Update

This afternoon when this:

happened for the third time in three days, we decided we had had enough Christmas tree cheer. That's right, our tree is already put away and it's not even December 26th.

Bah Humbug!!! :)

P.S. Speaking of Bah Humbug. . .

I have been in a seriously Grinchy mood all month. Partly because we didn't have a tree, partly because it was snowing and I hate the snow, partly because we weren't able to be with our families for Christmas, and, I'm sure, partly because I'm pregnant and that just makes me grumpy.

It seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't get in the holiday spirit. Last night I was feeling extra bitter because we read Luke 2 as a family and I was wishing that we were with everyone else during this time of love, joy and togetherness. Any how, I realized that I hadn't written my annual Christmas letters to Ty and Leo. (It's something that my dad used to do that I really loved. Basically it's just a little letter highlighting some of the milestones that happened during that year and expressing love.) Well, I was in such a bad mood that I thought, "Just forget it. I really don't feel like doing that this year." But then as I thought about it more I decided that I should just do it and even if they turned out crappy, at least I wasn't breaking the tradition. It turns out that writing Christmas letters is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. As I sat down and thought about all of the things that have happened this year I realized that I have a pretty amazing life. I have an awesome husband who I adore. (Honestly, I still feel lucky every day that he chose me.) I have a healthy, active and adorable son. We have a great place to live and we're progressing towards our goals for the future. As I expressed my love for my boys I was able to feel Gods love for me in such a real and profound way. Sometimes I forget that God most often expresses His love for us through our many blessings and the people in our lives who love and support us. I truly have been blessed with so, so much and, especially right now, I'm feelin' the love in a big way.

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I thought I'd post this early for our out-of-state family. There will probably be more to come. . .

We ordered a little tree from Amazon.com and accidentally had it shipped to Ty's parents in AZ. So, until it got here this is what we had. Slightly pathetic and more than a little depressing, I know.

Our tree arrived on the 23rd. Hooray! We immediately set it up (while listening to obnoxiously loud Christmas music.) We then spent the next two days trying to keep Leo from eating the ornaments/knocking down the entire tree.

Christmas day finally arrived! Leo found the sucker in his stocking first thing and it didn't leave his side all morning. (If you pay attention you'll notice it in the pictures of him.)

Ty got his very own shotgun this year. (You can't tell from this picture, but he's pretty excited.)

Here's Leo with his xylophone. (He's playing it in the background as I type this.) We were really happy to catch him making this face since he's been doing it a ton lately.

He really does love this thing. Hopefully I don't get sick of it too soon!

Here I am with my new pistol. (It's a Styer MA1. We have a picture of me with the actual gun, but the face I'm making is quite terrifying. I decided to spare you the trauma.)

Here's another one of Leo with his new stacking toy. It was pretty cute to watch him figure it out. It took him a minute to realize that he needed to find the hole on the top piece before he could put it on, and another minute to get that he had to put it on last or he couldn't get the rest of the rings on. He figured it out all by himself though. Such a smarty!

And finally, my favorite. We got Leo some one-piece puzzles. He's really great at taking the pieces out (notice the one he's flinging through the air) but we're still working on putting them back together again.

I guess that's all for now. There were a few more presents but Leo was too preoccupied with what he'd already opened to really be interested.

More Yumminess

I found another really good recipe. This time it's for Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies and I got it from notwithoutsalt.com. (That's where I got the picture too.)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

3/4 pound butter, softened (I used margarine and they turned out just fine.)

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (I didn't sprinkle because the recipe never says to.)

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

12 oz bag mini chocolate chips (I thought this was a lot of chocolate and would probably use less next time.)

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a bowl combine butter and sugar and mix until combined and creamy. Mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour and salt. Add to butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the mixture begins to come together. (I was using a hand mixer and actually had to do this last part with my hands because it wasn't sticking together.) Add the chocolate chips until just mixed in. Roll into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Cut the log into 1/4 inch cookies and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. (I didn't use parchment and they didn't stick at all. Also, they don't expand at all so you can get quite a few on each baking sheet.) Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Cool to room temperature. (Seriously, don't try and eat them hot. They're soft and totally un-shortbread-like. Really gross. I actually threw mine in the freezer for a while.)

Big, Black Eye

So here's a picture of Leo's latest shiner. He did this at the mall today while I was shopping for maternity pants. It's pretty sad looking!

I'm a Phoenix!

(Or at least I will be soon.)

That's right folks.

I'm going back to school.

(Finally!)

And I'm ever so slightly terrified.

I mean, I've never done school from home before.

(It seems like the kind of thing I'll suck at.)

Plus, I've never done school with a baby before.

And especially not with two babies!

But, I'm also really, really excited.

Not only will this give me something to do with my loads of free time,

But I will also, FINALLY, be able to be over and done with it all.

I'm sick of being a junior in college.

Bachelors degree, here I come.

P.S. I was talking with the school counselor about whether I should wait until after Jay Alvin is born to start and she said, "No. University of Phoenix is flexible. All we ask is that, once you start your program, you finish it in 7 years." All I can say is, "Holy Hell! This had better not take me seven years!"

More Snow

Until now we haven't had a great experience with Leo and snow. Every time I take him out in it he's crying within 5 minutes. The kid just hates to be cold. And I would totally be thrilled about this (because it would mean that I didn't have to go out in the snow) except that Leo gets a little bit crazy when he's cooped up inside for too long. (Read: He turns into a destructive maniac.) Any how, we finally figured out how to get him to like the snow.

A really warm hat and water-proof mittens.

When we first went out he was still really careful not to touch the snow. (The thing he hates most is when he gets it on his hands.) Here's Ty trying to teach him how to make a snowball. (Really he's just trying to get him to touch the snow and see that it's not cold through the gloves.)

Leo kept reaching down and almost touching the snow. Then he would pull his hand back and look at it for a minute, and then almost touch the snow again.

He finally realized that he could touch it without getting cold and wet and then he took off. We were wandering around outside for a good 45 minutes before we made him come back inside.

I showed him how to suck on icicles. He's a big fan. (Though he did have a hard time keeping hold of them with his gloves on.)

So, I guess now we'll be playing outside a lot more.

Joy.

Snow and Belly

We woke up yesterday to several inches of snow on the ground and decided to take Leo out in it. He's not a huge fan. (Hallelujah!)

He slipped and got snow on his hands and that was the deal breaker for him.

We got several more inches today so Leo and I have been bundled up inside.

It's been nice except for the fact that Leo gets a little stir-crazy,

and that makes me a little regular-crazy.

I think it's going to be a long winter.

Any how,

Here's updated pictures of my baby belly.

Our new couch from the dumpster is way better than our old couch from the dumpster.

(Does anyone else find that statement hilarious?)

And F.Y.I.

Carrying a large couch up a hill, up a flight of stairs and into an apartment, then carrying a slightly smaller couch out of the apartment, down a flight of stairs and down a hill is not so much fun. Especially when you're pregnant and it's snowing outside.

That's all.

I just made the best thing ever.

No lie.

I may never eat anything else again.

"What is it?" you're wondering.

Lemon squares.

That's right folks.

Lemon squares.

But these aren't your run-of-the-mill,

goopy, bright yellow monstrosities

covered with a layer of powdered sugar

just waiting to choke you.

(Is there anything worse than inhaling a lungful of

powdered sugar just as you take a bite of

what's supposed to be a delicious treat?

I submit that there is not.)

Any how. . .

Here's the secret recipe.

I got it from a food blogger

who got it from a can of Eagle Brand.

(Doesn't that look beautiful?)

Lemon Squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes plus baking time
Preheat To: 350ºF
Serving: 9 3" squares or 18 smaller bars

Ingredients:

1 cup quick oats, uncooked
1 cup flour
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Combine oats, flour, coconut, nuts, sugar, baking powder, and butter until crumbly. Pat ½ of crumb mixture evenly on bottom of 9x9" parchment paper-lined baking pan. Reserve other half.
2. In medium bowl, combine Eagle Brand and lemon juice. Pour Eagle Brand mixture onto crumb layer. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
3. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 25 to 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

It's a boy!!!

Jay Alvin Reber

will be joining us

(around)

March 25, 2010

(We're incredibly shocked but really excited.)

I am so bored!!!

And I cannot convince my son to go outside and play.

I just wanted you to share in my pain.

Thanks for that.

So, I might have the cutest kid in the world.

exhibit A

And maybe also the stinkiest.

exhibit B

(Yeah, he's in the fridge so far you almost can't see him.)

exhibit C

(He grabbed the cheese off the table after we had grated some for bean burritos.)

exhibit D

(He then proceeded to eat it.)

exhibit E

(Do you see how much he ate? We almost lost a few fingers trying to wrestle it away from him.)

I rest my case.

Shooting

I have a lot to update here, so just bear with me.

Ty has been trying to get me to go shooting with him since before we got married. Last Saturday we finally went, and I'm actually pretty good. My very first bullet even went in the innermost circle. I was quite pleased with myself and surprised by how much fun I had. We'll definitely be going again.

Halloween

We decided not to do anything this year for Halloween. In fact, Ty is at school right now studying. It's just too cold to be outside for any length of time and Leo is still too young to really be interested in the candy. (Side note about the candy: Ty and I each got to pick out a candy bar at Walmart yesterday because we weren't going to be able to eat Leo's trick-or-treat candy.) Any how, we did go to a Halloween activity with the other little kids in our ward on Thursday so Leo didn't miss out on the opportunity completely.

His favorite part, by far, was eating the snacks he got. (It was juice, pretzels and string cheese. The kid was in heaven.)

He was also slightly obsessed with this Tinker Bell wand, to the great distress of Tinker Bell.

I love this picture because it reminds me of this one from last year.

And here's Leo coloring his trick-or-treat bag.

Climbing

About a week ago Leo started climbing on everything. My life is hell. Honestly, I cannot keep him off of things. We have literally started putting our folding chairs away when we're not sitting on them just so he has fewer things to climb on. (And we use them at our kitchen table.)

For some reason he is obsessed with the toilet brush. I have yet to discover a hiding place that he can't find.

He thinks it's hilarious to climb up and sit in front of the computer/TV while you're trying to use/watch it.

And he's obsessed with eating cereal straight from the box.

He gets mad when I take pictures of him.

And he's also found several new ways to get stuck.

As usual, I have to take a picture before I help him out.

Ice Cream

We made homemade ice cream last night for a ward activity. We didn't have room in our freezer for the ice cream maker, so I had to scoop it out into several Tupperware containers in order for it to fit. When I was done I left a little bit in the bottom for Leo and I to eat. Well, it didn't take him long to commandeer the spoon and the container from me. He's definitely my kid!

Deer

So here's the deer story:

Last night I got in the car around 6:30 to go and pick up Ty from work. As we were driving down 900 East (it's a busy, 4 lane road) I see a little blur out of the corner of my eye. "What is th. . . oh crap!" And then a giant deer (it was at least as tall as the car)ran into the side of me, flipped over the top of the car, crushed the windshield on the passenger side and ran off.

I was a little freaked out, mostly because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do (and Leo was screaming from the loud sound that the windshield made when it shattered.) SO I pulled into a gas station and called Ty. "I just hit a deer." I said. "Do we need to report it or something?"

Any how, long story short, we filled out a report and someone from Ty's work gave him a ride to the gas station where we were. The damage was really minimal. There's a dent on the driver's side over the front wheel and the windshield, of course, which we already had replaced.

Yes, that's deer hair stuck in the car.

So, this is the first time in weeks (yes, the "s" is supposed to be there) that all of the dishes have been done at the same time and I thought I would document it for posterity. (It took me two days to do it, and you'll notice I didn't take pictures of any of the other parts of the house because they're not clean.) I've been reading this book called Mothering With Spiritual Power by Debra Sansing Woods. Each chapter starts with a verse from the Book of Mormon and then goes on to tell how it changed her perspective on mothering. Chapter six is Alma 37:6 ". . .by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. . . ." She talks about how frustrated she used to get as a young mother because she could never seem to get her house clean all at once. She felt like she had to choose between taking care of her kids and taking care of her house. However, once she learned to utilize the "small and simple things" principle, she realized that the best way to do both was to just do a little bit each day. Then, even though the whole house was never spotless, no room ever got out of control dirty. I'm trying to implement this mindset into my life because my other option is to just stop cleaning altogether. Any how, I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. This obviously applies to other things besides cleaning. For example, I'd been feeling like I didn't have any opportunity to sew, which is something that I love doing. Whenever I tried to sit down and work on a project Leo would freak out. So I've started working on things that can be done in bits and pieces. Now I'll pull out a project during nap time or after Leo is in bed for the night and work on it for 30 minutes or so. As long as I'm not too concerned about getting it done by a certain time it works great. Now I feel like I can still do things I enjoy without it causing a major uproar.

FYI

Apparently I really love the taste of chocolate and diet Coke. Not chocolate flavored diet Coke, just diet Coke at the same time as brownies or chocolate chip cookies. It warms my heart.

That's all.

Ultrasound Day!!!

So we went to our ultrasound today and found out. . . absolutely nothing. Huge bummer!!! The machine was acting up and they were having a really hard time getting it to read the signal from the wand thingy. They got it to work for just long enough to measure the baby and see that the doctor had miscalculated my due date. They weren't going to be able to see what they needed to and we would have to wait four more weeks for another ultrasound. (Even though the due date was only off by a week.) Any how, they ended up deciding we could come back in two weeks, so hopefully we'll know what we're having on Nov. 11So we went to our ultrasound today and found out. . . absolutely nothing. Huge bummer!!! The machine was acting up and they were having a really hard time getting it to read the signal from the wand thingy. They got it to work for just long enough to measure the baby and see that the doctor had miscalculated my due date. They weren't going to be able to see what they needed to and we would have to wait four more weeks for another ultrasound. (Even though the due date was only off by a week. Any how, they ended up deciding we could come back in two weeks, so hopefully we'll know what we're having on Nov. 11.

P.S. The new due date is March 25.

This is what happens when you change a diaper in the middle of the night.

Sneak Peak

Just a little preview of what's to come.