That Time of Night

It's that time of night again. I fought a hard battle and won. Sienna is asleep. She is a lil drama queen at night lately. It's the change, new apartment. The girl doesn't do well with change. That's why we're not changing wards. Anyway, she is a creature of habit.

Every night I start the same battle with her. I open up my scriptures and announce bed time. We read, preferably a new testament story about Jesus as a child, her favorite, and then time to brush teeth. If we make it to that point then we say prayers and turn on the night light, hugs and kisses, one quick story from memory, and night night, sleep tight don't let the bed bugs bite about ten times, and then she's out. That's if we make it there.

Not tonight. Tonight we got stuck on brushing teeth. I have made a new rule that she can only brush her teeth in the bathroom. I found toothpaste all over the place in the kitchen and spent the majority of the day cleaning up tooth paste from random spots. Hence the rule. Hence the before mentioned hate of change. Hence a meltdown. It started with wanting me to do everything, to me not doing anything the way she wanted, to her being unbelievably upset because her teeth someday will fall out. Logical right?

She cried for over an hour. I tried distracting, threatening, time outing, and praying. Nothing. I called my dad he talked to her for two seconds and all of a sudden she was okay, and T.V. sounded good to her. We went to the living room and sat down and I realized that she had manipulated me. Wasn't the bed the original goal? How was I all of a sudden okay with anything but the melt down? I pondered it then made up my mind that I would not be manipulated. I looked at her with all the courage I have and said,"no tv. bed." I picked her up, said a quick prayer with her, put her in bed, told her the three lil pigs, covered her up, turned on the night light, hugs and kisses from me and mags, and night night, sleep tight, no bed bug bites were said, and I was out of there.

Then on to maggie. This all started at 8. It's now 9:30. "Don't normal jobs end at 5?!" i think to myself. I make her bottle with one hand, my other around her waist balancing her on my hip. Heaven forbid I put her down and start a cry that will get the other one out of bed. I finish making the bottle and feed it to her.

Mid feeding I here, "mommy?" I look at maggie hoping that she is a genius 7 month old and pretend that she said it. Then I see the real culprit out of my peripheral vision. I was pretty sure I had just threatened no Santa if she got out of bed, so I know it can't be Sienna. It is. Testing me. Pushing the limits. "Mommy I want water." I'm pretty sure she wants to not be in bed and not the water she's requesting, but it's a button she knows she can push because for some reason I equate saying no to water with child abuse in my head. Irrational, yes, I'm aware. I tell her to go to bed and I will bring her a cup in when I lay maggie down. She surprisingly goes to bed without argument. I think she was passing the proverbial baton to maggie in the drive mommy bonkers relay.  

I finish feeding mags, get sienna a sippy cup with one hand, give it to sienna in bed, then lay mags down, swaddle her like I'm roping a calf, strap her into the boppy knock off, put the paci in, and walk out. Then I hear it. A little whimper. So sad even Hitler could not ignore it. Sienna in a taunting baton passing voice says,"Mommy, maggie doesn't want to sleep." I go sooth her and walk away.

 Repeat that process until 10:12. Then my hero walks in. What the kids always forget is that I also have a partner in this relay. I pass the baton. I make a smore. Not ww approved, but stress approved. My hero gets the baby. He rocks her. He lovingly responds to all the,"Daddy!" cries coming from the other room. He gets the baby asleep. Gives hugs and kisses to Sienna. He looks at me like, "that wasn't so hard." I blog, because I know the truth. 

heaven help me.

Why I Love,...

Who do I love this week? Miss Marjorie Hope (Maggie Mae) Daniel. Why do I love her so,...

I love Maggie because she is always concerned. Maybe concerned isn't the right word, she's always focused. She studies everything all day long, and just recently she has shown us what she's learned. Today she tore up some foam from a box that I was about to throw away and while I was picking up bits of foam she got to the pantry that I stupidly left open and dumped out a whole box of corn flakes. While I was picking up the corn flakes she made it over to the kitchen drawer and pulled out all the kitchen towels and soiled three of them with spit up. I can't keep up with her! I love that she's smart and growing.

I love Maggie because she looks like my two other great loves, Sienna and Grant. She has the same big eyes as her sister, and the same eyebrows as her daddy. She cracks me up with her little serious looks, and sweet toothless grins. She has the perpetual runny nose that apparently is a family trait on my husbands side. She has a calm demeanor with passive aggressive tenancies just like her daddy too. She just fits in so well with our family!

I love Maggie because she's so picky and stubborn. She hates all juice and most fruit. She loves bananas and would eat them until she threw up if I'd let her. She will stop drinking a bottle in the middle of it and refuse it until I reheat it to the perfect temperature. She pulls herself up over, and over, and over again even though she gets mad that she can't get down without falling. She will not give up until she gets the exact toy/object that she's going for, even if Sienna has it in her hands. She will lunge out of my arms to get to her dad, EVERY time he walks in. The girl wants what she wants, and there is NO getting around it. I love that she's already a woman.haha

I love Maggie because she was a happy surprise. We wanted to have a baby after we got married so Sienna could have a sibling close in age, and then we would wait a while to have more. Well after some miscarriages we just put that plan out of our minds and made other ones, and then Maggie arrived. She was the best little miracle/surprise that we could ever get!

I love Maggie because she adores Sienna. I was so worried that there was something wrong with her because it took her FOREVER to smile! I now know she was just hyper-focusing on Sienna and how she could be more like her. Sienna can always get her to smile and laugh, and Maggie is like a lil puppy that follows her around. I don't think Maggie knows that she's not four just like her big sister, and even though there is a big age difference, they are the best of friends. The first thing Sienna asks to do every morning is to feed her sister a bottle and then they play for hours. I can just tell how much Maggie loves Sienna every time she looks at her. It's amazing how children recognize siblings!

I love Maggie because she's my baby! What more of a reason do I need?!

Keishah's Twins

I have a sweet friend that is having twins and one of the babies is having complications. Please keep her and the babies in your prayers. This is dear to my heart since we lost one of our lil nephews almost two years ago for the same reason. We love you and are praying for you Keishah!

Recent Happenings

Recently life has been busy, so here's the skinny. I'm still dieting, although it's not as great as I have been in the past, I at least have maintained the weight loss that I have already achieved, but I got the flu, so when I was sick I gave up for a while. I'm better now, so I should be back to losing.

Sienna's last day of school was today and she had a blast this semester! She loved her teachers, her fav was Miss Jessica, and she made a new favorite friend named Madelyn. She learned about the seasons, and a lot about nature, went to make pizza at the cafeteria, and many more fun things. She also learned many new songs, and relearned letters and numbers. I think it was a success. She is so excited to start her next adventure, ballet!

Grant is finishing up this semester, his classes are over next week, and I'm so glad he's going to be home more for a couple of weeks. He is doing good in school, and we are still forecasting another 4.0 semester. I'm so excited that we are entering his last year of undergrad. That's right! He graduates fall of 2011 with his BA in econ. What a man! I know it's not the end of school for us, but it's good to hit a mark of achievement. He has been working diligently since he got off his mission to get to this point, and he'll have done it in four years, right on track, even with getting married and being a father of 2!

Maggie has been growing plus some. She started crawling at 6 1/2 months, and pulling herself up a day later, and is still babbling up a storm. Recently she fell and hit her head and gave herself a bloody nose. She wasn't acting quite right and after calling our doc, he had us take her to the emergency room. She had a slight concussion! It was horrible, and I don't think I put her down for a couple of days! She even slept in our bed! She still doesn't have any teeth, a trait which she gets from the Reynolds side. We all got our teeth around 7-9 months. Everyone is now saying, "She looks JUST like her daddy!" It's true, she does. Any small bit of me that I saw in her is gone. I know she gets her eyes from me because Sienna has those same eyes, but her eyebrows mask that! She def has the Brewer brows!!!

Next Saturday our Christmas celebration is beginning and we're going to Provo to spend the night with my grandparents, and then Sunday we pick up Morgan!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? This is the first time we won't be spending Christmas with one of our parents, so it's my first Christmas dinner. I want to start a new tradition like both of our families have, my mom make Navajo tacos and his mom has tamales, so I think we've decided on a British Christmas. Twas my mums idea. We're going to google a menu, so I hope it turns out okay!

I love the holidays, and I feel so good that we have survived another semester!

I woke up one morning to find Sienna in Maggie's crib. She said Maggie woke up in the middle of the night and she put her paci back in and slept beside her. What a sweet girl she is!

Britney and Jude's Baby Shower!

These are the super cute invites Adam designed!






Britney's shower is this Saturday, the 11th, at 11am, at The Village clubhouse. Come and Celebrate lil Jude with us!!!

Why I Love,...

For some reason I'm in a foul mood and I don't really love anyone right now. I'm a woman, what can I say. Grant told me to write this to explain the absent why I love for last week. To clarify, I love those whom I'm required to love, but I don't feel like gushing. haha All I can say is I'm glad it's Thanksgiving because Grant is off school this week, and that makes life a little easier.
It gets tough towards the end of every semester, and we were both sick this week, plus Mags was sick last week, and we haven't gotten much rest. I think everyone should comment one thing they are thankful for, and who ever makes me laugh the most, I'll make you a pie. Seriously. Make me laugh and my next Why I Love post will be about you, and I'll make you a pie, and I'll even ship it to you if you live out of state. If no one comments, I'm going to eat the pie all by myself. Win win I think.

What We're Eating

I did good this week and lost another 2 lbs. 16 total!

What are we eating tonight?

Rice Tamale Pie: 9 servings,  7 ww pts per serving


My sister in law introduced me to this recipe and in celebration of 1 pt dip that I love, I made a batch of this tonight, and we'll probably be eating it for a couple of days. I have modified the recipe a little to make it less pts.

16 oz ground beef or turkey (I use turkey, less pts)
1 taco seasoning packet (I use half to reduce sodium)
2 cups cooked rice
2 packs of Jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup skim milk
1 can or 1 1/12 cup of corn
Mexican Style grated cheese
1 jar Tositos Salsa Con Caso


Brown ground meat in a large skillet. Follow seasoning mix instructions, and combine with meet. Add corn and cooked rice. Put in a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. Prepare both Jiffy mixes and spread on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min. Eat with 2 tbs of caso and for those not on WW, add grated cheese.  

I love super easy recipes and this is one! You can put a cup of grated cheese in between the rice and cornbread, and it holds together a bit better, but I leave it out to eliminate pts.

Happy Eating!!!

Early Birthday!

   

      Grant ordered me a new bed set and bed this year for my birthday, and I'm in LOVE with it! You can never go wrong with a green color scheme with me, it's my favorite color:) I love my man so much, I'm a lucky girl.

ps I'm aware that the pic on the right makes the room look unbalanced, but its covering the breaker box.:(

My Fav Dip Is Only 1 pt!!!!

So I love Tostitos Salsa Con Queso dip sooo much, and I've been depriving myself of it since I started ww. I feel soooooo dumb now because it's only 1 pt for one serving and if I decide to double that serving? It goes up a whopping .5 pts. Glorious. I've been having a non great week, but now that I've figured this lovely gem out, it's looking up. Cheers.

The Sienna Show

Today was the Primary Program in our ward and it was basically the Sienna show because she is the only Primary age child in our ward. It makes me laugh because when we moved up here I kept thinking that she would be way less spoiled because she would be one of the masses. How wrong I was!!! She gave her very first talk,(with my help) and she sang a solo, I Belong To The Church Of Jesus Christ. I was sad that she didn't sing it really loud like she does at home because people would have gotten a kick out of the words she was singing. My favorite line that she sings is "I'll follow him some day!" It's classic, and did Grant and I try to correct her version at all? Def not, that's what we call classy parenting my friends. I even got a kick out of her picking her nose on the stand. I just kept thinking, that's my girl! I was honestly very proud of my little baby today.

Why I Love,...

There are so many people that I can choose! This has become one of my favorite times of the week because it reminds me of my favorite moments with people and I feel all good after writing. So I'm so excited for the holidays this year, it's going to be mine and Grant's first one away from family and I'm so excited to start some of our own traditions! I'm also so excited because our little sister, Morgan, is coming for two weeks!!!! So I have been thinking a lot about Morgan and this is why I love her so,...

I love Morgan because she was the reason I kept on dating Grant. We had a REALLY awkward first date and I honestly was totally done. The man insisted that we watch a movie at his house and I tried everything I could to get out of it, but alas it was in vain. When I got there I met Morgan and I instantly had the feeling she was meant to be my sister. Grant's lucky he has her, haha.

I love Morgan because she is so stinkin pretty! So tiny, beautiful coloring (that Maggie has), and  the best smile.

I love Morgan because she's fun to be around. She laughs at my dumbness and can be plenty dumb herself! She always gives me looks like, you think your cool, but I just tolerate you, and Maggie gives me those same looks. It cracks me up.

I love Morgan because she's the best aunt ever. Sienna has always adored her. She still begs for her Aunt Morgan, it makes me sad when we can't deliver.

I love Morgan because she handles tough situations well. Life hasn't been easy lately, but she takes it all with a smile. And when it gets to rough, she calls, and I love that she loves her brother enough to depend on him.

I love Morgan because she uber talented. She is drum major this year, and I've heard that she's rockin it! She works hard at everything that she does, and it pays off because she's good at everything.

I love Morgan Barney style.

I love her because she is Morgan, what more can I say?!

She tested the set before Sienna took pics, I love the bear. haha

Diet/Life Update!

So I didn't diet during Halloween and the move. On weight watchers they teach you how to maintain the current weight you are and that's what I did. I didn't gain any weight and this week I started the losing process again. That's about it there.:)

Now to the life part, life is awesome right now! I love the new apartment, noisy neighbors and all! It's the perfect size for me to maintain, and I'm on the tail end of unpacking. It took longer than expected because I have been doing mostly everything by myself. Grant has helped when he can, but he's so busy with work and school so that hasn't been much.

Maggie is six months old today and I'm super excited because she can really start on food! I love being able to put her in her high chair and put some rice puffs on there for her to eat. It entertains her for so long, I can get so much more done!!! I also started making her baby food. She likes it so much more than the regular baby food, and it's soooo much cheaper! Today I made her pureed spaghetti squash and pureed bananas. She couldn't get enough! I love this age that she's at! She gives us sweet smiles and babbles all day long. Just precious!

Sienna is just fabulous and so stinkin smart! Today I told her that it was time for a nap and she said, "I knew that was coming!" She just seems so much older now that I have Maggie. She is definitely not a baby any more. I can't believe that in two months she'll be 5! Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. I love the age she's at also because she's so independent and can do and help so much, but she still needs me. She loves school, and has made so many new friends. Her teachers told me that she's always wants to be in charge, and usually most of the kids follow her lead. I'm scared of what she is teaching them, haha. I'm proud that she's such a confident child. I love that lil bossy kid!!!

Grant is just truckin along. He has started investing some of our money and is doing a really good job! Our IRA right now is getting 20%! Insane!!! He is so good with that kind of stuff. He is still doing phenomenal  in school, he went to the economics summit and was the overall debate winner. It looks like this is going to be another straight A semester! I'm a proud wife!

This is what we're eating tonight. If your not an asparagus fan then you won't like it, but I love it!!!

Cream of Asparagus Soup - 1 pt

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 10 oz • Time: 30 minutes • Points: less than 1 ww point

• 2 lbs asparagus (2 bunches)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cups fat free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp low fat sour cream
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt better on low heat. Add onion and sauté on low for about 2-3 minutes.

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Chop the asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Add to the pot with the onions. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is very tender. Remove from heat, add sour cream and using your hand held blender, puree until smooth.

I love this recipe because it's perfect for the colder weather! Speaking of cold we got the first real snow of the season yesterday and I'm getting geared up for the holidays. I have the girls presents picked out, and I'm refining all my holiday menus. I love this time of year so much! This is also my birthday month and Grant ordered me my birthday present, a new comforter set and bed! We have already gotten the bed, it was just a frame, but after a year of sleeping on mattress on the floor, this is the BEST present ever. We are having our good friend Scott make us a headboard, but that might be in January. AHHHH I love the holidays so much!

Random Thought For the Day.

I wonder if the people that live above us jump instead of walk. That's what it sounds like. That's my random thought for the day.

Why I Love,...

It's been a rough week. I don't like to complain about life, I'm so incredibly blessed, but moving with Grant working so much, and with the kids going crazy has been really tough! I owe a big thank-you to all my friends who offered to watch or watched the kiddos this week! So I looked at my blog yesterday and found a wonderful comment left by my awesome relief society pres, and it made my burden a little lighter. So I was going to blog about her, and I definitely will soon because I love her so, but tonight I really love Relief Society.

Why do I love it so,...

I love Relief Society because no matter where I live I have sisters to come to my rescue. I have moved a lot in the past couple of years and everywhere I have lived, I have instant family. Sisters that are willing to share in happiness and pain.

I love Relief Society because of the spirit felt there every Sunday. When I'm happy I get added joy, and when I'm sad, I get the lift I need. I love that sweet women take time out of their busy lives and prepare wonderful lessons. I love feeling the spirits of those women.

I love Relief Society because of inspired Relief Society Presidents. During the lowest times in my life they have always been there. Not all of them have been perfect, but I know each one cared and loved me. I remember one coming to visit me at work to make sure I was okay, just because she thought she should. I really needed to know that the Lord was listening to my prayers and she was the answer for me that day.

I love Relief Society because of the service that we do there. The way to make any day better is to serve, and in Relief Society we def do that! I get to be the Lord's tool anytime I do a service project, or serve one of my sisters. It's a wonderful feeling.

I love Relief Society because it is an organization that God has put on this earth for women. Most of answered prayers and blessings the Lord brings about in our lives are through his children listening to promptings and serving each other. I have been so blessed and have had many prayers answered because of Relief Society, and I'm eternally grateful for it!

Why I Love,...

So this week I've been busy busy busy and I almost forgot to choose someone! I remembered just in the nic of time. So who do I love? Melinda Page. Why,...

I love Melinda because she laughs at all my bad jokes. I have a pun for everything and she will always give a giggle. Britney and I have both agreed that this is an admirable quality. It also gives us big heads, because we think we're hilarious.

I love Melinda because she always has a smile on. It's a pretty one at that! She seems like she's always happy, and she brightens up any room.

I love Melinda because Sienna loves her so. Sienna would beg every Sunday to sit and color with her in sacrament. Kids are the best judges of character, so hers must be pretty good.

I love Melinda because we can sit and talk for hours. She used to be my neighbor, (I hate that it's used to) and I could knock on her door anytime and we could hang out and talk about retarded stuff.

I love Melinda because she didn't go natural when she had a baby. haha

I love Melinda because she's a good friend, and now an awesome mother.

I love Melinda because she's totally real. She takes things as they come and just deals with whatever.

I love her because she's just plain awesome!

Halloween Post

This year I was a beekeeper, Sienna was a bee, and Maggie was a flower. Daddy went to work.:( It was a fun Halloween and we made out like bandits with tons of candy. Here are a few pics.

The last two I stole from Amber's blog, they are from the ward party. I love the one of Sienna!


Happy Halloween!

Little Temptations

My wonderful mom sent the girls a care package this week for Halloween, and of course it had tons of candy in it. All I can say is I'm grateful for the cheat points I get every week! I indulged in some and I didn't feel guilty. I love her since of humor, she gets the grossest looking candy she can find and that's what she sends us, along with the candy bar classics. This year we got jars of candy lab rats, frogs, spiders, and lizards. I think it's funny that all the Reynolds kids get these treats whether or not they have kids. My mom is super cute! Sienna says,"We love you Grandma!!!" Thanks Mom!!!

My Week Thus Far

So I fell totally off the dieting/work out program this past weekend and half of this week. I guess everyone messes up sometimes, but I gained back the two lbs I lost last week, so as you can imagine, I'm pretty mad at myself. Oh well, all I can do is start again, so that's what I'm doing. I got rid of all the tempting goodies, and I have been doing good again for the past couple of days.

To make this week a little more interesting, I got some permanent make-up! My friend Whitney is getting certified to do this, and needed an eyeliner model, and I jumped at the chance. I've been wanting this done since I worked at a spa in high school that did it. My eyes are all swollen, and I have to keep some goopy  stuff on them for five days, so I really can't tell exactly what it's going to look like, but I can tell that I'm going to love it! I'm so excited about not having to put on eyeliner every day, or worry about it running all over the place! Thank-you soooo much Whitney!!!

I'm also starting the packing process this week. We have moved six times since we've been married so we are getting pretty good at it. I pack one room at a time, move it over and unpack it totally in the new place, hanging pictures and all, and I do this with all the little stuff, and then we do one big move for all the big furniture. We totally moved and unpacked in our current house that we're in in three days. That was with a pregnant nine month belly! I think this one will take a day since we are majorly downsizing, and a lot of our stuff is going into storage.

The girls are doing great this week,  Sienna came home from school and showed me that she can write her name all by herself! I'm so proud of her. She can also recognize all her letters and knows the sound that each one makes. She's such a smart girl. Maggie is babbling away now. She says dadadadada all day long now. She is also starting to really recognize people and she gets super excited when Grant gets home everyday. I can see two little teeth that are about to pop through and she has been letting us know that they are there. She is teething the same way Sienna did and has a runny nose and runs a slight fever. Bless her little heart. She has become a different baby all of a sudden and smiles and laughs all the time now. I think I have the best girls ever!

Grant is working even more hours now, so we see him less. :( He is still doing well and is preparing to go to the economics summit in Boise next week. I miss him when he's gone, but I will never complain about a husband that works so hard to support his family. I'm so blessed. I always get a little annoyed when people say they are a single mom when their husband is gone working. (not military moms!) I was a single mom for a couple of years, and this is nothing compared to that. I thank the Lord everyday for such a wonderful man, and for the opportunity that we have for him to get a good education. I love this time of life, we are always super busy, but I feel like this is the happiest we have ever been, and I'm loving every minute of it!


What are we eating today?

Spinach Omelet with tomato and feta. This is one of my favorite recipes because is super quick and yummy. Grant loves it!

Ingredients

	1 large egg(s)
	3 large egg white(s)
	1 cup(s) spinach, choppped
	1/2 tsp dried oregano
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 small tomato(es), chopped
	2 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
	4 slice(s) reduced-calorie wheat bread, toasted

Instructions

• Combine egg, egg whites, spinach, oregano and salt in a medium bowl; beat until well-blended.
  
• Lightly coat a 9-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Pour egg mixture into skillet and spread to cover pan. Cook until bottom is lightly browned and firm, about 5 to 6 minutes. With a large spatula, flip omelet and cook other side until center is set, about 3 minutes more.
  
• Transfer omelet to a platter. Sprinkle tomatoes and cheese on one half; fold over other half to cover. Allow to stand 1 minute; cut in half crosswise and serve each piece with 2 slices of toast.

Notes

• You can also serve the feta and tomatoes on top of the omelet or on the side.

Why I Love,...

This week I picked my friend Bethany Rice. Why do i love her?

I love Beth because she is a true friend. She always seems to know when I'm having a down day and stops by and takes care of me. I have a really hard time telling anyone what my personal struggles are, and for some reason I can always open up to her and tell her exactly how I'm feeling. She usually has gone through the same thing so she is super empathetic and tells me that I'm not alone.

I love Beth because she's Ryan's mom. He's Sienna's best bud, and he makes life easier when he's here.

I love Beth because she is fun to talk to, and always has a new crazy story to tell, like the new stand at the scrapbooking convention.

I love Beth because I feel totally relaxed around her. I never worry if my house is perfect, or if she's judging my mountain of laundry.

I love Beth because she is like a second mom to my kids. She has boys and I think she loves having a couple of girls around. I love having her boys around, they add a little spice to our girly world.

I love Beth because she was my first friend here in Rexburg. She made me feel welcome, and I sat with her at church my first Sunday here. I was never awkward or out of place because of her.

I love Beth because she is beautiful.

I love Beth because I'm the only one that can call her Beth (besides Melinda) and it doesn't annoy her.

What else can I say?! She was meant to be my friend!

This is not the greatest pic, but the only one I have of her. I love her shirt in this!

Miss Maggie and Sienna in My Little White Dress

I asked my wonderful friend Katie to take some pics of Mags in her blessing dress for me and I LOVE them!!! This was the dress that I was blessed in, and now both my girls have been blessed in it. :)

Here are the pics of Sienna in the same dress at the same age. :)

Diet Update

It's still going great! I started the Couch to Five K Program this week and I've really enjoyed it! I'm still doing the Thirty Day Shred, and counting all my pts! I lost another two lbs this week, and I'm now smaller than I was when I married Grant! I'm so excited. I should be at my goal weight by the end of December, and then we are doing P90X.:0 (that kind of scares me!) I'm really proud that I have stuck to it. I think it's all about Weight Watchers for me. Something clicked when I started and it just is the perfect program for me, again, I would recommend it to anyone that wants to loose a couple of lbs!

Mags Sleeping Positions

Mags is always falling asleep in weird little ways,...

 Power to the people.

I love you THIS much!




















We call this one the Al Bundy.






Looks like she's got Mommy's since of humor.

Baby Love

I love my lil Nena girl soooo much.! She is always so considerate, and right now she's sitting on my lap pushing my bangs out of my face telling me that she loves my hair because its soft. What a sweet one I've got!!!

Britney's Birthday Party!!!

For anyone that is in the Rexburg area who knows and loves Britney Stevens, (we all do!) then come and join us in celebrating her birthday this Saturday at 6pm at my casa! We are having chocolate fountains, pies, and cake so come join us in our gluttony!

Diet Update!

I lost another 2 lbs this week!!!! I was so shocked because I was not counting pts like I usually do because of some things that went on this week.(parties, dates, and life.) I'm doing good with sticking to my plans and it's paying off!

On a side note, we are moving, again. Our landlord told me one day that she was thinking about putting the house back on the market, and Grant told me the same day that he thought we should get into a smaller place, and we started looking and found something really quickly. I was really crushed at first, the thought of moving again, and downsizing really was not something I wanted to do at all. The more I have prayed about it, the better I have felt, and I know that it's the right decision. Plus Grant sweetened the deal by offering a decorating fund with some of the money that we'll be saving. Grant and I can't figure out why, but we both feel like we are about to enter a really happy time for our family. So I'm embracing this move as much as possible!

Why I Love,...

This week I pick my oldest brother David. Why do I love and look up to him so? This is why,...

He's funny. He laughs through the good and the bad. He can make everything seem a little less serious and not that bad. I learned this from him when I lived with him when Sienna was little. Anytime he could he'd make a joke about my situation. It never came off as mean, just as a much needed release to awkwardness. I loved it when I'd do something really dumb and he'd always respond with," That's why your husband left you." We'd always die laughing.

I love him because he's a protector. He looks out for all of his younger brothers and sisters and he truly cares for us. When I was faced with being pregnant and going through a divorce he literally picked me up and held me and told me he would take care of me until the day he died, or got married, and then he'd wash his hands of me. haha He made good on that promise, and was the priesthood holder in mine and Sienna's life for a while.

I love him because we like the same shows. He introduced me to the world of 24, a debt I can never repay.

I love him because he has 4 beautiful little boys. They are all so precious, and I can't wait to get to know Caleb when this life is over. He's the best father a boy could ask for, and I know his boys will be the best of the best.

I love him because he picked an awesome wife. She is my sister, and the best possible person that David could ever get. We sometimes wonder how he got her.

I love him because I know that we were friends before we came to earth, and I probably begged the Lord for him to be my big brother.

I'm so grateful that the Lord blessed me with such an awesome big brother!

Scentsy Party!!!!

For all of my Rexburg peeps, listen up! I'm having a Scentsy Party this Saturday the 9th, at 2. Joanna Bennett will be there with all of  her fabulous products so come and buy some stuff to make your house smell great!

Jillian Michaels Rocks.

She does. I love her, and she is my new best friend. I loved the work out, I would recommend it to anyone!

Diet Update!

So today was weigh in day, and I lost one lb. I was so upset because earlier in the week I had lost two, but my lovely day of cheating set me back a lb. Oh well, it was still a lb and that made me reach my first goal! As of today I've lost 9 lbs in a month. I'm really pumped, and tomorrow I start phase two. My friend Breezie started a blog where we all blog about doing work outs and how it's going. We are all starting with Jillian Michael's Thirty Day Shred. I'm really excited, so if you would like to follow our progress with that, check it out at shredsistersdiaries.blogspot.com. I'm going to add this to my work out routine that I've got going and just do it after the treadmill each day. If you want to join the blog, just message Breezie on the blog and let her know!

So tonight we ate turkey burgers, and they were pretty good, although every time I eat something that's made out of turkey I think of a Mitch Hedburg joke, sometimes I just want to tell turkey to be itself. haha
Here's the recipe:

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 burger no bun • Points: 3 ww pts (bun extra)
Calories: 156 • Fat: 6.8 g • Protein: 18.6 g • Carb: 5.5 g • Fiber: 1.3 g

• 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini, grated 
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp red onion, grated
• salt and fresh pepper
• oil spray

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Make 5 equal patties.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.

1.5 pt Cupcake!

I've had a sweet tooth all week, so I've been searching for a good recipe that would take care of my craving. In my searching I came across a recipe for an easy to make cupcake. All you do is mix any package of cake mix with a can of diet soda, and bake on the heat and time the box says. Make 24 and each cupcake is one pt! I wanted frosting so I used 1/2 a tsp of can frosting (.5 pt) on a warm cupcake and it it became melted goodness.  Satisfied the craving and super yummy!

Giggly Girls

Sienna is the ONLY one that can make Mags laugh. I tried all day long with no success. She's immune to tickling, raspberries, silly faces, and peek a boo. I've attempted everything, but alas it was all in vain. I sat her down and walked away defeated to do the dishes and the next thing I hear is Miss Maggie laughing her head off. I turned around and all Sienna was doing was standing there sticking out her tongue. Sienna looked at me and said, "See mom, it's not hard." Punk.

Cheating

So today it was so hard to stick to the diet! Last night we had a Relief Society activity and they had a bunch of yummy goodies there, and I didn't eat any but I brought some home for Sienna and the hubs. This morning there they were taunting me. I indulged. I thought a cupcake for breakfast? Why not. Add a cookie, sure. The rice krispie treats were a weight watchers recipe, so I'm positive it's okay to have. By around 4 I had had 20 of my 23 pts that I eat everyday. So what did I do for dinner? Spaghetti squash with Prego and a cup of green beans. All for a glorious 1pt. That is why I always have spaghetti squash on hand. I actually felt like I had a good sized dinner. I was really hungry around nine so I decided to use some of my cheat pts and eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. I hadn't used any all week so I didn't feel guilty, I just hope I don't see an extra lb on the scale tomorrow. So far I've lost two lbs this week, I'm going to run until I can't anymore tomorrow to make up for today. I think sometimes you just have to cheat! What lesson did I learn from this? Never go to Relief Society. ;)


On a sad note my baby came home sick from school today, I think it's just a virus, but of course kids always get sick Friday night after the doc's office closes. She was acting totally fine and then she asked if we could take a nap, and I just figured she was tired because we stayed up an hour after her bed time last night. So we took a nap and when she woke up she said, "Mom do I have a fever?" I felt her forehead and she was so warm, so I took her temp and it was a 103.6.:( My poor lil baby. I'm not that worried though, she was acting fine, she just said her belly was hurting a little. We gave her medicine, and then we went to the store to get chicken noodle soup, saltines, and gatorade. She begged to come so I brought two blankets and a pillow and made a make shift bed in the cart and pushed her around. I asked if there was anything we could get that would make her feel better and she responded, "IRON MAN 2!!!!" So I got it for her, and inwardly thought Grant was using mind powers on her. She came home and ate two bowls of soup, a bunch of saltines, and two sippy cups of gatorade all while she watched Iron Man 2. She then ate and ice cream sandwich, and announced that she was ready for bed, and told Grant that he needed to say the prayer and read scriptures. So we did and she asked to sleep in our bed so of course we said yes, and she is sleeping peacefully right now. I hope she feels better tomorrow! 

Sucker

Every night it's the same routine.

Sienna: "Mom can I hold Mags?"
Me: "No because you always get preoccupied and forget to hold her the right way and then she gets upset."
Sienna: "I promise that this time I will hold her right and I won't forget!"
Me: "No."
Sienna: "PLEASE!!!"
Me: "No."
Sienna: "But Heavenly Father made her my sister so I could hold her!"
Me(in my head) "Thanks a lot primary!!!!"
Me: "Okay"


Two seconds later

What I Eat

So I got an email this morning about weight watchers from one of my friends, asking if I was starving everyday. This is one of many emails that I have received so I thought I would just write a blog about what I might eat on any given day, and to answer the question, no I'm not starving.

Breakfast:
I usually have a half cup(dry) of oatmeal with a cup of fruit of some sort. I love peaches with it! I put some Splenda sugar, with a tbs of Smart Balance light butter, and a lil vanilla. This is my favorite breakfast. If I'm in the mood for something different I go for three egg whites with a lil salsa, and three slices of turkey bacon. I can even add two pieces of light toast, we get the Sara Lee Light Whole Grain Bread, and add a tbs of no sugar added jelly if I'm still hungry. I'm never hungry after the oatmeal!

Lunch:
I go for the tuna at lunch. I add a tbs spoon of relish, and if I want it creamy then I add a tsp of Smart Balance mayo. I use the whole can and put it on four pieces of the Sara Lee bread. I then measure a cup of some sort of frozen veggie, usually green beans or broccoli , and maybe an apple. I've been sort of sick of the tuna, so I've been making sure I have left overs from whatever I make the night before and depending on the pt value I eat a serving of that.

Dinner:
Last night I made enchiladas from scratch. I find most of the recipes I use on skinnytaste.com. I love this resource because it has yummy meals that I crave, but with healthier ways to make them. The blogger also it doing weight watchers and has all the pts figured out for each meal.  Here's the enchilada recipe.



Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Points: 4 ww pts
Calories: 230 • Fat: 7.3 g • Protein: 20.4 g • Carb: 28.7 g • Fiber: 12.2 g  


Chicken and White Bean Filling:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
• 15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans)
• 8 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1/3 can water
• 1 chicken bullion
• 1 tsp cumin

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 tsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 7 oz can chopped green chile
• 2 jalapeños, chopped (I used jarred)
• salt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream

• 3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese
• 8 medium low carb tortillas
• chopped fresh cilantro or scallions (or both!)

Preheat oven to 375°.


For the Filling:
In a medium pan, heat olive oil on low. Add onions, garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add green chiles, beans, water, bullion, and cumin. Mix well and cover.Simmer on low 15 minutes. Remove cover, add chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until it thickens and liquid boils down. Set aside.

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce: 
In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowlywhisk in the chicken broth. Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add green chiles, jalepeños, and salt to tatse. Cook another minute then remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken/white bean filling. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling remainder of the tortillas.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Cover with aluminum and bake 20-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro or scallions. 

It was super yummy and I was able to have 3 servings!


Snacks:
I'm not really a snacker but if I find myself hungry I usually have a bowl of apples on my table and I go for one of those. We also buy the Weight Watcher's Giant Fudge Bars. They are only one pt and sooooooo good! That is usually my go to dessert. 


I also get 35 cheat pts a week. I have found that if I use them then I don't lose as much so I try not to, but if I want to go on a date with the hubs it's nice to have. I hope this was helpful!