28

I turned 28 this week. I'm glad to be an even number again. Maybe it's weird, but I don't like odd numbers.

Mitch's family took us out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Brick Oven. (I highly recommend this place! They have one in Layton, Provo, and St. George.) Thanks again, Kevin and Kathy!

My family came over Sunday night to celebrate mine and Jordan's bdays. We had our traditional Coldstone ice cream cake. It tasted like heaven. This year we got the Oreo Cookies 'n Cream one.

Isn't it funny the things you ask for when you're older? Like a food processor and a salad spinner (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Ha, ha. Brock and Natalie gave me some really cute wood letters that spell our last name that Natalie made; she is very talented. Dudin gave me I-tunes, which I've already used. Grandma Ruth let me combine my bday and Christmas present and gave me a pair of Tom's that I've had my eye on for a while now. She even went through the trouble of wrapping my present half in birthday and half in Christmas wrapping paper. Creative! Katie gave me some awesome running gloves that I've been wanting. They match my running jacket perfectly, which I bet she wasn't even aware of when she bought them. Everyone else gave me money, which will be spent wisely, I should assure you. Maybe I should buy Layla a scarf, seeing as how she loved wearing my mom's. (This is the best pic we could get.)

Since my birthday was on a weekday, and Mitch's finals were this week, I told him not to worry about planning anything. I did ask him to bring something home for dinner. Unfortunately, I ended up with food poisoning (I'm not sure what from, could have been anything really) and spent the better part of my actual birthday throwing up and whining about how bad my stomach hurt. I didn't want to wake Mitch up, so at 2:30 in the morning I drove myself to Maverik and bought a bottle of Pepto Bismal, and I literally did not fall asleep until after 5 a.m. When Mitch did wake up from me tossing and turning, I told him what was going on and that it was the worst birthday ever. Ha, ha. Lucky me though, Mitch was able to stay home from work and somehow managed to work from home, take care of a sick wifey, babysit our crazy toddler, and go grocery shopping! Husband of the year award, for sure. He was exhausted at the end of the day, but I truly appreciate him. I was feeling much better by the evening thanks to my large bottle of Sprite and lots of rest.

Layla tried on my slipper boots at our party. Too big.


As always, Mitch spoiled me with gifts. He always does too much. This year he gave me something I've wanted and needed for a while: a sunrise simulator. It's basically an alarm clock with a light lamp built in; the light slowly gets brighter over a set amount of time and is at its brightest when the alarm goes off. People with Seasonal Affective Disorder, like me, are supposed to greatly benefit from using one. Let me just say that I can already tell a HUGE difference in my energy and happiness levels. Best gift ever.

He also gave me a zip up hoody since my old one had holes in it from being worn so much. Layla (Mitch wrote her name on the gift) gave me an attachment for our BOB stroller that is essentially a clear, plastic cover to enclose the stroller and keep the kid warm and dry. I plan to go running during the afternoons this winter and having Layla enclosed in the stroller will keep her snug and dry. I'm really excited about it. Layla is too. She just doesn't know it yet.

Even though I was sick, it was still a great birthday. I'm just thankful for great family and friends who make me feel loved. They even love me when I wear this ugly Christmas sweater to Bunko. It has bells on the sleeves, an awesome pinecone brooch, and fur around the collar and wrists.

Monkey Reindeer

I generally consider myself to be pretty smart, but I definitely have my ditzy moments as well. One such occurrence happened yesterday, when Layla and I went to make cupcakes with Shelly and Parker. First of all, Shelly was nice enough to provide everything, I just needed to bring cupcake liners, which I already had. I forgot them. Then, Shelly showed me a picture online of the reindeer cupcakes we were going to make and I thought they were monkeys. Only halfway through the activity did I realize they were indeed reindeer. Ha, ha, we had a good laugh about that one.

The girls had fun and actually played together really well, even if it was only for short amount of times; they mostly played separately, but got along well regardless. Thanks, Shelly, for the fun and yummy time!

The Toddler

Our toddler. She's a little bit hyper you know. Okay, really hyper at times. And she is so loud! She yells all the time; not because she's mad, she just gets super excited! She does this really loud, fake laugh when she's happy about something. She's also endearingly sweet, hilarious, and really fun.

I kept telling Mitch that I would rather have a hyper and social child than a shy, boring one. I got exactly what I wanted.

Here we are playing "ghost baby." Layla loves to walk around with something over her head and pretend to be a ghost. A friendly one though — she gives hugs. You can hear her say, "how" in the video, which means hug in Layla language.

This is what our car rides typically sound like. Layla yells out someone's name  — maybe Ernie, Elmo, Baby, Daddy, Mamma, Papa, Mammy, Katie, Brockie, Dudin, or Natalie — and then we repeat it.  She usually says the names of whomever we had seen last.

And here she is just being Layla.

Her little sense of humor is really emerging. The other day I wore this hat and she wanted to put it on her Ernie doll, which she thought was so funny! She also enjoys putting her hair barrettes in Ernie's hair.





A few things she's learned lately:

• all of the actions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and some to "Popcorn Popping" which she calls "papapapa."
• she sings the ABCs while we wash her hands. She usually sings something like, "a,b,b, m,m,m,o,v..."
• how to walk on her tip toes, which she does a lot.
• all of the letters in the alphabet by sight and sound.
• several numbers; she tries to count and usually says something like, "Two, Nine, Eight, etc."
• if you ask her which number comes after one, two, and three, she can give the correct answer.
• she tries with all her might to jump, but just ends up squatting really low and then standing up really fast while saying, "Jump!" It's absolutely hilarious!
• besides her normal vocabulary, she started talking jibberish, and often throws in one of her "real" words in the middle. It's pretty funny to hear her chew us out in toddler language. 
• Mitch went to change her diaper the other morning and in the middle of her crying she yelled, "Why?!?" Too funny. When Mitch puts her to bed at night, I bring in her milk. She will say, "how!" which means hug, and then sit up and hug me over and over again, saying "how" each time. I love it.
• Other words she's learned lately are: oh no! (sounds more like ah no), alrighty (which she pronounces perfectly), and hello (she says hewwo and I'm not sure why it took her so long to say hello, maybe because she always said hi instead?).
• The other day I gave Layla something she wanted, she started walking away, and then turned and signed "thank you" without me even telling her to say thanks! Proud mom moment for sure! 

On the other hand, Layla is now starting to throw tantrums. Isn't that fun? She's only thrown them at home so far, so I have yet to experience the drama of carrying a screaming and kicking child out of the store, but I'm sure it will happen eventually. So far we've managed to keep the tantrums to a minimum by using the two I's our pediatrician suggested: ignore and isolate. Sounds mean, right? But it works! As soon as I leave the room, she stops crying, comes to find me, and is distracted by whatever I'm doing.

Today we had a great day at church — Layla was really, really good during sacrament and she absolutely loves nursery. She even got to see her new best friend at church, a 10 year old girl named Lila, whom Layla just adores. She can't say "Lila" so she calls her "Owa." After church, we did our customary eat-lunch-and-take-nap-routine, the nap part has yet to happen. We spent over two and a half hours trying to get her to take a nap. (That never happens; she's usually so good about going down.) She was hysterically crying and completely inconsolable earlier. It's now 3:45 and she's finally stopped crying, but I can hear her Ernie doll talking through the baby monitor, so she's obviously not asleep. Frustrating.

Overall, she's a total sweetheart, she just has a lot of energy.

Give Thanks

Like most people, I could go on and on about everything I'm thankful for: my family, Mitch's job, the Gospel, my Savior, our home, my calling, etc. I try to thank my Heavenly Father every day for the things He has blessed me with, but I still enjoy celebrating a day of thanks and eating WAY more than I should.

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my family, and it did not disappoint. Mitch and I always joke that my grandma is such an excellent cook and baker that it makes Thanksgiving seem not so special, since every meal she makes is as tasty as Thanksgiving dinner. I especially  love her homemade, made-from-scratch stuffing; it's incredible! Mitch made the mashed potatoes this year and they turned out amazing. 

Aunt Natalie made her dessert yams, as Mitch and I call them. I REALLY need to get the recipe. Can you please email that to me, Natalie? They are so yummy!

Several months ago, my mom taught Layla to put olives on her fingers and eat them off. Layla remembered this little trick and was cracking herself up throughout her whole Thanksgiving meal, which consisted of olives and red grapes. She hated everything else, naturally; she's becoming a really picky eater, which I am NOT thankful for.

Thankful for my grandma, who slaved over our feast, including the turkey, homemade rolls, and three homemade pies: traditional pumpkin, the richest chocolate pie ever, and caramel-pecan-apple pie. It was all so amazing. I love pie. Most of us had "the sampler."

Incredibly thankful for my family!

Even my little brothers who fall into a tryptphan-induced coma after dinner, ironically when it's time to help clean up.

Thankful to visit with my grandpa who came in town for the holiday. Also thankful that he took Layla to spend the night at my parents, which meant Mitch and I got to PAR-TAY while she was gone. We lived it up like any good Mormons would and hit up the local Starbucks for some caramel apple ciders. We also did some shopping and went out to eat. Such a nice little break! Thanks, Mom and Dad! 

Over the weekend we also visited with Mitch's family, did some more shopping, and went to breakfast with my family. Too much eating, I tell ya! After all the feasting was over, we picked out our first live Christmas tree from a local tree lot! I was so excited! I wanted a skinny tree to help alleviate our problems with the cat climbing in the tree. Guess what? It worked! He just lays under it now and it still looks as pretty as it did the first day!

When my work was slow last month, I decided I would make us all some new stockings. Well, I only ever made one and then work picked back up and I just lost interest. So I decided to keep the one and use it as Harvey's stocking; his old one was red and said "good kitty" on it, which he is not a good kitty ALL of the time, and the red was throwing off my blue and silver theme.

Can you guess which one I made?

It's the 3rd from the left, or 2nd from the right. I really love how it turned out. You can't see it well in the picture, but there are three glittery snowflakes on there. Maybe a little feminine for Harvey, but he's a cat for pete's sake! He shouldn't even have a stocking in my opinion, but Mitch feels otherwise. So there you are, Harvey. Be grateful that we actually bought you something to go in it. Ha, ha.

I am also thankful for my parents. They rock. And Mitch's family because they raised him to be such a great husband and father. And Mitch. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a nicer, kinder, smarter, harder-working husband. And of course, Layla, who makes me laugh every.single.day, gives me a whole new perspective on life, and makes me want to be a better person.

Thankful for my new calling in the primary. I taught today for my first time. I was really nervous, and it didn't go perfectly, but I can honestly say that I felt the Spirit as I testified to the children. I hope they felt it too and can know of Heavenly Father's love for them.

Most of all, I am thankful to know that Heavenly Father loves me, and for the peace and self-confidence that brings me. I center my life and all of my decisions around the knowledge I have of the Gospel, and I have been blessed. Life isn't perfect, but it is easier because of my beliefs, and I'm thankful for that.

Layla

Some recent pics and videos of the hilariousness that is Layla:

 She has yet to actually go pee pee on the potty, but we're working on it ... slowly. It helps if she can hold Daddy's I-phone while she sits there. And yes, that is a baday in our bathroom . Don't judge — the previous owner installed it and we don't use it.

Here is her mischievous grin.

Thanks for the cute dress, Mammy Miles!

She watches me do yoga and decided to do a downward facing dog.
She thought she was pretty tricky when she figured it out!

We thought she was too big for this bouncer, but she still loves it!

Fall

I've been keeping a running list of things to post about when I actually get time ... life is pretty busy right now, but it's great!

• It seems the weather has definitely changed and fall is here. I ran 6 miles outside on Friday and it was glorious; that's the farthest I've ran since I hurt my knee in July. Running outside is nice despite the cold, which isn't bad when I dress warm enough. I took Layla to the park on what I thought was the last warm day, but then we had a couple more. We played outside on the slide. It was still cool enough that I made Layla wear her hat — cute huh?

She usually says, "Whee!" while she, or anyone else, goes down the slide. I love it.

• Our Christmas shopping is done, with the exception of one gift that I need to get in Salt Lake. I hate waiting until the last minute, and I hate the crowds, so I always try to get done early.

• Layla is now the proud owner of Dora the Explorer undies and nighttime pull-ups; unfortunately, I've we've been slackers about potty training ... we'll get there, eventually. I did put her hair in a ponytail for the first time; ridiculously cute, but only lasted about 30 minutes.
• I LOVE my job (despite not making as much moola as I'd hoped.) The extra income is still great, and I'm learning so much!

• Here is my artistic photo mine and Bug's shadows. We're holding hands. Sweet.
• Mitch rocked his last test for school. He'll be a Ph.D. before we know it. He was out of town last week for work; he got rear-ended by a teenage girl, but it wasn't bad at all. Luckily we all survived the week and Layla is SO happy that her Daddy is home.

• Today at church I had to take Layla out of sacrament because she was crying. The ENTIRE walk out of the chapel Layla was crying, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" really loudly. A few people laughed and commented to me on it afterwards. I had to explain that she wasn't crying for him because she thought she was in trouble with me; she was crying for him because she is a TOTAL Daddy's girl, to the point where it makes me feel bad sometimes.

She was freaking out about the mittens. Kept saying, "Hands!" over and over. She kept them on though! And she usually insists that the snow is rain.

• Speaking of church, I was asked to be the 2nd Counselor in the Primary Presidency. I am really enjoying it so far. There is such a sweet spirit in the Primary, and the kids are pretty funny! 

• While Mitch was out of town, I had to put Layla in time out for sticking her entire foot (including her sock) in the cat's water. She knows better than that! Well, I usually put her in the pack 'n play for time out, but I didn't have it set up this time. Instead, I put her in the spare bedroom and shut the door. When her 1 minute and 30 seconds were up, I went to get her out, but the door was locked! From the inside! Apparently she is tall enough to reach the door knobs now, and figured out how to lock it, but not how to open it. Total Panic Moment. I was silently freaking out, trying not to scare her. She kept saying, "Mama! Mama!" wanting me to open the door. Eventually, I got a sharp knife and was able to unlock the door. It's funny now...

She insisted on wearing these necklaces, even if she did look like a little rapper.

• Speaking of funny things, today I was making a dessert to take to my parents for Sunday dinner. My first attempt failed because the flour I used was hard and left little lumps in the cake. I borrowed some flour from a neighbor and made the batter again, but couldn't bake it because we decided to set the oven on a self-clean cycle since it was smoking from something burning on the bottom. This meant the door was locked and wouldn't open for a long time. So, instead of a chocolate peppermint cake roll, we're having no-bake cookies. Sorry, guys! Not nearly as delicious, but I did freeze the cake batter, so we'll have it next time.

                                     

Halloween

We spent the weekend before Halloween visiting grandparents and eating, a lot. Mitch's parents had their traditional Halloween dinner where they name all the food; it's pretty cute. They even had dry ice and root beer. My grandma made dinner for us Sunday night. She is a phenomenal chef. Seriously. I wish I had taken some pictures there...

We didn't take Layla trick-or-treating on Halloween night because I had taken her that day to my mom's work and to Natalie's work; the girl got so much candy there that we definitely didn't need any more!

At Natalie's work we basically walked up and down each aisle of cubicles, where almost every desk had a big bowl of candy. Layla didn't grasp the concept at first, but eventually she got the idea and would put the candy in her bag.

She wasn't shy at all and even let some of Natalie's co-workers hold her. Also, if there wasn't a bowl of candy in sight, Layla would sign and yell, "More!!!" really loud. I was kind of embarrassed. I promise we're not raising her to be a spoiled brat. Thanks, Mom and Natalie, for inviting us!

Uncle Dudin joined us too and Layla loved having him ride in the car with us. She would randomly yell, "Dudin!" just to make sure he was still there. She sure loves her aunts and uncles!

We had more trick-or-treaters than I thought we would. I turned off the lights at 9 p.m. We had a great Halloween and I made Mitch take our left over candy to work today so I won't eat it all.