Ella Bella

I had a friend over today to take photos of her adorable baby and Ella wanted to have her picture taken too. This is my fave out of the few I took.

Our new nephew, MVP!

We had a wonderful time this past weekend visiting Jamie and Andy in North Carolina. Their first baby, Mark, was born in January and we were there to meet him and attend his baby blessing. We all were pretty smitten by him, especially the kids.

Cabin Fever

I am officially depressed. The school called to inform us that school is canceled again tomorrow. I have not left this house since Thursday evening and I really need to get out.

January in review

Life is certainly busy with business, birthdays, homework, sicknesses, church stuff, snow days, and a long list of chores. Here is our life in pictures for the month of January.

Ella showing off her fashion taste. She is such a girly girl.


I LOVE my Blendtec blender!! I have at least one smoothie, if not two a day. It makes the perfect breakfast and lunch. I love that I can sneak lettuce or spinach in there and my kids still drink it.

Our first good snow storm of the season. Due to the snow, many birds came to visit our bird feeder.

Andrew's birthday. We celebrated at a local Mexican restaurant. The food was good and we had the place to ourselves thanks to a snow and ice storm. Andrew was thrilled it snowed on his birthday. He was also pleased that the restaurant staff respected my wishes that they not cover his face in whipped cream.

Brianna and Ella being silly.





I have been spending a lot of time at the YMCA lately. I am loving it and wish I could go more.

Ella having fun with static electricity.

We love the original Boom Blox game game for Wii. This is the second version which I got for Christmas. We have loved playing this game together.

Ella had a play date with her friend T. They both love everything princess, can you tell?




I attended Imaging USA, a professional conference for photographers. The picture above was taken during one of my classes. I learned so much and I had a great time.

Brianna turned 12 and is now part of the Young Women program at Church. The older girls love to welcome the new girls, so they made this cute poster for Bri. The funniest part is that they put it on the neighbor's mailbox. We had a celebration at home where we dined on homemade California rolls, her favorite. The gifts we gave her included an avocado, a pint of Haagen Daaz, the game Clue, and a new purse. She was thrilled with her gifts. The avocado was a special request since she loves it and wanted one just for herself.


Here is a picture of Ty enjoying one of his birthday cupcakes I made. I surprised him at school. He was so happy and didn't want us to leave. Ella did not want to leave him either and proceeded to cry for 5 minutes in the car.




Ty turned 6! We celebrated his birthday with pizza and a cake made out of ice cream sandwiches. I love kids at this age as they are so easy to please when it comes to gifts. Although he was given other gifts, his world was complete with a super soft blanket and a new Bakugan.



I can't rave enough about www.ldsjournal.com. Andrew recently had his journal from ldsjournal.com printed into a book and it turned out great. I loved it so much that I wanted one for myself. I have now started my own account. It sends you reminders to journal according to the time settings you choose. It also has a journal jar section with questions for you to answer about your life.

I never thought we would ever be able to build a big snowman again since we moved to the South.

The kids showing off their snow fort. We received about 4 inches or so which is the most we have received in the nearly 3 years we have lived here. Due to the weather we have been trapped in our home for 3 days. Church was even canceled today. The area in which we live relies on the weather to melt the snow, so no sanding or plow trucks have been by here. This makes it incredibly dangerous to drive. School will be canceled tomorrow as well because of it. With temperatures in the 40s tomorrow, the roads should be clear by Tuesday.

A new year and a near calling

Yesterday, I got a new calling in church. I was released as the second Counselor in Relief Society and sustained as the Relief Society President. Oh my! I have never served as a President in any of the auxiliaries before so I have no expectations as to how much this calling will affect my life . . . yet. In a way, being blissfully unaware can be a good thing for now.

I am truly humbled by the calling and I know Heavenly Father will help me. The experiences I have had with the Spirit so far have been amazing and I am grateful for them. I pray that I can become what the sisters and the Lord need me to me to be.

My year in review

My friend Monique did this review on her blog and I loved it so I thought I would do the same (I did add a few more questions).

What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

• Rock climbed
• Made fresh pasta
• Saw the musical "Wicked"
• Attended my first professional conference
• Was audited by the IRS (in the end we were right)
• Actually completed a sewing project
• Perused a Tuba museum
• Enjoyed a great meal at the Teriyaki Grill with Susie
• Cut my hair short and liked it
• Attended the Taylor Swift concert with Brianna
• Hosted family at our home for Thanksgiving
• Went one whole week without eating added oil, sugar, grains, meats, or dairy foods
• Tweeted (but I like Facebook better)
• Played "Settlers of Catan" (my favorite game ever!)

Did you keep your new years' resolutions? Probably not. I don't even know what they were.

What are some of your resolutions for 2010? 2009 was the hardest year for me, health wise, and I don't wish to repeat that. My resolution for 2010 is to take care of myself so I can take better care of my family and friends.

Did anyone close to you give birth? My SIL gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Gracie. I was blessed to be able to fly out and take baby pictures.

Did anyone close to you die? No

What countries did you visit? None

What states did you visit? Arizona, Idaho, Utah (twice), North Carolina

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

• I would like to be more organized and complete more of the projects I started in 2009.
  
• A garden that actually produces enough for canning.

What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 9th, the day Brianna fell off a scooter and broke her jaw in two places, broke four teeth, and received 16 stitches total.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Does surviving count? I would say starting a garden, but Andrew did all of that.

What was your biggest failure? I did not do well with my blogging, nor did I take enough pics of my kids.

Did you suffer illness or injury? As stated before, I've spent more time sick this year than any other year of my life. That has been very frustrating.

What was the best thing you bought? Andrew's used tubas on eBay. They make him so happy!

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The people on "Clean House" and "Hoarders." I don't know how anyone can live like that.

Whose behavior impressed you? Brianna. It was amazing to see how she went through her recovery process. She was so brave. And, my kids for being kind to others. I also enjoyed watching my friends take care of people who needed spiritual and physical help.

Where did most of your money go? Our trip to Utah, getting ourselves healthy financially, food storage, tree removal, kids activities and school fees.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Going to "Imaging USA" for the professional photographers conference and seeing Anne Geddes speak. Also, spending time with family and friends in Utah, baby Gracie making her arrival, our Memorial Day weekend trip to NC, watching our kids on Christmas morning, making smoothies in my Blentec blender.

What song will always remind you of 2009? Any song by Taylor Swift

Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer? Happier - yes and no. I am happier with who I am, but my health issues were pretty depressing. Richer- spiritually, for sure! Nicer - I am trying to be nicer everyday.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Cook more from scratch, stick to a budget, exercise, read more to my kids, take care of myself, go to the temple, pray.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Avoiding. I am really great at avoiding doing what I should be doing.

How did you spend Christmas? In the comfort of our own home while relaxing in our pajamas.

What was your favorite TV program? The Amazing Race, 24, Monk, Psych, The Mentalist and NCIS.

What was the best book you read this year? I actually read very few and listened to many. My favorite that I listened to was "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. It is incredibly well done. I did read, "Eve's Daughters" and I really enjoyed it. Most other books that I read were cook books and how-to books.

What did you want and get? A better relationship with my husband, a pasta machine, a flat screen TV, a Blendtec blender, a panini grill, a sewing machine, more time with my friends.

What were your favorite films of this year? Well I just watched Anne of Green Gables 1 & 2 and it made me realize how much I did not love any of the new movies I saw this year. The one I found most fascinating was Julie & Julia as I loved getting to know Julia Child. I also saw (most on DVD), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Angels and Demons, Up, Night at the Museum 2, New Moon, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Harry Potter 6, My Sister's Keeper (I totally cried my eyes out!). This week I watched the classic movie Patton for the first time and I thought it was awesome.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 33. My birthday fell on a Sunday which kept it a much more peaceful celebration. My kids did manage to rat me out in their Primary Sharing Time and all the kids sang Happy Birthday to me.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being a better mother to my kids and taking more time to create memories with them.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008. I discovered Chico's. Their clothes fit my shape right now.

What kept you sane? My husband, my friends, being left with only one child at home during the school day.

What drove you insane? Trash on the floor!! Bugs! Brianna's recorder that Ella keeps on finding and making wretched sounds with! Forgetting to renew my library books!

What were some of your favorite dishes of 2009? The Thanksgiving turkey, the fresh pasta and sauce I learned how to make this year, the Tuna Carpaccio at Cheesecake Factory, the mild yellow curry with chicken at the Elephant Thai in Phoenix, the winter fruit salad I made for a Relief Society meeting, the beef tenderloin my mom made last month, the beef negimaki at Wasabi's, the pumpkin dinner rolls.

What political issue stirred you the most? Health-care reform has me pretty concerned.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. That it really is better to give than to receive.

What are you most excited for in 2010? Siesta Key, Florida! White sand beaches, clear water, having family to hang out with in a fun beach house, and going to the BYU v. Florida State game. "Imaging USA" again in January. Andy and Jamie's baby boy due in January and our trip to meet him in February. Brianna entering the Young Women's program in January! (Whoa!)

What are you least excited for in 2010? All the veggies I have to eat, yuck! Watching people I love learn hard lessons.

A dose of Ty's super-cuteness!

Merry Christmas!

We wanted to take the time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Since we did not get Christmas cards sent this year, we thought we would share with you a video of our kids. Every Christmas Eve, we reenact The Nativity scene while reading Luke 2. Here is the video from last night.

One reason I haven't been blogging

Here is one of the cutest reasons I have not been blogging. I took a trip to Utah to take pictures of my sweet little niece, Gracie. This is the first baby for my brother-in-law (a Salt Lake City firefighter) and his wife and we all so excited for them. She is such an angel. You can see more pictures of her here: http://amylynnsmith.com/photocart/slide_show.php?viewGallery=1035

Hanging out at the park

My little Ella Rose

I have a song that I sing to this little princess of mine. It is to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and the words are as follows.

I love you my little Ella Rose.
I love you from your nose to your toes. ( I always touch her nose and tickle her toes)
I love you to the moon and back.
I love you my little Ella Rose.
I love you and I know you love me too.
I love you my little Ella Rose.

This song has magical powers as it often can stop a temper tantrum or crying in seconds. In Utah, Ty heard me singing it and requested that I sing his song. Of course, I had to scramble to come up with one quick so instead of "my little Ella Rose", I changed it to "my happy little Ty" and the second line to "I love you, you're the sparkle in my eye." He loves it and I get the best snuggles every time I sing it. Phew, crisis averted that time.

I love singing these songs to my little one as I can always feel how much the kids love me. Who else wants encores from a lady who can't sing very well? Only those that you love you . . . a lot!

Ten for Tuesday

There's a lot going on around here! This is my attempt to get this blog back up to speed.

1. I have a pain in my neck ... and it isn't one of my kids. Two weeks ago, I woke up at 4 a.m. with unbearable neck pain. I knew I'd herniated a disc again. I hate when this happens. The first time I herniated this disc was in 2002 and it has caused me a lot of problems since. The pain was so bad this time that I decided to go to the doctor to get better pain medications. The doctor felt that I really needed an MRI as well. I almost didn't go because I knew that it would say that I had a herniated disc, but I am sure glad that I went. Apparently this disc is putting pressure directly on my spinal cord. Ack! I'm totally freaked out to do anything since one wrong move can send me straight to surgery. So now I will be going to physical therapy and will be dealing with a spine specialist from now on.

2. Because of item 1., my house has been sadly neglected by me. The kids are trying to do a little more around the house, which has been very nice. I even have two signed contracts from Arick and Brianna stating that I may use them as my slaves on Friday for one WHOLE hour. They made a huge deal of presenting it to me and everything. Oh to be a kid again. Remember when one hour felt like an incredibly long time?

3. My "Menu Plan Monday" idea is being modified. Why? I didn't follow the plan. So now I'm going to write down five meals I plan on making that week. And that's it. Hopefully Andrew didn't read the post and come home expecting those delicious dinners only to be disappointed. If he did, he didn't show it.

4. Ella is officially potty trained! Woohoo! She actually acheived this quite a few weeks ago. Except for pullups for night time (just in case,) we are officially diaper free!

5. I am currently addicted to Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Baked Crackers. They are amazing! I don't love blue cheese but these crackers are incredible.

6. Ty is doing very well in Kindergarten. He is learning so much and only came home with a sad-face stamp once.

7. I totally thought that I would get to take naps when I only had Ella home with me. That has yet to happen. I will admit that I am having such a great time hanging out with Ella. More than I thought. I do love that girl!

8. I'm grateful for Tamiflu. The day we were scheduled to leave for Dallas, TX to go see the BYU football game against Oklahoma, Ella came down with the flu. I got Ella to a doctor thinking her sinus infection was back, but the flu test showed positive immediately. Ella was able to start taking Tamiflu within 10 hours of showing symptoms and it worked very well. She was better less than 48 hours later.

I made the super-hard decision to stay home with Ella and make Andrew and the kids to go to Dallas without me. I'm glad we stayed home because Ella was pretty miserable for a little while. Andrew and the kids had a fantastic time. They hunted for diamonds in Arkansas, spent a lot of time swimming, and enjoyed a fantastic game in the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. I'm sure they will remember that trip for a very long time.

Andrew strongly recommends visiting this website to get your BYU v. OU fix. Good stuff: http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=Sports&cat3=2009&cat4=09FTB%20vs%20Oklahoma

9. Andrew finally gave in and got an iPhone, so Brianna got his old phone. I now have two very happy people. Andrew was pretty unhappy with his old phone (Samsung Blackjack II). He is so much happier with the iPhone, it isn't funny. To get the iPhone discount we opted for the third line, which meant Brianna got Andrew's old phone. To say she is thrilled is a gross understatement. I have to admit, now that she is in middle school, I love the added security. Plus if I need to talk to her when she is upstairs, I don't have to yell, I can just call her on her cell. It's the modern day intercom! She has quite a few restrictions and can only call me and Andrew. We'll see how she does before we open up any additional phone benefits.

10. This past month has been the month of concerts. Andrew surprised me with tickets to two different concerts, Keith Urban and Indigo Girls. The Keith Urban concert was a work activity paid for by his boss. We probably wouldn't have gone to it otherwise. We had a great time. The Indigo Girls concert wasn't quite as cool as I thought it would be. He got the tickets for me since I love a lot of their older music. Well, they played very little of their older music and the crowd was very drunk and rowdy ... and if you're familiar with this group, you know that the crowd was also quite "alternative." I still had fun being out on a date with Andrew, so it wasn't a total failure.

Andrew also surprised Brianna and I with tickets to see Taylor Swift. It was the sweetest thing. He was going to go to New Orleans to see BYU play Tulane, but he decided to give up his weekend to do something nice for Brianna. Brianna and I had a wonderful time and we have nothing but good things to say about the concert and about Taylor. She is a great performer and the show was perfectly acceptable for an 11 year old girl to see.

Well, I hope that gets us caught up. We are busy with homework, music lessons, soccer, scouts, callings, family dinners, and the occasional cough and cold. We're looking forward to General Conference this next weekend! Life is pretty good right now.

Menu Plan Monday

I am hoping to start a new regular post called, as the title suggests, Menu Plan Monday. I need something to inspire me to plan my meals better so dinner time isn't so chaotic. You will see a pattern develop. I don't make fancy breakfasts. Also, Tuesday and Thursday nights are super busy here, so those recipes are the easiest and quickest to make.

Here is my plan for this week.

Meal Plan for the week of September 21st:

Monday: Homemade Pasta with Bolognese-inspired Sauce

Tuesday: Quesadillas with black beans and rice, carrots

Wednesday: French Toast with fruit

Thursday: Turkey and Cheese Paninis, veggies on the side

Friday: Homemade Pizza with green salad

Saturday: Crustless quiche, fruit salad

~~~~~~~~~~

Lunches:

grilled cheese sandwiches, sliced apples
PB&N or PB&H
cereal
oatmeal
soup
cheesy rice

~~~~~~~~~~

Breakfast:

freezer waffles
hard-boiled eggs
cereal
oatmeal with sliced apples
~~~~~~~~~~

Snacks:

baby carrots
apples w/ peanut butter
grapes
homemade yogurt with honey, vanilla and cinnamon
string cheese
fruit roll ups
100 calorie chip bags
Rice Krispies Treats

Couponing

Well I am back into the world of couponing and loving it. I thought that moving down South meant fewer deals and so I didn't even try it. After finding some great blogs from my area, I was inspired again. Here is a pic of one of my recent trips:


The total for this grouping was about $15. That included 10 boxes of Fiber One cereal, 12 sticks of string cheese, 15 glade candles,7 glade candle refills, 3 boxes of Rice Krispies Treats, 1 box of Nutrigrain bars, 2 lbs of lunch meat, Hungry Hungry Hippos the game, Glade Sense and Spray, two packages of Kids Essentials drinks, bounce dryer bar, Tide Stain Release, and 2 individual servings of cereal.

Crazy, I know!

My couponing has not stopped there. This picture is just a small peak at what we have been able to get. Of course, I have to give credit to the blogs that helped me. Here is a list:

www.southernsavers.com
www.faithfulprovisions.com
www.dealseekingmom.com

These ladies do a fantastic job and really make couponing easier than it has EVER been. These blogs might not work for your area but I am sure there are blogs for you too. Just do a search in Google.

She is three!

Here are some facts about our darling three-year-old

• She loves Dora, princess stuff, anything pink and sparkly, and beautiful dresses.
  
• It is not uncommon for her to change her outfit 4-5 times a day which isn't always appreciated.
• She is having a hard time adjusting to being home during the day without her brothers and sister.
• Her favorite foods are cheese, chicken and bread.
• She loves the Barbie movie series.
• She loves to snuggle.
• She is incredibly ticklish.

We celebrated her birthday at IHOP. She loved her funny-face pancake although she didn't know what to think about them singing to her. We continued the party at home with cake and presents. The highlight of her birthday was her cake. It was a darling, sparkling-pink castle.


She loved her presents too. She received a princess lunch set, a darling felt and wood cupcake toy for her kitchen, a crown, a beautiful dress, twin baby dolls, and a floor puzzle. Add to that all of the birthday wishes she received and you can see she truly felt like a princess for a day.

Bri the flower child

Bri took a break from school uniforms today to dress up in this outfit. The theme is "decades" and she picked the 70's. This was as close as we could get to a flower child look with what we had on hand. We glued the flowers on the skirt and used lots of ribbons and yarn. She loved it of course, especially her hair.