Leap (Year)

Thanks for the flowers, Loves.

In honor of Leap Year, I've compiled a list of times in my life when I took a leap and it was totally worth it:

- That time I leapt on stage to dance with Chuck Berry.

- That time I decided to heed the words of a 3rd grader and "just read Harry Potter it's the best book ever!".

- That time I decided to make a homemade apple pie from scratch.

- That time I jumped into a grocery cart, only to let Daphne push me very quickly into a volleyball court and land face first in the sand (we have video footage somewhere, which makes this one worth it).

- That time I tried that gyro from that sketchy food truck in New York City (I'll take two more, actually).

- That time I decided to go on a first date with that drummer guy who has a hearty laugh, named William Bradford.

Breakfast with June

As soon as June sits in the high chair, there better be food on the tray. So while I'm slicing the bananas or toasting the toast, I put a few Gerber Cheetos on the tray to make her happy. That girl loves her Cheetos in the morning.

She does this funny thing that I want to remember. When an object is elongated, she takes her pointer finger and gently touches the end of it. She does it with all her Cheetos:

See another adorable ritual here.

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Laughing at: these pictures of June and her buddy, Cora, at the playground. June is still not crawling around yet, so she just watches other kids or sadly leans on the playground equipment. Thanks, Holly, for the laugh.

Eating: Thin crust pizza for breakfast. If June can eat Cheetos for breakfast...

Watching: Being Elmo. I may have teared up in a few parts. Why is that little muppet so endearing to me?!

Anticipating: June's birthday party. June's uncles (and maybe her grandma!) are going to be here.

Reading: this talk by Elder Uchdorf. I need to heed his advice about "good sacrifices". I may have stayed up until 12:30am last night putting together some things for June's party (that is still 20 days away).

Feelin' the Luv

William surprised me Valentine's Day morning with this lovely addition hanging in our kitchen:

We kept it up for nearly a week because I wanted to take a picture of it, but needed to clean our kitchen first. (Yeah... it took almost a week to clean our kitchen.) But it did also serve as a great peek-a-boo cover for June while she sat at the high chair.

Now it's hanging in our garage so every time I pull the car in, I remember that William luvs me.

My downfall.

I'm pretty good about not eating too many sweets in the beginning of the year. Then February 15th hits, and the stores put out all the Easter candy.

I cannot resist Hershey's Candy Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs (see above). William and I are about to polish off our second bag in less than a week.

Oh and I haven't forgotten about Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. (It's all about the extra peanut butter.)

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Eating: Hershey Eggs (of course) and AMAZING grilled cheese... Wheat Bread + cheddar slices + green chiles + cream cheese. It's delicious and completely healthy.

Smelling: Smith's Rosebud Salve. It's my favorite lip gloss ever.

Searching: for the perfect couch. If anyone knows where to get this one or this one, please let me know.

Found: the perfect alphabet poster.

Listening to: Secret Heart by Feist. Oh I love this song and her guitar skillz.

Time to start the birthday celebrations

June's first birthday is actually in 26 days. But I've been trying to plan it with every spare moment I have (with a daughter like June, those spare moments don't come very often).

I've even tried getting some party-planning ideas from the birthday girl. Her favorite things right now are Gerber Cheetos, taking baths, and the intro song to 'Yo Gabba Gabba'. That actually sounds like a pretty amazing party...

Today we did some cooking in her little play kitchen.

Now I've realized that I need to get her kitchen supplies for her birthday present. The only things she has in her little refrigerator are: milk, chocolate milk, a big hamburger, and tiny cakes (now that I think about it, she is on to something).

June knows how to live the good life.

Weekend

I am so looking forward to this three-day weekend. William and I plan on getting our house spotless, attend several gatherings, and tackle many long-awaited projects.

Who am I kidding... we'll probably sleep in, watch TV, and eat all the leftovers in our fridge.

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Reading: a book that I'm not enjoying much, but I've gotten to a point where I HAVE TO finish it. I don't like it when that happens.

Eating: this dessert. I love it, and I've eaten too much of it this week.

Listening to: Cub Country. Particularly '59 Grand' and 'Could Be the Moon'

Thrilled: to meet Cousin Emily's baby Julie. She is so squeezeable.

Obsessed: with this book and this book. As soon as I get the funds...

Burger and Valentine-ing

William and I spent the rainy Valentine's Day at Giant Burgers... because we both love burgers and each other.

Thank you Giant Hamburgers for being so giant.

(And thanks mom and dad for watching June so we could enjoy our giant hamburgers.)

AZ Love Part IV

Happy 100th to my home state!

My first three lists are here, here, and here...

... and here's the last part, most of it being my favorite images.

76. My parent's backyard

77. The fact that the bola tie is the official state neckwear

78. Camelback mountain

79. Arcadia area

80. Frances

81. The experience I had in the city of Nogales

82. Arizona news shows (because my relatives report them)

83. Arizona Museum for the Youth in Mesa

84. My June was born in this state:

85. Concerts at Gammage:

86. This view in Downtown Prescott:

87. A lake in Prescott

88. When Downtown Prescott decorates with our state flags

89. This view at Joe's BBQ

90. This view in the White Mountains

91. This view from Sunrise Ski Lift

92. Greer Lodge:

93. Yellow wildflowers in the White Mountains:

94. Greer Lake:

95. The bakeries in Mexican grocery stores:

96. This daily view:

97. This view at Zia Records:

98. I wish I could see this more:

99. A lake in Show Low

100. Grassy knolls in Pine/Strawberry

Okay now everyone who comments needs to tell me things I missed or need to try... GO!

A Chocolate Dessert

The website I found this dessert called this "The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford".

My first thought was "Robert Redford in 'The Sting' or Robert Redford in 'All the President's Men'?"

Definitely Robert Redford in 'The Sting'.

Find the recipe here.

AZ Love Part III

Okay just to clarify, these lists are in no particular order. I've had someone point out that I put the Mesa Temple AFTER swimming, and while a nice swim in the pool on the temple grounds would be refreshing, the temple DOES come first in my heart. So again, these lists are in no particular order.

This is part 3 of my '100 Reasons Why I Love Arizona' to commemorate its 100th birthday. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here.

51. The wonderful fact that all of my immediate family all lives here. Let's keep that up, guys.

52. Cacti and succulents thrive here, two plants that I can't kill.

53. Chandler Fashion Square

54. Soda in styrofoam cups are available almost everywhere.

55. Flancer's

56. Bahama Bucks (Strawberry Colada Bahama Rama Mama.)

57. The glorious drive between Show Low and Springerville. (William and accidently took a wrong turn once and ended up there. It seriously looks like the set of Lord of the Rings.)

58. Sunrise Ski Lift in the summer

59. Fireworks are now legal

60. Lake Powell

61. The abundance of corn fields in the summer

62. No major natural disasters (I'm terrified of earthquakes and tornados)

63. Ned's Crazy Sub

64. Rino D's Pizza

65. Mesa Community College (Go Thunderbirds.)

66. The fact that we're only 6 hours of Disneyland and the beach

67. Orange blossums

68. Sonoran Hot Dogs

69. Wildflowers in the spring

70. Chiles (the spicy veggie, not the restaurant)

71. 2nd Friday in downtown Mesa

72. Liberty Market

73. The fact that we're only 2 hours from snow and forest

74. Grimaldi's, Five Guys, The Habit, In & Out, Ikea, Trader Joe's, and Sprinkles all exist in AZ.

75. My roots in Arizona. I love the stories of my ancestors settling/moving/living here.

AZ Love Part II

Here is Part 2 of my AZ Love series. See part 1 here.

26. Higley Hot Dog

27. Queen Creek Olive Mill

28. Pizzeria Bianco

29. Arizona Science Center

30. The Little Colorado River (in Greer)

31. Water & Ice

32. Lolo's Chicken and Waffles

33. Indian Fry Bread

34. Downtown Gilbert

35. Lenny's Burgers

36. Moreno's Mexican Food

37. El Taco Tote

38. Bookman's

39. Gecko Grill (PLEASE open soon.)

40. Arizona State Fair (mostly for the food)

41. The Grand Canyon (what I've seen in pictures, anyway.)

42. Cold Stone Creamery (I just had a scoop of Chocolate Cake Batter... DREAMY.)

43. Harkin's Movie Theater

44. Harkin's Movie Theater refillable cups

45. Gilbert High

46. Elmer's Mexican Food

47. Last Chance

48. La Grande Orange

49. Superstition Ranch Market

50. Nielson's Frozen Custard*

Wow... I just realized that most of these are food-related. I wonder if I moved to Wyoming, I'd lose 50 pounds.

*Again, not invented in Arizona, but at least we have one.

Things I used to think

I used to see adorable girls in adorable big bows and I thought, "That's adorable, but not for my girl."

I changed my mind...

... but only sometimes. I still prefer the tiny bows.

I also used to think that my child WILL NEVER watch television before she's two years old.

This didn't last long. June loves her Elmo and her newest favorite, Yo Gabba Gabba. (I have to admit, I really like some of the songs and dance moves on that show. DJ Lance Rock knows how to party.) I did however, limit her television-watching to 30 minutes a day, usually when I need to get something done.

I'm also trying to teach her how to be a good reader. Her favorite is 'Pat the Bunny'...

...especially the part where you play 'peek-a-boo' with Paul.

The last thing I used to think was that babies who have chubby cheeks are the cutest babies.

I was right.