The Ashley Adventures

25 Weeks

2012-01-26T09:41:00.003-07:00

We are approaching the 3rd Trimester, that feels exciting and scary!

This pregnancy has been so much easier than the first time around. You never know if that's because you know what to expect or if it is a lot easier. All of my pregnancy symptoms seem to be more mild.

One difference this time around is that I am already feeling uncomfortable. I don't remember feeling that until the last month or so with Sam. I already have a lot of trouble sleeping because of back and hip pain. Maybe I won't go over my due date this time??

Thinking about having another child still feels very overwhelming. I am glad this pregnancy has gone slowly because I still need time to prepare. I do feel really grateful that I am feeling so good. 15 weeks left :)

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SISTER JESSICA TODAY!

Things Samantha Says...

2012-01-21T15:19:00.002-07:00

"Last week when I was a baby I wore diapers"
"I can smell my big fart"
"Chocolate makes my belly happy"
"Jesus healed the cut on my hand"
Anytime Nic uses the restroom "Good job Dad, I am proud of you" or "Good boy dad"
"I want something delicious"
"Let's talk about this"
"That's not perfect for me"
"When I wake up from my nap will it be summertime?"

You gotta love 2 1/2 year olds! She keeps us laughing everyday.

Sacramento Zoo

2012-01-18T13:36:00.003-07:00

We took advantage of Nic being off on Monday and took off to Sacramento for the day. We thought that it was only 2 hours away, but it was a little closer to 3. The drive there was gorgeous through the mountains. We took I-80 back and it was just as pretty as the way there. My main objective was to go to the Sacramento Zoo. I have been missing doing that kind of stuff with Sam since we moved here. We had fun at the zoo...however there were 2 downfalls. First was the cost, it was $12 for adults and we had to pay for Sam as well. Secondly, it was really small. I assumed (because it was Sacramento and because of the cost) that it would be a good size. I am still glad we made the trip just so we could take advantage of visiting Sacramento while we live so close, but I don't have to go back.

Johnny Rockets

2012-01-17T11:05:00.002-07:00

Awhile ago we watched an Undercover Boss that was about Johnny Rockets. I thought it looked like a cute place and I was happy that there was one here in Carson so we could finally try it out. It's a 50's style diner that has a fun atmosphere and the food was great too.

Stir Crazy

2012-01-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

From October-December we have been able to keep busy with holidays, traveling, and adjusting to our new lives here in Nevada. But now that January is here I am going a little stir crazy. I get so bored staying home, I have to have things to do with Sam to keep my sanity.

Everyday I just wish I could go to Tracy Aviary, Hogle Zoo, Discovery Gateway, Utah Gymnastics, a playdate or lunch with one of my best friends or sisters, toddler/mommy dance class, the list goes on and on. I used to have something to blog about every week that we were doing....now I am struggling to find any kind of activities like this.

Although I feel better about Carson than I used to, I still feel like there is nothing to do here. Especially for kids and families. You can only go to the Library so many times. I realize that Salt Lake is just a much bigger place so it will obviously have more to do, but I have to find something here to occupy my time and brain.

So, for my friends who live here in Nevada, please tell me where you take your kids and what you do for fun!

2 1/2 Years Old

2012-01-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

She is growing up way too fast.

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January, really?

2012-01-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

Not only can't I believe that it's January, I can't even believe that the holidays have already come and gone. I honestly feel like it's September. I am going to be lazy and skip over posting my 400 Christmas photos. We spent a week in Utah for the holidays and every minute was literally packed with family events and get togethers. It was so great to see everyone but I almost wish that we would have come the week after Christmas so that we could just have a relaxing time with our family and friends. I liked being able to do some family Christmas traditions, but I think next year I would prefer doing our own Christmas at home and then visiting family afterwards. I don't know, we will see what next year brings. We had a very Merry Christmas and we hope you did too.

So on to other updates...

Potty Training: I was right on how much I was dreading potty training. It has been a challenge and a huge learning experience. I have been reading a lot about potty training since Sam turned 2. We started the 3 Day Potty training last Wednesday. A lot of people recommended it. I followed her advice completely and Sam did pretty well. She was no where potty trained by the end of the 3rd day though. The lady is really against sitting them on the toilet just to try, basically they won't learn their bodies signals of when they need to go if you force them to go at certain times. Well we had stayed in the house for almost a week, and I was going crazy, so over the weekend we would make her try to go before we left. This seems to be a much better approach for Samantha. She has had no accidents at all for 2 days now and she does go on her own without prompting most of the time. So, I think we are almost there.

I am feeling very comfortable living out of state now. You never know if you are just more used to a new place or if your opinion has really changed. I still am not really an advocate for Carson City, but I have found that I enjoy living and experiencing a new state and place. I definitely miss family but there are a lot of neat experiences that you get to have by living on your own.

As far as New Years resolutions go, I only have one. It's to be better at studying and reading my scriptures. I think that if I do that I will be better in every other category in my life. (It's nice to be pregnant and not have the weight loss goal this year LOL!)

Happy New Year to you. To all of my friends, I am so sorry that I didn't get to see you while I was home. I hope to plan another trip home soon!!

2011-12-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have so much to blog about our Christmas Season. We had a wonderful trip back to Utah and I have so many pictures to share. I will hopefully post that all soon!

As for today, we are starting the 3 day potty training. I feel like I have no idea how to potty train at all. Sam is 2 1/2 and we are out of diapers so I think its a great time. Well that and I have been reading about it for months :)

So the 3 Day Potty Training basically says no internet/tv/phone or other distractions while you focus on your toddler... so farewell for a few days. WISH US LUCK :)

It's a GIRL!

2011-12-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to be expecting another baby girl. Samantha told us all along it was a girl. Nic and I both thought it was a girl as well, but the majority of our family was convinced it was a boy. I am so thrilled to be having another girl. I love having one girl already but its an added bonus that I already have clothes for this baby. We love the name Brooklyn and we are still searching for a great middle name to go with it.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Brown Family Peanut Butter/Chocolate Fudge

2011-12-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

If you are from Pennsylvania, you love the combo of peanut butter & chocolate (yes, that's a fact). One of my favorite Christmas traditions from growing up was making fudge as a family to give out to our neighbors. I can still picture my dad beating the mixture and all of us waiting to add our ingredients.

I finally got my own Jif Cookbook a few years ago (they are very hard to find). I wanted to keep the tradition of making this fudge with my family and I was determined to make the perfect fudge. Since my mother-in-law is an excellent cook she helped me do a lot of testing last year. Our main objective was to get rid of the grainy consistency. She taught me a lot about making fudge and I think I finally got it.

Sam and I had fun starting our holiday baking today.

A couple fudge tips from Char (MIL) & Jenny (Sister)...

Do not scrape the sides of the pan! Biggest learning thing for me.
Let it cool for just a minute before adding pb, chips, & vanilla at the end
If it's not completely set up, put it in the fridge

Friday Night:Exploring Reno

2011-12-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Reno to do some Christmas Shopping on Friday.

Ok, this Barnes & Noble is so out of control huge.

They had a Polar Express Storytime so we took Sam to it.

The conductor came over to Sam and sang to her, he found us afterwards to tell us how cute she was (we already knew that ;)

This picture still has Nic and I laughing. This little girl was walking around with Sam the whole night. When it came Sam's turn to sit on Santa's lap she went up there with her. Her parents didn't even pull her off while I was taking the picture. So here is Sam, Santa, and a some girl!

Baby #2

2011-12-06T13:31:00.003-07:00

What is your guess...BOY or GIRL??

My family's predictions so far are...

Jessica:

Boy

May 3rd

weight: 8lbs 2oz

length: 20"

Jenny:

Boy

born Mother's Day (May 13)

7lbs 15oz, 20"

Mother-in-law:

Boy

May 11th at 7:36pm

8 lbs 10 oz.

21 1/2 inches long

Christmas Tree

2011-12-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

First year getting our tree on our own (without my FIL's truck). Turns out our car works just fine. Extra bonus, Christmas trees are like 1/2 the cost here compared to at home.

Sam loved helping Nic with everything

I am really miss my fireplace when it comes to decorating. We made it work.

I love having the tree up in the house, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to celebrate Thanksgiving this week. I really love to reflect on my many blessings. Here is my list, which I know does not include everything I have been blessed with.

A wonderful family (immediate, extended, in-laws)
Everyone in good health
Nic having a job in such hard economic times
Being able to be a stay at home mom
A home to rent that I love
A husband who is hard-working, loyal, honest, handsome and so much more!
A little girl who is adorable, healthy, smart, funny and makes me happy everyday
A car that is reliable
Social Media (love blogs & facebook)
My dishwasher (having never had one before now, I am in heaven!)
The ability to have children & be a mother
My computer, especially the internet
Friends I have had since Elementary School & Junior High (they are my dearest friends still today)
My phone
The Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and the happiness that it brings me
My kitchenaid mixer
A garage (especially in cold weather)
Our little one on the way (what a miracle childbirth is)
Traveling home for the holidays
So many dear friends

Quick Weekend Recap

2011-11-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

Holiday Pictures @ Temple Square

Lots of pasture/animals/Grandpa time

Nephew's Play

Nephew's Football Game/time with cousins (great win Pirates!)

Beautiful snow storm (wish I could bring winter weather back to NV)

It was so amazing to go home. I cried as we came into Utah. I never thought Utah was anything special and I didn't feel like I needed/wanted to live there for the rest of my life. I don't know if it seems better comparing it to Nevada, or if it's more than that.

When Nic had his internship in Washington DC it was such a major life changing event for me. I became much more independent there and opened my mind to so many things. It was our time there that made me really want to live out of state. I loved experiencing a variety of cultures, I loved experiencing a different place to live and a much different way of life.

Nevada has been such a different experience. Maybe it's because I knew we were only in Washington DC for a short time and Nevada could be more permanent. Maybe it's because DC is such a neat place that anyone would love living there. I really don't know. All I know is that this does not seem like a place I want to stay. It doesn't seem like a place I want to raise children. I don't like living by casinos and brothels. I don't like living in a place where the people seem sad and unhappy (not the people in my ward of course, they are great). And you already know how I feel about the landscape/sagebrush/weather.

Going back to Utah actually made it worse I think. I thought I knew what I was missing, but it was more evident while we were there how much I was actually missing out on. Family is a very obvious reason why it's hard to live away.

Reading my blog you may think that I am not trying very hard to like it here, I feel like I am. We do any activity in town that we can find. In my opinion, it's just a hard place to live. I am also willing to admit that this whole experience may be a lot worse because I am pregnant. You can blame everything on hormones, right?

So for now I am trying to look forward to our 2 remaining visits home. Nic and I are trying to figure out our future and decide what we really want and will make us happy. I will keep trying to find the good here so that I can make the most of this experience. Maybe time is all I need?

Virginia City

2011-11-07T12:43:00.002-07:00

We had fun exploring Virginia City on Saturday. It's only about 20 minutes from us. Virginia City is an old mining town and it literally looks like it did 150 years ago. There is nothing modern and most of the buildings and homes are all original. Here is more info if you are interested: http://www.virginiacity-nv.org/. I loved walking around and exploring the cute city. Besides it being 20 degrees, we had a blast.

Sam wanted to ride this Rudolph outside the Christmas Store...not the smoothest ride!

Nic and I still can't stop laughing!

We pulled over to take a picture of the wild horse sign, its weird to see this sign without a rider on the horse. Just after we turned the corner we saw a whole herd crossing the road. Pretty cool!

November is here!

2011-11-02T12:16:00.001-06:00

This is my favorite time of year! November 1st -December 25th! A lot of people give me a hard time for starting the Christmas music on the first of November, but I can't get enough of the Holiday Season. I group Thanksgiving & Christmas into the "Holiday Season" and I love both months so much. I don't mean to sound corny, but there is no other time of year where everyone openly recognizes, worships, and honors the Savior..so why not make this part of the year last as long as possible?

If a live Christmas tree would last for 2 months I would put mine up today!

I have never been away from home this time of year. I hope we can find ways to make it feel like the holidays here. Some of my favorite things about this time of year (that I am missing already) are...

Downtown SLC: decorations, lights, temple square, horse drawn carriages
Bountiful Christmas/Light Parade
Festival of Tress (this will be the first time that Nic and I miss this)
The Nutcracker with my mother-in-law & sister-in-law
Baking with family
Malls & Stores all decorated
Scones at Winder Dairy (which we hope to fit in while we are home for Christmas!)
Black Friday Shopping with Sisters
Christmas/Window Shopping at all of the Malls
Driving around looking at Christmas lights
Getting our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving
Snow on the Mountains

Are you a November 1st celebrator or hater?

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T18:56:00.001-06:00

A new friend of ours here in Carson City invited Sam and I over for a Halloween party last week. She did such a good job and the kids loved every minute of it.

Making mummy pizzas (aren't they cute?)

Candy Necklaces (you can tell that most of her candy did not end up on her necklace)

Decorating sugar cookies

Next, we had our neighborhood trunk or treat which was so much fun.

Sam was too small for all of the games, but everyone was so nice to let her play anyway.

On Halloween we took her around to a couple of houses in our circle and she had a blast!

I hope you had an awesome Halloween!

Carson City Day: 23, 24, 25, 26

2011-10-26T16:42:00.000-06:00

I am a couple of days behind in blogging, sorry! Basically the last few days have been uneventful so there is no reason to give each day it's own post. I will just do some updates instead.

How am I feeling about Carson City: It's getting better. Maybe that's because Nic will finally get paid this week, maybe that's because my in-laws were just here, maybe it's because I am planning my trips home for the Holidays..who knows! Baby steps, right?

Pregnancy: 12 weeks, just finishing up the first trimester. This pregnancy is definitely easier than Sam's. I have to fight morning sickness a lot, but I don't throw up that often (which is the biggest difference). I nap everyday when Sam naps and that is such a blessing. I have random stomach pains/cramps a lot that I don't remember having the first time around, but other than that things are great. I have my next doctors appointment next week.

Nic is loving his job. It's been a great learning and growing opportunity and we both feel very blessed with this job. Everyone he works with is really nice and its a great work environment.

Looking forward to Nevada Day this weekend (we will find out what that is all about)!

Carson City Day 21, 22 : Surprise Visit!

2011-10-23T15:20:00.002-06:00

This has been the worst week for my homesickness. That's mostly because my sister Wendy went home to Utah for her Fall break and it made me so sad to not be home with everyone. Well, my in-laws made an impromptu trip here Thursday night. It's just what I needed. When Sam woke up Friday morning she was in pure Heaven to see 1/2 of her family who she loves and misses so much. We had the best weekend playing and showing them around the area.

Playing in the leaves

Joe's in Reno (so cute, 50's style diner)

Driving up to Lake Tahoe

(This place totally changed my opinion of living in Carson City!)

Crossing over the Nevada/California State Line

I loved Lake Tahoe and all that surrounds it. It's like Park City mixed with a beautiful lake and forest. It has adorable shops and boutiques with a lot of restaurants and activities. It's only a short 20 minutes from our house. I just can't believe that such a beautiful place is right through the sage brush covered mountains.

The water was so clear

Even though it was freezing, Sam cried when we made her get out of the water

I was so excited when I saw this Chevy's sign! We fell in love with Chevy's when we were living in Washington DC last year. They don't have any in Utah so I am so thrilled there is one close to us again.

Making their fresh tortillas

SO good!

Needless to say I am totally in love with Lake Tahoe and all that surrounds it. It really does make living here easier knowing that there is that kind of beauty and fun so close.

Thank you Gary, Char, Kimmy & Daniel for making the long drive out here and making our weekend!

(we welcome any visitors, any time...hint, hint, wink,wink)

Now I only have 30 days until we get to go home for Thanksgiving!!

Carson City Day 20

2011-10-20T10:46:00.000-06:00

Book Club! I skyped in to my book club at home today. This month our book was "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford.

Putting aside my frustrations of skyping in for book club (I couldn't hear, I couldn't see, and I wasn't there to discuss my new favorite book!) I am happy to give my thoughts here on my blog.

This is my new favorite book. It has everything I have been looking for in a book;

enough tragedy to pull at your heart strings, but not break it
such a strong friendship and love connection
it was well written, and easy to read (no big words I didn't understand)
no swearing or anything inappropriate
love is the reason why everything in the book happens (love for a person, country, value, belief)
I usually think books that switch back and forth between past and present can get confusing, but I didn't think that at all this time

This is a story of mystery, friendship, prejudice, patriotism, and everlasting love. It isn't very often that I feel like I can't put a book down. I loved living in this story.

I highly recommend it!

Now I am on a quest to find other books like this, if you know of any let me know!

Carson City Day 19

2011-10-19T20:26:00.000-06:00

We tried storytime at the library today. This is something that I like better here than at home. There were so many kids at our old library it was a joke. Here there was a very nice manageable amount of kids and the lady who ran it was awesome. They sang songs, read books, and colored a picture. We loved it.

Carson City Day 17

2011-10-17T19:13:00.002-06:00

Sam and I had an awesome day today, we accomplished a lot. We cleaned the house, went walking, played at the park, got the oil changed in the car, had a great visit with a new friend, and made a fun new dinner.

I like to try new recipes on Mondays. I somehow have a stronger Homemaker instinct after the weekend when things get back on schedule. Today I made Stuffing Chicken, Ranch Potatoes, green beans & pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting (much better recipe than the one I tried a few weeks ago)

I tweaked these recipes a bit. For the chicken, I followed an alternate suggestion to layer it instead of roll it. It was much easier and faster.

This cake is to die for. The recipe is from my dear friend Allie. It is a wonderful Fall dessert that I will use all of the time now. Here is the recipe:

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
15 oz. pumpkin
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and spread across a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (check for middle to be set). Cool before frosting.
I only baked mine for 19 minutes and it was perfect and moist

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 1/2 - 3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
I added some milk because mine was a little stiff

Carson City Day 16

2011-10-17T15:58:00.000-06:00

I.Love.Skype. It has been a real lifesavor to me since we have moved away. Every Sunday we chat with our families and it is just so much better than talking to them on the phone. Sunday I broke into tears when I saw all of my sisters together and I wasn't there. I miss them and the rest of my family so much. But thankfully we have this wonderful communication that allows us to stay close. Especially now that my family has someone living in every US time zone!!

Carson City Day 15

2011-10-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

Saturday we made an impromptu trip to Gardnerville which is just a little bit south of here. It's a cute little town that's prettier than Carson City in my opinion because it has more Utah-like mountains. We stopped at a Pumpkin Patch that was there. It was closing in less than an hour so we hurried to try everything we could before they closed. It was a little bit ghetto (and expensive!) but Sam loved it and that's all that really matters.

Doesn't the sky look gorgeous?

Pony Ride...with a sombrero?

Picking our pumpkins

Train ride

Kid straw maze

We tried Pizza Barn pizza, pretty good!

Carson City Day 14: Reno

2011-10-15T14:14:00.000-06:00

We explored Reno on Friday night. Nic found a Mexican Restaurant, Bertha Miranda's, that had good reviews so we tried it out. It was so good. Everything we had was great. We will go back there for sure.

Sam loves her chips and salsa, although this salsa was pretty spicy

(which you can tell by the look on her face..but it didn't slow her down)

Then we checked out the Meadowood Mall. It is a nice mall, it was fun to walk around.

Had some good See's Candy

Had a blast checking out the Disney store. What a fun place for Sam!

Carson City Day 12 & 13

2011-10-14T10:47:00.000-06:00

Wednesday we visited Nic at work on his lunch break. The weather here has been around 80 the past couple days so we have been spending time outside. The grounds that the Supreme Court and Capitol are on are the prettiest place in the city in my opinion.

I love this picture, Sam was so happy to see him!

Day 13: Sam and I stayed home and played all day. Sorry no exploring to report!

Carson City Day 11

2011-10-11T22:38:00.000-06:00

I was driving down Carson Street this evening, which is the main street here in town. I was on my way to Walmart to go grocery shopping. I saw a man running on the sidewalk towards my direction. As he got closer I saw that he was naked. Totally naked. He was jogging along like he was wearing work out clothes...but he was not. He ran along the passenger side of my car, crossed the street behind me, and started running the opposite direction on the other side of the street. He wasn't laughing, or running terribly fast. Seriously just out for a jog on main street. Naked. What the heck?

Carson City Day 10

2011-10-11T22:33:00.000-06:00

Today Sam and I checked out the local library. It seems like your typical library. It is close to our house which is a plus. It has a fun kids area and there were actually no other kids there at the time (so different from our library at home that is always packed). They have a reading group that I think we will try to attend next time. They also have a little bookstore at the library and we found some fun kids books for a quarter!

Carson City Day 9

2011-10-10T14:58:00.002-06:00

We went to our new church yesterday. Everyone in the ward was so kind and welcoming. Sam loved nursery and instantly made new friends.

So far my pros and cons of Carson City are...

PROS:

Clean air, no pollution or smog
My asthma is better here
Hardly any bugs
No traffic, anywhere
It's small, so everything is close by
We have only used a 1/2 tank of gas since we have been here
It only takes Nic 5 minutes to drive to work, or 15 minutes on the bus
The ward members have been so helpful, kind, and welcoming
We have good neighbors and a good neighborhood
There's only 1 High School and everyone supports it
And our house is my favorite part about living here

CONS:

It's small, there is no where to shop (no Ross, no Kid to Kid, no cute boutiques, no bakeries, no charming stores, no mall)
There are no cute/fun restaurants to try (the economy has been really hard to this city)
Everything seems & looks run down
It's not a very family friendly place
Not a lot of classy looking people
No greenery, just sagebrush and desert ambiance
And obviously it is far away from all of our friends and family

Carson City Day 8

2011-10-10T14:43:00.000-06:00

This Saturday we had a BBQ and watched the Utes play (sniff, sniff). It was weird to not watch the game with family, which we definitely missed. We are so grateful to have cable now so that we can watch the games from here. We are going to have to find some Utah fans out here to watch the games with.

Carson City Day 7: Friday Night

2011-10-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

I have been super excited for Fall with the cold weather we have been having. That inspired our meal tonight..

Soup, Rolls, and Pumpkin Cake for dessert

After dinner we went to the Carson High School football game. They played their rivals and came back from behind to win. It was fun to be at a small town football game. It reminded me a lot of Cyprus where everyone goes to the game whether you have a kid playing or not. My sister would have loved the marching band in their traditional uniforms. Go Senators!

Sam liked the Sheriffs on horseback

Carson City Day 6

2011-10-06T15:45:00.000-06:00

It's been fun, can I go home now?

I went to my first doctor's visit here in Carson City. We asked around and this group of OB/GYN is who everyone recommended to us. I left feeling very discouraged.

I'll start by saying it was a huge mistake to take Sam with me, but what other options do I have when we have lived here for 6 days. She was bored and tired and out of control. Already not a good starting point.

The first question I get asked is what my insurance is. I said we just moved here and our insurance won't start for 3 months..huff, huff, huff. They started drilling me on the details of our insurance....how would I know that information if we don't have it yet?? I barely know my address at this point. I told them I would pay out of pocket until we had insurance and that didn't seem to satisfy them. I just told you I will pay you..today.

I am starting to feel the annoyance of living in such a small town. For all of the sreening tests/ultrasounds you have to go to RENO. There is only one option for where you can deliver. They don't draw your blood there for your tests, so they said I had to go to this lab in town. I asked them for that address, she replied "I don't have that. If you go back out on North Carson St you can find it by the McDonalds and the Starbucks". No joke.

On a better note, my actual doctor I did really like. She was surprising close to my age and she seemed very personable.

And on the best note, here is our baby. Yeah, s/he doesn't really look like anything in this picture but they have a good strong heart beat and s/he is mearsuring at 9 weeks and 4 days.

The baby is laying on her side if that helps :)

Carson City Day 5

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-06:00

Bedrooms are set up! They are nothing fancy, but they are done. I am especially excited that Sam has her own room. She has been sharing a room with boxes and food storage her whole life, so she is loving her very own place to play.

Carson City Day 4

2011-10-04T10:14:00.001-06:00

We found a park today that is right in our neighborhood. I am so grateful that there is one within walking distance. Sam had a blast playing this morning.

Carson City Day 3

2011-10-04T10:12:00.000-06:00

Today was Nic's first day of work. I can't believe he is a real attorney now! I am so proud of him.

Carson City Day 2: Tour of our new home!

2011-10-02T12:28:00.000-06:00

Here is our new home!

Yes, the Utah flag went out almost immediately.

This is our house as you walk in the front door.

To the right is where you walk into the kitchen and if you walk straight ahead that is our living room

Here is the living room (from 3 different angles)

Dining Room

Kitchen

Bathrooms & Bedrooms should be set up soon!

Carson City Day 1

2011-10-02T12:26:00.001-06:00

It took us 9 hours of driving to reach Carson City..it was a long trip!

When we finally arrived there were 6 people from our church waiting on our front lawn to help move us in. I was so overwelmed with their kindness to come and help people they didn't even know. We had the truck unloaded in no time and I was instantly in love with the house.

My first impresions: cute neighborhood, LOVE the kitchen, love the living room, so thrilled for Sam to have her own room, so happy to have 2 bathrooms, AND A GARAGE! Nic did a great job in finding us this wonderful place to live.

We are so grateful for Nic's family coming with us. They did so much lifting, moving, cleaning, helping. We couldn't have done this without their help.

I feel so excited to be here. I have no clue where I am because I haven't even driven around yet. It will be fun to explore and learn all about this city.

Pictures coming soon!

Almost there!

2011-09-28T11:03:00.000-06:00

We are pretty much done packing (thanks to Nic). We get the moving truck today and take off tomorrow.

Stay tuned for "31 Days of Making Carson City a Home"

A special thank you to our family and friends for your help packing, bringing us meals, and all of your love and support. We couldn't have done this without you!

Baby Update

2011-09-23T13:17:00.000-06:00

We went in for our 2nd ultrasound today and there was only 1 heartbeat. The other baby never really developed. We are doing good, just happy that we have 1 healthy baby on the way.

W.O.W.

2011-09-12T22:26:00.000-06:00

Our lives took a quick and crazy turn last Friday.

Nic got the job in Carson City, Nevada. He will be a Staff Attorney for the Nevada Supreme Court in the Criminal Division. It is a perfect fit for him and we feel so blessed that he has been offered this job. It is an answer to years of prayers and fasting. So, here starts our adventure of finding a place to live and moving all in 2 weeks!

A few weeks ago we found out we were pregnant, YEAH! I went in for my first doctor's appointment & ultrasound on Friday (same day & time we got offered the job). During the ultrasound I found out that I am pregnant with TWINS! Yes, 2 babies.

Don't ask me how I feel right now because I don't have an answer for you. Overwhelmed is the only thing I can say. I don't think you can get more life changing news in 1 day. You got a new job, you are moving out of state, and your are having twins, AHH!

We do feel so, so, blessed by our Heavenly Father. He truly watches over us and hears and answers our prayers.

New adventure here we come!

New Cooking Obsession...

2011-09-07T16:22:00.000-06:00

PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creams (Specifically the Santa Fe Blend Creme)

These cooking creams are so awesome. They have so much flavor and the recipes they provide are so easy and usually under $10 for the meal.

I tried this recipe this week and it was awesome!

Southwest Pasta Skillet
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time22 mins
Servings: 4 (about 1-1/2 cups each)

Ingredients:
1 lb.boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cupchopped green peppers
1 can(14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg.(10 oz.) frozen corn
1 tub(10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
2 cups hot cooked rotini pasta
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, divided

Directions:
Cook and stir chicken and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 6 to 7 min. or until chicken is done. Add tomatoes, corn and cooking creme; cook and stir 3 min. Add pasta and 1/2 cup shredded cheese; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand until cheese is melted.

I also add black beans & green chilis. YUM!

I love September!

2011-08-28T22:24:00.002-06:00

We have a lot of fun things on the calendar for this month. I think September is one of my favorite months of the year. I love that back to school feeling ("I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address"). It really does make me want to buy school supplies! And it makes me want to buy new clothes, but that's not just a September thing.

We have an exciting week coming up!
Monday & Wednesday: Sam and I start a Mommy & Me preschool (SO excited for this!)
Tuesday: Playdate with my sister
Thursday: First University of Utah Game (GO UTES!)
Friday: Sam and I start our Mommy & Me Dance Class
Saturday: Semi-Annual Park City Shopping Trip with the Mills Family
Sunday: Brown Family BBQ
Monday: Cherry Hill

It's gonna be an awesome week. Happy Back to School! Happy September!

Carson City

2011-08-26T23:04:00.000-06:00

Nic had 2 job interviews in Carson City, NV on Wednesday. Sam and I tagged along for the 8 hour drive over there. We left early Tuesday morning and came back Wednesday after his interviews. 1200 miles in less then 2 days is a lot! Sam did so good though so we were very grateful for that.

We started our drive with the beautiful salt flats and then we stared at sagebrush for the rest of the trip.

Here is the view from our hotel room in Reno (not bad for a $24 room, gotta love casinos!)

It had a really nice outdoor pool

View from the outside...

I am really glad this bakery is 7 hours away from me....it was the best chocolate cake I had ever had (Sam liked it a lot too)

This was the view from our window in the morning, really pretty.

Here Nic and Sam are in front of the courthouse where Nic had his interview.

Sam and I hung out at the Children's Museum while he interviewed.

A fun stop at the candy factory...

So, we will see what happens. Either way I am glad that I had the chance to go with Nic and to explore new parts of Nevada. We have faith that he will find the right job for our family. We are just very grateful that he got these interviews.

Sill's Cafe

2011-08-21T18:49:00.003-06:00

Nic and I recently discovered Sill's Cafe in Layton. Oh my its so good. I prefer diner food over any other kind, and diners are just hard to find around here.

The scones are so incredible (and huge) and at our most recent trip we each had the delicious pot roast. We really love their food and highly recommend it!

If only they had Mountain Dew...

Awesome week...and it's only Thursday!

2011-08-18T15:06:00.000-06:00

We started our summer pretty late. Basically we are trying to cram every fun thing we can think of into the month of August. So here is a quick recap of what we have been doing.

Tuesday we had a fun play date with Allie & Zack. We went to Thanksgiving Point. The kids had a lot of fun at the farm.

Wednesday Nic took the day off work and we went to Cherry Hill. I had never been there before, and can I just say that I totally loved it! It is really awesome for Sam's age, but Nic and I had so much fun going on the water slides and floating in the lazy river. It was so much fun, it just made me feel like a kid again. I hope we can go one more time before they close for the season.

Side note here...my sister moved to Omaha Nebraska to go to Law School and we inherited her KING sized bed. I am LOVING it. There is so much room, Nic and I are getting a better nights sleep then ever before. Thanks Wendy!

Today we had another fun play date with Shelby and Emma (and baby Ava). We went to the Discovery Gateway Museum. Another first for us. It was awesome. Sam could have played in there all day.

And tonight we are off to the county fair! Gotta love the summer!

TIM MCGRAW

2011-08-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

Tim McGraw is my favorite musician/celebrity/singer. Tim (and Faith) is the only person I would pay money to see. I bought the best seats I could in the section labeled "Pit". I didn't exactly know what that was. So I found out that those are the closest tickets, but they are first come first serve the day of the show. SO, that meant camping out for 7 1/2 hours to try to get in the front row. Mission accomplished! Yes, my sister and I were in the very front row. Which means we touched a lot of famous hands and got incredible pictures and videos. I took over 300 pictures, so here are just a few so you can get a taste of it. To say it was amazing is an understatement. It's a night we will never forget.

The Band Perry opened for him and I was so impressed with them. The lead singer is so stinking cute and sounds amazing live!

Then Luke Bryan opened. I could have gone without seeing him, not the biggest fan of him or his music. Wendy thought he was pretty hot though so I got some pictures for her.

And then Mr Tim himself entertained us for 2 full hours. AMAZING!

This is to prove to you how close we were to him...

This is my favorite pic of the night I think...

Check out the boots

Tim in front of the big screen

I have more if you want to see them!

Sam's New Pets

2011-08-05T16:10:00.000-06:00

3 Pygmy goats (that live at Grandpa's house of course). She loves them. I am not going to lie, I do to. The best part about them is that they are non allergenic, so even I can touch them. I have 2 of them eating out of my hand, but they baby is still too scared. She will come around. We love the new additions to the family!

Tony Grove

2011-07-30T21:14:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful campground! We had a wonderful little getaway camping this weekend. We had noisy neighbors and we didn't see any wildlife, but those two things aside it was a lot of fun. I think I could camp every weekend. Nic and Sam love it too so it's a great family activity for us (and its cheap!!).

Snow in July!

Tony Grove Lake

Putting her feet in just wasn't enough...

Gorgeous wildflowers!

We're Done!

2011-07-27T17:16:00.000-06:00

Nic graduated in May, but it was somewhat anti-climatic when he started back to school the next Monday for his Bar prep class. Well this week Nic took the bar exam. Now given that he passes (we don't find out for 8 weeks!) we are now officially done with school. I don't think this has really sank in for either of us yet!

Since I have known Nic he has been in school. It's been a long 7 years of education. For the first time in our lives, we will no longer be living as students. Time to start real life I guess! We literally have no idea what the future holds for us. Nic is applying for jobs all over the country. I don't know where he is meant to have a job, but I feel very excited about our new life adventure.

I read this quote in Parents Magazine & Loved it!

2011-07-19T15:48:00.001-06:00

Count Your Blessings. Realize How fortunate you are. In the midst of the eighth load of laundry that week, I try to bring to mind how wonderful it is that I can keep my child clean and comfortable. When the boredom of cooking noodles threatens to overwhelm me, I take a moment to really feel in my body how grateful I am that I have enough to feed her. Not every mother is so lucky.

Ute Stampede Rodeo

2011-07-17T19:32:00.000-06:00

Dreaming of Pottery Barn

2011-07-16T17:14:00.002-06:00

I will admit that years ago I first started looking at Pottery Barn because of Rachel's love of it on Friends. I have been getting their catalogs for a long time and I just dream of having a home that looks like this one day. Their style of decorating is so matched to my tastes and preferences, I LOVE IT. This months catalog has been my favorite ever. I love warm colors and its pretty much all they use in their decor.

I love this living room. It's so bright, clean, and classic.

I love a bright white bathroom. These double sinks and cute organization pieces are so awesome.

I want this as my bedroom! I am in love with the striped bedding, monogrammed pillow, built in book shelves, oh my.

Another room I love...

I love these dishes. I would have so much fun mixing and matching these. It would make a beautifully set table.

I love this buffet

Maybe one day :)

2011-07-13T00:06:00.000-06:00

For book club this month we read "To Kill A Mockingbird". It's a classic. Everyone loves the hero Atticus Finch for representing Tom Robinson who is on trial for raping a white girl. Tom was an African American, with a previous record, who everyone thought was guilty. Atticus was a hero for defending him because it was a hard, unpopular thing to do. We love Atticus because he stood for justice. He put aside social pressures and stereotypes and did what was right. He was a Defense Attorney.

(Warning, soap box moment coming!)

My father is a defense attorney and my husband is super close to being an attorney. I have always felt on guard and defensive about lawyer jokes and comments from people like:

"how could your dad do that for a living"

"how can he defend people he knows are guilty"

"Oh your dads a liar"

Most of the time anyone who is bad mouthing someone or something simply doesn't understand. If you don't know the law its hard to understand that everyone has a right to a fair trial and that most of the time when a client is guilty, he and his attorney claim just that. They are usually trying to get lesser pleas, not lie about what they did.

I guess my question boils down to this, why is Atticus Finch a hero for defending Tom Robinson and defense attorneys today are scum for doing the exact same thing? Aren't they as noble and heroic for standing up for someone who no one else will?

Can you imagine if your profession was publicly slammed and disgraced openly and no one considered it rude or distasteful?

What can you buy with $63?

2011-07-08T22:36:00.000-06:00

Toddler Clothes:
Chistmas Dress
2 Cordory Pants
2 Jeans
Jeggings
2 Pairs of sweat pants
Tan Skirt
2 Jackets
1 Turtleneck
2 Sweaters

2 Child food trays
Shorts (with the tag still on)
Flip Flops
"Duplicity" DVD
A complete Little People Train Set

Being in law school has made me into a really frugal person, well that and being married to Nic. Years ago I would be embarrassed that I shop for used clothing and household items, but now I am proud! All of the clothing that I got for Sam is Gap or Children's Place. I could never afford those new for Samantha right now. I am thrilled at today's great buys! BTW the Little People train set looks brand new and included several people and animals.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T15:10:00.000-06:00

We have had such a fun weekend! Friday we had a great kickoff for the weekend with a great band, great food, and a firework show at West Bountiful Park. Saturday we attended the West Bountiful Parade and then the North Salt Lake Fireworks. Sunday we had our own family firework show, my brother David always makes that top notch! And today was our family tradition of going to the Magna Parade.

Here are some pictures from the parade this morning:

Nic, Sam and I with some of our nieces and nephews.

The highlight of the parade for me, The Spinnakers

And here are a few things that make Magna awesome:

Happy Independence Day!

Cupcake Giveaway

2011-07-03T12:34:00.000-06:00

I am giving away cupcakes for liking my page on facebook! Check it out!

Lovely Lorraine's Cupcakes

What is the opposite of a feminist?

2011-06-27T16:24:00.000-06:00

I am a stay at home mom. Most of my days are spent playing with my daughter, running errands, etc. When I go all out (clean the house, cook dinner, and do the laundry) I want/expect my husband to praise me for my work when he comes in the door (which he usually does).

Today I cleaned like a mad woman. I washed/folded 4 loads of laundry, I scrubbed my kitchen floor on my hands and knees, washed all of the dishes, cleaned up the yard, swam and read books with my toddler. I did my job.

While I was taking out the garbage at the end of my day, I had the thought "I hope Nic notices everything I have done around the house today" when BAM. I was overwelmed with this thought "How often do I thank him when he walks in the door for working and studying all day long. For doing his job."

I am sure everyone reading this is a better woman/wife than I am. How could I have had this so backwards for so long.

Camping

2011-06-18T14:28:00.000-06:00

I have been so excited to go camping. We didn't get to go at all last summer, so we are excited to make up for lost time. A bunch of friends suggested Payson Lakes to us. It was a beautiful place and we had a lot of fun. Of course I took tons of pictures, so here you go!

This is what Sam did for most of our time in the mountains...run!

Sam did her part to help unload the car

Exploring with Grandpa & Aunt Kimmy

New & Improved Smores :)

My favorite part of camping is always the wildlife!

Samantha's 2nd Birthday

2011-06-12T23:28:00.000-06:00

We had such a fun day yesterday celebrating Sam's 2nd Birthday. When she woke up in the morning she opened her presents from Mom & Dad.

She loves her new dollhouse!

Then we spent the morning at Tracy Aviary.

The highlight for us was feeding the birds, such a cool experience that I highly recommend.

Then Nic started his magic on the BBQ for our big family party.

Here Sam is getting her Birthday Kiss at 5:10pm (the time she was born)

Sam was so happy when her cousins started showing up.

These toddlers are so adorable & so much fun!

Cousins!!

Thank you to all of our family who made this day so special for Samantha. It means so much to us to have you with us to celebrate.

The group (minus Uncle David who is taking the pictures)

Yummy Birthday Cake!!

Sam: Happy Birthday sweetheart. Thank you for bringing us so much happiness and joy. I can't imagine life without you. You are such a joy to be around. We love you. Happy 2nd Birthday.

2011-06-10T22:44:00.002-06:00

We are all set for Sam's big day tomorrow!

Busy Week

2011-06-09T15:38:00.000-06:00

I am just dropping in real quick. I usually do not have busy weeks, but this one has kept me hopping. Nic and I haven't really seen each other this week and that is so hard. It also makes everything feel more chaotic. I hate when we have things planned every night because it leaves no family time.

Sam's Birthday is this Saturday. I am trying to get everything ready for her party, however without a car it is really hard to run errands and shop for presents. Just another time that makes this 1 car thing extra difficult! I have a feeling this crazy schedule is going to wear on us until the stupid Bar Exam is over.

SO, more to come later. It's just a rare busy week for me :)

I'm Crushed

2011-06-01T15:28:00.000-06:00

You know I have been searching for a car. Endless hours on KSL, car dealership websites, looking and searching for a good car at a low price. Nic and I had $3,000 that we had set aside for a second car. We knew it couldn't give us the car of our dreams but we hoped it would get us a good car that would last us a couple of years until we could afford a better one.

Well last weekend we stopped at several dealerships asking if they had anything that matched our price range. We were either laughed at by the salesmen or were showed pimped out ghetto cars that wreaked of cigarette smoke. I was getting pretty disappointed.

On our last stop we went to a reputable car dealership here in Bountiful. Nic went in and asked if they had anything and came back with a couple of options. They pulled around a 2001 Ford Escape. Are you serious, it was like the cutest car I had ever seen. It had 120,000 miles on it which was a lot but it was a lot more car than we originally thought we could get for that price. The car had just been traded in, so it hadn't been detailed or inspected. We took it for a test drive and I was instantly in love. It was everything I was looking for in a car..small SUV, great storage space, not to mention the look of it was my favorite. The check engine light was on in the car. The salesmen explained that they would fix anything that was wrong with it, do the inspection & emissions and completely detail it before we got it.

So we bought the car. We paid $3,072 for it and the Kelley Blue Book said it was valued at $6,532. I was ecstatic. I wanted to call everyone I knew. But I held off so that I could drive the car around in person to show everyone in our family. We were disappointed that we would have to wait until after Memorial Day to pick it up but I tried to be patient. Tuesday came and we got a call from the dealership. They said there was a lot of work that needed done, about $800 worth so it would be an extra day. Nic and I didn't mind because we felt like better they put the money into it then us. Well today we got the call. After doing all of that work they found even more problems on it that would cost over $2000 more. It wasn't worth it for them to put that much money into it. So, we are getting our money back and going home with no car. I feel so crushed I don't even know how to describe it in words. I pictured us in that car. I already put together a bunch of things to more over to that car as soon as it was ready. I am just crushed.

So we are back to square one. I think we are just going to put off buying a car and wait until Nic can get a more permanent job. Hopefully we will have better luck the next time around.

Isn't it a cute car?

Rocky

2011-05-30T22:37:00.000-06:00

My father-in-law's horse passed away today. He lived a great long life of 27 years. As you would expect, Nic has taken the news hard. It's like a piece of his childhood is gone. Rocky has been in the family since he was 3 years old and he doesn't remember life without him. I love sitting on my in-laws back porch and watching Rocky run around the pasture. I will miss him.

Picture Time

2011-05-29T16:33:00.000-06:00

My in-laws are nice enough to let me borrow their nice camera to indulge in my picture taking obsession. As you know, taking pictures of wildlife is my favorite. I am taking full advantage of having their camera for a few days. Here are some shots I have taken this week:

Can you see the hawk here diving for her dinner, I wish the fence wasn't in the way!

Odds & Ends

2011-05-24T19:46:00.000-06:00

Our lives are changing fast.

Sunday I was released from my church calling in Primary. I have been serving in the primary for over 5 years. It is all I have known since we have lived in this area. I will miss seeing the kids every Sunday and being a part of their lives. On a good note I get to stick with some of them by planning activities for the girls ages 8-11. It should be really fun.

Sam is almost 2, can you believe it? Her talking is improving everyday and she is just so much fun. I love that I get to spend my day with her. She is such a blessing.

We celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary. In some ways it seems like we just got married and in other ways it seems like we have always been married. I love Nic so much, I still can't believe he chose me.

Nic is in the middle of his bar prep class. He is attending the night class most days so that he can work more hours during the day. That makes for long days for both of us.

That brings me to the next point of looking for a car. More than ever we have really been wanting a second car. We have gone over 5 years with just one car. Sometimes it works out just fine. Nic is so good about taking the bus. As everyone knows there are a lot of downsides to public transportation. It takes so long for him to get to work (we live in NSL, he works in Murray) and then he has to take trax downtown and up to the school. Lots of time, lots of transfers.With his class going until 9 or 10pm, that means he isn't home until an hour later. The days he does take the car I feel so trapped at home with nothing to do and errands pile up. Dilemma. So we have started our journey of finding a second car. We have never had a car payment so it is a really tough decision for us to make. We debate back and forth on getting a cheap old car to last us a couple of years or do the scarier thing and buy a new (not new, but newer) car and get one that we really want that will last longer. Oh adult decisions :) I would love to hear your advice or opinion.

GRADUATION DAY!

2011-05-14T23:07:00.000-06:00

It's here! The day we have been counting down to for years has finally arrived. Even typing this I have a hard time believing that it's over. My husband Nic finished 7 long years of college and graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law with his Juris Doctor. I am so proud of him. I don't even know how to express it in words. His dedication and hard work never cease to amaze me. I admire him so much.

We had a wonderful day full of celebration with family and friends. I have millions of pictures to post, but this one is my favorite of the whole day:

These two overflow my heart with joy! I love this picture so much. It is just full of happiness to me.

The graduation ceremony was very good I thought. I loved the speakers and it is so nice to have such a small graduation class because the names go rather quickly.

Can you pick out Nic? Oh yes, he is the one with the U on his graduation cap :)

The After Party!!

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have supported us over the past several years.

Nic starts his Bar prep class on Monday and he will take the bar at the end of July. Then he will really be done. We are on an active job hunt and we have faith that something will come up soon!

Temple Square Pictures

2011-05-09T08:57:00.001-06:00

Saturday we walked around Temple Square and I was amazed at how gorgeous all of the flowers were. So bright and colorful! I couldn't stop taking pictures.

What a gorgeous day!

2011-05-05T16:12:00.000-06:00

These pics were all taken with my phone, not bad huh!

Celebration Dinner

2011-05-04T19:11:00.002-06:00

Today was Nic's LAST final.
I can not believe that he is done with law school.

We had a special dinner tonight to celebrate. I got him a new dress shirt and a tie to wear to graduation.

10 DAYS

2011-05-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

Until Nic graduates from Law School.... HALLELUJAH! I have been counting down the days for months. I really can't believe that he will be graduated next week. I am so excited for his graduation ceremony and party.

My excitement was a little deflated when I opened a package we received containing the following:

Materials for his Bar prep class that starts the Monday after he graduates :(

Oh well, almost there right?

Backyard

2011-05-03T17:34:00.000-06:00

We have been working on our backyard the past 2 weeks. I got Nic a firepit for Christmas and we are finally putting it to use. We love being outside, so this space has already been a lot of fun to have.

Lovely Lorraine's Cupcakes

2011-04-27T16:47:00.000-06:00

The last couple of weeks have been out of control. You know I love to make cupcakes. Well, I am getting more and more requests for them so I decided to sit down and figure out my costs, how long it takes me to make them, and put together some real prices. I had a woman who was referred to me call and ask for a cupcake order this week. She told me to drop off some business cards with the cupcakes so she could hand them out to her guests. Well that really got the ball rolling and now.....Lovely Lorraine's Cupcakes is born!

My middle name is Lorraine and Nic came up with "Lovely Lorraine's Cupcakes" and I instantly loved it. My middle name comes from someone who is sweet, kind, a wonderful cook and I admire her very much. I feel it's very fitting for my little cupcake business. I really have no idea if I will have any orders in the future, but for now I am moving full speed ahead.

First on the agenda was generating information. So I created a blog, facebook page, and my own business cards. Next will be researching business licenses, food handlers permits, all of the non-fun part of it.

Feel free to check out the new blog:
http://lovelylorrainescupcakes.blogspot.com/

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T16:17:00.000-06:00

I love being a parent at holidays. I have so much fun watching Samantha's childhood experiences. She seemed so excited and curious this morning when I told her the Easter Bunny had come to our house and left her something in the living room. It was so much fun for Nic and I to watch her run into room looking for what he had left her.

Going to church

Sam's Easter pictures done by Ashley Moore Carroll Photography (check her out, she is awesome)

Easter Treats

2011-04-22T20:15:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun baking this week. I tried a lot of new decorating ideas, some of which didn't work out too well (like the eggs below), but they were still a lot of fun.

These are for my family party:

My dear friend took a chance on me and ordered cupcakes from me for her Easter party. I had so much fun creating over 100 cupcakes for her.

Grandpa & Aunt Kimmy's Spring Break

2011-04-19T14:55:00.000-06:00

Sam and I are excited for a fun week of playing with my sister-in-law and my father-in-law while they are on spring break. So day 1 consisted of a quick trip to Utah County.

First, we stopped at Krispy Kreme. YUMMY!

Then....The Disney Store! Note to all children: if you want to make out like a bandit, take your Aunt & Grandpa to an awesome, fun store. It really is such an awesome store. Thanks Kimmy & Dad!

Meeting the Easter Bunny

2011-04-16T13:53:00.002-06:00

If you remember, Sam did NOT have a good experience meeting Santa Clause. Meeting the Easter Bunny today was a totally different experience. She literally ran to him when she saw him and gave him a hug. She had no hesitation to jump up on his lap and wave hi to us. It was so cute.

The Easter egg hunt was just as fun! She did a great job and ran straight for the eggs.

If I haven't said it before, I LOVE Dick's Market in Bountiful. They are the greatest grocery store in my opinion. All of this was free! And we even get a printed picture of her with the Easter Bunny.

Sam's Favorite Things...

2011-04-14T08:08:00.000-06:00

Bugs & Dress Up!

Home Sweet Home

2011-04-11T15:08:00.000-06:00

For the past 6 years we have lived in the same cute little apartment. I have never spent the money to buy furniture or real decorations because I have always known that our time here would be temporary. (Well, I guess it wasn't as temporary as we thought it was going to be). All of our furniture & most of the decor in our house was given to us for our wedding or as a hand-me-down. Lately I have been feeling like I hate how everything looks in our house..mismatched, old, worn out. It makes it extra hard to not love my surroundings when I am usually at home for the majority of the day.

On Sunday we had a great lesson on being happy with where you are at RIGHT NOW in your life and not focusing on what you will have/want in the future. This year, more than ever, I have only been thinking about the future. I decided to change something in my house everyday this week to help me feel better about living here.

Today's Project: Living Room Wall

My dear friend gave me this beautiful wall vinyl.

So I decided to surround it with pictures of Nic and I that show our love story. I did one picture collage of us dating and one of our honeymoon. I love looking at these pictures and I am happy that I finally found a way to display them. Seeing these pictures makes me happy, so I think it will be great to have them in the living room where I spend the majority of my time. Extra bonus, I had everything to make the changes so it didn't cost me anything.

2011-04-11T11:52:00.000-06:00

Sam & her cute cousin on her blessing day

Sam's new Buzz Lightyear camp chair:

Sammy + Chocolate Ice Cream =

2011-04-06T09:32:00.001-06:00

April?

2011-04-05T11:26:00.000-06:00

We went for a drive on Sunday evening. I can't believe it's April with this kind of snow!

Latest Cupcakes

2011-04-04T15:41:00.000-06:00

Cherry Chip with Cherry Buttercream frosting

I tried a new swirl frosting technique that was a lot of fun.

Girl's Night Out

2011-04-03T11:20:00.001-06:00

We had our biannual girl's night on Saturday. We went out to dinner & made cards afterwards.

Play Date

2011-04-01T23:25:00.000-06:00

I love seeing my dear friend Allie once a month for our lunch/play date. Our kids love all of the same toys and we have fun catching up while they play. We took advantage of the nice weather today and took the kids to the park. They had so much fun.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-04-01T22:57:00.000-06:00

And now she is wearing...

2011-03-31T13:05:00.000-06:00

The outfit I wore yesterday (that was sitting on my floor)

This is what Sam wants to wear today...

2011-03-31T10:50:00.000-06:00

Her Christmas apron

Spring Break Days 3 & 4 + New Recipes

2011-03-28T08:06:00.000-06:00

To finish up Nic's spring break we did a quick overnight trip to Brigham City. It was so much fun to get away.

Our first stop was at the Maddox, one of our favorite restaurants!!

Best rolls and corn bread in the world!

Sam loved the huge tub in our hotel room

We had the swimming pool all to ourselves.

We all loved the big comfy bed!

Easiest French Dip Sandwiches:

1lb Thin Sliced Deli Roast Beef

(2) 1oz McCormick Au Jus

1 McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning Packet

Swiss Cheese

Make Au Jus packet as directed on back. Divide roast beef into 4 portions. Use tongs to dip roast beef into warm au jus sauce. Place roast beef inside roll and sprinkle with 1 tsp steak seasoning (loved that flavor). Sprinkle with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts. Serve with left over au jus. Serves 4.

Biggest cupcake request so far...96!

Latest cupcake creation (at Nic's request). Almond Joy Cupcakes..chocolate cupcake, coconut buttercream frosting, toasted coconut (thanks Jen) and half an almond joy on top.

Spring Break: Day 2

2011-03-23T11:04:00.000-06:00

We had another fun evening together. We went to the Bountiful Pond and fed the ducks. It was so nice to be out in the sunshine after a day of snow. I have a lot of pictures because it was so gorgeous!

Spring Break: Day 1

2011-03-22T11:27:00.000-06:00

This week is Nic's last Spring Break! That seems so weird to say. In the 7 years that I have known him he has always been in school. Although he still has to work, go to his internship, and have school meetings this week..HE DOESN'T HAVE NIGHT CLASSES!! We are taking advantage of our evenings together.

Spring Break, Day 1: Utah Baseball game. It was fun and cold!

Then we had one of my favorite meals: Turkey Club Sandwich & a Peanut Butter Chocolate cookie from Cutlers. YUMMY!

Mickey Mouse Cake

2011-03-20T21:11:00.000-06:00

Starting the outlining

Black is finished

Completed Mickey Mouse:

This was the first star tip decorating I have tried. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. One thing I hated about this was the taste of the black frosting. Usually the Wilton Flavoring is pretty good at being tasteless, but this black was bitter in my opinion. Looking at this picture I can see more errors than I could see when I made it. Oh well, I am still learning.

Delicious, Easy, Healthy

2011-03-17T11:46:00.003-06:00

Chicken Primavara Pasta
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups frozen vegetables (I used California blend)
1 tub/10 oz Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
2 cups hot cooked fettuccine ( I used 8oz of Angel Hair)

Cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until done. Add vegetables; cook 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Add cooking creme; cook and stir 3 min.
Stir in pasta.

This recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving is under 500 calories.

More Sam Pictures

2011-03-15T14:09:00.001-06:00

I love that I can finally do fun things with Sam's hair!

She is so much fun to watch play. Her new thing that she does all of the time is tuck her babydolls and toys into bed and cover them up.

She also includes a kiss goodnight! Isn't that adorable?

I took Sam to the Rockin E County Store to look at the baby chicks for Easter. She was so obsessed with riding this horse. It is only a dime to ride so lucky she got to do it a few times.

I have a bunch of random pictures to blog, so here you go!

2011-03-14T11:53:00.000-06:00

Sam and her cousin/BFF taking a bath

Chicken Finger Salads

Nic and I kind of invented this great new salad. It has:

Salad of course

Corn

Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Strips

Bacon Bits

Ranch Dressing & BBQ Sauce

A chicken tender cut up on top

And Nic also adds: Baby Carrots, Green Peppers & Salsa

It is so good (and under 700 calories).

Spring Cupcakes:

What's For Dinner?

2011-03-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

As you know, I have been trying a lot of new dinner recipes. Today's meal was simple and easy, but we liked it. We had Meatloaf (McCormick Packet/Seasoning), Spicy Ranch Potatoes (I took a packet of Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing Mix and added it to a 1/2 cup of milk and poured it over diced potatoes) and green beans. The whole meal is only 639 calories!

Book Club

2011-03-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

All of my sisters love to read. Growing up I don't remember reading a single book for pleasure. As I have gotten older and started a real thirst for knowledge on several different subjects, I have found that reading can be quite enjoyable. I decided that forming a book club would be a great way to help me read a variety of books that I wouldn't normally choose to read. I wanted the book club to consist of women that I am very close to and would appreciate hearing their opinions. It has turned out to be a wonderful little club with people I care very much about. If you live close to me and want to be a part of it let me know :)

Here is a list of the books that we have read so far (with my quick opinion):

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (Loved it)
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr (Loved It)
19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Liked It, but lots of language)
Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (Didn't finish it, but everyone else liked it)
Emma by Jane Austen (It was ok)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Didn't like it)
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Liked it)
1776 by David Mccullough (Hard to get into)
Christmas Miracles by a collection of authors (Hated most of it, a couple good stories)
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Loved It)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (Loved It)
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Loved It)

I know I am forgetting some, sorry! If you want more recommendations on any of them let me know.

This Month: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.

Spring Fever Anyone?

2011-03-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am day dreaming of camping, spring dresses, picnics, flipflops, sunshine, flowers. How about you?

Sunset last night...

2011-03-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Owl Sighting

2011-03-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

You know I am a wildlife lover. Seeing an owl in the wild has been on my list for a long time. Last night Nic and I were driving home and one swooped right in front of our car. It flew over our car for several seconds and it was beautiful to observe. I had no clue what kind of bird it was at first (Nic identified it for me). When it first appeared I thought it was a seagull because it was so white, but as it got right in front of our headlights you could see how large its wingspan was. It perched on a post and of course we pulled over to observe it for awhile. It was so neat to see. Now, I am tyring to identify what species it was. It was very white on the underneath, similar to the picture above. It had dark plumage on it's shoulders and tail. No "ears" sticking up, just a round face. From what I can gather I am guessing it is a barn owl. I will keep researching!