16 months and Easter

Despite my best efforts, Easton continues to get older. Darn him!

He is learning to run, which leads to some spectacular falls that entertain me and stun him. I don't feel like his verbal skills have really changed. He is working on saying Sarah and Jordan and due to March Madness is in LOVE with Ba-ball (basketball). I have videos of that to upload soon. He continues to sign all of the time and when he doesn't know the sign or the word, it frustrates him and me!

He loves ketchup and while at Wendy's earlier this month, he gave up on dipping the fry into it and just went for the kill. He was in heaven.

He also was very excited about this tomato, took a bite and then promptly spit it out. Like daddy, like son.

Because Easton went from 3 teeth to 7 teeth this month, he was in love with anything he could chew on. Including this spoon.

Cheesing for Mommy.

This is his Official 16 month Picture. Sad. I know. My flash was being funky.

And then I couldn't get him to look at me, just Handy Manny.

Easton also has a new fascination with standing on his head, so daddy helped him out the other night.

On Saturday, April 11, we hunted for Easter Eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's.

He was ready to be done after he saw the first candy, but then he caught on that there was MORE candy in the other eggs. 15 eggs was probably too many, and his favorite treat inside were mini marshmallows.

This is the only picture I have of Easton on Easter Sunday. He was GRUMPY and there are tears in his eyes. He is looking super cute though!

And finally a picture of all of his Easter loot. (minus a UW teddy bear that I forgot).

A few extra hours in the day

I found them!

Unfortunately, I can't share my new-found time with you. It's just for me.

Normally Easton gets up between 7 and 8 a.m. (when he is not teething). I don't have to be at work until 10 a.m. We normally lounge a bit, get breakfast, lounge a little bit more, I get ready, I get him ready, and then lounge until Ronnie gets home from class or I have to take him to my mom's house.

On Monday I was feeling motivated (apparently) and in those same 2 hours (roughly) I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again and ran it, finished two loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and straightened the rest of the house.

I think I've found my new saving grace.

Working in the morning before I go to work.

I novel idea, I know.

I know, I know

It's been way, way, way too long.

I know that because even people who live in my town have been asking for Easton pictures.

They are coming, I promise.

Tomorrow.


(I really excel at procrastination).

The Big Winner(s)

So, I've been keeping you in suspense long enough.

I made.....


210 cards.


I thought that was pretty darn impressive until guesses started coming in that were over it! Apparently, I have many friends and family who think very, very highly of me.

The winner is my cousin Jill, who is always Jilly Bug when I think her name, but I usually call her Jill to her face.

My favorite part of this whole thing was talking to people about how they came up with their numbers. My sister spent an insane amount of time trying to decide if her guess should be even or odd and didn't spend much time at all on the range it should be in. Others were very sure about what the number could be divided by or if I would have to make just one more to get to an "even" number. My favorite was the friend who was all detective about it and went to my online gallery, counted the number of cards I had uploaded recently and then tried to figure out how many of each one I would have made. Too bad all that hard work didn't pay off!

I've also decided that a bonus prize will go to Jeri, since she really guessed that I had made 425 cards. I need to bribe her so that she will continue to think highly of me!

Thanks everybody--I think we may just do this again (when I can stand to look at my stamps).

P.S. I had a few ask what I was doing with so many--I sent 92 down to my aunt who works in a doctor's office. Her co-workers love my cards and love me and pay money for them (a little $ that feeds my sick addiction). While I was in the groove, I decided to keep on going, so I could have some on hand for all of the requests I get. Sadly (or not so sadly) I'm already down to about 50!

I always wonder

why titles like this are on the covers of magazines.

You can't see that? Let me spell it out for you. It's the May issue of Reader's Digest and the title is "How to Hide Anything" with things like "your anxiety" and "a spare key" underneath.

To me, it is like highlighting the magazine to say, "Hey! All you thieves, robbers, internet scammers, etc! Buy me to figure out where all of the idiots who follow this advice are going to hide everything!

Luckily, when you actually read the article, there is not a single word about spare keys (unless you count the GeoCaching section--as if I am going to have my GPS on me when I am locked out of my house).

I'm just sayin'.

*Don't forget to enter your guess to win some free cards!

Two Lessons

I learned about Diet Soda last night.

1. When spilled, diet soda does not leave a sticky residue--hooray for aspartame!

2. When spilled directly onto the keyboard of a very old and barely functioning laptop, diet soda will kill the machine.




*Don't forget to enter your guess for your chance to win some cards!

Groovin'

You know how sometimes you get into a groove?

If you are me, you are never NOT in a groove.

For the last week, I've been in a stamping groove, resulting in neglected house, child, and husband.

So, to make myself feel better, I counted the number of cards I have made in the last week.

Here's a sampling. (Click on the picture to go to my online card gallery).


And now for a little giveaway.

Guess the number of cards I made in the comments.

The closest guess will win a sampling of cards.

Hint: It's above 100.

You have until Thursday, April 9 at 11:59pm.

A few of my favorite beauty items

{Note: This post was totally going to have pictures. That were numbered. Using Photoshop. But then, my computer decided to be dumb, so excuse their absence.}

1. Everyday Minerals Foundation. We've all seen the infomercials. Ladies with suddenly flawless skin--but the prices! I just couldn't justify it. Until I found Everyday Minerals. They have a trial program. You get to try three different foundation colors, a blush and a concealer in mini sizes and just pay shipping ($3.95), this was the perfect way for me to make sure they were all they said they were. Next thing I know, I'm buying their custom kit. Six full size items for only $34. I can't tell you enough how much I love them. My face looks great and I don't have to reapply during the day. Zits literally disappear. Anything that can do that has my full support.

2. Foundation on my eyelids. I use old liquid stuff (leftover from before I found EM). Apply it right after my regular foundation, let it dry and then apply my eyeshadow. No more embarrassing creases at the end of the day. There are several eye primer creams available that do the same thing, but why pay money when you have something at home that will do the same trick?

3. BenzaClin. None of us like to talk about them. Zits. Pregnancy did a number on me-my face was a disaster area. After trying lots of different creams, rubs, masks, and cleansers I decided to ask the doctor. He prescribed BenzaClin. A lotion you apply ONCE a day (I'm all for easy). My face is clear and smooth without the dryness issues I was having with ProActiv plus it is totally economical. Cheaper than almost everything else I tried.

4. Hempz Body Lotion. LOVE. THE. SMELL. If this stuff was edible, I would totally eat it. I know everyone's preference with smell are different, but this is seriously my most favoritist EVER. Get some-your nose will thank me.

5. Pomade. Or more specifically, I use Garnier Fructis Style Surf Hair Texture Paste. Put it in after blow drying and before straightening to get just the hold and straightness you want. The difference this product has on controlling my frizz is amazing (and my hair is straight to begin with).

6. Venus Razors. These are old news, I know. BUT, if you are not using them, your legs are about to go on strike. You can be pretty sure that they are growing more leg hair out of spite. Smooth as silk and I've never cut myself.

7. French Manicures. On your toes. I've been doing this since college (thanks Cher) and love the ease. My nails look done, I never use nail polish remover (the white gets cut off when I trim my toenails, so I can just paint again), and it takes a total of 30 seconds on Sunday mornings before church. They dry in about a minute and I don't have to walk all careful-like. I am not careful AT ALL! No one is close enough to examine your toes, they look down, see the white tips and think "She is soooo together!".

8. Deodorant. Just deodorant. None of that antiperspirant stuff. No more marks on white shirts, or embarrassing wet spots. It took my body about a week or so to adjust to the change, but I'm never going back. You'll remember my quest to solve this problem a while ago.

Now, please share your favorites! I'd love to have the endorsement of friends so I can add to my must-haves!

Wait for it

So work is busy, life is busy (what else is new?).

I'm working on a post of my favorite beauty items. The things that I can not live without.

Be thinking about your favs, because I would love to add to mine!

My dreams are crushed (or something like that)

Until very recently Wyoming license plates looked like this:

That first zero before the cowboy was for the county number, so your license plate number was just four characters long.

Ever since high school, I have wanted to have a license plate that looks like this: (I have mad "paint" skills, I know)

My parents wouldn't let me get it--since I didn't technically own my car and Ronnie wouldn't let me get it for safety reasons (which I totally understand).

In my dream world, I knew that if Ronnie ever wanted to throw my safety to the wind, I could march down to the county office and get a license plate with my name on it.

Until yesterday.

As I was walking the 3.5 miles (approximately) from the parking lot I am allowed to park in (even though there are 100 empty spots in the parking lot right next to my building--a rant for another day) I saw it.

A car with my license plate.

MY LICENSE PLATE (imagine that sentence said in the way that Ross says "My Sandwich" on Friends).

It will never, ever be mine. (sob)

One of my favorite sounds in the world...

is the sound of rolling thunder.

When I am safe, inside, and warm.

I haven't yet figured out if it has to do with the connection to spring (which is not here at all by the way), memories of watching rain and thunder out the window, or some other unknown reason.

And it doesn't matter. I'll just sit and listen.

St. Patty's (a day late)

Easton and I hung out at Grandma and Grandpa's house while the cars were being worked on. He built towers and I tried to sneakily get a picture of his St. Patrick's Day shirt that Grandma Cali brought.

At first I was doing pretty well. Very sneaky.
Then he caught me.

And then I got the money shot. Cute smile, full shirt (so what if it is a little blurry).
But then he started to come in for the kill.

Action was taken (but not too much defensive action on my part, I wasn't leaving the floor).

He knocked me over and thought he had me.

So he got closer.

And closer.

And closer.

And then I admitted defeat.

Easton: 1 Mommy: 0

I guess I'll keep him

When my dad found out the ring was lost, he asked me if a new ring came with a new husband.

We had a good laugh over that suggestion.

But it looks like I won't have to worry about getting out into the dating world just yet...

We found my ring! And when I say we, I mean my father-in-law. All by himself.

Whew!

I hope it's in there somewhere

Ronnie's parents are visiting! (We LOVE visitors!)

So, Saturday morning we loaded up in the car to drive to the airport and pick them up (we couldn't very well have them miss out on an additional 2 hours with Easton).

Unfortunately the sun was bright that day--and in Easton's eyes. While adjusting my wedding ring on my finger (a very bad habit, I know), the sun became very bright and Easton screamed. I quickly brought a sweatshirt up to block his eyes and in the process, two parts of my ring went flying.

It happened in slow motion. I saw them in the air. Saw them hit the middle console. Saw them drop between my seat and the console.

And then I groaned.

We were on the freeway, so I decided that we could look for the rings later on. After all, they were just underneath the seat.

At this point Ronnie says, "Well, those might be gone forever" and I harrumphed. Yeah right.

We picked up our guests, ran errands, ate dinner and came home.

I went out to the car to search. Within one second of looking under the seat, I spotted my anniversary band. "See, this will be easy!" I thought.

Wrong.

Karen (my mother-in-law) and I proceeded to look EVERYWHERE for my engagement ring. Seats were moved, carpet moved and searched underneath. No sign of the ring.

Ronnie went out later, convinced that I had not searched thoroughly enough. (Just like I search cabinets inside when he says something is not there).

He didn't find anything either.

Sigh.

Next step? Ronnie and his dad will take out the seat and go from there. My fear is that it has now worked its way down into some unreachable place.

Only I could lose a ring while knowing exactly where it is.

Sick

The only thing worse than having the flu yourself...

...is watching your 15 month old go through it two days later.

Please excuse my blogging absence while I cuddle my normally-uncuddle-able child.

And I get a little bit weirder

...if that is possible.

We all know my issue with lists. I love my lists.

In the last few days, I've realized that I have a list that I was unaware of previously.

My DVR.

I love it, I really do, it's just that I can barely stand to push the "list" button on my remote because I see the gigantic list of all of the episodes we have yet to watch and I feel overwhelmed.

In the afternoon, when Ronnie isn't home, I don't push it at all, because I just have to stare at all of the shows that I can't delete because we have to watch them together.

Curse you the-entire-season-of-LOST and the-last-four-episodes-of-24.

I want you gone.

Soon.

Let it be known...

...that Easton FINALLY broke his third tooth!*

Yes, when most babies are working on their molars, my sweet boy just got his #3.

Possibly the best part is that it is the tooth next to the front two teeth (does that make sense?) so he is totally rocking a vampire look.

No pics, so sorry.

*and technically it broke through Friday, March 6th--for my records.

Where I show some crafty

Because I don't want you to think that I just sit around every day (as if that would actually be a bad thing!), I thought I would share some of my latest crafts.

You remember Easton's blankie right? Well, here is the "in the wash" back up. It is not nearly big enough to really cover him at night, but works great for car trips, etc. and we just put another blanket on top so he still has the feel of the minky fabric.
My sister Sassy is going on a trip for band this year--to Disneyland. They are having a silent auction this week, so I put together this baby gift set. It includes a crocheted blanket and burp cloth, tag blanket, eight thank you cards for the mom-to-be and a congratulations card for the gift giver.

And here we see the girl version.

Thanks for indulging me! Now if I could just stop reading in my spare time, I might have more things to show you later on!

15 months

I know I am technically a day early with this post, but when you have time--you just post.

Easton is starting to be a little boy and no longer a baby. So sad for mommy. He has lots of new vocabulary including: grandma (MAMA), cracker, star, bubble, birdy, baby, hi, and thank you (every once in a while). He has learned so many new signs this month that I don't think I can list them all and even has a few consistent "made up" signs that I have yet to interpret.

He continues to babble all of the time. Because of his facial expressions and voice inflections, most people assume that they should understand what he is saying--which leads to some funny conversations when they ask me what he just said. I have to honestly answer "I have no idea."

Since he has grown so much this last month(vertically), more of the house is in his reach--not fun for me. We went to the doctor today and the nurse loved him. He screamed bloody murder the entire time we were doing his measurements and as soon as I set him down on the floor (which is where he wanted to be the entire time) he looked at the nurse and I and giggled. Little stinker.

Easton is still a very skinny child. He is 19 lbs. 5 oz. and is not even on the charts for weight. Luckily, they do not seem too concerned about it, I just have to start adding carnation instant breakfast to his milk to pack on some extra calories. He is 31.5 inches high and has moved up to the 65 percentile for height, which explains his new reaching abilities.

He loves reading daddy's paper although his reading turns out to be more like swing the paper around the room.

Last week our household was not feeling 100% and my two boys took advantage of a little cuddle time.

Recently, it was extremely warm in Laramie for March, so warm that we let Easton help Daddy BBQ outside. I missed the spontaneous fake laughing the entire time before I got outside with the camera--so you will hear Ronnie trying to initiate one. Coming inside after this little adventure led to a gigantic tantrum. Not fun. Hurry spring, please hurry!

Oh, the things we say...

Normally people do posts about funny things their kids say, but with Ronnie and I in the same house, kids are not necessary.

Scene: While watching Jon & Kate Plus Eight.

R: They got dogs?
K: Yeah, two German Shepherds.
R: I don't think they are German Shepherds.
K: They will be.

{Don't you love it when things grow up to be different things?}

Scene: Ronnie had just teased me about something, so I proceeded to chase him and then tackle him on the couch.

R: What are you trying to do [insert 10 second pause] lay on top of me?
K: You were going to say "squish me," weren't you?
R: No.....crush me.

{No offense was taken from this comment. It was too funny to do anything but laugh}

Representing

Because we are lucky enough to be friends with Lindsey and Steve, we scored tickets(through them) to the BYU vs. Wyoming game that were on the second row behind the BYU bench.

Despite his face here, Easton did really enjoy the game. I always worry that the noise will be too much for him (especially since football games were not fun for him), but he loved it! You will notice that he is sporting Wyoming gear. He was born in Wyoming, so while we live here, he is a Wyoming fan*.

See how happy he really was? And no we are not wearing BYU apparel. We value our lives too much to do that. We wore neutral colors (which confused all of the BYU fans around us, I am sure). BYU winning always makes it a good day.

*We are Wyoming fans all of the time, except when they play BYU. There is just something to be said for the loyalty you develop for your undergraduate school.

And I was glad he didn't wear his jersey

For Christmas I gave Ronnie tickets to the Lakers vs. Nuggets game in Denver.

He loves those Lakers!

Last weekend was the big game. We handed Easton over into the capable hands of my family and drove down to Denver. (I won't tell you the number of times I looked in the backseat to check on Easton only to discover he wasn't there).

We met up with our friends Ashley and Jared at the game. Sadly, I forgot my camera in the trunk of the car, and while Ashley remembered hers--she forgot her memory card. Pictures were just not meant to be.

I loved the atmosphere of the game--the "show" of it all. There was just one little problem.

I barely, just barely fit in the seat.

I like to think that I am "average" sized. Not skinny by any means, but kind of in the middle. Every time I sat down, my hips got caught on the arm rests of the chair and then I had to put a little extra effort into getting into the seat. (The positive of this, was that once I was in, I fit fine, and the seats were even padded).

But honestly.

What do people do who are larger? Do they get to their seats, realize they can't fit and then get upgraded? Go without eating for days prior to any Pepsi Center event? Shell out the extra money for close seats (which I was convinced looked bigger, although I was not close enough to be sure)? Does the Pepsi Center have an abundance of the handicapped seating for such circumstances?

I know that every additional body in that place means $ for the franchise. I get it.

I just think they need to think about me, the little (I use that term loosely here) man.

Forgetful?

So, it's no secret that I really like sweets.

For me, a life without sweets is not really worth living.

Honestly.

You'll probably be as surprised as I was at something that occurred last night around nine. I was snacky, as usual and mentally went through the treats I had readily available to me. I didn't feel like salt water taffy, sweet-tarts, or popcorn so I decided to give up and just have water (you know, be a good girl for once).

This morning when I woke up, I remembered that I still had a stash of my favorite valentine candy.

These bad boys.

The fact that I honestly, truly, cross-my-heart forgot about them is a small miracle.

Just thought I would share. (My thoughts, not the candy--that is all mine!)

An Introduction

A long, long time ago (at Easton's birthday party in December) I made cupcakes.

There was nothing special about them. Funfetti cake mix with Rainbow Chip frosting.

Simple and delicious. (I love me some Rainbow Chip frosting).

My little brother (who is now approaching 13 and is probably past being called "little") Jord-man LOVED the cupcakes. While we were cleaning up, he turned to my mom and I and said, "Mom, can you get the recipe for these cupcakes?"

I just started laughing and told him that everything was store-bought and that he could make them himself sometime.

As it turns out, he had NEVER had Rainbow Chip frosting before.

NEVER.

(You should now pick your jaw off the desk and let me get back to the story).

I was feeling so bad that he had gone 12 full years without that deliciousness in his life that I handed him the half full container I had in the fridge and sent him home with it (and you know how hard that was for me). So now Jord-man is fully aware of the joy of life. Thank goodness.

So tell me, what "joy" in life did you not experience early on in life?

Do you have tickets to the gun show?

And I mean that in the "I have huge arm muscles" sense, not in the "I'm actually going to look at guns that shoot bullets" sense. I know you get confused, what with me being in Wyoming and all.


We have a Nintento Wii, we also have Wii Fit. I enjoy exercising on said Wii Fit. I don't think I am going to get my perfect body from it, but it is nice to track weight loss (or ahem, gain) and I am getting more in shape.

That being said, I have very weak arms, like really weak arms. In high school, when I weighed the least I ever have, I still couldn't do a pull up, not even one. It's a problem that has plagued me my entire life. So, when I attempted to do the "push-up" workout on the Wii Fit, I didn't do too hot.

To be specific my "trainer" told me, "It looks like you are not strong enough to do this exercise. You may want to come back after you have built up your strength."

Needless to say, I was a little depressed. A few days later I tried again.

Same message.

So I decided to ignore the "push-up" exercise. I was too good for the "push-up" exercise. I continued to workout every day on the Wii Fit and time passed.

And then yesterday, I decided to give that cursed exercise a go, for old times sake.

I rocked it.

Don't believe me?

Here's the proof.

That's right. My trainer couldn't even speak he was so teared up (or something like that).

*It should be noted that I spelled exercise incorrectly every time I typed it. It is a word that I would have confidently spelled in a spelling bee--and then I would have had to sit down in shame. sigh.

At Peace

Ronnie's dear, sweet, Grandma Frances passed away recently.


She was not well, and it is comforting to know that she is finally out of pain and at peace.


I am so thankful that families are forever and look forward to seeing her again someday!


Grandpa, Easton and Grandma Frances in July 2008.

Four Years Down, Eternity to Go

It's my anniversary! Hooray for KaLee and Ronnie! For your reading pleasure--a little bit about our special day.1. Where did you and your husband meet? Well technically, we met when he and his roommate stopped by my apartment. We talked about temples (of all things) for a long time.

2. How long before you kissed? While we met in September of 2002, we did not kiss until September of 2004. So that would be a whopping two years.

3. Who kissed who first? He kissed me (although he swears that I gave him “the look”)

4. How long from the time you met until you were engaged? How long from the engagement to the wedding? We were friends for two years before we started dating and were engaged (with a ring) three months later. Talk of marriage happened after a week of dating. {I hate that I sound so “typically BYU” when I say that part} We were married 10 weeks after our engagement.

5. How did he propose? He told me we were going on a double date with a friend. While driving to meet that couple at the friend’s apartment, the friend called and said that he was running late, but that the door was open. I opened the door and there were candles and roses everywhere. Our song started playing just as I entered. He sat me down on the couch, got down on his knee and proposed.

6. Did he pick out the ring or did you? We went looking together and I found one I loved, but that was way, way, WAY too expensive, so he had a jeweler design one that was exactly the same.

7. Do you still like the ring? Yes. I love it. I love that it was made just for me.

8. Where was your wedding and reception? We were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and we had three receptions. One in Utah, the night we were married and then one in California and one in Wyoming.

9. How many bridesmaids did you have and who was your maid of honor? I had five bridesmaids. My two sisters, and Ronnie’s three younger sisters. Erc was my matron of honor (since she was a seasoned married woman of 7 weeks).

10. What color were your bridesmaid dresses? White button up shirts, black skirts and royal blue sashes.

11. What was your bouquet made of? My bouquet had all different flowers. I wanted it to be a focal point of color.

12. Who gave you away? I guess my Dad did. Although I think after all the stress of having two daughters married 7 weeks apart, my Mom did too. :)

13. Did you cry during your wedding? As soon as I was told to look out at all of the people there to support us, I broke down. Also while hugging everyone afterward.

14. What style was your dress? I wish I had the fashion knowledge to tell you exactly, but let’s just settle for a description, shall we? Top was beaded and fitted, with a seam at the waist. Bottom was also beaded and had a chiffon overlay. I am lucky to have a gorgeous reproduction of it on a china doll that my Grammy made. You all want a Grammy like mine, I know.

15. Was your wedding kiss sweet or sexy? Short and sweet.

16. Who caught your bouquet? My aunt Jill, who was married less than a year later might I add.

17. What flavor was your cake? My cake was from Macey’s. I have no idea what flavor it was, but it looked good and was delicious—that’s all that matters.

18. Did you smash the cake onto each other's faces or feed it to each other nicely?This is still a sore spot for me. I fed him nicely, he got frosting up my nostril.

19. What was "your song" that you danced to at your wedding? For the First Time, by Kenny Loggins.

20. What did you serve your guests to eat? Cheesecakes (from Costco) with different toppings available for the guests to add. I did not eat any of it (at the Utah reception).

21. What did your friends do to decorate your car? Toothpaste—that’s the only thing that is vivid.

22. What was your favorite wedding gift? The aforementioned doll.

23. What was the worst wedding gift you got? Because my husband has forbidden me to write about the actual gift we can just say it was really, really bad.

24. Where did you go on your honeymoon? My grandparent’s cabin.

25. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about your wedding? I would actually change my wedding color. Strange, I know, but I’ve regretted it for a long time. Oh well!

Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Easton and KaLee

If Ronnie were with us, he would be in this picture too.

IE or Y

So, I've mentioned that Easton is attached to a certain blankie. (By the way, I always swore that I would not "kiddify" words like that, my 19 year old self is so ashamed).

And I spell it blankie with an "ie" but I could just as easily have spelled it with a "y."

I have a theory on this.

I think that when you make up spelling for words that don't really exist, you spell them in the way that is the most familiar to you. Ronnie has an "ie" so in general when I want that sound, I use the "ie."

If your name is Rebecca and you go by Becky, you would probably spell it blanky.

I'm just sayin'.

My logic is a bit flawed, because technically, with my name, I should spell everything with an "ee" but that just looks dumb.

14 months

Easton never stops moving or talking. He knows a few more recognizable words now, baby, grandma (MAMA), and hat. He is still very attached to his blankie, and thankfully I was able to make an extra one, so they can be washed at times that are not the middle of the night. This very morning, I was playing with him before work and threw the blankie over his head. It landed very similar to the picture shown above and I then spent the next HOUR replacing the blankie every time it fell off his head. He is such a silly boy!

Easton also LOVES Baby Signing Time. He sits just like the below picture for the entire 30 minutes and can now sign milk, all done, more, bird, wash hands (this one is very popular since he does not like anything on his hands), eat, drink, hat, grandma, grandpa, and car. I'm sure I am missing some, but those are the ones he does all of the time.

One of the funniest things currently does is answer all questions with "yeah." It sounds exactly right and almost any question you ask in the "question inflection" he answers with yeah. Way better than no! At first I couldn't figure out where he had picked it up, but I've noticed that as he goes through the day babbling, I usually listen to his "sentence" and then say "yeah?" I'm trying to catch it on camera, but once he sees the camera, he has no interest in answering my questions.

He is eating all table food now (with the exception of vegetable baby food, since he hates all regular vegetables apparently), and still just has the two bottom teeth. His gums must be like rocks by now! Some of his favorites are hot dogs, PB sandwiches, graham crackers, milk, string cheese, yogurt, oranges, bananas, and waffles.

He is such a joy to have around. I just love this little boy. And now I leave you with my new favorite picture of him (since favorites only last about 2 days around here). That face says it all!

Brains turning to mush

I currently have the mental capacity of someone who just got out of a 30 minute meeting that turned into a 75 minute* meeting all about payout calculations of underwater endowments.

And I was reminded once again why I am NOT an accountant.

But on a happier (and completely unrelated) note, last night I successfully made Easton a back-up "favorite" blankie, since his favorite is no longer available in stores, but is made out of material easily bought (assuming one lives where large fabric stores exist--which I do not).

Wow. This post may be the most boring thing I have ever posted. My apologies**.

*I realize that 75 minutes is not that long, but when you are expecting 30 minutes, it is FOR-EV-ER.
**I also realize that any sane person would have just deleted this post because it is boring. I am not sane.

Where I admit I am not perfect

As if I had to spell that out for you.

I hate leftovers.

There, I said it. It's out there. Judge me if you wish.

I just can't make myself heat up things in the microwave to eat them for lunch. Luckily, I have a husband who does not mind doing this, so our extra food does not go completely to waste.

I never really liked leftovers growing up, so when we had a "clean out the fridge" night, I would usually have a bowl of cereal. I assumed that as I got older, I would become an adult and then I would appreciate leftovers.

Not so much. I can specifically name the four dishes that I can stand to heat up and eat later.

Am I alone in this? Do all of you eat leftovers regularly?

I should also mention that I have become a pro at making exactly how much Ronnie and I will eat at dinner. So that's something. I think.

It's time to do a little bragging

I am rocking one of my resolutions this year.

Haven't missed a single day yet.

That's right.

I am flossing every. single. day.

Based on my post a little over a year ago, we all know this is big.

Now, I just need to show this dedication to my other 346 resolutions (if only they required a mere one minute of my day).

Get your craft on

I saw and signed up for this on a friend's blog. I changed the title to Craft It Forward, it just seems more fitting.

Craft It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the CIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is craft it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'CRAFT IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL CRAFT IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Craft It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???

Blessings

Today at work, I walked down the hall to pick up my mail.

When I returned, I found the nectar of the gods on my desk.
With this note:

It rocks to work with your dad.

It also helps if you and your dad share the same drink preference.

Hanging out around the house

Easton loves to play in the empty diaper boxes (like every other child I know--but what kind of mother would I be if I didn't document it).

Getting in by himself is VERY difficult.

Easton has also started to have a new obsession with hats. His favorite beanie is this one made by Aunt Aubrey. He digs it out of the basket, attempts to put it on himself (has never happened yet) and then brings it over for me to put on.

With the camera flash, it is becoming difficult to get a picture with his eyes open.

Easton also loves Daddy's hats. He puts them on by himself the correct way, but then gets very upset when they fall down and he can't see, so Ronnie and I replace them backwards and he is good to go.

Don't ask me what this face means. (trouble, I know)

And you thought I wasn't a cook

So, it's no real secret that I don't love to cook.

Or, maybe that is a secret. I love a good recipe, but don't spend extra time looking for new things to try, or try anything that I think will be too difficult.

I do, however, love recipes that are quick, easy, and delicious so I am sharing one of my all-time favorites today. (I really should have posted this before the Superbowl so you could enjoy these during the game--but I'll have you know that you will not want to wait until the next Superbowl to try them).

I should also let you know now, that there will be no pictures of said recipe. I'm no PW. Just use your imagination. And also, this is not a low-fat recipe.

Dan's Winger's Wings*
Sauce: 2 parts brown sugar to 1 part Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Bring to a boil while stirring and then lower temp just to keep sauce warm.

Wings: As many chicken tenders as your little heart desires.
When chicken is thawed, pat each tender dry on a paper towel (this step may seem insignificant, but believe me, you don't want too much corn starch). Then put a few tenders in a tupperware with corn starch. Shake to coat tenders.

Now, in your favorite Fry Daddy (which is set on the highest temperature), drop in 3-4 tenders at a time and cook for 6 minutes.

Remove chicken, coat with sauce and set in 9x12 pan in the oven (at 200 degrees). The extra step of the oven give them that kinda "crunchy" thing--just know that it is delicious. There is no set time for this. I just leave them in there until I am done with all of the tenders I want to cook (for instance, we did 24 yesterday).

*This recipe comes from my brother-in-law Dan and they are his interpretation of Winger's wings, hence the name.