20 things that are making me happy right now:
1. Warm(er) weather, seeing buds starting to form on the trees
2. Watching BYU basketball games (when I can)
3. Having lots of fresh produce in the house (just stocked up on oranges, apples, grapefruit, carrots, avocados, spinach, spring salad mix, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, kiwi
4. Buying antiques for a steal (I'll share pics soon!)
5. When Ellie wears Abby's dress-up dress and it goes all the way to the floor, so it looks like she is floating along as she walks
6. Ellie's tantrums, in general. I know it's strange to say these make me happy (especially since she has quite the scream), but it's just so cute. It's no secret that age 1 is my favorite.
7. Seeing Abby admire babies and become such a great helper.
8. Speaking of Abby helping out, she also puts her dishes in the dishwasher, is great at eating most of her food, and is so polite. I love it.
9. Selling things on craigslist
10. Hanging out with friends
11. House hunting. It's exciting to think about our (near) future and the possibilities. We have a great Realtor and we're excited to head down to Florida in a few weeks and see the homes in person.
12. Getting rid of stuff.
13. Netflix & Hulu
14. Reading books on the iPad. Right now I'm reading "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand. I definitely recommend it!
15. A bunch of my friends and some cousins were accepted to BYU this last week. I am so excited for them and a little bit jealous, too. I can't believe it was 9 years ago that I ripped open my acceptance letter to BYU. Such a great time (and such a relief for me... I was nervous, to put it mildly).
16. Spending time with the youth at Church. We have mid-week activities and they are usually well-planned and a lot of fun. When Garrett is actually home to watch the kids and I get to go by myself, I genuinely have a really good time. (It's really hard when I have to bring my kids because they usually fall asleep in the car on the way to the Church since it's bedtime. Then I'm usually so busy chasing them around that I am not much help to anyone else!). But we have a great group of girls and I enjoy the opportunity to serve. We have fun.
17. Teaching piano lessons to Abby, and watching her get excited about it.
18. Getting my sewing machine out and getting some projects done. I really hope I can convince Garrett that the girls need to continue sharing a room in Florida, so that a third bedroom can by my designated sewing room (temporarily, of course)
19. Sunshine
20. Reading my scriptures. With all the turmoil going on (in the world and in my life right now, for a handful of reasons), the scriptures are a constant source of peace. So grateful for that!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
At last....
Now when I turn around in the car, I get to see TWO cute faces looking back at me!
(excuse the pixel-y phone picture)
That's right, Ellie has finally graduated into a forward facing car seat! We ended up getting the same $60 seat that Abby has. It turns out that booster seats are only about $20, so when the time comes for Abby to move into one, it will be a lot cheaper to go that route rather than buying the $150 car seat that will turn into a booster later. I did really like the expensive car seat (of course, it was very nice) but we just couldn't justify the extra cost. All seats that are being sold are safe and that's what matters. And yes, Ellie is still sitting in the middle because the girls like to play together. For now, anyway.
Last night on the way to the church, I kept glancing back and Ellie was gripping her arm rests and her eyes were wide open... she looked pretty nervous, being able to see everything ahead of us. Then, last night as we were driving home, the girls held hands the entire way (which is when I took the pic above). Melt my heart.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day trippers
On Saturday we took a trip to D.C. for the day. We started out by braving the cold weather at the National Zoo:
Abby was excited to see "Raja" from Aladdin.
We loved the lions, too. The big/scary animals are always the most fun to see.
Every time Ellie saw any animal, she pointed and screamed, "Puppy!" Everything is a puppy these days.
These guys..... not as much.
This one's for you, Mike.
"I love big pandas!"
Of course, the only shot that comes out clearly is the one where they aren't all looking! :)
By the second hour there, Abby (now sitting in the front) wanted to be completely covered by the blanket. (Like I said, it was pretty chilly and windy, too). Glad we brought the double stroller!
Then we had lunch and headed over to the Museum of Natural History.
Could not believe the size of those jaws! Taller than I was!
We loved the dinosaurs....
Okay, you can't really tell but we are CRAMMED into this elevator. Two double strollers, 2 kids not even sitting in the strollers, and 5 adults (for some reason there was an elevator attendant....). It was a tight squeeze.
The aquarium room....
Ellie loved that giant moon hanging from the ceiling and kept pointing to it and screaming, "ball!".
We ended the day by going to "Good Stuff Eatery", a hamburger joint on Capitol Hill, just a few blocks from the Capitol building. It was loud and busy but good.... and great french fries, which is always essential.
All in all, it was a fun trip with friends. I am glad that we went, but I would love to go back sometime when it is less crowded and when there is more time for things like taking tours, etc. (I don't think there's such a thing as "less crowded" in a place like that, but I can dream.)
I always think that I love big cities and that I would love to live in one - the energy, the hustle and bustle, the fact that there is always something to do and always something exciting going on. Then we get there and it's next to impossible to find parking, everywhere is packed with people, and the food is expensive (Garrett may or may not have been mumbling things like "miserable" and "ridiculous" as we were trying to find parking for the museum). So, I am thankful that I don't live in the big city, but glad that we live close enough to take day trips to one, especially one like D.C. where there is so much history. Hopefully we'll make it back a couple more times - I still have never done some of the more historic things like going to the White House, etc. I am also so thankful that Garrett and Rob had a day off at the same time, with no one "on call", and that we made it there and back safely - it was a very long day but we made some great memories, and isn't that what it's all about?
Every time Ellie saw any animal, she pointed and screamed, "Puppy!" Everything is a puppy these days.
Then we had lunch and headed over to the Museum of Natural History.
We ended the day by going to "Good Stuff Eatery", a hamburger joint on Capitol Hill, just a few blocks from the Capitol building. It was loud and busy but good.... and great french fries, which is always essential.
All in all, it was a fun trip with friends. I am glad that we went, but I would love to go back sometime when it is less crowded and when there is more time for things like taking tours, etc. (I don't think there's such a thing as "less crowded" in a place like that, but I can dream.)
I always think that I love big cities and that I would love to live in one - the energy, the hustle and bustle, the fact that there is always something to do and always something exciting going on. Then we get there and it's next to impossible to find parking, everywhere is packed with people, and the food is expensive (Garrett may or may not have been mumbling things like "miserable" and "ridiculous" as we were trying to find parking for the museum). So, I am thankful that I don't live in the big city, but glad that we live close enough to take day trips to one, especially one like D.C. where there is so much history. Hopefully we'll make it back a couple more times - I still have never done some of the more historic things like going to the White House, etc. I am also so thankful that Garrett and Rob had a day off at the same time, with no one "on call", and that we made it there and back safely - it was a very long day but we made some great memories, and isn't that what it's all about?
Monday, February 14, 2011
My Valentines
my valentines
Happy Valentine's Day!!
I made pink heart-shaped pancakes for the girls for breakfast, served with pink milk of course. Garrett had the day off today so I let him sleep in (Happy Valentine's Day, honey.).
Garrett and I aren't big into Valentine's Day gifts, but I am very excited because the girls are in bed and Garrett is on his way to pick up take-out dinner for us: sesame chicken for him, sushi for me (naturally). Such a treat, I can't wait. We'll snuggle up on the couch in our pj's and watch a movie... sounds like the perfect date to me!
Garrett also watched the kids for several hours today while Haley and I did some shopping at the outlets (he took the kids the Rob's house and the guys hung out). I was mostly just tagging along with Haley but I did manage to find a few things for myself at Banana Republic. In the past I've never bought much from there because I never seem to find the good sales, but today I found some tops for $3.50 (normally $30-35). It was exciting! I also bought some new sunglasses since the kids broke mine a couple months ago and I haven't found any cheap ones until today.
So, it's been a great Valentine's Day. The kids had fun with friends, Garrett got some much-needed down time, and I had some time off too! It's been a great day.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Let's get physical (physical)
I had a couple of people ask me what kinds of workouts I'm doing now so I figured I'd write a post about it. This will probably be boring for any of you who don't need or want this information, so feel free to stop reading now if it already sounds boring! :)
I've tried a lot of different exercise routines in my life. In high school I used to like doing the elliptical or the stair stepper at the local gym. Freshman year at BYU I don't remember doing much exercising, although I remember one time my roommate Courtney and I decided to put on workout clothes and run up and down the RB stairs like 4 times or something (the looong ones that go under the tunnel)... that was a huge mistake and I couldn't walk for a few days after that, haha.
Sophomore year I fell in love with weight training. About 3x a week I lifted weights, and also did some cardio (biking, elliptical, etc). Between that and walking to campus every day from my apartment complex, I lost a good bit of weight that year.
After I got married, and started staying in Provo year-round, I didn't have access to the campus gym during the summer (since I wasn't taking classes) so I had to think of something else to do. So, if I remember correctly, Emma had some workout videos she had "borrowed" from home and we did those together. That was a lot of fun - they are mostly The Firm workouts - the classic ones, not the new ones they make now. We're talking straight out of the 80s, and they are wearing leotards and legwarmers! We may make fun of them, but I am not kidding when I say that these classic Firm workouts are probably the most effective ones out there.
After Abby was born I did some Biggest Loser DVD workouts and I liked those because they are only 20 minutes long. I also did some Firms. When I was pregnant with Ellie I took up running and really enjoyed that, but didn't keep it up for long because, well, I was pregnant and you technically aren't supposed to start new workouts when pregnant.
The first serious workout regimen I did after Ellie was born was P90x. I started it when she was exactly 6 months old and it was intense, to say the least. It's 6 days a week, one hour a day (some days it's a little longer). It's 90 days (12 weeks) long; however I only did it for about 7 weeks (which is still pretty darn good!). To be honest I can't remember why I stopped - I think it was bothering my right knee (which has been bad since high school). I did lose about 9 lbs in those 7 weeks but to be honest I don't know if I can credit that 100% to P90x, or if it's also because that's when I switched Ellie to formula. (Breastfeeding does not help me lose weight like it seems to for most people. In fact I am convinced it hinders my weight loss attempts).
Anyway. I still do P90x workouts every so often -- mostly just the ab ripper. Currently I'm mostly doing those good old Firm workouts - the tough ones. The Firm's big tagline is that you can see results in 10 workouts... this is definitely true if you do the right tapes. These are not for the faint of heart, nor are they for people who want a 20 minute workout. They are 60 minutes long, and those ladies do not joke around! It's mostly interval training -- going from weights to aerobics, then weights, etc. Squats, forward lunges, back lunges, then back to squats, then jumping jacks, then steps.... it's intense. My favorite all-around Firm tape is probably this one because she uses weights a lot and she doesn't say anything too cheesy. She's also really easy to follow. I just started doing this one a lot too, and it has given me the best results (it's mostly step aerobics - it's just a little frustrating at first because she's harder to follow, in my opinion. But once you get the routine down it's great). This second one got me past my plateau and I'm currently at a weight I haven't been at since before I had any kids. Really nice, but unfortunately now a lot of my clothes look baggy!
The only downside to the Firm tapes is that you need extra equipment. You need dumbbells, ankle weights, steps (high and low, for the step aerobics on some tapes). Over the years I've acquired most of these things (I have pairs of 5, 8, 10, and 12-lb dumbbells and 3-lb ankle weights). I don't have a step box but I found a big solid storage box here at home that works (but it's a high box, so the fast aerobics are extra challenging!). To me it's worth it to buy those things because I don't pay for a gym membership anywhere, so I'm saving money that way. So, I definitely recommend The Firm (the OLD ones!)... just read the reviews on Amazon if you need more convincing. :)
So what's my end goal? Of course I have a specific weight in mind but ultimately I just want to be healthy and energized. I love the post-workout feeling of accomplishment. I also love feeling sore from a tough workout (not to mention my chocolate-y protein drink!).
Ultimately, I go back and forth with my love for workout videos. There have been times in my life when I'm perfectly happy to go to the gym every day and use the equipment there, and there are times when I feel like videos at home are enough. Someday, I would love to have a workout room like my sister does - with a treadmill, and an elliptical, and everything else I might need. But for now, my tv and some old Firm tapes (and an occasional outdoor run) are doing just fine.
Whew, that was a really long post about working out... but I personally like reading posts like this so there you go. I hope I've helped some of you out!
I've tried a lot of different exercise routines in my life. In high school I used to like doing the elliptical or the stair stepper at the local gym. Freshman year at BYU I don't remember doing much exercising, although I remember one time my roommate Courtney and I decided to put on workout clothes and run up and down the RB stairs like 4 times or something (the looong ones that go under the tunnel)... that was a huge mistake and I couldn't walk for a few days after that, haha.
Sophomore year I fell in love with weight training. About 3x a week I lifted weights, and also did some cardio (biking, elliptical, etc). Between that and walking to campus every day from my apartment complex, I lost a good bit of weight that year.
After I got married, and started staying in Provo year-round, I didn't have access to the campus gym during the summer (since I wasn't taking classes) so I had to think of something else to do. So, if I remember correctly, Emma had some workout videos she had "borrowed" from home and we did those together. That was a lot of fun - they are mostly The Firm workouts - the classic ones, not the new ones they make now. We're talking straight out of the 80s, and they are wearing leotards and legwarmers! We may make fun of them, but I am not kidding when I say that these classic Firm workouts are probably the most effective ones out there.
After Abby was born I did some Biggest Loser DVD workouts and I liked those because they are only 20 minutes long. I also did some Firms. When I was pregnant with Ellie I took up running and really enjoyed that, but didn't keep it up for long because, well, I was pregnant and you technically aren't supposed to start new workouts when pregnant.
The first serious workout regimen I did after Ellie was born was P90x. I started it when she was exactly 6 months old and it was intense, to say the least. It's 6 days a week, one hour a day (some days it's a little longer). It's 90 days (12 weeks) long; however I only did it for about 7 weeks (which is still pretty darn good!). To be honest I can't remember why I stopped - I think it was bothering my right knee (which has been bad since high school). I did lose about 9 lbs in those 7 weeks but to be honest I don't know if I can credit that 100% to P90x, or if it's also because that's when I switched Ellie to formula. (Breastfeeding does not help me lose weight like it seems to for most people. In fact I am convinced it hinders my weight loss attempts).
Anyway. I still do P90x workouts every so often -- mostly just the ab ripper. Currently I'm mostly doing those good old Firm workouts - the tough ones. The Firm's big tagline is that you can see results in 10 workouts... this is definitely true if you do the right tapes. These are not for the faint of heart, nor are they for people who want a 20 minute workout. They are 60 minutes long, and those ladies do not joke around! It's mostly interval training -- going from weights to aerobics, then weights, etc. Squats, forward lunges, back lunges, then back to squats, then jumping jacks, then steps.... it's intense. My favorite all-around Firm tape is probably this one because she uses weights a lot and she doesn't say anything too cheesy. She's also really easy to follow. I just started doing this one a lot too, and it has given me the best results (it's mostly step aerobics - it's just a little frustrating at first because she's harder to follow, in my opinion. But once you get the routine down it's great). This second one got me past my plateau and I'm currently at a weight I haven't been at since before I had any kids. Really nice, but unfortunately now a lot of my clothes look baggy!
The only downside to the Firm tapes is that you need extra equipment. You need dumbbells, ankle weights, steps (high and low, for the step aerobics on some tapes). Over the years I've acquired most of these things (I have pairs of 5, 8, 10, and 12-lb dumbbells and 3-lb ankle weights). I don't have a step box but I found a big solid storage box here at home that works (but it's a high box, so the fast aerobics are extra challenging!). To me it's worth it to buy those things because I don't pay for a gym membership anywhere, so I'm saving money that way. So, I definitely recommend The Firm (the OLD ones!)... just read the reviews on Amazon if you need more convincing. :)
So what's my end goal? Of course I have a specific weight in mind but ultimately I just want to be healthy and energized. I love the post-workout feeling of accomplishment. I also love feeling sore from a tough workout (not to mention my chocolate-y protein drink!).
Ultimately, I go back and forth with my love for workout videos. There have been times in my life when I'm perfectly happy to go to the gym every day and use the equipment there, and there are times when I feel like videos at home are enough. Someday, I would love to have a workout room like my sister does - with a treadmill, and an elliptical, and everything else I might need. But for now, my tv and some old Firm tapes (and an occasional outdoor run) are doing just fine.
Whew, that was a really long post about working out... but I personally like reading posts like this so there you go. I hope I've helped some of you out!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
More random-ness
Well Garrett has hijacked our Netflix DVD queue, and we've been getting strange movies ever since. "The A-Team", anyone? It's okay though... he is so good to watch my various chick flick shows with me so the least I can do is let him choose the DVD's we get in the mail, especially on a month when he's actually home in the evenings to watch them.
We had a great weekend - Garrett came to Church with us, which was so nice. It was only the second time he's been able to come since before Thanksgiving (besides once over Christmas break, I guess. Anyway, his new Sunday School class still doesn't know who he is!). It was Stake Conference last weekend, which is usually difficult with the kids (two hours with no nursery) but they actually did well and I got a lot out of both sessions that we went to.
Enjoyed the Super Bowl, as always.... apologies to Siebachs everywhere but I decided to cheer for the Packers this year. I made sure to call my mom after the game and say congrats - she was in a house full of Steeler fans so I felt bad for her. :) I made a great taco soup recipe and texted my brother every time there was a monkey commercial (which, okay, was only once. Unfortunately.). (Have I ever mentioned how much I love texting? It's so fun to be able to just send someone a message any time of day without really interrupting them if they are busy and can't talk. I love that I was able to text my brother "I'm sure you loved that careerbuilder website", and he immediately replied, "I already replayed it a couple times". Hahaha.)
Life is just busy as usual. Youth activities at Church have been keeping my busy. I'm in charge of the girls who are 14-15 and I really like them a lot. There are some really outgoing girls who are willing to take charge which is great, and a couple other girls who I would love to see come out of their shells a little bit. All in all, it's a great group and I'm happy to be working with them.
Other things keeping me busy right now: playing and reading books with the girls, reading my library books, cleaning up (always cleaning up), trying to work on getting pre-approved for a mortgage, watching "Despicable Me" (Abby's latest favorite.. she always forgets what it's called so she calls it "Rob & Haley's movie", since that's where she watched it first). I also finally (finally!!) found a workout that is working. Pretty excited about that, too.
Oh, and I'm also busy deleting pictures off my ipod. Did you know that a 4-year-old can take over 100 pictures in less than 5 minutes??
We had a great weekend - Garrett came to Church with us, which was so nice. It was only the second time he's been able to come since before Thanksgiving (besides once over Christmas break, I guess. Anyway, his new Sunday School class still doesn't know who he is!). It was Stake Conference last weekend, which is usually difficult with the kids (two hours with no nursery) but they actually did well and I got a lot out of both sessions that we went to.
Enjoyed the Super Bowl, as always.... apologies to Siebachs everywhere but I decided to cheer for the Packers this year. I made sure to call my mom after the game and say congrats - she was in a house full of Steeler fans so I felt bad for her. :) I made a great taco soup recipe and texted my brother every time there was a monkey commercial (which, okay, was only once. Unfortunately.). (Have I ever mentioned how much I love texting? It's so fun to be able to just send someone a message any time of day without really interrupting them if they are busy and can't talk. I love that I was able to text my brother "I'm sure you loved that careerbuilder website", and he immediately replied, "I already replayed it a couple times". Hahaha.)
Life is just busy as usual. Youth activities at Church have been keeping my busy. I'm in charge of the girls who are 14-15 and I really like them a lot. There are some really outgoing girls who are willing to take charge which is great, and a couple other girls who I would love to see come out of their shells a little bit. All in all, it's a great group and I'm happy to be working with them.
Other things keeping me busy right now: playing and reading books with the girls, reading my library books, cleaning up (always cleaning up), trying to work on getting pre-approved for a mortgage, watching "Despicable Me" (Abby's latest favorite.. she always forgets what it's called so she calls it "Rob & Haley's movie", since that's where she watched it first). I also finally (finally!!) found a workout that is working. Pretty excited about that, too.
Oh, and I'm also busy deleting pictures off my ipod. Did you know that a 4-year-old can take over 100 pictures in less than 5 minutes??
Friday, February 4, 2011
And now, Abby
I feel like I share a lot more pictures of Ellie, so here's one of Abby. This was from over Christmas break, when we made "hot chocolate spoons".... basically dipped plastic spoons in melted chocolate and then put peppermint on some, and toffee on others. Then, when you're ready to stir your hot chocolate, you just use one of the chocolate spoons to stir it with and you've got some yummy extra flavor. Unfortunately I never tried it (hot chocolate makes my tummy hurt) but I think they were enjoyed by most! Anyway, it was a perfect toddler activity and Abby loved it.
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