Scotty & Amanda

Santa Claus is coming to town...

2012-01-19T11:52:00.002-07:00

Wait. He already came? Well according to Jaxon, Santa is still around, giving him gifts (anything I give him, his lunch, hand him a toy to play with, whatever. Its ALWAYS is from SANTA!), listening to our Christmas songs we have to keep singing, and even in Jaxon's dreams EVERYNIGHT! Seriously this kid is OBSESSED with Santa. We have told him (over and over) that Santa went home but I don't think he believes us. He will tell us he's at his own house in the North Pole with his Elves, but then he just starts laughing. Ugh...what did we do to this kid? Anyways...here are some shots of some of the things we did as a family this holiday season.

The babes with Santa. Possibly Jaxon's favorite day of his life thus far!

Jaxon LOVES Santa hats. But as soon as he puts his on he immediately starts asking for a beard. Ha.

All tired after trying on too many hats.

We made sugar cookies to decorate.

It started out innocent enough.

Then Jaxon grabbed ALL of the sprinkles. Halloween, 4th of July, you name it, he had them and they went to town.

She was trying to sneak it away and have it all to herself.

What a mess it was! But totally worth it.

And THAT'S how it's done.

Jaxon with Uncle Cammy and (soon to be) Aunt Hadley at Zoo Lights

The mandatory Hogle Zoo shot.

Twinners

Lola and Jaxon love each other! It's ok that she's older and way taller right?

They held hands ALL night.

Checking out the lights.

Dari and I (& creepy Chris!)

Scotty & Chloe

With Jaxon and Lola

He loves his Uncle.

And his Aunt.

But doesn't want to take pictures with Momma.

Totally ready for bed at this point.

Holiday (friend) festivities...

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Before heading out of town for the Holidays we had a few awesome parties with our friends. Here are some photo's of the awesomeness.

December Book Club (Happy Birthday Jenn!)
Nichole, Jenn & Dari

BCB's Whitney & Cheryl

Whitney, Me, Meagan & Cheryl

Jenn, Nichole, Me, Meagan, Cheryl, Whitney & Dari

Cute Chloe at our Holiday Party/Gift Exchange at Mike & Jenn's

Scotty opening his gift from Craig

Jaxon helping Bryan open his gift.

Craig loved 'his' shirt!

Kinda Creepy...

She LOVES Christmas!

The cute decor at Allison & Justin's party. Allison did amazing!

Dessert table.

Hot Chocolate bar.

Delicious Cheese Ball

Festive Drinks. I loved the 'Apple Confetti'

Whitney & Allison

Justin, Me & Scotty

Ready for the White Elephant game!

Totally excited to roll the dice!

Stealing gifts.

This was the hit of the night!

But Whitney loved her Bible Guide!

Scotty stole it from Justin. (But I don't remember who actually ended up with it at the end of the game.)

I love the holidays, especially when it means I get to spend time with those I love. (Oh and when it involves games. I LOVE GAMES!)

Remember Thanksgiving?

2012-01-16T14:10:00.002-07:00

Remember Thanksgiving? Yeah me too. Well...kinda. It was only like 2 months ago. (not quite two months! I don't suck that bad at blogging!) Anyways....I have been working on alot of fun projects and want to blog about them, but first I need to play a little catch up (story of my life!)

So here are the long overdue Thanksgiving pictures. We had dinner at my Aunt Deb & Uncle Tom's house. It was such a fun day and the food was DELICIOUS!

It was such a great day. The kids went crazy with the food. Stole all of Grandpa's dessert. 'Performed' on the top of tables for everyone. Jaxon ran/tumbled down the grass hill over and over. And we got to spend the day with family. Doesn't get much better than that! Later that night my sis and I decided to brave the stores. We started at Walmart (horrible. the worst customers and horrible customer service!) and then went to Target, Old Navy and Macy's. It was quite an experience...not sure if we will be making it into a tradition though...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Grateful ABC's

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

As a tradition in my family, we always go around the table at Thanksgiving and each take a moment to express the things that we are grateful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought I would take a moment to do the same on here. And in an effort to get me to really embrace it, I thought I would make an ABC list to get me to really ponder about those things that I am truly grateful for instead of the standard answers everyone always gives. Here's what I came up with:

A: I am grateful for my ANCESTORS. I am so thankful for everything they went through so that I can have the life I do. I love finding out new awesome stories about them. I have so much respect for them.
B: I am grateful for BOOK CLUB! I love my BCB's. They are some of my bestest friends and I love being around them.
C: I am grateful for my CHILDREN. They mean the world to me. They give meaning to my life. They have truly taught me what it means to be happy.
D: I am grateful for DIET COKE. It gets me through my day.
E: I am grateful for ESCALANTE. Even though it's not the same without Grandma Betty, Nenna & Pappa, I still love visiting and seeing Grandma and Grandpa Roundy. It will forever feel like 'home' when I am there. I am grateful for the years I spent living there and all the times we have been able to visit.
F: I am grateful for my FRIENDS and FAMILY. I am seriously a lucky girl! I can't even expand on this one because I will get all emotional. I love you guys...
G: I am grateful for GOOGLE. Seriously. Where would I, or rather we, be without Google?
H: I am grateful for my HUSBAND. He is the most unselfish man I know. He puts the kids and I first (always) and would sacrifice anything to make us happy.
I: I am grateful for my IN-LAWS and their generosity towards our family.
J: I am grateful for JESUS CHRIST and for the atonement.
K: I am grateful for KINDNESS. I have been blessed to be surrounded by so many kind people. (I enjoy their company much more than those I am surrounded by that are the opposite!) It's a constant reminder for me to try a little harder in my own endeavors.
L: I am grateful for LAUGHING. I never want to go through a day without laughing. It really is medicine for the soul. (Luckily I have funny friends!)
M: I am grateful for MUSIC. It brings so much joy into my life.
N: I am grateful for NAPS. Especially when the kids take them. It gives me a chance to shower, clean, craft, pin, blog and NAP myself!
O: I am grateful for OWLS. I am obsessed. They make me more than happy. They make me giddy.
P: I am grateful for my PARENTS. All of them. They have each taught me so much and I love them dearly. I appreciate everything they have done for me and continue to do for me.
Q: I am grateful for QUIET DRIVES at the end of the day (alone). They allow me to refuel for tomorrow and gather my thoughts.
R: I am grateful for RED HAIR DYE. Specifically Joico 5VR (at least lately, but it tends to change)
S: I am grateful for my SIBLINGS. All of them. (Ryan, Sharee, Kassi, Cameron, Mikael, Chelsea, Carson, Maddie & Jayce) Even though we are spread across the country I love you all and miss you all the time!
T: I am grateful for TELEVISION. Let's be honest. I LOVE my shows!
U: I am grateful for UTAH! I love living here. It is gorgeous and it has made me so happy!
V: I am grateful for my VISION. Living where I do and having the cute kids that I do :) I am grateful that I truly can take in every moment.
W: I am grateful for WINGERS. Still one of my favorite restaurants. Mmm Mmm.
X: I am grateful for XYLOPHONES. Really I am. I love them. So do my babes.
Y: I am grateful for YOU TUBE. Oh the hours of entertainment you have given me and even the babes. And I love being able to post video's of the kids somewhere where the rest of the family can instantly enjoy them as well.
Z: I am grateful for ZUMBA. I freaking love it. I may totally suck, but it's my type of exercising. I actually look forward to going to work my butt off (literally).

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

11.19.11 - Party Time!

2011-11-23T02:38:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the BIG day. We had a big party for Scotty, Jaxon and Chloe that evening. We had it at the church across the street from our house. It worked out perfectly having it there. There was plenty of room for all the kids to play and for all of the adults to chat and eat. Even with all the things I decided to ~~cut out the day of~~ (because of lack of time) and even though I was only running on 5 hours of sleep over the previous 56 hours, I was so happy with how everything turned out! We had a 'Yo Gabba Gabba / RAINBOW' theme. (Scotty's pick of course!) After the party at the church a few of Scotty's friends came back to the house to celebrate him! (Since the church party was more veered towards the babes). I had a great time. So thank you to those of you who came out and a big thank you to those of you who helped me, especially the day of when I was totally freaking out and running out of time! (Thank heavens I have capable people around me!)

Here are some (~~a ridiculous amount~~) photo's to recap all the fun we had:

Cake & drinks.

The cake & cupcakes.

Rainbow cupcakes baked in mason jars.

Some of the photos I put up.

Some of the food.

Treat bar.

One of the centerpieces, surrounded by some games.

The beginning of the gifts. They got totally spoiled.

We got each of them an easle for their birthday. I painted them each and brought them to the party for all the kids to play with.

Photo booth props.

Kids table.

Part of the centerpieces.

Photo booth background.

Wands and homemade crayons for the kids.

Rainbow cake.

Message board. (Before everyone wrote them all notes)

Chloe and Meagan.

Getting ready for the party to start...

Family.

Me & (one) of the birthday boys.

Nichole and Meagan.

Megs and I

ADORABLE!

Chloe with her cousins Melissa and Kenzie.

The Osmonds.

Jenn, Me and Whitney

Maddie (Aunt YaYa), Jaxon and Kaylee

Jenn and Gaius

Nichole, Evie & Justin

Happy Birthday to you! (Notice Jaxon 'leading' the choir.)

Blake & Alissa

Love this girl!

Chelsea and Justin

Maddie & Stacy

Maddie, Jayce & Stacy

Jaxon and Lola

Unwrapping gifts.

She loved her cute bear hat from Grandma Michelle. She didn't want to take it off!

His favorite. After he opened this toy he was done. He wanted nothing else to do with presents.

Off to find more presents...

Meagan and James

Tickle Time.

Cute little Anderson

Sending all the ballons to 'heaven'

Whitney & Bryan

Caleb & Jaimal

Melissa & I

Me, Allison & Whitney

Allison & Justin

he kinda loved the props.

Chloe and DH. Adorable.

We had such a great time! I know alot of you took photo booth pictures with your own camera, so if you want to send them my way I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again to all that came out to celebrate this special day.
XOXO

Another year older and wiser too!

2011-11-18T05:15:00.001-07:00

For some odd reason I feel like I should be in the hospital right now!?! I am still shocked and amazed that Scotty, Jaxon and Chloe all share the same birthday. Last year at almost this exact moment I was typing out a blog post, a letter to Jaxon. A couple hours later I was rushing to the hospital to deliver Chloe. So since I'm NOT delivering a baby today I thought I could keep up one tradition and write a little note to my lovely birthday kids.

Dear Jaxon,
You never cease to amaze me. I cannot put into words how much I love you. You have changed my life and for that I will always be grateful. This past year you have grown so much. I cannot believe that it's already been 2 years since you joined our family. You are the most upbeat kid I know. You ALWAYS make me smile. Even when you are doing something you shouldn't, your dang smile and those adorable dimples get me every time! Whenever I am stressed or having a bad day, you have a way of setting things right. The way you get so excited about everything makes me remember what's important in life. I love the energy you possess. It is so positive. I love the way you sing your songs (and pretend to lead a choir in the process). I love when you 'tell jokes'. You were a born entertainer. You put a smile on the face of everyone you come in contact with.
This past year you have turned into the best big brother Chloe could have asked for. Your love for her is so apparent. As soon as you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is run into her room chanting "Baby. Baby!" As you proceed to try and wake her up. It is adorable. You are her protector. If she is ever unhappy, you coming running over, with her bottle, her binkie, a toy, a treat...anything you can get your hands on to make her happy. You love giving her hugs and kisses and you get so excited and happy when you 2 play and dance together. I love that you both are so close. I hope that that never changes. Thank you for teaching me how to be a mother. For teaching me patience. For teaching me what is really important in life. I love you Jaxon.

Dear Chloe,
I cannot believe that you are already a year old. When I was pregnant with you I said you were allowed to come any day other than Nov 19th. I wanted you to have your own day. But there was no stopping you. I remember rushing to the hospital with your Dad at 6:00am. And 3 hours later you were born. Delivery was so easy. I thought I was spoiled with Jaxon being such a good baby. Everyone told me that you were going to be so hard because I got so lucky the first time around. I was scared. But can I tell you a secret? You were/are an even better baby than your brother. Even as a newborn I hardly EVER remember you crying. You are always so happy. You have the most mild attitude I have ever seen in a baby. Your calmness has rubbed off on me. I thought I was going to go crazy having 2 babies, especially so close together. But that's not the case. Your smile, your laugh, your singing and your giggles have brought me such joy. I love you so much. I love how much you love your brother. No one can make you laugh and smile as much as he can. You two have your own little language. I love how excited you get when either your Dad or I walk into a room. You start clapping and cooing and reach out for us and it makes all my worries fly out the window. Thank you for your sweet disposition. Thank you for teaching me that's it's always better to smile. There's nothing I would rather do everyday than stay home with you and Jaxon. You 2 are my world and I am so grateful for you.

Dear Scotty,
I think you are going to be disappointed with your gift this year. I don't think I could top the last two years. I mean really, how do you top a baby (or 2)? I can't tell you how much I love you. Especially watching you with Jaxon and Chloe over the last 2 years. You continue to amaze me. Thank you for everything you do for our family. Thank you for working so hard for us. You are an amazing father and Jaxon and Chloe are so lucky to have you as their Daddy! Thank you for always balancing me. For allowing me to freak out when I'm stressed and to totally take over kid duty when I need some 'me' time. You are my best friend. Thank you for always thinking about what is best for us and for our family. Thank you for sharing your birthday with our babies. (Just remember it means that I get to go ALL out every year on Nov 19th!) Thanks for putting up with me. I love you more and more every day. You are the BEST husband. (I guess I'll keep you...)

With love,
Momma

*Now you all better get dressed and ready because your birthday party is about to start and it's going to be AMAZING!

California Sep/Oct 2011

2011-11-08T04:23:00.002-07:00

Back in September we went to California for 10 days. My dear friend Dara was getting married, so we decided to make a full vacation out of it. We had a blast. Here is a little breakdown of our visit:

-We stopped in Vegas on the way there. My Dad and brothers were heading to Utah for the Deer hunt, so we met up with them for the night and had a great time.

-We took the kids to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach with Grandma Michelle.

-Took a trip to Lake Arrowhead with my Mom and shopped, fed the ducks, played on the toys and had delicious dinner.

-My friend Kerrstyn came up from San Diego and we went to Victoria Gardens & Yardhouse, and enjoyed a night out while the kids stayed with Grandma Michelle and Grandpa Barry.

-Met up with my friend Ashley who just moved to Rancho (and is in my Mom's ward!) We went to the Cheesecake factory and enjoyed way too many calories.

-Enjoyed both Grandparents pools, and enjoyed the California weather.

-Left the kids with my parents and headed to the wedding in Northridge. It was the most extravagent wedding Scotty or I had ever been too. The ceremony was amazing and the reception was beautiful. Dara is amazing and took care of every single detail. (Tons of games and activities on the kids tables, flip flops for all the girls when our feet got sore from all the dancing, care kits in the bathrooms for the guests: tylenol, perfume, makeup, hairspray, gum, mouthwash....homemade treats, too many favors, and the most amazing food and drinks.) It was quite the party! It went from 4:00pm until 1:30am. Thank you Dara!

-Met up with our friend Jessica (who just ditched us Utah folks and moved back to Cali) and had a night out at BJ's.

-Spent many nights in the hot tub with my brothers and my Dad.

-Went to work with my Dad and brother Carson. They showed Jax and Chloe tons of horses, bulls, cows & chickens.

-Visited with my friend Michelle and her little boy Carson. The kids loved playing together!

-Went to dinner with my friend Gretchen and did alot of catching up.

-Family dinner with all the brothers and Dad and Stacy.

-Went to Jayce's soccer practice, which I loved. Especially since were weren't able to be there for a game. And Jaxon wanted to join in soooo bad.

-Enjoyed spending time with family. (I'm totally homesick for it all already.)

Upon returning I lost my phone and my camera broke, so many of our pictures from the trip were lost. (So Sad!) But here are a few that I still have.

Helping Uncle Carson and Grandpa shoe some horses.

The gorgeous wedding. And this picture doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Chloe with Grandma Michelle

Jaxon loved the Aquarium

Chloe loved the fishes!

Jaxon made a bunch of friends.

"Look. Look!"

Our little flirt.

Me and my babydoll.

Can you tell he's his fathers child???

Touching the starfish.

Feeding the Lorikeets

The kids loved the birds!

Trying to touch them.

She loves her Daddy!

He follows Grandma Michelle everywhere!

The fam. (And Mr. Shark)

He was determined to finish the whole bowl.

Chloe learned how to climb up the stairs while were there.

Night out without the babes.

Kerrstyn and I

Me with Mikey, his beautiful bride Dara and Kelly.

Aren't they adorable? I heart them. Seriously the perfect couple.

My Groom and I

Jessica and I

Knocked out.

*So sad we lost 60% of our pictures from the trip :(

Park City

2011-10-20T07:30:00.000-06:00

We love Park City. It seems like we are up there all the time. Whether it be for a day or a week, we love it all the same. I can't get enough of the outlets, walking down Main Street, Dolly's Bookstore, Bandits, the Baja Cantina, spending days at the pool at the Marriot, Live music all over Main Street, Family time at Deer Valley... ( I could go on, but you get it. I love Park City) This summer was no exception.

My in-laws have a time share at the Marriot right on Main Street and it just doesn't get much better than that. We love how its just a quick drive from where we live, but it still gives us the total feeling of getting away. Here are a few pictures from some of our visit's this summer.

Jaxon with Grandpa.

Picking out some goodies.

Jax and Chloe just hanging with BaMa and BaPa.

Melissa and Kenzie

Cammy & Hadley

Yum!

Enjoying some rock candy while taking a stroll down Main Street.

The resident cat at Dolly's

Roasting some mallows.

Scotty and Jax with his sister Kelly and nephew Matt.

Matt, Ryan, Scotty, Jaxon, Kelly, Me & Chloe

Zoorassic Park

2011-10-19T03:57:00.001-06:00

It's no secret that Scotty LOVES the zoo. Don't get me wrong Ialways enjoy a trip to the zoo, but Scotty is like a little kid at Christmas onthese outings. He loves all animals. His ability to learn about and rememberthe weirdest facts about animals is phenomenal. He is always the teacher whenit comes to things like this, and I am the student. As I stroll along and learnabout the diets, geographical patterns, size, weight (and on and on) aboutEVERY animal. (In the back of my head wondering how he can remember all of thisinfo and totally forget things I am constantly reminding him about.) Maybe if Ihad stripes, or was covered in fur he would pay more attention to me. (Maybe Ishouldn't continue my laser hair removal treatments egh?)

Anyways...This summer the Hogle Zoo had Zoorassic Park, whichbasically highlights all different dinosaurs and there are animatronicdinosaurs all over the park. Apparently this is a huge deal and only is in anumber of zoos in the country every year. The last time it was here in SaltLake was forever ago (I don't know the specifics. Like I said that's Scotty'sarea of expertise.) So of course we HAD to go.

The dinosaurs were awesome and were 75% of their actual size. Theymoved, made noises and some even spit water. At first Jaxon was scared, butthen he loved them. It was a great family day. And most importantly ~~Scotty~~ the kids had a blast!

Not sure what to think about them yet.

He was so funny with all the animals. He kept barking at the gorilla's. He must have thought they were big 'doggies'

Jaxon was way more interested in the real animals than riding on the fake ones.

Trying to get Jaxon to stop 'barking' at the gorilla and to take a picture with me.

Playing with the boys and climbing on one of the dinosaurs.

Always so calm and happy.

They were exhausted!

Our trip to California...(back in June/July)

2011-10-13T11:58:00.000-06:00

Oh blogger. How I have missed you. I think about updating my blog all the time, but I guess I've been too busy making memories (like how I rationalize my laziness?). Anyways...we just got back from California last week. I was about to upload pictures from that trip when I realized that I still haven't blogged about my last trip to California. So here's to catching up...

Right after we went to Bear Lake, my brother Carson stayed out here to visit for a week. Me and the kids flew back to California with him at the end of his visit. I never could have done it alone with both babies, so I am so glad he was there. The kids and I had so much fun with friends and family! We stayed for a little over a week and then we drove with my Mom to St George. Scotty met us there and we stayed for a couple days, then drove back home with Scotty. It was a great trip. I only wish that Scotty could have spent the whole trip with us, but he had just opened the American Fork store and couldn't be away that long. Here are some pictures from our visit:

Bear Lake = Amazing

2011-07-14T02:22:00.000-06:00

First of all, my brother Cameron moved back to Utah for the summer a couple weeks ago. {Yay!} And my brother Jayce had a basketball camp at BYU the last week in June. Who, by the way did awesome and made the All Star team. Go Jayce! Well, with his camp came a trip to Utah by him, my brother Carson, my Dad and my Step Mom. We had such a great time with them and loved having them here. My Aunt Linda and Uncle Jay, along with my Aunt Irene and Uncle Greg both have cabins in Bear Lake. And I use the term 'cabin' loosely. They both have GORGEOUS homes in Bear Lake. They invited us all up for the weekend while my fam was in town from California. We had such a great time. I was amazed with how beautiful everything was. Scotty and I spent a good portion of the trip trying to come up with a business idea that would enable us to live there. {We all can dream right?!?}

We spent the weekend playing on the beach, boating, playing cowboy golf {ridiculously fun!}, hot tubbing, enjoying all things raspberry and spending quality time with the fam.

Chocolate covered raspberries. They are to die for.

The cousins playing 'catch' in the water

Jaxon with Uncle Jayce.

The 'catchers'

The pitcher.

Jaxon with Uncle Carson

Jaxon and Momma

Jaxon and Aunt Hadley

Chloe relaxing with Aunt Angie

Jaxon loved playing in the mud!

So did Daddy...

Sweet sand castle cousins!

Girl time

All tuckered out.

Momma and Chloe

Jaxon wanted her to play in the sand with him so bad!

Lovin life.

Angie and Jaxon

He didn't want anyone to help him

He made friends. He's a total flirt.

He loved just 'sitting' in the water

The fam, taking turns on the boat.

Cam and Hadley

Jayce

Bonding.

Trying to get Jaxon out of the water at the end of the day.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Cowboy Golf Tournament

Jaxon loves playing with Jayce

Chloe and Nahla

She was so cute with Chloe. She's going to be a great Big Sister!

Sweet Kayla.

Cousins Coloring.

Did I mention that we got overloaded on raspberries while we were there? Raspberry shakes, syrup, honey and my fav were the choc covered. Mmm.

We had such a GREAT time. It was wonderful being able to see my family from California as well as my Aunts and Uncles and Cousins. Thanks again!

Obsession. Week #1.

2011-06-14T02:52:00.000-06:00

I'm kind of an obsessive person. It's true. I admit it. Sometimes I come across things and I just can't get enough. These things however, have a tendency to change often. So I thought it would be fun to start a new post (maybe every couple weeks) about my current obsessions. These may be things that I have just come across and are fun and new to me, or they might be old treasures that I am rediscovering.

These are my current obsessions:

ARTEC reds. Color depositing shampoo- It's a known fact that red hair color fades fast, so this shampoo is a must to keep my hair looking vibrant. I use it twice a week and LOVE it! {P.S. any of you out there use dry shampoo? I never have, but I've been wanting to give it a try and would love some feedback...?}

Mob Wives- Don't Judge. We all know how I love some good drama. And these ladies are out of control. Plus I love all the info I find out about the MOB. And yes I have googled all of their husbands {who are all incarcerated} to make sure I have all the dirt and stories straight.

Maxi Dresses- I already own a ton and I love that they are totally trending this summer. They are so comfy and I have been finding hidden joys in the back of my closet that I forgot I ever bought. There are so many more that I am eyeing too. I'm feeling a shopping spree coming on any day now. I would be perfectly satisfied to wear a Maxi {Dress!} everyday for the next few months...

Moon Pop Cakes- Have you guys heard of these? They are similar to a rice cake, just a little thinner and a bit of a different texture. We found them at a kiosk in the mall a couple weeks ago. We watched in amazement as they made them. Jaxon loves them and they aren't bad. They don't have much of a taste to them, but each cake is only 16 calories! So we had to buy 2 bags! (they were only $5 for 2 bags. Not bad at all) You can top them with some tasty stuff to make them better. We've tried honey, peanut butter, cinamon and sugar, or for a salty treat try with ranch seasoning or cheese.

Plum Organics Baby Food- These things are awesome. Chloe loves to be able to hold it herself and suck the food out. And they are awesome when we are out and about. No need for a bib and spoon. And Jaxon totally loves them too. He hasn't been a fan of baby food for a long while now, but now every time Chloe has one he asks for one too. {I figure its a great way for him to get in some extra fruits and veggies}

Pringles Stix- (the honey butter flavor to be specific) These are buttery delicious and a great snack. Jaxon loves them and we have been known to share a pack here and there. And they are only 90 calories a pack! I haven't tried the other flavors. But these are way good. And for those of you with toddlers, they are a great snack for the kiddos (esp while in the car). Jax stays totally happy with one of these hanging out of his mouth.

Shutterfly- I can't wait for Father's Day to show off the cool stuff I got for Scotty and all the Grandpa's. I hope they all love it; cause all my projects were sure fun to make. {Especially with pictures of my adorable babies} I have seriously gotten 5 packages from them in the last week. {I told you I was obsessed} The printing and shipping on all of my items have been incredibly fast and they always have killer deals. Plus I love giving a gift that is completely personalized.

Zumba- My favorite workout. Thanks Meagan for being my Zumba buddy. One day I'll start having some results...but it's fun regardless. I'm sure I look like a fool, but I have a good time shaking my behind in my 'jingly bells'

*I'll be honest, I could go on and on, but I better save a few for next week. Stay tuned.

Free Five Guys Burgers? Yes please!

2011-06-08T01:38:00.000-06:00

Scotty is FINALLY opening up the new store in American Fork! We have been waiting for this day for over a year. It officially opens on Friday, and so this Thursday {June 9th} is their friends and family {trial} run. Basically you can come eat for free and it gives the crew a preview day before the store officialy opens. So if you are out that way you're invited to come! The lunch session is from noon until 2pm and dinner will run from 5-7pm. Hopefully we'll see some of you there! {It's right next to the Chick-fil-A in AF}

My babies are getting big!

2011-06-01T22:42:00.001-06:00

I can't believe Jaxon is already 18 months and Chloe 6 months! It seems unreal to me. We sure love them to death and they have brought so much happiness into our lives. We had their 18 month and 6 month pictures taken a couple weeks ago by my sweet cousin Kristen. She is amazing and as always the pictures turned out great. I wanted to post a few of my favorites and post the stats for each of the kiddos from their check-ups a couple weeks back.

Jaxon Danger

Weight: 29 lbs (84th percentile)

Length: 33.5 inches (84th percentile)

Head Cir: 19 inches (70th percentile)

He is getting so smart. It's been amazing to watch him learn and grow over the last few months. Its awesome now to know that he understands what we're saying. He is very obedient (most of the time) and can usually answer us when we ask him a question. He loves to help get diapers and wipes for me when I need to change Chloe. And if she's ever fussy Jaxon will bring her her bottle or a toy and 'chat' with her. It's adorable to watch them interact with eachother. He has learned how to climb out of his crib so we got him a toddler bed about a month ago. He thinks its a toy and loves to run and jump on it, but has yet to sleep in it. (we're getting there...) He has learned how to throw a tantrum. Which are so much fun. NOT! Luckily they usually don't last long and its easy to switch his attention. He loves taking walks and going to the park. He's a little climber and is constantly climbing on anything and everything. He loves books and can often be found reading them to Chloe. (upside down of course, as in the banner photo above). He loves to color and is so good about only drawing on paper. Hopefully this continues and he doesn't move to the furniture and the walls. He loves Yo Gabba Gabba (the ONLY show he will ever watch) He loves to dance and sing with them. It's hillarious to watch. He loves spinning in circles and laughes and laughes when he gets dizzy and falls and can't walk straight. He is constantly talking and singing although we can't make out most of the words he is saying. Here are the words he says all the time that we can understand: Mama, Dada, BaPa (for grandpa) GaMa (for grandma), BaBa (for milk), Juice, Yes, No, Yup, Okay, Please, Go, Jesus (his FIRST word! ha), BroBro (for Brobie from Gabba Gabba), Out, ByeBye, NiteNite, PooPoo...I'm sure there are a few more but I'm drawing a blank. Oh and he loves making animal sounds :)

Chloe Michelle

Weight: 19.8 lbs (97th percentile)

Length: 27.5 inches (93rd percentile)

Head Cir: 17.5 inches (90th percentile)

*Chloe was only in the 4th percentile at her 2 week appt so now to think she is in the 90th and above is crazy to me! And she's bigger than Jax was at 6 months and usually girls are smaller. We are loving all her rolls!

Chloe is such a happy baby. With Jaxon so mobile now and getting into everything, I love how 'easy' Chloe is. I am not looking forward to her becoming mobile as well and having to chase both of them around. She is hardly ever fussy and is always smiling. Although she could be a better sleeper at night. She stills wakes up 2-3 times a night but always falls right back asleep after a bottle or some bouncing. She started rolling over consistantly almost a month ago. She 'tries' to hold her own bottle but has yet to get through a feeding without dropping it. She loves rolling, being in her jumper and she loves her standing entertainment center. She loves to be moving. We started her on veggies about a month and a half ago and fruits a couple weeks ago. She's not a fan of rice cereal but loves everything else. She squeals when she see's someone walk into the room and starts kicking her legs with excitement. And she loves her brother. No one can make her laugh and smile like Jaxon. I swear they have their own little language.

I know some people think its crazy that they are so close together. And sometimes I can be overwhlemed with all the diapers, and feedings and Jaxon's tantrums and such but I love how they are with eachother. Jaxon never is jealous. He never gets upset with her. He loves her so much and is constantly playing with her and trying to hold her. When she is in her bouncer or her swing he starts piling on blankets and toys for her to play with. He tickles her, sings to her, dances with her and is non stop talking to her. I love having them so close and I wouldn't change a thing! Happy Half Birthday Jaxon, Chloe and Scotty!

Busy Busy Busy...

2011-05-27T04:02:00.001-06:00

Somedays I can't even remember what day it is. My days all seem to blend together some weeks. The same old routine, different day. But over the last few weeks we have been quite the busy family. So I thought I would give everyone a little update.

Tons of things have been going on around the house too. (Half-birthdays, Jax's new climbing skills, rollie pollie Chloe etc. but I will do a seperate post of those fun things once I find my camera...)

Anyways...here's a list of some fun things we've been up to lately:

Date Nights! Up until a couple weeks ago we have never left Chloe with anyone other than her Grandparents. And only for a couple hours at a time and not very often. And Jaxon has only been watched by 2 of my bestest friends and his Grandparents. So we're fairly new to the whole 'getting a babysitter' thing. Well... my sweet step sister Chelsea and her hubby Justin came and watched the kiddos at the begining of the month. Scotty and I met up with a bunch of our friends in Salt Lake, had dinner and danced and hung out until the wee hours in the morning. okay...not the wee hours, but it was past midnight! We're wild and crazy like that! (the first time either of the kids were put to bed by someone other than Scotty or myself.) We were/are so grateful for the opportunity to get out together! Normally one of us always stays home with the kids. So thank you again! It all went perfectly.

Movie Nights! Okay so this goes along with the last post but because our night out went so well we decided to try it again. We've gone to 3 movies together (just the 2 of us) in the last 3 weeks! This is huge. We've had Scotty's cousins Melissa and Kenzie watch the kids for a couple hours each time. This is a huge step for me. Just like babies have milestones, so do parents! And although its been with family each time, its still a step. I'm so not ready to hire a kid in the ward yet. But we're on our way. I'm so thankful for wonderful family members that are up for babysitting. Its been great to get out and just be able to enjoy my time with Scotty, without worrying about bottles, tantrums and diapers.

Discovery Park in AF. This park rocks. It has so much fun stuff. Jaxon is loving it. {almost as much as Scotty} We love the Volcano, the beehives, the tunnels, the music makers, the spinners and on and on. The weather has been bipolar lately but on the days that it decides it wants to by sunny and warm we've loved taking the kids to the park.

Girls Night Out. Meagan, Jeanette, Brittney, Kim and I all went out and had a lovely time. There was plenty of shopping at Forever 21, delicious food from Pei Wei and the hilarious movie Bridesmaids. It was fantastic and can't wait to do it again. (Countdown to Girls Night for Meagan's birthday starts NOW!)

Family Pictures. Jaxon's 18 month pics and Chloe's 6 month pics. My awesome cousin Kristen took pictures of the 4 of us last week. She is simply amazing. The weather was crazy stormy so we had to move the shoot indoors. We decided to take them at the Salt Lake City Library. This library is amazing. I could spend so much time there. The sneak peaks I've seen of the pictures have looked awesome and we should be getting the rest of them any day now. {Can't wait} Thank you Kristen! Jaxon absolutely loved the library. We were there for a while after the shoot ended. He loved walking up and down aisle after aisle of books. I love how interested he is in books. I hope his love for books never ends. He loves to read them to Chloe and it is just about the cutest thing ever. {Even if he reads them upside-down}

BBQ's. Again this only happens on the sunny days, but it's been nice to fire up the grill and eat in the backyard. Jaxon loves being able to run on the grass and Chloe just loves being outside. She just laughes and giggles the entire time.

Book Club. This is always a good time. I look forward to it every month. For May we read The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. We all LOVED it. It was super funny. {Great pick Whit} I seriously felt like she was reading out of my journal throughout the last 10 years of my life. And for June we are reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. Loving it so far. And more than anything I love my ladies. I'm certain that we have the BEST book club in the entire world! Yeah BCB's!

Scotty's commute will soon be ending! We are all so excited for him to open the new store. Instead of driving an hour each way to work, it will be 10 minutes! We are looking forward to fewer early mornings and late nights. And more 'family' time. Plus the kids and I can go visit Daddy for lunch. He has about 2 weeks left and then finally {after more than a year of waiting} his dreaded drive will come to an end. We've been taking numerous drives by the new location. It's exciting to see all the progress being made each time.

Dinner and game night with the neighbors. A couple of weeks ago we got together with a few other couples and had a delicious dinner followed by one of my favorite games: Outburst! Scotty didn't know anyone before hand and I only knew a couple of the girls, but it went really well. We're trying to be better at putting ourselves 'out there'. Well at least I am, and luckily I have a sweet husband who is willing to do anything if it will make me happy :) {He ended up really enjoying himself though. I mean come on. We both LOVE games. So games + food = a very happy couple.

Mothers day. This was my second 'official' Mothers Day. It was such a special day. Scotty had to work in the morning so I had to wrangle the kiddos by myself at church. {not easy} Scotty got home and we had dinner with my in-laws and Aunt, Uncle and cousins. {always a good time!} After dinner we went for a walk and had a movie date. Scotty totally spoiled me, lots of new clothes and a cute pair of shoes, and a gift certificate for a trip to the spa. I was totally surprised and so grateful! And Jaxon totally made me the cutest card in nursery. It melted my heart. I love being a mother. It has made me appreciate my own mother so much more. I love you more than you know Mom!

Family-Play Date. Our good friends Cory and Kaitlyn {Cory married Scotty and I} invited us over for a BBQ about a week ago. It was so much fun. They live about an hour and a half from us, so we don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like. They just had a little baby boy and we loved being able to meet sweet baby Winton. Plus their other kids are simply adorable and play so well with Jaxon and Chloe. Braxton {Cory's oldest & our ring bearer} is a total stud. He is an awesome dancer {he got it from his Daddy}. He gave Jaxon a little lesson and it was the best thing ever watching Jaxon trying to immitate Braxton. We had such a good night. We wish so badly that we lived closer to each other.

Lunch date with my HandStands girls. Although I love being able to stay home with the kids, I miss going to work and seeing these wonderful ladies on a daily basis. I miss them so much! I was able to meet them for lunch last week and got all nostaglic all over again.

Trips to Salt Lake. For pictures. Appointents with Pat at Goodtimes. Appointments at Elase. To visit Nicole after her surgery. To pick up Cammy from the airport. (trip to Logan to visit Hadley too!) Five Guys mini retreat. To {try} and go to the zoo. {It was raining too hard when we got there} For Cheryl's birthday celebration and ReAL game (in April, but due to my lack of blogging haven't put it up here.) Grizzlies games! And to go to the 'good' Forever 21.

Swimming with the kids at the 5 Guys retreat.

Happy Birthday Cheryl! All bundled up watching the game.

Go ReAL!

Jaxon's first soccer game. (Chloe's too.)

First Hockey game for the kids and Momma.

Go Grizzlies!

Saturday Night's at Jessica's. I have loved this lately. Being able to hang with my friends like I did in my pre-baby days. For a few hours I get to feel normal again. {It still seems surreal to me sometimes that I am married with 2 little babies}

Whitney, Me, Jen, Jessica and Heather. All obviously having a grand ol time!

Yeah...this is turning into quite the long post. And I didn't even mention all the stuff going on with the kids. Another day...

Easter! {finally}

2011-05-20T00:55:00.000-06:00

I love Easter. I always have. I have so many good memories of Easter Egg hunts and new pretty church dresses. Easter has always had a special place in my heart. I love being able to take a time out from our busy lives and remember our Savior and the sacrafice he made for us. And what a blessing to know that he still lives.

Scotty also proposed to me a few years ago on Easter. {it was the BEST Easter Egg hunt ever!} So after that Easter has always been special for the 2 of us. And this year was no different. Even with trying to wrangle Jaxon down during church {which is no easy feat} the day was great. All 4 of us got spoiled and enjoyed a wonderful day together. We went to church. Took a family nap {heaven}. Had dinner with Scotty's parents. Had an Easter Egg hunt for Jaxon. Took a walk in their new wagon. And then Uncle Cammy and Aunt Hadley came to visit. It was a super fabulous day!

We started the day off with this yummy breakfast: Monkey Peep Peep Bread.

The Easter Bunny spoiled these two kiddos!

We decorated Eggs the night before:

He loved it!

He did such a good job!

Chloe playing with some of her toys after church.

Jaxon checking out the drink holders in their new wagon.

He loved his FunDip!

All tuckered out after playing with all his new toys

Easter Egg hunt!

Chloe chomping away...

Taking a stroll around the block.

Traditional Robin's Nests. Jaxon helped momma and they turned out way yummy.

Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs. Scotty LOVED this surprise from the Easter Bunny.

Little Chloe in her Easter dress.

Ready for bed!

Pillow fight with Cam and Hadley. {So happy you guys came down!}

It was a great day. I am so glad Scotty was able to be home and spend the day with us. Thank you Easter Bunny for all the goodies. The kiddos love all their toys, movies, treats, clothes and the wagon. And Scotty loves his new game {Assasins Creed 3}, movies, clothes and treats. And I was totally spoiled with lots of clothes and DVD's. So thank you! And thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Peterson and Grandma and Grandpa Vandewater for the cute stuff for the kids. You all are awesome. And the kids loved everything!

Parenthood = Tough.

2011-04-27T02:32:00.000-06:00

Sometimes as a parent I find it hard to admit defeat. To admit that it's a tough job being a Mommy. To admit that it causes me more stress than I'd like to own up to. That my anxiety levels have risen quite noticeably. Especially now with 2 babies in diapers, 2 babies with bottles and 2 babies that are teething. It's just hard. Sometimes I feel like it's {wrong} to state the difficulties. And I personally like to focus on the positives because they totally outweigh the negative. But sometimes I just need to get it out:

I miss sleep.
I miss going to movies.
I miss late nights out with my girls.
I miss living on {my} schedule and no one else's.
I miss taking naps when {I} want.
I miss sleeping in late.
I miss having my house clean.
I miss date nights with my husband.
I would be ok with never changing another diaper. With never cleaning up vomit with a sick baby.
I would love a house free of {baby} clutter.

But moments like these make me so happy to be a Mother. I wouldn't change a thing. I love you Jaxon and Chloe. xoxo

He loves giving baby Chloe hugs and kisses.
{Melts. My. Heart.}

Bake Sale!

2011-04-13T15:31:00.000-06:00

If you live in or around Orem, please come stop by Saturday and help support Cole. There will be tons of yummy treats and all the proceeds are going to a great cause. You can read about Cole's story here.

Typical Thursday? (I promise it's worth the read!)

2011-04-12T03:11:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday started out like any other day. Spent the day at home with the kids. Scotty had the day off. The day was filled with bottles, diapers, naps and playing all day with Jaxon and Chloe. That evening I had a baby shower to go to. It was a surprise shower for my friend (we'll call her 'Z' for privacy sake). It was at Z's moms house in Lindon. I left the kids with Scotty and headed out.

Lindon sucks. The houses are all gorgeous but try finding one that you've never been too just based on an address. None of the streets go through! 25 minutes later I was still driving around trying to find the dang house. I did so many U turns its ridiculous. I tried calling a texting some of the people I thought were going to be there but got no answers. Finally I see a house with pink balloons outside and a bunch of ladies going in. The address was not quite right so I pulled up, rolled down the window and asked a little old lady "Is this Z's baby shower?". She responded with a big smile "Oh yes! Come in. I can't stay, I'm just dropping off some food."

So I park and head on in. I put my present in the pile and head to the kitchen where I find a few other ladies setting up food and such. I start chatting it up saying how it was so hard to find and I had the wrong address. I told them the address I had and got the correct one from them and texted the girls I knew that were coming to the shower. Knowing for sure that they were having just as hard of a time finding the place. Another lady walks in and states "We're gonna get started soon. Just waiting for Mom and Baby to arrive." All sounds normal right? As it's a surprise and all.

Now sometimes when I'm in a situation and don't know many people I turn into a recluse and become very quite. This is something I've been trying to work on. So I was chatting it up with all the ladies. (All of course while grabbing a plate of delicious food.) About 15 minutes go by and I'm wondering when someone I recognize is going to arrive. I was afterall about 30 minutes late and by this time it was pushing 45 minutes after the time the shower was supossed to start. I mingle over to another lady and she asks "So, I don't know you. Who are you?" Me: "Oh I'm in Z's ward." Lady: "I'm confused. Who's Z?"

Yup! I was at the wrong dang shower! Eating their food, chatting away! Seriously? Where's the lady that I asked if I was at the right place? She's long gone. I felt so stupid! And the ladies just kind of looked at me when I was trying to explain that I had gotten lost, and saw the ballons, and asked if I was at the right place, and texted a bunch of other people to come to that address! Come on. Make me feel more awkward. I was laughing all about it and they just sat and stared. I grabbed my gift back and asked if they would direct me to the right house.

Panic attack? Almost. I was about ready to just call it a day and go home and cry. But I made it to the other shower and explained my story and gave the ladies a real good laugh! I was the joke of the shower. A mighty fun shower I might add. I'm glad I didn't go home! And I got a good story out of it right?

Forget weddings. I crash baby showers.

Sorry Jenn...it's another recipe post......

2011-04-11T00:50:00.000-06:00

So...my friend Jenn informed me that she would like me to stop posting recipes on here because she gets too hungry. So I'm sorry. But prepare to have you mouth start watering. One day I'll get around to posting about crafts and such, but first I have to find the time to actually be crafty. Cooking on the other hand is done everyday. Aside to many diaper changes, bottles being made and playing with babies, it's what I do lately. But Jenn, lets go for a 'drive' and have a break from mommyland ASAP and I'll bring you some of these scrumptious Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies! (I have a ton...)

I got this recipe from my sweet friend Sarah and finally got around to trying them. And man I'm glad I did. They are so yummy!

Here's what you'll need:

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.

Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.

I enlisted my sweet husband to help with the messy part:

Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

(little Chloe likes to hang out in her jumper while I cook.)

On the first batch I think we used a little too much cookie dough. They were gigantic! For the rest of the batches we reduced the amount of dough and they turned out much more proportionate to the Oreo. Ha.

These cookies are seriously amazing! Baking the Oreo inside makes the Oreo super soft and the whole thing just melts in your mouth.

You know you want some Jenn. Text me. Lets go.

ABC's of me...

2011-04-07T02:27:00.000-06:00

I've seen this on a couple blogs and thought it would be fun to do. Please join with me and do it as well :)

Age: 27

Bed Size: Queen

Chore you hate: folding the laundry

Dogs: Still missing Chacho and Milo. We still can't talk about that around these parts...

Essential start of your day: watching the morning news preferably the Today show.

Favorite Color: depends on the day, but I'm gonna go with green.

Gold or silver: depends (but I'll go Silver)

Height: 5'5"

Instruments I play (or have played): Piano and I played the clarinet in 'band' when I was 8.

Job Title: wife & mother

Kids: Jaxon and Chloe

Live: Orem, UT

Mom's Name: Michelle

Nickname: Manda, Mandy, Mandypants, Manders, Dolly, Big Sis

Overnight hospital stays: Giving birth to both babes, and once for a ruptured cyst. I think thats it...

Pet Peeve: People that just can't say no. If you don't wanna do something, don't say "I'll let you know." (and then never get back to me!) Just say NO!

Quote from a movie: Dry humping is efing serious!

-Going the Distance

Right or left handed: Right handed

Siblings: Cameron, Carson, Jayce, Mikael, Maddie, Ryan, Sharee, Kassi & Chelsea

Time you wake up: Depends on the babes. But usually its between 8:00 & 9:00.

Underwear: Yes. ? Not sure what this question is asking. But yes I do wear them.

Vegetables you dislike: Can't think of any...

What makes you run late: BABIES!

X-rays you've had done: Foot, hand, collar bone, teeth, stomach, back.

Yummy food you make: My fav are my enchilladas. (I'll post that recipe one day...)

Zoo animal: Zebra. I want one!

Now its YOUR turn. And go!

Cornflake Meatloaf

2011-04-07T01:53:00.000-06:00

I was mentioning to my Mom about posting recipes that used cereal and she told me to make a meatloaf with Cornflakes. Well I've never made meatloaf in my life. And I've never been a huge fan of meatloaf. But I decided I was up for the task.

My sweet friend Brittany brought me dinner one night after having Chloe and she brought meatloaf. It was super delicious. She used BBQ sauce instead of ketchup, and I loved it so I knew I wanted to do that with mine. I made it on a whim last night and I thought it turned out great. So did Scotty. And Jaxon loved it. It was the perfect consistancy for his new found molars. That being said I think that this recipe is a keeper.

Now like I said I've never made meatloaf and so I'm not sure what you're really supposed to be in a meatloaf, but here's what I put in mine:

1 lb ground beef

3 cups cornflakes

1 large onion finely chopped

1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 can hunts tomato paste

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup BBQ sauce (plus more for the top)

1/3 packet Ranch seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

2 eggs

First preheat the over to 350 degrees. Then crush the cornflakes. Either in a ziplock with a rolling pin, or in a food processor.

In a seperate bowl mix the tomato paste, water and BBQ sauce and set aside.

Chop the onion and green pepper. Mix in the ground beef, eggs, ranch seasoning, and garlic powder.

Then mix in the sauce mixture and the cornflakes in with everything else. Once all mixed, form into a loaf into your pan.

Then spread some BBQ sauce over the top of the meatloaf.

I baked mine for 1 hr and 20 min. However I feel that my oven takes longer to cook than most recipes call for, so I would check yours after an hour to be sure.

I served ours with fried potatoes and it was delicious. It was very moist and have great flavor. If you like yours more on the dryer side add more cornflakes and less water.

(And yes I know these pictures suck. Thanks phone.)

Cap'N Crunch French Toast

2011-04-06T18:33:00.001-06:00

This is a delicious way to use Cap'N Crunch Cereal. Scotty LOVES Cap'N Crunch, so when I surprised him with this for breakfast yesterday I totally scored major points. Here's what you'll need:

3 Cups of Cap'N Crunch Cereal

8 pieces of bread (I used a Cinnamon burst loaf from the bakery, but plain ol white bread would work just great.)

4 eggs

3 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup milk

Crush the cereal into a cornmeal consistancy. I used a food processor.

Pour the cereal into a bowl or a dish whide enough to fit the pieces of bread.

Mix the eggs, cream, milk, cinnamon, and sugar together and place that mixture in a like container.

Soak the bread in the egg mixture on both sides. Allowing the excess to drip off. Then move to the cereal pushing firmly so that the whole piece is coated with cereal. Do this on both sides of the bread.

Place the coated pieces of bread on a greased skillet or pan over medium heat. Allow to cook until the cereal is slightly carmelized. This takes about 3-4 minutes on each side.

As mine were frying I made some whipped cream. (Homemade whipped cream is seriously delicious!) Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of whipping cream

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Combine all the ingredients in a stand alone mixer. Mix on high until mixture is firm and peaks form. (

Top the french toast with a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream. (And syrup if you like) and wallah: instant awesome wife points.

If you have another type of cereal that you like I'm sure it would work just fine to substitute out the Cap'N Crunch. But in our house we've only tried it with Cap'N Crunch. Also if you don't have cream, add more milk and forget about the whipped cream. Just serve with syrup. Enjoy!

Spring Break in Escalante

2011-04-05T01:49:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago Scotty and I packed up the babes and headed to Escalante. My mom had Spring Break for a week so we all decided to meet up there. I love Escalante. And I had a blast, but this was the first trip (other than when we were there for the funeral.) where my Grandma Betty wasn't there. It was hard. Everyday while we were there and driving down Main Street I had the urge to turn off and drive to her house. I had to keep reminding myself that she wasn't there, and had to get control of myself over and over. But it was still a wonderful trip. We stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa Roundy. I love their house. They have tons of property and its just gorgeous. Jaxon and I met my mom there last year for her Spring Break too. This year I am so grateful that Scotty was able to come. It's just not the same without him. Plus with an extra baby this time around it was very helpful :)

Chloe and I enjoying our vacation:

Grandma Peterson and Chloe:

My sweet baby boy:

Jaxon playing some tunes with Grandma:

I love the look on his face here. He loves Grandma!

Playing outside on the deck:

My little buddy:

Me. Jaxon. My momma Michelle.

4 wheelin'

Gorgeous views:

Scotty and I made a little friend:

My guys:

My momma and I at Kiva Koffeehouse. The best place for breakfast if you ask me. You CAN'T beat the views!

Jaxon waiting for his breakfast:

Jaxon being a sweet older brother. He's always so concerned about Chloe.

Jaxon with Grandma:

Having fun at the Indian Museum in Boulder:

With Daddy. Playing in an Indian house:

Playing on the bridge at Calf Creek:

Chloe just hanging out with Momma:

Dippin his feet in the creek:

4 Generations. My Grandma Roundy. My Momma. Me & Chloe:

Grandma and Grandpa Roundy with Jaxon and Chloe:

We had a wonderful vacation. It was over way too fast. Thanks momma! I miss you already. And Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for always being so hospitable! You're the best.

Girls Night In

2011-03-29T03:22:00.000-06:00

My sweet friend Dari's maternity leave was up this week; so before she had to go back to work we decided to have a Girls Night In at my place a couple Friday's back. It was a blast. We ate lots of yummy food, hung out in our PJ's, watched movies, gossiped, chatted, waxed and played. Thanks to all who came! Here are a few pictures of the night:

Somehow Jax got his shirt off and was a big flirt.

Meagan, Dari, Brittney, Nichole and Evie.

Jen and I.

Zuleika and Ashley.

Me and Jax (still without his shirt)

Zuleika, Nichole, Evie & Dari.

Meagan, Ashley, Brittney (&Owen) & Melissa.

Meagan and I.

My sweet baby Chloe.

No Girls Night is complete without yummy treats. I made these Mint Fudge Brownie Parfaits, and Dari made those delicious Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes with Marshmallow Peanut Butter Frosting that I blogged about a while back. Mmm Mmm Good.

Thanks again to all the ladies for coming out. We really need to do this more often. Cheryl, Meagan and I have been having our own mini girls night every Friday since. So if you're ever free on Friday night come stop by. We'll be in our jammies. 'Watching movies' (or so we say, but really we just chat and watch hilarious YouTube videos.)

Hope all went well for you Dari at your first day back to work :(

Annual Basketball Tournament

2011-03-14T03:43:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year again. The good ol Utah Divison 1A Basketball Tournament. We got back from Richfield last Sunday and we had a blast. I look forward to this trip every year. Yes, it may be funny to you that we go to this, considering the team we root for didn't even make the tournament the last 2 years. But hey, it's tradition and I love any excuse to get together with family. And really, a weekend full of basketball games? Count me in! Last year Scotty couldn't get off work, so I was very happy that he could this year. Especially as the weekend went on, I was so grateful he was there. I couldn't have handled both kiddos on my own. Cammy's girlfriend Hadley drove down with us which was way fun as well. Jaxon loved her sitting next to him on the drive. The watched Glee and Jaxon loved all the songs!

Before the trip I was worried about how Jaxon would do. He went last year but he was just a few months old and took nice long naps then. But he did great. They both did. Chloe was a doll and totally happy the ENTIRE time. I don't think she made a peep during any game. My Dad and my Uncle kept commenting on what good kids we had. And we really do. Jaxon had a blast playing with his uncles and wore himself out. We even were able to get him down for a nap in the noisey stadium each day. Saturday night we all went swimming. It was Chloe's first time. We weren't prepared as we thought the hotel wouldn't have an indoor pool so we had to go searching for suits. And lets just say that the selection isn't very big in Richfield. But we made do. At first Chloe wasn't too sure about the pool, but after about 15 sec she got used to it and she was having a good time.

Sadly we didn't make any money on the games this year. Scotty, Hadley and I were the ONLY ones who didn't win at all. Lame. Next year the 3 of us are taking the pot EVERY game! Regardless we still had a wonderful time!

Dad, Jayce, Carson & Cammy:

Jaxon and Daddy taking a little nap:

Chloe just chillin with Hadley:

Jaxon with his Uncle Carson and Uncle Jayce:

Jaxon found Grandpa Alvey's M&M's:

Carson and Jaxon:

Cammy and Hadley playing with Jax:

Scotty and I watching the games:

Jayce and Cameron with some of their winnings:

"Where's Hadleys mouth?"

Playing with Grandpa and uncle Jayce:

Hanging out with Grandpa:

All the guys (&Chloe):

All tuckered out. Taking a nap at the stadium:

Looking for swimsuits. Is this not the cutest thing ever? And I just turned around and saw this, it was not initiated by me at all. He loves his baby sister.

Baby Chloe not to sure about the pool:

Jaxon, hanging with the boys:

Sweet baby Chloe:

Uncle Carson loves Chloe:

Daddy and Jaxon:

Pool time:

Uncle Cammy loves Chloe too:

Chloe getting toasty after swimming:

Jaxon warming up his toes in the hot tub:

We had such a great time! Thanks Dad! And Cammy, Carson and Jayce! We loved seeing you guys. And thanks Hadley for driving down with us. Can't wait till next year.

I love me some cereal!

2011-03-08T00:30:00.002-07:00

It's true. I love cereal. I always have. Growing up I remember having a bowl almost every night with my brother Carson. It was our favorite snack. Over the years I forgot about my love for cereal. I mean I still had it now and then but not nearly as much. Then I got pregnant with Jaxon and I remembered how yummy it was. Oh and the fact that I was pregnant and the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Cereal was a great go to meal! Nowadays I have it almost every morning. And Jaxon loves to snack on it. This is a picture of the cereal in our pantry right now.

Holy Cow. We have a ton! I do eat cereal and milk alot, but I also love to make other things with cereal. Treats are wonderful when made from cereal. But I also enjoy a good savory meal with the use of cereal. I love experimenting with cereal recipes. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. So I've decided to do a series of posts over the next couple weeks, with my favorite cereal recipes. Tonight I made Cornflake breaded chicken strips, so I will start with that recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

1-1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast strips.
(You can use reg chicken breasts if you'd prefer.)
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk3/4 cup flour
5 cups cornflakes
3 tsp seasoning salt
2 tsp Bon Appetit Seasoning

(by McCormick. It's a fav of mine. But you can use any type of poultry seasoning depending on the taste you want.)
2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

You can either bake these or fry them. I like to bake them for the healthier option, plus while they bake it give me time to prepare the rest of dinner.

So if you are going to bake them preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the CornFlakes into a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Normally I use a food precessor which is way faster! So if you want to go that route, please do. You want them to get to a cornmeal consistency.

Once crushed, mix in 1/2 cup flour, seasoning salt, bon appetit seasoning and pepper. If you used a food precessor to crush the cornflakes you can add the dry ingredients right in to mix.

In a seperate bowl mix the eggs, 1/4 cup of flour, the milk and a dash of salt and pepper. Then, piece by piece dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Let it drip off a bit and then coat with the cornflake mixture.

I like to push the chicken down firmly into the mixture to get a good coating. Also make sure the sides are covered.

Place coated chicken onto a baking pan or stone and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the center of the oven for about 30 min. Until they are golden brown and cooked all the way through.

Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

My lovely ladies.

2011-03-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Have I told you that I have the best girlfriends ever? I really do. I heart them. We have so much fun together. Last month we went out for my birthday and had a blast. We had dinner at Ichiban and then went over to The Metro for some dancing. It was a wonderful evening! Thanks ladies!

Meagan, Nicole and Whitney at dinner:

Dari & I at dinner:

About time to get on the dance floor:

Whitney loves dancing for me. (or on me in this case)

Dari, taking her dancing very seriously.

Yeah! Work it girl:

Happy Birthday to ME!

Such a fun night!

About a week later it was time for Book Club! Yeah!!! I hosted this past month and as always it was a splendid evening. Can't wait for our next meeting!

Dari and Jeanette:

Jaxon, with his Aunt Cheryl and Aunt Whitney:

Pistol Whit and Big Sis:

Thanks ladies for always insuring a wonderful time. I love any excuse to get with my girls. xoxo

Diet? What's that?

2011-03-03T23:43:00.002-07:00

Non existant around here thats for sure. Again this is a delightful recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I made these for Valentines Day and then again for my Book Club later that same week. I topped mine with a chocolate covered strawberry to make the perfect Valentines Day treat.

Here's what you'll need:

Box of family size brownie mix, plus ingredients to make them according to cake-like brownie directions (this usually just requires the addition of an extra egg)

1 bag (8.6 oz) Hershey Bliss White Chocolate Meltaways

1 stick salted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 and line 17 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

Make brownie mix according to directions for cake-like brownies and fill prepared muffin cups 1/3 full. You should get about 15-18 brownies.

Unwrap Hershey candies and gently push one into each brownie until it is level with the batter.

Bake 20 minutes or so, until brownies bounce back when lightly touched.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. While cooling, prepare frosting.

I bought extra Bliss chocolates and melted them down to top off the strawberries.

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave remaining Hershey candies (you should have at least 12) for about a minute, stopping to stir every 10 seconds until completely melted. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream on medium low speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium until smooth. Add cooled white chocolate and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.

Frost cooled cupcakes.

My finished product:

I thought these were very tasty. And I think that you should make them too :)

German Chocolate Muffins

2011-03-03T23:24:00.002-07:00

Recipe and above picture courtesy of this awesome lady.

Have I mentioned that I am obbsessed with Confessions of a Cookbook Queen? One day I will get around to posting more of my recipes, but here's are just so fun I have to let you all know about them! These muffins are pretty dang scrumptious. I will not admit how many I ate. But I'm sure by anyones standards it was way too many. I made these about a week and a half ago and Scotty was sure happy that I surprised him with breakfast that day. Here's what you'll need:

1 box (18.25 oz) Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake Mix
Small box (3.9 oz) instant pudding, chocolate
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 TBS butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 and line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

In a medium sized bowl, prepare the topping. Combine flour, both sugars, coconut and pecans. Add cold butter and combine.

I used my hands and mixed until mixture resembles coarse sand and sticks together when you grab a fistful.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed until just combined and stop to scrape down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium-low and mix for a minute until well combined.

Spoon batter into cups, filling about 1/3 of the way full. Top very generously with crumb topping. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When I went to the store to buy ingredients the store I was at didn't have German Chocolate cake mix. I didn't want to go to another store (as it was 2am) so I settled for Swiss Chocolate cake mix. It was still very yummy. The topping is heaven. I could eat that all day long! (It's healthy right?) The recipe states it will make 24 muffins but I made about 30 and many of mine were over-filled. So be sure to only fill 1/3 of the way up with the batter. And you could easily make 3 dozen of these with this recipe.

These muffins seriously are delicious. I am already planning on making them again very soon! (and maybe I'll double the topping...maybe...)

Valentines Day at the VanDeWater's...

2011-02-15T01:27:00.001-07:00

Today was a wonderful day. It was by far my favorite Valentines Day ever! We started out the day with a delicious breakfast. I made pink heart pancakes (the kind my momma always made) and cheesey bacon eggs.

Oh and a few chocolate covered strawberries.

After we ate we gave the kids their gifts. Jaxon got a ride-on fire truck, a Jazz suit, some clothes, a book and some goodies. Chloe got a pink and red sock monkey, a book, a few little toys and a bunch of little clothes. Then we gave each other gifts. Scotty got Jazz tickets! A new hat, a gift card to GameStop, a gift card to ColdStone and lots of treats. And Scotty surprised me with a new Hobo wallet! Beautiful flowers and tons of goodies. I'd say we all got pretty spoiled.

Chloe watching as Daddy opened her gifts for her.

Jaxon was pretty stoked.

My little Chick Magnet.

The boys with their loot:

The gals:

Gorgeous flowers:

Some of our Valentines decor:

After playing for a while Scotty and I headed out for a lovely afternoon date. My awesome MIL babysat for us so we could have some time just for the 2 of us. Scotty made reservations for us at Tuscanos and it was delicious! I love that place. It was all fancy for Valentines day and they even gave us chocolate covered strawberries and roses as we left. After stuffing ourselves at lunch we went to a movie. We went and saw Just Go With It. It had bad reviews, so maybe it was because I wasn't expecting much, but I thought it was cute. It was so nice to get out and spend the day with Scotty. I love that man. So thanks Karen! After we got home we just hung out with the kids. We spent the evening playing with Jaxon's toys, eating pizza, and singing to Glee. It was a wonderful day and I love my 3 Valentines so much! I sure am a lucky girl.

We finished the night off with these delicious goodies. (And don't worry, the recipe for these will be up shortly.)

We also had some cute pictures taken of Jaxon and Chloe a few weeks ago. Sarah did an awesome job and put together these cute bookmarks. We sent them to out to Jaxon and Chloe's Valentines (aka family and friends). Aren't they adorable?

I hope you all had a wonderful day with your loves.

Can you say delicious?

2011-02-07T00:25:00.002-07:00

This photo and recipe courtesy of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

Are you ready for your mouth to water? I hope so, because these cupcakes will do just that. I saw this recipe on a blog I follow and just had to try it out. My husband LOVES Cap'n Crunch cereal and he LOVES peanut butter. They are two of his top favorite foods. Plus he has a major sweet tooth so I figured I really couldn't go wrong with this recipe. We were at the market together while I was buying the ingredients I needed and wouldn't tell him what I was going to make. I just told him it was going to be a delicious surprise just for him. He was thrown by the different ingredients. He thought it was going to be popcorn balls, and to be honest, I'm sure that Cap'n Crunch, Peanut Butter, Marshmallow Popcorn balls would be off the hook. (Another time for sure.) I decided to make them on Saturday so he would have a sweet surprise after a long day of work. And he pretty much loved them. I totally scored some points with this one. So here's the recipe (and some pics of my adventure...)

For the cake batter:

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix

1 cup buttermilk

4 large eggs

1/3 cup oil

4 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal, plus more for garnish

For the frosting:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

7 oz jar marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with baking cups and set aside.

Using a food processor or a large Ziploc bag and rolling pin, crush 2 cups of the cereal very finely (to a cornmeal consistency)

In the bowl of a mixer, add the cake mix, crushed cereal, buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Beat on low speed about one minute, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.

Fold other 2 cups of uncrushed cereal into the batter.

Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool on cooling racks.

*What is that nifty contraption you ask? My sweet mother surprised me with it a while back. It creates the hole for the filling in the cupcake as it bakes. It is pretty rad!

Now time to make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 2 sticks of butter, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla on medium low speed until well blended.

Slowly add powdered sugar and beat on low until just barely blended. Increase speed until medium and beat for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Fold in Marshmallow Creme, not fully combining to allow for a swirl of marshmallow throughout.

Frost cupcakes generously and add a sprinkle of cereal to the top.

Aren't they so pretty? This frosting seriously rocks. I will be using it again for many things. I liked the cupcakes, but if I were going to make them again I would crush up all of the cereal. The uncrushed pieces just turned chewy and I would of rather done without them while I devoured my cupcake. But even that being said I thought this recipe was fabulous and so did Scotty. He LOVED them. Oh and did I mention that (my little helper) Jaxon totally devoured one as well? He told me (through smiles and mumbling) that it was fantastic.

Happy Baking!

Little Miss Chloe

2011-01-25T16:48:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it's been over 9 weeks since little Miss Chloe's arrival! She is doing great and we sure do love her. She is such a good baby (99% of the time). She's a good sleeper, a great eater and is growing everyday. She's becoming more alert and smiling more. I love when she 'talks' to us and when she has a little giggle. She pretty much melts my heart over and over each day.

She recently had her 2 month check up and she is doing fantastic. It was so sad to see her get shots. (One of the worst things about being a parent!) But she was totally fine about a minute later. At her 2 week appt she was still such a little thing it was crazy to see the difference the last 6 weeks have made. Here are her stats:

At her 2 week check up:

Weight: 6 lbs 6 oz 5th percentile
Length: 20 inches 38th percentile
Head Cir: 13.75 inches 25th percentile

At her 2 month check up:

Weight: 10 lbs 14 oz 45th percentile
Length: 23 inches 70th percentile
Head Cir: 15.5 inches 63rd percentile

Keep up the good work Chloe! Love you babydoll.

What's for dinner? Chili!

2011-01-24T15:04:00.002-07:00

Southwestern Chicken Chili that is!

I've had a number of people ask for this recipe, and I've been a slacker at getting it to them. So I figured I would post it here. Warning: It is really simple. And it is really delicious!

Ingredients:
2 (12.5 oz) cans of Chicken. I like Costco's Kirkland Signature myself, but any will do
2 cans of petite cut tomatos
1 can of corn
1 can of Pinto Beans drained and rinsed
1 can of Black Beans drained and rinsed
1 can of Green Chilies
1-2 cups of your favorite Salsa depending on taste
1/2 - 1 packet of Taco Seasoning depending on taste
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix
1/2 of one Onion chopped optional
Sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips to garnish

Note: My husband hates chunks of tomatoes so I purree them before adding them to the Chili. He also really likes onions, so I add the chopped onion for him sometimes. He prefers it with the onion and I'm still undecided. I think it's just as good without.

I make this in a Crock Pot. (One of the best inventions ever!)

Start by chopping the onion (if you are using one).

Add it to the crock pot with the chicken and the green chilies. You can also make this with fresh chicken breast. When I do this, I cook the chicken, green chilies and onion on low for 4 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked. Then shred the chicken and add the rest of the ingredients.

Drain and rinse the beans and add everything into the crock pot.

Allow to cook for 3-4 hours on low.

I like to top mine with sour cream, a little cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Serve with Cornbread for best results :) I like to break up my cornbread and put it right in the chili. It is most delicious this way.

Enjoy!

Feel free to mix it up with the ingredients. Its hard to mess up this recipe. So don't worry about being too specific. If you try it, let me know what you guys think!

Days of Amanda: Fail

2011-01-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

So this 'project' has taken me longer than expected and I am going to be a quitter. I haven't posted for over a week. And Day 14 is pictures that I love. Well look at Day 5. That's pretty much the same. And Day 15 is the house of my dreams. And I never was one to have my 'perfect' house all picked out. There are certain things that I want in a house eventually, but I don't know what my idea of the perfect house is yet. When I find it, you'll know.

So I'm moving on...

Back to regualr blogging. Thanks for viewing. It's been real.

Day 13: Goals

2011-01-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

What a perfect time of year to write about my goals. Last year I posted a few things that I wanted to work on. Now a year later I'd like to go back and see how I'm doing:

Sell our house. DONE! Finally after almost a year and a half on the market, the sale was final in November!
Move to Orem. DONE! We moved down here at the begining of April. Although I really miss Salt Lake and living downtown, I am loving it here.
Scotty to be transferred to the American Fork Five Guys that is opening in March/April. NOT YET. We are hoping for this one in the next couple of months. It's only opening close to a year after it was first anticipated.
Pay off the Audi. NOT YET. We are working on it. But we've only had the car a little over a year so we have time....
Quit my job for good and stay home with Jaxon. DONE! As of May 1st, I have been a stay at home mom. (and now not only to Jaxon but to Chloe too!)
Cook more often. DONE! I'm like Rachael Ray lately. Go me. Its amazing how much money we save by just staying home and cooking.
Eat healthier. IN PROGRESS. I do have to say that we are doing a ton better. Especially now that Jaxon is a 'big boy eater' we really try to eat healthier.
Be better about taking my vitamins. DONE! I have gotten very good at this one. (Thanks prenatals!)
Workout more. NOPE. In my defense when I made this goal I didn't know I was going to be pregnant a month later. So no I didn't workout more in 2010. But it's a new year!
Read at least one book a month. DONE! Thanks Book Club! Thanks to my reading list I read: 17 books last year, not including the pregnancy and parenting books I read.
Join Junior League. NOPE. Haven't made any progress and now with 2 kids....who knows when I will
Complete more craft projects. DONE. Still not as crafty as I hope to one day be, but I have done alot this past year.
Take many many pictures of Jax as he grows. DONE. But I could always have more!
Blog more. FAIL. Last year I had 57 posts and in 2009 I had 64. Close...but still a fail.

All in all I think I had a pretty successful 2010.

And now my goals for 2011:

Shrink my uterus! (It hates me. 2 babies in a year. Rightfully so.)
Shrink everything else! Ha. My bike (that Scotty bought me after I had Jaxon) is out and ready to be put back into use.
Continue to read. Book club makes a big difference. And really its a good excuse to make sure I see those fabulous ladies at least once every month!
Be better at keeping a clean house. I hate feeling embarrassed when an unexpected guest stops by
Take a cooking class. I think this would be so much fun and I've talked about doing it forever. Anyone wanna so it with me?
Get out more. Once the weather warms up, I want to be better about taking the kids for walks and enjoying the beautiful state of Utah.
Make sure I take tons of pictures of the babes and blog more about their growth and development.

Day 12: I believe...

2011-01-12T01:01:00.001-07:00

I believe in God.
I believe that he has a plan for each of us.
I believe that families can be together forever.
I believe that your family should be your best friends.
I believe that my mom's hug and kiss can make any day better.
I believe that I am a better person because of my family.
I believe in karma.
I believe that if you have a positive outlook on life you will be happy.
I believe in seeing the glass half full.
I believe that sometimes you just have to trust people.
I believe that in order to have good friends you first need to be a good friend.
I believe in hugs.
I believe that shopping can make you feel better when you're a little down.
I believe in wishing on shooting stars.
I believe in taking tons of pictures.
I believe in laughing so hard that it hurts.
I believe that my husband is my best friend.
I believe that I have surrounded myself with amazing people.
I believe in setting goals.
I believe in making lists.
I believe that if you make a mistake, you can start over tomorrow.
I believe in forgiveness.
I believe in prayers.
I believe in my family.
I believe in my friends and
I believe in MYSELF!

Day 11: Travel

2011-01-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

A place that I have traveled too.

This was a hard one for me. I couldn't decide what beautiful place to post about. But I finally decided to post about Seattle. My good friend Nicole was living there a while back so I went out to visit her for her birthday in October of 2008. I loved it. I love the weather there. The atmosphere. The people. The social scene. The music scene. The food. Pikes Market. Everything. I would love to live there (or somewhere real close) one day. Here are a few pics of my trip there:

Day 10: Affraid

2011-01-10T22:19:00.001-07:00

I am affraid that my breast feeding days might be coming to a close. And I know I wrote about how stessed breastfeeding makes me, I still really want to make it work. I couldn't with Jaxon, so this time around I was super happy that I was able to bf Chloe. (And then I go and write about how stressfull is is and I totally jinx myself.) Since I posted that my supply has gone way down and in turn Chloe needs more and more. This is so hard!I feel like I have tried everything. I have been taking Fenugreek, 3 at a time, 3 times a day! Along with More Milk Drops 3 times a day. I have done it all. I met with a Lactaion specialist. I got a hospital grade pump. I have tried different holdings, compressing, massaging. I drink water all day long. I eat certain foods that are said to help with it. and on and on. I don't know what else to do. As of now Chloe is getting about 1/4th of her milk from me. And rest is formula. My lactation specialist made no improvement and reffered me to my doctor for a prescription. So last week I met with him and went over my concerns. He said he would give me reglan, but told me not to get my hopes up. He said "If the Nipple Nazi's can't help you. Then theres not much left you can do.' (speaking about the lactation specialists) But I'm still determined and requested a prescription and filled it right away. And maybe it's helped a little. And I say maybe, because the difference is so minimal that its hard to tell if there is a difference at all. The side effects of reglan are horrible though. Lucky I didn't get them all. But the headaches! Damn. Those I am not fond of.

So I am trying. Really trying. Anyone have some awesome cure for low milk supply? Anything else I should be doing? Because I am so frustrated and I am trying, really trying to be able to do this for my daughter. Advise would be greatly appreciated! help...

I really wanna be able to do this for this little angel:

Day 9: iPod

2011-01-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, here are the first 10 songs that came up when I put my iPod on shuffle:

1. Funeral for a Friend: Drive
2. Pierce the Veil: The Balcony Scene
3. Elton John: Honky Cat
4. Matisyahu: Time of Your Song
5. Matchbook Romance: Surrender
6. Huey Lewis and the News: Doing it all for my Baby
7. Attack! Attack!: Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3
8. Trojan: Kill me now
9. Thrice: All that's left
10. All Time Low: Let it Roll

So crazy. 3 of my all time favorite bands in that line up (Matchbook Romance, Thrice & FFAF). That never happens. Usually when I put it on shuffle I just get tons and tons of metal songs thanks to my lover. And Trojan! Totally takes me back to when I went to like every local show here in the good ol UV.