The Saturday Sweet and Sour

Sweet:

• Eloise is now 3 months old! I can't believe it...where has the time gone?
• Our family outing to the new City Creek mall in downtown SLC. If I ever go missing, make sure to check there first. It is amazing!
• The spring cleaning that has been going on in our house, which is much needed. I'm in a major de-junking mode, and dang it feels gooood!
• Laying in bed as a family and listening to our baby girl squeal and laugh...It melts my heart.
• Finally getting back to the gym. Yes, I realize Eloise is 3 months old and I should have gone back long ago...Oh well. It felt SO good to be active again. It's the endorphins I tell ya!
• Mr. Miller finally reading The Hunger Games, and loving it! I knew he would. Now he just needs to hurry his little buns up and finish it so we can go see the movie. 
• Nights in catching up on our favorite shows on Netflix, while Eloise sleeps in our arms.

Sour:

• The fact that we didn't win the lotto and become instant millionaires last night. Oh what I would have done with that money...
• Eloise's near death experience at Blue Lemon. Let's just say it involved a very clumsy lady, a giant metal sign crashing down into our stroller, and a very upset mama. Absolutely terrifying, I tell you! Luckily we all survived and Eloise stayed asleep throughout the entire incident, thank goodness.
• Two words, MY DIET. This idea is foreign to me, and I haven't fully warmed up to it yet. But, I have to stick to it.
• Kicking my own butt at the gym...Ouch! I can barely walk. I just keep telling myself that it will all be worth it. Right?

Have a LOVELY weekend my friends!
I'll see you all back here next week.
xo

Flashback Friday

Am I the only one who loves going back and looking at old pictures? For some reason I love looking at the past, and remembering all the fun times that we have had. It's hard to believe that Zach and I went on our honeymoon to Kauai almost four years ago. How time flies! Here's a little blast from our past, as newlyweds...

I'll Let You In On A Few Secrets...

She secretly loves her freckles.

He secretly reads her celebrity gossip magazines almost more than she does.

She secretly enjoys listening to sports radio...Dan Patrick is her favorite.

He secretly can't go cross-eyed.

She secretly sneaks in and checks on her baby an absurd amount of times during naps, to make sure she is still alive and well. He has caught her in the act a time or two.

He secretly enjoys the occasional peanut butter and cheese sandwich. Very strange, but he swears by it.

She secretly could stay in her pajamas all day, and be incredibly pleased with herself.

He secretly knows his way around a flower shop. He can whip up a gorgeous floral arrangement if you ask him to...but don't tell his friends, k?

By The Time I'm 30

Some days I sit and think about all the things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Some of them are silly, others a bit more serious. I think about all the things I want to do for myself, and for my family. I have decided that in order for these things to happen, I need to set goals and work each day to meet them. You guys, I am SO young...23. I have a whole life ahead of me, waiting to be taken advantage of. There is still so much time for me to do those things that I want to do, and to find my true passions in life. Although some of the major things in my life have already happened, getting married and starting a family for example, I still have so much to learn and do. I still have a lot of time to figure out who I really am, and what I want my life to become. For those of you who know me, you know that I go absolutely CRAZY just sitting around. I am the type of person who actively wants to be taking part in my life, instead of sitting back watching it all happen. I am a doer, and a believer. Here is just a small snippet of the things I hope to do before I am 30. Seven years left, and counting...

1. Write and publish a children's book.
2. Have another child, or two.
3. Walk through every inch of central park.
4. Buy a house.
5. Learn to sew, and wear something that I make.
6. Live in a big city, even if it is just for a few months.
7. Travel through Europe.
8. Run a full marathon.
9. Open my own successful floral business.
10. Learn the art of photography. 

In the Night

Some nights I wake up, and watch my little Eloise sleep. Yes, this may sound a tad strange...But there is honestly nothing like it. I love to see her so peaceful and calm. I love to watch the silly little faces she pulls, and wonder what she is dreaming about. I wonder how in the world we created such a beautiful girl, and how we got so lucky to call her ours. She is all ours. I wonder what her life will be like, and what she will become. I dream about all the little moments I get to share with her, as her mama. As I lay there with this baby girl on one side, and my husband on the other, I realize how blessed I am. They are my world. 

The Saturday Sweet and Sour

Sweet:

• The pedicure date with my sister and brother's girlfriend. Thanks for having a birthday Alisha! Just me, a People magazine, a massage chair, and two of my favorite people. Heavenly I tell you!
• Taking E to meet the Easter Bunny at the mall with her cousins...you will die when you see this picture! The Easter Bunny was a tad bit too creepy for my likings though.
• Morning naps for Eloise. Since when did she decide that morning naps were part of the agenda? I will take it with open arms. Like I said a few weeks back, angel baby. 
• Lunch and dinner all in the same day with our good friends we haven't seen in quite a while. These both involved a lot of catching up, which we loved. 
• Waking up to Miss Eloise laughing and chatting it up with herself in her cradle. Cute doesn't even begin to describe this...
• Another morning of golf for the hubby. A much needed break from school and work. 
• Saturday night plans to drive up to Small-Town USA to spend the evening with some of our best friends that we haven't seen in over a year. They finally get to meet this baby girl of ours!

Sour:

• Having a full-blown conversation with myself in the gas station while filling up my much needed Diet Coke. Oh what's that girl behind me?...You were talking to the cashier and not me? Oops. Imagine the walk of shame I had to take right by the girl I thought was talking to me, and up to the cashier. It most definitely involved many STRANGE looks. 
• Eloise being that screaming baby in the restaurant that everyone can hear, poor thing! Yes, Zach could hear her screaming all the way in the bathroom. Once again, lots of strange looks. 
• Knowing that we need to start transitioning Eloise from her cradle into her crib, but dreading the whole process. 

Have a lovely weekend my friends! Enjoy this gorgeous spring weather. xoxo

Impromptu Fiesta For Four and a Half

As Zach and I were aimlessly walking around the grocery store yesterday, trying to figure out what in the world we should make for dinner, an idea popped into our heads...let's have a fiesta! So, we loaded our shopping cart with all the things that we needed, called our friends and invited them over for a little impromptu fiesta, and headed home. I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE those nights when the hubby and I get to spend some time together in the kitchen. It was a gorgeous spring night, so we opened up all the kitchen windows, and started cooking. You too can have a little fiesta if you ever feel so inclined...

Step 1: Make sure your trusty assistant is locked and loaded, and ready to oversee all of the cooking matters. You know, this is very serious business.

 Step 2: Turn on some Spanish tunes to set the mood...try to sing along if you feel so inclined.

 Step 3: Get out some yummy chips and dip to munch on while cooking, just because it's that good.

 Step 4: Chop up one red pepper, one green pepper, and one onion. Expect many tears to be shed, if the onion is as spicy as ours was...yikes!!

 Step 5: Mix all three together, and sautee over medium heat, until nice and soft. Adding a little salt and pepper won't hurt. 

 Step 6: In a grill pan, cook the steak in a bit of olive oil. Let your boy do this part...You know, it will make him feel all manly inside.

 Step 7: When the veggies are all cooked down, and the steak is grilled, combine the ingredients into the grill pan. Add your seasoning, and let it all cook together for a bit. This is when your kitchen will start smelling pretty dang good.

 Step 8: Don't forget the rice.

 Step 9: Open up some cool, refreshing Mexican style drinks. We bought lots of different flavors so we could sample all of them. The Sangria was my favorite. 

 Step 10: Enjoy!

This was a delicious way for us to spend the evening with our good friends, and sweet baby Eloise. I have a feeling that there may be a few more fiesta's in the near future...

The Curly-Haired Tales

So after all of these years, twenty three to be exact, I've finally decided to throw in the towel. I've come to terms with my curly hair. I'm going to love it, and in return it's going to love me back. It's got to be a two-way relationship you know, me and my curly hair. But for years, I hate to admit that it was not a good realtionship. Yes, I neglected and abused my poor curly hair, straightening it and hiding it as much as possible. Not letting it freely come out and see the world. Or let the world see it for all that it counts. I was fine with it, but the Mr. not so much. I'll let you in on a little secret...He loves, no more like absolutely adores my curly hair. He once offered to pay me $1,000.00 if I wore my hair curly for 75% of the year. Now according to my calculations, that's like 75% percent too much of my curly hair. Yes, I am terrible at math and have no idea how to even figure out how many days that even is. But lets not talk about math, lets get back to my curly hair ok? You guys, I feel like shouting it off the rooftop. I wore my hair curly for 10 straight days. And do you know what? I loved every single minute of it!! It brought out something in me that has been hidden for all of these years. I was a lot more, dare I say, confident. It was completely liberating. You bet your bottom dollar I rocked that BIG, curly hair. So why have I been hiding it for all of these years? Probably because it's human nature to not want what we have. This rings true for girls especially. Can I get an amen? For years I envied my friends, with their silky smooth locks. I wondered, why was their hair so straight and perfect, with little effort, while mine was the exact opposite? I would spend ridiculous amounts of time each morning trying to get mine to look like that. I would wake up, literally before the sun came up each morning in high school, so I could straighten my curly hair. Only to be heartbroken the second it rained, and those dang curls came out. But now, I have a feeling that I'll be a bit more apt to dance in the rain, curls and all. I encourage you all to try something different for a few days, and see how you feel. Whether it be wearing your hair a different way, trying a new shade of lipstick, going au-natural, or even that new trend that you thought would never look good on your body. I promise that you will walk away feeling more confidant in your own skin. Ooh, and let me know how it goes, will you?

Crushes and Cravings

1. Mini Cadbury Eggs. My current obsession. 2. Zach teaching Eloise about the guitar. 3. Close up of baby girl. Check out those blue eyes. 4. Gluten-Free pancakes in bed. Why not? 5. Miss Eloise. 6. Saturday morning walks with the stroller. 7. Pink lipstick for spring. 8. Eating healthy. Smoothies for lunch. 9. Holding her own hands while sleeping

Fill In The Blank

•  What I love most about my home is: Who I share it with. 

• My celebrity crush at the moment is: Ryan Gosling. I think the hubby may just have a man-crush on him too.

• I am currently craving: Mini Cadbury Eggs...they are my weakness this time of year.

• The thing I love most about life right now is: That I have a healthy and happy family. 

• If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be: Ice cream. 

• My favorite job I had was: Working as a florist. I loved everything about it, and miss it dearly. I still LOVE arranging flowers...It's a big hobby of mine.

• The song that is constantly on repeat in my head right now is: "Rumor Has It" by Adele

• If I could hop on a plane at this very moment I would be headed to: Hawaii. A nice warm beach and a suntan sound pretty dang nice right about now. 

How It All Started

This is a story about a boy and a girl who met, fell in love, and got married. But let's just start off by saying that this is not your average boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married story. Nope. This love story is a long time in the making. And it just to happened to include a bottle of Orange Crush...When this boy was a senior in high school, this girl was just a measly little, awkward freshman. She dreamed of one day growing up and marrying her high school crush. Literally. She woke up one morning, puzzled about the dream she had just had. Why in the world was she dreaming about a senior boy that she had seen once or twice, but didn't even know, taking her to the Blink 182 concert? Yes, Blink 182 of all bands. Hmmmmm. That afternoon while sitting on the freshman level of her high school's lunchroom, she told her friends about her embarrassing dream. They wondered what her dream meant...and why she was dreaming about the captain of the football team/student body officer that she had never even spoken one word to. Well, little did she know, that senior boy was pointing her out to his friends at that very moment. He told his friend, that he didn't know who that freshman girl was, but that he was going to marry her someday. Fate? Perhaps. But like I said, this is not a short love story. Now, this girl had to find out more about the boy of her "dreams." She did a little research and found out that he was just as nice as he was cute. Score!! A few days later this boy's friend came down to the freshman level and found this girl during lunch. He wrote a phone number on her hand, and told her to give her crush a call. What could this mean she wondered? First the shock of this all wore away, then curiosity started to set in. She had her friends give this boy a call, pretending that they were her. Then, she finally got the guts to get on the phone herself. A few awkward phone conversations and many text messages later, she was hooked. She knew that this so-called boy of her "dreams" was the one. The only problem was, she was still only 15, and he was dating one of her best friend's sisters. Oops! Well, a few months later this girl made the cheerleading squad and they decided to do a fundraiser where you could send a bottle of Orange Crush to the person you were crushing on. Pretty cute huh? Her friends decided to send him a bottle of Crush with her name on it, to make her crush known. How embarrassing, right? It was a good thing they did that though, because he sent a bottle to her. It seemed that this little crush must have been mutual. She was absolutely thrilled!! But, little came of this. He graduated, and went on with his life. They spent that summer doing their own things, and occasionally bumped into each other, which of course made for some very awkward moments. She thought that their crushes had fizzled, until the night before she turned 16. They exchanged text messages and before she knew it, a date was planned. Yes, this boy was going to take this girl on her very first date. This date turned into more dates, lots of kisses, and many late nights. The only problem was, this boy was headed to Mexico for two whole years. What was she ever going to do? Well, a few short months later, he was gone. Heartbreaking, isn't it? She went on with her life, and tried to make the time pass quickly. While she was dancing, and dating, he was serving and teaching. Then, the "love" letters started coming and going. I know, I know, who actually writes letters anymore, right? Well, they did. They wrote about their lives, and shared their plans for the future with one another. They both wondered if there was room in the future for this boy and this girl to be together. Two years slowly passed by, and this boy was home. She anxiously awaited a call from him, but it didn't come. A few nights later, she had an anonymous message left on her phone. "Hi, just calling to talk to you, call me back if you can...Thanks, bye." Click. No name! Come on, who leaves a message like this from a random number, and doesn't even leave their name? She got up the guts to call this number back and ask for a boy who had just called her. And can you guess who this boy on the other line was? Yep, the boy of her "dreams." One more awkward phone call later, plans were made to get together. It had been two whole years since they had seen one another. They both worried about what it would be like when they actually saw each other again. Let's just say it was very interesting. But, the ice was broken, and they spent the whole night talking and catching each other up on what life had been like for two whole years. The boy went home, and the girl knew that all of those feelings she felt years ago, were back and there to stay. She had once again fallen hard for him. And do you know what? He felt the exact same way. This boy and girl were inseparable from that day on. A year later, a ring came into the picture, and a wedding was planned. Five months later, these two tied the knot. Life was amazing to say the least! They promised each other that it would just be the two of them for at least five years, but we all know that plans change. Three years passed, and sweet Eloise came into the picture. This little family of two, quickly became a family of three. And do you know what? Life couldn't be better. This is now a story of a boy and a girl who met, fell in love, got married, and had a baby. This is the story of OUR life...

Want to know a little more about us? Click HERE

The Saturday Sweet and Sour

Wearing our GREEN pants for St. Patty's Day

Sweet:

• Spring Break. Do I really need to say anything else?
• March Madness has hit our house, HARD. Zach is one happy boy!
• The fact that I saw some tulips coming up this week. Yes, I understand that it is only March and I am probably getting ahead of myself, but TULIPS you guys...Spring is officially here in my book. 
• Dinner with some of my best friends that I haven't seen in way too long. 
• Berry smoothies in the Blendtec. Absolutely delish! This has got to be the single most amazing appliance ever created by man. 
•  Morning naps in our bed with Eloise. 
• A Saturday walk around the neighborhood admiring the beautiful houses with our sweet friends/neighbors Ben and Kerry.

Sour:

• The fact that Zach had to work every single day at the hospital this week...LONG hours, early mornings, and late nights. Boo. 
• Having the worst migraine to ever hit mankind. Seriously! But, my sweet hubby being the incredible man he is, brought me a diet coke and gave me the afternoon off. He took the baby for a walk around the neighborhood, while I napped. It was quite heavenly.
• This week going by WAY too fast. It seemed to get away from me somehow...

We hope you all had a wonderful week that was filled with many more sweets than sours!!

Suggestions Please

NYC- December 2007

Yes, we look like BABIES.

Zach, Eloise and I are heading out on our very first family of three trip in early May. That's right, we are taking Miss E on her first East Coast adventure. We are visiting Washington DC, and NYC for a week and couldn't be more excited. I'm going a little giddy planning this trip, and all of the fun things we are going to do. The hubby has never been to DC, so this will be a first for him. We are planning on touring all of the monuments and museums, and brushing up a bit on our U.S. history. New York is a special place for us. It's where I like to say our family truly started. Zach and I got engaged in Central Park in 2007...pretty romantic huh? We have done all of the major touristy things in New York (multiple times for me), and want more of a laid back experience this time. I would absolutely LOVE suggestions from all of you. What should we plan on doing and seeing while in Washington DC and New York City? What are some of your most favorite spots in these cities, that are a must for us on our trip? Ready, go...

The Saturday Sweet and Sour

Each night, Zach and I talk about our day. We talk about school, work, Eloise, and anything else that may have happened. We have a little tradition of telling each other the best thing that happened, and the worst. The SWEET and the SOUR. By doing this we are able to see that yes, there were moments in our day that weren't the greatest to say the least, but there were also those moments that put a smile on our face. I've decided that it would be fun to put together a little list at the end of each week, to remember the SWEET times, and the SOUR times...The Saturday Sweet and Sour.

SWEET:

• Eloise rolled over for the very first time this week!! She didn't only do it only once, but multiple times. Our baby girl is getting SO big.
• The fact that the Hubby's ward ball team won the regional championship last night. If you know him, you know that he is ridiculously competitive. So, this was pretty much the highlight of his month.
• This weather!! Can you say perfect? I am definitely not complaining that it has been in the 60's, and that it is only the beginning of March. It's heavenly.
• Our family walks around the neighborhood. During our long walk a few days ago, I stopped and told Zach that this moment right here is "bliss." What more could I want...I had my Zach, my baby, and the gorgeous spring sunshine. 
• We have a new nephew, who is absolutely adorable. William was born on Friday afternoon. Congrats Brasher Family!!
• Hitting the two week mark of Eloise sleeping through the entire night. Can you say angel baby?
• Eating a homemade pizza dinner at 11:00 at night. Yep, should have checked the directions on the dough before I started it at. Who knew it had to rise twice...strange. You may think this should be a sour of the week, but nope, it was a memorable and very delicious late night for the me and the hubby. 
• That Zach is out golfing as we speak...his idea of a perfect Saturday. 
• Dancing in the living room with Eloise.
• Getting a sneak peak of the brand spanking new and unbelievably gorgeous Nordstrom in downtown Salt Lake City. Heavenly beyond words I tell ya!!

SOUR:

• Oh you know...I just missed the first time my daughter rolled over. Can you say terrible Mother? I was too worried that we weren't going to get it recorded, turned away for 2 seconds, and completely missed it!! But that's ok, she was a good girl and rolled over a few more times for her Mama.
• The bad news Zach received that he isn't going to graduate after this semester. Nope, he has to wait to take one more class in the fall. But on the bright side, he won't have to take any classes this summer which is a first. I get him all to myself for 3 whole months!!
• The sink full of dishes that I should be washing right now instead of writing about. Let's just say our poor house has been completely neglected this week. Sorry house, please forgive me.

And for your viewing pleasure...Eloise rolling over.
She hates being on her tummy, poor thing.

This started out a little sour, but ended up being very sweet.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Little Introductions

As I was getting ready a few mornings ago, I sat and listened to Zach while he was playing with Eloise. I love listening to the conversations that he has with her. Sometimes he talks to her just like she is one of his longtime friends. You know, the kind of friend that has been around forever. It put a smile on my face when I heard him say to her, "I just realized that I never formally introduced myself to you...Hi, I'm Zach. But you can call me Daddy. Nice to meet you Eloise." That right there melted my heart. It's moments like this when I step back and realize how lucky I am to have a husband that loves and adores both of his girls. Mama and baby. 

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My

Yesterday was absolutely GORGEOUS!! It was in the 60's here in good old Salt Lake City. I think the warm weather gave everyone some spring fever...Me included. I decided to venture out and take Eloise on her very first trip to the zoo. She couldn't contain the excitement and simply passed out, as seen below.

Yes, this is how she spent her entire time at the zoo. That's ok, maybe she will open her eyes and actually see some animals next time I take her. But I can't complain, I definitely enjoyed my day. I got to walk around in the sunshine and get my exercise in. I tell you, those strollers can be quite the thing to push up those hills. I love these little adventures I get to take with my baby girl each and everyday. Oh and spring, please come!! I am ready to greet you with open arms.