Happy Spring!

Don't you just love spring? Kids start playing outside, you can wear shorts and t-shirts, the sun shines, the birds sing, and the flowers bloom. I just thought I'd show you some of the signs of Spring in Lehi as seen when we woke up this morning:

Flowers!

(look in the lower left corner, we have daffodils!)

I've always loved it when the buds start on the flowering pear trees in the backyard.

And lastly, green grass!! Hooray!!!

I'm thinking we'll have to take Brooklyn out for a little walk to enjoy the lovely weather this afternoon. Maybe she can wear a little Spring top and her new sunglasses. Don't worry, I'll be sure to put on the sunscreen. I am just so thrilled!!

Lessons on Gravity

Poor baby can't figure out why the milk stops coming out when she flips onto her tummy.

She was getting so mad!

I promise I helped right after I put the camera down. =)

Easter Bunny Blues

We saw the Easter Bunny hopping down our street the other day. He had a big basket of goodies, eggs, and sunshine. He visited our neighbors and many of you, I'm sure. But when he got to our house... he just hopped on by.

I had the best of intentions of making a little Easter basket for Brooklyn - complete with goodies that she might need a little help eating (such as Orange Creme Cadbury eggs.) However, I have been SICK for about a week now and it just didn't get done. Saturday was the worst day. I thought I was going to die - and that was with piggybacking Tylenol and Advil every 2 hours all day long! I could have never been a pioneer.

On Easter Sunday, Brooklyn and I stayed home while Jason went to church and taught my Sunday School class for me. I felt bad because I was supposed to give a 10 minute presentation in Relief Society and had to cancel the day before. I am feeling better now, although still pretty wiped out and a little congested. Brooklyn has a runny nose. I sure hope it doesn't get as bad for her as it was for me.

Anyway, we have invited to Easter Bunny to visit us next year. We would surely welcome him in and even give him a piece of carrot for the road. Brooklyn wants to wear a frilly Easter dress instead of fuzzy jammies all day. And she won't need any help eating her goodies.

Diet Food?!

Is it weird that I took a picture of our dinner last night? I just thought it looked so yummy and I was so excited to eat it. Grilled salmon with lemon pepper, ripe mango slices, and bulgur wheat salad over lettuce. I know bulgur wheat doesn't sound at all appetizing, but it really is YUMMY! Jason even likes it. So chewy and satisfying. This salad has herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. Also good with cucumbers and/or olives. The whole plate? 5.5 points.

Baby in a Basket

She loves to lie in a basket of nice, warm laundry, fresh from the dryer. Who wouldn't?

Fudgy Friends

My goal is to lose 15 pounds by July 12th. This means that I will have lost all of my baby weight by the time Brooklyn is 9 months old. (I figure it took me 9 months to gain it, so I've given myself 9 months to lose it too!) Since it is still 19 weeks away, I have to lose just under a pound a week to reach my goal. I feel like this is totally doable, but it won't happen on its own. I've only lost about 7 pounds total since the day she was born. So, to kick it up a notch, I have recently joined Weight Watchers' online program. I have used Weight Watchers before and really liked it. Plus, my job reimburses up to $150 of Weight Watchers' fees a year, so why not take advantage?

Why am I sharing such a private goal in such a public forum, you ask? Simple. When I try to lose weight but don't tell anyone, there are no repercussions when I fail. This is a matter of accountability. When I know that other people will be aware of my possible failure, I am much more likely to stick to my plan. So anyway, feel free to ask me how I'm doing at any point over the next 19 weeks. It'll keep me on my toes and on my diet. =)

One of the downfalls of all dieting women everywhere (I'm sure) is that life lacks a certain "fudginess" when you're on a diet. There is no good substitution for quality chocolate. So I've decided to share a few of my Weight Watchers-friendly solutions for that fudgy fix. I will start with the most unusual that we just discovered last night:

1) The Diet Soda Cake. Apparently you can take a 12 oz. can of diet soda (any flavor) and add it to any cake mix instead of oil and eggs, thus eliminating tons of fat. I have tried substituting applesauce for oil before, but this not only adds calories and still requires the use of eggs, it is too spongy and not very chocolatey. Last night I made a Devil's Food Cake with a can of diet Cherry Coke. I chopped up about 2 Tbsp. of chocolate chips and added those too for good measure. The result was a big slice (1/12 of a 9x13 pan) of warm, decadent, chocolatey heaven with a slight tinge of cherry. It seriously was very yummy and only 3 points! We had it with fat free Cool Whip on top, but I think I decided I'm a purist and won't do that next time. Next time I'm also going to try a can of diet Orange Sunkist instead of the Cherry Coke.

2) Betty Crocker Warm Delights Minis. These are seriously SO yummy and SO fudgy. And all you have to do is add a little water and stick them in the microwave. They're ready in about 2 minutes flat. They are also only 3 points and come in 3 flavors. The problem is that they are about $2.50 for a package of 2 so they're quite pricey but possibly worth it in a moment of need. My diet soda cake cost a total of 80 cents for the whole thing. (I will have to share my grocery tricks with you sometime, I've gotten some really good deals.)

3) Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches. At only 2 points each, these babies taste like the real thing to me. There is also a nice-sized Healthy Choice fudge bar out there for 1 point, but I find that the Skinny Cow chocolate is more intense and, therefore, more satisfying. You can get them both at Costco, making them about 50 cents each.

4) Hershey's Kisses. Nutritional information on these varies because there are so many different flavors, but that's also what makes them fun! My favorites are the Mint Truffle and Cherry Cordial varieties. Delicious! 2 of these = 1 point. That might seem a little high, but they certainly pack a chocolate punch!

5) Cadbury Orange Creme Eggs. This is a recent discovery that the Weight Watchers website actually condemns. I, however, am in love. I've always been a fan of the original Creme eggs and look forward to them every Easter. This year, with the addition of the orange variety, I have become a lifetime convert. These little guys are 3 points each and may appear too small to be worth it. For me, there is nothing like straight chocolate sometimes and Cadbury has figured out the formula. The trick is to savor them. One egg usually lasts me about 15 minutes. I lick the top of it until I get down to the creamy center. Then, I break off small pieces of the shell and dip them into the cream, letting each little morsel melt in my mouth. I feel so indulgent and satisfied after eating one of these... and lately I've had one almost every day! Being seasonal, these are also quite pricey. (about 65 cents each) My plan is to go to the store first thing Monday morning (day after Easter) and buy ALL of the rest of their stock at 50% off. That way, I'll have a stash! (PLEASE don't get there before me!)

6) Three Musketeers Minis. I like the mini ones better than the fun size because there is more chocolate on the outside! 2 of these = 1 point. I also really like the mint ones, but those aren't as chocolatey because the mint flavor is so strong.

7) Chocolate Twizzlers. I have to admit I was suspicious of these at first. Chocolate licorice? Ew! But they are surprisingly good and surprisingly chocolately. And they have that classic Twizzlers texture we all know and love. You can have 5 for 3 points. This one is good if you're looking for quantity over quality.

8) Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper. This one is strangely chocolatey. Seriously, it tastes like a Tootsie Roll in a can. (Ooh... Tootsie Rolls might also be a good fix, I'll have to look into that one.) Best of all, it's 0 points!

Well, I hope you don't all think I'm insane now. Or addicted. I just like reading other people's ideas/solutions to things so I thought I'd share! One suggestion I have is that if you get something like a bag of kisses, take it home and IMMEDIATELY divide it out into single portions in ziploc snack bags. If I don't do this, I'll sneak them throughout the whole day and end up eating a lot more of them. Oh, and if you noticed that this blog was posted at 4:45 AM, that's because I've got a horrible sore throat and can't sleep. YUCK!!

Feeding the Pink Farmer

Brooklyn turned 5 months old on the 12th, so this weekend we decided to feed her some rice cereal for the first time. She loved it! Is it weird that I felt an acute sense of pride as I fed her her food? I guess I feel that every time she learns something new, but this was a particularly big accomplishment in my book. She is getting so grown up! She rolls over both ways now and can get pretty much anywhere she wants to go. She has started babbling a lot more and likes to bang on things. One of her favorite sounds to make sounds just like she is saying "hi." It's fun to say it back and forth with her. Lately she has been getting in this playful mood where everything is hilarious to her. She kicks her legs so fast and just breathes so hard or giggles. It's really cute. I do have to change her socks a lot more nowadays because she has discovered that she likes to suck on her feet so they get soaking wet. Her hair has really started coming in and it sticks up straight off of her head. I can't get it to stay down to save my life. So much for curls, huh? But I haven't lost hope yet. If not, she's getting a perm. Anyway, here are a few pictures from Saturday:

"Feed Me!"

"Mom, seriously, put down the camera and give me more of that white stuff!"

I changed her into this outfit for the first time after her breakfast. Jason complained that she looked like a pink farmer, but I thought she looked ADORABLE! What do you think?

It's Your Store

Okay, I realize that sometimes I use my blog as free advertising for various products, but I just can't resist passing it on when I find a good deal! We have an Albertson's about 1/2 a block from our house. While their prices tend to be higher than most warehouse stores, we really like the atmosphere, friendly service, short lines, and free cookies! (at least they give out cookies at the one by our house, I don't know about all of them.) Also, they have really good sales. I always watch the circular for deals.

Anyway, in our experience with Albertson's, we have discovered that they have a tendency to put items on clearance for no particular reason. I'm not talking about their regular sales or their "preferred savings" program. Every now and then, they will put a red tag on an item that says 'clearance' and the price is REALLY good. I'll give you a few examples:

1) We were at an Albertson's in St. George the other day and needed to get Brooklyn some diapers since we weren't planning on being there as long as we were and hadn't brought enough. The Huggies Snug & Dry diapers were randomly CLEARANCED. The jumbo pack (72 diapers), which normally costs $14.99 there, was clearanced for $3.94!! We bought five packs. We would have bought more but were concerned about fitting in the car with the people who were bringing us back to Beaver.

2) On our way out, we bought a few packs of Trident gum which were clearanced for $.22. Yes, you read that right, 22 CENTS!!

3) At the Albertson's by our house last night, we got a bunch of Beech Nut 4 oz jars of baby food for 12 CENTS EACH!!

I have no idea why any of these items was clearanced. The baby food was available in about 6 flavors and doesn't even expire until August 2010. But their loss is our gain! Just thought I'd let you know about it. You won't see these advertised anywhere, just go to the store and look for the red tags. Do it for Family Night and get free cookies for dessert! =)

The Hair Up There

Amy challenged Jason to get a picture of my new haircut, so here it is. I know you are probably thinking that it looks the same as always, but let me explain why I hate it so much.

First of all, when I first walked into the hair salon and told the girl I wanted a haircut, she said, "Okay," and turned around and walked into the back. A few seconds later she came out and said "Are you coming?" like I was retarded that I hadn't followed her. Then she said, "Do you need a shampoo?" Well, I had just washed my hair, but I love it when they do it cuz it feels so good and my hair is so much easier to cut when it's wet. I knew a shampoo was included in the price of the cut, so I said, "Well, I just washed it, but-" and she cut me off and said, "Okay, have a seat."

She then proceeded to RIP through my dry, curly hair with a hairbrush. I'm pretty tender-headed and it really hurt, so when she got to a pretty bad snarl, I said, "You know, maybe we should wash it because it's so much easier to get through when it's wet." She said, "No, no, this is fine, I just need to get through this one snarl." I don't know why she was so opposed to washing it, but she just kept going. My eyes were watering she was hurting me so bad. At one point I couldn't hold it in and I said "Ow!" out loud. She didn't even say sorry.

She cut about 4 inches off, which is what I had asked, but I also asked her to give it some shape with a little layering. And it always needs to be cut shorter in the front because the front is straighter. She didn't do any of that. And, there are several pieces that hang down longer than others and the two sides don't match each other in length. She didn't even check them. Anyway, I paid my $14 and have been hacking at it with scissors at home ever since. I have no clue what I am doing and I still hate it, but at least I've done a better job than she did! Needless to say, she didn't get a tip.

The truth about Wheaties

The world must know...

Zion

Last weekend we took a trip down to St. George to visit my Grandma Allred. My parents met us there from Bakersfield, CA. It is sort of a family tradition to stop at the Cache Valley Cheese Factory in Beaver. As we pulled into the cheese factory, we noticed that the car was making a funny sound. When we turned off the engine, we realized it was a boiling sound. I had been driving and the temperature gauge hadn't gone up at all on the road. We checked the coolant level and it was fine. We went into the cheese factory and when we came out, all of our coolant was on the ground. So we poured some water in it and took it to the nearest service station. We just barely made it where we needed to go before the engine overheated. Once there, they took a quick look at our car and told us they were closing but could get to it the next day. So we were stuck in Beaver. My awesome parents decided that they would come pick us up. They had just barely arrived in St. George, so it added another 3 hours on to an already 6-hour trip! We waited for them to arrive at a nearby Arby's. That was our home for a couple of hours.

The next morning (Saturday) we got the run-around from the auto shop. After calling them a few times, they finally told us that the car probably wouldn't be done until Monday or Tuesday! We were upset because Jason had school and we both had work. So we emailed professors and got in touch with our bosses to tell them we wouldn't be able to make it. Then we made the best of the situation and took a little trip over to Zion's National Park. Brooklyn did the honors and took this picture of the rest of us. Okay, so maybe she's not quite that precocious. Grandma's sister, Aunt Ada, came with us too. They each have a senior pass that gets them into the park for free. Otherwise, it is $25 a car just go get into the park!! So we were glad that Aunt Ada was able to make it. Not only did we get to enjoy her and her park pass, we got to enjoy her yummy treats like homemade divinity and banana bread!

We had a yummy picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, chips, salsa, and plums thanks to Grandma. Then, Grandma & Ada offered to stay back with Brooklyn so that Jason and I could go on a hike with my parents. I have to admit I didn't make it very far. I am TERRIFIED of heights and the trail was on the side of a cliff with no hand rail or anything! So I was with them for about 5 minutes and then I turned around and went back. Here are some of the pictures Jason brought back from the hike:

Beautiful sights that I'm honestly not sorry I missed. Way too scary!!

Look at them! They're about to fall off the cliff!!

My dad was able to "fulfill a lifelong dream of walking between two rocks." What an ambitious father I have.

Apparently there were some beautiful waterfalls. I did go on a little mini-hike with them later that wasn't as scary. We were a little embarassed to see the backside of water:

Brooklyn got some love from her nana for being such a good girl while we were out galavanting.

The next day, Sunday, my parents had to go back home to California. We went to church with them in the morning while Grandma stayed back and watched Brooklyn. She went to her ward later in the day.

We took a quick four-generation picture before Dad left. This isn't the best picture since we are all looking in different places (there were two cameras going), but I just loved how Brooklyn was reaching out to touch Grandma Great.

Monday was a great day. I was nervous about Jason missing class, but since we couldn't do anything about it, we decided to enjoy it! It was a gorgeous day. Grandma lent us her car and we got my hair cut (no pictures cuz I hate it), went out to lunch, did a little shopping and just got to enjoy each other's company. It has been a while since we've gone out together without having to hurry back for work. It was so nice. One of the highlights of the day was that Jason got accepted to a human resources internship with Smuckers in Oxnard, CA!! I was thrilled for him, what a great compliment. The funny thing is that we ended up turning down the offer. That was a really hard decision. We both were not guaranteed our jobs back when we returned and Brooklyn and I wouldn't have had health insurance while we were there. Plus, we think Jason's job with his new promotion will look just as good on a resume as the internship would have. It was still a blessing that he got accepted. In addition to being an ego boost, we were able to have some really good conversations and prayers as we struggled to make the best decision for our family. It was a great bonding experience.

On Tuesday Grandma's cousin took us up to Beaver to get our car. It ended up being the water pump that caused the problem. They had to replace the pump, the thermostat, and while they were in there they went ahead and replaced the timing belt. It cost $422!! Yes, this is the same car that we just bought used a few months ago. We haven't even driven it enough to change the oil yet. But, it's fixed now and we are home and back to real life and freezing cold. Thanks to the generosity of my grandma, my parents, and Grandma's cousin, it was a great little vacation for us. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Like Father Like Daughter

This picture is up on the Maner family blog, but I wanted to put it up here so my family and friends could see too. This is Jason held by his big brother, Justin, when he was about Brooklyn's age. What do you think? Do you see a resemblance?

We actually left the house to do something besides grocery shop this weekend and we have a lot to tell! Unfortunately, Jason took the laptop with him to school today so I can't upload the pictures. Expect a long blog tomorrow!