It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Now that we have finally cooled down (I actually need a light jacket when I walk outside now) that I might be getting in the Christmas spirit.  I was completely ready for gift-giving, but it just didn't feel like that time of year.  Maybe the tree and lights will help this weekend.  We don't decorate much because 1) we don't have many decorations, 2) they are boxed amidst all of our other stuff that we're not using, and 3) it's already a packed house.  The last thing I want to do is set one more trinket on a bookshelf.  Our traditions this year are:

• to get a christmas angel from the mall
• to read the advent calendar each night
• to drive to see Christmas lights
• to see the temple lights
• to make candy and cookies and sweets galore!
• to help out a family in the ward
• to do a little craft with the kids each day

Today's craft was making snowflakes.  It was the first time I had ever given Ben scissors.  He doesn't quite get it and I don't think it helped that I don't own a pair of left-handed ones.  I'm going to have to rectify that before too long. 

What are your plans for the season?

PICTURES!

Sometimes it's nice to have a child with a birthday near the holidays because we can take his yearly pictures at the same time as our family christmas card ones!  Can you believe my boy is turning 2 on thursday????  Me neither.  Get ready for a walk down memory lane very soon.  I might just need a new box of tissue.  Anways, back to the pictures from this year.  We got so many fantastic pictures!  Here are some of our favorites!

Getting Ben to smile at the camera is a trick in itself

my two favorite boys

LOVE the coloring on this

this is the one and only time that she looked right at the camera

here he's ready to throw the fruit at the first unsuspecting person he can find, usually his sister

the classic, "are we done yet?" look

7 months

I started this post when she turned 6 months and am just now getting around to finishing it.  At 6 months, she was 12 pounds 6 oz and we have since had TWO weight checks (annoying little things) and she's now 13 pounds 5 oz!  YAY!  She's steadily gaining weight and doing well.  Luckily, we haven't had to add formula to her diet.  I've been eating good fats and she's been eating more solids and it seems to be a good combo.  She's had rice cereal, peas, green beans, squash, and carrots.  She likes carrots and tolerates the rest.  Her first facial expressions were hilarious!  (Since then, she's also enjoyed sweet potatoes, bananas, prunes, and peaches.)  She's a pro and sitting on her own and scooting around and I think we'll be officially crawling in the next day or two.  Her favorite things to go after are shoes, Ben's beloved magnetic letters (which he will NOT share), and his sippy cups.  They are the 12mo+ ones (I haven't bought any since) and she can get the juice out.  haha.  She's a strong sucker!   I think this is my favorite stage of babyhood.

We had some family pictures taken on Saturday and got a few back.  This one is my favorite so far:

Thanks Mimi for making us look so good!

A few of Ben's favorite things

Here are some of Ben's favorite things at 23 months:

Book: his Jesus book (called My Little Book About Jesus--he turns every page and points to Jesus about a zillion times each day)

Song: probably itsy bitsy spider, but I think do as I'm doing would be a close second

part about nursery: naptime!  he has fallen asleep 3 out of the past 4 weeks, which really sucks for us because then he doesn't nap at home and I really miss my 3-4 hours of afternoon bliss

Food: mac and cheese, broccoli/peas, ketchup, bread, fruit snacks, all fruit

TV show: word world--it's more like an addiction

toy: blocks/dirty clothes.  he's not so interesting in building with the blocks as he is putting them in piles


chore: laundry--he loves to load and unload the washer and the dryer


Just a side note...he's starting to say some words!!  YAY!  He can say mama, dada, wow, moo, baa (although it's more like maaa), this, two, and maybe a few more.  Sometimes I think I here stuff and I wonder if I'm hearing it because I want to or because he's actually saying it.  Last night, Alex and I both thought he randomly said here we go!  He shakes his head no for most everything and can sign please if you ask.  I need to work on it more.  At least there's some progress!

Our Dream Home

Alex and I have a tradition of looking at model homes.  It might even be classified as an obsession.  We love finding things we like and we love that it's free.  On Friday, we found the home of our dreams.  It has absolutely every quality that we have ever wanted in a home (gourmet kitchen, big tub plus separate shower, sink in laundry room, amazing pantry, separate living and family room, everything).  It's a Richmond American home and it is gorgeous. 

The price of such luxuries?  A mere 220k. 

Not too bad if you've ever watched the show House Hunters on HGTV.  Are there any homes under 500k that they show?  Seriously people.  I can't afford that much home.  The international version is even worse.  A million dollars?  Crazy! 

Do you want to see the house that I am trying desperately not to covet?? 

*sigh*

An Exciting Night at Work

If you didn't know, I work in a pharmacy.  Other than the occasional angry patient (or sometimes frequent angry patients) work isn't usually too exciting.  And that's the way I like it.  This past week was a little different.  One night at about 11:50pm, a guy walks up to the counter where I am standing ready to greet him with a smile and demands all of our oxycodone.  He threw a bag on the counter, flashed a weapon at his side and succeeded in scaring the heck out of me.  My eyes got really big and I involuntarily started backing away from the counter.  I looked toward my pharmacist who was unfortunately at the other end and started calling his name.  He didn't look up at first so I tried to sound more insistent.  Luckily, he sensed something was wrong and came over.  He told me to head to the back and I got completely out of the pharmacy and called 911.  I didn't want to be stuck in some sort of hostage situation!  All in all, the guy left before my pharmacist came back with the drugs (he stalled) and the police came shortly after that.  I kept thinking that I need to memorize what this guy is wearing and what he looks like but fear is a bit paralyzing and I didn't remember anything useful.  Oh the joy of dispensing drugs!

Camping Trip

This past week, we went up north to go camping in cooler weather.  If camping with 1 child in diapers is fun, then doing it with 2 should be twice the fun, right??  Wrong.  I have changed diapers in the strangest places now.  Oh and the whole pack it in, pack it out rule of the outdoors--not very enticing when it's not one, not two, but three poopy diapers. 

Let me tell you, Ben loves the outdoors!  There is no other place he would rather be.  It was heaven for him, except when he had to come inside the tent for a diaper change.  Then of course he screamed bloody murder and started to kick me.  Sometimes I wonder if he'll live to see his second birthday, but that's another story for another post. 

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

the first lake we went to--willow springs maybe? 

Alex attempting to fish

Ben is at home whenever he has juice in his hands

A squirrel!  It was hilarious to watch Ben as he actually saw them, too.  You knew the very moment that he spotted them!

playing in the dirt

Lake #2--I can't even think of the other name.  so much for record keeping, huh?

Ben in his super cute outfit that matched!

Sitting on a rock on a trail while daddy fished

The preferred method for hikes--gotta love my moby wrap!

Elk on our path coming back from the hike.  Totally freaked my mom out so we went up to the road.  I liked our chances against the wild animal vs the cars driving on a 2 lane highway.

the view from our picnic spot

See that nice canopy sort of thing in the background??  That shielded us from the rain that threatened daily

moth balls--the key to keeping skunks away.  We traveled 30 miles for a box of these things so that we could put them all around the campsite.  Nothing like having poison on the ground near a curious 2 year old.  nearly gave me a heart attack!

Ben and Ashlyn refused to sleep in their own beds, so we all shared a sleeping bag.  This was Ben's preferred position.  Crazy kid.

Me and my baby girl!  She absolutely wails whenever I am not holding her.  It's irresistible if not a little annoying.

I'm not sure what kind of a face this is...

The black moby wrap is also useful in case your child somehow pees all over her pants, it's cold, and you forgot to bring a clean pair to change into.  Not that that has ever happened to us, mind you...

Ben exhausted himself and napped in my arms.  It was fun to cuddle, but man is he heavy!

Alex's catch of the week!  A gigantic crawfish/crawdad.  It was his lucky day and we released him.

FYI:  marshmellows + almost 2 year old + short nap = rolling around constantly when it's time for bed.  He was ALL over the place!  Fun times!

I think I've found my motivation...

to exercise that is. 

You see, I've wanted to lose the baby weight, but not really wanted it enough to truly do something about it.  Something that will produce some results. 

Well, I think the time has come.  Because next year in May-ish, I may be swimming in these beautiful waters with my husband in an ALL EXPENSES PAID trip, courtesy of Schwab. 

And I'm certainly not stuffing all of these rolls and spare tires into a swimming suit.  Or two.  (Cuz who can just wear one in Hawaii??)  Oh, and I might need a little black dress for all of those fancy dinners we'll be going to. 

So far, I am doing 90 crunches, some planks and lunges, walking the neighborhood, and running on the treadmill.  But the key is consistency this time.  I think I can do it. 

Why would a company be so generous, you may ask? 

Because Alex is AMAZING at what he does.  They only take the best of the best and he is one metric away from being there. 

Just to brag a little, he is #1 in the ENTIRE company at getting leads.  No one has more right now for the year.  That blows my mind.  I'm not #1 in anything at my store, let alone all of walgreens.

Little does he know that if I do lose the weight and he doesn't get picked to go, he's STILL taking me to Hawaii.  haha.  Just kidding....sort of

Here are some more pictures of that beautiful Grand Hyatt Resort



Need a Laugh?

I thought this was HILARIOUS so you should watch this video, if you need a good laugh!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/394360/august-10-2011/yaweh-or-no-way----mormons---god-s-poll-numbers

I Heart Food Network

Alex and I love watching the food network and we'll really miss it when we move because let's face it, we don't NEED cable.  But we sure do enjoy it.  We are currently addicted to the Next Food Network Star, the Great Food Truck Race, Restaurant Impossible, Challenge, and a host of others.  I also like Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals and Kelsey's Essentials. 

I feel like I can actually make fancy dishes!  Alex will be the executive chef of our home and I'll be the pastry chef.  Pastry chefs aren't usually thin people.  At least the good ones aren't, haha.  So that kind of ruins my baby weight loss plans.  So far, we have made the most delicious ribs you will ever eat as well as a fantastic chicken parmesean. 

The only other problem (besides the weight GAIN from this little hobby of ours) is that it is counter productive to my coupon clipping nature.  I doubt there's a lot of ways to save when you shop at a butcher, bakery, and farmer's market for the real good and fresh stuff. 

 Like fresh herbs. 

Not the stuff that comes out of the jar.  It's amazing what fresh cilantro tastes like. 

And panko bread crumbs!  hopefully i spelled that right)  They make such a difference compared to the "seasoned" italian bread crumbs we always have on hand. 

My life will never be the same.  And neither will my waistline...

I'm Gonna Miss This

I absolutely LOVE this song...

She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her It's a nice place
She says It'll do for now
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says Baby just slow down

'Cause You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says they don't bother me
I've got 2 babies of my own
One's 36, one's 23
Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this

This is how I'm feeling lately.  I'm trying to cuddle and kiss my kids every chance I get because I feel like the next time I turn around, they will be in high school and want nothing to do with their mom.  So, here are some pictures, since they tell a much better story than I ever could.

ice cream at great grandma's

she can sleep anywhere!

first smile

Sedona--isn't that just the cutest outfit?!

i love this hair

he's not too sure about the hat here

This is my FAVORITE dress on her so far...must. get. professional.  picture.

just hangin' out in the rainforest

she often just falls asleep on the floor.  weird.  Ben did it, too.  (in fact, that's what she's doing right now!)

as long as she has that thumb of hers, life is good

my attempt to get a picture worthy to put on a credit card

my favorite pose!  that's some tough love right there

ben plays with his dirty laundry all day everyday

Ben's first bowling experience--quite traumatic actually.  apparently flashing lights and sounds of pins crashing isn't everyone's idea of a good time...who knew?

Ashlyn is about 6 weeks older than this cute little guy, but she looks so tiny!