My Brand New Couches!

That is 30 year-old-couches

that were owned by a lady like the mom in "Everyone Loves Raymond"

Covered in PLASTIC for 30 years.

They look and feel brand new. 

Other than the fact that the colors are totally 30 years ago.

But they have peonies on them. My favorite:)

And they have a little shimmer to them and the fabric is warm.

I LOVE my new (30 year-old-wrapped-in-plastic-couches).

Shimmery brand new couches I love them.

Blue Peonies

Also I love my living room! Here's a little peek:

Music corner where the TV used to be.

G's favorite corner- he likes shaking my table and knocking the stuff off;)

I love my little picture wall.

We're using our shoe rack as a toy shelf for G in his "play corner".

We've discussed placing plastic on them to keep them looking in tip-top condition. Tempting....

Heaven Is Here

Go read this book.

Right now.

If you want to see someone overcome the worst most painful obstacles in life

with hope and faith

If you want to see how your life is so blessed

How perfect you are right now where you are at.

I can never complain again.

I have everything.

I have a beautiful working body, 

a beautiful child,

a wonderful loving husband

I can fold laundry and walk 

and make dinner and not only do things myself but help other people

Yesterday I called my mom and told her "I can't do this"

I was overwhelmed from a weekend of Grant not sleeping well and teething and has some sort of cold

and he was just crying and crying and tugging on my leg every time I tried to put him down to do the dishes or make dinner. 

I wanted to be a good wife yesterday and make Jay dinner and I just couldn't

Grant needed me and I called my mom and told her I couldn't do it.

I felt so bad because Stephanie Nielson, in this book literally can't do anything after her accident and here I was totally capable, yet why couldn't I do it?

She immediately came over and brought my siblings with her and put them all to work- cleaning the bathroom, folding laundry, watching the baby and I was able to make dinner. 

They were here for an hour maybe?

It made all the difference in the world.

Guess what?

I needed my family to come and help me

Stephanie needed all those people to love and support her through her journey of healing.

We can't do this life alone

We need each other.

We need God in our lives.

That's why we are here- that's what this is all about right?

Helping each other out when someone feels weak and we are strong.

Then, when we feel weak, accepting someone else's help when they can and are willing to help us.

Oh and the book-

Be ready to cry every single page you turn.

Her spirit is amazing and her story incredible.

I am so grateful to have her story be a part of my life and they way I see things. 

Thank you Stephanie Nielson!

1 Year Celebration

Happy Birthday 1 Year Old!!!

He now:

Brushes his teeth joyfully!

Says "Duck"

Waves at little people

And big people

Can eat honey and peanut butter

Walks and runs confidently

Throws temper tantrums

Takes only 1 nap!!! Yay!

Sleeps through the night preeeetty good mostly

Is cutting some molars- top and bottom- ouchie carumba!

Requests smoothies: 

Yes, he makes the noise of the blender and points at it, 

refusing to eat anything until you make him a smoothie

Will read stories by himself and "talk" as he reads

Knows his way to the park:

 If we go in the wrong direction, he lets me know he knows and he's not happy about it!

Walks backwards (what?! I know!)

Spins in circles

Dives head first down the slide and then proceeds to crawl off the slide head first. 

He tries to do a 'popping' noise with his finger and mouth like daddy.

Dance parties everyday all day

He does so good- he even lets me help him.

I love sandal weather! These are our favorite shoes so far.

Celebrating with the Jensens

I will write a post on why I decided not to do a "traditional party" but for now just know that I would love my kids birthdays to be about a memory. It just so happened that on May 13th, the new Provo Recreational Center would open with an amazing swimming pool. We knew it would be perfect to go and celebrate Grant's birthday swimming our night away.

Oh boy was this the best idea ever or what?

Kid Heaven. Grant didn't care about food or anything- he couldn't get enough of this place.

New super-man shirt from the Jensen Grandparents. 

Doing the "flag" with his hand and making a "whooshing" noise.

"Yay"

Later, dad even bought him a balloon and G says, "Ba-ooon". It got caught around his leg while he was walking around and kept smacking him in the face so I'm not sure that he likes it anymore but he did enjoy it for a few hours at least.

I know Grant didn't understand that it was his birthday, 

but I know he had a heck of a lot of fun. 

A heck a lot of fun.

He didn't even care about food. 

Now, that tells you something right there. 

I love being able to bring him places and see his face light up in excitement. 

What joy it is to have a child and do things for him.

 Life couldn't be better.

 I love my big boy!

Happy Birthday G-Ray!

Toddler-hood

It's like the official,

"Your baby is a toddler now= end baby stage"

It's huge.

 Mandi asked me how I felt about Grant turning one and in that moment I said, "Oh, no big deal, I'm excited" and it's true I am but wow it's difficult to describe how you can be excited and feel overwhelmed with...what exactly?

 Feeling like something is gone. It's like you know he is still there- he is your baby still but while you are gaining an independent, fun-loving, exciting toddler, you are losing a baby. That stage is over and "1" really does make it real.

I picked a book off the library display that said, "Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul".

I love the other chicken soup books and it sounded perfect for Mother's Day weekend to read a couple stories from it.

The first story I read was about a mom who had just become an empty-nester.
There she was, the week after sending her last baby off to college, sitting in the waiting room to see her doctor.  As she glanced around, she noticed several pregnant women sitting in there waiting as well. She lamented about how unfair it was to make menopausal women share the same room and how it felt like she was sitting there just barely waiting to hear her first baby's heartbeat.

That really got to me. How could a lady feel like she was just there after she had 3 kids moved out of the house? Didn't she feel like all that time had past and wasn't it so normal to be where she was?

Then it hit me and I just bawled my little eye-balls out.

I get it. Reading her story, I get it. It goes quickly. I saw this image someone had put together of your child's life. You get a baby for a year. A toddler for 2. A preschooler for 2 years. A child for 5 years. A pre-teen for a few years. A teenager for a few years. A  young-adult for a few years and then boom! They are gone. That really showed how it could pass so quickly and why everyone says that. Because you only get your child in each stage for so long and then they are in the next one.

Time to enjoy this next stage that I will have for 2 yearsish.

Heavenly Halibut...And Our Embarrassing Dinner Party

Halibut-
I had never tried it before, I think I'd heard about it but randomly Jay comes home one day with a couple frozen halibut fish from this guy at school who goes every summer and catches them in Alaska.


Well, I searched the web and found this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/heavenly-halibut/

I know, I know, not exactly the "healthiest" sauce recipe but oh boy it fit the name. It was heavenly. 
Jay and I raved about it and made it again the next night because it was soooo dang good.

Jay told the guy, Richard, about our recipe and how amazing it was and how awesome the fish was and turns out Richard just had some more halibut just sitting in his freezer. So Jay comes home with a little cooler filled with fish! We were ecstatic to say the least.

Jay, then invited Richard over for dinner so we could make him this heavenly halibut. Seemed like a nice thing to do. That is until I served him raw fish. Yes people. RAW halibut fish.

How did this happen you say?
I will tell you:

Let me just tell you something: I never worry about if my meals are going to turn out. I just know what to do and read the recipe and it's so easy for me to cook and get it right. My meals area always delicious (when I try) and I NEVER worry about it.

Well, I started worrying about it- I mean here's this guy who just gave us a bunch of food and what if I ruined it? What if we not only invited him over to share this meal but he saw it wasted?

Do you know how expensive halibut is?
I didn't know because I've never bought it before. It is PRIcey!

So I started worrying and ugh it was just aweful because who wants to be a stress case when someone comes over to eat?

Well, Richard comes over and we get the fish out and I start serving it to everyone and the first fish=perfect- slice right into MWAH! Flakey, just beautiful.

The second fish I try cutting and the spatula won't go through! What? This is in front of Richard too- he sees as I try to cut the flesh and it's completely RAW on the inside!

Awkward silence ensues.

I started a cold sweat and my mind started racing. Are we all going to die from eating this? Should I act like it's not a big deal? What if it IS a big deal?  It's not cooked. We are going to get sick and everyone's going to have to throw up and have diarrhea. Should I take it away and just not eat any of it? People eat sushi though- right- it's better than if it was raw hamburger right? The other fish is good- maybe it will be okay. This is sooooooooo embarrassing.

I just say lamely, "Don't eat the middle one- I guess something is wrong with it". Obviously everyone saw it was raw and that I must have cooked it not completely thawed out and they know it.

Well, that was last night so I am relieved to tell you we were and are okay. No sickness, no deaths but oh man was that a lesson for me.

I realized that I had taken the first 2 fish out of the freezer hours before the 3rd one- I had taken another one out later because I realized my sister was coming to dine with us and I wanted to make sure there was enough. Luckily, with the two that cooked there was enough and it was delicious but oh my that was atrocious  I am still so embarrassed but I'm glad I'm getting some practice with preparing meals for other people because I can't believe how much different it can be and I am much more appreciative of other people feeding me now! Ah! Can you believe that happened?!

Has anything like that ever happened to you?
I would love to hear your stories! It will make me feel better!!!

Thanks and much love!!!

11 Months! AH!!! No no no no no!!!

I guess I better post this before he turns 1!



I've been pretty chill with Grant getting older but why does 11 months make me think "1" and make this emotional response to gurgle in my stomach and threaten to pour out of my eyeballs?

This month was for sure video month and way less pictures and they are all really random- so is this post but I'm okay with that, I just have to put it out there.

Creepy Monkey--- brand new at DI---now I know why....evil laugh.

In this video he is acting fine with it but after I stopped recording he was bawling- it just wasn't meant to be his toy.

I am pretty sure he thinks it's a human baby and he's right to be freaked out by it's unnatural stillness and stare.

Now he's creeped out by monkeys in books with the wide-eyes like.

I'm a little freaked by it now, just knowing his response is so scared of it. it makes me scared of it....



Obsessed with the boom box. obsessed. I need to go to DI and get him his own!!! He lovvvvvves it and always points at it- every 5 seconds.

His favorite word?      
                  Ball.
And phone.
             "Bone"

And his favorite thing to do?
Dance!!!!

Choosing Feelings...In the Car

Sometimes I'm driving and there will be some random guy that pulls up and looks over all cool and nods like he's something else and eww and yuck right? You know what I'm talking about. And I'm married! Hello! I have a baby in the backseat!

Well, I was driving down to my parent's the other day and I pull up to a stop light and a construction truck pulls up to the right of me. I see him from the corner of my eye and know he's looking over at me. Don't look. Don't look- just ignore him and he'll soon be gone. It's just so awkward.
The light is taking years so I glance over- I just can't help it! And I'm ready to just kind of ignore/roll my eyes/throw him a dirty look? I actually don't know what I was planning on what I was going to do but I look and he's waving.
Ah! Hurry look away- shun him! I feel disgust and impatience and awkwardness and just really negative about this.

Then I realize something.

He's not waving at me- he's waving at the baby in the backseat.

In that moment, I realized that this man next to me wasn't being a creeper.
He was sharing joy.

He was in that moment, connecting souls with a little cute baby in the backseat.

He was just a person, possibly a father with a family

and wow,

in that moment I realized if I could just see that in everyone, all the time, MY life will be greater and I will FEEL happier. Just by choosing how I view others.

Cool.