Slowly Decorating

Last night I finally decided that I was going to put up my vinyl tree decals in the hallway. I've had the decals for a while now but couldn't decide where to put them up! I'm glad I chose the hallway because I think it looks really good there. I was even more surprised when Seth walked by and said he really liked it too. Shocker! Usually he doesn't like it when I just start doing these type of decorating things without talking about with him first. But, this time was different because he was pleasely surprised! YAY! He said he especially liked how some of the branches were coming out of the closet door and that we should do more stuff like that. So, its now your job to keep an eye out for more decals for me because I never see them anywhere. 

Playing in Food

Forget playing with her food, Evie decided it would be much more fun to play in her food! This happened when we went to lunch with Steve, Brandi, and the kiddos yesterday. Evie was too distracted by all the coolness around her that she didn't eat very much, but she sure had a fun time making her tiger and giraffe go on a safari through her beans and rice!

Playing With Hats

Vegetables AND *GASP* Exercising???

In light of my renewed resolve to better myself, home, and family, we have finally taken the next step (no pun intended) to living better! Let me start off by saying that I used to be active but have gotten less so over the years and I miss feeling that self empowerment and pride that I felt when I was pushing myself physically. Sometimes I feel a little masochistic but there are times that I really like depriving myself of good things to eat and punishing myself physically because I think psychologically I feel like I have to suffer to be succeeding (didn't we just talk about this, Brandi?). Well, I'm not really enjoying the punishment as much as I have in the past, but I'm definitely excited to start feeling better physically. I begged Seth last week for a treadmill for an early birthday present and he was so sweet to let me get one off of KSL and even helped me pick it up in our ghetto little truck. We got it all set up and today I got my brand spakin' new running shoes in the mail! I'm so excited, I'm wearing them right now to break them in! The funny part of this story is that when we got the treadmill I was really excited and asked Seth if he was excited to use it and he said, "Not really. I'm probably never going to use it, it will all be you and Steve." Well, I have been waiting for my shoes to get here (I have the most jacked up feet) and Seth has been the one using the treadmill every day since we got it! I'm so proud of my man. Let me tell ya, he is one sexy exercising-in-jeans-and-collard-shirts man. My goal is to weigh as much as he does. Dream on, right?

The Girl Between the Doors?

On our latest trip to Lowes (one of our favorite places) Evie found out how fun it could be to hide in between 

the glass storm door display. Next up, department store clothes racks. 

Kitchen Dressup

 I was cleaning the kitchen one day when I turned around and saw that Evie had somehow managed to put both potholders onto her hands. It was so cute because the gloves went all the way up to her armpits! Here are some pictures that I took while chasing her around the kitchen trying to get her hold still for a picture. I love the little funny surprises she gives me.

A Box Obsession

Evie LOVES boxes! I know its pretty cliche but it seems like she would rather play with the box that the toys come in than the toys themselves. She asks me all the time to lift her into this box and she will squeeze herself down so she can sit in it. 

Dinner Wars

Ever since I've started working full time, I've been really terrible at cooking dinner. Poor Seth and Steve ask me almost every day "so...what are we having for dinner?" And my usual response is "Oh, uh, I haven't really thought about it. Whatever you feel like making yourself, I guess." How terrible is that! So, I'm going to try and get back on the horse and start making good dinners again. Primarily because if Seth was left to choose what he ate for dinner every night he would be living off of BBQ tuna fish sandwiches and refried macaroni and cheese. (I really don't know how he survived through his mission.) Another thing that has always thrown a wrench in my dinner plans is the fact that Seth HATES fruits and vegetables. ...I know, right? So, I used to pretend like he was 3 and hide the good stuff in whatever we were having for dinner. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I'm going to have to start doing that again but I don't want to try too hard to make the veggies unrecognizable for Evie's sake. I want her to partially know that she is eating veggies and she likes them! I can just see us all sitting around the table in the not too distant future, me spooning some random veggie onto her plate, then seeing her look up with defiance and saying, "Why do I have to eat those? Daddy doesn't have to eat them, he says they are yucky!" That will be the day I will take Seth sweetly into the other room and sweetly punch him in the nose. It is my goal to make that day never happen. My plan of attack is as follows:
1. Buy healthier options, even if they are more expensive
2. Put more effort into finding delish recipes that have more fruits and veggies
3. Put on my big girl pants and actually cook dinner
4. Hide the good stuff when really needed
5. Convince Seth to put on his big boy pants and eat the good stuff in front of little eyes
What do you think? Am I being too harsh/unrealistic/gung-ho? Now, here is my little disclaimer. Know when I say I'm going to be cooking healthier foods, thats just what I mean, healthiER. I really don't think I'm capable of jumping into "health food" so when you see me talk about cooking sausage pasta, know it will have veggies in it which is a big step for this family.

Fashion Statement

Color Me Cute

Evie has been a little bored with bath time lately so I decided to put some color into it...literally! I got this fun idea from an email list I am on and she loved it!

What Baby Wants, Baby Gets

Evie has a very independent spirit and wants to do EVERYTHING by herself. She won't even let me help feed her, which often results in her not getting very much to eat. Evie, Steve, and I like going out to eat with Brandi and the kids so the little ones can play and we can talk. These are pictures I took of Evie when we went to Carls Jr and Evie demanded that she drink my drink (by herself of course) and she refused to sit in her high-chair and only wanted to sit in the booster seat on the ground. Even though it was a pain, it was so cute. Sometimes I miss the days when she didn't have a choice but to do what I said because she couldn't move without me.



New Old Books

Steve wanted to stop by DI to see if they had anything he needs. Sadly, he didn't find anything, but I got a steal of a deal on some children's books! Now I know where I'm going to get Evie's books! My favorite buy of the day is Dr. Seuss' "The Foot Book" that I nabbed for 75 cents! I also got a couple of the "Max" books by Rosemary Wells. I can't wait to read them to her!



Nap Time

Evie's been getting a lot better at sleeping when she needs to sleep and not getting woken up so easily! FINALLY! Sunday she and I stayed home from church because we were/are still sick. I was watching an episode of "Community" online and after the episode finished I realized that she had fallen asleep on the floor next to me! Part of me thought it was really cute and funny while the other part of me felt like a jerk for not realzing she needed to be put up in her bed. I covered her with a blanket and let her take the rest of her nap on the floor.