Tis the season, to eat everything with butter

For your viewing pleasure (you're welcome!)

I love Christmas! Love it. Actually, I love the anticipation of Christmas. I love the lights and the cookies and the spices and the smells and the good feelings that people have for one another. Then comes Christmas Day and it's all over. I don't love presents or buying things, but I do love family. My family is the best. My sister is home and brother is not far behind and I am really sad to not be there this year. I'm sad that I don't get to be woken up by my dad telling me that there are sugar plums dancing in my head. I'm sad that I don't get to cook with my mom and enjoy a week of amazing cuisine, and cuddle in bed with my sister. But most of all I'm sad that we won't all be together. However, I have a plan B. Dustin has this thing he likes to call a family, and I am sure glad he does. I can look forward to Jaime's delectable desserts and a certain older brother being Santa Claus and Jenn playing the piano for us to sing Christmas songs. And, of course the Christmas Eve play. Charlotte is going to be an angel (sigh) Yes, this year will be great.

The joys of a one year old

We woke up early as usual on Char's birthday and I let her open her presents. She loves new toys!

This picture makes me laugh. Doesn't she look like a red neck from the 80's? Crazy mullet and a gap toothed grin :)

Here she is watching her birthday cake bake.

Things that have changed in our lives in the last year.
1. Our bedtime has gone from 11:30 to 9:30.
2. There are fingerprints on everything in our home.
3. Toothbrushes have been known to make their way to the toilet.
4. Dog toys have been found in the cereal box.
5. The living room is booby trapped with toys
6. There are cheerios everywhere.
7. I can’t leave the house without four bags, eight sippy cups and ten pairs of socks.
8. I spend the majority of my time in sweat pant. (Not that I’m complaining!)
9. I know the names of all Caillou’s friends and family members.
10. I can’t remember the last time I went shopping alone, which makes it easy to not shop at all!
11. My love has increased ten fold and our little Charlotte has taught us what real happiness is.
Happy Birthday (last week) to my sweet one year old princess.

A post about nothing.

Rained on at the zoo

Lions
After bath hair!
Char's favorite place to hide

Well, here I am. Another year older and hopefully wiser. We have had a busy month, like always. Charlotte is ever growing and coming into her own. She is a special little girl. Are all your kids this special or is the first one really the most special? If we have any more kids they just won't get the one on one time that I can give to Charlotte. I guess that's just how it goes. We have been busy with school, as always. I'm always a little sad when Halloween ends. It means that the other two holidays will come quickly and then be over. Why do they have all the good holidays so close together? They should have spread out Thanksgiving and Christmas a few months more, don't you think? We have been going to the zoo almost every week. We love being so close. Living in the city has it's perks.

The People of Central Phoenix Walmart

You know you’re in a Phoenix Walmart, when you hear a little girl screaming no quiero, no quiero, NO QUIERO! Over and over again while anticipating her flu shot. You know you’re in a Phoenix Walmart when the line goes super slow because every single person pays in cash and coin because the majority of the population can’t open a bank account. You know you’re in a Phoenix Walmart, when you’re trying to read the magazines while waiting in line and you can’t find an English copy. I’m just saying…

Alright, I had a good laugh writing this, but this place is starting to grow on me. I kinda like my neighborhood, which is a drastic improvement from when I moved here.

Dustin is officially a published writer. He wrote an article for a Windows Administrators site, and the editor loved it and it appeared here. I’m sure everyone is dying to read it. My hubby is a smart man!

Warning...baby post.

(Crazy after bath hair, inherited from her father)

(destroying the kitchen)

Tonight is a post about Charlotte. I haven't posted about her much lately because I have been posting my random thoughts instead. It amuses me quite a bit to do so, but here is a baby post. But first, have any of you out there ever watched Keeping up Appearances? It is British humour (spelling on purpose) at its best. I used to watch it when I was young and I have recently rekindled my love of all things Hyacinth related. Also, I made really good pumpkin bread the other day and I will share the recipe, you can find it here. Okay, Baby Nut (as we like to call her) is getting big and adorable and feisty. She's the cutest fit thrower I have ever seen. Every time she doesn't get her way, watch out! Dustin says she gets that from me. I'm not sure, but I think that might be a Miller gene. Ha! Charlotte loves to climb the stairs, stand in the window and bang on it, and get in the water. Swimming pool, bath tub, sink, dog bowl, it doesn't really matter the source, if she finds the water she will play in it. She loves to clap and mimic us and she will be walking by the end of the month I'm sure. She's a brave little gal and loves to climb and get into dangerous situations. She is just so much fun and the older she gets the more I think I'll keep her around.

Did you know Wednesday?

Did you know that when I did my first 5K I was passed by a little old man named Richard? Richard had been coming into the chiropractic office where I worked for many years. He is tiny, probably about 5'2 maybe 110 pounds soaking wet. I don't remember how old he was, but definately pushing 70. So there I was, just four months post baby and ready to start running again. A 5K was a good place to start for me, so my friend Judith and I signed up for one in Tempe. As I began running I felt really good. My pace was quick, my breathing was steady, my body felt good. Towards the end of the race my face was bright red, my lungs hurt and I felt like I was 50 years older then I actually was. All the sudden I see a little old man go barreling past me with the speed and agility of a cheetah. That made me feel really out of shape. I finished the race in a respectable amount of time and felt pretty good about it. However, I bet you didn't know that my face turns bright red when I workout. I mean beet glowing on fire red. I'm not sure why that happens. It makes me look like I'm about to pass out and die. Everyone kept asking if I was ok, and I was offered a lot of liquid and some shade to lay down in. I just accepted all the attention rather then explain that my face turns that color after all physical activity, even yoga. I probably have a new disease, let's call it Red Faced Sara disease. Anyhow, the next race I run, I will be smoking little old Richard.

We went to the zoo today, just Charlotte and I. I'm not sure how many animals she saw. When we went past the lions I looked down at her face to see if she could see them, and all I saw was her mouth. Her hat had fallen down over her eyes, but it didn't seem to bother her. She was busy eating her biscuit, no sight needed. (picture above)

Did you know Tuesday?

(Charlotte coming up the soon to be mentioned clean stairs)
My shirt was once light gray, but it is now a sticky wet dark gray that indicates heavy sweating and an awesome cardiovascular workout. What did I do you ask? Was I running, doing pushups, maybe some crazy cycling? Not exactly. I just accomplished a major feat though, I vacuumed the stairs. Hmmm....I wonder if everyone else sweats bullets when vacuuming their stairs. Or is it just me? I can't simply vacuum, I first have to load up Charlotte in her carrier. She never lets me vacuum without her strapped securely to me. I guess she likes the exhileration that comes with clean carpets. I also get to use my giant upright Hoover. I don't have the luxury of a nice, light canister vacuum, so I get to lug that bad boy down the stairs and then vacuum each stair one at a time with a 100 pound dirt sucking machine and a 20 pound child strapped to my chest. Are you starting to understand the sweat? Yeah, it's that kind of morning. Did you know that I have a big test tonight? I have all sorts of crazy facts swirling in and out of my brain, mostly out. Facts about things like anterior interventricular arteries feeding into the coronary sulcus that drains into the right atria which has a tricuspid valve. Are you lost yet? Me too. Lost in the jungle that is our amazing heart. They should teach anatomy and physiology at church. Someone that is a complete genius designed us, if you believe that how can you not believe in a higher power? Did you know that my daughter had a piece of raw garlic in her mouth this morning? It must have slipped off the cutting board when I was preparing dinner.....about a week ago! I could smell something coming from her mouth and then I saw her chewing. You would think that raw garlic wouldn't be something that a baby would like to chew on, but I guess I was wrong. She felt pretty strongly about me taking it out of her mouth. She now needs some Listerine.... or a mint.

Never Say Never

I have officially betrayed my generation. I grew up in the world of baggy pants. The bigger the better was our motto. JNCO's were to be admired and coveted. Super baggy fit was the order of the day. I remember being in ninth grade and going to Express to buy pants that were three sizes bigger then I was. This was cool. Then I left high school and assumed that the styles and trends of my day would stay the same forever. I assume that everyone does this and that's why many people still have giant wind proof bangs from the nineties, mullets from the eighties, Farrah Fawcetts iconic style of the seventies. This is what was cool when they left school, and somehow it just sticks. Well, I am proud to say that I still have sweaters from high school in my closet and earrings from junior high. They are gold peace signs. Ok, I probably won't be wearing those earring anytime in say the next ninety years, but you get the picture. Fast forward 9 years and here I sit in my skinny jeans. The jeans that I couldn't understand for so long. The jeans that I made fun of on countless individuals and vowed I would never wear. I have an confession to make to you Internet, I really like them. Every fiber of my being knows that what I am saying is sacrilege, but here I sit rockin the skinny jean and enjoying every second of it. Never say never.

On a lighter note, I'm teaching Relief Society this Sunday. Send good vibes my way...

Did you know Thursday

(This picture is titled "Don't you dare take away my orange marker you mean mommy!")

Did you know Thursday will consist of a lot of factoids that aren't important and most people probably don't want to know. Read On! Did you know that I am possibly the most unexciting person alive? I got up this morning, unsure of what my day would become. Somehow I started going through my pantry. I started putting things in order, because no matter how many times I order my cooking supplies, "someone" un-orders them. Then I got excited. I love order. I love to put things into groups and put like items together. I'm sort of like a four year old in that way. I then went rhythmically thru the whole house and emptied each drawer and bookshelf and cubbie and put everything in order. How does junk accumulate so fast? I'm pretty sure that those same Keebler elves that sneak cookies into my pantry, also sneak clutter into my closets. Those trixy elves! Did you know that my sister just spent an entire week driving across the country? I am green with envy at where she has ended up. Washington! Did you know that I love Washington more then any other state in the union? If you can look past all the raging liberals and the entire eastern side of the state, you will find paradise. Did you know that when my sister and I were little she had a big bed in a big room in the basement? I however, had a little girls room upstairs with pink wallpaper and a white princessy daybed. I longed to be in the basement with the teenagers. I used to go downstairs and sit outside my sisters locked door and beg to sleep in her bed with her. On the rare occasion she let me in and took pity on me. I would lay in her big roomy bed and jabber on like a relentless jabberwocky. She would then remind me not to get to close because I was a human heat factory, and we would proceed to play Ward Directory. One of us would pick a family in our ward and the other would ask as many questions as it took to guess who the family was. Sort of like 20 questions, only the questions were endless. Did you know that my sister and I resurrected aforementioned Ward Directory game and played it on the phone for many hours while she drove across the country? I stumped her good a few times. Did you know that while I wrote this my baby was emptying the top half of the trash can that I just filled up? Don't worry, it wasn't the yucky trash can, just the one with papers.

Missionaries and a Yummy Salad

We had the missionaries over this last Friday night, did you know? They were adorable boys that made me feel really old. Was 19 that long ago? I love the opportunity to make a big production of dinner. Honestly, who doesn't love to create delicious food? I served my favorite go-to salad found here and rocky road brownies that were to die for. Oh did I mention the margarita pizza? I LOVE margarita pizza, it's the only kind that I really like to eat. Nothing beats fresh mozzarella, tomatos and basil leaves. The smell of basil is euphoric. As we were eating I noticed one of the Elders picking his tomatos off. The tomatos are a key component in the triad of caprese ingredients, but I wasn't about to tell him that. He then picked a basil leaf off and ate it alone. Hmmmmm. "What kind of leaf is this?" he inquired. Then we all laughed. I made a mental note that 19 year old boys, although adorable, don't appreciate tomatos or leaves on their pizza. I will leave you with this picture of my lunch today, that was in fact inspired by this post.

July is OvEr!

(Just a side note, I wrote this about two weeks ago and never got around to adding pictures, which is why it's just making it's appearance today!)Vacation....What exactly does that word mean? It seems to imply a lack of responsibility and a time to rest and relax. Well then, I suppose I have not been on vacation for the last week, rather I have been in a different state with different people. Oh how I love being with my family. I have the best family, really, I do. I have a sister and sister-in-law that I love more then life itself. They are the people that I want to be like. They are patient, kind, humble women that are just trying there best to get through life and raise there kids to know what is important. Sometimes when I'm out in the world I forget what is important. I guess sometimes I lose my focus. My family always reminds me what I need to be doing and what really counts. Maybe that's why I love them so much. On to my so called vacation. Let's just say it was rough. Aside from being with my favorite people, Charlotte had a really, really, really hard time. She wouldn't nap in her pack n play, she started an oh so fun cling to mommy phase, she got her first two teeth which caused her a lot of grief, she came down with an illness and her and Dustin fell down the stairs. (which resulted in mass hysteria on my part) Yeah, lets just say I didn't get any rest or relaxation AT ALL. I think I cried just about everyday, either from frustration or pure exhaustion. The car ride was about what I expected. On our way back we decided to wait until her bed time and drive through the night. That was possibly the only smart thing I did all week. When I finally got home today, I just collapsed on our couch. I missed our condo. I missed the smell of it and the quietness in it. I missed our dogs, and our bed and I even missed the heat. No, I'm kidding. I didn't miss the heat one bit. I love Utah summers! However, when they are freezing there you know whats off this winter, I will be taking long walks in my t-shirt. Ha. I guess Arizona isn't so bad after all.

My thoughts, as of this very second.

I am hot. Again. Do all my posts begin like this lately? We are finally leaving for Utah!! I know, I am lame, I am in love with Utah. You would be too if you had spent an entirely happy childhood living there. I have spend the last week getting ready to go. Isn't that the worst part of vacations? I went to Target innumerable times to get things needed to make the long car ride possible. Wish us luck, Charlotte is still in her I hate my car seat phase. She had better make peace with it real quick, or this is going to be a long two days. My whole morning consisted of cleaning, laundry, cleaning, laundry, packing etc. I have always had this need to have a completely spotless house before going on trips. There is nothing worse then coming home to dirty laundry, smelly old trash, unmade beds and leftovers in the fridge that are growing poisonous fungus. After I finished all this, I rigged up my new curtains. (I'll save talking about those bad boys until I come back) Now I am just sitting here with an hour to spare, waiting for Dustin to come home, contemplating whether or not I should just buy that new pack n play I want. I been checking them out, and I just can't decide. I'm wait another four minutes and then make up my mind. Here's an awesome picture to check out in the mean time.

Dear Dustin, this has been my day...

Today started in the right direction. Up early, shower and ready for the day by 7:30 (and really, isn't a shower half the battle?) Picked up the house, started the laundry ect, ect. Somedays I just feel like I can do it all, those are good days. A nurse came at 8:00 to take my blood. This is where things took a turn south. Needles don't bother me, they never really have. This particular needle however, bothered me a bit. Or should I say this particular nurse. She began by asking if I have a good vein in either arm. Why she asked me this is a mystery, because I told her I had a good one in my right arm and she proceeded to get my left arm ready for the stick. Curious. Is it possible she doesn't know left from right, or more likely that she does this to all patients thinking it's somehow humorous? I could actually see me thinking that was funny if I were her. She proceeds to stick my "vein." It's never a good thing when they say hmmm.... after sticking a sharp foreign object into your body. No blood comes out. Now, either she missed the vein, or I am the walking dead. Neither is out of the realm of possibility. THEN the fun really starts. She starts to fish around inside my arm trying desperately to poke something that will bleed. Success! At this point I have become nauseous, light headed and I'm pretty sure I saw colors in the air that were not there. The first tube is filled and the second is inserted. Two drops of blood and it stops. "Hmmm..." Seriously? Another hmmm. She starts to fish again, this time I know that my breakfast is making it's way in a hurried manner up my esophagus. She finally gives up and says she thinks she has enough blood. I then excuse myself to run gagging to the bathroom, then sit quietly with my head between my legs so that I can remove the cloudiness from my brain. After she left, all ambition for the day left me. I put Char down for a nap and laid in bed until I felt a little better. After a while I got up to eat lunch which consisted of two bowls of ice cream and a baguette which I kept pouring olive oil on out of the bottle. Yeah, that's the kind of day it is now.

Sweatin' Bullets

I stink, it's true. It's 7:55 p.m. The end of a long hot day. It's been the kind of day that makes me dream about Christmas time. I was looking through some recipes earlier (my favorite thing to do!) and I kept drooling over peppermint ice cream and pumpkin pie desserts. I started thinking about Halloween decorations and long walks in the cool evening air. If I can just stay focused on the upcoming fall I might forget that it's nearly 110 degrees and that I stink from going to Costco. In my defense I bought a lot of stuff and had to haul it all to the car, then out of the car, then up a long flight of stairs. As the melted icing on the cake, I just opened my electric bill, ouch. Having this nice cold place to live is costing us a pretty penny. I guess I'd better get back to work collecting aluminum cans off the side of the road. Watch for me, I'll be the one in the orange safety vest. :0)

Char Char's Personality

I love these pictures! They melt my heart. If you like what you see, you can go here and get this very talented lady to take pictures for you! (if you live in the Mesa/Phoenix area) There is nothing better then when a little babies personality can be captured by the camera. My little girl isn't so little anymore.

The Importance of the Journal

Dustin and I put Charlotte down early tonight and we were going to watch a movie together. Well, just as we came in our room, I noticed a pile of old journals that I had just found and had been meaning to put away. Somehow we started reading them and spent the next two hours laughing and cringing at memories of my junior high and high school years. I'm so thankful for journals! Even though I didn't write a lot, I wrote enough to bring back memories. It's funny how significant every little thing seemed when I was younger. I had written stories about friends, family, boyfriends, and my even my animals. Dustin and I just kept laughing every time we read about a new boyfriend, which was about every other week and usually they overlapped each other. He kept remarking that Charlotte was not allowed to date anyone until she turns 20. Oh, the good old days. I wrote about people that I don't remember, could I be that old? I wrote a lot about the Miller family. I wrote about a night that Ryan and I sat in the office of the old Lindon house talking. I don't remember that at all, but he really made an impression on me back then. I wrote about Jessica calling my house at 11:30 at night and getting me grounded for a month. I wrote about Jaime having her gall bladder removed and me playing with little Tyler when he was a baby. I wrote about Logan coming home from his mission and how Jenn and I were friends. I wrote about having a crush on Vance (oh yes! all the girls in the ward did) and how Judy was my best friend. I wrote pages upon pages about Dustin and how we tormented each other for years. It's crazy that this family that had such an impact on me in my youth are now my in-laws. I also read some really funny letters that my best friends wrote me. Michelle and Stephanie. They were my BFF's for a lot of years and we shared some really great times. Steph and I used to sneak over to the Miller's all the time at night and do random things. Once we snuck in there house and turned the t.v. on, and ran away. That doesn't seem very funny now, but I remember how we couldn't stop laughing for days about it. I guess this is getting long and unless you are reminiscing with me, this probably isn't very entertaining for most. Happy Fourth of July.

Reunited at last

As I sit here this morning, blogging from my childhood home, I am filled with happiness, memories and love. The early morning brought sounds of life from upstairs. As I lay in bed I could hear my mothers feet moving quietly about the house. I could always tell who was walking around upstairs by the sound that there feet produced. It is no different now. I lay thinking about the many mornings that I was awakened in this very room, to a home filled with a family that I now miss. It has been a long time since my entire family has been under one roof. I go upstairs to find my mother ironing her blouse and I bring in a chair to sit with her. I love the early morning, which I must get from my mother. I love to know that I am up in the most peaceful hours of the day, when most are in bed missing them. I like to talk to my mom, just her and I. She brings insight and knowledge into my life that I would otherwise be lacking. I hear the shower turn on downstairs. My brother is up. My brother that I love dearly and talk to little and see even less. My brother that I have looked up to for so many years. Here we are, sharing a bathroom, like we're teenagers again. My sister is still asleep on the couch, like old times. She loves to sleep in, because with three children she so rarely gets the opportunity. My mom and I go upstairs to wake up grandpa with a sweet smile from Charlotte. He is happy to see her. My oldest brother is asleep upstairs, I can hear his loud snore from a mile away. How does his wife stand it? I am glad he is here. He is helping my grandma so much. He has always taken good care of her and grandpa. So, here we all are, four siblings from four corners of the earth it seems, reunited to celebrate the life and passing of our grandpa. Practically strangers, but in another reassuring, calm, loving way, as close a family as can be.

We've been burgled.

We have been eating a lot of asparagus lately. I bought the super bag at Costco. I've slipped it in several meals you wouldn't think it would slip into. Dustin says it makes his pee stink. Mine doesn't. Maybe it's a guy thing. I've heard the same comment from my dad. Oh a scarier note, we're pretty sure that someone broke in last night and ate all our brownies. We had a full pan and now the pan is empty. Neither Dustin or I seem to be responsible for emptying the pan. Hmmm...sounds fishy. If I were a burglar I wouldn't have stolen the brownies, I would have stolen our 13 inch tv/vhs combo. But, I guess I just don't understand the mind of a burlgar.

Life in June

My baby crawled today (tear). I guess we are at the end of easy baby days. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I think I say that every month. My parents came to Arizona last week. It was so fun, I didn't know they were coming until two days before and then they showed up. Charlotte loves Grandma and Grandpa! Grandma taught her to reach for her. It was so sweet. We spent time at the pool and Char loves the water. She likes to splash and then looks surprised when the water comes up and hits her face. My dad also brought me something special. My Grandma Gale's sewing machine. It means a lot to me to have it and I am putting it to good use. It's a really nice old school Bernina that can do everything! I started cutting out denim about 10 years ago to make a picnic quilt and I'm just getting around to working on it. Pictures to come when it's finished. Dustin and I have been crazy busy with school. I have class four nights a week and then try and catch up with another class on the weekend. I thought Summer was supposed to be break time :/ Anyhow, here are some pictures for all those that care to see them. P.S. It's hot here, blah.

My Little Swimmer

Dustin has a four day weekend starting today! I love when he's home with us during the day, it's so fun. First thing this morning we took Charlotte swimming. We had to go before it got too hot for her. I have been wanting to get her in the pool, but I didn't want to attempt it by myself. She really loved it. She kicked her foot and smiled, but when I dipped her in up to her shoulders she shrieked. I guess the water is a little chilly when you're used to a warm bath tub. So I got her out and daddy wrapped her up in the towel and she really loved that. She sat and watched me swim in the water and laughed. It was really sweet. Another week or two of this hundred degree weather and the pool should be nice and hot.

Primer corte de pelo de Charlotte

For all you non Spanish speakers, this post is about Charlotte's first haircut. I bet you didn't know that I am practically bilingual. I just finished my first week of Spanish 101 and I must say I'm a natural. My professor and Dustin may not agree, but I'll say it anyways. We went to Jaime's last night to get Dustin's haircut. It was long overdue. Charlotte got to be part of the action too. Jaime cut off her little baby mullet. It was pretty cute. Charlotte wouldn't hold still and she really wanted to eat the cape she was wearing. She has nothing left of her dark brown hair. It was turned to a very very light brown.

Busy Month

Yay! Finals are over for Dustin and I, and we have a break for two whole weeks until Summer block begins. I guess we have been busy finishing classes and Charlotte is becoming a handful! She is on the move now. She doesn't crawl, but somehow she gets around the room and into things. She has also developed this crazy love for being on her stomach. I can't keep her on her back for more then two or three seconds. I just love watching my little girl grow up. I love watching her experience things for the first time and making discoveries that delight her. She LOVES to eat. She got that from both her parents I suppose. She will readily gobble up anything I put in her mouth. I think we're all a little sad that Winter is over, and we're gearing up for a long hot Summer indoors. Only two more months until our Utah trip! I love having something to look forward too. Here are some recent shots of my babe. Enjoy!