So I don't think I even left the house today. Sad, I know. I did step out the front door for a few minutes to watch the rain with Josh and Avery. That counts for something, right? Maybe not. I did, however, take some pictures of Avery! I'll post a few of them tomorrow. They didn't turn out as cute as I would've liked. She was kinda cranky. I'm going to make another attempt tomorrow and hopefully they'll turn out better. She hates wearing her headbands and flowers/bows lately for some reason so that was a struggle during our photo shoot. Eventually I just gave up and put a little ponytail in her hair, but she wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get it right. So pretty much it was a huge mess.

This week I've been in a cooking mood. I call myself the chef. Josh has helped too so I guess I can't take all the glory. Sunday Josh grilled the steaks while I made twice baked potatoes and asparagus. I don't remember what happened on Monday so I must not have made anything. Tuesday I made spaghetti with whole wheat pasta and a creamy sausage marinara sauce with garlic bread. Wednesday was my sister's birthday so she requested french toast. I decided to try a new recipe and found a cream cheese stuffed french toast recipe online. So I made that with a raspberry sauce and buttermilk syrup. Tonight I felt like chicken so I made cheese and asparagus stuffed chicken with seasoned potatoes on the side. I must say they were all delicious.

Josh starts his new job in a few days! It is going to be weird not having him at home with me. It has been so nice to have him around. It has made life with a baby a lot easier than most moms have it. If I've ever needed a break or a nap he has been home to watch Avery. If I needed to run to the store he has been home to watch Avery. If I wanted to go somewhere with my mom or sister he has been home to watch Avery. I'll admit I've had it pretty easy. Its going to be a big change, but its what we've been waiting for so we are excited.

Oh dear, look at the time. I told myself I was going to be in bed at eleven and its already a quarter to midnight...I am trying to train myself to go to bed earlier...better luck tomorrow. GN

everything costs money.

now that josh is going to start working again we are more aware of our financial situation. or lack thereof. depends on the day and how i look at it.

why is it that the more money someone has the more inclined they are to spend it?

or is that just me?

no, i think (well, i hope) its a human characteristic.

why is saving so hard for some people and not for others?

josh and i have never been big spenders.

so i hope as he starts his new job we can be in the group of people who have an easy time saving their money.

having something to save for will make it easier.

so here is my (and when i say "my" i mean "our") list of things to save for:

(in no specific order)

1. house
2. car
3. furniture for avery
4. dining room table (for my new house...)
5. PS3
6. sewing machine
7. laptop
8. camera
9. trip to san diego/seaworld/zoo

i'm sure there's more, but that's a start...i'll keep ya posted

going green

i'm in the mood for green. i know its kinda hard to read...i'll be over green just as fast as i was the blue, so don't get attached to it.

i had a delicious dessert today from Apple Dumplings Cafe (i think thats what its called) in Queen Creek. It was their apple dumpling with caramel and ice cream. i'll definitely be going back for seconds someday!

josh went to the diamondbacks game.

AND

the best news of all...

Josh FINALLY got the job we having been waiting for!!! He applied six months ago for this job and it has taken this long for him to go through the hiring process. He starts August 2nd!!!

Well, gotta go to bed. Good night!

almost 10 months

avery is a week away from being 10 months old.

she was so cute at church that i just had to snap a few (and when i say few i mean at least 30) pictures of her when we got home.

she was such a good baby in sunday school and relief society. she had a couple happy outbursts and clapped a couple times, but other than that she was a gem.

she is still having difficulty sleeping through the night. we put a nightlight by her crib and gave her some teething tablets, but nothing seems to be helping! she coughed for like 20 minutes straight last night. poor girl.

so here are some of the pictures i took yesterday after church:

avery's angry eyes?

i'm in love with her little double chin in this picture

mug shot

getting her nails cut...she is usually pretty good at sitting still and letting me cut her nails, but every now and then i have to call in reinforcement

here are a few pictures from the 4th of july

eating cheerios

what do you call your pancakes?

pancakes. hot cakes. flap jacks. griddle cakes. crepes. galette. cannoli. dropped scones. crumpets. pikelets. jonnycakes. pooda.

pancakes are eaten worldwide.

growing up i didn't like them.

now i do.

here's the history:

Archaeological evidence suggests that varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies whereby dry carbohydrate-rich seed flours mixed with the available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, were baked on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire to form a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.

In the medieval and modern Christian period, especially in Britain, pancakes were made to use up store items prior to the period of Lent fasting beginning in Shrovetide.

thanks wikipedia.

and thanks dad for making pancakes for breakfast!

sleep

Sleep. I love to sleep. I am one of those people who could probably sleep all day and sleep just fine through the night. I can fall asleep practically anywhere, assuming it provides even the slightest hint of comfort. SO not only do I love to sleep, I'm pretty dang good at it.

Parenthood is like anti-sleep.

I wouldn't change having Avery...but I miss my sleep.

She actually has been a great little sleeper. Until recently.

Before our trip she slept in her crib through the night. Now anytime I put her in her crib she screams and cries. She refuses to lay down and just looks over the rail with her sad, big, blue eyes. If we are lucky and she doesn't wake up, the luck doesn't last long. She's been waking up a couple hours into the night and unlike before our trip doesn't put herself back to sleep. We find her standing in her crib crying, again looking over the rail with her tear filled baby blues.

So against what we are probably supposed to do...we give in. We pull her into bed with us, let her crawl around a bit, and when she seems tired again help her go back to sleep.

But, even that doesn't guarantee a full night's sleep. And if we actually do get to sleep till morning its in the most uncomfortable positions so we don't disturb her.

I know going on long vacations are hard for babies and can disturb their sleep cycles. But, it is taking her forever to get back to her normal routine!

And I guess it doesn't help that she has a horrible cough sometimes that wakes her at night.

Maybe she's teething.

Maybe she's becoming scared of the dark.

Maybe she's having separation anxiety.

Who really knows?

All I know is I hope we can get it resolved for her sake, as well as mine.

feeling kinda blue...

i've been drawn to blue things lately, so naturally i had to change my blog background to something blue...

for the past week or so we've been in utah.
here is an account of our little vacation:

friday, july 2nd: woke up at 4:50. showered. finished packing (i'm a last minute packer). got avery ready. after a few complications we were all finally on the road around 9am. only a few hours behind schedule...not bad. arrive in blanding, ut.

saturday, july 3rd: 4th of july festivities. small town celebrations are the best! after enjoying a few slices of french toast (my favorite breakfast ever) we went to the parade. three f-16s did a fly by. that was josh's favorite part of the day. the parade was the same as usual...the cheerleaders, the band, cowboys riding on horses, the drill team, people throwing candy to the kids, the missionaries, the high school royalty.... after the parade we ate navajo tacos and walked around all the booths to see what people were selling. fast forward to 10pm. the best part of independence day is by far the fireworks. josh and i love fireworks. the show was awesome this year. it just kept going and going and going! avery watched half of it and then fell asleep. she is such a trooper!

sunday, july 4th: family reunion breakfast for my great-grandparents side. make a texas sheet cake. make hummus. drive to the bear's ears to camp. this year our family reunion's theme was "christmas in july"

monday, july 5th: JOSH'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!! he turned 25. half way to 50...its gonna come fast. camp. sing christmas songs.

tuesday, july 6th: camp, sing christmas songs. drive to blanding.

wednesday, july 7th: go to lake powell! fish.

thursday, july 8th: fish. swim.

friday, july 9th: swim. fish.

saturday, july 10th: fish. drive to blanding.

sidenote: josh caught more fish than me :(
sidenote: avery loved being in the water! and on the boat...

sunday, july 11th: relax

monday, july 12th: relax

tuesday, july 13th: drive home.

WOW! what a trip! we had so much fun while we were gone, but its great to be home! avery is the best traveler. i hope she stays that way for a long time.

i'll post pictures soon!