Good Job

I like to read up on things to help me be a better mom - so one day I was reading up on some mom tips and one of the things that it said was that you should not tell your child good job.

HUH???

There was some type of explanation something about they will think they have "arrived" and will stop trying or something odd like that. I kind of thought it was weird. What am I supposed to say to my kids? "Well, that's nice, but I've seen better...." So, let's not give our children positive reinforcement because otherwise they will think they're good at something?

Needless to say, I still tell my son good job (gasp). But the frustrating part is that every time I tell him good job I wonder if I'm permanently scarring my child. So now after I tell Benjamin good job I always end it with "You're...uh...getting better at that..uhhhhh...keep it up...."

So I suppose if my child's accomplishments halt at a 4 year old level, I guess I'll know why.

Perhaps this is the result of me telling my child good job too much.

Nursing

I'm a nursing mother

BUT

I don't wear it as a badge or parade it around saying how people need to respect it more. I know - I just said that and yet here I am doing a blog post about it. I promise this is not a post about how every mom needs to breastfeed and if they don't they are the worst mom ever.

So here's my little soap box about nursing.

The first and foremost reason why I decided to nurse is that it's FREE! The second reason is that it's best for my babies - keeps them healthy and gives them all the nutrients they need. So, I'm all for it. That being said, I will never nurse in public - I'm not comfortable with it. If other women want to nurse in public, that's fine. But what I think is slightly annoying are all the women who say that all women should have the right to nurse in public and nursing power...yada, yada, yada. It's a personal decision I don't think it should be forced upon everyone. That's my opinion - take it or leave it. 

 

On the subject of nursing vs. formula - who cares? I already stated why I nurse and I already stated that I think it's a personal decision. I think THE most important part of feeding a baby is that they get fed and that they get fed enough. Where it comes from doesn't matter. I hate the studies that say...Breastfed babies are better because.....Oh, formula is better because.... As long as the baby is growing and healthy does it really matter where the nutrients come from? Well, I guess some would say yes - but I'm not one of them.

And here are some pictures of my breastfed babies - if you put them next to formula fed babies you probably couldn't tell a difference!

Let's be honest

Have you ever thought about the term that people often use....let's be honest? 

I mean, let's be honest, I use it (point and case). But I was thinking about it today and in doing so it made me come to realize just how strange that phrase is. We don't ever say, "I'm going to lie to you." or "Let's NOT be honest." So why is it that we feel the need to tell people when we're being honest? Has our society gotten so bad that you actually have to publicly announce that you are an honest person, or the exact moment that you are being honest? And does that mean that if you don't start your sentence out with this you're just not telling the truth the entire time?

Alright, alright, I know this is very random and I'm being pretty silly about it, but it was one of those phrases that was fun to think about and wonder how it came about and why people use it.

Let's be honest, you are curious now aren't you?

The Pirate and the Witch

 Benjamin LOVED Halloween this year, which made it even more fun for all of us...well, except for Josh because he wasn't feeling well. Last year on Halloween Benjamin had the flu. He puked on me at the grocery store. Luckily daddy was working at the store. Later that night I thought I just had morning sickness because I was pregnant with Lucy - nope, I had the flu. Good news - NO flu or puking this year!

Here are my two darling children. As you can tell, Lucy's "costume" was actually just witch pajamas. Sorry, I'm one of those mom's that doesn't like to spend money on a costume for my 4 month old who will only wear it once. So I got a multifunctional costume. I'm a fan. 

Benjamin's costume was from things we had around the house - sweet. The hook and the hat came from the awesome, Belinda Olsen. She and Benjamin had a pirate party one night. The shirt is just a long john shirt his grandma sent for winter. The rag on his head is Josh's. The scarf around his middle, is mine. His vest and his pants were things that he was given from cousins that were already a little worn and ripped, so I cut them up and ripped them up some more. The crazy thing? It was warm enough to wear sandals that night!!! It was an awesome home made costume if you ask me.

Me and Benjamin went around our neighborhood and went trick-or-treating. He would get so excited. We would be running to each door. People were very generous and Benjamin was just so happy to get candy. He would have eaten it all that night if we would have let him - but we didn't. He got two pieces for the night. I loved how he would say RRRRRR trick-R-treat to people. It was too cute. Halloween is definitely for the kids. I hated the holiday until I had kids. I love how excited the kids get over everything and how fun it is for them to dress up. Let's be honest, though, kids make everything about life a lot more fun and exciting! So grateful for my awesome pirate and flower power witch!

Our little FOUR year old

That's right, Benjamin is four. 

I know you hear this all the time, but it's amazing how fast time goes by. I'm learning to relish in each moment of my life because I know it does go by too quickly. At any rate, we now have a four year old in our home. He is very quick to tell us how big he is. I love that now he can do so many things because he's four and, according to him, so big now. If you don't know Benjamin personally, you're missing out. He is one of the most energetic, fun, and loving little boys you will ever meet. He loves his sister...I mean, he really loves her. His voice goes up about 10 octaves when he talks to her and he just wants to touch her head or her face or her hand all the time. He loves to burp his sister and he gets so excited when she burps after she eats and he's the one to have burped her. When I go to feed Lucy my conversation with Benjamin usually goes something like this: "Mom, you going to feed Wucy?" To which I reply in the affirmative. "Can I buup her?" (He can't pronounce his R's just yet) Me - "You sure can!" He looks at me with a serious face and says, "Promise?" Cracks me up. Benjamin also loves people. When he goes to the park and he sees someone his size he immediately starts to play with them. Then he tells everyone that this new little play mate is his friend. I love it. He will also make you feel like the most important person in the world. If he asks me for something and I tell him yes, he gets  a huge smile on his face and he tells me I'm the best ever and he gives me a huge hug. If we tell him someone is coming over to our house or we're going to their house, he gets so excited. It doesn't matter who it is, either - he just loves people. Then when whoever it is comes over he is so excited to see them. He is a great example that way. He also doesn't say his L's just yet. We try to help him by saying La, la la la la...Lucy. To which he says, la, la, la, la, la...Wucy! It's too cute. Another thing Benjamin likes is to say the prayer. He still likes to bless the hole in daddy's pants that Josh got at the beginning of August. He was more concerned with the fact that dad had a hole in his pants than with the fact that his dad almost fell all the way through a roof. That's another story. Anyway, he can say the prayer all by himself and he loves to do it. In fact, the kids were practicing for the Primary program and the teacher had helped Benjamin with his part and when his part was done, he continued on to say a prayer. I just laughed. Benjamin is a smart kid and I'm totally okay with the fact that I'm about to brag about my child. He can say his ABC's and he can identify all of the letters with all of the sounds they make. He knows his colors and his shapes. He can count to 30 and he loves to count objects. Often when we are reading a book he will make me stop so he can count the people or animals or whatever. He has Brown Bear Brown Bear memorized so he often asks if he can "read" that story to me. He also has Red Hat Green Hat memorized as well. He loves to read the scriptures and acts like he knows exactly where we are when we have family scripture study. Okay, I'm done bragging for now. :-) Sure, my son has his bad traits and his bad moments and his bad days....but all in all - he is an amazing kid! He is such a huge blessing to us and to our home. He will make an amazing missionary one day...at the age of 18...if he wants to go that early. :-) He is my favorite little boy in the whole world and we're so glad he decided to come to us four years ago!

Lucy's Blessing Day

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

I LOVE my son. He is such a joy and so wonderful and darling. I'm grateful that he is my first born. However, there is just a sweet spirit that comes with a little girl. I'll be the first to admit, I was SCARED to have a girl. I know, I AM a girl...I should have this down. However, girls scare me. Okay, wait, let me say I have some amazing girlfriends out there - Jessie, Andrea, Beth, Heidi, Belinda - all awesome friends - who are girls. :-) So I guess I should re-phrase and say that RAISING a girl scares me. Why? Well, my mom had 4 boys, then us 2 girls then another boy. I commonly heard her say, "I would take 5 more boys over another girl!" I'm CERTAIN she was referring to my sister.... because I'm an angel! At any rate, I was terrified for this little girl to come. But when she came, it was not like I expected it at all. We've had many mom and daughter special times. I just look at her and feel this giant of a spirit that just humbles and amazes me. Don't get me wrong, when I see Benjamin, I know he'll do great things, but there is just something so special about my little girl. At any rate, her blessing day was just as special as she is. Not because it was elaborate or anything, but because her actual blessing was just perfect. (I must add that I'm SO grateful to be married to the most amazing father and priesthood holder who is in tune with the Spirit...end soap box) Lucy was almost 3 months old when we blessed her and one of our bishopric members said, "You know, the older they get, the squirmier they are!" He obviously didn't know our sweet Lucy. She had fallen asleep right before Josh took her to be blessed. When Josh picked her up, she woke up. She had her eyes open the entire time and she was perfectly still...just staring and taking it all in. She even kept her pacifier in the whole time.  What made it even more special for me was that she was wearing my blessing dress. It was the same dress I was blessed in when I was her age. It is a long beautiful white dress...and slippery. Josh did a good job at not letting her slide out - Swen commented that he was afraid one time that she was going to slip right out of their hands. Good thing she didn't squirm! So here are some pictures of our sweet little Lucy on her blessing day. We are grateful she's a part of our eternal family!

that is her dress that is behind her head...she was in the process of getting dressed

Mom Howard, Me and Lucy, and Mom Huff

Something to grab onto and insert into mouth!

Lucy's Birth Story

Remember how I wrote in my last post how the awesome Belinda Olsen did a birth story of our experience with having Lucy? Well, here it is. Scroll down and you will see the video. So awesome. Thanks Belinda!

http://blog.belindaolsen.com/babies/baby-lucys-birth-story/

So...if anyone out there wants photos - go see Belinda - you won't be disappointed!

Lucy Marie

I know, I'm horrible. I've gotten many comments from friends saying how they're sick of going to my blog and still seeing the depression post being up...I know - how depressing. Ha ha. Anyway,

WE HAVE  A NEW BABY! 

It's true. Most everyone knows this, but here is where I tell all the details of the event. I was due June 19th. I was scheduled to have my c-section on June 19th. I had the week before my scheduled c-section all planned out. June 12th I had a hair appointment, June 13th I had an OB appointment, June 14th I was going to lunch with my co-workers because one of them was retiring, and June 15th I had an ortho appointment. June 17th (Father's Day) Elder Bednar was coming to our stake conference and I was going to be singing in the choir. Then on the 18th I was going to take off the day from work to get everything organized and ready. So June 19th at 7:30 a.m. I was going to have Lucy. I had a plan - that's the kind of girl I am - a girl with a plan. Well, come to find out - the Lord (and Lucy) also had plans - but we did not have the same plans in mind. Dang it. June 12th, I had my hair appointment - awesome-ness. June 13th, I woke up at 4 a.m. and really had to go to the bathroom. So I got up and went to the bathroom....and after I had gone to the bathroom, the fluid just kept coming. When my water broke with Benjamin I was also going to the bathroom (but at the hospital) when it happened, so I knew what to look for. At any rate, I looked in the toilet and I was pretty certain my water had just broke...well, I thought I was. I stood up and had to sit back down on the toilet. Dang it!!! Not in the plan. So I was thinking that maybe I was just over reacting. So I went and laid down. I got an occasional cramp (contractions apparently) but nothing painful or consistent. So after going to the bathroom again to let some of the fluid out, I decided that I should probably just get up and get ready. So at 5:30 a.m. I took a shower and started getting ready. I didn't want to wake Josh up because I knew he would need the sleep, I didn't want to alarm him, and I wasn't having contractions too painful to bare. So finally at 6 a.m. I decided it was a good time to tell him. He was a little taken back, but then started to hyper ventilate just a little bit. Mostly he was not sure what we were going to do with Benjamin. I knew exactly what we were going to do - we don't have the best neighbors in the world for nothing. So I told Josh to call Jessie. She knew right away what was going on. Josh says, "We think my wife's water broke." Yeah, not sure why he said "my wife" but it was funny. Anyway, she willingly took the day off of work and took care of Benjamin. If you don't know Jessica Lyn Nash Hylton - just know that she's nothing short of AMAZING!!!! So Josh took Benjamin over while I finished getting ready and packing. Josh had to ask the question of why on earth I was taking a shower and getting ready. He said that in the movies when a woman's water breaks they all start freaking out and run to the hospital. Thank goodness that I'd done this before - I knew I was alright because of my lack of contractions. Anyway, off to the hospital we went. We got there at 7 a.m. I told them I was scheduled for a c-section next week, but I thought that my water had broke. The nurses behind her and everyone else in the room immediately looked at me. The receptionist says - well that moves you up to the front of the list. They checked me in and the nurse came in. They told me it was good that I came in because it's better to be safe than sorry. PHEW - I was hoping to not feel dumb if this was a false alarm. The first nurse had me do a pee test in the toilet to check my urine. She asked if I had high blood pressure - I said no. She said that I had something in my urine that shows high blood pressure - OR it's amniotic fluid from my water breaking. So at that point I was pretty sure I was staying there that day to have a baby. The next two cute nurses came in (Marie -picture - and Sana) and sure enough my water had, indeed, broke. We called some people on our way to the hospital, to tell them we were going to the hospital because we could possibly be having the baby that day - but now we had to tell them that we were for sure having this baby.  SIX days before she was supposed to come - sigh. My mom was supposed to come on Sunday, so we told her if she couldn't be here right away, we understood. She said she might not make it till the next day, but she would see what she could do. I sent a text to my boss and she was not prepared for that either. Even my doctor was a little surprised. I told him that I wouldn't be making my appointment later that day. We had a good laugh about that. There were 2 c-sections ahead of me, so we had to wait till 11:15 to go in. We ended up having to wait a little longer. We got back there and they did a spinal block - not my favorite thing. However, I LOVED how great it worked. With Benjamin I had a fever of 101 and so when they finally got to the c-section I was shivering. With this one - I was completely relaxed. It was awesome. My doctor was cracking jokes as he was cutting me open. He said that they were taking their time with the c-section but if they needed to, they could be in the Olympics for how fast they can do a c-section. He asked what the sex of the baby was supposed to be right before he pulled her out...then he told us the good news that we didn't have to take the pink back. Awesome! The best thing that happened, that didn't happen with Benjamin, they gave her to me to hold as I was getting sewn up. I loved it. I also got to nurse her in the recovery room - also didn't happen with Benjamin. I was very grateful to have Miss Belinda there taking pictures of everything (but not the operation - only 1 other person allowed with me) so Josh didn't have to worry about it. The pictures are amazing. I'll try to post a few. When she has the slideshow on her blog, I will post a link to it. Amazing! Anyway, Lucy Marie was born at 12:04 p.m. June 13, 2012. She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz, 19.5 inches long and 8/9 apgar scores! Woot woot. And...she's beautiful. She has the most amazing spirit about her as well. I love thinking that she was just a short time ago with our Father in Heaven. I had post pardum depression with Benjamin so there were a lot of things I didn't sit and think about. With Lucy I am a lot more aware of the Spirit. It is very humbling. I do know that she is an amazing little girl who will do amazing things. As I look at her and feel of her spirit and just know she will do great things, I think of our Heavenly Father and what He sees when He looks at us. It makes me realize just how much potential we all have and who we all can become. I love this little baby Lucy so much and I'm ever so grateful to be her mother - terrified and nervous - but so grateful. I didn't understand when people said, "I love being a mom." Especially when you hear people COMPLAIN so much about their kids. At any rate, I've become one of those people. I didn't get it before - how you could love these children who take and take and take so much out of you - but I get it now. Even on the days when everything seems frustrating - there are tender mercies in the form of a smile from my new baby, a funny joke from my 3 yr old, or my husband coming in as my relief pitcher.  Wife and Mother are my two favorite titles because I have an amazing husband and two beautiful and inspiring children.

Depression

I've been meaning to write this for a very long time - so here it goes.

I've always been a happy person. Not because I have had the happiest or most perfect life, but because I've always just chosen to be happy. I do attribute my knowledge and love of a Heavenly Father and Savior, a great family, and good friends to my happiness. However, I, like all people, did/do not have the perfect life. Throughout my life I learned how to be happy. I knew that if I focused on the Lord and the Savior, if I prayed, studied my scriptures, and served those around me that I was remarkably happier. I don't know the logistics, and, quite frankly, I didn't and don't really care because I know that doing those things makes me happy. So I lived my life - happy with a bad day(s) here and there. I got married to an amazing man who fit/fits me so well, I got a good job with good benefits, I graduated college, and then I had the most darling little boy in the world. Why, then, was I so unhappy? I mean, I had a great life and I was doing everything in my life that I knew would make me happy. Why did I feel hopeless and on the verge of tears every day? Why was I so angry? About a week after I had my beautiful boy something devastating happened to me - I thought about committing suicide. Literally. I actually thought that my brand new baby and my wonderful husband would be better off without me. I had heard a lot about the baby blues and how they would eventually go away. So I suppressed my feelings and stuck it out for 4 more weeks. I do have to say that it did get better, but I never felt 100% normal again. Oh yes, insert all the comments I got and still continue to get, "Oh honey, you're NEVER normal after you have a baby - your brain is fried...etc, etc, etc." And, obviously, everyone else in the world knew exactly what was going on with me even though they had no clue what was really going on in my head. At any rate, I thought I was just a mean mom and that I was not patient or quite as loving as I had hoped I would be. But on top of that my thinking was so clouded and half the time when I spoke, I sounded like an idiot. It was all so weird for me. So I continued on with my life being a partially happy person. Every day I chose to be happy, but on some of those days the "choice" I made didn't matter - I was just not happy. A little while down the road we decided to buy a house. Our OWN house! Not only that, but it was BRAND new and we got to pick out colors and carpet and flooring and counter tops....happy day! I got a raise at work, we moved into our brand new house and life was "happy." Why, then, did I hate my life? I thought that maybe it was the incredibly long winter we were having - so we made a trek to So-Cal to visit family and to visit Josh's and my mission. It was so nice - 80 degrees! We had a lot of fun and we did a lot of fun things - but I was still not happy. Finally after months and months of unexplained crying and anger and hopelessness, I asked a friend of mine how she felt when she found out she had depression. Everything she said - I could put a check mark next to. So I finally went and saw a doctor who confirmed what I had thought - I have depression. I was so incredibly embarrassed. I was one of those people on the commercials and bill boards - you know, the ones I would half laugh at because that was NOT me at all. The doctor told me that having my baby probably triggered something in my brain and that is what most likely started my chemical imbalance. Wait, WHAT? A chemical imbalance? My whole life I thought that happiness was a choice and now this doctor is telling me that sometimes you don't get to make that choice because your body is out of whack?? Slightly skeptical of this diagnosis and the medication she was giving me, I decided to give it a try. I was on it for a week and I finally felt like me again...not the me that was partially happy, but the me that was before I had my son. I could think, I could reason, I wasn't quick to get angry, I was....I was....(reluctant to say it so soon but...) I was HAPPY!!! Months went by and now it's almost been a year and I'm happy. I'm that happy person who I used to be - mommy brain (and now pregnancy brain) and all! I have hard days and some days that just downright stink - but through it all, I'm happy.
So to all of you out there who think that being happy is a choice - I do agree with you...to an extent. I was a non-believer of the whole chemical imbalance thing - until it happened to me. And I'm hear to tell all of you that it's real. To you out there who have depression but are too afraid or embarrassed to do anything about it - you don't have to live this way. There are so many options out there - I chose the medication route, but there are other ways you can go - just explore your options.

We are meant to be a happy people with some bad days. Not sad people with some good days.

Think PINK

most of you know

WE'RE HAVING A BABY

GIRL!

Well, the ultra sound tech said she's 85 to 90% sure it's a girl. I'd say those are pretty good odds. I am due on June 19th and everything is looking good.

Yes, we have a name picked out! Her name is going to be Lucy Marie Huff. We're excited...slightly terrified. I've gotten so used to a boy and boy stuff that this will be a new adventure for all of us.

Nog of the Egg

More winter Bingo

 

EGG NOG - CHECK

Josh doesn't love eggnog, but he has actually found some that he likes.

As you can tell, Benjamin loves the stuff. He always asks for more.

Delicious!

Staying up till midnight - check!

Okay, this is definitely a McMurdie square. Staying up till midnight for the Huffs happens often. Not because we love it, but because Josh works late and sometimes after he gets home is the only time we see each other. Often times he works till 11:30 or midnight. Josh decided to take it one step further and he stayed up one night(morning) till 5 a.m. No, that is not a typ-o, Yes, 5 a.m. He was working on a final paper - it was 28 pages long and had a lot of information. Needless to say, he was pretty tired the next day - especially since he had to wake up at 8 when Benjamin woke up. I wish I could say he is all done with that madness, but he's not. He now can't sleep at night. I got up this morning at 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom (thank you pregnancy) and Josh was still awake. He couldn't sleep. Hopefully he'll get back on track soon!

Eat breakfast for dinner - CHECK!

This actually happens almost weekly for us. Mostly because I'm tired a lot more lately and I also really love breakfast food. However, the time I am talking about was when we got together with the McMurdies and Hyltons for a night of awesomeness breakfast. I was NOT disappointed. Wow. The crowning touch was Jessie's homemade BACON ICE CREAM! That's right folks, bacon. It was sweet with bacon chunks. Not bad...and very interesting. I wouldn't go asking for it at Charlie's or anything...but it was pretty good.

Well, there are some of our winter bingo updates for now. After this weekend there will be more....woot woot. So excited to party it up some more. I love Christmas time!

Winter Bingo

Who really enjoys winter time...I mean, ALL of winter? Yeah, I enjoy the first snowfall and snow on Christmas...but after that - BOO! 

So I'd like to give a shout out to the MCMURDIES (all caps and big letters signifies that I'm shouting - if you didn't catch it) they came up with Winter Bingo. Winter doesn't have to be horribly painful. (even if the high was 17 today) We've completed some squares, but I don't have pictures for all of them. So here are some of them for now.

TRY A NEW RESTAURANT - check! Here is my box o' leftovers since Josh and I were so distracted during dinner that we forgot to take a picture. Not because we were making googley eyes at each other, but the couple beside us on their first date was distractingly humorous. AWKWARD.  We went to Callaways in Smithfield - for my birthday...without Benjamin. I thought it was good. I loved my three cheese ravioli! And their breadsticks rocked. They're not what you think - just plain bread sticks, but they give you EVOO and the balsamic vinegar for dipping. Plus, you can dip them in your sauce. I liked it.

 

 

 

MAKE A HOMEMADE CARD - check! Alyssa Howe watches our little Benjamin while Josh is at school and I'm at work. On my birthday she had Benjamin and her son Russton make me some cards. So this is more of Benjamin's doing than mine..but it's all in the family.

Here's the inside of my birthday card. MELTS my heart!

SIT ON SANTA'S LAP - check! Obviously Benjamin is not on Santa's lap here. And here is JUST how commercialized Christmas has become - you can't take your own pictures of your kid on Santa's lap at the Layton mall. You have to BUY their pictures. So here is sweet little Benjamin SO extremely excited to see Santa. He marched right up there, sat on his lap and told Santa that he wants toys for Christmas. I think he was even ready to push his cousins off Santa's lap because they went before him. At any rate - this kid loves Santa. Look at those eyes!

We actually went and tried ANOTHER new restaurant (Bella's Mexican Grill in Farr West) and then Santa came around and gave the kids candy canes. The joy of a child is what makes Christmas worth everything - look at Benjamin's excitement over this candy cane that Santa just gave him. If any of you are having a hard time getting excited about Christmas - just come on over and talk to Benjamin - he'll put you in the holiday mood! I'm so excited for Christmas just because he's so excited. He's a blessing in so many ways!

WILLARD BAY LIGHTS - Check! We met my sister, brother-in-law and their two girls for dinner (see above picture) and then we all piled in their car and looked at the lights at Willard Bay. At $9 a car - I wasn't all that impressed. Again - it was a good thing that the kids were there - they made it more fun than anything, but I wasn't $9 impressed.

You can't really see what those words say - but it says the Naughty or Nice detective agency. I told Josh he better watch it...especially if those detectives are anything like Robert Downey Jr. on Sherlock Holmes. Watch your back peeps.

Something else that Benjamin got to do on Winter Bingo was he got to go to the festival of trees in SLC. Alyssa (AKA SUPER WOMAN) took the three kids to the festival of trees last week. Benjamin had a lot of fun!

Watch a Hallmark Movie - CHECK

I love Hallmark movies and there is a fun one on Netflix. Mrs. Miracle. I loved it. It was a good thing that Josh and Benjamin were gone the weekend I watched it because I cried. Hallmark Movies are killer for pregnant women!

So I modified the McMurdie's winter bingo a little bit. We don't ski/snowboard. And now that I'm pregnant, I won't even try. So we crossed that one off and I put BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING in it's place - check! Black Friday started at 10 p.m. on Thursday for some stores. My brother and sister wanted me to go with them...but I stayed home and puked instead - man I hate puking. Anyway, by noon the next day I was ready to go. We went and I got some good deals - which I can't mention because Josh will probably read this and I got him some things. Anyway, I like Black Friday shopping. I think it's fun - not to get the deals...but to see all the strange people!

So there are some of our Winter Bingo things that we have done. I'll take pictures of the other things we've done and put them on here. Good times!

June, June, June....

We're having a baby in June!

I went to the doctor today and saw the baby via ultrasound and heard the baby's heartbeat. I seem to be ultra emotional these days, so I was almost in tears when I saw that little blob on the screen. I had no idea what I was looking at, but I heard the heartbeat and it was awesome. I'm due June 19th, so that makes me 11 weeks today. Kind of crazy, but we're very excited. I pay special tribute to my dear friends who are struggling to have children. I wish so badly that there was something I could do, but I pray for all of you daily and I am eternally grateful for your love and support.

New Callings

Josh and I were called to the nursery in January 2011. At first it was  a little difficult. It was hard to be in nursery with Benjamin. Maybe some parents like to be in nursery with their kids, but I don't. Not because I don't love my son - I love him a lot - but it was so nice after entertaining Benjamin in sacrament meeting, to be able to go to a meeting and actually listen. Another hard part was that we had only been in the ward 2 months before we were put in the nursery - so it made getting to know the ward members a little difficult. That being said, we really did grow to love all those little kids. We had some amazing kids in there - we also had a couple girls that seemed to be auditioning for WWF...or WWE...whatever. They were brutes, and they'd put kids in headlocks all the time. At any rate, we had fun and we actually got to the point where we had no kids crying when they came to nursery. It was amazing. So just when everything was settled and going fine...I got a new calling. 

I got called to be the 2nd counselor in the primary presidency. I know, right? What in the world? I haven't been in primary since I was actually IN primary! It's true. My first Sunday on the job (November 5th) - I had to do sharing time. The same Sunday, Josh got a call to meet with a member of the Stake Presidency before church. He was called to be the 1st counselor in the Elders Quorum presidency - I'm not surprised, he will be fantastic. My sharing time went well, and Josh was sustained, and set apart in the EQ. Talk about a whirlwind. We are grateful for any calling we receive, even if we're scared out of our minds. I think the hardest part will be for Benjamin. He has gotten used to Mommy and Daddy being in class with him, but I think it will be good for all of us!

So....here goes nothing!

Best Cheeseburger.....EVER

I know, right? It's a new post from The Huff's!

Benjamin and I got sick....on Halloween. It was awful. I started to feel nauseous the entire day, and Benjamin didn't really eat a lot that day. That night, before we went out trick or treating, Benjamin threw up. I thought he did it because he didn't like his dinner...nope. Bad mommy award on that one - wouldn't be the first time. At any rate, I thought Benjamin was done puking. We ran to Macey's to trick or treat there and then we wanted to go to people's houses that we knew. We got done trick or treating at Macey's and Benjamin gave me a painful look, coughed, and threw up in my sleeve. My sleeve caught most of the puke, but we ran to a garbage can and he puked some more....and some more. It was so sad. Luckily Josh was working, so I called him and he came to the rescue - I love that guy! We got home and Benjamin puked a couple more times and I was feeling awful. Josh wasn't supposed to be home for a couple more hours - but prayers were answered and he came home 2 hours early. Hallelujah! He took care of us all night. I fought throwing up because...I HATE THROWING UP! I hate it more than anything...no, you don't understand, I really really hate it. I was in pain all night, waking up every two hours just because I did not...want...to throw...up! 

Finally at 6 a.m. I went to the bathroom and stood there for a couple of minutes trying to talk myself out of puking. But I realized it had to be done, so I pulled my hair back, cleaned the toilet (if I was going to puke I wanted a freshly clean toilet to hang onto) and then I threw up. And yes, I felt so much better - my husband was right. But I hated every minute of it.

On Tuesday and Wednesday my food intake consisted of saltine crackers, Ramen, and Sprite. On Thursday I felt good enough to work, but I was still queasy. I only took crackers and apple sauce to work. At the end of work, I wanted to eat a cow...not kidding. I went to the store to purchase some Christmas presents and all I could think about was eating a hamburger. I have never felt this hungry in my life...EVER. I couldn't believe it when I thought about it, but McDonald's sounded SO good! That's all I could think of - so there I went. I had a cheeseburger and it was THE best cheeseburger I've ever had in my entire life - and it will probably remain that way in my memory for forever...and I'm not a McDonald's fan! 

So...you want the best cheeseburger ever? Just starve yourself for 3 days and then go to the worst, but fastest, place to get a cheeseburger...and there you have it. BEST cheeseburger EVER!

Butter vs. Margarine

I love to cook and to bake. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not Masterchef quality, but I do love to imagine I am. One of my new favorite websites and cookbooks is Our Best Bites. It was introduced to me several months ago by one of my awesome co-workers! On the OBB website and cookbook they always tell you to use real butter - no substitutions! My co-worker and I discussed this so we tested it with OBB's delicious SUGAR COOKIES. She used margarine, I used butter. While both cookies were delicious, the butter one, obviously, had a more buttery taste and we thought that it was the better of the two. I told my BFF Jessie about this test and she said that the best way to do this test is to have the same cook make it both times with the different butters - because of the difference in cooking styles, measurements, ovens, etc...so to TRULY tell the difference - I did it. Here are my findings in baking with butter vs margarine:

• Difference number one - right off the get go there was a difference when mixing the butter or margarine with the sugar. It is supposed to be well blended and fluffy, as they say. Butter = beautiful, margarine = ....huh? It looked kind of gross - it was mixed with the sugar, but with a separated look. I wish I had a picture to show. FYI - I used Blue Bonnet margarine - so it may be better with a different brand, but not this one.
• Difference number two didn't come until after I baked them. Oddly enough, the margarine cookies were slightly more yellow. Only slightly, but they were more of a yellowish color.
• Difference number three was that the margarine cookies were more crumbly. This wasn't too surprising to me because of the separation in the beginning.
• Difference number four is probably mostly biased - I thought the butter ones were better. I should have had a cookie connoisseur taste them to make the decision, but my first batch of butter cookies was cooked too long (emergency with the 3 year old takes precedence to over baked cookies) and by the time I got the next batch of good butter cookies out, it was almost 11 at night. All the cookie connoisseur's that I know aren't up that late on a school night. Not sure why I was. Don't get me wrong, the margarine ones were still super delicious and soft and good, but the butter ones just had a better taste and stayed together better....at least to me.
• Difference number five and the last difference is the obvious one. The butter cookies have more calories...and saturated fat. But let's be honest - when you're eating cookies, are you really counting calories? Okay, well maybe you are.

My conclusion - both were very delicious and if you only have margarine in your house then you are still going to make great cookies, but I do agree with Kate and Sara from Our Best Bites - butter IS better for baking - no substitutions. But that's my opinion....and the opinion of the best bakers in the world...just sayin'.

Motherhood

Being a mother is so hard. But I can't say enough good about it. I love it and cherish those precious moments with my sweet son. In addition, I also cherish those moments I have alone (however few and far between they are) to ponder and pray and, of course, relax. I think the toughest part of just being a woman is that we are so hard on ourselves. I am ever so grateful for the priesthood men (especially my husband!) in my life who are so inspired of what I need and what I need to hear. How wonderful it is to have apostles on the earth who are so in tune with the feelings and needs of a tired, stressed, struggling, and yet happy mother. Elder Holland has always been one of my favorite speakers. Honestly, every single conference, he says something that I need to hear specifically. 

Today was no exception.

http://lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages?lang=eng#2010-06-13-motherhood-an-eternal-partnership-with-god

I hope you all take a moment to watch this and feel how valued women and mothers are.

Crazy Lazy Days of Summer!

YAY for summer!

Here are some pictures to show all of our fans some of what we've been up to this summer.

We went to the Beach Boys at the end of June (when it finally started to get warm outside!) It was an AWESOME concert. For all of you thinking that how could a concert be great with a bunch of old guys singing - there are only 2 of the original members still singing with the Beach boys. The rest of them are younger than 50.

We sat with Craig and Belinda (woot woot).....

Crazy Mike and normal Jessie....the people sitting next to Hyltons were leaving and said to Mike that his good vibrations were getting to them. He was just the crazy....but in a good way!

And my faves - my parents!!!!! It's true, we went to a concert with my parents. It was a lot of fun. They didn't get jiggy wit' it like we did, but they still had a good time. Love those parents of mine!

Yup, that's part of the crazy-ness of our summer. The picture speaks for itself.

Benjamin got a pool!!! Best $8 I've ever spent! And as you can see here, he will get in the water no matter what he is wearing. One day we were out watering the garden and there was a little bit of water in the pool. I figured he would just put his feet in since he was fully clothed. All of a sudden I hear this big splash. He had jumped right in. I laughed so hard. He could care less what he's wearing in the water, as long as he gets to play in it! And if he's happy, I'm happy!

This is Paige, my niece. Her neighbors have a dog who is great with kids. I had to snap this photo because she would sit on the dog and he didn't mind one bit. It was a fun fourth of July party at my sister's house.

The Howe's had their baby! Alyssa used to watch Benjamin. Her son, Russton, and Benjamin were like brothers. They had so much fun together. She had little Alivia at the end of June and Benjamin wanted so badly to hold her. He was very cute with her.

Yay for bike rides!!! Benjamin has a lot of fun riding around in this. One day we rode the bike to the park. It was too much fun. We wish Josh could have come! Blasted work.

Josh and I got to see the last Harry Potter movie for FREEEEEEE! Thank you Macey's. Josh works for Macey's and since they promoted HP7 part 2 in the store, they were given some free tics. AWESOME. It was a fun date and a great show. However, if you've recently read the books...wait till you forget a lot of it before watching the movie.

Just to show you some MORE of our craziness (as if you haven't seen enough) here is sweet little Benjamin. I was bringing that box downstairs to be recycled. I put it on my head and looked out through the little hole, so Benjamin HAD to try it. He thought it was pretty hilarious and wanted mom to take a picture!

Here's part of our laziness. Sitting and watching the sunset on the back porch - what a beautiful thing. The other day, after swimming, Benjamin and I laid on the grass and blew bubbles. It was one of those perfect moments as a mother. I'm not a perfect mother, by any means, but me and Benjamin do get to share some perfect moments.

 Summer is all too quickly winding down. Where there was once isles and isles of beach toys and swimming pools, there are now backpacks and school supplies. We still have things yet to do this summer and, sadly, we won't get to all of them. However, we sure are grateful for all of our perfect moments of this summer!

California - a couple months late

WE WENT TO SO-CAL!

YAY!!!
We stayed the first night in St. George and Benjamin's first matter of business was to break in the bed!

What a beautiful site!
We left the coldness of Logan to 80 degree weather in Hemet, CA!
We stayed with my brother and sister-in-law -Dustin and Melanie and we did some really fun stuff. Benjamin was SO happy to go the this train place...although the tour was a little long.

COUSINS! Benjamin had so much fun with Damen!

Anything having to do with trains Benjamin goes NUTS over!

After a long day of playing, Benjamin was ready to eat...and so were we!

My FAVORITE place to eat is Pat & Oscar's! As a missionary when me and my companion were tracting, we would stop off at P&O's just to get a breadstick. Seriously the best bread sticks EVER...hands down!

Take a picture mom...I'm a fish!

We went to Palm Springs - the Living Desert. It's true, we we hung with the movie stars in Palm Springs. We're pretty cool like that...at least we like to pretend. We also hung out with all the old leathery people too - they've had WAY too much sun - YIKES!

Cousins, riding on the wart hog.

A family wart hog ride. It's fake...don't worry.

These two were hard core - riding the big lizard.

Cousins on the camel.

And, YES...we went to the BEACH. Enjoy the pictures of the Oceanside beach. It was so nice for Josh and I to be back in the place where we served our missions!

Love this action shot of Damen!

Oceanside Pier! I tracted that pier on the 4th of July, 2002.

Benjamin's action shot.

Basking in the sun...he was born for the beach!

Got dressed, and went to the pier.

YUM! GREAT food - it helped that we were starving. This is a restaurant at the end of the Oceanside pier - I highly recommend it!

As we left Hemet we passed the Scientology HQ. Very interesting.

I know...that was long, but it was mostly pictures - that's gotta count for something, right?