Let me read you a bedtime story

Jacob has started to "read" us some of his favorite books.

February's Highlights

For those of you who aren't family, my Dad's side of the family does a monthly newsletter.  I decided that posting our submission here will sort of make up for my lack of other blog posts... :)

Mom came for a week long visit.  We started the Olympics with an Opening Ceremonies party of our own.  We had several "events" that we all competed in.  Included is a photo of Jacob participating in the "Winter Dress up Relay."  Other events included the 'Downhill Ski Obstacle Course" and the "Snowball Throw."  We carb-loaded with some pasta for dinner and had fruit pizza with the Olympic rings made out of yummy fruit.  Lots of fun!

Kirsti finished up with the Help for Haiti fundraiser at Art City Elementary.  We were able to raise just over $2800 in the week long drive.  Here are a few news articles about what we did if you are interested in reading more check out this article in the Daily Herald and this one in the Daily Universe!

Dave has finally cleaned up his act now that the Whiskerino beard growing contest is completed.  Kirsti is happy to have her good ole' Dave back.  We celebrated with a shave and a haircut (for Dave) and a haircut (for Kirsti) this past week.  If you would like to see excerpts from Dave's beard growing journey, check it out here.

Jacob turned 18 months yesterday and we/he couldn't be happier!  We have been bringing him into Nursery and staying with him for the past couple weeks.  Today he was finally old enough to officially be a part and so we dropped him off and he certainly didn't miss us!  He loves to play with the baby dolls and the play kitchen.  Mostly pretending to operate the microwave and cooking the baby in the oven. ;)  We still need to work on drinking from a cup.  He tries, but every week he has come home with wet clothes after snack-time. 

Hope all is well with you!

First week in Nursery and what do we get?

We decided to bring Jacob into the nursery this week at church.  He still has another week before he hits 18 months, so was are staying with him for these first 2 weeks.  He has such a great time!

I had to laugh because one of the nursery workers commented that they were glad that so-and-so's black eye was healed up for the new kids first week in nursery, (didn't want to shock the new parents.)  I guess there was a little issue between a couple of the kids and one ended up with a black eye a few weeks ago.

Well, Jacob made it through his first day of nursery unscathed.  But, later that afternoon when he woke up from his nap I heard a loud bang immediately followed by crying.  I ran in to see what had happened and found Jacob standing in his crib with his blanket over his head.  He had a dark spot just below his right eye that quickly turned into a large "goose egg."  Someday he will learn that it's not the best idea to run around with a blanket over his head.

So if anyone asks, yes, Jacob did get a black eye on his first day he attended nursery!  ;)

2010

I have lots of things that I would like to post about, someday... soon, I hope. But until then, here are a few things you may not know about me.

What I am doing in 2010:

Get Healthy

Since September 2009 I have lost about 22 lbs (45 lbs total if you count from just after Jacob was born). I have about 8 pounds to go to meet my inital goal. No, I'm not doing anything drastic, (which is probably why I am actually have success). I have just been tracking what I eat and riding the exercise bike 5-6 days a week for 30 minutes and a minimal amount of strength training.

I discovered a great iPhone app called "Lose it!" that helps you track the food you eat and your exercise. I love this program, it is so easy to use and it has really made a difference in how I think about food.

I am also participating in BYU's Y-Be-Fit program. Check it out if you are interested in getting an overall picture of your health and wellness. It's especially a great deal for BYU students and faculty.

Learn more about Photography

I have wanted to learn more about photography for years, but have never signed up for a class. For Christmas Dave gave me a photography book, complete with lessons and assignments. So for now, we are working our way through a chapter each Monday night.

My goal is to be able to take great photos of my kids and stuff that we do as a family while we are still young!

Cook Healthier Meals and Desserts

Just ask Dave, I am always reading cookbooks. For Christmas I got the Hungry Girl Cookbook and have been enjoying trying out some new recipes. So far I have tried Chunky Apple-cinnamon Muffins, Chunky Caramel-apple Pumpkin Dip w/ Sweet Cinnamon Pita Chips and Butternut Squash Hashbrowns. I also made my own version of the "Swirls on Wild Brownies" that turned out great!

Learn to Decorate Cookies/Cakes

I received a Williams Sonoma Cake Decorator for Christmas. Don't let the brand fool you. It was horrible! We tried to use it to decorate a gingerbread house and it was so hard to push the icing out that Dave and I had to trade off, just to give our hands a break. I just traded it in for the Pampered Chef model and can't wait to give it a try!

Weekly Schedule for my Toddler

Now that Jacob has given up his morning nap I need to find things to keep us busy during the day. We have gone to the Library Sing and Sign class a few times. They also have a Music and Movement class that we have tried out. The Provo Library has a great "Mother Goose" program that we attended today. We will definitely be going back!

Any other great toddler ideas?

This is what my neighbors are getting this year...

I bought some of that yummy Moose Munch from Costco the other day and decided to whip up my own version. I think it turned out pretty good!

What are you doing for neighbor gifts this year?

White Chocolate Cranberry Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup butter
2. 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbl brown sugar
3. 1/3 cup plus 1 tbl corn syrup
4. 3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 16 cups popped popcorn
8. 3/4 cup whole almonds
9. 6 oz white chocolate
10. 1/2 cup Craisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn and almonds in a very large roasting pan and put in preheated oven until caramel is ready.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn and almonds, stirring to coat.
3. Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven, stir and let cool completely.
4. Melt white chocolate in a 1 quart glass cup. Microwave on High for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir to melt completely.
5. Place 1/3 of the cooled caramel corn on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
6. Sprinkle with Craisins and drizzle with white chocolate.
7. Allow to chocolate to cool and harden completely. Break into pieces and stir into the reserved caramel corn.
8. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

You have gotta try these!

Hungry Girl's Caramel Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes

Ingredients

1. 2 cups moist-style yellow cake mix (1/2 of an 18.25-ounce box)
2. 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
3. 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
4. 2 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup
5. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
6. 2 teaspoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
7. 1/8 teaspoon salt
8. For topping:
9. 3 cubes (about 1 ounce) chewy caramel
10. 2 teaspoons light vanilla soy milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine all cupcake ingredients in a mixing bowl with 1⁄3 cup of water. Whip with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes until well blended.
3. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with baking cups. Evenly spoon batter into muffin cups. Place pan in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes (until cupcakes have puffed up but still appear a little gooey on top). Once cupcakes are cool enough to handle, arrange them closely on a plate so that the edges are touching.
4. Place caramel and soymilk in a tall microwave-safe glass or dish (mixture will bubble and rise when heated).
5. Microwave at medium power for 1½ minutes. Stir mixture vigorously until smooth and thoroughly blended. (Return to microwave for 30 seconds at medium heat if caramel has not fully melted.) Immediately drizzle caramel sauce over cupcakes.

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He's reading! :)

Okay, maybe not. But check out what Jacob learned just a few days after Halloween.