{Random Forevers}

6 month appointment

2012-01-31T06:00:00.010-07:00

To say that I hate taking Brooklyn to get her shots would be an understatement. I loathe it. It makes me sick to my stomach. I usually don't eat the day she gets shots. But really, it's crazy. One, because I am SO terribly grateful that she is getting these shots. Two, it gives me peace of mind. And three, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right on my daughter's behalf.
But gosh darn it. I hate to see her in pain. And when she got those 4 little needles poked into those deliciously chubby legs...her heart was broken. Mine too. I opted to have her get the flu shot as well, so that added another needle. But boy, what peace of mind. Peace of mind as the flu season is about to start in full force. I want her to be healthy for the rest of this winter. Just as every parent does.

Luckily, James was able to join us again. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's my right hand man. The pop to my rocks. Brooklyn loves to have him there as well. He's much better at entertaining her than I.

Here they are checking out the cars and people down below from the dr's office waiting room window.

And here we are, waiting

waiting,

and doing some planking. Ya know, to get that six pack for swim suit season.

Waiting makes us hungry for toes.

And here we are post shots, a quick feeding, and lots of loves from yours truly and her daddy.

Her stats at this appointment:

15 lbs 1 oz.

25 1/2 inches long

and healthy as a horse.

Mary Poppins was impressed that she is 'creeping' and rolling all over the place. So are we. We think she's pretty impressive. Here's to another happy healthy 6 months Brookie. Let's celebrate with long naps and trips to Target where we will wander aimlessly and find cool things that we might buy someday.

Love you baby.

Valentine's Day is knockin' on the door.

And I can't wait.

Errands and things.

2012-01-30T06:00:00.004-07:00

This weekend was epic.

2 runs to Forever 21 - 1 fail

Greek food

chatting.chatting.chatting.

Silhouette creation

carpet steamed & cleaned (thanks again Chels)

house cleaned

3 colds :(

Fashion Place run

pizza in bed

teaching a YW lesson

neon lipstick

and

lots and lots of errands.

Seriously. I was the conqueror of errands this weekend. I should get a trophy, or even just a medal. A gold one. On Saturday morning I woke up and thought to myself. Self, stay in bed. You still have a cold, don't get up. So...I got up and got started on my To-Do list. It was a doozy. But boy was I ready to git 'er dun. I am a running errand queen. I have strategies and rules. Let me share.

First, you must shower. (ok not a must)

Then, put your pearls on. I'm serious about this one. You'll feel like you can run a marathon with your pearls on. Like you took a lot of time getting ready and have somewhere very fancy and important to be to later. I'm talking earrings here, but the necklace would work too.

So your pearls are on. Then, pull your hair back. A high pony if you will. This will keep your hair out of your face and help cut down on any extra frustration the errands may cause you.

Make sure your watch is on. Knowing the time is a huge help to me. Plus, it's nice to see how quickly you're getting those darned errands run. Ran. Runned? (JK Dad)

Have your shopping lists in your hand (don't leave them at home, on your bed).

Plan out the best most effective route to accomplish your errands in the shortest amount of time possible.

Get yourself a treat. I'm a believer in this one. For me, it was oriental rice crackers from the one and only, Kitchen Kneads. Good thing I had to pick up more 9 grain oatmeal.

Lastly, make your husband go with you. Mostly for the social aspect but who doesn't love to spend time with their husbands on Saturdays? Really. It's more fun. Then they can use their muscles to lift the heavy things, like 16 pound babies in car seats and such.

So those are my tips and tricks for running errands. Nothing ground breaking I know. In fact, I'm sure everyone has lots of other great tips that are way better than mine. But the next time you run errands, remember the pearls.

I found this beaut in JCrew and haven't stopped thinkin' about her since.

I also found a few other treasures to spend some bday/Christmas moolah on this weekend. More on that another day.

In other news...

Brookie gets shots today.

whaaaaAAAAaaaat?

And I wore neon lips to church. Do it some time. For real. It makes you feel empowered and fancy.

Loads and Loads

2012-01-27T06:00:00.003-07:00

I woke up yesterday and thought...holy cow, my baby is 6 months old. She has graced us with her presence here on this Earth for 6 whole months. A half a year. I can't hardly stand that. I feel like I found I was pregnant and then *BOOM* I had a 6 month old. Where does the time go?

She woke up in a relatively good mood. You'd think she'd be happy knowing she was turning half a year old. But I'm not sure she got it. I told her about 5 times from the time she woke up and I carried her the whole 10 steps down the hallway to the living room. She was just excited to see her toys.

This girl. Let me tell ya. She has spunk. Spunk like you wouldn't believe. There is personality oozing out her ears AND nose. She has more energy than twenty-five 5 year olds put together. Ok. Exaggeration. But still. You get the point.

I just love her so much. I can't get enough of her. In fact, I kissed her so much...she cried a little. Don't worry. I apologized. I apologized to that sweet buttery little face and those big bright expressive eyes. She grinned at me through her tears. That big gummy grin that melts my heart.

Mommy loves you loads and loads Brooklyn Jayde.

An angel

2012-01-26T06:00:00.003-07:00

My day started out with this...

while I stared at this...

Then I made my to-do list for the day. Short, but do-able.

All this before my little one woke up.

Then it was breakfast time for her.

And after we got showered and ready for the day... I felt even worse than the day before. Ugh. I was sick. So...

the rest of the day I laid low. Drank lots of water. And laid low.

Then my hubby called.

His car had broken down on the way to work.

Oh.

No.

So, Brookie and I packed up to pick him up later in the afternoon.

While he figured things out...

Brookie and I enjoyed the fresh air and looking at all the fun trees.

The Lord was looking after us. There was nothing seriously wrong with his car. He was just out of gas (his gas gauge is off and the light is always on).

So thankful.

Luckily, when James broke down on his way to work, there was a kind stranger...

a 22 year old man who is going through chemo for testicular cancer

who was there to stop traffic, help James push his car across the street and into the parking lot of a church, and take him to work.

What an angel.

So now, we must pay it forward. I pray for the opportunity to help someone in need or maybe even be their rescuing angel.

Needless to say... my to-do list went basically undone.

But

there is always another day.

Sickly

2012-01-25T06:00:00.005-07:00

(the phone pic we sent James - 'love your sicklies!' Give us a week and we'll be back to being his lovelies.)

We had a sick day yesterday. I was pretty miserable, and I felt even worse for Brooklyn. She has a little cough (it's incredibly adorable and sad all at the same time). It didn't really affect her though, other than she did take a GREAT nap.

Upon closer inspection...

(face down - don't worry, she could breathe)

I woke up with my nose running like a faucet and a pounding-pounding head ache. So...at 7 AM I got up, took some IB's, stuffed some toilet paper up my nose, and went back to bed. I was out. Luckily, so was Brooklyn.

After we slept a little longer, had breakfast, and were ready for the day, we snuggled on the couch and watched the most recent Pan Am episodes. The babe wasn't too interested, as she fell asleep two minutes into it. My sweet little sick baby.

She was a trooper though. She took good care of her mommy. She gave me lots of loves and plenty of smiles. I'm sure it made me feel ten times better than how I would have felt without all her sweet little lovin' today.

I wanted to drink gallons of vitamin C infested juices and sit in a hot tub for hours, letting my cold ridden body just escape to somewhere warm with sunny beaches and pretty tropical drinks. Ugh. If only. If only.

Instead, I drank bucket loads of water and munched on string cheese and chocolate chip muffins. Super healthy I know. But I didn't have any juice, and where was I supposed to get a hot tub?

I also got to snuggle and cuddle THE cutest darned baby on the planet. She was good to me. My little dolly. She makes me more happy than she'll ever know. Even more happy than beaches and hot tubs.

Productive Monday

2012-01-24T06:00:00.010-07:00

Yesterday was a productive day.

Brooklyn and I had breakfast - rice cereal for her and oatmeal for me.

I showered and got ready, then bathed Brooklyn and got her dressed. She is loving being able to move around wherever she wants. She rolls around and she creeps like an inchworm forward. Little sweetie. She is full of it.

When Uncle Dev got home from classes and could help keep an eye on the little one I was able to make some bread. Something I haven't done in a long time. It felt good. The smell of bread permeating through my house.

Brooklyn took a good nap and I was able to get things straightened up around the house, dishes done, that kind of thing. I like getting as much done as I can while she's asleep. It's a great motivator.

Dev and I went and got a few groceries (don't worry, Brookie was there too) and then I started dinner. Spinach and feta pasta. One of my favorites. The homemade bread paired nicely with it, along with a green salad.

It was brownies for dessert and a movie.

My house was cozy with the smell of bread, dinner, and brownies. I had candles lit and even a hoodie on under my apron. But as cozy as it was, and I love that, I was craving summer. Craving. I am almost tempted to start a countdown to summer. Almost.

I don't mean to wish my life away. That's the last thing I want to do. Brooklyn will turn 1 this summer and I don't want that yet. There's just something that happens to me in the summer. I don't know if it's the sun or the snow cones, but something about summer makes me giddy. I love it.

(me last summer at Taylorsville Dayzz - in all my pregnant glory)

But until then, I'll enjoy my sweaters paired with skinny jeans and boots. The most comfy outfit invented. And cuddling with my hubby and cute chubby baby.

Snowed in ...

2012-01-23T06:00:00.002-07:00

We had a lovely weekend.

Lots of time at home.

And lots of relaxing. And lots of reading (for me).

Saturday morning was perfect. It was raining outside. Hard. And we had no where to be. So we stayed in our jammies and had breakfast in bed. Pop tarts nonetheless. James and I watched Brooklyn roll around while we chatted. Then, James took Brooklyn so that I could do a little reading and take a nap. So nice.

Brooklyn enjoyed time with her daddy.

We ran a few errands and got home just in time for it to start snowing. Again, we were so glad we didn't have anywhere to be. We hunkered down, put on our sweats, and just enjoyed be 'snowed in' together. Sometimes those days are just the best. Especially when life gets busy and weekends are full of plans.

And Sunday, we enjoyed a delicious meal at Whit and Chuck's for family home evening. Whit made some Paula Deen baked chicken that was to die for, seriously. Thanks Ween.

And on to another week. I look forward to it. I look forward to making some healthy meals for dinner this week. I even got oatmeal ready to go for the boys and myself to eat this morning. Mmm... Love me some oatmeal.

h a p p y m o n d a y

Vacuuming

2012-01-20T06:00:00.006-07:00

First of all, this weather lately...I've loved it. I don't have to go out in it much, and maybe that's why, but I love the cozy safe feeling it gives me. I'm ready for spring just like the next person. I just really felt like we skipped winter and I wasn't ready for that. As long as I don't have to drive in a snow storm and I can just be hunkered down in my house with my little family, I embrace it.

Today, I vacuumed (thank you Gary and Lisa for letting us borrow a vacuum). I love that chore. Almost nothing else gives my home a face lift like a nice good vacuuming. Brooklyn was thoroughly content to just watch me. She rolled around and followed me. I loved it. That cute little rolling baby.

James worked until 7 tonight. We missed him. We're so glad he works so hard for us. He even showed up with dinner. What a guy. I was starving! I won't tell you what we ate. So unhealthy. But so good.

We're ready for the weekend though. It always comes at just the right time. When we need it the most. I love the rejuvination it brings. It helps me prepare to conquer the next week. I don't wish my weeks away. I just very much enjoy the weekends.

So here's to a fun happy weekend. I hope it brings naps, reading, yummy food, family, and maybe Brookie in her snow suit.

Cozy-ness

2012-01-19T06:00:00.006-07:00

(cozy in the car)

When Brooklyn and I got up this morning, it was dark outside. Gloomy. I immediately said, "ok, today is a cozy lazy day. We're just gonna stay in our jammies and watch movies."

Almost immediately, I started cleaning the house. Why does that happen? It's like there's a guilt I feel as soon as I say outloud that I don't want to do anything productive.

So...I lit my favorite candle and got to work. I left the lights dimmed and let Brooklyn roll around on the floor. I started laundry and swept the kitchen floor.

Even though I was working, it still felt so cozy. I was so happy and content. So grateful. My baby is healthy and happy. My husband has a job that he enjoys. We have a good home. I get to be home with my daughter every day. And I love it.

So much to be thankful for on this cozy gloomy day. I could definitely have this kind of day more often.

(picture courtesy of Uncle Dev)

Taco Tuesdays

2012-01-18T06:00:00.005-07:00

James and I introduced Deven to the amazing wonderment that is fish tacos. Rubio fish tacos to be exact. They are so yummy. One of my favorite food groups.

Dev thought they were pretty awesome too.

Brooklyn definitely wanted a taste. Someday, she'll love 'em too.

We had a nice dinner, not a lot of talking. We were way too busy eating! Brooklyn behaved so well too. We never know how she's going to act when we go out. Luckily, tonight was a good night.

For dessert, we jumped across the street and treated ourselves to churros at Costco. They were the best. Not too crunchy, soft in the middle, and oh so sweet.

And, to finish off this post...here is the finished result of the 'cute Valentine's craft'.

I love the way they look in my window. Such a cute feminine fluff of pink. It makes me happy. And in case you're a male and not sure why I did such a bright pink right in my kitchen...it's for Valentine's decor.

Long Weekends...

2012-01-16T16:11:00.001-07:00

We love long weekends at our house. It's especially nice to have James home. Brooklyn loves to spend time with her daddy. And it's nice to have another adult around during the day.

My weekend fun started at 11:42 A.M. when I picked Chelsea up at the trax station (Kinect, silhouette bag on wheels and all). We had big plans. Our goal was to make a cute Valentine's craft we'd both seen on Pinterest. But before that, we did a little shopping, and a little browsing at Orson Gygi's. If you've never been, go check it out.

After we finally figured out our craft, it was almost time for our hubbiess to get home from work. We'd forgotten to eat lunch (that never happens when you're with ME) and were absolutely starved by the time our craft was done and the boys were home.

(isn't that a pretty fluff of pink?)

Chelsea and I ventured out to get Greek food. We shared and savored, a gyro, lemon rice, and the most amazing Greek doughnuts. Oh. My. Gosh. The boys got Carl's Jr. and were satisfied with that.

My parents were in town that night, and by that, I mean, they were downtown SLC staying at the Little America. So, Chels and I took Brooklyn to visit them while we went and treated ourselves to some dessert. Now, don't feel bad for our husbands. They got to do exactly what they wanted, play XBOX together. They can never get enough and they don't get to play together very often.

(mine was called the cheddabutta brownie...divine)

The next morning my mom picked up our little family and we headed to Timpview high school in Provo to watch Haley compete in the state cheer competition. It was an all day event and Brooklyn did so well, only crying when Mommy cheered very loudly for Auntie Hay.

The competition results couldn't have been any better. North Summit took first in the 2A division and scored the MOST points out of any other squad there (31 squads total, including 5A). Their routine was basically flawless. They killed it! So exciting!

We all celebrated by stuffing our faces at The Old Spaghetti Factory. James and I shared pasta and cherry coke. So yummy. I'm sure I gained 2 pounds JUST from all the cherry coke. I was happy.

That night James' family came down and we watched a movie, Another World. It definitely did not end how we all hoped, but it had us sucked in within the first ten minutes. It'll definitely be a movie we talk about down the road.

After church on Sunday, we met James' family in South Jordan to visit James' aunt, uncle, and cousins. His cousin is heading to Texas on a mission this week. Such an exciting time! We enjoyed visiting and laughing.

Then we were on our way to Coalville. We hardly ever spend a weekend at home. Hardly. We watched the Golden Globes and visited, but the night ended short for me because Brooklyn was exhausted and ready for bed. I fell asleep putting her to bed. It felt good to go to bed before midnight on the weekend.

Morning brought snow, waffles, That Thing You Do, and a hair cut for James. The afternoon was almost as relaxing: a nice run on the treadmill, Never Say Never (don't judge - it's good!), and homemade mac & cheese. Such a nice relaxing day.

(my dad called this ingenuity)

Everyone but my mom, Brookie, and I, were addicted to a game, Words With Friends, all weekend. Wow.

(here is James enjoying 'that' game and Brooklyn trying so hard to crawl)

(Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.)

Slobberfest

2012-01-13T06:00:00.003-07:00

Today was deemed 'slobberfest' at our house. I went through the day with slobber all over my face, hair, clothes, and hands. That sweet little slobbery Brooklyn. I think she does it out of love.

She also took some great naps today. Usually her naps during the day are under an hour (I know!), but today, 2 of them were almost 2 hours. It was great. I ~~accomplished a lot~~ read a lot of my book. That I love by the way. I would totally recommend it. It's called The Swan House. I felt justified because I worked my tail off this week. Keeping up on my house, dinner, dishes, Brooklyn's odds and ends. I love to read. I love it.

Here she is during one of her glorious naps. I was playing a risky little game by snapping this shot.

(my little sleeping and slobbery beauty)

While she rolled on the floor and played with her toys, she rolled over to a spot of the living room she hasn't really explored yet. She loved the tv tray.

A lot.

My sweet little slobbery baby.

Then, after a dinner of fish, veggies, and rice, James got down on the floor to play with her. He misses her a lot while he's at work. Brooklyn misses him too.

Tonight, she wore him right out.

James went and did some visits (for his church calling) and then we ventured out to get a few groceries. Brooklyn behaved very well. She is getting so much better at entertaining herself. We quickly got the things we needed and were heading out...but not without these bad boys.

There were a couple other flavors, but we had our hearts set on these ones. Ahh lemonade. Have I already mentioned that I'm craving summer just a little bit?

We ended the night with latte bowls full of ice cream and doting over Brooklyn in her cute little jammies,

and strawberry stamped bum.

'Slobberfest' was a successful happy day for all. We love each other. We are happy. We are healthy. Our tummies are full of ice cream and pretty lemonades (Brooklyn's is full of milk and green beans...yum), and we are ready for the weekend.

Bring it on.

Rushing

2012-01-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn got another fun package in the mail this week...

her Johnny Jump-Up

She loves it. For 10 minutes at a time. She doesn't quite get how to jump yet. She just kind of twirls and bangs around like a drunken sailor. It's hilarious. So cute. Hopefully she'll be jumping in no time.

Last night for dinner we had gorgonzola shrimp (one of my faves) and then I ran off to YW in Excellence/New Beginnings. It was a short but sweet program rounding off with dirt cups (our theme was Spiritual Survival) and the most delicious slush in the world.

After I slurped all of that down, I quickly helped to clean-up and put away. I raced home, worried that Brooklyn would be starving after my two hour absence, but she was just fine, playing on the floor with her daddy.

I feel like I am always rushed. I rush through my shower every morning. I rush to get laundry done. I rush to basically do everything. Part of this is because Brooklyn is either crying, hungry, or bored. I try to keep her as happy as possible.

Lately she's been rolling around all over the place. It has given her a sense of independence and also kept her happy while I am not giving her any sort of attention.

I really need to work on not rushing. I need to enjoy the here and now and not just rush through everything I do in my day. I'll miss so much and regret it down the road.

So here's to not rushing.

I can do it.

Right?

Cooking

2012-01-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Cooking has definitely become one of my passions over the last couple of years. Sometimes I even obsess over it. Finding that 'perfect' recipe just makes my heart flutter and fires me up to get in the kitchen and get cookin' like a mad woman. Not many recipes can do that for me.

But when I do find that recipe...I hold onto it. I make it several times - almost to memorize it. I'm afraid of losing it. So as of late, I've been sending these 'perfect' recipes to my e-mail. My little folder appropriately named Recipes, is full of all my favorite recipes that I never want to forget. I hope to make them until I am 80 years old (k maybe not that old). I want my children to grow up eating them and wanting to use them when they have their own children.

Last night I made one of those recipes. It was a first timer. But boy did it score. It's a recipe from a blog that I absolutely love, Our Best Bites. I'm sure you've heard of it. Well, skim through their recipes and make something tonight. Seriously. There are lots of great ones to choose from. Might I suggest:

Black Beans and Rice with Apple Salsa and Chicken (I used tilapia)

(their pictures are much better, but I still thought my version looked tasty)

If getting healthy or losing weight is on your list of resolutions, then this recipe is definitely a go. It's both healthy and filling. And the flavor combinations are super yummy. It's a healthy party in your mouth basically.

If you try it, let me know.

Pura Vida

2012-01-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

We spent the night in last night. Our faces were stuffed with Costco pizza (it's the best), soda, and apple torte. Yes. Two nights in a row of apple torte. And it was oh so good the second time around.

(bored during the game)

We watched the national championship game, LSU vs. Alabama. Oh my heck. Boring. Kind of a waste of our evening. Hopefully tonight will be a little more entertaining or productive.

Earlier in the day, Dev was willing to run errands with me. What a great helper he is to have around. Brooklyn is very entertained by him. She was a good baby and slept the whole time we were in Costco. Deven and I took our time and enjoyed all the yummy samples they had to offer. Brie cheese. Crab dip. It was a good sample day at Costco.

Another positive to the day was the arrival of our Pura Vida bracelets. If you've never heard of them, go check them out. I had mine on before I could even get it out of it's cute little plastic bag. If you do decide to get one, good luck choosing. They have loads and loads of colors. It makes you want to buy atleast 10. I'm wearing Tangerine Tango. I love it. However, it does make me crave summer just a little bit.

Apple Torte

2012-01-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last night was FHE at Jeremy & Chelsea's.

I was in charge of dessert.

I took a family favorite:

Apple Torte.

It's one of my favorites. The sauce it's paired up with might be my fave. Put it all together with ice cream, and you have a little taste of heaven.

(if you'd like the recipe I'd gladly share)

Chelsea made a delicious fancy version of tomato soup paired with grilled cheese (and pepperoni). It was a cozy meal for a cozy Sunday evening.

Well done Chels. Well done.

This week is going to be a good one. I can just feel it.

Today, grocery shopping for my weekly menu. Not my favorite task, but it makes evenings and dinner time so much more enjoyable!

Guess who is staying at our house for the next couple months?

We love Uncle Dev.

Mail

2012-01-06T06:00:00.018-07:00

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love getting things via snail mail! There aren't too many things that make me more happy. There's just something about it.

Today, I hit the jackpot.

The diapers were a little bitter-sweet. Brookie's cute little bum now fits into size 3 diapers. It just so happens to be the chubbiest part of her body. If diapers were worn on her arms, she'd stil be in size 1's. I wish. I can't believe she's in 3's. Stop time. Stop.

Brookie loved the package for her.

She bought herself this blankie with some of her Christmas money. Good choice Little Miss.

The last package was for James and me.

We are so excited about this and can't wait to capture all things Brooklyn. She's rolling all over the place now so this couldn't have come at a better time (ok, it would have been nice to have from the day she was born, but now is great too).

As always when we make a big purchase, James did his homework. He compared products and pricing and value. He's good at being patient. If it were up to me, we'd buy the first thing we saw. So after all of his searching and researching, we ended up choosing this. It's water proof, shock proof, and dust proof. With kids, I guess you need all those things.

We can't wait to break out this bad boy and get some of the cute things Brooklyn is doing on film.

h a p p y f r i d a y !

(watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, she wanted food)

PRODUCTIVENESS

2012-01-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

(Brookie & Berkely chillin in the lobby at the Peery Hotel downtown SLC)

I love new beginnings: a new day, a new week, a new month...you get the idea. It always is a great motivator to me to keep up on things, start new things, get things done that I have put off for long periods of time.

I'm grateful for the new year. I love the fresh start. I hope to be productive in this new year. If I make no other resolution, besides flossing every day, then I hope to be better at this. Nothing makes me feel better about myself. When I get a lot done in a day and I can lay my head on my pillow at night knowing I was productive, I could almost just kiss myself. It is definitely a self esteem booster.

So here's to a year of PRODUCTIVITY.

I better go get started.

The rest of Christmas break 2011

2012-01-04T06:00:00.002-07:00

Christmas break was magical. We couldn't have planned it to be any better than it was. Truly. We spent one night at home in 10 days. Lots of family time.

Brooklyn started solid foods.

She loves sweet potatoes.

There were lots of family room sleepovers.

This is also where movies were watched, including a new favorite, The Help.

Back at home, Brooklyn played in a box.

And loved it.

We celebrated my birthday back at my parents' house, with homemade fettuccine Alfredo, (thanks mom)

brownies

with peppermint ice cream and hot fudge.

I got spoiled with lots of fun presents and enjoyed time with family.

There was also a lot of working out. But no pictures. We even had a big family work out, dad included!

For New Year's Eve, we went to dinner in Salt Lake and then back to my in-laws for...

Kinect fun (thanks J & C)

Shooting guns (only at objects)

table football

lots of attention for Brookie

a hot chocolate bar

fireworks at midnight

(Brookie was sound asleep for this part)

and a toast for a wonderful 2012!

(Tori's first soda since 2010)

James and I are looking forward to a great fun-filled year. We were so blessed in 2011 with the big change of having a baby. We couldn't be more grateful for her and her sweet little spirit. We look forward to this year and the changes it will bring.

h a p p y n e w y e a r !

Christmas Break Continues...

2011-12-30T09:13:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, James and I took Christmas down. Definitely bitter sweet. But our house is nice and clean to start the new year. Brooklyn was such a good baby while we got everything done. She entertained herself and basically was on the floor all day. Good baby.

We headed to Park City later so that I could do a little birthday shopping and then on to Coalville. We had our second "Snowy River" movie night and watched The Return to Snowy River. Such good movies. And I had never seen them before.

(source)

Today I am spending my birthday with my family. I woke up to a happy baby. Gosh I love her. All the men {husband, dad, brothers, BIL} headed to watch the BYU bowl game at Doug Toole's house so today will be a girls' day. I'm fine with that.

My birthday will end with a repeat of the dessert we enjoyed on Christmas day:

brownies and peppermint ice cream drizzled with hot fudge. Happy birthday to me!

(Anniversary - waiting in the car at Red Lobster)

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-28T06:00:00.005-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas day. We spent time with both our families and had great weather to travel in this year. However, it just didn't feel quite like Christmas without the snow.

We woke up early and opened gifts at the Ruesches.

We got spoiled as usual.

Then we headed over the mountain to the Holmes residence to open more gifts.

(Brookie was a distraction to her aunts who were putting off getting ready for church)

Ok, we didn't actually open gifts yet. We only looked through our stockings and saw what Santa brought. Then it was off to church.

I got this grand idea back in October that we should have a formal Christmas dinner. I think everyone thought I would forget about it...

Well, I didn't.

So, after church we got right in the kitchen to make up the food from the recipes I had collected for dinner.

(parmigiano reggiano cheese for the potato recipe from Rachael Ray)

(Aunt Barbara's grapefruit & avocado salad and dressing)

My mom and sisters were troopers to help pull the dinner off. I even put Kayla in charge of creating something beautiful above the table using the ceiling fan and it looked amazing.

(this picture doesn't do it justice)

The table looked beautiful.

While everything was baking we finally opened presents. Haley was a trooper to wait so long, but she said it was worth the wait. After presents, everyone got dressed up, as per my request. It was so fun.

And James put Brooklyn down for a nap so we could enjoy dinner.

I loved every minute and I'm glad my family puts up with all my crazy ideas. But secretly, I think they loved it too.

Brookie woke up and opened her presents.

We ended the night with more food.

Crab cocktail, slush, and brownies with peppermint ice cream & hot fudge...

It was a great Christmas and we feel so blessed to have the families that we do. We're grateful for the Savior and His sacred birth. Such a wonderful reason to celebrate.

And a happy happy anniversary to my husband.

i love you.

happy 4 years!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with James' family in Clinton. We arrived around noon and were able to enjoy a nice relaxing day.

I even took a nap.

We were lucky enough to have James' grandpa with us and enjoyed spending time with him.

Dinner Christmas Eve was traditional, except it's what we usually eat Christmas morning. It's so delicious. I look forward to it all year.

We watched a Christmas movie and my FIL read from Luke 2. It was just how Christmas Eve should be.

Brooklyn even slept all night until 5 AM. I couldn't complain. It was great for me.

Before we went to bed, the sheets were hung up by the living room so that when we all came down the stairs Christmas morning, no one could see what Santa brought us. It's been a tradition in James' family for a long time and we plan on carrying it on with our little family.

Having Brooklyn around definitely made James and me more excited going to bed Christmas Eve. We couldn't wait to watch her open her gifts.

She's definitely the best gift we've ever received.

Hotel Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-26T06:00:00.013-07:00

I can't even remember when the hotel Christmas party started. Years ago. I can't even remember not having it.

(Brookie & I ready for the party)

It's a fun tradition.

It starts out with soups, rolls, cheeses, veggies, and then tables full of desserts.

Then, it's the famous cousin gift exchange.

Followed by opening pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa.

(the tutu didn't last long)

Brooklyn loved opening her gifts. Well, she liked trying to eat the paper. She got some fun books from great-grandma and grandpa.

The rest of the night is full of visiting, YouTube videos, more eating, and lots of swimming.

(playing with Uncle Chandler in her new Christmas jammies)

There are also lots and lots of hot chocolate breaks,

more visiting,

(Kayla and McKay - McKay's last hotel party for awhile. He'll be serving in the Long Beach California mission starting in February.)

(this crew played in the pool until the wee hours of the morning)

and more dessert.

(Aunt Holly's famous oreos)

Everyone stays up late visiting and then wakes up early Christmas Eve to enjoy the continental breakfast. This year we were lucky enough to Skype one of the several cousins serving a mission. Hayden is in Mozambique and loving every day.

The Christmas party at the hotel is a great tradition that we hope to be able to keep doing for a long time. We love to be together and it's nice to all be able to be in the same place for an overnight get together.

It's a great way to bring in Christmas Eve and make everyone excited for Christmas. It never disappoints.

On another note...

I received one of my favorite gifts of the year at the Christmas party.

This book.

From this Aunt...

She decided she wanted to pass on the tradition of my grandmother and herself by giving all of the married cousins this book to record important things. Some of her suggestions included:

big purchases: date, how much

salaries

paint colors in your home

heights of your children every year

dates of important recitals, games, performances

dates of when your children start lessons of any kind (piano, football, dance)

I am giddy about this book. I can't wait to get started. So many great things to fill the pages. I have so many ideas my head is going to explode before I can get them all written down.

Isn't that a great present?

Here comes...

2011-12-23T06:00:00.002-07:00

Christmas!

Ready or not.

We're ready here at our house. We've been on the countdown!

Only a few days left...

We've been cleaning, wrapping, folding, washing, and everything else getting ready for Christmas Eve-Eve, the day we leave home and head for Coalville and the family Christmas party.

But we didn't just work all night. We went to Valley Fair mall to see the lights and music. It was quite impressive. We stopped for burgers at In-N-Out and finished our Christmas shopping. Our night ended watching A Christmas Carol the one with Jim Carrey that came out a year or two ago. We love it. It made us excited to go to bed and wake up to the Christmas season in full force.

Christmas Eve we will head to Clinton to stay at James' parents' home. Christmas day will be spent in Coalville.

We love Christmas. We love our families. We love our Savior. We are so grateful for all that we enjoy each day. We couldn't ask for more!

m e r r y c h r i s t m a s e v e - e v e !

You've had a birthday!

2011-12-22T06:00:00.005-07:00

Tonight we celebrated Whitney's 24th birthday.

I can't believe I have a 24 year old sister!!!

We all met up at Ruby Tuesdays in Park City. They seated us down next to the bar with all the TV's. Football was on. Brooklyn was in heaven.

(she did this the whole time)

Whit opened her gifts, good gifts, might I add. Chuck always gets her awesome gifts and the rest of us did pretty well. She's always content with what she gets. She's easy like that. Thank goodness. Kayla and Haley, not so easy. :)

I love you Whit. We've been together since the beginning of time. We grew up together and share basically all of the same memories. You were my right-hand gal and I was lost without you. It was easy to be brave when you were around. Like the time in that alley way that I pushed you in front of me and took off when that dog started chasing us, or when I hid in the bathroom at Ben Lomond while you went to ask the lady at the concessions what we could buy with a dime. You were always a trooper. What would I have done without you? You were my built in best friend from the day you were born and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love you Whitaker (Ween, Whit, Whitless, Toothless Wonder)!

*SSOCCOKK Mall for life!