Finally! After all my attempts at capturing cuteness on video, I finally got some things entertaining enough to share. I promised myself I wouldn't turn into one of those people who suggests every house-guest watch the ultrasound video or display the thousands of pictures taken and host home-video parties which only contain my family, trying to be cute...
but this really is cute :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
I did it!
Mission whole wheat bread: accomplished.
Jay said it's as good as my mom's (HUGE compliment. trust me) and I catch him snacking on it often. Jay is not a snacker. Big smiles from me :D
Next task, perfect pizza dough.
Jay said it's as good as my mom's (HUGE compliment. trust me) and I catch him snacking on it often. Jay is not a snacker. Big smiles from me :D
Next task, perfect pizza dough.
Friday, January 16, 2009
It's A Mad Gradlib
I love madlibs.
Mostly because I'm a lib...
but anyway, this one's awesome :) To bad I didn't know about it in grad school.
Mostly because I'm a lib...
but anyway, this one's awesome :) To bad I didn't know about it in grad school.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Progress
Well, the resolutions are going well so far. (glad I can still say that on the 11th day of the new year ;D) The grains are going well. I've been a bit lax about some things because I feel like I need to eat up the things already around from last year, but I did manage to sneak some oatmeal in my chili and I bought whole wheat pasta for the future.
I made my mom's whole wheat bread recipe and it turned out great, despite the several Frog interruptions. It didn't look as beautiful as my mom's bread, though, (which is why there are no pictures) and I think it's because I used the only loaf pan I own, which I think is too big. I plan to buy a regular sized loaf pan tomorrow and try again.
I also made pizza for dinner tonight, left out the sugar (for Jay) and used freshly ground wheat. It was good, but Jay and I both agreed that next time we should let the pizza stone preheat longer. (Yes! We have a pizza stone! We are hard-core.) The toppings were good though. My favorite was the Italian sausage and basil. Nothing fancy, just regular old dried basil, but it was yum. The other was green olives and oregano.
I've been listening to the "French for Beginners" podcast on iTunes. It's great! I'm totally digging the intro music and the teacher's British accent. And it's just the right amount of French to take in during a session too. I also like that she provides pdf worksheets if you want to do some written work later. French is one of those languages where if you only learn to converse, seeing the written words can be quite shocking. Who knew "oui" doesn't start with "w"? I didn't... I think I need to devise a method for review. Perhaps I'll listen for a week, and then review an old one I've already heard. Then new material, then review, etc. Hopefully that will help my retention.
This may be TMI, but as soon as I decided not to pick at my skin, I started getting a gigantic monster on my face. I write to say that I resisted! Didn't even TOUCH the thing and it's finally almost gone. Maybe this will be possible!
I've started a drawer in our hall linen closet for things I didn't use last year and have already placed 2 shirts and a sweater in it :) I'm feeling liberated already.
Enough of me... I cannot believe how much the Frog has already accomplished since last time I wrote. If you hold something in front of him he now tries to grab it. It's sooo cute! He'll be completely wiggling around, like babies do, and then all of a sudden he stops, and you can tell that he's concentrating super hard to close his hand at just the right moment. It's so amazing. Most of the time once he gets it he loses interest, but more and more he tries to get said grabbed object into his mouth. Occasionally, it ends up on his face though :) It's funny that he doesn't know how to get it off!
He's also rolling over regularly- still not on purpose, but he's managed to roll over both sides now. For awhile we were worried he might not be an ambi-roller...
Friday was officially 4 months since his birthday and so we went in for his 4 month check-up and immunizations. He cried, of course, but acted way more tough about it after, compared to last time. We also found out that he had a major growth spurt- going from 30% in height to somewhere around 75%. I should have known, though, he's already grown out of his 3/6mo clothes.
And finally, we fed him some rice cereal yesterday. I just love watching the expression on his face. He eats it just fine, but you can tell by his facial expression he's kind of bewildered by the existence of edibles that don't taste like milk. He also seems very curious about whatever we're eating- especially my water bottle. I can't drink out of it while I'm feeding him without him getting off and staring at me until I put it down.
Speaking of the kiddo... he's up. I'm out.
I made my mom's whole wheat bread recipe and it turned out great, despite the several Frog interruptions. It didn't look as beautiful as my mom's bread, though, (which is why there are no pictures) and I think it's because I used the only loaf pan I own, which I think is too big. I plan to buy a regular sized loaf pan tomorrow and try again.
I also made pizza for dinner tonight, left out the sugar (for Jay) and used freshly ground wheat. It was good, but Jay and I both agreed that next time we should let the pizza stone preheat longer. (Yes! We have a pizza stone! We are hard-core.) The toppings were good though. My favorite was the Italian sausage and basil. Nothing fancy, just regular old dried basil, but it was yum. The other was green olives and oregano.
I've been listening to the "French for Beginners" podcast on iTunes. It's great! I'm totally digging the intro music and the teacher's British accent. And it's just the right amount of French to take in during a session too. I also like that she provides pdf worksheets if you want to do some written work later. French is one of those languages where if you only learn to converse, seeing the written words can be quite shocking. Who knew "oui" doesn't start with "w"? I didn't... I think I need to devise a method for review. Perhaps I'll listen for a week, and then review an old one I've already heard. Then new material, then review, etc. Hopefully that will help my retention.
This may be TMI, but as soon as I decided not to pick at my skin, I started getting a gigantic monster on my face. I write to say that I resisted! Didn't even TOUCH the thing and it's finally almost gone. Maybe this will be possible!
I've started a drawer in our hall linen closet for things I didn't use last year and have already placed 2 shirts and a sweater in it :) I'm feeling liberated already.
Enough of me... I cannot believe how much the Frog has already accomplished since last time I wrote. If you hold something in front of him he now tries to grab it. It's sooo cute! He'll be completely wiggling around, like babies do, and then all of a sudden he stops, and you can tell that he's concentrating super hard to close his hand at just the right moment. It's so amazing. Most of the time once he gets it he loses interest, but more and more he tries to get said grabbed object into his mouth. Occasionally, it ends up on his face though :) It's funny that he doesn't know how to get it off!
He's also rolling over regularly- still not on purpose, but he's managed to roll over both sides now. For awhile we were worried he might not be an ambi-roller...
Friday was officially 4 months since his birthday and so we went in for his 4 month check-up and immunizations. He cried, of course, but acted way more tough about it after, compared to last time. We also found out that he had a major growth spurt- going from 30% in height to somewhere around 75%. I should have known, though, he's already grown out of his 3/6mo clothes.
And finally, we fed him some rice cereal yesterday. I just love watching the expression on his face. He eats it just fine, but you can tell by his facial expression he's kind of bewildered by the existence of edibles that don't taste like milk. He also seems very curious about whatever we're eating- especially my water bottle. I can't drink out of it while I'm feeding him without him getting off and staring at me until I put it down.
Speaking of the kiddo... he's up. I'm out.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year! (finally)
I've had so much to post, but been so busy with family and the like that I'm just now getting around to the now. (I believe this is the second time I've ever posted twice in the same day. For some reason I hate doing this- don't want to scare away my 3 readers by overwhelming them I guess.) I usually think about having New Years' resolutions, but I honestly can't remember a time when I actually wrote them down and did something about them for the entire year. This year will be different! Here are some of the ones I'm most excited about:
-I will include a whole grain in every homemade meal. This goal is inspired by a course I attended at this year's BYU education week called something like "Those Wonderful Grains". I plan to type up my notes and share them on here very soon, but one notable reason for taking this on is that apparently the average adult is carrying around 15 pounds of extra weight in their colon!! Ew. We should be eating at least 50g of fiber daily, and most Americans get 5. This goal may sound intimidating, but really breakfast and lunch will be easy, it's dinner that I'm nervous about. For breakfast, I just plan to experiment by rotating through various grains cooked on the stove like oatmeal- this week we've been eating teff. Lunch, I'll be sure to eat my sandwich on whole wheat bread or whole wheat tortilla. This leads nicely into my next resolve...
-I will perfect the art of bread making (this includes pizza dough). Yeah, this is a bit ambitious, and how is this quantified? Not really sure, so I just decided to make some kind of bread product once a week. Hopefully after 52 pieces, I will at least be more knowledgeable.
-Jay, through inspiration of a good friend, has decided to avoid eating all refined sugar. Meaning that he will not eat anything he knows to contain sugar or corn syrup. Easy for him to say since I'm the one who makes dinner, no? Though I like the idea, I am pursuing a more mild version- I will not purchase anything with sugar or corn syrup, but I'm allowed to eat gifts and anything that we already have around. (including the 5 lb bag of sugar we already own) Honey, real maple syrup and molasses are allowed, but should not be used with the intention of replacing all sugary snacks.
-Not all my resolutions involve food. Probably the one that will be most trying to my will-power is my resolve to stop picking at my skin. I have the worst habit of poking around at things that are nearly invisible and as a result, they become quite inflamed and noticeable. No more!!
-I resolve to read at least 2 books per month- one is my book club book, the other will be of my choice. Haven't yet decided if scriptures can count when I'm desperate.
-I resolve to enjoy the now. Allow myself to be late and not kick myself over it. Enjoy all the times when The Frog takes his sweet time eating when I'm in a hurry, or poops at an inopportune time. Life's too short!
-Organize my craft room. It is the last room in our house to become livable, and I would like it to be my place of preference by the end of the year.
-I will get rid of all items I own and did not use last year. A fresh year needs a fresh start!
-I will listen to a foreign language podcast 3 times a week. Probably I'll start with French.
-I will use up half my yarn before buying any new.
Hopefully this will give me other things to write about besides The Frog. And now, another cute pic :D
-I will include a whole grain in every homemade meal. This goal is inspired by a course I attended at this year's BYU education week called something like "Those Wonderful Grains". I plan to type up my notes and share them on here very soon, but one notable reason for taking this on is that apparently the average adult is carrying around 15 pounds of extra weight in their colon!! Ew. We should be eating at least 50g of fiber daily, and most Americans get 5. This goal may sound intimidating, but really breakfast and lunch will be easy, it's dinner that I'm nervous about. For breakfast, I just plan to experiment by rotating through various grains cooked on the stove like oatmeal- this week we've been eating teff. Lunch, I'll be sure to eat my sandwich on whole wheat bread or whole wheat tortilla. This leads nicely into my next resolve...
-I will perfect the art of bread making (this includes pizza dough). Yeah, this is a bit ambitious, and how is this quantified? Not really sure, so I just decided to make some kind of bread product once a week. Hopefully after 52 pieces, I will at least be more knowledgeable.
-Jay, through inspiration of a good friend, has decided to avoid eating all refined sugar. Meaning that he will not eat anything he knows to contain sugar or corn syrup. Easy for him to say since I'm the one who makes dinner, no? Though I like the idea, I am pursuing a more mild version- I will not purchase anything with sugar or corn syrup, but I'm allowed to eat gifts and anything that we already have around. (including the 5 lb bag of sugar we already own) Honey, real maple syrup and molasses are allowed, but should not be used with the intention of replacing all sugary snacks.
-Not all my resolutions involve food. Probably the one that will be most trying to my will-power is my resolve to stop picking at my skin. I have the worst habit of poking around at things that are nearly invisible and as a result, they become quite inflamed and noticeable. No more!!
-I resolve to read at least 2 books per month- one is my book club book, the other will be of my choice. Haven't yet decided if scriptures can count when I'm desperate.
-I resolve to enjoy the now. Allow myself to be late and not kick myself over it. Enjoy all the times when The Frog takes his sweet time eating when I'm in a hurry, or poops at an inopportune time. Life's too short!
-Organize my craft room. It is the last room in our house to become livable, and I would like it to be my place of preference by the end of the year.
-I will get rid of all items I own and did not use last year. A fresh year needs a fresh start!
-I will listen to a foreign language podcast 3 times a week. Probably I'll start with French.
-I will use up half my yarn before buying any new.
Hopefully this will give me other things to write about besides The Frog. And now, another cute pic :D
Post Christmas, Pre-New Year
After Christmas, Jay's family came in town to spend some time with our family. Okay, let's face it. They really just wanted to be with The Frog. Despite that, they were extremely helpful and Jim helped us fix a few things around the house, while Pam was, as always, super handy in the kitchen.
Since we knew my family and his would be in town, we waited to have The Frog's baby blessing on the 28th of December. It was a really beautiful blessing and a big thanks to all those who helped out with the food at the "after-party" and helping me write down the blessing. I wish it were polite to bring a lap-top to sacrament meeting, because I know I type MUCH faster (and more legibly ;D) than I write. The Frog was blessed in the same gown that Jay was christened in, which I think is really awesome.
Pam outdid herself and made The Frog the cutest quilt for playing on, and it most appropriately contains appliqued frogs! :D
The Frog has also had a bunch of major milestones within days of each other. I already mentioned the holding head up on his tummy, he can basically stand up by himself now too-- he just needs help with the balancing part. Most surprisingly though, is the recent appearance of his first tooth! His second closely behind and visible just below his gums! It took many tries to try to capture the proof, but I finally snuck one in. Now we're working on teaching him not to bite while he eats. Ouch!!
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