Good day.

Today was one of those days where I kept on thinking over and over how grateful I am to be the mom of these two little girls.

While we were out shopping Avery started getting fussy in the car so Haylee took it upon herself to cheer her up. She got Avery's attention, started making silly noises while shaking her body and hitting herself in the head. She looked hilarious and Avery broke out laughing hysterically. Once Avery started laughing Haylee broke out in a fit of giggles. They continued this for about 10 minutes. I don't think there are many things that sound better then your child laughing. I kept peaking in the rear-view mirror with the biggest smile on my face.

I love being a mom. Even during the bad days, or during our nightly fight at bed-time. I love watching my kids play, smile, and laugh together. I'm so excited to watch them grow up together and become best friends. I love them.

A little life update

First of all, is it really December?  I am LOVING this weather. Seriously 53 degrees in December?? Yes please! And holy cow we've been in Utah over 7 months now. We are absolutely loving being back. Being so close to family has been so much fun. It is so nice to be able to participate in the little family get-together's and not have to miss out by being across the country.  I absolutely love the relationship Haylee has with her grandparents. She constantly asks for them and her aunt Steffy, and never wants to leave their houses when we're there.

Lance is busy with school but he is loving it. He has had some really cool opportunities so far that he has been able to participate in. In October he was invited by Nestle to their headquarters to attend their Brand Management Boot Camp. He learned a lot and met some great people. He even won one of the competitions that resulted in him winning a coffee maker. We sold it on ebay for $100 :)  He is learning so much and I'm hoping it pays off in the end with a good paying job. He did give in and buy a Utah Ute shirt that he wears occasionally but he wears his Utah state stuff to school most days. I got a Ute pullover as well and I still have yet to wear it out of the house...I feel like i'm cheating on USU.

I'm staying at home with our two little ones. They are crazy and it is so much work. I made the decision recently to go back to school and finish up my Degree in Family Life Studies. The plan was to start this Spring semester and graduate in the Fall. However, because I'm not a Utah resident any more, tuition is triple the amount. So I'm going to wait 2 more months, get residency, then start in the summer. This means I'll graduate in the spring with Lance.

Now onto the girls, this very well could take up an entire blog post itself. They are absolutely adorable, crazy, fun, loving, and exhausting.

Haylee seriously wakes up running and doesn't stop till I put her down for her nap. Then it begins again and continues until she goes to bed at night. I've learned that terrible two's are a real thing and there is absolutely no sense in trying to negotiate and compromise with a two year old.  There are lots of tears and tantrums (some even by me) in our house but we are slowly getting through it.

Even though having  a two year old is hard the good times completely out shine the bad. She keeps us laughing constantly.

Let see....some of the things she has done recently.......
-Whenever we sneak up on her or catch her doing something she's not supposed to do she exclaims "Oh! Mommy! You scared me!"
-She insists on wearing the same color of shoes I'm wearing, Putting on lipstick and lotion whenever I do, and she begs for perfume on a daily basis. Then she proceeds to do the "smell good dance" that her aunt and her came up with when they put on perfume.
-She is a little Mommy and tries to boss Avery around and take care of her herself.
-She insists on getting naked whenever she can. especially during nap/bedtime because she knows we then have to come into her room and get her dressed.
-She asks everyday if she can go to church.
-She doesn't even sit by us at church any more. The C.O.O of the Utah Jazz is in our ward and Haylee has somehow managed to adopt them and their teenage kids as her own and insists on sitting with them each Sunday. They love her and she is WAY more reverent sitting with them then she is with us so we are totally OK with it!
-She sings her little heart out all day long and it is the cutest thing ever
-She wears her Elsa dress more than her regular clothes and insists on watching Frozen everyday
-She can proudly name pretty much every Disney princess, and finds it fun to randomly list them throughout the day. Tiana is her favorite and we watch Princess and the frog constantly (Prince Naveen is a hunk).

Now onto Avery
Avery is a chunk, and the happiest baby ever. She is mellow, quiet, and just wants to be loved and cuddled. She constantly smiles and loves her sister.
She has been sitting up since about 4 1/2 months which is way sooner then Haylee did and she is already starting to try and crawl.
She loves eating and I'm praying she isn't going to be a picky eater like her sister.
She mainly spends her day rolling around the house, pulling Haylee's hair, eating, giggling, and being cute.
She is a total Momma's girl which I LOVE!

Already Best Friends!

Basically that is what has been going on as of late. I'm pretty much a single mom because Lance is gone so much but luckily things should slow down a bit next semester. Overall we are doing great, and we are loving Salt Lake.

Meet Avery

This post is 6 months in the making....seriously I've been terrible and just plain lazy about blogging.

On May 13, 2014 we were blessed to welcome another perfect little girl into our family. We named her Avery Lee Brown.  She weighed 8 lbs 2 ounces was 20 inches long and was born at 5:30 pm

About her Name:
When we went into the hospital we had two names that we couldn't decide on. She was either going to be Avery or Leah. We loved both names but when we saw her we knew she was an Avery. Her middle name has family meaning on both sides. My sisters middle name is Lee and Lance's older brother who passed away was named Lee. So we named her after both of them. Looking back on it I wish we went with Leah because we didn't realize how close Avery and Haylee are when you are actually saying them out-loud. We end up calling her "Havery" most of the time. But Avery fits her perfectly.

About the birth:
Once again, I was ecstatic to say that this was quite uneventful just like Haylee's birth. I went in to the doctors for my 40 week check up (on my due date). I was dilated to a 3 so he gave me the choice of getting induced or waiting it out. After going 9 days late with Haylee I figured I would most likely need to get induced any way so I opted to getting induced that day.
It was quite strange going in for a check-up then having him ask "Can you be back here in 3 hours to have a baby?" I was freaking out.
Luckily we had out bags packed so we were all ready. So we went out for lunch to waste time before I needed to be back.
We got to hospital, they got me a room and a gown, then came in to start the IV. Oh, how I love Logan Regional. When I had Haylee honestly the IV was the worst part. So when the nurse came in with a small needle to inject numbing medicine before she did the IV I was ecstatic. They started the Pitocin and once again my body handled it perfectly. I was on the pitocin for about 4 hours and having regular contractions that I couldn't feel but were strong according to the machine. They decided they wanted to break my water to speed things up. When I had Haylee I let them break my water before I got the epidural but with Avery I asked for epidural before they broke my water. So I got the epidural before I felt any pain, they came in broke my water. 30 minutes later she came to check, I was at 10. The doctor came in and 3 pushes later Avery was born. It was calm, painless, and we got to joke around and hang out during the whole process.

About Avery:
Avery is now 6 months old and is seriously such a joy. She has been sleeping through the night since about 6 weeks old, and she LOVES to eat.
She is the happiest baby, you can just look at her and she will be grinning at you as big as she can. She adores Haylee and laughs so hard and anything Haylee does. I cannot wait to watch them play when they get older. She loves playing with toys and making her bubble noises.
She is all rolls, seriously this girl is a chunk. Her and Haylee are in the same size diapers and Avery is already wearing 12 month clothes.
She still has so much hair, she never really lost it and it is still as dark as can be.
Seriously I love this girl so much.

Samoas S'mores

A quick post because the picture doesn't need any explanation.
I love lots of things, but lately I've been extra fond of Samoa cookies. I love Girl Scout Cookie season and I limited myself to only 3 boxes this year. Bad idea.
My wonderful husband came up with this idea and he once again reminded me why he is my favorite person.
Now I'm wishing I bought more.

New Year, New Recipes! -Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

OK, YUM!!!! I got ambitious on Sunday and decided to try another recipe. That makes two new recipes last week. I'm REALLY liking this New Year's goal!  Anyway it was DELICIOUS!

Just look at the picture......

I thought the first new recipe was delicious but this was fabulous! I highly recommend it! Lance loved it so much he kept sneaking bites as I cooked it.

Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2012/09/southwestern-egg-rolls/

The only thing I did different with it was add a bit more jalapeno's and bit more spinach. Also, I didn't have any frozen corn on hand so I just used canned corn and it was still perfect!

I made some Spanish rice to go along with it. By making, I really mean I opened up a box of Rice-A-Roni. :)  I really need to get some of the ladies in the Spanish branch to teach me how to make it homemade.

Next time I'm going to get even more ambitious and make the cilantro ranch dressing to dip them in. I used plain old ranch and it was still excellent. Lance went straight for the Chalula (did i mention he likes spicy foods).

Once again, I HIGHLY recommend it! 

Crock-Pot Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken

For my "family" New Year's goal I decided I am going to try at least one new recipe each week. Hopefully these will be healthy but the main purpose is to get me out of my habit of cooking the same things over, and over again.

I love cooking and by doing this it will help me expand my cooking abilities and make it easier to decide what we are having for dinner because I will have much more options other than BBQ Chicken.

I had a few people ask me if I will post the recipes I try and let them know if they are good or not so that they can expand their recipes as well.

So to start things off, tonight's dinner was Crock-Pot Brown Sugar and Garlic chicken served over rice.

It was delicious! To get the recipe you can go here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/slow-cooker-garlic-and-brown-sugar.html

I used white distilled vinegar and I added about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in with the sauce while it cooked as well as sprinkled it on top after. We love spicy foods so I would hold off on adding it until after if you don't like it too hot.

This will definitely go into my rotation of dinners. It was super easy and tasty. Plus who doesn't love a good crock-pot put it in and forget-it meal?

Bettering Myself in 2013!

I love the new year. I love the feeling of starting fresh. I get excited knowing I have another full year ahead of me to spend time with my family and friends, better myself, and hopefully make a difference in the world somewhere (no matter how miniscule).

I have never been the one to make goals. The last time I made new year goal's was in elementary school when the whole class took time to write down and decorate a colorful display of our goals for that year. 

I wasn't a fan of new year goal's because I figured I'd be really good at them for the first couple months weeks and then slowly give up on them. So what was the point?

However so much has changed this past year that has made me want to set goals to better myself, my family, and others around me.

Last January we were asked to serve in a Spanish Branch here in Cleveland. It has honestly been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do in my life. I am in the Relief Society presidency and have had to get out of my comfort zone. Not only is it hard to get out of my comfort zone, but I hardly speak a lick of Spanish. I love serving the branch, I love the members, I love the culture, I love knowing that the gospel is the same in every language even if I don't understand. :)  I have realized my love of serving and helping others.

We were blessed with our beautiful daughter in August. Haylee magnified the importance of family ten-fold. I LOVE being a mom and everything that comes with it. The lack of sleep, dirty diapers, spit-up in the mouth (another story for later), mounds of laundry, I wouldn't change a thing. This is cliche but I feel like I have found my calling in life. I want to better myself in every way so that I can make sure that I am able to raise and teach her to the best of my ability.

I know there are many other events but these two have had the biggest impact on me and the way I live my life.

Because of all the changes I decided I would make goals for this year. As I was thinking about what they would be, I realized I didn't want them all just for me. I wanted to have them help me make a difference.  One goal for me, One for my family, and One to help others.

-Goal for me: To be healthier. Both physically and mentally. This includes eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis. I don't just want to be physically healthy but mentally as well. There are many things to do to help me become more mentally healthy but one that I need to work on this year is to Be more positive.

-Goal for my family: Try a new recipe (healthy) at least once a week.  I love cooking, but I get into a habit of making the exact same recipes over and over. I want to give my family a variety of different and healthy meals. Not only will this benefit them but help me expand my cooking abilities.

-Goal for someone else: Index 10,000 names. Out here in our Cleveland our Stake is making a big push to get everyone to index names for the family history sites. If you don't know what indexing is, its a process of taking old handwritten documents such as census, death certificates, etc and converting it into an electronic file that is searchable. This allows people (LDS or Non-LDS) to search for their family members and hopefully learn more about the, and do genealogy work. I have LOVED doing it so far. For more information on how to do it or to sign up and get started visit: http://indexing.familysearch.org/ 

If I remember correctly from elementary school I have completed the first couple steps in making successful goals: 1) Create reachable goals, 2) Write them down, 3) Tell them to someone. 

Hopefully I will reach them, maybe I should come up with some sort of reward for completing them?? 

I am excited for this new year, I'm excited to see what adventures and new changes it  may bring.