The Rutt Family

A few projects for Ainsley's Room

2012-02-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

I saw an idea similar to this on a blog and couldnt get it out of my head! I needed something to keep all her little keepsake together. I had other plans for this frame, but those changed. So I had an extra frame sitting around. I added some cute fabric to the clothes pins because then I can change the color/pattern as her room changes. I love how it turned out!! Adding a little personal touch in her room.

*Blessing shoes from the day she was blessed, her birth announcement, card from when she was born. Sparkly letter A-a great target find :)

A friend of mine gave me this cute frame and I had plans to put a picture inside. I've had the "A"
for awhile so I thought it might look cute with the frame. I just took the glass out, put a piece of pink paper in its place and glued the "A" to the paper. It needed a little bit more cuteness so I tied a few fabric and ribbon pieces around the "A". And there you have it..pretty simple but really cute I think!

Our Valentines Day

2012-02-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

Our day was wonderful. I can't think of 3 other people I would rather spend my day with. Ethan got his first etch-a-sketch and loves it. Elliot bought me a bouquet of roses and chocolates. I gave Elliot the movie Eagle Eye and 12 Date envelopes- one for each month with an activity planned inside. I am so excited to surprise him each month with a fun date! I'm thinking it might be a valentines day tradition.. with him suprising me with 12 dates next year :) I love my little family. Happy Valentines Day!

Ainsley is 3 months old!

2012-02-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

Our little sweetie is 3 months old today!
I've been taking pictures of her non-stop. Having a cell phone with a decent camera has made it so much easier to snap a picture whenever I want. A few things Ainsley I want to remember are:
- Such a happy girl- either smiling or trying to talk to us.
- Ainsley has been rolling over to one side! Anyday now I think she will be rolling over.
-She can almost grab her toes..its pretty cute to watch :)

- She is becoming quite the thumb sucker. She loves her hands and usually you will find them in her mouth.

-Ainsley loves her sleep and will take a few naps in the day and goes to bed anywhere from 7-10 and sleep until 6-7 am. Sleeping on her side is her favorite way to sleep

- So alert and always moving her legs or arms.

-She loves music and when I sing to her she gets the biggest grin.

-Ethan can make her laugh like no one else can and I love watching the two of them interact. The second he is around, she just stares at him and watches his every move.
-We have been working on tummy time. She is liking it a little bit more and more each day, but laying on her back she prefers best.
- She loves her daddy and he can put her to sleep so quickly. She is often found snoring on his lap. Its the cutest thing.

Sledding

2012-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Favorite {Pinterest} Recipes

2012-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago, I was deteremined to make atleast one new meal a month. I have pretty much stuck to that goal and then some- atleast trying a new recipe each week. And now with Pinterest.. it makes it even easier. I still search for my own recipes, but have found a few on pinterest too. One thing I learned.. If you find a recipe you like, read the review before you make it. Then come to your own conclusion if you want to make or change things that may not have worked for other people.
A few people have asked me about using my crock-pot. They've had a hard time remembering to put food in that day..and then its too late. My solution: Think about it what you are going to eat for dinner every morning. I know I am just a stay at home mom, but if I can have dinner cooking that is one less thing I have to try and worry about doing an hour before Elliot comes home. So I think about it in the morning, get things ready and then let my crock-pot doing the cooking. Yes, we do eat other foods not from the crockpot. But a lot of the time, some part of our meal is made in the crockpot.

We've been eating quite a few new recipes the past couple months and I wanted to share them. Some have made it to my montly meal list, while others are good every now and then. I posted where I got the recipe as well, so you can go to the site and get the original recipe. Enjoy! And let me know what you try :)

Dr. Pepper Pulled-Pork

Recipe VIA

(Serves 6-8)

Pork Roast, about 4 pounds (I used 2 1/2 lbs)

Dr. Pepper- 1 or 2 cans

1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce (or 16 oz of any other BBQ sauce you desire)

1 chopped onion (optional)

Preparation:

-Place pork and dr. pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH heat setting (or until meat is cooked)

-Drain liquid from slow cooker; shred the meat and discard any fat. Put the pork back in the slow cooker.

-Add barbecue sauce and onions if desired. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 4 hours longer. Stir occasionally.

Serve with warm buns

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Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe: Via

1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup Taco seasoning
1 1/2 C water
1 can tomato soup or tomato sauce (atleast 8 oz)
1 can ( 10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
2 C milk
3-4 boneless chicken breasts (I only used 2 chicken breasts)

-In crock pot, mix the enchilada packet together with the water and tomato sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and whisk together until smooth.

-Add chicken. Pour drained corn and diced tomatoes on.

-Cook on low 6-8 hours. Before serving, take out chicken and shred or dice, then put back and stir it all together.

-Serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips

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Creamy Chicken Tacos

Recipe: Via

(Serves 6)

5 FROZEN chicken breasts (don't you love it when you can start with frozen! Me too...)

1 1/2 C salsa

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 1/2 T taco seasoning

1 T maple syrup

1 T butter

1/2 C sour cream

-Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray and place the FROZEN chicken breasts inside.

-In a small mixing bowl stir together all other ingredients but the butter and sour cream.

-Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.

- Take the chicken out of the crock and onto a plate. Shred it all up with a fork and throw it back in.

-Add the little pat of butter and the sour cream, stir it all around until incorporated.

- Cook for 1 more hour.

-Serve over Tortilla chips or Tortillas. Top with tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce.

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Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Recipe: Via

(Serves 7)

Chicken:

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/2 C milk

3 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 t dried parsley

Sauce:

1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

2 T sour cream

2 T butter

-Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.

- Crush ritz crackers. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans.

Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

-Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then cheese. Press cheese into the chicken with your fingers. (Some may fall of when you add the crackers)

-Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. By the time you are coating the last piece of chicken, the dish you are using for the crumbs will be full of cheese.

-Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.

- Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

-Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, bake for an additional -

10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

-In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. ----Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

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Easy Beef Stew

Recipe: via

1 pound stew meat, cubed

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few sprinkles of Worcestershire

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for four hours or until meat and vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Serve over noodles or rice. Or if you are like us.. eat it just the way it is :)

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Blueberry Banana Bread

Recipe: Via

(Serves 12)

1 3/4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 C. margarine or butter, room temperature
2/3 C. sugar
2 eggs, room temp and beaten
3/4 C. mashed bananas (2 large ripe bananas)
3/4 C. fresh blueberries (or thawed if frozen)

-Preheat oven to 350 F and grease one large or two small loaf pans. Set aside.

-Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg (I put all mine into a ziplock bag and shake it around).

-Cream together margarin and sugar until fluffy. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add a third of the dry ingredient mix, then a third of the bananas. Continue to alternate these two until all is just combined in the batter. Do not overmix. Using a spatual or spoon, fold in the blueberries.

-Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for an hour or until golden brown and springy to the touch. To store for more than two days, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in fridge. Delicious warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Christmas Day

2012-02-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve came early 6am (I think).. and yes..we even Ainsley was up. Mostly because everyone wanted to hold her. Thanks again, mom and dad for all the wonderful gifts! My parents of course spoiled us all :)

We headed over to my Uncle Corey and Aunt Kris's house to spend the day. My aunt Shelly and uncle Alan, and cousin Jordan flew in the day before and we were all so excited to see them! Also my cousin Chad came home from his mission over the summer. He got engaged and we were able to meet his sweet fiance, Lauren.

It was wonderful to spend christmas was so much family and reminsce. Everyone was so excited to see Ainsley! She was rarely put down, excpet when we were playing a game when we snapped this picture.

We played a giftcard exchange, white elephant game, ate yummy food, laughed, relaxed and just enjoyed being together. I made me remember all the christmas from my childhood being surrounded by loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

Christmas Eve

2012-02-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas eve since I was little, has been at my parents house with my dad's family. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Pizza is served(a tradition), games are played and yummy treats are eaten. Everyone comes early and is on their way back to their homes by early evening.
Roslyn and Michael flew in early that morning and my grandparents came too to have a little extra time to snuggle our sweet kiddos.

We spent the evening with Elliot's dad and Patty, Emily and Charlie, his step-sister Stephanie and a visit from his Aunt Ahlea and her husband Keni. Patty always makes the most yummy food and treats! It was fun to visit with them all and play mexican train(dominos). Ethan and Ainsley got some wonderful gifts. I cant wait until Ainsley can all the cute clothes she got! I wish we would have taken some pictures but time flies when your having fun!

Christmas Part 1

2012-01-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

We drove to Boise and flew from there to Seattle for Christmas! We were really excited to go home and after a few days of not knowing if we would make due to car problems..all was well. Our friends, Dave, Liz and their cute boys live in Boise and we always enjoying seeing them when we fly from there. Thanks Turner family for letting us stay. We enjoyed visiting with them! I didnt get any pictures but we are usually up way past bedtime wathcing movies or playing games.

Our flight left at 7 am the next day. Ainsley did so well and slept the entire flight. Ethan is a pro by now, having flown atleast 5 times already. He loves getting his cup of sprite and pretzels :)
We arrived in Seattle and met up with my grandparents for breakfast. My grandparents couldn't wait another day to meet Ainsley. :) I'm so glad we were able to spend so much time with them while we were home.

The first thing Ethan saw when we got my parents house was the train around the Christmas tree. My dad was so excited Ethan was coming that he went out and bought a train set. Ethan loved it and wouldnt leave it alone the whole trip! My dad had a lot of fun with him.

Our friends Garrin and Melissa Tuttle bought a new house a couple years ago and we have never been by to see it. They hosted dinner and a get- together with some friends. Evan & Sarah Russell, and Tyler & Courtney Martin. Garrin and Melissa had their first baby a week after Ainsley was born. She was soo tiny and so cute. Both girls slept most of the time but we were able to get some pictures together. It was a great night of yummy food and wonderful friends. Remininscing about our days in Single Adults ward together. I dont think we have laughed that hard in a long time! Thanks Tuttles.. we love you guys!

Ainsley meets Ainsley

2012-01-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

One of my close friends, Ainsley, I met at BYU-Idaho in 2005. We met during spring semester, but didnt really become good friends until Fall semester. I moved back to Washington in 2006 and the last time we had seen each other was a couple years ago for about an hour at my sisters wedding reception in Utah(where she is from). Elliot and I both really like the name Ainsley, so when we found out we were having a girl..we knew what we would name her.

Ainsley and I keep in touch through weekly or bi-weekly telephone calls- while she goes on walks in Sunny california and me in cold, snowy, Utah. When she told me she would be coming through Rexburg on her way to Island Park.. I couldnt be more excited to see her! Elliot and Ethan met her husband Paul, and we were all finally able to meet her darling daughter, Cailin. It was just like no time had past since we had seen each other last. It was exciting for me to have her meet Ainsley. I'm so grateful for her friendship.

Catch-up

2012-01-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

I am behind on putting pictures and but deteremined to catch-up!! I've been afraid to add more pictures because my pictures arent showing up!! The only thing I could think of is Elliot set me up a google+ account months ago and over the weekend I added pictures to it. I noticed some really old pictures were still saved in google so I deleted them. Not knowing they were connected to my blog! Anyone know how I can get them back?? I went back through my blog and it looks like only pictures from 2011 is missing.

Our little 2 month old

2012-01-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ainsley turned 2 months on the 9th, but had her two month appointment. She now weighs She loves to smile and babble its the cutest thing ever. She lights up everytime she sees her daddy and he can put her to sleep in no time(its amazing). Elliot figured out a couple weeks ago that Ainsley really likes to be swaddled and she is now sleeping through the night every other night or so..with her last feeding being at 9 or 10. She will sleep until 7:30 and yes..i sleep the whole time too. We feel pretty blessed to have another good sleeper. Ainsley loves her hands and is always sucking on them or trying to grab onto something. My favorite time of the day is playing with her or talking to her on her changing pad and her trying to touch my face or hair.

Ainsley's Blessing Day

2012-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

After months(weeks!) of trying deciding on a day that would work for everyone, we finally blessed Ainsley this weekend. We came to the conclusion that we werent (unfortunatly) going to have everyone we wanted to be there (much is life). We decided to do it sooner, rather than later. Elliot's brother and his wife, Marde, were able to be there and it was nice that his brother was able to there since he was on his mission when Ethan was born. My sister Roslyn and her husband,Michael, were able to make it after recently moving back to Utah(yay!) after being in Texas for the last year or so. Reanna was able to be here too since she decided to stay here in Rexburg during her off track.

ok.. so Lots of pictures, but I couldn't resist. She looked adorable. My mom bought her the dress and little bracelet. I added little beads in the center of each little flower on the dress, something I thought of when I saw the dress. It loved that I could add something to it and make it more personal for her. My wonderful friend, Jennie, made her cute headband.(check out her etsy shop..such cute pieces.) I was going to use Ethan's blessing blanket, but really wanted a pink one for her. My grandma recently found out that she has cancer and I knew she most likely wouldnt be able to travel here to Idaho to attend her blessing. She made Ainsley her blanket and it turned out beautiful!(thank you, grandma..love you!) Elliot gave her a wonderful blessing and it was such a special day.

Ian Lindsay, Cam Duxieux, Elliot, Aaron (Elliot's brother), Michael (Roslyn's husband)

Aunt Reanna Roslyn and Michael

All our family who was able to be there!

Our little family of 4

7 weeks old

2012-01-05T15:57:00.001-08:00

Our happy baby girl :)

Blessed.

2012-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

{2011 Blessings}

- Elliot went to the ER a few times this year.. for his appendix and a mountain biking accident which resulted in surgery in his wrist. The biking accident was a lot scarier, but having to have surgery is scary in itself. He was definitely blessed that he wasn't hurt worse.

-We are so blessed to have 2 healthy children. Ethan is a typical 3 year old and such a funny kid. He just recently started calling us by our first names. Sometimes I cant help but just laugh because its so cute. He misses preschool and asks everyday if he can go. He loved going in the fall and learned so much. He will start again in April...and we cant wait!

-Ainsley has been a such a blessing to have in our family. Such a good sleeper(such a huge blessing!) And eats well.. already 9 lbs! She's been smiling at us since 3 weeks and now its even cuter then ever. She will be 2 months next week! We are blessing her this weekend, so grateful and blessed to have the gospel in our lives.

- So blessed that Elliot has such a great job. He loves working there and is considering working more hours and taking less classes each semester just so he can concentrate more on each class. He works so hard for our family.

- We have loved all the many visitors we have had over the last year..such wonderful friends and family. So blessed to have them all in our lives. Going on vacations and having visitors is one of the things that makes it easier for me to be living far away from our families and friends. Visits from my parents, grandparents, our friends Sarah and Evan, and my friend Ainsley and her cute family stopped by. We have been on a few trips this year.. Yellowstone trip with friends, Huskinson Reunion in Bear Lake, Utah, Ethan's first camping trip and Biking Trip with Elliot's family, Jackson Hole trip, and home to western Washington twice.

- We've been so blessed this holiday season and know that the lord knows our needs and is always there. We had some car trouble and anonymous person paid our bill at the car shop. I don't like to get too personal on my blog, but we are so grateful.

A few new years resolution this year I have is to journal more. I have plans to make a journal just for my kids and a blessing journal. There are so many ways we are all blessed each and everyday.

Here's to 2012!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-17T07:09:00.001-08:00

2011-12-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Remember the baby legs I made? Ainsley wore them today :) So in love with this little gal!

Ainsley was weighed today at the doctor's and she is now..drumroll please.. 9 lbs! So happy and grateful we have a happy, healthy baby girl. She has been sleeping in her crib the last day and a half after weeks of sleeping in our room. She loved the little sleeper we had, but after reading reviews that i wasnt happy about, and wanting her to learn to sleep in her crib..she is now in her own little room. I am happy to say that Ethan is doing much better with having a new sister and adjusting to having to share the attention. My favorite part of the day is reading books to him each night. He reads the words back to me and I cant help but smile and think about how fast he is growing up. We were reading Go Dogs Go everynight for a few weeks and I heard him say "I do, I do like that hat" while he was playing with his cars- haha. (If you haven't read the book..you should!) He has stopped taking naps and is in bed by 7pm everynight. We hardly have any tantrums anymore and it is wonderful. Ainsley has been going to sleep around the same time, so I've had 3 nights in a row with both kids asleep at 7. The first hour I dont quite know what to do with myself! I've been catching up on shows and just relaxing. I made my first craft last night and I couldnt be happier with how it turned out!

Santa and Christmas prep :)

2011-12-13T07:13:00.001-08:00

Ethan was so excited to meet with Santa this year or "santa the clause" as he calls him! This is the first year that he really understands what christmas is. He couldnt wait to sit on santa's lap and ask for a Thomas the Train :) I love this time of year! We took Ethan to look at Christmas lights and he wanted to search for Reindeer! haha. The lights, christmas parties, music, hot chocolate, and the christmas spirit you can feel...i love it all.

A Gift to the World

2011-12-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

Last sunday was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional at temple square. So wonderful to feel the spirit from hearing the beautiful music and wonderful speakers This video "Gift to the World" was broadcast. So beauitful. Ethan watched it with us and it was great to be able to talk to him about what the christmas season is really all about.

One month old

2011-12-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Ainsley is a month old this week! Its crazy how fast time has flown. At her two week check-up, she weighed 8 lbs and was 21 inches long (she was 7 lbs 4 oz when she was born). The doctor thought she was doing so well that he told us we dont need to bring her in until her 2 month check-up! She is eating every 4 oz. every 3-4 hours during the day and sleeps for 4-5 hours at night in between feedings. This is soo different from when Ethan was born, since he was so small, we had to feed him every 3 hours..even at night. I remember it being so hard. So with Ainsley its nice that she can go as long as she wants at night and not have to worry about waking her up to feed her. We took her to church this past sunday and she slept the whole time!! I had to leave halfway through sacrament meeting to feed her. Ethan was in nursery so it was nice to sit and hold her without him running around. I have to admit..I wanted her to wake up so we could play :) It was so great to be back at church and feel the spirit that is there and listen to wonderful lessons.

My sister Regan left yesterday. We pretty much partied the whole time.. in between feeding a cute baby :) Ethan and her became best buds. It was fun to listen to them play in his room or reading before bed. We made yummy food and treats. She did my dishes. I miss her already. Not only am I grateful for her help, but grateful to have such a wonderful sister. We laughed all day long..seriously.. it was good for my soul! It was so fun to have her here and hopefully I can convince her to come for a week every year!

A few things about Ainsley:
-She loves having her hands by her face. So much so that she doesnt let us put them in her blanket when we swaddle her.
-She loves sleeping on her tummy. The first time she did tummy time she fell asleep! If she is having a hard time sleeping, I can just put her on my chest and she falls right to sleep. Dont worry..we only put her on her back when we put her in her crib.
-She is so alert! Ethan was too when he was born so I thought it was normal for babies to be like that. So many people comment aboout how awake she is. She loves looking around. Its cute to watch her when I am changing her on her changing pad and she just wants to lay there and look around.
-She is a great sleeper. I dont want to jinx myself, but she likes her sleep. I forgot how much newborns sleep!
-She loves her daddy. We took family pictures this last weekend and half way through she became a little fussy. Elliot was playing and keeping Ethan occupied so I was trying to comfort her. Elliot started talking to her from across the room and she stopped crying and was so peaceful. She already has become a daddy's girl :)

Ps.. My friend Rachelle took pictures of us this past weekend... cant wait to see the rest. If you want to see a few click HERE

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

Two cute kiddos

Ainsley wearing her first dress :)

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with food and family

Update

2011-11-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

All ready to come home from the hospital

We are loving our little Miss Ainsley. She is such a good baby. I forgot how much newborns sleep! She is now drinking 3 ounces and sleeps 3-4 hours during the day and about 4 hours at night. My mom has been here and gets up with her with one feeding, so I still havent had to do both feedings at night. Its so helpful having her here and so fun. I am loving all the snuggle time with Ainsley that I dont remember doing as much with Ethan since I had post-partum. I honestly just want to stare at her all day!

We've spent a lot of time getting Ethan back on a bedtime routine and helping understand why he isnt getting all the attention anymore. I think that has been the hardest part of this whole new world of 2 kids. The first week was rough, lots of tears from him and me, but things are getting better! The other day I told Ethan how cute he was and he responded, "No, mom! I'm cool!" haha. what a cool kid we have :)
Luckily with Ainsley sleeping so much, I get lots of time just him and I to play games, color and snuggle. I will post about the day Ainsley was born soon. Someone told me I wouldnt take as many pictures of her as I did of Ethan. But they are sooo wrong! I think I have more :) lol And of course a bows is always on her head. I am enjoying all the pink and bows :) We love our little Ainsley!

My sister gets here on Thanksgiving and will be here for a week and a half. So excited to spend some fun time with her and celebrate what we are grateful for. My mom helped me get everything we needed and all ready for Thanksgiving.MMMM..we love turkey!

Baby Ainsley

2011-11-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

Born at 8:09 am

7 lbs 4 oz

20 inches

We are so in love :)

Caramel Apple Party

2011-11-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Allison and Lance

Abbi and Chad

Elliot and I

Last year we had a Caramel Apple Party some friends and it was so fun, we decided to do it again this year! A friend found a homemade caramel recipe and passed it along to me. Its from Our Best Bites and it was faboulous! You really should make it. Your life will never be the same.. haha. Anyways, we had a ton of fun watching Hocus Pocus and dipping our apples in caramel. We had different toppings such as marshmellows, graham crackers and different candy bars. Drizzle white or milk chocolate over it and you have yourself a Gourmet Caramel Apple!

Trisha's Baby Shower!

2011-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Trisha and I

My friend, Jessica, and I planned a baby shower for our friend, Trisha, last Saturday! These are just the few pictures that I have. We had homemade apple cider, pumpkin cupcakes, and yummy fruit and veggies. We had so much fun and loved celebrating with all of Trisha's and her friends, the little baby girl that would be coming into her family in a couple weeks! She is 2 weeks behind me so we have been a long this journey together. Its been so fun to talk about pregnancy together, cravings, aches and pains, etc :) I cant wait to meet her little girl next month!!

Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-10-31T10:47:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was filled with fun, fun, and more fun! Trick or treating at Elliot's work, a friend and I hosted a friend's baby shower, our ward halloween party and then our 2nd Annual Caramel Apple party :) Lots of pictures to post. Ethan is sick today so not sure we will make it out trick or treating. poor guy. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.

2 weeks!

2011-10-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

We can't believe how fast time has flown by! Only two weeks until she'll be here! Luckily, all the cleaning/organizing and crafting I wanted to do is all done :)
Elliots mom will be here to watch Ethan while we are at hospital for a couple days. My mom will be coming the next week until the day before Thanksgiving. My sister Regan is coming Thanksgiving Day and staying for a week and a half! Soo excited to have family come stay with US especially since Elliot will be. My sister, Roslyn and her husband Michael, just got a job in Utah so they will be moving there at the end of October! We can't wait to have them closer to us. Roslyn might be able to come visit when Regan is here too..a sister reunion!

Me and my little man

2011-10-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ethan is holding a pumpkin from preschool -I realized later it wasnt his pumpkin though. oops.. oh well he still looks cute :)

Ethan and I have been doing some fun things together and I cant get enough of my little guy. He is growing up so fast! One day we went into Idaho Falls to run errands and he did so well in the stores. We ate lunch at Sam's club and looked at all the christmas decorations per his request :) He even stayed dry the whole time and actually went to the bathroom in a public place(which he wouldnt do a week ago).
I've enjoyed watching him in the observation booth at preschool and he doesnt even cry when I drop him off now. He just makes sure he gets a hug and kiss before I leave. We have some fun things planned this week like baking and decorating cookies and going trick or treating at a few local places.
He's been talking a lot about Thomas the Train and Christmas. I dont know if he knows to give us some sort of hint for what he wants..but its working. hahaha

Jackson Hole Trip: Just the two of Us

2011-10-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

View from the top of the pass

This past weekend Elliot and I planned a trip to Jackson Hole, WY. I've been there once with friends, but Elliot had never been there and I knew he would love it. We have never been on a trip just the two of us(except for a camping trip for our anniversary one year) and before our baby girl comes we decided we better go on one! I was a little nervous being only 3 weeks away from having her, but my doctor told me to not go more then 100 miles from Rexburg. We are only 79 miles from Jackson Hole so it worked out. I found a great deal on travolicity for a hotel room and even upgraded to a mini-suite for the same price that had a fireplace, king-size bed and Jacuzzi tub- which we didnt even know it had until we got there!
It was so fun to walk around the town, window shop (elliot HAD to try on a $350 watch lol), buy some candy at the candy store and go out to dinner at Bubba's BBQ. Thanks to my sisters for recommending that place :) Our hotel had an indoor/outdoor pool which was supposed to be heated, but it was so cold! The hot tub was a like bath water so we hung out there outside under the stars. The next morning we enjoyed a yummy continental breakfast and walked around the town some more. It was fun to talk about what it will be like adding a little girl to our family, what we hope to be doing the next couple of years and how we cant wait for Elliot to graduate. We decided we might just have to take this trip every year :)

Our week in a nutshell

2011-10-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last week was a good week in so many ways:

-Fall is here! yay for pumpkins, apple cider, yummy candles, warm blankets, and socks!
-My sister and her husband, Michael, are moving back to Utah! YAY! We are so excited! It will be fun to see them more! Texas was way to far away.

- Ethan went potty all by himself on Tuesday. He was supposed to be taking a nap, but came out and said he had to go to the bathroom. He went and we both jumped for joy! I was shocked and thought hmmm.. maybe its time to start? The same thing happened on Wednesday and by Thursday he was doing it again! After talking to his preschool teachers, they mentioned that on Tuesday he told them he had to go but werent sure what to do since he was wearing a diaper. He took it off though and sat on the toilet. I was shocked! Friday he had a couple accidents but as of saturday he wore underwear all day except at bedtime and did awesome. I still ask him throughtout the day if he has to go, but for the most part he tells us when he as to go. Way to go, Bud!!

-My sister, Reanna, and I went with Ethan on his first field trip! We went to the apple orchard on campus and it was so fun. The orchard is on the otherside of campus from the preschool and we walked. And man could I feel it later in the day! lol It was so fun to watch Ethan play with the other kids. I thought he would want to stick by me the whole time, but nope.. he did his own thing. Which I was glad about. He is becoming his own little person and I couldnt be a more proud momma :)

-I'm planning one of my good friends, Trisha, baby shower with another friend and everything is coming along wonderfully. Soo excited to celebrate her little girl who will be here a couple weeks after Ainsley. We get along so well and somehow think we are like best friend soulmates. seriously.

- I finished a few projects that I have wanted to do since I found out I was having a girl and it feels good to cross them off my to-list. And now I just want to stare at them all day long. I am soo ready for Ainsley to be here.

-Went to my weekly appointment, I gained 2 pounds making it a Grand Total of 5 pounds I have gained so far. She is head down and man I can feel it! I have a c-section scheduled for the 9th of November and we cant wait!

- Friday, Ethan and I spent the day with my sister in Idaho falls. Its so nice to get out of Rexburg and see real stores and a mall. lol I didnt buy anything, but we had fun helping her shop, eating lunch at target(which took way to loong), looking at all the cute girly clothes, and watching Ethan play with the train table at Barnes and Noble. He loved it and threw the biggest tantrum when we had to leave. I already thought of getting him one for christmas but I think that just reconfirmed that he really would use it.

-We spent saturday hanging out, I went to a baby shower, ran some errands, we had dinner just the three of us and then watched an old Lucille Ball movie called "Yours, Mine and Ours". Please do yourself a favor and watch it. Not the re-make with Dennis quaid. The original. IT was fun to just watch my boys play and to relax. Wont be long until there are 4 of us..so I am enjoying these last few weeks where its just the 3 of us :)

On the otherhand-

- I am totally homesick. I miss my grandma. I want to spend time watching cowboy movies with my dad. I want to stay up late talking to my mom. Luckily I will get to see my sisters and mom next month..but I cant wait to go home for christmas. There is just something about being in the home I grew up in that I love.

- I am getting a little overwhelmed. Trying to do way more then I can actually do.. so I am trying to just slow down.

-Elliot was sick this week. poor guy..when is all this going to end?!?

-Its getting colder..and probably might snow again. I hope not.

One more project...

2011-10-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to make one these carseat covers since I found out we were having a girl! Our carseat is pretty gender neutral, but I still wanted to add some pink :) I found this fabric at Walmart(who knew?!) for $2.50 a yard! I have seen these being sold places for more than $25.00, so I'm happy that I could make it for only about $5.00! It turned out better then I thought it would, Thanks to the help of my friend, Hollie.
I feel soo ready for her to come!

Crafting up a storm

2011-10-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

As I was organzing and getting rid of things, I had two frames that I didnt know what I would do with. Then I realized I could make a bow holder with one. And the other I wanted to frame Ainsley's blessing dress in on the wall. It was fun painting pink colors today :) and even more exciting that she will be here in less then a month! I know most of these flowers and bows wont be used for awhile, but atleast they have some place to go now!

These bows turned out so cute! Tutorial is HERE

Ethan

2011-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Just a few things about Ethan we want to remember:

: Ethan and I have been doing a lot of fun things together during the day while daddy is at school. I am enjoying all our time together. We did a craft last week and he loved it. One day at preschool I went to pick him up and he was cutting paper with little kid scissors. and he was loving it! That got me thinking about how he would probably love to make a halloween craft. We found this cute owl online that he wanted to make so we went to work. Yes, I know.. it doesnt look like he did it. thats cuz i painted it with him too and helped.. haha. Click HERE to go to the tutorial for the owl.

: We started watching Cinderella on Saturday for the first time and now we have watched atleast twice a day! This morning he said he wanted to watch "Gus Gus" it took me a second to realize what he was talking about. The little mice in the movie are his favorite part :)

: He also loved Blue's clues and we start our mornings by watching an episode while we eat breakfast. This is a picture he drew of Blue's paw:

: I was cleaning the dishes this afternoon and Ethan wanted a snack. So as he was riding his bike around and around the table, he would stop and take a bite of his cheese and then keep riding again. He all of a sudden exclaimed, "mommy I'm a boy!" and kept telling me a few times. I said, "yup your a cute boy" and he said "mommy! I'm cute! I'm a cute boy!" He then told me "mommy cute, nie nie(my sister reanna) cute, daddy cute". It totally cracked me up! what a cutie!

Mommy & Ethan- Maternity pictures

2011-10-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

My sister, Reanna, took these pictures of Ethan and I last week and I love how they turned out! I wanted a few maternity pictures since I didnt get any when I was pregnant with Ethan. Ethan also hadnt taken his 3 years pictures so it worked out. She is majoring in photography and has an awesome camera so it was fun practice for her! We decided to go to the apple orchard on campus and it was so beautiful. We will be taking some with Elliot soon too :)

Yay for Ethan!!

2011-10-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today is went potty on the toilet!!! I was soo excited for him!

I haven't been putting off potty training. He's had a seat to go on the toilet for 6 months now and will go and sit on it but never goes. He tries to though. I didnt want to push it now that its getting so close to my due date and I've heard a big change (like getting a new sibling) would just make him go revert back. He wore underwear for a little bit today but now wants to wear a diaper so we may be taking this slow. I ask him all the time if he needs to go so I know that will help too. Being at preschool has probably helped since the toilets in the kids bathroom are low to the ground and even though he isnt potty trained, he sees them.

We are just soo excited for him!! Hopefully this the start of something good!

Pulled Pork

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

This was my first time making pulled pork so when I was making our grocery list with menu ideas a couple weeks ago, I asked my mom for the recipe. I finally made it today and wish I would have made it long ago! This recipe is sweeter then I've had before and I really liked it. You could also subsitute the picante sauce for bbq as well.

Slow-cooked Pulled Pork
1 - 1 1/2 pounds pork
3/4 cup mild picante sauce
1 cup brown sugar

1. Place pork in slow cooker on high. Pour enough water into crockpot to cover just the bottom. Cook for 3 hours
2. When done cooking, pull apart pork. Mix together picante sauce and brown sugar and pour over pork.
3. Serve on bun or tortilla. Enjoy!

** I only used half and so I could save the other half for the next day. I didnt put any sauce on it so we could use put bbq sauce on it instead.

1st Day of Preschool!

2011-09-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Wearing his shirt from Great-grandma Findlay that she bought just for his first day of school :)

Elliot and I dropped Ethan off at preschool on Tuesday for his 1st day. He wasnt too happy to see us leave, but they told us he only cried for 10 minutes. Elliot and I on the other hand, took the opportunity to go out to breakfast together kid free. It was soo fun! Elliot doesnt have class until 11:30 on tuesdays/thursdays so if he isnt busy with homework, we will be able to spend some time together!

I was a little early to pick Ethan up so I went and watched him in the observation room. So cool how the parents get to do that... it was cute to see him color and he kept telling them the picture was for me :) I bought him a happy meal afterwards and he couldnt be happier.

A {Pink and Girly} Baby Shower

2011-09-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

It was such a fun day. The weather was perfect and it was so fun to spend a day with great friends. We decorated onesies and bibs for Ainsley and played a few games. The food was amazing...and the mini cupcakes from Cocoa bean were to die for! I loved the pink tissue paper balls and cant wait to put them above Ainsley's crib (if you look closely you might be able to see the polka dot tissue paper :). My friend, Abbi, did such a great job and I cant thank her enough! I got some fun things for Ainsley and cant wait for her to wear/use them! Thanks to all my friends (and sister and sister in law) that came celebrated this sweet little girl coming into our family :)

8 weeks left

2011-09-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by and I cant believe in 8 weeks we will have our little girl! Ok so more like 9 weeks, since my due date is the 15th but they may have her come a week early. But who knows.. I was also on bedrest the last month with Ethan so hoping that doesnt happen this time around.

I had my baby shower 2 weeks ago and it was a blast! Fun friends, food and such a nice day outside. It was fun to also register again. I registered at walmart and target this time and got some great things. There are just a few things left we need to get. I will post about it when I get pictures!

I've been nesting like crazy. I have quite a few things I want to get organized/cleaned before she comes. We have already made 2 trips to D.I. to take things we dont use/need and it feels good to get it out of here. We got a dresser that should get here today or next week. I'm really excited get her clothes all organized!

Preschool Open House

2011-09-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

3 words: He loved it!

We were the first one's there and the last ones to leave. The preschool is at the collage and I love the program they have and know Ethan will learn a lot. He was a little hesitant at first, but got over that really quickly. One little girl saw him and kept telling him to "not chase her"(as she was smiling) but Ethan decided to chase her anyway. It was pretty funny! :)

As we were leaving, Ethan exclaims, "Mommy, I had fun!" I'm so excited for him to start next week!

Ethan's big boy bed

2011-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ethan got a new bed a couple weeks ago when I saw it at a garage sale for $10! We had been looking for a twin bed because after talking to a few friends a) we would have to buy a new toddler bed and mattress and b) they really dont sleep in a toddler bed that long. So we bought the frame, bought a brand new mattress. Of course he need sheets and Toy Story was exactly what he wanted :) For the first few days he would say "my big boy bed" and run to it. What a cutie :)

Ethan's First Camping Trip

2011-09-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

For labor day weekend, we met Elliot's family in Montana to go camping. The plan was for everyone to bike the Hiawatha Trail. Being 7 months pregnant I wasnt planning on going and Elliot couldnt ride it because of his cast,but Ethan was able to go and loved it. Elliot and I met up with them a few times along the trail and then at end. It was such a nice day and the trail looked so fun that we are hoping to go sometime in the next couple of years.

Ethan did really well camping. He slept really good in the tent and we were excited for him to try out his new sleeping bag! We played California golf, ate yummy food, slept in, and just relaxed. It was great to all be together!

Grandpa and Grandma Findlay come to visit

2011-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

My grandparents stopped by to visit on their way home from Arizona. We had such a fun time hanging out with them despite the 90 degree weather. Ethan loved playing games with grandma on her Ipad and grandpa and Ethan had a blast playing with his cars. I'm so glad they were able to get some one-on-one time with him. We also went to the park, out to eat, played card games and birthday shopping for Ethan. Thank you so much for stopping by! We love you!

A few projects...

2011-08-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

So I only did 2 craft projects this summer.. I wanted to do more but glad that I didnt have time to. I usually like to do them in the winter..when there is nothing else to do since its 0 degrees outside.
The first one I did was the "Love" bunting, which I actually finished a month before but still had to write L-O-V-E on it. I finished it last month and liked it so much I put it in our main room. I plan on making one for above Ainsley's crib with her name, too!
The 2nd project I did was making baby leg warmers! I got most of the these socks at the dollar store and walgreens for $1- $2. After trying a tutorial that made didnt even work, my friend and I realized the end of the socks would just roll up when we cute them. I plan on sewing the end..but for now they look fine. Cant wait for Ainsley to be crawling around in them :)

Madison County Fair

2011-08-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

The fair here in Rexburg is pretty small. No rides, just a couple rodeos, lots of animals, food, exhibits and the smallest car show. ever. We went 2 different days, the first night Ethan rode a horse for the first time and we watched part of a little kid rodeo. The 2nd day we went with our friends, Ashley and Daniel, and looked at all the exhibits, had free chili/baked potatoes, and ate snow cones watching the another rodeo. It was fun to do something different in our little town and enjoy being together.

Ethan's 3rd Birthday

2011-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ethan's birthday happen to be the weekend after Elliot had surgery and his cast on. We had planned to go to AZ for my cousin Tyler's wedding, but it really wouldnt have been a fun trip for Elliot and probably not the best thing for him to do after having surgery. So we planned a fun day to the movies with Elliot's brother Aaron and his wife, Marde. He got his very own Transformer and an awesome sleeping bag (we were going on his first camping trip in a few weeks). We had "Buzz Lightyear" cake (which he didnt want any on his birthday, but had some the next day) and just had a fun day! He was spoiled with toys and money from grandparents and was able to go to the toy store to buy a few things with his birthday money. He was pretty cute handing his money to the cashier :) We can't believe he is 3 already! ps.. it was fun making his birthday shirt this year. And really easy.

Our 4th Anniversary

2011-08-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

We wanted to go out somewhere nice for anniversary, but since Elliot couldn't really cut his food.. steak really wasnt the best option. lol. So we just went out for frozen yogurt and then to Beaver Dick Park and watched the sun go down. I usually like to do something big for anniversary and plan ahead, but suprisngly simple and spontanous was so fun. We were just happy to be together just the two of us for a few hours. We talked about what the future will be, what it will be like to have 2 kids, etc. I love Elliot more then I did on that day we were married. Its crazy how fast time has flown.

Elliot really was happy.. he just wanted to show how bummed he was that he couldnt move his fingers. lol

Wedded Bliss

2011-08-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

4 Years ago Today, I married my best friend. Now he's in school, we have a 3 year old little boy and a baby girl on the way. I love him more today. We couldnt be happier.

3 years old!!

2011-08-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ethan at one month old

3 years ago we became parents to the cutest little boy. We love watching him learn and grow each day. Happy birthday, Ethan! We love you :)

This morning, bright and early! What a cutie :)

Ethan at 3 years

2011-08-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his 3 year check-up yesterday:

Height 38.5 inches- 77th percentile

Weight: 34 lbs- 76th percentile

The nurse asked if he knew his colors, etc and he knew how to do everything she asked! I was relieved because a year ago he was barely talking. He is learning so much each day. Yesterday he kept telling us he was a boy. I asked him if he knew mommy was a girl and he pointed to me and said "mommy a boy". hahaha we will have to work on that :) lol

What a week so far. . .

2011-08-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Monday morning, Elliot went for a bike ride on a trail in Rexburg with his brother. Not too long after they left, his brother was at the door to get the keys to our blazer to go pick Elliot up and take him to the hospital. They had been going down hill on the trail and Elliot got going to fast and fell over. He broke his left wrist and right elbow. His whole left side of his face his scraped, his ear is black and blue and he is bruised under his left eye. When I got the hospital- he knew who I was, but couldnt remember if we already went on our trip to Arizona or what day it was. He kept asking how he got the0er, what happened to his bike and if his glasses broke (which they broke and so did his watch much to his dislike). A few friends came to the hospital to give Elliot a blessing and I cant tell you the spirit that was there. It was a wonderful blessing and brought me so much peace to hear.
Monday we spent all day and night at the hospital due to the fact that he is in a lot of pain, surgery wasn't planned until Today(Tuesday) and he had a concussion.

Elliot couldnt eat all day since they were going to the surgery on his wrist "in the afternoon". 4:30 rolls around and he is taken to surgery. All went well and he(we) will be spending another night at the hospital and hopefully leaving tomorrow. He is already feeling a lot better and cracking jokes. He said his wrist feels so much better regardless of the pain. He will have to wear a cast on his left arm and right arm is bandaged. Poor guy cant even scratch his face or eat food. So the next couple of weeks I will get to play "nurse" lol

Its been a long couple of days, but I'm just glad he wasnt hurt worse. Bummed we dont get to go on our trip this weekend, but SOO glad to have my hubby alive, it could have been much worse. I have an amazing brother in law and his wife who watched Ethan all day and night after I came home to put him to bed. It was nice to not have to worry about him because we knew he was in good hands. In fact, guncle (uncle) is all Ethan has been talking to me about when we talk on the phone. He hasnt cried at all when we have been gone, and goes to bed when I get home to put him down so well. I dont know what we would do without them. We love them so much.

Thanks for all the prayers, meals that have been offered for our family. We are so lucky to have wonderful friends and family!

1 week

2011-08-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

One Week from Today:
- Ethan will be 3! I cant believe it, he is getting so big. He is talking so much and continues to make us laugh each and everyday. He will be starting preschool in the fall for a couple hours twice a week. He recently told us that he wants an "Elmo" Party for his birthday :)
- We'll be in Arizona for my cousin, Tyler's wedding! ALL my aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, grandparents on my dad's side will all (Finally) be together again. This is a big deal. We spent many many years together my whole childhood and its been 5 years since I have seen a few of them. WE CANT WAIT!

25 Weeks!

2011-08-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

I cant believe how fast 25 weeks have flown by!

We felt Ainsley kick about 2 weeks ago, actually, Elliot was the first one to feel her kick. It was a really exciting moment. She is always moving around- I've felt her moving since 16 weeks (I didnt feel Ethan until 23 weeks).

I've had pretty bad acid reflux but other than that I feel great!

Ainsley already has a whole closet full of clothes. No joke. Mostly because I have the best mom ever who loves to garage sale.. and in Washington, they have the best garage sales :)

We are so excited to meet this little gal!

For Grandma Chambers

2011-07-29T09:07:00.001-07:00

Elliot's grandma sent Ethan this tent. We were thinking it was just a small tent or tunnel.. but its huge! And Ethan loves it :) He has slept in it every night since he got it!

Thanks, Grandma! We love you!

Family Reunion

2011-07-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a family reunion at Bear Lake in Utah. It was a great vacation. We stayed at my uncle Scott's cabin. We spent a couple days at the lake riding jet ski's, the kids rode in canoes, playing in the sand, and for a boat ride on my uncles boat. I loved swimming in the water and Ethan's favorite thing was the canoes. Elliot loved the jet ski's and let me know we will be getting one someday :) Ethan went on the jet ski's for the first time and really loved it. I can tell he is not afraid of anything!

I had so much fun visiting with cousins, aunts, uncles who we hadnt seen for years. It was such a great time even though a few of us got sunburns (and mine still hurts!). But it was soo worth it! Cant wait for our reunion next year!

Summer

2011-07-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Almost every Saturday, Elliot goes on a bike ride with Ethan. He loves riding in our bike trailer and its nice to get some time to myself :)

Watching "Buzz Lightyear" aka Toy Story 3

As of a couple weeks ago- Ethan drinks juice. Apple is one of his favorites.

Ethan still loves playing at his lego table : what a cutie :)

Ethan conquered this toy and now has to climb it whenever we are at the park

Believe me, he really does love the swings. This picture cracks me up! One of the many sides to Ethan!

*We really do love spending the summer outside. Its been SOO hott so we've spent a few days at home playing or going to the library.

*Today is Elliot's last day of classes. Hallelujah! I'm so excited to spend 7 weeks together. We have a family reunion coming up in Bear Lake and we couldn;t be more excited! We love it there and it will be fun to see family from my mom's side.We also will have a camping trip in August with Elliot's siblings, their spouses and his mom and step-dad!

*We are going to Arizona! My cousin Tyler is getting married and we weren't sure if we were going to make it. All of my cousins, aunts and uncles on my dad's side will be there, some of which have never met Ethan or Elliot and I havent seen for 5 years! Elliot is a groomsman men and Tyler and him have become good friends. We will only be there for 4 days, but we will definitely be living it up!! Swimming in the pool, all the wedding festivities, staying up late with all my sisters and cousins, and celebrating Ethan's birthday! Cant wait!

CTR Couture Giveaway!

2011-07-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

I just got my necklace today and I love it so much already. I'm soo excited about my Aunt's company, CTR Couture and how well it has been doing the last couple weeks. They are now sponsors of the blog MIM: Mormon in Manhattan blog. I love this blog and was really excited to see CTR Couture featured, and she is even having a giveaway on her blog to win a necklace! Click HERE to enter the giveaway! Good luck :)

Fourth of July

2011-07-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

The yummy lemon cake I made. We didnt end up eating it on the 4th, but Elliot and I sure enjoyed it the few days after :)

Elliot's mom and stepdad came to visit us for 4th of July Weekend. It was a fun weekend filled with BBQ's, playing at the park, a trip to Mesa Falls and stopping to feed the fish, watching the 4th of July parade, seeing the fireworks in Idaho Falls- which are amazing in my opinion :), and fun! We're so glad they came and cant wait to see them again in August!

Bridge Family visit

2011-07-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

We loved having our friends, Kirstan, Pete and their two kiddos come visit us from back home. Pete loves to fish and thinks we are crazy we havent been to Yellowstone or Jackson Hole since we have lived here! Way back in February they planned this trip, so we couldn't wait for them to come. We went to Mesa Falls, West Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, and stayed in a cabin in Island park for 3 days. Three kids under the age of 4 was crazy at times, but kids will be kids. Lets just say I am a little worried about Ethan getting another sibling. But were working on it :) We explored Yellowstone for 2 days- where we saw Old Faithful and even a bear!, visited beautiful Jackson Hole (which by the way, is only 70 miles from Rexburg but not very kid friendly), seeing Mesa Falls, walking around West Yellowstone, chatting, laughing and just enjoying good company. Thanks for coming you guys! We had a blast :)

20 weeks!

2011-07-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that I am halfway done with this pregnancy. Time has flown by! I haven't gained any weight yet (yippee!), which I knew I wouldn't when I had morning sick, but the last month I haven't had morning sickness. I am guessing its a combination of not eating after 8, craving lots of fresh foods like veggies or fruit, playing outside at the park, walking, just getting up and doing things, and chasing a toddler around!

I(we) are really excited about this baby girl that will be joining our family and I am pretty much on cloud nine. I bought her two outfits the last two days and it was SO HARD deciding what I was going to buy. There was just way to much cute stuff! Can't wait to add a little pink, purple, ruffles and tutus into our life :)

CTR Couture

2011-07-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

My Aunt, Kristin, started a new company called CTR Couture. I love the necklaces and bracelets and wanted to share with you all! I couldn't decide which one I like the most, I want one in every color! These necklaces these are so fun and fresh and I haven't seen anything out there like them. A fun new way to where CTR then just the rings. These would make fun gifts or buy some for yourself :)

"Spread the knowledge, the love, the passion and the CTR COUTURE fashion!"

Check out all her pieces on the Website HERE
If you could, "Like" her facebook page HERE
Click HEREto add a blog button to your blog :)
Thanks!

Its ... a ...

2011-06-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!!

Ainsley Lynn will be joining our family and we are sooo excited :)

I know, I know.. we already have a name picked out?!?! I met my friend, Ainsley, while I was at BYU-Idaho when Elliot was on his mission. After his mission, and while we were dating we talked about names we liked it. We didn't really come up with any boy names we liked but Ainsley was the one name we agreed on if he had a girl (that was 5 years ago!). Elliot likes the name a lot too, so we knew we would name our daughter that if we ever had one! Its hard to believe that time is now!! Bring on the pink :)

Tonight feels just like Christmas Eve!

2011-06-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ethan and I before church today

Tomorrow is the day... we find out if we will add a boy or girl to our family! I am thinking its a girl and Elliot wants a boy. So we'll see... I hope its a girl cuz we already know what her name will be and I would love to add more pink around here, but if its a boy we have everything for him including 4 bins of clothes. We're both really excited and I dont think I will get any sleep just like on Christmas Eve :)

Basic Folded Omelette

2011-06-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to learn how to make an Omelet after hearing from my friend, Trisha, all the yummy things she makes for breakfast. The only time I ever ate an omelet as a kid was when we stayed in a hotel. Not sure why, but I dont think my mom ever made them for us kids. We always stayed at Embassy Suites when we went on vacations and they had the best breakfast. Anything you wanted, you could have made for you. In fact, my parents just stayed at the Embassy Suites in Bellevue because they went to the Seattle Temple and just wanted to stay somewhere for the night(they sure are loving being empty nesters :). My dad called me the next morning and mentioned what he had for breakfast. I had lots of memories come back of past vacations and again..I thought, I better learn how to make an omelete! That was 3 weeks ago and I have made one at least 3 times a week! 

I basically just googled.. "how to make an omelete". (If you know me, you know I google things. But honestly, why wouldnt you if you had a question?) This recipe came up, and was very easy to follow. Although I just recently learned your not supposed to use milk. Not sure why, though. My omelettes have turned out awesome with milk in them, but I might try it with milk next time. So you decide what you want to do.

Happy Omelete making :)

Recipe from HERE.

Basic Folded Omelet

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. whole milk or water

2 Tbsp clarified butter or whole butter

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Cheese, tomatoes or any other fillings you desire

Directions:

Crack the eggs into a glass mixing bowl and beat them until they turn a pale yellow color.

Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt.

Add the milk to the eggs and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Then, grab your whisk and whisk like crazy. You're going to want to work up a sweat here. If you're not up for that, you can use an electric beater or stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whatever device you use, you're trying to beat as much air as possible into the eggs.

When the butter in the pan is hot enough to make a drop of water hiss, pour in the eggs. Don't stir! Let the eggs cook for up to a minute or until the bottom starts to set.

With a heat-resistant rubber spatula, gently push one edge of the egg into the center of the pan, while tilting the pan to allow the still liquid egg to flow in underneath. Repeat with the other edges, until there's no liquid left.

Your eggs should now resemble a bright yellow pancake, which should easily slide around on the nonstick surface. If it sticks at all, loosen it with your spatula.

Now gently flip the egg pancake over, using your spatula to ease it over if necessary. Cook for another few seconds, or until there is no uncooked egg left.

If you're adding any other ingredients, now's the time to do it. (See note.) Spoon your filling across the center of the egg in straight line.

With your spatula, lift one edge of the egg and fold it across and over, so that the edges line up. Cook for another minute or so, but don't overcook or allow the egg to turn brown. If necessary, you can flip the entire omelet over to cook the top for 30 seconds or so. Just don't let it get brown.

Gently transfer the finished omelet to a plate. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired.

Food Friday: Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

2011-06-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

In the summer, my dad grills a lot. I loved it growing up and even when we go visit back home during the summer, or I call home during the week to chat..chances are my dad is busy grilling. He just bought himself a new one the other day..we love grilling at our house! I wanted to make something other then potato salad or green salad to go with our dinners on Sunday when we BBQ that I remembered these potato my dad makes. So easy.. nothing really to it. We've had them the last 4 sundays in a row! I always love when we BBQ because I like the fact that Elliot and I are cooking dinner together (and its one less part I have to worry about..haha).

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes
5-6 Red potatoes unpeeled, cut into cubes
butter
salt (I use kosher salt)
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray 9x13 (or smaller if you desire) pan. set aside.
2. Cut potatoes into cubes and place into pan. Sprinkle salt over potatoes and place pieces of butter between the potatoes. Cover with Foil.
3. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are done. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes and put in oven until melted.
4. Enjoy!

Just an update. . .

2011-06-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Last week was hectic. Elliot back in March had a day or two where he did not feel good. He barely could walk around and his stomach hurt so bad. Well the same thing happened last wednesday, so he stayed home from school and work. I told him he should probably call the doctor just to see whats going on. He went to the doctor the next morning, got an xray, went and got a cat scan and they told him they will let him know in a couple hours what the results were. He was barely out the door when someone said, "wait a minute.. you need to go to the ER. You have appendicitis."

I met up with Elliot and we went to the Hospital together while my sister watched Ethan. We sat their for 4 hours waiting for his surgery. I was pretty scared and emotional that my husband was going into surgery. Ethan was at home and not happy, so I felt sort of torn because i knew i wanted to be with Elliot, but had a sad toddler back home. Ethan finally calmed down for my sister and did great. 2 men from our ward came and gave Elliot a blessing and we were so grateful for that. It calmed us both down a little bit. Elliot went into surgery while I ate at the cafeteria since I hadn't eaten barely anything at all(either had he and they wouldnt let him eat when he got to the hosptial, poor guy). An hour later, the surgeon said the surgery went great. Elliot came home a few hours later and Ethan was so happy to see us since we had been gone most of the day. We are so grateful for our friends in the ward that called and brought us a meal that night and family who called from home. Elliot is doing better and but still is pretty sore. He's pretty bummed he wont be able to ride his bike for a couple weeks. I'm just happy he is healthy and feeling better. I dont know what I would do without him.

The pictures are all from the past week... I got a smart phone and I am loving it(much to my suprise :) I didnt plan on getting one when we switched to verizon, but we are hardly paying anymore then we did with t-mobile so I thought what the heck..why not! I am learning how to use it still but I love taking videos and pictures all day long and not having to carry my camera around too. Ethan on the other hand is sick of it. Even to the point of saying, "Oh no" whenever I snap a few shots. Its hilarious and sounds like its coming from an 8 year old when he rolls his eyes and puts his head in his hands! Should he be this smart at this age?? sheesh. :)

I'm 18 weeks this week and feeling great! I've had no morning sickness the past couple weeks and that feels soo good. I've been able to eat more now that I dont have fear that I might get sick.. lol. But I still dont eat after 8 unless its like a popsicle(which I DO eat one every night). Being outside and walking has helped a lot too. My clothes even fit better and I have lost 10 pounds as of a couple weeks ago! We found out at the end of the month what we are having and I cannot wait!

Our friends from home our coming to visit this weekend for a week and I am counting down the days! It will be great to spend some time with them and their cute kiddos :)

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have always loved chicken pot pie. I didnt have it very much growing up, but whenever I did I loved it! Recently I have been looking at different recipes but couldnt decide which one to make. My sister posted on her blog last week, a recipe she found on allrecipes.com. I figured I might as well try one someone I know has actually made lol. She changed it a little bit, and I too would have a few changes the next time I make it. I added a bag of frozen mixed veggies and it worked great! Elliot and I both loved it and I know I will be making this a lot :)

Original Recipe from allrecipes.com  

Chicken Pot Pie

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast — cubed

 2 Tbs chicken bullion granules
5 sliced carrots
1 1/4 cup frozen green peas
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (1 can of reduced sodium)
2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Prepare the carrots, onions, celery and chicken by chopping them into  bite size pieces. Place the carrots, peas, chicken and celery in a pot.  Cover with water. Add the chicken granules. Boil covered on medium high  for about 12 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, saute onions in butter until softened. Add the  flour, salt and celery seed. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk. Stir  well. Simmer on medium-low to thicken the sauce.

Drain the vegetables and chicken mixture and add to the thickened sauce.

Cover a pie pan with crust. Then pour in the filling. Place the second  pie crust on top. Seal the edges and make several slits for steam.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool down.

Our Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had a fun memorial day weekend!
Saturday we went on a bike ride with Elliot's brother Aaron, and used the bike trailer for the first time this summer! Ethan loved it and even fell asleep on the way back home. We went all over town and stopped by the site of the new Rexburg Rapids waterpark. They are really behind in building it. I think its a little dumb that they are building something that can only use 3 months out of the year... why wouldnt they just add a cover to use it in the winter too?
Sunday we had Aaron and Marde over that night for dessert and just hung out. Ethan loves his auntie and uncle dude.. he certainly is the center of attention when family is here :)
I'm bummed our camera was dead over the weekend so we didnt get any pictures.
Monday we made breakfast with Aaron and Marde. Yummy eggs, french toast and bacon..mmmm good.

That afternoon we went bowling at Fat Cats with our friends, Dave and Trisha. Trisha is do a couple weeks after me so we've had fun talking about pregnancy, morning sickness, cravings, etc.
This was Ethan's first time bowling so I was pretty excited about. We have gone one other time and he watched us bowl, so I knew he would love it. We played some arcade games while we waited for a lane. I let Ethan bowl for me since I never get over 60 anyway...then he had more chances to go. We didnt have them put the bumpers up until halfway through..and he definitely liked rolling the ball just like us. Elliot of course won being the pro that he is :) It was fun! So excited to take Ethan this summer. For the months of june-august, kids under 17 get a free game of bowling everyday! We will be doing that a lot i bet :) Fat Cats is also in Utah so here is the link about the free bowling. Now for some pictures:

Videos from our weekend

2011-06-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Chicken and Stuffing

2011-06-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big stuffing fan, and this is the only way I will eat it! I got this recipe from my mom... its such a comfort food. I know its also on the back of the stuffing box, but I didn't know that until yesterday. Its a little bit different, with a few extra ingredients, but I like my moms better :)

Chicken and Stuffing

1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare stuffing as directed on package.
2. Spray non-stick spray on 9x13 pan and put stuffing inside.
3. Place chicken breast on top of stuffing.
4. Mix cream of chicken soup and milk together and pour over chicken and stuffing.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Bedtime and Bubbles

2011-06-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

Every night, we say prayers together, put Ethan to bed and he gets up once to turn his light on and then crawls back into bed. I think he is waiting for us to come back in and give him some more milk-but I dont go back in until I know he is asleep. I love going into his room after he is asleep, covering him with his blankets, turning off his buzz lightyear flashlight and just watching him sleep for a few minutes. Someday I wont get to do that, so I enjoy it now.. time will fly by so fast and I will miss these bedtime moments. My favorite part: when he kisses me good night and says good night, mom. so sweet.

Last year, I bought a cheap pack of mini bubble sets. There were like 20 in the package. Ethan found them and has been having fun everyday since. I didn:t give them to him sooner because I thought he would spill them, but surprisingly he doesn't. And he can even blow bubbles! I keep finding them all over our apartment.. in the bathtub, in his bed, etc. Oh well..whatever makes him happy :)

2011-05-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Elliot has the next 3 days off! Kind of nice to not have to travel anywhere and just spend the whole time doing something instead of driving there and back (plus long trips with a toddler..not so fun). lol. Today is a busy day with Elliot taking a test, getting the oil changed, a friend and I have to buy fabric for our relief society service project next month, a bike ride with Elliots brother and his wife, and my friend Bree coming to visit so her sometime this weekend!! ! Not sure what Monday will bring, which is part of the fun. We dont have any plans so we can go do anything we want. Hopefully we can do a BBQ or two :)

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend! Pictures to follow after the weekdend :)

Bike ride at Nature Park

2011-05-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful day, perfect for a bike ride. Ethan was beaming from ear to ear. He loves riding his bike. He wanted to do everything his daddy did. I cant wait for many more bike rides to come :)

Ethan and his trike :)

2011-05-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ethan got a trike today after weeks of us talking about it! I contemplated just going straight to a bike with training wheels, but he wasnt quite ready for that yet. After eyeing this at the store for months, and taking a test run on his friend, Owen's trike, I realized it was better to just get him this one. He loves it and although I feel like our apartment has TOO many ride on toys.. this will get lots of use. Ethan's has been riding it all around our apartment already and we will be taking many walks together while he rides his trike. Luckily, we can get ride a few of his other ride one toys that dont get any use(yay!)! I wont be buying anymore toys until christmas..haha.

Go Vikings!

2011-05-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Elliot's brother, Aaron, is on a semi-pro football team here in Rexburg. They play all over idaho, Montana and Wyomying. We were able to go on Saturday in Sugar City which is only about 10 minutes away from Rexburg. A huge rain/wind/ lightning storm hit and we had to go sit in our cars at half time. I think the kids would have lasted longer had it not been so cold! Next time we definitely will get a picture with Ethan and his uncle Dude. He was sure excited to see him! Our friends the Warnicks sat with us too, Phil, also plays on the team. It was fun regardless of the weather :)

Aaron #36

My sister-in-law Marde and I

Rachelle, Marde, JJ, Zac, Ethan and Elliot JJ, Zac, and Ethan

(Ethan's face cracks me up!)

We had fun and hope the next home game is a little warmer!!! GO Vikings!!

Fun

2011-05-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is how Ethan and spent our afternoons last week before we headed to the park :)

Sun, Sun, Sun!

2011-05-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! We met up with some girls from the ward and their kids for playgroup at noon. I thought it might not be warm enough..but boy was I wrong! It was great to let the kids play and to just chat with friends. I forgot to put suncreen on Ethan..so he has a little red nose and cheeks. Afterwards, he took a nap and then we headed back outside to play with chalk. He kept telling me the color of chalk he was using.. "Yellow", "Blue", etc. I would point to things and ask them what they were- "tree" and "grass". I asked him what he could hear right when a helicopter was flying over us to go to the hospital. He was pretty excited to see it..he loves planes. Then we listen to the birds. It was fun to hear all that he can say. To my suprise, we were out there for 2 1/2 hours! It was just so nice and being cooped up inside for 6-7 months drives you nuts! So excited for summer and to spend everyday outside playing, eating popsicles and snow cones, swimming, BBQ's, hot dogs with mustard, wearing shorts and flip flops and just enjoy the beautiful world around us! YAY!

Mommy + Ethan

2011-05-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Just hanging out this morning before playgroup. Ethan has been kissing us on our cheeks lately and I had to get that on camera.. what a cute boy! (ps.. I am feeling so much better this week. I even did my hair today after wearing it in a pony tail everyday. Yay me! :) haha)

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Pancakes with whipcream and strawberries :)

My boys being silly

I have a few of these figurines and just recently thought I should collect them. Elliot had no idea and bought this all on his own! He's so sweet. I also get a Deseret Book giftcard that I'm excited to use :)

I was sick most of the weekend but Mother's Day still was great. I love being a mother and can't wait to find out what this new little baby will be :) I hope everyone had wonderful mother's day!

A message from Ethan ...

2011-05-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

To all his grandmas :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2011-05-06T09:51:00.001-07:00

Our ward is had a Pie Social tonight. YUM! I looked for recipes online to find what I wanted to make. This recipe caught my eye at Our Best Bites. I thought it was different and fun then just a normal apple or cherry pie. It was sooo good! And the whole thing got eaten! I will definetly be making this again! We didnt have ice cream or whip cream on top, but cant wait to try that next time :) Elliot asked me to add it to my list of desserts I make.. I knew he would love it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Recipe from Nestle

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
1 C chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (a must! I prefer ice cream)

optional: chocolate sauce (honestly, doesn’t really need chocolate sauce, but it looks pretty!)

Preheat oven to 325° F.
Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

2 years and 9 months

2011-05-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

*Puppies, kitty and why? are his new favorite words
* He likes to brush his teeth and wash his hands.
* He still loves playing with his cars and most of time would rather line them up, then drive them around haha
*We bought him a flash light for bedtime and its fun to peak in on him and find him reading through his books at night. He was having a hard time staying in his bed since all of his toys are in his room so I decided a flash light just for bed time might do the trick. He knows to stay in his bed and we let him put whatever he wants in bed with him (sometimes all his cars have to sleep with him! and of course Elmo).
*Bribing works really well with him.. he loves his milk so most of the time I can get him to finish his food before he can have more..works everytime :)
* Loves carrots, corn, chicken, chicken noodle soup, granola, toast, cereal(with no milk in the bowl) for breakfast, wheat thins, and popsicles. I've been giving him new foods every couple of days and trying not to sweat it if he wont try it. I will just keep doing it..eventually he will! He still wont try ice cream!!
* He's been talking a lot more- adding a new word each day which makes us very happy!
* We think he might be getting ready to be potty trained- he has been taking his diaper off, bringing us a new one, telling us whether its poopy or pee and will sit on the toilet. He just hasnt figured out how to know when to go on the toilet. Anyone have any suggestions? I have been working with him more each day.
* Everything is "wee" to him at the park... we used to think he was talking about the swings but now he says it when he goes on the slides..hahaha!
* Since Elliot started school a couple weeks ago, Ethan and I have been playing all day together and its been really fun. Each day brings something new and I try and do something new with him each day. We spend most of the mornings watching elmo and cleaning up and then after nap time we play play-doh, go to the park, read, etc. I cant believe in 3 months he will be 3

Just some pictures :)

2011-05-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

After a really long day and no nap, Ethan fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. He NEVER does this.. so I had to take a picture :)

Just snuggling one afternoon :)

Bath time! I've been teaching Ethan how to squish his cheeks together and make funny faces..its hilarious!

Playing

Play-doh time! He loves it and is getting really creative. Its fun to watch him play :)

Ps.. Notice Ethan is in his jammies alot? haha. These pics are from the first weeks I had morning sickness so we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. Luckily, I am feeling a lot better.

Our Easter Sunday

2011-05-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter! Ethan didnt want to wake up and come look at his basket, so after bringing it into his room... he saw it and followed me back to the living room. silly boy! He got eggs filled with m&m's, fruit snacks and jelly beans. Jelly bean are my favorite Easter candy..so I'm glad Ethan loves them too :) His favorite thing was the Elmo easter eggs. He loved the car mat, but hasnt played with it as much as we hoped he would.

I spent the morning trying to figure out how to cook the ham. I didnt buy a spiral ham-that would have been way easier to cook, so I was kind of confused on what to do. After several phone calls to my mom and looking at recipes online, and a meltdown I finally figured it out. By the afternoon I felt soo sick, like the flu.I took some medicine and by that night I felt better. IT was super weird.

For dinner we had ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls and salad. YUM! Aaron and Marde came and our friend, Phil, whos wife and kiddos are in Washington for a couple weeks. We had an easter egg hunt for Ethan afterwards and decided to head to the park since it was sooo nice!

Easter

2011-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

This video is so powerful and I cried the whole way through. How grateful I am for my savior and brother. For all he did for me. And the knowledge I have that I will someday see him and my Heavenly Father again someday. That also families can live forever together. I am very grateful for this gospel in my life..for I know I wouldn't be who I am today.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Suprises, Suprises

2011-04-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have been working the last 3 days on Elliot's bday gift. the last two nights I have been up until 12:30(which is really late for me.) And I'm not gonna lie. His gift is one of the best gifts I have ever done.

I can't really go into detail, his birthday is still a week away. But I will be posting about it when he gets it. I'm really excited about it and a lot of love went into it. He has no idea how loved he really is :)

This next week is going to kill me.. I cant keep secrets. But have somehow managed to live a "double life" as I put it. haha its hard for me to keep a secret from my family..and I they live in a different state! I should be ok though... the wait is worth it!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered the Food website called, Our Best Bites. So many recipes and they all look amazing, seriously.. go look at their site. The other day, a friend of mine wrote on facebook how she made homemade Taquitos. I thought.. you can make those yourself? Yum. So I looked up the recipe and we tried them that same day!

I didnt add any onions only because Elliot doesnt like them. I also didnt have cumin and they still tasted perfectly fine. A few things I would have changed our a little bit more cream cheese and next time I think I could do without the green salsa. It was only mild, but still hot for me. But on the otherhand it was nice to add something spicy one of our weekly meals. I dont make spicy things very often, even though Elliot would eat spicy things any day he could. So one recipe isnt going to hurt :)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 granulated garlic or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so its soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture in tortilla, keeping it 1/2 from the edges.
Roll it up as tights as you can, placing seam down on the baking sheet.
After all taquitos our own the baking sheet, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle kosher salt on top.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Enjoy!

** I didnt do this step and I had no problem, but I will add it anyway.
Heat a few tortillas at a time in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Placing a damp paper towel between them may help. 20-30 seconds in the microwave.

Original recipe found HERE

ETHAN

2011-04-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Love this little guy and those little feet :)

Fun with Family

2011-04-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time with my parents here! Even through all of Ethan's tantrums... I thought terrible twos were over.. but I'm not so sure now.

We spent a fun couple of days together and I miss them already. My sister moved into her new apartment(which happens to be the same apartments my mom lived in and my dad proposed at), we ate lunch on campus one day and tried to see the new auditorium(which was locked..or I would have taken pictures of it!), watched Tangled, my mom and I went to a local home decor shop and got a few things(thanks mom :), we spent Saturday at the Zoo, lunch at Texas Roadhouse(YUM!) and stopped at Toys R Us. We have been looking for a tricycle for Ethan and thought we should let him test them out at Toys R Us. Bad idea. He didnt want to leave it there!

Shopping for Reanna's groceries

Reanna, Ethan and I with the Crossroads in the background

Ethan and a Monkey

Ethan and Grandpa looking at the Flamingos
Ethan looking for Otters

Daddy and Ethan

Ethan was scared of this tiger statue at first

We had a fun time, but we get to see them again in July at Bear Lake in Utah for my mom's side family reunion! woot woot!

YAY..my family is coming to visit today!

2011-04-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

My parents and sister are coming to Rexburg today!! YAY! A day earlier then they planned..and we couldnt be more excited! Reanna will be starting school again next week. Soo excited to spend a few days with them!!!!

I also wanted to wish them and my grandparents, a Happy Anniversary yesterday!! Hope you all had a fun day! I cant believe my parents have been married 27 years... which means I will be 27 next year..ugh. haha

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend!! Hopefully the sun will make another appearance here in Rexburg :)

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-04-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

I have loved soup all my life. Its my comfort food along with grilled cheese sandwiches. As a child and well into my teen years, this is what I usually ordered at any restaurant we went to. I eventually grew out of that and tried other things.. but I sometimes order it when we go out. Believe me when I say that I have tried all sorts of different recipes of chicken noodle soup... I know exactly the kind of flavor that I like.

Over the 3 years we have been married, I have been trying to find the perfect recipe and I think I have! I love broth and gravy and am always picky on how broth for my soup taste. Boulin cubes take so many to just get the right taste, so when a friend told me about Tone's Chicken Base... I had to try it. And I am hooked. With only 1/3 cup of base added to my huge pot of soup... It is the taste I was looking for. I also add celery salt, Elliot hates celery but I still love the flavor it gives.. and he still hasnt figured out that I put it in!
I know most people think of "Homemade Soup" as taking forever, but honestly I just put my chicken and water in the pot to cook on a low boil and clean or play with Ethan while its boiling. It seriously is so easy to make that we have it every other week.. and because we love it too :)

(I always make a huge pot of this, and it lasts us for a week... I love having it on hand for lunch or leftovers night. You can change the recipe to suit your needs though.)

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
2-4 chicken breasts (frozen)
16 cups of water
1/3 cup Chicken Base
1 tsp or more if desired of celery salt
carrots, celery, and any other veggies you love
Wide Egg Noodles

Directions:
1. Fill your pot with water and chicken. Cook on high until chicken is cooked.
2. Put 1/3 cup chicken base and celery salt into pot.
3. Cut up veggies. Cut cooked Chicken into cubes. place back into pot.
4. About an hour before you serve, place wide egg noodles into pot.
5. Serve with rolls and your ready to enjoy :)

Let me know what you think!!!

Snow???

2011-04-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

via

We are expecting 3 inches of snow today! What?! I hear Washington has snow too. Whats with this crazy weather??? I just want Sunshine and warmth!! Ethan wants to "wee"(swing) everytime we drive past a park... and I honestly wish I could stop and let him go play. Poor kid.. even he is sick of being cooped up all winter.

Food Friday will start again tomorrow!!! So make sure to check back :) I know its been almost a month, but I promise I have some yummy recipes headed your way including my homemade chicken noodle soup! Plus, it helps me to find new things for us to eat for dinner :)

Tie #1

2011-04-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

Finished the first of 3 ties I will be making! So excited about how it turned... had to share!

Ethan

2011-04-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

I took this picture last Sunday after church- doesnt he look like a big boy?

Ethan has been more interested in the potty lately. He still hasnt gone in the toilet yet, but he wants us to take his diaper off so he can go sit on it. He actually did this this morning and while I was writing this post! He went into his room to get some clothes. I walk in and he went pee on the floor! I explained to him that he needs to go in the toilet, not on the floor. So not sure he is quite ready. But I am glad he is not afraid of on the toilet. I think the Lightning McQueen seat helps :)

Ethan playing with Uncle Aaron on Sunday after dinner

He has also been saying a lot of words lately. Fridge, blue, boo-boo, poop, are just a few of them. And anything we talk to him about we have him say the words back to us or he does it on his own. I cant believe what a big boy he is! Every monday and friday, he goes to play at our friends The Warnicks for a couple hours. They have 3 boys and Ethan sure loves playing over there. He said "JJ" yesterday and is still trying to work on "Zac".

At the Warnicks, last friday. He loved wearing the mario hat and Buzz Lightyear wings. Not sure why he has such a serious face.. haha

**I have left today wide open to finish a few projects I have wanted to do for over a year! A few ties and a pair of suspenders for Ethan. I will post pictures when I am done :)

Trip home to WA and my birthday

2011-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had a blast being home! We were able to spend some time with Elliot's dad and step-mom, sister Emily and her husband Charlie, his cousin and his friends who were visiting while we were there, and my parents, sister Reanna and my sister Regan who flew home from AZ! It had been a year since I had seen we had seen her!
Being at my parents was a sooo fun. We had rented a car, which was so nice to have our own. We did lots of shopping (I got new nike shoes for my b-day!), eating out, visiting with my aunt and uncle and grandparents, went to the fun center to go go-karting and loved watching Ethan play on the huge jungle gym!
We spent a whole day with Emily and Elliot's cousin, Justin, and his friends in Seattle. We had Dinner at Dick's (BEST hamburgers and fries ever!), the gum wall, Pike Place, and the Troll. I love Seattle and I never get tired of visiting all our favorite places. Elliot and I went on many dates there so we its fun to go back with Ethan :) Later in the week, we went and visited with Emily and out to dinner and to Bellevue Square. It was Elliot's first time and I hadnt been there forever. So many great stores!! I could have stayed all day. We had a great time visit with Emily and Charlie and sure miss them. Someday I hope we can live close to all our siblings!
My birthday was pretty low key- Lunch at Cafe Panini (its amazing), and Lemon Chicken for dinner- one of my favorite dishes! I got a pair of Nike Tennis shoes for my bday and I love them. They are pretty cute I must say. I reazlied now that I should have had a birthday party or something since we were home but oh well. Just being home was nice.
We also were able to go to dinner with one of my best friends, Kirsten, and her husband Pete. I worked with Kirstan when I lived in WA so it was great to catch-up. Although we talk on the phone every couple of days, but it was nice to see each other in person! They are coming to visit in June and I cant wait to stay in a cabin for a couple days and go to Yellowstone! It will be wonderful to spend time with them!

Now for the pictures:

seafood...ewww

Ethan had to touch all the interesting rugs in one of the stores we went to.. it was hilarious!

Anyone recognize this troll?? "Ten Things I Hate About You" was filmed in Tacoma and Seattle and this is one the places they show in the movie!

Ethan entertaining himself with Woody and "fruit snack" hands :)

Grandpa and Ethan

Grandma and Ethan- I am so glad he recognizes them! They love him so much!

I have the BEST grandparents in the world :)

Wearing Daddy and his own sunglasses... just being a goof :)

Elliot, Ethan and Emily walking in Bellevue

Our last night their, we had a fun time watch Ethan catch and throw this football. He is pretty impressive.. I think we have an athlete on our hands :)

My parents had just got back from a cruise and they stopped at Disneyland before they came home... and Ethan loves suckers :)

At the aiport eating lunch with my sister Regan who's plane left a couple hours after ours. He loved wearing this monkey backpack!

Aunt Regan and Ethan

Regan and me

Ethan has a little announcement :)

2011-03-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Due Date is November 15th. Yes I know its a little early to tell people, but we do things a little differently. Plus everyone knows I cant keep a secret... especially a good one :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ethan is getting so big, doesn't he look like a big boy in the picture?? I love his converse. He has 2 pairs and even he picks them out to wear now. I have green ones, so if we could just get daddy to get a pair :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We got back from Washington on Monday and we had a lot of fun. Kind of a hectic trip as well, but oh well. I feel like we are just getting back into the swing of things today, yeah 3 days later. Laundry, dishes and rooms are cleaned. I hate unpacking! This is week has been crazy busy too. Elliot registers for classes tonight at midnight and I'm pretty bummed he has to go back. At least we have a month to enjoy as much time with him as we can!
I am happy to report Mr. Ethan has been eating and trying new foods every couple days! Which is BIG for him. I'm glad he is realizing there is more to eat out there instead of just mac and cheese, apples, toast, and corn. He ate my homemade chicken noodle soup a couple weeks ago and even ate the noodles! I was very happy that he would try it and even more happier that he loved it! He has a new love for carrots and watermelon is still his favorite fruit :) We sure love our little guy!

Orange Sticky Chicken

2011-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our ward gave out ward cookbooks a couple months ago and It has been fun to see all the new, yummy recipes I want to try! I saw this recipe last week and couldnt wait to try it!

Orange Sticky Chicken (from Christa Jemmett)
6 chicken breast (tenderloin) 2 T. soy sauce
1/2 small jar apricot pineapple jar 1/2 - 1 bottle BBQ Sauce
1/2 onion, chopped (optional)

Dip chicken breast in beaten egg. Flour them and layer in a sprayed 9x13 pan.
Layer remaining ingredients on top. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
Serve over rice!

We thought he was sleeping. . .

2011-02-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

. . . This is what we found :) Toys in his Jammies! haha

stuffed animals and cups too!

I went to change his diaper and look what I found

We sure are laughing our heads off at our house tonight!! :)

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

2011-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I talked months ago of putting recipes on my blog weekly but I really am ready now!

It helps me to find new recipes to try each week so we dont have the same old boring foods for dinner lol.

This week after almost getting rid our colds, I was really wanting to cook. It hasn't been very fun lately, due to the fact that no one has an appetite so I know they wont eat a whole meal. I wanted to make something warm and comforting. So I chose Chicken and dumplings. This is a version of the recipe I found on line but I cant remember where i got it. Its super easy and doesnt really require much ingredients. I like how it how veggies in it, so it pretty much makes it a one-dish meal!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Serves: 6-8

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup

1 onion, finely diced (optional)

1 packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

1/2 carrots or any other veggies you prefer( I put a frozen pkg. of mixed veggies in ours)

Chicken broth(optional)

Directions:

-Place the chicken, soup, veggies and onion into slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover. (you can chicken broth if you prefer).

-Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on high. About 1 1 /2 hours before serving, place torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Press dough towards the bottom so they cook better. Cook until dough is no longer raw in the center.

You can add seasoning to it if you want to, but it has plenty of flavoring it doesnt need it!

Enjoy! Happy Cooking!

2011-02-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

This is how I found Elliot when I came home from the store. Ethan has loved having his daddy home in the mornings.

Well, we are finally getting over all our colds (again!)!! Elliot came down with something on Saturday. We had a date night planned and still went but he definetly was himself. He ached all over and didnt hardly have an appetite. Sunday he had a really bad fever and we had our hometeacher and Elliot's home teaching companion come give him a blessing. Ethan and I both had fevers that night too and I felt really sick Monday morning.
Elliot went back to work yesterday he still hardly has any energy but is doing a lot better. Ethan hadnt been feeling well yesterday so I took him to the Doctor's and he has bronchitis! Its just in the early stage so they put him on an antibiotic and he already feels a lot better.
I feel really good and have been getting things done around the house. I actually have dinner cooking in the crockpot for the first time in a week! Its hard to cook when no one has an appetite.
My sister, Reanna, will be here to visit us tomorrow night and I cant wait!! She will be here for a week and then we all are flying home to WA for a week next saturday! I'm excited to see our families and spend my birthday at home!