Shower Scrabble...

At my baby shower here in Utah last May, I received a package of foam bath letters from Zac's cousin, Emily. Until recently, I just had them with all of the other bath things I haven't gotten to using yet (like bubble bath, etc). Finally, I decided to get them out, especially since Logan sits up and spends most of his bath time playing and splashing. I figured he'd appreciate some new toys to play with. Well, after his bath the first night with them, I forgot to take them out of the tub, so they were all in there when Zac got up to take his shower the next morning. So when he was done and I hopped in, "I Love you" was spelled out with the letters on the tile. It was precious.

Well, over the past few weeks, some letters have found their way out of the bathroom and end up in other miscellaneous places throughout the house and the number of letters remaining in use are limited. But I got in the shower the other morning to find this:

Zac had used all the letters available and turned the shower tiles into some type of Scrabble board. Well, naturally, I felt compelled to do the same. I was able to come up with a new arrangement...but Zac pointed out that I re-used "PUNK" and I had to switch some things around. So now the better part of our showers center around "Shower Scrabble." Good times. Logan even started in on the fun...

In other news, Dani and I are planning our road trip to California. I mean, we're actually going! I'm so excited! We have the dates picked and know roughly what we're doing. We're staying with her sister-in-law when we get to California, and we are definitely going to the Ellen show on the 13th. We have scheduled in the beach, since I have never been. And we talked about Disney Land, but that probably won't happen. It's really expensive! We also have people we want to see...I'm hoping to meet up with Emily Harris and Uncle Gary's old girlfriend, Sue. I emailed her today and hoping to hear back soon.

Well, I guess that's all from the home front. Oh, wait. For all those of you reading from New York, it was 53 and sunny here today. Suckers. Now THAT's all from here. Love you!!!!

And a third post this evening...

So after I post, I have a habit of reading everyone else's blogs from my blog roll. And I read my friend Sara's. Who had recently read another friend's blog and posted this link about the actors for the Cullen family in the upcoming movie production of Twilight. Be prepared, fellow Twilight obsessed fans...Edward is sorely disappointing. I mean, he's Cedric Diggory. I would have done most of the casting differently, I think. I'm afraid the story is going to turn Harry Potter-ish, which is sad. (And not just because of the actor casted as Edward.) I love the Harry Potter books. The movies, on the other hand, don't do the books justice. Sure they are fun to watch (especially around Halloween), but one must keep in mind that the books and the movies are two separate things ENTIRELY. And I'm afraid, especially from the looks of the cast, that Twilight, the movie, will do the same thing. Oh well. I'm sure I'll still go see it. But let me know what you think...

...Ok, I just read further down and saw the actress they cast as Bella Swan. I have to say, I'm impressed. I guess the casting directors have gotten a lot of flack for casting Kristen Stewart, but in my mind, she's right on. And Elizabeth Reaser, playing the character of Esme, is better known as Ava/Rebecca from Grey's Anatomy. Interesting...

Vacation!!!

We had a great time in St. George this past weekend! We got to go down and stay with Zac's Grandma Edie and Grandpa Jerry. We got to take Zac's sister Savannah with us, too, which was awesome. We left Friday afternoon and made really good time. And Logan was a perfect little angel the entire ride! When we got to St. George (which is about 4 hours south of Provo), it was 20 degrees warmer than it was when we left Provo...hallelujah! Zac's cousin, Kate (Headlee), her husband, and their three kids also ventured up from Las Vegas.

Saturday was Edie's birthday so we drove to this beautiful canyon and had a picnic lunch with the cousins (and Zac's other cousin William drove up on Saturday, too). We drove around a bit, did some hiking, and even attempted to repel off a huge rock. Too bad the park ranger came and yelled at us. I was getting so excited to try it! We topped off the day by shopping...followed by a swim after dinner. You can't beat a dip in the pool in the middle of February! Logan even enjoyed it!

Sunday was another beautiful, warm day. Not much exciting...I made my Cafe Rio pork and we napped and watched half of season one of Lost. And I forgot to call my grandparents...sorry guys! I'll call this Sunday, I promise! And then Monday, before we left, we took in some of the Church history sites. We took a tour of the St. George Tabernacle, where we all got to stand at the pulpit where all of the presidents of the Church have spoken. It was pretty sweet. Logan even got to get up and give a speech...well, sort of!


We had a safe drive back to Provo on Monday afternoon. And again, Logan was great. He's such a perfect traveler! I just hope he can keep up that attitude for our trip in March...but I'm not holding my breath! Well, take care and I'll update again soon!

Oh, Deer...

So Provo has been overrun with deer the past few weeks. Which is kind of crazy because we live in a fairly large city. But apparently, the deer are running out of food in the mountains, so they wander down here. And since our apartment complex is fairly close to the mountains, this seems to be their first stop. It was cool at first, because even though I lived in Bloomfield and saw deer on a daily basis, the only time I had seen one really up-close was nicking one with my bumper. So these deer are fearless. Zac came home one night and there were three deer on our sidewalk. They were eating the bushes and wouldn't move to let him by. He ended up hitting them with snowballs to get them to move! Then the other night (at like 1 am) I was drifting off to sleep and I heard them outside our window again. Literally right outside our window. So I snapped some pictures. They are a little grainy because I had to keep the flash off to keep it from reflecting. But they were like 3 feet away from me. And as long as they stay away from the front end of my car, I don't mind them hanging around!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Love to all our readers! I've got so much to talk about and so many photos to upload, I don't know if I'll be able to do it all in one post. Ok, not so much to talk about, just pictures to post. So I guess we'll start with today. It's Valentine's day! I was thinking about previous ones and how they've changed over the years. I remember in 11th grade I was so bitter about valentine's day (you know, the teenage thing!) that I went out and bought myself a garnet ring as a gift to myself. Good times. And then my first Valentine's day married, Zac tried to make me dinner while I was at work. Then when I came home, he was trying to be all romantic...and I got this crazy migraine. I felt so bad! I don't remember doing anything special last year...but this year was great! Zac's been sick so I wasn't expecting anything special, but when you lower your expectations, that man really can impress you! Haha, just kidding, honey. Anyways, I spent the afternoon at cousin Emily's visiting. Then I had class at 4:30 which I got back just in time for. Then I had to take a test and left just enough time to come home and make dinner for Zac before he had to go to work. So after my test, Zac came to pick me up at school and Logan was in the back seat with a bouquet of flowers for me! Zac said they were specifically from Logan. It was so precious!

So then we came home (keep in mind I'd been gone all day) and when I opened the door, the living room was picked p and vacuumed, the kitchen was next to spotless, and the dishes were done! And then, to top it all off, there was a huge bouquet of pink flowers on top of the dishwasher in a beautiful pink vase. Those ones were from Zac! And next to those flowers were a card, a 5-lb bag of gummie bears, Wheat Thins, and a can of Easy Cheese. You're probably thinking, "What in the world?!?!" but let me enlighten you.

On our very first date, Zac and I went to the movies. Long story short, we were late and stopped off to get snacks before the next showing. We pretty much just got a ton of gummie bears. Then on our 2nd date, we went to the Canandaigua Pier. We stopped off at Wegmans to get munchies so we had something to snack on. I got more gummie bears. Zac got Wheat Thins and Easy Cheese. So they have sentimental value...as strange as it seems :-)

So I made amazing braised sirloin tips with rice for dinner. And then Zac had to run off to work. Story of my life. But all in all, it was a good day! Hope your day was just as special!!!

Daily Routine Tag...

So Sara Oblad tagged me to talk about my daily routine...oye. It changes day to day, but here goes:

Logan wakes up around 8:30-9...which means so do I. I feed him and grab a bowl of cereal or yogurt and indulge in some Today Show. Rachael Ray comes on at 10, so I watch the opening segment of that (usually a fun lunch/snack recipe). Then, since the middle of her show tends to be a little "talk-show-ish" for me, I hop in the shower. Since Zac is usually still sleeping, Logan watches Baby Einstein for entertainment. God Bless Julie Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Company.
So after my shower, Logan gets dressed and goes down for a nap between 11-12. And here's where my schedule changes:

Mondays, Zac and I leave for class at 12:30. We drop Logan off at Liz's and I have class from 1-2. I get Logan from Liz at 2 and walk home. Then we have some Logan/mommy time (reading, playing, singing) and I get dinner ready. We drive down and switch the car with Zac, since he's done at 4. Then I have class from 4-6:30 while Logan naps. Zac follows my dinner instructions, picks me up at 6:30, we eat, then go to Mat and Dani's for FHE. Zac goes to work at 8:30, so I come home, give Logan a bath, and put him to bed. The rest of my night is spent doing homework and cleaning the kitchen. Zac gets home around 12:30, we read scriptures, and I go to bed (I would go to bed earlier, but I can't fall asleep unless he's home).

Tuesdays start off the same. When Logan wakes up, we usually go to Dani's to play with James. And we hang out there until I have class at 4:30 and Logan goes down for a nap. Zac brings the car down at 6 (when I'm done and he has class). I go home, feed Logan, make dinner, take dinner back to campus for Zac, come home, give Logan a bath, feed him, put him to bed, then straighten up the house, and do homework. And kill time while I wait for Zac to get home from work.

Wednesdays start out like Mondays with me going to class until 2 and Logan and I come home and play. Wednesdays are great because when Logan naps at 4, so do I. Then we wake up, start dinner, take it down to campus for Zac, and come home for my Relief Society Presidency meeting. That goes from 7:30-"8:30" and we come home, Logan has a bath, then goes to bed. Homework, clean the house, wait up for Zac.

Thursdays are pretty much like Tuesdays.

Fridays are nice because neither of us have class. So the morning routine is still in place, but the afternoons are family time. Sometimes we go to the movies, the mall, run random errands, or grocery shopping. I usually end up at Dani's and eat dinner with her and Mat and hang out there all evening, since Zac works from 5-9. When Zac's done, we come home, put the baby to bed (he has his bath with James), and we curl up and watch a movie we get from RedBox earlier in the day.

Saturdays are lazy days. We all stay in PJs until noon, unless we have to be somewhere. I usually clean the bathroom and do all those other chores (dusting, mopping the kitchen) that get neglected during the week. We usually have a sitter for Logan and Zac and I get to go on a date on Saturdays. Then the normal bedtime routine for the baby and an earlier bedtime for us.

Sunday mornings are also lazy. We don't have church until 2, but then we're there until 5 or so. When we get home, I call my grandparents and make dinner. Then after Logan's bath/bed, Zac and I work on homework for the next week, read scriptures, and go to bed.

So after writing out my week, I've noticed a few things. 1: I'm really busy. 2: I practically live at Dani's. 3: Zac and I hardly ever sit down to dinner together. But that's what this semester brings. It's nice to know that it will change in just a few months!

So I'm tagging...Rachel, BriAnna, Kim, Kate, and Lisa to describe their daily routines. If they have time :-)

"Eruption of the Deciduous teeth...

esp. the phenomena associated with their eruption." That's the official dictionary definition of teething. Which is what is going on in the world of Logan this week. I was talking to my mother-in-law this afternoon and telling her how cranky and clingy Logan has been the past few days. She wondered if maybe his ear infection didn't completely clear up. And after I got off the phone with her, I thought about the low-grade fever he was running the day before yesterday, also wondering if it was a sign that he was still sick. Then we were chilling out and watching some Baby Einstein (aka Baby Crack) before I had to leave for class and he was chewing on my fingers. Then he chomped down and *OUCH* I was poked by something sharp. Sure enough, a tooth is actually coming through. Before when we thought there was a tooth coming in on the top, nothing ever poked all the way through. But now there is definitely something poky in there. So I hope this clingy thing passes when that tooth pops all the way through and that the ear infection is, in fact, gone.
Logan with his friend Parker while we were babysitting last week

Also in Logan news, he's still not quite crawling. And I'm still totally ok with it. But I don't think he is ok with it. He seems to get really frustrated that he can't move where and when he wants to. But I'm sure that will change really soon. He's also slowly venturing into the world of solid foods. We've been doing the jars of baby food for a while, but they aren't a huge hit. So recently, we bought these "finger food" things that are similar to cheerios. But the texture is a little different, they are flavored, and they dissolve a lot quicker, which is good because Logan tends to "choke" on them occasionally. And by choke, I mean he realizes there is something solid in his mouth so he coughs non-stop for a few seconds. But we're getting there. Logan also appreciates it when Zac shares whatever he is eating. Tastes of yogurt, bread from his sandwiches, and here, Sourpatch Kids. They're those sour gummy candies. I love the moment Logan realizes that they are sour...and the fact that he wants more. He cracks me up.

News in the world of Sarah? Well, it's kind of exciting, actually. A few weeks ago, my friend Dani said there was a contest announced on the Ellen Degeneres show. Basically, write in and win a car and a road trip to see the show. So we wrote in. But knowing we probably wouldn't win, we came up with a contingency plan. Take a road trip and see Ellen anyways! The only thing is, tickets are really hard to come by. But Dani researched it and we each applied for different days in March. And she got a call-back today...we got tickets!!!! Whoo!!!! So the next few weeks will consist of road-trip planning. I'm pretty excited!

In family news, we have next Monday off of school, so Zac, Logan, Savannah, and I are going down south to St. George to visit Grandma Edie and Grandpa Jerry who are spending the winter there. It's going to be in the 60's all weekend, so it should be wonderful! We're also hoping Zac's cousins will venture there, too, so we get a chance to see everyone. But we'll have a great time either way! I can't wait to get out of the snow and Provo for a few days! Well, love you all!!!

MFG 202: History of Creativity...

So, as you know from an earlier post, I am in this sweet manufacturing class. Well, at the end of the semester, I need to turn in a creative project that is somehow related to something that we learn about from the 16th century to the present. Well, I've decided to make a dress worthy of Queen Elizabeth I. She was just a rockin' woman and I think I will have fun making such a huge dress. Yes, I will get frustrated and have to rip a few seams here and there, but all in all, I think it will be worth while in the end. So the biggest problem I was having (and the thing holding me back from starting it already) was that I didn't have a dress form. I'm not going to start a huge dress, with no pattern, mind you, without a dress form to create it on. So I Googled "make dress form easy" and found a website that teaches you how to make a simple dress form out of duct tape. Well, there is step one. That and watching "Elizabeth- The Golden Age" that comes out on dvd tomorrow. I'll have to keep you updated on that one!

In other news, Logan finished his course of antibiotics today for his ear infection. He's been sooo good about taking them, too. For the past 5 days I would measure out the medicine, let him hang onto the dropper at the same time I did, and he'd pop it right in his mouth and suck it all down. He's such good boy!

Logan is also getting ready to crawl, in my opinion. He can pretty much move in every direction but forward...but he'll get there. He gets up and tries to push forward, but just ends up sliding backwards. His other favorite thing lately is making different sounds with his mouth... i.e. hitting his mouth with his hands while "yelling," and it makes like..well...this video pretty much shows them both!

We had a fun Superbowl Sunday yesterday. We went to Mat and Dani's house and chowed down on sooo much food. I made wings and cocktail weenies, they got pizza, and Dani had a veggie tray and a chips/salsa tray. And then she made this dip to go with the fritos. We joked that it looked like something out of Logan's diaper, but it was the best tasting dip EVER. I ate so much I thought I was going to barf. It was awesome. Oh, and then after the game, I made Brazilian Lemonade. So here's the recipe for those who asked:
2 Limes
3 Tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 C Sugar
3 C Water
Wash the limes, cut off the ends, and quarter. Place quartered limes (skins and all) and the other ingredients in blender. Blend for 10-15 seconds, pulsing the blades (any longer and the juice may become bitter). Strain rinds and pulp and pour the remaining juice over a LOT of ice. Makes 2-3 servings.

Sooo good. So I guess that's all form here for now. Take care!!! Miss you all!!!