cute story and random pics

I was making a cake yesterday (happy birthday jared!) and I needed to cut the top off of one the rounds so they would stack better. So I figured I'd let Eva have a taste before I threw it away. Eva takes a taste and then runs out of the kitchen. I start cramming these leftover pieces down the sink when she comes running in, both hands clutching her bib. (She knows she can't eat unless she has her bib on) She sees what I'm doing and just slumps to the ground holding her bib and crying. I felt so bad! But she got me back when we went out to eat that night by smearing BBQ sauce all over my handwash only shirt and eating all my dinner and otherwise acting like a nutcase.

For Halloween we borrowed a witch costume that my mom had made for Kelli as a baby. I kept telling her she was soo cool for having a vintage costume! I was worried because we practiced for weeks trying to get her to wear the hat and she refused until we got to our trunk or treat and then I guess she was so weirded out by all the strange sights and sounds that she left it alone. Her favorite part of Halloween was running rampant through the crowds in the church parking lot while Jared and I chased her.

This pic is her wearing Jared's socks. She went running into the bedroom and then came running back out wearing them! (i STILL can't figure out how she got them on.)

It's your birthday.... we gonna party like it's your birthday

Profile of a one year old sweet heart:

height: 30 inches

weight: 19.5 lbs

eyes: blue

hair: brown? maybe?

teeth: 6

Likes: Dogs, stuffed animals, screaming, elmo, dancing, cheese, any rude body noise, digging in the dirt, medicine, making people laugh, baths, giving daddy kisses, vacuuming and dusting.

dislikes: doctors, applesauce, having her diaper changed, getting her nose wiped, baby safety locks, long car rides, naps, bows and dresses.

Sunday we celebrated Eva's FIRST birthday! I can't get over how much she's changed in a year! Tim, Megan and Shaun David were in town while Tim was interviewing with a medical school and were nice enough to stay an extra day to celebrate with us. It was a blast for Eva, although I doubt Shaun David appreciated it much. She'll start petting his head all nice and pretty soon they turn into hard WHACKS. poor kid. oh well he'll probably be beating up on her soon enough. Anyway, it was pretty much just the normal 1st birthday. She opened presents, ate cake and ice cream and then puked since she ate so much. Happy birthday pumpkin! Dad and Mom love you to pieces!you can almost see all of her teeth in this picture!

opening her present from Tim and Megan...

She loves her new kissing elmo toy. :)


the first taste...



I think she liked it ok.... :)

We went to go pick out a pumpkin the day before her birthday. She was being such a ham!

Texting all her friends.

loving on her elmo...

random stories.

I realize i haven't blogged in pretty much forever so I'm warning you now...it's probably going to be pretty long!

A couple of weekends ago we went on a ward camp out, which was fun. I tend to be an overprotective mom so I was trying really hard not to be on this campout. We kept waiting and waiting for the ward production they were putting on, but it got to be 9 and they hadn't started so we decided to put Eva down and then go watch the ward thing. So we did but when we showed up a lady asked me "where's your baby?" so i told her she was alseep at which point she looked at me like i was nuts and said "aren't you worried a bobcat will get her?". needless to say i then felt like a crappy mom and so i just went back to the tent and went to sleep. We're camping AGAIN this weekend so i really should be packing, but i figured the lack of posting was getting to be a bit ridiculous.

Eva taking a bath in a rubbermaid bin


It was chilly!

Anyway, another Eva-related story (yes i am aware that 99 % of my posts revolve around her). I had to take her to the cardiologist the other day to do some tests (her pediatrician thought her heart rate was too fast). You have to understand something about Eva...she's what you might call...an excitable child. She REALLY hates if you try to put something on her that she can't take off (she won't wear socks or shoes without acting like i'm beating her senseless) or if you won't move away from her when she says. so basically she thinks doctors are bad bad people. anyway, we go in and they want to do an EKG. I tried to talk them out of it since we already had one done a few months ago and it was an awful experience but they insisted. So the guy starts putting these stickers all over her bare little chest and belly. she tries to brush them off, and when she can't she FLIPS. she starts screaming bloody murder and ripping them off. so i have to restrain her which makes her even angrier so she starts kicking and trying to BITE the nurse when he gets near her with a sticker. so finally he gives up and calls the dr in. The first thing the dr. does is try to listen to her heartbeat, which is innocent enough i suppose but eva wants none of it. she screams and screams (if she knew any profanities believe me she would have been using them), kicks, spits and bites (don't ask me where she learns this stuff). so he tries to hand her the stethoscope so she can get used to it ... she promptly throws it across the room. a few more tries and the dr literally stands up, leaves the room and said "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!". i thought i would DIE from embarrasment. anyway, i paid $40 for a diagnosis of "i think dr's make her nervous." oh yeah and to be humiliated for an hour. its a good thing she's such a cute little booger. is it possible for kids under one to be true brats?

It was an EXHAUSTING day. this is her hair post-pigtails.

on to other random news.... I GOT A BOSCH MIXER! i'm so stoked. i'd post a picture but eva busted the camera today. (she didn't like me trying to take close-ups and threw it across the living room) i felt like a little kid buying my first bike or something. the only thing i was missing the the piggy bank being shaken out over the counter. i literally kept giggling while we were checking out. soo embarrasing. we made pizza dough in it today and let me tell you that is one heavy duty beast! i also made mayo in the blender portion just for the heck of it. if i could figure out how to make "light" mayo i would never have to buy it again. it was stupid easy let me tell you.

and finally....

i gave eva a pedicure today. she sat amazingly still for it, which makes me think i should try that for the next doctor visit.

haircut

i just got a haircut and decided to join the bang club. jared thinks its silly since i spent the last 2 years growing my bangs out, but what can i say? i missed them. :) anyway, now i have a measly little ponytail and i can't wait for it to grow out!

before

after

she walks!

she walks! as long as there's a pillow in front of her...and she doesn't have to take more than 1.5 steps to get there. :)

pretty pretty poo??

Eva has a plethora of these little felt flower bows I made a few months ago when people kept mistaking her for a boy. Due to this I try to have her wear a bow whenever we go out. After returning from some errands I sat down to go through the mail while Eva was happily dragging everything out of the diaper bag. I look over a few minutes later and the bow is missing. So I look for it, but can't find it and figure she's eaten in. When Jared comes home that night the following conversation ensued:

me : "Jared, Eva ate her bow"
jared: histerical laughter "are you serious?"
me: "umm yeah i'm pretty sure"
jared: "you know why i like you? because most moms would be freaking out right now.
me: "why?"
jared: "well it could get stuck in her intestines and she'd have to have surgery!"
me: after a major freak out "do we need to take her to the hospital?"
jared: "nah, lets just keep an eye on her"

so i spent the next week mashing her belly to make sure it wasn't too hard, keeping track of her diapers and digging through doo doo to see if this bow had emerged. Aaaannnnd Jared found the dang bow under the couch a week later.

I think i'm finally starting to understand why mothers like to say things like, "If you had ANY idea what I went through for you!"

lighter mac n' cheese

I recently came across this recipe from America's Test Kitchen ( i LOVE these peeps) in their Test Kitchen Favorites book and thought I'd share. I don't recommend using sharp cheese (it was still good, but a little too tangy), and we also used 1 % milk with no problem. Enjoy!

Note: they recommend grating your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded.

Ingredients:

Salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
1 (12 oz) can 2 percent reduced-fat evaporated milk
3/4 cup 2 % milk
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp garlic powder or celery salt (optional)
pinch cayenne
2 tsp cornstarch
8 ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Directions:

1. Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the macaroni; cook until the pasta is completely cooked and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.

2. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the 2% milk, mustard, garlic powder (if using) cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt to the now-empty saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk together, then whisk it into the simmering mixture. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cheddar until melted and smooth. Stir in the macaroni, and let the macaroni and cheese sit off the heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 5 minutes, before serving.