The Birkmeyer's

Baby!

2011-08-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

For those who may occasionally still look at my blog and wonder if we are still around...we are! And I have a lot of pictures to share, but for now I'll just share our news that we are having another baby! We are expecting another baby GIRL in January! We couldn't be more excited to grow our little family. I'll be back soon with more pictures and an update on us.

Easter part 2

2011-04-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a wonderful Easter. We went to church, then we had most of Adam's family over for Easter dinner and an egg hunt with the kids. It was a fun time!

The kids before church.

Ruby showing off her beautiful baby blues.

Rocklin modeling his cute Easter outfit.

Mommy and Ruby before church.

Ruby enjoying the grass while the other kids hunted for eggs.

All (well, most) of Rocklin's cousins on Adam's side.

I love this picture - the "plumber" checking out his loot.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

I know tomorrow is Easter, but I wanted to get a few pictures up tonight since tomorrow we have church and then Adam's family is coming over to celebrate Easter at our house with dinner and an Easter egg hunt.

I fell in love with these cute polka dot buckets from Target. Aren't they cute? I'm a sucker for anything with polka dots. I added the kids names on them with some vinyl lettering I cut using my Cricut. I really like how they turned out!

Here's my Easter centerpiece I made. I saw a similar one online and I wanted to recreate it. I think Peeps make anything cute. :) Speaking of cute, I found those adorable chick salt & pepper shakers in the dollar bins at Target! What a fun little find!

Last night we met up with some of Adam's sisters at the Mesa Temple for the annual Easter Pageant. This was my first time seeing it and I really enjoyed it! It was a nice reminder of the reason we celebrate Easter. Rocklin really enjoyed it too, and he kept asking of all the characters - is that Jesus, is that Jesus? It was precious.

Ruby laughing with Daddy while we were waiting for it to start.

They asked for no flash photography, so I didn't get any pictures of the actual pageant, but I thought this picture was cool - taken a little bit before it started.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and is able to celebrate the life of Christ with family and friends.

Happy Easter from The Birkmeyer's!

Ruby is 10 Months

2011-04-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

Our little Miss Ruby turned 10 months on the 18th! Hard to believe how fast its gone by. This girl is full of personality and spunk! Taking her monthly photos is getting harder and harder now that she thinks she is so independent! We just LOVE her to pieces!

An out-take that was too cute not to share...

For my LDS friends with little ones

2011-04-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but church (mainly sacrament meeting) is a constant struggle to get the little ones to sit still, listen and not have to be taken out in the hallway a dozen times! I've been on the hunt for something to keep Rocklin occupied and to help him sit still. I came across these really cute printables on a cute blog called Brown Paper Packages that you can turn into a book for really cheap! There are a few different ones you can print, or do all 4 like I did. Once I had them printed out, I laminated the individual pages, punched a hole in the upper corner and attached them all with a floss ring. Here are some sample pictures from the website SimplyFreshDesigns.com where these cute books were found initially. (And if you click on the link directly above the picture samples, it will take you directly to where you can download the pictures for free).

Children's Quiet Boo k

Articles of Faith (8x10 posters or 4x6 or 3x5 cards)

Book of Mormon Stories

Prophets and Apostles

Last Sunday was our first time trying these out during Sacrament meeting, and while it did not occupy his time for the entire meeting, he did enjoy looking at them and having Daddy read him the verses that went along with each picture. Enjoy!

Cake

2011-04-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

I love to bake! Not so good for the waistline, but so fun nonetheless. Lately I've really been wanting to try my hand at making fun cakes, like THIS one I found online. I thought it was just so beautiful that I had to try and recreate it for myself. The step-by-step instructions on her blog were pretty easy to follow. I also followed her tutorial to make the inside of the cake just as pretty with vertical layers of red velvet and white cake. Here's a picture run-down of my first attempt - and forgive me as I am NOT a good food photographer!

The finished product:

First, I made two separate 9 inch round cakes and leveled the tops. The I put the two leveled tops facing each other and wrapped them in saran wrap and then foil and froze them for 6 hours.

After coming out of the freezer, I cut circles in the cake and sliced the ends so that I could make the "bullseye" effect, alternating layers of red velvet and white cake.

For the next step, I made a simple syrup (1 C. Sugar + 1 C. water, boil until sugar dissolves in water) and used a pastry brush to apply it to the cake to give it moisture and keep the cake together prior to putting it back in the freezer with the wax paper and towel ring belt around it (to keep it together). Have you ever used a towel belt for your cakes? Me either. But the tutorial said to do it, so I did. :)

Once out of the freezer, I removed the wax paper and towel belt and began frosting. As you can see in the picture below, I sort of got the vertical layered effect I was aiming for. (Remember, this is my first time attempting this...so don't look too closely! ha!

And wa-la...the final product.

I do love how the icing turned out, but the inside was not as pretty as I would have hoped. Or should I say not as perfect and symmetrical on each side as I had hoped. But over all, I had a lot of fun playing around with this and I would definitely do it again! Next time, I think I may try colored frosting...can you imagine that with pink or red icing roses? So pretty!

Table

2011-03-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

We have been looking for a kitchen table for quite some time. (A REAL kitchen table, not just the portable folding table with non-matching chairs that we'd been using for awhile now). I had a picture in my head of exactly what I wanted, but did not want to pay the expensive price tag for it. I'd had almost given up on finding a used one on Craigslist when what do you know, this past weekend I found exactly what I had been looking for and at an amazing price! It pays to be patient and search Craigslist once a day! It's a really nice wood in a black distressed finish. Slowly but surely, our house is becoming a home.

Ruby is 9 Months

2011-03-21T20:48:00.001-07:00

Ruby girl is 9 months old already! She turned 9 months on the 18th, but had her 9-month check-up at the pediatrician today. She used to be at the top percentiles for weight and height, but is currently at 55% for weight (19.3 pounds) and 80% for height (28.5 inches).

Ruby is just a doll and is go, go, go these days! She pulls herself up on everything and smiles and looks around once she is up as to say hey guys, look what I just did! Her hair is getting longer every day. You can't see it in the pictures below, but in the back she is getting thick curls which are SO cute. I'm sure they will disappear since my hair is stick straight, but it's fun for now. She is a great eater and in fact today at the pediatrician, I was told I can start giving her table foods like cheese, yogurt, spaghetti, etc. I think I'll try to start her on some new foods this week and I'm sure she will just love it. She is still a great sleeper and just like Rocklin when he was a baby, follows her daily schedule to a T. I have a feeling she is going to be walking soon which I can hardly believe.

I couldn't decide which picture was cuter, so I thought I'd just share both. :)

Camping

2011-03-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we decided to go on a family camping trip with Adam's sister Katie and her family and his sister Karie and her daughter Alexis. Although I'm a "non-camper" myself, it was fun to go and spend time together and enjoy each others company. Rocklin just adores his cousins and he had a blast. Not to mention, he could play in the dirt and rocks all day long which was like a dream come true for him!

I wanted to get a lot of pictures from our trip, but only got a handful and most of them are of Rocklin. This one happens to be my favorite picture of the entire trip. Rocklin was SO tired (we didn't get much sleep...the kids were freezing during the night and kept waking up). Sitting around the campfire on the second night, Rocklin fell asleep sitting up in his camp chair with his legs crossed and his choo-choo's in hand. It was so precious!

This was an old Indian cave with artifacts and such that you could hike up to. Adam took Rocklin up and they said it was really neat. Check out the cactus - they were everywhere on the mountains. Adam said that while there, he learned that it takes 100 years for the cactus to grow up like that with the arms sprouting out.

Cousins! Luke, Rocklin and Garrett. Rocklin LOVES hanging out with these boys.

We camped at Roosevelt Lake - here is a view...quite pretty!

Rocklin posing on the hike.

More cousins...Alexis, Rylee and Aydin.

Cousin Luke chillin by the campfire.

Adam cooking up some delicious dutch oven food!

Rocklin playing in the dirt (what he spent about 75% of his time doing).

Ruby in her car seat on the way up to Roosevelt Lake. She was such an angel baby the entire camping trip! We brought her portable crib and she just enjoyed playing in it outside! The only bad part with her was when she was trying to sleep. We finally just put her in a sleeping bag at night next to me and she slept like a champ once she was all snugly and warm.

To be honest, I'm not sure I'll be up for camping again anytime soon, but it was fun to spend time with everyone without the interruptions of the TV, computer, etc. I have a great in-law family and had a good time making memories with everyone.

Soccer

2011-03-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

We started Rocklin in Soccer this month. So far, he's only had one practice. It is so cute to see a bunch of 3 year olds running around on a field attempting to kick a soccer ball! I can't wait until his first game; should be a fun time!

Before his first practice, Rocklin was so excited to play! He had his cleats, shin guards and new soccer shorts on. Once we got to the practice field, it was another story. It took about 10 minutes for him to warm up enough to even get out of the stroller, and then Adam had to carry him and kick the ball a bit before he was OK to get down and try it himself. Kids are so funny.

Posing with his ball. He really did have a fun time, despite the scowl on his face!

We think he may be better fit for Football, seeing as he wanted to carry the Soccer ball most of the time instead of keeping it on the field.

Ruby is 8 months

2011-03-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ruby is actually 8.5 months now, but with the crazy month we've had, I'm lucky to at least get an 8-month shot up.

Ruby is such a busy little lady these days! She is a master crawler now, and has just started standing up while holding on to the couch, my legs, etc. It's cute because she is SO proud of herself once she stands up...she looks around and smiles to kind of say, see what I did everyone?! She has two teeth that just sprouted up within the last month - it's her front two bottom teeth. She hasn't tried biting yet, knock on wood. She is still fascinated with her brother Rocklin, and follows him around the house terrorizing him in attempts to slobber on all his toys. He, however, is not a fan. ha! Overall, she is just as cute and cuddly as ever and we're so glad she's ours! :)

The Blog

2011-03-01T14:08:00.001-08:00

I miss blogging. I really do! We have had so much going on around here lately that blogging has taken a backseat to the craziness that we call life. Luckily for us, both kids are better now from the RSV. Phew....that was a LONG week and a half! Both Rocklin and Ruby are back to their playful little personalities. Ruby is such a spit-fire these days! She has such sass and is so playful. She is already over 8 months old (her 8-month pic coming soon). Hard to believe my little Miss with be ONE in just a few short months!! Rocklin is still in love with everything "choo-choo." We're hoping to take him to a Thomas the Train event here in AZ next weekend, so I will be sure to post about that if we do in fact end up going.

Things are going well with our business; Adam is staying busy with work projects and enjoying working for himself. He's also back to training for an upcoming triathlon. It's amazing to see how happy he is when he is in the midst of training - he really enjoys the biking, running and swimming. If I had to guess, I'd probably say the biking is his favorite. I told him the other day how he makes riding long distances seem like a piece of cake. He assured me that it is hard work, but that he loves doing it. I've been busy with a little side venture of my own, and I can assure you it has nothing to do with triathlons, which I'm in the process of getting up and running. I'll post more about that later.

In other news, I'm going in for surgery tomorrow morning. I'm having my gallbladder removed. It is such a blessing to have my parents in Arizona now; they are taking the kids for the night since my surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning. I think we'll sneak in a movie tonight since we'll be "kid-less" for the first time in ages! I pre-warned Adam that he is not allowed to ask any incriminating questions or take any photos of me coming out of anesthesia! I've only had one surgery in my life (sinus surgery) where they put me completely out and I do not recall it being a pleasant experience. But regardless, I'm praying (and hoping) that all goes well and that I will be back to normal in no time flat.

That's about it for now from us. Just an update on life. I realize posts without pictures are so boring...so next post will have pictures for sure!

What we've been up to...

2011-02-18T14:08:00.001-08:00

This entire week has been SUCH a long week for us. We are all sick, other than Adam, and are just trying to get better! Today is Friday, and so far this week, we've been to the doctor 6 times with two follow up appointments on Monday and another appointment next Friday of next week! UGH!

Here's the verdict: Ruby has RSV and double ear infections (that will NOT seem to go away). Rocklin has RSV and strep throat, and I have a bad head cold and stomach pains that are apparently due to the fact that I have Gallbladder Disease. (Found that out after an abdominal ultrasound as a result of some serious stomach pains I've been experiencing). So I'll more than likely be getting my gallbladder removed, but we shall see.

Seriously?!?! I am so over being sick...and my kids being sick. Poor Ruby has really had the worst of it all I'd say. Having to give both of my kids breathing treatments for the RSV has literally been the saddest thing ever. Hopefully we'll be back in the swing of things soon!

Peanut Butter

2011-01-22T13:41:00.001-08:00

The other day Adam and I were in the office and Rocklin was being just a little too quiet. I peeked out the door to see what he was doing, and I found him in the kitchen with the jar of peanut butter licked clean!! He had been dipping his entire fist into the peanut butter jar and licking it off his hands. What can I say, the kid loves peanut butter! The funniest part was as soon as I found him, he grabbed the lid so fast to try and put it back on, as if the peanut butter allll over his face and hands wasn't a dead giveaway of what he was doing!

Ruby is 7 Months

2011-01-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Ruby turned 7 months! This little lady is becoming quite the wiggle worm. She is so interested in the world around her and is always on the move. She is almost sitting up on her own...in fact she is, but she kind of looks bent in half so I don't know if that counts yet. She is a really good eater with her solid foods and so far has eaten everything we've tried with her. (Including a chocolate chip that her brother fed her when I wasn't looking!).

This first picture was the final one after quite a few mis-haps. Look below for some of the funny outtakes. :)

Do you notice a theme here? She always has her mouth open, and usually it's with a big smile! Ruby is such a fun baby; I just can't believe she is growing up so fast already!

Rocklin's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-01-15T21:56:00.001-08:00

Today we had Rocklin's 3rd birthday party. Since he is obsessed with "choo-choos" (mostly Thomas the Train) these days, we decided to go with a train-themed party. There is a big park really close to our house that has a real train that kids can ride and it was the perfect place for his party. We all had a lot of fun, especially Rocklin. It made me so happy seeing him having such a great time with friends and family!

Of course, I use any excuse I can get to make cupcakes. Here are his choo-choo cupcakes.

The goody bags for the kids.

The pom-poms. (these are so fun to make!)

M&M centerpieces

Birthday Banner
(and notice the background - such a BEAUTIFUL day outside!)

Mommy attempting to light the candles

Daddy actually lighting the candles

Make a wish!

The train ride around the park

Adam, Rocklin and I in the very front of the train

Excited for the train ride to start!

Opening presents...it's Thomas! Notice Rocklin's big smile. :)

Cool...monster truck! (And I love Bryson in the background, cupcake in one hand and sucker in the other...now that is what birthday parties should be like!)

Rocklin's best buddies:
Catcher, Bryson and Rocklin

Some good friends of ours from our last ward:
Kami, Megan, Reuben and cutie-pie Whitman.

Rocklin with Aunt Kristie, Cousins Andy and Rylee

Emily and Ryan
(Adam's brother and his daughter)

Some of our friends - Brad, John & Nate

My Mom, My Dad, Adam and Ryan

Happy 3rd Birthday, Rocklin! You are such a sweet, fun-loving boy. We are SO glad you are in our family. You are such a good boy and a loving big brother. We love you!

Rocklin turns 3!!

2011-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Rocklin turned 3 years old on January 12th. I can't believe my baby boy is 3! His birthday was on a weekday, so we saved his birthday party for the weekend, but took him to Dunkin Donuts and let him pick out a birthday donut and then to Build-A-Bear after dinner to make his own stuffed animal. (I'll be doing another post with his birthday party).

Rocklin picked out a cute little dog and he named him Snoop. Here are Rocklin and I getting Snoop stuffed.

Rocklin giving Snoop a bath.

Rocklin and Mommy making Snoops birth certificate.

Me and my sweet boy.

The happy birthday boy!

Ruby is 6 Months

2010-12-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ruby Marie turned 6 months on December 18th! This little lady is a mover and a shaker. She is all over the floor...not quite a real crawl, but she has her own style of scooting and rolling to get where she wants to go. I have a feeling she will be up on all 4s in no time flat! She's actually been doing this for almost a month now and she's getting quite fast at it!

We've started rice cereal and a handful of different baby foods, but she hasn't quite gotten too excited about food yet. She is a pretty chill baby and doesn't cry too much, unless she is ready for her bottle, then watch out! She loves to giggle and laugh, especially at her brother.

Poor Ruby got her first ear infection on Christmas Eve! Adam took her into Urgent Care because she was not sleeping or eating well and just seemed overall not well. She is on antibiotics now and feeling much better. She weighed 17 lbs as 3 days ago. She goes in tomorrow for her 6 month check up at her pediatrician, and I'm anxious to see her stats!

Family Photos

2010-12-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently had our family photos taken and since I finally got my Christmas cards all finished and mailed out today, I wanted to go ahead and share them on our blog now. (I also shared them on Facebook, so sorry if you're seeing double). A girl in our old ward took them for us and I think she did a great job! Rocklin is in that phase that I think all kids go through where if you ask them to smile, they give you this horrible grin-thing. Overall though, I'm so pleased with the results. So act surprised when you get your Christmas card in the mail from us, as if you've never seen these pictures before. :)

Just a few pictures

2010-11-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

We recently got our family pictures taken (first time ever...can you believe that?!). I didn't want to spoil them by putting them up on our blog prior to mailing out the Christmas cards. I'll be posting them soon, but want to get our Christmas cards out in the mail first.

In the meantime, here are just a couple I wanted to share. Oh, and we had family in town for Thanksgiving this past weekend, but do you think we stopped to snap a few pictures with all of them? Nope. I guess it doesn't help that we can't find our camera battery charger so we're waiting for our battery to die on us any minute. I sure hope we can find it before Christmas morning!

Our family at the Mesa, AZ temple lights. Rocklin was in awe of all the beautiful lights! Meanwhile, Ruby just hung out and took it all in while staying bundled up.

Tonight we hung ortaments on the Christmas tree. This is Rocklin's response when we asked him to smile for the camera. Getting a decent picture of this kid lately is so hard because he always gives these cheesy grins!

We try our luck getting a good picture by saying "look at the camera, but don't smile" and this is what we end up with. Ha! Hopefully he grows out of this awkward picture taking phase asap.

He was so excited to help put all the decorations up. And isn't that tree big and beautiful?! It's a real one - Adam and Rocklin picked it out this past weekend. I love it!

Ruby Updates

2010-11-19T22:28:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that my little Ruby girl is already 5 months old! She turned 5 months yesterday. I neglected to take a 4 month photo with the date card like the rest of her monthly photos, so I just had to use another photo I happened to take the day she turned 4 months. Her 5 month photo (and impromptu photo shoot with Mommy) were taken yesterday.

Ruby is such a happy, giggly baby! I could just kiss and squish her all day long. And, well, most days I do! I remember loving when Rocklin was about this age because they are just so darn fun when they can roll around and giggle, etc. Ruby is such a joy to have around. She LOVES her big brother Rocklin, and whenever he is near her she just lights up and smiles so big. She watches his every move and can't get enough of him.

She is kind of a Momma's girl, and secretly I love it that she loves me so much! I'm trying to soak up every moment with her as she grows because I know, like with Rocklin, the time passes so quick!

Wreath

2010-11-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

I've had a thing with wreaths lately. I've been wanting one for my front door, but just haven't taken the time to make one. When I came across THIS tutorial online, I figured it looked easy enough, plus I thought it was really cute. I know it's not holiday-ish colors, but I loved the color scheme I picked out, so it will do for now. Hopefully in then next few weeks I'll find the time to make THIS one for the holidays. Cute, huh?

I love this little glitter bird detail that I bought at Michael's for 32 cents. I think she adds a little flair. And I can't get enough of those rolled felt flowers; they are so fun and easy to make!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween we went to the annual Trunk-or-Treat at our church. We had a fun time! Rocklin was Elmo and Ruby was a little pumpkin. My parents were able to come with us and we loved having them there! Here are some pictures from our night:

{ Notice the terrified look on Ruby's face...ha! }

And this is the aftermath...Rocklin's Trunk-or-Treat hangover. This picture is not even posed. Rocklin got so sick the morning after that we didn't even go to church! Waaaaay too much candy for that little guy! Needless to say, he's done with Halloween candy until next year!

Quick California Getaway

2010-09-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a family trip to California to see some of Adam's family. We had such a fun time! I was worried that it might be miserable driving the 5+ hours in the car, however, both kids were soooo good!

Adam and his Grandma Connie.

The kids with their Great-Grandma Connie.

We stopped by and saw the Redlands LDS temple. It was a gorgeous day out!

Santa Monica pier! We went with the intentions of taking the kids to the beach to play in the sand, etc. But as you can see from this picture, it was overcast and chilly! So we decided to just walk the pier instead.

We rode the big Ferris wheel on the pier and this is the view from the top of the Ferris wheel. I was nervous - we were so high up!

Me and Ruby

Me and Rocklin (does he look a little scared? do I? ha!)

Adam and Ruby (that is Ruby's go-to position with the hand behind the head. She has rubbed off all her hair on that side of her head by always just playing with her hair and relaxing that way!)

Adam and Rocklin

Adam and I on the pier.

A street performer on the pier had these real parrots and just walked right up and put them on Rocklin. At first he thought it was cool but as you can see from the look on his face, after a few minutes he was like OK, get these things off of me!

Chillin at the Third Street Promenade

Adam insisted Rocklin get this cute Angels hat - Adam has the exact same hat...flat brim and all!

Ruby all tuckered out after a fun day in Santa Monica!

3 Months

2010-09-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this little lady is already 3 months old!! Ruby is getting so squishy and just overall cuter by the day! She is such a fun baby and is starting to giggle out loud. She still looks so much like Rocklin. She has been sleeping like a champ...thru the night since about 6 weeks old. Yeah!

Lately

2010-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

We really haven't been up to too much at our house lately, but I thought I'd share a few recent pictures and happenings.

We've been trying to work with Rocklin on discipline and doing what we ask him to do. We've also been working on potty training (which could be another post by itself). Like any other two year old, listening is not one of his best skills as of yet. I made him this "good boy chart" that he got to put up a sticker anytime he did something good - being nice to his sister, going potty in the toilet, putting away his toys, doing what we ask, etc. We told him when he filled up his chart full with smile stickers then he would get a really big prize. Although he still has a lot to learn with listening, etc., he did earn his prize and he was soooo excited when we gave him his Go, Diego, Go bike! It's funny because he needs about one more inch before he can fully reach the petals, but for now he just scoots around on it and he loves it. In fact, last night at 2:46 a.m., I woke up to the sound of him riding his bike into our room and wanting to play. He was so bummed when I told him no bike and that he had to go back to bed!

Miss Ruby is a strong little lady! Basically from birth she has had really good control of her neck and head. She is pretty good with tummy time. Today I got some pictures of her just chillin during her tummy time. So cute. :)

Rocklin is always asking to "hold her, hold her" with his arms outstretched. He loves his little sister! (And he needs a haircut, but what else is new? The kid's hair grows sooo fast...just like his Momma's).

Tonight Adam and I went out on a date! We had a lot of fun just being alone without a baby to hold or a toddler to entertain. We went for Sushi and then to Barnes and Noble. My parents were nice enough to watch the kiddos so we could take this much needed break!

More Ruby

2010-09-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ruby has SO much hair! It's so funny after the bath because it curls up when it's wet and then gets so fluffy when it dries. I can totally see Rocklin in her. If I cover up her hair.

Ruby is my little butterball baby! I took her in a few days ago for her 2 month appointment and she weighs 11 lb. 10 oz., which is the 70%. She is 90% for height and 85% for head! She definitely inherited the tall Birkmeyer genes.

2 Months!

2010-08-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. Ruby turned 2 months old yesterday. I feel like she's already getting so big and not a newborn anymore! She is much bigger than Rocklin was at this age, and is already sleeping through the night! (Fingers crossed she keeps it up...it's been 6 nights in a row now sleeping from about 10 PM - 5 or 6 AM). I just love this little lady so much. She is a great baby so far!

(NO idea why the 2 month picture won't go straight...I've tried and tried...oh well, turn your head to the side).

Ruby Marie

2010-07-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

Our sweet baby girl Ruby Marie was born by c-section on June 18. She weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. Everything went great and she is just perfect! So far (knock on wood) she is a very good eater and sleeper. I've been trying to find the time to put some pictures up on our blog for the past 4 weeks, and I'm FINALLY getting around to doing it! The pictures below are all from the past 4 weeks, from birth to today (in no particular order). I'll try to be better about updating more regularly so each post doesn't have this many pictures. Rocklin is doing good as well; I think he really is enjoying his role as big brother.

Uncle Adam feeding Ruby

Hanging out on Daddy's chest

This was right after she was born - check out all that hair!

Happy Big Brother Rocklin!

My two kiddos.

Kristie & Todd (Adam's sister and her hubby) came to visit us in the hospital.

Proud big brother.

Gramps & Grammy (Kristen's mom and dad)

Grammy (Kristen's Mom) and Ruby

Rocklin meeting his baby sister for the first time.

Naptime!

All ready for her first time at church.

So sweet.

Ready for an outing!

Here's the "before" picture - going in to have my c-section.

Right after Ruby was born.
Just home from the hospital.

Kevin's China Hoops

2010-06-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

For anyone who happens to know my little brother Kevin, I wanted to share his blog with you. He's currently in China for about a month coaching a USA basketball team over there. He's having a great time and has been capturing some fun stories and pictures on a blog. Check it out if you're interested: CHINA HOOPS. (Oh, and here's a picture to entice you to check it out. haha!)

A Recipe and Lists!

2010-05-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a couple of random things. The first is a recipe that my Mom recently gave me. I had bought some pork chops on a really good deal, but needed something new and different to do with them then the same old pork chops and scalloped potatoes recipe that I generally make (which is also very good). So here's the recipe from my Mom, and believe me, it won't disappoint! It's kind of an odd combo of flavors, but together they are so tasty! We've had it twice in the past two weeks. (and sorry, no pictures to accompany this post).

Blackberry Pork Chops

1 1/2 lb. boneless pork chops

2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning

1/4 C. blackberry preserves

1 T. soy sauce

1 t. lemon juice

dash of cinnamon

dash of curry powder

1 C. fresh blackberries.

Sprinkle both sides of chops with Montreal steak seasoning. Spray both sides w/ cooking spray. Grill 8 - 10 minutes, turning once. Combine in sauce pan: blackberry preserves, soy sauce, lemon juice, cinnamon and curry powder. Bring just to a boil to liquefy preserves. Cover, remove from heat. Spoon sauce over chops and garnish with fresh blackberries.

--On a side note, I don't care for curry, so I just used a dash of crushed red pepper and that worked just fine. Also, if you don't have the Montreal steak seasoning, just use whatever seasoning you'd usually use to grill your pork chops or steak. I used the Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute.

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Also, I wanted to share one other thing I came across online and thought some of you may enjoy checking it out, especially if you're as OCD as me when it comes to list-making! The website is called Organized Home, and THIS link will take you to lots of useful and free downloadable lists - everything from pre-travel checklists to menu planners to daily to-do lists.

Enjoy!

An Update!

2010-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post a few random things so my blog has an update! We are all moved into the house now and are LOVING having all this extra space. I think Rocklin especially loves it with a backyard and plenty of place to run around!

Adam has painted a lot and the other night he was painting baby girl's nursery and he let Rocklin help out a bit. Here are some cute pictures of them painting:On a different note, today Rocklin and I hit up the local thrift store to see if we could find treasures. Sure enough, we found some good stuff! Just clothes this time around, but I ended up getting 7 things (all in great shape and great name brands) for $15!! With a little trip to the washing machine, they are as good as new...and for less than the price of one outfit!

I thought this little blazer and shirt were so cute for Rocklin for this fall/winter. His first big boy blazer...and how cute is the plaid? The GAP blazer was around $3.50 and the shirt was 75 cents!

Of course, baby girl dresses - can you ever really have too many? :)
These are both in great shape and both from Gymboree. Oh, and half-price, too! Each dress was less than $2.

These cute little ruffled-bottom pants are from GAP and were $2 and the sweater was just a Carter's, but looks brand new...and was $1.75.

This dress could be my favorite of my finds today. It's from Janie & Jack (pricey little boutique store in the mall if you are not sure what that is). Lucky me, this was half-price as well, and it ended up costing just $2! You can't really tell, but the ribbon in the pictures is pleated all the way around and is a chocolate brown color.

Thanks for letting me share my finds. I just love hunting for good deals and actually finding some worth bragging about! :) Now if I could just find a dresser for Rocklin's room on a killer deal, we'd be all set.

Lately

2010-04-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

In case you've been wondering what we've been up to lately, we're getting ready to move! As you can tell by the picture below, we've got a lot of things packed up and in boxes, but still have a lot more to do. We are only moving about 10 miles from where we live currently, but are SO excited to be moving into a 4 bedroom house...which is going to be MUCH nicer than our tiny 2-bedroom apartment! I'm mostly excited for Rocklin to have a backyard to run around in and a room especially for our baby girl's nursery! I'm getting really excited about getting everything organized...my "nesting phase" has kicked in! After the move we have the arrival of our little girl to look forward to, and I know she'll be here in no time flat.

I'll post more soon as we are making the big move this Saturday.

Adam's First Bike Race!

2010-04-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

For the past two months, Adam has picked up a hobby that he LOVES! He bought a road bike and has amazed me with how long/far he can ride, especially for someone who just began riding.

Yesterday he competed in his first road bike race called El Tour De Phoenix. Rocklin and I and Adam's sister Katie and her family came to see him cross the finish line. It was so neat to see him cross the finish line and compete this 72-mile bike race! He completed it in just over 4 hours. GO ADAM!!!!

Adam and a couple of member of his Tri-club he is apart of.

Adam coming into the finish line waving at us!. Rocklin and cousin Luke kept themselves occupied digging in dirt while waiting for Adam to come in.

The whole crew.

Completed Project

2010-04-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

A few posts back I mentioned that I had bought some pink spray paint and was working on a project. Well, I finally finished it and I loved the way it turned out! It matches the image I had in my head when I started, which is always a good thing. I wanted to make something to hang in the nursery to hold all the hair bows I plan on making for Baby Girl. Initially I wasn't going to make it look like a memo board, but I'm glad I did because now she can use it in her room later when there aren't a million hair bows to hang on it. And a big thanks to Adam for cutting the wood exactly the size I needed for the base! Glad I have such a handy hubby! :)

Here's the frame before. It's the UNG DRILL frame from Ikea.

And here's the completed frame after LOTS of pink spray paint and TLC.

And here's a closeup of the Rhinestone buttons I used.

Smores Cookies

2010-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made the most delicious cookies! I take no credit for coming up with the recipe...I got it from my friend Chanelle's Food Blog. She tweaked the recipe a bit from a site she found them on to make them her own and I just followed her recipe to a T. Anyway, if you're looking for a super delicious cookie that is not your typical Chocolate Chip Cookie, then you should try these out! Click on THIS link to get Chanelle's post with the recipe and her pictures. Here is the picture of how mine turned out:

One thing I will say, is I used the Ghirardeli Milk Chocolate Chips because they are so big and yummy.

Enjoy! And thanks to Chanelle for sharing!

Baby Update

2010-04-06T08:36:00.001-07:00

This post is mostly so I don't forget this information! Yesterday I had an ultrasound. Baby Girl is looking great! It was fun to see her little face...and it's fun to compare what she looks like now to what Rocklin looked like on his ultrasounds. So far, it looks like they share the same cute little button nose! Tomorrow I'll be 29 weeks, however, the baby is measuring at almost 31 weeks! She weighs an estimated 3 lbs. 6 oz. right now, which means she's a little chunker! It's funny to think that we might have a chubby little baby this time around, because Rocklin was so tiny! Although he was delivered 5 weeks early, he weighed 5 lbs. 3 oz. at birth, and was only 4 lbs. 12 oz. when we brought him home from the hospital! He was such a tiny little thing.

One thing my doctor did mention, is that it looks like I have a high level of amniotic fluid. I have a follow-up ultrasound in 3 weeks, at which time we'll check to see if the amount of fluid keeps increasing. She said that since the baby is big, this isn't a surprise there is more fluid, but we just want to check it again in a few weeks to be sure all is well. Has anyone else out there had this same thing happen? I'm just curious if anyone had complications because of this. Knock on wood, this pregnancy has been relatively stress-free for me, especially given all the complications I had while pregnant with Rocklin. Maybe my body handles baby girls better than baby boys or maybe because this is not my first pregnancy my body is just taking it all in stride this time? Who knows, but I am grateful for my health and the baby's health so far!!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T10:25:00.001-07:00

We had a fun Easter weekend. It started early on with an Easter egg hunt with Rocklin's church friends. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so it made for a great morning. Here are a couple pictures a friend of mine snapped...

We also had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday. It also happened to be my birthday...the big 3-1 (which I can't even believe). We stayed home and watched Conference on TV and then headed over to my Sister-in-Law's house for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt. It was a lot of fun! And it's funny watching Rocklin hunt for eggs because as soon as he finds one, he rips it open and shoves the candy in his mouth so he can move on to the next one...but not before his mouth is stuffed full!

Rocklin and Daddy playing outside in the little house! By the smiles on their faces, I can't tell who is having more fun...Adam or Rocklin!

Rocklin sharing Mommy's birthday cake.

Looking for eggs.

Not sure what's up with this face...it's probably his "I've eaten waaaay too much sugar today" face!

Some of the cousins waiting to go hunt eggs.

Here is one more from the egg hunt with his group of church friends.And this is just a random one from his little buddy Bryson's birthday party he went to the other day. Pinata! He had a good old time smacking that thing!

26.5

2010-03-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the big ol' belly at 26.5 weeks. And if you're thinking to yourself, "dang, can her belly get any bigger??" Don't worry, I'm thinking the same thing.

Flat Stanley

2010-03-04T13:19:00.001-08:00

Heather's (one of my girlfriends since the 7th grade) daughter is doing a Flat Stanley project at her school and she sent him to us to go take pictures with on an adventure! Since we're not super adventurous people (a.k.a. I get tired quick of chasing a 2 year old around in public these days) we decided to take an adventure to the park. The weather today is absolutely gorgeous out, so it was the perfect park day. Rocklin had fun with Flat Stanley on the teeter-totter and the swings!

And on a totally separate note, I bought this today -

Krylon spray paint in the color Ballet Slipper. It's for another project I'm working on for baby girl's nursery. Hopefully it turns out as cute in real life as it in in my head! I'll be sure to post pictures once I complete it.

Rocklin

2010-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted current pictures of Rocklin on here, so I thought I'd share a few. The poor kid needs a haircut, considering his faux-hawk is about 4 inches long in these pictures. I had just woken him up from his nap to get ready for church. I love him in his new little tie!

Hoot Hoot

2010-02-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Adam went camping with the Boy Scouts last night: (Adam is in the back right corner)

so I had a night of chick-flicks and craft time all to myself! I've been wanting to make THIS owl wall hanging for a while now - thought it might be cute as a wall decoration in baby girl's room. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Please excuse my lack of photography skills/bad lighting here. The frame is 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 and the green polka dot background of the owl is 12 x 12, so it's a pretty good sized picture.

I am pretty sure I will put her name along the bottom on the inside mat, but I just laid these letters out to see what it might look like. (And Lucy is just one of the many names we are considering...just wanted to get a feel for the letters).

Here is a close-up of the owl.

Here it is with no name on the bottom...I think I like it better with the name. What do you think?

Window Shopping

2010-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons I was so excited to find out that we're having a baby girl, is for all the fun shopping of course! I've been doing a lot of window shopping lately online and thought I'd share a few of my favorites as of late. (All of which I found on Etsy).

Adorable personalized bloomers...Found here

Shoes...SO cute....Found here

I think it's the hat I love, but it could be the adorable baby too! Found here

Personalized Wall Decor - Found here (and no, we're not naming her Darcie)

Another super cute little hat...Found here

Now, we'll have to come to an agreement on the name before I can buy any cute monogrammed stuff, but we're no where close to that as of yet! :) Working on it though...

22 weeks

2010-02-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'll be 22 weeks pregnant. It's funny because up to this point I haven't really felt like I looked too pregnant...just a bit overweight. Well yesterday I just was feeling pregnant. I had gone to the mall and my back was killing me from walking around, my feet hurt, etc. Not to mention I feel like my belly grew like overnight! I think there is no turning back now...I will just "feel" pregnant from here on out. I mean I'm only going to get bigger from here. ha! Anyway, here I am at my (almost) 22 week mark. Don't mind my no make-up look!

Hiking with Dad

2010-02-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Adam took Rocklin on a Daddy/Son hike. Rocklin had a great time, and so did Adam! I stayed home because I am sick...again. I've had the worst cough and cold/flu symptoms for over a month now! So frustrating.

Anyway, Here are a couple pictures from their adventure:

Catch-Up

2010-01-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in quite some time! Adam was in California for work for the month of December, then we went out of town for two weeks, and the day after we got back Adam had to fly back to California for work. He just got home last weekend and Rocklin and I are SO glad he's back! I didn't really want to post anything while he was gone because a) there wasn't a whole lot going on here, and b) since my blog isn't private, I didn't want to say anything about him being away.

Anyway, now I get to play catch up! The first exciting thing I neglected to post was Rocklin's 2nd birthday! On January 12th, Rocklin turned 2! I can hardly believe it! He is such a fun little boy. Although slower to start talking then some kids, Rocklin is finally starting to say words and more importantly, use them in the correct context. He just had his 2-year check up at the doctor and he looks great! Sadly, we haven't celebrated yet at all. We are going to get together with Adam's side of the family and celebrate Rocklin's birthday along with some of his cousins, so I'll have to take pictures there and update with pictures later.

The other piece of exciting news is that we found out earlier this week that we are having a baby GIRL!! I am beyond thrilled! As I am sure all of you know, I grew up with 5 brothers and no sisters and I've always wanted a baby girl of my own. When the ultrasound tech told us the baby is a girl I got SOOO excited! I asked her if she was 100% sure because I didn't want a boy popping out after getting all excited for a girl and she said she never says 100%, but she's definitely 99% sure. Yeah!! I've already begun buying cute little outfits and hair accessories. (And now I can be putting my new found hair-bow making skills to good use!). Poor Adam, I hope he knows what he's getting himself into! JK...he's excited to have a little girl as well.

I know Ultrasound pictures are only exciting to the parents to be and the grandparents, but I thought I'd share my favorite one - she was waving hi to us and her little hand is clear as day in this picture (the hand is towards the top):

As for a baby girl name, well, we are very undecided at the moment. We have a few names we each like, but not one that we are both totally sold on. It may be awhile until we can agree on one! The good news is that the middle name has long been established as Marie since that is the middle name of me, my Mother, my Grandmother and Adam's Mother.

Adam took me out on a date when he got home since we hadn't seen each other in a while. It was nice to get out and get a baby-sitter for Rocklin. We had a great time! Here are a few pictures from the date:

And I had to share this one...for those of you who haven't seen Adam in a while, he looks GREAT! I'm so proud of him for all the weight he's lost. He also grew a beard and the hair on his head. He's so cute! :)

That is about it for now. Now that our life is back to normal I hope to post updates and pictures more often.

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

Adam, Rocklin and I were lucky enough to get to spend a 13 day Christmas vacation in Georgia this year with my family. We are actually still in GA (leave on Tuesday), but I wanted to share our pictures on the blog of our trip so far. My parents rented a really cool cabin in the North GA mountains and it was so fun to have all of my siblings and their wives there! We all had so much fun. I've posted a ton of pictures below - just random ones from throughout our time here.

The whole family in front of the cabin.

Gramps and Rocklin

Rocklin, Adam and I on the back porch of the cabin.

The boys kept themselves entertained at night with a few rounds of poker.

Rocklin making the face whenever you tell him to "say cheese."

My brother Adam and his wife Amanda.

My brother Aaron and his wife Megan.

Adam and I's room at the cabin. I loved our comfy bed!

Adam, Rocklin and cousin Maryn hanging out on Christmas morning.

Gramps and Rocklin snuggling at the cabin.

A closeup of big blue eyes!

Daddy and Rocklin hanging out in the freezing cold!

Grammy and Rocklin at the cabin

Rocklin LOVED playing air hockey with Daddy.

The beautiful sunset view from the back deck of the cabin.

This was the view from the upper loft looking out. So pretty!

Rocklin's cute cousin Lulu (Lauryn).

Mom and Dad raising the roof with their new matching snuggies! haha!

Uncle Dando (Daniel) and the girls (Brynna, Lauryn and Maryn).

Rocklin opening presents with Daddy.

Bows

2009-12-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

I love hair bows in a little girls hair. Who knows if this baby inside of me is a girl or not, but in case it is, I wanted to start early to learn how to make cute hair bows so she'll be all set! For now I'm just practicing, and lucky for me I have lots of cute nieces and friends with little girls so these bows will be put to good use. :)
I found THIS tutorial on YouTube which is pretty easy to follow, but it only shows how to make one basic type of bow. These bows all have alligator clips on the back, so they can be used plain or clipped on to a headband.
Does anyone out there have any suggestions or sites they like that show how to make any other style of bows? Otherwise, I guess I'll just play around and figure out how to make different styles. Good thing I have lots of ribbon on hand for trial and error!
I have had fun practicing so far...here is a picture of the ones I made this weekend to start with. I think my favorite is the little brown polka dot bow and least favorite is the navy blue (don't really care for how it turned out, but love the dark blue color). Obviously as you can see from the picture, I have a thing for polka dots. :)

Temple Lights

2009-12-18T20:18:00.001-08:00

Tonight Rocklin and I met up with some of Adam's family at the Mesa temple lights. We had a lot of fun seeing all the lights - they were beautiful and the weather was great! Too bad we only got to snap one picture.

Turkey Day Triathalon

2009-12-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right, Turkey Day. I know this post is a little late, but I wanted to be sure to get it up. On Thanksgiving morning, Adam's family had planned a sprint triathlon (400 meter swim, just over a 12 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run). Adam, most of his siblings, nieces and nephews and his Dad all participated. They all did such a good job! I was so proud of Adam - he hadn't even trained on a bike, but ended up finishing first! He has fallen in love with biking. Here are some pictures from the event. Oh, and yes, the outfit Adam is wearing is one he borrowed from a friend that does triathlons all the time. We were teasing him with his multi-colored spandex saying he looked like he belonged on the Jamaican Bobsled Team. haha!!

The "before" picture of the group. Notice how everyone is still smiling here. :)

Here's the back of Adam's hot spandex outfit (and that's his Mom Linda in the pink shirt)...

Adam riding in after finishing his bike rideAdam on the runThe swimRocklin enjoying some play time while Daddy was swimming
Ron (Adam's Dad) riding in after finishing the bike ride. Go Ron!
Rocklin & Daddy hanging out after the raceThe group shot of everyone who participated. You guys did an awesome job!

Pregnant!

2009-11-23T07:48:00.001-08:00

Well, If you've seen my Facebook lately, then you have heard the news that I'm pregnant! We are very excited! I'll be 10 weeks this week. So far I've just felt really, really tired and pretty nauseated, but that's about it. Having Rocklin to chase after has kind of taken my mind off feeling sick, so that is nice. Rocklin will be 2 1/2 when this baby is born, which I think should be a pretty nice gap in age. I have a feeling this pregnancy may go by quicker than the first, but we'll see. Anyway, just wanted to share the fun news on our blog! Of course, I'll have updates along the way. We should find out probably in January if we're having a boy or a girl. A little brother would be a lot of fun for Rocklin, and of course I'd be thrilled with a little girl. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Family Fun

2009-11-15T17:32:00.001-08:00

My parents were both supposed to come into town this weekend and be here all week, however, my Mom got the flu the night before and couldn't come! We were so bummed. But fortunately, my Dad is still here. One of the things he really wanted to do was go to Joe's Farm Grill - yum! The weather was perfect! We had a fun time.

We hope you're feeling better, Mom...we miss you!

Family photo

My Dad, Adam & Rocklin
Another family shot

Gramps & Rocklin at Joe's

Me & My Daddy

Adam & Rocklin

More of my cute boys

Mama's Holiday Wish List

2009-11-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

(Every now and then I get emails from a group called Todays Mama. Today they sent an email saying they are giving away this awesome gift package and all you have to do is post answers to these fun questions on your blog. I'm game! See below the picture of the Q &A's).

The list of prizes includes: a Madsen Bike filled with gifts and goodies from Provo Craft including a Yudu screen-printing machine, a Cuttlebug, a Cricut Expression Machine, a Your Story thermal book binder, and a Knifty Knitter loom set. That’s not all - a Dyson Blueprint, an Easy Walker Sky stroller from MamaBargains.com, two Sidekick baby carrier bags from Kemby and an Amber Alert GPS unit and a full year of service. Seriously? Pick me!! :)

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

THIS Gratitude Journal, some new workout shoes, and to be honest I can't really think of anything else at the moment. It's funny that as a kid you can think of a million things to put on the wish list, but as an adult the only thing that comes to mind are things for the kid!

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

The one that comes to mind is the Divvy Organizer my sweet SIL Sarah made for me. I love it!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

For a while now I've been wanting to sew some cute ruffled aprons for the women in my life. Maybe one of these years when I get my sewing machine back on track!

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

"Santa" brought me this personalized stamp with my name on it and a bunch of teddy bears holding balloons. Sounds silly, but I still have it and thought it was the coolest gift ever when I got it! Maybe that's when my love of crafts was born.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

Since Rocklin is only 2, he doesn't really have much of a say, but I'd like to get him something big this year...like a play kitchen or workbench.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

All of it! All the comfort food of turkey, ham, potatoes, and of course all the yummy chocolate and desserts!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

I'm sure I'll be making some baked goodies, some homemade Christmas cards and at this point not sure what else. I would like to make a blanket for Rocklin, but we'll see if I get around to that!

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

As of recent, I LOVE the movie The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Jack Black.

9. Favorite holiday song?

Angels We Have Heard on High

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

Decorating the tree!

WWB

2009-11-10T13:04:00.001-08:00

WWB = World's worst blogger.

This post is basically to say that yes, I know, I've been a horrible blogger lately. It feels like life has been just so busy lately that I haven't taken the time (or pictures) to blog! I hope to be back on track soon...my parents are coming out here for about a week (YEAH!!!) so that should give me something fun to blog about. :)

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

Halloween was pretty uneventful for us this year. (Unlike last year when we spent Halloween night in the ER!). The night before Halloween we attended our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat where the kids get to go from trunk to trunk. It was a lot of fun! Rocklin has his little pumpkin and I took him around and about every third car or so, he'd stop and sit in the parking lot to check out all his loot. It was pretty cute! I only snapped a couple of pictures because we were too busy passing out candy and chasing Rocklin around! (The kid does not know how to just hang out and chill. If he's not being held or buckled in his car seat or stroller, he's running. And he's fast!!). Our actual Halloween night was really low-key. We didn't end up going out, we all three were pooped and decided to stay in. It was actually kind of nice, and believe it or not we didn't get one single trick-or-treater at our door!

Daddy & Rocklin the puppy

This picture cracks me up (no, not because I'm sportin' like four chins) but because Rocklin had a kit-kat and he was deteremined to get it opened. He was gnawing thru the wrapper until he finllay broke in and started sucking the chocolate out. It was so funny (and messy)!

Hope all of you had a Happy Halloween!

Toddler bed

2009-10-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

So now that Rocklin can make a quick escape out of his crib, we've had to take the front part of his crib off and transform it into a toddler bed. I was SO not ready for him not to be in a crib yet, but what do you do. I have to say, he is great at bedtime. We go in, say prayers, give kisses and he lays down and doesn't get out of his bed until morning. Nap time is a bit of another story...I usually have to go in a few times and remind him to lay down and go to sleep. He likes to sneak out of his bed and go over to his couch and hang out with all his toys and stuffed animals. The other day I found him in there asleep with his "crew" on his couch:

I took this picture last night. Rocklin had fallen asleep with a tight grip on his Cars bag that his Grammy and Gramps had given him a while back. He likes to be surrounded by "stuff" these days. He doesn't leave his room without his white and blue blankies and usually a stuffed animal in tow!

Puppy

2009-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

This year I really wanted to find Rocklin a puppy dog costume for Halloween since he LOVES dogs. I didn't see any (affordable) cute ones out there, so on a whim I hit up Goodwill this afternoon and found this cute puppy dog costume for $5.99! He loves it - he was getting so excited trying it on and was panting like a dog. Now I'm excited for Halloween! (Sorry the video is sideways...you'll have to just tilt your head).

Proof

2009-10-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

I always comment about how Rocklin is part child, part monkey. Well, today he proved my point. He earned himself a time-out (which he get for climbing up on my desk while I'm working and he knows better). I put him in his bed and told him I would come and get him out in 5 minutes. Well, about 2 minutes later, I hear a knocking on his door. I go in, and sure enough, he had climbed out of his crib! I put him right back in his crib and grabbed the camera so I could get this on tape. Looks like we'll be switching to the toddler bed a little earlier than I would have hoped! (And it probably doesn't help that I'm laughing at him while he's climbing out!!).

Divvy

2009-10-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

So, my fabulous Sister-in-Law, Sarah, has started a new, fun project and has opened an etsy shop! She's making and selling these oh-so-cute-and-sassy cash-budgeting system organizers called Divvy Organizers. They can also be used for organizing bills, coupons, receipts, etc. I have one that she made for me (it's pink with green and yellow paisley accents....SO cute) and I adore it!! If you like to be organized (or if you're looking to get more organized), then I would highly recommend checking out her stuff. Her fabric choices are just beautiful and the quality is awesome. You won't be disappointed!

Front:
Inside:

Go check her out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=8095150

http://www.divvyorganizers.blogspot.com/

Congrats...

2009-10-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

...to AIMEE!

Aimee's name was randomly chosen (a.k.a. Rocklin drew a name out of a hat for me) to win the paper-crafts goody bag! Thanks to everyone who read my post and let me share my love of card-making!

Aimee - be looking for a package in your mailbox soon!

Sharing the {LOVE}

2009-09-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that this Saturday, October 3rd is World Card Making Day! That is so exciting for me because I LOVE making cards! In honor of this fun little "holiday" I thought I'd Share the {love} and do a little giveaway on my blog!

First of all, let me share with you a few cards I made to celebrate.

This first one is a HAPPY BIRTHDAY card. As we all know, I love me some pink! This paper is from Basic Grey. Love the design of the paper and the pop of the bright pink ribbon! I added just a hint of glitter detail around the scalloped edges, but it's a bit hard to see in this photo.

Merry Christmas! Can you even believe that Christmas is only less than 3 short months away? I'm having a hard time getting excited about Halloween this year, so Christmas it is.

Again with the glitter - I added a fun red glitter snowflake as the focal point on this card. (And actually, the snowflake is a Christmas ornament that I picked up last year at Target).

I'm always in need of a good THANK YOU card, so I thought that would round out my cards. This paper is kind of fun - it's from a My Mind's Eye collection. I love the red and bright blue color combo.

And here's what I'm giving away! Just a random assortment of card-making supplies, including the latest copy of Paper Crafts magazine (which I LOVE and get a lot of inspiration from), a Card Pack with 8 blank white cards and envelopes, some Pebbles a.b.c. foam stamps (think: cute Monogrammed cards), some hand made embellishments by yours truly, an ink pad (to ink your card edges) in the color Coffee Bean, and a few other things that I thought would add some pizazz to your cards!

And...I'm including the 3 cards I made in honor of this fun day in the giveaway!

Just leave a comment by end of day Saturday, and I'll pick a winner (randomly, of course) on Sunday! And...if you feel like Sharing the {LOVE} with your friends, post about it on your blog, come back and leave another comment, and I'll give you two entries in the giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by...it's fun to share ideas with all of you. {And by the way, if I don't know you, it's O.K. just leave a comment anyway!}
Good Luck!

So proud of this guy...

2009-09-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Recognize him? You may not if you haven't seen him in a while. It's my sweet husband, Adam. He's been working really hard lately with working out (he's found a new love of running) and eating right. He's lost 54 lbs. since we got married back in 2006.

I chose to post this particular picture because the boy scout shirt he's wearing is the SAME one he had when HE was in Scouts!!! Oh how I wish I fit into something I wore back when I was a teenager!!! I think he looks so cute in it. He went camping with the Scouts in our ward this weekend - where this picture was taken - and had a great time (if you consider listening to 12 year old boys chitter chatter and goof off all night and sleeping on lumpy ground a great time).

So proud of my guy!! Love you, babe. Keep up the good work!!

Buttermilk

2009-09-21T15:55:00.001-07:00

Ever had to buy a big ol' jug of buttermilk for a recipe and then never have a need to use the rest of it? Maybe you haven't, but I swear it happens to me every time I need buttermilk. I can't ever find it in a small container and I have very few recipes that call for buttermilk. I happen to have some hanging out in my fridge for another recipe I made last week.

Well, I've come across a recipe from Cooking Light that has solved my problem. Here's the recipe - it makes one quick loaf of delicious bread! Crusty on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. Make it. You'll thank me for not only putting that buttermilk to good use, but also having a fresh, quick, homemade loaf of bread smelling up your kitchen all yummy-like.

It's so easy. It's so good.

Buttermilk Quick Bread
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
Ingredients
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Spread batter into an 8 x 4–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 137 (0.0% from fat)
Fat: 4.6g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 4.1g
Carbohydrate: 19.7g
Fiber: 0.6g
Cholesterol: 12mg
Iron: 1mg
Sodium: 266mg
Calcium: 48mg

Jean Patterson, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2009

Scrapbook Convention

2009-09-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to today for about a week now...I went to a local scrapbook convention because I scored some free tickets off of Craigslist. Well, sadly the show itself was a bit disappointing. I'm glad I didn't actually pay for the tickets, but I'll admit it was fun to get out and meet up with an old girlfriend of mine who now lives in Phoenix (who I first met in my Atlanta Singles Ward).

It was nothing like the Creating Keepsakes convention (which I LOVE), but they did have a vendor fair and that is what I mainly went for anyway. I only walked away with a handful of things and spent less than $10 total. Can you believe that? I told my friend Shannon that I'm like a 14 year old girl stuck in a 30 year-old's body because I love all things pink and sparkly - notice all the pink in the picture. Here's what I ended up with:

I did one little make-and-take (the red/white Christmas card) and the rest I bought. The little rolled yards of ribbon were 10/$1 and you can never have too much ribbon. The grab-bags were misc. glittered letters and one was packed full of flowers as well; those were $2 each. I think I'm most excited about the glue adhesive I bought. It's called Beacon's 3-In-1 Advanced Craft Glue. It was only $3.50 and the lady totally sold me on it. I hope it's as good as she claims it is. Has anyone ever tried it? I'm always looking for good adhesive. I only bought one piece of paper. I really wanted to get some Basic Grey paper (my absolute favorite line of paper), but only one booth was selling it - they only had Halloween & Christmas designs - and I was really looking for paper for every day projects.

Even though it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, at least I got out kid-free this morning and had fun looking around! (And if it were any bigger, I probably would have spent more money, so it's probably a GOOD thing it wasn't all that...haha!).

Speaking of Scrapbooking, did you know that October 3, 2009 is World Card Making Day? Did you even know there was such a thing? I'm excited and better get to thinking what kind of card I want to make! I encourage all of you to do the same...get creative and make a card for someone! To me, there is nothing better than making and sending a card to someone to brighten their day. And stay tuned, because in honor of this fun day I think I'm going to do a giveaway that has something to do with cards when the date gets a little closer!

Footies

2009-09-18T20:07:00.001-07:00

Nothing is cuter than a kid in footie pajammies.

Makes me think of Wintertime! (Too bad it's still H-O-T here! Next week a few days have a high of 106. Sick!).

Cafe {homemade} Rio

2009-09-15T21:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday on Facebook, I commented that we were having the missionaries over for dinner and that I was excited because we were having homemade Cafe Rio. (For my friends who have never heard of it...Cafe Rio is a yummy Mexican restaurant that was first in Utah and has since branched out to AZ and I've heard it's on it's way to CA as well). Anyway, after I posted that, a few of my friends asked for the recipes, so I thought I'd just post them here. And for the record, I found these somewhere on the Internet, but for the life of me can not find them now (which is a real bummer because it means I have to type them all out instead of copy and pasting. But for you, my friends, I'll do it).

Here goes...

Lime-Cilantro Rice

2 Tbsp. Oil
4 C. long grain rice (6 C. water)
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Pork Roast
1 (16 oz.) bottle of salsa
1 can of Coke
2 C. brown sugar

Place pork in crock-pot and fill it half way up with water. Cook roast on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together ingredients (salsa, coke, brown sugar) and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. mayo or sour cream
2-3 tomatillos (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
Salt & Pepper

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

Serving Suggestions

You can either assemble burrito style or salad-style. For salad-style, lightly toast a buttered tortilla with a sprinkle of cheese to get the tortilla a bit of a crunchy texture. Place tortilla on a plate or in a large salad bowl. Then put rice, pork, chopped lettuce and the dressing. Finally, garnish your salad with shredded cheese, tomatoes, sliced avocados or whatever else you may want.

My suggestions: The dressing was a bit runny when I made it. I used the sour cream, not the mayo. Next time I make it, I may try adding less buttermilk, perhaps? If anyone has any ideas on how to make the dressing a bit thicker, please let me know. And as far as the pork is concerned, the pork roast I used was kind of small, but it did not take nearly the time this recipe calls for. I cooked mine on low the entire time and it was perfect after 4 hours or so. I guess it depends on how big your roast is.

Little Monkey

2009-09-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

So much for putting things on a higher shelf so that Rocklin can't get to them.

This little monkey climbs on EVERYTHING these days!!

Yes, please

2009-09-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've been telling Adam for a while now that {someday} when we get a house, I will need a craft/sewing room.

Notice I said need, not want.

Anyway, I found what I want. Everything in this room is perfect. Wouldn't you agree? So babe, if you're reading this, now you know. Pink walls and everything.

This particular craft room happens to belong to THIS lucky lady.

Just Do It

2009-09-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last night we bought Rocklin his very first pair of Nike's. He looks like such a big boy these days. Here are a few pics of the new kicks...mostly so his Grandparents can see how BIG he's getting!

And yes, this is a picture of him putting my ipod ear buds up his nose. He's recently graduated from putting everything in his mouth, to trying to shove things up his nose and/or ears.

And this one was just cute. Watching a little Sesame Street in Mom & Dad's bed.

Cheap Frame Re-do

2009-09-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

I have had this itch to spray paint lately. I think it's because a) I've never bought anything at a hardware store for myself b)never spray painted before and c)I've seen some super cute things on blogs here and there that have been brought back to life via a little spray paint. (i.e. THIS). I've been to local thrift stores on the hunt for a yummy frame, but haven't really found anything that suits my fancy. I was at the 99 cent store the other day and came upon this little gem:

And was thinking - YES, something I can spray paint! (And if I messed it all up, I was only out 99 cents...the best part).

So off to the hardware store I went and picked up a can of Cherry Red spray paint. And here's the result...and I kind of like it!

Now, I'm not really a dried-flower-kinda-girl, but I've had this rose I've been saving from the very first bouquet of roses Adam sent me at work when we first started dating (Cheesy, I know). I thought it may be cute framed or something one of these days. I'm not sure if I like this really, but I love the way the red turned out on the frame so for now, this will do.

I mostly liked the edging on this little cheapy frame...looks kind of fancy in all it's 99 cent glory.

And her she sits, adding some much needed color to the bookshelf.

Next up...find a much bigger frame. I want to spray paint another one (it's kind of addicting) and make a calendar (wouldn't it be cute on the calendar I found below on etsy?) or a fabric-covered bulletin board. If (I mean when) I come across a bigger frame, I'll be sure to post my before and afters here. Hopefully it will turn out just as cute as this little red one did!

Books

2009-09-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

I love to read. At night before bed, I read while Adam watches T.V. I've been needing a good book for a while now, so I hit up the library yesterday. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. She writes fiction novels about relationships, family, love, etc. Her books always tug at my heartstrings, and I was lucky enough to find her latest release at the library yesterday! I highly recommend her books. Anyway, has anyone read her latest? "Handle With Care." I only have seven days to read it since it's a new release I guess they want it back ASAP...which means I have a lot of reading to do this week!

The other book I checked out is called "These is My Words". (And how sad is it that I can't remember if the title of a book is supposed to be underlined, in quotations or italicized. Also, does the period go before the end quote or after? I think I need to go back to school!!). Anyway, has anyone read this book? It came highly recommend by my sister-in-law Katie and I've read some good reviews online. I'm anxious to read this one as well, but it will have to wait until after "Handle With Care." (Again with the quotes and punctuation!!).

Maybe I'll do a review post once I've finished with both books to let you know what I think of them. Meanwhile, if you have any good book suggestions (preferably ones that I can check out at the library) please leave a comment and let me know! I'm always looking for a good book to read. (And thanks to Jenn for your recent recommendations as well).

Calendar

2009-08-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

I love cruising Etsy, however, I've never bought anything off of there. Have you? Tonight I think I found my first purchase. Around here, we live by our white board calendar, but it's just a cheap-o one I bought from Wal-Mart. Isn't this one cute? I love that it's personalized and it's made of glass with vinyl lettering so it is almost more of a cute wall-hanging rather than just a boring calendar. It doesn't come with a frame, however, so I need to be on the hunt for a cool frame. Good thing I'm hitting up thrift stores tomorrow! Hope I can find something good.

I found it HERE.

Still here.

2009-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've been here, but haven't had a darn thing to blog about! I've had to get creative with our time at home without the car. Which means - baking. A lot of baking. Anyone else bake when they are bored? And some birthday card-making as well. August is FULL of birthdays in my family and Adam's family! (Although, we did have the car twice last week and you know I was stoked. In one day, Rocklin and I managed to squeeze in Ikea, Joann's, Michaels, Target, and Office Max. I figured I had to get it out of my system while I could!).

Oh yeah, and our computer died. Sad day. Dead computer = lots of lost information. The old laptop is at the laptop Dr. as we speak, so maybe some things can be salvaged off the hard drive, but if not, I've already come to terms with losing stuff. Which is another reason I haven't blogged lately. No computer! I do (luckily for my sanity) have a laptop I'm borrowing temporarily until ours either gets fixed or we get a new one. If we do end up getting a new one, I'd really like one of those super cute pink DELL ones. I wonder how Adam would feel as the proud co-owner of a pink laptop?

That's about it, folks. Just some random thoughts (and a couple of pictures below) for this post. Maybe I'll have something exciting to post soon. Maybe (and) hopefully.

Rocklin enjoying being the benefactor of some of my baking boredom creations.

Some YUMMY cupcakes I made for Rocklin's cousin's baptism.

Black Bean Brownies

2009-08-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

I know you're probably thoroughly disgusted by the title of this post, but read on...trust me.

First of all, let me say thank you to Adam's cousin's wife for posting this on her blog. I stole the idea because I was curious to see if this actually worked. Good news - it did! (Thanks, Casey!).

It's no secret that I love to bake. It doesn't help that I'm home all day now - I've been fighting the urge to make cakes and cookies and brownies of all sorts for a while now. It's almost the act of baking (and licking the spoon) that I love more than the finished product itself.

I am so my Mother's daughter.

Anyway, I've tried different versions of "low-fat" brownies in the past (you know, adding applesauce instead of oil, etc.), and I never have been happy with A) the texture and B) the overall taste. I was excited to try these simple brownies, even though the idea of adding black beans to my brownie mix kind of grossed me out at first. But I have to report, they turned out delicious and were quite moist and fudgey-like! I dare you to try them...and let me know if you do! Seriously, low in fat, high in fiber and protein and only 2 ingredients...AWESOME!

Here's the recipe:

1 box of brownie mix (family size 13x9)

1 can of black beans

Rinse and drain beans. Place beans back in can and fill with water. Place water/beans in blender until smooth. Add to brownie mix. (You will NOT add the other ingredients - eggs, oil, etc.). Mix together and pour into baking dish. Bake the brownies according to the regular baking directions on back of the box.

Here's a picture of the finished product...just so you can get an idea of the texture.

Now all I need is some low-fat frozen yogurt and I'm set! Enjoy!

Boredom

2009-08-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

We are now a one-car family (for the time being). Adam's Mazda finally decided it had had enough a couple weeks back. Sad news for us is, it's going to cost more to fix it then it's even worth. Sooo.....that means we have one car for now. Truthfully, it hasn't been that bad, but I do get bored. I guess I took the freedom of a car at my disposal for granted. Now that Rocklin and I get to hang out all day in the house, I'm having to get creative with ways of keeping both him and I busy! I do still have my job (I'm a Recruiter for GameRecruiter.com and I work from my home) and thankfully that keeps me busy most of the time. But every now and then I need a creative outlet. With all the crazy good going back to school sales recently, I decided to pick up some more blank composition books and make a few more notebooks, like I did a while back. This time, however, I used my Crop-a-dile and punched holes and attached ribbon on the sides of the notebooks to make a ribbon bow closure, and on two of them I attached the cute little mini-sharpies (which I got with a coupon from Office Max for 1 cent each last week!).

Once a week, Adam and I attend Financial Peace University (which I LOVE and recommend to anyone who is interested!!). It's held at a local church, and lucky for us they even offer free baby-sitting. The two girls that watch Rock are sisters, and they are so sweet to volunteer their time to baby-sit. I made these two notebooks for them, each with their respective initial, as a small Thank You! "E" for Emily and "M" for Michelle. (And the picture quality is so poor...I didn't use the flash on most of them because it just left a nasty glare. I need photography lessons!!).

This one with an "R" is a birthday present for our niece Rylee who has a special birthday coming up. She'll be 8 and will be getting baptized in a couple of weeks.

This is just a clipboard I made for myself. I have been looking for something to take to the grocery store with me to keep my list and all my coupons together and I was tired of using boring white envelopes and a scratch pad. I've seen these cute mod-podge clipboards around for a while, and since I already had the mod podge out for the notebooks, I thought I'd give this a try. This one is just a mini clipboard, not the full-sized one. It's perfect for what I need it for. (And not to mention how much I just LOVE the paper I used here. Basic Grey...my all-time favorite line of scrapbook papers. Same paper I used for the notebooks I made above for E & M).

Now if I can just get my sewing machine out of hibernation (the garage) then I can start on that cute ruffle cardigan I wrote about below. Hopefully I'll have pictures of that little project to post soon.

Ruffles

2009-08-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

I've been so in love ruffles for a while now. Not sure what it is, but whenever I see a piece of clothing or shoes or whatever with ruffles on it, I'm immediately drawn to it. I came across these two super cute and semi-easy tutorials online with some cute ruffles!! Thought I'd share in case anyone else out there loves ruffles as much as I do.

This was a boring old t-shirt made into a cute little ruffle cardigan! The best part is, it doesn't even really look that hard to make. You can find the tutorial HERE. (Picture was borrowed from the tutorial website www.craftstylish.com ...if I get around to trying this out myself and it turns out cute, then I'll post a picture of my own).

Now this one I just love, and can't wait to try it out. It's a "ruffle butt onsie" for a little baby girl. How cute is that? Looks so easy to make, and what a cute baby shower gift! I'm going to need a baby girl of my own one of these days so I have a little model for all the cutesy girls things I keep finding! I found the tutorial HERE on U Create. (I love that site, btw. Everyday I find something new on there that I want to make myself!!).

Another reason I love summer!

2009-07-30T13:30:00.001-07:00

One of the things I LOVE about summertime are all the fresh berries! I found this awesome Farmers Market here that had fresh strawberries last week at 3 (1 lb. clam shells) for $1!! I bought a bunch and froze them. I've been making tons of smoothies lately, and Rocklin loves them, too.

=

And
(a happy little boy with smoothie all over his mouth)
And see the kitchen whisk in his hand? This kid loves anything kitchen. He loves playing with toy kitchens at his friends house, and every time I am in the kitchen cooking he wants to be all apart of the action. Is it wrong to buy a little boy a toy kitchen? I do see some of THESE and THESE in his near future, however.

Thanks, G & G!

2009-07-23T13:59:00.001-07:00

This post is especially for Rocklin's Grammy & Gramps who recently went to Disney World in FL and bought him a fun surprise while he was there! Thanks G&G!! And although he looks rather serious in these pictures, he was so excited opening his present and LOVES his new Cars!!

Weekend California Trip

2009-07-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

We are back from our mini weekend vacation to California. We had a wonderful time and are so glad we had the chance to visit with Adam's grandpa Denny who is in the hospital. We also got to take Rocklin to the beach for the first time...and he LOVED It! Of course, within the first 5 seconds we were there he fell in the wet sand on his dash to get to the water and got sand in his eyes, ears, etc. Trying to get all the sand off him when we were ready to go home was a bit of a nightmare, but Linda (my MIL) told me that baby powder is a great trick to get the sand to slide right off, so next time we will not be forgetting the baby powder! Anyway, we took tons of pictures and I couldn't decide which ones to put up, so I just posted a ton. Enjoy!

Adam & Rock with Grandma Connie

Adam & Rock with Grandpa Denny

Sand ALL over this boy! He loved it!

I love this picture because it shows what Adam did about 75% of the time we were at the beach - chasing Rocklin and stopping him from going all the way in to the water! Rocklin has NO fear.

Adam trying not to get dirty...ha ha ha, yeah right!

I love this picture.

Check out Rocklin's face...he was in heaven!

The end...

to a perfect weekend.

See ya!

2009-07-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

We're off to CA for the weekend. Going to see Adam's parents, grandparents and ...

the beach.

Real Simple

2009-07-16T11:27:00.001-07:00

I'm a magazine/book junkie. Here's proof...take a look at my nightstand in its current state (and yes, I do read all those books and magazines. And if you're wondering if this pile bothers Adam, why yes, yes it does. But I read them all, I do! I like having options.):

I've been lucky enough to score free deals on magazine subscriptions, and a few others I have paid for. Well today I ran across a great deal I found on Brad's Deals that I took advantage of and thought I'd share it with all of you in case anyone else out there is a magazine/book junkie like me. Right now on Amazon.com, they have a one year subscription to the magazine Real Simple for only $5 for a year! Score.

A shout out

2009-07-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

For anyone who knows my parents, you know what incredible, hard-working people they are. Recently they took on a HUGE project of remodeling their kitchen. Now they've been talking about remodeling this kitchen ever since I can remember. Well, they finally decided one day just to do it! When I went home to GA a few weeks back, I could not believe the transformation!! My Dad/Mom and their friend Rick did this all by themselves. Everything from the cabinets to the flooring, etc. Take a look at the before and after pictures below. It was amazing how much bigger their house seems now, and they didn't even add any square footage...just changed the layout and design. GREAT job Mom and Dad; I'm so proud of you both!!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

"Ut-Oh"

2009-07-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today while I was busy working away at the computer, I realized that I hadn't heard anything out of Rocklin for just a little too long so I went back to his room to see what he was up to. This kid has an unusual fascination with wipes. He had pulled out almost all of the wipes and when I said Rocklin, what are you doing? He kept saying "ut-oh, ut-oh" because he knew he was in trouble. Even though I was a little mad, it was still funny just to see him sitting there saying it over and over. I guess I'd rather it be wipes than crayons or markers (although I am sure that will happen one of these days)!

Random Updates

2009-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while. It seems like it's so much easier to just jump on Facebook these days and get an update on everyone, and that means I've been neglecting my blog! Rocklin and I are back from Georgia. We had a FUN time there, but were glad to get back here to Adam.

Last Friday night we took Rocklin to the Phoenix Children's Museum downtown. We rode the new Metro train for the first time with Katie (Adam's sister) and her family down there. The museum is free every first Friday night in the Summer. It was really, really crowded, but we had a lot of fun.

Rocklin's favorite thing at the Museum was an air vent that was censored when you walk over it. He kept running back to it so the air would blow thru his hair.

Rocklin had noodles the other night and I think he really liked the freedom of feeding himself...hence the BIG mess.

We had a FUN July 4th - we celebrated at Katie's house (and sadly I didn't get ANY pictures). We went swimming, had a yummy BBQ and played games. We were having so much fun at her house that we didn't end up leaving to go watch fireworks, but we caught a couple in the car on the way home.

I've always wanted to make the American Flag dessert for July 4th, so this year I did it. It turned out SO yummy! I've posted the recipe below the picture...it's so easy and so delicious. It basically was like a fruit pizza in the shape of an American Flag.

American Flag Tart

Serves 12 (although I doubled it)

1 Pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. milk

1 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and then press the cookie dough into a rectangular shape that is about 1/8th inch thick Press your thumbs into the edges to create a scalloped border. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

While the crust is cooling, mix the cream cheese, butter, 2 Tbsp. milk, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl; beat until fluffy. Add more milk if necessary until spreading consistency is reached. Spread over the cooled cookie, leaving the scalloped border exposed.

Arrange the fruit in an American Flag design. Cut into squares and serve. Serves 12.

Meanwhile, on June 10th, Adam and I shared our 3rd wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything too spectacular to celebrate, but we did get to go to the Diamondbacks game (without Rocklin), which was a fun treat. They played the Angels, Adam's favorite team.

First time for everything

2009-06-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight Rocklin had a couple of firsts...a Popsicle that I let him eat all by himself and running free in the backyard and eating dirt without me stopping him. My Mom insisted that I let him be a little boy and just get dirty, so I just let him at it. We don't have a backyard at our place in Arizona, or big green trees for that matter, so Rocklin was in his glory. And, as you can tell from the pictures, he LOVED the Popsicle!

Pictures

2009-06-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

In case you've been wondering where I've gone...just take a look at the pictures below. My little brother Adam got married on June 5th in the Mesa, AZ temple. I had family and friends in town for a week (so fun) and then I flew with Rocklin to GA for 9 days (thanks Mom & Dad!!) and we are here until Friday. It's been so fun, but we miss Adam terribly! He had to stay behind in AZ to work. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

The Bride and Groom - Adam and Amanda, and her parents and my parents.

The Twins - Aaron & Adam Melissa (Daniel's girlfriend), Me, Megan (Aaron's wife) and Sarah (Justin's wife)

My brothers and I - Kevin, Me, Adam, Justin, Daniel and Aaron

Rocklin and Daddy

Rocklin

It's so hard for me to get a picture of Rocklin actually looking at the camera. Here he is dancing at the reception and having a great time!

Mom, Kevin & Dad Mom, Amanda, Adam and Dad

Dad & Mom

Mom & Adam

Megan & Aaron

Adam & I

Sarah & Justin

The whole family in front of the Mesa Temple

The cupcake tower my Mom, Sarah and I made - so cute!! (And about 99% of the credit goes to Mom and Sarah).

Brynna worn out from the day!

Amanda

This is from a Diamondbacks game from before the wedding, but I just thought I'd upload it since it's a cute picture. :)

Adam B. representing

All the cousins with Adam & Amanda

Maryn & Adam being silly

Me + Hiking = NOT a match made in heaven

2009-05-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

If you know me even the slightest, you know that I'm not the rugged type. I'd rather doing marathon shopping rather than run a marathon. I'd rather hike through the outlet mall rather than hike up a mountain. But today we wanted to get out and do something "active." We opted for hiking South Mountain with some of Adam's side of the family. Bless their hearts, they would get to the top and then wait for me because I was "that girl" that had to stop and sit and experience near-death like conditions before getting up and attempting to hike the next 20 feet before breaking again. Seriously, I was so proud that I didn't die. And yes, even my little 6, 7 and 8 year old nieces and nephews were making it to the top before me.

I am sure some of you may disagree with me, but this is just not pretty scenery to me. Maybe I live in the wrong state, because I just can't get excited about the "desert terrain" where I live. I think I'm just missing my GA trees today. I'm sure that going hiking when I'm a) super out of shape and b) hotter than h-e-double-hockey-sticks outside, probably doesn't help.

Well, while I don't think it's "pretty" I did think this picture of this cactus I took turned out pretty cool looking. (This picture was taken at the end of the hike when I felt pretty sure I was no longer going to die at this point).

I know, my face looks like a tomato, and yes, I know I'm looking soooo rough, but this is my "proof I made it to the top" picture.

Here's some of the crew just chillin at the top.
Adam and Rocklin taking a break.
Tyler and Luke eating some gummy worms for energy. :)

Rocklin was a trooper (and so was Adam for carrying him!!). Rocklin whined a little (he must get that from his Mom), but overall I think he liked it.

Are we such the outdoorsy-looking family? Sike.

To say the least, I don't think backpacking is in the near future for the Birkmeyer family, but I'm happy to report we did something out of the norm for us (well, for me) today.

Weekend Update

2009-05-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were supposed to go camping, but Mother Nature had other plans with all the rain. Instead, we just hung out here with Adam's family. We had a great time! His parents and sister and her daughter were in town from California for Kameron's (Adam's nephew) graduation from high school. I didn't happen to take any pictures from the graduation party, but I did get a few when we all went bowling on Saturday. We had a great time!

Rocklin (in desperate need of a haircut) sneaking in to go find Daddy

Adam and his Dad, Ron
Rocklin and his Grandpa Ron (Don't be fooled by the look on Rocklin's face in this picture...he really loves hanging out with Grandpa Ron!)

Adam giving Alexis a few of his bowling tips (for those of you who don't know, Adam has been on a bowling league for the past couple of years and he really enjoys it!).

Rocklin and a few of his cousins (Alexis, Abby and Kate)

Tomorrow we're going on a hike with some of Rocklin's other cousins. I'll try to remember to snap some photos along the way so I can do another post tomorrow. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Memorial Day!

He takes after his Daddy...

2009-05-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

If you know Adam, or you've been reading my blog for a while now, then you know that my darling sweet husband is a CLEAN fanatic. He's always cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, etc. I can't complain...most girls would die for this out of their husband! Anyway, I think Rocklin is following in his daddy's footsteps because lately he LOVES the broom! Whenever I'm doing laundry, he sneaks the broom out of the laundry room when I'm not looking and runs to the kitchen with it. Hopefully he'll keep this cleaning streak when it comes time for him to learn to do household chores!

Elmo!

2009-05-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Rocklin and I were having one of those mornings where I knew that both he AND I needed to get out of the house. We decided to go to Target and see if they had anything that we couldn't live without. Sure enough, they did (as usual)! Rocklin LOVES Elmo these days. When Sesame Street comes on and he hears the Elmo music, he always gets the biggest smile on his face and jumps up and down like he's dancing. When we saw this little Elmo backpack, I just had to get it for him. It's just his size and he loves it! He's been wearing it around the house since we got home.

Weekend Update

2009-05-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!! Since I am unable to be with my Mom today, I wanted to wish her a Happy Mother's Day and tell her how much I love her! Looking forward to spending time with you, Mom, and the rest of the family in just a few short weeks!

Adam's parents were in town this weekend to celebrate Adam's little sister, Kacie, as she graduated from Northern Arizona University this weekend with her Bachelor's. We spent all day yesterday with his family at the graduation and a swim party/BBQ celebration. Then today, we headed over to Adam's sisters house to have a Mother's Day lunch.

Linda, Adam and Rocklin

Kacie, Adam and Rocklin
Kacie
Luke celebrating with Kacie

The trees up in Flagstaff were so beautiful and in full bloom.
Sorry I didn't get more pictures of the weekend...but we had a great time celebrating with the entire Birkmeyer family!! And Kacie, we're VERY proud of you!!

Still here...

2009-05-07T14:42:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. I've been THE most boring blogger lately. I've had nothing new and exciting to share! We've been up to the same old, same old around here and I haven't even taken any cute pictures of Rocklin to share. However, this weekend will be lots of fun with Adam's entire family in town and his little sister graduating from the University of Northern Arizona. We're all headed up to Flagstaff for that, so I'll be sure to take my camera. Then, of course, Mother's Day, and then the month of June will be busy, busy! My little brother Adam is getting married to Amanda on June 5th here in Arizona, and my entire family will be in town for that, and then Rocklin and I are headed to Georgia for 9 days. So with all that being said, let's hope I can get some semi-exciting posts up on the blog soon!

Meanwhile, so at least this post has a picture, I'll share a family cookbook I made for Amanda for her bridal shower that I went to last night. It was a lot of fun, and it's been great getting to know her a little better. I think her and Adam are going to be very happy together! :)

Baby Boy Quilt

2009-04-25T12:30:00.001-07:00

Today I wish I was in Texas. My best friend (since about the 7th grade) is having her baby shower for her first baby - A Boy named Owen. I'm so excited for her and wish I could be there to help celebrate!! I made a quilt for her baby and I thought I'd share it with my bloggy friends. Even though I royally screwed up on the pattern (NO idea how I managed that) I still think it turned out cute. Hillary - I hope you like it and hope you had a GREAT time at your shower today!! I can't wait to meet Mr. Owen.

Need a Good Laugh Today?

2009-04-22T11:28:00.001-07:00

Me too. I found THIS awesome blog while doing a little blog-stalking this morning. Enjoy.

Cheap Chicks

2009-04-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

My Sister-in-Law, Sarah, has started a new blog dedicated to saving money and finding good deals. As most of you know, this is right up my alley! Who doesn't love a good deal? I wanted to share her new blog with all of you and let you know I'll be contributing good deals over on her site as well. Check it out! http://bargainlovincheapchicks.blogspot.com/

Me and My Boy

2009-04-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my Aunt Wendie was in town for a scrapbook convention. Rocklin and I met up with her to hang out for a bit and say hello. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures of us with Wendie, but she did snap this one and Rocklin looked so darn cute in it that I had to share. Thanks, Wendie. We loved visiting with you!

Help!

2009-04-20T16:01:00.001-07:00

So I found this cute new header I decided to use on my blog. Problem is, I can't seem to figure out how to put my blog name & description in the cute little white picture frame within the header. I know someone out there has to know and would be willing to help me. :) I've seen a million people customize their headers, but I can't seem to figure it out. Any words of wisdom? (Oh, and thanks for reminding me, Val, here's where I got this cute header and background from: http://www.shabbyblogs.com/).

Too Cute!

2009-04-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make a diaper cake for some time now, but just haven't taken the time to do it. Tomorrow I'm headed to a baby shower for a friend of mine who is having a baby boy, so I thought I'd finally make one. I think it turned out so cute!! It was really easy to make and I think this might be the first of many diaper cakes I make.

Here it is "naked" before I added all the goodies. I actually kind of like it like this. (And next time I think I may just just plain white diapers - these diapers happen to have a print on them).

And here it is all finished.

Here is the backside. I attached some burp cloths that I made. I wasn't sure how to attach them, so I just tied them on the back.

I hope she likes it!!