Ah ha Moments...

Since I'm pretty sure no one reads this blog anymore anyways, I'm going to take a few moments to vent. I've been without a computer for months and just today got a loner. After spending an hour or so reading everyone's updates and looking at cute pictures, I'd just like to share my thoughts about life in my world, and from my perspective. I'd like to consider it as my realizations these past few months. Maybe some hard lessons learned, and some important ones. Conclusion #1: Not all friends are actually your friends. Nor are they usually friends you can call a "friend for life." I will be sticking to the people that want to stick with me. I've given up trying to be friends with people that don't put me in their priorty list, when I've tried hard to put them in mine. I also need to pay more attention to those people who have put me in theirs and be sure I'm returning the favor. I realize now how valuable this is. Conclusion #2: Family is important and even though all their planning, parties, expectations, emotions, and history together drive me absolutely crazy. They are the ONLY ones that I can always depend on to be there when I need them or when my life is exciting, hard, depressing, or just going okay. They care about me more than an friend ever will. This is something I need to remember and realize my time with them needs to be made important even if not every family get together is always fun. Conclusion #3: Always be positive in everything you do. Life can really suck sometimes, but it's only going to be worse if you let it seem worse. Find the positive in every day, and let everyday have accomplishments that keep you going. Conclusion #4: There's no getting "it right." I have good days, when I get my house clean, my child is cared for and clean, we've played, and I have a hot meal waiting for my man when he walks in the door. I also have days when my house is a mess, my child has been through 3 different outfits and still looks like he's never been cleaned, and my hubby walks in with dishes in the sink and no dinner even in my mind. So what I'm saying is everyday is a new day to try your best. Everyday I choose something I am going to do. I can't have a clean house all the time, because then my child wouldn't have awesome play days, or I might never get to relax. No one has it all together all the time. Just remember that. They are just as good as you, and vise versa. We are all just doing our best, and yet there is plenty to learn from one another! (It's not like our best can't improve ;)) Conclusion #5: Life is a gift. I am loving everyday. We've had lots of ups and downs here but I'm so happy to have such a blessed life. Love every minute you can, because it really truly is a gift. THE END.

A Sad Day

Yesterday was going pretty well, until we were in the middle of dinner and I heard a car door shut just outside our house. Curious, I peeked out the blinds of our kitchen window only to see a man who had just stepped out of his car, carrying our cat in his arms and laying her on the grass in our yard.

I immediately jumped out of my seat and flew to the door, frantically telling Ian, "I think that's our cat!" I'm not sure what he was thinking, because he hadn't even been near the window. Regardless, he quickly followed me outside. The man asked if this was our cat. As soon as we got to where the man was I knew without a doubt it was our cat. Ian confirmed with him, "Yes she's ours." It was so sad, she had been hit by the car ahead of him while crossing the road to come home. The woman who had hit her was there too, she apologized and told us what happened. I tried my best to not sound too upset. We told them "these things happen, it's okay."  Really I wanted to just cry and honestly was a little angry, even though I know it wasn't her fault. Our cat chose to cross the road in front of her.

What happened after that is kind of blur, I don't remember seeing the man get back in his car. I didn't even notice when the cars drove away. Ian and I just sat with her stroking her fur. Then, Ian carried her in the backyard and we chose a special place to bury her. I wrapped her in one of Boston's old blankets and laid a cat toy with her.

Of course I miss her already. I get upset when I don't see her laying in her favorite chair, or hear her little coos down the hall. What I am especially upset about though, is that Boston lost his favorite friend. She made his day, every day. When she came by he would get all excited and make little "coos" back to her. If he were upset for any reason, she would hear him crying and immediately come to his "rescue." As soon as he would see her he would stop crying and start smiling or laughing. She was, in my opinion, THE PERFECT CAT. She was trained to potty outside, she rarely scratched the furniture, never bit or scratched us, she would come when we called, she was a good hunter, and the most loveable animal I've met. She would cuddle with us on the bed, but then would sleep in her own spot not to disturb us. I love that cat and she will sorely be missed.

Her as a baby kitten

Boston sleeping with the cat

Avocado Lime Salsa

I was asked to feature a recipe on my friend Tiffanie's food blog this week, and so I decided I would add it to my blog as well. Tiff and I became friends when she started dating my husband's best friend, James. Ian and I were there on their first date, and right after I said, "I hope it works out, I like her!" Well, they got married. So I guess you could say I got what I wished for :) Only problem is, she lives in Logan and I live in the Valley. So unfortunately we don't see much of each other. Well, she took on a great task a few months back when she started her own food blog. Her recipies are tried and true from her or other women who follower her. So if you are in need of tasty recipes then check it out HERE. I seriously use one of her recipes at least once a week. It has been awesome!

So back to MY recipe ;) I have only really been proud of one recipe that I got from my mom and Tiff happened to feature it on her blog here. Now this recipe comes from my mother-in-law. She cut it out of a newspaper years ago, and it is a family gathering FAVORITE.

Get ready to jump into spring/summer with this DELICIOUS side or snack. (Heck I eat so much of this stuff it becomes more like a meal than a snack! Ha ha)

AVOCADO LIME SALSA

You will need:

1 packet Italian Salad Dressing Mix- made according to package directions

Olive Oil (called for on dressing mix)

Vinegar (called for on dressing mix)

2 Avocados

4 to 5 roma tomatoes, diced

1 can white corn (shoepeg), drained

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

2 to 3 limes, squeezed

Side Note: I've noticed brand of Dressing Mix doesn't matter for this so I just get the cheapest ;)

Mix salad dressing in a large bowl.

Slice Avocado

How I slice it: After cutting in half and removing the seed, slice to the skin vertically and then again horizontally, then scoop out with spoon and break up the slices.

Add drained corn and beans

Slice tomato

How I was taught: after removing top of tomato, slice down about halfway one direction and then again the other direction, then cut across the length of the tomato to get "dices". Repeat on the remaining half. (The reason I go only halfway is so your slices don't flop all over the place as you are trying to cut across)

Continue adding the remaining ingredients (Cliantro and squeezed limes) Then stir and your done!

Serve with your choice of tortilla chips :)

This is best served on the same day, but can be refrigerated for about a day. (After that the cilantro gets limp and the vinegar flavor soaks into all the ingredients a little too much) 

Mmmm....DELICIOUS! Enjoy :)

Speaking

My little boy has picked up a few new words just recently and they just make me smile everytime he says them. He has been saying Momma and Dadda for a long time now, but only uses them when he wants to. Half of the time I don't even think he intends to say the words for their actual meaning though.

Recently Ian was holding Boston up to our window while it was snowing and he said, "Boston, look it's snowing that's cool, huh?" and Boston pointed to the window and said "coo-ah." That was the first time I knew he intended to say a word intentionally copying us. It was so neat. I was standing right there and so Ian and I both looked at each other, smiled, and let out a little giggle of excitement for our little boy's accomplishment. He then kept saying it the rest of the day. We would be playing with toys and I would say, "is that cool, Boston?" and he would repeat "coo-ah."

Shortly after learning to say cool, we caught him saying "go" when he would play with his cars or other toys as he would push them around. I'm not really sure how he picked up on that one. We must have said it a lot while playing with him and pushing him around on his four wheeler.

Then just yesterday Boston learned how to say cat. It is the cutest thing I think I have seen from him yet. We have a cat and he LOVES her. In fact, even that is an understatement. He can be in full on tears screaming, and if he sees her walk by he completely stops and starts squealing and pointing at her with a huge smile on his face. It's actually quite nice during times like that...but anyways, back to the word thing. Well, when he sits in his high chair he keeps an eye out for her everytime. Her food dish is by his chair and occasionally she will come by while he is eating. So yesterday she walks by him and I say, "Oh look it's kitty!" He turns to her and says "tat." I look at him a little shocked and say, "yes, cat!" Ian was in the living room and had heard him too. So he rushes in and asks, "did he just say cat?." I laughed and told him "Yeah." Now for the past two days the "tat" is all he talks about. Anytime we see her, or if Ian and I mention cat he just starts repeating it over and over again. Sometimes out of nowhere we will be playing and he will say it so I will start looking around and sure enough there will be our cat hiding out where apparently Boston can see! Thankfully, our cat is very tolerant of Boston because she makes his day. Tonight I gave her treats and he decided he wanted to help, so he picked up one of the treats in my hand and threw it down to her just like I had done. It was so fun to see him trying to be like his Mom and make the cat happy.

I love having them both around, and I especially love my little boy. I'm so proud of him saying so many new words! I can't believe how much these little ones learn from us, even with the things we are not intentionally teaching. I didn't intend to teach my child "cool." I realize now that Ian and I just say it a lot, so he picked up on it! He is a joy in our life and it's a pleasure being his Mommy.

Love you Manusko.

A new life, a new challenge, and coming up on a new year!

Well, as you can tell I have been terrible about updating everyone on our life! I quit my job at Lennox Industries back in September to be a stay at home mom. I have loved taking care of Boston full time. It was definitely the right decision, and I'm so happy! It's amazing to me how fast the days fly by. Before I quit I thought. "Okay, so I stay home and I get a bunch of the things done that I've been meaning to do, and I take care of Boston, but then what?". "What is life going to be like months from now, or a year from now?" Although, it hasn't been a year (obviously) I easily see myself at home a year from now. I no longer think "What am I going to do with myself?" Being a mom at home takes up SO MUCH time, and it is very rewarding. It's not easy, but it is definitely worth it.  I miss my friends at work sometimes, but they still let me drop by to say hi :) All in all life at home is great.

2 weeks ago Boston was laying down for a nap on our huge chase/couch and I thought he was asleep when I went in and started making dinner. Ian came home and went to the bathroom. I got on the phone with our doctor about a bill, then minutes later I hear Boston hit the floor I immediately dropped the phone and ran to him in panic. He was crying, but Ian and I thought he was okay. He fell less than a foot and a half, and I thought it just scared him more than anything, but then we noticed when he went to crawl he couldn't put pressure on his right arm. Ian and I thought he might have sprained it somehow in the fall, so I hurry and called the doctor as we were loading him in his carseat. We rushed into the pediatrician just before they closed that night and had them take xrays. Sadly, it was broken. He had fractured both bones in his right arm just below the wrist. I felt terrible. I started crying right there in the doctor's office. "How could I have let this happen?" I thought to myself. I kept kicking myself for worrying about a stupid bill when I should have been checking on my son to make sure he was asleep. "Why did I let him sleep on the chase/couch at all? This was all my fault." It was a tremendous amount of guilt I felt, and I suddenly had a very small understanding of what it might be like for other parents who go through traumatic events much worse than this. That thought broke my heart. It took me a long while to get past those feelings, even still when people see my son in a cast and ask me "Oh no, what happened to his arm?" it is not easy. I've gotten over most of the guilt and beating myself up about it now. I realize now, accidents are going to happen. Life is precious, and I'm just grateful that's all that happened. I've connected with other parents that have gone through similar events, and some that have gone through worse. It has given me a greater understanding and appreciation for forgiveness. Mistakes are going to happen, but the most important thing is that we allow ourselves to work through them and come out with a greater understanding of ourselves, our capacity, and of others.

I have to say, Boston was so tough through the whole process! Even though the examination and xrays were painful for him, he still smiled and reached out for the Medical Assistants and Doctor after it was all done. I love that sweet boy!

Here is my boy sporting his splint and his cast.

This was Boston's FIRST Christmas. We were so excited to be able to celebrate with him. Even though he has no clue what is going on, it was lots of fun! He was showered with gifts from Mom, Dad, Grandmas, Grandpa, and Great-Grandparents!! This boy got lots of stuff and it was so much fun. He did meet Santa this year, although I do not have any official photos of it.

We were visiting Dad at work while he painted the Wells Fargo building. There was a Christmas party going on one of the floors below us and somehow Santa knew Boston was there. Santa made a special visit just to see him! There was no waiting in line, and it was completely by surprise! At first he was excited, until Mom wasnt' holding him anymore. He didn't cry, but he was close. He wasn't sure what to think of the big jolly man. We did get a short video on Ian's phone, but that's it. I'm happy he got to meet him though!

This was Christmas morning at our house. Boston got a wagon full of blocks, and the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Home. He loves them.

His Grandparents surprised him with his first four wheeler.

and a "car" that is a ride/walker (as well as other toys and books!)

His Aunt Ratt gave him this HUGE sock monkey, that is now his cuddle buddy during story time.

Now that Christmas is over, we are excited and looking forward to ringing in a New Year! 2012 sure had a LOT of changes and firsts for us. Who knows what this next year will bring.

9 Month Photos

I'm really late posting these. We got pictures taken at Wheeler Farm of him at 9 months. He was so much fun this day. This was the first time he had seen and been able to touch the fall leaves. He couldn't get enough! He had to be holding a leaf at all times. It was so funny!

Six Months. Already?!

Wow! SIX MONTHS?!

Where has the time gone? I can't believe my little newborn has turned into this squealing, jabbering, rolling, sitting up, cute stinker I have now. This boy is such a joy. It is so fun having a six month old. He LOVES playing, he smiles ALL the time, he giggles, he "talks", he rolls, plays on his tummy, he is just SOO much fun.

I LOVE THIS LITTLE STINKER!

sitting up all on his own!

His daddy's FAVORITE picure

We were trying to get a picture of him with his head up while laying on his tummy, but since he was so tired this was as good as we got :) I kinda like it! ha ha.

He LOVES this spoon. It's meant for 12-24 month olds so they can feed themselves, but Boston loves it as a teether. LOL. It has a flexible top and he chews this thing ALL DAY LONG. So naturally we decided we needed a picture of him with it.

We got his 6 months pictures done at Foto Fly in Draper. He hadn't napped most the day, and our pictures were scheduled after I got off work, so it was late. He ended up falling asleep on the ride over, and it took a lot to wake him up :( I felt bad, because he hadn't napped much and really needed it, but I didn't feel like I could cancel either...Luckily, he woke up and was pretty happy for us. He didn't smile much but he gave us plenty of fun pictures.