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!