Future NFL Quarterback?

OK ... he might not be a future NFL Quarterback (or he might be!), but LD certainly had fun learning the ropes of flag football this morning. I think the really funny thing about LD is he said he had so much fun, but he is so serious looking in all (most) of these photos!

The first couple of weeks they are just teaching the kids skills and then he will start playing games. It's fun to see LD involved and out there having fun with other kiddos.

 And then this is my favorite picture from the bunch ...

Awww ... Saturday mornings at the park! 

A day of cooking

So I'm trying to eat healthy and get rid of my Emma weight (and more) and one of the ways to do this is to definitely EAT AT HOME! It's hard, though, when I work all day and want to try to fit in the gym and just relax a little bit too.

We decided that crock pot cooking is the way to go!

It makes sure that we actually eat at home and then it's super easy because I don't have to spend 45 minutes to an hour before dinner cooking. I love it!

The first week we just tried a couple of meals. One of them was a crock pot soup that we done 100 times. I didn't freeze this one, but we did use the crock pot. It's a delicious recipe from the Taste of Homes cookbook.

Here are all of the ingredients for the Beef Vegetable Soup:

• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups water
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (11-1/2 ounces) V8 juice
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 bay leaf

And here are the directions:

• In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving. Yield: 7 servings.

I do everything the diced tomatoes and it tastes great! Sorry I don't have a picture to post of it.

The freezer meal I did this week was Hawaiian Chicken. I got it from this blog that I had pinned on Pinterest.

(4-5 servings)

• 2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½  cup white sugar
• ½  cup vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• ½   cup of pineapple juice (use what’s in the can)
• ½  can of large pineapple chunks

Add all the ingredients to the bag. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. Serve it over rice.

David's quote was somewhere along the times of the meal tasting better than it looks! LOL! It will stay in our menu rotation for future weeks.

Today I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen getting ready for this week. Here is our menu for the week.

Monday -- Crock pot chicken noodle soup

Tuesday -- Crock pot cilantro chicken with black beans and corn

Wednesday -- DIY

Thursday -- Eating out

Friday -- Crock pot chili

Saturday -- Tacos

And here are a few pictures of my afternoon adventures ... 

I'll let you know next week (or throughout this week) how the meals go.

P.S. Remember my post from during the summer about freezing the canned corn. Well it turns out it tastes wonderful! I actually used it in three of the recipes I made this week. Super great way to save some dough! Go Costco!

Ouch

If it isn't one thing with Emma it's another!

Before she was born there was the issue with her kidneys. On the ultrasound the images came back as having them enlarged and so we were concerned that she was going to have issues after she was born. All ended up being fine.

Then when she was about 8 months old she got pretty sick and had to have breathing treatments. It wasn't RSV, but for two months we had to take her to the hospital to get her nose sucked out.

Next when she was about 14 months I took her in to the doctor to discuss how she wasn't really talking like a typical one year old should be talking. It turns out that her eardrums were only vibrating about half of what they should be. This was causing her to hear as if she were underwater. We took her to an audiologist and they agreed. We ended up having tubes put in her ears and then the very next day she came down with croup. Now usually croup is just treated at home by holding the baby in the bathroom while running a hot shower or taking them outside at night for some fresh cool air. Nope -- not with Emma! We went from the ER to the hospital via ambulance and spent two nights in the hospital.

Of course she has had the random ear infection, a couple of bouts of pink eye and the average cold her and there.

Back in June Emma had a scratch right on the corner of her eye. I took her to the doctor and he said he didn't think it was infected, but came me some ointment to put on it to help it heal. About a week or so later I was back at the doctor because the right side of her nose was looking all crusty and infected. Turns out she had a staph infection. When the doctor casually said this I freaked out a little bit because I thought that staph was a pretty serious thing. .He just gave us some topical cream and we were on our way. It cleared up shortly after and no big deal.

And that brings us to today -- about three weeks or so ago I guess Emma fell in the parking lot at Gold's Gym. She ended up with a scrape on her chin and daddy came home and cleaned it. We figured it would heal and no big deal. We tried everything we could to keep it clean and promote the healing process -- first we started with regular band-aids and then went on to a liquid bandage. Finally we heard that maybe we should just let it air out.

I decided to take her to the doctor last night and I'm glad I did. Turns out she has another staph infection. Again, we got a topical cream and also an oral antibiotic.

 This photo is from Sunday night. I decided to post on Facebook and get some advice from friends. A lot of them said to air it out and others suggested getting her to the doctor.

This photo is from Tuesday afternoon after the doctor visit. We let the wound air out for a couple of days and finally decided that enough was enough and needed to take her in.

All I can say is thank goodness for modern medicine and that through all of the sickies that Emma has had that nothing has been major or life threatening.

Preparing for Boston

Earlier this year I was selected to go to Boston through Larry H. Miller's Driven 2 Teach. I'm so stinkin' excited! I went on a Larry H. Miller educational trip a few years ago (it was organized a bit differently at the time) and we went and explored the Overland Trail that the Mormons and other groups came on as they went west. I learned so much and I feel it impacted my classroom in a positive light. I am so excited for this trip to do something similar!

I went to an orientation back in February and we were given a few books and a DVD that we are suppose to read and watch before our trip. I'm still working on that. At the time I was kind of bogged down with my GT endorsement and my math endorsement that I didn't have too much time to read. Now that it is summer I have more time, but my trip is very quickly approaching.

I thought I would give you a glimpse on what I have read/have to read for this amazing experience:

There were different novels that we could pick. My choice ...

I remember reading this book when I was in junior high or high school. I absolutely did not remember ANYTHING that happened in it. So much so that the whole time I was reading the book I kept asking myself, "when is Sam going to die already!?" Even with that, I really enjoyed the book. We even have a classroom set of it at school so I'm planning on  having my students read it next year. I hope they like it as much as I did!

This was the first book I started out of the other readings. Now don't get me wrong, it's a really good book, but I struggled. It was hard for me with all of the Indian tribe and people names. They kind of all looked the same to me and then I was confused. And to be honest with you ... I kind of cheated a little. I read the whole thing, but I ended up getting the "young adult" version that my school library had. It really helped me out just in that I think it condensed some of the more difficult parts.

This is the book I am in the middle of right now. I really like it, but now I feel like I have to go read the Constitution word for word so I can see what actually made it into the document. I felt like I knew the story pretty well before reading this, but I love the view of what life was like for these men at the time while staying in Philadelphia and some of their individual concerns. Something new I learned -- there was a guy at the convention named Luther Martin. This made me chuckle a little. Maybe his parents had high hopes for him giving him a moniker similar to that of a man who changed religion. And then it made me think of Martin Luther King Jr. Funny how the names Martin and Luther have been given to people who have played such important roles in history.

This is the last book I have to read for my trip. I have to focus on just certain sections of it so I'm not too intimidated by the large text (I think I have to read the full thing by our follow-up in August). I'll let you know what I think after I've read it.

I also have this DVD series "Liberty" to watch. It's pretty good. I wish that it didn't use some of the language it uses. I think there are some valuable clips that I could show to my students, but with the language I'm not sure. I have one or two more discs left to watch. I was watching it with David, but since our schedules are so different it hasn't happened in a while and now I'm just to the point that I need to finish it. We are planning on watching the miniseries on John Adams this week as well!

Another book that they suggested we pick up was this one on the Freedom Trail. I ordered it through barnesandnoble.com used and it's a super informative book. It breaks down all of the places on the Freedom Trail and lets you know why they were/are significant. In the back it also has operating hours and costs for all of the locations (although that might be a little outdated).

Finally ... one of the things I'm super excited about for the trip that has its how historical value -- 

And that is probably about the view we'll have from our seats! LOL! I organized a group to go see the Red Sox play the Blue Jays. It's really neat because this is the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park. Kind of neat to say that we were there. If only David could be with me too! 

Freezing Canned Corn

Since I'm on my meal planning kick and a lot of the meals I have planned are about rice and beans I started to look into some other things I could do with them. One thing that seems to taste good and is pretty cheap is corn.

You have to understand, though, that I am NOT a corn person! I remember as a child having this silly fear of eating corn on the cob and having my teeth fall out.

I have overcome my silly fear (at least in so much as I will eat corn mixed into something -- still not off the cob) though, and I mixed some corn into our Rice and Bean Stoup (I'll post my recipe at the end ... it is modified from the $5 dinner one).

When we were at Costco buying the corn I saw how much cheaper it was to purchase the BIG (4 pounds 11 ounces!!!) of corn rather than the 8 smaller (read -- normal sized) cans. I figured I could probably portion out the corn and freeze what we were not going to use.

I did just that. After reading on the internet about how I should drain the liquid from the can, rinse the corn and then I could individually store portions I went to work. David helped me out and he was super good at getting all of the air out of the baggies that we were using.

I don't know if it will actually work, but only time will tell. If it does work then I'm saving a TON of money. And if it doesn't -- I'm only out $3.

Here is the original recipe I started to follow and below is what I ended up with.

Rice and Bean Stoup
1/2 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of red kidney beans
1/2 cup of black beans
1/2 cup of corn
1/2 cup of green beans
1 small can of tomato sauce (I would like to use at least 2 next time I do this)
1 small can of water (I did this to supplement my lack of sauce, I probably would not include it next time)
I package of taco seasoning
1 bag of success minute rice

My ground beef was already cooked from the night before, but obviously if yours isn't that would be the first step in the directions.

After the ground beef is cooked mix in the kidney beans, black beans, corn and green beans. I just left the burner on low to warm all of this up together. I then added the tomato sauce, water and taco seasoning. I warmed all of this up and set it to the side.

At the same time I was mixing all of the other stuff together I had a pot of water going and threw in my minute rice.

Once everything was ready I put some of the rice in the bottom of the bowl and then scooped my bean mixture (I used a spoon with slits in it to reduce some of the liquid) on top. It was delicious and definitely something we will be having again in the future!

Menu Planning

In an attempt to get back to blogging and having an organized life I figured my first blog of the summer should be about menu planning.

To be honest, I suck at it!

I have great intentions, but I have about the same five meals that I can cook and enjoy so if something new is on the menu I find some way of getting out of it.

Not this week! I already have the eating out built in and I'm stinkin' determined to cut down our food costs. We spend way too much money at the grocery store and at fast food (and sit down) places. I want so bad to be out of debt and now is the time that we are going to get there!

And with that ... here is my menu for the week:


Monday ... Nuggets or hot dogs
Tuesday ... Vegas Town Square
Wednesday ... Emma's choice (probably something at the hotel)
Thursday ... Rice and Beans (from $5 Dinners)
Friday ... Mexican bean soup with Spanish rice (from $5 Dinners)
Saturday ... Chicken and pasta (I usually just cut some a couple of chicken breasts and cook them on the Forman and season them with my Pappy's seasoning. I then cook up some yummy pasta straight from Italy and coat it all with some alfredo sauce from Ragu. Super easy and tasty!)
Sunday ... Hot dogs

There you go! My menu for the week of June 4-10. The one thing I need to work on is side dishes. I'm not very good at these, but I am starting to believe how important they are to rounding out a menu and controlling how much I actually eat.

Sorry for the lack of pictures  ... I'll post some in the next couple of days :)

Really?

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I've updated the family blog. I'm probably not even a blog any of my friends follow anymore because it has been so long since it's been updated! I know I stop checking after a while when a blog isn't up to date.

Anyway ... we did the tubes in Emma's ears on September 30th. The surgery went fine and like they anticipated Emma was super duper cranky when she came out of it. When we were discharged we were given all sorts of precautions to look for and one of them was a fever. The next day Emma did spike a fever and somewhat of a cough so I ended up taking her to Instacare. I explained that she had just had surgery and they looked her over. They came to the conclusion that she just had developed a slight infection and they gave her some medicine. I filled her prescription at target and took her home. Later that night I was really worried about her labored breathing so I ended up calling the on-call doctor. He could actually hear her breathing over the phone and said we needed to get her to the ER. GREAT! A $200 debit just to be seen. They decided that she actually had croup (unrelated to her surgery). They gave her a breathing treatment and some steroids and we were hoping we were going to be able to go home. Wrong. She actually ended up spending two night in the hospital.

I know they said it was unrelated, but I can't help but feel like it was somewhat started with getting tubes put in her ears.

Overall, though, I'm happy we did the tubes. It seems like Emma is speaking a little bit more. I know she is behind, but she can say words like mommy, daddy, and then anything that starts with a b that she recognizes she tries to say and it ends up just sounding like "b."

Tubes

It has been a while since I have posted, but we have been SUPER busy with school and such. I'll try to recap the summer later, but for now I am going to focus on the present.

We took Emma to an audiologist today to have her hearing checked and to get a second opinion. At the beginning of August I took Emma to see Dr. Barton about why she wasn't speaking. Really at 14 months she should have words for things and she didn't. He checked her ears out and said they looked a little inflamed so we would treat them for an ear infection. He also look in at her eardrum and saw that when air was puffed in the eardrum was only vibrating at about 50 percent.

I cried! And I cried! And I cried!

I didn't exactly understand what it all meant, but I did understand it meant that the reason Emma wasn't talking was because she wasn't hearing 100%. As time passed I've been feeling a little better about it, but I was anxious to go to the follow-up appointment.

Today at the audiologist they did a few tests to check Emma's hearing. Of course she cried most of the time because they were messing with her ears, but the bottom line the doctor was able to figure out she has a lower frequency hearing loss. They aren't sure right now if it is because of the build up in her ears due to ear infections or if she has a permanant lower frequency hearing loss.

The solution we have decided for now is to put tubes in her ears. We have a consultation appointment with Dr. Barton (who will do the tubes) on Friday. Once the tubes are in about two weeks later Emma with go back to the audiologist and they will check her hearing again to see if it is any better with the tubes in.

So that is our story with Emma's ears for now. I will try to keep this posted. For now, I have a video link you can go check out to see what the process of putting the tubes in her ears is like:
http://video.about.com/pediatrics/Ear-Tubes.htm

Day 28- Cruise A Thesaurus and Pick Out 10 Words You Like the Sound Of

I started to do this and came up with one word ...

1. Catawampus -- off-center; askew; awry.

I think this topic is stupid and I don't want to spend my time looking through a thesaurus for words that I think sound cool! I'm being a rebel today and not finishing the assignment.

Blah!

Day 27- My Day Job Verses My Passion

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love teaching 8th grade history, but if I could somehow work in a scrapbooking store teaching classes about scrapbooking and being paid to scrapbook that would absolutely be my dream!

Well ... maybe someday after I retire!

Day 26- List 10 Things That You Are Thankful For

1. The most important thing is my family -- David, LD and Emma!

2. Then the second part of my family -- my mom, dad, Kevin and all of my extended family.

3. I'm thankful for having a job that gives me time off during the summer to spend with my family.

4. I'm thankful for having at least one working car (don't even get me started on the other one!)

5. Ld's endless stories about experiences he has had (in his head!) Right now he is telling me about him being Captain America and something about a computer. I'm not sure what is happening in his story, but he certainly has a creative imagination.

6. Being able to listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio who someday I will learn to follow because I honestly believe it would be wonderful to live a debt free life!

7. Living in the United States of America. Watching the news I can't imagine living anywhere else and I think people should stop complaining.

8. I'm thankful for having great friends who help us out when needed!

9. I'm thankful for having a queen size bed because if it were any smaller I think I would get even worse nights of sleep! LD keeps crawling into bed with us and it just isn't working, but it could be worse! However, I have been sympathetic the last couple of days because he has a fever.

10. I am thankful for our house even though I complain about it constantly. I love the location and it is a good size. We just need to get rid of a ton of crap in it!

Day 25- What I Would Find In Your Bag

The better question would be what wouldn't you find in my bag!? LOL!

Right now I've been carrying a smaller cross body seatbelt bag and I can't fit as much in there -- Thank goodness! But here is a list of the things that are in there:

1. My cell phone

2. My wallet that has a bunch of old receipts, credit cards, Dixie Direct card ... (notice no mention of money!)

3. A tootsie roll

4. Coupons

5. A sample of make-up remover I was given at Costco the other day

6. A small bottle of Carried Away lotion from Bath and Body Works

Day 24 Part 2- Post Your Favorite Quote or Verse of Scripture and Why

Blogger was giving me trouble so I wanted to just start a new post so my frustration level didn't get too high.

On a more serious note -- here is my other favorite verse. My dad read this at my wedding.

"The LORD God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.

When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body."

Day 24 Part 1- Post Your Favorite Quote or Verse of Scripture and Why

This is my favorite quote from a movie:

"That moment when you kiss someone and everything around you becomes hazy

and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person

is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life

and for one moment you get this amazing gift

and you wanna laugh and you wanna cry 'cause you feel so lucky that you found it

and so scared that it'll go away all at the same time."

Anyone know what it is from?? Anyone??

That would be the 1999 classic Never Been Kissed. I LOVE that movie. I could watch it over and over again. 

And I love this quote because it so perfectly describes what it is like to kiss the one you love.

I think Drew Barrymore is definitely one of my favorite actresses!

Day 23- Something You Crave A Lot

This is really bad, but something I crave a lot is something new. It's not that I just want to go out and throw away the things I have, but I always seem to want the latest and greatest things.

For example, my DSLR crapped out on me the other day. I was really upset because that thing was stinkin' expensive and also because we have an upcoming vacation where I NEED a nice camera. I took the camera into Best Buy where it was still under warranty and the guy said they would send it off, but there was usually a 14 day turnaround.

He said there are two possibilities of what could happen:

1. Sony fixes the camera and sends it back.

2. Sony contacts the store and says the camera is either too expensive to fix or they no longer have the parts to fix it and authorizes a replacement camera for me to pick out.

I bet you can guess the one I'm secretly (or not so secretly now!) hoping for! :)

Day 22- What Makes You Different From Everyone Else

I think something that makes me different from everyone else is my ... oh! I don't know. I could say my drive, my organization, my scrapbooking ... any of it -- but I don't think it does. Frankly, I think this is a stupid question because we are all different in our own special way but I don't think it is so broad that it sets us apart from everyone else.

So instead I'm going to talk about a couple of the things that I think make me special.

1. I can remember exactly who gave me (and the kids) presents long after the gift was given. I think I have this special ability to remember things based on clothes. I can remember exactly who gave the kids certain outfits because I can almost see the photos in my head. Weird, I know!

2. I type super fast. Sometimes I think I type so fast that my fingers can't keep up and I have silly typing mistakes, but overall I think I do pretty well. It's funny because it just seems so natural to me, but I will have students just in awe after they see me typing something. So I guess I owe a huge thanks to Blair Elementary at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington for making us do keyboarding classes and not letting us look down at our fingers. Where would I be without you?!

Day 21-A Picture of Something That Makes You Happy

Ok ... I could easily post a picture of the kiddos because everyone knows they make me happy, but I thought I would do something a little different than what I've been seeing on the other blogs. Plus, by now don't you know that I'm updating this on my laptop and I really don't have any photos on here :)

So something that really makes me happy is the Bachelorette. Yes, I do enjoy the story and I really enjoy some of the men that are on the show (hello JP and Ben F! You are my favorites!!!). But what I enjoy more than actually watching the show is watching it with David. We have such a great time laughing and how stupid romantically Ashley is and how the kids react to the things she does.

We started watching the Bachelorette last season when Ali was on it. I think David just happened to be home the first episode and he really got a kick out of a couple of the guys and I think he especially enjoyed my reaction of laughing. We've been hooked ever since!

Is it Monday yet?!

Day 20- Write a Letter to Someone

Instead of writing this letter to a person I think I'm going to write to a car. Yes, you read that right -- a car!

Dear David's Corolla:

I know I haven't always been that nice to you and I would like to apologize. I'm sorry I am always so quick to dismiss you and I hope you can understand where I have been coming from. It seems like we are constantly pouring money into you and you aren't being very nice to us in return.

Today we dropped a four digit number on you to help make you feel better. Please keep that in mind and help us out by not having anything else go wrong. We would like to save for a new car and still use you as regular transportation in the meantime. And don't worry, when we do decide to get a new car we just aren't going to through you away, but we will make sure you have a new loving home.

You have been a wonderful car and have helped to build memories for David and for our family. Thank you!

Love,

Julie

P.S. I know it will be a bit before we get a new car, but I'm thinking something along the lines of a Toyota Highlander or a Honda Pilot. Both of those cars are pretty pricey so we will have to cut back and save lots!

Day 19- Write About a Sweet Memory From Your Past

Awww ... a sweet memory?

What about the time David and I had our first date?!

It all started with us meeting at the Utah State @ Utah football game in 2001. We were sitting next to each other because we were both from the Logan newspapers (him the Herald Journal and me the Statesman) and we started talking about where we were from. We figured out that his dad and my mom both went to the same high school in San Diego. Small world!

The following Monday I received an e-mail at the newspaper from David about how if I ever needed any help to let him know because he had just graduated and was familiar with the college newspaper scene. I thought he was cute and looked like Will from Big Brother so I was super excited he e-mailed me (even if it was under the pretense of work).

We e-mailed each other back and forth for a couple of weeks and eventually I asked him if he wanted to "hand" out sometime. It was suppose to be "hang" but I guess in my quickness to type and send me e-mail I messed up! He of course knew what I meant, but decided to write back and tease me. He ended up planning a date for us on Sept 15, 2001 -- only a few days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I remember thinking "should we still go out?!" But really our lives couldn't stop because of what happened and I'm glad they didn't.

We had a great dinner at Chili's and then we went back to his place and just hung out looking at photos and talking.

P.S. -- Here is a photo of Dr. Will Kirby from Big Brother. You be the judge! :)

Day 18- Plans/Dreams/Goals You Have

The biggest plan/dream/goal (really it is all three!) that I have is to become debt free. I feel like if we were debt free then it would solve a lot of issues we have. I hate the stress each month where it seems like we have NO money. And I would really like to be able to go purchase things we need without worrying about how we are going to pay for it.

I would also like to be more organized and have a clean house. I think there are some things that we have that I just really can't find. That drives me nuts! I swear I've been looking for our little camera for over a year. Sometimes I just don't want to take the big camera with us (especially on hikes) and I am to the point where I just want to go buy a new one for $50. Nowadays you can get a pretty good little camera for pretty cheap. GRRRR!!!!

On a less realistic side, I wish David could get a job where we were all home at night as a family. I know it will come in time, but I miss him and I wish that we could all hang out together!

Finally, I wish I could get the body that I dream of. I know that my body is capable, but it's like my mind won't let me. I want it more than anything I know that someday I will get it.

Day 17- Someone You Would Want to Switch Lives With for One Day and Why

I can honestly say I wouldn't want to switch lives with anyone! My life may not be perfect, but it is what it is and I wouldn't want to be anyone else even more a second.

There are definitely things about my life that I would like to improve, but we are slowly working on that.

Day 16 -- Post a Photo of Youself

OK ... again, I don't have any recent photos on my laptop. I don't keep them on it -- they go on the big family computer that is going to explode some day because I have too gosh darn many photos on the thing!

Anyway, here is a photo f me and my baby girl way back in early December. I can't believe how different, yet how similar, she looks today!

I don't really have any photos of myself. Why would I want a photo take of just me!? I use the kids as shields in front of me in all photos :)

Day 15- Put Your iPod on Shuffle: First 10 Songs that Play

Well ... I would do this, but last time I went on a walk my iPod ran out of batteries! Instead I am going to shuffle through my Maroon 5 Pandora station:

1. If I Never See Your Face Again -- Maroon 5

2. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay

3. Hey, Soul Sister -- Train

4. Waiting on the World to Change -- John Mayer

5. Stutter -- Maroon 5

6. I'm Yours -- Jason Mraz

7. Yellow -- Coldplay

8. Say -- John Mayer

9. Tangled -- Maroon 5

10. Siting, Waiting, Wishing -- Jack Johnson

I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with the mixture! :)

Day 14- A Picture of You and Your Family

Well I don't have any current family photos on the laptop (and actually this is the last time we had professional family photos taken) so this is what you get! This is down in front of Judd's in downtown St. George and was taken by my awesome friend Jaime Miller. I can't believe how much the kids grow in seven months! Crazy!

Day 13- Your 5 Favorite Books and Why

I have recently found a new love of reading. However, I only read books once and usually if I have picked out a book to read and finish I love it. So ... instead of listing my favorite books I am going to list the most recent books I've read.

Hey! This is my blog -- I can change the rules if I want!

1. Right now I am reading Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans. I'm not too far in, but so far so good! I got my hands on an Advance Reader copy and I'm super excited to read it before most other people. The book is about a teen, Michael, who has Tourettes, but also some other special powers.

2. I recently finished The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright. This was a super sweet book about a couple who passes away and upon going through their parents belongings they find letters that the dad wrote to the mom every Wednesday of their marriage. Super sweet and a great idea!

3. I have also read Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. I really enjoyed this book! It's about a dad who is on trial for kidnapping is daughter 30 years earlier. Kind of a scary thought, but I enjoyed the process of the book.

4. Another Richard Paul Evans book I finished recently was Miles to Go -- Book 2 of the Walk series. Such a good series, I just wish they weren't coming out a year apart from each other in the five parts!

5. Hmmm ... what else have I read recently?! I can't remember, but I can tell you the next book on my list is The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. I started it before my Micheal Vey book came, but I switched what I was reading.

Day 12 -- Write a Poem to Someone you Love

Oh goodness ... I'm not sure this is really up my alley! The first thing I thought of was:

Rose are red

Violets are blue

I'm so thankful you are in my life

And that I have the pleasure of being your wife

Hey! It works ... right?! Of course this is to David. We'll see if he actually checks the blog and sees this message to him :)

Write a Bucket List

I've never actually written a bucket list before. I almost hate setting myself up for failure because these are really big wishes and I don't want to be disappointed if/when they don't happen. Anyway, I'll try to be somewhat realistic so here goes:

1. I want to visit New Zealand and/or Australia. This has been a dream of mine forever! It probably has something to do with the pen pals I had growing up and my extreme love of koala bears!

2. I would die to hold a koala bear and swim with the dolphins. I've feed giraffes and lorakeets, but there is something about a koala and dolphins that would just make me melt!

3. I really want to own a second home when we are older. Definitely get this house paid off first, but I would like to get a vacation home -- like a cabin on a lake or something up in Logan. I don't know. I just think it would be cool to have a second home.

I can't think of anything else ... I want to be financially secure, debt free and just happy and healthy. I think if I have those things then anything is possible!

Songs you listen to when ...

I don't have any specific songs I listen to, but rather specific Pandora stations on the computer. I really like Matchbox Twenty and Maroon 5 and I also like Lady A and Miranda Lambert. If I put on any of those four on Pandora I am good to go.

Kind of along the same lines, the ringer on my cell phone right now is "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not" by Thompson Square (I think). I think someone's ringtone really says a lot about them so I thought I would throw mine out there as well.

Day 9 -- Something you are proud of in the last few days

I am super proud of how I have been working on my lifestyle change of eating better and moving more. I went to WW yesterday morning and even lost a little over 3 pounds!! I was so happy and proud of myself.

I'm also really proud of the the decorations and party favors that I have made for Emma's birthday! There will be pictures to come -- probably on Sunday.

Day 8 -- Goals for this month and why

I have two things I really want to work on this month ... my weight loss and cleaning the house. Not just picking things up, but really deep cleaning the house and putting things were they belong and getting rid of the things we don't use.

I would like to lose 6 pounds this month. I really think I can do it! I need to continue the exercise and healthy eating. I want to lose the weight because I want to feel healthier and be happy about myself.

I need to deep clean and organize the house because I'm tired of the mess and I'm tired of knowing we own things, but not being able to find them! It's frustrating. I know we have a little camera but where that is a mystery.

In order to reach these goals I need to be focused and probably spend less time on the computer :)

My Weight Loss Blog

If you would like to follow my weight loss journey as well go to here.

Day 7 -- A photo of someone who has had a big influence on you

This works out absolutely perfect for today's post because I was going to upload this photo today anyway!

My beautiful baby girl turned 1 yesterday!

She has definitely had a huge influence in my life! She is the most happy and sweet baby girl I know! She is really only upset when she needs something or she is super tired. And one of the best things about her is how hilarious she is! I hope she has this awesome personality and demeanor forever!

Day 6 -- Your favorite super hero and why

I don't think I've ever really been into super heros. I guess I might say I like Captain America (is he a super hero!?) because he is LD's favorite! I love the excitement in his voice when he sees Captain America and the look on his face. Best thing ever!

Day 5 -- A photo of somewhere you have been

This is a photo of David and I when we went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas in March 2009. I've absolutely been wanting to go on another cruise more than anything! I guess I should remember that next time I'm at the store and start saving my pennies!

Day 4 -- A habit you wish you didn't have

The first thing that came to my mind on this one was drinking soda! There was a point where I would crave a Coke for breakfast and then have one at lunch and as an after school snack. And we're talking the full-calorie regular Coke!

I am proud to say that I haven't had any soda since March 8, 2011! I'm super excited at how well I've done and I hope to continue not to drink soda!

Day 3 -- Picture of you as a child

I apologize for the delay in this post! I kept thinking I needed to do this, but I don't have many photos of me as a child here -- they are still at my mom's house. I then remembered a friend at uploaded some photos to Facebook so I stole one from there! :)

This is me and my mom at Camp 4 Echos Girl Scout Camp in Northern Idaho in 1993. You gotta love my hair and those classes! You can't really tell in this photo but those classes had the string that connected them and if they fell they just went around your neck. Real stylin'!

Day 2 -- The Meaning Behind the Blog Name

I think this one is kind of obvious.

Day 1 -- A Recent Photo and 10 Interesting Facts

This is definitely not my favorite photo, but I'm using the laptop and it's the most recent photo I have. LD, Em and I had a great time at Pepper's Cantina listening to Carlie Wall and her band.10 Interesting Facts:

1. I LOVE to scrapbook! It's funny because I was at a workshop yesterday and the presenter mentioned the word scrapbook and everyone turned to me and smiled. It is definitely my favorite hobby!

2. With that, I think I have some form of OCD. It took me hours upon hours to make Em's birthday invites because I needed them to all be perfect. I should probably get started on LD's invites NOW!

3. I absolutely love watching reality TV shows! I'm really enjoying The Bachelorette and I can't wait for Big Brother to start! I even enjoy history reality TV shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers.

4. I am so proud to say that I have really pampered myself in the last week by getting a pedicure and my nails filled. I hadn't had a pedicure in almost 4 years! It was very, very long overdue!

5. I have been loving our Zion National Park pass! I'm so excited to go on all of the different hikes and I have a goal of doing the Narrows sometime this summer! I'm not sure Angel's Landing is in my future, but I wouldn't rule it out either.

6. I have recently found a greater love of reading. I have always enjoyed reading, but as of late I'm finding I can't put books down and I look forward to the next time I can read. Right now I'm reading "The Wednesday Letters."

7. I struggle with food. It's not like I eat awful, but when I get a craving there is pretty much nothing I can do to stop it. I'm really trying to get better with food. I hate when David says that I act like every meal is my last. Food is not that important -- it should just be fuel for my body to do all the things I want to do.

8. I was in Kappa Delta sorority when I was in college. I'm so glad I joined and I'm so excited to go on a European trip next March with one of my KD sisters, Jami.

9. I really want to visit New Zealand and Australia someday. It is my dream to hold a koala bear! I would also like to swim with dolphins. I have wanted to do those things for as long as I can remember.

10. I love those rare nights when David is home and we are able to relax together. Last night we took in a couple of History Channel shows and had some great discussion.

30 Days of Blogging

So I totally stole this from my friend Sarah's blog! I tried doing this a while back on my scrapbooking blog, but it just wasn't happening during the school year. Now that it is summer I think I might be able to handle it. I'll start by posting the list:

day 1- recent picture of you and ten interesting facts about yourself

day 2- the meaning behind your blog name

day 3- a picture of you as a child

day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have

day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been

day 6- favorite super hero and why

day 7- a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you

day 8- short term goals for this month and why

day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days

day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad

day 11- write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die

day 12- write a poem to someone you love

day 13- your 5 favorite books and why

day 14- a picture of you and your family

day 15- put your iPod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

day 16- a picture of yourself

day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have

day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past

day 20- write a letter to someone

day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy

day 22- what makes you different from everyone else

day 23- something you crave a lot

day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why

day 25- what I would find in your bag

day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for

day 27- my day job verses my passion

day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of

day 29 - favorite TV shows and why you like them

day 30 - movies you can watch again and again

Videos of Preschool Graduation

LD graduated from preschool and daddy took some video. He looked so cute in his cap and gown! I'm still a little confused as to why they have graduation for a three-year-olds class because he will be in preschool again next year, but it's still cute!

Video of Em Walking!

I'm still trying to figure out this whole adding videos to blogger thing!

We've been trying to get Em on video walking for a bit. She is walking like crazy now! She can walk all over the room and it is so stinkin' cute!

More videos to come! :)

Watch My Garden Grow

I decided I really wanted a garden this year, I moved a ton of rocks from a square in the backyard. I put down the garden soil and I planted a few plants and put down a bunch of seeds. I'm really excited that things are actually starting to sprout!

LD's Preschool Graduation!

We are so proud of David and how much he has learning in preschool this year. They had a little graduation ceremony on Thursday, but I wasn't able to go. Luckily Big David was able to go and take a bunch of photos and even some video (to be added later!)

Sitting like a good boy!

Counting his fingers.

Looking at his certificate!

David and his teacher, Miss Lindsey

David and the preschool director, Ms. Lindsey. I LOVE David's face in this photo!

This summer we have LD and Emma enrolled in swim lessons and David will also be doing a science camp at the rec center.

Emma's First Haircut

We keep laughing around the house at how "terrible" Emma's hair was looking! We always look back at photos of LD and feel bad about how long we let his hair be shaggy. We didn't want to the do the same with Emma, but we didn't really want to cut too much length off.

We finally had enough and I took her in tonight to get a trim. They just cut around her ears and then also some on top. I think she looks a little better!

We were lucky enough to get tickets from a friend to the UNLV vs. San Diego State basketball game WAY back in February. David and I got a babysitter for the kids and celebrated a Valentine's night out down in Sin City. Prior to the game starting the Rebels honored former UNLV baseball star, and current San Diego Padre, Ryan Ludwick by retiring his jersey. It was pretty cool to see and actually kind of ironic because last year when we went to the UNLV vs. San Diego State game we were able to see Greg Maddux being honored by the university. After the game we ran into some members of the SDSU student section, "The Show."

After the Aztecs won we saw people exiting through the tunnel where the SDSU players had gone. We thought it was worth a try to walk down there so we did. The security was really poor and we ended up right outside the Aztec lockerroom where players were being interviewed and just chillin'.

My favorite player is James Rahon. We saw him standing there waiting to be interviewed and I asked if I could get my photo with him.

Then there was DJ Gay and I definitely wanted my photo with him.

We had a blast on our date. I'm so glad we were able to celebrate Valentine's Day together watching something that we both enjoy!