Thanksgiving in May?

I've never cooked a turkey before, and I was really hoping to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner last year, but the fact that I was 41 weeks pregnant at the time I opted out. I have always been a little worried that if I were to just go for it on Thanksgiving that I would somehow manage to screw up the turkey, so I decided that last Sunday I'd do a trial run on the turkey. Yeah it was a lot of turkey, but you just can't beat left over turkey sandwiches.

Anyway I had a good ol' butterball turkey in my freezer that I managed to thaw without a hitch, but then came cleaning it out. To my surprise and dismay this bird, still had feathers!!! NO kidding. Now I am a novice at this whole thing, but I was under the assumption that when you buy a turkey at the grocery store they've pretty much taken care of all that for you. I was juggling this turkey around, got it all rinsed and then I seriously had to find a pair of pliers to yank the feathers out ( no I did not put them in my hat). I've never had the opportunity to be that up close and personal with a turkey before and I can't cay that I'm looking forward to it again.

Long story shortened Turkey came out great - so I was told anwyay, I was rather proud about that. So a couple days later I called Butterball about the whole feather siteeashun and thery're sending me another turkey - without feathers this time. Yeah, me . ( No that is not a picture of my turkey, this one was compliments of google - mine looked way better :)

Babies!

Seriously everyone is having babies - it almost make me want another one, but I think we're going to give it some time before we make any hasty decisions. You gotta admit they're stinkin cute, though! Meet my new niece Lauren and my new nephew (who will be know as megaman for blogging purposes). I was able to be there when Lauren was born and it is truly a miracle. Everything happens so fast when you're the one having the baby and it was amazing to be on the other side of it. These babies are so precious!

Lauren Megaman

Grandma and Grandpa

Peanut finally got to meet Grandma and Grandpa this past week while Officer's parents were visiting. She warmed up to them very quickly; she loved grandpa's watch and grandma's glasses. She talks so much now and they got to hear every story.


She got up early just in time to see them off on their long trip home this morning. He faces are so hilarious!
We got to break out the high chair this week - I can't believe that my baby is so grown up already. She loved it and just squealed!

We finally got a funny food face - her pears were too cold for her taste.

Peanut also starting sitting on her own and rolling over! I'm so excited, but the thought that she could be really mobile in a couple months...I better start baby proofing!

After Aunt Candice's baby shower we got pedicures, her feet were so swollen and it was so hot out that we bought a baby pool and filled it up so she could soak her feet and the kids could play. Peanut did okay, but it was kind of cold. After the pool she got a bath in the sink, I think she liked the kitchen sink better!

We also got a new nephew/cousin last week and anytime we'll get a new niece!

Tagged

Two names you've gone by: 1) Trish 2) PJ(Officer's dad calls me PJ.)

Two things I’m wearing right now: 1) Jeans (not my fat ones - I'm finally back to some pre-pregnancy jeans YEAH!) 2) Sandals - I've got to head out the door to do some grocery shopping.

Two things I want (or have) in a relationship: 1) HUMOR - When you laugh so hard your stomach hurts (Thanks Officer - zebra, zebra) 2) Sincerity - It's nice to know what's coming out of your spouse's mouth is sincere, too many people are superficial.

Two of my favorite things to do: 1)Bake desserts! and eat them too! I love it. 2) Spend time with the fam.

Two things you did last night: 1) Made stir-fry for dinner 2) Watched The Office season finale

Two people you last talked to: 1) Peanut 2) My mom

Two things you’re doing tomorrow: 1) Going to my sister's baby shower 2) Getting a pedicure

Two longest car rides: 1) Boise to California - the long way through Oregon and down through the Redwoods, beautiful but I almost lost my mind! 2) Boise to Cananda and back - that was forever ago!

Two favorite holidays: 1)Christmas 2)Thanksgiving

Two favorite drinks: 1)Fresca (I don't drink soda that much but if I do it's Fresca 2) I love vanilla steamed milk in the winter.

Two things about me you may not have known: 1)I am currently a cub scout den leader. 2) I am so clumsy - yesterday when I went for a run (not on my normal route) I tripped and fell not once, but twice. I'm proud that I picked myself up and kept going the first time, but after the second I thought - if I keep going and fall again.....yeah, I walked after that.

Two jobs I’ve had in my life: 1) Physical Therapist Assistant the past 5 years 2) I was a TA for the cadaver labs in college Anaotomy and Physiology classes.

Two movies I would watch over and over: 1) A lot like love 2) ???

Two favorite foods: 1) I could eat pasta just about everyday of the week 2) chocolate

Two places I’d rather be right now: 1) on a beach in mexico 2) working out

Two people I tag: 1) Nickie) 2) Ellen

Spit Happens!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love watching peanut learn to do things; I just get such a kick out of this girl. Here's the latest.

We are always blowing on her belly, so I think that's where she learned the spitting thing.

She had a hard time reaching her bugs so she learned that if she kicked them with her feet eventually she could catch one.

Wiggles and giggles!

I was uploading a bunch of video today that we had taken over the last few weeks and I just laughed. Peanut is hillarious when she wakes up and also when you get her undressed to take a bath. She gets so excited and she wiggles like crazy. I just love it, she was a little camera shy, but you get the idea.

This is more of her bouncer, but we got her laughing a little at dad. Sometimes she snorts when she laughs, it so funny. There is nothing better than baby giggles.

Update

I thought I should attempt an update, I blink and another month has gone by, seriously I gotta stay on top of this. Officer has changed shifts a couple times and that seems to throw us all off for a while and then when we are getting used to it changes again. One more time this week and then it won't change for 6 months. He loves his job. I think that certain people are cut out for that kind of job and Officer is one of them. He loves to drive fast and now he gets to without any repercussion. All kidding aside, he is so good with people; I can't believe some of the stories I hear though - I won't share some of them are kind of gross.

Peanut is growing like crazy, I just can't believe that she is 5 1/2 months already. Here's a few pictures, I couldn't pass up the booger bubble shot. I'm learning that she does things in her own time. Practicing physical therapy for 5 years before having her you have in your head milestones that an kids should reach by certain ages. Well I have thrown some of that, alot of that out the window. I know where she should be and how to help, but I'm just kind of letting her do it at her own pace. She is rolling over with a little help and every now and then I'll catch her rolling on her own - I think it is just by accident still. She is loving real food I'd have to say I think her favorite so far is green beans, but pears are a close second. We really don't get any funny food faces though - I gotta be honest I was really looking forward to that. I can't seem to get the spoon to her mouth fast enough, it's hillarious to watch. I think she is teething too, she is drooling like crazy all the time and with a low fever and not sleeping as well right now - I 'm guessing that it's got to be teeth, only time will tell I guess. She is not usually very snuggly , but she loves it when I rub the back of her head, it's so cute she'll just sit there.

Today was pretty cute too. Sundays are just always so busy (especially lately I tell you about that later) between church and meetings but we're always running all day. Peanut does so good to just go with it, I had to take her with me to a meeting because Officer was working and somebody else was holding her. She was fine for a while, but then she just got this huge adorable bottom lip and just wimpered the whole way home( it was a beautiful day so we took the stroller). I thought she was tired, but she didn't want to go down for a nap. She's kind of in between this I only want 2 naps, but I do way better with 2 and a teeny little cat nap to make it til bedtime at 8:00. Well, she just didn't want to go to sleep. I fed her, changed her, played for a while, but when I put her down she just wimpered - she normally doesn't fight it too much and has a way different I don't want to go to bed cry, but this wasn't it. She did fine if I sat and combed her hair, or held her hand, but as soon as I left she just wimpered more. It was so sad, I finally just caved. I just sat her in my lap and she was perfectly content with that; I talked and played and sang with her for a couple hours until it was time to get her ready for bed. She went to bed just fine; I guess she just really needed some mom time. I hope this doesn't lead to the whole separation anxiety thing. Anyway I'm loving being a mommy. We've been way busy with our church callings. I'm the (newly released as of today) ward activities chairperson and I'm also a bear/wolf den leader. I didn't realize how much time is involved with both callings, but it's a lot between planning meetings den/pack meetings and activities. Each week I have 6 eight and nine year old boys come to our house for den meetings. I really love it, but it is exhausting by the time they leave. Last week we made bird feeders from tin cans and hershey kiss roses for them to give to their moms for mother's day. Amazingly we fit both projects into one power packed hour of scouts. Then I have been busy trying to plan our upcoming ward activity. Officer also just got called to be elders quorum president on top of his crazy work schedule, so he jokes that he is the inactive elder quorum president. I had no idea how much he would be involved with. He's so good to help people move in/out - he's done a lot of that lately.

Our exciting addition to the family, we finally got a family car - well kind of. We needed something bigger because hello car seats are huge and my little protege just doesn't have much room to spare. Officer decided he would make the sacrifice and sell his truck and he'd drive the little hoopty because it gets better gas mileage than his truck did and I don't drive all that far anymore. So, we bought an Xterra. We've haven't given her a name yet, but I say it's a she becasue it's red. Any ideas on names let us know.

Johnny Jump-up!

This was one of officer's big requests before we had peanut and when someone bought it for our baby shower he was ecstatic! I could not get enough of her today - she played and bounce for probably 25 minutes. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

We went to the cabin this weekend and I saw this picture in the closet. It always reminds me of my grandpa and grandma's house when I was a kid. I remember it hanging above the kitchen table. Now that I am older it seems to have more meaning for me - just feelings of peace and gratitude for how blessed my life is. I am really blessed. I just wanted to share this picture with you.

Tagged...

6 random things I don't think most people don’t know about me.

1. My sister and I got sushed at a Josh Groban concert. Okay, for starters it's a concert not a symphony or an opera or anything. We got tickets for free last minute, so we just went for fun. He is very talented, but he sang like 5 songs in a row in another language and by the fifth one they were all sounding the same. Anyway we were just chatting and this girl next to me totally leans over and says could you be quiet we're trying to listen. It was so hard not to laugh in her face - the concert was so loud. Were polite though - I do have manners.

2. I like decorating. I wouldn't say that I’m all that great at it or anything, but it’s fun. I woke up the yesterday and decided to paint our bedroom. It’s a work in progress; I definitely decorate on a budget so it takes a little while to get the big picture. I had a lot of fun doing Peanut’s room last year and our living room. Here are a few before and afters.

3. I love the ocean. I didn’t really care until after I married Officer. I’d been a couple times, as a kid, but it didn’t matter all that much. Officer took me to Monterey, CA for our honeymoon. It was beautiful – I was hooked. I think we’ve been back to the ocean at least once a year ever since. I really love just hanging out under water and watching it move. Sounds stupid, but it does - all these little critters come to life. I got scuba certified last year, which was a whole other story, but after all the prep work we weren't able to scuba on our trip because I got sick, so we snorkeled a lot. I saw a billion different fish, lobsters, sea turtles, and even found a few octopus hiding in rocks. Also, Officer’s family goes diving for abalone most summers for the past 30+ years. I went for the first time a couple years ago. It’s great to camp so close to the ocean that you can hear it when you wake up. It’s just relaxing! I miss it now.

4. I won my office Halloween costume three years in a row. So - not a very flattering picture hello I was 37 weeks pregnant and still working full time. If you can't tell I was a deviled egg.

5. I'm allergic to kiwi - I just found that out. I used to eat them a lot and then one day my throat got all fuzzy and swelled up and I couldn't breathe. I thought maybe I didn't rinse and peel the skin off enough or something so I tried them again recently - same reaction. Bummer.

6. I'd have to say that this one takes the cake. The one time in my life I wore a bikini was last year when Officer and I took a trip to the Caribbean. I have to preface it by saying that I was working out and – dang I looked good. So…the funny part about it is that while we spent the day at the beach in St. Johns, Antigua we were playing around in near the shore and I totally got stung by a jelly fish. You know when you were younger and you would give someone a “horse bite.” That’s totally what it felt like - a really really bad horse bite at the top of my calf. As I’m screaming OUCH, OUCH, OUCH and running toward the beach guess what happens – hmm…only the obvious, my top came down. There you have it – the moral of the story is don’t wear a bikini; you might get stung by a jellyfish. And if wasn't hillarious enough, it was totally in the shape of a gold fish cracker! Weird.

Well, how's that for complete randomness? I think I am going to tag Holly and Janna and anyone else who wants to! TAG You're IT!

Totally ridiculous, I know!

Okay, so um what happened to March? I woke up and suddenly it's April. It's ridiculous that I haven't updated this in like a month. Anywho - no April fools jokes today - however there is a couple hours left in the day...wheels are turning. I was called to be a wolf/bear den leader for cub scouts last month and can I just say it is a lot of work. I didn't think that I would be involved until I at least gave birth to a man child, but I guess it's my time to learn now. I love that the boys are at an age where even though they are totally wild, when you teach them silly things they think they are hillarious. This month we're doing magic. I taught them some "tricky" tricks (I'm too clumsy to do magic) last week in our den meeting and when they finally understood the tricks - they totally busted up. They make me laugh, I'm totally loving it! Besides scouts I have made an extra effort this month to shed some of the left over pregnancy weight - it is so hard to have uninterrupted exercise time now and these last few lbs are kicking my behind!

Officer's schedule has been crazy -and just when we get used to it - it changes nights, to swings, to days - he has two more weeks and then he is officially on his own and we'll have a set schedule for a few months. We took a trip to Salt Lake for Easter so Peanut could meet her Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Great Grandmas, etc. She met probably 50 people that weekend. It's crazy to learn how to travel with an infant - definitely not a vacations for moms. We had such a good time with everyone. Peanut is HUGE! She had her 4 month appt. with the MD last week - 90th percentile for everything. I do not enjoy the shots though, it's so sad. She is finally giggling more, but we have yet to catch it on video. She is so intrigued by the camera that she stops when we bring it out. To end the month Officer and I got a free night at the Anniversary Inn like a year ago (I refused to go while I was big and pregnant), so we finally went and left Peanut for the first time with Grandma for the night. I hardly knew what to do with myself. We enjoyed it though - what parent doesn't? Alrighty - I've been tagged, never been tagged before, so its a work in progress - I'll have to post it later.

Little Discovery

Oh how I love these pictures! I don't think I can post anything without a picture - and I've taken hundreds of Peanut already. I don't know what sparked her interest, but she will find something so fascinating and examine for minutes (which is almost forever in 3 month attention span time). I just love to watch her discover things. Yesterday it was Daddy's ear and nose. The pictures say it all!

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Officer's 28th birthday yesterday(a little belated). I can't believe he's so old - just kidding.

Grins and Giggles

Peanut giggled at me today, I have no clue why. It was the cutest thing. She has been almost giggling for a few weeks - kind of a courtesy laugh. Then of course we made all sorts of retarded faces and sounds to make her do it again- but to no avail. I guess we aren't that funny. Anyway when I catch it on video I'll add it to the blog.

It was 5 years ago this week that we got ourselves engaged. We sat up late last night just laughing about the whole thing. We had been good friends for a while and he took me to an aquabats concert in Salt Lake - we've always decided that that was the turning point for our relationship. Who knew that the aquabats could affect you like that - bah ha. After that, we were retarded - we had talked and joke about getting married and one day it was kind of like - uh what do you really think about it? I brought him home to meet the folks. He wanted to talk to my dads, he was pretty nervous even though it wasn't really an asking permission thing. My dad ended up in the ER that night from some kind of food poisoning before he had a chance to him talk about it - not a good sign - it just made him more nervous. Once that was over he wanted to make it official and took me to the Temple grounds on our way out of town. As he got down on one knee to ask me, I could see a security guard in the background walking up toward us. It kind of ruined it for me, I was triying not to laugh or cry - I hate getting in trouble. I think he was disappointed that I didn't cry. It was late and long story short - we got kicked off the temple grounds. We joked after that that they probably had photos hanging up somewhere with instructions not to let us come back, of course we knew that wasn't the case. It didn't go as he had planned, but it was a memorable proposal anyway. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Here are some recent pictures. She's 12 weeks this week!

Fish face

Just out of the bath

So tired

I just have way too much time on my hands I guess. Officer has been working swings the last few weeks and I've become an insomniac. It is so hard to fall asleep without him. So...what have I been doing with all that time you ask - well our whole blog page has a new look! Sad isn't it. That's not really all I've been doing - I can get so much accomplished once Peanut is asleep - the only problem is that morning still comes and then I realize that staying up late it ridiculous.

I was asked to talk in Sacrament meeting this past weekend. I use to teach, talk, whatever pretty regularly, but it has been at least four years since I've been asked to speak in a Sacrament meeting. The longer its been the more nervous I seem to get. And of course the topic I was asked to speak on was "Mothers who Know," based on Sister Julie Beck's talk last conference. Sure, I thought, ask the new mom to speak about mothers who know. Anyway, all in all it went pretty well, I think. I just want all of you moms out there to know that I love and admire you - I'm learning to be a mother because of the example of each of you! What an adventure. I love being a mom!

Our computer's been down and we've had a sick baby, and a sick mommy. Babie's and Mommy's aren't supposed to get sick I tell you. So anyway we're finally getting back on our feet. We were able to bless peanut last sunday. Thanks to everyone that came - it was great to see everyone and show off our super cute girl.

She loves to talk - in her language. She definately has a temper, but that last few days she only pulls that out when she's really ticked. Now she tries to tell us other things I just haven't quite figured out what all of it means, but she definately tries to talk her way out of going to bed by being so cute. It's really hard to resist, but she has done so good with sleeping all night we don't want to do anything to mess that up. Here is just a few seconds of her really talking, but she does it for a few minutes - I love it!

Meet Peanut

For those of you just tuning in, (mostly because we're new to the blogging world) we entered the wonderful world of parenting! What an adventure so far, we'd like to thank those of you who helped us get to this point. Seriously, we have had those nights when we weren't sure we were going to make it until daylight and then wondered how we would ever get through the day. Now she is sleeping through the night and starting to coo and smile at us, she is our little bundle of joy. Personally, I think she is ridiculously adorable, she is our entertainment now... here's a little blip