Want to get Mooned??

GOTCHA! Have a bootylicious day.

What Went Down Christmas Eve

This year we had a pretty low-key holiday. It was just the 3 of us at home. We couldn't travel anywhere because Jason had to go right back to work the day after Christmas. On Christmas Eve we enjoyed having Jason home the whole day. We spent most of the day hanging out at home and then made that dreaded Walmart trip to pick up a few things for dinner the next day and some snacks for the picky eater (the little one. I wanted to experiment with some different foods and see if he would eat them.) After Chase's afternoon nap, we let him have one present, a fake food play set. This kid loves fake food. He always has fake food in his hands or crawls around with fake food hanging out of his mouth. His favorite piece is the bread. But, he still refuses to eat real bread. That night, we went to a friend's house for some yummy dessert and Chase enjoyed playing with all the kids. Here are pictures of Chase with his new fake food:

A Day in the Life...

I thought I would show you a day in the life of Chase...this post contains a lot of photos!

Watching Bentley eat the cereal he dropped. He has realized that when he drops the food on the floor that he doesn't like Bentley will gladly eat it.

Dropping the disliked food (I gave him a few Trix cereal to try...I totally thought he would love the fruity flavor but guess not!)

Making a mess with my ziplock baggies

Eating his blanket

Breaking into our safe

Watching Baby Einstein (this kid does not like to sit still so for him to be all relaxed like this during a movie is rare!)

Being pulled around the house in his new sled

The first time holding his own bottle

Getting kisses from Bentley

Falling asleep with dad (he NEVER falls asleep while being held anymore, so I had to get a picture when he actually did it)

Pulling his pajamas out of the drawer...I just don't even bother to fold them anymore when putting the laundry away

Snacking on a cereal bar

In his new outfit that his aunt Brit helped to pick out (this pic is for you B!)

I Am In a Mood!

Have you ever just been in such a bad mood that you want to say every bad word over and over again because that's how bad in a mood you are (does that sentence even make sense)? Well that's how I've been this week. I know it's the season to be jolly, but this season is just making me crazy! Here's a few things getting me down:

-I absolutely hate/abhor/dread going grocery shopping or any kind of shopping this time of year. People are pushy and rude and don't move out of the way to let you by in the aisle and the lines are so long that I'd rather starve than make that awful trip to Walmart! I thought people were supposed to be nicer this time of year...

-I just want to travel someplace warm more than anything right now. I miss the ocean so much. I guess I'm kind of depressed too that I will probably live in Utah the rest of my life. All my life I dreamed of living near the ocean so I could see it and enjoy it everyday. I don't even like swimming in it, I just love laying on the beach listening to the waves and I love the smell and the sunsets...

-I took Chase to the dr. for his 12 month check up and he has ALL four molars coming in at the same time. So you can imagine the kind of pain and mood he was in all week, which therefore affected my mood. Luckily I think it's over...for now....

-The economy is depressing so therefore I am depressed. I feel awful for those people who have lost their jobs and are suffering and feel even more awful because we are tight on money ourselves and I can't do much to help them this season. That's probably another reason I'm in a mood, in an effort to not spend money I have spent 99% of my time at home this week. I love my house but I just love getting out too. And it's hard to get out without spending money and there's not much to do for free in the winter...I can't just go outside and take Chase to the park.

-I just finished watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and I think it depressed me more. It really made me miss all my girlfriends that have moved away. I just haven't had much girl time lately and I miss those bonding times. I want my friends back! And I want to see the ones more that still live here. It's just too bad I am horrible with calling people and arranging get togethers! Kids make things so difficult sometimes!

So there you have it. I am moody. Who else wants to be in a mood with me? Misery loves company.

Halloween Pictures

I am embarrassed to be posting Halloween pictures so late but better late than never, right? I have tons of pictures to post this week. Chase and Bentley were both pirates for Halloween. Chase really didn't get to wear his costume that long so I am using it again next year.
Here is Bentley. Whenever he has on a costume or shirt, he acts different, like he's depressed or something!

Chase pulling off Bentley's hat (his hat had dreads on it and everything). It was actually a Jack Sparrow costume...but I don't think Bentley resembles Johnny Depp at all.

What Chase Eats

So here is a comprehensive list of what I can get Chase to eat:

-fruit (except mangos) still in baby food form
-fruit cereal bars
-gerber cereal puffs
-yogurt
-cake
-cookies (pretty much any kind)

I don't know how long he will be able to live off this diet once I pull the formula! Is it only my baby that won't eat real food?

A Very Happy Birthday to My Baby

Chase turned 1 today. I couldn't help but feel a little sad that a whole year has passed and I am one year closer to losing him. 17 more years and he will be out of the house...but at the same time, I am looking forward to him getting older. It will be nice to have him talking then I will have someone to converse with during the day!

We took him to the lame aquarium here yesterday. Today I gave him a present every few hours and made him a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. He loved it! I was worried he wouldn't even touch the cake just like most other food but he was eating it right up. He has his 1 year appt. Dec. 9th. I will share his stats when I find them out. I still haven't made the switch over to whole milk. I don't know what I will do, his whole diet is basically still formula with some juice and fruit each day.

Here are some things he is doing at 12 months:

-He loves standing up at the fridge and licking it for some reason. My fridge constantly has little handprints and drool on it.
-He is starting to point. When we went to the aquarium he was pointing at some of the fish
-He is standing up on his own for longer periods of time and will even take a step or 2 before falling down...walking will happen before I know it!
-I am almost positive he knows the word dog (well it comes out as da. But he says it whenever Bentley comes around and then pets him or grabs his tale after he says it. But then that would mean his first word wasn't mom...)
-He imitates the squeaking noises on the baby einstein movies...it makes me laugh!
-Whenever I turn the bath water on he starts screaming in excitment and crawls to the bathroom so fast no matter what else he was doing.
-He imitates me when I put my hands in the air and say yay.
-He loves opening up his cd player and taking the cd out then putting it back in.
-He is able to climb down off our couch without hurting himself
-He has a major obsession with my spice cabinet. He will sit in front of it and stay busy for quite some time just taking out all my spices.

Happy Birthday Chase. Mommy and daddy love you sooooo very much. You fill our lives with joy and fun and lots of laughs!

Pictures to come of our festivities.

Our Thanksgiving

I highly enjoy Thanksgiving but I have to admit, I'm glad it's over! It is not an easy meal to cook! Christmas dinner is much easier to prepare. Here's what I did over Thanksgiving break:

On Tuesday I went to pick up my brother Tyler from BYU. We went out to Olive Garden (because like I was going to really cook dinner at all this week before Thanksgiving, I don't think so!) then went home while Ty watched the baby for me so I could clean. I cleaned until about 10:30 that night! And now my house is messy again!

Wednesday we went to run a few more Thanksgiving errands because like always, I realized I forgot to pick up a few things the first 3 times I went Thanksgiving shopping. Ty, Chase and I enjoyed Huckleberry slushies from Smith's Market Place then headed up to Nordstrom Rack to check out the discount items. No luck for me but I did find some pants and a shirt on clearance for Chase his next size up. That night for dinner we went to pick up a Little Caesar's pizza but so was everyone else! There was a 20 minute wait. So instead, we went next door to try a burrito from Barbacoa (a Mexican place just like Chipotle) It was delish! I liked it better than Chipotle.

Thursday I woke up early like I do everyday and fed Chase. Then I woke up my brother to help me with the turkey. All the food was incredible and it was fun to enjoy the day with friends, including Josh and Raelene. After we ate we played some Rock Band. That night Tyler and I went to see Twilight. I liked it...yes some of the acting wasn't that great and I was very disappointed that they basically got rid of the whole love story. But I was impressed they were able to make Robert Pattinson look somewhat handsome. Because in real life he just ain't that pretty. And he's kind of an idiot...at least he was when Ellen was interviewing him the other day.

Friday Tyler and I did a little shopping...we hit up Best Buy, Target, Ross, Toys r Us and TJ Maxx. All I ended up buying was a sweatshirt and some foam letters from Ross. I went to Toys r Us for a little slide that was only $25 but of course by the time I got there, it was gone. That place was crazy. Then I read the reviews of the slide and people hated it so it turned out to be a good thing. Friday night Ty babysat while Jason and I went to see Four Christmases. It was pretty funny. I adore Reese Witherspoon, she is probably my favorite actress.

Saturday we put up our tree and a few other Christmas decorations. We took Chase to the aquarium for his birthday since he loves fish. He enjoyed it. He kept trying to touch the fish through the glass. Then we went to Target and Walmart in search of some stockings that aren't completely ugly but we couldn't find any.

And that is a very detailed description of my weekend. I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving as well.

And of course, a list of what I am thankful for:

-My family
-My health, as well as the health of my family
-My house and car
-My friends
-Food
-My dog
-Chocolate
-music
-my tv shows
-sleep
-showers

A Baby for (less than) One More Week!

Chase is going to be 1 this Sunday! I can't help but feel relieved! I made it through the first year, a very challenging, emotional, and tumultuous year. But also a wonderful and very happy year. He was definitely not an easy baby and (I hope) he has taught me patience. Sometimes I still don't feel very patient with him. But I love him to death and he makes me laugh often. He is a sweet boy and I know when he is throwing a fit or screaming, there is a reason for it, as annoying as it is!

We finally took family pictures on Saturday. I am so glad to have that over with. I accomplished something that's been on my list for the past 6 months! I will post some when I have a little more time.

I still have quite a bit of cleaning to do and I just put Chase down for a quick 30 minute nap because he was VERY fussy. So I must go clean, I just wanted to post real quick about my last week with my baby before he's a toddler. I need to make it a good week and enjoy him as much as possible!

Messy House

If I don't post for awhile, it's become my messy messy house is making me crazy and I am spending any free time I have cleaning it. I realize we have too much junk and no organization. I will not sleep until every piece of junk is gone and every square inch of this house has been cleaned!

Your AntiCancer Diet

I just saw this article on AOL about this guy who had cancer and swears his diet helped to cure it. Who knows, maybe it really did. Besides I'm pretty sure all those processed foods we eat are somewhat responsible for this disease. I want to remember these foods I should have in my diet because I have always been deathly afraid of getting the C (i hate even saying the word. i feel like if i even say it or think it, i'm going to get it). Anyway, I thought of no better place of saving this list of foods than my blog so you guys can all have this knowledge too. I am copying and pasting directly from the article:

Anticancer Diet
I've learned that the anticancer diet is the exact opposite of the typical American meal: mostly colorful vegetables and legumes, plus unsaturated fats (olive, canola, or flaxseed oils), garlic, herbs, and spices. Meat and eggs are optional. Through extensive research, I devised a list of the most promising cancer fighters, along with recommendations on how to make the most of their potential. Include at least one, and preferably two, at every meal, to maximize your protection.

Best Seasonings

-Turmeric
Found in curry powder, this spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory available today. It encourages cancer cell death, inhibits tumor growth, and even enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Some research shows that turmeric is most effective in humans when it's mixed with black pepper and dissolved in oil (olive or canola, preferably). In store-bought curry mixes, turmeric represents only 20% of the total, so it's better to obtain ground turmeric directly from a spice shop.
How to Use It: Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with a teaspoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of ground black pepper and add to vegetables, soups, and salad dressings. Use a tablespoon if you already have cancer. If it tastes too bitter for you, add a few drops of honey or agave nectar.

-GingerFresh ginger, or ginger root, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that combats certain cancer cells and helps slow tumor growth. A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
How to Use It: Add grated fresh ginger to a vegetable stir-fry or fruit salad. Or, make an infusion by slicing a 1-inch piece of ginger and steeping it in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes; drink hot or cold.

Best Drinks for Bettering Your Body

-Green Tea
Green tea is rich in compounds called polyphenols, including catechins (and particularly EGCG), which reduce the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. It's also a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier (activating enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins from the body), and it encourages cancer cell death. In the laboratory, it has even been shown to increase the effect of radiation on cancer cells.
How to Drink It: Sip 2 to 3 cups a day within an hour of brewing. Green tea must be steeped for at least 5 to 8 minutes -- ideally 10 -- to release its catechins, but it loses its beneficial polyphenols after an hour or two.

-Pomegranate Juice
This juice, which tastes like raspberries, has been used in Persian medicine for thousands of years. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well confirmed; studies show it can substantially reduce the development of even the most aggressive prostate cancers (among others). In addition, drinking it daily slows the spread of an established prostate cancer by more than 50%.
How to Drink It: Have 8 ounces daily with breakfast.

Vital Veggies

-Brussels Sprouts, Bok Choy, Chinese cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower all contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols (I3Cs), two potent anticancer molecules. These molecules help the body detoxify certain carcinogenic substances and can help prevent precancerous cells from developing into malignant tumors. They also promote the suicide of cancer cells and block tumor growth.
How to Prepare Them: Cover and steam briefly or stir-fry rapidly with a little olive oil. Avoid boiling cabbage and broccoli, which destroys their cancer-fighting compounds

-Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Shallots, Chives
The sulfur compounds found in this group (the alliaceous family) promote the death of colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancer cells. Epidemiological studies also suggest a lower risk of kidney and prostate cancer in people who consume the most garlic.
How to Eat Them: The active compounds in garlic are released when you crush the clove, and they're much more easily absorbed if they're combined with a small amount of oil. Sauté chopped garlic and onions in a little olive oil, mix with steamed or stir-fried vegetables, and toss with black pepper and turmeric. They can also be consumed raw, mixed in salads, or layered on sandwiches.

Proteins for a Better Prognosis

-Soy Products
Compounds called isoflavones (including genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) prevent tumor growth and block the stimulation of cancer cells by sex hormones (such as estrogens and testosterone). There are significantly fewer breast cancer cases among Asian women who have eaten soy since adolescence, and when they do have breast cancer, their tumors are usually less aggressive with higher survival rates. Isoflavone supplements (in pill form) have been associated with an aggravation of certain breast cancers, but whole soy, eaten as food, has not.
How to Eat It: Replace conventional milk products with soy milk or soy yogurts for breakfast. Also, use tofu, tempeh, and miso in soups and stir-fries.

-Fatty Fish
The risk of several cancers is significantly lower in people who eat fish at least twice a week. Several studies discovered that the anti-inflammatory long-chain omega-3s found in fatty fish (or in high-quality purified fish-oil supplements) can help slow cancer cell growth in a large number of tumors (lung, breast, colon, prostate, kidney, etc.).
How to Eat It: Have a seafood-based meal two or three times a week. Choose small fish, such as anchovies, small mackerel, and sardines (including canned sardines, provided they are preserved in olive oil and not in sunflower oil, which is too rich in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats). Small fish contain fewer environmental toxins such as PCBs and mercury. Wild salmon is also a good source of omega-3 fats, and the level of contamination is still acceptable. Choose fresh over frozen whenever possible, because omega-3 content degrades over time.

Disease-Fighting Fruits

-Oranges, Tangerines, Lemons, and Grapefruit
Oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit contain anti-inflammatory compounds called flavonoids that stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver. Certain flavonoids in the skin of tangerines -- tangeritin and nobiletin -- can also help promote the death of brain cancer cells.
How to Eat It: Sprinkle grated citrus zest (from organic fruits) into salad dressings or breakfast cereals, or steep in tea or hot water. Eat whole fruits out of hand, toss with other fruits in a salad, or use in a salsa to season grilled fish.

-Berries
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries contain ellagic acid and a large number of polyphenols, which inhibit tumor growth. Two polyphenols found in berries, anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, promote cancer cell death.
How to Eat Them: At breakfast, mix fruit with soy milk and multigrain cereals. (The best cereal options combine oats, bran, flaxseed, rye, barley, spelt, and so on.) Frozen berries are just as potent as fresh.

Cure It with Dessert

-Chocolate
Chocolates containing over 70% cocoa provide a number of antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and many polyphenols. In fact, a square of dark chocolate contains twice as many as a glass of red wine and almost as many as a cup of green tea properly steeped. These molecules slow the growth of cancer cells and limit the blood vessels that feed them.
How to Eat It: Enjoy about one-fifth of a dark chocolate bar a day guilt free. Milk chocolate isn't a good alternative because dairy cancels out the cancer protection of the polyphenol compounds.


To date, there is no alternative approach that can cure cancer, and I believe that the best of conventional medicine--surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and soon, molecular genetics--must be used to treat this disease. But to neglect your own natural cancer-fighting capacity is folly. I've kept cancer at bay for 8 years now, and I attribute my survival largely to the changes I've made in my diet and lifestyle. I exercise and meditate more and eat wholesome anticancer foods on a daily basis. Still, the medical establishment is slow to embrace this approach. After my last screening at the university's cancer center, I stopped at the cafeteria and discovered eight different types of tea: Darjeeling, Earl Grey, chamomile, and several fruit-flavored herbal teas. Sadly, there was not a single packet of green tea in the lot.

Celebrating 30 years of Life

I guess I wouldn't be a very good wife if I didn't acknowledge Jason's birthday (which was Nov. 13 so I'm already a day late) and list the reasons why I love him to death. I won't tell you how old he is (he's 30) but I will give 30 reasons why I love my man. I'm not going to do all of them tonight because I'm exhausted and have a Grey's Anatomy to catch up on since Jason isn't home tonight but I'm getting the list started. Here we go:

1. I love that he watches My Friends Tigger and Pooh and Handy Manny with Chase and sings along with all the songs. It's pretty sexy.

2. I love his smile. Not his picture smile. His real smile. It's a big turn on for me.

3. I love his weird sense of humor. Not many people get it or may not find it funny but I do. Sometimes it makes me roll my eyes too. Other times, it makes me wonder, "What the h....."

4. He drives me absolutely nuts when he throws his clothes right by the hamper rather than in them and doesn't EVER rinse a single dish so the food gets nice and stuck to it but I still love him, messy habits and all (even though sometimes it makes my blood pressure rise) and I love that he always has some lame excuse for never doing the above.

5. I love that he is such a hard worker and so determined. One day we are going to be filthy rich because of it. (ok I really don't know if we will be filthy rich and I don't say it to brag. I just hope...it would be so nice not to worry about finances)

6. I love that if I really want him to, he will come to my Dr's appts with me because I get nervous (why I get nervous about the eye dr. I don't know. I just do.)

7. I love that he lets me take long naps on Sundays and takes charge of our little monster boy

8. I love that he can imitate voices soo dang well. It makes me laugh. (He can pretty much imitate any voice you want him to)

9. I love how he is such a handyman around the house. Although he hasn't really used any of his handyman skills lately...

10. I love what a big heart he has. He always is willing to help those in need.

To be continued...

One of Those Days

Today is a day where I feel like I completely failed and I just want to cry and cry till I have no more tears (but I won't because it's not the end of the world). Failed everything...I didn't work out, once again, dinner came out so nasty I had to throw it away ( I got the recipe from a set of recipe cards jason bought me called "The 100 Best Recipes Ever"...yeah don't think I will be using any of those recipes EVER again) so I am completely irritated that all the ingredients got wasted, the only cleaning I got done was mopping the floor, I hardly spent any time on the floor playing with Chase today, I didn't work on Chase's baby book again, I didn't send pictures to Jason's mom and she's been asking me for over a month, I didn't make the doctor appointments I need to make,I didn't call my grandparents, Meghan, Misty, Shelby, and Ruth, people who mean so much to me and that I've owed phone calls to for months (ok now I'm crying a little)...this list could go on forever. My bones are so achy. And all I wish for in the world right now is a day off. So I can get my hair done, go to the spa,make my phone calls and not worry and be stressed out by a teething, very grumpy baby and the chores at home. But there are no days off for me.

Thankfully tomorrow is another day...hopefully a better one.

Teething = Me Miserable

I've been at home the past week with a miserable teething child which makes me miserable! Chase's two back bottom molars are coming in. And taking forever...his gums have been swollen for the past week with still no sign of the actual teeth. He's very grumpy and throws a lot of fits during the day. He won't take naps, and if he does, they last about 30 minutes. He starts screaming the minute I walk into his room because he thinks it means nap time even if I'm going in there to change a diaper. He won't go to bed either. He just screams and screams in his crib. So I really have had no nap breaks the past week either, which is driving me insane. Those breaks are priceless to me! When will his stupid molars break through? Give me hope!

Of Course, There is Always Joy In Sad Times

I couldn't leave such a depressing post on my blog without looking at the bright side of things, such as:

-The snow covered up the ugly circle of dead grass where our useless inflatable pool once stood.
-Obama may just turn out to be a fantastic president! So I will give him a chance and see how the next four years go and hope he really isn't a socialist or as big an extremist as he was made out to be...
-California approved the ban on gay marriage, so for now, marriage continues to be a sacred union between a man and a woman (I'm sorry Ellen D. It's a good thing you got married before the ban. Also, I just love you tons even though I don't agree with gay marriage. You always brighten my day and fill it with laughs! P.S. I encourage all of you to watch the Ellen Degeneres show if you're having a bad day)
-I get to celebrate the first year of my baby's life this month! With a bang, of course.
-I also get to celebrate the 30th year of my husband's life this month.
-I am healthy
-We are still doing well financially despite the economy. Of course, I do wish we were doing better, like Ellen Degeneres is.

What a Depressing Day

It snowed here like crazy last night and is continuing throughout the day. And Obama is our new President. Need I say more?

I Voted; Did You?

Jason and I got up bright and early this morning and headed over to the junior high school at 8:30 to vote. We stood in line almost an hour and passed Chase back and forth. I don't think he had much fun but he actually handled it pretty well. I'll remain coy about who I voted for...but let's just say the more I read and learn about Obama, the more nervous I get each day about him winning. It will be interesting tonight. I hear Vancouver, British Columbia is a gorgeous place to live...

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. Jason got home at 9 that night so I passed out candy myself. Since we are at the new end of our neighborhood and most of the houses at this end remained empty for a year until recently, hardly any trick or treaters came our way. I guess they thought the houses were still empty. I ended up giving out handfuls of candy to most of the kids that actually stopped by our house. Pictures to come soon!

My Obama Dream

So last night I had a very random and creepy dream. About Sen. Obama. I don't know why I had this dream or where it came from. I have nothing against Sen. Obama at all, he seems like he's a kind man. But in my dream he became president. Then he burned down the white house and our constitution and became a dictator. It was chaos. I fled to France. But then Obama ordered all other countries to hunt down the Americans that were living overseas and send them back to New York City. He wanted complete control over every living American. So I had to hide in France. Luckily I woke up before I was caught and shipped back to America. But I have to admit I was a little disturbed after I woke up...

I don't know what my dream meant. Maybe it was a warning about electing Obama president. Maybe not. To tell you the truth, I just am not all that excited about electing either candidate president. I'm not sure either of them are mature enough, strong enough, polished enough, honest enough (but then again, what president has ever been honest enough? Besides the first few...then somewhere the honesty all just went downhill), selfless enough, loving enough, smart enough...I just don't have a lot of faith in either of them to fix the major crises in America right now. Let's hope I'm proven wrong...

Happy voting.

Read This Article!

So, if you aren't readers of the blogs the nieniediaglogues and c jane enjoy it (which I have links to on the right hand side), I would encourage you to at least read this article. It pretty much gives the whole story about the plane crash Stephanie and her husband were involved in and the recovery up until now.

Warning: this article WILL make you cry. It will also make you think and bring out feelings of compassion, gratefulness, happiness, sadness, joy and love (and many more).

One thing that struck me in the article (which you will come across if you read it) is one of the things Stephanie said after the crash, when she was lying on the grass waiting for the paramedics: "I don't want to do this. I just want to go home and make dinner for my family."

How lucky am I, that every night I am able to make dinner for my family. Just another small thing I take for granted in my life and sometimes stress out over!

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/26/20081026sisters1026a1.html

Happy Birthday to Chris

On Friday night Tyler, Chase and I went up to SL to celebrate our brother Chris' birthday (which is today). We ended up going to this Italian place downtown called Settebello. It serves real authentic Italian pizza and imports the ingredients from Napoli. Basically, it's the kind of pizza you would be eating if you actually went to Italy and it was delicious! If any Utahns are interested in trying it here is the website: www.settebello.net. I am already wanting to go back there.

After dinner we went back to Chris and Kallee's house and had cake from Coldstone. And of course took a few pictures of the babies:

Jordan at 6 weeks

Jordan and Chase

Chase crawling away (it was so hard to finally get a good picture of Chase with Jordan)

Chase trying to get away again...

Jordan and his daddy

The BEST sugar cookie recipe

So I have tried many sugar cookie recipes. I have never been too impressed with any of them. Until I found this one online. It's a drop sugar cookie recipe so if you don't want to take all the time to roll them out and cut out different shapes, you don't have to! And they are still supersoft after you cook them. I just made them the other day and decorated them like pumpkins, then made Jason take most of them to work so I wouldn't eat them all. Even the guys at his work said they were some of the best sugar cookies they have ever eaten.

What are you waiting for? Go make some!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

And the perfect frosting to go with them:

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Best Baby Products of the Year

Ok moms, here are the best baby products of the year according to the magazine American Baby (the products were chosen by mothers that read American Baby):

• Boppy nursing pillow (have this and I loved it for nursing or even propping Chase in it before he could sit up)
• Fisher Price Swing (I also have this-it's the rainforest one. Love it too, especially because it plugs in. Plus during baby sales at Target you can find this swing for only $80-90)
• Johnson's bedtime line
• Desitin diaper cream (I haven't used this one much; I usually use Balmex or Aquaphor and have been very happy with them)
• Fisher price rainforest jumperoo (also have this, Chase absolutely loved it! And still does once in a while)
• Fisher price bouncer-
• Boudreauxs Butt paste
• Playtex diaper genie (i just bought a normal diaper pail but i am seriously considering switching to one of these; Chase's room stinks all the time!
• Dr. Brown's Bottles
• Bumbo seat
• Gerber Graduates foods
• Kiddopotamus swaddle me
• Gerber NUK pacifiers
• Graco pack 'n play
• Summer Infant day and night monitor (this is the monitor I have and I highly highly recommend it to moms. it has a video camera so you can see what your baby is doing/why he is crying. It works really well and the picture is really clear-you can usually find brand new ones on ebay for only $80 rather than the normal $170 that it costs in stores)

Swingin Time!

A few weeks ago, Jason hung a baby swing in Chase's playroom. I've been wanting to get one to put outside for awhile, except we have no trees or anything in our yard to hang it from. Instead, we put it indoors so he could swing all year round. He loves it! Here are some pictures of him enjoying it.
I know the swing might look close to the wall, but it's not! He can swing pretty high without coming too close to the wall.

How can you not love this picture? Look at that expression on his face!

My Little Mover

Ever since Chase has learned to crawl and pull himself to a standing position (he started doing this at the beginning of October), that is all he wants to do! He cannot stand being restrained, which is making it almost impossible to get any errands done! He cries when he is stuck in his carseat, he doesn't like being put in a shopping cart, and I won't even discuss the fits he throws when in his stroller. Changing his diaper and getting him dressed are THE most stressful events in my life! (okay that may be an exaggeration, but it is quite stressful for me) He throws a fit, rolls over and starts crawling away. He also likes to take off his diaper now. But even though this stage of his life is stressful for me, I am still highly enjoying it. I mean, it is pretty funny that he takes off his own diaper. And if an accident happens on my carpet, big deal, that is why I have a carpet cleaner. And I love that he loves to move around and be so active. Hopefully he keeps that up throughout his life!

Here are some pictures of him moving around the house:
Standing in his crib. Luckily his ability to stand up in his crib still hasn't interfered with his sleep.

Playing with his toy...I love how absorbed he gets with his toys! Although I do have to admit I feel like I should be playing with him more often. I usually take advantage of these times to get stuff done!

He loves the vacuum! I think it's time to get him his own vacuum soon...Playskool makes a cute one.
Opening and closing drawers
He loves going into the mudroom. I have since put up a gate...one time he went in there and started rubbing his hand on the bottom of one of Jason's shoes...gross.
This is the first time he pulled himself to a stand! He was so proud of himself. Now he is starting to get brave and will let go of whatever he's holding onto so he's standing by himself.
I caught him in action!

Two or three weeks ago...

Jason surprised us and didn't go to work that Monday! He said he was trying a new schedule and taking Mondays off while working on Saturday full time. I can't even describe to you how happy I was that we are going to get to see him a little more. We decided to take a family outing to a local farm to get our pumpkins and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. There were a ton of activities for young ones to enjoy. We ended our day with some fall-off-the-bone ribs from Texas Roadhouse.
Chase enjoyed the little tractor animal train ride they had...the ride was pretty bumpy. He was making a lot of noise during the ride, I think he really enjoyed how his voice shook due to the bumpiness.
Here we go into the corn!
He also had fun picking out a little pumpkin with dad

There were goats at the farm that he tried to pet...

and a pony he tried to pet...but being the paranoid clean freak that I am, I would not let him touch those filthy animals!
Baby pigs
And a big slide he got to go down with dad!

I am so excited to have more of these family activity days. There's nothing better than spending time with your family!