The Favorite Things Tag

Tag rules: Post your five favorite things (with or without pics) and tag three people.

1. Good Food!!!

2. My Kids
3. Jeff, my darling husband

4. Nature(I didn't take this picture; it came on the computer)

5. Good books

I tag Esther, Grandma, and Jackie

Pic of the Day #15

This is a close-up of an afghan I crocheted. These are just a few of the MANY colors that make up this afghan - it was a scrap buster.

Pic of the Day #14

I'm posting this so I can remind myself that sometimes I really do get stuff done. The top half of today's picture is our bed covered in laundry - last week's as well as today's. That's, like, the equivalent of six loads of laundry, minus stuff that we've taken out of last week's batch to use during this week. It just never got put away... The bottom half is the bed after I put all the laundry away and made the bed. It's so much nicer!

Help!

Some mornings I just don't want to get up! I feel totally sleep deprived. Thomas used to sleep really well at night, but he's been sleeping for smaller periods of time at night, and it's getting annoying. Lately our typical night is as follows: I nurse him and put him to bed at 8:00. He wakes up to eat again around 10:00. And again a little after 2:00. And again around 5 or 6, if I'm lucky. Sometimes earlier than that. Then he wants to get up as soon as either Jeff or I get up and start getting ready for the day, even though Jeff usually gets up around 6:00, and this is just too early! I try to make him wait by just giving him a binky and putting him back to bed, but that doesn't always work. Is it normal for a 7 1/2 month old to be wanting to eat this much at night? Should I be feeding him more during the day? Do I try to let him cry it out at night (without waking up Zaylee, with whom he shares a room)? Give me some input, guys, I'm getting desperate!

Pic of the Day #13

Zaylee's New Favorites

These are Zaylee's new all-time favorite movies. We borrowed them from my sister, and Zaylee has fallen in love with them. She is totally a girly-girl! We both will be sad to return them. I think we'll have to eventually add all the Barbie movies to our collection of movies one of these days. (I have a confession: I think I like these movies as much as Zaylee does! Shh, don't tell).

A Nice, Easy Day

Today has been rather laid-back. Jeff chooses to stay home from school some days and watch the lectures online, to save money on gas. Today he stayed home. Since he's used to getting up early, I got to sleep in a bit while he got up with the kids. That was nice. He was there to help keep the kids occupied while I worked out this morning too. I sure like it when Jeff can be home with me and the little ones, it makes life a little bit more enjoyable.

Zaylee's potty training has been going well. We put her on the potty first thing every morning, and she has been able to pee in her potty several times. She has yet to produce anything more substantial, but I'm okay with that for now. She still gets excited to have potty time and to get to read her special potty books. It's nice that she views this as a positive experience, something to be excited about. Eventually I'll need to teach her to tell me when she needs to go, or at least to recognize that she does. For now she just goes and sits on the potty whenever we tell her, whether she really needs to go or not. But at this point, so early in the training, I'm not the least bit discouraged. I'm pleased with the progress she has made.

We got to go shopping this afternoon, which meant I was able to get out of the house for a little while. That's always nice. We got some beef and mushrooms and are putting together some shish-kabobs for dinner, with chunks of marinated meat and mushroom, onion, carrot, and tomato. They should be really good. I'll post pictures and the recipe on my recipe blog later, if they turn out good. We're excited about these; we recently bought the kabob skewers on sale and have been eager for a chance to use them.

Who Needs Pants?

I had to put up another video. Jeff caught this one this morning, after putting some pants on Thomas that are still just a bit too big.

Cute Video

I was checking blogs when I heard giggling behind me. I turned, and found that Zaylee and Thomas had found a new way to play together. I had to grab the camera and capture this cute little expression of brotherly love.

Pic of the Day #12

Sweet TemptationsJeff and I baked these chocolate chip cookies a few days ago. He's not eating nearly enough of them, because they're still around to tempt me! Maybe I should just eat them all really quickly, just to get rid of them.

Photo Session with the Kids

Just today

Just felt like blogging, and thought I'd share how the day has gone so far. I decided last night that I need to get up early, before the kids are up, so I can exercise in the mornings. So I dragged myself out of bed, got my aerobic dance DVD all set up, and started the workout. A few seconds later, Thomas woke up. He had recently eaten, so I didn't need to feed him, but it was still hard to work out with him up. He kept spitting up, so I had to keep wiping that up; he was crawling around under me feet, so I had to dance around him and keep moving him out of the way. But I was able to get in a good workout. Then Zaylee woke up, so I had to postpone taking a shower until later when Thomas fell asleep and I could pop in a movie to keep Zaylee occupied. After breakfast when I tried to do the dishes, the sinks were blocked up, and wouldn't drain. I could only do just enough dishes to get by before I had to turn off the water, so they wouldn't overflow. It'll have to be like that all day, until the sinks start draining properly - just small loads, a little at a time. And of course, we had to not do dishes last night, go figure. So we have last night's dishes, plus any we use today. I talked to Mom and mentioned that they weren't draining. She said that with the rain we've been having, it's possible that the pipes are blocked up and everyone is having the same problem. Yuck. Anyway, besides that, today has gone pretty well. Zaylee is down for her nap, Thomas will go down soon I hope, and it's a beautiful day.

Pic of the Day #10

Monkeying Around

I was playing around with the settings on the camera, and this is what I came up with.

Potty Training News

This is kind of neat. I put Zaylee on her potty first thing after I got her up this morning. By the time I had finished reading her first potty book, she had peed in her potty. This is the first time she's actually gotten anything in her potty, so we were pretty excited. We made a really big deal of it, telling Zaylee how proud we were of her, and what a big girl she is, and she was pretty excited after a bit of that too. She hasn't peed in her potty since then, but that's okay. Anyway, just wanted to share that exciting little bit of news.

Pic(s) of the Day #10

How does this thing work again?

Thomas has been getting creative with how he holds his binky. Hey, whatever works, right?

Looking on the Bright Side

This is a story that was shared at our women's conference yesterday:

She woke up one morning and looked in the mirror. She saw that she had only three hairs on her head! She said, "Well, I guess I'll braid my hair today." She did, and she had a wonderful day.

She woke up the next morning, and looked in the mirror. She saw that she had only two hairs on her head! She said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." She did, and she had a wonderful day.

When she woke up the next morning and looked in the mirror, she saw that she had only one hair left on her head. She said, "Today I'll wear my hair in a ponytail." She did, and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up and looked in the mirror. There was no hair on her head at all. She laughed and said, "Hooray! I don't have to style my hair at all today!"

My own personal experience with this deals not with hairs on my head, but consecutive hours of sleep last night. There weren't many. After going to bed a little before 11:00, I was awakened by Thomas at 12:25. He didn't need to eat; I fed him before I went to bed. So I gave him his paci, cuddled him, and put him back down. Ten minutes later he was crying again, I repeated the process, and this time he stayed asleep. At 1:30 Zaylee woke up crying, I think she may have had a nightmare or something. So I went in and comforted her, then went back to bed. Thomas was up again at quarter to 3, wanting to eat. So this time I fed him, during which feeding Zaylee woke up once again, and Jeff had to go comfort her. Thomas was up again at 4, but I had delegated child-comforting duty to Jeff for the rest of the night and didn't have to get up. I did wake up though, because I'm trained to. Then I think I got the most sleep of the night after that point, because Thomas didn't wake up again until 6:30 (tongue-in-cheek - that only gave me an hour and a half consecutive at that point). So Jeff was a sweetie and changed his diaper, and I fed him and was then up for the day. Church being at 9:00, I wasn't planning on getting up until 7:00, but oh well. Looking on the bright side of all this, am I going to have a great nap today or what!

One cool thing about today was that I played a piano solo as the special musical number in Sacrament Meeting this morning. I was fairly nervous, and couldn't get my hands to stop shaking, but I think I did a good job, and it was a good experience. I really do enjoy performing.

Name Game

This is the name game, from Rachel's blog. :)

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Smudge Neon

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Moose Tracks Chocolate Chip

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Sbas

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Horse

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Lynn Tyndall (I actually don't have a middle name, but I always wanted it to by Lynn, and that sounds great with Tyndall.)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Basst

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Green Milk

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Don Norman

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Contradiction Twix

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle names)
Law Ira (Law is Mom's maiden name, no middle name).

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Rizer Raleigh

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Summer Rose

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Pineapple Pantsy

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Fried Potato Pine

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Crochet Snow Tour

Oh, the trauma!

Thomas got himself stuck in the toy box we have in the living room. He wasn't too happy about it, but I couldn't resist the cute photo op.

The poor dear!

Pic of the Day #9

Cookbooks

Oh, is there anything better than a whole lineup of cookbooks at your fingertips? I love having quick and easy access to all sorts of recipes. This counter is my favorite place in the kitchen.

Women's Conference

We had a great women's conference this morning. The theme was to bloom where you're planted and grow toward the light, like a sunflower. We had several great speakers, sisters who were "planted in various soils": there was a sister who has not had the opportunity to marry, a sister struggling with infertility, a sister who had gone through divorce. There was a sister who struggled with insecurities and was intimidated by Relief Society for 33 years, before being called to the RS presidency. And the Temple matron, who's son and daughter-in-law had a child born with a fatal congenital heart defect and lived only three weeks. All of them talked about the problems they had gone through, and how they were learning to be their best selves, even though the soil they were planted in (their various situations) was not what they had expected out of their lives. There was a great quote by one of the ladies, something to this effect: "Don't try to find out who you are, create who you are." Or something like that. I can't really remember how it went. But anyway, it illustrated that you should spend your energy becoming the best you that you can. It was great to be able to listen to the speakers, and be with other women, and at the lunch afterward I sat with several ladies from my ward and we chatted. It was a really nice morning.

My recipes

I recently changed some stuff around on my recipe page. (changing it to the same account I use for this one, instead of a different account). For informational purposes, the address changed and it is now baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com (I added an 's'). Anyway, the link is here on my blog.

Pic of the Day #8

Yesterday I could go out in a light sweater, today we're back to snow. Phooey.

Updatey-Like Post

I looked back over my last couple posts, and realized I need to put up a regular, updatey-like post, since I haven't for awhile. The only thing is, I can't really think of any regular, updatey-like things to say. Hm.

Tomorrow there's a woman's conference, I think it's a stake thing, for the Relief Society. I'm excited to go and get to know some of the women in the ward. There will be speakers and a lunch, and I get to dress up in nice clothes, which is nice. I don't get out of the apartment much, except for Church on Sundays and laundry at Mom and Dad's, and occasionally I get to go shopping. It'll be nice to get out for something different, and hang out with other ladies. I think this is why I love blogging so much - I crave social interaction.

Wow, I really can't think of anything to blog about right now. Oh well.

My blog personality

Your Blogging Type Is the Private Performer Your blog is your stage - with your visitors your adoring fans.
At least, that's how you write with your witty one liners.
And while you like attention, you value your privacy.
You're likely to have an anonymous blog - or turn off comments.

Except for the last line, this pretty much spells out how I feel about my blog. Cool!
The link to the blogging personality quiz is on Rachel's blog, if anyone else wants to take it.

What animal am I? (Chinese New Year)

After reading Calista's blog, I checked out the web site she gave to find out about my animal year (ex. year of the rat, year of the dragon, etc.). I was born in the year of the boar.

"People born in the year of the boar are honest and tolerant and make good friends, but tend to expect the same from everyone else, and more often than not they end up disappointed. They thrive in the arts as entertainers." I guess this fits me pretty well. I've been told I'm a good friend, and I try to be tolerant and understanding of others. As for being an entertainer, I was very involved in the theater throughout high school and college, and that type of stuff still gets me excited. So yeah, this describes me pretty well.

Pic of the Day #7

"Mama!!"

Thomas has mastered the "m" sound, using it to say "mamamama" repeatedly. In this picture he happens to be crying it, as if to say "Mama, pick me up! Please!" After taking the picture, I did, of course, pick him up and give him lots of cuddles.

Our morning at Pediatric Cardiology

Thomas had his appointment with the cardiologist this morning to look at his heart and see what was up with the murmur. Basically, she said he's fine; we just wait until he's two, look at it again, and see if anything needs to be done at that point. I'll describe it in more detail later on, there's a picture to go with it. I took full advantage of our recently purchased digital camera, and took some fun pics while we were there.

Here is Thomas on the exam table. This is after his echo cardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).

The ultrasound didn't dampen his spirits!

Zaylee found the various cupboards to be interesting, and a lot more fun than sitting still.

There were chalkboards in the waiting room, perfect for a budding little artist who loves to color.

Thomas had his own toys, but that didn't deter him from wanting to play with Zaylee's puzzle. We had to give him his own.

Here's Thomas's puzzle, before he got pieces strewn all over the room. At one point he lunged forward and face-planted onto a couple pieces, cutting his cheek and chin. Oops!

Zaylee was surprisingly good at putting the puzzle pieces in the right places. She would look at the piece carefully, then examine the board until she found the right spot. She was very proud of herself.

This is the little picture the cardiologist drew for us, to illustrate what's going on with Thomas's heart. A heart murmur is just a sound - it's the sound the blood makes as it rushes in and out of the heart. Thomas's heart has a slightly different sound than normal because of what is called an atrial shunt. It's that little dot between the right and left atria with the arrow through it. Infants are born with a small opening there that allows some of the blood to go back to the lungs instead of to the body, because in the womb it just went back to the placenta. The opening (shunt) closes up usually by the time a child is two. Normally, this opening is only 1-2 mm at birth, and starts getting smaller pretty much right away. Thomas's, at seven months, is 3 mm. So basically his shunt is larger than normal, letting more blood through than in most babies. At this point, the game plan is basically to wait and see if it will close up on its own. If, when we check it again at 2 years, it hasn't closed up, then action will probably need to be taken to fix it.

Anyway, he's healthy, growing and developing normally, so the cardiologist said not to do anything differently, just because he has a heart murmur. Just treat him normal. It's nice to know what's going on, and that it's not really anything to worry about.

Workout

I'm at Mom and Dad's house doing laundry right now. Janelle and Marie were doing dance aerobics, and I decided to join them, while holding Thomas. He had just woken up from a nap and didn't want to be put down yet. So I worked out with them for the last, like, five minutes of the workout. I think in that five minutes, holding Thomas, I got more exhausted than I usually do in twenty or thirty minutes of exercise usually! I guess there's some validity to all those parenting magazine articles that tell you to exercise with your baby. It actually works! Of course, I also have a cold now which probably accounts for some of the after-exercise tiredness as well. Anyway, it was fun, and I feel good that I got at least a little exercise, despite not feeling well.

Pic of the Day #6

These are the Silver Dollar Pancakes from Calista's recipe blog. They are really good! (Thanks Calista) I had like six of them. I didn't count how many Zaylee ate, but it was more than a couple. Check out that huge pile of pancakey goodness!

Silver

Is there anything more beautiful than silver? Shimmering, sparkling, glistening. Silver is glamorous and distinguished, sleek and modern. Silver is an absolutely beautiful color - until you find its glistening presence among the dark, chocolate-colored hairs of your head. I found my first silver hair this afternoon as I was looking in the mirror. No, could it be? I plucked it, examined it closely, and came to the sad conclusion that, yes, this hair is silver. No brown or blond coloring in it whatsoever. I'm getting old! (Absolutely no offense whatsoever to you lovely ladies who already have a head full of beautifully glistening, sparkling, shimmering silver!)

We're All Sick

The cold bug has been spread to our poor unfortunate little family. Thomas and Zaylee have had the sniffles, wheezes, and coughs since Saturday or Sunday. Now Jeff and I get our turn; both of us woke up this morning with stuffy noses and other fun cold symptoms. So now all of us are feeling under the weather. It's no fun trying to take care of miserable, sniffly children when you're feeling as miserable and sniffly as they are! But we plug along. Hopefully we'll all feel better very soon.

Pic of the Day #5

Mommy's Little Bookworms

I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap a picture of both kids, each enjoying a book in their own way.

Pic of the Day #4

This is a picture of ...drumroll please... our new digital camera! (Actually, it's just the box. I'm using the camera to take the picture, of course.)
We went through our finances, took into account the tax refund, as well as the tax rebate we're expecting later in the summer, and realized we could scrounge together enough to get a nice little camera. Hooray!

Potty Training

I have decided to start potty training Zaylee. I've been putting it off thus far because of all the big changes that have been going on in our lives for the past several months - namely, Thomas being born and us moving two times. But now that we're in our apartment and things are starting to calm down a bit, I'm going to start introducing Zaylee to the process of going potty. I got online last night and ordered a couple cute little potty training books, you know, the ones where the little kid learns about how to go potty, has accidents, has successes, and finally gets to pick out their own special grown-up underpants. Those should get here in a few days. I'm a bit nervous about starting this, but I'll just take it slowly, a little at a time, and brace myself for more stinky laundry than I already have. If anyone has any suggestions, tips, advice, warnings, etc. in relation to potty training, I would love to hear (read) them. Thanks!

Oops!

I had an absent-minded moment this morning. I had just finished clipping Thomas's nails when Zaylee came up and wanted hers clipped too. So I set Thomas down and turned to pick up Zaylee, and I heard a loud plop and a little whine. I had set Thomas down on his feet, expecting him to be able to stand and walk away! He couldn't, of course, and did a belly flop on the floor. Oops! He was fine, just a little startled. I picked him up, gave him some loves, then set him down, on his belly, and sent him on his way. Ah, mommy brain.

Roast Cornish Hen with Vegetables

Here's the recipe for our Valentine's Dinner, if anyone wants it. It's easy, and so delicious!

1 Cornish game hen, thawed if frozen
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium dark-orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 small red potatoes, quartered
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 11x7-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Remove and discard neck and giblets from game hen. With kitchen scissors, cut hen in half; place halves, skin side up, in baking dish.

In medium bowl, mix garlic salt, chili powder, ginger, cumin, and oil. Brush hen halves with 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture. To remaining mixture in bowl, add sweet potato, red potatoes, and bell pepper; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables around hen halves in dish.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until hen halves are fork-tender and juices run clear, and vegetables are tender.


This particular spice combination is so unique and delicious. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's absolutely great. To make this dish more budget-friendly, I'm sure that regular chicken pieces (thigh, breast, etc.) could be used in place of the cornish hen. That way it could be increased to feed a family if needed. I'm going to be making this or variations of it many times in the future - it tastes so good!

It's Picture Day!

It's laundry day, meaning I can take and post pictures!

This is me with my new haircut. I didn't really style it today, just ran my fingers through when I got up. That is totally my ideal style!
Jeff came home this morning with a Valentine's balloon for Zaylee. The two have been inseparable all day. She calls it her "shortcake bannoon."


And this is just a cute one of Marie holding Thomas.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm in the middle of making a fun cake. I did yellow cake from scratch, and added red food coloring to make it pink. I cooked it in two 9-inch rounds but I'm thinking of somehow making it heart shaped. I also melted some chocolate chips and piped it out in fun heart shapes. They're hardening in the fridge, and will be used to decorate the top of the cake. I'm excited about dinner - I'm roasting a cornish game hen with potato, sweet potato, and green pepper, and a nice saucy rub to flavor it all. It's kinda funny, but the thing that I look forward to the most at Valentine's Day is the food I get to prepare and eat. A fancy meal and dessert is one of my favorite ways to say "I love you."

A New Tag

50 Things I bet you didn't know about me

1. What is in the back of your car?
Handmade denim blanket, spare tire, "garage sale" signs, some motor oil

2. When was the last time you threw up?
I threw up when I was in labor with Thomas, almost seven months ago.

3. What color is your toothbrush?
Purple.

4. What was the last thing you ate?
Pupusas (El Salvadorean stuffed tortillas).

5. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I wish, but no.

6. When was the last time you ran?
Is it sad that I don't remember?

7. The last sporting event you watched?
Umm, I think I watched a couple minutes of football about a month ago when Dad turned it on.

8. What did you do over the weekend?
I visited my sister and got a haircut.

9. Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace?
I don't do myspace.

10. Ever go camping?
We used to go as a family just about every summer. I loved camping in Japan, and meeting Japanese people who were also camping. We'd share our hot dogs, and they'd share their grilled squid and miso soup.

11. Would you rather stay in the country or city?
I think I prefer the country, though I'm most comfortable in a nice quiet suburb.

12. Are you in a relationship?
Lots - marriage, daughter, sister, mother, friend, etc.

13. Do you have a tan?
Not really. I used to tan well, but that went away years ago when I stopped going outside on a regular basis.

14. What's your favorite food?
Just about anything homemade. I also love desserts.

15. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
I don't usually drink soda, but if i do, occasionally I'll use a straw, like at a restaurant.

16. What did your last text message say?
I've never sent a text message, even when we had cell phones.

17. Are you someone's best friend?
Yes, I'm Jeff's best friend.

18. What are you doing tomorrow?
Laundry at my parents' house, put the kids to bed early, make and enjoy a fancy dinner of Cornish game hen and potatoes, and probably some sort of romantic dessert, watch a movie...

19. Where is your mom?
I suppose she's at home.

20. When you look to your left, what do you see?
Jeff studying, Zaylee distracting him, the front window with the blinds closed.

21. Who would you like to see right now?
That guy who rings your doorbell and gives you a huge check for lots of money - jk. It would be fun to see my friends from Rexburg, I miss them.

22. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Jeff's mom is from Australia, so I think of her. I also think of that movie "Crocodile Dundee."

23. Where is one place in the world where you would like to visit?
That's tough. I'd like to visit Russia, Australia, Japan, and Europe. If I had to choose just one, I suppose it would be Europe.

24. What is your birthstone?
Topaz, for November.

25. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
We go in. Since it's cheaper than a real restaurant, Jeff and I used to go to Wendy's for date nights. We'd also go there after going to the Temple. I like sit-down dinners, so even at fast food we go in and eat properly.

26. What is your favorite number?
I don't know that I really have one. I've always like 23 because that's my birthday (Nov 23).

27. Do you have a dog?
No, but my family has a cat. And I have a 7-month-old. Does that count?

28. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Jeff's mom, but she had called to talk to Jeff, so our conversation was quite short. Before that, I talked to a lady from the ward who wants me to play a special musical number in church in a couple weeks.

29. Have you met anyone famous?
I've met several professional organists. And I met Marvin Goldstein (piano composer) and Kirby Heybourne. All of this was at BYU-I, when I was more culturally well-rounded than now due to the large number of performances and concerts held there.

30. Any plans today?
I plan to spend the rest of the day relaxing with my family, watching a movie or two, doing dishes, probably clean up the house a bit.

31. How many states have you lived in?
4 - Florida, Oklahoma, California, and Idaho. And Japan, but I can't count that - It's not a state.

32. Ever go to college?
Yes, graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in University Studies, minor in Theater, clusters in Biology and Russian.

33. What do you want to be when you grow up?
What I already am - a mom. Though as I grow I hope to get better at it.

34. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Both kids crying at the same time, while I'm trying to get some housework done.

35. Last song listened to?
The theme from Mystery Science Theater 3000; Jeff just put one in to watch.

36. What did you eat last night?
Salmon Patties with Dill Sauce and corn. Yumm.

37. What is your fav. food to splurge on?
Sandwiches and frozen yogurt at Millhollow in Rexburg - doesn't sound like much, but oh they were good!

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
A pair of black boots, ankle high, that zip up the side.

39. Do you want to get married?
I already am, and I would do it all over again.

40. Are you jealous of anyone?
Sometimes, but I try not to be. I get envious of people with cleaner homes, trendier clothes, people who are thinner, etc.

41.Does anyone not like you?
If there is anyone who doesn't like me, they haven't told me.

42. Do you love anyone?
Yes - my husband and kids, other family members, friends...

43. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes, most of them.

44. Do you eat healthy?
I try, though I definitely enjoy some foods that are not even close to being healthy!

45. Who did you wake up next to this morning?
No one, Jeff was already at class.

46. Do you hate anyone right now?
No.

47. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
When I answer the phone, but mostly when talking to Zaylee. We exchange "hello"s over and over.

48. Are you glad that this is almost over?
Nah, filling this out has been fun.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes, when I was a kid , and again a couple times as a senior.

50. How did you get one of your scars?
I have a scar on my forehead from when my brother threw a walkie-talkie at me when we were kids. He has greatly improved though, and is now on a mission.

I tag anyone who wants to answer fifty random questions.

National Pancake Day

Did you know that today is National Pancake Day? It's some IHOP thing, I think. But since it's so much cheaper, why not celebrate at home and have some fancy pancakes for dinner tonight? I'm going to have fun with this!

No pictures *sniff*

I wish we had a digital camera. I see everyone else's posts with all their cute (and frequent) pics and bemoan the fact that I can only take and post pictures once a week, or whenever we visit Mom and Dad. Prioritizing our money is difficult though. Do we use our tax refund to get a camera, or do we save it and use it to live off of until Jeff gets a job and we get some income? They say money doesn't make you happy, but I think it could sure cheer me up a bit!

Proud of Myself

I'm proud of myself because I worked out today. For a while, when we lived with Mom and Dad my sisters and I worked out together nearly every day. Then we moved and I've really let my exercise slide. I'm still keeping track of calories and still slowly losing weight, but the exercise really makes me feel great. So I did my exercise today. The only problem is that the kids like to be where I am. Zaylee kept trying to spread her toys out all over the living room floor, where I was trying to boogie with my dance aerobics. It was hard not to step on stuff and I had to keep moving things out of the way. Zaylee sure didn't like that. She wanted things to be exactly where she put them! Also, Thomas likes to be, not just where I am, but where my feet are, for some reason. I had to keep moving him out of the way so I wouldn't step or jump on him. Yikes. But after much perserverence and moving stuff, I was able to complete a 40-minute work-out. Yay me!

Zaylee's Day

Update on Zaylee - she's doing better today, though still very fussy. When she's not feeling well, she tends to be extremely irritable, and cries at the tiniest thing. But she's getting better. And she's been cheerful for much of the day also. Just fussy off and on. I tried to call the pediatrician, but was unable to get ahold of them and get her scheduled for an appointment. I'll try again tomorrow.
Zaylee got to get out of the house today and visit Grandma and Grandpa (my parents). Jeff had a book that came in the mail there and he went to pick it up, bringing Zaylee along. He also brought his and her clothes from Sunday when Zaylee got sick, so that they could get washed (we do our laundry over there - cheaper than the coin-op). She enjoyed that. She loves going places with Daddy. Anytime she sees him getting ready to leave, she runs to get her shoes and coat, totally expecting to go with him. It breaks her little heart if he leaves without her. So she was glad to get to be with Daddy.

Dinner with my Sister

Last night was great fun. Our family went to visit Michelle and Mark, and to have a great dinner together. Oh, it was delicious. For those of you who don't know, Michelle is a great cook, and shines her brightest with fancy dinners. We had roast ham, salad, garlic-roasted asparagus, and some spiced roasted sweet potato wedges, plus some French bread Jeff and I brought. Dessert was a lemon ricotta cheesecake topped with toasted pine nuts. Is that awesome or what? But the visit was especially great for me because not only did we had great dinner, but Michelle cut my hair off. It's nice and short, sassy, and way cute. I was tired of it and wanted it gone. She did a great job. We should have taken a picture to post, but didn't. Anyway, it was a great evening.

Excitement at Church

Our first real week at Church (not counting last week because church was cancelled) was made interesting by Zaylee's unexpected vomiting right before the Sacrament. (Note to self: Malt-O-Meal is not a good Sunday morning food). She threw up all over herself and Jeff, but I was miraculously saved from getting gunked. I think it's because I really needed Church today and the Spirit that it brought. So Jeff took Zaylee to the bathroom to get cleaned up, then took her home. I was in charge of cleaning up in the cultural hall, where luckily the floors are wood instead of carpet and are easily wiped. I was able to enjoy the rest of Church, meeting new people, getting familiar with the building, etc. I feel bad that Jeff had to miss Church and be with a sick toddler, but also very grateful that he is willing to do that. Like I said, I really needed to be in church this week.

Zaylee has me a bit concerned. For the past couple months, this has been going on. She'll be fine for a couple weeks, then suddenly be sick. She throws up several times in succession, but is back to herself by the next day or two. Then a week or two later she will do it all over again. This is the second time she's thrown up at Church, last time was a few weeks ago. And between these throwing up episodes, she has little spit-ups frequently. She used to never get sick until just the past few months. I'm not sure what's going on or what to do about it. Any suggestions?

Cute stuff

Just thought I'd post some of Zaylee's cute sayings and behaviors.

Jeff sometimes says a food is "yummalicious" when it tastes good. Zaylee has picked up on this. This morning as we were pretending to eat plastic blocks, she paused long enough to say, "Mm! Nummy-wishus!"

Just now as I was typing, Zaylee came up and started pulling on my finger, saying, "Come on Mommy!" She usually does this to drag us over to the snack cupboard in hopes of getting a graham cracker. We just ate breakfast, so I said "Not now," and pulled my hand away. She grabbed it again, "Come on Mommy, gimme great big hug!" Aww! So I picked her up and gave her a great big hug. We exchanged "I love you"s and I put her down, hoping to continue typing. However, having gotten my attention and completely wooed me, she proceeded to once again grab my finger, drag me to the snack cupboard, and get a graham cracker.

Zaylee has decided that occasionally, instead of making a scene, she'll just go with the flow and make things seem like they were her idea to begin with. As we take something away from her that she shouldn't have, she'll say, "Here you go, you're welcome!"

The best one of all: this actually isn't under the label of "cute", but it's wonderful nonetheless. Zaylee and Thomas share a room. And every time Thomas wakes up crying at night, Zaylee stays asleep. Isn't she great!

Random Ramblings of a Deranged Mind

I've been in a grumpy mood today. Poor Jeff - we went shopping today and used two separate carts - one for each kid - and I kept accidentally running into him with my cart. He's going to have bruises on his ankles I'm sure. Anyway, after a while of that I threw one of my grumpy fits and ran off with my cart and Zaylee to be alone for a while. He tried to follow, so I lost him in the lingerie aisles (he won't go in there). After cooling off for a bit, I found him and apologized.
Somehow it seems I'm always the one apologizing and he's the one being all nice and forgiving. It's not that he's never sorry, it's just that he never does much that needs to be apologized for. I'm always the one throwing a fit, being grumpy, talking sarcastically, and basically doing all the stuff that requires apology.
I hope I have a better day tomorrow. It's really discouraging to want to cheer up but not be able to. I'll feel badly about being grumpy, so I'll want to be nice to Jeff, but find myself talking with a really rude tone of voice, against my will. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just get these mood swings and can't seem to do anything about it until the darkness passes and I'm happy again. It's frustrating, inexplicable, and just hard to deal with.
Okay, I'd better just end this post before it gets too depressing.

The New Tag

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning

B. Each player answers the questions about themselves

C. At the end of the post, the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged

10 years ago I was . . .
a really awkward and unattractive teenager with acne.

5 things on my to do list today . . .
1. go shopping for WIC foods and a snow shovel (Wal-Mart didn't have snow shovels!)
2. unpack some more
3. get internet hooked up (okay, so Jeff did that, but I helped)
4. give the kids some much-needed attention
5. watch movies

4 Things I would do if I became a billionare...
1. pay off student loans
2. buy a really nice house
3. buy lots of baking and cooking equipment
4. invest lots of money - saving for retirement

3 of my bad habits are. . .
1. watching too many movies
2. losing my temper too easily when I haven't had enough sleep
3. not keeping the house clean

5 places I have lived...
1. Panama City, Florida
2. Del City, Oklahoma
3. Misawa AB, Japan
4. Beale AFB, CA
5. Rexburg, Idaho

5 jobs I have had...
1. Popeye's (fast food)
2. Developmental Therapy Aid (working with disabled children)
3. Respite Provider (working with disabled persons, mostly children)
4. student
5. stay-at-home mom

4Things most people don't know about me
1. I want to be a great actress or singer but don't think I'm talented enough.
2. Bathroom surfaces (tub, floor, counters, etc.) really gross me out.
3. I love Monte Cristo sandwiches (ham and swiss sandwich, dipped in egg and milk and fried like french toast, then served with powdered sugar and jelly)
4. I cook with bean flour (ground up dried beans)

Actually, I'm not going to tag anyone. I just felt like answering the questions. I guess anyone who wants can consider themselves tagged. Sorry I'm breaking the rules.

Wow, I feel like I've been on blogging withdrawal for days. It's been miserable! But our internet should be getting hooked up tomorrow, or sometime soon, so I will be able to blog everyday after that! Yay!

It has been so different to be living on our own. This morning I actually had to get up when Zaylee woke up. I have been used to sleeping in, and letting my sisters take the morning shift with her, because she shared their room. Now I'm the only one there to be with her, and she gets up at least an hour before I prefer. Oh well. I guess I'll get used to it.

We have been doing a great deal of unpacking, and are getting close to being done. There are only a few boxes left in the living room. The kids' room, bathroom, and kitchen are completely done. Our bedroom has the most boxes left to go through. We had to buy one of those space savers to go over the toilet because the bathroom had very little cupboard space. I put the whole thing together all by myself and was very proud of myself. We also had to buy a shower caddy to go over the shower head because the tub has no shelf space. It was so fun to walk through Home Depot yesterday to buy these things. We go lost en route to the bathroom stuff, and found ourselves walking through some very beautiful kitchens. When we buy a house to settle in, I want a beautiful kitchen, one with lots of counter space, lots of cupboards and drawers, and lots of class and elegance. After we found the stuff we came for we just browsed through the whole place, dreaming of the home that we will someday own. Hm, I probably sound like I'm never satisfied. I want my own apartment, and then when I get it, I'm on to wanting my own house.

Sunday was lots of fun. After driving through what felt like ten feet of snow (actually, it was less than a foot, but it was a lot) to find our new church building, we got there and were close to getting stuck in the parking lot. When we got into the building, we were informed that Church was canceled, but that they were holding Sacrament Meeting for those who had showed up anyway. So we got to meet a few people, hear testimonies. Zaylee made friends with the toddler in the pew behind us, who happened to be named Bailey. Zaylee and Bailey. It was cute, they were crawling around under the pews together as if they had known each other forever.

Well, this has been a nice, long, unorganized post. I'm just so glad to be able to blog again. I've missed it.

Pic of the Day #3

Actually, from now on it will be pic of the week.

Jeff has been bugging me because there are no pictures of him on our blog. So Jeff, this is for you - a great husband, and a great daddy (Zaylee is wearing only one sock in this picture because Jeff was trying in microwave it. It had gotten wet, and somehow microwaving it dry seemed to make sense to him)

I don't know how the "it" works with this one, but I'll fill it out while I've got time.

Get to know my sweetheart--

What is his name? Jeff

How long have you been together? We've been married for 3 1/2 years.

How long did you date? We dated for 5 months, were unofficially engaged for one month, then officially engaged for 4 months.

How old his he? 28

Who eats more? Actually, I do. Even when I don't need the extra calories for nursing.

Who said i love you first? He did.

Who is taller? He's taller, I don't know how much taller, but I say just enough.

Who can sing better? We both sing incredibly well (well, at least tolerably.)

Who is smarter? I got better grades, but he retains his knowledge better, and his grades were and are very good anyway.

Who does the laundry? He used to in Rexburg when the laundry facilities were a little ways away and I didn't want to go out in the snow, but now I do.

Who pays the bills? I write the check, but he earned the money.

Who sleeps on the right side? It varies. Right now he does.

Who mows the lawn? Don't know, we've never had a lawn yet. Probably he will.

Who cooks dinner? We both do. I think I do most of the time, but I really enjoy it when he does. And often we'll cook together.

Who drives? He does; I'm notorious for getting lost, especially when the directions are easy to follow and the distance is minimal.

Who is more stubborn? Me.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me, but I was totally willing.

Who asked who out first? He asked me to a performance of Handel's Messiah.

Who proposed? He did, after I gave him permission (rather, I told him to, and so he did).

Who has more friends? I think he does. I'm home all day, but he has classmates at school.

Who is more sensitive? Me. I'll cry and be upset over nothing, but he rarely gets ruffled over anything.

Who has more siblings? I do. I have 7 and he has 4. But he has more nieces and nephews.

Who wears the pants in the family? He wears the pants, and I offer suggestions on how to do so.

Moving

We're in the middle of moving. We're going to grab some dinner here at Mom and Dad's, then get back to work. I am so exhausted from working all day, but we will have moved everything over to our apartment by the time we go to bed tonight. However, everything will still be in boxes, so the work will continue tomorrow and for days to come, I'm sure. Anyway, it's exciting to be moving and setting up the apartment, but I'm feeling rather drained.
On a sad note, one of the family's cats, Smudge, was hit by a car early this morning. We're all pretty sad, but are sure that she is having fun playing with kids in heaven.