I call Airhead

The other morning I went out to the car to run errands and such and this is what I found....



This may come as a shock but typically I'm the airhead in our marriage. Like I said, shocking, I know.....This particular morning was a welcome change.

I guess Ryan had decided to stop and get milk when he had run out the night before. I really appreciated the gesture, but even more than that I really, really, REALLY appreciate the fact that he left it in the car. At least now I have something to give him a hard time about for the next however long.

I'm constantly doing things like this and he always gives me a hard time, but the opportunity to reciprocate is few and far between so I take whatever I get.

The funny thing is that I set the full gallon next to the trash can so that it wouldn't leak and when he came home he didn't know why it hadn't been opened and was sitting by the trash. He said he was about to say something to me about wasting milk when he realized that he hadn't brought it in the night before.

Some days life is great.....well, most days it is and occasionally there is a moment of hilarity that makes it even better.

This one is all me

I'm constantly telling everyone that Madison is Ryan's child. She is so much like her daddy it is not even funny. She so rarely exhibits any traits of mine, which isn't all bad, but Ryan as a child was a handful. I'm always hearing stories about how he was a little monster, sweet-hearted, but a monster. That is our little Madison.

I suppose that is why yesterday caught me by such surprise. Madison and I have made a deal, if she practices her piano lessons she is allowed to play on the computer for about 20 minutes. She LOVES computer time, it's the only thing I can threaten her with and get her to obey with no arguments.



Anyway, so she practiced her lessons yesterday and then went into the office for computer time. She likes to turn the light off and close the door, she thinks I don't know that she just watches the videos on disney.com. I let her get away with it because I need one portion of my day where I get a break from getting after her. I don't care at all, even though we have a no TV rule during the week. It works for both of us.

A little background on our floor plan of the house is needed at this stage. The office door opens into the great room. You can see back and forth into each of the rooms when the door is open. They are THAT close.

So, she's doing her computer time and I'm in the great room with Hunter and Presley and all of a sudden my phone rings. I see Ryan's name pop up on my caller ID and answer it expecting to hear him. This is what I hear:

Madison: "Mommy, is computer time over yet?"

Me (A): "Madison, is that you?" At this point I'm trying to remember if Ryan came home and I didn't remember that. I hadn't placed that the home number is under his contact in my phone.

M: "Yes, is computer time over yet?"

A: "Madison, why are you calling me?"

M: "I didn't want to get up."

At this point I completely lost it, I was laughing so hard I was crying.

A: "Madison, I'm just in the other room."

M: "I know, but I didn't want to get up. I didn't want the instructions to my game to keep playing. Is computer time over yet?"

A: "Why?"

M: "I want to start a new game."

A: "5 more minutes, finish your game and don't start another one."

M: "Okay, thank you mommy."

Seriously, I was dying. I called Ryan right away to relay the conversation to him, we were dying.

Many of you, especially those who have not spent a great amount of time in our house, are probably wondering where she ever got the idea to call me from. Well, I will 'fess up and admit that she got it from me. I was talking to her later in the day and asked her why she called me and she said, "remember when we were upstairs in your room and you called daddy to get you something?" All I could think is: "No, Madison, I don't remember that particular instance. I call your daddy for a LOT of reasons. I can't remember them all."

One of the reason's I love Ryan so much is because at the end of the day when I'm exhausted, or pregnant, or sick, or any combination of those, or even if I just feel lazy and don't want to get up, I can call him when he is downstairs and he will get me whatever I need. If he did that to me I would tell him to get his own dang whatever, but he is so willing to be helpful. Apparently Madison thinks she can do this now.

The only positive out of this experience, other than the comedy factor, is that I am now sure she knows my cell number. Every now and then I would quiz her to make sure she knows both of our numbers but I was never really sure if she would be able to recall them if she needed to.

I'm still laughing now......You never really know what will rub off on your kids.

Catching up with Presley Anne

I have come to call this little one Presley Anne most of the time. She fits that name perfectly. I got some great pictures of her over the last few days.

This morning I got her giving me a half smile. She was just staring off into space and smiling at nothing. I can't believe I got it on camera, but she is going to have a fantastic smile. Every now and then she will give me a 100%, full-out smile. It has me wrapped around her little finger already.



Seconds later she started crying. I have this saying that it's not really a cry until her lip starts quivering. It is so sad to hear the little babies cry like that! She rarely gets to that point, I can't stand little babies crying. I'm a sucker for newborns.

Apparently Hunter feels the same way, when she started crying he looked at me and said "Baby Presley crying" and then gave her a kiss. It was one of the few times where she stopped crying when one of her siblings got close to her. It was so sweet!

BTW, do you love Hunter's outfit? It was hilarious, I was sorting laundry and he grabbed Madison's nightgown and put it on all by himself. He put it on backwards and inside out, but he didn't care. He would NOT let me take it off, I finally got it off of him a few hours later when it was nap time. He was fussing so much over naptime he hardly realized I got it off.

The other night when I was making bread she didn't want to be in her bouncy chair anymore so we got out her Bumbo chair and put her on the counter right by us. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but we got about 10 minutes of fuss-free time to finish up what we were doing. It worked out perfect.

Now that I know she will chill out there I have a feeling I will be putting her there more often.

This is how she hangs out with us most nights. When we sit in bed and read or watch TV we wrap her up and put her in this pillow I have that has no "kooshie-ness" to it (Ryan calls it my handicap pillow, it's made to help with neck pain so it has a cutout in the center that keeps her from being able to roll out of it). She goes to sleep for a bit before her last feeding of the day and bedtime. She looks so cute with her little arms in the air and all wrapped up.

Ryan's mom got the kids their own John Deere to play with at her house. Considering she lives on a farm it's perfect for them! Hunter liked it, he can't wait for the pedals to be fixed so he can actually get around without someone pushing him. I had to snap this picture to prove that he does get some "boy" toy time. Considering he thinks he's a girl, he really does love "boy" toys.

Looks like he'll have to give up trying to drive Papa's John Deere.

I'm finally figuring it out

I have finally figured out my wheat grinder, the intricacies of yeast, and my kitchen aide. This is my result. Yummy whole wheat bread made unhealthy with cinnamon and sugar rolled into it. We love this bread and are going through it like crazy. I figure if I make homemade bread I don't have to make breakfast, lunch or any snacks. We can just eat that.

I'm only halfway kidding.

On rare occasions.....

...the fighting stops long enough for a great picture.

I savor these moments....unfortunately, I wasn't around for this one, I was in labor with their new baby sister. But I still melt when I look at these pictures. Thanks Aunna!

I don't know which one I love more, I think I just love that they were posing for the camera. Sometimes they do such grown up things and I forget that they are not babies anymore.

Yee-haw!

I love how Madison's school has fun days for them throughout the year. A few weeks ago was "Cowboy/Cowgirl Day" at school.

Thankfully we had her outfit from last 24th of July that her Gigi got her for the rodeo.

I can't get over how dang cute these kids were.

A future "What Not to Wear" candidate

You know how some days your kids are "on one" (I don't know any other way to explain some days). Well, the other day Hunter was "on one." He started throwing a tantrum when we (and by "we" I mean 3 of the 4 adults in our house, it was a tag team night, he was that grumpy) were getting him ready for bed, he did NOT want to wear pajama's. Needless to say, he had refused to take his nap, he just cried and played during nap time. We were finally able to get some sweat pants on him after much battling, but he didn't want any of his t-shirts, he wanted to wear his swim shirt. It was clean, I didn't care if he wore it. He came downstairs to say goodnight to everyone and he "escaped" our grasp and decided he wanted to go outside and play. So he grabbed Madison's shoes, they were the first available, and put them on and went to the back door and started opening it.

Luckily I had the camera close by so I could get a picture of him in the first outfit he put together all by himself. He even took a break from the screaming to smile for me.

****It's all about distractions folks****

He was dead asleep 5 minutes later and was MUCH better the next day.

Special Days

Special days are few and far between. Last Saturday was one of those rare special days for our family. We were able to go with Ryan's grandma as she went through the Temple for the first time (she is the cute one in the middle wearing a pink sweater). It was a truly wonderful experience to be apart of. I am so grateful to know her and for the opportunity for my children to know her. She is one of the sweetest, most kind, most generous people I have had the privilege of knowing. It was an honor being with the Ainge family as they were able to be sealed together.

As joyous as the entire weekend was, it made me miss the grandparents that have passed away more than ever.

Aren't grandparents the best? I know mine were. I miss them every day.

What!?! I'm supposed to sleep in my bed??? Who knew....

A few weeks ago Madison was having a hard time going to sleep (really, what's new there.....). Anyway, so she was whining that she didn't want to be left alone. Usually she says that and we tell her one of us will stay upstairs with her and she is fine. Ryan and I told her that we would just be in our room watching TV, so she didn't need to be scared. Heck, we can see in her room from our bed, therefore, she can see us. Apparently it wasn't good enough for her that night. We came out a little while later and this is what we found. It was priceless. She had made herself a bed on the floor, in her doorway, so that she could still be in her room (which is our rule) and yet still be THAT much closer to us. Plus, she covered herself with her Kai-lan dolls (and Hello Kitty doll, lest she be left out) and then promptly fell asleep.



Hunter, on the other hand, has no problem going to sleep by himself. He has been that way since the day I brought him home from the hospital. His sisters like to snuggle and sleep on us, but he wanted to be in his crib the second he fell asleep. Go figure.....

Anyway, we get up in the morning and get him ready, and then when I take a shower and primp (or when I want a few more minutes of sleep) I put him in his crib with some toys and he is happy as a clam for about an hour. Madison will go in his room and play with her toys next to the crib. It is so cute and I get to get ready without chasing him down every few seconds. I used to stick him in the bathtub, without water, but he learned to climb out. I guess that is what happens when they grow up.

Time goes way too fast

My baby girl turned 4 weeks today. I am so sad! I just want her to stay this little forever. She is so incredibly sweet and just wants to be held all the time. I have had a ton of help so I have obliged her as much as I could.

She is growing like a weed, but is still small, much like my other two. She still wears newborn diapers, but this isn't too surprising since Madison was in them for 6 weeks. She eats like a champ and is my only baby that didn't lose weight her first week.

She is a great, great sleeper. We haven't had a "pacing" night yet (knock on wood, literally, I'm knocking on wood) but she does like to snuggle, which is awesome until I want to sleep, then she protests, quite loudly, that she doesn't want to sleep by herself. It's a battle we are working out.

Overall I love this kid to death. She is so sweet and I am so grateful for her (not to mention that I am so incredibly grateful that I am no longer pregnant).

I don't look forward to doing her 2 month post because I know I will be having a hard time with how fast the time will go between now and then. Until then I will simply enjoy the snuggle time she allows me each day.

Getting to know you...a Q&A

Q: Presley? You named your daughter after the late, great Elvis?

A: Let's get the big one out of the way first....Yes and No. Yes, I am from Memphis and do actually really like Elvis, but NO, we did not name her Presley as a tribute to Elvis in any way. Mostly it was the name Ryan and I felt most suited her. I think it is ironic that we ended up naming her Presley, but it is not intended to be anything more than a name we both love. Heck, after the almost marriage ending task of naming Hunter I was relieved that we could actually agree on a name period.

On a funny, quite apropos, side note, "Blue Hawaii" was on while I was in labor so of course we had to watch it.

Q: What about Anne? Where did that come from?

A: Well, two places actually. We asked Madison what she wanted to name the baby (I was simply curious). She said she wanted to name her either Anne Shirley or Shirley Temple (can you tell what movies she had been watching recently????). I immediately vetoed Shirley, for obvious reasons, but told her we would think about the name Anne. As Ryan and I discussed it we felt it worked well together and as an added bonus Anne was one of my Grandmother's middle names and we thought it would be a nice tribute to her. We like to give our children middle names that have some family, or special, meaning.

Q: Is Presley a good baby?

A: Oh, yes. So far she is great. Her first 24 hours were a little rough, but she is an angel now. Her first day she was not too happy of a camper. She didn't like to be messed with and cried any time the nurses moved her, took her vitals, etc. She was fine being held but as soon as she was juggled or moved she would scream. That was fun.....

She is much better now. She still doesn't love all the fussing, but she handles it much better now. She is slowly getting used to her siblings and their constant desire to touch her, poke her or hold her. She still screams at every diaper change though, can't say I blame her much.

Q: What about eating? Is she a good eater?

A: This girl is a champion eater. From the moment she was born she wanted to eat and hasn't stopped yet. This is my first baby that would eat during the first 24 hours of life. She wakes up every 2 1/2 hours, I've never had that before! It is such a relief not having to worry about making sure my child is getting enough to eat and hoping that a schedule will be introduced at some point. This girl takes after me, she loves to eat and will eat for 1/2 an hour at a time....another first. My first two barely ate for 5-10 min a few times a day at this point.

Q: Who does she look more like?

A: Well, she is definitely a mix of both of the my children. She has Madison's lips and Hunter's chubby cheeks. She came out tan and with dark brown, almost black, hair, which both of my other two did as well. I can see blonde under the dark brown and she has light eyebrows and almost no eyelashes (she gets that from me, sorry kid). I'm excited to see how she grows up, just not yet, I love the newborn stage.

Q: How is daddy doing?

A: He is doing great. He is a little tired of changing dirty diapers, but hey, I get tired of changing them as well! He is slowly getting to bond with her, he has to fight Madison and Hunter for her. He is just so happy to finally have the baby here and no longer have to hear me complain about being pregnant.

Q: How is mommy doing?

A: I am great. I have been on a euphoric high from no longer being pregnant, I'm in heaven. I feel great and have so much more energy now. I'm not too sore, just sleeping a ton.

Q: How is Madison doing?

A: She loves, loves, loves being a big sister. She wants to hold the baby all day long, sadly Presley doesn't love it. Madison wiggles just a little bit too much for her. She is so proud of her and loves to introduce herself as the "Big Sister."

Q: How is Hunter doing?

A: Hunter is cracking me up with Presley. He runs over all the time and points to her with the biggest smile and says "Baby!" He pokes her and looks at her and just does not know what to make of her. He's pretty mellow with her right now, I'm just hoping it stays that way.

Introducing Presley Anne Ainge

Ten little fingers.......

Ten little toes.....

Bright blue eyes.....

Dark brown hair (and a cowlick all her own)....

Makes the Hanson/Ainge baby mold

Breaking the mold by becoming my first "Binkie Baby." No other baby of mine has taken a binkie, so I am quite excited that I will be able to use one.

Our first new family photo

Mommy with the kids

Coming home. It always amazes me how small they look in this huge new carseat.

The kids are enamoured with their new baby sister. They love holding her and trying to get her to take her binkie.

Before:

After:


Stats:

Presley Anne Ainge

born March 30, 2010

at 5:04 pm

weighing in at 7 lb 3 oz

19 inches long

We couldn't resist

The kids looked so cute this past Sunday that we had to get a picture. I also sucked it up and allowed a family picture to be taken since my sister was in town and could take it for us. We get so few of them as it is......I just can't get over how dang cute our kids are. It's hard to believe they are mine.

I lied, I do have a favorite.....

I always swore that I wouldn't have a favorite child. I lied, I have one now.....

Who do I pick as my favorite??????

I pick Hunter. Why, you ask? Because Hunter was accommodating enough to come 6 days early when I was pregnant with him. Madison was a week late, to the day, and this little one is still not here and I am officially due in 2 days. So, I pick Hunter. I don't care how horrible a mother that makes me. I want the use of my hands back, I'm tired of them being numb. I want to breathe again. I want to sleep when I get to sleep. I want to be able to pick thing up off the floor again, heck, I'd be happy to be able to sit without pain. I want to not have to focus 100% of my attention on my body to make sure the baby is moving, my water hasn't broken, contractions haven't started and a million other things you have to watch for at this stage of pregnancy. I want the pain over with so I don't have to have continual dread of what's to come filling up my days.

Call me cranky and selfish, but I don't care. I've earned it.

What brought this on? My doctor's appointment this morning. My body has not changed in 3 weeks. Apparently I am never going to deliver this kid, I'm just going to be pregnant forever. Well, at least until next Friday when he's inducing me whether I want him to or not. I don't think I can make it 9 more days.

I'll shut up now, every now and then my brattiness comes out full force and today is one of those days.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

I bet you thought this post would be about my family? Oh, no....this one is all about me. One of my favorite posts from last year was when I did my favorite things from 2008. I have put together my favorites for 2009. They are in no particular order, just the order in which I uploaded the pictures into blogspot. Most of them are from 2009, but there may be one or two that have been favorites longer, but I am just now realizing they would be fun to share.

This year I ruined the really nice pastry mat I had been given. As an FYI, when you make stuffed pizza rolls do NOT cut them and stuff them with anything juicy on your pastry mat. The stains wouldn't come out, and that just weirded me out. I'm sure it would still work fine, I will certainly keep it, but I decided to get a silicone one that wouldn't move around when I was rolling away. I really like it, like I said, it's grippy on the bottom so it doesn't move when I use it, which was really my only complaint about my old one. It didn't bother me that much until I was starting to get bigger with this baby and could no longer anchor it with my tummy. I've heard the Roul'pat ones are really nice, but I got a cheaper one. If I use it a ton and end up not loving it I will try the Roul'pat.

Another thing I discovered this year was a new way to store my recipes. I have all these recipes on index cards and my recipe box was getting full and confusing, so I actually stole this idea from an episode of Jon & Kate plus 8. Kate put her recipes in a photo album book that held 4x6 index pictures. I thought that was brilliant! Now when I need them I don't get them all messy and stained, plus in a book it will stand up and make looking at the recipe a little easier. I found a set of cute ones and put my main dishes in one and everything else in another one. I got a binder to put my full page printouts in and another binder for the recipes I want to try. That way it is easier for me to find what I am looking for. I figure anything that helps me cook is worth it. I didn't spend much, I cruised the clearance section of Target until I found the books and binders I liked at a price I considered reasonable.

This is probably one of my top 3 favorites, if not my #1 favorite,

from this past year. Trader Joe's has a shaving cream, it's actually a cream not a foam or gel, and I LOVE IT! Thank you Aunna for introducing me to this. It's really not very expensive, under $4, but it is worth it and it lasts a long time. I got my first tube about 6 months ago and I use it every other day and I still haven't finished it off. I have about a third to go. It leaves me with significantly less razor burn and my legs feel so much softer and less dry than any other cream/foam I have used in the past. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you find a friend that lives near one and get them to send some to you. It is worth it, you'll be thanking me. It smells yummy too.


This is a website that I discovered this past year (by me, I mean Ryan found it and takes care of all of our ink needs). We have a laser printer and a colored ink jet printer and our toner is about a half or third of the price at any office supply store. It works just as good as the one that came with the printer and I don't feel guilty printing off a ton of stuff (have I mentioned yet that I have become quite obsessed with cooking blogs? Oops, not yet, that is farther down on my list). We have had good success with this site and been very happy with the shipping times and quality. Check it out.

These are my favorite flip flops. My sisters have been trying to get me to try Reef brand flip flops for years and I finally sucked it up and paid the $24 for flip flops, and oh, my am I so glad. This is my favorite style (I know it's not the cutest but on occasion I pick comfort over fashion instead of vice versa) because there is good support and cushion and even an arch, so when I need to walk a ton I tend to pick these and I am comfy all day long. I LOVE these flip flops. Come to think of it, I don't think I have purchased another pair since I got these in May. I may just have to order me a pair in black. Try them, your feet will thank me.


This is my FAVORITE book of this last year (hence, it being on my list of favorites). I know it's been out for a few years but if you haven't read it you are missing out. It was crazy awesome. It only took me a few hours to read and I could NOT put it down. There is a sequel, Catching Fire, and the third book is coming out in August of this year. I can't wait. I liked the sequel, but it wasn't as amazing as the first one, such is the case with most series books. It just wasn't as revolutionary as the first one was. I don't want to write what it's about because the less you know the better. It's a young adult novel, so it's clean (whoo hoo) and simply amazing....seriously, I can't describe how great it is, you just have to read it. Pick it up and enjoy. I've convinced a few people to read it and they have loved it too. I haven't met anyone who read it that didn't love it, I've even convinced Ryan to read it as soon as he finishes his current book.


This was my second favorite book of the year. It was my pick for book club and thankfully I liked it. It was my first pick of the club and I was a little nervous because I hadn't read it yet. I mostly liked it because it showed a group of strong women who made sure that they were there for each other. I don't have a ton of close friends left from growing up and so when I read the book it made me sad to think I had let so many great friendships go to the wayside simply because I am absolutely terrible at keeping in touch with people. Ask my sisters, they constantly harass me because I love talking to them all, but so rarely am I the one to call them. I'll drop everything to chat if you call me, but I am constantly putting off phone calls hoping I'll find a better time to call when my kids aren't screaming in the background (which rarely happens for more than a few minutes at a time). Anyway, I loved the idea of caring about a group of people so much that you really make an effort to stay close. I wish I was better at it, and that is what I gleaned most from reading it, I have sincerely tried to be a better friend because of reading it. It was a good read, some of the stories upset me simply because I don't agree with all of the philosophies of the women, but overall it was good.

Ah, Facebook, how I love you. I have to apologize to several of my sisters for giving them such a hard time about their addiction/love of facebook. They kept telling me to join and I would answer with a rude, "I'm not 14 anymore, thanks." I know, i know, so rude... now I am hooked. I sincerely apologize and recognize that I am officially addicted and am so glad it is on my phone. I was talking to a girl this morning who gave up facebook for Lent, personally I think she is crazy, but hey, I'd pick facebook over soda any day too. I have loved getting back in touch with friends from years past and getting to know everyone all over again. It's fun to see how much people have changed in the years since I have seen them last. I love all the daily posts which allow me to get a little insight into current lives, everyone has such fascinating lives in different ways and I have enjoyed the tidbits that have been passed on to me. I think I love most the opportunity to catch up with those that helped me through hard times, or lent support when I needed it, or simply supplied me with humor and memories that I remember often. It always broke my heart that someone who meant so much to me at one time was not in my life any longer and I no longer had the chance to tell them of the significant impact they had on my at some point in my life. Hello, my name is Amanda and I am a facebook addict and proud to be such.


My camera....oh, how I love my camera. I'm sure there are nicer ones out there, but I can't do more than zoom and push the shutter button so I love, love, love my new camera. I asked for it for Christmas last year and have fallen in love with it. I love the simplicity of it but still get pictures that turn out great. I lucked out with it, thank you Morgan and Aunna for doing such good research and letting me copy you. I did do my own research (with this one as my biased first choice) and it was quickly apparent that it was the best option for me and my neophyte photography skills. I now want a new lens and am terrified to even begin researching lenses. From what I have read it's even tougher to decide on a lens than the actual camera body. Plus Ryan's not going to love the fact that I want to spend who knows how much on a lens. I just need more zoom......to begin with.......If you want a new camera I highly recommend this one. It's bigger than a traditional point and shoot, but it's still small enough to fit in my purse. I carry my little one in my purse all the time and take this one with me any time I plan on taking pictures. Seriously, just read the reviews and you'll see why I couldn't change my mind.


So many of my favorite things are kitchen things, I figure it makes sense since the kitchen is one of the toughest places to enjoy what you are doing. I recently discovered Wilton baking pans and have tossed all of my old ones and replaced them with these. No joking, I am in serious love with them. I randomly picked a few up at Target when they went on sale in Nov 2008, but didn't actually use them until last year. I think I started with a muffin tin and cookie sheet and every time they go on sale I pick up a few more and toss out my old stuff. They cost a few more dollars than any of the other brands but they are worth it. Even Ryan, who hates when I buy new kitchen stuff, took some cookies off one day and proceeded to tell me that I am welcome to replace any and all pans with Wilton. The non stick is actually non stick and the muffin pans don't get all rusty and nasty. They go on sale around Thanksgiving each year and maybe one or two other times during the year. I use the brownie/cake pans for my casseroles and such and they clean so easy! I hate, hate, hate scrubbing pans out and having to let them "soak" for infinite amounts of time.




So, what is my most favorite of all?????? Google Reader. I love blogging and have not always been as diligent with reading others blogs because I would only get through half of my sidebar list before I had to get off the computer, so many of your blog posting would go unread, which made me so sad, I love keeping up with your lives ( I have since caught up with all of your blogs). Each time I would get on the computer I would start at the top again and then get so behind. I tried to convert to the new layout that lets you know when blogs are updated, but it drove me crazy. One of you bloggers mentioned Reader in a post and after a while I decided to take the chance and try to figure it out. Needless to say, I LOVE it. I put your blog addresses in under "Subscriptions" and then when I am sitting at school waiting for Madison to get out I open the Google app on my phone and can read all about your lives (of course, I am able to check them out on my computer too, but I am so rarely on the actual computer. I just use my handheld one I call a phone) and stay caught up. The only complaint I have about it is that I can't get private blogs to stream into Reader, so on occasion I read LONG pages worth of blog postings on the few private ones I follow. It takes a few steps longer to comment, but I was never a great commenter anyway, which sadly, is quite hypocritical since I live for comments from the rest of you.


I mentioned earlier my obsession with cooking blogs that began this year. These are my favorite blogs and a few favorite recipes that I tried this year. There was a period of time where I was great at cooking dinner most of the week. Sadly the last month or two (or longer, but who's counting?) I have fallen back into my bad/lazy habits and am hoping that I will get some energy back after the baby comes. Here are my favorites, in no particular order and the recipes my family loves from them:

My Kitchen Cafe

Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal - I make this and don't even put in the berries, it's so good by itself. I also, in pure desperation, made it with milk one day and couldn't tell a difference.

Chicken and Wild Rice soup - This is probably my favorite recipe find of the entire year. It is so incredibly wonderful. Ryan even loved it and he is such a pain to cook for.

Pumpkin Bars - These have become my go-to item when I bake for groups. They are so good.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

read her story, it is hilariously entertaining

Chicken Spaghetti - This is our other new family favorite recipe. I double it and then put 3/4 of it in freezer friendly packaging and then take it out when I crave it. It is even better the 2nd night and heats up so good from the freezer.

I haven't made much from her site, I was winding down on my cooking when I discovered it, but several friends swear by her recipes...I have many printed out to try.

Our Best Bites

Stuffed Pizza Rolls - I mentioned these earlier, but we love them. They are fun and EASY.

Blog Chef

I haven't tried any of these, but my sister says they are the best Asian recipes she has tried. She tried some of the Asian ones from My Kitchen Cafe and wasn't impressed.

To wind up my favorites of 2009 I have a short list of favorite restaurants we ate at this year. We didn't get to hit up as many this year as we have in years past, I suppose that is normal when families grow, but here it is, my favorite new places to eat in Vegas (when we have $$$$ or get taken out, most of these we were taken to for various reasons, lest you think we can afford this type of dining on a regular basis
):

Olives

Get the Steak....seriously, it was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The entire dinner was amazing, all the dishes ordered were awesome, but the steak kicks some butt.

Joe's Stone Crab

They have this mayo based dipping sauce that is incredible on the seafood.

Prime Steakhouse

The seafood tower appetizer was insane, and so wonderful, as were the sauces for the steaks. I love a great sauce.

Mesa Grill

Alyssa came to town and she and I went here and I still cannot stop thinking about how wonderful my food was. I got the Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale and the Pork Tenderloin.....it was divine, and I am not a big Bobby Flay fan. I highly recommend each of those items.

Serendipity 3

We used to have to go to NYC to satisfy our Serendipity cravings, but now whenever we have company (and I can convince Ryan to go) we take the opportunity to enjoy The Strip on the outdoor patio while dining on amazing desserts. Their food is also incredible, try the Mac & Cheese, yum.

I think that is about it....my favorites from 2009. It is fun to revisit all these things. Welcome 2010....we shall visit you in a year.

Madison lost her teeth.....

I keep telling her that is she doesn't brush she is going to lose them all.....How terrible is that! Actually I told her that she will lose all of them but she still better brush daily.

She was so excited, her bottom front two teeth had been loose for a few weeks and she had been doing all she could to speed up the process of losing them. She was VERY excited to get money. The Tooth Fairy was very generous and gave her $2 per tooth. Mommy was very generous and took her to the Dollar Store for toys (if I had taken her to Target she would have wanted the most expensive toy there and expected me to buy it for her. We were much safer going to the Dollar Store and picking out a few things).

She lost her first one on December 1, 2009 and her second about a week later. The fact that we got a picture for her first one was a miracle, there is no picture for the 2nd lost tooth.....

Ryan had to pull her teeth, I tried to watch but I started getting queasy (because I'm just lucky like that, there is more than one reason I am not a doctor or nurse) and so I sat in the chair in our room and watched/listened from a distance, cheering them on and occasionally offering up a helpful comment.

Her new teeth have almost completely grown in, semi-straight to boot. The dentist we go to already told us to start saving for braces....poor girl got my teeth, I had braces for 2 1/2 years, and I am grateful for every day of them. I love straight teeth. I am planning on her big girl teeth to crowd once they all start coming in, until then I am grateful for her not looking too goofy.

I can't believe how grown up she is. It just doesn't seem possible that I have a kid who is old enough to be losing teeth, or going to kindergarten, or any of those milestones that force you to realize how much time has passed.

Pregnancy 101

I only have a few weeks left to go this pregnancy, but it feels like it will never end! To commemorate the end of it I have decided to dedicate a blog posting to all of my *favorite* parts of pregnancy.

***As I disclaimer, I really don't have that horrible of pregnancies, but they are still pregnancies. I am eternally grateful that we are able to have children and I have very little to complain about, yet I choose to anyway. This posting is intended for entertainment purposes only, at this stage in the game I need all the entertainment I can get.

I know I'm pregnant when.....

....I know my pharmacist on a first name basis - if my insurance would allow me to get more than 6 days of Zofran at a time I might miss out on getting to know my pharmacist so well. It is worth it, Zofran saves me.

....sharp pains in random places are considered normal. As is having my limbs fall asleep WHILE I'M USING THEM.

....I have every pillow in the house on my bed, and still find the need to buy more, but still can't get comfortable.

....I can find my way to the bathroom in the dark, while still half asleep. I think my personal record is 5 times in a 3 hour period of time. I dream of a time when I can sleep an entire night again without having to get up at least once.

....I get used to not having any energy and feeling exhausted at all times during the day but still can't sleep at night.

....I am constantly out of breath even when I am SITTING.

....I look chubby for about 6 months and then I finally start getting looks from people I see everyday that say to me "ah, she's not fat, she's pregnant."

....I crave cereal like it is going out of style. I rarely eat cereal, but when I am pregnant I tend to survive on it. I also have to have a banana every day and eat oranges like crazy for about 2 months.

What can I absolutely not deal with?

The absolute worst part of pregnancy for me is the constant itching. My body itches like crazy and I ended up with PUPPPS with Madison. It was awful. I ended up not finding anything that would take away the itching, so at night before I went to bed I would get 5 bags of ice and use that to try and get rid of enough of the itching long enough to fall asleep. It wasn't as bad with Hunter but with this little one it started early. My Dr. told me to take Benedryl at night before bed and an allergy pill during the day, so that is what I do. The Benedryl screws up my sleeping patterns, but it is the only way I have found that I can lay still long enough to fall asleep. The problem is that I end up waking up grumpy because I don't REM like I am supposed to. Double edge sword......I'm grumpy either way.

What Changed?

You know how every woman has something(s) change after being pregnant, these are mine.

• 
  Headaches - I don't think I ever had a real headache until I got pregnant with my first. I had one the entire first trimester and after that I had to have a coke every day before 2:30 in the afternoon or I could not drive home from work. I have had a headache every day of my life since that. I have gone to the Dr to see if I could figure out a way to relieve them but none of the prescriptions worked. I had sinus surgery a little over a year ago, which helped, it took the edge off, but I still rely on Excederine Migraine (which makes me sick to my stomach, but does work when I get to the point of no return) and/or coke. I pretty much have a coke every day or else I can't function. It's so fun.....
• Allergies - I now have allergies. I never did until my first pregnancy. How weird is that???? Thankfully they are not too bad and I don't have to take stuff every day, but they are still annoying.
• My hair - it used to be naturally white-blond and I was so proud of the fact that I had never dyed it and still had people come up to me and ask what color I used on it. No longer.....After Madison it got so ashy and finally I succumbed to coloring it. It's still not as light as it once was, but I have way more fun with it now. I even started putting darker colors into it, which I LOVE. Blond is blond, it gets old.

Myths of pregnancy

When I was first pregnant I heard all these myths and really thought they were true. I have since been set straight. Now, I do realize that this list applies to me and not necessarily everyone out there. I'm just ticked that they were myths for me.

• The pregnancy "glow" - this glow for me includes the following: pale pasty skin, usually broken out, flat dull hair, and the look of long illness under my eyes. It's pretty great......
• Thick nails - this is crap. Mine peel and I usually have a few broken ones on each hand. I keep my nails shorter when I am pregnant than when I am not. Go figure.....
• This is my favorite - "if you nurse you'll lose all of your weight easily." This is pure and utter CRAP and I hate (not really, but kinda) all of my friends that it does apply to. I look 5 months pregnant until I am about 10 months post partum and then it finally, somewhat, comes off. And yes, I do work out like crazy after the Dr okays it. I don't even eat any more than I usually do, heck, usually I eat less because I don't have time for it. Leaving the hospital in maternity clothes, as comfortable as they are, is miserable. Having to wear them for weeks and weeks after the baby comes is worse. The fact that I left the hospital only 6 pounds lighter after having a 7 1/2 pound baby REALLY irks me. Ugh.....I shouldn't have gotten started.....

Nesting:

Ah, the best part of pregnancy. Is that weird of me to love the nesting portion? I love, love, LOVE getting so much done. I tend to get through my to-do list of projects and cleaning while I am preggers. I have cleaned out every closet in the house, taken carloads of things to goodwill, finished off a bunch of half-completed projects in my project room, and cleaned out all of my cupboards in the kitchen and bathrooms. It has been wonderful, I love the feeling of completing something and marking off an item on my internal to-do list.

There are some things that I truly do love about pregnancy. There is nothing quite as amazing as having a person grow inside you. I love feeling the baby move (even when they hurt me). I mostly love having a valid excuse to get out of certain things; mostly picking up toys off the floor, the fact that I cannot bend over has come in handy on family cleaning days. My house is in a constant state of disaster because I simply cannot move as I usually do, so it takes much longer to get anything done and I have gotten to the point of not caring. If you come to my house and it's a mess I do not apologize. In 4 months or so I will be able to keep up with it again, but until then watch where you step, there may be a toy beneath your foot. If it bothers you, you are more than welcome to come clean any time. I'll even cheer you on. I do the best I can.

UFC 106

To commemorate UFC 110, which is currently being watched in my house, I thought it appropriate to blog about 106, which we attended as part of Ryan's Christmas present from me. (Isn't it great that I gave a gift that included a gift for me???? I'm smart like that.)

There isn't much to write about; the fights were good, we got a night off of putting the kids to bed and we got to spend time together. It doesn't get much better than that.

We did end up sitting next to the nicest people. On Ryan's left was a dad and his son here in Las Vegas for the son's birthday. His present for his 18th was a trip to see the fights, we thought that was pretty cool. The two guys next to me were fun because they were rooting for Ortiz and we rooted for Griffin, that always makes for a fun fight.

Ortiz vs. Griffin starting off the fight

UFC 109:

We didn't get any pictures, but we also went to UFC 109 as Ryan's birthday/Valentine's present and I once again *forced* him to take me as his +1. I was a trooper, 8 months pregnant and sitting in the seats with tiny aisles and no leg room. I did commandeer the aisle seat which helped significantly with leg cramping. The funniest, and most annoying, part of the fights were that we spend the entire night standing up and sitting down for potty breaks. Oh, no, I, the only 8 month pregnant person on the row, was not the one annoying everyone. 2 *gentlemen* (and I use the term loosely) got up and came back about every 10 minutes. I think they only sat through 1 fight without making the ENTIRE row get up to let them pass. It got sooooo old. They went to the bathroom, or maybe on beer runs, more than I did! (**as a dislcaimer, I did NOT go on any beer runs, FYI) The poor guys behind us got so annoyed because we all kept blocking their view. What were we supposed to do?????

At least Couture won his fight, Ryan has been wanting to see him for a long time. That made it all worth it, all 6 hours of squats.

***yes, I was pregnant in our picture, in case any of you were wondering. I think I was almost 6 months if I calculate correctly.