Tuesday Book Update

Thank you so much for your book responses. I loved the feedback that was left in the messages for the last book blog. Like I said, reading with me is feast or famine. So inevitibalyI was drawn to read the final two books in the "Uglies" series, plus the book, "Twilight" that I had put a hold on at the library finally came in. After reading "Twilight" I had to read the second book in that series, so I read that one too. Here is my take on the book for this week:

1. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld: This is the second book in the "Uglies" trilogy and it left me reeling for more. I was pleased that the author stayed true to the personality of the character that he had developed in the first novel, and added some unique twists on the ever anxiety building plotline. The only dissappointment I felt was that the end had no closure...thus this book is truly a "second" in a trilogy...it just was a link to the finale. If you liked "Uglies" this book is a definite read, but I still only ranked it 3.5 out of 5.

2. Specials by Scott Westerfeld: I don't really want to give away the ending of the "Uglies" trilogy, but I was distraught with the series end. I felt this book led the reader in 20 new directions without giving the base of the store a clear conclusion. Please let me know if you disagree, because I am prone to liking the simple ending over the complex...so I don't want to lead too many readers astray with my rating. I did not like the ending! 2.5 out of 5

3. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer: To be honest, I read the back of this novel and I clearly was not interested in reading it; but, I had promised a close friend that I would, so I dove in! Let me say, I was so glad that I continued to read past page 40. Up until page 40 my interest was not sparked, but moving deeper into the simple yet heart wrenching plot my interest was sparked...no my interest was on fire! I absolutely loved this story. Yes, this book is about a vampire (I know, sounds kookey) but I promise, by the time you are half way into the book, you will not be able to put it down. I love this book because it takes a supernatural relationship and breaks it down to a pure, yet simple love story that will leave you wanting much more! This book was on the New York Times best seller list and it is definitely my read of the week! 4.5 out of 5

4. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer: This book is the second book in what I am guessing will be a trilogy. There hasn't been a third book published yet, but from the open ending of this novel, I am sure there will be a third. If I was comparing seconds, I enjoyed this second book much more than I did of the "Uglies" series. This second book could stand on its own...aside from a few loose ends that are clearly ties to a third. I enjoyed this book because it took the series from a simple growing love story, to a complex weave of friendships, personal struggles, dealing with inner feelings and the choice between right and wrong...once right and wrong can be defined. I absolutely enjoyed this sequel! 4 out of 5

That is all the reading for this week, if you have read any of these books or you read any from my previous book post, please leave comments in the message board! I love to hear what you have to say about the books. And to all of you who responded about Ender's Game, I was wondering if you read the sequel? If you have, could you please message or email me info about it.

Here comes the Tooth Fairy!!!

Yesterday, George ran into my bedroom at 6:55 am insisting that I wake up immediately. Mark covered himself with blankets and pretended that he could not hear him, so I rolled over and tried to be a nice Mommy, asking him what exactly he needed. He opened his mouth wide and tried to explain that his loose tooth was now hanging by a thread. Now anyone who knows George knows that he is quite the "sensitive" kid. He does not like getting hurt and definitely shys away from any situation that my injure him. With an inquisitive look, I simply asked, "ohh, can I feel it George?" I stealthily shot forth my hand into his mouth, seized the tooth, twisted and yanked. Plop! Out came George's first baby tooth. When this happened, George gave me a shocked, I don't know exactly how to respond to what just happened, look; but I just brought up the fact that the tooth fairy would be coming his way pretty soon. That took George's mind right off of his throbbing gum line! Here are a few pictures of George with his missing tooth!

Twirl, Suck, Twirl, Suck

I can hardly believe that my little Teddy bear is already 3 1/2 months old! Time flies so fast. Over the last month Theodore has developed the cutest habit. About a month ago he found his thumb and has been soothing himself to sleep throughout the day. Along with his thumb, he must have noticed the soft wisps of hair attached to his head, because as he sucks his left thumb, he twirls his hair with his right hand. Pretty much every time he starts to doze off, I will find him twirling and sucking. I tried to capture a picture of him in the act.

Some Good Reading

One of my goals this year was to read a new book at least once a month...what I hadn't planned on doing was completing all 12 of my books in the first month. But I am a feast or famine type of person. I love to have a binge reading session more than just slowly reading a little out of a book everyday. A great friend of mine told me to read the book Twilight but that book was already checked out, so while I was waiting for that book to come in, I checked out and read the following books. Next to each book I left my rating and a little bit of info about each book. If you have any suggestions on some good reading, please post it because I am always up for a good book.

1. Under the Nightingale Floor (I forgot the author and I already returned the book) This book is written in historical Japan and it is about a boy who loses his family and is taken in by a mysterious traveler. This book is excellent if you like adventure, mixed with a harsh honor code, and a little romance. I give this book a 4 out of 5 (some of the violence is a little too graphic for me...and there is a little bit of you know what...)

2. Uglies by Scott Westerfield (I think that is the author...I am not looking at the book) READ THIS BOOK....READ THIS BOOK...READ THIS BOOK...READ THIS BOOK....
I absolutely loved this book. Although the book is more than 400 pages, it is an engaging quick read. This book is so great, I am not going to spoil it and try to sum it up. PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE: Read this book!!! 5 out of 5

3. Once upon a Marigold (sorry forgot the author again) This book was quick to read, it is a cross between a fairytale and a coming of age story. It was cute...but really it would be a perfect book to read for a 13 year old. I give this book a 2 out of 5 for an adult or a 4 out of 5 for a teenager.

4. Enders Game (Orson Scott Card) I have actually tried to read this book three or four times, but I was bored by the first 10 pages or so. Ok I finally stuck to it and once you get past the first 10 pages you wont be able to put it down. Parts of the book were a little too far fetched and dark for me, but over all I thought this Sci-fi novel was worth the day of reading. (4 out of 5)

That is my book commentary for the week, if you want any more info on any of these books just e-mail me or post on my blog and I will get back to you. Then maybe we can start a little online book group!

George, Sophia and a Mer-boy

On Friday the boys and I went out and played on the beach because the weather was so nice. I layed out on the sand and read the book, Across the Nightingale Floor, while the boys ran up and down the beach. I must have been really into my book, because I didn't notice what was transpiring down the beach a little ways. George, Henry and their friend, Sophia were digging in the sand and playing around. After 20 minutes or so, George came over and was adamant that I come and look at what they were doing, so I walked over and this is what I saw:

If you can't tell, they turned Henry into a little Mer-man. Isn't it great that the weather is so nice and sunny that you can enjoy the beach almost all year round? We love living in Hawaii and when the day comes that we have to leave, I am sure that we will be very sad.

I love RACHEL RAY

I just wanted to share a great recipe with you! Now, I have been trying to drop the baby weight by working out and doing weight watchers. I have been doing ok, but I hit the holiday rut. I was so excited yesterday when Rachel Ray made an incredible light pasta dish, because pasta is my favorite of all favorite foods! The following recipe is actually a combination of a couple of her recipes because I played around with it a little bit. It might sound a bit scary to you, but please try it! Mark and the boys loved it and I loved it so much, I made it twice already!

Cauliflower and Vegetable Penne
Serves: 10

Ingredients:
1 tbl. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
1 med. red onion chopped
1 head of cauliflower coarsly choped into small pieces
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1/2 - 1 tbl. Chopped rosemary (fresh or dried)
salt
Pepper

1 medium Zucchini Cut into 2-3 inch strips (resembling french fries)
Fresh or Frozen string green beans (two large handfuls)

12 oz. Whole Wheat Penne (or Barilla Plus Penne)
1/2 cup Italian Cheese Mixture (or shredded mozzarella)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and begin to cook the penne in the salted boiling water. After the pasta has been cooking for 8 minutes, throw in the cut Zucchini and Frozen Green beans. Continue cooking until beans, zucchini and pasta are tender. Drain pasta/veggie mixture and then place into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle italian cheese mixture on top and toss.

While water is boiling, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and lightly brown. Add chopped onion to lightly browned garlic and stir well. Continue cooking over a medium high heat until onion is tender. Add chopped cauliflower and stir well for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, rosemary and salt to taste, stir well, cover mixture and simmer until cauliflower is soft. Pepper to taste and remove mixture from heat. With a potato masher, mash the mixture until all the ingredients are blended togather like a chunky sauce! Pour sauce over the pasta/veggie mixture and lightly toss. Serve immediately!

This recipe is so yummy! please try it and then tell me what you think!

I'm 28 Years Old!!!

Actually I turned 28 on Friday, December 29th (yesterday) but I only had time to leave a blog post today. Here is a quick little update:
We left Hawaii two weeks ago to spend Christmas and the Holidays in Utah with my parents, my sister Leslie and her family. Since being here we have enjoyed the lights, the freshly fallen snow, sledding, shoveling snow and warming up to a fire in my parents family room. Christmas was wonderful and especially heart warming this year. Mark and I recieved a very special gift that really has touched my heart and made me grateful to all my friends and family who care about me and my family. I truly cannot express how grateful I am for such a Christmas surprise, but Thank You!!!

Since I turned 28 this year, and in this year, I have experienced many new changes, I thought i would list 28 things about me:

10 things you might not know about me:

1. I had another baby boy (my third)
2. I started taking violin lessons again.
3. Eventhough I claim I hate the cold, I miss the snow
4. I would rather be hot than cold
5. I really think it is fun to do aerobics
6. sometimes I actually need deodrant because my armpits smell bad!
7. I do not like books that are turned into poorly made movies
8. I own more pairs of shoes than years I am old
9. I will always feel like Pleasant Grove is my home
10. Although I love to workout, when it comes to actual sports, I SUCK!!! (I am the person you would pick last to be on your team)

10 things that I want to do this next year:
1. Move back to the "mainland"
2. Buy a home
3. Attend Mark's graduation from the MBA program at UH
4. Achieve my goal weight and keep it
5. Continue violin lessons until I move from Hawaii
6. Finish Theodore's baby scrapbook album
7. Get caught up in my scrapbooking
8. Remember my friends and family's birthdays (please let me know when yours is)
9. Read a new book every month
10. Make Candy at Christmas with "Tammy the Pecan Logger"

and finally, 8 things that I am the most grateful for:

1. Mark: although we have our ups and downs and ins and outs, he is my best friend, greatest support and confidant. He works so hard to make our lives better and he is always humble and willing to go the extra mile for our little family.
2. My family: This group of people always know how to give advice when I am in need and help when I am down.
2. PGWC: this group of women are truly inspiring, with a story each their own, I learn so much from them...they know I love them.
3. Diet Rootbeer: when you haven't had a soda in a long time, and you are trying to skip out on the extra calories, Diet Mug rootbeer really hits the spot.
4. Costco: whatever you are looking for, most likely they have it, and if they dont...you don't need it.
5. My Scriptures: I love to read them and feel safe, secure and at peace.
6. Shoes: because they come in every shape and size, and no matter how you feel about your body, your feet can always look fabulous.
7. Babies: Because my little guys make me feel so important and loved.
8. My Ghetto Van: because eventhough I have ran into many objects, she still runs and gets me to where I need to be.

Well, I am 28 now and that pretty much sums it up.

HOLY WHAT?!?

I just wanted to share this short little story that happened to my family today. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.

This evening Mark, the kids, and I went to see our Bishop of our ward (church). It is the end of the year and we thought that we would visit him. We all went over to the church together and went into the Bishop's office. I took him some of my mom's Pecan Sandies and I think that he enjoyed them. After our short visit with the Bishop, the Bishop asked George and Henry if they would like to pick a candy out of his candy jar. George and Henry jumped (literally) at the opportunity. George reached in first and grabbed an orange sucker, then Henry reached into the jar. At first it looked as if Henry was going to choose the tootsie roll, but instead he finally decided to opt for the sucker too. When he tried to pull out the sucker, his hand caught a few other candies and they too flew out of the jar, so Henry quickly ducked down under the Bishop's large desk/table and picked up the candies to put them back in the jar. When George noticed that Henry's sucker was still on the floor, George thought it was funny that Henry had to duck under the table. So George made up a little rhyme, "Sucker Ducker" Henry thought that was too funny, and he too decided to join in the rhyming. Soon Henry was saying "Sucker, Ducker, Pucker" Well within a matter of seconds, I will let you guess what the next rhyming word Henry said was...it begins with F and ends the same as the other words. Now it was obvious that Henry just thought this word was just one in a list of endless fun rhyming words, but as soon as the "bomb was dropped" I couldn't contain myself. I looked at the Bishop, who looked stunned and then to Mark who was looking awkwardly at Henry, and I laughed so hard that I thought I was going to pee my pants. In fact, I couldn't even say anything I had to just walk out of the room because I could not compose myself.

Family Pictures

We recently had our family photos taken by a great friend of mine, Natalie Norton. She has been studying photography for quite some time now, and she offered to take our family pictures so she could build her portfolio. We haven't had professional pictures taken since Mark and I got married and it was nice to be able to take family pictures somewhere other than Walmart and Target. (Not that I don't love my Target Pictures, but it was nice to be outside) Since Mark is a full time student and our financial situation does not provide the lavish lifestyle of being able to take professional pictures, I was so grateful to my friend when she offered to take our pictures. Not only would she not accept payment, but she gave us a cd of all our shots so we could print as many and what ever size we wanted. Here are a few pictures from our shoot that I absolutely loved! I feel so blessed by her kindness and she has given our family a truly special Christmas gift. I hope that I can pay her gift forward...
This picture really captures George and Henry's personalities.


I love this picture of our family in front of the Laie LDS Temple. It is such a beautiful, tranquil place.

George's Grand Christmas Concert

On Wednesday night we attended the BYU-H tree lighting ceremony which started with the Annual Elementary School Christmas Concert. Each grade level preformed a song with dancers and movements. Then all the grades joined together and presented a final number. In our little town that we live in, this Christmas concert is a big deal. Families and friends show up 1 hour before the concert just to reserve a seat in the Center. The concert is held in the CAC, which is the BYU-H large basketball center. I was shocked that the entire center was packed! George's class preformed an upbeat song about Blitzen the reindeer...I'm sorry I don't know the name. Here is George sitting with his classmates waiting for their time to take the mainstage and preform.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie....

I asked Mark to get the baby ready for church so I could get ready and this is what I found when I came into the bedroom this morning. Like father like son, two Sunday sleepers! I thought this picture was too cute to pass up. I can't believe that it has been 6 weeks since Theodore has come into our home. He is so sweet, mild mannered and cuddly. The boys have taken to calling him "Theo", I call him "Teddy" or "Teddy bear" and Mark just calls him Theodore. You are welcome to call him whatever you want. I just thought you would like to see the update in his development!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

For the first time in our lives, Mark, the boys and I spent Thanksgiving alone. Mostly this was a decision on our part because I was sick this week from Mastatis and I didn't feel up to a large group of people. However, spending Thanksgiving alone gave our little family a chance to really enjoy each other and be thankful for the blessing that we have. Mark and I spent the morning preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Mark made the Turkey, stuffing and gravy, while I made the rolls, salad, green beans and mashed potatoes. We listened to Christmas music and the boys helped clean up the house. After our dinner George decided that we absolutely needed to set up the tree. We pulled out our decorations and Mark and the boys asembled the tree. After the lights were set, we decided we were all too tired to put the ornaments on so we cuddled up as a family, drank frozen hot chocolate (a little blender mix of mine) and listened to our Christmas tunes. Over the next couple days we fixed up the tree. NOte: George and Henry put most of the decorations on the tree, I just guided them and helped put the high ones on. Our quiet family experience this year really set the tone for Christmas this year. I am so thankful for our little family. I feel lucky to have two energetic little boys, and one sweet baby. I am grateful that Mark works hard at being a loving, caring father and husband and I am blessed to have supportive family and friends that I can always call at a moments notice when I need advice, help or just someone to chat with. Although the last year has been a great struggle for our family since Mark has been gone 16 or more hours a day with work and school in the evening, it has also made us appreciate our time together as a family. I know we are not perfect, but as a family we are working on being the best we can for each other. Thank you to all of our friends and family that keep in touch...we love you!!!

Its a Miracle!!!

Actually...not just one miracle, but 2 miracles and one crap shoot! Yesterday George came screaming into our bedroom, "We got him dad, we got him!!!" Yes, it turns out one of our sticky traps trapped a mouse. (Miracle #1) Notice that I wrote "a mouse". I was excited that we had caught the infamous potato eating mouse. My day was really picking up since I have been sick for the last 2 days with Mastitas (spelling?). So last night, Mark and I went to bed and I was feeling pretty positive about our mouseless living situation. I slept so good that I was shocked when I woke up at 6:47 in the morning...shocked because Theodore slept through the entire night!!! (Miracle #2) I have never had a better nights sleep. He slept from 10:30 last night untill 6:47 this morning! This night was the night that I needed it the most...the mastitas is really wiping me out. I woke up this morning with a smile. Great sleep, No Mouse, its a wonderful world. Unfortunately one of my miracles was quickly overshadowed. When I walked into the kitchen this morning the first thing I noticed was a half eaten potato! ugh...

By the way, thanks for all the great mouse insight. WE did seal the hole yesterday, so I do not know how the mouse got in last night...any other suggestions?

OH, for those who do not know, Mastitas (spelling?) is an infection in the milk ducts...if you breastfeed your baby, you can get this infection. It feels like the worst case of flu all over your body and the infected area is red, swollen, hot, and the most painful area on the body.

Mouse Hunters...

Over the last 2 weeks, Mark and I have woken up each morning to find half eaten potatoes or nibbles out of a loaf of bread that might have been on the counter from the night before. We came to the conclusion that we had a mouse problem. We tried scrubbing down every inch of the kitchen and only leaving out the bowl of potatoes, but the mouse kept coming and eating from the potato bowl. In addition to the eaten potatoes, the mouse correctly assessed which cupboard contained our food storage and then attempted to scratch its way into the cupboard.

Mark and I discussed the situation, and I opted for just hiding the bowl of potatoes every night instead of putting out traps...ugh I couldn't stand the sight of a half dead mouse in the morning. But Mark insisted that we get traps so we settled on sticky traps. Mark surrounded the bowl of potatoes in sticky traps, but after 3 nights he had no luck. Mark started acting fanatical and he cut up a variety of different types of food in hopes of luring in the mouse. Well, last night at 3am we were woken up by a loud plastic banging sound. It would sound out every 2 minutes or so and then die down. I quickly figured out that Mark got his mouse and it was trying to get away.

Mark lept out of bed and found a partially stuck mouse to one of his traps. The only part of the mouse that was stuck was its tail and one of its paws. While Mark was trying to figure out how to get the mouse in the trash bag without touching it, the mouse made its way out of the kitchen, down the stairs, into the and to the opposite side of the living room. There, a few seconds before Mark could pounce its prey, the mouse miraculously freed itself from the sticky trap and ran behind our T.V. hutch. Mark moved the hutch to find a large hole in the wall that leads into our next door neighbors apartment. Thus....all hunt and no glory.

P.S. This story might sound gross to some, but this is a normal everyday occurence of living in Paradise.

It has been 1 month!!!

I cant believe it has been a month since his birth. It seems like he has always been a part of our family. He is so sweet and I feel lucky to have such a wonderful baby. I just love every little inch of his baby body. Here are some snap shots I took of his body this evening. In the last month Theodore has learned to Eat, sleep, poop and pee on the doctor...hahaha.

What a sweet face and adorable feet.

Look at those long fingers!!!

More Halloween Pictures!!!

The weekend before Halloween we went to dinner with a group of our Laie friends. We dressed up in matching couple outfits and traveled to Kaneohe (30 min away) to eat at Ruby Tuesdays. It was funny to see people's reactions to each others costumes. My sister Rachel and her husband were Nacho Libre and the Nun and Mark and I were Elvis and Priscilla. I guess you can tell from our blog that we really like Halloween...or we just like to dress up....hahaha

Family Time

This weekend we decided to take some Hawaii pictures of our growing family. We drove out to Haleiwa and my sister took our family pictures and then we ate lunch with Rachel, Jason, Klailea, Rykell and some friends, MOlly and Trevor. We ate at a burger restaurant called KUAAina Burger! I was shocked with how good it was. We have lived on the North Shore for 1 1/2 years and we have never been. It was the best burger I have ever tasted. The burger was huge, but the best part was it had almost an entire avacado on it. If you ever come visit us in Hawaii, we will all go to KUAaina Burger.
Here is a picture of the cousins hanging out.
And Here is our family picture on the beach.

Here is Henry and George being little goons! Henry loves to make crazy faces.

Gimme Some CANDY!!!

If anybody knows me very well, they would know that my favorite food is candy, candy, candy. Sometimes I feel like Will Ferrell in Elf! Well, obviously now that I have kids of my own, I have really hit the jackpot on Halloween. hahahaha...just kidding....well kind of.
This year I didn't think we would have much luck because it was raining really bad, but about 4 in the afternoon, the rain let up, so we took the boys out about 5. While we were trick or treating, we met up with Sarah and Audrey (my cousin's wife and daughter) and Rachel and her daughters (my sister and kids). We on our second road the rain started to lightly drop and within 2 minutes we were caught in a full down pour. Luckily we were 1 block from Rachel's house so we headed back. But by the time we got back, I was soaked, the boys were soaked, Mark was dry...hmmm...but I managed to keep the baby dry. Unfortunately the boys only had gotten a little bit of candy, so after we dried off and changed, I let the boys do a few more homes. Literally we only went to 6 more homes, but I think they felt bad for the boys and so they loaded the boys up with candy! I think the boys brought more home this year than any other year! What a great come back!

Small, Dark and Handsome

Hello ladies, I am a small, dark and handsome young man, that is always looking for a comfortable place to relax. I enjoy long walks with my family and drinking. In fact, I drink a lot, but I am not the partying type, no, I enjoy a quiet night at home. My favorite hobbies include, sleeping, letting loose (bowel movements) and of course, drinking. My favorite places to relax and recline are on the couch, on the floor and on my bed. I am active and take time to stretch and enjoy my day. Some like to say that I have a "big head" but that is just relative baby body size and my relaxed confidence! If you are interested in hanging out with me, give me a call...or my mom, she would love to find me a good babysitter!!!