Appointment Update & Happy Thanksgiving!

I made it another week! I had my appointment today and I am now dilated to a three. My doctor said it could be another 1-2 weeks. This is good news! He said if I make it one more week, then they will not try and stop labor. He also said most 34 week babies go home and do not stay in the NICU. The baby is measuring around the size of a 34 or 35 week baby, so that is good too! Once again, I am in the mindset of just making it to my next appointment, on Tuesday. Then we'll take it from there! I can tell the baby is very low and my contractions are getting somewhat stronger. So, keep your fingers crossed that I will at least make it to next week! The pictures above are of me at 27 weeks (left photo) and 33 weeks (right photo - today). I posted them in a little size to create the illusion that I am smaller than I really am!

My mom decided to come and stay with us until the baby comes, which is great! I feel a huge relief that I don't have to worry about calling someone to watch the kids. I worried about what Jordyn would do or having to explain everything we do with Jordyn in an entire day (feeding, naps, meds, behavior problems, etc...it is alot of information to tell someone!). My mom knows most of this stuff already or has been figuring it out quickly the past few days. This way, I can stay off my feet and take it easy while Tom is at work. She got here Monday night and things have been going well. Yesterday, Jordyn had a "Thanksgiving Feast" at school, that all families were invited to. Everyone brought finger food and then we got to stay for an hour and see what goes on during Jordyn's school day. She seemed so happy at school and the teachers thought she was on her best behavior because we were there.

Now we are getting ready for Thanksgiving and starting to bake a few things for tomorrow. We also have a 23 lb. turkey that Tom got from his work. Yes, 3 adults and 2 children are going to eat a 23 lb. turkey! Well, not in one day. We already have many leftovers planned. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Jordyn wearing her Indian hat.

Evan playing at recess with Grandma.

Jordyn playing at recess.

Freakin' Out

Well, I had my doctor's appointment today and got the shock of a lifetime. I am already dilated 2 cm., 50% effaced, & the baby has dropped..... which means I am having this baby a lot sooner than I thought! My doctor said I would be lucky if I make it to 35 weeks and that I might have the baby in the next week or two. AGH! I didn't even know how to react. I had a feeling I might have the baby a little early, but not this early. We are just hoping that the baby will be as big as possible and not have to stay in the NICU for very long or at all. According to my ultrasounds, I could be around 33 weeks instead of 32, so that would help a little I suppose.

I have been really nervous ever since I left my appointment and I am already paranoid about every little contraction (I've had Braxton Hicks contractions for quite awhile now) or feeling I have. I think it will be a LONG week until my next appointment on Wednesday. And sadly, my doc. told us there is no way we can travel anywhere for Thanksgiving. We had planned to go to Wyoming, but that is out of the picture now. We will miss everyone there and hope they don't have too much fun without us!

I feel like I have so much to do to get ready. I had gotten a few of the baby things out of storage, but still need to get many other things ready. I also have so much anxiety all of a sudden! I'm obviously worried that the baby will be too small, will my water break, will I go to the hospital at the right time, will I be able to get an epidural, will the kids be ok while Tom and I are gone, on and on and on. I think most pregnant women worry about these things!

I'll keep you updated!

Monday: Out to eat at Primo's. This is the greatest all you can eat pizza buffet! It's only $5 a person, kids 3 and under are free. It includes pizza, salad, pasta, and dessert. The pizza is good, maybe not as great as the larger franchise's, but really good for $5. We have a coupon for one of us to eat free, so our dinner is costing us only $5! We really love their cookie dough dessert pizza... man it's good!

Tuesday: Chinese Pork Chops w/ mini egg rolls.

Wednesday: Meatball Subs w/ fruit

Thursday: Baked Potato Bar w/ vegetable soup.

Friday: Chicken Quesadillas w/ pressure cooker Pinto Beans

Saturday: Herbed Beef w/ noodles and cooked carrots

Sunday: Chili and Corn Bread

I'm so disappointed in everyone. Well, except for one person... whoever you are. I guess I need to explain why I polled everyone on whether they wear socks to bed or not. Every night when Tom and I get into bed, he tries to rub his cold feet against my warm feet and legs. It drives me CRAZY and he knows it. I tell him to knock it off & of course he thinks it's hilarious and continues. I'll tell him that I am really mad and not joking around.... I'll say, "Get your cold feet off me and put some socks on if you want to warm them up!" He always tells me that no one wears socks to bed and he doesn't like to either.

So, according to my poll, not many other people wear their socks to bed on a regular basis. But, I am still going to wear my socks to bed and Tom can be jealous that my feet are warm and his aren't!

School Photo

Here is Jordyn's school photo. Good enough for me! It obviously could be better, but I never expect them to be too great. You just never know what Jordyn's mood will be for those 2 min. out of the whole day. I wish I would have picked a different shirt though, it looks too big or something. But, I was just happy she wasn't crying like her spring photo!
We also had Jordyn's parent/teacher conference yesterday. They said she is doing great, etc. They also said she has a great set of lungs & that some of the kids always plug their ears when she cries. I just laughed!
PS: Check out the poll on the left side of my blog. Just thought I would try out the new "poll" feature.

I feel like I need to explain our Monday meal. Do you go through phases where you just can't think of something to eat for dinner? I had one meal left to think of for the week and Mac & Cheese with Corn Dogs is what I came up with! I have never seen Evan eat so fast and Tom acted like it was the best dinner he'd ever had. Crazy boys. Corn dogs are really good though!

Another topic: I think the #1 hardest thing when I plan my menus is thinking up side dishes. I tend to use the same ones over and over. What do you use on a regular basis for side dishes? I need some new ideas.

Monday: Homemade Mac & Cheese with Corn Dogs
Tuesday: Chicken Chilaquiles served with green salad
Wednesday: Griller Hamburgers with 5 Cup Fruit Salad
Thursday: Veggie Ravioli served with crescent rolls
Friday: Pumpkin Muffins served with scrambled eggs
(I have to re-make the muffin recipe from last week because I accidentally left out the baking soda! Oops.)
Saturday: Pork Chops served with rice and green beans
Sunday: Country Chicken and Two Cheese Ziti

I've been tagged by my friend Wendy. I am supposed to list seven interesting things about myself. Tom tried to help me and we had fun laughing at all of the weird ideas we came up with. Some of them I refused to mention on here! So here goes: 7 interesting things about myself:

1. One of my biggest pet peeves (among many) is when my socks get wet. If there is a drop of water on the floor and I step in it, I have to go change my socks or it will drive me crazy. The WORST is when there is a wet spot on the carpet, that you can't see, and I step in it.... I will scream and then go change my socks.

2. In high school, I worked at Champs Sports. If anyone knows me, I am not really into any sports... except running. I had NO IDEA who any of the sports teams were or really what I was doing at all. I got the job through a friend and worked there for over a year, I think. Next time you are in the mall and walk by a Champs store, look at the employees and imagine me working there. Pretty hilarious. Now I would love to work there and get a discount on running shoes!

3. I used to have a mole on my neck/shoulder area that I named "Chip", because it looked like a chocolate chip. Luckily, I got it removed before our wedding.

4. I have always wanted to learn to play the harp.

5. Ever since being pregnant, I keep having dreams that I am running races while I am pregnant. Surprisingly, I keep up with everyone and run fast!

6. I had a belly button piercing for a year during my senior year in high school. Have I told my parents this yet? I can't remember.

7. I don't really like pie crust. I love the pie filling though. But, I think I am slowly coming around to eating the whole piece of pie. I think one of my next baking projects will be making my first pie from scratch... we'll see how I like the crust. Oh, I also won't eat store bought Chicken Pot Pie because I don't like that crust either.

The people I am tagging next are, guess who.... my family!

• Tom
• Jenny
• Chris
• Susan
• Maria
• Dave (who are we kidding?)

Jordyn's Physical Therapy

Therapy

Just a note: Check Tom's Blog to see Tom, Jordyn, & Evan in their Halloween costumes.

Here's a quick look at what Jordyn has been working on in physical therapy. She does physical, speech, and occupational at school. We also go to a private physical therapist once a week and are on a waiting list for private speech and occupational therapy. The photos are from yesterday and the week before. Yesterday was fun because she got her first chance to work with a therapy dog. She fussed a little bit at the beginning, but then got used to it and seemed to like it. She threw a ball for the dog to fetch, petted him a lot, snuggled with him on the ground, and the dog ate snacks off her stomach and out of her hand. She has really been making great progress in therapy. She sits unassisted more and more everyday. She is getting good at correcting herself too... if she starts to lean to the side, she will straighten back up and not fall over. But, the best progress of all, she started taking steps! If you've been around her a lot, you might know that when you stood her up she would NOT move her legs. She kept her legs stiff as a board and just never would move them. Now when you stand her up, she almost immediately takes a step. The video is a small look at her "walking". Tom is not helping her move her legs, only leaning her side to side. It takes her a minute to get started, but then she does pretty good! Enjoy!

Monday: Southwest Turkey Melts served with Fruit Salad

Tuesday: Curry Chicken over rice served with Egg Rolls

Wednesday: Pumpkin Muffins with Sausage Egg Squares

Thursday: Pork Chops served with Veggies & Creamy Cranberry Salad

Friday: Tom gone for dinner-eat whatever

Saturday: Order Pizza (I'm so excited!)

Sunday: Broccoli Wild Rice Soup served with Homemade Bread

New Glasses!

Here is a picture of Jordyn's new glasses. I think they look pretty cute on her. Some day I am going to get her a pair of really wild/stylish glasses... I think it would be so funny! I also included pictures of Jordyn, through the years, wearing glasses.

Monday: Blackened Chicken & Beans served with Jasmine Rice (recipe from last week, but never got around to using it)
Tuesday: Eating at my Cooking Skills Class (family eating leftovers)
Wednesday: Girls Night Out
Thursday: Southwest Pasta Bake served with green salad
Friday: Pumpkin Pancakes served with scrambled eggs
Saturday: Church Halloween Party & Potluck (We're taking Chocolate Caramel Bars)
Sunday: Saucy Tarragon Chicken served with green beans

Bored

These photos don't really have anything to do with my post. I feel like I have to include some kind of photo to make my post a little more interesting. I took these photos of the kids recently and thought they were cute. I think Evan looks so grown up in his photo. And Jordyn wanted to show everyone her new trick, biting her shirt. I will walk into the room and find her just sitting like this now!

We are all sick and staying home from church today. I think we are all getting a little bored too, from sitting around for two days. Jordyn has had a "flu bug" since Wednesday and the rest of us have sore throats and colds. I decided the #1 most annoying thing about being a parent is having to clean up vomit. I hate it! I hate that you never know when or where your child is going to throw up. Every little sound or movement Jordyn makes, we're saying,"Agh! I think Jordyn is going to throw up!" You just never know. Jordyn was sad because she had to miss her first primary program today at church and at school she missed seeing a visit from the firefighters. Tom said to Jordyn," I think mommy is the one who is really sad about not seeing the firefighters at school." Maybe he's right, maybe he's not.

Last night we watched Evan Almighty and today we watched the second disc from the Planet Earth Series. If you haven't heard of this DVD you should watch it. We even used it as our Family Home Evening lesson last week and talked about the beautiful world God created. It just makes you realize all of the amazing places and animals that are on this planet. We are always in awe of the animals it shows you from far away countries that you have never even heard of or seen. I wonder if people from other countries see animals from our country and think they are so strange? When we started watching the first disc, we were a little worried because it started out talking about Emperor Penguins! Please, I don't want to watch anymore movies or shows about penguins! Luckily it didn't talk about them too long. Anyways, Planet Earth is a 5 disc set, and we are getting it from our Blockbuster Online membership. It will take us 5 weeks to watch all of the series and we plan to try and watch them on Sundays for something to do.

This past week, before Jordyn got sick, she had a few doctors appointments. First she went to the eye doctor and got some new glasses. The eye doctor said that because Jordyn's eyes aren't crossed permanently, there is nothing they can do. Surgery can actually make it worse in some cases. So, glasses may help and she needs them for farsightedness. I will pick the new pair up this week and will take some pictures of her.

She also went to the Developmental Pediatrician. He specializes in kids behaviors and also finding a diagnosis for their developmental delays. He told us that when he walked in the room, the first thing he thought of when he saw Jordyn was Rett Syndrome! What is it with this disease? It won't leave us alone. He said he does not have any new tests or ideas because she has already had such extensive testing. Then we talked a lot about her "bad" behaviors: hair pulling, kicking herself, not sleeping well at night, irritability, these strange "episodes" she has (they are too hard to describe). After talking to me for awhile, he thought most of her behaviors might be stemming from her not-so-consistent sleeping habits. So, we have one month to try and get her on a strict sleeping schedule. If she starts sleeping well and none of these behaviors are improved, he said we could talk about medication. Now I am pretty dedicated to following our new sleep schedule so that she doesn't have to start on some new medication! Our plan to get her sleeping better is not really new information. We should have been doing this all along. We are supposed to start her bedtime rituals one hour before bedtime (snack - including an over the counter sleep aid called Melatonin, bath, quiet playing/reading) and anything we come up with to help relax her and calm her down before bed. Then, put her to bed at the same time every night, in a very dark room with relaxing music or something that she likes. Wake her up at the same time every morning and have her take a 3o min. - 1 hr. nap at the same time every day. We have been doing these things for one week now and it is going pretty well. We'll see how she does this week when she isn't sick anymore. I actually really like the "hour" of getting the kids calmed and ready for bed. We turn off the TV and play quiet music like Michael Buble, Chris Botti, Enya, or others. It's a great time to relax and just spend quality time with the kids.

The three recipes that I provided links to are all from Light and Tasty... my favorite cooking magazine. I have already made them all several times and we really like them!

Monday: Turkey Tetrazzini served with Salad

Tuesday: Out to dinner.

Wednesday: Lasagna & Steamed Broccoli

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Tom gone for dinner... eat whatever I can find.

Saturday: Hearty Beef Barley Soup served with homemade bread

Sunday: Blackened Chicken & Beans served with rice

Baby Bybee Boy!

I finally got to have my ultrasound this morning and we are having a boy! Of course, we are very excited and are happy that Evan will have a little brother to play with. And Jordyn will have two brothers to protect her! Everything looked great on the ultrasound & I even got to see an "up close" shot of the baby open his mouth and stick out his tongue. It was probably the coolest thing I have seen on any of my ultrasounds because it was so clear and up close. Now we just have to come up with boy names.... I think we will leave the name a surprise, but would love suggestions. Now that we know we are having a boy, I feel like I need to get ready! It is also starting to feel like I don't have too much farther to go, which is always great!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Yesterday we went on a field trip with Jordyn's preschool class to a pumkpin patch. Jordyn got to ride the school bus with her classmates and Evan and I met them there. They did a hay ride, picked pumpkins, walked through a maze, colored & ate snacks. By the time Jordyn got back to school, she was asleep in her wheelchair. It was a fun field trip except it was extremely windy and dirt was flying everywhere! We still had fun!

Below: Jordyn getting pushed through the maze by her teacher & her friend.
The little boy pushing her is also in our ward and is so sweet to Jordyn, as
are many of the kids in her class.

I LOVE this picture... it makes me laugh. Jordyn is taking her
coloring VERY seriously. She's probably thinking,"Leave me alone! I'm coloring!"
Also notice that she is holding onto the crayon all by herself!

Family photo. We are holding the pumpkin that Jordyn picked.

It's Time / Menu Plan Monday

Conversation between Tom and I tonight:

Emily: Do you want to start eating healthy again?

Tom: Sure. Why, did you just weigh yourself?

Emily: No! I'm going to post on my blog that you said that.

Tom: You are?

(Note: I did not take offense to anything Tom said. If you understand his sense of humor, you will know that he was joking around & just teasing a fat pregnant lady)

Well, that was the most entertaining part of the conversation. We have decided to start eating healthy again. I blame all of our recent bad eating habits on my being pregnant. Now that I am feeling much better (in the area of morning sickness), I look at what we are eating and I feel like we are not eating so great and that I am gaining too much pregnancy weight. I had in my mind that I would eat what I wanted (but not eat extremely bad) and just start all over with eating well after the baby is born & when I get the ok to work out again. But, I started thinking today, that would be in 5 months! I can't wait that long. And neither can Tom. Both of us are always saying how gross we feel and how we think we are gaining too much weight. (It might be because we sat around the house all weekend and ate about a million graham cracker cookies!) We are going back to our rule of having one bad eating day a week. Our menu may not look too much different from before. Most of the changes will be in how we cook the food or changing/altering the ingredients to make it "lighter". We are going to cut out as much fat as we can (we will buy most everything non-fat or low-fat) & avoid greasy, processed, & non-whole wheat foods. Now if I can just get exercising a little, things will be even better!

Monday: Scrambled Eggs & Toast (I won't be able to go grocery shopping until Mon. night or Tues. afternoon, so we are eating what is left in the fridge!)

Tuesday: Spaghetti served with green salad.

Wednesday: Pork Chops w/ Dijon Sauce served with Scalloped Potatoes & Cottage Cheese

Thursday: Wild Rice Chicken Bake served with green beans

Friday: Lentil Soup served with home made bread.

Saturday: (bad eating day) Sour Cream Enchiladas (half pan) served with Spanish Rice

Sunday: Hamburgers served with Corn on the Cob

Good Luck Marathon Runners!

I had to wish my sister, Susan, and brothers, David & Joel, good luck this weekend for the St. George Marathon! The time has flown by and I can't believe the race is this Saturday. I was just thinking yesterday,"I can't believe I COULD have been running that marathon!" I can't wait to run a marathon in a few years and be able to ask all of them for their wisdom and advice. So, good luck guys and I know you will do great! I wish I could be there to watch, but I will definately be thinking about you guys all day!

It seems like the only things I have been blogging about lately is food!

Here is our menu for the week:

Monday: Herb Chicken served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Frz. Vegetables. (This is a recipe from last week, which we didn't end up using.)

Tuesday: Macaroni & Beef Bake served with green salad

Wednesday: Grilled Steak served with pasta shells and steamed broccoli

Thursday: French Toast (on Cinnamon Swirl Bread - Better Homes and Garden Cookbook) & Turkey Sausage Links

Friday: Chicken Curry served with Carrots in Dill Butter (carrots from B.H. & G. Cookbook)

Saturday: Pot Roast served with Crescent Rolls

Sunday: French Dip Sandwiches (using leftover pot roast) and french fries

Last night I went to my cooking skills class. We learned about making good soups and stews. Then we all brought halloween treats. It was pretty hilarious, the gross things people made. I made "spider eggs", pictured below. They are deviled eggs with cut up black olives to make the spiders. I think they were a hit. Don't they look so creepy? A few of the other things brought: eyeball ice cubes, edible eyeballs, a pudding dessert with cool whip ghosts on top, monster fingers with witch blood (green breadsticks with an almond for a fingernail & marinara sauce), an apple/fruit dip, and pink popcorn. We also tried a couple of soups/stews also. Of course, I thought everything tasted great!

Wah-num-brah! (Let's eat!)

Monday: Grilled hamburgers served with Five Cup Fruit Salad.

If you want to try a REALLY good seasoning for your burgers try McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning. My friend, Jeni, and her husband Jeff (hey guys!) introduced us to this seasoning and now we use it all the time. We usually always use it on our steak and a small amount on our hamburgers. It's really good!

Tuesday: Cheesy Broccoli Soup in Bread Bowls served with green salad.

I think my brother, Dave, got us hooked on these soups. (A TON of the things we eat or use for cooking are because our friends and family have told us about them!) He introduced us to the Creamy Potato Soup, which I love. Then we tried the Cheddar Broccoli and also the Chili. I loved the broccoli but wasn't too impressed with the chili. Haven't tried the others yet. Most of the time, you can find these soups at Walmart. I love them, because it's so easy and tastes homemade.

Wednesday: Creamy Herbed Pork served with Jasmine Rice and Green Beans. Yes, we love our Jasmine Rice!

Thursday: Fettuccine Alfredo, leftover meatballs I need to get rid of, & Asparagus Dijon.

Friday: Date Night to celebrate our anniversary. We were supposed to go out two week ago, but needed to postpone until this week.

Saturday: Herb Chicken served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Frozen Veggies

Sunday: Indian Tacos

Tom's mom was kind enough to give us some authentic fry bread mix that she loves. She is originally from New Mexico and has some great Navajo recipes that she makes. You can make quite a few things with the fry bread mix. This time we are making Indian Tacos (picture below). On the back of the package and on their website it has a recipe for Grape Dumplings. I think I want to try those with another one of our packages that we have left. This is also where I found the saying "Wah-num-brah", in case you might be wondering.

Happy 6th Anniversary!

Yesterday was our 6th Wedding Anniverary! Unfortunately, Tom was out of town! He had the pleasure of meeting his male cousins, on his mom's side of the family, at Lake Powell for a "boys weekend"! I was fine with him being gone on our anniversary. I figured that he needed a break after graduating and starting work in June. He didn't really have much down time between graduating and starting his new job! It sounds like him and the guys are having a lot of fun. Can't wait to see his photos and hear all of their stories. We will celebrate our anniversary this coming weekend by going on a date. He also surprised me by having flowers delivered yesterday! How sweet.

Tom left early Thursday morning and will get back late tonight. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do while he was gone. But, I managed to stay somewhat busy.
Thursday: Jordyn was in school in the afternoon, so I took Evan with me to get my driver's license. It was a miracle.... the DMV was almost empty!!! The lady who helped me even said it was very unusual. By the time I left (about 30 min. later) it was packed! Talk about good luck! I passed my written test, but got 2 wrong. I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I missed the question on what a yield sign was! It showed a red and white triangular sign.... I thought yield signs were yellow!? Anyways, who cares, I passed! My photo actually turned out decent too.
Friday: I took Jordyn and Evan with me to the "Lending Library". I mentioned it awhile ago on here. It's a libraray where you can check out toys and equipment for special needs kids. You pay $10 a year and get to check out 6 things per month. We got 3 toys that are hooked up to switches. Jordyn pushes the button and then the toy plays it's song or dances, or whatever it does. Then we got 2 toys that vibrate. I will take some photos/video of Jordyn playing with them and post them soon. And of course, Evan thinks these toys are the funnest toys he's ever played with! Friday night I made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies and watched the movie A Good Year. I knew Tom would never watch this movie in a million years, so I rented it while he was gone! The cookies were REALLY good and the movie was ok.
Saturday: I decided this was my day to do nothing. (Like I was so busy the other days!? haha) I should have cleaned the house or something, but I really didn't feel like it. I got to sleep in a little in the morning, which was nice. Then in the afternoon I watched Water World, which was on tv. For some reason, I remember this movie getting bad reviews, but this is probably the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen it and I like it! Saturday night I ventured out to the store with BOTH kids! The grocery store is one place I cannot take both kids by myself. I can't push Jordyn in her wheelchair, carry Evan or hold his hand, AND carry groceries. But, I made it work. I put Jordyn in the stroller (she is beginning to look ridiculous in the stroller... she is so big!) and Evan pushed Jordyn (or I held his hand). Then I put the milk in the small basket underneath the stroller. We made it in and out of the store with no problem! I spent the rest of the night getting the kids bathed, etc, and then read a book the rest of the night. I did get a rather large romance/mystery book at the library to read while Tom was gone. I am about 3/4 of the way done with it.
Sunday: Went to church. Came home, ate lunch, baked bread, and made Jello Jigglers. Now I am on here!
I can't wait for Tom to come home tonight! I've talked to him a couple of times while he's been gone. I always tell him,"It's so quiet and boring while you're gone!" I also HATE having to sleep alone... it's just creepy and I don't sleep well. Yesterday I pulled out our photo album of our wedding and honeymoon. I posted 3 of my fav. photos of our honeymoon. Tom and I still talk about our honeymoon quite frequently and how great it was. It was an farely inexpensive trip that we planned ourselves and we loved the area. We can't wait to go back some day! Happy Anniversary Tom!

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Lake Moraine, Banff Nat. Park

Leaving Glacier Nat. Park and heading into Canada

Monday: Eating at a friend's house

Tuesday: Beef Enchilada Casserole, Spanish Rice (Kaw River Ward Cookbook p. 36)

Wednesday: Chicken Fried Rice & Egg Rolls

We are officially obsessed with these egg rolls! We buy them at Walmart and they are pretty inexpensive (We always buy the pork egg rolls). And so far, they are the best egg rolls we have found! We've tried lots of egg rolls from Chinese Restaurants and always think they are just ok. But, these are really good. I like to bake them a little longer than it says, to make them really crunchy on the outside. Try them & let us know if you like them!

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Mexican food from Taqueria Landa's
Tom discovered a great place that serves authentic Mexican food. They have a booth a few blocks from Tom's work where they serve lunch. So this weekend, we tracked down their restaurant so that I could try the food. We both had steak burritos. They are HUGE and cost $3.50. (I think they are the most expensive thing on the menu) I couldn't even finish mine it was so big. And it was really good. I think this will be our new place when we are craving mexican food. We are excited to try more items from their menu. I am so glad to find a cheap place to eat that tastes way better than fast food!

Saturday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Sunday: Leftovers

Zoo Boise 2007

Last night we attended Tom's work BBQ at the Zoo. We have never been to the Zoo, here in Boise, so we were excited to go. They had some great food and then we were free to walk around the zoo for a few hours. I got to meet the Pres. and Vice Pres. of the company... very nice guys. I told Tom, as we drove home, that he seems to work with some really nice people. He agreed... he said everyone really gets a long and the "head honchos" in the company are nice guys. It was nice being there at night because it was cooler and Tom's work had the whole place rented out so we didn't have to deal with crowds of people.

When you go to the Zoo, does it seem like all of the animals are hiding, sleeping, or not even there? I heard several people saying,"I haven't seen many of the animals out." But, I also heard another person saying,"I've seen more animals out tonight than other times I've been here." So, who knows. They had some cool animals and the kids loved it.

This is going to be a pretty easy cooking week. We are trying to cut the grocery bill this week, so I planned meals that I didn't need to buy a lot of ingredients for. It also helps that we have a few events to go to, so I don't have to cook! We are going to try shopping this week at WinCo Foods. I went in their the other day for the first time (hadn't even heard of this place before we moved here) and it is supposed to have the cheapest prices around. I can't wait to see how cheap our grocery bill is for the week. It's almost like playing a game to see how little you can spend.

Monday: Chicken Tenders in Honey Mustard Garlic Wet Rub, Jello Fruit Salad, and Jasmine Rice

Tuesday: Grilled Pork Chops & Baked Potatoes

Wednesday: Scrambled Eggs w/Ham & Cheese, Jam Filled Muffins

Thursday: Going to Zoo Boise for Tom's work BBQ.

Friday: "Fixed Up" Frozen Pizza for me, salad (Tom gone for dinner!)

Saturday: Going out for our anniversary.

Sunday: Angel Chicken (slow cooker), w/ buttermilk biscuits.

Perfect day to go outside!

It was finally cool enough to go spend some time outside. (without sweating or passing out from heat stroke!) The high today is supposed to be 79, I think. I have been telling Tom for the past few weeks that we should go on a picnic! Of course, he was never too excited about that idea. But, he finally agreed to go because I said we could go downtown to Ann Morrison Park (where we saw the fireworks on July 4), which we've been wanting to go check out during the day. And I also said we could do a little geocaching too. Usually if I include geocaching into our days activity... he doesn't mind going!
A few days ago, I was watching Dr. Phil and he was asking his wife, who is always in the audience, about romance and dating in their marriage... or something like that. She was saying that he does pretty good being romantic etc, but "He could go on more picnics." Then Dr. Phil started explaining why he doesn't like picnics."I just don't understand picnics. Why would I want to eat my food on the ground? Why do I want to eat my food outside and on the ground when I have a great table, and plates, and air conditioning at home?" I thought it was pretty funny and I think that is probably exactly what Tom was thinking!
Anyways, our picnic was going great until we started getting bugged by hungry bees! Oh yeah, I forgot about BEES bugging you at picnics! So, I was pretty much running around the table the whole time, trying to get the bees away from me and Jordyn. (sigh) Oh well... It was still a good picnic. We walked around the park, checked out the cool fountain, and fed the ducks and geese.

Photo Below: Evan eating the bread istead

of throwing it to the ducks.

Tom is watching the first game of the NFL season... so I'm bored.

• Last night I went out to dinner with a group of friends. It's funny because at one time or another, we have all been in the same ward.... in Spokane! Now, all of us (5 including me) live in the Boise area. Two of the girls have lived in Boise for the past year or two. The rest of us have all moved down here in the past six months. We've met at the park a few times already,with our kids, and decided to have a "Girls Night". We went to the Cheesecake Factory and it was REALLY good. It was hilarious because we had a long conversation, during dinner, about having babies. There were two men eating right next to us (and I'm sure they could hear every word we were saying)... I would have loved to hear their thoughts on our conversation! So, it was a lot of fun and I think we might make it a regular thing now. It's been great having these girls around so that we feel like we at least know a few people!

• I think I may have my own personal secretary now. I mentioned earlier that I got hooked up with a company that provides us with a "service coordinator" for Jordyn. It has been so great! Today I got a lengthy e-mail telling me all the people she has called for us and all the appts. she has set up. I hardly have to call anyone anymore! One of the most frustrating things to deal with, when it comes to Jordyn, is having to call so many doctors, customer service workers, secretaries, and a million other people. You ask people to send faxes; they mysteriously disappear. One person tells you one thing; another person tells you something else. You send something in the mail; they never get it. You leave a message for someone; they never call you back. Our service coordinator eliminates most of this frustration because she gets to deal with it, not me!

• I finally did it. I had someone watch Evan today while I took Jordyn to an appointment! I was so proud of myself! Jordyn had an appointment at the dentist and they were going to attempt a cleaning and x-rays. I knew Jordyn would get mad and then I would need to calm her down. So, taking Evan could have been a disaster. There is a girl in the ward with a little girl the same age as Evan and I asked her to watch Evan. I could tell she obviously didn't mind at all and she kept telling me over and over, "If Jordyn has doctors appts., bring Evan over... we don't mind at all!" So, she may be my "go to" person for a babysitter. In six months, Jordyn has her next dentist appointment and I scheduled Evan for the same time. By then, the baby will have been born also. I've been thinking all day.... How am I going to take Jordyn, Evan, and the new baby to the dentist!? I guess we will figure it out when the time comes!

First Day of School

Jordyn had her first day of preschool today! (Not the greatest photo, but it was the best I could do.) She is in an afternoon class with about 4 other boys. In Spokane, she was also in a class full of boys! Her teacher seems really great and so do the assistants. Last week we went to an open house to meet the teachers and other kids. We found out there are two other kids from our ward, in Jordyn's class. I can tell they already like her. One of the little boys from our ward ran up to her today and was saying,"Jordyn's here! Hi Jordyn, Hi Jordyn!" It was cute. The other kids started last week, but Jordyn had to wait while the school finished her paperwork and got the teacher's trained on how to handle seizures. We also went to a second meeting, last week, to meet with all of the therapists who will work with Jordyn. They asked me LOTS of questions and we set up goals for Jordyn. At the meeting, her teacher said,"Today, one of the boys in Jordyn's class said,"Where is the girl with the big wheels?"... I had to laugh at that!
It's good to have Jordyn in school. I feel like her days will be a lot more fun now... instead of just being at home with me! I also took Evan to the library today for a "toddler reading time", while Jordyn was at school. I think we will go to that once a week, so he will have something fun to do also. I guess this means our summer is officially over! But, it really is kind of nice to have a change of pace. Now the kids are both sound asleep and I can get a few things done!

Menu Plan Monday

This is another one of my attempts to try something new. It seems like every once in awhile you get an itch to organize your life or change something. I went to a "Cooking Skills" group at church the other night. It's once a month and someone teaches us a new skill every month. This was my first time going and they were teaching how to plan your dinners meals from a menu. And then they asked you to bring a sample of food for everyone to try that has to include food from a garden. I took Carrot Coconut Muffins that turned out really good. I actually already plan our meals every week, but I definately got some new ideas from the class. I still need to organize better... plan the meals the same day every week, go to the store the same day (only once a week), and save the menus I make, in a binder, to refer back to. I also found a blog online, Organizing Junkie, where a whole bunch of bloggers post their "Monday Menu" for everyone to look at. So, that is what I am going to do! Now you can see what we are eating for the week and use the recipe if you want.(Even if there isn't a link, I usually have a recipe for most meals. Let me know and I can e-mail you the recipe.) I would love to hear what things my family and friends are making too... we will try almost anything. So if you have a good recipe or something for us to try... send it my way. Hopefully the men reading this post aren't rolling their eyes at the fact that once a week they have to see our menu... oh well, I know the women out there might find it somewhat interesting!



Monday: Corn on the Cob, Steak, and Jasmine Rice

Tuesday: "Breakfast Dinner" - French Toast Casserole with Pecan Topping (recipe from America's Test Kitchen), Sausage Patties

Wednesday: "Fixed Up" frozen pizza, green salad

Thursday: Glazed Pork Chops, Egg Rolls, Rice

Friday: Sloppy Joes (America's Test Kitchen), Tater Tots

Saturday: Curried Chicken & Potato Packets

Sunday: Baked Manicotti (America's Test Kitchen), Frozen Veggies, French Bread

Extra/Baking: Buttermilk Onion Bread & Apple Oatmeak Bites


Yes, I love America's Test Kitchen, if you didn't know already. The Sloppy Joe recipe is the BEST recipe for sloppy joes we've ever made. I think I will be using that recipe for the rest of my life!

We NEVER learn.

It happened again. We locked ourselves out of our vehicle. Well, I should say Tom locked himself out of the van! Tom had run an errand with Evan and was coming inside to pick me and Jordyn up, to go get something to eat. He said his arm bumped the lock, just for his door, and he assumed all of the other doors were already unlocked. So, we soon realized all the doors were locked, with the keys and Evan in the van. Luckily, the van was running and had the air conditioning on. Not wanting to spend money on a locksmith, Tom went and got a hanger and started sticking it in the crack of the door. As he is doing this, I was inside looking up the phone number for a locksmith. I went out to the garage and told Tom that I found a place called "Affordable Lock Out"... just in case we needed it. After about 5-10 min. Tom was able to hit the unlock button with the hanger! He said,"Now that was quick and affordable!"
When we bought the van, we were bummed that they only gave us one key. We both agreed we would need to make a copy... sometime soon. But did we do it soon? I think we all know the answer... no! We never learn. I don't know how many times we've locked ourselves out of our apartments or vehicles because we don't have an extra key. Then we say, we will def. go get a copy made! And it takes us forever to do it. I wonder how many lockouts we will have to endure to finally teach ourselves a lesson!

Evan thought it was quite hilarious to be locked in the van.

Tom breaking in. In the photo below you can see the hanger almost reaching the button.