The Capell Family

It's been to long

2015-08-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

It has been way to long since I have blogged, so be looking forward to being slammed with updates. Just a little update, we are living in South Carolina. Eric got into graduate school at South Carolina State for speech pathology. It is a 2 year program, so who knows where we will be in 2 years. Walker will be going to preschool and I will be working part time at a school. Julian is going to be three this month and is so happy that he will be getting a present.

Walker is 4

2014-12-28T18:18:00.002-08:00

I can't believe it has been four years since Walker has been born. Time does fly!!! We celebrated his birthday the Saturday before Christmas. We decorated with some Thomas the Train decorations that I found for free. While decorating Walker comes out of his room and was so happy to see everything. He was like "mama is this for Jesus, for his birthday?" Love that kid, we had been talking about whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas, but when I told him that it was just for him he was so excited.

He chose pizza for his birthday dinner and we did root beer floats for dessert. He loved all the gifts that he was given and still likes to play with them.

October

2014-11-06T19:01:00.002-08:00

The boys were still enjoying ice cream outside at the beginning of the month.

We went to a pumpkin patch farm. So much fun. Thanks for the tickets Ashley! I was thinking it was going to be some rinky dink thing but it was so much fun and so many free things to do.

Halloween. I am not much of a Halloween person, but for the boys I guess I can get into. At the last minute we decided to dress the boys up, but I can't see spending money on buying a costume, so I made them one. Walker was Jake and Julian was Cubby from "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". We went to a friends/family Halloween party, painted pumpkins at home and on Halloween we went to Olive Garden because the boys at free and took the to the mall. Probably won't do the mall thing again. It just took the fun out of, but they didn't care.

September

2014-11-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

This month, we played in the rain, destroyed the apartment day after day and went on a fun little day hike to Dripping Springs,

AUGUST

2014-11-05T21:52:00.003-08:00

Lets see what did we do,
We went to the El Paso Zoo

Eric and I also celebrated out 8 year anniversary. We went to my parents so Eric and I could get away for a few nights and get some much needed sleep and relaxation. We went to Shreveport, LA.

Julian turned two. We had a small little gathering at my parents. We went to a fantastic splash pad and enjoyed a dinner at my parents with fruity pebble rice crispy treats for dessert. Julian enjoyed every toy he got and didn't mind Walker helping him open his presents.

On our way back we were able to meet up with my brother and do some fun things. We went to a children's museum, a Mexican restaurant (YUMMY) and a park that was built over a freeway.

June-July 4th

2014-07-14T20:39:00.001-07:00

Walker is finally night potty trained. All it took was for him to get a big ball. So the deal was that if he had no accidents for 5 days he got to go to the store and pick out any big ball. Taaadahhh

We went to the cherry festival up in the mountains. Really good cherry pie but not worth the drive in my opinion. We were expecting something more like "Apple Hill" in California. But still good pie.

California! We went camping and hung out with family and friends.

Lemon Rice Krispies

2014-06-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness we made these today for fathers day and they were really good. I'm not sure if the cake mix for this is really needed, so next time I'll try it without and tell you about it. We also used a gluten free yellow cake mix and allergy friendly butter. From personal experience rice krispies taste way better with real butter. I promise you it makes a difference.

click here for the recipe

Food Allergies

2014-06-09T09:10:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about how far Julian has come in just 7+ months. We have come a long way since October 2013. His first year of life was a difficult life for me and on our family/marriage. It's true if mommy ain't happy, nobody is. Looking back on it I probably should of been on medication. It was really hard to deal with all the screaming and itching all day long. Especially knowing everything that you are trying isn't working. I would have to put him in his crib because I just couldn't deal with it some times.

I am so glad I finally didn't listen to the doctor who kept on insisting that it wasn't food allergies. And in all honesty I want to blame the doctor but I do understand that it is all the rage now to have allergies. And his philosophy on things just didn't match mine and how I felt so we changed doctors. I am so glad I went with my gut and demanded to have him tested. Our life has been so much better. Once we cut everything out he pooped like 7 times a day for about 5 days and then he started to put on weight quickly. It can be hard sometimes when Julian sees other kids eating things and he can't have them, but that is just a fact of life. Our next challenge is traveling to California and being around an uncontrolled environment. Here's to Benadryl! :)

He is a happy kid now. He still screams and throws fits but in the normal way an almost 2 year old would. He sprawls out on the ground and puts his face in the ground. He is a little more feisty than I would like but that's him and I love it. He loves to put underwear on his head and give lots of hugs.

May

2014-06-06T14:13:00.001-07:00

It seems that all our months are eventful or at least to me.

This is Julian's very first sandwich! I had to take a picture because it was such a big deal to find a gluten free and vegan free bread.

We love our zoo membership. We have definitely already gotten our money back. The boys love going and having a park and splash pad inside really helps.

Julian gets quite time in the morning daily. He stays in his crib with some milk and toys. I come in to get him and he looking all Rambo like. That toy isn't allowed in his crib anymore. Julian seriously has one of the best personalities ever.

Ok remember that picture of him eating his yummy sandwich? We'll this is what happened when he ate a piece of Walkers bread one day by accident. This is just from one tiny piece. Full blown break out on his stomach. I think one of his food allergies has gotten worse.

I guess they do love each other.

We did some camping at City of Rocks. It was so much fun. We waited out a storm in our tent. Walker freaked out over the wind because it was blowing everything around. Ate hot dogs, slide/hiked some rocks, and just had some good o family fun.

Seriously best idea ever. Watched a movie for a little bit and then turned it off and they went right to bed.

The next morning we woke up to the most annoying bird ever. To top it off, Julian kept on saying "bird" over and over and over and over. Walker finally shushed him and told him that he was tired and wanted to go to bed. By that point it was done we were all up.

Eric is 32! We had homemade hamburgers and fries and a large rice crispy treat for his cake. For the activity we all went to the aquatic center and had a blast going down slides, floating the lazy river and playing in the kid area.

With it being 100+ in weather it is time to whip out those popsicles.

We are definitely loving life.

April

2014-05-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

April was a busy month for us. We ended up getting a new to us but used car that we absolutely love!! We got the car from the town I grew up in, so while there we also went to the Tyler zoo.

Julian really loved the goats, he even kissed on. He is such an animal lover. Walker wouldn't even go in.

Walker wanted to stand on every ledge so he could get a better view of the animals.

Probably the highlight for Walker was feeding the fish. He loved it so much that he would walk up to strangers and hold his hand out to get more fish food.

Another favorite was the play area. They had tractors, cars and cement tunnels to crawls through. Oh and sand!

Our car that we love. The A/C is fantastic!

My mom rode back with me. So we took advantage and Eric and I went camping up in Glenwood, NM.

Nana and Pa did a little Easter egg hunt with boys. Walker just wanted to through the fruit snacks and Julian just wanted to stuff his face.

March doings

2014-04-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is proof Walker is from another planet. He eats raw broccoli!?!?

Julian's first day for nursery! He was such a champ and loved it.

Humm...Walker being Walker. He's first Sunday to wear a button shirt. It helps that he wants to be like little brother sometimes.

Down at the Rio Grande. It's not so grande but Julian's fall in the mud was. hehe

Sticks and water, what can be better for two little boys.

Julian got 4 stiches, poor baby.

Hiding from me so I can't take their picture.

El Paso Zoo

loving daddy!

Thoughts

2014-04-03T12:48:00.001-07:00

There a few things that have been bothering me lately and I feel like I need to share them because it might help someone or just me.

I have had a few people say some things to me about my kids on more than one occasion at church. But let me give a little back story. Unfortunately I have to attend church by myself with the 2 boys because of Eric's work schedule. On top of that we also have to walk to church because we have been down to one car, and everyone knows we walk to church. It was stressful at first trying to get there on time but I honestly don't mind walking, I really enjoy it and plan on doing it once we get another car pretty soon.

Here are the two main comments of the many (and I mean many) that people have said to me or to the people behind me that bother the most...
1. why are your kids so bad
2. her kids are like that because she is a stay at home mom.

Ok, lets address the first one. Number one, never, and I mean never say that to a mom or to a dad for that matter. It is rude and you have no idea what's going on. Secondly, my kids are not bad. They are a typical whatever age they were at that time. Yes they may annoy you, just like your kids might annoy me sometimes but they are kids and I don't expect mine to be perfect during sacrament meeting when it is two against one, really come on. Thirdly, seriously just don't say that.

"Her kids are like that because she is a stay at home," really what does that even mean. People this is the one that bothers me the most. This was said by people sitting behind me at church, at least you could have whispered it. So what if my kids want to be with there mom and don't want to go to class or don't want to go to you. My kids love there mama and might even be mama boys right now. I still don't get that comment. Is being a stay at home mom not something to be commended for? I totally believe in the "Family Proclamation" and that it was divinely written. Our church leaders and Father in Heaven are fully aware of the attack on the family. I am grateful I am a stay at home and I hated it when I had to work in Wyoming and send Walker over to a friends house (she was fantastic, I do have to give here credit). There is no better job in the world than to be able to be at home with your kids and give them love and nurture they need. Also, going along with this I have also had people tell me to put Walker into daycare/childcare/preschool ( I don't know what to call it ). I have my own opinions about that as well but will keep them to myself so I don't offend anyone because things read can be taken out of context.

When most of the comments where being said to me I was really struggling with going to church because of all the stress that came with it. If it wasn't for some answered prayers I know I wouldn't be going every Sunday like I need to. I hate to admit that but it is true. I was already feeling like why am I even bothering to go and then to get rude comments on top of it was not helping. I don't think my testimony had been strengthen in pray so much until this happened. I am so grateful for my testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ and that I am blessed to have a growing testimony of it.

There were/are some encouraging ladies and they do deserve credit and they have been given credit because I have told them that they were an answer to my prayers, because it came at the brink of my breaking point.

If you are experiencing something like this please don't give up. Put yourself out there a find a friend. The blessings that come from attending your church meetings out weighs the stress you are going through.

Lastly, it is hard to attend church without a spouse. Please give them encouraging words or offer to help. I was in a ward once where someone made a rude comment to a single mom who brought her two young kids with her and she never came back to church. Lets be loving, compassionate and encouraging.

***this is not a cry for help, we are doing great and I have a great support system***

(after some comments and e-mails I feel that I should add, that this stuff has pretty much already stopped and it's not going to stop me from going to church, It has happened some what recently but for some reason the past few days I just can't stop thinking about. I have a strong testimony in the gospel, Satan just tries to get you in your weakest moments, sorry dude you lost. :) Also after some of the e-mails I have received I am not the only one that has experienced this so please seek those out that need a friend, you might be the one to keep them coming. )

Jan and Feb.

2014-03-21T19:28:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it we are almost into April!!! As a kid time seemed to drag on forever and now, well I can't get it to drag and some days I wish it would (but still there are days where I feel like it doesn't move fast enough).

Anyways, Things from Jan. and Feb.

JANUARY

city of rocks

Julian is into putting pants and underwear on his head.

FEBRUARY

shaving cream + buried cars= confusion

san larenzo canyon

walker pointing out horse poop to julian

seriously this kid points out poop every time we go on walks.

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

2014-03-07T12:03:00.003-08:00

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2-4 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (it’s safest to thaw them first before placing in the slow cooker, although I usually add them frozen)
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.

**It is very important that you use MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn’t flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

***freezes well***

Fish Tacos with Peach Apricot Salsa

2014-03-06T20:40:00.002-08:00

Ingredients

PEACH APRICOT SALSA

1 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches
3/4 cup seeded, chopped cucumber
1/3 cup chopped red pepper
3 tablespoons sliced green onion
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons Smucker's® Orchard's Finest® Coastal Valley Peach Apricot Preserves
1 teaspoon chopped chipotle pepper, or to taste

SOUR CREAM SAUCE

1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon adobo all purpose seasoning

FISH TACOS

1 pound firm white fish, such as cod, tilapia, haddock or pollock
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and pepper
Adobo all purpose seasoning
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nappa cabbage
Lime wedges

Directions

STIR together chopped peaches, cucumbers, red pepper, green onion, cilantro, lime juice, preserves and chipotle pepper in medium bowl. Stir together sour cream, cumin, lime juice and seasoning in small bowl.
HEAT grill to medium high heat. Brush remaining lime juice over fish. Season with salt, pepper and seasoning. Grill 5 to 6 minutes or until just cooked through.
HEAT tortillas in skillet or on griddle about 30 seconds or until soft and hot, turning several times. Place on serving plate. Divide fish evenly and place on each tortilla. Top with a dollop of sour cream mixture, cabbage slices and Peach Apricot Salsa. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

***we didn't use the adobo all purpose seasoning, we baked the fish and we also shredded the fish once it was cooked.***

Spiced Pork

2014-03-06T20:33:00.001-08:00

	1 pork butt roast from 3 to 4 pounds
	1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
	1 Tbsp. chili powder
	2 tsp. pepper
	2 tsp. cumin
	2 tsp. coriander
	2 tsp. paprika
	1 tsp. all spice
	1/2 tsp. salt
	2 cloves garlic minced
	1 1/2 cups Heinz® Tomato Ketchup
	1 cup Heinz® Apple Cider Vinegar
	1/2 cup molasses
	1/3 cup Heinz® Yellow Mustard
	2 tsp. cornstarch
	soft rolls Preparation Remove all string from the roast and trim away excess fat. Blend oil, chili powder, pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, allspice, salt, and garlic to make a paste. Rub all over the pork, working the spice mixture into the meat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the roast to a crock pot. Blend the Ketchup with the vinegar, molasses, and mustard. Pour mixture over the roast and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until very tender. Transfer the roast to a large bowl; discard any visible fat. Use two forks to separate the meat into long strands. Cover bowl and keep warm. Remove cooking juices and strain. Place juices in a saucepan; whisk in the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling. Place shredded meat and sauce back into crock pot to keep warm. Serve the meat on soft rolls. **we also make other things (stir fry, tacos, etc.) with the meat and it freezes well**

Three Fruit Marmalade Chicken

2014-02-25T20:08:00.002-08:00

We had this today for dinner and it was really good.

2 tbsp. of oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
3/4 cup smucker three fruit marmalade
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. orange juice

Salt and pepper the chicken and pan sear the chicken until it is cooked in the oil.

We cook the chicken on the stove on each side for 3-4 minutes each and then place it in a pre-heated oven at 350 for at least 10 minutes.

Once chicken in cooked remove it from pan and drain the excess stuff out and add all the other ingredients (leaving the chicken out). Bring the ingredients to a simmer and then add the chicken back in. Continue simmering, turning the chicken from time to time, until the sauce reduces and thickens around the chicken, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with some sauce on it.

***This was super easy. If you don't have orange juice I don't think it really needs it or makes a difference. I also didn't use chicken stock because Julian can't have store bought so I just made 1 cup water with 1 tbsp. butter and just halved it. I also thinned out my chicken to make more pieces***

2013 recap

2014-01-18T18:09:00.001-08:00

For 2013 I wanted to start appreciating living in New Mexico. To be honest I was kinda a party pooper when we first got here. Considering we moved here when I was 8 months pregnant, in the middle of summer, living in a swamp cooler townhome, away from family and friends.

This place has more to offer than I could imagine. from brown dessert environments to green mountainous ones. I am so glad that we tried to do something each month as a family. We made a limit that we wouldn't travel more then 3 hours away, we'll because that how long it takes to get to ABQ. We had a blast going to all of these places and creating wonderful memories that the kids will never remember but we did grow closer together as a family.

WARNING: it's a long one.

A recap of 2013

January: White Sands and Ruidoso

February: ABQ zoo and temple

March: ABQ aquarium and botanical gardens

April: City of Rocks

May: El Paso Zoo

June: Yosemite National Park

July: Potty training and moving

August: Camping at the Gila Cliff Dwellings

September: Stayed around the house and hit up the parks probably everyday.

October: Southern NM State Fair,

Cloudcroft, NM

Ward Halloween Party

November: Parks, Parks, Parks and snow.

December: A visit to my parents

Traveling with kids

2014-01-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

I recently made a long journey across the state of Texas with my two kiddos by myself that took I swear like 16 hours. Here are 10 things I learned from that trip that some of you might benefit from.

1. Expect the worse, so if things are better you think your kids are doing fantastic and if they are going crazy you have already mentally prepared for it.

2. Every stop will take f..o...r...e...v...e...r!!!! Especially if they are potty trained/training, I swear Walker took 30 minutes to poop (or at least that's how long it felt)

3. Stopping on the side of the road is a time saver if your kids just need to pee or even if you need to.

4. If you want to be nice plan to make a million stops or be like me and schedule stops every so many hours and make them wait (they'll live, I promise).

5. A portable dvd player is a must, and I must warn you, you might end up hearing the same darn movie over and over, until you eventually tell them that it's broken and they have to pick a new one.

6. If they are being quite, do not and I repeat do not turn around and make eye contact or that nice relaxing quite time will be over.

7. A cleaning caddy is a nice way to put toys snugged nicely between two car seats and will keep you from constantly turning around to give them something..

8. Make sure you have their favorite blanket or animal.

9. You don't sleep well in the car so don't expect your kids to either.

10. Bring an extra towel incase one of them decides to throw up. and you have to use their favorite blanket to clean it up. Also if you have kids that like to return everything they have eaten plus more, make sure you have extra clothes easily accessible.

November

2013-12-06T22:08:00.002-08:00

November was filled with

1. cold weather, so we had to stay indoors

2. sick of being indoors and so we were busted out and went to the park

3.Thanksgiving

4. Getting into things

5.Making messes

I am so happy now that Julian can make normal messes. I love that he can get into the pantry now and make a mess. I love that he goes off and gets into the cupboards and climbs in them. Yes its annoying to clean up but so much better than all the screaming he use to do.

This was our Thanksgiving! Nice sandwiches! Best idea ever!

Gluten, dairy, soy and egg free brownies and ohh were they good. Nice and fudgy the way I like them. So good people.

October

2013-11-13T19:35:00.002-08:00

This month we went to the Southern New Mexico State Fair. To be honest it was nothing compared to the California State Fair. Kinda of disappointed in it but that's ok we still made the best of things.

at the state fair

Julian being a cute happy boy!

Our family outing for the month was to Cloudcroft. It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Las Cruces, but so worth it! We happened to go on a day that the parks were closed due to budget cuts so we had to hike our way in, there was no way we were turning around and going home after we just got there. We took a lunch because the forecast said it would be 60 and sunny, maybe more like 50 and windy. Oh well! Because of the budget stuff we took the long way to the trail that we were wanting to do, so the hike ended up being 3-4 hours. The boys did fantastic. I am so glad Walkers name fits him because this kid can walk for ever and ever. Julian just loved being snuggled and carried, and pointing all the trees.

Walker drug so many sticks along the way.

Love this picture of them. We went at the perfect time of year.

poser

Allergy Test Results

2013-10-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

HIGH: peanuts and cows milk
MODERATE: soybean and egg whites
LOW: wheat and sesame seeds

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say. I new about cows milk but was starting to wonder about soy and eggs. But all I can say is WOW. Soy is practically in everything, even in some spices.

Hopefully he'll outgrow most if not all of these/

Tired

2013-10-02T09:27:00.001-07:00

I thought Walker was a fussy baby for the first few months of his life. I would redo him in a heart beat. Julian has been so unhappy for the past few months. This poor kid has so many things going on with him...just to name a few...

getting in more front teeth
getting in his molars
walker attacking him constantly
rashes galore (right now he has one all over his body)
reflux has come back
trying to walk
diarrhea
every month he is congested
and all of the other joys of being a one year old

I love this kid, he is very sweet and loves to be cuddled but when he has his days/weeks it can be very exhausting. I am hoping the allergy test that we just had done will give us some answers. They tested for food and environmental since they were already going to be drawing blood.

Get Healthy

2013-09-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

I am restarting the 17 diet on Tuesday. If anyone would like to do it with me I can send you what you need to know. For me it's a great way to get my body feeling better.

I have been working hard this year to lose weight and getting healthy emotionally/physically/spiritually. Yes I have lost weight, no I haven't been perfect at doing all this, I haven't reached my goal weight yet but I keep trying, and that is what is important. I have personally found that when I eat right, try to get enough sleep, do family scripture time, make sure the hubby is happy, and do something for myself; I don't eat near as much junk and I feel way better.

This year I have taken a whole different approach to getting healthy than I have in the past. I have been focusing on long-term reasons why I want to get healthy.

I want to be healthy (some of the top reasons):

so when my kids are older we can go on hikes
because I know I feel better physically
because I am a better mom
because I feel closer to my Savior (I really feel that there is a connection between the way we feel about our self and our relationship with our Savior)

I would like to challenge my readers to find something that they can do to make their life a little healthier. For the next little while I am going to be focusing on my diet, because my body has been aching lately. But here are some of my advice on making changes: (1)Don't try to make big changes because lets be honest they don't work. (2)Everyone makes mistakes, so if you mess up move on, (3)Make sure it is realistic with what is going on in your life right now because you want to be successful, (4)Reward yourself with a non-food item (5)Remember you are always doing a good job!

Some ideas I have thought of for myself and family to make us healthier is to:

plan our meals for the week
make time for the hubby
read conference talks (always makes me feel better)
limit tv/internet time to maybe when the kids are in bed
get out and go on walks
go to bed at a reasonable time

I am sure this list can go on and feel free to share your thoughts.

He's one

2013-08-30T13:01:00.001-07:00

I can not believe this was me a year ago!

The joys of being induced, you can get a cute before picture.

He went from this cute little angle that loved to be swaddled to...

THIS!!

A one year old that loves to:

eat graham crackers, fruits and veggies

bother/love on Walker

cuddle

be held

crawl and pull up on things

swim

sleep

play with his blanket

We had a little party while my parents were here. We had dairy free cake and lots of new toys. What could be better right!

While we are singing happy birthday to Julian, Walker was sneaking licks of icing.

Julian loving his almond milk, you would of thought this kid died and went to heaven. He loved it!!!

Present time. This kid scored on some amazing toys.

But this is what he ended up doing!

And then with some redirection he went back to the toys.

Julian is a perfect addition to our growing family. He's such a happy kid when he isn't scratching himself all the time. We love you Juice Juice.

The story behind "Juice": Walker for some reason from day one called him Juice and with Eric's reinforcement he still calls him that. I call him Julian and I try to get Walker to, but I guess he's just Juice.

The Capell Family

It's been to long

Walker is 4

October

September

AUGUST

June-July 4th

Lemon Rice Krispies

Food Allergies

May

April

March doings

Thoughts

Jan and Feb.

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

Fish Tacos with Peach Apricot Salsa

Ingredients

Directions

Spiced Pork

Preparation

Three Fruit Marmalade Chicken

2013 recap

Traveling with kids

November

October

Allergy Test Results

Tired

Get Healthy

He's one