Yummy!!

So I just have to blog about this AMAZING new 'salad' that Brett and I eat almost everyday. He learned it on his mission in Chile (they call it a salad down there, but it is more of a mix of yummy veggies), and it's super yummy and crazy simple. The below makes about two cups, and that fills me up. I usually eat it for lunch, or cut the recipe in half if I want it for a snack. And this literally takes about 5 minutes to make, it's very tasty and it's healthy!

All you need is:

- 1 Medium or Large Avacado (depending on how much you want)
- 1 Medium Roma Tomato
- 3 Green Onions
- Salt
- Clove of Garlic (optional)

Chop up Avacado and Tomato into little chunks, and dice up the green onions. Put it all in a bowl. If you are adding Garlic (it's yummy with or without), just add a tiny bit, not even close to half the clove. I would do like 1/4 of the clove or it could overpower everything else. Then add salt to taste. Mix up and you're done! It's that simple! It's my new obsession!!

12.1 reasons why i have the best husband in the world

1. he never fails to make me laugh
2. he always kisses me before he leaves everyday for school
3. he is an amazing dad
4. he does anything he can to make me happy
5. he sings to me
6. he has taken out the garbage every week since we have been married
7. he stayed up until 1am on Saturday rearranging our bedroom because i was sick of the old layout
8. he dances with me in the kitchen
9. he always packs up the car when we go places
10. he always tells me i am the most beautiful woman in the world
11. he cuddles me every night even though he is dying of heat in the covers
12. he makes me a better person
12.1 he is mine. forever.

i love you brett. more and more everyday.

thank you for being so wonderful and my perfect match.

I Remember...

10 years ago today, when the planes hit the Twin Towers, that I honestly had no idea what the Twin Towers were or why it was such a big deal. I was getting ready for school (the big 8th grade) and was listening to 94.9zht and they said that a plan had hit one of the Twin Towers in NYC. I remember thinking "plane crashes happen all the time..why is this such a big deal?" Well, obviously, after I got to school and after watching it in all of my classes and hearing about the attacks, one after the next, I knew why. Our Country was forever changed that day. And, being 14 years old, I didn't really get how much it would impact my life personally, as well as every Americans' life. Airports change their policies at least once a year, I never get on a plane without thinking "I wonder if this is going to be the last flight I ever take," and I am way more alert when I am in big public cities.

10 years ago today, I was changed as a person. We all were. Our Country will never rewind to what it was on September 10, 2001. We are permanently scarred and we are all a little more careful, especially when we travel in the air.

Today, as the 9/11 memorial ceremonies aired on TV, I sat in horror as they replayed the attacks over and over again. They have never hit me so hard as they did today. I didn't realize how emotional I was about 9/11 until this morning. I sat staring at the TV, tears streaming down my face, as the reality hit me that Fireman, Policeman, Fathers, Brothers, Sons, and Spouses gave their lives so others could live. They ran inside the Towers as they crumbled while everyone else was running out. They took over a Plane so our Nation's Capitol would still stand. There were literally thousands who died trying to save those who couldn't save themselves. It makes me think about how I would have reacted in that same situation if I had been in NYC, or been on Flight 93. Would I have tried to save others? Would I have tried to take over a plane even though I was going to die either way? I hope I would. I hope I would run towards the smoke, not from it. I hope I would face my fears and do what I know is right, and that is to help others, even if it meant my life would be lost.

Today, 10 years later, I am again, a changed person. Freedom has never meant so much to me as it does today. Freedom really does not come free, there is always a price, whether it's death or war or money (and it's usually all three), there is always a price. Watching the attacks and hearing about people's personal stories today about how their spouse, father or brother or sister died that day, I am changed. I didn't lose anybody that day, but they did. Their whole lives were changed because of selfish and evil desires that were carried out at thousands of innocent people's expense. I am changed because of their stories, their losses, their hope, and their ability to move on.

Today has really hit me hard. I will never look at our Country the same. I hope to never take living in America for granted. The tragedy 10 years ago was a tragedy, but it has made our country stronger. We were able to rebuild what we lost and move forward. That is what America is all about. Rebuilding and changing our circumstances for the better. I will be forever grateful for those men and women who fought not only on that day, in whatever way they fought, whether it be by trying to save other American's by flying a plane into a field to their deaths to save countless others, or running into burning buildings to help their fellow citizens get out,  but I am grateful for all those who willingly go and continue to fight so I can be a free American today. To those men and women I want to say Thank You. You will never know how grateful I am and we are to you. 

Thank you.

Goin' Once... Goin' Twice...SOLD!

Lately I have been really sick of our couch, and have thought about selling it because:
1. It is still in mint condition (no stains or tears) and if we wanted to get a decent amount of money for it, this would be the time since it is only a year and a half old.
and 2. Because I was really sick of having a Sectional. I wanted two separate couches that didn't take up the entire Living Room

So, I decided to list it on KSL for $375 obo on Saturday (we paid 500 for the couch and 100 for the ottoman) and see what I could get for it. The calls started flooding my phone as soon as I listed it! We had a buyer who was willing to pay $350 and we thought that was the best we could do, then a different buyer called and said they would outbid that person and pay us $400 for them! Ummm, let me get this straight...you want to buy our couches for more than we are selling them for? YES PLEASE! So we jumped on that train and yesterday we said Adios to our couch and now our living room looks like this:

And since it was Labor Day weekend and all the sales were going on, we found an AMAZING STEAL (basically we got a new couch and loveseat for the price we sold ours for) and we are now waiting patiently for them to arrive. They should be here this Friday. Yes, basically I am a genius for thinking up this little scheme right over the holiday weekend. There was no way we would've found or been able to afford our new fabulous couches if it wasn't for good ol' Labor Day Sales. Can't wait til they come, so we actually have something to sit on and so the living room doesn't echo anymore.

Daisy & Bentley

I almost forgot to blog about our sweet pups.

For a long time, I wanted to sell our dogs. Not because I didn't love them or want them, but because I knew that once Dylan came along things were going to be super hectic for me already, and there was no way that I would want to have to deal with two dogs on top of taking care of a new baby 24/7 (don't judge me, or do). Bentley was already a huge whiner. He would whine over every little thing, and at first we thought it was a puppy thing, but after a year of having him, he was doing it more than ever. So, to be honest, it wasn't a super hard decision for me to sell him because he was already super annoying to me. But Brett, on the other hand, absolutely LOVED Bentley. He was his daddy's dog, and he would cry every time Brett even left his side. (cute for Brett, annoying for me). I felt for Daisy how Brett felt for Bentley. Daisy was my baby, Brett got her for me for Christmas our first year we were married, and I absolutely fell in love with her,  and the decision to sell her was out of pure "well if we sell one, we need to sell the other because they need a friend" type thing. I love Daisy so much, but, the one downer with her was that she would bark at EVERYTHING that passed our window, which, living in a Townhome complex, happens a lot. She woke Dylan up on countless occasions and it drove me insane!

So, after lots of talk and no action (I think we were both dreading to sell them, but we both knew it was for the best) we finally put them up on KSL together. That was our one worry...separating them. They were best buds, and I knew that they would die without each other. We also put in the ad that we wanted, if possible, for the new owners to have little kids (they LOVE kids and kids = attention) and to go to a loving home, and if they had other dogs that would be great also.

We got a few offers for Bentley, but none for Daisy (because she is older, Bentley was still in the puppy stage). And after a few days, we got an email from a little girl asking if we would lower the price if we sold her both. I didn't really know what to think since this girl was 12, but I said we could work something out. I thought it was just a wishful little girl. But, later that night, her mom called. She sounded so nice and loving, and exactly like what we were looking for. And indeed, they wanted both the pups because they didn't want to separate them either. Perfect! After talking to her for a bit, I found out she had 4 kids under the age of 12, and had a couple of other Dachshunds, as well as a couple of other dogs! Our criteria was met perfectly! I was shocked! I honestly didn't think that we would sell them together, let alone to a house full of little kids and other dogs for the pups to play with! Our prayers were answered!
We were down in Salt Lake at the time, and the family lived up in Idaho, so we decided that once we got back to Logan, they would come pick them up. Well about five minutes after we decided on that, the mom called me back and said they wanted to drive all the way to Salt Lake THAT NIGHT and pick them up (about a 3 hour drive, and it was already 7pm) but they really wanted the dogs. It was pretty crazy knowing that we were going to sell them that night! So we agreed, and they drove all the way down here. Brett and I spent all the time with them, playing with them and saying our goodbyes. It was crazy, I was really sad about it until the family came to the house and we met them. They honestly were the sweetest kids and family I had ever met, and I really could not have even imagined such a perfect match for our dogs. It was amazing, and such a huge blessing!! I was so happy about giving them to this family because those kids all loved them and were playing with them instantly! I haven't regretted giving them up, and I actually felt so so great about it. It really was meant to be, I truly believe that. We still keep in contact with the family that has them, and they send us pics and we plan to go visit them within the next couple months. They are so happy with their new family and are constantly getting attention and love, just what they need. Daisy is best friends with the 12-year-old girl who wrote me in the first place, and I guessed she would be. When they came to pick them up, Daisy just sat next to her and wanted to be held by her. And the girl fell in love with her. And Bentley is buds with everyone, he is so like that. Daisy is a one person kind of dog, Bentley wants everyone's attention all the time, and he gets it there. It really could not have gone any better than it did! We love them so much, and always will, but they are getting more love and attention than we ever could have provided, because they are getting it from 6 family members, and 4 other dogs. We miss them, but knowing they are the happiest they have been makes the missing get replaced with pure happiness and gratefulness.

Do all you can, and God will do the Rest...

So, the past couple of weeks have been quite the struggle for me and little Dylan...well, feeding him, that is. And it all started when we went on our little 2-week Getaway a couple of weeks ago.

Before we left on our trip, breastfeeding was great, a breeze in fact! I never thought I would like doing it before I had Dylan, and from the first time I did it, I fell absolutely in love with it. I knew from that first time that I would want to do it for as long as possible, which was hopefully a year. Anyways, so I had probably given Dylan a total of maybe 5 bottles in that time (the first month and a half he was alive) and he was great with switching back and forth between me and the bottle. Then, when we decided to take our vacation, we stared giving our little man bottles a few times a day, since I didn't want to stop and feed him while we were driving to St. George, or in the middle of a hike in Zion's, or while we were up in Snowbird or wherever we were. Bottles were just easier. I would feed him if we were at the hotel, but that was only a couple of times a day, maybe three times, the rest of the time...formula. And for some reason, that reason being that I have never had a baby, nor breastfed a baby before, I didn't even think for one bit that doing this would be detrimental to my milk supply, or to him wanting to latch on to me. I didn't think it would even affect us in any way.

Well, I was in for it once we got back from our vacay. On the very day that we got home, I went to feed hungry little Dylan and my milk was GONE! Well, not all the way, but pretty much. I started freaking out! I was sobbing, trying to get him to latch and at the same time trying to massage to get any sort of reassurance that I had something for him, and neither would work. He only wanted the bottle. It killed me inside. I didn't know how much I truly loved feeding Dylan myself until I wasn't able to do it anymore. I literally felt like I was a horrible mom, and that our bonding time while he fed was dead forever. How could I have been so stupid to not think about how giving him so many bottles would make my milk go down while we were on the trip?! Brett and I questioned ourselves everyday for a few days wondering why we didn't even think twice about it.

So after that first time of trying to feed him, I did a TON of research on how to get my milk supply back, and to get Dylan to want me and not the bottle. I started taking two herbs called Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle (recommended by mother in law) and I started pumping literally every hour for three days straight, and yes, through the night as well. Let me tell you, I would rather of whipped out my equipment to feed him right in the middle of Zion's National Park than do that again. It was pure torture, and the feeling of not being able to feed Dylan made me cry every time he got hungry. I dreaded it because I would try to get him to latch every time, and he was so used to the milk just flowing from the bottle, he had absolutely no motivation or patience to suck at all. So, he would last about two seconds on me then scream and I would cry with him as I got a bottle ready to feed him. It was the worst feeling. The thought of never being able to feed him again literally broke my heart. It made me ache inside. I would get so down on myself and it would bring back all the dreaded emotion that I felt from the last time we tried to feed. It was a never-ending cycle and it was horrible.

And then, things didn't change. In fact, they got worse. After doing the above for 4 days, I was still not able to get Dylan to latch, or to even want to be near me when he was hungry. Although I was starting to get some milk, I was at my wits end. I called a Lactation Consultant and we got the soonest appointment, which was the next day (Friday). We spent two hours with her, and she was amazing. She got Dylan to latch without a Nipple Shield (he never did that before, we always used a nipple shield thanks to the idiots who gave us one the first time I nursed in the hospital, and they never told me to stop using it) and she was able to get him to feed on me for a bit. It was wonderful. We left there feeling like there was a glimmer of hope, and with a list of about ten things I needed to do to build up my milk supply and to get Dylan used to sucking again. A few of those things were 1. Brett needed to massage me while Dylan was latched so the milk would flow (which meant he had to be there each time I fed, lucky him) 2. I needed to eat either a Large Frosty from Wendy's each day or a Large A&W Rootbeer from the restaurant because they contain a lot of yeast (oh bummer) and 3. I needed to pump after each time I fed Dylan, and I always needed to try and feed him on me first, and if he struggled, to give him a bottle. I knew the next few days were going to be a treat.

So, the next day we went to Lagoon with Brett's family and Brett and I brought the breast-pump and nursed every time that Dylan was hungry at the First Aid office, and pumped after each time he nursed. The first few days of getting him to latch were awful. We would try for about ten minutes then I would give up and Brett would feed him a bottle of milk I had pumped earlier and I would pump while he fed him. We did that all day at Lagoon, and all day Sunday through church (which we ended up missing half of due to that) and finally, on Monday, he latched on to me without fighting me. And since then, he hasn't really had trouble latching. My milk supply is, I believe, at its prime. I don't think I ever had enough milk for Dylan to begin with, because I was always feeding him almost every hour in the first month and a half, but I didn't think anything of it because I didn't know any differently. I now know that the reason he would eat that often was because he wouldn't get enough milk to make him full for more than an hour.

So, my conclusion to this story is is that, with patience, countless prayers, tears, thought and doing absolutely all that I could on my own to get what I desperately wanted for me and my son, I got what I worked so hard for. Heavenly Father doesn't just help us each time we need it, he waits for us to ask. And sometimes he waits to help us once we have done our part, then he takes on the rest. Even though this experience has been super hard and, at times, making me feel like the worst mom ever, I am so grateful for it. I am grateful for the lesson that I learned from it.

I am proud to say now that Dylan eats almost exactly like he did before, and I think he will continue to improve. I think we will need to give him a bottle once or twice a day, but my milk supply is back, and so is my sanity. I cherish each time I get to feed my sweet baby boy, and I know that even though I can't supply all of his nutrition, I can supply most of it, and I am doing all that I can to do so. And that is enough.

Last Summer Vacation...

This summer has been a B-LAST! We have done so much...We had a baby (no big deal :), Brett did summer semester and he actually enjoyed it (WHAT?!), I quit my job and we had lots of picnics, lazy afternoons, snowcones, camping, hanging with friends, Harry Potter marathons and playing with our sweet baby boy! But, we needed one more thing to make the summer complete...time away from Logan. I am so sick of Logan I could honestly leave here forever and not miss it one little bit. I have been living here for 4 years now and I am so over it. Hopefully we will be moving once Brett gets an internship next semester (he is currently applying, cross your fingers). So, to suffice my craving for getting out of dodge, we decided to go to Salt Lake to be with our families for a week and then a week to St. George, to get away and take Dylan to the hottest place in the State in the middle of summer (yes we are smart. We didn't really think about the temperature at the moment, all that mattered was getting away on a cheap getaway). You will see the pics of our adventure below:

As you can see, it was SO MUCH FUN! We did Park City, Snowbird, Zion's National Park, St. George and Salt Lake. We were gone for over two weeks, and by the time it was time to come home we were ready. I think that's when you know that your vacation was long enough, when you miss being home. It was a perfect way to kiss summer goodbye before school started for Brett today.

Goodbye Summer, you were fabulous. Can't wait to see you again soon!

Private...

I announced it on Facebook, but I forgot to say it to the blogging world. We are going private. And soon! If you would like to see future posts (and they will be fab!), just leave your email and I will send you an invite. I am going to set this private on Sunday, August 28th. I know I have most of your email addresses, but I don't want anyone to miss out:)

Thanks a lot lovelies!

Two Months...

How did I get here?? How did WE get here? Where has the flipping time gone?! I cannot believe this little angel has been in our lives for 8 full weeks! It's been SOO much fun, and we have realized how extremely blessed we are more and more each day. It's insane how much Dylan brings the spirit into our home, and how much closer Brett and I have grown since having our little munchkin around. It's just fabulous! I just love our little family!

Here are some fun new things Dylan has been up to this month:

-He has discovered his tongue AND his fingers. Both. And mostly they are together. Just this last week 80% of the time I look at him he has one of his hands in his mouth, or both of them. It's adorable. He also loves to just stick his tongue out and lick his lips and feel them.

-He is smiling CONSTANTLY! He is such a happy baby! I just love it! Each time I see him smile my heart literally melts.

-He makes all the cute little baby sounds, and he makes them a lot now. They're the best sounds in the world.

-He knows when he's going to be fed. He'll be crying because he's hungry and once he sees me lift my shirt, the crying stops and he either coos or smiles. It's hilarous. He is one smart kid.

-He is getting the loud crying thing down. Mostly his cries are just whimpers and cute little cries, but he is starting to discover that he has lungs and is wanting to use them more and more. It's super fun for us.

-He has been so gracious to let us sleep 7 or 8 hours each night for the last couple of weeks (pretty consistent give or take a day or two). It's been great! Cross your fingers he keeps it up.

-He is so good at following us around the room with his eyes. He will turn his head from side to side. He knows what's up when we walk across the room or around the bed.

-He is SO good at holding his own head up. It's obviously not quite perfect yet, but he can hold it pretty steady for a good 2 minutes. I shouldn't be shocked since he was already pretty good at holding it up when he was born, but I am.

-He just LOVES to kick his legs and pump his arms. That's nothing new, I know I said that in his 1 month post. But he is doing it more now. When he is excited, he lets you know.

-When he is hungry, there is NO soothing him until he has food.

-I am pretty sure he is starting to know who I am. There have been a few times where other people have been holding him and he will start to get fussy and he will just keep going until he's in a full blown fit, and once I hold him, he calms right down. I am guilty of loving this:)

-He refuses to smile when we pull out a camera or our phones to take a pic. He knows what we are doing, I swear. There have been a few rare times we have gotten it, and he's getting better, but most of the time he will stop being cute as soon as he sees a black thing pointing at his face.

-He is awesome at eating both formula and breastfeeding. He doesn't have a preference which is good. It better stay that way.

-We have a little fish on our hands. He LOVES baths! Last night he was super fussy and we really needed to give him a bath and I wasn't sure I wanted to because he was really onry, but we decided to anyways and right when his little feeties hit the water, not a peep, and all smiles. I know the remedy for fussiness now:)

-He is still super tiny! I don't know what the deal is...oh wait! I just looked at Brett and I understand! Dylan is seriously a clone of his daddy. Looks AND body type AND metabolism. He is a STICK! I feel sad because I have had a few people ask me if I feed the kid, but on the other hand, if anyone saw me every hour of my life at home, you would know this kid eats like a CHAMP! So yes everyone, I do feed my child. I have come to terms with the fast that I am a glorified cow at this point and plan to be for a while.

-He loves music! He will start dancing (the best a two month old can) when he hears it from the tv, video games, or the radio. It's adorable. He will coo and move his arms and legs.

-He always gives me a smile the first thing in the morning. He doesn't cry when he wakes up, he usually just coos or makes grunting noises, and when I go to get him (or if he wakes up next to me), he greets me with a MASSIVE smile. I have to say, in that moment, my whole world is absolutely perfect. It's amazing what his little smiles do for me.

Dylan, you have brought us more happiness than we ever thought was possible. You are growing up so fast and you are like a sponge, you literally learn new things every moment. You are the love of our lives, and we love you more and more as each second passes. Stay adorable:)

I think I got everything. I know these next few months the list will just get bigger as he discovers and learns new things everyday. I am sad that he is already 2 months, but he is already so much fun and he isn't even talking or crawling yet, and I must say that I am excited for that. But, I will miss that he loves to cuddle and I have to carry him everywhere because he can't get there on his own. He is just adorable and I am excited for every stage, but I am just loving the one he is in right now. It's great.

I have lots of posts coming up so stay tuned. I know I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks, it's because we have been on VACAY and it's been Fab! I am writing this from St. George and it's been so wonderful, but I am okay with going home tomorrow because we still have a week and a half left of summer before Brett starts school so it's all good. I better hit the hay, that shopping at the outlets tomorrow won't get done unless I get some z's, and that would be a tragedy. Goodnight.

**sidenote: this post was put together on 6.17.11, Dylan's actual two month mark, but I was coming home from a trip so it didn't get posted until a day later...just for future reference:)

My Favorite Thing...

There is nothing better.