Yesterday

It's pretty much summer time already. It reached 87 degrees yesterday.  Time to break these out:

Austin helped me make another treat yesterday.  This one was quite a bit more healthy than the last treat we made together. He helped me make peanut butter balls. I got the recipe from one of my favorite kid-friendly cooking websites here.  Again, he loved to help and concentrated really hard while stirring and dipping the balls in coconut.

Yes, we sat on the kitchen floor while we made these and please excuse Austin's post-nap hair!  The last picture is Austin eating a peanut butter ball. He popped the whole thing in his mouth and then kept asking for more.  I'm so glad he likes them as they are a  great, healthy snack.

A little later we went out on our porch to blow bubbles and Austin really wanted to do it himself.  He didn't really get any bubbles to form but he sure played with the bottle for a long time.  He just sat outside and kept pulling the bubble stick in and out of the bottle.  It was one of those spill proof bottles.  It was really cute to watch.

I sure love this little boy!

Spring Break

Having a break is so nice! We didn't go anywhere but just enjoyed the time together and relaxed.  Matthew got to spend the whole week with Austin and I. Here are a few of the things we did last week during the break:
- Got free pancakes on National Pancake Day (Thanks for the tip Jenna!)

-Went to the Children's Museum.  Austin loved it so much! It was so fun to watch him play. The Market and the Noodle Forest were his favorites.

-Checked out the local farmers' market and got the best best tasting oranges I have ever had
-Took advantage of out 70 degree weather to spend some time outside
-Austin went on some errands with Matthew and came home with this:

Of course Austin loved his first ice-cream cone and of course a huge mess was to follow and we didn't even get into the whole edible cone thing.

Overall, great week and now back to real life starting today.

Cinnamon Rolls

Last week was not so fun.  It was finals week for Matthew and so that made him pretty non-existent for the week and Austin was sick so I couldn't get out and do much.  There was lots of Mommy-Austin time at home. So I decided to try something different.
One thing Austin loves more than anything is to help in the kitchen. Whenever I start to cook something he immediately goes to get one of his play spoons and just begs me to pick him up so he can help.  So I decided to make a treat and to let me "help" me. I was in the mood for cinnamon rolls so thats what we made (don't worry, it was my day off of the wellness challenge!)
To say that he loved it was an understatement.  He concentrated so hard and did surprisingly well when I told him to do certain things.  But could I have picked a messier treat?  It took a lot of patience to not be bothered at all the sugar and cinnamon being sprinkled, um more like dumped onto the kitchen floor.  It took everything I had not to clean up messes and Austin was making them.
I couldn't get very good pictures as I had messy hands, trying to hold Austin on the stool so he wouldn't fall and trying to control how much cinnamon and sugar went flying everywhere all at the same time.

 I think Austin's favorite part was putting the cinnamon rolls into the pan as I cut them. It was really funny to watch though because he would just plop them anywhere, even right on top of another one. They turned out so yummy! I got the recipe here at one of my new favorite recipe sites.
This week is starting out so much better. Since Matthew has finished finals, this week is our spring break. So I see a lot more Daddy-Austin time in the very near future. :)

Valentines Date

Since I was out of town for Valentine's Day, we celebrated this weekend.  Matthew planned a surprise date for us and wouldn't tell me where we were going until we pulled up to it.   He took me to the Arizona Broadway Theatre.  It's a theatre that serves dinner and a show all in the same place.  Such a great idea since we both love musicals. I didn't even know this theatre existed and it was 10 minutes from where we live.  We has such a good time and we saw My Fair Lady.   

I love going on dates and this was perfect. Matthew is the best at thinking up creative ideas like that.  I love my Valentine!

Texas Visit

I love a chance to go home and see my family and last weekend Austin and I did just that. One of the best things about it was my sister Jenna was able to come from Kansas to be there too!  The reason for us going is that my high school was hosting a craft fair and we had a booth there.

Don't mind the panther eating Jenna's head in the picture.  It was so fun to be there and to promote Redd Threadds.  It was a great day and I loved seeing old friends from high school.  A big thanks to my dad for watching all 3 kiddos while we were gone all day.

While we were there, my littlest sister had her 13th birthday.  I can't believe she is a teenager now. She has never liked cake so she always has a donut tower instead.  She had her party at a laser tag/bumper car place.

Austin loves his cousins so much and had so much fun playing with them.

This was our best attempt at a group shot:

So glad we were able to go!  However my wellness challenge took a hit on this trip ie: no sleep, no exercise, and I couldn't resist Kayla homemade cookies. :)  Ah well, I think it was worth it.

The Challenge

The wellness challenge that I am doing now is 3 weeks in and I am glad to say that I am doing better than I expected overall. Things I have learned about myself so far:
-I CAN get up everyday at 6:30 to go workout if I really put my mind to it.  But there have been those mornings where losing a point sounds a lot more appealing then getting up.
- I am a sucker for desserts. I had book club tonight and totally gave in to the wonderful strawberry shortcake.
-I have realized that I really don't eat enough vegetables every day. I have to eat 2 veggies every day to get a point for it and sometimes I really struggle to do it.  I have to constantly think about it when I cook.
-Overall I am really glad I am doing this.  Even if I retain only one of these good habits, I feel that the challenge was worth it. (And a little prize money wouldn't hurt either!)

On a unrelated note, I have totally gotten into decorating for Valentine's Day.  Kind of a random holiday to decorate for but I have seen so many cute projects floating around in blog land that I had to try some of them out.  Here is what I have made.

 Cupcake liner wreath from here 

Subway art from here with the roses made from here

18 months

Austin just turned 18 months this past week.  We just love this little boy so much and can't believe we have a toddler now instead of a little baby!  He got to go to nursery this week at church for the first time. He loved it!  He just went right in and started playing.  Once he saw us leave he was a little sad but was distracted easily.  I spied on him a couple of times and he was reading books with everyone and having a great time.  I have to say that I also had a great Sunday being able to sit through all the meetings and actually hear the lessons.

Here are the other things we are loving about Austin:
-He is very expressive and has a very outgoing personality
-Still loves to cuddle with me and give hugs and kisses
-Loves to run in big open places
-Is becoming less picky with foods and is really good at feeding himself
-Sleeps through the night with one nap during the day
-Is in the 80 percentile for height and weight
-He babbles and talks all day long but can only say a handful of words
-Loves to help me with everything especially if its anything to do with cooking
-Copies things I do such as putting on makeup, putting on shoes, or cleaning things.
-Very social with other kids and loves to give hugs to babies
-Loves to read books and sing songs
-Bubbles are his  favorite thing in the world
-Could spend all day outside if I would let him.

Helping

Austin loves to help with whatever I am doing especially if it involves anything in the kitchen.  This is how Austin "helped" me cook the other day.

I lost half my basil seasoning in the process but look how happy he was!

Lemons into Lemonade

Usually this saying implies something negative somehow being turned around into something positive. But for us today it is quite literal.  We went and picked  lemons today and there were so many we could have lemonade for months!  It was such a beautiful day, about 68 degrees and sunny.  There is an orchard right on campus where Matthew goes to school and so we went as a play date to pick oranges and lemons.  Austin loved running around, picking fruit, finding sticks, and playing in the dirt. 

There was also a huge tractor just sitting there which Austin absolutely loved exploring.  I have a feeling our winter, if you can even call it that, has ended and that it just is going to heat up from here on.  I would love this weather all year round. My kitchen now smells very citrus-y!

Wellness Challenge 2011

I'm not sure what I have gotten myself into! As kind of an impulse decision, I signed up for a wellness challenge to start the new year off right.  It is kind of intense and I am afraid it's going to kick my butt.  But I am also excited to try it and see how it goes.  There is money prizes at stake as well so that helps with motivation  I suckered Matthew into doing it with me and at least we can struggle together!  In the challenge you can earn up to 10 points every day for the following things:
1 point each for:
-7 hours of sleep (naps count too)
- 48 oz of water
- 45 minutes of exercise
- 2 servings of fruits, 2 servings of veggies
- No soda, beer, wine, or unhealthy snacks
- No sweets. (Desserts, pastries, sugary snacks and cereals)
-No eating after dinner or 8pm
- 15 minutes of scripture reading
- One journal entry (any length)
- One act of kindness

Some of these things won't be a problem for me like soda and sleep.  I think my challenges will be exercising every day (mostly because I will have to do it early in the morning or late at night), 48 oz of water--that's a lot of water!, and lets be honest, the no sweets things is going to be the hardest!  I love a little treat after dinner--or in the afternoon.  Oh and the journal entry every day will be tough.  There will probably be a lot more small postings on the blog as I count this as somewhat journaling :)
Wish me luck! This is what I will be doing for the next 12 weeks!

Christmas Time

We were in Salt Lake for Christmas this year with Matthew's family.  Austin met so many new family members and did surprisingly well at recognizing everyone.  We had a great time and loved the time to spend with family that we don't see as often as we would like.  Despite the flu bug getting to just about everyone we had an overall great trip.
Austin loves opening presents.  I think it was mostly the ripping paper part that appealed to him but he also loves his new toys. Here is Austin Christmas morning:

We got to spend lots of time with cousins while in Utah. We got to meet Aaron for the first time.  We moved away just days before he was born and finally we are able to meet!  Austin and Aaron were so handsome in matching church outfits.

Jenna and Cole were also in Utah during Christmas. So we were able to get some quality cousin time.

Austin with all his cousins

It snowed! Austin was a little confused about what all the snow was about but he loved sledding and playing in it.

Sledding with Matthew's little sisters and cousin Aaron

Last of all here are a random assortment of pictures from Christmas of us having fun and hanging out.

Playing Just Dance 2.   LOVE this game!

bowling with the sisters-in-law

Matthew is still on crutches and couldn't bowl so he hung out with Aaron instead

taking a bath in the sink

Dancing with Grandpa. Austin calls him "pa"

donuts on New Year's Eve

Riding with "Nona"

A Little Bit of Everything

I can't believe Christmas is almost here! We have been super busy around here so the holiday season has snuck up on us and therefore the blogging lacking.  Sadly, one of the project I did not complete was Christmas cards.  I love sending them out every year but and it has always been on my list of things to do but I guess it was always near the bottom and then I ran out of time.  But Merry Christmas to everyone anyway!

Matthew's leg is healing but quite slowly.  It still has lots of fluid and is swollen and can't do much with his leg except to bend his knee.  He has spent countless hours studying lately due to three tests right before the Christmas break.  Austin sometimes likes to help him study:

Austin lately has been so cute and fun to play with.  He loves making towers.  He will make a tower with pretty much anything he can find that will stack. For example:

 He is also really trying to say words.  He can say dada, mama, bubbles, cheese, moon.  I know, random assortment! He also does lots of signing which helps him ask for things he wants.  I feel like recently he really is understanding everything I say and it's fun to see him respond!