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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

It was our first Thanksgiving away from family and we were lucky enough to have family come to us! Nephi's parents drove up from Idaho Falls and spent the week with us here in Denver. We went to IKEA, watched Christmas movies, cooked (well, I cooked), ate, looked at Christmas lights, and Marlo played hard.

She must have played a little too hard because she ended up getting sick - saddest thing I have ever seen! She got sick in January this year at 4 months old and was just rhaspy and stuffy but didn't act very sick. This time, she was lethargic, cuddly, stuffy, sleepy, and did I mention cuddly? It was a whole new baby and although it made us sad, we were happy to cash in on some overdue cuddles from that baby. She got to a temp of 100 so we did a luke warm bath (she hates baths now apparently), essential oils, humidifier, diffuser with essential oils, and kept her in blankets all day. It was really only a day before we started seeing improvements - we survived! She is just about 100% now but still has been giving us some cuddles so I think she sees the value in them now :)

Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but I think after doing all the cooking (besides the rolls) and all the dishes (Nephi helped a little bit) I don't know how I am going to cook anything this week. I am sure everyone feels the same way so I feel validated in my complaints. Also, we are ready for a major sugar detox! I ended up feeling a little sicky last night from all the junk food and lack of sleep from a sick baby so I stayed home from church with Marlo, took a long bath, drank lots of fluids, Nephi made turkey noodle soup (I made homemade turkey broth), and I am feeling better. Tomorrow will be rough though.

2015 Thanksgiving Menu:
Turkey - (18 lb. turkey that Nephi's parents got for free) Squeezed a fresh lemon over it, rubbed it with fresh rosemary butter and stuffed with onions, apples, rosemary, and lemons - I will repeat this every year!

Stuffing - I have never made homemade stuffing so I read through the basics of making it but made up my own recipe. I made homemade multigrain bread (dried it out in the oven), added italian sausage + ground beef, celery, onions, fresh parsley and fresh rosemary. It was SO good, but, next time I won't cook it as long in the crockpot.

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes 

Sweet Potato Souffle from @cleansimpleeats on Insa - SOOOO good and healthy (except I did rice krispy cereal with butter + brown sugar on top so that part wasn't so healthy)

Gravy (Nephi's specialty)

Connie's Rolls

Veggie Platter

Apple Crumble Pie (my Mom's recipe and SOOOO good and quick to make!)

Pumpkin Pie with the best crust

Also - for breakfast I made this banana pumpkin bread (minus the glaze) - can you tell I love this food blogger? She's my fav.






Nephi did such a great job carving the turkey! It was a big one - 18 pounds! But I am so happy to say that it did NOT burn and that we used the leftovers to make turkey broth (I ended up making 8 cups) and used that in our turkey noodle soup today. PS - If you aren't making broth with your leftover carcasses, you are missing out! I am a believer now. 


Got out the fancy dishes. We got this set for our wedding and it still looks great - timeless.


Fun group picture - thank goodness for self-timers on our iPhones! We loved having time with Boyd and Connie. 


This was Marlo pretty much all day on Friday. Whoever was holding her she was cuddling. 


It was weird to decorate a new space for Christmas (after being in out other place for 3 Christmases) but we are happy with how it turned out! We love our mini tree. I am so happy we don't have to haul a huge tree and store it with us wherever we go. And every year I get a few new ornaments and this year I found them in the dollar spot at Target! They are actually present tags - they are the perfect ornaments too for pretty cheap (they came 2 to a pack). So I'm using almost all my ornaments from the past 4 years and I have kept them matching and timeless colors and style to use for our future big tree OR just use it on this tree in a different part of the house. 


Drove to downtown to look at the light on all the buildings! This was our favorite one. When you come visit us (When I say you I mean my Mom because she is the only one that reads this) we will take you downtown and it will remind you of a mixture between San Fran and NYC - I love it.


My sweet sicky baby. Let's pray she doesn't wake us up a million times tonight...

Monday, November 23, 2015

Bunco Night

In Idaho Falls we used to have a group of girls that played bunco every month and it was my favorite! I loved the time I had to be around other women and loved the game - it's easy and literally anyone can play it and that's MY kind of game.

I got a few of the ladies I have met here (who I LOVE) to come play with me this week and it was a blast! We only ended up with 8 girls but we played anyway and I think everyone loved it. Hopefully we will be able to keep it up for a monthly or even every other month tradition!


I decided to do a waffle bar because I reeeeeaaaaallllly wanted to make some liege waffles after I had some legit ones in AZ. Not quite the same, but pretty close!



Toppings: PB, Nutella, Whipped Cream, Syrup, Buttermilk Syrup, Salted Caramel Sauce, Berries, Chocolate Chips, Sprinkles, and Cinnamon Sugar. 

The black paper is chalkboard wrapping paper from the dollar section at Target. I may never do a buffet any differently - it was perfect. 


And of course a blog entry from me wouldn't be complete without pictures of my Mina (new nickname, don't know where I came up with it but she responds to it now). 

We went and hung out with some friends on Friday night and had dessert and Marlo flirted with her friends Milo and Tyler - she loved it. I got these boots for her this summer and they *almost* fit! They make her look so old though! 



Snaps from Nephi are the best.


Went to Burger King with Daddy and loved it! All the workers kept coming up to her and giving her toys and the crown and couldn't get over how cute she is - that's my Mina!

Chelsea!

We had such a great long weekend because Chelsea came in town! We are still rookies here in Denver and haven't had a chance to see the sights (we've mostly been waiting for guests to come to go with them) and we had a chance to check out a few things with her.

Ate yummy donuts at "Beyond the Glaze"


Marlo slept in the Pack n' Play next to our bed and we brought her in bed with us for some early morning snuggles. 

Went to a Nuggets game! We ended up going on "Family Night" so our tickets included dinner and a drink. I think next time it's worth splurging a little more to not sit in the nose bleeds. Hiking up there is the WORST! But, it was a good game and the Nuggets won! 




Went to the Red Rocks! It is GORGEOUS! Chelsea and I zig-zagged and jogged the steps and then did some butt-kicks and climbed back up to the top. It was a great workout. 




Went to the capital so we could sit on the "ONE MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL" step. Downton Denver is AMAZING. And to top it off, it was a beautiful day so no snow and no jackets. 



We are so grateful that Chelsea took the time to visit. We are looking forward to her next visit in January - Marlo loves her Aunt Cha-See!


Sunday, November 8, 2015

Do We Look Alike?

Marlo and I were playing on the couch wrestling the other day and of course we got out the phone to send some SnapChats to Nama.


I looked at the picture and thought, "Do we look alike?" When she was first born everyone always said how much she looked like Nephi (it was the big eyes). But now that she is getting older, I feel like she is looking more like I did when I was a baby. 

Then there are days when I just look at her, look around at other people, and think, "I doubt anyone thinks this is MY baby". But witnesses of my baby pictures disagree. 

One thing we know for sure is that she is a daddy's girl! Nephi claims that he let her pick out her outfit and this is what she came up with. Although she does love her cat shoes (she brings them to us every time we are going out), I am not sure about the socks. 


Marlos is now 14 months! She is crazy active and never slows down. I have now had a handful of people comment to me about her energy and style. Are we "those people" now? Church is impossible. And that is saying A LOT coming from me. I used to be pretty harsh on those Moms and Dads roaming the hallways, on their phones, claiming that their kid couldn't sit still during sacrament. That is ME now. But, I did get my steps in on my FitBit - thanks babes! 

One thing our crazy church circus is good for is a hard nap afterwards - for baby and us. After only 5 minutes in the car, she was dead asleep with remnants of a granola bar (some wet with saliva) all over her car seat and eyes shut tightly. 




Sunday, November 1, 2015

Halloween 2015

Halloween was much more fun this year with Marlo being a year older. Although older, we still used her costume from last year and it was a hit! No one was dressed like her and she was adorable in it! We weren't planning on dressing up with her but we had a few change of plans so we decided to dress up at the last minute! I am glad we did because most of our friends did and we loved seeing everyone's costumes! I am ALL for family themed costumes. I know Marlo will have more of an opinion in the future but I am pretty sure we will make it work each year ;) Bless my Mother who let me dress up as a "dead rollerblader" for like 3 years in a row - may Marlo never be as stubborn! 



We went to a Halloween party with all our friends! There were about 50 people there and all the kids were dressed up so cute!

This picture KILLS me! The party was during her naptime and I think at this point she was pretty much DONE. We left right after this picture haha.



We also went to the library with our friends for a little Halloween party there. Any excuse to use this costume! 


It's finally getting cold in Denver! It was a huge shock when we got back from AZ but it is so beautiful! Swing time is coming to a close so we are trying to get it in as much as we can. 


Thank you, Pinterest + Hobby Lobby! Went out on Saturday morning, spent $13, and we put together these hats. Nephi did most of the work and I was so impressed! All the kids at the party LOVED it! They kept calling Marlo our "baby duck". We ended up giving our hats to my friends little girls to add to their dress-up outfits - glad it's going to good use!! 


We didn't trick-or-treat with Marlo this year because it made me feel guilty?! I felt like if we took candy, all the parents would just stare at my hips and think, "Oh, we know where that candy is going!" Eek. I did let Marlo try a tootsie roll and she loved it! Next year, baby girl. 

Surprise Trip to AZ

Marlo and I took a last minute trip to AZ. The flights were cheap and we wanted to see family while we had a good chance and before things got too busy for us. We also went to spend time with my Dad who is not doing too well. He lights up when he sees Marlo and him and my Mom (and all my siblings) would do just about anything to see Marlo. No one knew we were coming except my parents so it was fun to surprise everyone!

We had an opportunity to buy Garth Brooks tickets off someone so we went for it! IT WAS AMAZING! I won't go into much detail, because I could go on and on, so talk to me about it in person, please? Because I want to tell you all about it - Ha! It was so nostaligic. We used to listen to him during on our summer vacations to Lake Powell and on all our family road trips. He is an amazing performer and so humble. I had a lot of friends go to his show in SLC as well and they all said it was the best concert they have been to - I agree! 

Marlo was SO good on all flights! On the way there she slept the whole time. On the way back she slept on the first flight but not the second. But, we had pretty empty flights so it worked. She sat and looked out the window. And she licked the window over and over and I didn't even stop her. Yeah - I am that cool of a Mom. 

The best part was, and I am writing this so I don't forget, when I got off the plane in Denver we were walking to baggage claim and a man who was on our flight walked next to us and said, "Your daughter did so well on the flight! She's the best baby I have ever seen in all my traveling. She is so beautiful." Wow! And then when we were leaving with Nephi after getting our luggage, we were just walking and talking and we walked by another guy and he kind of waved at us and said, "Hey, hey! Your daughter is so cute and such a good baby. I meant to tell you that on the flight but didn't get a chance. She is so cute!" Ha! So, good job Marlo. I guess it pays to just let your kid lick the window. 

Lots of cousin time! Marlo lights up when she sees Ava! And Ava is so sweet with her. Sure, she pushes her around sometimes, but I really think she does well with her and makes sure Marlo is always being good! :) And Colt! He is just THE SWEETEST babe. He is cooing and smiling and is so chill. He definitely has his Mama's personality! It was so fun spending so much time with him. He will be huge by the time I see him again! :( 

And of course, lots of Granddad time!!! I never see my Dad happier than when he is with his grandchildren. He is the best Granddad to them. Marlo was loving him this trip and would lean in to give him kisses without him even asking! I think she senses that he needs the love. 




Grandy time! He came into town the day after we did and I picked him up from the airport and about gave him a heart-attack! Ha! Marlo LOVES Grandy. She would run to him and put her arms up. She actually sat with him which she doesn't often do. 


Went to the AZ State Fair! It's been years since I have been and it was NOT as fun as the Eastern Idaho State Fair. The food was blah, too. But, we got in free because of a promotion they were having. ^^I love this picture of Marlo looking at the pig. He started snorting and it scared her. The video was so funny!






Took a little trip to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins! 


Made sugar cookies with royal icing and they turned out so good! It is SO time consuming but I am excited to have the skill so I can use it for parties and such. I got The Allison Cookie Party course for my birthday and it was so worth it! Such great tips!

I LOVED this trip to AZ because I got to see Emily AND Maddie! They are my very best friends from High School. I usually get to see Emily every time I go to AZ but I haven't seen Maddie in almost 5 years! It was so fun to catch up and "brunch". Maddie teased that we are finally old and rich enough to brunch - HA! I said, yes we are old enough but I am not rich enough! But really, it was so wonderful to see them and we sat there for 5 hours chatting about old times and new changes in our lives. Grateful for such great friends that we can just pick up where we left off.


I am so glad we got to make the quick trip. Every time I see my family I usually have a detox a day or two after I leave and stay in bed and just super lazy and this trip was no different. Poor Nephi has to deal with my quick depression, haha. I just need things to look forward to and after a trip it always feels so far away! But Chelsea is coming in 2 weeks and then we get to see the Guymon's at Christmas!