Eli, Cherie, and Caroline

Of Hair, Poop, and other Randomness

2012-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

That's right, I chopped off my hair, and I love it! I was just getting so sick of it, it was so tangly, it wouldn't hold any curl or anything I did to it, and if I didn't bush it twenty times a day I would get a huge rats nest of tangles underneath. So, yesterday, I found a picture of a haircut I liked, ran over to Great Clips (I never have gone to a place like that for a haircut before, but I don't have as much money to spend on hair anymore. It was only $17 and they did a good job), and cut off almost 9 inches!

So, I asked Eli to take a picture of me, and he did but he said my smile was too fake. So I told him to tell me something funny. He told me to smile as if I just heard that John Travolta was coming to the KFC Yum! center in Louisville to present a special showing of Grease. It was just so absurd it made me laugh so hard. He kept talking about John Travolta and wouldn't stop. It's probably not that funny, but it made me laugh. And now I know what I look like when I laugh with my new haircut.

I just love it. It feels so light and so much healthier. It holds curl better, still goes up in a pony tail, and does not get tangled!

Grandma Rhoads got Caroline this dress. We call it her peacock dress and it is adorable!

So, this next part is about poop. If you're squeamish, don't read it.
Caroline has a green smoothie every morning and is very very regular. Pooping 3-4 times a day is normal for her. Well, on Friday we had a very busy day and I didn't have time to make one, so we just had some toast and bananas. She didn't eat much lunch because we went to have lunch with Eli at his school and she was too distracted by all the people and things going on to eat. We were at costco at dinner time and she ate about 1/3 of a slice of the costco pizza. So it wasn't her healthiest day. And she only pooped once, and it was a weird consistency (pardon the details). The next day was normal, she had her smoothie and regular healthy meals. And she pooped 3 times. I just think that is amazing and definite proof of the power of green smoothies. I know I am not as regular when I don't have one everyday.

Well, that's about all. We had a nice weekend and a lovely Sunday. Church was great, we had a relaxing afternoon, and then had a delicious and fun dinner at a friends house. Caroline now weighs 18 lbs, and is a happy girl. She is getting close to walking too. She makes everyday fun!

Crafts

2012-01-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

I just thought this was so cute. Caroline loves to look out the window in our room. It's the perfect height for her right now.

Well, I think Caroline's room is done, for now, until we add another kid into it. Don't worry, I'm not pregnant, nor do I plan on it anytime soon, I'm just thinking long-term here. I think we could fit three kids in that room. That would be great to not have to move again. I hate moving.

Inspired by pinterest, and assisted by my mother-in-law, I made a paste out of cornstarch and water and pasted fabric to her dark, ugly, faux-wood closet doors in her room. It turned out great! It really brightened up her room and looks so much better! The paste doesn't leave a residue, so it's perfect for if you are renting. You can also use it to stick fabric to walls. I've heard you can do the same with liquid starch, but this was so cheap! Just water and cornstarch!

Here's a close up of the fabric. I got it at Hobby Lobby and I love it! I am so glad Karen was there to help. I tried it on my own before, but I really needed another pair of hands. When I did it on my own I could not get all the bubbles and wrinkles out because it was too big of a piece to hold by myself. Now I have to constrain myself from doing it to all the ugly doors in our apartment. I don't want to go too crazy and make it too much. But I am really considering doing it to the laundry room doors.

I also made a butterfly garland to go above it. It was really easy to do, I did it all out of scrapbook paper while we watched a movie, then we just strung them on twine and hung it up. I like it with the door because it's girly without being too girly.

Thanks for all your help Karen. I couldn't have done it without you!

Close up of the butterflies. You just cut a square and a circle out of scrapbook paper, accordion fold both, hold them together and tie the middle. I really like it.

Today was Great!

2012-01-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day! Lots of really good things happened! Here is why today was so much fun!

Grandma Rhoads bought her a new swimsuit when she was here. Yes, those are hearts on it.

I'm sorry, but this has got to be the cutest picture I have ever seen. Her little leg and smile. She is so beautiful! And that really is the cutest swimsuit I've ever seen.

pig tails.

She was making the funniest faces at dinner tonight.

She's starting to perfect the art of making weird faces.

She loves to stick her tongue out.

She kept making this silly/creepy face.

Caroline started nursing again! Yay! She nursed in the morning and before bed. Also, there was no biting! That was the best. It just made me so happy! She was in a good mood today too.
The other fun things is that Caroline got to play with two friends today. First this morning, we had our friend Lydia come over so her mom could run some errands. She had so much fun. Lydia is almost two and they like to play together. Then in the afternoon Lily came over while her mom went to the doctors office. Lily and Caroline really love to play together. Lily took every toy out of the toy box and handed them one by one to Caroline, which Caroline loved. Lily just turned two on Sunday, and had a great birthday party.
I guess those are the two main points. We had a good dinner, Eli gave Caroline a bath while I took a nap on the couch, and I learned how to do a French twist to my hair off of pinterest. I also got all of the laundry and ironing done. I think now I am going to paint my nails now and wait for Eli to finish studying so we can go to bed. I still have a hard time sleeping without him.

Good Night!

January Highlights So Far

2012-01-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

I feel like a loser for not blogging for most of January. It's been a pretty laid back month, but we've had some exciting things happen as well. Here are the highlights (and low-points) so far:

Grandma Rhoads came to visit. She came for Martin Luther King weekend and it was so much fun! Caroline loved playing with Grandma, and her iPad. We showed her around Louisville, had lunch with Eli at school, did a couple craft projects (pictures to come later), and just hung out. Grandma even watched Caroline for us one night so we could go on a date! I just realized that I haven't taken a picture this whole month, and that was really stupid of me! Sorry Grandma. We had a blast though. I kind of forgot what it's like to have an adult around to talk to. I don't think I've talked that much, all day long, for quite a while! Please come again soon!
I went successfully off dairy and sugar, for the first two weeks of the month. Once grandma visited I went lax, and it's hard to get back on the train. But I felt really good and I didn't crave things or feel like I was missing out. I checked out a lot of vegan cookbooks at the library and I am making copies of the recipes that sound good and will create my own master cookbook. I've also been exercising everyday and that feels really great too. I feel like over the past few years I've made lots of little steps for our health, and now I feel like giving up dairy will make me feel so good. When I've given up dairy before I've felt so good. I just need to do it. Starting tomorrow, I'm back on!
This announcement makes me so excited and proud of Eli. He has honored in his Medical Neuroscience class! They pounded out a whole course in 3 weeks. He worked really hard and ended up with a 96% percent in the class. To honor you must be in the top 10%. I'm really so very proud of him. We went to a pizza place tonight to celebrate his accomplishment. Way to go Eli!
Low-point: Caroline is on a nursing strike! All of the sudden, three days ago, she started freaking out when it was time to nurse. She would scream, arch her back, and fling herself all over the place. It's very frustrating. I love nursing her and miss that time with her. I've been pumping, but I can tell my milk supply is going down and I have never been able to pump much anyway. I'm giving her a couple of days without trying to nurse, and I'm giving her extra love and attention and I hope that will help her go back to it. She is a little monster though. She likes to bite, and then growl and laugh at you after she bites!
Caroline does have a lot more tricks up her sleeve, along with her biting. She loves to stick out her tongue, growl, and will now free-stand, she will also take a step without holding onto anything. Today she started to roll her hands when I sang "The Wheels on the Bus." She also eats a ton. The other day we had baked potatoes and she ate 1 1/2! She is also know to eat multiple bowls of spaghetti, lasagna, and rice. She also now weighs 17 lbs. and has 6 teeth.
Our lovely maintenance people installed a new fridge and a new dishwasher in our apartment! The old ones looked like they were from the seventies. I hated the fridge because it was tiny and you had to dig around to get anything. The new fridge is 4 cubic feet bigger and the freezer is huge too! I am so happy about it. The dishwasher holds a lot more and actually dries the dishes most of the way. I love it!

That's about all we've been up to so far this month. We're really proud of Eli and all of his hard work. Tonight we are going to bed early to try to catch up on sleep. I plan on blogging more this week! Here's some pictures, a few weeks old though:

Back to Reality

2012-01-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas break in one word: Heavenly.

It was so wonderful. Although we missed all of the family we usually see at Christmas, dearly missed them, it was so nice staying at our house with our own little family. And Mom and Dad came for Caroline's first Christmas and it was so fun. Caroline loved playing with her daddy all day every day! Although he did instill a few bad habits in her that I am trying to fix. Namely that it is a game to throw her binky out of the bed all the time, and that she has to have someone playing with her at all times (no more self playing), she likes to sit in our laps to drink her green smoothie and even likes to drink it out of our cups (not her own sippy cup). I guess those habits aren't that bad. She also got better at cruising along furniture, walking while pushing things around, and eating really well. Now, the break is over. We are getting back to our routines. Caroline and I are getting used to being around each other all day and missing Eli. But when he comes home at night he is greeted by two girls happy to see him! Here are some pictures from Christmas!

Playing with Gammy on Christmas Eve

Pappy read us a nice Christmas story Aunt Alaina sent us.

Going to church on Christmas morning

Caroline didn't get as excited about presents as we thought she would. She did enjoy throwing the clothes she got out of the boxes. That was about the highlight of presents for her. We enjoyed opening her presents. Thank you to all of our generous family for the presents that were sent to us. They were all great! Thank you so much!

I got Eli some much needed Louisville gear, he's been sticking out like a sore thumb!

Christmas baby!

Eli's mom gave Eli some great church shoes, along with jeans, and regular shoes. He is ready for cold bus rides to school.

I loved Caroline's first Christmas. I got some great presents too: a Chi hair straightener, shoes, tights, Eli gave me some beautiful earrings, bubble bath, and a turbie towel, among other things. Thank you moms, dads, and other family!

Our Christmas dinner was so good! Look at that spread! Our Christmas miracle was a ham! A Honeybaked Ham was sent to our apartment to the previous residents. I didn't know what to do. I had already sent back mail to the sender it came from. Some friends in our ward knew the people it was sent to, they moved to Utah and told us to keep the ham! It was delicious! Thanks!

Mom and Dad at Christmas dinner.

Caroline and her new walk behind toy from Grandma and Grandpa Rhoads. She is getting very adept at it!

Caroline made best friends with Pappy when she ate his whole slice of sweet potato pie! She loved it and wouldn't leave him alone. She kept trying to climb up in his lap. Luckily he was nice and shared with her.

Caroline got some great bath toys for Christmas. She loves them all! Bathtime is a lot more enjoyable.

Daddys Home!

2011-12-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Caroline has been having so much fun with Eli home from school. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to since we've had Eli all to ourselves!

I guess this one doesn't have much to do with Eli, it's just cute! She loves to get into her toys and books. It's so cute how she kneels all the time!

This is what she does best, pulls the tupperware out of kitchen cabinets.

On Eli's first night home we had spaghetti. Caroline loved it and ate a ton! She was pretty pleased with herself as you can see.

We went to our first U of L basketball game. They played Memphis. It was fun but we left at half time due to Caroline not liking all the noise and the ward Christmas Dinner. It was fun though. They play in the brand new HUGE KFC Yum! center. We had cheap seats but it was pretty amazing. That arena is so BIG!

At the game. You can kind of see her two top teeth that broke through this week.

They had a cool little museum room. We wanted to see how Caroline measures up to the college ball players. She's still got about 5 feet to be able to compete.

Little Elf Baby!

There was a special visitor to the Christmas dinner. Caroline didn't know what to make of him. She just stared with a very concerned look on her face. At least she didn't cry. I was half expecting that.

The other day she would only drink her green smoothie from Eli's glass, not her monster cup with a straw. This is the result. Now she looks like the monster.

This is a weird picture of her but you can see her top teeth! 4 chompers! And she hasn't bitten me yet. She still loves to nurse.

Tonight before bed, she was just playing. Her favorite toys are books.

In other news Eli passed his classes and is home for 2 whole weeks! We are having so much fun with him. Caroline is officially a daddys girl. She just lights up when she sees him. I'm loving actually being able to spend time and have fun with Eli! He also helps around the house a lot which I appreciate. And, twice he's fed her breakfast and played with her so I can sleep in! This might make him going back to school very hard on all of us, but we're enjoying it while it's happening!

Catching Up

2011-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in a long time. Let's catch up! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We went to my parents house in Missouri, although my mom was in Utah with my sister and her new baby. It was kind of strange with mom gone, but we had a lot of fun with dad! My sister Ronda and her family came down from Omaha and we had our big, delicious, awesome meal at my brother and sister-in-laws house. It was so good! The only disaster was a I took a pyrex out of the oven and set it on the stove. I thought I turned the burner off that it was set on, but I guess I didn't. A few minutes later, POP! that pan exploded. Luckily, Cheryl had made an extra broccoli-cheese-and rice casserole. We even went to see the Muppet Movie with the whole family. It was Carolines first movie. She just played the whole time.

I made four pies: pumpkin, pecan, chocolate, and lemon.

Caroline liked playing at my parents house.

The nap schedule was totally off on Thanksgiving day. She let her aunt Ronda lay down and read to her. That hardly ever happens. Sadly, after that I realized that my memory card was full. No other Thanksgiving pictures for me! It took a couple days for me to delete some pictures.

We finally go to meet little sweet Caden, my friend Joanna's one year old little boy. He was so cute! He and Caroline played a little bit, and by played I mean tried to touch each others eyes. How weird that it seems like we were in high school just yesterday and now we have kids and our husbands are both in medical school? Bizzare! I do not feel old enough!

Joanna took this picture of Caroline with her super nice camera. I love it!

Her first spaghetti

She really loves her pappy! She liked to smile and play with him

On our drive home we ate dinner at Steak n' Shake. Caroline didn't have any other their food, but Eli insisted on her wearing the hat. In case you haven't noticed, Eli loves putting Caroline into things (boxes, baskets, etc.) and he loves putting things on her head (hats, diapers, etc.). It is pretty funny.

We got the house decorated for Christmas. Here's our little present under the tree in her Christmas pajamas.

She likes to give me kisses. I love to get them. She also hugs me too, after I pick her up from her naps. It's the sweetest thing!

She also decided she loves blackberries. They do make quite a mess though!


And she loves to take a bath. Eli thinks of the best things. We got a free beach ball this summer and he put it in as a bath toy. She loves it!

Well, that is what we've been up to. Eli has a test on Monday and then two on Thursday and he is done for the semester! We'll have him all to ourselves with no studying for two whole weeks! I can not wait for this! Caroline had her first ear infection last week. She is feeling better now though. She had a checkup on Friday and she weighs 16.6 lbs (25 percentile) is 27 1/2 inches long (50 percentile) and is all around healthy. She crawls all over the place and pulls herself up everywhere she goes. She is usually very happy and smiling. I was surprised to learn she didn't weigh more because she eats like nobody's business. Her favorite foods right now are beans, bananas, and bread. That's all. Pray for Eli to do well on his finals. Merry Christmas!

New Trick

2011-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Caroline loves to play ball! She gets so excited when you sit her down, and roll a ball to her. She squeals and squeaks and gets so excited. It's so cute. Enjoy the pictures.

Random Thoughts

2011-11-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

I love watching Caroline just roll around and play in the living room. She will make little squeaky noises, pull books off the shelf, and is adorable. She is so much fun.
Is it lame that I secretly love and find it relaxing to go to the grocery store by myself on Saturday night at 9:00?
I ironed my shower curtain last night. It hangs a lot more nicely and it made me feel in touch with my grandma. That's something she would have done.
Eli and I were talking about what we would do if we had unlimited money. We decided we would buy a house, a minivan for the second car, and I would take yoga classes. Other than that our life wouldn't change that much. He'd still go to school everyday, I'd stay home with the baby and make us dinner every night. I like that we wouldn't let having money change us too much. At least, we think it wouldn't.
I'm really excited for Thanksgiving. It will be nice to go home and be with my family. Eli's never been able to spend much time in Missouri with us, so I'm especially looking forward to that.
I am grateful to be so blessed. Even though we have our struggles and hard times, our life is beautiful and we are happy.
Caroline is very close to crawling. I predict by Thanksgiving she will have it down.

A Day in the Life of Caroline

2011-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Caroline leads a very busy active life. Here is a photo tour of a day in the life of an eight month old baby (Can you believe she is 8 months old already? I can't!).First thing when she wakes up after she nurses she has a green smoothie. This baby loves green smoothies! I love that she loves them too.

See how happy they make her!

After that it's getting dressed, fixing hair, and playing for a while and then a nap. After nap it's nursing, and then....

LUNCH!

Today for lunch she had bananas and cereal and a new food. She had some of my homemade refried beans and she loved them!

And her other favorite snack is the puff-things.

After lunch we usually do an activity. Today we went to a closeby mall we haven't been to yet and walked around. Then it's another nap, then nursing, then playtime, then dinner time!

While I'm making dinner she likes to snack in the walker. Todays snack was little crumbs of bread. She ate almost a whole slice!

Then for dinner she had sweet potatoes, bread, and some of the potato leek soup that I made for me and Eli. The soup was rather bland for the two of us, but Caroline loved it, so I froze it in ice cube trays for her to eat later.

After dinner it's bath time and bed time. Caroline is feeling better now, she was so happy today, especially when Eli came home. She is back to normal, and feeling good. She is so much fun to be around.

After she went to bed I got a chance to pick up. I bought some kale Saturday night and it was already all wilted this morning. I didn't want to throw it out, so I tried recutting the ends and sticking it in some water. It worked and it perked right up! I think it looks kind of pretty! A cheaper alternative to flowers!

And I was able to make our meal plans for the whole month. I hope we'll be able to stick with it. Last month we did really well sticking to our plans, the only nights we didn't was when Eli was studying late and I didn't feel like cooking a big meal for just me. Anyway it's a good life here with Caroline!

Baby Ninja Warrior

2011-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Caroline was a ninja for Halloween. I was so excited for the best Halloween ever! I seriously hadn't been this excited for Halloween in a long time. She was the cutest and fiercest ninja ever! We took her to the trunk or treat at church a week before Halloween. It was fun. Sadly, by Halloween Caroline had an upper respiratory infection. This was the first time she's been sick. It was hard on both us, probably worse for me. The doctor did say we could take her trick or treating though! We already had plans with our friends and he said it was okay to go, she wouldn't get worse. She was in pretty good spirits, she likes playing with Lilly, Emily and Kyles little girl. Caroline didn't care much for Trick or treating. In fact, she fell asleep in our arms almost instantly. Luckily, people still gave out a lot of candy to a sleeping ninja. Because ninjas never really sleep. then she still slept when we got back she slept in their crib so all of us parents could watch a scary/ridiculous movie, Drag Me to Hell. What is Halloween without a scary movie? It was fun, like a real double date, because the kids went to bed. It was so much fun! Thanks Emily and Kyle!

We couldn't resist putting on her ninja hood before Halloween, without the rest of the custom she just looks like a peasant.

At the Trunk or Treat with her daddy

Look at her brandishing that dagger!

On Actual Halloween night. She didn't all of the sudden grow huge muscles, that's just her sweater underneath.

She was tired.

Eli wore one of Emily's wig. I think he looks like a oompa loompa/willy wonka.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the onslaught of pictures. It's hard to choose just a few pictures, and I have not figured out how to do the collage thing yet. So, keep scrolling. Caroline's so darn cute it's hard to narrow down the selections. Anyway, the day after we got back Eli and I took Caroline to a pumpkin patch in Indiana. Many of you might know that the worlds best pumpkin patch is in Omaha. I have not been there for several years, and it makes me sad. It is the standard by which all pumpkin patches will forever be measured by me. Although this pumpkin patch, Hubers Farm, was not as good as the Omaha one, it was still fantastic! We had so much fun. It was a beautiful fall day! We went in the afternoon so Caroline slept in and had a morning nap. She also slept all the way out there so she was in good spirits. We ate at home, but couldn't resist each getting a homemade donut (so good!) and sharing a hot cider. We also brought back a bag of apples from their orchard, Sunday is apple dumpling day! Enjoy the pictures. It was a perfect day! The fall out here is so beautiful. You can't believe all the colors and the beautiful weather. I love Kentucky!

Before we left.

Happy to be back with Daddy

There is a market type area where you can buy all kinds of wares

There was also a live band playing "Thriller" and other tunes. Caroline really liked the music.

I love this one where they are looking at each other!

I have to admit we got stopped several times by people to tell us how cute she is. We have to agree.

They had a small lake/large pond with ducks and swans. Caroline was really interested in them.

Her first horsey ride!

In front of a tree with pretty red leaves.

That's right, a cool bus.

In the patch. We didn't actually buy pumpkins there, they were expensive, I can get them cheaper at the grocery store. But we did ride the wagon out to the pumpkin patch and walked around.

Perfect size for the baby!

Utah Trip

2011-10-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I just got back from a trip to Utah to visit family. It was a lot of fun, we got to see a lot of people and we even went to the zoo! We missed Eli a lot though! I do not like traveling without him because we miss him way too much! But he had 3 tests to take while we were gone so it was actually good for us to be gone during that time. It still didn't make the time away from him easier! Also, while we were there Caroline got a really bad rash/allergy. We're not sure what it was. I don't think it was food, because it wasn't anything different. I think it was either the dry weather, cats, or the pollen in the air. I definitely did not like having her be sick without Eli there. I tell him all the time, "I wish you were a doctor already!" Not because he'd be out of school, we'd have money, or he'd be around a little bit more, but because he could diagnose our children and we'd know what was going on and I wouldn't let myself get as freaked out! Anyway, other than that setback, it was great. Caroline is a pretty good traveler, but she did sleep for 14 hours when we got home to Kentucky. We were really happy to see Eli though!

Eli's Mom, Grandma, Sister, and cousins. It was great to see them all!


Caroline thought it was hilarious when Grandpa would throw the ball for the dog

My nieces are still crazy about Caroline!

And the nephews. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. I didn't get any of my other nephews that we saw a lot. Anyway, this is typical of what my sister Annie's children do with Caroline.

On the zoo train with Grandma.

Our nephew Rustin at the zoo.

She liked the carousel at the zoo!

Thanks to everyone we saw! It was a fun trip!

swinging baby

2011-10-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

We found a great park with baby swings close to our house! Caroline loves to swing now!

September's almost over already?

2011-09-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by! It is blowing my mind. September has been a wonderful month. I feel like we are finally over the awkward adjustment period and are settled in quite nicely. Caroline is doing great! She eats well, has her two bottom teeth, sleeps well, takes good naps, and is overall a happy baby. She is starting to get better at sitting up too. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

After her bath tonight, see how she is getting so big!

With her daddy. No one can make her laugh like Eli. When he comes home and she sees him she just lights up. She's always all smiles for Daddy. It's so cute! Speaking of Eli, he got a 95% on his last test! We are so proud of him.

Such a pretty one!

I couldn't resist getting her a pair of skinny jeans!

This was her first time in a restaurant high chair! She liked it a lot, especially when she realized she could put the edge of the table in her mouth very easily!

Also taken today. She has such big smiles! You can see her tiny teeth in there!

Her two favorite things at bathtime are her crocodile, and when we pour water from up above onto her tummy!

She looks like a little boy in this one, mainly because I hadn't fixed her hair yet, and it is a boy shirt. We were in DisneyLand last summer when I was 5 weeks pregnant, and we really thought we were having a boy. We picked this onesie out from the ESPN store. It says "I watch ESPN with Daddy". And she used to, when she was tiny and we had cable!

She sits in her high chair, well, we tie her in.

She eats...

She's kind of messy..

But she is so beautiful!

See those chompers?

Welcome to our Home!

2011-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to take some pictures of our place for a photo-tour of our apartment. We are really happy with it, it's the perfect size for us right now. As you can tell from the pictures, I still have a lot of decorating/arranging to do, but for the most part we are enjoying it

Here is the corner of Caroline's room. I need to figure out the best way to arrange her room.

I couldn't resist a picture of the sleeping angel-baby! Isn't she adorable!
Her room was the only one I didn't pick up before I took pictures because she's asleep, but there's her changing table and rocking chair (don't dwell on the mess!)
This is one of my favorite things. I got the idea from a lady at a jewelry store in Utah because I was looking for a earring tree but they were $50 or more! She told me to get a length of mesh-type ribbon from wal-mart and pin it to the wall. I did and now my earrings are organized and easy to pick out. They used to just be in a big box and it was hard to find matching pairs.

Grandpa Bill's dresser.

My absolute favorite thing is having a walk-in closet. I love that our laundry basket is not sitting out in our room where you can see it. It is wonderful. I'm serious when I say it's my favorite part. I hate looking at dirty laundry.

There's our bed. I like our curtains. Mom was really nice to get them for us when she and dad visited in August. Thanks Gammy!

It's hard to get a shot of the shower curtain, the shower and toilet are in a separate room from the sink.

The bathroom is a good size. It's nice to have all the storage in it.

Mantle in living room. I've found lots of crafts to do to decorate more.

Do you Belchers out there recognize any of the furniture in our living room? I love having some of Grandma and Grandpas things, the couch, rocker, and tv stand and tv are all theirs. It makes me feel so at home, and like they are with us. I think they would like that we are getting a use out of our things. I especially like it because Caroline never got to meet them so at least she can get a visual of what their house might have looked like. I sometimes half-expect to walk in and find Grandpa in his rocker watching Walker on the tv. If only that could be.

So, I just covered these ugly cabinets with extra contact paper that I had and it turned out great! I love the mint green with my red appliances! Easy and cheap project.

Mom also got me these shelves to fill the space above the sink. I think it worked out well.

Front view of the kitchen. It's a good size for us.
And finally the dining room. Thanks for the table, Paul and Cheryl. It's just perfect. We are so grateful for the generosity of our family. They helped us furnish our place, and also to our parents for helping us move the stuff out here. We really appreciate it! So, if you want to see it in person just let us know. Come visit anytime!

Life in Kentucky

2011-09-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

Life in Kentucky is busy, stressful, crazy, and happy. In general, it's very good. Here is an update on all of us.

Caroline is flourishing. She has continued to be a great sleeper (minus one or two nights of teething mayhem), sleeping 12-13 hours a night. She always wakes up with a smile on her face and still take two good naps a day. She doesn't like a big bedtime routine either, just scriptures and prayers, then we lay her down and she talks to herself for a few minutes before drifting off. It is great. She now weighs 15.2 lbs, is 26 inches long, and is starting to sit by herself (16 seconds today)! She is laughing more, but no one can get her going as much as Eli. Every time she sees her daddy she just lights up. It's the cutest thing! She rolls all over the place, likes to talk, and is just all around adorable. This stage is so much fun. She is a great eater too. Her favorites right now are carrots and apples. I made some peas tonight that she will try tomorrow. She does not like avocadoes, but they are so good for her I'm going to sneak them into something. She is a joy to take care of.

Eli is a stressed student! This guy is in class for up to 8 hours a day, studying the rest of the time, and still manages to be around his adoring girls (me and Caroline). He is starting to get more used to the hectic schedule and is enjoying his classes and the things he is learning. He is very happy that the BYU football games are streamed on ESPN.com, so he's been able to watch is beloved cougars. He has taken two tests so far and has one more today. Caroline and I are very proud of him, he is doing so well. We love that he still makes time for us. He tries to come home for dinner most nights and help with bedtime. He also is very good at taking out the trash, which I love! I know most women think this about their husbands, but I really do believe I got the best one out there. He is just the greatest and I am so grateful for him and all he does for us.

I am doing well. It's definitely been an adjustment, but I'm happy we are here. I stay pretty busy during the day with feeding the baby, keeping the house clean, cooking our meals and baby food, and trying to go for walks, swims, and fun outings with Caroline. I've started making more friends and finding more things to do. I've been introduced to the wonderful world of pinterest, and as a result have a whole schlew of projects, crafts, hairstyles, and recipes to try. Methinks it will be a busy week! The two things I want/need the most right now are a sewing machine and these boots.

So, things are good. We're excited for the fall. The leaves are barely starting to change and we just know it will be beautiful. We love our apartment, I'll take some pictures after I clean tomorrow, we love our baby, and we love our life. Sometimes it's really hard to do family and medical school at the same time, but we are figuring it out and getting better every day. All friends and family have a standing invitation to visit us anytime! Well, better go to sleep now!

Love,

Eli, Cherie, and Caroline

Just fun Pictures

2011-09-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Eli's First Day of School

2011-09-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Eli is officially a medical student. Here are pictures form his first day. He's doing great. It's stressful and busy, but he's doing quite well. I am going to brag and tell you that he got a 91% on his first test! Yay for Eli!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

2011-09-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is the best news I've had to report for a long long time! Caroline has slept through the night for the past two nights! I think (knock on wood) this is the real thing. I can't tell you how happy this makes me!! I think I actually completed some sleep cycles! I haven't slept a whole night through in over a year (I had to get up to go to the bathroom several times a night when I was pregnant with her). The morning after she slept all night long was one of the best mornings of my life. We are so proud of her!

Baby Eats!

2011-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Caroline is an eater now! These are pictures from the first feeding. We started her on rice cereal. She was a little tentative at first, but she is eating with full gusto now! She now eats pears, apples, and bananas (usually the bananas are mixed in with her rice cereal). I made her pears and apples, you puree them and then freeze them. She usually eats one cube of apples or pears, but today she's gotten even hungrier. She is now eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Today she had a pear cube and rice and bananas for breakfast, a cube of apples for lunch, then two apple cubes, cereal and bananas, and a few spoonfuls of mashed bananas. She is still nursing during the day too. She is starting to sleep better too. She is so much fun right now. She likes to eat when we all eat together too. She likes family time.

Baby in a Crib

2011-08-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Caroline finally has a crib! She loves having a bigger place to sleep. I feel bad she had to wait so long, but I really didn't see the point in buying her one in Utah just to move it all the way across the country. It is beautiful and pretty easy to put together. We have been so blessed with the generosity of our family and friends. My parents gave us a nice crib mattress and bedding, and Eli's aunt also gave us some bedding, so she is set with everything from bumper pads, bed skirts, mattress pads, and sheets. We are very lucky. Here are some picture of a baby in her new bed@
Enjoy!

What Caroline's Been up to

2011-08-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Anatomy of a Blow-Out

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I even really need to say anything.

Paging Dr. Rhoads...

2011-08-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Eli is officially a doctor...in training. His medical school has a ceremony before school starts. It is where the incoming students receive their white coats. Fun Fact: Practicing doctors wear long white coats, down to their knees. Students wear hip-length white coats. It was a very nice ceremony, yet long. Caroline did great, though I pretty much had to stand up with her for the whole one and a half hours. But it was a very nice ceremony and I am so proud of him! Caroline wasn't that impressed with it, until she found the buttons they had put on his coat. She just wanted to eat them.

Eli has a week of orientation this week, then classes start on Monday. We're on our way! I am so proud of him and we'll keep everyone updated on the school stuff in his life1

Wise Baby

2011-08-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Caroline is on to us. She knows we're trying to get her to sleep better, so she thought she'd read up on our methods. She lives by the saying, "knowledge is power."

I've never seen a five month old who could read, have you?

Live from Louisville

2011-08-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are here! I don't have much time to write, we're at the library and Eli needs to use the computer, but we are here and settled. Everything is unpacked. We love our apartment and ward. We couldn't be more pleased with everything out here. Alaina and the boys already came to see us and that was so much fun. Caroline is happy and rolling all over the place and gets really frustrated when she can't shove the whole of whatever she's playing with in her mouth. I will blog more later, we get internet on August 9th. Eli starts school on the 8th! We're so proud of him. Here's just a couple quick new pictures of Caroline.

Happy Baby

2011-07-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

Moving is hard and stressful. But when you have such a cute smiley baby it helps to calm things down.

2011-07-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

I guess if you're not blogging, you must be out living your life. We've been doing just that. Lots of fun things have been going on. The biggest thing was Caroline and I went to Missouri to visit the Belchers. We had so much fun! Annie and I drove out with all the kids. The kids all did great and Caroline was amazing! She slept a lot in the car and only cried when she was hungry. We went to Omaha first and got to see my sister Ronda and her daughters. We got there in time for my niece Eden's birthday. She turned 12 and we got to have a birthday dinner for her. The next day we went to my parents house. We had a full house, but it was so much fun. We got to see my sister Alaina who lives in North Carolina and her two boys. They had not met Caroline yet. Caroline also got to see my brother, his wife, and their kids. We had a blast, but we really missed Eli. He couldn't get off of work to come with us. It was so hard to be away from him. He surprised me by switching work so he could pick us up at the airport. I was really surprised! Now we're home and are starting to get things ready to move. We're excited and nervous and ready! I've got to start packing, and we've narrowed down some apartments.

In other news, Caroline is no longer a tiny little baby! She is a big baby! She holds her head up really well, stands up and holds all her weight on her legs when you hold her hands, she smiles, talks, and almost laughs. She is a lot more vocal and kind of fussy. Not more fussy, really, but she wants to be more in control of her environment. She knows what she wants and if you don't do what she wants she lets you know. She's still a little sweetheart though. She wakes up smiling and happy. Her sleep is still pretty erratic. She usually sleeps three to five or six hours at a time. I know she could sleep longer if we let her cry a little bit more, but we're all in one room and Eli has to get up so early I don't want her to wake him up. And with all the traveling, and then the move, we're going to wait until we get to our new place to really address the sleep issue. It will be easier when we're settled and she has her own room. Well, that's about all. Here are some pictures!

New Pictures

2011-05-25T18:41:00.001-07:00

We took some family pictures with the Rhoads cousins at the end of April. Enjoy Caroline in her blessing dress. She is so cute!

pictures

2011-05-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

So Caroline has been especially cute lately. Enjoy the pictures!

Mothers Day

2011-05-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

My first Mothers Day was great! Eli made me breakfast in bed: chocolate chip pancakes, homemade cinnamon syrup, and homemade fresh squeezed orange juice! Then he gave me some really cute earrings I've been wanting. We got up and went to church. Church was very nice, the rest of the day was lazy. I took a nap with Caroline sleeping on my chest, I sorted through our closet, organized it, and put together a big bag for DI. We had a simple dinner and gave Caroline a bath. Then came the hard part. I decided to try letting her cry it out. First she laid down, cried for 5 minutes, I came in and calmed her down, she cried then for 7 minutes. Then Eli went in and calmed her down, then she cried for 10 minutes. I went in and calmed her down and then she went to sleep for good. From 10 pm to 5:45 am. That was almost 8 hours! That means Eli got to go to bed and sleep uninterrupted until he had to get up for work! It was awesome! I hated doing it though. I was crying while she was, but it worked. I hope we won't have to do it again tonight. My goal is to have her sleep from 9 - 7:30 ish. ot would be heaven. Well, here are some pictures from Mothers Day. We also put her back in her blessing dress for some family pictures but she was not happy about that. Good thing we got some professional ones in her blessing dress. Enjoy!

2 Month Check-up

2011-05-07T09:39:00.001-07:00

I took Caroline to the doctor on Tuesday for her two month check-up. She is doing so well, I am happy to say. She has gained weight, a lot, since her two week check-up. She is a whopping 9 pounds and 6 ounces! That's almost 3 pounds since her birth! I was so proud of her. She's also 22 1/2 inches long now too. She's grown 1 1/2 inches. Everything else is looking good for her. She is healthy and doing well. The doctor also told me that two month olds have the ability to sleep 12 hours at night. He told me a strategy to get her to sleep better. And I have to say it is kind of working, the first phase at least. The first night we did it she slept 7 hours, then last night it was 6 hours. It's not really six hours straight. She'll sleep about 4 or 5 hours then wake up and I'll give her a pacifier and she'll sleep for an hour or more longer. So, once she starts sleeping those six or seven hours straight through then we'll work on dropping the next feeding.

Milestone #2

2011-05-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Milestone #1 was smiling, which you saw earlier she is very good at. Well, yesterday she reached milestone #2, rolling over! I've had the feeling that she would do it soon, and she did! I was so glad it was when Eli was home. We were so excited! She did 5 times in a row. This video is of the third time she rolled over.

Yesterday was special in another way because we blessed her at church. It was very beautiful and special. We had a lot of family and friends there to see her. Her blessing dress was so pretty and she was calm and perfect for it. Unfortunately, I did not get pictures! I know I'm a bad Mom! We were rushing to get ready for church, then we came home and I had to finish getting the lunch ready, then I had to feed her and she was ready to be out of her dress and so was I and we were busy all day. I think when Eli gets home tonight I'll dress us all up again and take some pictures to recreate the day. You'll love her dress and bonnet! Right now Caroline is lounging in the boppy next to me, just cooing and smiling. She is such a sweetheart. I think I'll lay her down to see if she'll roll over again!

Memories in the Tulip Patch

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is Eli's day off, other than Sunday. It's been really nice to have him home in the middle of the week. We had a really nice day this week. Caroline loved snuggling with her Daddy. She took two naps on him for a couple of hours each. I went and got a haircut, I stole my sisters cut, and I like the bangs a lot. We went to the park, and walked through the tulip patch. That tulip patch is really special to us. After Eli and I had been dating for a while, we decided ( in the hall outside of his apartment) to get married. We went and picked out a ring. Eli told me they told him the ring would take two weeks to get. The next day we went to a friends wedding. On the way home he suggested we stop and see how the tulips were coming. We had been coming to the park for the past couple weeks when we could to see if the tulips were blooming. We walked into the patch and they were all open and beautiful. All of the sudden I turned around and Eli was down on one knee with the ring that I thought we wouldn't get for another two weeks. He proposed in a very sweet way and the rest is history. It was so much fun to go over on a beautiful day, three years later, now with our first child. The tulips were lovely and we had a great time. Eli is so great and I am so grateful to have him in my life!

Happy Baby

2011-04-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

Caroline is a smiler now! After she eats she loves to smile at her mommy and daddy. She loves it when you talk to her and she makes her sweet little baby sounds back to you. She is the sweetest little girl. Doesn't she have the prettiest smile you've ever seen? I think so.

Caroline and Friends

2011-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Caroline has got to meet lots of friends and family lately. She met our friends babies Mattix and Chloe. She met her Aunt Teri, Aunt Ronda, cousins Eden, Quincey, Ever, and Romey, her other cousins Rustin and Tori, Aunt Ronda's friends daughter Jasmine, and her uncle Gabe. The seven hours of sleep was a fluke, but she's getting a consistent 5 hours at a time, and she's napping really well. She is also starting to smile more! Enjoy the pictures!

Caroline the Wonder Baby!

2011-04-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Caroline decided to celebrate being 5 weeks old today by sleeping for 6 hours and 45 minutes last night! That's right! Almost 7 hours straight! Then she woke up to eat, but only ate for 5 minutes and went right back to bed. I can't believe it! I am so happy and excited, and rested, that I got up after she ate (6:40) and cleaned the bathroom and started some laundry! She really is such a good baby! She eats well, her digestive system really works, she's sweet, cuddly, and so cute! She always sleeps in her car seat or stroller, and now sleeps through the night, in her own bed! I am knocking on wood when I write this because just watch, this sleep thing will be a fluke and tomorrow it will be only 3 hour increments. But I don't think that's the case because this past week she's been steadily sleeping longer and longer. Two nights ago it was 5 hours, then eating, then 4 hours. But she is the best baby around!

Yesterday was Eli's day off. We went to lunch together. Then we tried to take a nap together, but it didn't work so well. First of all, Caroline wasn't tired. So, Eli fell asleep first, and slept for about 1/2 an hour before I got Caroline asleep. She slept for an hour on me, then I put her in her bed and she woke up. So Eli took her. I fell asleep and Eli let me sleep for 3 hours! I couldn't believe it. And I didn't want to waste time on his day off sleeping! But maybe that's why I'm so energetic this morning. Eli's back to work today and we miss him. But he had fun holding his baby so much yesterday. And I think he's happier than anyone that she's sleeping longer now. He does not do well when he doesn't get good sleep.

We'll see how long she sleeps now. I'm guessing until at least nine. That would be sleeping from 11:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. with only a ten minute interlude of diaper change, feeding, and burping. She is the wonder baby!

How to Share a Room with a Baby

2011-04-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

So sharing a room with a baby has not been as hard as I thought it would be. I guess it helps that we have a very big room. The trick is to stay organized and not let the dirty clothes and clutter build up. That includes making the bed everyday, doing laundry constantly, putting away clean clothes, keeping little things off the floor and off the shelves, and making sure all of her things are clean and ready for use. How could you not mind sharing a room with such a cute baby though! It's been fun having her with us, but I am looking forward to the day of a two-bedroom apartment. Hopefully it has a washer and dryer with it!

I Love My Aunt

2011-04-01T10:04:00.001-07:00

Caroline's Aunt Cindy gave her this little onesie, but it applies to all of her aunts. Caroline is very lucky and has 7 aunts, not including great-aunts, friends that are aunts, or other kinds of aunts. All of her aunts love her. If you're an aunt of hers, this one goes out to you. (re-reading this I realize that aunt is a very strange word. Go ahead, read it again and look at the word aunt. It's weird, right?)

A Daddy and his Daughter

2011-04-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Eli makes me so happy. He is such a sweet daddy. He loves to be with his little Caroline. He can't wait to hold her when he gets home. He loves to sing to her, and she loves it when he sings to her. He is great about changing diapers and bringing her to me at night for her to eat. I love watching him with her. I know that as she gets bigger and interacts with him more she'll have him wrapped around her finger even more!

I've been meaning to write about this for a while because it makes me laugh so much. So, not unlike my own father, Eli usually doesn't know the real words to songs. So he either makes up his own or gives his own interpretation of what he thinks they are singing. Here is one example. I like the Paul McCartney song "Maybe I'm Amazed." There is a section of lyrics that Eli likes to give his own version of. The real words say "Baby I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time." Eli thought he said, "Baby I'm amazed at the way you poop me out at night." Now I hear that every time I listen to that song , and hopefully you will too.

Growing Girl!

2011-03-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

It already makes me sad to think of Caroline growing up. I want her to stay my baby forever. She is so sweet and cuddly! But, she is two weeks old today. I can't believe how quickly it's gone. Yesterday I took her to the doctor for her check up. She weighed 6. 9 when she was born, and when we left the hospital she was down to 6.1. I knew she was gaining weight because her face is getting chubby and she's getting the cutest little double chin. Well, she now weighs 6.14. That's a 13 ounce weight gain in 10 days! I have a feeling she's going to be a little chub-o! She is 21 inches long. I asked the nurse if she grew that much since she was born and she said at the hospital they don't stretch their legs out all the way to measure them. I always thought she was longer than 18.5 inches. She's quite lanky. She's below the 20th percentile in both weight and head circumference, but in the 78th percentile in length. She looks more and more like her daddy everyday. I always thought Eli would be a pretty girl, and now we have the proof.

Anyway, she's just in her bassinet right now, making cute noises as she slowly wakes up to eat in ten minutes. I've been doing laundry all morning. It's amazing how much we go through. Yesterday we had two blowouts and she barfed her milk all over her clothes, hair, and my bedspread. That's in the washer right now. I can look over now and see her tiny hands going up in the air above her blanket. She is the best baby! I just love staying home with her. I'm so thankful that Eli works so hard so I can stay with her. Well, I'd better get ready to feed her now.

Caroline's Birth

2011-03-13T12:50:00.001-07:00

Caroline's birth was very interesting. I think any new mom who hasn't given birth before has some trepidation. I am no different. In some ways it was a lot like what I expected, and in others it was nothing like it. Here's how it went down.

I went to the doctor for my first exam on Tuesday, March 1. I was really surprised when he told me I was dialated to a 3 and 100% effaced. He also said she was really low down and there was a 50% chance I could have her by the end of the week. That made me so excited. I was only 38 weeks along, so that was pretty welcome news. So, I started going for walks. On Wednesday night I started having some contractions. They weren't really bad, but I still couldn't sleep. I finally dozed off at around 3, and I woke up at 6 with real contractions. We started timing them and they were two minutes apart and getting more intense by 8:00. So, we cleaned up our room, grabbed our bags, said a prayer, and went to the hospital. We got checked in, hooked up to the monitors and examined. I was at a 5 by then, but my contractions completely stopped! I was kind of embarrassed and kept telling the nurse that I really did have them. They started me on some pitocin, and they kind of started again, but not very strong. So, they kept slowly upping the dosage. By 3:00 the contractions were back and they were getting strong. Up until that point I hadn't had an epidural or anything because they weren't hurting. I decided I was ready to have one. So, I called the nurse. She said she'd get the anesthesiologist and be right there. Well, then they really picked up! By the time the nurse and anesthesiologist got there, they were right on top of each other and very very very painful. I tried to stand up to help alleviate the pain and my water broke all over the floor. The nurse examined me again and I was at a 10 and ready to go. A bunch of people rushed in, and got things ready. The hospital we were at has these beautiful big rooms where you labor, deliver, and recover all in one room. Unfortunately, those were all full when we got there, and no one had left by the time she came, so we were in the tiny monitoring room. They had to move things around to fit all the equipment in there. The anesthesiologist said it was too late for an epidural, so he gave me a spinal block instead. Let me tell you, when that thing went in, it felt like heaven! It was funny because it made me tingly from the waist down and every time someone would touch my leg it really tickled and I would laugh. The nurses said they had never seen anyone go from extreme pain to giggling in two minutes. Well, after that, the doctor came in, and they told me to push. I couldn't feel anything, and I tried to push, but I guess it didn't do anything. They used the forceps on her, and she came right out. She started crying right away, and so did I. She had a full head of hair, beautiful lips and hands, and a good pair of lungs. I found out afterwards that I actually made it all through the transition phase without medication. I didn't know at the time that I made it that far. If I had known I probably would have just kept going and pushed without medicine, because she was already there. Oh well, I'm not knocking the medicine, it was NICE! And they did have to cut me, so I wouldn't have wanted the stitches without any pain meds.

Anyway, we are happy she is here, and love our little sweetie!

Sweet Baby

2011-03-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

I just love this video of Caroline. It was right after she ate. You can see how alert she can be. She really is a perfect baby. She sleeps for about 3 1/2 hours between feedings all night, and she is very calm most of the time. Once we got the nursing stuff figured out she stopped crying. She just kind of whines when we change her clothes or diapers. She hates being swaddled, and she poops all the time! We're so grateful that she is healthy. It was funny because after I took this video I showed it to her and she was entranced, just watching the little screen. I think I will write a blog post now about how her birth went. Enjoy the little sweetheart, I know Eli and I do.

Caroline is Here!

2011-03-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Caroline was born on Thursday, March 3, 2011. She is perfect and beautiful. I don't have much time now to tell the whole tale, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Baby Shower

2011-02-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

Two of my sweet sisters threw me a baby shower on Saturday! It was so nice. I am always blown away at how generous and kind our friends and family are. Thank you so much to everyone who came or sent us something. It was beautiful. Cindy and Annie really went all out, and Eli's family helped a lot too and added some beautiful things. You'll see in the pictures: (I don't know why this is underlined!)

Annie made a really cute table runner to match the pink and green. We had a delicious pasta salad (from Cindy), little sandwiches, fruit and dip, veggies and dip, trifle, and chocolate dipped strawberries (from Eli's sister). Everything was so good! The cake was made in ID, Eli's step-mom ordered it and Eli's mom brought it down. It was so cool! I've never seen such an amazing cake! It tasted delicious too!

Annie made Caroline the most beautiful baby quilt! She is really talented. Look at the details of the embroidery!

Everyone gave such lovely (and needed!) presents! Thank you so much!

It was great! Now we're ready for her to come whenever she wants. I started having some contractions Saturday! I think they were just braxton hicks, but still, it means something going on. I go to the doctor tomorrow and he'll check to see if I'm dialated yet. I'm so excited!! This is my last week of work. I was going to work next week too, but I am getting so tired and uncomfortable. If she comes this week, that would be great, but if she comes closer to her due date I'd like to be as rested up and relaxed as I can be. Two weeks left!!

Quarter of a Century

2011-02-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

I had a great birthday! I was very spoiled by Eli and my family. Here's how my day went:
I got up and went to work. It's true, I had to work all day on Saturday, but it was fine because I was getting nice calls from family and friends all day (thanks!) and they let me go home early. So, Eli picked me up from work and gave me my presents. He gave me a gift card to Down East Basics (one of my favorite stores), and then as we were supposedly driving home, he went a different way. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but we ended up walking into a massage place. He had gotten me an hour long pregnancy massage! We were stopping by so I could make the appointment. I was so excited. I'm going Wednesday evening, so I can get completely relaxed before bed. I can't wait! It will feel so good! Eli has really spoiled me this Valentines/Birthday week. He said he wanted to make sure to spoil me now because he won't be able to for the next few years, with the baby and medical school we will have no money. I really appreciate all that he's done. I get to get my nails done, get a massage, and get some new clothes when I have the baby. He really listened to me when I would mention things that I wanted and went out and surprised me with them. He is the best!
Eli's parents gave me a really pretty necklace/earring/bracelet set and a good quality thermometer for the baby/family. I also got to go out to eat on Friday night with my sisters Annie and Cindy at Olive Garden. It was delicious. We felt bad that we weren't with all the cousins though. Maybe next time!
We had a family dinner at home when I got home from work on my birthday. Eli's uncle was in town. Then we all went to see Unknown at the movie theater. It was pretty good. It was more like The Bourne Idenity than Taken, but I liked it. It had an interesting plot twist that I did not expect.
Eli and I got to the movie first to get tickets for everyone, so we had some time to kill. I walked over to Down East, just to see what I might want to plan to get with my gift card, only to find that all of their sale things were 50% off the sale price. I got a really cute cardigan, belt, and bracelet for $20! Eli told me to save the gift card because it was such a good deal! I was so excited! I am trying to make an effort to be more fashionable, by building quality pieces, as Stacey and Clinton would say. I did wear my cardigan, unbuttoned of course, with the belt on the outside, to church on Sunday. I got lots of compliments and I realized it is really fun to dress nice and feel good about yourself!
In Caroline news she is doing great! 3 weeks till the due date! She is definitely stretching my stomach as far as it can go. I think she's dropped a bit. She still likes to move around a lot, but she hasn't been getting the hiccups as much as she used to. It used to be she would have the hiccups everyday like clockwork at 10:30 p.m. But, it's been a few days. I wonder if she's gotten better at swallowing in there. We were given a beautiful blessing gown for her yesterday. And I mean, the most beautiful dress you've ever seen! We are planning on blessing her on May 1st. We're hoping that she comes early, but not until after Saturday. My baby shower is on Saturday and my sisters and friends and family have worked really hard on it and I would hate to have to cancel it. So, she's welcome to come any time after Saturday. That's the update for now. We'll keep you posted!

25

2011-02-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

I am going to work longer today than I anticipated. Sadly, I finished my book yesterday and took it back to the library without finding a new one (I didn't have time to go in and peruse the shelves). So, in an effort to do something in between calls, I am going to write a list of 25 things I want to do before I die, in honor of turning 25 soon.

1.Have at least 4 children.
2.Visit the temples in the US (this is going to be difficult because they keep building more temples. I'm not complaining though!)
3.Get Eli through medical school and residency.
4.Learn how to quilt.
5.Build up a huge repertoire of healthy and delicious recipes I can cook at the drop of a hat.
6.This goes along with #5, but get to the point where 65-5% of our daily food is raw.
7.Become a certified Pilates instructor.
8.Travel to every continent.
9.Serve a mission with Eli.
10.Learn how to garden- by this I mean have a successful vegetable garden, and plant beautiful flowers throughout the yard that I can pick all summer and make bouquets.
11.Live close to my sisters.
12.Be able to stay home to raise my kids.
13.Maintain a healthy weight.
14.Build up a big personal library of fiction, non-fiction, and gospel books.
15.Go to one more Neil Diamond Concert so our Caroline can hear him singing her song.
16.Become a master scriptorian.
17.Deliver at least one baby naturally.
18.Go to Disney World.
19.Go on a cruise.
20.Do a triathlon.
21.One day own a nice house, with a large yard where I can plant peach and other fruit trees, a big garden, lots of flowers, and have room for the kids to run around and play.
22.Take an art class that teaches me how to paint.
23.Be as awesome of a grandma as my grandma was.
24.Be someone that others think of a positive and uplifting.
25.Ride an elephant!

That's my list off the top of my head. What is yours?

Promises of Pictures!

2011-02-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

So, about a year ago (or longer) I lost the cord to connect our camera to a computer. I'm sure everyone has noticed that I usually don't put pictures on here. Well, today at wal-mart I discovered the best thing! It is a USB port that you put your Memory card. So, I just put 777 pictures on the computer. I'm so glad to find this thing, and it was only $8. So, now I will add some recent pictures and promise to carry my camera around and take pictures and share them frequently. Here are some new ones, in no particular order, Eli as a little baby and that first picture just makes me laugh. Me as a baby, my valentines flowers and meal that Eli made me, belly shots, and valentines cupcakes. I have to go cry right now. Ken Jennings just lost to computer on Jeopardy. That makes me so sick and sad. That stupid computer just was able to buzz in faster than the other players. Not fair. Man v. Machine. The only person to ever beat a machine was John Henry. Duh.

Valentines Day

2011-02-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

Eli and I had a great Valentines Day, mostly to his credit. He is very thoughtful and gives the best presents!
We celebrated on Saturday. Eli has a new job (yay!) but the training is 5 weeks long and from 12:30-9:30 every night, M-F. I work from 7:30 A.M.- about 1 M-F, so that means we'll only see each other in the mornings when he takes me to work, briefly at night when he gets home (if I'm not asleep already) and on the weekends. So, celebrating on Monday was out of the question. Saturday was so nice though. I didn't have to work so we slept in (okay, sleeping in now is till about 8:30) and started our day. While I took a long shower and fixed my hair and makeup Eli went out and got me donuts and strawberries for breakfast. We don't eat donuts very often, but I've had a hankering for them lately. He gave me my present too. He got me some beautiful flowers and a gift certificate to get my nails done! I love getting my nails done, with the french tips, but it's expensive so I only do it for special occasions (prom and wedding). I'm really excited. I think I'll go next week, so they can be nice for my baby shower, and hopefully they'll last until the baby is born. I don't know why but I really want to look as nice as I can when she comes. Is that weird? Not that I expect to look perfectly put together whilst I'm in labor, but I do want to have my nails and toenails painted nicely and hopefully have shaved legs. Probably I won't care about any of that stuff when I actually have her, but did any of you moms feel like that?
We went to see the move Gulliver's Travels at the dollar theater after lunch. It was pretty good, a good dollar movie, but it did make us laugh. Then Eli made me dinner. He always makes me dinner for Valentines Day, and it's always something fun and delicious. This year he made chinese cabbage salad, homemade egg rolls (so good!) and rice. It was a really good meal and we had a good time!
I gave Eli Elder Hales new book and a bunch a candy. I hope he liked it, he's already reading the book, so I'll assume he does like it. That was our Valentines Day!

Jazz V. Thunder

2011-02-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

I forgot to write about this earlier, when I fell down, it blocked everything else out of my mind with worry. But, Eli and I went to the Jazz game on Saturday and it was so much fun!
In addition to candy, Eli's other love is sports. Basketball in particular. He could watch basketball all day if he let himself. Luckily, Eli has amazing self-control and knows when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate. But, you could ask him any question about any player or any team or coach EVER and he would be able to tell you about it. I think that is why he'll make a great doctor. He has amazing retention skills. So, one of his favorite up and coming teams is the Oklahoma City Thunder. He thinks they have some great players and are great to watch. His mom got him the perfect Christmas present. Two tickets to Jazz v. Thunder. And these weren't just any tickets. They were six rows back from half-court! We were so close, it was amazing!

The whole day Saturday was great. First we went to our prenatal/birthing class from 10-3. It was great! We learned a lot and it really calmed me down about giving birth. The birthing videos even made me tear up. Then we drove up to Salt Lake. We ate dinner at this great place called The Red Iguana. It was so good. I think it might be our new favorite Mexican Restaurant. Very very very delicious. It was a fun dinner. And we got there kind of early for dinner, which was perfect because by the time we left there was a really long line to wait to eat. Then we parked, and walked around the Gateway. I dragged Eli into Banana Republic because I love that store and just wanted to look around. He surprised me by letting me pick out a less expensive shirt. They were having a 25% off everything sale, so I got a really cute shirt for the summer. It's motivation. It's a medium. I know I can fit into it after I have the baby!
After that we went over to the arena. I had never been there before. It is really big! Our seats were awesome. We got there early enough to see the teams warm up and everything. I can't believe how big these players are! Some of them were 6'11'' or 7'. It was amazing to see them in person. Kevin Durant is so tall, but has some of the skinniest bird legs I've ever seen. And I know Eli could give you a more in-depth technical evaluation of how the game was played and what kind of offense and defense was utilized by the teams, but I was blown away at how fast they were at making plays and passing and the like. It was pretty great. The Thunder won. Eli was happy. We had so much fun and it was awesome! Thank you so much for those great tickets Mom Hammond!Sadly, we don't have any pictures. We assumed, like all stadiums, that you cannot bring a camera, so we didn't even try to. But we saw other people with cameras and then we kicked ourselves. Or I guess if either of us had an iPhone or something with a good quality camera we could have some pictures. Oh well, we'll have the memories. It was a great way to spend our Saturday night!

See You in the Fall!

2011-02-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had an unsettling experience. I have always heard that pregnant ladies are clumsy and likely to fall more because their center of balance is off. And I have been wobbly from time to time. But yesterday I ate it on the sidewalk.
Luckily, there were lots of things in my favor to keep Caroline safe.
I tripped on the sidewalk as I was walking into my doctors appointment. I guess there's no better place to fall in case you really hurt something.
I managed to fall on my side, so I did not land on my belly.
I only have a couple scrapes and bruises.
They were able to find her heartbeat and she's been moving normally. The doctor said he would only be worried if when I stood up from the fall I had blood or fluid running down my legs. That would mean I had really done some damage. I was really shook up about it, thinking about how it really could have made things bad. I'm 35 weeks now and something like that could send you into early labor. 35 weeks is certainly old enough to survive, she would still have to be in the NICU for a while because her lungs are not quite ready yet. We want her to stay for at least 3 more weeks!

Disney Land....7 months ago

2011-02-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

So, I am really really late, but here are some pictures from our trip to Disney Land, in July. It was so much fun. We went with our friends Steve and Brooke and had a blast. It was my first time there and it was better than I imagined. Can you believe that Caroline was only 5 weeks along then? She has definitely grown since then!

2011-02-04T09:10:00.001-08:00

We have had a fun week so far, and the weekend will only get better!

Tuesday was Eli's grandma's birthday. She turned 88. So, I was able to get Wednesday off work and we drove up on Tuesday after work. It was a fun trip. We went to dinner at a really delicious Italian restaurant with his Mom and Grandma, got to visit a lot, and take grandma on some errands. We really enjoyed visiting them and it's probably the last time for a while that I'll be able to travel. And now I don't want to get too far from my doctor or the hospital. I'm now 34 weeks. I can't believe there are only 6 weeks left!!!!

On our way back from Idaho we stopped by Annie's house and played with the kids and had dinner with them and Cindy and Kurt. Annie also had a bunch of baby girl clothes so we went through it and I took a TON home! I'm so lucky to have all these older sisters who are so generous, otherwise Caroline would be wearing the same 5 outfits over and over. The clothes are so cute and it's fun to remember when Lia Belle or Phoebe was wearing them.

Yesterday we went to the temple and did our grocery shopping. I like it when Eli comes on errands with me. He usually gets to pick out a treat for coming, but have any of you guys ever seen Eli try to decide on what kind of candy to get? It's hilarious/infuriating. You may not know this, but Eli loves candy! Also, he is a perfectionist and always wants to make sure he makes the right decision. His dad said that when he was a little boy and they would stop at gas stations on road trips, the kids were allowed to pick out a candy. Well, they always had to set a time limit for Eli because otherwise he would take hours to pick one out. I remember a few weeks ago we had to run to Walgreens to get something or other. They were having a sale on candy, especially the new peanut butter snickers. Eli was wondering if we should buy some. We're trying to not spend money on stuff we don't need, so I told him he could get it if he wanted to, because he's an adult and can make his own decisions, but we don't need it, especially because we got a whole bunch of candy for Christmas. So, we didn't buy the snickers, but for three days he kept lamenting that we should have got that snickers. Eli is a funny man and he makes me laugh a lot. So, the point of the story is he got some candy yesterday. That is all.

Tonight we are having some friends over for dinner and a movie or game. Tomorrow we have our birthing class, then we get to go to the Jazz v. Oklahoma City Thunder game. Eli's mom got him really awesome tickets for Christmas and we are so excited! My excitement certainly pales in comparison to Eli's. He cannot wait! He really likes the Thunder. I just like going on dates with Eli. It's going to be a fun night! I think we'll even eat dinner in Salt Lake. Eli said I get to choose the restaurant. Any suggestions?

Anyone who is interested is invited to watch the super bowl with us on Sunday. We have the house to ourselves and are planning on making some yummy dips and snacks. We realize that most of our friends around here have family they'll be going to, but if you don't have plans, consider this your invitation to come watch it with us. Give us a call if you're interested!

Shark Baby

2011-01-29T08:32:00.000-08:00

At least twice I have dreamed of Caroline being born, and both times she is as big as a three-month old, and she has a full set of teeth. This really creeps me out. I've heard that some babies are born with full sets of teeth. Gross. I guess it's nice to miss out on all of the teething problems, but how awful would nursing be? And how weird to hold a tiny newborn and have her smile at you with a whole mouth full of teeth. I guess I'm also just looking forward to her being tiny and sweet. I love love love newborns, and I'm scared I'll miss it. I know that won't happen because I think it would kill me to actually deliver a 3 month-old sized baby. Let's just hope she'll be normal sized an toothless. Maybe I'll have some nicer dreams about her birth.

Thanks to everyone for the comments on my pictures! It sure is nice to get such positive feedback! I have the best friends and family!

32 Week Pictures!

2011-01-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

I know it's taken me forever, but here are some pictures of me and Caroline, taken today after church. Enjoy!

Update on the Baby at 32 weeks

2011-01-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor for a checkup on Tuesday. Everything is good. My blood pressure and weight gain are good. Her head is down and she is right on track size-wise. Not much else to report but I am very happy that everything is looking good. I pray that it continues being that way. Now, we go every two weeks, just twice though. Then it's every week! I can't believe it. It seems like the end is coming up so quickly but so slowly at the same time.
I've been feeling pretty good. My only complaints are that I am very tired, but I can never seem to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. It's like clockwork, every three hours I get up and go to the bathroom, then I roll to my other side and go back to sleep. I don't feel very rested anymore. Oh well, I guess it's good preparation for when she's here and I'll be getting up to feed her all night. Last night I noticed that when I lay on my right side the outside of my legs and hips start to get really sore. In fact, it is still sore today. Has anyone else experienced that before? So, now I lay on my left side mostly, but then my left shoulder gets sore. I still have 8 weeks to go, I can't imagine how it will get even MORE uncomfortable. It doesn't matter though, I'll do it for Caroline. I'm so excited!
We are going to a birthing class on Feb. 5th. That should be fun, I guess. I've never seen a birth at all, so I guess we'll see if I can handle it. I'm actually looking forward to it. I like surgeries and stuff, I wonder why I haven't just googled one before. Maybe I'll put my own up on youtube. Just kidding. I don't want my stuff all over the internet.
In other news we made a really yummy soup last night. It's a spicy chili tortellini soup. I like it a lot. I don't have the recipe on me right now, but it's not the kind with meat in it. It's got jalepenos, pablanos, red peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, and tortellini. It's delicious. Tonight we're having a southwest salad with beans and avocado and lots of veggies in it. It also has broken up fritos on top. I know even though Eli mocks the health stuff, it's making an impression on him. He requests green smoothies. And, when I asked him what are some things he'd like for dinner this week, he asked for this salad. Although, even before I started all this, sometimes we would just have a big hearty salad for dinner, so I guess I can't claim this as my own victory. Oh well. I'm really glad that Eli is so obliging and just goes along with whatever I come up with. I guess he figures if someone is going to cook for him, he's not going to complain. What a great guy!!
On our docket for the weekend is going to the temple Friday night, and dinner and a movie with friends on Saturday night.
Have a great day everyone!Cherie, Eli, and Caroline

Fun Weekend

2011-01-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

Eli and I had such a nice weekend. We originally wanted to drive up to Idaho to help his Grandma do some stuff, but we heard reports of bad weather and decided to play it safe. We've gotta be extra careful driving now. I'm sad that we didn't get to go up there and do the things we were planning on doing or see his mom, grandma, sister, and niece. That would have been fun. We're so sorry we missed all of you. But we did end up having a very nice weekend at home.
Friday night Eli made spaghetti for dinner (delicious) and then we went to Babies R' Us to register, which was a lot of fun! It's hard, because you probably only really NEED about half the stuff on the “necessities list”they give you, but you end up wanting your baby to have everything! I understand how parents can end up amassing so much stuff for their kids, you just want your kids to have everything! Good thing we're going to be really poor for a long time and our kids won't get spoiled (at least by us, I can't speak for grandparents!). But it is scary how much money you could spend. You could easily go into that store and drop $500. YIKES! The stuff is so cute though. Especially the girl stuff! I was really excited when I thought the baby was a boy, but once I found out she's a girl, man, I got really really excited. And I still do when I go to the store and see all of the cute girl stuff, dresses, shoes, hair bows, etc! Not that I don't love little boys, and I probably will have a boy someday, but for now I'm so excited to dress up my Caroline!
Saturday was our really fun day. We slept in! That in and of itself was the best. To not have an alarm go off at 6:30 was heaven! Then we had a lazy morning. Then we cleaned our room, did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, made our grocery list, and went to the store. We even planned out our meals for the week. After the store, I took a nap, then we went to dinner at WingShak with Eli's dad and brother. Then, Eli, Josh (Eli's brother) and I went to Salt Lake to see a comedy show. It was the group Left Field. They are mostly former BYU students who do stand-up. It was really fun! I'd never been to a comedy show and it was a blast. Those guys were really fun! One of them used to be in our singles ward and another one is the guy from the BYU library commercial that's like the Old Spice commercial. It was a blast. And they were filming that show, so if anyone buys their DVD, look for us in the audience!
Sunday we went to church. We really love working in the nursery. It's so funny to me that all the kids gravitate naturally to Eli. They always want him to play with them and during singing time they all want to sit in his lap. There was one little girl who was there for her first time and she would bring every toy to him to see and kept giving him hugs! It was so cute. Then after church I slept all afternoon (did I mention the comedy show didn't get out until 11:30 p.m. And we now have church at 9 a.m.?). Then our neighbors had a birthday party for their one year old. But it wasn't just any party. They are from India and for them turning 1 is a huge deal! So, the party was at this Indian restaurant and it was a blast! There were a lot of people, a lot of food, and a lot of fun. They had a magician, a Lohri fire, dancing and singing (of course we participated), and authentic Indian food. Eli was in heaven because he loves Indian food. It's an acquired taste for me, I never had it until I was 21, but I liked the food last night more than I've ever liked Indian food. We were there until 10 though, so I will be taking another nap today.
I feel like my life is now in periods of waking and sleeping. Even at night I sleep for a few hours, then I have to get up and go to the bathroom, then I go back to sleep and then get up again to go to the bathroom. Then I go to work, come home, and sleep. I've found that I have to take a nap when I come home in the early afternoon. If I don't, I just fall asleep at 5 or 6, and I don't make dinner. So, I'm going to be really productive this week and plan my naps for early afternoon so I can have energy to cook our dinner. Not that Eli doesn't help and make dinner if I don't. He does. I just do really enjoy making dinner for us and I have a wider range of meals that I make.
We go to the doctor tomorrow for a check up. After that, it's every two weeks, then after two of those, it goes to every week! It's coming up soon!

Books!

2011-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've read two good books lately that I really liked. I thought I would share them.

The first is These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. My sister Annie first told me about this book and then my friend Whitney, very graciously, loaned it to me. Thanks Annie and Whitney! I loved it! It is the journal of a woman living in the Arizona Territory and what her life was liked. It was really good. The main character, Sarah, is very easy to get to know and you get a very accurate picture of what life was like on that frontier. I have to admit that parts of the book made me cry and others made me so happy. I read it in just two days and I was sad when it was over. I wanted it to keep going. Annie told me there are two sequels to it, which I need to find at the library now, but she said the second one is okay and the third one is not that great. I will read them anyway because I just want to know more about what happens to Sarah. Everyone should read this book!

The second book I got by subtlety and cunning. Not really. Eli had checked it out from the library, and left it laying out. One day when I was going to work I decided I should bring a book because it's been really slow lately. I had just finished the other book, and wanted something good. Although this book is non-fiction, which I usually don't read, Eli said it was really good and it's a best-seller. So I took it and couldn't put it down till it was over. Thanks for letting me borrow it Eli! It's called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the true story of Olympic runner and WWII veteran Louie Zamperini. I don't want to give it all away but it really is an amazing and true story about his life. She interviewed Zamperini extensively and he remembered everything. This book makes you really appreciate the generation that fought in WWII. It made me think of my two grandpa's and what they saw. One was at Pearl Harbor, the other was in the south Pacific and went through Japan days after the atomic bombs were dropped. This book does not hide the harsh realities of war and it really makes you think about how awful it really was. This book will inspire you and make you realize how strong and capable we all really are when it comes down to it. Go read this book! You won't be disappointed.

Other honorable mentions from my readings lately: The Green Smoothies Diet by Robyn Openshaw, On Becoming Baby Wise, Hunger Games trilogy, and well, I guess that's it. I haven't been reading that much lately. I sleep a lot more.
Enjoy those books. Let me know if you read them so we can talk about it!

Sweet Dreams

2011-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

I had the best dream ever last night! I dreamed that I had our Caroline! She was beautiful and smiled whenever me or Eli would look at her. She had big lips and a lot of beautiful golden brown hair!
I wish this was reality. I know for a fact it was a dream and not true at all because of a few hints from my dream:
1.I was only in labor for 5 minutes.
2.The labor was painless.
3.It was in my moms kitchen...sitting up...in a kitchen chair.
4.She was about the size of a three month old.
Oh well, it was still great. And she was so pretty!
I also had dreams about swimming in the ocean in Alaska and my swimming companions being swallowed by a killer whale and then spit out of its mouth into a window of a huge house carved out of a cliff-side. I have crazy dreams.

Getting Your House in Order

2011-01-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we technically don't have our own house, but we will be moving in a few months (we're not sure where yet). And, we won't be able to afford a house for several years anyway. But, thankfully, you don't have to have a real house to get things in order. I guess this post is my new years resolutions of sorts, not that I usually make an actual list and check it off every day, but I do have some goals, not really just for this year, but for the rest of our lives. I feel like writing about them here.

The first and foremost thing on my mind is our diet and health. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years just about did me in this year with all of the food. I'm not complaining, the food was delicious and we had a great time, but I am ready to eat a bit more simply. My mother-in-law, who is way more generous to me than I deserve, gave me the Green Smoothie Girl 12 Steps to Whole Foods program. The idea is that each chapter is a new step to try so that by the end of a year you are eating 60-80% raw food. The rest of your food is whole grain, good for you food, not just fast-food, white flour and sugar. Not that you can never have those things, but you know what I mean. I feel weird talking about that, because it seems strange to say I will have a raw food diet because I don't perceive myself as a real health nut. I still like burgers and fries and pop and sweets. But, I've learned more about what a diet of those foods will do to you, and I would like those things to be in the “Very Rarely Eat” category of my diet. (And I'm not saying diet as in The Atkins Diet or Weight Watchers, but rather what we eat every day.)
So, after that long ramble, I have read the first few chapters of the 12 steps. The first chapter is about incorporating green smoothies into your daily diet. I pretty much already do that. I have gotten lazy lately and missed a few days here and there because I would rather sleep in 10 minutes than wake up and make one. But, I am recommitting myself. I found that if I mix up the stuff the night before and put it in the fridge it makes it a lot easier. Then in the morning I dump it back in the blender, add some ice and frozen fruit and it tastes just as fresh. So here I am, sipping my green smoothie at my desk and writing this. Caroline likes green smoothies. She always moves a ton after I drink one. So, I've got the first chapter pretty much down.

The second chapter and third chapter I am combining. Chapter 2 is about having a big salad as part of your dinner every night. Chapter 3 is about making your own salad dressings. I have been dabbling in making my own dressings lately anyway, so I decided to do both together. The manual has all kinds of recipes. Basically, before you eat what you are having for dinner, you eat a big plate of salad. I really like this idea. You get a lot of digestive live enzymes from the salad, which will help you digest your cooked portion of your meal. Yesterday I went to the store and got a lot of veggies. It was the healthiest shopping cart I've ever had. I'm excited to make this a habit, especially before our kids are here, so they grow up with it. I know I could end up with really picky kids, and you never know, but my plan is they have to eat the salad before they eat the rest of dinner, and if they don't want to, they can go to bed hungry. But, I'm hoping that if I do this from a really young age they will want the salad and green smoothies on their own.

Also, my mother-in-law gave me a great book about keeping your house clean and I've been reading it lately. I really like it. It has good ideas about having routines and things like that. For instance, you should have a morning and evening routine. They don't have to be very long, 15 minutes tops, but if you do them every day it will help you have a handle on things. Also she talks about Hot Spots in your house. These are the areas that always get overwhelmed with stuff, the kitchen counter, that one drawer, your night stand for instance. Cleaning those up in your routine every night will keep it under control. I really am looking forward to having our own place again, where I can try some of these things out and really start out as organized as I can be with kids.

Sorry about the long ramble. I have had these things on my mind lately. In other news Eli went to Portland Monday and Tuesday for an interview at Oregon Health Sciences University. He like it and thought it went well. Poor guy, his flight was delayed and he didn't land until almost 2 a.m, so he didn't get home until 3:15 and had to get up and be at work at 7:30 this morning. I think he'll be going to bed early tonight. But I am so glad that he's home. I'm also so glad that we bribed his little brother with Costa Vida to pick him up so I could sleep. That was Eli's idea and I am so glad we did that. I can't get by with 3 hours of sleep like Eli can, not anymore.
I also got a haircut yesterday and I love it. I'll put up pictures later.
Love,
Cherie

30 Weeks!

2011-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce that we are ¾ of the way done with this pregnancy. We have only 10 weeks to go (hopefully I won't go late) to see our little Caroline! We are so excited! It seems like it is coming up soon, but then I remember that we have all of January and February, and then half of March to go through. But, that's all just a drop in the bucket.
I know all of the pregnancy books and moms say not to try to idealize or fantasize about how wonderful motherhood is because it is a lot harder and frustrating than it seems, and you are just setting yourself up for disappointment, but I can't help it. I can't think of anything better than having our little baby all the time. I can't wait to feed her, bathe her, put her to bed, and get up with her. I can't wait to see her taking naps with Eli and watching him interact with her. I can't wait to be the mom I've always wanted to be. I just see myself taking care of the household, playing with my baby, and being so happy. I am 100% sure that Eli is going to be the best dad ever, and I am so excited for us to be expanding our family. I know this is cheesy, but being a stay at home mom is what I've always dreamed of and now it's almost here. Okay, maybe I will be working some, but still, I'm so close!
In other news Eli goes to Portland next week for an interview at the medical school there. I think he leaves on Monday. His trips always sneak up on me, and even though he's only gone overnight, it seems so long and empty when he's gone. But I think we'll start hearing back from more schools soon, now that Christmas break is over. We'll keep you posted. We're so grateful that he is accepted at Louisville, because even if every other school tells him no, we still have a great school in a wonderful place to go to! I get really excited when I think about living in Louisville! I never thought I would live there, but I've only heard great things about it, so I am really excited.
Well, we'll keep you posted on our little mover Caroline. She's a really sweet baby. She's pretty easy on her mom. I feel really lucky. Other than getting tired easier, I really don't have any complaints. So far I haven't swelled up, or had terrible back pain (well, I did for a while earlier, but it's gone now), or a lot of the other complaints. I'm within the normal range of weight gain (but who knows how much I'll pack on in the next 10 weeks!) and I can still button my jeans! But, I am carrying her pretty high, so that probably helps. I still wear my jeans, I just put a rubber band through the button-hole to make them more comfortable when I sit down. I've really enjoyed being pregnant and it makes me excited for the labor and delivery of our little sweetie! Have a great day everyone!

Tribute to Grandma

2010-12-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

I know I just posted, but I forgot something. The Kansas City Star did a tribute article to Grandma. I got a text from my cousin on Christmas morning that it was published. It was such a treat to read that on Christmas, a day where I was really missing her. Christmas was always celebrated at Grandma's house. We'd have our Christmas morning at home, and then head over to Grandmas for presents and dinner with everyone there. They were such fun Christmas's. Two Christmas' really stand out to me. One was the year that Grandma made me a beautiful purple quilt. That year I was really into purple and she made me one to match my recently painted purple room. I think I was about 12. The other year was the one when we all received her cookbook. What a beautiful gift. It is still one of my treasured possessions that I have used often, especially when I moved away to college. Here is the link to her tribute, it's short, but very well done!

Grandma's Tribute

Look out 2011! It's going to be a BIG year!

2010-12-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We got to go up to Idaho and see Eli's mom, grandma, sister, brother, and niece. It was so nice to spend some time with them. We even got some family pictures. We were really spoiled this year. Thank you to everyone. We especially loved the presents for Caroline. She got some really nice books and cute clothes! Eli read her one of her new books the other night and she was kicking while he was reading it. I think she'll be a reader, like her mom and dad. We got to see the rest of Eli's siblings the day after Christmas and that was really fun too. We got to stop by and see my sisters new puppy! He's so cute! We had a great Christmas. Hopefully next year we'll get to see the Missouri folk for the holidays!

I can't believe it's the end of the year. This year has been so challenging and great at the same time. We had a miscarriage at the beginning of the year, which was really hard, but we're so happy that everything is going well with Caroline. Eli graduated from BYU in April (he's so smart!), and spent the WHOLE summer (no exaggerations here) applying to medical schools. That was so time consuming and I'm really proud at him for being so disciplined and putting all the effort into it. I know it got really monotonous and boring for him. Then, he spent a lot of time in the fall traveling to interviews. It's kept him really busy! He's now a seasoned traveler and can navigate new cities and airports easily. Here's all the cities he went to this fall: Louisville, Des Moines, Omaha, Washinton D.C., Galveston, Lubbock, Houston, Salt Lake (well, that didn't require much traveling), and in January he is going to Portland. I missed him a lot when he was on his trips. We were so grateful to be accepted right away at Louisville, so we know we at least have a school to go to. Way to go Dr. Eli!

This year we also were able to take some fun trips. We went to Disney Land with our good friends and had a great time! We also got to go up to Yellowstone in August. That was really nice. I went home to Missouri a few weeks ago, although it was short, and for a sad reason, it was still so nice to be home for a while. I hope that wherever we move to it will be closer to Missouri. We joked that Caroline decided to stick around with us because she thinks we're big travelers who have a lot of fun. I was five weeks along when we went to Disney Land. We do have a lot of fun, but we usually don't have the money or time to travel too much. We probably won't be able to take her to Disney Land again for a long time, so I hope she enjoyed it. I didn't even go on any of the fun roller coasters, so we'll both need to go on those next time.

Tonight we are going to ring in the new year at my sisters house with my other sister and her family. It will be fun. Belchers know how to throw good New Years Eve parties. I wish we could have it with Phil and Michele and the Belcher cousins. Those were always a blast. I'll try to get a spoons game going in their honor, hopefully there will be no blood or broken tables tonight.

We are so excited about 2011. It's going to be a big year for us! I turn 25, we'll have our Sweet Caroline, we'll be moving somewhere, and Eli will start medical school. There are lots of changes on the horizon but we're really looking forward to them. We've been so glad for the time we've been able to spend in Utah since we got married, we've been able to spend time with lots of family, more of Eli's than mine, but we loved it. It will be bittersweet to move away, but the closer it gets the more excited I am. We are looking forward to having our little baby in 2 ½ months (can you believe it?!!) and starting our family. We hope all of our friends and family have a great new years too!

Love,
Eli, Cherie, and Caroline

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for Christmas this year. I was just telling Eli last night that for some reason I've felt more joyful and excited about Christmas this year than I have in the past. And not just about parties and family and presents, but I've felt so grateful and happy about celebrating Jesus' birth. It really is the most miraculous and joyful thing that has ever happened! It is because of his birth that we can live and be happy and be with our loved ones forever. I am so grateful for that. It's not that I'm never excited about it at Christmas, but this year it means so much more to me. I know it has something to do with being pregnant and having deaths in the family recently, but I can't help but feel that joy. I hope all of my friends and family will take some time to think about the truly wonderful reason why we celebrate. Go read Luke 2, think about what the Savior has done for you, and be happy, because he loves you!
In other news, I am tired! Eli had to go to work at 6 this morning, so I drove him. But, it has been snowing since yesterday, and “it doesn't show signs of stopping” so the roads were pretty bad this morning. I got up at 5:30 and took him to work. A drive that usually takes 10 minutes round trip took 30, then I came home and got ready for work myself and made it here in 35 minutes (different from my usual 15). I'm very glad that we both made it safely though. The snow is beautiful and now I want to go home and make some rolls and soup for dinner. I think we'll go to the temple this afternoon though.
Last Friday we went to see the drive-through Christmas lights at Thanksgiving Point with our friends Steve and Brooke. It was fun. Very Christmas-y. I think tomorrow night we'll go walk around the lights at temple square with Annie and Cindy and their families. Then hopefully, weather permitting, we'll leave to go to Pocatello on Thursday to spend Christmas with Eli's mom and grandma. This is going to be a great Christmas.
We went to the doctor yesterday for a checkup. Caroline is kicking and moving all over as I type this. I think she knows I'm thinking about her. Everything is going great. My blood pressure, blood sugar, weight gain, and everything is perfectly normal and good. We got to hear her heartbeat, she moves a lot, and I don't really have any complaints. I've been able to sleep well and don't have any aches or pains to speak of. I'll be 28 weeks tomorrow. We are so excited for her to get here. Last week at my work Christmas party I won one of those new flip video recorders. We were really excited because now we don't have to buy a camcorder. It's pretty cool. We haven't had much time to play around with it yet, but once we do we'll put a video up.
That's about all I know for now. I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. I hope we all get a chance to thank our Heavenly Father for sending his son to us. Drive and travel safely!Love,
Eli, Cherie, and Caroline

My Grandma

2010-12-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, my Grandma recently passed away. I was able to go home for the funeral and see all of my family. I feel like writing a bit about my Grandma.

Grandma Tena was the only grandma I had. My other grandma passed away when I was four, and I do know that she was a wonderful woman and grandma, I have very few memories of her. Grandma Tena was so great she probably equaled about 4 average grandma's. She lived only 10 minutes away and we were at her house almost every day. I remember there was a little picture framed in her hallway that said, "There's no place like home, except Grandma's." That was so true. It was our second home. We never knocked, the door was always unlocked, and we knew it was a place where we were safe and warm. Grandma was always cooking something delicious, making a beautiful quilt, or preparing to do some kind of service for someone. You would usually walk in and find her in the kitchen, in her sewing room, or outside watering her flowers. Grandpa could be found watching Westerns on TV, in his wood-working room, or mowing the lawn or tending the garden.

At Grandma's funeral, she requested there be a time for her children and grandchildren to get up and share a memory of her. I found that to be the hardest thing. How do you single out one memory? I know some of my friends had grandparents that would take them on vacations, or something big like that. Grandma and Grandpa never took me on a vacation. They never spent a lot of money on each of us. But what they did give us was a perfect example of how to live. Grandma was never happier than when she was cooking for her family, cleaning her house, or making something for someone. She always said her greatest joy came from her children and grandchildren. She woke early, was productive every day, and always made anyone who came to her house feel special. She would go to the ends of the earth to make you a quilt in your favorite color, or make you your favorite kind of pie. Grandpa worked hard; for years he ran a farm and worked full time at the Ford Factory. He retired, and you could see the satisfaction that came from a life of working hard and providing for your family. They were happy with their modest home and made it a beautiful welcoming place. I can't even remember the number of times I went to garage sales with Grandma, or went with her to get her hair done, or to take Meals on Wheels to senior citizens in Kearney, or spent the night at her house with my sisters or cousins, or sat on the back porch just talking in the summer evenings, or eating a delicious meal at her house. On my first day of Kindergarten, Grandma came to our house early in the morning to curl my hair, and helped me put on the pretty dress she made me just for that special day. There's no way to describe how big of an impact Grandma and Grandpa had on my life. They made my childhood seem magical.

I am sad that Grandma is gone, but my sadness is mostly selfish. I'm sad that I won't see her, or that my children won't get to have the same experiences with her that I did. But I know that she is so happy to be with Grandpa again, and her brothers and sisters and parents and friends, and Jesus and Heavenly Father. She lived a long, productive good life. She was married to Grandpa for 63 years. They had joys and pains, times of sunshine and times of rain. We've decided to name our little girl Caroline Virginia Rhoads. Grandma's first name is Virginia. It must be said that she never liked the name Virginia, and she went by her middle name of Christine, or even shortened to Tena, but I have always thought that Virginia is beautiful and there are already other grandkids and great-grandkids named Christine. I hope that little Caroline will have parts of her Great Grandma in her. I hope she enjoys the simple things in life, and that she loves serving others and that she can be happy and satisfied without having to have lots of material things. I hope she's hard working, faithful, loving, and giving, just like her great-grandma.

I have always wanted to be a home-maker and full-time mother. I have never wanted a career or have aspired to be a CEO or anything like that. I do value education and I am so glad I was able to go to college and get a degree, and maybe someday when my kids are in school and do not need me as much I will get a Masters in Library Sciences, and work in that field. But my goal has always been to have my kids, stay home with them, teach them, love them, make them breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and make our home a welcoming loving place. I think I got that example from my mom and Grandma. Grandma got such joy from it. She was the best example to me of the satisfaction that comes by living your life for others. It was really hard for Grandma as she got older to not be able to do things for herself, let alone for others. Her independent spirit was hard to give up. She was always thinking of others and serving until the end. When I called her in October and told her we were having a girl, my mom told me she got so excited. She asked mom to get out a pattern for a baby quilt and her embroidery things. She started on one square. She didn't get very far and her stitches weren't as even as they are on some of the other baby quilts she made earlier, but I know that she wanted to do things for our little Caroline. I will make sure that Caroline knows about Grandma and Grandpa and what they've done for me, my siblings, and my cousins. We all loved Grandma and Grandpa so much. I can never thank them enough for the impact they had on my life. What a blessing they were to me. I will always miss them and I look forward to the day when I can see them again.

Updates

2010-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

I feel compelled to blog more, especially about the baby, but there is not much to report. She is growing (so am I) and she kicks a ton! I guess I don't really have anything to compare it to, but she really does seem to move around a lot. She is usually the busiest for a couple hours in the morning, from about 7:30-10, when I get to work and I sit down at my desk. She especially moves a lot when I drink a green smoothie. She also moves a lot at night, when I lay down. That's always fun, because then Eli gets to feel her. She also moves a lot when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Last night I got up at around 3, and when I laid back down she went nuts. It makes me worried that when she gets bigger inside of me, the kicks will probably keep me up a lot. But I don't mind. It was funny though, because we went to the first BYU men's basketball game last Friday, and then the one against Utah State on Wednesday and both times she was kicking like mad. I think it was all of the noise, because it was so noisy in there. It's a really neat sensation to have a human being moving inside of you.
We go to the doctor on Tuesday. They'll do another ultrasound and I'll meet with the doctor. Remind me to ask about a flu shot and birthing classes. Those are my questions for him this time. I always have a couple of questions and then I forget. But I will remember this time.
In other news, Eli has started his new job and likes it. Last week he was gone from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday in Boise, Rexburg, and Logan. He works for a company that goes to other companies to do health screening for their employees. He takes their blood pressure, weight, height, cholesterol, blood sugar, and stuff like that. He likes the job and now that he is done with applications and most interviews he has more time to work.
He has one more interview in Houston on the 3rd of December.
Well, I gotta go. It's our weekend to help clean the church.
Cherie

I know I know, I promise pictures next time.

Neil Diamond

2010-11-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how much I love Neil Diamond? I really do. Let me tell you a story about me and Neil.

I never knew him when I was growing up. I'm sure I heard a song or two of his on the radio, but I didn't know of him. When I was a freshman at BYU my sister Annie was driving me somewhere and was listening to The Jazz Singer soundtrack. I really liked it so she burned me a copy. Thus began a beautiful friendship. When I went home that summer I bought his two-disc gold album. Later I found out about his Christmas albums. Yes, he is Jewish, but his Christmas albums are great. In fall of 2005 I dragged my sister Alaina to his concert in Omaha. It was awesome! The best concert I've ever been to. I'm pretty sure we were the youngest people there, but it was great. In 2008, I had a birthday party for Neil. It was really fun. We had a lot of people come, played some Neil Diamond trivia, and had a birthday cake for him. Now I just found out he has a new album of covers of his favorite rock songs. It is officially on my Christmas list.

This sentimental post about Neil was inspired by last Friday. I was driving to my sisters house, and it was a beautiful day. Once I got off the freeway I rolled down the windows and turned up my Neil Diamond playlist. It was such a good feeling. How can anyone not listen to Sweet Caroline and not feel good? So good in fact I want to name our baby Caroline (see previous post). Or listen to the song "Hello Again" and try not to remember a time you were apart from the one you loved. I know its cheesy but, it almost made me cry. I was going to Annie's to hang out until it was time to pick up Eli from the airport. He was only gone for one night to interview in Galveston, but that song made me realize how much I missed him.
Here are some of my favorite Neil Diamond songs everyone should listen to at least semi-annually:
Cracklin' Rosie
Kentucky Woman (especially you, Emily!)
Forever in Blue Jeans
Love on the Rocks
Cherry, Cherry
The Story of My Life
Crunchy Granola Suite
Two-Bit Manchild
and of course
I'm a Believer

Now, go make yourself happy and listen to Neil Diamond. And think of me!

Names

2010-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

Choosing a name is really hard. We have our favorites, but I'm so worried I will pick the wrong name for her. Here are the ones we are considering:
June (possibly my favorite)
Caroline (as in Sweet)
Mary
Georgia

Eli mostly agrees with those. I also really like the name Iris, but Eli said she can only have that name if she grows up to be an optometrist.
Eli likes the name Sidney, but I'm not crazy about it. I think it's a really nice name, but it just makes me think of Alias and my sister Cindy said it when people say that name she thinks they are just mispronouncing hers.

That's all for now.

Good News!

2010-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Eli and I are happy to share some good news. Actually, two pieces of good news!
First and foremost, we just found out today that we are having a baby girl! Well, we didn't just find out we were having a baby, we've known that for a while, but we did find out it's a girl today. We are so excited! We were thinking a boy, but all of my sisters were right, and I couldn't be happier. The due date is March 16, 2011. Spring is such a nice time to be born. I'm 20 weeks, so exactly half-way. We are so excited!

The second good news is that Eli has been accepted to University of Louisville School of Medicine. It's a great school and Louisville is a neat city. Our really good friends Emily and Kyle live there and it would be a great place to go. We still have a lot of schools to hear back from, but it's nice to know he got in and we have somewhere to go!

Well, that's all the good news for today. We're going to a ward Halloween party and I have to go finish my soup for it. It's Tomato Basil!
Have a good night!

Ramblings.

2010-10-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a busy week for Eli. He is currently in Washington D.C. for medical school interviews. Today he had one at George Washington University and Thursday he has one at the Military Medical School. Then he flies to Nebraska to interview in Omaha (it's not much of a secret that I would love that). I am sad that he is in DC at our friends house without me. And, he does have some free time so he gets to go to some museums and monuments. LUCKY! I'm also sad that I couldn't get work off and Annie got to go to Missouri without me. No awesome pumpkin patch in Omaha. But, I am liking my job and it's good to keep busy.
I am currently reading the book Fast Food Nation. It's really interesting. I'm only about 1/3 of the way done, and so far it's mostly about the history of fast food, but it is really interesting. I feel like being on a "health journey" (isn't that lame sounding?) is slowly happening for me. I've read a lot of different books and tried a lot of different things. Now that I have more knowledge, I have started making better choices. That doesn't mean that I never eat white bread (I made mom's rolls last week) or that we will never go out to eat, or to fast food again (I've been craving Taco Bell and Olive Garden like crazy), but now I think about it a lot more before I do those things. It's starting slowly, to where if I do eat a cheeseburger, even though it is really good, in the back of my mind I remember about the fat, the meat, and the effect it has on your body, plus the way the animals were raised and what they were fed. I think anytime you are looking to change your diet, you do have to go slowly. And, you can't make anyone change their mind about food, it's something you have to do for yourself. After reading a lot about cancers, heart disease, and obesity and the data of thousands of scientists regarding our diet and its effect, I want to be better. When we have children I want to teach them to eat the right things. I want to be able to learn how to make delicious healthy food. I'd love to be able to come up with a packet of recipes that Eli could give to his patients someday. It is scary to think of how many of our fellow citizens work so hard, but don't have time to cook and eat right. But that's not even half of the problem. If you really want to find out about the food Americans eat and where it comes from, you have to do a lot of searching. This information is not widely known, and information really is power. I'm trying to live more by the Word of Wisdom, that is to eat more grains, fruits, vegetables, and to eat meat sparingly.
A couple of weeks ago I went with Annie and Cindy to a Green Smoothie Girl class. It was fun to go out with my sisters and we learned some neat things. She has done a lot of research herself, and has come to the conclusion that the best diet is 60-80% whole raw plant food, with only 5% animal products (That includes all meat and dairy). I am starting to agree with her. I'm nowhere near that right now, but I'd like to eventually get there.
Sorry to go rambling on about this. I wasn't intending to when I started writing, it was more just an update.
I miss Eli. He'll be coming home on Saturday with Annie and her kids. I wish I could be with them all right now. Oh well, we don't always get what we want in life, and sometimes we have to work instead of play. Being an adult is sometimes not much fun.
My new favorite thing is this cheap candle I got at Wal-Mart. It's Spice Cake scent and it smells just like fall. I love it.
I really need to stop, this is just ridiculous.
Have a good day everyone!

New things going on

2010-09-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I blogged. Even though our day-to-day lives seem pretty event-less, when you look back on a few weeks you realize that a lot has happened. In the past couple weeks Eli has done his first three interviews, and he has 5 more in October. I got a new job that I really like. We've spent a lot of time with family, and we've gotten on a better schedule of going to bed earlier, which is always helpful.

Eli's first interviews went well. He flew out to Louisville, KY. He got to stay and have fun with our friends Emily and Kyle (Thanks again!). His interview went well, and they took him around and got to do some pretty fun things. Then he went from Louisville to Des Moines, where my Mom picked him up from the airport and took him to dinner. When I heard where they went I immediatley got jealous. They ate at HyVee, a local grocery store. You may think, "yuk. Chicken strips and macaroni salad," but HyVee has an awesome salad bar and almost any type of food you can imagine. His interview at Des Moines went well too. Then about a week after he got back he had an interview at the University of Utah in Salt Lake. He feels like it went really well. The U would be a great choice for us because of in-state tuition and we already know where we'd live and how things would go. But, the lame thing about the U is they don't let you know until April, whereas the other schools can tell you starting October 15th. So, I guess we won't really know for sure, 100% where we are going until April.
He has interviews next month at George Washinton University in D.C, the Military Medical School, Texas Tech., University of Nebraska, and Temple University in Philadelphia. He is becoming quite the seasoned traveler. I'm really proud of him.
My new job is really good. I am a receptionist at Mercedes-Benz of Lindon. I really like it. I work from 7:30 am to about one, M-Th, and until 4 on Friday, then from 4-7 on Saturday. Although I do not love getting up early, I do like getting things done earlier in the day, and then I can come home, rest if I need to, make a good dinner, and go to bed early. So, it's good to be gainfully employeed again.

That's about all. We hope to start hearing back from schools soon, hopefully with some yes's, so we won't have to keep buying plane tickets. Prayers are gratefully accepted.

Applications

2010-08-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

So, this summer has been a summer of applications for Eli. He has worked so so so hard and I'm really proud of him.
Eli applied to a lot of schools, and each school sent him their own secondary application. Each application had their own essays and other things they wanted to know about him. He had to spend hours researching each school and painstakingly writing out each essay, trying to convey the right message about him. On good days he could get 2 applications done in one day, but usually it took longer. It was very stressful, because he knew that how he answered could be the difference between an interview or a no.

But, I am so proud of him because he is done! He has finished all of his applications, and he has started to hear back. So far, he has 4 interviews! I'm so proud of him! Of course soon, we'll start hearing more no's, but it's so exciting he has 4 already! The interviews are at University of Nebraska in Omaha, George Washington University in DC, a D.O school in Des Moines, and at the University of Louisville in Kentucky! The great thing about all of these places is we either have family or really close friends in each area. My sister lives in Omaha, and my parents are 3 hours away from both Omaha and Des Moines. Our good friends Emily and Kyle just moved to Louisville where Kyle is working on his PhD, and our good friends Jake and Heidi live in DC and Jake is going to law school at George Washington. We're really excited. I'm really proud of Eli and how hard he's worked. I just wish we could fast forward to January and February when we can find out where we'll actually end up.

Be sure to tell Eli good job, and we'll accept any prayers you might want to include us in. We just need to get in somewhere!

Disney Land

2010-08-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, a disclaimer first of all. I don't have pictures. I still need to ask Brooke for them, we decided to just carry one camera around rather than two, and their camera took better pictures, so, sorry, no pictures today.

How do I even describe Disney Land? Magical doesn't even cover it. Maybe it's a defense mechanism of mine, when people say that something is amazing I always think it can't be that great. Maybe it's because I always wanted to go to Disney Land but never went. Anyway, I went into it thinking it would be a fun trip and that Disney Land is probably cool, but it's not going to be magical unless you're a kid. Boy was I wrong. It exceeded every expectation. Every detail of it was seen to, I just can't even describe how much fun it was! But I will try.

If you're not interested in a day by day breakdown of our trip, then don't feel obligated to read.

So, we left on Thursday morning at 5! Steve and Brooke picked us up. We got all loaded and hit the road. Brooke's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their hybrid car, so we gas was so cheap. We had fun driving. Brooke and I decided that Steve and Eli were more excited about going on a trip with each other than they were about going with us. When we got close to California, they sat in the back and watched Step-Brothers (edited) together and laughed and laughed. Then we were all listening to an episode of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and we could hear them laughing in the back seat, then all of the sudden it was only Brooke and I laughing, we looked back and the little boys had fallen asleep at the same time. It was so funny. They were like two little kids. So, we got to our hotel, which was not the nicest, but it was cheap! We got unpacked, then went to swim for a little bit. Then we got dressed and went to Downtown Disney. It was so cool! The whole place was so cool. We ate dinner at the ESPN Zone. That was a really cool restaurant. While we were there, we got to see LeBron's decision on a bunch of tv's, specifically, a the biggest screen tv I have ever seen! That restaurant has tvs in the bathroom stalls. Eli loved seeing wall to wall sports of all kinds.
That night we went back to our hotel. We had been given a handicapped room on the first floor, which is fine. The shower, however, had a backed up drain, and leaked all over the floor. So, the hotel generously upgraded us to a bigger room on the third floor.

The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed to the park. We had our park hoppers, so we started in Disney Land, went to California Adventure, and back and forth! The favorite rides were Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, California Screamin', Toy Story (The coolest ride), and Soarin' Over California. The food was so good. We had the most delicious corn dogs ever for lunch! We had pineapple ice cream, delicious wraps, pretzels, and other really good food.
The shows were so amazing! We saw the Muppets 3-D Experiment. The best show was the new Colors, in California Adventure. I don't even know how to describe how awesome it was. They had a whole light show on water shooting up, but it was more amazing than anything I had ever seen. Then we ran back to Disney for fireworks and Phantasmic, and then we went home. It was great!

The next day, Saturday, we slept in a bit, then went to the beach. It was great! It was kind of a cloudy day, but still warm. We played soccer, saw some dolphins, and did some body-boarding (Or boogie boarding, I can't remember what it's really called). That was so much fun! We had a blast! Then we went home, cleaned up, and went back to Downtown Disney for dinner. We ate at the rain forest cafe. It was delicious. Then we got packed, slept and left the next morning after we went to church. The drive back was good. Once we got past Cedar City we drove through this pretty valley where it had just rained and saw the brightest most beautiful rainbows. There must have been about 5 or 6 of them!

It was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun with Steve and Brooke. It was better than I could have imagined!

A Good Summer

2010-08-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I had the best of intentions about blogging EVERY day, but I didn't do it. What can I say, I'm just not a very dedicated blogger. Sorry. Well, let me fill you in on the summer. I believe I'll do this in a series of posts, a trick I picked up from my sisters. So, this first one will be about our diet.

I'm sure you're all dying to know about our diet and how it is going. Well, our trip to Disney Land was the end of the diet. I mean really, who can stick to that in the happiest place on earth? Not us. And, since we've been back, it's been hard to be as strict as we were. But, I am happy to report that we have seriously cut back on our sugar and refined flour intake. We eat way more fruits and vegetables now. Neither of us have gained any weight back either, so that's good. Now we are more aware of what we eat. We've even tried to cut back on our meat intake. The next thing I'd like to do is cut back on our dairy. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give up cheese and sour cream (my favorites), but I'd like to cut it down to couple times a week. So, that's the deal. I think in a while we might go back to cutting out the sugar. My new favorite thing to eat is quesadillas. I use whole wheat tortillas, refried beans, a little cheese, green peppers, and fresh guacamole. I love it. In fact I'm having it for lunch again today. So, to sum up, we've changed our habits. My goals this week are to try making my own whole wheat bread, including grinding the wheat, and try to make my own fruit leather. I just need to see if I can borrow the dehydrator from Eli's grandma. I'll let you know about those things!

I got behind

2010-06-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. It's been two weeks (tomorrow) and I am loving it. The only time I felt tempted was today when we went t WinCo today for the first time (really cheap) and I saw they sold Tillamok ice cream! Luckily they were out of my favorite flavor. Anyway, I don't remember a lot of the stuff we've eaten lately, other than the Baked Lemon Asparagus Risotto, Curry Yogurt Chicken, and Lemony-Almond Green Beans. I'll put those recipes later. And just know that I DID take pictures tonight, but now I can't find the cord to connect the camera to the computer. So, sorry. I did try.
We had a fun weekend though. On Friday we had a birthday party for Eli's dad. On Saturday I went swimming with my sisters and their kids. That was a lot of fun. I was really bummed when I realized that it was the end of June and that was my first time swimming. Working full time over the summer really sucks. Eli and I got a new calling in the ward. We get to be nursery workers together. We're really excited. We love nursery. We're getting all geared up for our trip to Disney Land with our friends Steve and Brooke. I am so excited. I've never been to Disney Land before, so I am really looking forward to it. Woohoo! It's going to be so much fun!

If you guys want to read a good book about health, you should read The Culprit and The Cure by Dr. Steven Aldana. It has more than anything scared the pants off of me about the statistics of lifestyle diseases in this country. I'll look up some scary facts and post it later. Anyway, let me put those recipes on here now.

Curry Yogurt Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2/3 c. plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. light mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tblsp. fresh minced ginger
Juice of one lemon
2 tblsp. curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)(I didn't use it and it was fine)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place chicken in baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
In a med. bowl, combine yogurt, mayo, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, curry powder, and green onions. Pour over chicken and turn to coat chicken on all sides.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven until cooked thoroughly, about 25 minutes.
Serve over brown rice.

Lemony Green Beans with Almonds
1 lb. thing green beans, trimmed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 ground pepper
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbls. olive oil
2 tblsp. slivered, toasted almonds

place beans in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with 1 tblsp. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until beans are tender-crisp. Drain beans and return to bowl, toss with salt, pepper, juice, zest, and olive oil. Top with green beans.

Baked Asparagus and Lemon Risotto
1 1/2 c. aborio or carnaroli rice
1 tblsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ob. asparagus, cut int 1/2 in. peices
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. evaporated milk
juice and zest of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. chicken or veg. broth
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded

bring 5 c. water to a boil and add rice. Boil rice, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
While rice is boiling, heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring about 3 min. or until onions are tender. Add asparagus, and cook, stirring, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add evaporated milk, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and broth. Stir in drained rice and asparagus mixture until well combined
Spray a 9'' springform pan or cake pan with a removable bottom with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray. Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around bottom to catch drips. Pour rice mixture into pan, smooth out into an even layer and top with cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through.

I remembered another recipe I made over the weekend that was so delicious, but I don't have time to type it out now. I'll do it later, but it was beef stir-fry with sugar snap peas and it was so good. It tasted just like beef and broccoli, but better.
Well, that's about all. Enjoy!

A Delicious Tuesday and Wednesday

2010-06-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, these recipes are very delicious. And I want to apologize in advance because I forgot to take pictures. I promise to tomorrow.

So yesterday I had:
breakfast: green smoothie
Lunch: leftover soup from the night before
Dinner: Brown rice risotto with broccoli (recipe to follow)

Eli came home today, I was so glad to see him. He had a really good time with his mom and grandma, got to see his sisters play, and got to shadow a doctor. It was a good trip for him. I'm just sad I couldn't go with him.

Okay, here is what we had today:
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover rice, hummus with carrots, and a juicy juicy plum
Dinner: Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas and Zesty Black Bean Dip

These quesadillas were so so so so good! I was really so impressed. And, I just love the way this kind of food fills you up. I feel full, but not stuffed, and I don't get tired after I eat, like I always used to do. Here are the recipes for the rice, quesadillas, and dip:

Brown Rice Risotto:
(I used the electric pressure cooker, which cooks rice very quickly. If you don't have one, just modify it by adding time to make it cook on the stove top, or if you use a rice cooker, add the broccoli in a steamer basket, or straight into the rice, when there is about 5 minutes left. Then just stir in the cheese.)

1 c. brown rice
2 c. chicken broth, veggie broth, water, or a combination of each, just as long as you have 2 c. of liquid
As much broccoli as you want, I don't measure, just enough to have a piece of it with every other bite or so.
Some shredded Parmesan cheese.
a little bit of olive oil
1/2 tsp or so of salt
1. Put salt, rice, liquid, and oil in the pressure cooker (or whatever you are using), secure the lid, and set it to high. Cook for 20 minutes.
2. When timer is done, release the pressure, add broccoli and cheese, return to high and cook for 3 minutes.
This recipe is sooooo good. I usually make risotto with aroborio rice, which is still delicious and a good kind of rice, but I was out last night and just decided to use brown rice. I'm glad I did.

Now get ready for this. Your tastebuds will love it. Green Chile and Cheese Quesadillas from Dr.Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet:
2 tbls. olive or veg. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 md. onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
3 poblano or pasilla chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. Summer Salsa (recipe included below)
Non stick cooking spray
8 corn torillas
8 ounces reduced fat Monteray Jack cheese

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, and chilies. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften. Add water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt and salsa.*

Spray a large skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in hot skillet, top with one-fourth of the cheese and one-fourth of the veggie mixture. Top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. **

* Upon reading this recipe to type up I realized I forgot to add the water and cover it. I just kept it sauteeing on medium-low heat for 12 minutes. I loved it. I'll try it next time with water to see if I notice a difference.
**You can make way more than 4 quesadillas with this. Just don't use as much of the veggies. I like to use less because you can taste the flavor more. And there's less stuff to spill when you flip them. Maybe I'm just not a good flipper. I'll have to work on that.

Summer Salsa:
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 2 limes
4 red or green (or combo) jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely choped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
1 c. fresh or frozen(thawed) corn kernels
1 med. rip avocado, peeled and diced
1 c. fresh cilantro.

Place chopped onion in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, squeeze lime juice over it, and set aside for 15-20 minutes. Add chilies, tomatoes, corn, avocado, and cilantro, and stir to combine Serve immediatley, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. (trust me, it won't last 3 days!)

Zest Black Bean Dip

1 tblsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 med. red onion, chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2- 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. mild chili powder*
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
2 tblsp. water

Heat oil over med.-high heat in large, heavy skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring until onion is translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor (or blender) puree beans, lime juice, cilantro, chili poder, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and water until smooth. Transfer puree to a bowl, and stir in onion mixutre. Cover and chill at least 3 hours **. Bring to room temp. before serving
*we were out of chili powder, so we used chipolte chili powder. This gave it a smokier flavor, but also very spicy. We think it would be better with regular chili powder.
**We ate it immediatley. It was still good. I liked to dip the aforementioned quesadilla's in it. This is zesty, like it says, but it has a great flavor. I think I'll make it next time I have a party.

Well, that's all. I hope some of you try the recipes. I have the whole next week planned out. We are going to have some great meals. I'll keep you posted, next time with pictures!
It's been a week without sugar or flour. I've lost 5 lbs, Eli's lost almost 9. I feel so good and I love it!

Sunday, Monday

2010-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, I missed a day.
Here's what we had Sunday:
Breakfast: Green smoothie (I will explain a green smoothie further down)
Lunch: Salad. I put the bean salad I made over some lettuce. I also added some chicken that we grilled the other night.
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Here's the recipe:
Chicken (however much you want, it’s good without chicken too.)
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
3 cans great white northern beans
2 tsp oregano
1 can rotel tomatoes
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbls. Oil
½ tsp salt
½ onion, chopped
14 oz. chicken broth
3 cloves minced garlic
3 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese
12 oz. sour cream.

1. Cook and dice chicken
2. Sautee onions and spices in oil until transparent.
3. Combine everything in crockpot.
4. Cook on low all day.
5. 1 hour before serving add cheese and sour cream, 1 c. at a time.

When I made it this time I reduced the amount of cheese and sour cream. I also used a bit more cayenne pepper, and I used chipolte chili pepper. It was really good.

Well, Eli is in Pocatello shadowing a doctor and visiting his mom and grandma. I sent him up with some leftover soups, salads, and fruits and veggies. I really am so proud of him for sticking to it and not complaining. It's harder for him because he really really really loves candy.

Yesterday I had:
Green smoothie for breakfast
bean salad salad for lunch
and Karen made this delicious soup, it's like the pasta faguli (sp?) at Olive Garden, but without the pasta. It was so good. I'm having it for lunch again today. It's full of veggies and hamburger and tomatoes and beans. MMMM!

So, let me try to explain a green smoothie. My sisters Ronda, Annie, and Alaina have been doing this for longer than me. I've only been doing them a few months. Basically, you have a fruit smoothie, but you just add greens. This is how I make mine: First I take a lot of spinach, kale, and flax seed, add water, and blend until smooth. Then I add a couple bananas (I make enough for Eli and I. I usually have 1 1/2 glasses, he has 1), and whatever other frozen fruit or fresh fruit I want. If you use fresh fruit be sure to add ice because it really is better cold. Greens are really important for people to eat, but we really don't get enough. This is a really easy way. The fruit you add masks the taste of the greens, which by themselves are not good. You can still tell that it is not a 100% fruit smoothie, but I really like them. Some of my favorite fruits to add are: peaches, kiwi (leave the skin on if you have a good enough blender and you'll get a lot of fiber), pineapple, and limes (Skin on too). Here ais a link to go to if you want to know more. Green Smoothie Girl and be sure to watch some youtube videos on it. Now that I've been on it for a while, I can always tell when I don't have one. I feel more tired and nauseous. It is really great for keeping things moving in your digestive track. Be warned that you'll be going to the bathroom more, but it will feel good!

So, that's all about all. Sorry this is not a very well organized blog post. I'm short on time today. I am also going to be trying out a lot of new recipes from the book, Dr. Gott's No Sugar, No Flour Diet. I'll be sure to post them.
I've been feeling great. It's been a week (tomorrow) and I've lost about 4 lbs. That's pretty cool.

More info

2010-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I started thinking that I would be boring everyone, but I got a comment from my friend who told me to keep it up. Thanks for the encouragement Heidi, I will.
Yesterday was good:
Green smoothie for breakfast
bean salad, lettuce wrap, and other snacks like veggies and a fruit salad
grilled chicken (Eli had the one from the Indian market that's marinated in their spices, but I just had mine in a more basic marinade, I just don't really like Indian food that much) and grilled veggies. I'll list the recipe for some good things below.
Today has been good. Eli is working all day, but I went garage saling (is that even a verb?) with Karen and her sister. I got some good stuff, one lady was selling Avon stuff for less than 1/2 off! Then I got our oil changed (the Jiffy Lube on state street closer to the mall has the nicest people and service. I actually kind of like getting the oil changed because they are so nice), and went to Sunflower market to load up on veggies and fruit.

I kind of made up this recipe based off of my moms version of bean salad. It's good plain, and also really good as a salad with a cilantro-lime salad dressing.
Bean Salad:
Black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 or 2 stalks of celery, chopped small, little bit of thinly sliced onion, 1 avocado chopped, juice of 1 or 2 limes, chopped cilantro, 1 can of corn (drained) a couple tomatoes chopped, and a 1 can of green chili's. I love this bean salad. Oh, and it's good on a salad, like I already said, but with chicken too.

Tonight we're having omelets, full of cilantro, mushrooms, peppers, and the like. I really like this way of eating because it's kind of fun to challenge myself to make delicious healthy stuff. Well, I gotta go meet Cindy. We're watching the boys for them tonight so they can go to a party.

See ya later!

Day 2

2010-06-18T12:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had:
Green smoothies for breakfast.
Almonds, beans, carrots and hummus, and a piece of whole wheat bread for lunch.
Grilled steak and grilled mixed veggies for dinner. It was delicious.

I also got my pilates DVD in the mail and we did that yesterday morning. I forgot how much I love pilates. Maybe I'll become a certified Pilates teacher some day. I have noticed having more energy, but I think the withdrawls are giving me headaches, but those should go away in a few days. Eli thinks he's already starting to lose weight. I was stupid and didn't weigh ourselves before we started, maybe I should today.

I think tonight we might go on a hike to Stuart Falls. I don't know if that can beat last weeks date of dinner at Olive Garden (we knew it would be our last time for a while) and games at Nickel City Arcade (that was a blast!). I know it will be fun though!

We'll keep posting.

Experiment

2010-06-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned in the last post, Eli and I are trying to go off sugar and white flour. I got the idea from the book, Beat Sugar Addiction Now! by Jacob Teitlebaum. I want us to be healthy. I am sick of feeling tired after I eat something. We're only going sugar free for a couple of months, to sort of straighten ourselves out. After that we'll only have it in moderation, and avoid most processed foods. Anyway, to keep myself up to the challenge, I have decided to post about what we ate that day and what else we did, and any differences I feel or whatever I feel like writing about.

So, today, here is what we had:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (I forgot the banana's today. It was pretty gross without it.)
Lunch: Cuban Black Beans, lettuce-wrapped turkey sandwich, almonds, and raw veggies.
Dinner: Creamy Southwestern Chicken, which was delicious, and a salad with cilantro lime vinagrette dressing.

Today I have felt really good. And it's only the first day. I had a sugar craving after dinner, when I saw hostess cupcakes in the pantry. But then I remembered that I had just eaten dinner, I wasn't hungry, and I don't need it. Eli is doing well too. I can tell he's not that excited about it, but he's not complaining.

Well, we're going to the library now.
Goodnight!

One week late

2010-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I promised a blog in a week. That has turned into two, but after a 5 month absence, that's not too bad, right? So, here is what has gone on in the past two weeks.
I have been working full time at Zachary Douglass. It's been good. It's definitley nice to have a job where I get to use my degree. The press release I wrote was published on a few websites and will be in three industry magazines in July. So, that's good. It's a good company with a good product to offer.
Eli's been working on his applications. They should be ready to turn in by Monday or Tuesday. That will be nice because at that point, we've done all we can do, then it will be up to the powers that be. He's been working more at Stonehenge. We've been keeping a pretty low profile lately. We had a fun barbeque at Annie's on Memorial Day. That was really nice, there was a lot of kids and even Elle May (the dog) made an appearance and ran off with Phoebe's hot dog.
Right now Eli is at work and I am at Annie's. She is using Karen's Cricut to make some vinyl letters to put on her laundry room wall. It's taking a long time, but we are getting the hang of it. Phoebe is being silly and tickling me. Later, I will pick up Eli and we'll work on his essays and personal statement tonight. Sounds like fun!
In other news, I am trying to be healthier. We have been doing green smoothies almost every morning for the past few months. I really like them. I notice the few times I haven't had them that I feel worse throughout the day. I just bought on amazon the book Beat Addiction Now. I perused it at a bookstore one time and I really want to get on a better diet, of eating more fruits and vegetables and less processed food. And I also got the Mari Winsor 20 minute workout. So, now starting every monday, wednesday, and Friday we will be doing Pilates if anyone wants to join. I'm just sick of being tired a lot. Especially now that all I do is sit at a computer all day. Phoebe is being really funny. Annie was eating some chocolate covered raisins, this is what Phoebe said in her funny Phoebe voice: "Hey! What are you eating? ... "Oooh, can I have some f those?.... Hey Mama! Give me one!" We'll end on that.

At Your Request

2010-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, Cindy was right. It has been a long time. A really long time. I was even starting to notice. So, here is an update and a pledge: I will post at least once a week for the month of June. All right we'll start with the update of the big things. Now I'll feel like a lame-o because some big things have happened.
1. I turned 24 in February. Eli and I went to Tucanos and a movie. I had fun.
2. Eli graduated in April! I am so proud of him. He now has his bachelor's of Science in Neuroscience! That's a mouthful. We had a wonderful time. His family from Idaho came down for the graduation and we had a great party at home afterwards with my sisters too. He immediately stopped shaving, per my request (I really like short beards), and now he has a sweet beard. He is now finishing up his medical school applications, which are due in June, and working as a CNA. It was really cool at his graduation because his dad was able to hand him his diploma from BYU. It was a great weekend!
3. I am now finished with working at the elementary school. It was a crazy job and it had it's challenges, but I did enjoy it. Some of my favorite things that happened there were the fifth grade boys at recess who followed me around repeating everything I said (it sounds annoying but they were such funny boys), a sixth grade boy who asked if he could kiss me (I said no!), a girl in my class who reminded me so much of Eden who liked to talk to me at recess, the field trips I got to go on, getting to know a whole classroom of fourth graders, getting to sign a lot of yearbooks, and seeing some kids really improve their work because I helped them. I have learned a lot from it too. I think the school system has a lot of flaws, but basically it is full of teachers and administrators who genuinely care. I do think that if I ever have a child with special needs, I would not send them to public school because they are understaffed to deal with children who need individual attention all the time, but that's a post for another day.
4. I have a new job now that I am very very excited about. It is a new company called Zachary Douglass, zacharydouglass.com. The company, which is new, has designed and patented a photo editing software especially for funeral homes. It is an amazing technology and there are only three of us working there right now, but it is really taking off. I wrote a press release that was posted on a couple of industry websites last week and is going to be published in three trade magazines in July. I never thought something I wrote would be published at all, especially in a funeral home trade magazine, but I'm still really excited. I'm going to do more of their writing, and also the customer service and sales. I really love it. My degree is actually being used now. I thought that would never happen. I start full time this week and I think it is going to be a great job that I can keep for a long time, wherever we go, so that is a huge blessing!
5. We're still living with Eli's mom and step-mom and it is going so well. It's been such a blessing to stay here and save money for the applications to medical school, which is a very expensive process. It's been a lot of fun.
6. Eli's brother Josh graduated from high school last week. We're really proud of him. Even though I've only known Josh for a couple of years, he is really the little brother I never had. He even likes to tease and pick on me. Way to go Joshey!
I think that's about all. We're looking forward to the summer. We only have one trip planned so far, and that's a weekend trip to Disneyland with some friends in July. I'm really excited though, I've never been to Disneyland. We're also hoping to make it out to Missouri sometime this summer, and we're looking forward to seeing a lot of our family come out to Utah this summer in July. So, now that we've got the big things written about, my next posts will be more up to date and let you know more about our daily lives. I'm sorry. For a long time I did not feel like posting at all, but the time has come to start up again. So, keep reading!