Once Upon a Time

Sir William off to fight the dragons

Princess Marie, "Someday my prince will come."

Apparently she had a different prince in mind.

Halloween Flashback

Our first Halloween as a married couple do you want to know what Brandon and I did? Nothing. We didn't even buy candy. Or pumpkins. Trick-or-treaters came to our door and all I had for them was Nature Valley granola bars that were, like, a year old. And if I'd known they were trick-or-treaters I wouldn't have even answered the door because I knew I didn't have any candy. It wasn't like we were consciously ignoring Halloween, we just didn't think about it.

The next year we semi-dressed up because we had a birthing class that night and our instructor threatened the class with old costumes from her dog if we didn't come in something. We went to WalMart and each found something under $5. Oh, and we bought some candy, since we were all out of those delicious granola bars.

Halloween #3. William's first Halloween. I'm not sure what came over me. We bought candy. We bought pumpkins. I even planned a Halloween concert for my K-2 kids. William was a sheep. I was Little Bo Peep. We had a grand time.

That was the beginning of the end for me, in regards to Halloween Scrooge-ness.

Last year I started planning William and Marie's costumes around the time I found out that Marie was going to be a girl, and that was in May. This year's costumes have been planned since last November 1st. We carve pumpkins now too. And, of course, we buy candy.

And I can't wait to get the kids in their costumes and take pictures tonight. If it is anything like last Halloween William will be a mess. A colossal temper tantrum will ensue right as we pull out the camera and ask him to say, "cheese." Heck, if it is anything like this morning when I needed to try on a piece of his costume, it is going to be dreadful. Kids. Who told them they could have opinions? Oh, and Marie decided to keep up with the tradition of Halloween injuries. Last year William provided her with a lovely gash on her forehead. This year she got in a fight with the stairs and lost. Her nose has a battle scar.

Whatever the case, I have begun to love Halloween. Temper tantrums, scratches, and all. Thanks to my kids. About three more hours and the fun begins!

Giving credit where credit is due.

In my excitement to post the dinosaur egg pictures I totally forgot to credit my dear friend AmyLiz for the idea. Thanks, AmyLiz!

The Making of the Dinosaur Egg

Day One:

Day Two:

I am thinking that after Halloween we will fill it up with all of William's candy and play pinata.

Get your motor running.

Moving Forward

Two kids in "real" car seats. Man. Am I old enough for this?

P.S. If you need baby gear check out www.albeebaby.com. Fabulous prices and reasonable shipping usually makes it cheaper than you can find at a local store. And no, they aren't giving me anything for this little commercial. Just looking out for my peeps.

It's always fun for everyone when Grandpa comes.

Four!

There is this post that has been floating around the world of blogging. The blogger is supposed to post their fourth picture from their fourth photo file. Without going into a lot of detail about why, that is a complicated request for me, based on how I organize my picures. So, here are a few "fourth pictures." I don't know which one would actually qualify as THE fourth picture. And no, it isn't because I don't know how to count.

June 2004 -- Meeting my niece Kaitlyn Rose

Spring 2005
Kind of boring. I took this picture to show my mom the headboard I had made. Do you love the cinderblock walls? This was our first apartment. We lived in married on-campus housing. Lovely.

Spring 2006 -- Logan Temple

Easter 2007

God Bless America. Please!

The Making of the Dinosaur Mural

How cool is this?

Link.

Dinosaurs

Pictures of our dinosaur mural, complete with a playground (William insisted), and a paper mache dinosaur egg are coming soon. The egg is not part of the mural. They are separate. Just so you know.

Please don't be too impressed. Being all preschool teacher-like is totally a new thing for me.

Did you know...

...October is Dinosaur Month? Since William has absolutely fallen in love with this book that I got from the library I thought it would be perfect to do some activities focused around dinosaurs this week. Today he is going to color the letter D and a picture of a Dinosaur found here. Easy and low key. I like it that way.

Because I just can't help myself ... she is so cute!

Cousins.

This one's for you Grandma and Grandpa S. Marc might have one where William isn't picking Emma's ear, but who knows. He (William that is) seemed to have a fascination with it. And Marie would have nothing to do with life without a pacifier. Too many hours without a nap. Long story short, here are the grandchildren in true form. Emma sleeping. Marie sucking away. William being curious.

The socks ...

...don't you just love the socks?! Thank you Great-Grandma S.!

Rewards.

I have started to cut William's hair myself. It saves $10 a month but it adds a lot of stress to my life. First of all, I have never been taught how to cut hair. Second, I am a lot more critical of my own work than other peoples, in most areas of life. So I look at William every day and notice all the imperfections of his hair cut.

This morning we were heading out the door to Marie's 12-month doctor's visit. The sides had been driving me nuts so I trimmed them a bit. (He wasn't very happy about it. Recently he has decided that haircuts hurt. Hello, he has been getting haircuts for almost 2 years now. Silly boy.) Anyway, I finally gave up and decided to leave well enough alone.

When the doctor walked into the exam room he said, "Hey buddy. You must sit really still for your haircuts, that looks really good."

Ah, the rewards of motherhood.

And then I wonder. Hmmmm .... does the Doctor need glasses?

P.S. Marie's appointment went well. She is healthy and happy. She has a big head, like her brother. Her body is proportionate to it though, unlike her brother.

Edited to change picture. I realized that the first picture I had was deceiving. William's hair didn't look that bad!

William-ese

These conversations happen all day long around our house:

William: Guess what.
Mommy: What?
William: I love you.
Mommy: Oh, thank you.

William: Guess what.
Mommy: What?
William: I love you.
Mommy: I love you, too.
William: No, say "Oh, thank you."
Mommy: Oh, right. Oh, thank you.

William: Guess what.
Mommy: What?
William: You're cute.
Mommy: Oh, thank you.

William: Guess what, phone. Guess what, phone. Guess what, phone. (And yes, he will keep saying this until....)
Mommy or Daddy as Phone: What?
William: You're cute.
Mommy or Daddy as Phone: Oh, thank you.

Tonight:
Mommy: William, guess what.
William: No.
Mommy: I love you.
William: No, no say it.
Mommy: fake crying
William: turns around with a very concerned look on his face while Mommy is still "crying" What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying?
Daddy: Mommy's sad William. You didn't say what.
William: Guess what, Mommy.
Mommy: *sob* What?
William: I love you.
Mommy: Oh, thank you!
William: Daddy! I make Mommy happy! Mommy. No cry. Happy!

How can you not love this kid?

A Tag, in honor of my birthday girl

A few hours old

Three months old

Six months old

Nine months old

One year old

BABIES FULL NAME? Marie Noelle

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT SPECIFIC NAME? We want our kids to have family names so that limits our choices tremendously and also makes it a lot easier to name our children. Luckily there are family names we like. :) Anyway, Marie is Brandon's mom's middle name, my sister Sara's middle name, Brandon's grandma's name, and his great-grandma's name. Noelle is Brandon's sister's middle name. Also, his grandpa's name is Noel (pronounced Nole). You get the idea ... it's a family name.

WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? You betcha, for three years and 2 months.

WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? The first test that I took came back negative. We were shocked. We were 99.9% sure that I was pregnant. Then a negative. Shocked! So that night we talked ourselves into the idea that it was better that way. We would try again in a couple of months (We were trying to avoid another December baby), that would work out better, blah, blah, blah. However, I still thought I was pregnant and the next day I took another test. It came back positive. I knew it! We were both thrilled.

DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Oh yes. I am a planner. I am glad I am a mother now when I can find out the sex before the baby is born. Of course, now that we have one of each we are thinking that we want to be surprised with the next one.

DUE DATE? October 23rd.

DID YOU DELIVER EARLY OR LATE? 11 days early

DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not really. The only throwing up I did during the first trimester was because I got the stomach flu.

WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? "The most common thing that pregnant women crave is to not be pregnant."

WHO IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? I'm not really a hormonal pregnant woman. At the time my middle school students really irritated me, but that had nothing to do with me being pregnant.

DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS WITH YOUR PREGNANCY? Not with the pregnancy itself. I did get bronchitis during the second trimester. Let me tell you, that was miserable! I found a quote that perfectly described my situation ... "I cough, therefore I pee." Need I say more?

HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 4 hours.

WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Brandon. I had to be induced because my fluids were low. It was fun for us to drive calmly to the hospital knowing we would be coming home with our little girl.

WHO WAS IN THE DELIVERY ROOM? Brandon. Dr. J. Some nurses.

WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

DID YOU HAVE AN EPIDURAL? I did on my left side. My right side wasn't quite as cooperative.They started the epidural right after they broke my water. Bad idea. In 90 very intense and painful I progressed from a 5 to a 10. The anesthesiologist tried to get it working, but I just went too fast. The epidural couldn't keep up with my pain. After the delivery, however, I couldn't feel a darn thing.

HOW MUCH DID YOUR BABY WEIGH? She surprised us all and was super tiny. 6 pounds 1 ounce.

DID YOUR BABY HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS? She was perfect.

WHAT HOSPITAL DID YOU DELIVER AT? Wouldn't you like to know.

HOW OLD IS YOUR BABY NOW? ONE!

What happens in Rexburg stays in Rexburg...

...unless of course, you blog about it. 

Try it, you'll like it!

I have mentioned before that I think Rachael Ray's recipes are hit and miss. So I figure I will post the hits for others, so that you don't have to suffer the misses. I really do like Rachael Ray and not because she's trendy. If you use enough of her recipes you will notice that she has a small handful of tricks up her sleeves and just tweaks them here and there to create tons of different recipes. All you have to do is learn her tricks and you are set for a plethora of meal options. Anyway, here are some of our favorites.

Turkey Stuffin' Meatloaf
This meatloaf recipe has become the favorite in our household. So good. This is a rollover meal. Meaning.. you do most of the work one night and the next night you basically have everything ready for another meal. The other meal in this case is enchi-lasagna.

Enchi-lasagna
We just call them meatloaf enchiladas. Not so much into the cheesy recipe names. Anyway, this is so good. Don't shy away. It seemed kind of strange to me. The thought of meatloaf and mexican flavors together, a little weird. I dare you to try it. I bet you'll like it!

Turkey Sweet Potato Sheperd's Pie
This is a bit of a twist on a standard meal. The first time I made it both Brandon and I were a bit nervous about the sweet potatoes on top. Silly us. It was great! Just make sure you don't use too much banana. Yes, I did say banana. Don't turn you nose up quite yet. Seriously. Try it.

Turkey Florentine Meatball Heroes
This also includes a recipe for tomato and red onion salad. I have never made it. It might be good. Who knows.

OK, I am noticing a recurring theme of ground turkey. I didn't really mean to do it that way. I guess that is what I like.

White Bean, Chicken, and Poblano Chili
This is my favorite white bean chili recipe. Hands down. I did find that it was a bit skimpy on the chicken broth and used almost twice as much. Make sure that you have cilantro to garnish it. Delish!

Coconut Mango Chicken with Black Beans
This dinner has a very unique mix of sweet and salty flavors because it mixes the mango with the chicken. The black beans called for mint. I didn't use any. It was still quite tasty. If you are in the mood for something a little different, try this.

Turkey and Black Bean Tostadas
Love this simple recipe. It makes a great dinner and even better lunches. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more the flavors mix together. Yum!

Grilled Chicken Burritos with Mango Salsa
For the record, I have never tried the mango salsa. The burritos, on the other hand, are terrific. Make a double recipe. The leftovers are already wrapped in foil ready to be packed in hubby's lunch, or your lunch!

Niece

This is for all the family members that stalk my blog. :) I thought you might want to see a picture of the newest member of the S. family. I'll leave the details to a private e-mail or phone call. Mommy and baby are both doing well. I am excited to meet her on Sunday. Isn't she gorgeous?

The new me.

Man I hate self-potraits.

Birthday Bash

My chunky monkey that LOVES to eat was so not into the birthday cake thing. It was pretty boring, actually. Silly girl.

The presents, on the other hand, she couldn't get enough of! She loves her new doll. The rest of the toys, however, have been confiscated by William. When she is big enough to beat him up for them, I will let you know how she likes them.

Reminiscing...mostly for me...

Last year at this time I was thrilled because I was going to be induced on the 12th or 13th. I had been having some serious stress about what to do with William when I went into labor. We had only been living here for a few months and hadn't made any "call me anytime night or day" friends yet. Our closest family members live 1 hour 15 minutes from us. Not very assuring, since my labor with William was only 5 hours long. I suspected that this one would be shorter. So, when the doctor told me that my fluids were low, not dangerously low, just low enough that it would be safer to induce me, I was actually relieved. We called Brandon's sister and arranged for her to come stay with us when we went to the hospital and I was able to enjoy *cough, cough* the last few days of my pregnancy without stressing about William.

Cupcakes

(click on picture for Betty Crocker's recipe, click here for the recipe I used)

Aren't these adorable? Perhaps if you are my age, you remember having these as a child because according to cakespy, they were a major trend in the 80s. Whatever the case I thought they would be a fabulous addition to Marie's birthday party this past Saturday. They were. Even though I filled each cone a bit too much and they came out of the oven looking like this ...


Lovely, ain't it? Oh well. With some funky colored buttercream frosting slapped on them, they were delicious.

More to Come

We had a birthday bash for our sweet Marie this weekend. I was a bit preoccupied. I forgot to get a picture of my hair. For now, this will have to do. That is, if you can take your eyes off that adorable one-year-old long enough to look at me. If you can't, I don't blame you.

So, guess what ...

... I cut my hair. It's short, well, shorter than it was. Duh. I'm still getting used to it. Pictures to come.

Marriage

Come November I am going to wish I was still registered to vote in California because if I were I would be one more voice in support of Proposition 8. Have you heard about this?

The information below can also be found here

• The Issue
  California voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman. Earlier this year, four activist judges based in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriage.
• The Consequences
  The Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters; it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision. This decision has far-reaching consequences. For example, because public schools are already required to teach the role of marriage in society as part of the curriculum, schools will now be required to teach students that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, starting with kindergarteners. By saying that a marriage is between “any two persons” rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of “marriage.” This undermines the value of marriage altogether at a time when we should be restoring marriage, not undermining it.
• The Solution
  Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.
  
  Passing Proposition 8 protects our children and places into the Constitution the simple definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman.

Go here to see what I believe regarding family.

Go here to voice your support of Proposition 8, whether you live in California or not!

This is a very serious battle of good vs. evil. The outcome will affect the nation, not just California. Please pray for the success of Prop 8...in a very real sense, "as California goes, so goes the nation..." Pray also for the success of the Arizona and Florida ballot initiatives to preserve traditional marriage. I can assure you that I will be.

Inspiration

Remember when I was trying to come up with ideas about how to paint William's room?

I was just talking to a friend today about how I am really good at copying other people's ideas. Making up my own? Not so much.

That being said, this is what I am copying for William's room. The paint that is. Except that the background color is going to be yellow instead of white. And I will probably use some kind of technique like sponging on each of the colors just to add a bit of texture to the room.

I am thinking that maybe after the holidays this will go on the to-do list.

A home improvement project will definitely help me through the January blahs.