11 Months and 24 Days

If you had told me that Chad wouldn't crawl until he was almost 1 year old ... I would have laughed and said "Not my child!"

Don't we all say that! ... my child won't get a snotty nose, my child won't throw a temper tantrum, my child will read when he is 1 year old, etc. etc. etc. Oh the joys of the reality of Motherhood!

But yesterday, he finally did it! I AM SO PROUD OF THIS BOY! We thought it would happen while we were on our cruise, but NOPE! (Bryson started to crawl while I was out of town for work, so I figured it would just be my luck!) Then I thought, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! He will give me the perfect Mother's Day gift. EHHHH you're wrong again! BUT YESTERDAY, it was the day!

Here is a video to prove it! (I know these mommy videos are ultra boring, so I don't post any of them, but I just can't go without today, because it changed my life!

Chad's Room

So ever since my little Chad was born, I have struggled to know what to do with his room. I have two babies essentially, and I wasn't about to make Bryce start sleeping in a bed, after moving and the crazy changes that took place in our family last year in June. So my sister-in-law asked me to "store" her baby furniture for her and use it for Chad. At least it was somewhere to start!

I don't know why it is, but When I started to think about designing my kids rooms, I automatically associate the color of their scrapbooks with it. The scrapbooks had to be the same color scheme as their rooms, (I know, I need some counseling!)
Bryson's room was decorated with the color pallet of Navy Blue, Baby Blue, and Chestnut Brown. (Picture taken in our home in Page. Upcoming additions coming to his room soon!)
I got all my bedding from Pottery Barn Kids, and loved it! I felt like it was something he could grow with. Thus also his scrapbook became the same color pallet.

Chad was born, & the color pallet of his room was inspired by the outfit I bought for him to come home from the hospital in. My mom found a darling minky fabric that she made a blanket for Chad with,, and that helped encourage the color pallet too! But then we moved, and then moved again, and even months and months after he was born, I just couldn't find anything in Green and Brown.

Next, I was up in Salt Lake, eating lunch with a few friends and went to this amazing Boutique store called Hip & Humble. It just so happens that I fell in love with these. SO I bought them ... and this is where everything fell into place.

Next was some fabric I found at this cute little store in Lehi, Utah called Broadbents. And I found this!

It was all coming together. I decided a banner, a new bumper, and keep the main feel using the brown and green, but add some color to these incredibly boring white walls (gotta love renting!) It took me a while to make the bumper, and I am still working through a few of the kinks, but I had to finally post a few pictures. I also made a really fun board of all of my favorite pictures of chad during his first year.

Chad loves it .. so I guess that is all that matters ... right?I have already started Chad's scrapbook as brown and green, but now that I have added more colors to his room, I am excited to see what additions will come! For his room ... I have my eye on a really great antique stop sign, and a few other additions ... so if you have any other ideas feel free to post!

Great Day!

So last friday I was asked to come to a brainstorming meeting at the Headquarters of Creating Keepsakes. I got to see Mou Saha, who I met when we were both finalists for Scrapbooker of the year, and met Wendy Sue Anderson, and Suzy Plantamura, both contributors for Creating Keepsakes. We were able to go to dinner, talk, laugh, and inspire each other! What a wonderful day!Thanks you awesome women for the inspiring women you are!

Mother's Day

How can you tell I am a mother? It is now Wednesday, and I am just now posting about Mother's Day! SHEESH! :)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you amazing women out there! I want to you know that you all inspire me, and I try to become better each day because of the creative and amazing women that are my examples! (regardless of whether or not I know you personally!)

Mothers day was fantastic! Adam made me a "healthy" breakfast, gave me these:& made me dinner! He had plans to get me more than just flowers, but then I had the great idea of getting a running stroller to "motivate me" to exercise :) I have actually wanted one for a WHILE now ... so we combined Mother's Day, and my share of the tax refund and bought this baby!Now all we need is for Utah to warm up so that I don't have to dress my children like we are rolling through the Arctic!

Last but not least, my sister's and I went up to Salt Lake yesterday in the pouring rain to take my mom to lunch at the Garden Room at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building and go take a tour of the Relief Society building where she serves as a missionary twice a month! It was a great day, and sure made it a fun mother's day gift for her. We even saw Sherri Dew in Deseret Book! WAY awesome. Sorry I don't have any pictures ... I forgot my camera :)

Tell me what your traditions of Mother's Day are!

Diet?

Okay, so I have a confession. I HATE DIETS! SERIOUSLY! I have to say, I generally eat anything I want, exercise on occasion (pulling Bryce and Chad in and out of the car is more exercise than I am sure most people do daily!), and I will admit, I have a kick BUTT metabolism. It's true!

So some ladies in my ward (congregation :) decided to start this motivational get healthy spiritually and physically in 8 weeks. I can't say that I really want to do it, but figured I need to push myself on the whole spiritual side to get my buns in gear again so I thought it would be good.

We weigh ourselves every Saturday. Then as the week progresses we get points for reading our scriptures, going visiting teaching, reading the Sunday School lesson, praying, yada yada yada. We also get points for swapping out bad food for good food, eating nutritious meals, eating fruits and veggies. Then we also get points for exercising. THE BAD PART is that you loose points for eating ice cream, sweets, and drinking soda. ALL of which are my weaknesses. WHY IN THE WORLD would God create someone, who came up with that AMAZING soft drink called COCA-COLA Classic, if we weren't meant to drink it. (Okay so I guess he also created those people who made cigarettes and drugs too, but COME ON! You get by point right?) WHY OH WHY is it so HEAVENLY?

And then there is ICE CREAM? You know, I don't remember craving sweets so much when I ate them whenever I wanted! REALLY I am DYING here! I if I eat Ice Cream right now I loose 2 points for eating it and 5 points for eating after 8! SERIOUSLY!

So, even though I am complaining, I am trying! I thought I could motivate you with a Bran Muffin Recipe that I made "healthier". It actually makes REALLY good muffins! Try it if you like! It just might change your life!

My only precaution ... Don't feed too many of them to your 2 year old, or you will be changing a poopie diaper about every 2 hours! TRUST ME! I LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE TODAY!
Happy Wednesday!

Bran Muffins

1 cup VERY hot water
2 1/3 t. baking soda
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg whites
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups white flour
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups All Bran cereal
1 cup Bran flakes cereal

Add soda to hot water and set aside. In large bowl, cream together applesauce, honey, sugar. Add in egg whites one at a time. Stir in flour, alternating with buttermilk. Add soda water. Fold in All Bran and Bran Flakes. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

** Substitutions - I substituted applesauce for shortening, and honey for sugar. I also used egg whites. If you want to use full eggs, only put in 2 eggs. This is for the original recipe that is SO dang good!

Happy Baking

Tulip Festival

So my mom called me yesterday morning and told me she wanted to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I had never been but always wanted to go, so we decided for Family Home Evening we would go out!

It was the last day of the festival, and Utah's weather has been really terrible the last few weeks, so the Tulips weren't in their prime. Either way you have it, we had a great time, got some exercise, and enjoyed the evening together as a family! Here are some fun picts!