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!!!