Menus and More

Inspired by friend Jennifer, I recently decided it was time to take menu planning into my daily routine. I made it up for the whole month, with the idea that it can be changed, but at least then it's done. It's hard to think of something new for each night... Since Michael brings his lunch each day and I eat lunch here, we figured what we had for dinner the previous night would become lunch for the next day. Also, I knew I'd be more inspired to follow the menu if I made it cute - note the Halloween theme.

Here's an up-close shot. I tried to include sides, although sometimes they look a little wonky. We went grocery shopping last night together (which was super nice) and bought only what we'll need for the week. It saved a lot of money, and since the food sounds really great, we were less tempted to buy junk.

This is definitely my favorite part of the menu. The bat turned out so cute!!

In other news, this is how I caught Andrew sleeping in his bouncy seat yesterday. Sooo comfortable. And no, his neck wasn't broken.

This is our front door. I just thought it looked pretty autumn-y. Yay fall!

My to do list yesterday. Note that the only thing marked off is "Get Dressed" and that the kid is lying naked on the ground. This was at 12:30... Oy vey. Most of that is done now, thankfully.

My feet look REALLY weird in this one. This was bedtime on Sunday.

An exceptionally cute smile from Andrew. Not a great shot, but he's such a happy little bugger.

I looked down and he and Grover were basically in the same position so I had to grab a shot. And yes, he's wearing undies. Those puppies are our prize possession.

Kool-Aid Kevin

Have you seen the Office? I love that show more than I should. Kevin is stinking hilarious - especially when he made his "Kool-Aid Man" face. I laughed for 10 minutes straight. No lie.
So, this is a stupid post, but hey....at least it's not about Andrew, eh? :)

A Little Glimpse

Here's a glimpse into our evening last night.

Exactly.

Except that milk was involved, so it was healthy.

Right?

All in the jeans

Seriously. Could he be any cuter?

Squashed and Stretched

This was the best lunch. I don't know when yellow squash started tasting so good, but...it does.

How did this onsie get so out of shape, you may ask?

How indeed.

Cause Daddy was in charge. That's why. Gotta love that funky outfit. :) And that fun daddy!

(Note the massive wet spot on the front of his onsie. Drool-machine strikes again!)

Fat Lip

Andrew was sleeping on my lap and I looked down and saw....

This. Fat little lips.

Halloween for a baby

I need a costume for Andrew for Halloween. I'm thinking a monster would be freaking awesome! I don't want to buy one, though which could cause a problem since I don't really sew... We have a sock monkey costume but I don't think it's going to fit... We also have a skeleton onsie... Help.

Beautiful food

We had a couple of people over for a Labor Day barbeque. I don't know what happened, but we ended up with SO much food. I mean, it was ridiculous. You'd pick something up and by the time you were finished with it, there was no spot for it anymore. It was the black-hole of foods. It was delicious, and I was really digging the beautiful colors!

We bought the biggest watermelon ever. Seriously, I cut up half of it, and it filled 2 big bowls and a large platter. Sheesh!

An amazingly fuzzy picture of our friends Natalie and Quentin. We had them over for our barbeque. Andrew loves those two. Everytime he sees Quentin, he smiles. We think they're pretty fun, too. :)

Salmon and corn on the grill.

Brat burgers, hot dogs, and amazing chicken. I just did a spice rub on it and let it sit for an hour before we grilled it and it was sooooooooo delicious! I call the burned hot dog!! I love my meat "hockey-puck style."

Tomatoes and cucumbers drizzled with a touch of Italian dressing. It would have looked better, but I was running out of time. I love the colors, though.

Grapes and strawberries. Mmmmmmm......

3 months

Figuring out he can turn in circles in his Johnny Jump-up now.

Rolling over! :)

Adoring his cousin Zach

Asleep in his swing. He wouldn't straighten up and had such an indention when he woke up!

"Woah. What are those things?!" He's slowly discovering that he has a body. :)

Probably the cutest daddy-baby shot we have! I love this picture!!!

Me and the cute little Jellybean

Please call off the papirazzi

Could he look any cuter in jeans?

Cute boys!!! I love those guys!

Creepy crawlies

I think I know what Bob Barker's #1 fear is.

Can you imagine? He dies and all of the sudden he hears...

BOB BARKER - COME ON DOWN!

I thought of that Sunday morning and it cracked me up. Ahem. Anyway, on to the post.

Today I was taking pictures of little Andy during his tummy time. I was thinking how great he was doing at holding himself up when all of the sudden I was realizing that he had flipped over on his back. He's like a trained dog! He can roll over! He looked quite as surprised as I did, then got a huge smile on his face. I cheered him on and he almost got back onto his tummy. I helped him out and there he went again! I was so proud of that little cutie. He then got a determined look on his face, saw his stuffed lamb, and got up on his little knees and army crawled toward it!!!! Now granted, this wasn't across the room or anything, but maybe a few inches. Still, I was totally impressed. Then he gave up and put his face in the blanket and kicked himself forward while dragging his face along, crying. Ah well, he is a baby after all! Pictures to come next post!

Primary Panic

Yesterday we had a combined 5th Sunday lesson in the chapel. Andrew started freaking out in the beginning of the meeting and I was actually in the mother's lounge for the whole meeting. I left just about as the Primary was let loose. They made a mad dash for the Relief Society room. When I turned the corner so I could see them, I saw a pretty good sized group of kids looking around confused. One little 5 year old girl (or so) turns to the group and says (much like Chicken Little), "The mommies are GONE!" with tears in her eyes. This sets off the other kids. I hurried over to avoid the possible freak-out session and explain where their mothers were. Kidnapped by aliens, of course.
It was hilarious.
In other news, I am REALLY digging The Princess Bride and totally recommend it! If you love the movie, you'll LOVE the book. But you don't have to take MY word on it.

Da duh duh!

Part 2

Taking a bath. He looks sooooo cute in that robe!

Another one. Diaper shot!

Using the bulb as a chew toy.... don't judge me.

Poor little sick-guy. I pretty much let him do anything he wanted...

such as watching the Dick Van Dyke show. I believe my exact words were, "This is against everything I wanted for you."

Notice that Michael isn't in any of these shots? Michael started law school this week, so he's been studying at school all week. See you in 3 years, honey. :)

A week or so in pictures...

Wearing a cutie outfit, just cause we wanted to doll him up.

He's started playing with my hair when I hold him like that. Super cute, except when he decides to tug. Owie. (Note his bald spot.)

Showing his true feelings about riding in the car.

Playing with his new toy - his legs. He has just discovered them this week, and has been having a ball playing around with them. The toy he's holding is new, also. :)

Even though he wasn't feeling well, he was still the smiley sweetie he always is.

Random thoughts

Is it just me, or does Donald Sutherland have a mighty hefty noggin?

I just finished reading Tuesday's with Morrie. It was alright. There were good parts, and parts that made me think about life a little differently. I, for one, thought that some of it was sappy for the sake of being sappy, though. Maybe worth trying out, but I won't read it again.

Sorry for the lack of new photos. They were all put on Mike's laptop which is currently being used for studying all day and night.

I had the pleasure yesterday of dealing with one of Andrew's firsts - his first major blow-out of his diaper. I picked him up from his swing to discover my arm covered in unmentionable goo, and upon further investigation, discovered that he was practically swimming in it- from his shoulders all the way to his itty bitty socks. The swing had taken a hit as well. Andrew apparently was feelin' fine, because he was smiling like a crazy person. It was a beautiful thing. Thank goodness for Spray and Wash and a nice warm shower.

Nemesis

Somehow our whole little family has gotten a summer cold. No fun for anyone, especially not for new moms, a little baby, and a guy who starts law school tomorrow. Blech.

On the up side, baby snot has been added to Andrew's masterpiece canvas- my t-shirt. It joins its fluid brothers - puke, pee, and drool. (Clap, clap, clap).

Luckily it's not a horrible one, and it should end soon. In the meanwhile, I'll continue to be depressed when his nose is stopped up and he screams when he realizes that I'm using the devil-bulb again. Poor Jellybean.

4 years and counting....

August 13, 2005

Isn't he cute? Aug. 13, 2005

In Washington, D.C. August 13, 2006

Laughing at the Arch museum- 2006

A cute one of us at our reception right before cutting the cake - the real one, not the pumpkin head one. :) August 20, 2005

Our first Christmas together - December 2005

Hanging out at the zoo - Summer 2007

(First off, turns out we need more pictures taken together. We have a lot of recent ones of me alone or him alone, but not many together.)

Tomorrow marks Michael and my 4th anniversary. These have truly been a barrel of laughs, a growing time, and a huge blessing. I love Mike more than I could have ever imagined and feel so blessed and lucky to be his wife. To know him is to love him, and I am so very happy to be able to do both as much as I like. Happy Anniversary, honey!