A book for Nichole

I've been working on a little care package for my sister and her two kids for the last few weeks.
And this is what I came up with:

Interchangeable headbands for Brielle:

PJ's and homemade shoes for Beckham:

And a book for Nichole's birthday...

Chad's cousin made a book like this for her sister and I loved it so much I took a stab at it myself.
It turned out a lot better than I thought it would and took a lot longer than I thought it would.
But I am so proud of it I had to share!
I dearly miss my sister. It is hard living so far away from each other and since I couldn't be with her on her birthday I wanted to give her something that would let her know just how much I love her!
I love you Nichole. You are the best older sister I could have asked for...I could go on and on but the book pretty much sums it up.
Love you and miss you every day.

Oh and remember that time...

A thief in the night

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and think you hear someone in the house?
Maybe you swore you heard the door open or someone bang something in the kitchen...
Well earlier this week Chad and I had this experience.
It was about 10:30 pm. We had only been asleep for about 15 or 20 minutes.
We were the only ones in the house.
I tear myself from a deep slumber because I hear a weird ripping noise coming from the kitchen which is right outside our room.
I wake chad up...Do you hear that? What is that? Did Jake come home? Is he in the kitchen making something?
Chad replies still half asleep. Yeah that's Jake....
Are you sure....
No I don't think that's Jake...
Chad gets out of bed once we realize Something besides Jake is mere feet from our room where our baby is slumbering.
At this point I'm thinking there is an intruder. It has to be... What else could it be?
I'm shaking and scared for Chad.
He is such a man. He wanders out of our room in his garments with no weapon, not even a baseball bat (side note: we will now be keeping a baseball bat by our bed after this experience).
He stands outside our door listening for what seems like forever. Probably only about 10 seconds.
The noise stops.
Chad tells me after wards he is thinking at this point that someone is crouching down in the kitchen waiting to spring on him.
When suddenly this guy walks out of the kitchen...

A big, bad dachshund named Oliver.

Terrifying really.

I mean look how terrified that chickens are of him. They are fleeing in terror.

Who wouldn't be afraid of this guy?

Turns out the ripping noise was Oliver getting into the trash.
Don't you just love dogs?

A weekend of family

This weekend was loooooong....

Maybe because I had a sick husband and a cranky baby...or wait was it a cranky husband and a sick baby?
Sinus infections and teething= Cranky husband and baby! And I only mean that with love Chad)

But even when we are sick and cranky we still manage to have fun!

Afton wearing dad's hat...

Afton and dad being silly...as usual.
Chevy's for my dad's 58th birthday.
Cody & Uncle Dave

Micki & the Birthday boy with his birthday sombrero

Afton & Aunt Debbie

Everyone: We are dysfunctional when it comes to taking pictures.

I just can't get over the sombrero. It's worth going to Chevy's just for that.

And Afton's first Easter:

Cody & Ariana playing Wii.

Don't know what this face was for:

It didn't turn out to be the perfect Easter that I imagined due to a failed attempt at making Afton's Easter dress and no church due to sickness but that's ok. Being with family and having fun made up for the failed parts. And I am determined to make the dress if it kills me!

Recipe of the week

I love to cook, especially now that I actually have a little time and energy to do it! It took me a good two months to get back into the habit of cooking dinner after Afton was born. I have been trying to cook a little healthier and add in as many vegetables as possible. So here is my recipe of the week. It's a family favorite and will probably be cooked in our home for a VERY long time. Neither Chad or I liked meatloaf very much but this recipe changed our minds. Ground turkey makes it a little lighter than ground beef and the spinach keeps it moist.

I got this recipe from the Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook. This is definitely a cookbook you should go out and buy. There are a lot of really good recipes in here.

Mini Turkey Meatloaf with roasted root vegetables

Serves 4
Calories per serving, meatloaves: 227
Calories per serving, roasted root veggies: 121

For the meatloaves
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
5-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the glaze
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the roasted root veggies
3 large carrots, cut on the bias
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut on the bias
1/4 cup asparagus (about 4 stalks)
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange oven racks to accommodate two dishes being cooked simultaneously.

2. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine the mixture with your hands until well mixed; it will be quite wet.

4. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the mound to smooth its shape. Repeat three times with remaining mixture. Bake mini meatloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes.

5. While the meatloaves are cooking, make the glaze: In a small bowl combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Brush over meatloaves.

6. To make the roasted root vegetables: On a baking sheet, toss all the vegetables in the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven along with the meatloaves and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring midway through baking. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Note: I add zucchini to the veggies and they are to die for! Zucchini is my new favorite vegetable. I don't know why I went to long without it...

My bookshelf- Edition #2

I'm thinking(hoping) to continue this post every few weeks. Depending on the books, I usually will go through a few books a week. Meaning I will usually have 3 or 4 books to review for you at a time.

1) The Girl With the Dragon TattooTo be completely honest a book has to be really badly written, boring to the point of death or have just too much a) violence, b) swearing, or c) explicit sexuality for me to hate it. This was one of those books. It was not badly written but it really wasn't written in the kind of way that keeps me hooked either. A little too simple for me. Not enough phrases that make you stop and say "wow, that was a beautiful sentence." It also wasn't boring to the point of death, but was slow in some places. I really didn't get into the book until about 150 pages in. What made me cross over to "hate" rather than just unimpressed was the amount of swearing, sex and violence.
As a latter-day saint I have been taught to turn off the T.V. or radio or put down a book when it has something inappropriate in it. This has been instilled in my mind since a very young age. There were so many times when reading this book that I ALMOST did that. I am slamming my hand into my forehead for even finishing the book, but I have this thing where I just can't leave a book unfinished. It eats at me to the point where I am laying in bed at night thinking what is going to happen in the book I didn't finish. Ok, maybe I am being a little melodramatic, but you get the point right?
And on a side note: I STILL haven't finished My Cousin Rebecca. Guess that book is the exception to the I-have-to-finish-a-book rule...
So back to the dragon tattoo fiasco. The book had a heavy feel to it. It focused a lot on sexual violence against women in Sweden and thus had a lot of not-so-nice sexual scenes that were sometimes very explicit. The other half of the book takes on a mystery feel which is the only thing that kept me reading. Because, come on...who can not find out what happens once that mystery is stuck in your head?
The main word I would use to describe this book is heavy...and depressing...and blunt to the point of being annoying. Oh and did I mention that the "mystery" part of the book ended up being about a serial killer? What a nice light way to end the book huh?
So overall I would give this book 1/2 of a star. If there hadn't been so much swearing I might have given it one more star. But swearing makes me mad, especially in books. So dang it Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you get half a star. That's it.

And I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. Hows that for a review?

On to something happier...like forbidden love...


2)DeliriumIt took me a few visits to Borders (who are going out of business and selling everything but the actual building at half off) and a thumbs up from Busy Bee Lauren to convince me to get this book.
The cover was very intriguing and called to me from the shelf when I saw it. I also got it for 60% off, score! But in the end the beautiful message and the well written story are what makes this one of my new favorite books.
The Book is about a future in which love is referred to as a disease called Amor Deliria Nervosa. In the book, when you turn 18 you get an operation in which they "cure" you so that you won't catch the delirium.
What I loved most was the way the author made you think about simple things such as music or dancing in a completely different way. These things, as well as love, are outlawed, so young kids must sneak out to have parties and enjoy these things that we take for granted. Ultimately, this book made me remember when I fell in love for the first and only time. The book talks about ways to know you have the disease, symptoms if you will.

Phase One:
Preoccupation; difficulty focusing
dry mouth
perspiration, sweaty palms
fits of dizziness and disorientation
reduced mental awareness; racing thoughts; impaired reasoning skills

Phase Two:
periods of euphoria; hysterical laughter and heightened energy
periods of despair; lethargy
changes in appetite; rapid weight loss or weight gain
fixation; loss of other interests
compromised reading skills; distortion of reality
disruption of sleep patterns; insomnia or constant fatigue
obsessive thoughts and actions
paranoia; insecurity

Phase Three(critical):
difficulty breathing
pain in the chest, throat, or stomach
difficulty swallowing; refusal to eat
complete breakdown of rational faculties; erratic behavior; violent thoughts and fantasies; hallucinations and delusions

Phase Four(Fatal):
emotional or physical paralysis (partial or total)
death

The whole book was full of clever insights such as the above "symptoms" of love. Each chapter has a little poem or scripture or saying adapted to fit the idea that love is a disease. To me, the cleverness of the book and the unique perspective is what made it so enjoyable.
It also had one of those jaw dropping kind of endings that I definitely wasn't expecting. And while it wasn't a happily-ever-after kind of ending, it was an ending I can appreciate because it was different and it wasn't what you were expecting.

So much unlike the Dragon Tattoo, I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to everyone and anyone that can read. PLEASE go out and buy a copy, you won't regret it, I promise.

3) City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Series)This is the book that I am currently reading; however I have read it before so I am fully qualified to give you a review. I read this series about a year ago when there were only 3 books out and loved it. It definitely won't be for everyone, let me just say that first.
It is about shadowhunters or those who hunt and kill demons. While that might seem dark and depressing it really isn't. The books have a more youthful feel to them which lightens the darkness of the demons in the story.
The author also has a knack for weaving humor into the story line. There is a sarcastic banter between the two main characters that keeps it light and entertaining throughout. The main female character is strong willed and has a mind of her own which is very refreshing.
I started reading the series again because the fourth book just came out and I have a weird thing where I can't just read the fourth book without reading the first three again. So i will read all three so that I can FINALLY read the fourth one.
Anyways, this is a light read but a story that I really enjoy, even for the second time.
I give this 4 1/2 stars and recommend to those who enjoy a light fantasy.

I am thinking of changing things up a little and hopefully reading some different kinds of books after I finish the Mortal Instruments.

Here's what's on the menu:
*Favorite Wife (a BIG maybe)- I added it to my phone list of books to read for some reason but I am VERY skeptical of books about polygamy but this one sounded pretty good.
*Glenn Beck's Common Sense- My father-in-law had this book on his shelf and I have been meaning to pick up a Glenn Beck book.
*Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
*The Secret by Rhonda Byrne- I keep seeing this and have always wanted to pick it up, plus it was recommended to me by someone just the other day.
*The 5 Love Languages by Gary D. Chapam- This will probably be my next book. I was told it is a really good book.
*The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey- Who couldn't use a little extra advice on money?

Let me know if you have read any of these? Also I am ALWAYS open to suggestions on new books!

4 months

Dear Afton,

Can you believe you are four months old? Because I can't.

I love spending every day with you.
You are a very happy baby and seldom cry unless you are tired or hungry or need your diaper changed...
and who blames you?
I cry about those things sometimes too...
although I don't use diapers, so maybe just the first two :-)

You are very strong now and are getting close to rolling over and sitting up. You love to stand up with the help of mom or dad of course.
You also like to do what I call baby crunches. You lift your head and your feet at the same time so it looks like you are doing a crunch.
I am pretty sure you are teething so you still like to chew on your hands and pretty much anything else you can get your hands in. IE: my hair, my hands, your blankets, etc.

You also still love to talk and smile. You are always smiling.
You laughed for the first time this week! Mommy tickled your chubby little chin and you thought it was hilarious. And you are starting to look at specific things and grab them. You have even put your own binky in your mouth once. (It might have been by mistake though, not too sure)

Mommy feels so lucky to be able to stay home with you every day. You are already my best friend and we have so much fun together. I even get to bring you to work with me one day a week. I feel extremely blessed to never have to leave you... my heart can't handle being away from you for too long.

It seems like you learn something new every day and you are always looking at everything around you with big eyes. Lucky for me and dad you are still sleeping through the night and are taking pretty good naps now too.

Afton we love you so much and couldn't imagine our life without you. We thank Heavenly Father every day for allowing us to be your parents and raise you. You are such a special little girl and are adored by so many people already.

Thanks for all the laughs and love you bring to our home!

Love,
Mom and Dad

And for your viewing pleasure...Afton and her mowhawk.

Putt-Putt on a Friday

We recently went to Fun Works for a little Friday night Putt-putt golf with our old neighbors the Lee's.
I forgot how horrible I am at putt-putt but how incredibly fun it is the worse you get. Definitely worth $15 for a fun night with friends.

(Michelle and Afton)
(Brian)

(Carter)

Not so happy at first...

but binky came to the rescue and saved the night.

You can't tell in the picture but Michelle is 6 months pregnant. They are having a second little boy in July.
Me and the hubby.

Monterey in March

Chad's Aunt, Uncle and cousins drove down from Idaho a few weeks ago to visit.
We had a FULL house. There were 14 people sleeping in the house and 16-17 hanging around.
It was crazy but fun.

(John, Molly and Diane)

(Diane, Shauni, Michelle and Emily)

(Becka and Dalton)

We drove to Monterey for a few days while they were here.
(Second cousins?....I think...)

Chad hijacked the camera like he usually does at least once a trip to take a silly picture....

This wasn't in Monterey but I was laughing so hard when I took this on my phone because it reminded me so much of the above picture. Like father like daughter?

Mommy and Afton looking at fish at

Chad and I outside the aquarium on one of the only sunny days we had.

Posing for a quick family pic at the tide pools.

Later that night on the beach...

Monterey is always one of our favorite places to go. Always beautiful and so much to do!