Utah

Nicki, Celeste and me

Ty, Celeste, Tiff, me and Kristan

Los Hermanos! I love their brisa's, chips and salsa, and fajitas. I wish I could remember the recipe for the brisa's.

We are back from Utah! We had a great time. Most of you know that when I go there a lot of my trip is planned around food and seeing old friends. I got to spend time with old friends and roommates Kristan, Celeste, Tiffany, Nicki and Heidi. We ate at Los Hermanos, Cafe Rio (x2), Pei Wei, The Foundry (Sundance) and Bajio (x2). Celeste took me shopping to a few of my favorite stores Tai Pan and Rodworks. I spent all of my birthday money on home decor and bathing suits from ModBe. They have the cutest suits right now! Check them out by clicking on Tiffany's link. Alex's cute roommate babysat Rylee so that we could go out to dinner with her and Jeff.

The best part of the trip (and reason we went) was to be at the temple when Ty was sealed to one of my oldest and best friends Celeste and her husband Drew. It was an amazing experience. He was glowing during the sealing and just looked back and forth from Drew to Celeste with his beautiful big brown eyes and rosy cheeks. I am so grateful that they invited us to be a part of this experience. Thanks for babysitting Alex.

We got back Sunday night and I was so happy to be with the boys again. Poor Cohen got sick Saturday and is still recovering. He is doing better each day. It's so sad to see a person with so much energy be so lifeless. The only good thing about him being sick is that he wants to cuddle with me all the time. I am praying that no one else in our family gets sick, it's a nasty one.

another page

Is something missing or is it just me?

Poor Roo

That's Rylee's nickname. Rylee Roo. Jody has changed it to rooster because of her hair. Well our poor little girl had a horrible weekend. She was fussy and very clingy to me but she still slept all night long. We are leaving for Utah tomorrow so I took her into the doctor this morning if nothing else but for some peace of mind. The doc barely had to look in her ears to see that they were both red and pussy! Plus she has a mild case of pink eye. I am so glad that I took her in. Jody says that I get the star for being a good mommy today.

Our family has had a rough time lately. We've all had different versions of the viruses going around. We had a scare last week when Ammon woke in the middle of the night crying. He said he couldn't walk. He could only get to the bathroom by walking on his tip toes. We kept him up for a while and tried to work with his legs but they didn't get better. Then Jody got on the internet for a couple hours and found some crazy disease that people get that can cause this. I think we were both extra freaked out because a friend from home lost her 4 year old son to cancer last week. Neither of us could sleep. When he woke in the morning Ammon still had trouble walking. Jody took him to the doctor and the doctor told him that he wasn't worried about Ammon having anything seriously wrong with him. He said there was a weird virus going around that caused this sort of thing. Ammon was very sick for a few days with a cold and fever but seems to be doing much better. The scare definitely made me so grateful for my children and family. I realized that really nothing matters in this world but my family. I am so grateful to have my three beautiful, healthy children.

Easter

We had a great Easter. My parents came to spend the weekend with us and took the boys home for the week. Jody, Rylee and I are going to Utah later this week.

We went to an Easter egg hunt Saturday. The boys both did great but they can't understand why the Easter Bunny doesn't talk. Each of the kids got a new outfit for Easter. I attempted to take pictures of them together but didn't get much, considering we were already late for church. After dinner on Sunday we had an egg hunt. They had so many eggs to get that they ended up leaving half a dozen outside. I guess they will have something to be excited about when they play out back next week.

Things are so quiet around here. I actually miss the boys a lot and had a hard time saying goodbye to them yesterday. I got a little emotional. A week is a long time and as much as they drive me nuts sometimes, they are my world!

Digital Scrapper!

I'm so excited I finally started digital srapbooking and so far I'm loving it. Yes it took me hours to figure out how to do it but hey it was also my first time on photoshop! So what I did was take a tutorial online. Not the cutest page but I am very pleased with my work.

Great Day

Thanks for all of your birthday wishes! It's really great having a birthday on a holiday because no one forgets it. And if your birthday happens to fall on a holiday every year St. Patrick's Day is a great one because it's so random.

It was a great day. Jody made me breakfast in the morning. Ammon woke up and started singing me happy birthday. I told him how old I was and he said, "well you don't look old." He knows just how to melt my heart. My mom drove through on her way home from Arizona and we had a nice lunch outside in beautiful weather. Then Jody and I went out for a very good dinner. He gave me a salad spinner (which I actually need) filled with $200 in cash. It was suppose to look like salad and the money was one all five dollar bills. I'm still trying to decide what to buy.

I take birthday's pretty seriously. So when Jody didn't get the kids ready for the day or change two poopy diapers before leaving for work I got a little upset and we got in a little tiff. I figure that for one day I shouldn't have to do those things if he's around. If he's at work that's different. Well I don't know if he ever saw it my way but he did end up bringing me a treat home from work and I got over it.

Besides the fact that it's my birthday I actually enjoy St. Patty's Day. I dressed all of us in green and little leprechaun's were tricking us all day long! One turned the kids mac and cheese green, another made my bed and another one rang the doorbell and left cookies for us. Ammon loved it. He was walking around the house trying to find things they could have done. He asked if they had cleaned up the backyard or put Rylee's dresser in the garage (both things Jody had done the night before not as a leprechaun). It was hilarious! A leprechaun also came to their school and turned their snack food green and brought them treasure. He had a great day.

what I really mean

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" .. that will bring on a "whatever").

(8) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying "Kiss my butt!"

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

I was dieing when I read this. It is so me! I forwarded it to Jody and told him, "Hey if you really want to understand me read this. Make a couple copies of it and have it on hand because it will help you and us."

Question

What do you do when your in a sandwich shop eating and your constipated daughter is grunting and her face is turning a deep shade of red? Everyone's looking at her, if they have any common sense they know that she's about to deliver a very unpleasant package, and they are trying to eat! I was alone and halfway done with my food so I couldn't just leave. Instead I picked her up and tried to comfort her while I scarfed the rest of my food down and bolted. Just another wonderful mommy moment.

Where's Cohen?

There's Ammon.

Wait. Where's Cohen?

Ah. There's Cohen.

Please excuse the mess. They decided to get every toy out within the hour it took them to fall asleep last night.

Cohen is such a rambler in the car these days. Sometimes I am too busy thinking to myself and sometimes I actually listen to what he's saying. He doesn't expect a response. Just likes to hear himself talk. For instance this is what I heard him saying this evening:

"There's a car. Wow, look at the car. Why don't we have a car? I want to get a car. Oh we already have a car."

It was said much slower than it sounds. With little inflections in his voice. As if he were really analyzing the situation.


Rylee is growing up way too fast! She is pulling up on things and she is all over the house. She just seems too young to be doing all of this!I want her stay a baby for a while longer. I have got her down to nursing three times a day and eating solids three times a day as well (all in preparation for the trip). I tried to give her a bottle/sippy cup twice today, with formula in it, and she gaged herself both times. We go to the pediatrician next week so hopefully she will give me some advice!

Couldn't get her to smile! I love that her hair is really coming in now, even though it sticks up all over the place.

this and that

Ammon is sick again. Strep throat. I caught it quickly so he's already on antibiotics.

I have some new friends! I met a girl at the park yesterday and she introduced me to some other young mothers in the neighborhood. They each have two kids and stay at home. It's difficult to find SAHM's around here because it's so expensive to live here that both spouses have to work. I'm really excited to have some friends. Ammon started playing indoor soccer with some of their kids on Wednesday and he loved it.

I got a new haircut a few days ago. I brought the lady a picture of what I wanted and came out with more of a mommy bob. I was looking for a dramatic a-line. It's so frustrating to come out with something different then you planned! Especially when you are paying an arm and a leg. Oh well like my mom says,"the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is two weeks."

Wow this top picture of me is hideous! Doesn't my hair look a little uneven?

I love to cook. I love to eat. But I hate trying to figure out what to make. If somebody could just tell me what to cook every night it would be so much easier. So I'm thinking about starting a a new blog. I haven't figured out all of the details nor if I'm fully committed to it yet. But I'm throwing the idea around. Basically any of you who would like to be involved would notify me. Hopefully we would get a decent amount of contributors. Each week a different person would list what they are cooking for 5 days as well as the recipes. It wouldn't have to be anything gourmet. Just quick, easy and yummy dishes. What do you think?

Thank Goodness

So I'm not losing my mind! I did know him from college (the boy on idol). Kristan called me Friday to find out what I was talking about. Turns out she had DVRed Idol last week but hadn't watched it yet. So I sat on the phone while she forwarded to the part of Brooke White. It was music to my ears (no pun intended) when she said, "Yes that's Dave! You totally know him. " Hurray! We are still working out all the details. But alas, I am not going crazy.

My dad came this weekend. He hadn't seen the kids in a few weeks and my mom was in London. He took us to dinner Friday night and Saturday he watched the boys while I threw a shower for a friend. The boys had so much fun with him! Ammon had a hard time letting him leave today and when he finally was able to get in the truck Ammon started bawling. The poor kid. I asked him what would make him feel better and he said, "A cookie." I didn't have any cookies so I said,"How about cake?" It did the trick. At least until he wakes up from his nap. Which literally he just did! Oh no and he is crying. He is sad because Grandpa is gone.

I stayed up until one in the morning last night watching Gone with the Wind. I had never seen it! It was such a good movie. Now I want to buy the book and the movie. I have heard the last line from Rett dozens of times "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Now I understand why. Poor Scarlett. She was so beautiful, dramatic and hilarious. I loved it! My favorite line, "Oh great balls of fire."

Idol

I was watching American Idol tonight and swear that I saw someone I know in the audience! It was right after Brooke White (by the way she is mormon and so is David A.) sang and the camera went to her husband and friend. I knew the friend or know him or something. It's driving me nuts! I think I knew him in college? Okay so please help. Someone out there has to know him as well. Kristan? Celeste? I feel like you guys would know this. I hope you watched the show tonight. Please tell me who he was so that I can get his face out of my head and get some rest! I wish we had DVR.

the boys

This is how the boys like the big boy (daddy) to take them to bed. They have so much fun together. The other night Jody took them to see The Spiderwick Chronicles while Rylee and I wandered aimlessly around Target. Since watching the movie Cohen has yet to be seen without his "chronicles book" which is actually a soft bound copy of the Book of Mormon. Last night Jody acted like the monster in the movie and the boys ran around with a book that he tried to steal.

Every night before Ammon goes to bed he likes one of us to tell him a story. Lately if we are too tired to sit and tell him a story he will tell us one. Now Cohen tries to tell us a story as well. I am going to try and get it on video tonight because it is seriously the cutest thing! He starts off, "Upon a time...."

One more thing. Last night after we put the kids in bed Ammon came back into our room and said,"I love you mom and dad." It was so sweet. Okay just one more thing. Ammon likes to give me kisses but sometimes he tries to give me a super long kiss until I am pulling away with all of my might. I always tell him,"Your not suppose to kiss your mommy like that (or anyone for that matter)!" He always laughs and will tell Jody,"Daddy I just kissed your girlfriend. " Well last night he did it again and I asked him why he always tries to kiss me like that and he said,"Because I just love you so much."

she's a mover.

I love this girl.

random

Jody's parents left on Tuesday. I can honestly say that we were all sad to see them go. I am lucky because I really love my in-laws! They are always up for anything when they come, easygoing, giving, loving and spoil their grandchildren to death! They are wonderful.

I recently got a new laptop and am thoroughly enjoying it. I only let myself on it an hour or so a day. I don't want to sit on the internet all day long, which would be SO easy to do (in the past I did a few times). My favorite place to search is Etsy. I love this website/store! I am placing an order for some of these clips. Rylee is finally able to wear little clippies!

I am also becoming quite the little sewer. I've been making receiving blankets, for all of you who are having babies in the next year, as well as burp clothes and some super cute pillows for Rylee's room. I am having so much fun. My only problem is that I start a project and get so excited about the next that I don't finish it! I promised myself that I will not buy anymore fabric until I use everything I have.

Yesterday my sister Lindsey found out that she is having a boy! I am so excited for her, Alan and Izzy. I can totally picture Iz with a little brother. I don't know if a little sister could have taken what I'm sure Iz will be dishing out! What a perfect little family.

Rylee began crawling this week. It's a whole new world for both of us. I have mixed feelings about it. She is enjoying being more mobile but I have to worry about so much more. Oh well it was inevitable!

I am going to a tupperware party tonight and having a visiting teaching brunch at my house tomorrow. It's almost March, which means it's almost my birthday!

fun

The picture says it all!

What a great weekend! Jody's parents are here and we are having a fabulous time! It is going by too quickly. We went to a fair in Cloverdale Saturday morning. We got there before it got busy, took the kids on all the rides and got out just as the crowds were coming. Ammon's definition of a fair is a place where kids have fun.

Cindy and I ran girly errands last night (JoAnne's and Target) while the boys hit up Best Buy and Sports Authority. I love having someone to go places with. I wish they were staying longer!

LOVE

This is what Jody got me for Valentines Day. Of course the names are different but I LOVE it. The discs tuck under each other and don't fan out the way they do in the picture. Melissa and I saw these necklaces in a boutique last weekend and she gave Jody the idea to get me one. Thanks Melissa! I love sentimental gifts.

Today was a great day. The weather has been spring like for the last 10 days and we have been loving our little park only a block away. The boys hop in their jeep and drive up while I push Rylee in the stroller. For Valentines day I made the boys delicious pop up pancakes (once again thank you Melissa for the recipe) and pink chocolate milk for breakfast. Then we ran a few errands and I took them to the park and stopped by McDonald's on the way home.

Jody's parents come tomorrow! We are all very excited to spend the next five days with them. We booked our tickets today. Cabo here we come, kidless!

Cabo

My mom called tonight to invite Jody and I on a trip with her and my dad to Cabo San Lucas. Their friends backed out and they need someone to take their place. The conversation started out with my mom saying, "I wish you and Jody could go" and ended with me deciding that we possibly could go! We can't take any of the kids. Not even Rylee because they are staying in a hotel that doesn't allow children under the age of 16. Aunt Alex to the rescue! I am still a bit worried that she might not be able to handle three kids. Another obstacle is that I will need to wean Rylee. She will almost be 11 months old so I'm not too worried about it. Just sad to even think of leaving her! I'm really excited but a little nervous.

Last week I drove the kids to my aunt's house to say goodbye to my grandparents and visit Jami and Keal. I forgot my camera! I spent Saturday with Melissa. We walked around some cute shops in Danville. I could have spent a fortune. Next time we decided that we will get a babysitter for the boys and so that I can enjoy myself more. Of course I forgot the camera again!

Rylee is almost 8 months old. Her hair is growing and getting crazier every day. She got her first two teeth last week and handled teething very well. She is finally sitting up and can almost crawl. It's amazing how good she gets around the room without crawling.

Cohen recently started calling me mama. Ammon has been calling me mama for the last year but one day Cohen decided to start calling me mama as well and that's all I hear now. It's hilarious. Jody says he's a true southern boy. Ammon and Cohen are so different. Ammon thinks everyone is his friend. We were driving home the other day and I noticed a yard sale in our neighborhood. They were selling lots of baby stuff and I stopped to purchase a few things for a friend that she had been wanting. I asked the guy his name to write him a check and Ammon said,"Mike, that's a nice name." As we drove home he said, "Can we go back and play at Mike's house again?" Um, okay he's not our friend. Cohen is so different. He could care less about people. We sat by the bishop's wife in church yesterday and she kept trying to help with the boys. Cohen was so rude. At one point she rubbed his back and he looked at her with a scowl on his face and said,"Don't scratch my back." He wanted nothing to do with her. At least he loves his mama.

Week in Review

This week went by quickly. My mom arrived tuesday afternoon and stayed until Friday morning. We LOVE it when she comes. She and I went and saw 27 dresses and I liked it so much that I would love to go see it again. Everyone I'd talked to said it was okay but I thought it was hilarious and really liked James Marsden in a romantic comedy. The bar scene was my favorite part.

Jody and I were able to go out one night. We went to dinner and then I got a pedicure while Jody sat in a chair and read a magazine. My kind of date.

On Thursday we picked Alex and her boyfriend Jeff up at the SF airport. We went to lunch and then stayed inside the rest of the day because it was pouring. Jeff is a super nice guy. He and Alex seem to really like each other, they were constantly holding hands, touching, etc. Ammon really, really liked Jeff. He thought Jeff came to play with him. The minute we got back from the airport Ammon got him a pirate hat and they played "pirates" together. Ammon also asked Jeff some pretty personal questions and at one point told he and Alex not to kiss. He said, "I can't kiss until I get back from my mission." He was pretty hilarious the whole time. When they left to drive to McKinleyville on Friday he said, "I'm really going to miss Jeff."

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and we are going to a party after church. I am making buffalo wings and blue cheese dressing. I got the recipes from All Recipes. In case you need something to make tomorrow here's the recipes. They were both rated 5 out 5 stars by a few hundred people. I am planning on baking the wings. I read numerous reviews that said they were just as good baked.

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 676 members
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours Yields: 5 servings

INGREDIENTS:
oil for deep frying
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.


Bill's Blue Cheese Dressing
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 275 members
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 15 MinutesYields: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
pepper
4 ounces blue cheese,
crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Season with mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in blue cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.