AI & DWTS

I am becoming more of a fan of these shows each week as they weed out the so-so's and leave the good ones behind. First off, I am a huge fan of Ian Ziering after this Monday's performance. He stepped it up on his jive, for sure! His pro partner is also my favorite gal on the entire show. She makes the dancing look like so much fun and has an ease with it. Plus she flips her hair around really cool. Ian also looks like my brother Lance, so that makes me a fan of his as well. Last season, I was all for Joey Lawrence and I think it was because, in addition to his great dancing, he looked like my brother Loren. I'm beginning to see a pattern...
The beauty queen got voted off. Like I say, just weeding out the so-so's.

AI was really cool last night. I think the finale will be Blake and Melinda. I already chatted with Laura about this this morning on our walk, but Melinda needs to do away with some of her mannerisms. She doesn't need to act so surprised every time the judges give her a compliment. She is really playing off of Simon's "you are so genuinely good and do not realize it" a little too much. I think Haley will be voted off tonight. Except for Simon noticing her great legs and Paula noticing how good she looks in green, she is clearly "forgettable."

Lacy's best joke to date

I got to give credit to Lacy. I play jokes on her all the time but this time she got me pretty good. Sunday she came over to me and told me that she needed to talk to me about something and she had a really serious look on her face. She told me that I had to promise not to get mad, which seemed pretty odd since I don't get mad very often unless I'm losing at video games or can't get my balance sheet to balance. She then asked if I remembered how her back was hurting and informed me that she had just taken a pregnacy test and that it was positive. I immediately thought of how she had asked Melanie earlier in the day if the second delivery was easier. Lacy was expecting me to get mad but I just sat there with a stunned look as my heart skipped a few beats. Fortunately she didn't keep me going to long. In a few months I think that I'll tell her that I'm pregnant and see if she falls for it.

The Officials

1. Reagan is 'officially' crawling. It took her some time to get it down and she is still gaining speed, but she is doing it! For those who won't see her for a few months, the post below is a video of her crawling. I took it the day she took her first few crawls. She mostly crawls for food and a really really good toy. But today she actually crawled towards me when I called her name!

2. My little sista Lindsey is 'officially' engaged. She is marrying Roland Wright on the 23rd of June. I am so excited for them. It was really cool when my brothers got married and even cooler when I got married. But there is just something different when it is your little sister. I feel like I get to help plan the wedding without being the stressed out bride. I think she is posting more details on her blog when she gets a free minute, so check them out if you want. Oh yeah, and the blurry pic below is of them this last Christmas. It is the only pic I have of them together.
3. I 'officially' did not do well in March Madness. I did awesome my first year and ever since it has been increasingly worse. Beginners luck, I guess. Since North Carolina was my pick to win it, I have no shot of winning it all, but I did pick Florida to be in the championship, so we'll see. Matt stayed up last Saturday night to watch SNL with Peyton Manning as a guest star and he thought the parody of March Madness was hilarious. Here is the video if you want to watch it. I just love Amy Poehler in it!

4. I am 'officially' excited for June! We are heading to San Diego where I get to be a bridesmaid in my friend Jenn's wedding! It will be fun to spend some time with my BFF's and also visit my hometown. It has been a while! After that, we may possibly be on our way to San Juan, Puerto Rico--that is, if Matt works enough overtime hours. So we really won't know until after April 15th. Then we will head to Utah for Lindsey's wedding. And of course, I cannot forget my little girl is turning 1! Even better--she will get to celebrate with all her grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. So it will be an exciting time!

5. Matt 'officially' knows how to hook in a carseat. Does anyone use a locking clip? We didn't until now. We had never even heard of it. In the last couple of weeks Reagan has been tipping over in her carseat. I have been driving veerrryy slllooowwwly around corners, particularly left turns. And if she started to tip, I would reach my right hand back and hold onto it. Matt doesn't turn as slowly as I do, so she tipped over twice on sunday--on the way to church and on the way home. We we're a little confused...was she getting too heavy? So Matt took the carseat and car over to our neighborhood expert. He is a guy in our ward who is a policeman and specializes in car seat installations. Matt was over there for an hour and a half. He knows more about car seats than he ever thought he would know. Apparently, our neighbor took one look at our seat and said, "yeah, you don't have the locking clip in." We survived without it for 9 months, but apparently Reagan is getting too big now and the centrifugal force is a little too much. Which leads me to my next one...

6. Reagan is 'officially' in the 75% for weight at a whopping 20 lbs and 50% for height. She is a little rolly polly, but a darling one at that. Despite having low iron, she is all healthy and well. Nothing a few iron drops can't fix!

7. I am 'officially' hooked on Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. When my tv is on, it is almost always ESPN, Food Network or The Office. However, both Matt and I have loved these two shows. My favorites on DWTS are Apollo and Laila. I also LOVE to watch the pros perform--they are amazing!! My favorites on AI are Blake and Gina. Oh yeah, and Simon. This week Gwen Stefani was on and I absolutely love her, so it was fun. When is Sanjaya going home? Poor guy.

...and she's off!

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Wow.

So, remember my post on Jim being dead meat? Watch this 4 minute clip of the Jim/Pam saga, courtesy of NBC and YouTube. The most important part is the last few seconds, but watch the whole thing because it is just plain good stuff. I think we get a sneak at the cold open for April 5th episode (titled The Negotiation). It does tell us to "get there early." Do you guys think Andy saves the day by jumping in Jim's defense getting rid of his wicked anger management skills?

I am extremely gruntled.

Happy 9-month B-day Reagan!

9 months ago today, Reagan came into our lives and changed us forever. Some of her likes and dislikes at this point are as follows:

LIKES: Baby's First Moves, carbs, riding in stroller, music, waving bye-bye, and as evidence below, her bathtime!

DISLIKES: having mom leave the room, mom picking sleep out of her eyes

ESPN

Regsters is already reading ESPN the magazine.

We start em early!

Beauty of the Earth

My old roommie Stacy and her husband Ryan visited and stayed with us on thursday night. It was so good to see them!! Last time we saw them, they were dating and now they are married! Hopefully they weren't too cramped in our tight place. Stacy and Reagan playing. She was definitely more inclined to crawl for them than for Matt and I! Trains on St. Patrick's Day
Playing around in the grass. Reagan loves to pick at the grass and it is very intriguing, as I'm sure is the case for most babies. we had to remove many pieces, though, once she started placing them in her mouth.


Really, I look goofy in this one, but I love how Regsters is standing up so proudly!

Not in a hiking mood that day, but the views were pretty cool! The hills are still so green! Perfect for St. Patty's!

A carousel ride that Reagan enjoyed.



Life has become discovery for us. Reagan has reached that age (9 months on thursday) where everything is so exciting and new. It has made Matt and I look at the world a little more closely, I think. Things as simple as going to the park and playing in the grass, riding a carousel, or watching a dog jump in a lake to fetch a tennis ball are just really exciting. In a way, I am kind of seeing things through her eyes, as if for the first time. I think having a child has instilled in us a love for the beauty of this earth. Sure, we enjoyed and loved it before, but not this simply. Its definitely been fun.

Chillin like a Villian

Reagan and her dad like to hang out on the deck in the camping chairs. They were so cute last week I had to take some shots. Reagan is really starting to prefer her dad more. When he walks in the door or when she hears his voice, it is he she looks at. If she is nursing and he comes in the room, then she is done because she cannot take her eyes off Matt. Its fun and I know he loves it! A very cute daddy-daughter thing going on. A-B-C you later conversation. But I don't mind:):)

My Little Orange Pumpkin

I think Reagan looks really cute in orange! I am also a fan of stripes, can you tell?

Happy St. Patty's Day!

What a nice day to be celebrating the Irish--I have my window open, I can hear our neighbors lawn mower, birds singing and chirping, the sky is still a brilliant blue, and Emily Merrill just brought me a quart of Chocolate Malted Crunch ice cream. I had seriously just gotten out of the shower, heard the doorbell, went and peeped through the hole and saw it was her. I could see the ice cream in her hand. I opened the door, towel and all. I had gone two days ago to get some and they were all out! She is my hero today. Thanks, Emily!

Reagan is getting around these days. Not in a kinky way--she is really moving around. Matt and I have decided to make more room for her and clear some space for her on the floor. She is a joy to be around. I used to be so thankful when she went to sleep, so I could get stuff done. And when she woke up, I would be like darn! She needs to sleep longer. Now I look forward to hearing her in her crib, just so she can give me that big toothy grin and I can see more of her blossoming personality. She is at a fun stage. She is still enjoying food, especially refried beans and Miriam Pinoli's yummy rice, which we discovered last night. Her favorite spring color is orange and she loves to watch her dad. Stay tuned for more on her...I have many pics of her to download.

March Madness is not going so well for Matt or I. We both have different strategies. Matt listens to all the pros predictions, ESPN commentaries. Shoot, he even prints out articles picking apart the different teams and the shot they have at winning. I simply look at all the teams and pick based on things like: the color of their uniforms, whether I like the name of the school (Villanova is just a cool sounding name!), whether they have a cool mascot, whether they are a rival of BYU's or not. You know, the things that really don't matter. Usually it works, though. But this year is off to a slow start. Matt and I are both lagging in our brackets. There may not be a bet this year at all, since we may both end up in dead last. We'll see. Things change with each round!

Last but not least, the Office has a new episode on April 5th. How excited am I? You have no idea. It is called The Negotiation and is about Michael and Darryl heading to corporate to lobby for pay raises and things happen with the Roy, Pam, Jim situation. It is going to be big...

(I'm not going to say it....it is inappropriate. Oh well, I will say it anyways).

...that's what she said.

Under the Weather

This has been a rough couple of days...I've had the stomach flu! Yuck! And let me tell you, it is 10 times worse when you have a child to care for. Reagan spend majority of yesterday watching me lay on the couch and while she watched Baby Einstein and played with toys for 4 hours. I finally called Matt and asked him to please come home early. I am finally feeling better this afternoon. I even felt good enough to watch Brandon leave American Idol. Can anyone tell me what their exit song is? You know, the song they play right after someone gets the boot? Last season it was "Had a Bad Day." I really like this season's song...something about 'heading home.' Anyways, let me know if you do.

March Madness...ahhh yes. Matt always puts the curse on me. I make my picks, he makes his, then sees who I picked, then changes his. And he fills out like 10 brackets. I tease him endlessly about this. The truth is, he enters about 10 different groups. But everytime he picks the same finalists as I do, he always beats me out. So this year I am totally keeping mine private until the picking time is over.

Here is something to make my fam jealous: I found a Rite-Aid up here that carries Chocolate Malted Crunch. Can you believe it? I am heading over there tomorrow to pick up some. I'll let you guys know how it tastes.

What's the NEWS?

The title of this post will not make sense to anyone except my good buddies at Jelly Belly. We have a fantastic coworker who came into work every morning asking us "what's the news?" with a long emphasis on the word 'news.' I really miss that! In fact, there are many things and people I really miss at Jelly Belly. It was a great place to work and I am looking forward to seeing them soon!

Well, onto the NEWS...California is still experiencing some beautiful weather for the month of March, with the forecast this week being in the 70's! Awesome. I keep wondering when it will all come crashing down, though. Literally...I know there are a few rainfalls just waiting to hit us. Matt and I have posted before about the cool view from our deck, so here is a shot of the cool cherry tree outside. These trees are everywhere and are very fragrant. Our neighbor is allergic to them and she had to take time off work because her allergies were so bad.

Reagan experienced her first sunburn yesterday when dad took her on a long walk to the park. Fortunately, when she woke up this morning, it appeared to have subsided. Her antics are blowing our minds away these days. She is responding so well to us. When we laugh, she laughs. If I am across the room and smile at her, she grins back. I love it! Below is a super cute pic of her (thanks, Laura!) and if you want to see some more of her and her buddies Addie and Jackson and hear about Reagan's gross blowout, click here.

While out in Oakland, we stopped to look at the spring flowers on the temple grounds and they are gorgeous! There was also youth conference (13 stakes!) taking place, so it was mighty crowded. It didn't take away from the beauty, though.

This last pic is when I told Matt I wanted a picture of him with the view in the background. He thinks I am a really silly picture-taker.

The last of the NEWS...Down to the final 12 of American Idol. Can't wait for the next few weeks. Thanksfully, Antonella is gone, Sanjaya should be gone and Blake, good as he is, is getting a little cocky (word on the street). Dancing with the Stars starts later this month (YESS!!!) as does the Madness of March. Matt and I love to fill out our brackets and bet to see who can score the most points. Matt usually wins, but it is because he fills out like 10 while I fill out 1. The terms of the bet are still in the negotiation process. Stay tuned!

Oh yeah, and by the way, Krispy Kreme's whole wheat donut is yummy. We tried it a few days ago and it officially is good and not much different tasting than the original. If it does taste different, as Matt would say, 'it is probably a mental thing.'

I am feeling "very special today"

So a while back I posted a photo and description of the cool plate that my mom gave me that is used on Special occasions. Well, there is actually a blog out there in the web world that is completely dedicated to the 'You are very special today' plate and the fun stories behind them. I was featured on it!! Cool, huh? Its called The Red Plate Stories blog. You can submit your own stories behind the special red plate and I think it is run by the company that makes and sells the red plate.

Blogging: coolest thing since sliced bread!

I was looking online at deseretnews.com and found this article on a woman in Bountiful who is well known for her recipes and she has created a blog for them! She updates 6 days a week (keeping in synch with other Utah businesses!) and has a recipe each day. I was browsing through it a bit and some sound delicious and healthy! What a neat idea. You should check it out and I am also adding it to our favorites. Who couldn't use more recipes, right?

P.S. She has a mock recipe for Cafe Rio's Salad Dressing!

A Sunny Weekend

Matt feeding the ducks. Some of the ducks are pretty, some are down right the ugliest things you've ever seen. They love bread, though. It shows. They followed us the whole time and I kept thinking, what if they attack us? Turns out, one of my BFF's Lori shared a story with me about her experience with attacking ducks. Next time, we will be more careful!

Reagan is learning to use the sippy cup. Please ignore the cloudy water--I promise it is clean and fresh from the tap...she just has a backwash problem.
Enjoying time with dad.
And mom.
Playing games.
One of my favorite shots of her. I caught her smiling!
This morning I took Reagan on a walk around Concord park. I took one of her favorite toys--this yellow chewy giraffe with brown spots. Matt's mom has had it for years and she gave it to Reagan. Reagan loves it! Anyways, I was almost home and saw that we didn't have it anymore. We backtracked for like an hour and finally found it on the side of the road! Relief! I didn't want to lose that toy.

My ankle is about ready to fall off right now but I’m still savoring the experience of a fun church ball tournament this last week. Despite intentional fouls, technicals, screaming at referees, team captains being warned several times, and teammates frustrated with playing time quitting, we came within four points of winning the three day regional tournament in overtime. Just like Uncle Rico I can’t help but think "just if" they would have thrown me the ball more in the low post that we would have won, back in 2007. We beat some dang good teams. Unfortunately we didn’t have anyone kick the ball against the ceiling rip off his jersey and curse at the refs before being kicked out of the building like last year (he’s now in the bishopric). The joys of church ball.

March of Dimes

My little sis is participating in a walk in Salt Lake City in April. They have people sponsor them and all proceeds go towards the March of Dimes, an organization that helps premature infants. She works for KinderCare and that is how she got involved. Click on her blog to read more about it and let me or her know if you are interested in sponsoring her.

Is the big one coming?

There is no doubt that Matt and I have felt some earthquakes lately. In the last few months, there have been several. Last night was the worst one yet, though. I was sitting at the computer, Reagan was asleep in her bed, and Matt was gone to a basketball game in Danville. All of a sudden things started shaking and it took me a second or two to realize what was happening. When I did, I jumped up and into Reagan's room (instinctively) to check on her and make sure the ceiling didn't cave in on her or something. It lasted like 6 seconds maybe, but felt much longer! Reagan slept peacefully through the whole thing, even me loudly busting through her door to check on her. Darn--why can she sleep through a 4.2 mag earthquake, but if I even so much as walk by her door during naps, she wakes up? Afterwards, I did the most logical thing: called my mom in Utah to wake her up and ask her what I should do? (Yeah, I freaked out). I think it scared me because Matt wasn't home. Anyways, my mom reassured me it was no big deal, but I went to bed last night making sure I knew where my 72 hour kit was, that is for sure.

So should we be worried? Everyone has been predicting the big one. Are these tremors precursors to it? Or, as Matt says, are they taking the place of the big one? I don't think anyone really knows.

Now this I gotta try!

I think this is really cool! Those of you who know me well also know that I am a huge fan of 100% whole wheat (whenever possible). Bread, muffins, even pizza dough! I am now currently buying our pasta as 100% whole wheat and there isn't a taste difference, IMO. Ever since FSN 100 in college, when I found out that wheat bread was really just white bread with caramel color, I have been reading ingredient labels for that blessed phrase "100% whole wheat" listed as the first ingredient. But this one threw me through a loop: Krispy Kreme has a whole wheat donut!! Now before you grab your car keys and speed to the nearest KK, I have to say that this donut will still set you back at 180 calories. Just because it has whole wheat doesn't necessarily mean healthy and low fat. It is still fried in oil, and glazed with buttery frosting. It's kind of like when you see something on sale and say, "hey, this is on sale and I am getting a great deal. I am saving money!" Well, if the sale didn't exist, would you buy it in the first place? This is the same sitch--if this wasn't a whole wheat donut, would I eat it in the first place?

But I love a good donut and KK has fallen on hard times ever since the low-carb craze hit us a few years ago, so for the sake of their business and a good treat, I will have to try it anyway. Stay tuned for the result!