Twenty Seven

So I had 27 items in the 20 items or less line at a very crowded local retailer. Disclaimer, I thought I had about 20...27 really is pushing it. The cashier is checking out the person in front of me and looks in my direction and asks me if I have 20 items. I do a quick glancing count and come up with 18 so I say yes. Feeling on the spot and a bit chastised I start doing a more thorough count and realize I have a few more than 20. The woman behind me was very nice and said she didn't know why the cashier even asked me.
I feel a bit like Kathleen Kelly, put on the spot for being in a line that she shouldn't be. Maybe I should have pulled a Joe Fox and wished the checker a Happy New Year. At least I didn't have customers behind me telling me to get in another line, jeez!
Anyway, so I'm up and I tell the cashier that I realized I do have more than 20 and am sorry. She said that's okay, that people have come through with 45 or 50 items. Well, I can understand that someone has to enforce those "rules" but don't make me feel like an idiot. Maybe Cathy, next time someone comes through your line with a few more than 20 items let them know that they should be aware of how many items they have because it's not fair to the other customers in line.

Nikon, Youkon, We All Can Nikon

Let's hope my new camera is easier to use than the title of this post is to say! I am so excited for this progression in our family's photos. We wanted to make good use of a Dell gift card that was soon expiring. The manual makes this camera appear very user friendly, let's hope!

Nursemaid's Elbow

Some mistakes you make only once, hopefully...

like parking your manual vehicle and not putting the parking brake on, it tends not to be where you left it (did I mention I did that a few months ago?...oh, I didn't did I...yeah, there's a reason for that lol)

or changing up a beloved chicken noodle recipe by making entirely wheat noodles and adding some minced garlic...Kirk chose to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of soup leftovers for lunch the next day, ouch

and pulling your child up by their wrist from sitting to standing, it could cause their annular ligament to get forced out of place causing immense pain until undergoing some manipulation. The short story is this happened to Bruce tonight. After a period of time and some research we called into our pediatrician's office and were advised by the on-call doctor to take him to urgent care because it did, in fact, sound like Nursemaid's Elbow (when I asked Kirk why it was called this he said, "...because the nursemaid would always pick up the kid by the elbow because it ain't her child"...mean old nursemaids! haha) We got in to see the doctor, he tried the rotating trick once. After a few minutes we could tell his arm was a bit better, but definitely not back to normal which is supposed to happen quite rapidly. The doctor came back a bit later and tried it again and that time worked like a charm. He felt the tell-tale click and we immediately saw a positive response. Throughout this evening we've felt a strong wish that any pain of our poor lil fellar was experiencing would be transferred to ourselves....my mind immediately turned to the Savior and Heavenly Father. How selfishly grateful I am to have the experience of being a parent. What a smoothing and polishing I am undertaking!

Forced Vacation

On November 10th K was laid off from his job. This came as a surprise and yet not. His beloved company had to discontinue his employment due to the bad economy and little work. I was out shopping when K came home early in the day. I saw that he was calling my cell, but couldn't answer because I was in line checking out. I felt horrible when he told me he had been laid off and asked why I wasn't home (to be of comfort and assistance). No time for laziness or moping, K got to calling different contacts. Two interviews with local companies occurred during the week. By the following week K had received offers from each. Both would have been exactly what K wanted to do and were good opportunities. So, long story short....the Lord really blessed us. We took an extended Thanksgiving vacation to Mississippi, K now has work to keep him busy, and he feels that this is a great change for his career.

Update: K started his new job on Monday and is busy working on a project already.

Cafe Rio Recipes

Need I say more?

Trippin on 11/2

My trip went like this...

Purchased goods totaling $39.45
- $37.22 in Coupons and Extra Bucks used
= $2.23 spent to get 4 Colgate toothpastes, 2 Pampers 34 count Diapers, 1 Deodorant

$8.49 Extra Care Bucks earned for future purchases

Not bad for a week's work!

Do Your Best...

...the Cub Scout motto. I've been recently called as a Webelos Assistant. I'm both excited and nervous. This is a great opportunity to learn about a program that I hope Bruce will enjoy in the years to come. It's a weekly calling that leaves me free on Sundays to take care of Bruce and attempt to participate in a lesson.

Halloween

After a stressful week I can finally say "Happy Halloween" with ease. Bruce and Kirk's costumes were sewn Wednesday and Thursday, finishing just in time for our ward Trunk-or-Treat. We were pleasantly surprised that Bruce kept his hood and hat on the whole time. Kirk participated in his company costume contest. Sadly he did not place, but at least he got to bring his claymore to work.

First Family Photo

I've been waiting for this for some time....sooo excited to have some family pictures now! And fantastic ones at that thanks to the talented Meredith Rowley, she's the answer to all your family photo needs, lol. Bruce was such a stinker. Try getting him to sit still AND smile, riiiiight. Oh, you may need to scroll down a bit on Meredith's Photo Blog.

Trippin

I've jumped on the CVS couponing bandwagon! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this I'll summarize...
- each week CVS has sale items that give you Extra Care Bucks (dollar off coupons good for your next purchase)
- the idea is that you combine these Extra Care Bucks and coupons to make your purchase items free, almost free, or money makers
- you initially have to spend a bit to build up Extra Care Bucks, but you'll ideally be using only these to pay for future purchases

My first trip went like this...

Spent $63.26
- $17 in Coupons = $46.26
- $20 Extra Care Bucks earned = $26.26

I bought 2 packages of 30 count Huggies Diapers, 2 Johnsons Baby Wash and 1 Shampoo, 1 package of Always, 1 Listerine Mouthwash, 1 Listerine Whitening Pen, 1 Family Size Herbal Essences Shampoo and 1 Family Size Conditioner, 1 Gerber Veggie Crackers.

On this first trip I wanted to spend money on items we would actually use. So I shelled out almost $50, but have a credit of $20 for my next shopping trip. I'll make sure those purchases are earning Extra Care Bucks so I shouldn't be spending more than a few dollars if any in the future. Here's to saving some money!

Mormon Battalion Rocks

Well yeah, just sharing the love...check it!

Recent Developments

It has been fascinating watching Bruce learn new things. He knows how to open doors (our handles are the newer long handles) so we've had to shuffle a few things around to keep him safe. This clip is from one of the first few times he started opening our kitchen closet door, which previously had been barred from him. It's long...it may be something only Bruce's mom can appreciate, but here it is. I guess I'm taking care of my promise to Carrie to post a video of him walking...muahaha. I love how he runs a few steps away when he gets it open...he knows that was somewhere we didn't really want him to be.

He twirls around. This began a few weeks ago. I was shocked when I saw him do it the first time. It really made me wonder where he picked it up from...crazy kid! Today for lunch I had soup. It was too hot to eat so I was blowing on it. Now Bruce is blowing on his food. He is starting to be a bit cuddly when he wakes up. He'll tuck his little arms in and lay his head on my chest. It's really quite dear. Also, if a blanket is on the floor he'll lay down on it and do the same thing for just a few seconds, tucking his arms under his body. And probably not the last thing he'll learn from us that we wish he hadn't...he laughs at all burps and toots. Apparently they are very funny. What a fun little guy he's turning out to be!

Photo Shoot

Every Christmas, Kirk's company sends out holiday greetings to their clients. Last year, all the principles in the company shared a recipe. They put each of them on a cute card with their photo in the kitchen and the recipe. This year they highlighted 10 ways to use a paper bag. He was asked to participate in this. As you can see, this particular idea is origami. I appreciate that Kirk enjoys his job. He coordinates company outings and socials, participates in a drafting committee, and has most recently presented information on new software he is testing for his group.

Birthday Goodness

I love to see the temple...

and now I can everyday if I want...well, sort of! We're getting a temple in the Kansas City area, wahoo! This is really wonderful news.

What every one year old wants?

Bruce's big one is coming up soon. A special day is in the works, but we're just wondering what to get the little guy. Anybody have any recommendations that a walker who puts everything in this mouth would enjoy?

Umm...Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a great day! We found a new Asian restaurant, Tannah's, that we ate lunch at. I love love love Asian cuisine! I still have some shopping to do. After a light dinner I made Kirk amass a ton of candles in a peanut butter playground cake from Coldstone and sing to me. And maybe most exciting *putsongeekyglasses* I finally earned enough reputation to buy my 70 hunter a Talbuk mount in World of Warcraft.

Welcome to Homely Family

So you're wondering about the title of this entry....Kirk's family would begin their weekly Family Home Evenings with that greeting. Tonight included some hangman, Kirk guessed pretty quickly...spoiled all my fun (I think the thought and scripture gave it away), some singing of "Rise Up, O Men of God" (can't say that I've sung that before), and some scripture chasing.

Our activity, in an effort to emphasize that the most important occupation for a man to be is to be a "priesthood man", was pantomiming occupations. To add a bit of a twist and to involve Bruce, he became our prop. Bruce was a drill hammer, Santa's bag, a grocery item, and a guitar. He loved it and well, we were amused too!

Ethnically Enriched

I seem to be a festival junkie...it doesn't help that Kansas City hosts an abundance of these. Our latest (which was a few weeks ago, bad blogger!) was the Enrichment Festival held at Swope Park. Basically we were ethnically fed. We tried out food from Israel (falafel), France (crepes), Vietnam (zhenzhu drink), and Indonesia (pumpkin drink). Apparently the zhenzhu drink brought back some memories for Kirk from serving in Taiwan. They call a lot of the drinks teas, but some have tea in them and some don't. He said it was a real struggle in the beginning being in Taiwan figuring out which of the 'teas' had tea in it or not.

Update

I feel like I haven't blogged for a really, really long time....oh wait, I haven't! Okay, so here's what's been going on...

Anniversary
Kirk and I celebrated our four year anniversary on the 16th. It was celebrated in little ways all week long. Lisa was staying with us on Monday so she booted me out the door to go have lunch with Kirk. We went to Bo Ling's. It doesn't matter, anniversary or Valentine's Day, Chinese is our traditional meal out together. Guess it sort of started when he proposed, we had take out...he switched out my fortune in the fortune cookie to say "Stand Up Now", he got down on his knee, it was special. Kirk brought me flowers on Wednesday, our anniversary. On Saturday, we got a babysitter and saw The Dark Knight. We're not into extravagant gifts so this week was perfect!

Haircut
Kirk was getting a haircut so we took care of Bruce's as well. Kirk trimmed him up and did a good job.

Dragon Boat Festival
We ventured to the Plaza on Saturday to experience the Dragon Boat Festival. Unfortunately, the boat races were canceled but we chowed down on some Zong Zi (rice dumplings stuffed with pork and another stuffed with red beans). We stopped off at The Cheesecake Factory before heading home.

Walking
Bruce has really gotten confident in his cruising. So much that I would say he is walking. Not consistently, but taking unaided steps!

Day at the Farm
We enjoyed walking around DeAnna Rose Farmstead. Can one get enough of this place? I'm not so sure. It will only get more enjoyable as Bruce becomes more aware of the animals. Love it!

Nine Months

We always thought he was advanced for his age, but now we're sure (see above, Bruce is getting ready to read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking). Haha, it wasn't until a few minutes ago while editing this photo that I realized this shot actually captured him pulling that book out. His dad would be proud. Bruce provides us with plenty of opportunities to rearrange our books as he is pulling them out daily.

Some things Bruce is doing now...pulling himself up and cruising around, is on a decent schedule sleeping at 8:00 till 7:00ish and napping at 9:00, 1:00, and 5:00, still breastfeeding and eating all types of baby food, currently has the bottom two teeth and pushing two top teeth through, babbles and says dadadada, omnomnomnom, blows out through his lips, likes books and being read to, hates getting his diaper changed (squirms around like none other), likes to be crawled/chased only to get caught and tickled, will lean over until he's in your eyesight when he's trying to get your attention, gets excited and will dance and wave his arms up and down, likes his pacifier, gets into cabinets, bookshelves, and our artificial tree, starting to throw tantrums, very smiley and happy most of the time (haha, didn't realize this comment followed "starting to throw tantrums"), loves walks in the stroller, and beginning to imitate us.


In other news, we've recently taken him to the pool for the first time. He did just fine.

Recipes

My recipe collection problems have been solved...I think. I have decided to design them in Photoshop as 5x7's then send them to Sam's to print. I have a 8.5x5.5 binder to keep them in. I'll have to use it to see if it will work well, but it seems like it is a good solution. They are cute, a bit more durable than paper, can be easily replaced without all the work of laminating. And it is off centered on purpose to leave room for the hole punches.

Kit courtesy of Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs, titled Wonderful. Don't you just love it!?!

Successful Family Home Evening

We have a little secret that has really helped us to be consistent in having Family Home Evening. A year or two ago I subscribed to LDS Living Magazine. I think I got signed up for their weekly e-mails and that is how our successful Family Home Evenings began. We don't always do the suggested activities or treats, but the thought, song (we pull this up on lds.org to sing along with), and story are always quality! It's really an ideal way for our small family to have FHE because Bruce isn't old enough to participate, but we enjoy having him there so a short and sweet evening works well for us! Even if you don't get the e-mails you can look it up here.

Oklahoma!

On Friday, I had a great time with my friend Marisa at The Theatre In The Park watching Oklahoma! I can't believe we have this kind of entertainment just within minutes of where we live, it's fantastic! Sign me up for Beauty and the Beast!

Going, going, gone!

Okay, Kirk is not balding but his haircuts have been getting shorter and shorter! I've been cutting his hair since we got married. We started off with a long 3 on the top and the latest cut is just a long, no guard. Kirk's hair is very wavy and coarse so his preference has always been short anyway. He likes this length so who knows, maybe one of these days he will say "take it all off."

Good Times

We have really been blessed with good friends. What can I say more?

David and Lisa visited over the weekend. They were in town getting pictures of Tyler taken by my super talented friend Meredith. I just saw the pictures she took and they are amazing. I felt an overwhelming gratitude for this little family and the good times we have shared.




Their visit included walking around The Legends, a visit to DeAnna Rose, playing Munchkin and Spades, and watching our boys play together.

Hive

I was so skeptical about this game. We purchased it at our favorite hobby store, Valhalla's Gate, in Columbia when we visited a few weekends ago. Kirk and I are always on the lookout for fun two player games, which this is. The box compared it to chess (I think that is what turned me off, never been a huge fan of chess though I'll admit I haven't played it much) in that your goal is to capture the opponents queen bee using your assortment of grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and spiders...each of which can move in a specific way. The fun thing about this is that the game play is different each time. I've probably won as many games as I've lost. It doesn't take a long time either.

I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Keeping Recipes Organized

Does anyone have a system to keeping your recipes and would like to share it? I really need to get all mine together, they're on random sizes of paper in a file folder...not quite the permanent solution I'm looking for! I'm just not sure if I want them printed on 3x5s, full 8 1/2x11s, or something in between. Then there is the question of do I laminate them or design them in Photoshop and get them printed like a picture. Bah!

A Day Like Today

Today I feel just like Bruce looks in this picture...happy, content, and all fuzzy inside.

Mr. Nice Guy

We're at Wal-Mart...Kirk, Bruce, and I...we're leaving one aisle and facing us is a woman at a display table with small containers of something. I didn't think anything about it, didn't see what she was selling, not concerned about anything but the items on my list (I often get focused when shopping so if you ever see me and I don't see you, it's not personal I'm just in my zone). Anyway, Kirk asks me what I'm going to say...that I have to be prepared with some excuse or greeting. I just don't make eye contact, that solves that. Imagine my surprise when we're finishing up, Kirk went back to grab something we missed, and he approaches the cart with the missing item covering up something else. Of course I'm gonna ask. He has a container of Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning....this wouldn't be so bad, but I know he really didn't want it. He felt bad that this woman was just standing there with nobody approaching her table so she told him about her products and he was sold.


You have to understand that this is the guy who went to Hen House (the blog entry when he took Bruce grocery shopping while I was out and brought me back some flowers, anyway...) and ended up buying Mama Soccoro's chili seasoning and Frosted Flakes Gold, both being demonstrated that day. I guess it wasn't all that bad because Frosted Flakes Gold is now one of my favorite cereals, but seriously...just say no! lol

Here and There

Thank goodness for busy days!

Yesterday Meredith and I went to Wonderscope Children's Museum. Each room has a different theme. I have to say my favorites were the Raceways exhibit and the vacuum tubes. I think we sat watching Jackson and Wyatt put the scarves and balls through this for at least 15 minutes. Oh, and Bruce had a good time too..yeah, uh huh. He's happy just to get out and people watch.


Today we ventured out to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. I have been wanting to visit for quite some time as so many people have talked up the free park that includes playgrounds, farm animals, petting and feeding areas, and tons of interactive stuff for kids. Bruce took notice of some of the animals...those that were moving that is. lol I definitely want to go back and what a great group of gals I hung out with too, thanks ladies!

Quick and Easy

Getting back this weekend put our meal plans a little out of sorts. Making pizza was a random idea thrown out by Kirk...we had yeast and the dry goods to make a crust, and the sauce, cheese, and bacon. What more do you need for an awesome pizza? Apparently nothing!

Here's the great pizza crust recipe we used.


We went along with one of the reviews and added some Italian seasoning and garlic to the dough mix before it was rolled out, I also did half white, half wheat flour. Then we left extra dough on the edges to do a stuffed crust. I couldn't believe how easy and tasty this was!

Professional Driver

Over the course of three days last week I drove about 500 miles! Kansas City to Columbia, Columbia to St. Louis, St. Louis to Columbia, Columbia to Kansas City....whew, just typing that made me tired! lol

I'm such a goof and didn't take any pictures at Craig and Sarah's reception. Steph, I'm counting on you to e-mail me the lone picture of us and Bruce! We are taking a walk at Stephen's Lake Park. Kirk and I loved to come here when we lived in Columbia. It was just down the street from where we lived. You could walk around the lake, picnic in the rain, toss a frisbee, climb on the jungle gym, blow bubbles, feed the ducks and fish, rock climb...all things we've done here, this park had it all!

The Hewitts were great to stay with and were such a big help with Bruce. Are you sure you have to move?

First...

Mother's Day! Awww, I sure love my baby boy. With that face how could you not!! We had a great afternoon and I received some nifty items to help around the house and a movie. Some things I've learned about being a mom in the last few months...


It's one of the most demanding and the most rewarding things I've experienced

I always worry about Bruce and how he is growing and developing, what he's learning, is he getting enough affection, etc...I certainly don't know or do it all, but a lot of stuff just happens on it's own

Babies are different. I imagine this will sink in even further when we have other children, but what works for mine doesn't necessarily have the same affect on some other baby

Whatever it is, it's going in his mouth...I pick my battles or I'm always saying no, no, no

Distraction is key...it can calm, it can prevent injury, it can keep him still for just 5 seconds so I can finish putting his diaper on

I appreciate a mom mentioning at church today that she's had those days where she has made the "I'm done" call to her hubby. I've had those days too. It's such a blessing that most moms are helpful and sympathetic because they know. I'm glad that though I've had those moments I'd never give up being a mom!

I'm much more laid back about breastfeeding than I was before Bruce. I used to be really uncomfortable around women who were nursing, I mean where do you look...do you talk to them! lol It's really not even an issue anymore. I have a cover if I'm in public and it's no big deal.

I appreciate my mom and moms and women in general...what wonderful natures and characteristics and talents we've all been given to be able to serve others


I have to mention this awesome card Kirk got me. So yeah, the message was very sweet and all but I'm planning on tearing the card up. That sounds bad, but I have to because embedded right into the paper are a variety of wildflower seeds!! How awesome is that?!? It's totally me because I'm always torn on keeping or tossing it and I like getting flowers, but hate that they only last a few days. What a great hubby!

Twilight, oh yeah

Over vacation I was introduced to the book series 'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer. THANKS NICOLE! It's a young adult fiction, I've seen it classified as a thriller-romance. I blasted through all three books in three days, just couldn't put it down. Imagine how elated I was when I found out that they are making it into a movie and it is coming out in December!! I am so there! December 12th...the calendar is marked! For all you Potter fans, Robert Pattinson who is Cedric Diggory, will be playing one of the main characters.

Meal Plans

I know I often feel like I'm in a cooking rut...having the same dinners every week. So here's what we're having for a week. A bit of a disclaimer: We just got back from visiting Nicole and David. We ate well so I'm feeling motivated to cook well and our new kitchen table helps too! Not all weeks are this planned and tasty. I'm also trying the pork fajitas that we ate there that were delish!

Tuesday
Warm Chicken Caesar Salad, Steamed Veggies
This was a recipe I stumbled upon when I needed a quick meal and went digging through my cupboards. I had a box of Rice-A-Roni's Long Grain and Wild Rice. I went to their website and you can search recipes by which of their products you have. This dish is the rice with chicken in it and has caesar dressing mixed in that. You serve it on top of lettuce. Seems a little different than what we're used to, but it was a hit!

Wednesday
I went out to dinner with some friends for a baby shower so Kirk had Tuesday's leftovers. That's easy!

Thursday
Garlic Chicken Farfalle, Salad, Steamed Veggies
I saw this recipe on the website of Becky Higgins. It's about halfway down the page. Anyway, sounds good and it uses a crockpot so I'm totally in. Update since I typed this: it is soo good! I didn't use the whole bottle of marinade, you really don't need to.

Friday
Chicken Pad Thai
We bought the rice noodles at an Asian market. The sauce is actually a jar in the ethnic section of the grocery store, brand is Thai Kitchen. Just follow the directions on the jar. But the basics...we mix chicken, scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, and cilantro in it. Top it with some lime juice.

Saturday
Cafe Rio Recipes...Pork Fajitas, Lime Rice, Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Yeah, just the name sounds phenomenal! It is a great meal (Nicole made it for us). It's a long recipe (and I'm feeling a lil lazy!) so e-mail me if you want it.

Sunday
Sweet and Sour Chicken Packets
This meal consists of chicken, Kikoman Sweet and Sour sauce, green peppers, carrots, red onions, pineapple. It's tossed together and thrown in foil packets for about 25 minutes. Served over rice.

Monday
Spaghetti, Salad, Steamed Veggies, Bread

Tuesday
Chicken Broccoli Bake
Recipe courtesy of Debbie Sev...it's good! We've been serving it over rice. I've been using half white, half brown.

Vacation

We just got back from a great week in North Carolina, hence the dead blog!! We stayed with Kirk's sister and brother-in-law and visited his other sister as well. They live just outside of Raleigh. We expected to have an awesome time and we weren't disappointed! I was nervous about the two hour plane ride with Bruce. Let me just say that this boy exceeded my hopes for a smooth flight. He slept almost the whole time! We arrived last Tuesday with Nicole picking us up at the airport. Nicole meeting Bruce...


We hung out with Nicole, April, and the boys that evening. Watched a little American Idol so I'm up on whose good and whose not...see ya Jason Castro! One morning we went bowling...


Hooray for our date day! Friday morning Kirk and I went to the Raleigh Temple. Then that evening we went to a Japanese grill for some great food and stopped off at Borders to hang out and for me to pick up Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. More about that later! Thank you so much Nicole and David for watching Bruce. We haven't been out since Christmas just two of us!


We went to cheer on Hayden at his soccer game. His coach is a nice guy, lol...it's David.


Picked Mom Wing up at the airport Saturday afternoon and rolled over to Aprils for some barbecue courtesy of Lauren. Her townhouse is super cute!

I'm glad we got a chance to play a few games of Pictionary and then a game of Settlers with David. Let me say that the girls pulled Saturday night's win in Pictionary from downtown! Kirk and David were at the end and we weren't even half-way through the board. We rocked it!! GG boys!


Sunday we went to church and gathered for a group picture. Too bad David had to teach a class and the boys were in Primary!

So that's our trip in summary. Sad we couldn't visit longer, but glad to be home.

Hooray for Parents As Teachers!

We just had our first visit with our PAT Educator. She's very positive, informative, and great with Bruce! I'm super excited to have this program available.

P.S. We did pretty good on 1 out of 2 naps and bedtime tonight. Not too much fuss! What a difference that had on my day...today was a great day!

Baby Signing

I always aspired to teaching my babies sign language. I thought it would be cool to have a baby that could communicate in another language and helpful in understanding their needs. So I picked up a flip chart style book a few days ago. So far Bruce and I have been working on more, milk, and eat. The bonus is that I'm learning sign language as well, which I've always wanted to do.

Not Just Meat and Potatoes

Lately our ward's Relief Society has been hosting activities around informing and encouraging the use of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits in our diets. Basically the principles taught in the Word of Wisdom! This also helps us to be prepared to actually be able to use those buckets of wheat in our food storage should the need arise.

It's been a slow progression, but this has really affected the way we eat. We're incorporating more fruits and vegetables in our meals, love Pink Lady apples! Talking about wheat: We get whole wheat bread instead of white. In our cookies we do half white flour, half wheat flour. There is a yummy wheat berry salad (see recipe below) that is a great side dish in our lunches. I've been trying to use honey instead of sugar (there are nutritional differences between the two).

If you're feeling inspired to try this out here are a few things I've learned (I'm by no means an expert!)...

- When opting for the wheat version of foods make sure it says "whole grain wheat" otherwise it's not the real stuff.

- Some groceries stores have fresh wheat available for you to grind yourself. Hy-Vee has one in the organic section. Also, it loses nutritional value the older it is. So freshly ground flour is better than that month old flour or even better than the flour that is pre-packaged.

- If I want my children to eat healthy then I better show them the way!

- I've found that I'm picky about lettuce. Sam's has a package of (6) Romaine Hearts that is usually very fresh and reasonably priced. Speaking of Sam's, the bulk packaging is conducive to eating more healthy. For example, I've been buying the large bag of carrots, pineapples, and oranges from there. I feel guilty when food goes bad so I'm sure to use those fresh items often.

- These recent experiences have really helped me to focus on the do's of the Word of Wisdom in addition to the don'ts. We can receive the blessings promised in the Word of Wisdom not only by avoiding the don'ts, but applying the do's.

- It can be overwhelming if you try to add everything in all at once, but little by little it can be done and will make a difference!

Wheat Berry Salad
from Betty Crocker Whole Grains

Wheat Berries
1 cup uncooked wheat berries
4 cups water

Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper

Salad
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (I omit just cause I don't care for tomatoes : )
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (have made it without this when I haven't had it and it's still been great)
4 medium green onions, sliced (same thing with these onions, I've used red onions, diced)
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Soak wheat berries in water for 30 minutes. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover; simmer 55-60 minutes or until wheat is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a small bowl, stir all dressing ingredients until well mixed. In a large serving bowl, toss wheat berries, salad ingredients, and dressing. Cover; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

First...

vegetable, yummy carrots last Thursday!

Bruce did just fine with it. He may prove me wrong, but somehow I don't think he'll have a problem eating whatever we give him.

Helmet anyone?

Now that Bruce is more mobile he has managed to acquire several bruises on his head. Poor guy! Whether he's trying to gain his balance and stand up using a wall or is upset in his crib and in his tantrum he's flailing about...his head seems to be a magnet for every hard surface or edge.

On another note, one thing is for sure and that is he does not like his crib anymore. Whether this is a short phase or his new preference I am realizing that the majority of his recent fussiness centers around when he is tired and is getting put to bed. It may be the change in removing the bumper pad and lowering the mattress. It may be the few times I fed him laying down and we napped afterwards. I put him in the crib awake and he bawls. I put him in falling asleep and he bawls. I put him in it asleep and sometimes he wakes up and bawls. Hmm....guess there's no more sleeping in the crib...just kidding, I'm sure we'll work through this somehow.

Something I'm doing wrong?

This is written by a frustrated momma...Since mid-week last week Bruce has had times of extreme fussiness, which is unusual. He's not happy playing on the floor and he's not happy being held unless I'm walking around. When I lay him down for a nap he cries...loudly...and for quite some time. I try to give him a pacifier, which he's always liked before, but to no avail. I anxiously await Kirk's arrival home from work so I can have a break. I know it could be a lot worse (writing this has made me realize that), but it's hard! I'm cashing in a girl's night this week...I need it. What bothers me the most is that I don't know what's causing this. He's not running a fever, has a runny nose, a rash, or is underfed (that I can tell). He's settled down now. Goodness, I hope this gets better soon.

First...

half birthday, Bruce is 6 months old! Some things our little guy is doing now...

Sitting up and crawling around. Of course it's always after those objects that he shouldn't have. Two days ago he spit out a chewed up tag. It was from a stuffed animal he was playing with. Yesterday we found the rest of it...in his diaper. Let's just say, we have a lot of baby proofing to do!

Bruce is much more vocal. He screams sometimes, coos, and our recent favorite is the dadadada that he says with his jaw working up and down.

While I shower, Bruce is content in the bouncer. I remember the days of hurrying as fast as I could because I knew at any moment he would wake up and start crying. Outside our bathroom is a vanity and closet area with mirrored doors. He likes to look in the mirror and smile and will also look at me through the mirror, not directly.

Usually once a week we go up to Kirk's work and have lunch. Bruce is well known there. Kirk really loves to show off his boy!

In the morning and evening Bruce eats rice and oatmeal cereal. I used to put one of those plastic bibs on, but it seemed he was usually more interested in it than eating. Today was his first try with a sippy cup. He did well with that.

Our bedtime routine includes putting on pajamas (they are so cute, love the baby pjs), reading a book (Bruce tries to eat it, but it's beginning a habit right?), then saying our family prayers, and getting tucked in (okay, so there is no tucking...no blankets).

Tonight I was showering, my form of relaxation to what was a stressful afternoon. Thank goodness Kirk was listening to the baby monitor. Something sounded a little funny so he checked on Bruce. He quickly got me to come in and turned on the light. Bruce was standing up holding onto the rail! We hadn't lowered it since he's been in it. Well, that's what we did tonight. He sure is growing up!