Hot Chocolate & Dirty Diapers

Well Poop!

2010-07-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ava is nearly 3 months old & an absolute joy but we have been struggling with her reacting to foods in my diets for the last 2 and a half months. She is super sensitive to dairy & soy (even the slightest cross contamination causes a reaction). I finally cut gluten after being in denial & sure enough with in 48 hours she was much improved. I'm not sure if she reacts to coconut so that is the first food I'm trialing. After spending so much time obsessing over the slightest change in her poops (because that is one of the main indicators that something I ate bothers her) I am greatly relieve to see something resembling a normal poop for a breastfed baby instead of ogre boogers. Liam & Emma were already dairy & soy free because they have reactions to that as well so for the ease of meal preparation we will all be going gluten free. I'm excited & depressed all at once, excited for the fact that we're figuring out how to keep our family healthy but depressed because all of the things I normally cook are on the no-no list now until I figure out appropriate substitutions.

It amazes me how much cross contamination their is the food industry & the amount of effort it takes to keep our home & diets free of offending foods.

Renovating

2010-07-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm renovating this blog into something simple, just family updates & such since I don't seem to do well about posting regularly.

Updates:
We are finally cloth diapering... YAY!

I took the kids to the zoo with help from my MIL & they loved it. I was exhausted by the end of the day but it was worth it.

My tomato plants are starting to bear fruit, yum.

Ava is a very laid back happy baby, she loves to babble & coo. She has been smiling socially since about 4 weeks & for several weeks now she's been trying to giggle but it sounds more like little squeaks.

We've made huge progress on our family history work.

Ava Elaine is here!

2010-04-29T02:50:00.001-07:00

Baby Ava arrived earthside at 7:40pm Wednesday the 28th. Mom & baby are doing excellent more details later...

Anticipation

2010-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Baby Ava kicks pretty much non stop all day & night, I never thought I'd be so ready to be done being pregnant but this time around I wouldn't mind if she decided to come a bit early. I'm really feeling the physical strain with this pregnancy. There is still so much to do to prepare but I really am looking forward to this birth.

Now to plan for car shopping & arranging furniture, Liam's quilt to finish, curtains to make, & a zillion other things.

All is well that ends well

2010-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we've pretty much settled in after moving & its been almost a month already. Amazing how time flies. I'm in my 3rd trimester now & really starting to think about Ava's arrival. So that's the quick update, more later.

Can We Panic Now!?!

2010-01-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

(name that movie)

Anyway, long story short, we we're supposed to sign the lease for our new apartment on Dec 7th & move over the course of the following week, turning in keys on our current apartment Dec. 12th, but on Dec. 2nd at the close of the business day I received a call saying that the new apartment wouldn't be ready until the Fire Marshall signed off & the new release date was projected for Jan. 8th. Begin 18 hour interlude for panic attack & mad dashing to make alternative arrangements should the worst case scenario evolve & we have no home for 3 weeks. Thankfully everything worked out & we were able to extend our lease termination until Jan. So now we are 5 days & counting from our tentative move date (we still don't have an official release on the new apartment but everything is "still on schedule") & we're making good progress on the packing & moving prep. The silver lining to the change in our move date is that the whole family was miserably sick the week we would have been moving in Dec. which would have made for a very difficult move, vomiting kids & mommy & bed ridden daddy do not make for a successful move. I'm in a much better place about being prepared for our move but still slightly panicked until we actually sign the lease for the new place.

Baby update: Ava is healthy & moving around a lot... A LOT! Hubby has been able to feel her kicking for a couple weeks now. I only get nauseous if I go too long without eating & otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. Emma is more aware of her new sibling this time around & very excited, Liam is mostly oblivious other than saying "baby" a few times when I've been explaining to the kids about Ava being their baby sister.

We had a wonderful Christmas, frugal & simple but surrounded by family... the best kind of Christmas. We rung in the New Year with a fun cheese party at a friend's house (no stinky cheeses this year) & tasted a couple cheeses I had never heard of. We haven't set any New Year's resolutions yet because we've been too busy with trying to prepare for our move, once we get settled I'd like to set some goals for our family this year as well as some personal resolutions.

So that's my life right now, interspersed with explosive poopy diapers (thanks, Liam) & cold hot chocolate (because that's what Emma likes & heaven forbid we call it chocolate milk).

Its a GIRL!!!

2009-12-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

I had a feeling we were having another girl & the ultrasound today confirmed it. We can hardly wait to meet Ava Elaine due on or around the 23rd of April 2010.

2 weeks & trying not to panic

2009-11-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

2 weeks left to to pack everything up & be ready to move. Then 1 week of moving & cleaning. And finally a sigh of relief when we're finished. I'm really looking forward to having more space & another bathroom, the chance to have no kids in my bed for a few months before the baby arrives. I will miss our ward & our friends here so much but we really won't be that far away. Why is it that even if you move just a short distance it seems like it might as well be the other side of the world? We'll still be in the same stake so at the very least we'll see people at stake conferences.

I've put potty learning with Liam on the back burner for now, once we've settled in to the new place we'll start again but its too crazy to try to do it with all the stuff we have to get done.

My wisdom teeth (or lack thereof) are healing nicely. Hopefully the extraction for the other 2 will go just as smoothly.

Life just keeps rolling along, 1 week until we find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. It's hard to believe I'm already almost halfway through this pregnancy. I'm kind of sad I haven't had the time to devote to really enjoying this pregnancy, I meant to keep a pregnancy journal like I did with Emma & Liam but it just hasn't happened. I haven't even set foot on a scale for over a month (probably a couple months actually) except at my prenatal checks. I'm starting to feel real kicks from the baby instead of just the little flutters. I'm betting this is going to be another very active baby, something my ribs are not looking forward to.

I need a sign with bright red, friendly letters saying "DON'T PANIC" (name that movie)

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

It doesn't really feel like Halloween, the kids have costumes but that's it... no pumpkins, no decorations, nothing. Note to self, at least carve a pumpkin next year. We're going to a trunk-or-treat tonight for the kids which will be Liam's first real Halloween experience (we dressed him up last year but he was only 4 months old). So we've got Snow White (because Emma loves princesses) & Frankenstein (cute & not scary in the slightest) this year. I need to take pictures of the kiddos in their costumes tonight because I forgot to do it at the ward Halloween party a couple weeks ago. We're booing Nestle this year, its amazing how many products they manufacture or are associated with especially all the Halloween candy.

15 weeks pregnant today :) I mostly feel okay now but still have some rough days. We're enjoying the beautiful weather, cool crisp nights & lovely sunny days. I've been doing a lot of research lately, maybe I'll actually get around to sharing some of it here soon :) Have a safe & happy Halloween.

No News is Good News

2009-10-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

If I'm not posting often then life is good but busy.

A few quick things:

12 week prenatal check up today (I'm 11 weeks 5 days actually) & everything is good, baby has a good heartbeat & my morning sickness is starting to go away :)

Liam is starting to use a few words consistently & a couple simple ASL signs.

Emma is becoming much more descriptive & eloquent, she knows her colors pretty well now.

Liam is cutting 4 more teeth (YIKES!) after this we're done until the 2 year molars come in.

We had a great time at the 1st Annual Santa Cruz Scottish Games, attending our friend's wedding & enjoying the Celtic Faire. Emma & Liam had their first concert experience at the outdoor concert. Tempest was performing, both kids have listened to them since they were in the womb so it was a lot of fun & Emma danced quite a bit.

I've made progress on Liam's quilt :) & I should be able to finish it before Christmas :) I also started knitting some legwarmers for Emma (my 1st knitting project) & so far so good, the stripes turned out nicely.

So that's our last two weeks interspersed with a couple rounds of kids vomiting (nothing like having to strip bedding & do laundry in the middle of the night :P ). Less than a month until Halloween, a busy rest of the week, costume to make for Liam, aspirations of baking, house cleaning to do... no rest for the weary.

Pregnancy Update

2009-09-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

10 weeks pregnant today & still nauseous 24/7. I have been feeling some of the baby's movement for about a week, it feels kind of like wiggly jello (that's the best I can describe it). Other than that life just keeps rolling along. The kids are doing pretty well. Emma is taking naps again :) Liam is cutting teeth & taking it pretty well except he always gets diaper rash when he is teething & then his poor little bum is all red & raw within seconds of having a dirty diaper. Poor guy, the diaper rash is probably the most uncomfortable part of teething for him. I'm doing diaper free days with Emma again so that she will communicate when she needs to go potty. I'm thinking we might try some diaper free time with Liam next week too & see if he is ready to use the potty because that would definitely help his diaper rash. So in a nut shell we've got morning sickness & dirty diapers, who could ask for anything more ;) lol.

Baby Fraze is due April 23rd :)

2009-09-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

As of today I am 8 weeks & 6 days pregnant :) Everything looks good so far.

Blech!

2009-09-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Morning sickness (make that all-day sickness) dirty diapers do not go well together. My over sensitive nose & queasy stomach are making no end of mischief in my life. Hopefully the morning sickness will be gone in another 6 weeks or so.

The other day it was quite cool in the morning so I got out the hot chocolate & like father like son, Liam loves hot chocolate (although it isn't hot by the time its a drinkable temperature for him). Last winter I had purchased some organic hot chocolate from Raley's but never got around to trying it so that's what we had & it was delicious. Rich chocolate flavor, creamy when milk is added to cool it down & pretty much perfect. It definitely makes my top 5 favorite hot chocolate mixes.

Finally !!

2009-09-01T01:48:00.000-07:00

We did it, Saturday we went to the temple. It was such a beautiful & simple ceremony with such a huge impact, my wonderful family is now sealed together for not just time but all eternity. Pictures of the kids will be up soon.

Just a few more days

2009-08-27T00:44:00.000-07:00

3 more days until we are going to the temple to be sealed. I've still got prep work to do, finish altering Liam's suit & prepare names for the baptism session we're doing after the sealing. We have our weekly playdate at the park Thursday mornings so after that I'm hoping the kids will be worn out enough to take a nap so that I can get more stuff done. I got some cute video of Liam being silly tonight so maybe next week I'll get that edited & uploaded. Well it is technically Thursday a.m. now so I need to hit the sack. G'nite all & expect an update on Sunday about our day at the temple.

It Never Slows Down

2009-08-16T22:31:00.001-07:00

One week until I go to the temple to receive my endowments & only 2 weeks until our family gets to be sealed as a forever family. I'm excited but it seems like there is always one more thing waiting to be done, I'm overwhelmed by how busy life is as a mom (its more than a full time job). Top all that off with the fact that i always feel like I'm forgetting something & trying to ride herd on my little monkeys (the kids climb on everything). Life is a constant whirlwind.

Too busy

2009-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

to write a decent post that is. So just a quick update, & that will have to do for now. I got my temple recommend :) & now we're making plans to go & be sealed as a family, exciting! I've had some kind of sinus infection or something & the kids have had runny noses. Emma thinks if life doesn't happen exactly according to her wishes that it requires screaming, we're working on that. I have baking I've been meaning to get around to & errands to run. Oh & somewhere in all this I need to get around to eating breakfast, hmmm... I think I'll go do that now.

ISLAGIATT (pronounced is-lah-gee-aht)

2009-07-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, my dad came up with the acronym (or whatever you want to call it). And it did seem like a good idea at the time, create a blog & write updates regularly-no big deal, easy. WRONG. Exactly where in my life am I supposed to find time to write a creative & well edited post about my family & life? For instance, right now I'm sitting at the table while my two year old eats her cereal which consists of a milky fistful of cheerios stuffed in her mouth while she draws with the spoon on the table. She actually does quite well using a spoon, fork & knife but sometimes nothing will get her to use them, instead opting to shovel food by the fistful in to her mouth (she has wonderful manners when she chooses to use them). So after the half hour to an hour it takes to consume breakfast then its time to get dressed. Me, I can throw on any old shirt & a pair of jeans, five minutes. Emma, half a dozen dresses & 20 minutes later we might actually have made a choice (it will take that long anyway to get her dressed so why not let her pick out what she wants to wear & avoid the screaming). Somewhere in all of this Liam will wake up & he will be hungry, very hungry. So we might actually walk out the door by 10 am to do all the errands that need accomplishing now that we fixed the car (trying to repair your own car & keep an eye on 2 kids requires ingenuity, take the car seats out of the car & strap the kids in them on the lawn. More on that later). So once we're actually in the car its off to the grocery store(s), library, to find shoes for Liam, a stop by the church bookstore to look at temple dresses (soon, very soon we will be going to the temple to have our family sealed), probably grab lunch on the run somewhere along the way, & the kids may or may not get a nap (that always makes for a more interesting day). Once we get back home its time to make banana & zucchini bread (separate loafs, that would be an odd combination), fix dinner, family home evening, get the kids in bed absolutely no later than 8 pm, & then finally relax. Of course at some point during the day something will probably go awry.

And that's all I have time for folks, Emma's done eating breakfast, Liam is still sleeping :) *correction: Liam just woke up, I didn't get enough sleep last night (my own fault) & we're off to attack our day. Wish me luck, its already starting to get a little crazy.

Don't drink, don't smoke, What do ya do? (sorry, I've been singing that for 2 days & its stuck in my head)

2009-07-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Home canning, this year I have made my first foray in to home canning with relative success. Armies of apricots marched on to the chopping block to the beat of my domestic drum, pitted, halved, packed with juice they were canned in to 13 quarts of golden, delicious, summer.

Chopped & simmered, lightly flavor with a tiny dash of spice, they were jammed (only it came out more like syrup but it is still absolutely heavenly).

Pureed & boiled, then poured on to baking sheets & dried making a scrumptious fruit leather. Yet more halves, in to the dehydrator they went, resulting in luscious dried apricots good for snacking on.

I tried my hand at pressure canning meat, only 2 quarts just in case I didn't get it right. One sealed beautifully & now the chicken is sitting on my shelf awaiting whatever recipe it may become, the other didn't seal & was soon made in to a lovely enchilada pie.

I'm converted to the joys of home canning, I shall never buy canned goods again (well, not quite, but a girl can dream).

Its beautiful

2009-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

If I do say so myself. I found a handy dandy little tutorial with some HTML script to copy & paste so I could make the background of my blog be this lovely cherry blossom pic that I photoshopped with paint.NET (a lovely FREE :) photoshop copycat).

Monkey Mama

2009-07-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of making another monkey, this time a boy monkey. I found the original pattern at mmmcrafts which I used to make Emma's monkey.

So now its back to the sewing machine :-)

FAA Fridays...

2009-06-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

of the food addicted variety, not airplanes.

Disclaimer: this is in no way intended to treat food addictions, as a matter of fact anyone with a food addiction should stop reading right now because I don't want to to be responsible for enabling you in your addiction.

I am not a food addict, at least I don't think so...hmm, denial? Anyway, I love food & love cooking but with 2 under two (mommies know what that means) I don't often do gourmet. I really can't justify blogging about PB&J or tuna sandwiches (unless I create a stupendous new sandwich that out does any sandwich heretofore created) so instead I will tempt you with a tasty snack.

Guac...hee hee, it sounds so funny when you just say guac instead of guacamole. I LOVE avocados, therefore I love guacamole & have decided the only guacamole worth eating is of the homemade variety. First off, picking the right avocados is key. When I go to the farmer's market I always buy 5 avocados because they give you a deal if you buy 5 but I that usually leaves me with avocados getting soft faster than I can eat them. Solution, 2 avocados & a tomato plus a little garlic & some onion turns in to a gorgeous guacamole with very little prep & a few minutes in the food processor.

Basic Guacamole

2 ripe, soft avocados (skin color is not an indication of ripeness. squeeze gently to see if the whole avocado is soft, squishy spots on an otherwise firm avocado are bruises & usually indicate brown blemishes under the skin.)

1 medium tomato (tomatoes have the best flavor if they are not refrigerated, pick them fresh or buy them on the vine & store on your counter if you can)

onion (one small onion or 1/2 of a medium onion)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic depending on how much you like

salt to taste

3 tsp lime juice (keeps the guac green & pretty while adding a hint of flavor)

Quarter the tomato & onion, coarsely chop the garlic, and pulse together in the food processor until you have something that resembles pico de gallo (in other words well diced but not pureed). Set the tomato, garlic & onion aside in a bowl for a moment. Cut the avocados in half & remove the pit. Peel the avocado halves and then cut in to chunks (cutting in to chunks isn't necessary but it speeds up the blending in the food processor). Puree the avocado chunks & lime juice in the food processor. Then add the salt to taste. Finally mix in some of the tomato, garlic & onion that was set aside. Depending on your personal preferences, you might only use a tablespoon or two of the tomatoes, garlic & onions or you might mix it all in (that's what I do). If you have tomatoes, garlic & onion left chop a bit of cilantro, toss it in & you have pico de gallo salsa to go with the gauc. Voila, from "hmm, some guacamole & chips sounds tasty" to eating it in 5-10 minutes flat (10 minutes accounts for the various interruptions by kids).

not, the best picture but you get the idea :-)

Happy munching.

Cold Chocolate

2009-06-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

As much as we love hot chocolate, we also love cold chocolate...ice cold chocolate...the best ever chocolate ice cream...mmm...Haagen Daz 5 chocolate ice cream. To live for, die for, be resurrected for :-) Irreverence aside, it really is the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had & I'm generally not a big fan of chocolate ice cream. It only has five ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, eggs, chocolate. Which results in a gorgeous creamy rich chocolaty flavor & a wonderful smooth texture. Its my new addiction :-P and now I really want some...guess I better get the kids in the stroller & walk over to the store.

Do you want one? Get one, you'll love it...it's the perfect medicine for a chocoholic ;-)

World's Worst Blogger...Ever...

2009-06-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

That's me, or at least I think it should be me. For as good a writer as I consider myself to be, I am a terrible blogger. Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm also terrible at keeping a journal.

BUT... I have a game plan now :-) So the next couple weeks should show some improvement in the frequency & quality of posts.

Lameness & Procrastination

2009-02-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

I finally got over my lameness & quit procrastinating...its amazing how much I can get done when I put my mind to it even with 2 kids running around & a bunch of explosively dirty diapers. I don't know why but it seems like every time Liam has a poopy diaper he blows a gasket & it leaks, usually up the backside. The leaky diapers wouldn't be too bad except for the fact that the boy wont sit still, he's bouncing & squirming & it takes all my strength to hang on to him & keep him from smear poo every where. Nevermind the fact that he likes to grab the diaper while I'm changing him or reach down to check out what is going on so I'm defending against curious hands while trying to hold him relatively still...it can get a little crazy.

I think I'm starting to make my New Years resolutions because I caught myself thinking about the things I'd like to improve on this year so no I just need to really pull my thoughts into a cohesive plan & then get crackin' on it.

No more dirty diapers (well, sort of)

2009-02-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful that little miss Emma is no longer in diapers, the less dirty diapers I have to change the better. Last night she went all night without wetting her diaper (I'm not brave enough to try putting her in underwear at night yet) & she didn't even wake up to go potty until 4:30am. Now we just need to work on the EC (elimination communication) with Liam.

Today was another one of those days where you just want to curl up with a mug of something warm to drink. I opted for chai tea today instead of hot chocolate...what?! you say...but I say chai is like drinking a liquid pumpkin pie & some days it just hits the spot. Of course Emma wants to try anything mom eats or drinks...she loves chai, just like her mommy.

Mmmm...Hot Chocolate

2009-02-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

It is a hot chocolate kind of day, gray & dismal & wet & cold...snuggled here in our warm little home I'm thinking some hot chocolate is in order. A spicy mexican hot chocolate for me & a pint sized milky hot chocolate for Emma. Its one of those days where you just want to snuggle under big warm blankets & hibernate in front of a fire (of course we don't have a fireplace). But there is too much to do today so I will content myself with some hot chocolate.

Frustration

2009-02-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Why must straightening out financial messes be so frustrating? So last night DH gets home from work & realizes he doesn't have his phone, no big deal because he probably forgot it a work. Well this morning he gets to work & his phone is nowhere to be found. We're guessing that somehow he dropped it while biking home last night because someone found it & has been using it. I had to call the cell phone carrier this morning to suspend the services on his phone & although the customer service rep was very friendly, she wasn't as helpful as I would have liked. We can't dispute or reverse any of the charges made by the person who found the phone until after we get billed for them at the end of the month & meanwhile we still get charged the monthly fees for his phone even though we aren't using it. It makes me want to gnash my teeth.

On a more positive note, at least I got more sleep last night...baby boy didn't nurse as much last night, maybe his growth spurt is slowing down. And his teeth have cut through most of the way now, 4 teeth all at once, so hopefully the days will be going a little smoother now too.

Okay, I feel a little better now that I vented. I'm off to do dishes, make yogurt, bake bread, & come up with something yummy to take to food storage club tomorrow night. Fingers crossed that we get the last of our W-2s in today's mail so that I can hurry up & file our tax return (I love taxes because we get $$ back).

First things, first...

2009-02-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

The reason why I started this blog is so that my sister who is on the other side of the country can keep up on what is going on. However, in my head this blog has mutated in to something larger & more grandiose... we'll see what happens. I'm sure there will be other readers over time so hello to all. As for the tittle...it was the best I could come up with at the time. Which, by the way, I would love some input on the tittle...love it? hate it? got a better idea?

So love to you little sis, we miss you.