The things I take for granted...

My husband is on the road for basketball this week. He left Tuesday for a tournament in Vegas and does not come back until Monday! Being married while he is in school totally has its perks. We get to pretty much hangout all day minus the few hours of class and few hours of practice. We both don't know how we are going to handle when he has to work a 9-5 because we have literally been attached at the hip since we started dating. With Chloe in the mix, road trips seem to be a little tougher! Especially now that she is older, I realize how much my husband really does help out!!! I made a little list in my head of the things that i take for granted when he is around and that i miss terribly when he is away...

-Family prayer

                                       -Diaper duty (he has always been pretty gung-ho about helping in the diaper

department-so this is definitely missed!!

-Watching the babe for just 10 minutes so i can shower or clean

-Taking the garbage out

-Helping around the house

-someone to watch movies with
-foot rubs
-turning the heat down before bed hehe I always leave it scorching
-locking the door before bed

There are so many more, but of course when I go to write them down, i draw a blank! Next time I feel like I do it all, I am totally turning back to this entry and remembering what it really feels like to not have any help!!! I am counting down the days until Monday!!!

A Wonderful Wedding Weekend

This last weekend was my brother-in-law Brett's wedding!!! We headed over to the farm on Friday for the fun filled weekend. It was so great having all of Roby's brothers and sisters there in one house! We played my favorite card game, 9 innings on Friday night and the laughs were endless. Saturday morning we made our way to the Temple for Brett's sealing. The 40 minute drive to the temple allowed me time to just sit and give thanks for having such a wonderful and amazing blessing so close by! The sealing was very moving and the Spirit was so strong. Arianna (Brett's bride) looked stunning!!! The rest of the day was filled with lunch with both families and then a gorgeous reception at the church. It was definitely a great family weekend! 

Congrats to Brett and Arianna!!!

How GORGEOUS is this bouquet!!?

At home workouts

I have been involved in sports my entire life. Even when i was 8 months pregnant, I was doing bootcamp and kick boxing classes. So, after having Chloe, i wanted to find a way to stay as active as possible, which was tricky with Roby on the road all the time for basketball. Some at home workouts I found to be awesome was just a simple card workout that i would change each day for which muscle group i wanted to target. I could also change the level of intensity from week to week as i got back into shape. 

So, grab a deck of cards and get ready to sweat!!!

-If you are a beginner and just getting back into working out try half the deck.
-Get a note card or any scrap piece of paper to jot down what each suit stands for.

Mine would look something like this...

Hearts = Burpees

Spades = Jumping Squats

Diamonds = Lunges


Clubs = Abs 

So if i drew a 9 of spades, i would do 9 jumping squats. Aces are 15 reps and face cards are 10 reps. By the time you get through a whole deck, i can promise you, you will be feeling it!!!
-Allow yourself a break half way through your deck

-You can change up the workouts from arms to legs, to a mixture of both!
Some other awesome substitutions are...

-push ups
-calf raises
-dips (just grab a kitchen chair or the edge of a couch)
-mountain climbers

My fav Eat Clean meal

I ordered a few Eat Clean cookbooks and found some amazing recipes that i just have to share!!! Eating Clean is a lifestyle based on dietary logic. It is a nutritional plan that maximizes one's intake of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants by incorporating "whole foods" from every food group. Eating Clean focuses on foods that have been minimally processed and are as close to nature as possible. I always find that when i really focus on eating clean, I not only feel better, but my energy is through the roof!!! I would love to say that I am 100% clean in my eating, but sadly me and my sugar tooth are not even close. Here is one of my all time favorites!! (My 6 foot 5 husband even finds these meals filling and delicious!)

Brown Rice Pilaf

(The best part of the rice, is the leftovers are amazing! Try them in a wrap)

-1/4 C chopped mushrooms

-1/4 C chopped celery

-1/4 C chopped green onions

-1/4 C chopped red pepper

-1 C dry brown rice

-2 1/2 C water

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Briefly saute' veggies in small fry pan until translucent or soft, but not mushy! Place all the ingredients in casserole dish and cover. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. 

(I always add more mushrooms and even include some sweet onions! Pretty much whatever veggies you enjoy and have lying around are a perfect addition.)

Chili Chicken Kabobs 

-3 Tbsp best-quality olive oil
-1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Juice of one fresh lime
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces

-1 large green or red pepper cut into thick pieces (I add the pepper-the flavor with the marinade is awesome!)
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 tsp  cayenne pepper
- Sea salt, to taste

-Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast*, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

• In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pressed garlic.
• Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.
• Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

My little girl is 1!!!

WOW! Time flies!!! My little bundle of joy turned the big 1 on November 2 (little late posting.) We had a fun family get together and our little house was busting at the seams with all the family and little kiddos that made it to the party! The cousins got to decorate aprons with glitter pens, markers, stickers, and eyeballs. After that, they got to decorate sugar cookies!!! They added gummi bears, worms, chocolate chips, gum balls, and of course sprinkles. Chloe dove into her giant cupcake and was in heaven! (the as seen on TV giant cupcake!!! It was huge, it took literally an entire box of batter to fill the mold!) It meant so much having both sides of the family there to celebrate an awesome little girl who is clearly loved by so many and brings so much happiness to all our lives!!! 

ABC's of summer

My sister told me about this really cool idea to do! You go through and from A-Z list ideas or plans you want to accomplish for the summer!! I will be going back and filling these in as they come to me...

A-
B-
C- california! its the second annual Lake Combie trip! Counting down the days! So fun!!!
D-
E-
F- farm! Lots of visits out to the farm, Chloe loves all the animals and seeing her fam!
G-
H- hiking-i have a great jogging stroller with the heavy duty wheels-just need to find a good mountain to take her up on!
I-
J-
K-
L-
M- mariners game! Fun for everyone!!!
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S- swim lessons!! We are all signed up and cant wait to start!
T-
U-
V-
W-
X-
Y-
Z- zoo (only z i could come up with) Chloe loves animals so this will be a fun time!

Fun in the Sun!

Being in Ellensburg has so many perks! Being in between both of our families is a big one-and in the sunny months, being only 35 minutes away from my good friends cabin in Sunland!!! We have already taken a few day trips out there and it is such a blast! It is such a short drive, but feels like we are on vacation every time we go!! It is this fun little community right on the Columbia river. Chloe loves it! She can go in the pool or go for a ride in the swings. It is so relaxing and so much fun spending time with Kielie and her fam!!

Chloe and dad loving the swing

cruisin in the golf cart

the bbq master himself!

poolside with the little one

daddy and chloe in the pool

BBQ time!

happy babe

The beginning of a sunny, splendid summer!

We kicked off the summer by attempting to surprise my sister at her kids birthday party! My niece Bailey turned 3 and my little Mason turned 1! I say attempted because i thought i was so sneaky telling my sister weeks before the party that i wouldn't be able to make it due in part to the busy traveling weekend(she had it on memorial weekend) But of course, the morning of the party, she called me early and just randomly asked if i was in town!!! I tried to play it off like i wasn't but i couldn't fool her. It was great celebrating with everyone!! It is so crazy how much our family has grown the last few years!  Chloe loved being around all her cousins and they loved her! (I would upload all the cute pictures but i cant copy them off my sisters facebook!) I got my little Bailey a hot pink skirt (Chloe has a matching one) and she absolutely loved it!! Which of course, totally warms any Aunts heart! She is such a character and i am so lucky to have her for Chloe to grow up with! She is a great kid and has a great pair of sassy pants to keep her parents on their toes!! Marissa and the newest member of their family made it to the party also! Big Mike, as we call him, is such a little cutie!!! He is such a smiley, happy little guy!!! Him and Chloe had fun together too!

Chloe with the bday cousins!

Loving on Big Mike

Uncle Bubba aka the baby whisperer

The BIG 1 year anniversary!

before heading out to din din

 Ive been a horrible blogger-so i am going to do my best to try and catch back up and get back into it! The start of Spring brought some gorgeous, long over due sunshine! We headed out to Seattle to celebrate the BIG 1 year anniversary!! We celebrated at both mine and Robs favorite restaurant, Benihana. Roby surprised me and set up ahead of time telling the restaurant it was our anniversary, so right when we sat down, they came over and snapped a picture of us and wished us a happy 1 year! We lucked out because it was such an amazing Seattle night!! After dinner we strolled around the streets aimlessly (thanks to Gammy and Poo-pah for watching little Chlo!) It was such a fun milestone to celebrate! Crazy how fast the year went-and it definitely has been the best year of my life!!! I feel so lucky everyday to have Roby in my life, he is such an amazing husband and dad. Even with all the stresses of school, basketball, and family, he always has the best attitude and never seems to be flustered by it all. I am truly blessed!!!!

most delicious place!

Junior Miss-Ellensburg

Chloe with Grandma and Grandpa before the show

Roby's sister Crystal was asked to be the guest talent at the Ellensburg Junior Miss and it was such a treat!!! She plays a piece on the piano from Phantom of the Opera and it gives me goosebumps every time she plays!!! Roby's parents came out to watch and we had a fun dinner at our house with them before the show. Crystal played great and got some big cheers from the crowd!

Roby with the star of the show

I love this picture because of how cute the babies are together!

Eat This Not That - Healthier Alternatives

My good friend and workout partner would always talk about these awesome books her mom was really into. She explained them as healthier substitutes for popular foods and menu items. I did not get the just of it until after a workout one day, my friend and I ventured down to the Central bookstore where she told me about these "Eat This Not That" books. I was instantly hooked!! I sat in the cooking book aisle glued to the version "Cook This Not That". There were so many awesome recipes that show you the nutritional facts of certain dishes prepared by popular restaurants, and then show you a healthier (yet still very tasty way) to create them at home with half the calories! I called my sister-in-law Marissa raving about these books, spitting out "did you know" facts. She laughed when i told her i had taken pictures with my phone of a few recipes that i could try myself. So, instead of making me return to the bookstore and secretly snap more photos, she surprised me with my own copy! Some of the stuff in there is just jaw dropping!!! Even though Chloe is not on solid foods yet, I still want to be prepared and knowledgeable when it comes time to start her on it. The one dish that caught my eye and made me cringe came off a children's menu!! The children's fettuccine Alfredo at the Cheesecake factory is packed with more saturated fat than a full-grown adult should eat in 4 days, and more calories than you’d find in 40 Chicken McNuggets! What i love about these books is its not a diet book by any means, but instead of ordering this awful children's dish, they offer a more reasonable one that you should feed your child. Another version of the book is "The Supermarket Survival Guide". It showed misconceptions that many shoppers make. Nutri-Grain bars had a page in it exposing that they are no where near as good as many people (including myself!) believe them to be. "Healthy" cereals was also a focus. Kelloggs Smart Start has more sugar in it then Fruit Loops! I could go on and on with all the jaw dropping food that i have always thought to be good for you, when in reality, its nutritional facts are comparable to a candy bar! The recipes i have tried so far from the cook book turned out great!!! The Chicken Parmesan and Baked Ziti are popular with Roby. I am so excited to try out more of the recipes and by the time i am grocery shopping for Chloe, i will be a nutritional pro!!! I highly recomond these books to anyone-i attached a link that takes you to a site that gives you a few examples of each! Enjoy!!!
Eat This Not That

Here I come Ellen!!!

So for anyone who has seen the Ellen DeGeneres show-you know that she has a segment where she shows videos of laughing babies that people send into her. Personally, i believe Chloe's adorable chuckling would be a great addition to the segment  :)

178 days and counting

Such a happy day!

Smiley girl!

As Chloes big 6 month mark is approaching, it blows my mind at how fast it went by! The first few months were pretty mellow, just lots of Rob and me trying tofeel out the little nugget to see what she liked and what calmed her down.With much trial and error it was clear she LOVED attention and to be held. I can remember particularly one occasion, i think it was Valentines day, where i was in the kitchen for a good part of the day. Made Rob a big breakfast then started on chicken marinara and his favorite cake for dinner. When i finally sat down with Chloe,she was so entertaining! If i took my eyes off of her for one second, she would make a funny little screech, then once she got my attention, get the biggest grin on her face. I loved the newborn stage, but once her personality started to shine through, i fell even more in love with her. At one of her first few appointments, the nurse took her weight and height (i was dying to see her weight because she was such a little butterball!) and entered them into the computer to see what her percentiles were. She came back in to re-measure her height because she thought she had made a mistake. I looked at her and smiled and said "shes on the shorter end and heavier end?" Every appointment thus far, she has been in the 95th percentile for weight and the doctor says shes perfect! I always joke that i must have creatine in my milk! 178 days of getting to know my little nugget has just been so fun! We are so lucky to have such an easy going little girl who really is just so happy! (this just means that #2 will make up for it and be a handful!) I swear, every morning she has a new facial expression or noise. Roby and I fight over who gets to get her from her crib in the morning, because the greeting we get from her just melts our heart! From her first smile, to sitting up by herself, to sticking her own binky in her mouth, she definitely has been the best blessing to me and Roby! We are savoring every minute of our little Chloe!

Beautiful little newborn

Roby's shoulder surgery

After he got his I.V

Poor Roby! He went all summer with a "sore" shin that ended up being a stress fracture and got limited sympathy from me. He went all year with a "sore" shoulder and ended up having a torn labrum. Once again, limited sympathy.To my defense, we didn't know the extent of each of these injuries until at least 6 months later. I think the reason i was not as concerned as i could have been is because he is so nonchalant about that pain. I was even talking to the Central  trainer about this-if he is hurt and you ask him how bad, he will just say "eh its pretty painful", so its so hard to judge. Well, once the season got over he decided to get his shoulder checked out because he could hardly extend his left arm over his head without wincing. After a few x-rays and an MRI it came back that it was definitely a tear and he needed surgery. Thankfully, the surgeon is a big fan of Central athletics, so he got penciled in for surgery the same week as his appointment. (It was also nice to get it done so quick because it didn't give us time to really stress and worry!) 8am check in and 4 hours later and he was out of surgery and awake...well partially awake. He was definitely not the most coherent person, but had a great attitude and made all the nurses smile. The drive home was painless, he slept most the way as did Chloe. They were both such troopers and made my job easy!! His assistant coach has already stopped by to check on him and said he was here if we needed anything! We are so lucky to have such awesome friends around us who are so willing to help out!  Recovery is going to be rough but he is a tough guy and will work hard and bounce back!

Chloe playing nurse

"...for behold, he suffereth all the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, womenm and children who belong to the family of Adam"."
 -so reassuring knowing we are not alone in our trials and tough times!

This past year in 150 words or less...

Where to even start!? 2010 was a definitely a jammed packed year for us! From joining the church, to getting married, to welcoming our little girl, this past year has been just so amazing i dont even know where to start!! I knew i would like married life, but i had no idea how much i would LOVE it. I am so lucky to be married to a guy like Roby. Even when he ruffles my feathers, he can still make me smile while doing it. He is such a loving, fun, and just all around great husband and dad. It is so cliche' to say but it really is crazy how fast time flies. It seems like just last week we were heading out to the farm to go horseback riding when Rob popped the question. Now, i am starting a blog while my 6 month old is ooo-ing and ah-ing away in the other room! With Chloe being born in November, she had a few of her first big holidays right in a row. We spent Christmas out in  Connell with Roby's side of the family. It was great to take part in his family's Christmas traditions. My favorite had to be the nativity scene the kids acted out. (Chloe was too small to play the baby Jesus, but next year she wont be so fragile.) Roby's brother Brett had just gotten back from his mission in Paraguay and played the part of the sheep in the nativity,mind you, everyone in the play was 5 years old and younger :) It was great to spend Chloe's first Christmas out on the farm! I always think how awesome it will be for her to grow up visiting both grandparents. One set on the east side of the mountains with endless acres to play on, a variety of animals, and just a totally different environment then the west side of the mountains where my side of the family is from. Her first Easter we spent in Kirkland at my Moms house. It was the first time all 7 cousins have been together! Its so funny that my sisters and I were all pregnant together! Mason was born in May, Chloe in November, and Michael in March. Bailey and Anna were particularity fond of little Miss Chloe. They each took turns holding their "baby Chloe" as they like to call her. This was the first year that my brother and sister and I did not take part in the Easter egg hunt. I was a little bummed at first, but it was probably for the better. One year, my sister got a bloody knee, one year i got shoved in the grass, one year my brother crawled out a window (we are a competitive bunch)  It is all about the little kids now and it was so fun watching them run after those eggs! Gammy outdid herself and probably gave everyone of those kids the biggest sugar rush they've ever had! On the ride home it was hard not to think about how blessed we are to not only live close to both of our families, but to have such great, loving, supportive families. This last year we have gotten so much support and encouragement from our families, they made all the transitions so pleasant and relatively easy. From equipping Chloes nursery with furniture, to painting the walls, we could not have done it without our awesome families. Ok-so it was a little more than 150 words but it really has been such a fun, jam packed year! We look forward to sharing all the memorable milestones with everyone!!!