Unforgettable

14 Years ago I went on a date I just can't seem to forget.

My date had flown in to visit his family for Christmas and had arranged for us to meet that night at Temple Square (his sister was singing in a choir concert).

Not wanting to make a bad impression I left two hours early, from Provo, to make it in to downtown Salt Lake. I ended up being stuck in traffic at the Point of the Mountain for an hour... as soon as I made it to an exit I started driving up surface streets. Well, I was 45 minutes late - and hey, this happened pre-cell phones - and I had no way to contact this guy who was sitting in the North Temple Visitors Center thinking he'd been stood up. Finally, I found a spot to park my car and ran - felt like I was in "Sleepless in Seattle" trying to get to the top of the Empire State Building. As I was running in, he was getting ready to walk out... wow... he'd been waiting!

So, we made it to the last part of the concert... met Mom, Grandma and sisters and we were off... the Christmas lights were beautiful!

Next dinner. We went to a restaurant where we were seated at a cozy little table for two overlooking all of Temple Square... so amazing! We were talking, enjoying the view and the food... when suddenly I hear a loud crack and a crash - half of my glass is standing upright on the table, the other half is shattered on the floor. The table, my plate, and myself are covered in pink lemonade and everyone in the very crowded restaurant is staring at our table. Not a very fun situation for a girl who does not like to find herself the center of attention :)

Finally, my date walked me to my car so I could drop him off at the parking garage to meet up with his family. You may remember I had been in a hurry, so I'd taken the first spot I could find - well it was on a hill and when I started my car it would not shift out of park... great... I asked my date if he could get out and push the car so I could get it to shift. He actually did and it actually worked. He got in the car and the short drive to the parking garage turned into several city blocks as, every time I wanted to turn, the roads were closed for construction. Finally, I dropped him off... drove home sticky and embarrassed... thinking I would never hear from this guy again.

He called me the next day...

Happy First Date Anniversary Handsome Hubby! Can I get you a glass of pink lemonade? ;)

So Exciting!

I am so excited... my profile on Mormon.org was just published!
If you'd like to take a look just go over to the button on my sidebar that says, "learn what I believe" and give it a click.
While you're there take a look around... there are so many inspiring stories!

Egg-less Cake

I kind of started panicking when I realized it's birthday season at my house. I don't have a ton of time for cake baking right now - so I was pleasantly surprised when I learned about this easy little trick. Here it is:

Go to the store, find a cake mix that does not contain eggs, peanuts, or tree nuts... verify that it wasn't processed in a plant with any of these allergens... buy it and take it home. Then when you go to mix the ingredients add the oil, but omit the eggs and water and instead pour in a can of soda (light colored soda in light colored cake and dark colored soda in a dark cake). When you bake the cake extend the cooking time by five minutes.

Honestly, it does come out very moist - so it's definitely a cake to leave in the pan or cook up as cupcakes and you'll want a frosting you can either pipe on or pour on to your cake - definitely won't spread.

But, it didn't take a lot of time... was very easy to make... and the kids loved it!

Me

So, this is me... the only girl in a house full of boys.
And what have I been doing this past year?

Plenty!

Aside from the full time, stay-at-home-mom basics... like, chasing after a one year old, being a taxi driver, teaching kids piano, church callings, soccer mom, learning coach, and... does the list ever really end?

I've been adding a few new things to my plate, just in case I wasn't busy enough already. Like...
learning how to cook without eggs.
eliminating all nuts from the house.
taking food dyes out of our diet.
slowly implementing an eating for autism plan.
and
trying to keep my home more organized and clean.

It looks like a lot of my life is revolving around the foods we are eating... and, now that I think about it, it is really true. Between the food allergies and the things I am learning about healthier eating with kids on the autism spectrum, I no longer have the fall-back of prepared frozen foods or grabbing take out. Basically, we cook from scratch and that takes a lot of time. It's good for us though - we are eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and hey... we love rice :)

Amazing how many things change in just a year.

The Man of the House

This is my Handsome Hubby!

I am so proud of him... and slightly jealous... he started working on his MBA this year and he's doing a great job! It's a lot of extra work and I miss having him all to myself in the evenings, but he's learning so many interesting philosophies and strategies that it's definitely worth the sacrifice.

We've been married about 13 1/2 years and it's interesting how we learn and grow together. In our wedding pictures we both look so young... and it amazes me that within just months of meeting we were married and experiencing life together. We've had happy times and sad times, but there's not anyone I'd rather be spending my life with. I think he's amazing!

Love you, Handsome :)

My Young Man

It's official... OTG Boy is no longer in Primary... he's a Young Man now! He's growing up way too fast.

I am so proud of this boy... he's loving Jr. High, he uses his time wisely, he is diligent at practicing the cello and piano, he likes to sing in the choir and he is doing a great job with his sports this year.

OTG Boy's love of reading, has inspired me to listen to more books on CD, since I spend more time in the car than I do sitting down with a book. I've enjoyed listening to the novels he's been telling me about.

This kid is definitely On The Go... but I couldn't be more proud.

Above and Beyond

The Professor is still going above and beyond when it comes to learning. He's in his second year of attending virtual school. Most breaks are spent reading his science book for fun. This year he's been focusing on improving his writing skills and his cursive - he's doing a great job with both!

Just yesterday he was telling me that he's narrowed down his future career path to two possible choices... "I'm pretty smart, like to think of new ideas, and like to do experiments - so I could become a famous inventor. But, I do have a talent for balancing on things, so I could become a professional tight-rope walker."

I guess we'll see what happens - my future may hold a house full of unique inventions, or free tickets to the circus... both exciting!

Bubba's Turn

Bubba has grown so much since this blog began. He has a love of life that is absolutely contagious. He loves sports and he's always asking if I can go outside and play with him, whether it's playing soccer or throwing a baseball. I wish I had more time, but I do take it as a compliment that he thinks I'm coordinated enough to go outside and play.

He loves school, loves riding the bus and loves recess.

Bubba loves to help... he's always in the kitchen helping me with whatever. Part of it is, he is truly that helpful - the other part... he loves to snitch - anytime I'm cutting up cantaloupe he's there.

Big Changes

This little boy seems to grow by the day!

Which truly is a miracle.

In his short little life he's gone through rounds of testing trying to determine why he wasn't gaining weight.

When he was 15 months old we rushed him to the ER - his heart was racing and his breathing was labored. Turned out he'd swallowed a dime and it was lodged in his throat - after emergency surgery and a day of recovery life was back to normal.

Then in September came the "peanut butter incident" and another rush trip to the ER. Now our world is completely changed: no peanuts, no eggs and no tree nuts. No more peanut butter, no mac & cheese, no ranch dressing... big changes, but a huge blessing. Once we removed these foods from our diet Junior has started gaining more weight, his cheeks aren't red and chapped and he has a much healthier appetite.

Junior is daddy's little boy. If Dad is home Junior is with him... if Dad is leaving Junior wants to go.

Junior gives the happiest kisses and loves using his new words. Two new words of the day... "cool" & "pitty stars."

Long Over Due

Updated photos of these handsome little men are long overdue!

So, as we come into the holidays I'd like re-introduce you to a few of my most favorite people.

Which First... the Chicken or the Egg?

For Junior the choice is clearly chicken!

Yes, he is allergic to eggs, too!

Originally, we thought he was able to tolerate eggs that had been cooked into foods like pancakes, or banana bread - but, over the last month we have realized how wrong we were. Now, that we have been removing allergens from our home it has become painfully obvious that when Junior eats pancakes his face is red and blotchy within minutes and the other day when we tried boiling eggs his eyes began to water and his nose started to run... we haven't cooked with an egg in two weeks.

Let's just say, we are very glad we never invested in the chickens we were thinking about buying last year :)

So what do we do with egg allergies?

Read the Label!

Key Words in the Ingredient Lists are:

albumin or albumen, egg (dried, powdered, solids, white & yolk), eggnog, lysozyme, mayonnaise, meringue and surimi

Foods the Doctor Suggested We Avoid:

egg flavoring (natural & artificial)

lecithin

macaroni

marzipan

marshmallows

nougat

pasta

This allergy is definitely taking some getting used to - no more marshmallows, miracle whip and cheap pasta from the store.

Did you know candy corn contains eggs? Well you do now!

Now everything is made from scratch and I'm experimenting with ingredients I can substitute for eggs. Luckily, my eggless pancakes have been a success - Junior loves them so much he talks about them in his sleep!

Now if I can just figure out how to make eggplant parmigiana without eggs we'll be okay!

My New Allergy World - It's Way More Than a Sneeze

This September Junior tasted his first and last lick of peanut butter sandwich. After taking the tiniest lick of peanut butter I've ever seen, he pushed his sandwich away and wouldn't eat anymore. Five minutes later he had hives going down the back of his neck, his face was swelling, and he started having trouble breathing.

The ER pumped him full of Benadryl, steroids and epinephrine... after several hours of observation we were able to leave with the advice that we contact an allergist and pick up an Epipen as soon as possible.

We've met with the allergist and boy have our lives changed!

Junior is highly allergic to...

peanuts

and

eggs

and mildly allergic to most

tree nuts.

So, now a visit with us is going to be even more exciting than it already was. I promise I will try not to be a nag, but I will have to ask about every product used in the cooking process... right down to your butter - some use peanut oils instead of vegetable.

But, I'll start you off with the basics, so you'll know what to expect.

Peanuts:

Always read every label to see if peanuts are listed in the ingredients.

Always read the label to see if the product was made in a factory that also processes peanuts - if this is the case it's still a "no-no."

Key words in ingredient lists would be:

artificial nuts, beer nuts, cold pressed - expelled - extruded peanut oil, goobers, ground nuts, mixed nuts, monkey nuts, nutmeat, nut pieces, peanut, peanut butter and peanut flour.

Foods that the doctor suggested we avoid (unless we make it at home - completely from scratch - and know every ingredient) include:

African, Asian (esp. Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese), and Mexican dishes

(So glad Korean food isn't on the list - but I can make it from scratch and I've never used peanut oil in what I make)

baked goods (pastries, cookies, etc. - Handsome Hubby is really gonna miss his early morning donut runs for the kids)

candy (especially chocolates)

chili (who knew they used peanuts to thicken chili? I didn't until I came home and found out how deadly it could be to someone with a peanut allergy)

egg rolls

enchilada sauce

peanut flavorings - natural and artificial

nougat

And really there's more, but I think that's enough for day one.

In fact, I thought I'd share my information for each allergy today, but now I see separate posts will be much better.

So, tune in next week for everything you ever wanted to know about egg allergies - some of the info will shock you! It did me :)

The Storms

Sometimes I start to get overwhelmed with life. Handsome Hubby is working on his MBA. OTG Boy has started junior high. The Professor is in his second year of virtual schooling. Bubba has plenty of homework and reading to keep us more than busy. We recently learned that Junior has peanut, tree nut, and egg allergies and I had my first experience with anaphylactic shock - scary! And as if these personal life circumstances weren't enough we discovered water damage and mold in the back bedroom and had to rip out a wall and closet, it's soccer season, and we've been in Primary Program preparation mode... aaaaahhhhh!

But,

as I was reading the Summer 2010 edition of BYU Magazine I came across a thought I absolutely love!

(In fact the entire article is worth a read, "Family Focus: Money Management Myths," by M. Sue Bergin, she shares the ideas she learned from an associate teaching professor Bryan L. Sudweeks.)

Here's the basic idea:

He points out that in the Book of Mormon the Jaredites had two problems when they built their boats... one, they had no light and two, no way to navigate. Sudweeks points out that the first problem was solved when the Brother of Jared prayed and the Lord touched the stones, which could now provide the light.

And now for the part I love!

The second problem was solved by, "sending storms that blew the vessels toward the promised land."

When I find myself in the middle of all of this craziness... I just need to sit back and remember what I already know... The Lord knows who I am and he knows what I need to make me into the best that I can become. I just need to remember that "the storms" will get me to the place that I really want to be.

"Remember the Alamo"

So, I've always wanted to see the Alamo

and wouldn't you know my only picture out front my eyes are closed?!?

Oh well, we had fun.

We learned a lot about the tensions on both sides - how the Mexican Army moved in - and how those trying to hold on to the Alamo really didn't stand a chance. It was a very big build up for a very short battle. A sad story really.

We enjoyed walking the grounds - they were beautiful!

We also enjoyed demonstrations on muskets...

knife throwing...

and enjoyed being serenaded by the Spanish Soldiers.


Someday we would like to go back - hopefully on a day when it's not quite so crowded :)

On the Way Home

There's no way the boys would let us miss this - I think they've talked about this place at least once a month for the last five years...

We stopped to visit the USS Alabama
(a battle ship)

and the USS Drum.
(a submarine)

The boys had a lot of fun touring the ship...

ladders everywhere... climbing all over... it was great.

I had fun, too. But I think the part I enjoyed most was sitting in the A/C watching the USS Alabama commemorative movie - it was a hot morning!

I'm thankful we have places like this to visit - I'm glad that my boys can learn about and I can be reminded of all of the sacrifices our servicemen, women, and their families have made throughout our country's history and today.

Time Flies

OTG Boy was thrilled to sit in this simulator...

5 Years Later...

Still loves it.

Kid, you are growing up way too fast!

Missing Summer

This summer we took the kids on a cross-country road trip to visit Grandpa & Grandma's house! Getting the family from Arizona to Florida seemed a little daunting, but in the end... the kids were great travellers and the trip was a lot of fun!

Here we are with my Mom & Dad and Grandma Y

One of the best things about heading South?

The food. I always eat way too much :)

Destin Beach is a family tradition...

it's where my Dad proposed to my Mom.

The boys had so much fun we had to go back for a second day...

good thing we did - we found some amazing shells and as we were out swimming a small shark swam by. I immediately started enjoying building sandcastles, but my boys thought swimming with a shark was pretty impressive.

Handsome Hubby w/Junior

OTG Boy

The Professor

Bubba


Junior w/Mommy

We also stopped to visit the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin. It's one of our kids favorite places.

Grandpa's an amazing scouter - so he was more than willing to help the boys pass off some of their scout requirements. He helped OTG Boy learn to use a personal camp stove and let The Professor pitch a tent. And of course, Junior was there, right in the middle of all the action.

Grandpa and Grandma also put the kids to work...

Bubba was picking the blueberries...

while Handsome Hubby, OTG Boy and The Professor cleaned up pinecones and pine needles.

Grandpa and Grandma said they appreciated all the hard workers.

And in our family, when you go country...

we really go country.

We always go visit out where Grandma Y grew-up...

you can't get anymore country than that.

(Anyone else think it's kind of funny that my eyewear seems to match my Grandma's? I guess I know what I'll be looking like when I'm in my 80's!)

And of course, the old swimmin' hole at the Blackwater River.

My Grandpa was baptized here.

And yes, very country... while we were standing there something plopped into the water on the other side of the river...

Turtle

or

Alligator?

We'll never know.

The hardest part about visiting family?

Loading everyone into the car to head back home.

Saying goodbye is no fun.

We miss you Grandpa, Grandma & Great Grandma!

We had a wonderful time and hope to get back for another visit sometime soon!

Love You!

Ouch!

During OTG Boy's last Water Polo match - Junior thought he'd try running away.

Now he's had his first lesson on why they have all of those "no running" signs at the pool.

He bit his tongue, cut his lip & scraped his chin!

Oh little boys... I Love 'em!

Home Away From Home

OTG Boy has spent a lot of time at the pool this summer.

He has swim team practice every morning.

Then for two weeks he went back for another hour each day and was able to earn his first two Merit Badges

Swimming

&

Life Saving!

Then back again in the evening for Water Polo...

his team took 3rd Place!

You've been working hard this summer!

Great Job!

Under the Sea

We just took a trip to the new

Arizona SeaLife Aquarium

it's just 12 miles down the road in Tempe!

When we got there Junior was asleep - tried as hard as I could but he just wouldn't wake up...

poor guy :)

The boys had a lot of fun, the aquarium has questions for the kids to answer throughout the aquarium and they also had a hands on section where you could touch starfish, shrimp and a few other little creatures.

When Junior woke up he didn't know what to think - there were fish everywhere he looked!

They also had these fun bubbles in several of the tanks - next best thing to scuba diving.

The fish and corals were beautiful.

Of course, Bubba loved the the Tylosaurous skeleton with the sharks swimming all around... if you didn't know he is VERY in to skeletons and sharks!

The boys had a great time!

And here's a tip for anyone wanting to go (which I discovered by accident) -

buy your tickets online!

I just happened to buy mine online, because I was able to get a discount - when we arrived at the aquarium the ticket line wait was about 45-60 minutes, but because I had pre-purchased my tickets we got to go through prepaid ticket line - which had no one in it and we got to walk right in... very nice!!!