Day Sixteen

It has been several days since I have posted...and no I haven't gone into labor!  haha.  I haven't even had a real contraction (or anything I would consider to be real anyway).  So unless my water randomly breaks, it looks like we will be going in on our scheduled day of April 6th.  Before that though we have several fun things planned...General Conference (with cinnamon rolls as our treat), a little pot luck/last hoorah with a couple of friends and then having my mom fly in!  We are really looking forward to her being here.

Today when I went to the commissary to get some groceries...the gal who bagged for me told me that I looked like I was having another boy.   Now I am worried she has some sort of sixth sense!  haha I sure hope this little girl doesn't come out a boy, it would sure put a twist in all of my attempted planning!  Keep checking back though, I am sure Andy will be diligent in posting pictures as soon as he can.

Now onto the challenge...

Day Sixteen:  A fond childhood memory
I have many fond childhood memories.  Going camping, visiting Heise with my cousins, family reunions, spending the night in a motor home my uncle would bring home from work...or sleeping on my grandma's deck during summer.  Sitting up at night with my girl cousins talking about what our grown up lives were going to be like...down to the last detail.  Recording my voice (like a radio personality) onto cassette tapes, listening to the Beach Boys Kokomo song and singing at the top of my lungs.  Memorizing Wilson Phillips Hold On, and dancing with my cousins.  Preforming plays for family members and charging them to attend.  Forming the Holiday's dancing/lip syncing group with my brother (yes Nate) and some of my cousins.  We would preform at all the holiday gatherings (hence the name Holiday's) - we even lip synced to a song once that had a swear word in it, haha oh mercy ....and the list goes ON and ON.   I love remembering these times in my life.

One of my favorite memories was going to Bear Lake every summer with my mom's family.  We had such a wonderful time.  I remember being SO afraid of going on the boat...and then finally being convinced to ride the banana boat with my cousins.  I told them to go really slow, but every time I said slower they went just a little faster!  I was so freaked out, but when I look back now...I remember it being a lot of fun!

I wish sometimes that I could go back and relive those moments...not even as myself necessarily, but just to watch myself.  To remember what kind of kid I was, or how I have changed.  I will always cherish those moments spent with my family.  The one thing I realize about these memories is that none of them were expensive, or cost a lot.  They didn't involve material things and yet the still stick out in my mind.   I hope when my children are grown that their fondest memories will be of times we spent with family.  That is definitely the case, and the memories continue.

Day Fifteen

It has been a great weekend, and another week (or, countdown) has begun.  Not including today, we have 9 days until baby time.  Crap, single digits!  I better get busy!

But before I do.....
Day Fifteen: Something you don't leave the house without
There could be multiple answers to this one...(like all of my others too,  notice a pattern?).  But to be fully honest, I have to put them all...I don't want to leave anything out!

Ok, so this one is not entirely true, but mostly true.  I hardly ever leave the house without Noah.  Since Noah and I get to be buddies all day, that means he gets to entertain me (or keep me busy) while we run errands.  I love hanging out with him, and I am glad he tolerates me.

The next two are pretty predictable (and probably very normal for everyone)....

My wallet ( this is obviously not an actual photo, ha)

And my cell phone. 

I would say the wallet is more important than the cell phone, but let's be honest - I feel a little lost without either of them.  I am sure many of you can relate!!

Sunday Sentiments

So remember how I wanted to start doing Sunday Sentiments...where I shared what I learned each Sunday?  Yeah, I am obviously behind, so I've decided to do it as I feel inspired to.  Today was definitely one of those days.

In Sacrament meeting today the talks were about being an example of the believers.  One of the sisters (Jenny) gave a talk that really touched me...and made me consider a few things about being a parent.

First.  Is the example I set for my children, the one I want them to see?
"Our children will do what we do" she said, "both good and bad."   Even at Noah's young age I have seen this statement to be true.  The things we teach our children by example are often times greater than the things we tell them.  How can our children expect to live by the things we say if we don't live them ourselves?  Sometimes our greatest faults/weaknesses are fully realized when a child points them out to us.  That is a blessing I think...for not only does it allow us to correct those things in ourselves, but helps us to correct them in our children as well.

Second. What is the most important thing I can teach my children? 
I am not sure if there is just one answer to this question.  Jenny relayed a story about one of her daughters.  To paraphrase - Jenny's daughter Corrie was invited to join a club at school...to which some of the girls chose to leave one particular girl out of.  Corrie tried to tell the girls that leaving someone out wasn't nice, and would make the girl feel bad...but the girls wouldn't listen.  Instead of joining the club, Corrie made the decision to play with the girl who had been left out, and eventually convinced some of her other friends to join them.   


Couldn't we all afford to be more like little Corrie?  What price do we pay when we teach our children that there are more important things than being kind to others?  I truly believe that when a person is genuinely kind and cares about others - they are happy.  What good do worldly success offer us if we don't care about how we treat those around us.  

'Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes.' 

-Joseph B. Worthlin

There are people I can think of, in my past and in the present...whom I believe emulate this great virtue.  Kindness.  I hope that I can emulate it better in all aspects of my life- and most importantly teach my children the virtue of kindness.  

Lastly, today we watched the end of the video On The Lord's Errand, about the Prophet Thomas S. Monson.  I wanted to share with you President Monson's testimony from this video.  I hope it inspires you as much as it does me...no matter your beliefs. 

"I have a testimony of this great work that we are engaged.  I don't know when I first obtained it, I think it came step by step, from goodly parents.  I've always had a testimony.  The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting, and act upon it, and later find out it was the fulfillment of someones prayer, or someones need.  And I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for him.  I'm so grateful for His example, and that's whom we serve.  This is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I honor that name, I honor this church. The work is true, and I testify of that truth from the depths of my soul - and would say may God bless us, everyone.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. " 

Don't forget General Conference this next weekend!  

Day Fourteen

First off, I realize as I read back through my previous posts, just how awful my grammar is. So don't judge me, please.

Secondly, instead of catching up on each day in my blog challenge, I decided I am just going to do them as I can (which means they may be spaced several days apart).  With that, here is day fourteen!

Day Fourteen: A TV show you are currently addicted to
Andy and I enjoy reality TV.  NOT the trashy kind.  You know, where they follow people and their cool pathetic lives and all the nasty stuff they do.  No, I am not interested in that crap (no offense to those of you who are).  We like the competition reality.  You know, Next Food Network Star or Design Star.  Both of those we have watched in the past.  We don't watch a ton of TV, but here are a few of our/my favorite things to watch.

Top Chef

I love this show...and next week is the season finale!  I am always amazed how these men and women can come up with such creative meal ideas on the spot (and without any sort of recipe).  It makes me wish I could cook like them, and eat their food!  We love it, oh and...GO BLAIS! 


The Amazing Race

This is another favorite.  I love the competition, I love the culture and I would love to travel the world like them...how ever I hate the red heads (if you've seen this season, you know what I mean). 


Another couple favorite shows: 
Mickey Mouse Club House (this one belongs to Noah of course)
Good Luck Charlie (Hi-larious Disney show, if you haven't seen it - you should)
ESPN (Andy, of course) and every now and then a little Everybody Loves Raymond.

A Little Noah Time and Almost Baby Time

Well my friends, we are down to 13 days until baby time.  13 Days!  That's nothing.  The list of 'things to do' in my head continues to get longer as my time gets shorter!  I can hardly believe it.

I feel like I have been extremely lazy when it has come to getting things ready for this baby.  Is that normal?  With Noah, I tried to have everything ready months in advance.  That has not been the case this time around.  I think part of it is because I know we will be moving...so all the effort will be short lived.  On the other had, I am not sure I have had much motivation...which is really odd for me.  Either way, we have the necessities ready - and because of so many generous friends and family, I think we will be prepared enough.   I have all her clothes washed, blankets washed, car seat ready and bed (almost) ready.  Since we will be moving a mere 2 1/2 weeks after she is born, there isn't a lot I can do.  One thing I was short on though, were burp cloths.  Everyone knows that the old school cloth diapers make the best burp cloths...so I decided to add a little girly touch to them...you know - to make them cute.

I even made a few for a girl in Andy's class, who is having a baby boy a few weeks after us...

I LOVE how they turned out, not to mention how simple they were to do.  If you want to try some for yourself, here is a great tutorial to give you a little guidance.  

I am really curious to see how Noah adjusts to having a new little person around.  Part of me thinks he will do amazing, and another part wonders how he will do with sharing the spotlight.  All in all, I think it will be really great for him.  I almost think it will be more difficult for me.  I am so excited to welcome this new baby girl to our family, but worry about leaving Noah out.  I hope to make a special effort to involve him and spend one on one time with him.  It will be an adjustment for all of us (a good adjustment, of course).

I have also contemplated trying to wean Noah from his pacifier.  I try REALLY hard not to give it to him unless he needs it, but there are those moments where he just wants it.  Usually he only gets it when we are at home (nap time, bed time etc.) or if we are out and he is especially tired.  He loves his 'bink' though, and I worry that if I try to wean him now, he will try to steal the baby's...not to mention he uses them to give us some pretty awesome entertainment!  Exhibit A.

Any thoughts or suggestions??!

Lastly, we are on about week 2 of sneaking veggies into Noah's smoothies!  I am really happy that 1) he hasn't noticed and 2) he is getting a little extra vitamins in his diet (you know, the non gummy form).  We both look forward to our daily smoothie...as you can obviously tell....

I love how Noah has pretty much the same facial expression in all of these photos, and I am the one making a fool of myself.  I kept telling him to 'show your smoothie', so maybe he was trying to concentrate on one thing at a time.  Who knows, but he sure is a cutie! (Don't worry - that white stuff on his cheek is a little cream cheese from his bagel, which he had for breakfast.  It took me a few hours to wipe it off, and I have no idea why). 

Just A Little Bit Dangerous...

Remember that Roxette song?  I totally thought of that as I typed my title!  If you click on the link to enjoy the song, I am sure you will appreciate the hairdos (and the outfits) as well.  Oh Sigh.

On to a few things I find dangerous (in a good way)...and then maybe another little recipe, just for you.  I have had many friends/family comment on how they tried the Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos and how much they love them...so if you have yet to make them, get on it!

So the other day I had the chance to get together with some ladies over at my friend Emi's house.  Emi is fantastic, and her blog The Cloth Diaper Report is so popular that she has the privileged of testing out all of these wonderful products.  Check out her blog if you haven't heard of it already.   Anyway, the other morning we had a little Nutella party...I had never tried it before, but it is definitely dangerous.  Noah loves it, I love it (and can even eat it with my nut allergy)...and um, it tastes a lot like chocolate.  I think even Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network uses it...so I mean, Nutella is pretty awesome right?  You probably already knew this.   Anyway...like I said dangerous, but delicious.  We are hooked.

Another delicious but dangerous thing in my life at the moment.. (why does it always have to be food?!?) ..these babies!  The only Easter candy I have bought (I do my best to completely avoid that isle).  I tried these at a friends house and had to get a bag for our house....I think Andy is secretly cursing me under his breath, because he loves them too!! (ps. the cherry and lemon ones are the best :)

Are you ready for more food? eeesh, this is beginning to sound really sad, I do have other things in my life that I enjoy, you know....  Anyway, I thought I would also include a little recipe for you.  I inherited this recipe from my wonderful mother-in-law the summer after Andy left for Afghanistan (when I was visiting them).  I love it, and I am pretty sure you will too. 

Yaki Tacos  

Sauce/Marinade: 

1 3/4 cups cold water, divided

1 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 pineapple juice

1/2 tea garlic powder

1/4 tea onion powder

Tacos: 

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

Monterey Jack cheese

Pineapple tidbits

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Green onion

Flour tortillas

Mix 1 cup water, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic powder and onion powder in a small sauce pan.  Slowly bring to a boil.  Mix remaining 3/4 cup water and tbsp of cornstarch together and slowly add to sauce.  Mix well and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer sauce until thick.   Once marinade/sauce is thickened reserve 1 cup and refrigerate (you will use this on your tacos as a sauce).  Pour remaining marinade over chicken and refrigerate 4-6 hours or over night.  

Drain marinade from chicken and saute until cooked.  Serve on tortillas with remaining ingredients and reserved 1 cup sauce (I usually reheat the sauce that I reserved, as well as warm my tortillas..either in the microwave or a warm pan).  Enjoy! 

Days Twelve and Thirteen

I have kind of been avoiding day twelve...well sort of.  A picture of the town you live in??? I am not trying to bash the Midwest, but it will leave much to be desired and with that disclaimer....

Day Twelve: A picture of the town you live in
I will spare you the details and get right to the picture.
 

Ok, so maybe I didn't pick the most flattering picture...but honestly it's one of the only decent ones I could find.  There are some wonderful things about this area...first, we are within two hours of 3 great cities (St Louis, Springfield and Lake of the Ozarks) and most importantly, we have wonderful friends here.  That always makes a huge difference!


Day Thirteen: Your favorite musician and why?
This one is hard, do they mean single musician or favorite band?  Because that could shake things up a bit.  Picking a favorite single musician would be really hard for me...but picking a favorite band is much easier...

As if any of you are surprised.  I will say that I have always loved all types of music.

Falling Behind: Days Nine, Ten and Eleven!

Sorry friends, just playing a little catch-up here!  We had a busy (but fun) weekend...and now I have a few moments to actually sit down and share a few more days from my 31 day blog challenge!  These should be easy!!

Day Nine: A picture of the last thing you purchased
This weekend we went to St. Louis to check on the status of our Volvo.  It has been at the dealership there for the past month (I love car maintenance, ugh)!   Before we left I thought I may come home with one of these strollers, but instead we came home with this....

Yes, it was an unexpected turn of events...but a necessary one.   Don't worry, I am still hoping for the stroller ;)


Day Ten: A photo of your favorite place to eat
It is no secret that Andy and I love to go out to eat.  I just enjoy it.  Don't get me wrong, I love cooking at home...but there is something fun about going out and sharing a meal at a restaurant.  So here are a few of my favorite places to eat.......

We also love sushi, Mexican, steak houses, frozen yogurt (if you can count that)...and maybe a little Jimmy Johns as well.  

Day Eleven: What's in your makeup bag

I am not much of a makeup expert.  There are women I know (like my a couple of my sister-in-laws and friends) who know all there is to know about makeup.  I, however, am not one of those people.  I am not great at wearing eyeshadow, but I can't live without mascara.  I enjoy different lipsticks, but usually only put it on once a day (sometimes more if we are going out somewhere).  You catch my drift.    

There are a couple of things in my makeup bag that I LOVE and couldn't imagine doing without...

If you haven't ever tried bareMinerals you are missing out.  I know, I know...there are A LOT of mineral makeups out there (and trust me I have tried several of them)...but there isn't a mineral makeup out there like the original.  I'm usually not particular to one brand (except in certain cases) and this is one of them...I won't use anything but bareMinerals.  It is the bomb.com. 

Another one of my necessities is this, mascara.  Now...for me, it's all about the brush!  I can't handle those little skinny brushes.  They drive me crazy!  It has to be a full and thick brush for me to even consider using it.  I use to use Clinique mascara, but because of cost I switched to this stuff a couple of years ago.  It does the job, although I do miss my Clinique from time to time!  

Everything else is pretty much icing on the cake.  A little blush, tweezers, lipstick/gloss, eyeshadow and even a little eye cream.  Pretty much like any other girl out there.  

Family Home Evening

This is Andy writing.  I've been meaning to post for almost a week now, but I'm not nearly as diligent in blogging as Melissa is!

So in our weekly Family Home Evening, I was responsible for teaching a lesson.  I decided to bring Noah in as my Teaching Assistant, and he turned out to be the right man for the job (amongst my many other options)!  Noah and I told the story of Ammon from the Book of Mormon.

Ammon, along with a few other guys his age, were rebellious as teenagers.  After a very humbling experience, all of these young men turned their lives around and became devoted servants to the Lord.  Because of their new-found faith, they all decided to go preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to other groups of people in that area who did not have it.  Parting ways, Ammon went to the land of Ishmael among the Lamanites--a group of people that had built up animosity towards Ammon's people (the Nephites) over several generations.  Thus, Ammon's decision to go there was most likely not one taken lightly.  But before I proceed--let me introduce Ammon (played by Noah):

Ammon

Clearly, Ammon is fearless in his headband, sandals, and loin-cloth (and diaper).  As soon as Ammon arrived in Ishmael, he was taken captive by Lamanite guards.  Ammon pleaded that he meant no harm, and that he wanted to stay in their land and be a servant.  The Lamanite king agreed, and put him to work with other servants watching over the flocks.  

Ammon Watching Over the Flock

Unfortunately, some Lamanite punks wanted to cause problems for the servants by scattering the flock everywhere.  As a result, the other servants became scared because they knew the king would be angry at the loss of his flock.  However, Ammon was pleased with this turn of events: 

Happy Ammon

Why was Ammon so happy?  Well, Ammon saw this as an opportunity to show his faith in the Lord by helping the other servants.  Ammon told the other servants to gather the sheep and keep an eye on them because things were going to get ugly.  Meanwhile, Ammon stretched out for the whoopin' that he was about to lay down: 

Ammon's Stretching

Yes, that is a lightsaber, and no, it is not historically accurate.  It's all we had though.  Anyway, Ammon approached the Lamanite punks and kindly asked them to leave him, his fellow servants, and the flock alone.  Naturally, they saw little Ammon, with his funny loincloth and weird blue sword and just laughed.  Surely, even their smallest guy could take Ammon out, so they started trying.  But Ammon was deceptively strong and agile, and most of all, he was blessed by the Lord because of his faith and courage.  As each one approached Ammon to attack him, he would swiftly cut off their arm.  

Ammon Cutting Off Arms

Yes, that Lamanite is Buzz Lightyear, and no, that is also not historically accurate.  Nonetheless, we proceed.  The Lamanite punks noticed a troubling correlation:  100% of the punks that tried to attack Ammon ended up losing an arm.  For those remaining who still had both their arms, they decided it was best to do as Ammon originally asked and leave him and the flocks alone.  Again, Ammon was happy:

Happy Ammon

The other servants were amazed at Ammon's feat, so they rushed to tell the king, who had a similar reaction.  Ammon, however, knew that he had been blessed by the Lord, and he was able to use this experience to share the gospel and bless the king, the other servants, and many other Lamanite people.  Ammon's mission to the Lamanites provides a great example of faithful and courageous service to the Lord.  The End.  

Thanks to Noah for his brilliant work as Ammon!  

Life's Great plus Days Seven and Eight!

Are you totally tired of this yet? haha I am actually enjoying myself, even if I forget a day here and there.  Nothing wrong with lumping some of them together!!

To preface - yesterday was a crazy day.  I am not sure if it is because he has been sick, or because he has officially hit the terrible twos, but Noah has been a little crank lately! This morning was just as bad.  I don't think he has ever thrown so many tantrums in one day...let alone within a couple of hours.  I do partially think it's because he was tired, because when he woke up from his nap he was much much better.  Either way, he is keeping me busy (and wearing me out)!

I also had my 36 week Doctors appointment yesterday and am happy to report that everything is looking good.  I am dilated to a two, but in my case it doesn't really make a difference (unless I were to go into labor, or have my water break).   We are scheduled to have our c-section on April 6th (yes, awesome I know), which means we are less than 3 weeks away now!  I can hardly believe it.  There are moments when I am excited (and especially ready) and other moments when I start to freak out a little.  Me, with two kids?  Craziness! We can't wait though, and are certainly counting down the days!

OK, now that you have that brief update- here's days seven and eight!

Day Seven: Your Favorite Picture from your Wedding
I have many favorite pictures, but unfortunately they are all in a box upstairs (getting ready to be moved)...however, one of my most favorites is hanging on our wall in our bedroom.

I especially love this picture because a) the colors are amazing and b) the temple always makes the most beautiful backdrop!  I remember while we were taking pictures here, there was a foreign family visiting the temple grounds that kept asking us if they could take our picture.  It was great and I pretty much felt like a movie start ( or something like that :).

Day Eight: A song to match your mood
Since today has been a busy (and tantrum filled) day.  I will pick this song to describe my current mood.  I got a lot accomplished, put my child to bed and even took a hot shower.  There is no better way to end a long day then with a little R&R and a little Coldplay.  Can I get an Amen?!  (PS. If you know me, it's no surprise that I put this song, since technically it is my absolute favorite song). 

'Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna, come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know

Singin’, come out upon my seas
Curse missed opportunities
Am I, a part of the cure
Or am I part of the disease' 

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I have not been shy about my love for the Our Best Bites cooking blog.  Recently the girls who run the blog came out with a cookbook.  I was browsing through it at my friend Brittany's house and she recommended these wonderful taquitos.  So I went right home and found the recipe on their website.

We had it for dinner last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Andy loves 'mexican' type food and says he could eat it almost any night of the week.  These were certainly easy to make, and easy to eat...because they tasted so good.  The best part is, you can eat them with a fork OR your hand.  Seriously, isn't food you can eat with your hands just wonderful?  I agree.

 Picture from ourbestbites.com  {don't report me for using it!}

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

from Our Best Bites {click to see original post}

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken {I cook mine in this micro cooker from Pampered chef, super quick and easy!}
1 C grated pepperjack cheese  {I used Monterrey jack}

Small corn tortillas  {I used flour tortillas and they were awesome}

Salt and Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.  Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

***

Can you say DELISH?!?!  Yum...in fact I am having leftovers for lunch today, and I am certainly not regretting it! 

We enjoyed these taquitos with black beans and rice (both recipes I got from my friend Brittany as well).  Find them below or pair taquitos with your favorite side dishes! 

Black Beans {Refried Style}

1 Can of black beans, drained (but not rinsed)  
1 tea Onion powder
1 tea Cumin
1/2 tea dried Oregano
1/2 tea Chili powder
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 Cup chicken stock/broth


Place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil,  mash slightly with potato masher and set aside to cool.  Beans will thicken as they cool.


Chili Rice {Made simple with Minute Rice}


2 cups Chicken stock/broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tea Cumin
1 tea Chili powder


Add all ingredients into pot and bring to a boil, once boiling add 2 cups MINUTE rice.  Stir and set aside for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed.  

***

Add a little green salad with your favorite dressing and you have a complete (and tastey) meal!  Enjoy! 

Day Six

Day Six:Create a list of your top 5 previous blog posts. 
Let's be honest...in the beginning my posts were mostly about me.  Surveys (oh the surveys), music I liked, people who visited us, my favorite television shows and so on.  You get the idea.  As I have continued to blog, I think I have found my 'blog personality' and have really enjoyed blogging about different things.  Silly random things, recipes, my sweet Noah and, of course, things of the heart.  I enjoy blogging...and here are my top five favorites...plus a few others I love to go back and read (ps.  This was REALLY difficult!). 


1)  June 28, 2008: He Passed!! 
This is a short post, but one I remember well.  I don't know if I have ever seen Andy so excited as the moment he opened this letter...and I was so happy for him at that moment.  It is still a very fond memory.  


2)  February 9, 2009: Noah the Ark
Of course I would put this one.  The story of Noah's birth...I mean really, I am just glad that Andy took the liberty to tell the story.  Not only is Andy a wonderful story teller, but he remembered things that I didn't.  I love reading this, and hopefully one day Noah will enjoy reading it as well. 


3) May 5, 2009: I'm Leavin on A Jet Plane
It may seem odd that I put a post about Andy leaving for Afghanistan...but the memory is still as real to me as it was that day.  Not only does the post share some of the things we did together as a family, just before Andy left...but it also reminds me how grateful I am to have  Andy home. 


4)  June 30, 2009:  Happy Anniversary from Afghanistan
Oh I love this post.  It is one of the sweetest things Andy has ever done for me and I was the happiest I had ever been since he had left.  It was a very special Anniversary for me.  


5) May 25, 2010:  Andy's Home and Lesson's Learned
I am sure you aren't surprised I picked this post either.  Most of mine are sentimental (obviously)...and this was one of the best days of my life!  Seeing Andy walk through those doors, home for good, was one of the greatest feelings ever. 


Other blog posts I love to read: 
One Month Old and A Blessing
Andy Quoted in the Church News
Happiness is a Habit
JAMBA!
The Great Cake-tastrophe
Story of a Storm Chaser
Family Photos

Day Five

Day Five: A photo of yourself two years ago
This is about as close to two years ago as I could find...these pictures were taken March of 2009.  

This picture is of us on Noah's blessing day.  We blessed him at home, since we had so much family there visiting.  It was wonderful, I have very fond memories of this day. 

Can You Pass the Tissues Please?

The Stockhoff's are sick.  Like really, we are sick.  If I haven't complained enough about my 3 week long illness, now Noah and Andy have caught the same crap too.  Spring is supposed to be an exciting time right?  I don't ever remember getting sick in the spring!

We had been planning all week to take a trip to St Louis on Saturday...we had a couple of things we wanted to do there and decided we would make a trip of it.  One last hoorah before we move, if you will.   I decided that before we left to go, we should take Noah into the health clinic for their walk in hours, just to see if he was ok.  We aren't sure if it is the common cold, or if its more like a bronchitis.  Either way, the poor fella is miserable!  The Dr. gave him some antibiotics and some decongestant (which I swear isn't working).  He has so much drainage  and constantly gags on it...which makes me gag as well.  It's a vicious cycle.  I feel so bad for him...and HOPE, hope that he really gets to feeling better soon.

Andy on the other hand has had some sort of cold, and the past several days has woken up with his eyes horribly blood shot.  I thought it was because he may have a sinus infection...but since we were taking Noah to the Dr, I decided to have Andy visit the Dr as well.  Unfortunately we have different Dr's (you can thank the Army for that) and so we had to drop him off while Noah and I went to the clinic.  Come to find out it was pink eye...in BOTH eyes.  I should have known.....

So, as you can probably guess - our little family stayed home from Church today and got some much needed rest.  Since I am feeling much better, I decided I would whip up a batch of cinnamon rolls, just to lighten our spirits.  It worked too...and continues to work (as there is still over half the pan left).  I contemplated even making them...having a pan full of cinnamon rolls in my pantry while Andy is at work all day is probably not the best idea...but for the sake of my sick family, I will take one for the team :)

Thankfully we are all on the mend...Andy is feeling much better (and his eyes look much better as well).  Noah is making progress, slow progress, but progress none the less.  He is so tired of taking medicine though, that he throws a fit every time I try to give him Tylenol or his antibiotic!  I hope this isn't permanent...he use to take them so well!  Any suggestions on how to give it to him, without him freaking out?? 

Oh, and click HERE to see the recipe for the cinnamon rolls I made.  Not only were the DELISH...but they were also super quick!

Here's to a healthy week!

Day Three and Four

Day Three: Your Idea of the Perfect Date
My idea of the perfect date would involve all of these things......

It may seem silly, but our date nights (the ones where we actually get a sitter) are few and far between.  So going to dinner and a movie with just Andy and I is a real treat!  I look forward to being closer to family out west so maybe we can go out once a month.  Wouldn't that be wonderful?  :)

****

Day Four: Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

This one is difficult.  First, I have so many wonderful friends...but of course, only a couple I can call my best.  Second, I have so many pictures I love of them!!  Some newer, some much much older.  Since I have limited access to some of them, I will share the ones I do have access too - and tell you why I love my friend as well.  

Andy. This actually is one of my favorite pictures of Andy, back from his West Point days.  I love it!  Of course Andy is my best friend.  The bestest best friend.  He is the one person I know I can tell all things too, he supports me, encourages me and loves me.  I have no better friend that him.  

This is my favorite picture of Andy and I together.  In the New York subway, around the time he graduated from West Point.  We always had the best time touring NYC, and hopefully will be able to go visit again soon. 

Allice.  Allice and I were roommies at Ricks College (aka BYU-I).  We had the best time together...and when I think back, I can't help but laugh at some of our crazy stunts!  Here are a few, just to give you an idea. 


- During our RC days, Al and I would spend a lot of time together.  One night, when one of our roommates was out on a date, we decided to go hide in Allice's car (the Troop!) so we could spy on our roommate when she came home.  The Troop was conveniently parked right in front of our apartment door and we had a good laugh as we watched our roommate kissing her date.  Obviously we weren't on date's of our own.  :)


- We always felt like our roommates got asked out on a lot more dates than we did.  I am not sure if this was actually true, or if it just felt like it at the time.  Needless to say we would always try and boost our spirits by giving ourselves this pep talk.... 'We are cute girls, and we are being saved!  One day the really good ones will come along, just for us'  (something to that effect).  Ironically, Allice and I ended up marrying brothers.  So I guess we were right, we really were being saved for the best ones! 

Chelsea.  Chels and I became quick friends while we were both living in San Diego.  She was my life saver and I will forever owe her for that.   We also have many memories together and for a long time she was the one friend I knew I could always count on.  She is still that way.  I know I can call and talk to Chels about the dumbest stuff and she won't judge me or even feel like she needs to give her advice, she just listens to me.  I love that about her.  I know Chels and I will be best friends forever, as cheesy as that sounds, it's completely true.  

So here's a cheer to best friends.  I know I have been especially blessed with wonderful friends in my life...and I hope I have been a good one in return. 

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.  

~Author Unknown