It's all about Effeciency

Marin this morning finishing off her bowl of cheerios, well, she was really after the milk. Such a funny girl. You laugh at this, but I didn't get the shot of her licking the milk from her tray, haha!


What a sweet little face, she is such a good girl :)

We had tried in vain for quite some time to get Marin to say "please", and for about a month now, she FINALLY asks nicely, although, it sounds something like: "Eeeease!". When we give her whatever it is she wants, instead of saying "thank you", she will say: "yur wecome!". What a funny bug. She will say "thank you", but she gets all of those little nice-words all mixed up.

In other news...we have the chance to take a short trip to Salt Lake this weekend! It has been a while since we have had this chance, so we are very excited! Kris works a half day this Friday and we head up as soon as he is done, and we come home late Sunday night. Phew, that IS a quick trip! If luck is on our side, Kris and I may get lucky enough to score some tickets for General Conference! That would be a first for me, but nothing is set in stone yet.

I cannot believe Kris is almost done with school! He has three more classes, and they are all online, so the one he is finishing up now is his last campus class! The end is getting near!!!! I finally printed off invitations to his party yesterday, now I just need to tweak them up and send them out! The party is no surprise, I am HORRIBLE at keeping surprises, especially with Kris, he seems to find a way to get the information out of me.....oh well, it will be fun anyway!

And I just have to top off this post with some great counsel I heard when I attended to Young Women's Broadcast Sunday night. Our leaders are inspired and know our struggles:

**"....can one Young Woman make a difference in the world? The answer is a resounding YES!.....NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up!."**

In response to a Young Woman who had missed a day of reading her scriptures and was so disappointed, the leader turned to her and said, "So? If you forgot to brush your teeth yesterday, would you give up? Of course not. You would brush them everyday. Never, Never, Never give up!".

What great counsel!

I will try and update my other FOOD BLOG later today with some yummy new recipes, check it out sometime by clicking here!

Packing It On

Marin at her 12 month checkup weighed in at 20 pounds, on the money. Over the course of the next 6 months, we would weigh her at home, and at her 18 month checkup, she weighed in at.....21 pounds, on the money. My worst nightmare as a mother was that they were going to tell me she needed a G-tube or something (hey, I see worst case scenarios at the hospital!), but the pediatrician assured me that as long as she was eating and proportionate, she was fine (which she was). I just couldn't believe that in a whole 6 months, she had gained a measly 1 stinking pound! She ate her food.....I couldn't understand it! So this morning, one month after her 18 month check-up, I weighed my little girl, and she was 22.6 pounds! That girl packed on 1.6 pounds worth of weight in thirty days! Geez Louise! After her checkup last month she really started to gorge out, and eat second helpings of, well, just about everything and want snacks every hour. So, I must say, even though I knew she was healthy before, I at least like knowing she has put on a little weight!

Vacation Check

Image via Wikipedia

I looked at my ticker, which I moved to the top of the page because our trip is getting SO close, and realized.....our trip is getting SO CLOSE! I know I bring it up in just about every other post, but I can't tell you how excited I am for my first trip to Europe, to Paris with my incredible husband. This has been a dream of mine for YEARS and it is just a few weeks away now! Kissing my soul mate underneath the Eiffel tower, strolling the streets hand in hand watching French culture happen all around us, laying in bed hearing the sounds of one of the most romantic cities in the world. Ahhh, what an experience. I hope I will have many more oportunities to go back to Europe and just drink in the culture. I feel like our experiences are written on our faces, and it gives you a certain aura that you carry with you everywhere. I can't wait to have that experience be a part of me.

Color Wonder

Marin LOVES to color, and every morning after breakfast she will sit at the kitchen table and work her magic. Whether it be on plain notebook paper or in her coloring book, she loves to watch the colors appear on paper when she scribbles. She also likes to watch mama draw things for her....dogs, kitties, fish, butterflies, flowers, ANYTHING! Sadly, paper is not the only thing that receives a splash of color throughout the day. My tablecloth often receives a healthy dose of rainbow love, my walls and windows are also subject to the same....unless mama catches her in time!

Kris has a lovely picture that Marin and mama colored, hanging on the wall above his desk where he does his homework. Who knew life would get to this point! Wow!

Busy as Ever

Oh how I wish I had some fun and exciting things to share with my readers! These last few weeks have consisted of a plain old, hum-drum life I guess, so I find it challenging to find cool stuff for you all to read about. I have been working, Kris has been working and doing homework and going to class, I have been watching kids for my kid swap and doing my dinner club, while trying to prep for Europe (yay!), so it has certainly been busy!

I will say my one accomplishment has been busting past my 5 pound mark (SO HARD!) and now I have 4 pounds to lose! I know I can do this!
This is what I have been doing: *Slim Fast for breakfast. *Salad with protein for lunch. *Regular Dinner. *If it is a hungry day (you ALL know what I mean), I eat some fruit or nuts every hour to keep my mouth busy.

I have found that I just get too blasted hungry in the late afternoon and evening to try and limit myself to a salad or a slim-fast for dinner, so I go backwards. Breakfast is really the only meal I
can kind of fool myself into really skimping on. I do need to force myself to eat a salad for lunch, but it's easier to do one for lunch than dinner.

As far as my prep-work for Europe goes, I have a few things left on my list:
-Check with cell phone company for service and find alternate if not.
-Check to see if there is a guardian pick up pass at the airport for my parents.
-Find a GORGEOUS Paris dress for my birthday!
-Color my hair.
-Get a haircut.
-Finish losing the weight and get into those Lucky jeans!
-Pick up facewash.
-Get a refill on my makeup. (why is it you always run out/run low right before a trip!)
-Book the kennel for the dog.
-Find one of my YW to get our mail, feed the cat, clean etc. while we are away.

This is what I have done already:
-Copy of house key.
-Copy of photo ID, Kris and myself.
-Medical release form for Marin.
-Copy insurance cards.
-Print off itinerary.
-Schedule doctors appt.
-Pick up accessories/shoes for trip.

You know, I thought I had made quite a bit of progress until I typed it all up just now....my "to do" list is longer than my "already done" list! What the....! Ahhh well, one thing at a time I suppose.

I will try and post some pics soon enough, Kris has had a ton of homework lately, so my chance on the computer is limited!

Yo Yo, Molly-oh!

So, the other night, Marin was upstairs looking down at the dog, and all of the sudden she say's (in her high pitched little girl voice), "Yo! Molly!". It was SO funny, Kris and I must have laughed for five minutes. It amazes me how big she is and how much of a little girl she is (as opposed to a baby). Everyday she learns a new word and it just tickles me to hear her say things.

She is the ULTRA- helper and if she hears you banging dishes together, she comes running, saying "Help?, help?", she wants to help you put the dishes away. Kris lets her do the silverware, so she pushes the chair over to the drawer and daddy helps her match up where to put the silverware. She is so funny!

Marin has been "shopping" in my pantry lately. I will find soup cans and salsa jars all over the downstairs. She thinks it is something fun to load up her little shopping cart just like mama does at the grocery store. Sadly, she has learned to NOT drop them on her feet, ouch!

The other week when Marin was sick, she was getting breathing treatments and I would wash out the equipment and put them on the towel to dry. Marin found the plastic epuipment (with the help of her trusty move-able kitchen chair), and spent half and hour putting things together and taking them apart. What a mechanical girl, here are a couple of pictures from that:

I couldn't leave this part out! I was at TJ Maxx (one of my favorites) on a very rare visit, and saw a tablecloth I just COULDN'T pass up. It is a beautiful black and white large flower print and it SCREAMS Paris. The only problem, was that the only rectangular size they had, was twice as long as my kitchen table! I bought it anyway (at 20 bucks!), and immediately brought it home and spread it on the table. It really was waaay too long, and I tried to fold it every which way to make it fit and look good, it it just wasn't working.....and I was getting frustrated. Then I saw some pale lime green fabric ribbon I had saved from a kitchen towel set....and I had a thought! I unfolded the tablecloth and pulled the extra fabric to drape over the ends, and gathered it all together and tied it with the green ribbon. It looks so CUTE! I LOVE the tablecloth because it hides spills prety well, and now my kitchen has a little touch of Paris, check it out!

Marin and I are off to the gym and home for a day full of laundry and dinner clube prep for tonight, have a great one!

Weigh In.....

Image by Digital Wallpapers via Flickr

So CLOSE! I am a mere 5 pounds from my goal weight, and I have 7 weeks to lose it. I have been stuck at my pre-pregnancy weight for quite some time, and I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge, but all of the sudden, the weight started to come off. Another 5 pounds to go to get myself back to my "comfortable" weight. I was about 10 pounds over this "comfortable" weight when I became pregnant with Marin, so my goal is to get back to where I was when I got married. ALMOST THERE! And let me tell you, it feels sooooo good to fit into your old jeans again, NOTHING beats that feeling ;)

So if YOU have weight loss goals, stick to it and don't give up! You CAN win! Write down your goal and put it on the bathroom mirror, it will help you subconsciously remember what you really want out of life.

Don't forget to look at the Food Storage Goal for the month! March is SOUP month, so stock up! Whether it's regular noodle-y soups, cream of something soups, Lipton dry soup packets, Mrs. Grass Chicken Noodle Soup boxes, whatever. Every time you head to the store, grab a few cans or boxes and watch your FOOD STORAGE grow!

Over Already?

Phew! What a whirlwind week, and I can't believe it's over already! My mom and dad came out Tuesday night and just went home yesterday morning, and it's such a blur, it went so fast! We had so much fun, and tried to squeeze in as much as we could. Here is a little outline of our time together:

Wednesday and Thursday: Kris had to work, so we spent time with Marin and took her to the park and played and went shopping, etc. Marin at this point was starting to not feel so hot, and was throwing temps, so we hung low.

Friday: Kris took the day off and we all headed to the Hoover Dam for a tour. Kris ended up staying behind at the visitors center with a VERY cranky little girl while the rest of us went on the 45 minute tour. Then we had some lunch and headed home to change. We had a babysitter that night so the four of us went to our favorite little locals restaurant called Firefly, we LOVE it there. The mood is so vibrant and fun, but laid back, the food is delicious (it's a little Tapas place). Then we went to see Phantom of the Opera. What a treat! Kris and I had seen it before, but it was just as good the second time around.

Saturday: I finally took Marin to the doctor's office as she wasn't getting any better, and the poor bugger had bronchiolitis and an ear infection, no wonder she wasn't feeling well! We went home with some oral steroids, antibiotics and a nebulizer machine to give her breathing treatments. (She is finally feeling better today). We let Marin have a nice nap and started her meds and since it was nice outside, took everyone to the base of Red Rock Canyon for a little hike, some fresh air and scenery. Marin needed a nice distraction, and it did the trick. That night I made some yummy deep dish pizza, and Kris tok me on a quick date for some ice cream and to Wal-Mart (haha, our dates are so different now!). When we got home, I colored my dads hair and gave him a haircut, wouldn't you know, the chap looks 20 years younger!

Sunday: Everyone went home :( Ahhh well, in another 7 weeks, we will be headed to PARIS!

Here are some of the pictures from our adventures, sadly, there aren't many of Marin, she was NOT in picture taking mood last week:


Part of the inside of the Venetian, so pretty! It looks almost like the real thing, too!

The canals inside the Venetian. If you have never been, they have built a canal resembling the waterways of Venice and offer gondola rides.

Mom and Dad in front of the canal.

Another view of the canal.

Mom and Dad after we got out of Phantom.

Kris and me in front of the waterfall at the Palazzo (the Venetian's new sister resort), LOVE this pic. And for as much weight as I have lost, my face sure doesn't show it! I have the mommy face now :)

They have it decorated in the Chinese Year of the Tiger.

Hence, the tiger!

Kris and me at Firefly

Mmmmm, Firefly has the most DELICIOUS bacon wrapped dates, they are SOOOO GOOD! And here they are!

Mom and dad at Firefly.

We all had such a good time, and although Marin was not the most receptive to new faces this week, I think she enjoyed seeing grandpa and grandma. Soon enough she will be staying with them for 10 days! My big girl! We are so glad to have had fun!.

And Marin is doing much better, after two solid days of her meds, she is finally starting to look healthy again. Yesterday we thought she was ready for church and so we got all ready to go, and then we had an inconsolably crying little girl who just wanted to snuggle with mama and take a nap. Sweet baby :) She is feeling better today for sure.

Let the Traveling Season Begin!

Image by Anirudh Koul via Flickr

Today my parents will be flying in from NY, and this kicks off our exciting year of travel and so much more, I am waaaay excited! Mom and Dad will be here until Sunday morning, and we have some fun plans. We will be taking a trip to the Hoover Dam (esp. for my dad), and maybe take a picnic lunch too. We are also taking them to see Phantom of the Opera (esp for my mom), and out to one of our favorite dives for dinner, a little tapas place called Firefly. Hopefully we will have some extra time for some other fun little activities. It will be great to have house guests....I LOVE having house guests! My parents chose this time to come out so they can be with Marin and have her feel comfortable with them as she will be staying a full 10 days at their place when we head off to Paris. I am sure they are very excited to have that time with her, they certainly don't get to see her as often as they would like being 2,000 miles away. So, this week will be fun!

In 8 weeks, Kris and I pack our bags and fly to one of the most romantic cities in the world.....Paris! I....cannot.....WAIT! I have dreamed of Paris since I was young and we have been saving as much as possible. Even though we may not be 100% financially as prepped as we would like, I told Kris we need to go now before we have more kids, otherwise we won't get there until retirement! We have chosen one of our hotels already, which makes me even more excited. No chain hotel for us, we want a simple, French hotel to really get the most out of our time there. Flowery linen, windows that open up to the street or garden area, Provencal style furniture. Ahh, getting excited just talking about it! Our good friend BJ is coming with us, and seeing as he spent some significant time in Paris, he will be the perfect tour guide/interpreter, although, I will be trying out my old and very rusty French-speaking skills myself too!

JUNE=GRADUATION! OMG, what a RELIEF! I know Kris is ready for sure to be done with school, and I am going to be even more grateful for him to be done. He has been doubling up on his classes so he could finish sooner rather than in October, and poor guy has done a great job. I have the most amazing hardworking husband and I love him for being so dedicated to making a better life for his family, what a guy! June is also affording us a trip to Portland, Oregon. We are feeling that our time here in Las Vegas is coming to a close, and while we are sad about that, we are excited for a new opportunity. Our trip to Portland will be a ....well, meet-and-greet, for lack of a better term, and let us take in the city and see if maybe it might be the place for us. We will of course be going from the sunniest, driest place in the U.S., to one of the rainiest and wettest (aren't we silly!), but hey, my husband loves change! Nothing is set in stone, we are just browsing!

July is Kris's birthday, the BIG 3-0! WOW! My husband is going to be thirty! When did THIS happen?! I am sure we will be throwing a moderately (haha!) sized bash for him with all of his favorite things: golf, wings, spaghetti, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, so stay tuned!

August is of course of little Monkey's birthday, and she will be TWO? What?! Once again I am baffled at how quickly we are getting old in this house! I don't remember growing up myself, let alone when someone gave me permission to get married and make babies and let THEM grow up. What is going on around here?! August also marks our 4 year anniversary, what a TRIP, literally! What a trip it has been. Who knew 4 years could come and go so fast, I am not a newlywed anymore I guess :(

After August, who knows what our next step will be, but I am excited to have started this literal and metaphorical journey to places and events, and it all starts....TODAY!

I am momentarily missing the camera, but I have fun pictures of Marin to post soon!