Simple Joys in a Spring-like Winter

Well I think there's has only been one day below 50 within the past week. It's balmy! I keep thinking "What on earth will summer be like here this year" because of this bizarre and warm winter. No snow. No ice. No freezing. And it's almost the end of February! Though I'm not complaining too much. Being able to get out and about outside and take Lucy to the park without coats has been amazing (I'm so sorry Josh and Kristen!!! Poor folks are basically in Antarctica aka Iowa).

Luckily, with this warm weather and Lucy's recent walk-a-holic development, we've been able to get out and let Lu explore the world more! This has been a joy! She loves being outside more and more, and grass is becoming safer. For a while, any time we'd stick her in grass and move away, it was as if the grass turned into lava and the lava monster was approaching, haha. Now she's adventurous and curious, while cautiously staying near me and holding me for encouragement every now and then. :)

BEFORE: (courtesy of Valerie Abenroth Photography!)

AFTER:

Another joy in life is Lucy's LOVE of music and dancing. She dances in her high chair, she dances when she's playing, she dances when we hum or sing something. It is so much fun, and brings sunshine into our hearts. The keyboard is a favorite past-time for Lucy. Often she'll lead us over and motion that she wants us to hold her up to play with the keys and buttons. Sam was a kind daddy and lowered it so she could reach better and play on her own. She loves it!

We are all loving having a recliner, as well, including Lu! This kid knows how to kick back and relax. :) (This picture makes her little leggies look so long! She really is getting tall. We've had several people comment "Oh, she must be tall for a one-year-old!")

Okay, this is a HUGE simply joy in our lives: oven/stove knob protectors!!! I didn't know they existed until I went to Babies R Us the other day. LIFE SAVERS. Now Lucy can't reach up and turn on the gas/fire. Phew. Times a million.

For Lucy's birthday, Sam's aunt was so kind and gave little punkin some birthday money. This past week we finally spent it at Toys R Us (Lucy helped pick them out). She was ecstatic, and have been loving her two new toys daily! It is the funnest thing to see her snuggle her puppy and cruise around lightning speed with her walking toy. It actually converts to a ride-on toy as well, but we tried that once and Lucy seemed a little unsure about sitting on it and moving, so it's back to walking/pushing for now. Maybe when she's older . . . .

There are so many other joys and blessings in life I am grateful for as well. Lucy, first of all, being the greatest joy in our lives. Starting my job, getting my first paycheck, baking and cooking A LOT, and spending time together as a family and as a couple have been wonderful joys. Also, Sam and I were able to go swing dancing on Valentine's weekend, and we had a total BLAST! It felt so good to dance together again, and to learn a new dance (lindy). May there be many more times! Dancing is something we can't completely lose. ;)

Feeling happy and grateful lately. :) Life is good.

A Lesson in Parenting

Tonight gave me much perspective on the kind of parent I want to be.

I never realized how OCD I can really feel/act sometimes until I became the parent of a hilariously determined, adorable, and independent one-year-old. Sometimes, when Lucy makes messes or acts like a one-year-old, I feel like singing this:

There are time when I want so desperately to teach Lucy, to help her understand, to encourage developing good habits. Then, I remember she's only one. Tonight was one of those remembering times.

Tonight we gave Lucy cheese and green beans for dinner (dinner of champions, oh yeah). As we are our own dinner (baked carrots and nachos!) Sam broke up pieces of cheese and spooned chunks of green beans onto the table for Lucy to reach. She gobbled and gobbled (especially the cheese), then quickly decided green beans were squishy and fun. As bean by bean became a handful or more of squished beans all over the table and floor, I felt those urges rise up within me. Urges to wipe up the mess, to tell her "no squishing and dropping beans, just eat them, Lulu!", urges to say "if you don't eat right the food goes away", urges to cringe at the green beans she was stuffing under her legs and diaper with glee. But I resisted and watched instead this time. And what I saw was beautiful:

I saw a young child learning about food, feeling and touching and playing. I saw a young father smiling happily at his sweet baby, showing her the most loving example of patience and support. I saw a one-year-old girl being exactly what she is, a curious goofy child with a curious goofy nature. She smiled, she laughed, she talked while she played. And for every five squished or stashed beans somewhere in the kitchen (or on Lucy's person), a couple more were calmly popped in her mouth and eaten. I saw joy in our home, a dinner being somewhat eaten, a child being a child. And you know what? I felt peace—a real, tangible, and memorable peace. No frustration, no upset baby hands slapping my frantic cleaning ones away from her creations, no crying, no annoyance at the mess. Only joy and calm.

The lesson continued. After dinner Lucy and her daddy cheerily proceeded to clean up the green bean mess on the floor together. Sam sang and hummed as he wiped up beans with his paper towel, and Lucy happily  crawled back and forth through the green beans waving her own paper towel. Then, she ripped up her paper towel in tiny pieces, and carefully gave Sam each piece one by one. They had SO MUCH FUN! And I realized the simple small choices Sam made truly made all the difference in how the evening has gone. We've been so happy tonight and Lucy has been such a peaceful girl, and I honestly believe it's because Sam let her be a one-year-old, patiently teaching her, showing her, and letting her help "clean" up. She felt validated, she felt like she was okay, she felt supported and loved. And she got a little needed "smashing" out of her system, hahaha.

I am so grateful for these moments Heavenly Father blesses me with, blesses us all with. I'm so grateful for our precious little daughter, for the joy she is, for the opportunity we have to love and care for her. And I am so grateful for a special eternal companion and love who helps teach me to be a better parent and person each day. Sometimes little things matter. But sometimes things like green beans on the floor really aren't that big of a deal. Sometimes it's better to just smile and laugh and thank Heavenly Father for giving us a beautiful bright one-year-old named Lucy. :)

Beware the werewoman . . .

(Photo obviously altered, original from www.wallconvert.com)

Beware the full moon. It's not only a caution to enemies or prey of the werewolf. It's also caution to men. The other afternoon while I was talking with my husband, he randomly gasped in realization of something and seemed quite amused. I asked him, "What??" and he said "You know what I just realized?" Next, he proceeded to pull up a website that showed the frequency a full moon takes place. With goofy yet respectful glee he pointed out the hilarity of his realization. The full moon comes out about every 29 days. A woman starts a special monthly cycle about every 28 days. Coincidence? Maybe it was the post-stomach flu or pre-finals brain fog that made it so funny, but considering the implications of this imperfect coincidence, we laughed and laughed and laughed (stifling as best as we could so we wouldn't wake Lucy from her nap). Sam of course followed up by assuring me he was being silly, and asked to make sure he hadn't hurt my feelings, which of course he hadn't. I thought it was goofy and hilarious. OH! how I love my husband. :)

I've since devised a werewoman survival plan should you ever encounter one:

1.) Werewomen—especially ones at a heightened stage of emotion—can be difficult to decipher. If her emotions are contentious, it is best to stand at a safe distance away. However, take note that if her heightened emotions have been provoked by a cause other than you, holding her tight and not letting go for at least several seconds may be a better choice. This should instantly calm her slightly if not significantly.

2.) There are a several ways to pacify and even tame a werewoman. These include but are not limited to: chocolate, ice cream, chocolate ice cream, back and foot massages, favorite snacks and comfort foods, plumpery pillows, suggestions to go lie down and read for fun, compliance with pleas to watch any or all Jane Austen-inspired movies, spontaneous compliments on messy bun or PJ sweats attire, or any combination of the aforementioned methods.

3.) Remember this phenomenon is not permanent nor is it constant. Your werewoman will soon be restored to a safer, more normal state.

Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake with Ganache. HOLY YUM.

I had another cheesecake success!!!! So we saw an ad for an Andes mint recipe contest, and we were inspired. I devised my own Andes mint cheesecake recipe by taking three recipes, changing them, and them combining them into one. And it was DELICIOUS! The combination of the creamy cheesecake, rich chocolate, and clean mint is delectable and rather festive. Oh, and I decided to submit it to the Taste of Home Holiday Baking contest instead. I love Taste of Home. Here's to hoping I'll win a few bucks! Either way, Sam and I were just thrilled to be able to enjoy a fun new recipe that is oh so good. Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try/adapt it, followed by some pictures just for fun. :)


Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake with Ganache

Crust:

half a package of Oreo cookies, cream filling removed (about 15 cookies)

4–5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

Filling:

20 oz cream cheese, softened (2.5- 8oz packages)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup Andes mint baking chips, melted

1.4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Ganache:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

16 oz chocolate (preferably dark or semisweet, or a mix of both)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degreed Fahrenheit. Crush the Oreo wafers into fine crumbs. Stir in the melted butter and teaspoon of sugar, gently flicking with a fork. 

2.) Press crumb mix evenly into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 10 minutes

3.) For the filling, use a hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth and not very lumpy. Then, mix in the cocoa powder, melted Andes baking chips, and peppermint extract.

4.) Reduce over temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour filling over baked Oreo crust and bake cheesecake for about 1 hour 15 minutes (time may vary). Check with a toothpick to see if it's done. If it comes out fairly clean, it's ready. Leave cheesecake out to cool.

5.) For ganache, heat the cream on the stove until it just starts to boil, bubbling around the edges. Reduce heat to low and add in the chocolate, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted to a smooth, rich, dark ganache. Immediately remove from heat and pour into another large bowl to cool for a couple minutes. Pour or drizzle warm ganache over cooled cheesecake.

6.) Top with more Andes baking chips and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.

Here comes the ganache!

So pretty! I love how simple and fancy-looking ganache is.

One thing I learned: I need to let my cream cheese soften more, and I need to beat the filling more. Then it won't be so lumpy.

YUMMY! 

Babyproofing and a new desk!

This little buggaboo is standing every chance she gets! She's constantly pulling up on everything, and that means she can reach much more that she previously could..... Babyproofing stage 3, here we come.

This weekend Sam got out his tools yet again! We got a new desk from KSL for FREE! Yippee! And it fits in the corner of our kitchen pretty nicely. It was so fun to set it up together after Lucy was in bed.

Babyproofing for a now standing baby included lime green duct tape to hide the cords behind the the desk. Not a cord in sight from the front. So far so good! Mission accomplished.

Sam and I were side by side belly up trying to tape the cords to the back of the desk. It was actually quite fun trying to get creative together and keep our baby safe.

Not the most sightly, but hey! It works, right? ;)

Our new set up!

Fall has come again :)

Fall is here and I am LOVING it! The leaves are starting to change, it's getting nippy at nighttime, and I can't stop this craze to BAKE. We pulled out the last loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread I made a few weeks ago and finished it a few days ago. Sad face. I guess I'll have to make more before toooo long... ;)

Lucy is surprising us more and more with how smart she is! She is becoming such a funny little personality, full of life and curiosity. She is such a loving girl, so patient and forgiving with her mommy and daddy, and loves to dance in the kitchen to fun music. She has two teeth on the bottom and knows how to use them. Trying to brush them before bedtime is typically a very painful experience for me.

Her favorite song is "I Am a Child of God". We like to sing it with her before naps and bedtime or just to help her calm down, and yes... sometimes WITH her. Every now and then she'll "hum" along with us, it's so cute!

Her favorite movies are all the Baby Einstein movies. And quite frankly, I think they're my favorite too right now, but for different reasons, haha. :)

Now that she is completely mobile, we're getting a lot more exercise and are learning to multitask better (Thanks Luce!). I'm often doing a dance and contorting my body to block Lucy from the dishwasher while I attempt to reach across and unload so the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink can finally disappear. Sometimes I opt for the baby gate in the hallway, but the look of dejection I get from my daughter through the gate is both funny and heartbreaking at the same time. So often I do my mommy-block-the-baby dance.

She is SUCH A HAM! We are constantly cracking up at the things she does and the faces she makes. I love calling her name and hearing a little "pat pat rustle rustle" before seeing her smiling beaver-toothed face poke around the corner at me. It's so thrilling to see what excites her or makes her laugh. She laughs a lot now (yay!!!) and brings so much light and sunshine into our lives!

Our little goofball baby in the hood. :)

She loves food—when she's not too wound up and busy having fun. We're getting better at self-feeding and little finger foods! They're messy, but it's fun to see her examine the food textures and learn hand to mouth coordination (it's still a work in progress haha).

 She had lots of fun sitting on the potty at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Not toilet training yet, but a good potty-sit every now and then can't hurt, right? Plus who wouldn't want to sit on a Disney Cars training seat???

Daddy and Lulu reading stories. Lucy absolutely LOVES books and story-time now, and she's even learned to turn the pages oh so gently! I am so proud of her! Her favorite book right now is definitely "Five Little Ladybugs" (Thanks Aunt Melli!!)

Cooking in one of my adorable aprons from my mom! She actually bought this one at a cool costume store in downtown Sacramento. Such great memories. :) Halloween is coming!

I finally pulled out the wheat grinder after an extremely long time of it just sitting on our shelf. I think I was intimidated to use it. But now I'm asking myself why I didn't pull it out long ago?! I love it! The user manual sorta makes you feel like you're about to blow your house up, BUT! It's not that scary. Actually very simple. And it's so nice to be able to grind up my own fresh brown rice flour and other grains to cook up for Lucy's cereal in the mornings!

Teething biscuits. They look ugly. Hopefully Lucy likes them.

More baby food (and more to make later today!) Above we have a pumpkin/chickpea/ginger concoction, and a barley cereal mix. Later I'm hoping to make a chicken/apple/pasta, cantaloupe-something, and avocado-something. We've been trying to use up the nectarine stuff I made last month because it's getting slightly freezer burned. I don't think our bags are airtight. Luckily Lucy gobbles it up so I don't think it'll go to waste.

Besides loving being parents and me being eaten up by the baking and cooking bug, Sam and I have been enjoying school. I'm taking my two capstone courses at the same time, one for my major and one for my minor. It's busy, but having only two classes a semester is much more cushy than I've experienced before... and I'm really liking it! Plus, having Lucy adds a WHOLE new dimension of busy to everyday life. So it's felt perfect for now. I'll graduate this December and wonder, "What next?" for a little while, I'm sure. Sam is graduating in April and is currently taking a full load. He just took the GRE and is anticipating applying to BYU's IP&T program for next Fall. We are loving life each day, trying to fit everything in and prioritize and re-prioritize when needed. Heavenly Father's hand has really been in our life and we are so grateful for the strength and joy He blesses us with each day. Watching General Conference last weekend brought much needed guidance and was so uplifting and strengthening! Life is wonderful, even when it's hard. God is good and loves His children. And we are so grateful for our amazing family and friends who all mean so much to us!

A New Home :)

WE LOVE IT! It has been so much fun setting up our new home. Things are not quite as spick-n-span as I'd wish, but it's getting there. We still need to put up the mirror in our room and finish organizing our clothes... and figure out why our washing machine is making our clothes stink! But we have been loving being here and loving our neighbors and friends around us. Several couples in our complex are in our ward or used to be in our ward and moved to the "family ward". It's a pretty social place (but not too crazy), which is nice, and there are couples, couples with babies, and a couple with two little kiddos. Here are some pictures of our place (minus our room. It's not quite to the presentable stage, hehe).

Lucy's room :) She also has a big closet which is awesome for storage. The hot pink strap in front of the camera is her jumper (which she finally uses and loves! Hooray! Before, she didn't know what to do and cried the first time we put her in it).

The kitchen! We love it. Roomier and lots more counter space and storage space. So fun to cook here!

More of the kitchen/eating room/storage corner/ computer desk... and the fun curly clock.

The living room. And Lulu's play space of late.

The game/coat closet in between the living room and kitchen.

The pantry!

Laundry (in the kitchen by the fridge)

Our super STRANGE dishwasher

Bathroom, part 1

Bathroom, part 2

Our closet! Wahoo!

Living room continued. We have a lot of books. :)