Mia's New "Big Girl Bed"

On Saturday (two days ago) we moved Mia's crib out of her room and built her new toddler bed. She helped as much as it's possible for a 20-month old to help. We were really worried about how she'd do with the transition but our fear was needless. It turns out she's still as much of an angel baby as she ever was. Saturday night I laid her down after saying prayers, gave her her binky and walked out. She didn't fuss; she didn't get out of bed. Even in the morning, she didn't get out of bed until I came to get her. The same has held true for naps and bedtimes since then. Hopefully things stay this way. We are definitely counting our blessings on this one!

Denver Trip (continued...)

The 4th of July we saw the movie Wall-E (Mia especially loved the previews), spent time with family, did fireworks in the backyard, took the dogs to "Doggie Disneyland" (actually Lake Chatfield but we call it Doggie Disneyland) and had a great day.









On Saturday, we went to the Rockies game which was a lot of fun. Mia tried cotton candy for the first time and was a big fan. In fact, later, when we passed the stands where you could buy it, she would point at it and say "yum!"

Denver Trip

For the fourth of July, we went to Denver (10 days total) to see some of Shawn's family and to do some camping. Our first two days there we recuperated from the 13 hour drive through the night while Mia enjoyed the soft normal grass of Colorado and played outside.



Then we went camping up in Estes Park in the Rocky Mountain National Forest (Shawn and I honeymooned in Estes Park so it has special meaning for us). Mia loved playing in the dirt and I LOVED being in the mountains. I told Shawn that I thought I had finally adjusted to Texas life but I was going to have to start all over again after being in those gorgeous mountains. We did a few meals in camp but we kindof cheated since we were so close to town and went out to some nice meals too. It was alot of work (and I did the least of it since I have pregnancy as an excuse and I had to watch Mia) but it was alot of fun. The only thing that I'd do different next time is leave the dogs at home. Annie whined and barked and caused a general ruckus for a good portion of the time.





Silly dogs - I told Annie to "kennel up" and all three dogs got in before I could stop them.



I'll have to finish posting later; I've got to leave for a Doctor's appointment. To be continued...

Twilight Obsession

I have recently become obsessed with the Twilight books. Every time Shawn sees me reading them he says "you're reading those books AGAIN!?!" I won't say they are the best-written books ever, but they are incredibly fun and light (did I say fun!) reading. The fourth in the series comes out shortly (Breaking Dawn), you can see my countdown below. I can't wait!!! Stephenie Meyer's other book, The Host, I also recommend. It is nothing like the Twilight books but also enjoyable.

Okay, my countdown didn't work on this page but I'm doing my own personal countdown to August 2nd!

Missing You Mom, On Your Birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday and I wish that I could be in Utah to celebrate with her. Many of you now know, from reading my dad's birthday post, that I have the greatest dad in the world. What you may not know, is that I also have the greatest mother in the world. My mother is the sweetest woman that I know, above any one else. My mother is generous and selfless. She is patient and kind. She embodies every good virtue. She is my example of faith and love and trust in Jesus Christ. She is my best friend and confidant. She is the voice in my head reminding me to do what is right. She is everything I hope I can be as a mother.

I love you, Mom. Happy Birthday!

Mia Pics

Our little scholar...

We Love Grandpa Too!

Shawn's Dad came into town this weekend and though it was a short trip, it was great to see him. He brought Mia a toy dog that identifies various body parts and Mia will not be separated from it. We went out to dinner a few times, checked out where JFK was assassinated, and had some nice visits. Thanks Steve for coming to see us!

We Love Grandma!

My mom came to visit us for the first time a couple of days before we went to New York and then she stayed at our house to watch Mia while we were out of town. It was such a relief to leave Mia in her hands, I didn't worry at all!, and once we were in New York I was so glad that we didn't have Mia with us (although we missed her terribly), but New York is definitely not a vacation for toddlers! I wish that Mom could have stayed longer but it was wonderful to have her here! I can't wait for October for her next visit!!

New York Trip

Well, we are back from New York visiting Julie and David and we had a wonderful time! We got there on Wednesday and after getting settled went straight into the city to check out Times Square and Shawn and I went to the musical "Legally Blonde" which was hilarious. On Thursday Julie and David came with us and we took a ferry out past the Statue of Liberty, went shopping on Canal Street where I bought a Dulce & Gabana purse (wink, wink) and Shawn hunted for a rolex. We then toured Little Italy (trying Canoli (sp?) for the first time) and China Town. On Friday Shawn and I went to the top of the Rockerfeller Center's look out point and checked out the city. I couldn't believe how utterly massive New York is. It never ends!! Saturday we saw "Mamma Mia" with Julie and David which was entertaining but, surprisingly, Legally Blonde was better. Afterward, Shawn and I went to the temple for a little while and then we all went to a restaurant called Max Brennars, Chocolate by the Bald Man (which I'm now craving on a daily basis!) On Sunday we went to Central Park which is amazing in and of itself. We had a picnic and played with a frisbee and on the way back to the car, Shawn and David played football in the streets of Manhattan (in between lights when there was no traffic, of course). We had a great trip. Thanks Julie and David for being such fun hosts!! We miss you guys already!

It's A Boy!

We had our ultrasound this morning and it appears that we're having a boy! Shawn is elated. He can't stop smiling and naming off the appendages that only boys have that his new son will have. I'm embarrased since my mom is here in town visiting and has had to listen to him talk this way. :) It now seems more real and I'm excited that we can stop referring to the baby as "it" and now as "him" or "Crew." 20 weeks to go...

Camping

On Friday night we went camping for the first time with Mia. We went to a pretty place about 25 minutes away from our house. We went with a family in our ward who live 8 houses down from us. They have four little girls under the age of 7 and they LOVE Mia and she loves playing with them. The weather was beautiful when we left so we thought it would be a perfect night for camping. We had a good time roasting hot dogs and s'mores and Mia stayed up with us until we were ready for bed (a good 3 hours past her bedtime so we thought she'd sleep great). When we finally went to bed, Mia had a hard time falling asleep (she's not used to sleeping with anyone, especially not in a tent) and she tossed and turned and sat up and flopped down and turned every which way, which included her feet in Shawn's face. She FINALLY fell asleep. But then in the middle of the night the wind started up. We were encamped near a small creek with tons of trees and the wind going through them was SO loud plus a strap on our tent came undone and was flapping with the wind. Huge gusts of wind. Right before we left for camping, I had picked up a voicemail from my mom saying that she saw that tornadoes were heading through Texas and wondered if it was our area. I hadn't checked before we left but we had been told it was supposed to be great weather so I didn't worry about it... until the middle of the night when it was really windy and I was starting to panic because we were out away from tornado sirens and I was afraid the storm was going to turn into something ugly. (It wasn't raining though so I wasn't truly worried.) It was very loud and it had gotten really cold and Mia kept kicking down the covers so it was hard to stay warm. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. But it was a good experience. We made memories. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures.

More Mia Pics

As you can see, Mia likes to dress up.

Brazilian Ju-Jitzu

I guess I should explain: I understand that anybody reading this Blog knows me well enough to know that this is not like me at all and probably think this is a joke; it is not. The other day I was watching "Fight Quest" a stupid show. They were talking about Brazilian Ju-Jitzu. Well in the strip mall closest to my house there is a Mixed Martial Arts place. I called, asked a few questions, and started shortly thereafter. My only motivation was to loose weight in a fun way. Running was beginning to hurt my knees and it's too cold to swim right now (it's only 70 degrees). So instead of hurting my knees running; I hurt everything else. I have bruises everywhere, all the time. I bought ear protection so I don't get cauliflower ear and a mouth guard so I don't ruin the smile Natalie fell in love with. I think I have a broken pinkie, and my feet are getting some thick callouses. I question why I am doing this every time I get submitted; which is often. I accidentally broke a nose (not my own). Brazilian Ju- Jitzu is basically wrestling till someone submits (you submit when an arm or leg is going to break from getting bent the wrong way or you are going to passout). We do Mixed Martial Arts some days. The other day we had boxing gloves on, one guy straddled the other and for five minutes got to hit the man lying on his back. The whole time I was wondering what I got myself into. The other day I had to wear a tie to work to cover up a bad mark across my neck. I think deep down inside Nat is strangely attracted to the new sport.

But it's a great workout. I'll post a picture when I get my first black eye.

I Am Elizabeth Bennet

Take the Quiz here!

We Love Visitors

This weekend Aunt Megan and Uncle Troy came to visit. Mia LOVED them both. She sat on their laps and gave kisses. Shawn and I loved having them here too, we wish the weekend could have lasted longer. We did lots of visiting, some shopping, got pedicures/manicures and just enjoyed our time together. Thanks Megs and Troy for coming to see us - we can't wait until next time!

Missing You, Dad, On Your Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday and I will not be in Utah to celebrate it with him or on Sunday when the family will likely all get together. But I will be thinking of him and I will be missing him for I truly have the greatest dad in the whole world. I know, dear reader, many of you think that your dad is the greatest but you are wrong. I will fight with you on it just as I did with Robert Howell in 3rd grade. My dad is a protector, a teacher, a leader and my friend. He is a great man. He is the builder of playhouses, the family provider, the fixer-of-anything, the tooth-fairy, a leprechaun, the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause, the interrogator of boyfriends past, the voice telling me that I'm smart, and the man, who except for my husband, means more to me than any other man I know. Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you.

Tornadoes?

Last night was our little family's first experience of dealing with tornadoes (okay, the possibility of tornadoes) here in Texas. As you probably know, it is "tornado season" down the tornado belt of the nation of which we are a part (unfortunately). Last night around 4:00 am, Shawn and I woke up to the most crazy weather we have EVER seen. It was raining harder than you can believe, the thundering and lightnings were constant and right on top of each other, the wind was blowing crazy hard ... this morning I'm surprised that the neighborhood isn't littered with debris. We laid in bed listening to the storm and as there was a tornado watch out (which may have been a warning at that point, along with flash flood warnings, wind advisories, etc.) I was just waiting for the tornado sirens to go off. Sure enough, a few minutes into our vigil, they did turn on and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how loud they were (they aren't super loud when they test them) - we could easily hear them over the storm. So, we grabbed Mia and the dog and some pillows and headed down to our designated tornado safe spot (the closet underneath the stairs). We waited until the sirens turned off and the storm calmed (and calmed long enough that we were certain we weren't in the "eye of the storm") then checked the weather online and decided the worst of it had passed and then we went back to bed. I'm sure this is the first of many treks down underneath the stairs. I just hope that they all end up like this one.

New Friends and Tender Mercies

Shawn and I have recently decided that we need to be more proactive in making friends and keeping friends. For about a week I fell into the trap of self pity and loneliness. Time does, it seems, make the heart grow fonder and thus as more time has passed since our exodus from Utah, the more homesick I have grown to be. I miss my family and Sunday dinners and birthday dinners and "just because" gatherings and I miss weekends with friends and easy opportunities to be social. So, in order to be more proactive, on Sunday Shawn and I stopped by a family's house with whom we hope to become friends and ended up visiting for over an hour. We felt like we were taking a step in the right direction and were both happy about our visit. The following day a neighbor called me and invitied Mia and me to go on a walk and to the park. A very simple thing but to someone desperate for socialization and friends, it was a tender mercy from the Lord. Truly He hears our prayers, even simple ones of "we need friends," and helps us.

"Good Girl" and "Nanas?"

These are two of Mia's phrases which I love the most. We tell Annie (the dog) "good girl" often and Mia has picked it up too. She will say it to Annie, but will also say it to herself. When she turns around to go backwards on her knees down the stairs, I usually tell her "good girl" but lately she'll beat me to it. She'll begin to turn around at the top of the stairs then look at me and then say "good girl." This is just one example but pretty much any time she does something that she knows is correct, "good girl" will follow.

Her newest word joined her vocabulary a couple of days ago and that is "nanas?" Every time she sees a banana she says the word but also when I ask if she's hungry, when I ask if she wants some food, when she sees me bring food of any sort (banana or not) to her tray... basically, all of the time. I still haven't figured out if "nanas?" refers specifically to bananas or to food in general. Either way, it's a really cute word when she says it.

Shawn's Mexican Beans

I have been craving the beans I used to eat in Mexico. The key ingredient was pig's feet; I asked around and I can't get them here. So I started working on recreating the recipe. I failed many times, but like all great things worth achieving, I knew I needed to persevere. After six attempts, a very smelly house, a mad wife (due to the smell), and a container of Beano later, I have recreated the Mexican bean recipe I have been craving. So with no further delay, I present to you, our faithful readers, my recipe...

1 cup dry pinto beans from your Mormon food storage (re hydrated)
2 jalapenos
1 onion
1 pork steak (the cheapest one you can buy pre-packaged)
(half a package of Bacon if you want)
1 tomato
1 large spoon of minced garlic
sea salt
a hint of oregano
a bit of chili powder

Cook everything but beans in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven (you might need to add some olive oil). Add the beans once that is all cooked. Then add a few cups of water depending on your desire. The Mexicans never had a problem having more people over, they would just add more water to the stew. Heat then eat... with Beano.

Caution: the less water you add the more spicy... oh yeah! Some like it hot.