What's Goin' On

Well, I suppose there have been a few things happening.
Jonah and I have decided to get out of the house more and be more social. We now try to go to story-time at the library every week. Jonah likes it mostly for following around other kids. We've only been to Parents & Tots Yoga the one time, but we'd really like to go again. Last week we went to playtime at the local Rec Center and that was great. We got to go to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum with Stephanie (Brandon's cousin's wife) and her four kids one day, which was fantastic. We'd love to do that again soon.

Today we are going to Movies on Mondays (MOM) in Sandy with Ashly (Brandon's other cousin's wife) and her two kids. The Megaplex theaters play a movie every Monday around noon with the house lights partially up and the sound a little down. It's $5 for moms and free for kids under five. Today they're playing Horton Hears a Who. Tomorrow is our first playgroup. Jonah and I invited several moms from my ward, my online Park City Moms group, etc. to join us at our house to play. I think it's going to become a weekly thing, though maybe not always at our house. We are supposed to have 8 moms and 13 kids here tomorrow!!!
Other than our adventures, not a lot happening. I picked out family pictures (it was easy cause Jonah was only smiling in one and B and I looked good in it too), so we should have those hung up later this week. Got the brakes on my car replaced. My laptop has died (fortunately we recovered all my pictures first). I've been called to teach in Relief Society (the women's class at church) once every other month and am thrilled about that. My first lesson was last Sunday (on John the Baptist) and it went well.
Jonah now says "night, night" and "light". He blows on things now too. He can stand up without any assistance from a wall or a leg now as well. He still rubs his hair whenever we lay him down to sleep. After I brushed his teeth the other evening he looked it the mirror and did his cheesy super-grin to check out his clean teeth, which totally cracked me up. He points at everything. He has four teeth on top and two on bottom and I suspect he's getting a top and bottom molar on the right side soon.
I am seven months along now and getting a bit uncomfortable. My back and my sciatic nerve have been bugging me the past three days or so. It feels like my little girl is still doing gymnastics in there so she's still got room and yet she's pushing up on my right ribs just like Jonah did, which makes me hurt in various different ways and makes me worry she'll flatten one side of her head and have to wear a helmet too. We still have no idea what to name her and are totally open to your suggestions.
Today we received our first Winder Farms delivery. Milk, bread, butter, cheese, etc. all delivered to a cooler on our doorstep! Wonderful. We are excited to support this local dairy who doesn't use hormones or antibiotics on their dairy cows and to have the convenience of always having basic groceries on-hand (this will be especially useful when the new baby first arrives!).
Well, that's about all I can think of at the moment. Oh, except it snowed all day yesterday and I made pork chops with a ginger-pear topping last night (which I've made once or twice before) which was to-die for. Yum! Email me if you want the recipe.

Mix Up

I used to get Robert Dinero (confused with Al Paccino by many) and Dustin Hoffman confused. After I finally cleared that up in my brain I developed an uncanny knack for figuring out what show I'd seen an actor/actress in before. Today I was watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding (hadn't seen it since it came out and thoroughly enjoyed it) and I was certain that the woman who played Aunt Voula was the same woman who played the Qypsy Queen in The 10th Kingdom (one of my favorite movies). I looked it up on imdb and I was WRONG. Do you see how I could have made the mistake though?

Andrea Martin

Eve Pearce

Happy Easter

Last Saturday's Easter Egg Hunt in Park City.




Yesterday's hunt in Sandy.

Sister Time

I spent all week hanging out with Robin and her family.

You're Missing Out

On March 5th and 7th I posted some really funny (and short) youtube clips on here (Very Politically Incorrect and Better Than Ebert) and I don't think any of you watched them. Shame on you!

An Apple a Day

Yesterday Jonah picked up an apple that his cousin Charlotte had dropped. Being the smart boy that he is, Jonah knew it was not a ball to play with. He bit into it. I took it away, not thinking him capable of eating an apple without it being cut into much smaller pieces but when he managed to swallow his taste of the peel I gave it back to him after washing it.


I think Jonah spent a full hour eating this little apple. He never choked and he ate just about every single bite. It was entertainment as well as an appetizer.



I don't know why this one makes me laugh so.



Cousin Tucker reading to Jonah.



Sharing with cousin Henry aka: little Hank.



Me holding all that was left.

Illegal

I am posting these pictures illegally, they are copyrighted.

I am breaching this copyright because I spent over $600 at this studio and I think that should give me the right to my proofs. My inlaws actually gave me $400 to specifically use this particular photography studio for Jonah's one year portraits. (They turned out fantastic but I'm not convinced I couldn't have spent half as much for something I liked equally well).

Enjoy!


This is the one we ordered a large print of to frame in our front hall.



I ordered a black & white 5x7 of this (and asked them to digitally remove the drool off his bottom lip).


Brandon's favorite so I ordered him a 5x7 for his office.



Jonah's trademark "oh face".



A good photographer just keeps shooting and ends up with great shots like this.

We ordered my favorite and Brandon's other favorite (different outfit too) in wallets. Some of you will be receiving copies in the mail in the future.

New Toy

Not for Jonah, for Brandon

Last Friday Brandon bought himself a motorcycle. It is street legal but he never goes very far on it. He mostly got it so that he can ride it around up above his dad's cabin when all the snow is gone.

In a twist of fate, Brandon aquired yet another motorcycle yesterday. It is similar to the pictured one, but sits a little higher and is not street legal but is just a dirt bike. It will move up to the cabin permanently and the other one will mostly be for riding to and from work on nice days. The newest bike was a trade. Brandon is doing his assistant's father-in-law's dental work in exchange for the bike (a couple root canals and maybe more). He says the first bike can be mine after the baby comes. Riiiight. He is currently in the garage changing the oil on both bikes, organizing his tools, and just generally tooling around. I bet he feels very manly.

Running Crazy

A couple days ago, Jonah woke up with crazy hair.




He is fast when he has assistance from his walker!

Just in the past few days since we've been home, Jonah has started doing new things:
1- A new smile, slightly devilish looking
2- Monster voice, not just his occassional growl
3- Walking more than crawling
4- Wanting to be held more

Also, about two weeks ago he started touching his or my hair when he's tired and most of the time when I pick him up, he immediately starts caressing my hair. I love it.

I can no longer be in the same room with him while I talk on the phone, he simply won't have it, he throws a fit and is just too loud. He thinks the phone is HIS.

Very Politically Incorrect

Ladies and Gentlemen, Daniel Tosh. So wrong, and yet SO funny. I never have seen someone frown while on a wave runner. (2:50)

Good Food Day

When you walk into my grocery store you practically run into a six foot tall case of doughnuts. I think this is cruel and I have only given in and gotten one once. Monday night while doing my grocery shopping I managed to resist the pastries only to immediately succumb to purchasing an angel food cake. I don't know what came over me, I haven't had one in years and they were my favorite as a kid and I just decided I needed one.
Anyway, yesterday I began my day by making french toast (one of my favorite breakfasts). Jonah had his plain with sliced strawberries on the side and I had mine topped with fresh strawberries and blackberry syrup. Brandon doesn't do breakfast but instead settled for his usual glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast.
Lunch was leftovers; pizza, macaroni, squash, whatever.
Dinner was quite a treat. I decided to try a simmer sauce I found in the International Food Isle. It was Chicken Tikka Masala, which I've tried mediocre premades before and have even had bad luck with at good Indian restaurants but I'm persistent and this time it paid off. The brand is Tiger Tiger and if you see it, snatch it up! I tore up half of a rotisserie chicken and simmered it in with the whole jar of sauce and enjoyed the best Chicken Masala I've had in months! I even got brave an invented a rice dish to go with it instead of just the usual tasty white basmati rice.

Emily's Indian Rice Dish

1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. water
a couple dashes of termeric
3 whole cloves
1 T. butter
a bit of salt

Boil for one minute, simmer covered for 14 minutes. In the last 4 minutes of cooking add one cup of frozen peas. Delish!

And for dessert: angel food cake topped with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. A day of culinary satisfaction.

Better Than Ebert

Star Wars movie review by a 3 year old. (1:30)

The Past 10 Days

So here's the rundown. Jonah and I left for Arizona on late afternoon on Wednesday the 20th. We got home yesterday morning. It was a great trip. Even on a trip so long I'd wished I'd had more time (to hang out with Lauren, the Jacobsons, the Millers, the Courts, and to meet baby Jordyn).
Jonah did great on the flight over cause I timed it NOT to coincide with a nap. We spend less than an hour showing off his walking skills and his cuteness to the family before putting him to bed. He did awesome sleeping and napping on the trip, not deterrred from his schedule much at all. My friend Arianna mentioned that we are both "Nap Natzis." We are both followers of the philosophies in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, the best parenting book I've read.
Anyway, Thursday we had a lot of fun, just hanging out with the fam. Jonah got a lot of attention from Nana Colleen, Papa Stan, Aunt Karen
, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Teddy
, Uncle Spencer
, and Aunt Claire .
Thursday Jonah also got to see Aunt Robin, cousin Tucker, cousin Charlotte, and cousin Henry.
Jonah is only six months older than Henry but must outweigh him by quite a bit despite only being about an inch taller. They were very facinated by each other. They spent some time poking and kissing one another.
Jonah loved the dog and two cats that live at my parents house. Darcy, the cocker spaniel, seemed to like him a lot too. It was a great day.
Friday I woke up with Claire's cough and that afternoon Jonah and I got in the car with his Aunt Sarah and her boys; Gabe (14), Chandler (turned 7 on Sunday), and Jackson (5), for a roadtrip to California. My four best girlfriends from college all live in the San Diego area. I haven't seen any of them in 3 years, so Jonah and I went to see them for the weekend while Sarah and her kids went to Disneyland, etc.
We arrived at the Rajaratnam's house at 8:15 (7:15 CA time) that evening and Jonah went straight to bed. I stayed up eating curried chicken homemade by Girrish and talking with Kami. The next day Jonah had fun playing with their son Jared who is only 6 weeks younger than himself
, and her other two boys Noah (3) and Kai (6).
Saturday around noon, Kami and I were joined by our friend Stephanie. We went to lunch and enjoyed some girltime.
Then Jonah, Stephanie, and I drove to Steph's home in Ramona, a darling little town in the hills outside San Diego. We got to hang out with Steph's cute kids; Heath (6), who showed Jonah and I all of his toys, and Olivia (4) who was rather jealous of all the attention Jonah was getting.

Steph's hubbie, Nick, took us all out for Mexican food for dinner. I was feeling rather miserably sick by this time and had no appetite (even for authentic Mexican!). That evening Stephanie and I went to visit our other BYU-H girlfriend, Arianna. We had a funtastic time hanging out and chatting with her!
Sunday morning Jonah and I went over to the Jacobson's house. We had a great time catching up, playing, and chatting for an hour or so before I was rendered unable to stay awake due to my illness.
Jonah and I napped and immediately upon waking had to leave for the train station. We took a fun 2.5 hour train ride up to meet Sarah and kids north of LA. After gassing up and dinner at In and Out Burger we headed back to AZ. Car rides while pregnant are FAR more uncomfortable than not, especially when fighting a nasty cold.
Monday I spent a lot of the day resting and feeling miserable while Jonah charmed the family. Tuesday Jonah came down with a fever and diarehea. He was still sweet as can be. I got a massage and we spent the night at Aunt Robin and Uncle Trent's new house. We had fun hanging with the kids and hot-tubbing with Tucker (under 100 degrees for pregnancy). Wednesday we had a picnic at the park and Jonah really enjoyed the swings. That evening we went to Uncle Adam and Aunt Michelle's house and got to spend some time with Jonah's cousins Kaleb (6), Ethan (5), and Moqui (2). Jonah loved Michelle and Adam!
I had to wipe poor Jo's nose about every 5 minutes all day.
Wednesday night Robin organized a girl's night out for me. My sisters Robin and Karen and SIL Michelle were all there, as well as my cousin Jill and friend Mel. We had a great time talking and laughing. I really enjoyed Gecko Grill's green salsa, fish tacos, and friend icecream. I enjoyed the company even more though.

Friday we missed our flight home due to a wreck on the 202 that caused horrendous traffic but we enjoyed great naps and another nice evening with the family instead.
It is nice to be home in our own beds. We have both been snotting and coughing a lot yesterday and today and I hope that means the end of this dreadful cold is near and not that we are having a relapse from the change in altitude. I came home after the first hour of church today and had a glorious two hour nap.
Jonah has been walking like a champ all day today, he's glad to be back with daddy and all his own stuff and lots of room for walking!