4 Months

Today Jonah is four months old. When I showed Brandon this picture I took of him today we both laughed out loud. Man, he is cute!!
Jonah got three shots today, he did great again, but it is still the saddest thing for me. He weighs 15 lbs. 14 oz. now. He's our big boy.

Our best couple friends, The Pettits, arrive tomorrow morning to spend the weekend with us for Brandon's graduation. They haven't seen the baby yet so it will be fun to show hi off. The J. family is coming in tomorrow afternoon and the M. family on Saturday. It's going to be a fun, busy weekend. I bought a fabulous black dress to wear to the social/dinner on Saturday night. I just need strappy heels now and to decide what to wear to the actual graduation on Sunday. I'll try and post pictures Monday. Until then, "au revoir."

Yeah for Double Dates!

Saturday night was a lot of fun. First we went out to dinner with my good friend, Lacey, and her friend, Cody. We went to an Oklahoma landmark restaurant. Seat yourself, play some songs on the jukebox, have some nachos while you wait for your chicken. They fry 24 chickens every 20 minutes, that's a fact! Lacey was born and raised in Oklahoma, she knows all the good spots.
After dinner we went back to our place. We played Texas hold 'em poker and then watched Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale comedy routine on dvd. Good times!

Karen

Robin, Karen, Ken, Barbie, probably Christmas of '88. We always thought Karen looked like Shirley Temple at this age.

Karen is the 5th of the nine kids in our family, the most middle child. Karen looks like Mom (so do I). Karen currently lives in Georgia. Karen is a talented hair stylist. Karen has beautiful green eyes. Karen has a great sense of humor. Karen is a lot like Sarah.
Karen was born just before I turned six. I named my cabbage patch doll after her when I turned seven. I thought Karen was the most beautiful baby and child. She had a darling dimple on the side of her chin and when her hair got longer it had curls. Because we were so far apart in age, I basically was only vaguely aware of her existance from the time she turned six until about the time she turned 16. Sorry Karen. Since then I have been constantly amused by Karen, she is always fun. Karen calls more than anyone else and I love talking to her. In the past two or three years I feel like I have finally come to know Karen a bit better, and I love her, not just as a sister, but as my friend. Gracias.


Fall 1989, me 11, Karen 5


Aug. 2002 at Karen's beauty school


1985


Dec. 2004


June 2005 in Florida


March 2006

Easy Recipe Idea

I'm on a meatloaf kick lately. I've made three in the past 4 weeks. My old favorite was turkey meatloaf with sundried tomatoes which can be found on www.epicurious.com, one of my favorite websites. I like beef ones too. The best meatloaf I've ever had, I created about two weeks ago, it was EXCELLENT. Since I was making it up as I went along, here is a rough recipe if you want to try making a fantastic meatloaf:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 med. yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 1/3 c. dried bread crumbs
about 7 crushed saltines (also fun to throw in the food processor)
1 egg
splash of milk
1/4 zucchini
catsup/ketchup
1/2 an onion soup mix
1/2 t. salt
olive oil
dash of italian seasonings

Finely chop all vegtables (I just threw them in the food processor). Saute in 1 T. olive oil for a couple minutes. Throw everything (except ketchup) into a bowl and mush it all together with your hands - squishy, squooch, squish. Throw it into a loaf pan, form into a loaf. Top with ketchup. Bake at 350-375 for about 40 minutes. So good it didn't even need salt or ketchup when it was done! Serve with some sort of yummy potatoes and a veggie. The end.

Sleeping Like a Baby

Friday night Jonah slept eight consecutive hours! Woo hoo! He didn't last night, but his nose was kinda stuffy. I'm hoping it's going to be a trend. Now if I could just get myself to go to bed at 8:30, I could get eight uninterrupted hours of rest...

Jonah has had a babysitter once, but last night was the first time we had a babysitter over to our home. It seems things went pretty well. We went out to dinner at Eichens in Okarchie, yep, it's a tongue twister. I think it's the oldest bar in Oklahoma. It doesn't actually serve much alcohol, just a couple beers, and it's really known for its food. There are only about 6 things on the menu, famous for fried chicken and okra, both of which were great. Pictures to follow soon.

Toys, Toys, Toys

No Jonah pictures for over a week, for shame! That's what I've been hearing.
Here he is in his swing playing. He likes toys. He likes to hold them and taste them and shake them. He sleeps with the monkey. He pets its soft fur and sucks on it to soothe him to sleep sometimes. Jonah likes soft stuff, like cats.

Also, I think oatmeal cookies are a perfectly acceptable breakfast.

Lastly, a little update: Brandon flies out to Utah on June 6th for interviews. He should be done with patients July 6th!

Emily the Strange and her cat posse

I should have this shirt.

Blockbuster Night

Like comic book movies? Me too. My all-time favorite is X-Men. I also really like the Superman movies, Batman, and Spiderman series. It's funny, I've never read comic books. One great, but often overlooked, comic book movie is Dick Tracy. It has an all-star cast (Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Mandy Patinkin, Madonna, etc.), plus fantastic costuming and makeup. It isn't one of my very favorite movies, but it is entertaining, has an Oscar nominated performance by Pacino, and is visually exciting. Just thought I'd throw out a suggestion.

Robin

When I first began blogging on this site I was copying my younger sister Robin and further copying her by doing a post about each of my eight siblings. I did my oldest sister Sarah's post on my myspace page before beginning this blogspot and then did one of my earliest post's on here about my older brother, Adam. I am now going to continue. I will do one siblilng a week, beginning today with Robin, the fourth child in our family. I will end this series in 5 weeks.

How can I say enough good things about Robin? She has been one of my best friends for the past 26 years. She was born when I was almost three.
We shared a bedroom for about 12 years. I haven't even shared a bedroom with my husband for that long!

Robin is and always has been very sweet, sensitive, funny, and emotional. I've always had the strongest urge to protect her, not that she really needed me though. I remember playing barbies, Ginny dolls, glo friends, "house", and jumping on the trampoline with her. We watched Care Bears, My Little Ponies, Glo Friends, and Pound Puppies together.
Just after turning 13 our family moved from California to Utah in October. I remember having to trick-or-treat with my lame 10 year old baby sister. But really I was glad I had someone to go with since we hadn't made any friends there yet. In Utah we loved building snowmen together in the winter and playing nightgames together in the summer.
Just before my senior year in high school we moved from Utah to Wyoming. I was very depressed and I was glad to have Robin at the same school with me, she was a freshman. We spent a lot of time together that school year (1995 - 96).
Coach Draney thought we were the coolest sisters cause we were buff in high school. She could always beat me at pull-ups but I could always beat her in arm wrestling. We got into the school musical together that year, she dropped out. She has a lovely singing voice. We joined the track team together and I dropped out. She went on to be a state track star in pole vaulting in both Wyoming and Arizona in high school and in college. My first year in college I missed her so much I would cry and it sucked cause she was so busy with being a social butterfly in high school that she hardly missed me.
Robin had two kids before I had Jonah. She was my best source of advice all thru my pregnancy and I still call her a lot for parenting advice. We share a lot of the same mannerisms, beliefs, humor, taste, and silliness. Robin has a fantastic sense of humor. I love you Rob, Schlob, Victor, Bob, Bobbin, Bobaluski!


1983. Wow, we have a lot of bathtub pictures together!

At Disneyland. 1990?

Both hippies for Halloween. 1993 or 94.

1995. Me sleeping on Robin in the back of the 'burb' on the LONG roadtrip from WY to AZ for Christmas.


1997.

2001.

Last year I dyed my hair dark in an attempt to look more like Robin. Her natural dark hair put my bottle job to shame.

Spring Cleaning Challenge

An easy way to eliminate some of your clutter: throw out expired products. Things that have expired are no longer working well and they could be dangerous. Start with your refridgerator. Sure, nobody keeps milk after it expires, but what about salad dressing? I bet you've got two or three things in the fridge door that you could throw out. Next move on to your medicine cabinent. Do not use expired tums, eye drops, etc!! How 'bout other things in your bathroom? First, get rid of thigs you don't use. If you haven't used something in your house in the past year, you probably never will. We've got an 11 inch electric skillet up for grabs. If you have sun products (sunblock, self-tanners, etc.) over two years old, they don't work right anymore, throw them away. If you have skincare over three years old, get rid of it. If you have cosmetics over five years old, they are germ-filled and probably not working well, toss them. I guarantee this purging will feel freeing. Your home will be safer, less cluttered, and more effective. I can't wait til we start packing for our move in two months, that will be a major purging.

Book Club?

I think my ward is starting a book group again. They are going to read The Five Love Languages which I "read" on tape a couple years ago. I should actually read it. All I've read lately are self-help type books like that though, mostly on parenting. I read two whole books on cessareans while I was pregnant, I've read most of Baby Wise and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and an entire book on pregnancy. I've browsed books on child development, games for infants, etc. I finally finished a novel I started in October. I am ready to read fiction again.




I think I will begin this evening by continuing The Westing Game, a young adult novel I began with my students in mind. What shall I read next?
I just went thru the books on my shelves (didn't dig thru my boxes or go to the library or buy anything new). The ones that appeal most to me at the moment (that I've never read) are: Cold Mountain (B read it 6 years ago and dubbed it a Modern Classic, says our kids will be reading it in high school AND that it will make me cry), The Odyssey, The Brothers Karamazov, Life of Pi, and I'm sure I've got a copy of The Grapes of Wrath somewhere. Which do you all suggest I read first? Anyone want to read with me?

Jonah pics

Add to your grocery list:
Blue Bell Banana Split icecream
Johnsonville Bratwurst

News

1- Jonah has always been able to lift his head when he lays on his belly, but today he started putting his arms into it too! His chest goes up and everything, he looks so grown up! I'll post pictures asap.

2- Got gorgeous flowers from B & Jo for Mother's Day.

3- It looks like we're eliminating Durango and Arizona from our moving possibilities. I know Jonah's adoring fans in AZ are disappointed but it came down to airports for me. We need to live close to a major airport so that we can visit B's mom and family. It looks like we're down to CA and UT.

And whoever Jacob is, thanks for your comments. Brandon used to ski and snowboard but mostly gave it up after high school. And to those of you who have not been able to post your comments, I'm sorry, it's blogger's deal, you shouldn't need an account to comment but sometimes the sight just acts funny. Loved getting emails with people's opinions on where we should live and appreciate all the comments too. It's great to get feedback. (PS- Those of you who comment in your own comments section make me crazy cause who knows if anyone goes back to reread/reopen something they already commented on!).
The reason we're only looking at high altitude towns is that we are both big into hiking (and camping and backpacking and fishing, etc.) and we like to have 4 seasons. Waterskiing availability and theatre are also very important to us. Brandon would like to take up sailing and we both love scuba and kayaking as well. You gotta pick a town that meets your recreational needs, right?

My weekend was nice. It started early cause B didn't have any patients to see on Thursday or Friday. We've been playing a lot of Texas Hold 'Em poker lately in our freetime, it's lots of fun. Saturday morning I had the missionaries and an investigator over for another discussion, she is finally ready for baptism (!). Saturday afternoon we had a BBQ with Jamon and Alisha. Sunday I taught in Relief Society and in the evening we watched Music and Lyrics which was much better than either of us expected. Today has been lazy. Tomorrow I vow to be more productive:)

Decisions

Brandon took the Western Region's Dental Board examinations (on patients) this past weekend. It went well, though he won't officially have his results for several weeks. Four years of schooling and clinic work culminated in that test. Now he just has to finish up with some requirements (2 bridges) and wrap things up with all his patients. We can hardly believe it's almost over.
The end of dental school marks the end of our time here in Oklahoma. Brandon has decided that instead of starting his own practice right away he wants to get hired by another dentist as an Associate Dentist. This can lead to partnership or to the purchase of a practice or one can simply leave after a period of time (6 mos to 3 years) and go it on one's own.
Brandon would ultimately like to have his own practice in Heber City, Utah and is currently looking into associateships in the Salt Lake Valley area. I have always wanted to live within a 6 hour drive to my family in Mesa, Arizona so I have been pushing him to apply in Flagstaff, AZ as well. Brandon has been less than enthusiastic about this prospect. I have come up with a list of 5 places I would rather live than Utah and Brandon is going to look for a job in one of them but has not decided which yet. Which would you choose?


Flagstaff, AZ

Big Bear, California

Durango, Colorado

Prescott, Arizona

Julian, California

14 weeks old

Jonah now smiles at anyone who talks to him. He "talks" and laughs more and more too. He loves being sung too. He likes looking at picture books while I read them to him. He's tried out a Baby Einstein video and liked that as well. He loves to sit in his swing and concentrate at grabbing the dangling toys on it. He is very proud when he catches hold of them.
Jonah can roll onto his side now. He likes to hold toys and will even grab them himself sometimes. He has started noticing the cats. I let him hold Jasmine's tail, which he loved, she also licked his fingers after he held her cat treat and promptly tossed it. In the past few days he has started putting things he holds into his mouth.
Jonah is a very good boy. He sleeps from 9pm to 7am with just one or two night feedings. He naps a lot still and can entertain himself a lot more now. He likes his stroller, but prefers being at home. He no longer needs swaddling at night. He just started nursing on only one side at a time. He is chubby and sweet and wonderful. He's almost ready for a Johnny Jump Up.

Drinks

Many of you know that I've gotten really into teas in the past couple years (my friend Jen says they all taste like dirty water to her, she obviously hasn't tried many). I grew up drinking herbal teas, my mom loves them.
I only ever liked Sleepytime by Celestial Seasonings and mint teas. I was not and am not a fan of fruity herbal teas.
A few years back I became a big fan of chamomile, even before I found out that it is a natural relaxant and pain killer, which is very handy for pregnancy when you have a lot of aches and pains (and cannot take an anti-inflamatory painkiller like ibuprophen or Aleve) and/or can't sleep. Unfortunately, I didn't like the flavor much anymore during pregnancy.
While living in Hawaii I started making Moonlight Mint and keeping an iced pitcher in my fridge all the time. It was just mint tea which had been steeped overnight (so it was kind of strong) on the windowsill in the moonlight during a full moon (I doubt the moonlight is very important but I like the added mystery factor). You can ice any tea, ya know.
A couple years ago my mom introduced me to Maté, an extremely popular South American tea. It has a slow release caffeine in it (as a warning or bonus depending on your POV). It tastes a bit like grass/hay clipppings, but when you're in the mood it's delicious. The best part about (Yerba) Maté (pronounced Mah-tay) is drinking it with a bombilla (straw/strainer); it just seems cool.
There are two websites I find great teas on:
www.teavana.com (try Mate Vana- I like it with milk & sugar or To Life, my two very favorite teas)
www.dragonwater.com (you can buy a sample size of any tea to try for just a couple bucks)
Other drinks I love:
Flavored steamed milk (you can get it at any coffee shop or make your own if you have a capuccino machine) The best one I ever had was at Starbucks at Christmastime. I ordered a Steamer; half eggnog, half vanilla Silk, pure heaven. Normally I just get hazelnut or almond, easy on the syrup.
Horchata (a mexican rice milk with cinnamon)
Mate Latte (had it once at Coffee Talk in Mesa, AZ)
Herbal Chai (a delicious premade liquid one made of Rooibos (red "tea") is found in health food stores and some grocery stores in a red-orange box. I can't remember the brand name).
Wild Cherry Pepsi
Root beers made with sugar not corn syrup (Goose Island brand is available at Target)
Pineorange banana juice, grape juice, etc. We are big juice fans at my house.
And my new discovery...

Questions

To: All You Pros

1- How do I change the song on my video?
2- How do I make the video not look blocky? (It looks fine on my camera/computer)
3- How do I pick a good babysitter for an infant?
Teenagers don't seem the best idea, young moms have enough to deal with, single gals have better things to do with their time, older moms whose kids are gone maybe? I was a good teenage babysitter but I don't know many teenagers at my church and the two I do know are youngest children...

With Jen

This was, of course, Brandon's idea.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My best friend, Jen, came to visit us this week and meet Jonah. It was three days of joy.

More from AZ

Me with Robin and Sarah.
Four of our nephews; Chandler, Gabriel, Jackson, and Tucker - goofballs.

Mom & Dad

Gabe is #2.

Jack & Tucker

Papa & Jonah

Charlotte & Jonah kissing.

Not pictured:

Hanging out with Autumn and her two adorable kids (plus her neices, nephew, and sisters).

Lunch at Crackers with Abbie, Stephanie, and Robin.

Hanging out with the Mabees.

Lots of good family time. Some good food too.