Nice Family Visit and Christmas at the Mission Inn

 

We had a great visit with Nic's grandma, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Jim this weekend. We don't get to see them very often because Nic's grandma lives in Oklahoma and his aunt and uncle came in all the way from Florida. They got to meet Max for the first time. We spent most of our time just hanging out and playing 90's Trivial Pursuit.
On Saturday night we went to look at the Christmas lights at the Mission Inn. They are gorgeous and it really put me in the Christmas spirit!

Rolling Over!

This weekend Max rolled over. I'm so glad I have a video and witnesses because he hasn't done it since.

I guess he was just showing off for our visitors. We had Nic's grandma, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Jim in town.

Grandpa

My wonderful grandpa passed away this Friday. He's been very sick for a couple of years now, so it doesn't come as a surprise, but he will be missed. He was the kind of grandpa that you couldn't wait to go visit as a kid because he would make you feel so special and loved. He knew how to bring the family together. It was obvious that he treasured his family, and he was a great example to me. I'm so glad to know that our families are eternal.

Three Months Old!

So, this is also a bit late, but my baby is now three months old. He is such a dream baby. He is so sweet, and I feel like his personality is coming out more and more every day.

At three months, he can reach out for, bat at, and grasp toys. He can also do a baby push-up.

My Birthday-- Way Late!

So, we've been having so much fun lately that I can't believe I haven't sat down to blog about it yet. For my birthday a few weeks ago, my father-in-law threw me a fabulous 25th birthday party in Laguna Beach. He invited my whole family to come stay at his adorable inn , The Tides, for the whole weekend! On Friday, he planned a lovely day of relaxation for me complete with a haircut, facial, and massage. Then, on Saturday, my family and I enjoyed a beautiful day in Dana Point. We played croquet in the park, soaked in the beautiful scenery, and then ended the day by having a fabulous dinner party. It was really a great weekend, and it was so sweet and generous of my father-in-law to plan it all!

My actual birthday was in the middle of the week, and Nic and I went to have Thai food. Then, instead of cake we went to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Nic put his engineering skills to work, and fit all 25 of my candles in a peanut butter cup. It was so funny!

I feel like 25 seems so old! Of course, getting older is better than the alternative, and life just seems to get better all the time.

Thankful Thursday

Hmmm...I apparently ran out of blog steam for a little bit there, but I'm back and I'm thankful for:

1) Time
Yesterday I felt like I had no time to do anything. My baby wanted to be held all day. I think he's been going through a growth spurt (I've heard they do that around 3 months) because he didn't sleep through the night this week, and he wanted to eat all the time. Then, Nic had to go to a dinner thing for work and didn't get home until 9pm...that's a long day by yourself with a baby!
Today is a horse of a different color. My baby slept through the night. So I'm thankful for the time to sleep. He also was more like his normal, relaxed self which gave me time to clean up a bit. And, Nic will be home soon, so I'll have plenty of time to spend with him, and some time to myself. Ahhh...it feels good!

2) That the Primary Program went smoothly this year.
I mean, it really couldn't be worse than last year, but I thought it turned out really cute. Also, I was released as Primary President on the same day, which is kind of sad, but also a bit of a relief. It was slightly crazy with three out of four people in the Primary Presidency having new babies. My sister says that the Primary Program was my swan song.

3) Warm Weather
I love Fall. I really do, but I especially love warm fall days in California! I'm especially glad that it seems to be warming up because we're headed to Laguna Beach for the weekend to celebrate my birthday!

Thankful Thursday

1) Pumpkins
What a cool vegetable...Although I just learned that according to the true definition, pumpkin is a fruit. You learn something new every day!
Anyway, pumpkins are a lovely color. They are easy fall decor. Pumpkins are tasty in both sweet and savory foods. They are very healthy...and you can carve them.

Personally, I love the classic Jack O' Lantern. I am a woman of simple tastes.

2)Thursdays.
I've always had a fondness for Thursdays. I'm not sure if it is because they are an indicator that it is almost the weekend or if it is because as long as I can remember the best TV shows have been aired on Thursdays, but Thursdays are something special! If you ask me, Thursdays are the best day of the week.
Just an odd note-- Do not do a photobucket search for Thursday. You end up getting a lot of indecent stuff. That was quite a surprise to me!


3) I am thankful for a husband that tries really hard to help me think of a third item for Thankful Thursday, and who knows me well enough to list a whole bunch of things that I've already used for Thankful Thursday. Also, he's so handsome. I'm thankful for that, too. :)

Week in Review

On Friday, we were invited out to dinner by Nic's boss, which meant Nic's dad got to watch Max. It was his first time away from his parents for more than a quick shopping trip or something. We ate at the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach, which is right on the water. It was so gorgeous. The restaurant is all open, so you get to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean. The food was good. The people from Nic's work were nice and very good company, but the dinner lasted 4 hours. I was totally ready to get back to my baby by the end of dinner, especially because I was only expecting to be gone a couple of hours. Luckily, it seems that Max and Nic's dad had a very fun time.
On Saturday, we took Max to the pumpkin patch to get his picture taken in his Halloween costume and to pick out a pumpkin. I don't have a scanner to put the picture up, but Max was totally adorable as a little bumble bee. The picture came out so cute. Thanks, Rachel!
I love our pumpkin, too. I can't wait to carve it tomorrow!
Sunday was our first practice for the Primary Program, which, of course, was a little bit crazy. We had 4 new kids that moved into the ward after we wrote the program, so I had to try to find parts and places for them to sit. I'm not too worried though because no matter what happens people enjoy just watching the kids. Plus, there's no way it can be as eventful as our program last year when our bishop passed out at the pulpit and one of our kids threw up. :)
I almost forgot my most exciting news....My baby slept through the night last night!!! 6 solid hours of sleep. Well, I didn't really sleep that well because it made me so nervous when he wasn't crying during the night that I had to go check on him a bunch of times to make sure he was still breathing. But, not only did he sleep 6 straight hours, he got up and ate this morning then went back to sleep for 2 more hours. I don't want to get my hopes up that this will happen every night, but how awesome would that be?

Woah! Tagged Twice in One Day

Okay, here are my 8 things.

8 TV shows I enjoy watching when I have time and would like to chill:

1. The Office
2. Chuck
3. Heros
4. Gilmore Girls Reruns
5. Project Runway
6. The Closer
7. The Daily Show
8. The Colbert Report


8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Finally went to sleep around 2am . My boy is a night owl.
2. Woke up.
3. Went back to sleep.
4. Woke up for good at 8 am.
5. Ran some errands.
6. Hung around with my baby.
7. Nic came home.
8. Went to the dentist to have a stupid cavity filled.


8 Things I am looking forward to:

1. The weekend! I love spending time with my sweetie.
2. Having every single project on my house complete.
3. Voting
4. Thanksgiving
5. Christmas
6. Dressing my little guy in his Halloween costume.
7. When the Primary Program is over.
8. Our next vacation.


8 Things I love about Fall:

1. Pie
2. Imagining the pretty fall foliage in other parts of the country.
3. Thanksgiving
4. My Birthday
5. The cinnamon smell in the grocery store.
6. Sweaters
7. Perfect weather
8. Pumpkin goodies

8 Things on my wish list:

1. A housekeeper
2. A baker's rack
3. A little table for my kitchen
4. A massage
5. Wow! This one is hard....
6. Stabilization of the financial markets
7. An Obama presidency
8. Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 people I am tagging:

If my sister can break the rules, so can I. We're "Mavericks" but not in the McCain/Palin way. :)
I will tag just Trisha because I already tagged everyone else I know with the last survey.

Tagged!

My friend Trish tagged me.
So, here are the rules. I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and nominate 10 other blogs for the "I heart your blog" award.

1. Where is your cell phone? Nearby
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? Wonderful
5. Your father? Wise
6. Your favorite thing? home
7. Your dream last night? bad
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? bugs
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? beach
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? strong-willed
15. One of your wish-list items? housekeeper
16. Where you grew up? California
17. The last thing you did? lunch
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? sufficent
20. Your pet? insane
21. Your computer? dying
22. Your mood? exhausted
23. Missing someone? yep.
24. Your car? dirty
25. Something you're not wearing? rings
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? eventful
28. Love someone? ardently
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? forgotten

Using just one word was a lot harder than I thought! I tag Sharla, Lacey, Monica, Rachel, Alison, Corrine, Melissa, Amanda, Laura, and Laurie.

Two Months Old!

I can't believe that my baby is two months old already. He is seriously going to be a grown man before I know it. :)
At two months Max can gurgle and coo, smile, and grasp and hold on to things that are put in his hand. He can even roll from his back to his side and then back to his back again, but I've only seen him do it a few times (and that was all in one sitting).
Last weekend was really fun. On Friday, we went out to dinner with Nic's dad and Nigel. Nic's dad gets such a kick out of Max. On Sunday, we went to visit my parents. So, Max got to see both sets of grandparents over the weekend. What a lucky guy!
On Saturday, we went down to San Diego. We had such a good time. It was our first big outing other than going around town or to family members' houses. Max was an angel the whole time. There are so many fun things to do in San Diego without spending much money.

We took Max to the beach in Coronado.


Nic insisted that Max couldn't go to the beach without putting his toes in the water (which was freezing!).



It didn't really go that well. :)


As our splurge for the day we had a beautiful lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado, the setting for Marilyn Monroe's Some Like it Hot. The food was fabulous!


Then we headed over to Balboa Park, and lounged around. It is so pretty there!

Book Review: The Twilight Series

So, I'd heard so much about the Twilight series, and I really enjoyed reading it. I think most girls are suckers for romance. I happy for Stephanie Meyer because now she is totally rolling in the dough, and I like to support my Mormon sisters. :)
Though I liked the books, I didn't LOVE them. Sometimes the writing annoyed me because she used the same verbs and descriptive terms too often. Also, I didn't love the character of Edward. He's kind of controlling, but a lot of women like protective men. I don't really. If anything my husband is underprotective. For example, if I have to go to the store late at night, I always have to convince him that someone might kidnap me if he doesn't come along. He is not concerned about that.
Overall, though, I think that any of the things that I didn't like were outweighed by the story. I thought it might be cheesy,but it was very engrossing, and I didn't even mind that it was about teenage vampires. :) It was a fun mix of romance, comedy, and adventure. Stephanie Meyer develops the characters well over the course of the four books. I was always looking forward to my next chance to sit down to read, and I think that's a sign of a good story.

Thankful Thursday

1) Today I am thankful for Pledge Multisurface cleaner. It makes dusting my tables (which have both wood and glass) super easy. It also works on stainless steel and electronics. It's an awesome idea!



2) Airplanes. I get so horribly sick on airplanes, but I am still so thankful that they exist. Can you imagine trying to travel in olden times? I've spent the day dreaming about where we should go on vacation in the spring. I'm trying to think of something baby friendly. I want to rent a little house, so I'm not annoying everyone in a hotel with my crying baby.
Right now I'm thinking:

Hawaii

Or the French Countryside


But, I am always changing my mind about this. There are so many places I want to go!



3) Access to health care. Tomorrow, I'm taking my baby in to see the doctor over a very small thing. I am so fortunate to be able to take him in, when there are people out there that are really sick and can't afford to see a doctor.

Week in Review

Ah! Thank you Columbus

I very much enjoyed my long weekend with my husband. And, I love long weekends because they make for short weeks. AND, this weekend was especially nice because I didn't know that it was Columbus Day, so it was like a surprise long weekend!
It is so heavenly on the weekends. Nic still goes to bed early, but then he gets up early with Max and I get to sleep. That Nic, he's quite a guy.
Unfortunately, none of us were feeling great this weekend. We spent most of it lounging around the house. On Friday night, we rented Baby Mama. I knew I wouldn't like enough to watch it in the theaters, but it was a perfect rental movie. It was pretty funny.
Earlier in the week we got to visit with my parents and my adorable neices and nephew. The girls were proud that they were able to lull Max to sleep with bouncing and singing. We won't spoil their fun by telling them that Max will go to sleep no matter what if he's tired. :)

In other news, Max may be even cuter than last week. It's hard to believe that's possible. ;)

Vote Yes on Prop 8

I took a lot of time carefully considering my vote on Prop 8. As some of you may know, we have loved ones that are gay. On this issue, it is easy to say that we want everyone to be happy and "What does it matter to us if they get married?". But there is more to this issue than relationships between two consenting adults.
Families are the essential building block of healthy societies, and gender plays a vital role in families. Mothers and fathers bring unique and important qualities to family life. I think it is impossible to know the future effects of redefining marriage as a genderless union.
Furthermore, I believe that parents should have the right to discuss homosexuality with children on their own terms. If Proposition 8 fails, homosexual unions will likely be discussed in the classroom as part of the curriculum on sexuality and family life. There will be no parental notification or ability to opt out.
Of course, for me, religious freedoms are also an issue. It is a concern that if Prop 8 doesn't pass that religious institutions or individuals may be targeted as discriminatory if they do not recognize same-sex marriages. For instance, in Boston, after same-sex marriage was legalized, Catholic Charities was told by the government that their adoption agency had to place children with same-sex couples regardless of their beliefs. They ended up shutting down their adoption agency rather than violating their beliefs.
In San Diego, a lesbian sued a doctor at a fertility clinic who refused to perform a requested artificial insemination because of the doctor’s Christian beliefs. Even though another doctor was willing to perform this elective procedure, the court ruled that this was a violation of anti-discrimination laws.
This is an interesting link detailing the clash between anti-discrimination laws and religious freedoms.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91486191

I think it is extremely important to look out for the rights of individuals from minority groups, and it is important to me that same-sex couples have rights. In California, nearly all rights allowed to married couples are also allowed to same-sex couples. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, have access to jobs, housing, and services. These rights will not be take away under Prop 8.

Thankful Thursday

1) So, it may be almost 90 degrees outside and there are no trees with gorgeous leaves, but it's starting to feel like fall. I love seeing pumpkins on people's porches and the strong smell of cinnamon when I walk into the grocery store. I bought Max's Halloween costume today. It is adorable!
Which brings me to my next item:
2) Online Shopping. I think I am the only girl in the world that doesn't really like to shop. I don't really like to spend money of stuff...I'd rather spend money on restaurants, movies, doing fun things. Also, I just get tired and grumpy when I am walking around a mall for hours trying on clothes. With online shopping, you have more options and almost always get a better deal. I got Max's costume for $5! Also, online shopping is getting better all the time. Shipping is getting cheaper, and returns are getting easier. I love it!

3)I am thankful that my sister is on her way home her romantic anniversary trip to Paris. My days have seemed empty without our daily phone chats. I can't wait to hear the story of how she missed her plane home yesterday!

I knew I forgot something...

This weekend I got to go in for a massage, which was heavenly. Even better-- it was only $39 for an hour long massage. There is a new massage place called Massage Envy and your first massage is only $39. Such a good deal!
http://www.massageenvy.com/clinics/CA/Corona-at-Eagle-Glen.aspx

Week in Review

Hmmm...I feel totally brain dead. I can't seem to remember much about this week.

Oh, the most exciting news was that my adorable nephew Connor Daniel was born on Thursday. It is so cute to see my brother as a daddy. It is going to be so fun having two little boys so close in age. Max and Connor are only six weeks apart.

We went up to watch General Conference with my parents, which was great. Afterward, my mom fixed a delicious dinner. How does she make it look so effortless to cook for a big crowd? Then we got to go see the baby. He's a cutie with super chubby cheeks. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.

In not so good news, my dog ripped a baseball sized hole in the middle of my living room carpet. I'm hoping that it can just be patched, but fearing that they'll have to recarpet the whole room. It's a big pain. My poor husband doesn't even like dogs very much. Now he really doesn't like dogs. For now, we have a very strangely placed throw rug.

We did capture some cute pictures of Max's smiles this week, though. Ummm...maybe I'm biased, but isn't my baby the cutest thing you've ever seen? ;)

Thankful Thursday

Wow! I can't believe it is Thursday again. Time sure flies.

1) My baby is almost 6 weeks old, which is the amount of time a lot of people have off for maternity leave. I am SO grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to stay at home. I really love it more than I ever imagined I would. I didn't think I'd love the housewife role (and I still don't like most of that stuff), but I LOVE being a mother. I can't imagine having to go back to work. So, thanks for bringing home the bacon, Nic! :)

2) I am thankful that my dogs are back home, and that they don't hate my baby. Well, Penny is a little bit scared of the baby, but she doesn't hate him. Riley LOVES him. It is so cute. He is very gentle around him and walks over to check on Max when he cries, and then comes and licks me so that I'll go get him.


3) I am so thankful for our freedom and the opportunity we have to vote in this country. I'm going to let you in on a little secret....Are you ready?.... Yes, I'm a democrat. I come from a whole family of Mormon Democrats. I hope we can still be friends. ;)

So, if you haven't registered yet, here is a link with info on how to do it.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm
Hurry! The deadline is Oct. 20th.
So, make sure to vote, even if it's just to cancel out my vote. :)

Book Review: Brideshead Revisited

So, I decided that I'd like to read all 100 novels on Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels List.
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html



I started with Brideshead Revisited mainly because recently a movie version came out, and I'd been interested in seeing the movie. The book starts off slow, and is kind of hard to get into. But once I became more familiar with the characters and the author's style of writing, I started to enjoy it. I like how it is a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy in the 1920s. Our modern culture seems so different, but in many ways it reminded me that people are always the same.

After looking into it a bit, I was suprised to see that Waugh usually wrote comedic novels because this is a sad story about a very dysfunctional family. But looking back, there are definitely funny parts that might hint at what his other books might be like. My favorite is Charles Ryder's (the main character) father, who passively aggressively tries to get Charles to leave during his summer home by inviting tedious dinner guests.

The rest of the book, though, is about love lost and ambivalence about religion. During most of the book, you would swear that the author must hate religion, but apparently he converted to Catholicism late in life. His struggle with faith is one of the most interesting parts of the book. Overall, I'd recommend Brideshead Revisited, but you really have to have some patience to get to the meat of the story.
We'll see how I do with the other 99 novels. I started The Invisible Man, but I think I may just have to come back to that one. It isn't holding my interest right now. I think I may stray from the list and read Twilight, which I've heard so much about.

Week in Review

It has been a really great week. I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing. Monday was his one month birthday. He is looking more and more like Nic every day. I love this picture of Nic and Max watching TV together. Max looks like mini-Nic.

This week Max started to really smile at people. The very first time I was sure he was smiling in response to someone was Thursday. I had my postpartum appointment (early for some odd reason), and the midwife walked in and talked to Max and he gave her the biggest smile. Then later during the appointment he smiled at me. It totally melted my heart!

He's been smiling more and more every day since. It was good practice for charming his visitors that attended his baby blessing on Sunday. My parents, my sister and her family, and my uncle and his grandkids all came out for the blessing. Nic gave a really beautiful blessing, and he didn't even sound nervous.

After sacrament meeting we came back to my house for a little bit of brunch. Somehow, I decided on having breakfast casseroles. I don't know why; I don't think I've ever had a breakfast casserole before. Mom mom and I each made one and they were delicious!

My mom made this one, which is like all of your yummy breakfast foods in one pan. I think my mom added bacon, and you can't go wrong with bacon!

http://www.bbonline.com/recipe/casseroles-breakfast.html

I made this one, which is probably the most unhealthy food you could possibly eat. But it was super delicious. It comes out kind of like a savory french toast.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/sleepin-in-omlette/

Mmmm...

We all had a great time visiting, and the kids had fun playing games. They even had a lively croquet match in the back yard.

The week ended with Nic having the sweetest daddy moment. Max was sitting in his little bouncy seat, and Nic was sticking his tongue out at him. Max thought for a minute and then gave Nic the biggest smile and stuck his tongue out, too. I don't know which was cuter, Max's smile or Nic's reaction. :)

Thankful Thursday

1) I am so thankful that The Office is back on tonight! I love this show.




2) Naps!
I love to sleep, and Max and I took a really killer nap this afternoon. I am feeling so refreshed, so I will totally be able to enjoy #1.


3) Chocolate Chip Cookies.
They may not be helping my waistline, but they sure do contribute to my sense of well being.

With the combination of these three things, it is shaping up to be a terrific day.

Week in Review

The high point of the past week was definitely my talented friend Rachel coming over to take photos of Max. These are just a few of my favorites. The pictures turned out so great! You can see more of her work at http://www.rachelkirkphotography.com/.

We had a fun family date on Friday night. We tried a new restaurant in Corona called Twisted Gourmet. We were standing outside trying to decide if it looked family friendly enough to take Max. We finally decided that we'd give it a try, and when we got in the restaurant there were probably more kids than adults, but it is still a very nice setting. They mostly have pizzas with unusual ingredients. We tried a pizza with dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, and chicken. It was good, but the best thing was dessert! I got a regular chocolate chip cookie, but Nic ordered the peanut butter cookie. When the waitress first brought the cookies to the table, Nic thought he'd been cheated. His cookie was about a third of the size of my cookie, but after his first bite he was convinced that he got the better deal. His was a chocolate cookie filled with yummy peanut butter. I don't know how they do it. It's like a peanut butter cup cookie!

We also got to spend some more time with Nic's grandma this week, which is always a pleasure. She and Nic's dad came out for a visit on Saturday, and on Tuesday they came out to babysit Max while I went to the dentist.

The low point of the week was probably going to the dentist. I have a few cavities. :( So, now I have to go back. That's what I get for putting off going to the dentist!

Book Review: The Hiding Place

This is such amazing and inspiring true story about a woman and her family that were the part of an underground organization in Holland during World War II to help protect the Jews from the Nazi's. She was caught and sent to the concentration camps as a political prisioner. Though this book sounds like it would be quite depressing, Corrie ten Boom focuses so much on all of the good people that helped their cause and all of the small miracles that occured that you walk away feeling completely amazed. This family's faith, endurance, and dedication to helping others is awe inspiring. I definitely recommend this book.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:


1) Libraries
Corona has an awesome library! I'd been just buying books I wanted to read. We have shelves and shelves full of books we are never going to read again!
It is so great to be able to just borrow any book. It is amazing that this is a free service. We take so much for granted.
You know what's even better? The library is only two blocks from my house. The walk is a perfect little outing for Max and I.



2) Food
While, I am thankful for all food, I'm especially thankful for food that I don't have to prepare. I had no idea how great it would be to have meals brought in after Max was born. When you have meals brought in, not only do you not have to prepare the food, you don't have to shop for it either. It was such a life saver! I am so grateful for the wonderful ladies from church, my mom, and Nic's dad for bringing me wonderful meals. They were so much better than anything I ever cook!
I'm lucky enough that even a month later, I'm still getting food prepared by Nic's dad. I am looking forward to a delicious frittata for dinner tonight. YUM!



3) Photobucket.com
I love being able to find images of almost anything and then have the HTML codes all ready to go. It makes blogging so much easier!