It's Back!!!

EGGNOG!!!!

Yes, I understand it's not Christmas yet.  Yes I understand Eggnog makes you fat.  Yes I understand it is made of eggs.  Who cares?  It's delectably delicious!

Thank you Walmart for making my day complete and giving me the gift of saturated fat with natural and artificial flavors.

Woohoo for Eggnog!

(ps, even though Mat-Maid went out of business, theirs will always be my favorite brand....though Dairy Gold is a close second and worthy replacement)

http://consumer.darigold.com/images/Eggnog_half.jpg

Growing up

Looking through facebook is always fun, seeing what other people are up to.  A very impersonal way to stay connected to people.  Weird, don't you think?

Funny how our society has become so dependent on technology, we've strayed even further from actual human interaction.  I myself would rather text than call someone, far less commitment involved, and not quite as awkward when you are ready to end a conversation.  Emails and facebook status changes are much easier ways to announce things, but again, not as personal.

So I'm looking through my news feed, reading up on what all my friends are up to, and I see some of them being silly over something I might have been silly over a few years ago.  Then I realized, I'm old. Well, more like I seem older.  When I think about it, I guess I could be in a different classification now than a lot of my single friends.  Things like movie premires don't get me going anymore, I don't get all googlie eyed over the latest teen hottie sensation, I'm not trendy "fashionable; I'm more concerned about nap time than social time.  Still, I miss all the excitement I felt waiting in line at midnight, wand in hand, ready to see the latest Harry Potter installment.

Plucking my eye brows yesterday, looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that I am 25 years old.  Thinking of my unmarried friends, in some ways I am jealous.  They have had a lot of opportunities that I haven't.  They've been able to stay young and be free a lot longer than me.  I don't even remember what it's like to be on my own, doing whatever the heck I wanted.  Free to pursue any passion I have.

And yet, I've had the opportunity to do things that they haven't.  I have a family, a husband and a son.  I've been to the temple.  Nick and I have gone on our own adventures, and we have new ones every day.  Every day with Tristan is like living childhood all over again, while still having to be the adult.  I've had a very good job, that I loved and was sad to leave.  I've had a zillion different pets.  I've gotten to be a part of my husband's family, all of whom have welcomed me in as one of their own.

I guess what I'm saying is, as you get older (mature I guess would be a better way to put it), different things start becoming more important.  The focus moves away from yourself, and onto others, things that are more meaningful.  Its sad, realizing I'm not a kid anymore, but it's ok.  There are more things in my life now that bring me joy than I ever got from silly movies, teen crushes or whatever all else I was obsessed with back then.  I'll just keep watching Glee, that will keep me young, haha.  All I have to say about that is man, I'm glad I grew up in Alaska.

Isn't it funny?  Glee is like Kids Bop for adults, I love it.

Cooking

I know, I like to blog.  But I also like to cook.  So, I've decided to make a cooking blog where you can go and see all of my recipes, and how I make them perfect for myself.

Pancake Soup

Don't worry, they aren't all blended recipes!  More like, things that tast great either way.  Check it out!

More Botox

Post Botox is always horrible.

So Tristan got Botox on Tuesday.  After a follow up with his rehab specialist, we decided he needed another round.  And some more physical therapy.  While he seemed to be doing great for the most part (crawling, sitting, standing and eventually walking), he has started to have the tilt again.  WHy is this bad?  Well, because for one thing it can affect his vision.  It could also affect his inner ear and balance.  It's not good to go through life with your head constantly at an angle.

My dad also offered to come hang out with us because Nick was going to be in class.  So he met us in the parking lot and walked with Tristan to the door.  Once signed in, we let Tristan run around and play with all the toys in the lobby (It's Primary's, so there is a lot).  And then once in the room, same thing.  They had a childlife specialist come in to keep him entertained with bubbles and what not while we waited.  But he had just as good of a time getting into all the cupboards and drawers.

When it was time to go into the OR, Tristan knew something was up.  We put him on the bed and he was okay playing with the toys again, but when they brought out the mask, this time he flipped.  He was not happy at all!  We had to lie him down and pin him and hope he would fall asleep fast.  It took him about two minutes, but eventually he went limp and stopped crying.  I said "have fun guys," and we went back out to the waiting room.

It took half the time to get the procedure done this time around.  Last time we had enough time to get breakfast, this time barely enough to check our email!  It's probably because the minute they took off the mask he woke up and tried to crawl off the bed.  The nurses said he seemed like a very independent kid.  When we went back to the recovery room, he was doing his silly little head stand and trying to get away from them getting his blood pressure.  He was very grumpy.  Papa gave him lots of love, which he seemed to be okay with.  And then I tried to give him a bottle and he freaked out.  So the nurse offered him some gold fish, he ate two and the rest ended up on the floor.  And the juice box all over me.

He was happy to snuggle with my dad all the way out to the car, but threw a fit when I tried to put him in his car seat.  Thankfully Papa brought him a post procedure present, a portable DVD player to entertain him on the long ride home.  Can I just say, best gift ever??  Tristan did not make a peep the whole way back, he just watched Rio, drank his bottle, and snuggled monkey.  I have a sneaking suspicion my dad got it because of the horrible trip to and from the fair (haha), and he knows how stressed I get driving when I can't get Tristan to be quiet.  So thanks dad, you're the best!

Now, two days later, I'm looking into getting a special helmet for Tristan.  He has hit his head at least 10 times, and it looks like we brow beat him ( literally).  He hit his head so hard on our bed frame he still has the goose egg this morning.  I feel so terrible, but the botox takes away his balance completely. I try to carry him everywhere but he gets mad and frustrated, which I can understand.  I decided to just baby proof his bedroom to be more like a padded room and I'm just going to let him play in there, poor kid.  Hopefully though, this will help him get the strength he needs to be able to hold his head up right. If it does, the next step…..neck surgery.

Don't leave me!

Ooh, what's in here?

Can I play with it?

Look at Papa!

Just waking up, not happy

Back home and playing

Ready to fall over and hit something….

State Fair

When I was little, I always looked forward to going to the state fair.  No idea why, I hated going on rides.  I think it was more because of the super huge pigs and giant pumpkins.  And all the fluffy bunnies, cotton candy, and neat crafts.

This year, while Nick was out of town, my dad and I went together.  Well, let's just say we were both a little disappointed.  He said it was what he was expecting, but I was picturing a romanticized version like from the movie State Fair.

The coolest thing was a silversmith booth in the craft building, he had pretty winged horses.  And then  jewelry box booth, they all looked like faberge eggs but were animals and items and such.  Had they not been so expensive, and I carried cash, I would have totally bought one.

The next coolest thing was the massive giant sized cow.  But other than that, nothing but a bunch of scantily clad rednecks wandering around munching on kettle corn.  Tristan loved the ponies, and thinking about it now, I wish I had let him ride one.  I thought he would be too small, but when we were leaving and walking by it again, we saw a teeny little girl, must have been younger than him, riding the pony.  Oh well, maybe next year we'll take him just to do that.  He was standing by the fence, pointing and giggling and talking to the silly ponies.  I'm glad he had a good time.

Then yesterday, we had a mix up about what time stake conference was, so we ended up going to the park and walking around.  The day Nick left on his trip, Tristan and I had to take Korra to get her shots and be microchipped.  Sadly, the office didn't open for that until 10 AM, and it was 8 AM.  So we went to McDonalds and got a sausage patty and hashbrown.  Then, we drove to the park nearby, I fed Tristan, and let them run around chasing the ducks.  They both loved it.  So Sunday, we took Nick back to the same park to wander around and get pictures.

It was nice out, and everyone had a good time, included Korra who ran her heart out.

If you have seen So You Think You Can Dance,

then you know who this man is, and I

saw him at the fair!!

Lightning Strikes

The first time I ever saw lightning was when I was 12 years old.  It was when I visited my sister in Utah for the summer.  Lightning rarely happens in Alaska, it's just not warm enough.  When I was in college, I would sit in my doorway during rain storms, listening to the thunder and watching the lightning.  It's still just as mesmerizing for me even now.  I'm always drawn to the porch or window when it rains and I hear the thunder.  Here are some pictures of the lightning I was able to get today (yes, I cheated and took a video and then stilled imaged out of it!  But they are still cool!)

Spoon Fed

Tristan made another discovery today: after months of watching me spoon feed him, he decided to try it for himself.

Minus two splats of potatoes on the ground, most of it actually made it to his mouth!  Yeay!

My puppy

I am a cat person.  Not ashamed to admit it.  I loooooooove kitties, and I've had one ever since I was a little baby.  When I found out my childhood cat Sabrina had passed, I immediately got Suki.  Cats have just always been a source of comfort and companionship my whole life.

So why do I have a puppy?

Haha, my husband loves dogs.  He thinks they are better than cats in every way.  I will agree they are a lot more loyal, but I guess that can also just be they are dumb.  And he hates litter boxes.  I don't fault him there.  Scooping poop was never my favorite thing.  And having a poo box in the house never smelled very good.  But kitty cuddliness always made up for their kitty smell.  At least in my book.

So I am very surprised that I have fallen so much in love with my little Korra.  I have always despised dogs!  I mean, they are lovely from a distance, and some are very attractive to look at.  But over all, I thought they were big, dumb, barking, biting nuisances.  Quite the contrary, at least in Korra's case.

She is sweet as can be!  And she adores me; she get's so excited when I tell her she is a good girl.  If I pat my leg, she comes running and lulls over on my lap to be pet.  She follows me everywhere like a little shadow, it's so fun.  And the best part, Tristan is her bud.  She get's very excited to play with him, and he gobbles it up.  I'm a little concerned because he thinks it is funny when she nips his hands, and he will intentionally stick his fingers in her mouth for her to nibble on.  But other than that, the two of them get on so well, and it's fun to watch them play.  Especially out in the yard, Korra treats him like any other puppy, and sometimes gets a little too crazy and knocks him over.  Which is fine, because he thinks it's great, especially when she tackles him and gives him sloppy wet puppy kisses.

As she gets older, she's going to calm down a ton, and be a lot more snuggly.  For now, everything is fun and games in her mind.  Potty training is going sooooo much better (thanks to everyone for the links and great advice).  She hasn't had an accident on the carpet in almost two weeks.  Her crate is another story.  She's had a few accidents in there, mostly because sometimes she doesn't warn us quick enough and wets the crate just as we are about to get her out.  No poo mess though, thank goodness!  Command training, haha, still working on that.  She knows her name, understands no, and comes when we call her.  I've almost got her to where she will sit on command, but like I said, puppies are all about fun, so she is easily distracted.

Over all though, she is an absolute doll!  And I love that she is getting bigger, and fluffier.  She is going to be a giant poof ball before we know it!  I'm taking her to get microchipped next week because I'm afraid with her growing cuteness, she might get dognapped!  Haha, just kidding (but seriously though!).