Jared, Courtney, Noah, & Suzy

I'm Baaaack!

2012-02-01T21:37:00.000-06:00

Hi, remember me? I used to blog.
When you get too far behind, it's just easier to put off blogging.
I never wrote about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, nor our 2 week trip to Europe!
I don't even know where to begin.
I just dug out some pictures- now I can knock out Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I'll do bits of the European vacay over this upcoming week.
And then I'm caught up! YAY!

Halloween: I know it is ridiculous for me to even post about this, it seems SO long ago. But anyways, Noah was a kitty cat, inspired by Dora. Halloween is his favorite holiday. Well, maybe it's tied with Christmas.

Suzy reused the giraffe costume of Noah's from last year. Cute.

Noah went trick or treating with his cousin, Jack. Do you like how Noah was so inspired by Dora that he is even carrying a Dora backpack?

Thanksgiving. It came and went. We ate with our awesome family here in Arkansas. I somehow managed to not take a single picture. Dang.

Christmas. It was awesome.

And there you have it!
Now, let's see if anyone reads this. My sitemeter showed 3 page views today! :) I love the 3 of you that stopped on by today. You are the ones that have faith in me. Watch out, I won't disappoint this week! I have a lot of cool Europe stuff to talk about.

Europe in less than a week!

2011-12-20T17:01:00.000-06:00

Today I packed for Europe!
We leave next Tuesday. I know I packed a week early, but I want to enjoy Christmas and everything about the season and not worry about it.
Plus, it made me REALLY excited!

We are headed to London first, then taking the train to Paris for 2 days. Highlight while there: Tchaikovsky ballet/opera: Oneguine by John Cranko here at the Palais Garnier: (anyone been?)

Then, back to London for some New Year's Eve action here:

Followed by hanging out with friends, then something from my bucket list: seeing Les Miserables in London. And I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about the Jean Valjean replacement. I was very sad to see Alfie Boe go, but thrilled to hear that the person who played Enjolras in the 25th anniversary performance (Ramin Karminloo) is the new Valjean. Love him and his voice! Like I have a crush on his voice. (far right)

Then after that, we catch a flight to Malaga and we are going to visit friends from Spain and then meet up with my parents and sister (who arrived home from her mission in Paraguay today!) and basically HAVE THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!

I'm just so excited.
If any of you have been and have tips/advice/must do/sees---let me know please!

Thoughts

2011-11-19T21:01:00.000-06:00

I'm not even sure what I am going to blog about right now. But it's 8:30 pm, the kids have been in bed for an hour, Jared has been gone doing homework since 9:30 am, my house is cleaned, journal is written in, paint project is finished, "The Sing Off" episode I missed last week has been watched, and I'm in the mood to blog.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I love and hate my blog.
Love going back and re-living past moments. Love writing. Love watching my family grow.
Hate how I compare myself to everyone else's awesome blogs. Hate how I don't take good pictures or even enough pictures. Hate how no one comments on ~~blogs~~ my blog anymore.

Anyways, things are going pretty good over here. Jared is supposed to graduate on the 22nd--- in 3 days. He is SO close. But he's not going to make it. Our new deadline is December 1st so he can avoid rematriculating and paying the fee to do so. He'll make that deadline for sure. And you better believe we will be partying over here. Jared and I have been married a little over 4 years now and I have put him through his entire Bachelors degree. When that diploma comes in the mail, I am adding my name to it in Sharpee marker. And then we will be done with school until August. The plan is for Jared to start on his MBA at the University of Arkansas next fall. Of course he still needs to take the GMAT, so I guess there will be no break over here. ha!

I love my kids. They make me so happy. Suzy is out of her clingy stage. She is now the same size as her brother. Ok, well, Noah is taller, but skinnier. But they are both in the same size clothes. 18 months. They are more than 18 months apart too!

If I were to predict what my kids would be like in high school based on their personalities now, this is what I would guess:
Noah- artsy, into music, runner, soccer &/or baseball player, the smart kid
Suzy- dancer, sweet, nice, really good girl, quiet
I guess we will find out if I'm right in about 13 years!

I'm really excited to start reading the Harry Potter series. I read the first book in high school and decided I didn't care to read anymore. But then this last year, I decided to watch all the movies to see what all the hype was about. And I got hooked on them. And since the books are WAAAAY better than the movies...(right?) I decided to dive in.

And with that, I think I'll head on over to Pinterest to find some Thanksgiving stuff to make. I'm hosting this year for Jared's family.

Be back soon xxx

Update

2011-11-02T14:39:00.000-05:00

Blogging and I have a love/hate relationship.

A few of you have started updating your blogs lately and it has inspired me.

Here is a quick update.

Suzy

Suz is about as cute as she can be. She is such a happy girl. Noah gave her the nickname 'Suza' and it has pretty well stuck. She loves being outside and running around. She is wiggly and giggly and fun!

Noah

Noah is a sweet kid. He is very smart and loves to make deals with us. Negotiate privleges. A business man, just like his daddy.

Courtney

I have been up to:

Activity Days

Cleaning

Laundry

Teaching Piano

Playing Piano

More Cleaning

Taking Care of Kids

Yoga

Running

Reading

& Daydreaming

Jared

Jared is pretty much doing it all right now. He has to have all his assignments in for graduation on November 22nd. Then we he will finally have his MUCH anticipated Bachelors degree from BYU! He is putting in a lot of hours at Pfizer, the job he got back in August. He's also doing quite a bit of traveling, to the jealousy of his wife. (even if it is business traveling, it is still a break from kiddos and mac n cheese!) He continues to work a little for his old company on the side. In addition, he has been running and training for races- he will do another half marathon this Saturday. Jared is amazing. I don't see much of him and am hoping this will change when he graduates.

That's it for now, hopefully I'll be back again soon---I still want to post about Suz's birthday (in September), my birthday (in October), and Halloween.

Noah on Fog

2011-10-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

Kids are funny. This morning, I got the kids up early to go watch Jared and his brother, Caleb race in the Chili Pepper 10K. Noah was not happy about being woken up. I told him it was going to be a great day. He said "NO, it will be a MEAN day!" Here's the rest of the convo:

Me: "Oooh, look at the pretty fog."
Noah: (yelling) "I don't like dogs!!!"
Me: "I didn't say dogs, I said FOG."
Noah: (still yelling) "I don't like frogs!!!"
Me: "I said FOG, not frogs."
Noah: "What's fog?"
Me: "It's when clouds are on the ground and not up in the sky."
Noah: (yelling again) "I don't like clouds on the ground!!!"

Nothing like waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Ha ha

Noah's Daily Schedule

2011-09-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

I am such a planner. I have our entire week planned out before Monday morning even hits. I always know what we are doing each day. But Noah doesn't. (Or should I say didn't.) Noah is so much like me (personality wise), so I figured it might help his behavior a bit if he knew what was going on (he doesn't do well changing activities). And sure enough---it has!

I came up with the idea of a kid schedule one night when I wasn't sleeping and about 10 hours later (it seriously took a long time to make, much longer than you would think) here it is!

We have been doing it for almost a month now.

Noah LOVES it.

Each morning when he wakes up, the first thing he says to me is:

"Mom, let's go look at our schedule."

"What are we doing today Mom? Let's go see our schedule!"

He is SUCH a mama's boy!!! ;)

Hair Drama

2011-08-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

I went back to dark hair again.
Remember the last time? (Hair Makeover post here)
The summer sun has effectively "oranged" my hair and I kept putting lowlights and highlights in it. See:

So, I decided to go ALL brown.
Trying to save a buck, I decided to do it myself. I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and had the worker pick me out the perfect color. I wanted to go to my natural color, which is pretty dark. And then the worker recommended that I go one shade darker. That might have been OK, but as my hairdresser later said, my hair is extremely pourous meaning it soaks up color like none other. And I left it in waaaay too long.

It wounded up being BLACK.

I did NOT want black. So, I washed my hair appx 15 times with baking soda and shampoo. Luckily, I had only bought a semi permanent kind so it is continuing to get lighter. This next picture was taken the following day and it had already lightened up some:

I know it's kind of hard to see it. But I like it now. It is continuing to lighten up and become the color I initially wanted. I'm sure I'll add highlights again soon, but this is a nice change. However, please don't anybody ever let me dye my hair myself again!

Saran Wrap Suz

2011-08-14T11:45:00.001-05:00

Suzy Kaye. I love her to pieces. But holy cow, she is giving me a run for my money. She is SO CLINGY. She wants me to hold her all day everyday. If I try to clean or hop on the computer, help Noah, or do ANYTHING, I'll put her down and she will sprint crawl to wherever I go. It's getting so annoying to me that I find myself staying at the gym longer and longer for the free childcare so I can get a break! She just will not play by herself or with Noah.

WHAT DO I DO?! How long will this phase last? Please help me!

Update: I haven't gotten a lot of feedback here, but I did talk to my mother in law for a while and we concluded that she prob isn't getting enough attention from me and I thought maybe she is hungry and I should feed her more than just baby food---considering she is a year next month! Today, I've been focusing on that and already in this short time, it is making a huge difference!
*Parenting is a ride, isn't it?!*

Summer 2011

2011-08-12T15:05:00.002-05:00

Family Pics Summer 2011

2011-08-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

We won some family pictures recently by donating some money to a good cause. Here are some of my favorites!

Noah's 3rd Birthday Carnival

2011-08-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

We went carnival themed this year for Noah's party. It was easy and fun! The kids came and got 10 tickets, which they could spend at the duck pond, fishing game, golf, clothespin drop, or to get their face painted. They earned prizes, which were their party favors. Party food consisted of carmel apples, nachos, and rainbow cupcakes. Noah loved every second. Enjoy the pics!

Noah's 3rd Birthday

2011-08-07T19:10:00.000-05:00

Yay, I have a 3 year old. Here's Noah on his big day: July 27, 2011

(he may or may not be wearing a 6-9 month shirt & shorts)

I know I look dumb in these pics, but Noah's faces make me laugh so much.

On the morning of Noah's birthday, I took Suzy to a babysitter and then Noah and I went on a date. To Chickfila! See how happy he is!

Playing at Chickfila

Then, we went to the movies to see Madagascar 2. Noah got popcorn and ate the whole thing. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

Then, Noah came home and his daddy picked him up to go on a treasure hunt!
He had a map and they made some stops before they got to the treasure. First, they went to Walmart and bought cupcakes and M&Ms. Then, to the carwash:

Then, they went to McDonalds where the treasure was a Happy Meal.

That night, we had Dora cupcakes, that Suzy enjoyed most.

Then, it was time for presents. Noah was soooo excited. Thanks Grandma A for the majority!

Jared and I got Noah a rocking chair, which is what he was always asking for. We found one at a flea market and Grandpa G painted it and spiffied it up for us.

Happy Birthday Noah! Pictures of his little bday party coming next!

New Car

2011-08-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Jared and I have been a 1 car family since we got married. Jared bought our Jeep when we were dating. And we have been driving only that for the last 4 years. Jared also has had a motorcycle, which has been awesome for us. I've actually liked only having one car, not that I knew the difference. But Jared and I's best conversations are in the Jeep. I love all the together time that we've had. But with Jared's NEW JOB, comes extra kizzle, and a new (2007) car!

Presenting, the Altima! (that is what Noah calls it. "Dad, I want to ride in the Altima." What a funny kid. He heard us say it just once.)

Jared

2011-07-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

Jared is finally healthy so now I can go back and talk about how unhealthy he has been for the last couple of months.

Starting the end of May...
Jared went to Joplin after the tornado hit to do some clean up work with other members of the stake. Unforunately for him, he got poison ivy during the clean-up, which is he EXTREMELY allergic to.

I cried when I saw the way his skin reacted. Blisters over blisters. It was mostly on his arms. It was very painful and uncomfortable for him for about 2 weeks. Well, a little less thanks to some steroid prescription meds.

And then in June, Jared managed to get himself REALLY sick by eating goat meat. He later found out that the meat he ate had been butchered and laid out in the heat for over 24 hours before it went into his mouth. His little food adventure made him sick for about 3 weeks. He wasn't keeping anything down and was losing a lot of weight. I got really worried, especially as he kept going to work & kept doing school at night until the wee hours of morning, etc. He was running on literally nothing.

The turnaround happened right at 3 weeks. Jared had just been up all night (again) throwing up and what not and was lying on the floor in the bathroom in the morning when I found him. He wanted to go to the hospital, he told me, but he didn't think they would do anything for him. So, we were looking at making an appointment with a GI doc. This was all on a Sunday. Sick as he was, Jared got dressed up in a suit and tie and went to church. While there, he got a blessing of complete healing. He hasn't had a problem since. A true miracle!

We have been under a lot of stress these last couple of months and I'm honestly surprised that he is holding up as well as he is now. I attribute a lot of it to healthy eating and lots of running! And of course, more blessings than we deserve!

Hello!

2011-07-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

Does anyone check this anymore? I know I have been terrible about updating! It's been a busy, busy summer. I will try to update the blog, but in the meantime, here is a quick update. From youngest to oldest. (Yep, I'm older than Jared. By 6 months).

Miss Suzy Kaye.

Suz is 10 months old on Friday. I can't believe how fast time is going with her. Her current trick is standing. She will be walking before too long- she wants to bad. I catch her practicing in her crib. It's cute. She also started waving this week. If you say HI to her, she will wave. Her hair is kind of starting to grow. Red as ever. I never would have thought! She is a cutie. LOVE her facial expressions.

Noah "the man" Beckett.

I love this little guy so much! He is turning 3 in 2 weeks. He has been talking about it non stop. He really wants a rocking chair for his birthday. Don't ask me why. But if you ask him what he wants for his birthday, he will say without hesitation, "A ROCKING CHAIR!" So, guess what? Jared and I found him a rocking chair last week at a flea market. It's an awesome little kids rocking chair!!! I love it! I'll post a picture of it later.

Noah's current loves are: LandyCane (Candy Land), Reading, Drawing, Running (he just got a new pair of "racing shoes"), and making us laugh.

Jer Bear

Jared is amazing. He is still working full time and is also in the final stretch to get his Bachelors degree. 6 more weeks. We could not be more excited!!! Although these next 6 weeks are going to require Jared sleeping next to nothing and me giving up all social activities that occur at night so that I can babysit while he does homework/studies, etc! But it will be worth it when he is done. In his free time, Jared loves to run. He's decided to do another Marathon in December with his brother, Caleb. He also has a 5K and 10K coming up in September and October.

Muah.

I took this picture today as I realize I hardly have any pictures of myself. I'm here in my "house clothes." Spending the day cleaning, organizing, playing with the kids, making homemade chocolate chip cookies, planning Noah's birthday party, reading, etc. I like days like this. They are few and far between with how busy we have been.

More updates coming soon! xoxo

My Family

2011-06-12T10:50:00.001-05:00

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Everyone minus Dad. Kallie, me, Mom, Carson, Kyle, & Cody

I really miss my family today. Like more than normal. My parents and brother Carson were just here for a week and left on Friday. We had so much fun! Took the boat out, went to Branson- Silver Dollar City, outlets, went golfing, swimming, out to eat, played game, drove up to Joplin (devastating), and generally had a wonderful time.

Pictures to come.

May Update

2011-05-29T18:03:00.002-05:00

Not quite sure where May has gone. I think I'll give May the yearly award for "Fastest Month Ever." That is until December comes. We have been busy. But we've been having fun too!

Last weekend, we went to Branson with some friends and stayed in a cabin and then spent the next day at Silver Dollar City. It was awesome! We are happy to have Season's Passes there this year. We plan on going again next week when my parents and brother come into town.

The only thing that made me sad about Silver Dollar City is that Noah is too short to go on the kids rides. He can only go on the baby rides. It bothered me so bad that I measured all his friends at playgroup, which was at my house last week, and they are all tall enough to go on the rides. Just not Noah. It makes a mom sad. :(

Anyways! This next thing should get a separate post. But I'm playing catch up, so here it is now. I took my first SEWING LESSON! Well, technically I took a sewing class in high school, but I was really good at asking the teacher for help a lot and she ended up doing all the work for me. I don't know how it got into my head, but I decided recently that I wanted to sew pillowcases for my whole family to take camping. Pillowcases are one of the easiest things to sew. So, I called up my friend, Jessica, who happens to teach sewing lessons and we had a blast! I can't believe I am saying that. So, here Mom, these pics are for you. I know you could never imagine your daughter on a sewing machine. Well, I am! And I even know what a bobbin is! (sew-ers, don't laugh!)

Jared and I have been spending a lot of time running in our new double jogger. We take it out most nights and go on an hour or so run. The kids usually fall asleep and it is amazing! We have good talks, stay in shape, and it puts the kids to sleep for us. Easy!

I've also stayed busy this month preparing piano students for their recital, which is this upcoming Saturday. Recitals are always a lot of work and I'm always glad when they are over, but I love them at the same time.

Jared went to Joplin this weekend to help in the relief efforts. He mostly moved big trees and cleaned up debris. He came home with lots of cuts and what appears to be poison ivy on his arms. Poor guy! Anyways, he couldn't believe the damage that Joplin received. It's hard to believe how close we were to the tornado (45 min). What a sad situation. I have a hard time thinking about it and reading the news because it makes me cry.

I've been also keeping busy this month with my two callings at church. One is Ward Humanitarian Leader. We made hygiene kits for the people in Joplin. The other is Activity Days Leader. We had a gardening activity a couple weeks ago. So, naturally, we decide to dress up like bunnies and plant aloe!

The last, but most important thing I've been doing this month is taking care of these little yahoos. We are working on potty training Noah and trying to keep enough food around for Suzy. ha ha kidding.

We are loving life and getting very excited for Jared to graduate so we can see him more. August is the big month. I remind myself everyday that I can make it til then. It will be so weird for him not to be doing school everynight from 8-midnight and on the weekends. But as you can see, we are enjoying life in the moment too.

Time Out for Women

2011-05-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

I am getting behind on blogging again. But I am going to take that as a good thing. Because if I'm not blogging, that means I am busy doing other things, not involving the internet. I have been feeling like an internet junkie lately and I don't like it. And neither do my kids. So, you'll most likely only catch me online during the week at night after the kids are in bed.

Anyways, last weekend! I went to Oklahoma City with some friends. It was a blast! We went to Time Out for Women aka a big Deseret Book Commerical. It was good though and it was a great get away!

Summer Wreath

2011-05-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've ever been known for being super crafty, but there are some things that I do like to make. I really wanted a pretty spring/summery wreath for our front door, but couldn't really find what I had in mind, especially not in the price range I wanted.

So, I just made it.

26 dollars.

Wa-la!

Bonuses of being a mom

2011-05-11T22:59:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day. It already seems like such a long time ago. But Mother's Day last Sunday was good to me this year. I think Jared wanted to make up for the last few Mothers Days that we have had together where he did not make me feel special ("You're not my mom"). So, he spoiled me rotten! And I loved every second!

I got the one thing I asked for:

(My floors are looking good!)

And something that I wished for, but never expected to get!

Now I REALLY feel like a mom. This bad boy is hardcore!

In addition to great gifts, breakfast, a poster, a singing card, a great church meeting, and a cookout with the family, I got to hang out with these little people:

Lucky me.

A Happy Post

2011-05-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

Day 29 - ~~A picture~~ Pictures that can always make you smile

Why I need Faith

2011-05-02T07:30:00.001-05:00

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

... that something could happen to any of these three people. I want to shield all of them, especially my kids from the dangers and bad things of the world.

Camping- Horseshoe Bend

2011-05-01T09:52:00.000-05:00

We went camping for the first time as a family on Friday. We hope it will be the first of many times this summer. Since this was our first time, we expected that we'd be working out some kinks. To be honest, the trip was a little worse than we expected. It took us about 3 hours to set up camp (first time setting up the tent, setting up the lantern, etc) and to cook dinner. We opted for fajitas and they really would have been good if Jared didn't accidently overseason them. Like by a lot. Not edible.

Unfortunately, in an effort to be healthy and not overeat, I didn't pack other snacks besides some granola bars. So, that's what we had for dinner. Next time we go, this will NOT be a problem! I will prepare for dinner failures. :)

As for important things that I forgot, there was only one. Wet wipes. Which is a problem when you have 2 kids in diapers and are trying to clean dirty hands and feet.

Our kids LOVED being outdoors. Suz struggled at night though. But that is because by the time morning came, she had her FIRST TOOTH. Unfortunately, that tooth kept all of us (minus Noah) up for over half of the night.

If any of you readers would like to join us camping this summer, let us know! We would love to go together! I'm sure Suzy will be better next time. Don't let that hold you back. It's not going to hold us back! We'll be back in the woods next weekend.

Me and Noah

2011-04-29T07:30:00.002-05:00

I'm ready to take a break from the cooking challenge for a minute. I have way too many challenges at once. Yes, two is too many! So, let me finish this one up! I've really loved doing it, btw. Someone should copy it and do it also. Especially if you don't know what to blog about.

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

I went the easy route and did an old picture of me with Noah. He hasn't changed all that much has he? To compare, here is a picture of him now (a year after the previous picture was taken)

He's wearing one of Mommy's old shirts.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love being Noah's mommy!

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

2011-04-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

I have mixed feelings about these cookies.

Pros: They are unique. They have a delicious frosting. They are chocolatey and rich.
Cons: They are somewhat crumbly. The maraschino cherry will shrivel up if you don't serve these fresh. MUST EAT WARM OUT OF OVEN. That will solve both problems.

And with that, here are the COOKIES!
Please keep in mind that I am NOT a photographer, that would be a whole other challenge in and of itself. Also, I should have, but didn't try to make the cookies look cute on a plate. What you see, is what you get right after you pull the cookies out of the oven and stick cherries on half of them. And a few might have been sampled. :)

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir until smooth. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls about the size of a walnut (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press center of each ball with thumb.
Drain cherries and reserve juice. Place a cherry in indentation of each cookie ball.
In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (I usually do this, but did not this time.)
Bake 8-10 minutes.

Funeral Potatoes

2011-04-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

I stole this DELICIOUS RECIPE from the site that MANY of you recommended to me. Our Best Bites. I'm so glad I found out about it. I even ordered their cookbook for an Easter present for myself. I'm still waiting for it in the mail though, along with all the other books I ordered for my family for Easter, thinking I had plenty of time. None of them came. Sad! Jared's Easter basket was beyond pathetic. It had one Snicker's Egg in it. That is the problem with online shopping sometimes. You never know when your stuff is going to arrive. But anyways!!! Today, I bring you FUNERAL POTATOES/CHEESY POTATO CASSEROLE.

I made these for Easter dinner.

The whole pan was licked clean.

They are a MUST TRY. Five stars.

Funeral Potatoes
Adapted from Our Best Bites
(I changed the amount of sour cream called for and added milk so it wasn't too dry without all the sour cream. Below I will list the recipe according to how I made it.)

Funeral Potatoes
Recipe by Our Best Bites (and church kitchens around America)

1 small-medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 28-oz. bag shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 c. sour cream
1 10-oz. can cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup
2 1/4 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese
3/4 tsp. salt

A dash of black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat. Add the thawed hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, salt, and pepper and combine well.

Spread the mixture into a 9×13″ (or similar) dish and bake for 50 minutes or until the casserole is hot in the center and the cheese is bubbly throughout.

Stuffed Spinach Shells

2011-04-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

I have really managed to get behind on this Cooking Challenge. Not on the actual cooking itself, but on posting pictures and recipes. Well, I am taking advantage of the fact that it is raining cats and dogs today (for the 4th day in a row) and we are spending the day INSIDE catching up on cleaning and projects. So, I am setting my blog to autopost (love that feature) and so you will get lots of yummy recipes and other posts all week! Hopefully we will be playing outside in the sunshine before too long!

Anyways, here is the first recipe I actually did for my cooking challenge. Stuffed Spinach Shells. I followed the recipe pretty exact and didn't screw anything up, but I decided I just don't have the taste for lots of spinach. And that's what these suckers were all about. So, if you LOVE spinach, you will love these. Of course, my husband gave them 5 stars, but if it's not burned, I usually get that from him. I give them 3 stars. Next time I do stuffed shells, I'm buying ricotta and ditching (or limiting) the spinach.

Here's the recipe from my fun and somewhat dorky cookbook.

The Essential Mormon Cookbook:

Green Jell-O, Funeral Potatoes, and Other Secret Combinations

by Julie Badger Jensen

I got it for my wedding.

Stuffed Spinach Shells

16 jumbo pasta shells
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 c low-fat cottage cheese
1 c grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated onion
2 c pasta sauce (I used Ragu Garden Chunky or something like that)
1/4 c grated Parmesan Cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, cook spinach according to package directions. Drain spinach thoroughly in colander by pressing out extra liquid with a large spoon. Cool.

In a medium bowl combine spinach with cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and onion. When pasta is cooked, drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Prehead oven to 375. Spoon cheese mixture into shells. Place shells in lightly oiled 9x13 dish. Pour Pasta Sauce over shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until hot. Makes about 4 servings.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T15:26:00.000-05:00

Interview with a First Time Marathoner

2011-04-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

I asked Jared some questions about the marathon he ran last weekend and below you will see his responses. Maybe he will inspire one of YOU to run a marathon. Or maybe he will scare you away from doing one. Either way...here is the interview:

1. What made you want to run a marathon?

I've always known that I was going to run a marathon at some point in my life. I just thought it would be much later. But having my brother here and running with him regularly, we decided that we needed to set some goals to keep our training consistent. A 5K led to a 10K to a half-marathon and then we just figured since we had trained this much, we might as well step it up a notch and train for a marathon.

2. What training schedule did you follow?

I had been running 15-20 miles a week starting about a year ago. And in December, when we decided to run a marathon, we found a 16 week training schedule in Runner's World magazine based on peaking at about 50 miles a week. It's a pretty low mileage training schedule, but it was the best for our busy schedules. Each week, we did a long run on Saturday that increased by 2 miles until we got up to the week of the marathon.

3. You are working full time, doing school full time, involved in church, and have a family. When did you find time to train for a marathon?

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I don't have time not to run. What I mean is on days that I run, I have way more energy and I can survive on a lot less sleep. I am much more efficient in everything else I do. That said, we carved out time in the mornings- always finishing by 7 am, usually starting before 6 am. The long Saturday runs were in the mornings as well and Courtney is a champion for letting me do it because those runs came directly from time I would have otherwise had with her and the family.

4. Ok, let's talk about the actual race. Did it meet your expectations? Did you have any expectations?

I had 2 goals. One was to finish. The other was to run sub 3:50. All of my training runs led me to believe that I could meet these goals. Something happened though. The race was a disaster! A guy dressed in a Winnie the Pooh costume passed me! That is unacceptable. I underestimated the race completely. Our longest training run was 22 miles. It went great. 26.2 miles is about 3 times harder than 22 miles. I bonked. I mean gatorade commercial style bonked. I wanted to cry. The last 8 miles were completely miserable. My stride was about 6 inches long and for some reason it hurt worse to walk than to run. I was completely trapped. I probably would have quit, but that didn't make any sense because I was in the middle of nowhere. I did finish, but it was about 30 minutes slower than I wanted it to be. So, no I did not meet my expectations.

5. What was your finishing time and splits then?

I finished in 4 h 18 m, which works out to 9:53 averages for each mile. However, at the 18 mile mark, I was running 8:28 mile averages and was well on pace for my goal. This means that my last 8 miles must have averaged somewhere over 13 minute pace.

6. What happened during the last 8 miles that held you back?

Every marathoner talks about "hitting the wall" somewhere between miles 18 and 20. I hit mine at about 18.5. Most runners also talk about recovering from "the wall" about 2 miles later and feeling great for the last part. I never recovered. In fact, it got exponentially worse. It wasn't my lungs or my heart or even my general energy level. It just felt like every muscle was being asked to endure way beyond its capacity. Every muscle from my neck to my feet were just fatigued. My heels also really hurt (that is why it hurt worse to walk than to run). The last mile I had cramps in my calves, which I had never experienced before, but were brutal.

7. Looking back, what would you have done differently?

Great question. I've been thinking about this a lot since the race. And all I can come up with is that my pre-race meal was TERRIBLE and we started tapering down our training too soon. We ran a half marathon two weeks before and we tapered down the week before that race so we would be fresh. Then the two weeks between the half and the full marathon we never really put in any long runs. I think this was a huge mistake to go 3 full weeks before the marathon without any good training. From what I understand, most marathoners only taper down for a week beforehand - not 3. Plus, from what I hear, the more marathons you run, the less the "wall" affects you.

8. What were your thoughts upon seeing and then crossing the finish line?

It couldn't come soon enough. Seriously, even after I could see it, it still wasn't coming fast enough. The worst pain was the last stretch. Even after I crossed the finish line, I still hurt for a good five minutes. Crossing the finish line really wasn't that joyous for me because I was so upset at my performance.

9. Will you run another marathon?

If you would have asked me this the first 24 hours after the race, I would have said "NO WAY. I'm done." As I continue to look back on the race though, I know that I can do much better than I did. And I'm already in shape and want to stay that way. So, I have to run another one. I've got to prove to myself that I can do better than I did. I still want to run one sub 3:50. I'd also really like to run one with my wife. (ed note: NOT LIKELY)

10. Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about running their first marathon?

Yes. Do it. It's awesome. Just don't set a time goal for your race. Don't race against the clock. Just cross the finish line. You'll be much happier and more fulfilled. There is just no way to know what to expect on your first marathon to realistically set a time goal.

The Marathon (and half)

2011-04-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

This last weekend we were in Kansas City running again. Jared ran his first marathon and I ran another half. Jared's first words after running 26.2 miles were "never again." Two days later, he decided he was mad at his time and he was going to do it again. I guess he wants to show that marathon who is boss!

Here are some pictures. Then, I will share a few facts about the race.

The kidlets came with. Here we are in the car waiting for something.

Pre-race meal. Macaroni Grill. Seriously bad idea. This was my 6th half marathon. You would think I would know this by now. NEVER go for a creamy dish before running a race- even if there are lots of carbs in your plate. YOU WILL REGRET IT!

I have no pictures of myself at the finish line because there was no one waiting for me at the finish line. However, here is Jared... a few steps away from victory!

Caleb (Jared's bro) who ran with him and Jared. Post race. Tired:

And a family shot.

In order to not be a complainer, I will simply list the facts about my race.

It was 38 degrees with 22 mph wind while we were running.
I had to use the restroom BAD at mile 4. I waited until mile 8 when I could no longer wait and stood in line at a port-a-potty for 5 minutes.
Mile 4-8 were miserable. Fact.
Both my shoes came untied at different times.
My hands were numb from the cold, making it difficult to tie my shoelaces.
I tied my right shoe too tight and my foot went numb at mile 10.
My I-pod was dead at the start line. Noah must've got to it when I wasn't looking and turned it on. I still had to run with my Ipod though.
Jared and Caleb were running when I crossed the finish line and Becca (Caleb's wife) was at our hotel with their kid and mine. After I finished racing, I had to hop in my car and drive back to pick up the kids so we could all make it back in time for Jared and Caleb to finish.
I got passed at the very end by a girl with a SERIOUSLY BIG BOOTY. I'm talking at least 10 times as big as mine.
I got my second slowest half time. 2:23. I believe the previous factors had something to do with that.

So, there you have it. No more races until September... more because we are tired of paying entry fees than the actual running. We both still LOVE running!
And if any of you have any questions for Jared about the marathon, we need to get him on here to answer them! His race was much more interesting than mine!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2011-04-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have so much that I want to blog about.

The race Jared and I did last weekend in Kansas City.

Jared's b-day last week.

My cooking challenge from last week.

My cooking challenge that I am doing this week (on the menu: funeral potatoes, some kind of yummy green salad, and cherry chocolate cookies).

The last few days of my picture blogging challenge.

My kids.

Life and its busy-ness.

So, I'll take it one thing at a time.

Tonight, I bring you THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER MADE.

Seriously. This was so good. We ate BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches all week long. It was delicious and super easy!

Here's what you do:

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

-3 lb boneless pork shoulder

-garlic powder

-onion powder

-12 oz bbq sauce

Cook in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours. Drain juices. Shred meat. Mix in bbq sauce. Serve on your favorite rolls.

Dinner is served! Easy! Delicious! My husband loves me!

And just in case you were missing my kidlets, here is a little pic. We are getting ready for Easter around here!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-04-13T23:02:00.000-05:00

Friends! I am LOVING this cooking challenge. And so is my family. Like big time. I've already made my 3 things for this week and it was kind of fun. Tonight I will give you the recipe for PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE.

I know I made it and I shouldn't be bragging, but guys, this is the best P.U.D cake I have ever eaten! Seriously, I chose a recipe that had lots of butter. Isn't that a surefire way to make people like your cooking? Restaurants do it!

Behold!

And here is the cake in its full glory. I love all our faces in this one too. And how Jared looks like he is turning 60 instead of 28. Ha ha!

Here is the recipe, adapted from Cooks.com.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Place the butter and brown sugar in a frying pan and melt until it boils or bubbles. A cast iron pan works well because it's heavy and will be less likely to scorch.

1 can pineapple slices
maraschino cherries (enough to fill centers of pineapples)

Place pineapples in the butter and sugar mixture. Put cherries in the center of the pineapple. Cut the slices of pineapple into halves and line the sides of the frying pan with them (standing up on edge). Prepare a box of yellow cake mix following the directions on the box to mix the batter (do not bake in a separate pan; follow instructions below).
Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries.
Bake at 350°F degrees. When the cake is done, loosen the edges with a butter knife. Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes, then turn it upside down on a serving dish.

Notes: *This recipe did not include how long to bake it. I put it in for 35 minutes, then checked it. I think it went for about 40 minutes.
*Also, I don't understand what the recipe is talking about when it says it put the pineapples and cherries in a frying pan. I didn't do that. I put them in a 9x13 pan and then poured the butter/brown sugar over them and then the cake batter.
*I needed 2 more pineapple slices to make the cake look perfect. I just sampled that little square before serving.

Cooking Challenge

2011-04-10T17:26:00.000-05:00

Alright, I have been inspired by several of you. I got so many cooking tips and ideas and motivation from a lot of you, through this blog, in person, via email, etc! I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying (yes, even praying) and I have come up with my own cooking challenge. I wanted to let you in on it so I could be held accountable to all of you!

Here's my challenge:
3 new recipes per week.
for the next 4 weeks.
= 12 new recipes that I will make and post the recipe and a picture of how it turned out.

Easy enough concept. But holy cow, I am nervous about this one. Nervous and also excited. My family won't even know what hit them.

Coming up this week: pulled pork sandwiches, lentejas, and pineapple upside down cake! Yummy yummy!

I'm hoping after 4 weeks, I will have a newfound love for cooking and that it will get easier and I'll know reliable places to get new recipes and that this will continue. I have to start somewhere though. So, thank you for helping to motivate me!

The Piano

2011-04-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

The piano is a big part of my life and who I am. I started playing when I was 5 years old and took lessons off and on all the way through college. It was definitely a battle with my mom in those earlier years to practice because I always wanted to do something like dance. Of course, my mom ended up winning those battles and I was motivated by being in all kinds of festivals and competitions as I grew up. I even started composing when I was in middle school and managed to win some state and regional competitions!

Now, I am blessed with the opportunity to teach lessons, which I love so much. I have 15 students, which keeps me busy during the week. It is fun for me to pick out songs for them and to organize recitals and make newsletters and come up with other incentives. I love more than anything watching my students progress and find joy in music.

The best part of being able to play the piano though is when I am able to play for me. I love sitting down at night when the kids are in bed and flipping through music- sightreading new songs, picking up old favorites, and well, just practicing (the thing I used to fight so hard against!) Playing brings me the comfort of my warm childhood memories. It always takes me to a happy place when I am feeling "off."

So, Mom, a little shout out. Thank you!

Random Thoughts

2011-04-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

The Race:

First of all, I finished my race on Saturday! I did better than I thought I would (2h 18m), considering that I decided about 3 weeks ago that I would run the half. My splits were 10:37 and I would like to blame the :37 on the DEADLY hill at the end! I am not talking about a sissy incline. It was a MOUNTAIN that we were expected to run at the last mile. So hard. So, yeah, my last mile point one was like 13 minutes.
Let's talk more about the race. I got 188th place out of 382 girls and 535th place overall (out of 813 runners)! (HA HA HA) I felt awesome when I read that on the result board.
Jared, on the other hand did much better than me. He had 8:05 splits for a total time of 1:45:44. He was happy and sad about it. Sad only b/c he ran the first 10 miles at 7:40 pace and then bonked and slowed down more than he wanted to.
Our next race is next weekend in Kansas City! It is a Wizard of Oz theme. I am running the cleverly named "Wickedly Fast Half" and Jared is doing the "Oz Marathon." I'm praying for minimal hills. Thank goodness its in Kansas!

Cooking:

I have lately been feeling a need to...well, should I say learn how to cook? I'm 28 years old, I've been married for almost 4 years, I guess now would be a good time.
I have thought on and off about improving in this area for a long time, but yesterday as we sat down to our Sunday family dinner of macaroni and cheese, I realized that the time has come.
I think having family meals are important. When I look back on my childhood, we always sat down together and ate. And the foods we ate were home cooked, healthy, and delicious. I want to do that. I TRY to do that. But I'm still falling short.
Let me explain real quick for those of you who are beginning to think I am lazy, WHY I don't like to cook. The bottom line is: I just don't care that much about eating. It just seems like so much effort to make something that is usually not appreciated and then just makes even more of a mess. I would honestly rather clean than cook. In most instances, I eat so that I'm not hungry anymore. And so I'd rather just make something as fast as possible to take the hunger away so I can get back to whatever else I'm doing. Exception: Mexican food, cheesecake, & baked goods.
However, I realize that what I do directly affects 3 other people now and those people do not share the same feelings I have for eating! So, for the good of the family, I want to be better.
I need some healthy cooking blogs to follow- do you have one or know of any good ones?
I'm going to try doing one new recipe each week to add to my trusty standbys...lasagne, pasta casserole, tuna fish casserole, fajitas, enchiladas, stirfry, and pizza. Since that has essentially been our weekly menu for the last 4 years, I'm beginning to GAG just reading that list.
Seriously, if you can help me, I need it!

My Kids:

They are the same size. Pretty much. Noah has not grown at all in the last year. He still weighs 22 lbs. And he is short. His thighs are the same size as his calfs. He defines chicken legs. Noah and Suzy wear the same size diapers. And the same size clothes in some instances. Here is a good picture to describe what I am saying:

We have started Noah on allergy treatments again. That is the only thing that helped Noah to grow last year.
We have determined that Noah looks exactly like Jared and has my personality (dramatic) and Suzy looks like me and has Jared's personality (chill and laid back). Who is the luckier kid? ha ha jk

Well, it is getting late and I am so excited to go to sleep! I have 5 more days of the Blogging Challenge and I'd like to get that completed, so maybe this week. If you've made it this far and you are not my mother- thanks for reading. :)

Come, run with me!

2011-03-29T10:18:00.001-05:00

My half marathon is this Saturday! I'm ready! I'm excited!
Since good music makes a race so much better, I make a playlist for each race I run. Gotta switch it up, ya know? That way I have something to look forward to other than running for 13.1 miles...

Here's my latest:
"Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z
"Machinehead" -Bush (I like to keep it real with old school)
"Grenade" -Bruno Mars
"Viva la Vida" -Coldplay
"Cooler than Me" -Mike Posner
"OMG" -Usher
"Tonight" -Enrique
"The Distance" -Cake
"Donde Estas" -Chenoa (sooo random, but I love a spanish song thrown in the mix)
"1979" -Smashing Pumpkins
"What You Waiting For" -Gwen Stefani
"Falling Slowly" -Kris Allen
"Time to Dance" -Panic! At the Disco
"Drop the Phone" -Shy Child
"Gonna Fly Now (Rocky Theme Song)" -Bill Conti
"Cute Without the 'E'" -Taking Back Sunday
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" -The Verve
"Comfort Eagle" -Cake
"Pressure to Come" -Shy Child
"Blow" - Ke$ha

Alright, I might throw in a couple Bright Eyes, Cartel, Something Corporate and/or the Format songs, but I need a little more. I'll be running for a long time. Suggestions? Tell me, What's on your running playlist?

My Everyday

2011-03-28T11:16:00.005-05:00

Day 25 - A picture of your day

My day starts around 7 or 7:30.
Most days I:
get kids breakfast
give Suz a bath
give Suz a bottle
head to the gym
come home and CLEAN
(for a couple hours)
some days I teach piano
some days I grocery shop
some days I go to playgroups
some days I go to the park
some days I run errands
some days I make things
some days I stay home and read
Jared comes home around 5:30. usually.
We make and eat dinner.
We talk.
We usually go for a walk.
Then at 7:30, Noah goes through the bedtime routine.
Then Suzy.
All while Jared is doing homework.
(He will FINALLY graduate in August!)
And then I get some me time.
to read
play the piano
journal
blog
or go to bed early.
And then I wake up and do it again.
Luckily (most days) I love it.

Corn Flakes?

2011-03-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

I wish I could change all the flaky people in the world!!!

Read this.

2011-03-26T17:50:00.000-05:00

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

First of all, what a hard thing- to narrow down to one book. Favorite fiction book? Non fiction? Biography? Classic? Young Adult? There is no way that I could choose just one!

So, I'll chose the last one that I finished, which I also LOVED, LOVED, LOVED! If you have not read it, you def should.

I've done it before and I'll do it again. If you are not on goodreads.com, do it! Then we can give each other book recommendations and you can have an organized way to see what books you've read, loved, hated, want to read, etc etc. Maybe that's not your thing, but I really love it.

Simplicity

2011-03-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Why is it that as adults, we try to make things complicated? I do it all of the time! I appreciate little children for their constant reminder to keep things simple.
For example: Storytime tonight. Noah decided that he wanted to tell me a story. This was the first time he's ever made up his own story to tell me and I was excited to hear what he would say.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dora. And her friend, Noah. They went to a field. They went to Target. Then they came home. The End!"
I LOVED his story.
And for a great talk on the subject, I recommend reading or re-reading Elder Uchdorf's talk "Of Things That Matter Most" found here.

Cooking

2011-03-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

I've come a long way, but I'm not quite there yet.

Update

2011-03-22T17:58:00.007-05:00

I know I got really good at blogging for about two weeks. What happened? You may be wondering. This challenge:
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
What a dumb thing! If I wished I could forget it, why would I post it as to remember it longer?
Ok, so maybe that's not the only thing keeping me from blogging.
Noah got MONO (what little kid gets mono, really?) In fact, I was so surprised by it, that I took him to 2 different doctors for different opinions (just in case the mono spot test was somehow wrong). Both doctors gave me the same diagnosis. In case you are wondering if your child has mono, the MAIN symptom is VERY SWOLLEN LYMPH NODES. I'm talking golf ball size in your neck. Here is a picture of Noah before he got diagnosed. I was just thinking he was getting a little chubby! Poor kid. I should've known. He doesn't even look well at all!

Suzy is doing great! No illness. Thank goodness.
And...WHERE DID THIS RED HAIR COME FROM?!?! (I know you are thinking WHAT HAIR, but look closely!) (Apparentley I do have a red-headed great grandma on my mom's side & an auburn grandma on my dad's. MORE PROOF that Suzy has my genes! (those are not to be found in Noah)

As for Jared, he is a running fool! He is training for a marathon next month, so on Saturdays he and his brother run ridiculous mileage. Last Saturday it was 20 miles. This Saturday, it is 23. In fact, the half marathon that we are both running next month (not together, he will beat me by like an hour!) he says is his "easy day." Gag me, right? :)

And me- like I sorta mentioned, I've been running a lot too, but not quite as high mileage as Jared. I have NO. DESIRE. WHATSOEVER to do a marathon. Never have. But I could run half's all day long. Perfect length! So, I will. 2 next month.

Also, I've been attacked by ALLERGIES. Springtime in Arkansas is beautiful! But the pollen will make you crazy. I need me some Jen Young and her NAET wonders.
And because everyone else has a picture up on this update, I felt like I should too.

I will be back to the blogging challenge tomorrow. See you then!

Mom Chore Chart

2011-03-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to get more organized lately and today I decided to stop wanting and start doing! So, I came up with a Chore Chart for myself. I've printed it out, laminated it, and hung it on the fridge. Now I can use a dry erase marker and cross off the things I've done. Best Benefit: When I am done doing my list for the day, I AM DONE. I can read! I can relax! I can play with my kids guilt free! I'm so excited, I can't wait to start cleaning!!! (Did I just say that?)

If you want to make your own chart, feel free to copy and paste the below to a word document and then change the chores to suit you!

If you have any cleaning or organization tips/links to blogs, let me know! I am always interested in being more efficient at home (aka making more time for myself)!

Daily Tasks

Make Beds

Load/Run/Empty Dishwasher

Sweep Kitchen & Entry Way

Clean Kitchen Sink

Clear/Wipe Counters

Plan/Make Dinner

Wipe out Bathroom Sinks

Empty Trash

Monday Clean Bathrooms

Change Beds & Wash Sheets

2 Loads of Laundry

Tuesday Mop Floors

2 Loads of Laundry

Wednesday Vacuum House

Dust

Thursday Change & Wash Towels

Tidy Bedrooms & Playroom

Friday Clean Office

_________________________________

Saturday _________________________________

_________________________________

Sunday Plan Meals for Upcoming Week

Make Shopping List

Paint Nails

Les Miserables

2011-03-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Even better, here is a picture of somewhere I WILL travel to at the end of this year! Have to see Les Mis at Queen's Theatre in London. It's on my bucket list. SOOO excited to check it off the list in 2011!!!

Dear Washington

2011-03-13T21:23:00.001-05:00

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Dear Washington DC,
I miss you. I've moved on in life, but I love thinking back to the time that I spent with you. The time we had was really magical to me. I fell in love (long distance) with my A-MAAAA-ZING husband, made great friends, traveled a lot, went dancing (miss that), went running by the White House, shopped at Trader Joes, went out to eat lots at cool, interesting places, and generally REALLY enjoyed my everyday life!
I can't wait to visit you again sometime soon, although I know it will never be just the same. Thanks for the memories.
Love,
Court

A very hard post to post

2011-03-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

I like this blogging challenge b/c it is making me think about things. When I read today's post, I honestly had no idea what to post about. I even asked my husband what my biggest insecurity was and he first told me to post a blank white square b/c he said I was perfect (cue awws here). Then, he told me to post a picture with 18 kids b/c he knows I am AFRAID to have lots of kids.

So, I've thought all morning as I have been cleaning and doing laundry, what is my biggest insecurity? And I was reminded of this good old mormonad.

I can relate to everyone in that picture, the ones looking at the book, completely oblivious to anyone else, the one turning to look at the girl by herself, and the girl who is completely insecure.

When I was little, I was about as nerdy as they come. That didn't even begin to change until about 8th grade, when I lost my 80's bangs, huge circle glasses, and leggings. I clearly remember sitting in a history class on the first day of 8th grade and a boy that I knew sitting in front of me, turning around and introducing himself. I wanted to scream, "Hello! Don't you remember me? We were in 3 of the same classes last year!" but instead I took it as a compliment and let him figure it out on his own.

While on the outside, I have outgrown my uber nerdy days, a piece of that has stayed with me. I don't know when the day will come that I stop caring about what everyone else thinks about me. I HATE that I care. And that, friends, is my biggest insecurity. Fitting in.

Suzy Kaye

2011-03-08T10:12:00.001-06:00

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

AZ trip

2011-03-07T12:50:00.000-06:00

Anyone wonder where I have been?
Well, we just got back from Arizona for a nice vacation/friend's wedding.
The blogging challenge will resume tomorrow.

But for today, I wanted to recap the trip. It was nice having a break from everyday life and not having kids. Don't get me wrong, I love being with them. But the break sure was nice!

Trip Summary:

Went on the trip with these lovely people: April and Tommy. (Tommy and Jared have been best friends since they were little.)

Stayed with these people: Sumer and Tyler (Sumer was one of my best friends in high school and Tyler was a good friend too!)

We went to these people's wedding: (Ryan and Anne. Ryan was one of Jared's best friend's growing up.)

We got to get all dressed up.

We ate yummy Venezuelan food.

We met up with mission buddies at Oreganos (LOVED this!)

Jared and I ran 9 and then 4 miles together in the beautiful 70 degree weather. (Jared is running a half and full marathon next month, I'm running two halfs.) (This pic is from back in the day, I didn't take a pic of us running in Arizona!)

We had a GREAT time! In fact, we got the traveling bug while we were there. So, we came home and booked tickets to Europe, naturally. Ha ha. We are flying into London and leaving Madrid 2 weeks later. Can't wait!!!

My Mission President

2011-02-28T16:58:00.000-06:00

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

This is a picture of my mission president, Lindon Robison.

On the mission, he inspired me to be a better person.

Even though I have been home for 5+ years, when I think about him and what he taught me, I am still inspired to do and be better.

The World

2011-02-27T11:50:00.000-06:00

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

I want to see the world. And I want my kids to see it too. I feel like the more we are able to travel, the less pressure we will put on ourselves to "Keep up with the Jones" and the more grateful we will be for everything we have in our lives.

Jared and I have a world map hanging in Noah's room that we love to go and stare at. We put pins in all the places that we have been to together. We hope to be able to put pins all over the world, but especially in:

Peru (I need to see Machu Pichu. Jared's been and loved it. But no pin until we are both there together. I also love peruvian food and want to eat some while in that country)
Venezuela (Angel Falls)
Brazil
Argentina (of course, as I'm typing these, I would like to add..."if they are safe." If the countries hate Americans, I do not want to be there.)
Hong Kong
Australia
New Zealand
England (we are going next year, yay!)
France
Switzerland
Holland
Egypt
South Africa
Greece
Alaska
Costa Rica
Japan
Thailand
Oregon
Maine

Ok, I now realize I could type forEVER all the places that we want to go to, so for now, you can just have a taste. ha ha Jared needs to start making some serious ca$h so we can check these off the list. One day, when we have a really fancy office, I want to have a fancy world map in a frame behind the island desk and in between the custom bookshelves. Ahh, one day!

The Hubby

2011-02-26T12:00:00.001-06:00

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

What the Music in Heaven Sounds Like

2011-02-25T16:36:00.000-06:00

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Josh Groban

You know you love him too.

Suzy

2011-02-24T20:38:00.001-06:00

I'm taking a break today from the blogging challenge to blog about Suzy Kaye! She is getting so big- 5 1/2 months, where is the time going?

Although I haven't captured it too often in pictures, Suzy loves to smile and laugh. It's my favorite.

Noah and Suzy are best little buddies (thank goodness---it didn't start out that way). I catch them holding hands a lot (no, I didn't make them for the picture). It's so sweet!

Love those big eyes!

She's working on sitting up...almost there.

Suzy with her boyfriend, Max. Max is only one month younger than Suz.

Ready to eat! Suz is actually always ready to eat. No problems there!

I love her sweet face and calm personality.

Hanging out with brother.

Suzy's Quick Stats: (this is more for my benefit than anything)

13 lbs 13 oz (29th percentile)
24 inches tall (17th percentile)
Head Cir 41 cm (29th percentile)
1 tooth coming in
On a great schedule: 2 naps a day and wakes up at 3:30 am for a bottle. I can handle that.
Nicknames: Suza, Su-Su, Suzy-Q, Suz, Suzily, Suzer, Su-Su Bug, Baby Sue

True Love

2011-02-23T17:26:00.000-06:00

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Ahhh, so happy to replace the previous post with this!

I feel like Sebastian from Little Mermaid

2011-02-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Oh my goodness, I am going to puke just looking at this picture!

My Little Buddy

2011-02-21T10:33:00.003-06:00

Day 10 - A picture of the person you hang out with the most

Instead of a picture, you get a video that I took this morning. I tell Noah all the time---I am so lucky to be his mom!

(Start video at about 1:20 for a shortened version of the general idea)

My Savior

2011-02-20T09:00:00.001-06:00

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

(painting by Greg Olsen)

You HAVE to see this picture!

2011-02-19T10:37:00.001-06:00

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

As soon as I saw what picture I was supposed to pick for today, I knew EXACTLY which picture I would use. This picture was taken when Jared and I were first married back in September 2007. I don't know how he ended up with a plastic bag on his head, but I told him he looked like the Pilsbury doughboy and he started playing the part.

My Most Treasured Item

2011-02-18T22:16:00.000-06:00

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

I know that my family isn't exactly an "item," but they are what I treasure most.

The Good Life

2011-02-17T17:30:00.001-06:00

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

I don't know who this person is lying on that massage table, but I would ~~like~~ love to trade places with them!!!

Espana

2011-02-16T18:00:00.001-06:00

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

I served a mission in Spain. One of my favorite memories is when my parents and brother came to pick me up afterwards. We traveled around to my old areas and had a great time. Here is my brother, Dad, and I eating "chuch" on the streets of Cadiz. Ahhh, I can't wait to go back!!!

My Night

2011-02-15T21:37:00.000-06:00

Day 04 - A picture of your night

My night consists of getting kids ready for bed so I can:

1. Read

2. Play the piano

3. Talk to Jared

4. &/or Blog/Blog Stalk/Email

But most of the night is getting kids ready for bed.

We used to have a terrible time getting Noah to bed until...dun dun dun dun:

Noah's Night Night Map

Now, getting Noah ready for bed is a breeze.

We just had a little help from Dora to give our son the motivation to want to follow instructions. We made this poster for FHE a couple months ago and Noah does a great job going to sleep now. Hooray!

I took this picture the other night b/c it was just too cute- I always want to remember.

Sweet Dreams Little Noah!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2011-02-14T20:53:00.000-06:00

I had to interrupt the Blogging Challenge to blog about today!!!

We had a GREAT Valentines Day! Best one yet!

Jared and I already went on our Valentines date on Friday, so today was all about our family. First off, I dressed everyone in red. Even Jared was wearing red and pink stripes under his sweater! ha ha

Grandma A. surprised us with an awesome Valentines package that arrived today. Do you think Noah liked it? Maybe just a little...

Today, I was at the computer and noticed that it got really quiet in the house. I looked for Noah and couldn't find him anywhere. Since he's done this before, I quickly realized he was playing hide and go seek, his new FAVORITE game. So, I started looking in hard places for him. Sure enough, I open the coat closet and this is what I see! Ha ha, funny kid!

For Valentines this year, I decided to start something new.
About 2 weeks ago, I wrapped up 4 shoe boxes for each one of us and cut holes in the top so we could slip little love notes to each other. Then I filled the boxes with candy and we got to open them after dinner today. It was a fun project that cost nothing at all! I just used stuff that I had around the house!

And for dinner tonight, I did personal heart pizzas and red jello jellybeans.
Simple. and Festive.
The balloons and single red rose was courtesy of Jared- he surprised me when he got home from work. My FAVORITE part about getting them was the corny line he said to me- "Courtney, will you accept this rose?" He was totally kidding, but I ate it up and loved it! There's nothing like feeling like you are in your favorite show! Ha!

Jared's thought bubble: "Court, stop taking pictures and let's eat now!"

My boys!!!

I know I look awful in this picture, but I just wanted to prove that I was, in fact, a part of today. I just didn't bother to get ready today considering all I really did was go to the gym and clean. Cinderella, I know, I know.

My heart pizza creation! I kneaded the dough myself! I was pretty impressed that it actually turned out how I pictured it in my head! Yay!

Please excuse my child's pizza face.

I absolutely love his reaction to the M&Ms. Ha!

And last, but not least, Suz with her love notes. The red scribble was from Big Brother. Thanks Noah! She loves you too!

Hope you all have a Happy Valentines Day. And Kyle, Rachel D, and Laura M- Happy B-day to you guys!!! xoxo

My Favorite Show(s)

2011-02-13T09:00:00.002-06:00

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

I have two.

Closest Friend

2011-02-12T15:30:00.002-06:00

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

I am lucky to know this pretty lady! My mom!

10 Facts

2011-02-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

Here is a picture of Jared and I from tonight. We went out on our Valentines date a little early. Dropped the kids off at a sitter, went and had a nice dinner, went outdoor ice skating, then out for dessert. To sum it up in one word--- PERFECT. or romantic. or refreshing.

Anyways- the blog challenge. Today, I'm to post a picture of myself with 10 facts. Here are some things you may or may not know about me:

1. I have kept a journal since I was 8 years old. I write all the time. I write about what I think is important at the time, but looking back, it's almost always silly.
2. I love glitter. I love it in my nailpolish, in shimmery makeup, on stickers, on pencils, on shoes, in body spray... I know, I'm 12.
3. I love school. If I didn't have any responsibilities (cough-kids...) I would get my Masters degree, then my 2nd Masters, then maybe a PhD. I love learning and I especially love learning in an organized setting that pushes you farther than you might go on your own. I also really like taking notes (weird) and studying (more weird).
4. I almost always have cheesecake on my birthday. My mom always put the year I was turning in cherries. I love that.
5. I have tried so hard to love scrapbooking and couponing. But I just don't. I wish I did.
6. When I was little, I always dressed up as a princess or a fairy for Halloween. I alternated years.
7. I went through a skater phase in college where I longboarded, snowboarded, and wakeboarded frequently.
8. I still know all the words to "Gangsta's Paradise." Love Coolio. Ha!
9. I play the piano everyday. I used to write my own music and need to get back into doing it again.
10. I have run 4 half marathons and am training for a 5th!

Happy Weekend Everyone! I'll see you back here tomorrow. I have to say, this was a very fun blog post to do. I'm liking this challenge (well, day 1 anyways!)

30 Day Blogging Challenge

2011-02-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

The first 'different' thing I decided to do for my blog is to do a 30 day blog challenge. I have to post a picture each day so you can all get to know me better. I'm excited to do this and learn more about myself as I find the pictures that describe who I am. It's funny how quickly I could turn blogging from being a chore, into a 'reward for doing chores!'

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Day 04 - A picture of your night

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Day 10 - A picture of the person you hang out with the most

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Blog Makeover

2011-02-10T09:36:00.001-06:00

Alright. I'll be the first to admit that my blog has gotten
L-A-M-E.
I update it about once a month and try to recap what we do. But I am tired of doing that. I stopped liking to blog. It became a chore.
The last thing I need is another chore.
So, I decided to change some things.
I made a list of what I do pretty much everyday. My REAL life.
-laundry
-cleaning
-organizing
-kids
-Dora
-making meals
-cleaning them up
-working out
-getting ready
-teaching piano
-kids to bed
And then throw in the occasional holiday, get together, date, and/or trip. And that is my life. Now when I first looked at my list, I thought- I must be the most boring person living today. Why can't I be creative and fun like my friend Sheena or trendy and cool like Chelsea? But then I took a step back and thought- Why can't I be content just being me? While my life doesn't seem super exciting, I really do love it! And I'm ready to embrace that.

So, here's to me blogging about my every-day. I want to capture this phase of my life where I am able to stay at home with my little kids. and where the most exciting part of my day may or may not be getting to take a shower. I have a feeling that I am not the only one out there that feels the same way.

I hope you will see me a little more often on here. Yea, I am actually really excited about it!

I could just eat her up!

2011-01-24T11:07:00.002-06:00

LOVE THAT FACE!

Picture Update

2011-01-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had a great one, honestly one of the best Christmases I have ever had. I was looking at pictures from the holidays on my camera tonight, and it really struck me how quick my kids are growing and how precious the time we have together is. I was also impressed that I actually had pictures with myself in them. We even got one shot with all four of us!

Here is little/big Noah on Christmas morning opening up new pj's from Grandma A. Oh yes, he is loving it.

Here is Suz and I over at my inlaws for more Christmas fun!

Noah wanted his new jacket, THEN his new shirt on. If you look closely at the label, you might notice his new shirt is a 12 month shirt. And he's 2 1/2. It's OK to be little, buddy. I think he was actually saying Cheese in this picture. :)

I thought Noah looked so big in this picture. Like not a baby anymore at all. He's a little man!

"What present should I open next???"

Suz is taking it all in!

Here's Jared and I at Silver Dollar City in Branson. We went up for the day on Dec 30.

Suzy is 3 1/2 months. She's my little cutie! Such a mama's girl!

We love each other!!!

We love each other too!!! A lot!

This picture cracks me up b/c it captures real life.

Here was our second attempt. I love my kids so much!!!

Here is a prized picture, one that contains all of us at the same time. If only Suz were looking up...oh well!

Pre-Christmas

2010-12-24T10:10:00.000-06:00

I recognize that I have become a super lame blogger. I'll try to make up for it by posting lots of pictures. We are excited that tonight is finally Christmas Eve! I think Noah might even 'get it' this year.

This is my favorite! Noah put stickers on this nativity. I love the placement of the cow eating the hay and all the water he gave the cow to drink. I also love the placement of baby Jesus and that he made sure his mommy was right next to him.

(I made the wreath! 13 bucks! Go me!)

Here is my best present of 2010.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Noah Funny

2010-12-01T13:40:00.001-06:00

Noah: "WAH!!!!"
Me: "What's wrong?"
"Owie!"
"Where?"
"Head."
"Your head hurts?"
"Shoulder."
"Your head and shoulder???"
"Knees and toes. Knees and toes. Knees and toes."
Me: *laughing. a lot.*
Noah: "Mama's CRAZY!"

...I'm crazy????

(Pre-haircut)

I LOVE THIS GUY!!!

Mini Me Part 2

2010-11-17T19:26:00.000-06:00

Today, I dug out some gems from Jared's baby pictures.

First, observe the twin pictures. Pic 1: Jared. Pic 2: Jared, I mean Noah.

Just for fun, I posted a pic of Suzy. I guess you can see some Jared/Noah resemblance for sure, but after looking at those two twinsies, I can see myself even more. Yay.

Here is the little stud himself. Mini Jared! Cute!

And Noah at the same age! Eerily similar, eh?

And for any of you who might be wondering what Jared looks like with hair, behold!
Pretty cute huh?

Mini Me

2010-11-15T17:51:00.000-06:00

Alright everyone. Tell me what you think. How much do Suz and I look alike?
Here's me...little newborn Courtney: (click the pictures to make them bigger)

And newborn Suzy:

Me again:

And Suz!!!

What do you think, can you see the resemblance?

These last two pictures were taken today. She is exactly 2 months old today. I can't believe how fast time is flying. She's already sleeping through the night. Noah didn't do that until he was about 2! She's my little cabbage patch doll and I love her so much! I'm also so glad that she looks a little something like me since Noah was a total mini-Jared. Still is.

A million Halloween pictures

2010-11-01T17:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, not a million. But I do have to play some catch-up. I noticed that I only posted once in October. At the beginning of the month. What can I say? I'm too busy enjoying these chubby cheeks!

Anyways. So, I did do one craft this month. It was making this shirt. Here is Noah modeling my creation.

I told him to show me the pumpkin and he did! Good job Noah!

Noah and I had fun decorating our front porch. Too bad I decorated it like 2 days before Halloween. Oh well!

Here's my little man running away from the camera! Did I say little man? I meant little giraffe! :)

I took Noah and Suzy to the downtown "Goblin Parade." They trick or treat at all the local businesses. Noah LOVED it. Here he is with his cool pirate friend, Cohen. Yes, they are holding hands. Cute!

Noah with visions of candy dancing in his eyes.

I love having a kid that enjoys holidays. (especially since my husband is Mr. Scrooge. kind of. We are working on him)

And there is Mr. Scrooge himself! (kidding- ok, I'll stop). He IS wearing orange to the Halloween party. And here is Miss Suzy, the cute little witch.

Noah again!

A picture of me!

Suzy wearing Noah's dalmation costume from when he was a baby. Funny, Noah wore it when he was 3 months old and Suzy is almost too big for it at 6 weeks.

Here's me and my cute sister in law, Becca- handing out candy at the ward trunk or treat.

My little cabbage patch doll!

There is Jared on his phone. Pretty sure he was checking out the Arkansas game.

We had fun this Halloween weekend. Goblin Parade on Friday, Ward Halloween Party on Saturday, and Homemade Bagels & Soup @ the Tompkins on Sunday. I really can't wait until next year!

Noah's First Ice Cream Cone (& a mom's plea for advice)

2010-10-01T17:38:00.000-05:00

While my mom was here, (boo hoo, come back!) she took Noah out on a date for ice cream. If you can believe it, we have never given the kid ice cream so this was a first for him! (I don't really like ice cream, so that is why it is never around- I know you were wondering.) Anyways, we got some great pictures!
But before I show you them, I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice about how to make the older child feel special when they have a threatening new baby in the house and they aren't coping with it very well. Noah does not want anything to do with Suzy still. He's also acting out agressively--I guess in an attempt to get extra attention. He also fights against every rule we have or everything we ask him to do (go to bed, get a diaper change, etc).
I did take him on a date to McDonalds yesterday for some Mommy/Noah time. I honestly spend more time with him than I ever did before, but it seems like it is never enough. He's happy for the moment, but when Suzy cries or I feed her or do something that isn't entertaining Noah, he gets mad. And I get sad. So, please help me!
Sorry, I didn't mean for the post to be about that, but I guess it is on my mind. Here's the cute ice cream pics! :)

Recovery and Thoughts

2010-09-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

Some of you have been asking me how my recovery from the C-section has been going. I thought it would be easy to give a quick update here.

The best way I've thought to describe it is two steps forward, one step back. I've tried to go out a few times (anniversary date, Hobby Lobby, Mexican food, storytime). I've loved getting out, but find myself in bed for 12 hours after each outing. It's been hard for me to let everyone else do things for me (by everyone else, I guess I mostly mean my mom, who has been a complete lifesaver for me). It's also hard for me to take so much medicine all the time- I do not like taking pills at all, but I seriously HAVE to or I can't really function. I thought I would hate being in the house so much, but I'm actually kind of having fun. My mom and I watch a movie everyday (we've visited Redbox, Blockbuster, my movie collection, AND the library!) and have had a lot of good chats. I wish she lived here. She flies back to Utah on Monday. Not looking forward to that day.

Other Random Thoughts:

I am enjoying Suzy so much. When Noah was born, I had little interest in being a new mom and had a really hard transition. This time around, I know more what I am doing and am much more positive.
Noah is struggling big time with the change of having a new sister. At the hospital, he wanted nothing to do with her. He clung to a little wooden doll named Joey that my mom gave him (I'll post a picture of him with it). Since we've been home, he's started whining a lot and imitating Suzy's cry to get attention. He has also become uber attached to me. He ALWAYS wants to be with me, which is flattering, but not normal. He does not like me feeding Suzy at all. At the same time, he goes overboard giving her kisses on the head and acting like he really likes her and fake laughing when she is around. It makes me cry a lot to see him struggle so bad. And to be honest, I miss just having Noah and our old routine a lot too. I know it will get better in time, so for now, I'm just trying to give him as much attention as possible so he doesn't feel like he needs to act out for it.
I don't know how people can have babies (esp C-section babies) without having a ton of help. I've also been thinking a lot about moms who give their babies up for adoption and have to deal with the pain of healing, but not have anything to show for it.
I don't know how I will manage/function without my mom here next week. She has made every meal, cleaned my house, done laundry, helped with Suzy (including in the middle of the night- helping change diapers so I could feed her without having to get up), given Suzy and Noah baths, played with Noah, driven me around, gotten us way more groceries than we have ever even seen in our house at one time, etc. I'm so thankful for her.
Nursing is going great this time around. It was awful, to be honest, with Noah. I never had my heart in it and always pumped so it never stopped hurting when I tried nursing him and I ran out of milk after 3 months. It's only been a week and a half this time and it already stopped hurting! And I have more than enough milk. I have a much better attitude about it.
I am always starving. Must be the breastfeeding. But it's kind of nice to always be hungry when your mom is in town making delicious stuff all the time.
I think I'm starting to ramble. Do I have any readers left? Enjoy the pictures. :)

Noah with his Joey doll, at the hospital

Me on my anniversary excited to eat homemade enchiladas

The star of the show: Suzy Kaye! This pic was taken this morning.

The other star: cute Noah!

Mom, Jared & Suzy, and Noah hanging out before dinner

Family of Four

2010-09-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

It's been half a week since Suzy joined our little family. I'm so happy- it's hard to express in words. Everything is so much different from when Noah was born. I am enjoying it so much more- it helps knowing what to expect more or less. Although, I did think Suzy would be the same as Noah and I am finding that she is very different. For instance, she LOVES being swaddled, taking her binky, and nursing- all of which Noah hated. Noah is adjusting to having her around. It was hard the first couple days- he didn't want anything to do with her...or really with me either- he was scared of my hospital bed and IV. But yesterday, we caught him talking to her on the couch and showing her his toys. He also randomly comes up to her and kisses her head. I know they will eventually be best friends.

As for me, I am recovering better than I did last time. It still takes me a while to move around and I have to take pain meds all the time, but each day is a little bit better. Suzy is worth it.

Run, Jared, Run!

2010-09-10T09:51:00.004-05:00

Jared has been running a lot lately. As if he's not busy enough doing work and school full time, he also wakes up early to run and just finished two 5Ks. Not only did he finish them, he won 3rd place for his age group, both times! Yay Jared! You're awesome. Look at him in his running glory! lol!

Can you spot him?

Here he is with his little mini-self pre-race.

Here is Noah, thinking HE won the race.

Ooh, look at that medal!

Daddy and Noah with a little pre-race fuel (Cheerios!) Notice Jared's shoes. Vibram Five Fingers. You heard of them? They are one of the closest (certainly the most popular) shoes to running barefoot that are out right now. Jared was the only person in the race wearing them.

He loves them.

If you are wondering why you would want to run barefoot, read "Born to Run" by Christopher Mcdougall. Or google it. It's controversial.

Go Jared! You're awesome!

Last Pregnancy Update

2010-09-08T09:37:00.005-05:00

Ok, I am way behind on blogging. Maybe I'll try to catch up a little bit before baby gets here---in a week!!! HOORAY!!! Next Wednesday, she's making her appearance (scheduled C-section). I can't wait to meet her and esp for her to be real to Noah. We are always talking about Baby Suzy and I know he has no clue what we are really talking about. I also can't WAIT to not be pregnant. I mean look at me in these pictures. How in the world could I be comfortable with that tummy?
I'm 37.5 weeks along in these next 2 pics. Today I am 38 weeks.

This last picture was from a few weeks ago, but I like that Noah jumped into it. So, I would be almost 35 weeks along here.

To end with my pregnancy updates, I keep thinking of the quote "All's well that ends well." This was a crazy pregnancy with lots of ups and downs (placenta previa, too much amniotic fluid, migraines, IUGR scare, bad insomnia, heart problems, etc) but in the end, every single thing has resolved itself completely. Baby looks healthy, I am healthy, and now we are just waiting for the next week to go by quickly so we can be with our little princess.

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND CARSON!!!!!

Baby Shower

2010-08-23T15:19:00.002-05:00

Today, I think I will blog about Suzy's baby shower. Two of my good friends, Vicky and Jen gave me the best shower ever a few weeks ago. I loved it b/c it involved lots of friends, good food, too many presents, and no cheesy shower games! I do not want you staring at my tummy while you figure out how big it is in yarn! Thank you!
I hope my friends who were at the shower will have fun finding themselves in the pictures below.
Only 3 more (long) weeks left until Suzy makes her appearance. I had a Dr's visit today and she is doing great. One more ultrasound next week to measure growth...she is measuring pretty small. I'll give you an update on that next week- the Dr. thought she might have IUGR (same as what Noah had) but she's responding well on her non-stress tests and Doctor P. thinks my kids just might be really small. That's OK by me!

Summer Reading

2010-08-15T19:09:00.003-05:00

Flashback 20 years and let me describe myself.

Tall for my age, super skinny, purple circle glasses, and poofy bangs. I didn't have tons of friends, but I didn't realize it. I loved to write, play school, the piano, and read. I LOVED to read. That's all I ever did.

Now, flash forward. I'm now average height and weight (well, if I weren't pregnant), the glasses were replaced with contacts, my bangs are grown out. I try to compensate for years of having no friends by always wanting to be around people. I still like to write, but not as much, as school kind of stifled the creative factor out of writing for me. I still love school and also teach piano (very passionate about both). And as for my love of books as a little girl, it's never gone away. I am still always reading.

I thought it would be fun to list some of the books I read this summer, along with recommendations. I would also like to put a huge plug in for my favorite site, GOODREADS.COM. If you are not on goodreads and like to read, you need to join. It's a site that helps you find new books to read, allows you to record and review books that you do read, and see what your friends are reading and recommending. I use it all the time, especially on the days I go to the library. If you ARE on goodreads- let me encourage you to use it! I love to see the books that my friends are recommending.

Anyways, here is my list:

The Short 2nd Life of Bree Tanner (Stephanie Meyer)
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Committment to Your Mate (Gary Chapman)
The Uglies (Scott Westerfield)
My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)
The Giver (Lois Lowry)
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
The Pilots Wife (Anita Shreve)
The Christmas Train (David Baldacci)
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

almost finished with: Born to Run (Christopher McDougall)
Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Jacobs)
Emma (Jane Austen)

If you want to read any of my reviews on that list, join goodreads! :) I recommend almost the whole list with the exception of: The Christmas Train (too slow) and The Pilots Wife (also slow, and anti-climatic). Uglies was also hard for me to get through, but not because the story wasn't good. The author just focused on things I wasn't interested in half the time.

Anyways, if you have any recommendations for me of MUST reads, please tell me! I am going to have LOTS of reading time coming up when little Suzy is born and I want some good books.

Ok...here it is!

2010-08-09T14:34:00.003-05:00

Alright everyone. Today is the big name reveal for my little girl! I've also posted pictures of the nursery, which we finished at 1 in the morning last Thursday. We are soooo excited about how it turned out. You first have to know what the room looked like before, which in a word was horrible. There was no style whatsoever and we just threw extra stuff together to make a guest room. See!

Here is one more before shot that will make you appreciate the after. We got this crib for free from someone who didn't want it anymore. It was probably made before I was born. Not a pretty color, but it had lots of potential.

Here begins the "After" shots.
You also should know that I did the entire nursery, furniture and all, for $100!!! Can you believe it? I almost couldn't myself. It helps to get stuff for free and have I mentioned how much I love consignment shops and garage sales???

And here is the name, ladies and gentleman.
Our little girl will be SUZY KAYE.
Suzy comes from my mother in law's name: Susie. Kaye comes from my mom's middle name: Kay. We took both of their names, changed the spelling a bit and made it our own. Little Suzy is being named after 2 of the most spectacular people I have ever known.

We are so excited to welcome her to this little room.

Here's a couple shots of the finished crib. We painted it white and wow, doesn't it look so much better?!

Thanks April for letting us borrow crib bedding and that cute butterfly hanging on the wall. It adds a great touch!

Close up of the crib.

This cubeicle is the most expensive thing in the entire nursery! I bought it from Target, along with the fabric bins for $70. I've already washed all of Suzy's new clothes and put them in their labeled bins...had to do the labels so I could remember where everything goes. As you can see, Suzy got a couple tutus at her baby shower. I plan on replacing the pink ballet shoes with a ballerina Build-A-Bear soon.

And that's it!

Now that the nursery is finished, I am soooo ready to be done being pregnant and to have her here. I have about a month left. Not too much longer...but don't say that to a pregnant lady with one month left. Especially when that month is hot, summer-y August.

Insomnia

2010-07-31T01:15:00.003-05:00

(32 weeks; measuring 34!)

Well, here it is 1:20 in the morning. Yesterday, I was up from 2-6 am. The night before 3-5 am. What is it about pregnancy that makes it so we CANNOT sleep during that last month or so? I guess between the baby kicking (I've got myself a soccer player) or the acid reflux (that started up last night for the first time ever) or the anxiety attacks (gotta love those, not!) or the inability to find a comfortable position and it's really a wonder that pregnant women get ANY sleep at all!

So what do you do when you can't sleep?

Having 2-4 hours of kid-free time in the middle of the night should be my most productive time. But honestly, I don't want to do anything b/c I am mad that I am not sleeping!

Tonight for instance, I've already: read a book, looked at old pictures, watched Noah's new goldfish swim around in their tank while wondering if fish sleep...(oh yeah, I was gonna google that), mentally packed my hospital bag (wishful thinking, quite ridiculous really, but I can't control my mind at night, it just swirls), tried to wake up Jared to complain about how I can't sleep again (he didn't respond), stared at the wall in bed for about an hour until my body started screaming at me to get up, and now here I am blogging. I felt like I had to talk to SOMEONE, even at the moment that someone is currently noone. Oh well, I know someone will read and hopefully, actually not hopefully, relate to what I am going through.

This has been happening for the last month.

I still have 7 long weeks to go until the baby is born.

Maybe I will talk to the DR. about sleeping pills. It's crossed my mind about 1,000 times.

Until then, if any of my fellow insomniacs have any good 'go to sleep' tidbits, I'm all ears.

Noah's 2nd Birthday Party

2010-07-23T14:42:00.003-05:00

Noah's birthday isn't until Tuesday, but we had a b-day party this morning with some of Noah's good friends. As you might notice, Noah was in 2 year old paradise with bubbles, balloons, chalk, popsicles, cupcakes with sprinkles, water balloons, presents, toys, books, candles, superhero capes, and friends! He's been singing "[Happy] Birthday to You" all day. It was really fun for me to plan a day focused on my little guy. He has been really, really happy all day and keeps coming up to me and giving me big hugs with cheesy smiles. It really doesn't get any better than that, now does it? :)

Pregnancy Update #5,324,456

2010-07-13T21:11:00.005-05:00

I posted a quick update on Facebook this afternoon about what I found out at my ultrasound yesterday---and so I'll use my blog to add a few details.

So, last week I had an ultrasound to determine if my placenta had moved. I blogged about that and how I was hoping it would have migrated up- then I wrote that it DID move and was considered low lying, and I was off restricted activity. Happy day! During that ultrasound, they also discovered that I had too much amniotic fluid so my doctor ordered another ultrasound for this week to make sure everything was OK with the baby.

Yesterday was that ultrasound. The baby is fine and my levels of amniotic fluid weren't quite as high as they measured last week. The baby's growth is also great- 4 days ahead of schedule. However, the placenta became an issue again. I had told the ultrasound tech that it WAS a previa, but it had moved and she looked at me like, "no, it didn't." She kept saying, "it is really low." She went and got the radiologist, who came back in and confirmed that it was, in fact, still placenta previa. It was a bit confusing because I know the placenta can't move up and then move back down, but he explained that ultrasounds aren't exact sciences and the way the tech held the instrument could've affected the reading. My OB met with the radiologist and I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from my doctor.

My doc put me back on restricted activity. We'll do another ultrasound next month to see if the placenta moves at all. I'm told my odds are not very likely that it will, but there's always a chance. At that point, he might do amniocentesis to see if the baby's lungs are developed enough to be born and I might be having this baby next month! Not prepared for that! We'll just have to see what happens. I'm learning that it is probably better for the baby to be outside a little early then to be sitting on its lifeline on the inside. Makes me nervous!

I cried all day yesterday, ate chocolate, and slept instead of cleaning. But I am better today. I'm at 30 weeks now. Thanks for all of you who are going on this pregnancy rollercoaster with me. I love the comments and support and especially experiences that are similar to mine!

Jared's Rock Garden

2010-07-11T16:00:00.004-05:00

Spent the morning in the ER today. On the way to church, Jared started having excruciating pain in his back and side. It got so bad that we ended up at the hospital. Turns out, he had a kidney stone- which apparently is the worst pain a man can experience. The ER doc told us that women say it is worse than labor! Anyways, I have never seen Jared in so much pain; it made me cry. Luckily, they gave him pain meds which helped so much and he passed it through the ureter relatively quickly. They did a cat scan to make sure and we saw it sitting there in his bladder. That's the good news. The bad is that we saw 4 other stones sitting there in his kidney, that could be released at anytime. Maybe this week, maybe next year, maybe never. One of them was 2.5 x bigger than the one from today.
Anyways, Jared's doing fine now and we are counting our blessings that he is better and that we live next to an awesome hospital. Although, I do not want to go back there until Baby Girl comes in September!

Tour My House

2010-07-08T12:51:00.002-05:00

We had our house pretty clean the other day and so I took some pictures!
Here is where we spend a great majority of our time. We love it here!!!

Living Room:
Another shot. Love that fireplace. I spent Jan, Feb, and March with morning sickness, laying in front of it. I didn't move for those 3 months.

This room is supposed to be the classy, formal dining room. For us, it is the piano/playroom. It's just too convenient to have Noah's toys out where I can see him playing from the office or living room. He plays in that room for hours! There are a ton of more toys hidden on the right side of the piano.

I think this room looks better in person than in this picture. This is our office. We also have a big black bookshelf that I LOVE that Jared made (couldn't fit it in the picture). Also not pictured are big black frames which are all over the room with pictures, mostly of Jared and I.

Here's a shot of the front entrance to our house. Playroom on left and living room straight ahead. The office is on the right through some french doors.

Kitchen!

More kitchen!

Our bedroom. Please ignore the fact that our normal comforter was at the dry cleaner, so we just threw on a random quilt that is meant for a twin size bed. Our comforter is red, which matches the lamp. Not pictured is the dresser on the left, which I stained to match the night stand and also bed frame.

This is a pretty lame picture from the guest room, which we are soon turning into Baby Girl's nursery. I'm excited about that!

Here's the last picture for today. A shot of Noah's room. Not pictured are a rocking chair and the changing table.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!!

Pregnancy Update #2

2010-07-07T12:51:00.003-05:00

My placenta moved. Phew! It's still low lying, but since I'm having a C-section anyways, it doesn't really mean anything. Hooray!

New update: I have too much amniotic fluid. No wonder I've been feeling so big! Dr. isn't really too worried about it, but he's doing a "level 2" ultrasound next week just to make sure the baby doesn't have any problems swallowing.

I've gained a lot of weight. I think it's from not moving for 2 months. I'm going to the gym tomorrow.

I saw Baby Girl today in 3D for a little bit. She is so cute and perfect. I'm excited to meet her in September.

Thanks for your prayers. xoxo

Pregnancy Update

2010-07-06T12:51:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow will either be really happy or really sad.

I'm getting an ultrasound that will show us whether or not my placenta has moved up or stayed in the wrong place.

If it's moved, I can have a normal 2 more months of pregnancy, which will include yoga, water aerobics, swimming, walking, movement, vacation, happiness, and a normal schedule.

If it has stayed over the cervix, I will most likely be put on some form of bedrest and I can nix all those fun activities I listed in the previous paragraph. I'll also be worried about delivering early/hemoraghing.

So, when you are saying your prayers tonight, if you could please include me. I'll let y'all know what happens. =) THANKS!

CHOO-CHOO!!!

2010-06-29T10:28:00.004-05:00

Yay! Two posts in two days. I am on a roll, aren't I?
Today, I decided to post about Noah's train obsession.

Is it true that all 2 year olds are obsessed with trains? Is it just boys? Or do girls like them too?

Well, Noah thinks about, talks about, watches, and plays with choo-choos all day long. He loves Thomas. He loves Percy. He loves his train toothbrush. Jared brought home this train table from work, which also includes about 500 pieces, not shown. I find little train pieces all over my house every day. They also go with me in my purse when we leave the house.

This has to be one of my all time favorite pics- I am loving the bed head! Even though this picture alone is what prompted us to give him a haircut. He looks like a mad train scientist! Because that is what he is!

Noah's trying to decide where to start...hmmm...

In downtown Rogers, they have a real live caboose that you can walk through. Since Jared and I, along with my brother and sister in law have made weekly visits to the nearby Mexican restaurant, Noah gets to go to that caboose all the time. On one of the times, we saw a real train go by on the tracks. Noah talks about that still--and that was weeks ago. Anyways, here he is about a month ago, standing on the caboose. We had just got back from a day at the lake, just in case you were wondering about the outfit or hairstyle. ha ha

Here is Noah and Mommy, last Friday night (after some Mexican food again, ha ha. Btw, if you live in Rogers or close, go to Las Palmas, it is the best Mexican food!)

Here's my excited boy with his new haircut. Do you like his hair better long or short?

Another question: If you have kids, what do they obsess about? Might there be a fellow choo-choo lover out there?

The Blueberry Patch

2010-06-28T14:04:00.004-05:00

I have been a little behind in posting on the blog lately, so now I have lots of pictures saved up. So, check back often this week and hopefully I will be able to do a post a day or something. Or every other day. Don't hold me to that.

Anyways, so last Saturday, Noah, my mother in law, sister in law Becca, and her baby, Jack woke up early and went to pick blueberries. It was so fun! Well, maybe fun isn't the right word...it was neat. And tasty. I had a hard time putting the blueberries in my bucket instead of in my mouth! And for that reason, I picked by far the least of everyone. If I were a migrant worker, I would be fired!

Here's Noah and Grandma, ready to start!

Noah was pretty into it. At first.

Here's Becca and I hard at work. Please ignore the fact that I look like a giant blueberry. I'm at 27 weeks here.

Cute smile. Looks so much like Jared when he was that age.

Noah was a good helper!

Here is our end result. My bucket cost $4, Becca's $6, and Susie's $8 in order of least berries to most.

I definetely want to go again next year. I like picking my own produce. It also tastes so much better. It makes me want to have a garden. I never thought I'd ever say that. Stay tuned for more adventures...coming soon!

A few pics

2010-06-09T13:55:00.005-05:00

Here I am, as big as ever (seriously, I think I was this size at like 32 weeks with Noah) but no, I am only 25 weeks. Sad to say, I also now weigh the same that I did when I gave birth to Noah! Ahhh, I still have a long time to go! Oh well!

We took these pictures in Memphis. Jared and I went on a quick get away to the temple last Friday. We decided ON Friday that we were going (go me, getting spontaneous!) We had a great time, even though it was quick. Wish we had more time, but we'll take what we can get!

Below, you will find cute Jared. If you are thinking, "he's looking so fit and great," you would be right! Because he is up at 5:45 am most days to run or in today's case, swim laps at Beaver Lake! If he isn't running, he is doing hundreds of pushups. I am proud of him. Especially because he is so busy doing full time school and full time work and plus his calling at church. He even manages to read, make time for me, and do more than his fair share of the cleaning. I am not kidding people when I tell you that I married the perfect man!

Here's our favorite little buddy! Just had to throw some cute pics of him on there.