, "what are you doing, mommy?!". Then I saw her land on my arm on the asphalt then slowly, as I yelled "OH NO!", she fell backwards and hit the back of her padded little head on the asphalt. She and I immediately started crying and Scott dropped to me to see if I was OK, then grabbed Jane and consoled her while I wept in anguish on the ground. Angry at myself for not contorting my body enough to protect my baby. For not reacting quickly enough. Because my ankle HURT! Because, what if Jane now has brain damage?! Because, THAT WAS DUMB!
Falling down when you are an adult is one of the most ridiculous things. You just feel dumb and you get hurt really bad because you are WAY to big to fall down now that you are all grown up.
I slipped and fell once while pregnant with Jane and we both survived that one too. 2 times in 2 years isn't too bad.
One time at BYU I was running to class in the rain in some really slick FILA sandals (remember those, all you 90's people?), yeah, I know it was dumb. Right as I came out from under the covered walkway south of the HBLL, I hit that little slope on the way to the SWKT and slid the whole way down it on my sandals then fell on my butt in the middle of a huge crowd of people who where older and better dressed than me (I was in my pajama bottoms, I don't know why I thought they were cool enough to wear to class!!!). Ugghh. That was embarrassing. However, that was not the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. Only a select special few know that story and I'm going to have to keep it that way. Let's just say I was gastrointestinally challenged while in the right place at the wrong time.
Anyway, back to my latest folly. Jane's obviously just fine. (I checked her pupils, made sure she didn't fall into a coma while sleeping, you know...all the neurotic mommy stuff.) I'm fine too. My ankle is pretty sore, but it will recover. My hand is scraped up, but it will recover. My knee is a little scabby, which is just weird because I'm a grownup. My mommy pride is a little beat up, but it will also recover. However, my jeans...only spray 'n wash can save them now.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Breaking News!


This morning we practiced Jane's walking skills and she got a little more gutsy and then she was off! She's been walking around all day, the farthest being about 15 feet. She hasn't given up on crawling yet though. Now and then she gets frustrated with falling down so she goes back to crawling. Soon she'll be running all around!

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Living with a Foreign Exchange Student

Sometimes I feel like I'm living with a foreign exchange student. I talk all day to this little person that listens and then tries to respond, yet I don't know what the heck she is saying. She might as well be from France considering how well I understand her. We carry on conversations, yet little is understood. I know that she is interested in what I have to say so I listen to what she has to say.
Then I respond with a "Yeah", or "Uh-huh".
Sometimes when Jane talks, she ends her sentences by elevating the tone of her voice, as though she were asking me a question. It is so cute when she does that, trying so hard to communicate with me. Right now I call her language "gobbledy-gook", but sooner than I realize it will be real words coming out of her mouth and then I'll be able to know what her little brain is thinking about.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Don't Forget to Vote!

There are a lot of important issues to consider this election year. Especially regarding the definition of family and other moral issues. Make sure you know and understand what you are voting for or against! Good luck tomorrow.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

If I Were A Character In Twilight...

Kind of a fun quiz for the truly obsessed...Yes, I know
how nerdy this is.
I'm a Esme! I found out through TwilightersAnonymous.com. Which Twilight Female Are You? Take the quiz and find out!

Pumpkin Stealers Suck

Someone stole my pumpkin that I spent 15 minutes picking out at WalMart. I'm so mad. Lame-o! I was so proud of it and how long it took me to find it. Another perfectionist actually stopped me in the store to ask if the pumpkin was real or not because it was so perfect looking! I'm so mad.
Happy thieving Halloween, you jerks.

Two of My Favorite Shows

Two of my favorite shows right now are Kath and Kim on NBC
and The New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS. Who doesn't
love a comedy about dysfunctional families/people?
Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. You can watch them
online or on TV (click on the names to be connected to the
show online). However you do it make sure to spread
the word so they don't get canceled like all the rest
of my favorite shows do. They are both laugh-out-load funny!
Enjoy!

Baby Dilema

How do you keep a baby from pooping in the tub?!
It's become part of Jane's nightly ritual to poop in the tub. I try to keep on eye out to catch it before it happens, but somehow she is able to sneak and do it while I can't prevent it. Last night I decided that since I can't stop her maybe I can get her to go in the potty. So, I watched for the signs, and each time she was about to go I picked her up and set her on the potty. Of course she was freaked out and freezing while sitting wet on the toilet. She didn't know why she was dangling over a hole while dripping wet. So each time I set her on the toilet she wouldn't do anything. Why putting her on the toilet 3 times, I noticed that it was kind of grimey. I put her back in the tub and started to drain it and remove all toys just in case a poop came, and then started to clean the toilet. (I'm a chronic multi-tasker...sometimes to my own demise...) As soon as I started to clean the toilet I heard the little grunts and turned around to see her watching me while doing the biggest doodie of her life in the almost-empty tub. AHHH!!! Cleaning it up was disgusting and led to me clogging the toilet up pretty good. So, the first night of night pop potty training didn't work out how I'd hoped, but I'm going to keep trying. Meanwhile, how do you keep a baby from pooping in the tub?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

For all the other Twlight Freaks

I'm totally excited to go see the Twilight movie on
November 21st. Girls night! I know it's not going to
be as good as the book, but it's still going to be
good! Hooray for Twilight!

Click here to see a preview of the movie.

Monday, October 27, 2008

I'm a bad S-P-E-L-L-E-R

Last night I played Scrabble with my friends Rebekah and Jentry. Now, most of you who know me well know that I can't spell to save my life. So, it's no surprise that I lost by a landslide. I'm not a good speller, especially spontaneous and creative competitive spelling. Just this last week I called my husband 3 times to know how to spell words like "efficient" and "dilapidated". Just a few minutes ago I had to look up "ridiculous" in Microsoft Word because I didn't want to leave a comment on a blog and look "ridiculously" dumb doing so. I blame it on never really having an "English" class until 9th grade (that's another blog tale for another blog day), but I'm also sure it's because of Microsoft Word's magical way of correcting your misspellings before you even knew they existed. Not that I mean to blame anyone/anything else for my dumbness, but I'm going to none-the-less. I guess I could study the dictionary or something, but that sounds "b-o-r-i-n-g". So, for now, I am going to continue to rely on my ole' friend Microsoft Word. He hasn't let me down yet (that I could tell).

Monday, October 20, 2008

I'M BACK!!!

Yeesh, this has been the most frustrating week not having the internet! I didn't realize how addicted I have become. I told some friends it was like being in outer darkness. There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! (Towards our internet provider, of course.) I will soon post something a little more interesting. Meanwhile, I'm glad to be back!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

More about Homemade Baby Food

All you avid fans out there may remember me mentioning
making baby food at home. I recall someone commented
saying that I was now becoming a "hippie" because of it.
Actually, I do it to save money, save time,
and to feed my baby healthier things than overly
processed foods. This is a shot of some
red beans, peas, and carrots. YUM!

Here is a cool video I found explaining how to make your own
baby food. My favorite part is at the end.
Lets just say: bird food....
Other than that it's a great video.
Good luck all you Hippie Moms!

Friday, October 03, 2008

Somebody Just Turned 1!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE!
Jane just turned 1 on October 1st. Scott had school all day long, so he just spent the morning with us. We began the day with
a happy birthday tune

as soon as she woke up.
Then we opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa Church
and from Grandma Houston and Grandpa Beldin.
As you can tell, she was very excited. Thank you!Off to birthday pancakes we then went.
Then Scott went to school for the rest of the day, so Jane and I were able to party hardy!
We walked to Kohl's and bought some fun toys and
spent they day playing around the house and out on the balcony.
Later while I made her cake, she enjoyed her very first beaters.

Looks like she likes
whipped cream!
She enjoyed a
big chocolate cake

after dinner
.
Actually, I think she was more into stabbing it with a fork.
It was very cute.
Then it was off to the tub for a birthday bath wit her new toys from grandma and grandpa Church.
A picture with mommy in the bathroom.
And off to slumberland.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
LITTLE ONE!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Bizzaro Dream Land

So, the exterior of the building we live in is being painted. I did not know they would be painting yesterday and while all the blinds were open and I was vulnerably sitting alone in the living room, some guy climbed up a ladder and onto our balcony and freaked me out! But that's not the point of this story.
Well, the painters are all Hispanic which means they blast Mariachi music all day long. So, this morning while I was still sleeping the music was pumping right outside my window. Now, I blame my dream on the music, so please don't think I'm a weirdo. I dreamed about a chorus show that was all drag queens with red hair singing Mariachi music. That was a first. Once I woke up I realized that (no offense again...) Mariachi singers kind of sing with girly voices. Hence then dream.
Dreams are so funny! Have any of you had any funny ones lately?

Monday, September 29, 2008

How to make a baby laugh


So, this is how you do it. Stand next to them and do plenty of high kicks. That's all. Obviously I stood out of the shot, multiple high kicks can be embarrassing.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

What does an Elephant say?


So, I'm not a huge fan of letting Jane watch TV or of those Baby Einstein videos. I've discovered that some of them are kind of freaky. However, Jane's into animals right now and she LOVES dogs (as long as they stay away from her) and can say "wuf" and she LOVES ducks and can sign duck and can say "duh". So I got World Animals, a Baby Einstein video from the library and a we discovered than Jane really likes elephants. So, here are a couple of videos of her demonstrating a fierce elephant sound.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Being a Parent


So, we only have bunny ears right now and it's kind of depressing. Especially because we were so spoiled before and had DVR (I would recommend it to everyone!). Anyway, I was catching up on my shows by watching them online and I came across a really great line in the season finally of ER from last year. Luca is talking to an old man and the old man says:

"Being a parent gives you strength you didn't know you had. They can keep you going, they can drive you. They can make you fight harder, soldier on, make you keep rowing up river even though everything else turns to crud."

Already feeling introspective today, this really hit me. It is so true. Now, since Jane was born things have been pretty good, but having gone through some things before she was born it makes me think that having her around would have given me even more strength to face tough times. When you have kids you become someone bigger than yourself. You no longer think of yourself first. I would do anything for her, put her needs before mine at any time. I remember when Scott was on chemo I told him to get through it if for no other reason than for our kids. We didn't have any yet, but we knew we wanted to someday and I couldn't do it without him (obviously;). So, even before we had any kids, knowing that they would someday come was what give him and myself the strength to get through that tough time. I know that when we face difficult times in the future I will be given strength beyond my own in order to endure for my kids and their future. I see and hear so many stories about people who go through terrible and difficult times and they do it, if for no other reason, for their kids. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I love my baby Jane and I would do anything for her. I never knew that kind of love until she came into my life. I am grateful for her and the strength that she gives me.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The Dearest Sister Money Can't Buy

Someone to look up to...
I am watching my sweet little niece (Janey) and have secretly taken control of my sister's blog. Yes I am an impostor posting on "Church-a-rama."

When I was little my sister told me I came to the family by means of a store. Yes, the family went down to a store and picked me off a shelf like a cabbage patch kid.

Despite this early traumatization, I would like to pay tribute to my only yet dearest sister, Feather Anne, Seather, HeathRat

From the first day we met...
Heather apparently was very happy to have a little sister to play with. I likely did not yet know any different at that point... I have fond memories of her making me my requested ketchup and sugar sandwiches while she babysat while mom took a nap.

She was always up for some fun times. Though I do not remember much from childhood (does anyone?) I know I always had my big sis. I was dying to go to school like she did. I was aching to be able to roll my tongue for Spanish school like she could (ARRRRRRIBA). I wanted to learn the words to Debbie Gibson and Paula Abdul's songs just like Heather and learn how to do the really cool hand frame dance that Madonna did. Always hoping to be like sis.

She's not afraid of roughing (sp?) it and helped me have a love for the same. We enjoyed many wild and crazy years at Girl's Camp and still enjoy singing camp songs. In an A-Frame such as the one in the picture, we would spend many summer weeks in years to come. Heather helped instill a love for Girl's Camp in me, a place where I made great friends, had wonderful silly times, and strengthened my knowledge and testimony about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

She's a hard-working gal, who enjoys organizing, planning, and taking the horse by the reins- if you know what I mean. Her little babe is amazing due to heather's extensive research and putting in to practice such things as: getting babies to sleep well, eating well (makes her own baby food), avoiding food allergies, sign language... this list goes on and on. If you've met this baby you would know she NEVER cries (okay, almost never). She understands when it's time to go to bed and will quietly sing to herself while she falls asleep and the only real issue is she won't sit still for a diaper change and likes to do 360s while you hold her legs... but that's not Heather's fault. Her house is always filled with amazing artwork and decorative items heather made and hung by herself. I do not have the patience for such things. She always has and puts in to place elaborate home-organization schemes. She also fancies cooking and makes fun and delicious dishes.

She is very silly and will always keep you laughing. Scott wanted someone he could joke around with... well he found her. I was looking through her mission photo album and I do not think there is one single picture where she is not doing something silly making the whole room laugh.

I got to spend my birthday with her (Sunday) and she did so many special things for me that made my day, such as make my favorite cake (pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting, avoiding adding the nuts as I do not like them). Here she is on her mission acknowledging a street with my special day. She was a great little missionary in Brazil and touched many people. And now she speaks three languages! Now of course I am dying to learn Portuguese too.

We have many great memories together.

Thanks for being my big sis and don't get mad I stole your blog. (She just got home and I'm sneaking this blog entry in her newly set up craft corner.) I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more.

I love you big sis and thanks for being there and for all the fun times.

Crazy baby nightmares

SCARY!
So, early this morning I had a nightmare about Jane. I think it was a dream up until the end which woke me up. Sometimes when I pick her up I do so by her arms. And recently I've been wondering if that was a good idea. I didn't think much of it though because she doesn't seem to mind. So, in my dream I picked her up by her arms only to realize that instead I had ripped both of her arms off! I immediately woke up and almost cried and almost woke Scott to tell him but realized I was too tired to do either of those so I went back to sleep.

Have any of you moms out there ever had a similar baby nightmare? I would love to hear about it. Please leave comments and share your dreams/nightmares with those of us living day-to-day in blogland.

My Grandmother

Some of you may already know that my grandmother Pat Houston passed away yesterday, September 10th. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, my church as well. After having not attended for about 25 years, she had recently begun attending services again which was very exciting. When I would go home to visit I would see her and my grandfather there in the back row of the congregation. They would be smiling and happy and it was great. This grandma was not the type that baked cookies all day long, but she was fun nonetheless. She was very excited her newest grandbaby Jane and had been making clothes for her since she was born. She'd made crochet blankets, hat and booties, dresses, pajamas, and many other items. Grandma was very skilled with the sewing machine and was excellent at crochet. I always felt very welcome and loved in her presence and we will miss her very much.
We love you Grandma.


From Jane visits Seattle

The funeral service for Pat Houston will be held on Saturday, 9/13, at the
Bellevue Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

It is located on Main Street just west of 148th Ave SE.

There will be a viewing from 10:30-10:45 AM, in the Relief Society Room and then the service
will be held from 11 AM - 12 PM. Following the service, the burial will take place in Redmond.


Then, at 2 PM there will be a luncheon at the Chapel for immediate family and close friends.

An additional viewing will be held on Friday, 9/12, from 4-8 PM at:
Sunset Hills Funeral Home (0.90 miles)
1215 145th Place SE, Bellevue, WA 98007 U.S.A.
Phone No: (425) 746-1400

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Remebering those who died in the Cedar City plane crash

On August 22nd a plane crashed in Moab, Utah and the 10 people on the plane died. All of them were from Cedar City and although I didn't know any of them, I know many people who did. My heart goes out to all those who are grieving. I can only imagine the sorrow they must be feeling. It is comforting to know that families can be eternal. If anyone would like to see the memorial blog for those who died in the crash, click on the title above or paste the link below.

http://www.cedarcondolences.blogspot.com

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Jane walking with her walker



In this video Jane walks with her walker, her new favorite thing to do, claps and signs "milk". She is learning some signs for different things including "eat", "duck" and "book". She is picking them up quickly so we will soon be learning more words.

Jane's 1st Lemon



She liked the lemon. After eating, we walked around the mall and she continued to hold it and eat little bits now and then. She also likes dill pickles and cheese. Luckily her taste buds are like mine and not whimpy like Scott's.

Nebraska is our Home

So, we have really enjoyed living out here in Nebraska. Jane has acclimated very well (she actually never missed a beat) and we feel fairly settled into our new place. Big story...we bought 3 more giant bookshelves and are filling them up today. We still need a couch or two, but other than that we are pretty good. Scott is still settling into the rhythm of school, but he'll be fine once he buckles down and does the 9-5 thing and treats school like a regular job. I'm trying to be brave and will be going to church activities to make friends with some girls in the ward. We have met some couples who are our age and seem very nice and fun. And Jane, well, she's very wiggly and is trying to be an independent walker. Her new thing is to get into cupboards (literally climb into them), open drawers and pull everything out of them (no, that doesn't get old), and get into the toilet when daddy forgets to put the lid down. She's very into trying everything that I am eating and yesterday we discovered that she likes lemon wedges. She ate a whole one while we walked around a bookstore. She also likes to lick pickles and eat cheese. She is a girl after my own heart. So, here are a few recent pictures of us and our Jane.

Monday, September 01, 2008

Making a house (apartment) a home

So, we are slowly finding some great buys at garage sales, setting up our house with furniture that we need. We are still short a couch and some bookcases (anyone that had been to our house in Cedar would know that we have a lot of books which, by the way, are still in boxes...yes, it is a tall teetering tower). This last Saturday we found a great coffee table and matching side table and a desk and hutch for my craft/sewing stuff. I am very excited about my "creative" area, I've wanted my own workspace for years (and those who remember our Cedar home probably also remember frequently seeing my sewing machine on the kitchen table). It's not quite set up yet, but once it is I'll definitely be showing it off. Now I just need to be more proactive about using it and having fun being crafty.

Jane is so cute! She is cruising all around the house, holding onto things/walls as she walks. She hasn't had the guts to take a step on her own yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. She loves exploring all around the apartment and carrying things with her as she goes. This week she started signing "milk" and sometimes "eat". The only problem is that she is indiscriminate with when she signs and what she may think it's for. Oh well, at least she gets that it means something. It is very cute. She is also big into talking...not that I know what she's intent on telling me, but once she figures it out herself I will enjoy having intelligable conversations with her.

My sister Sarah is also visiting us for a couple of weeks. It's been fun having her around. She is an excellent cook and is not afraid to whip out a meal now and then. I appreciate the extra help. She is also not afraid of a dirty diaper or giving Jane a bath, which is also wonderful.

Scott is getting along well at school. He is teaching 2 sections of the same class, a business speech class, and so far he enjoys it. As far as his own classes go, I think he is feeling a little overwhelmed and realizing how hard the program is. I don't think we will be seeing much of daddy around the house during the week for the next few years. But he is going to try to leave school at school so time at home will be more enjoyable.

We went to the Haymarket farmers market a couple of weeks ago and bought some great produce. There is a little duck pond near our house that we enjoy walking to. Jane likes the breeze by the pond and watching the ducks. The libraries here are great, we really enjoy going to them. We look forward to getting to know our new city a little better and finding fun family activities.

I can't seem to find out camera right now, but once I do I'll post some pictures.

Friday, August 01, 2008

WE'RE HERE!

So, we are finally settled in Nebraska. It took 14 people from our ward in Cedar City to help us finish packing and filling the truck and 6 people from our new ward in Nebraska to help us unload the truck and then we were done. Thank you all for the many hours of help with this long process. Although it was a sad and hard move, we are really excited to be here and look forward to what is to come. So far we have really enjoyed Lincoln and all the things to do and see. It's a lot bigger than Cedar so it's an adjustment, but I LOVE the fact that a Super Target is a 2 minute drive from our apartment! It sure beats the old 45 minute drive! Our ward seems really friendly and we feel really comfortable there and we are really happy with our apartment. I'll let you know more and post pictures once we have our internet set up.

We miss all our friends in Cedar, but the sadness hasn't really hit yet. Probably in a couple of weeks, once the exciting newness of the move has expired and we realize we don't have anyone to hang out with, we will cry a little more and realize how much we will miss Cedar City. You Cedar City friends better keep in touch!

Right now we are in Seattle for the next week for a family reunion on my mom's side. After that I will update the blog with new photos and stories.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Cool Online Baby Stuff

So, I found a website called www.babysmash.com which is awesome! On it you can download a program that allows your baby to bang on all of the computer keys, and even play with the mouse, without hurting your computer. And with each key hit, a shape, number or letter pops up on the screen and along with it a giggle or a voice saying what it is. Jane loves to play with that program.

Also, my friend Jamie told me about a website called www.etsy.com where homemade products can be listed and sold by anyone (without any sellers fees). I just checked it out today and I have high hopes of selling some homemade baby items on there in a couple of months once we move and are settled, and once I figure out what I want to make. Meanwhile, there are a lot of great products that are sold on there from handmade books, organic soap, jewelry and clothes to everything baby. Check it out!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Peach Bread


I've been trying to figure out what to do with all these cans of peach halves I accidentally bought and this recipe was a perfect solution. When I told Scott I was making peach bread I could tell he was not too excited about it. But once it was done baking and he'd had his first piece, he kept asking me if he could eat more (of course!). He's so polite. I made some adjustments and I list them after the directions. Click on the title to go to the recipe site and change recipe amounts, etc. Good luck!

* 3 eggs
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 cups diced canned peaches, drained
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.


My alterations: I halved the recipe so I'd only make 1 loaf (you can do that at the website, linked to the title of this post), but I used 2 eggs instead of the suggested 1 1/2 (how do you 1 1/2 an egg?!). I also used pecans instead of walnuts. And on another peach bread recipe at that recipe website someone listed a topping of 2TBS chopped pecans and 2TBS brown sugar. I mixed those and added a little cinnamon, then added it to the top of the bread before baking, hence the pretty topping in the photo. Also, I think a little almond extract would be great in the dough, but I forgot to add it. Let me know how it turns out if you try it. I know you'll love it!

Enchilada Casserole


The picture is not that appetizing, but it really tasted good and it was pretty easy to make. Click on the title to be taken to the recipe. Things that I changed: I doubled the tomato sauce and all spices and omited the water (I like a lot of sauce), I used maybe 10+- small corn tortillas, and I omitted the olives (just for Scott). It makes enough for a 9x13 pan. I took it to a potluck and it went over well, then made it again just for us and we ate it all (over a few days). Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it.
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