Work it.

Yesterday I only had a short run to do, so I tried to slip it in between clients and use my treadmill. Then I was discovered by my lil friend...and he found his new favorite activity. We seriously couldn't get him off. He kept trying to let go of my hands and do it himself but I pictured that ending very badly. He now just walks up to the treadmill and starts yelling "GO" as if he can command things to move with only his voice. I guess you could say I am starting him young? He is actually signed up for his first race in June...training hard:)

Look Up

I am really excited for General Conference this weekend. Since I missed conference in October for the marathon (spent Saturday running and Sunday sleeping), I have been reading the talks online to catch up. This week I decided to re-read my favorites in preparation for this weekend. I thought I would post a few of my favorite quotes and links. It is hard to pick favorites, since so many of their words feel so direct and true.


My favorite thing about conference is how I always feel like they are speaking directly to me, and they addressing my very personal concerns, while simultaneously doing the same for millions of other people listening. 


This first quote hit me, and I am sure almost every other mother can relate. Having a baby was seriously HARD for me. Still is. I feel bad saying that sometimes because I know what a blessing Kyle is, and how many people out there are unable to have or adopt children. I know many would give anything to experience the hardships of motherhood. That being said, I have to be honest and say HOLY SMOKES. This is hard for me. In so many ways. However I often remember that anything of worth is usually a challenge.  I loved this quote, especially because he is quoting a non LDS woman. It proves to me that challenges in motherhood are not unique to women in my faith.

Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in a family. My daughters recently referred me to a blog written by a Christian mother (not of our faith) with five children. She commented: “[Growing] up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood. … Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get.” She then adds: “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.”⁷

You can read the whole talk here. For some reason looking at motherhood as my job, or my calling, rather than some super fun way to spend my life helps me. It is easy to lose focus and perspective when I get caught up in the day to day tasks of my life. But what I am doing is important. Not always easy, fun, or glamorous...but worth it.


Changing gears a little bit I also love this next quote. I am a person who struggles with change. Not so much when it comes to moving, or hairstyles, but honest real life changes. I take a long time to deal with them. I am talking BIG changes here. Not little things...I go with the flow pretty well. Anyways, one thing that always brings me comfort is the constancy of the Gospel. It never changes. It is always true. It is always there full of light and hope.  

Our Father in Heaven is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The prophet Mormon tells us that God is “unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.”³ In this world where nearly everything seems to be changing, His constancy is something on which we can rely, an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe, lest we be swept away into uncharted waters.

You can read the whole talk here. I love it. Everything is going to be ok. Always.


The last quote is one of optimism. 

President Monson’s encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is the means whereby we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things.⁷

You can read the whole talk here. I just have to repeat...through everything in life the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what pulls me through. It is always there. It is always true. It is full of light, happiness, and hope. Sure it is hard at times to live the Gospel, but it is a whole lot harder/sadder/darker to live without the hope, happiness, and joy that it brings to my life each and every day.

This Weekend

Highlights

He spent most of his time like this

My Dad treated us to Hunger Games. (thanks Kels for taking Kyle for SO long)

We loved the movie.

Other: Hair for me. Homework for Ryan. Cleaning. Grilled Cheese. Dairy Queen w/Gma. Benadryl stupor. Playing outside. At home spa night with Ryan (he so got the better end of that deal...since I am the licensed professional...still fun though). Basketball. Church. Church was great this week. 

Big Kid

Today was a big day. Kyle went to nursery for the very first time! He is technically 2 months shy of the actual age cut off...but since we teach a rather large class of sunbeams they took him early. As soon as the door opened he ran right in and never looked back...and we didn't see or hear from him until I picked him up after church. The one time I peeked in to see how he was doing he was laughing, clapping, and spinning playing with some bubbles. I think he was a big fan. Naturally after church I had to take pics to remember his big day.

GCC {4.Spicy Nacho, 5.Crunchy Nacho}

We have temporarily skipped #3, and we did #4 and #5 in one night. Here's what went down.

4. Spicy Nacho Sandwich 2 slices white bread with 1 slice monterey jack or American cheese, some pickled jalapeño slices and 1 slice cheddar. Cook, flipping once, until golden.


5.Crunchy Nacho Make Spicy Nacho Grilled Cheese (No. 4), adding 1 tablespoon crushed corn chips with the jalapenos.


We essentially just added crushed chips to one half of our sandwich. That way we tried both, true to their recipe, but only had to do the work once since they are so similar.

• Did we love it? Ryan definitely did. I am not a huge jalapeno fan. though I loved the added crunch and flavor from the tortilla chips. Ryan loved the kick from the peppers. We also loved the mix of cheeses. 

4/50

Goats

My mom had the idea to take Kyle to Thanksgiving Point to see the baby animals. We had taken them there last year but he was really little then...he definitely got more into it this year! There weren't too many babies yet (apparently the sheep are due this week)..but Kyle had a fabulous time. He made friends with a lil goat. This goat was so nice. He just stood there and let Kyle pet him...all the other goats tried to bite when Kyle reached out. This one was very sweet, and made Kyle's day. He also enjoyed the chicks, pony ride, and being able to run around outside, but nothing made him grin and giggle quite like that bff goat friend. Then we hit up McDonald's on the way home to use my free kid's meal coupon. The little guy crashed the second we got home, he was so worn out. What a spoiled little man. We will definitely be going back soon!

Good News, Bad News

Good News: We finally got a second car!
Bad News: Only Kyle can drive it. (thanks aunt kristy for passing it down!)

Good News: After the gbladder biopsy they found proof of lifelong inflammation and scarring and by removing it they have taken all my pain and discomfort away. I feel like a whole new person!
Bad News: Because of the time I have had to take off from being sick and then having surgery I have had to cancel my plans of running the SLC Half Marathon, and change my plans of running the Utah Valley Marathon to only the half marathon. Disappointing, but luckily I have many years ahead of me to fill with more marathons.

Good News: The weather is getting beautiful and my daffodils and tulips have bloomed!
Bad News: Nothing bad about that at all.

Good News: We get to go to a MLB game this summer!
Bad News: It isn't the Cards...but I will take what I can get!

Good News: We have hit the "less than a year until Ryan has his Masters" mark!
Bad News: Then real life starts...eeek.

Good News: We get to see Hunger Games with my family this weekend!
Bad News: I shouldn't order popcorn and a diet coke.

Good News: BFF Ambs had her baby girl and she is beautiful!
Bad News: I haven't met her yet!! Dying here.

Good News: Katie and Jeff are moving in with us for the summer!!
Bad News: They will probably be really sick of us by the end of the summer:)

I think this picture proves pretty well how Kyle feels about Katie and Jeff...oh...that's Jeff in the pic if you didn't know.

Bad News: Our basement flooded again today!
Good News: It is only on the unfinished side...minimal damage.

We have been happy to hear a lot of good news lately for a lot of people we love. Life is good.

La Salsa

I love Mexican food almost as much as I love Shakira and Juanes. But let's just stick with the food for a minute. I thought I would toss my salsa recipe on here. I have had a lot of requests for it so why not? When I say it is "my" recipe that is a total lie. It is my brother in law's recipe. He taught it to me, and deserves all the credit. It is delish and you won't believe how simple it is.

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can rotel habenero

1 can rotel lime and cilantro

1 bunch cilantro

1 white (or brown or red - your preference) onion

1 tbsp cummin

1/2 - 1 tbsp garlic salt

2 tsp lemon or lime juice

pepper to taste

Put the onion in the blender first, then the rest. It doesn't all fit into our blender so I divide it in half, i.e., 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can of rotel, etc., and make "2" batches. Just blend until you want. You can play around with the salt, pepper and lemon/lime juice to your preference. You can also play around with different Rotel combinations...the habenero will give it more hottness. 

We put this on everything. It is the perfect healthy way to enhance your food's flavor. Tonight we put in on our coconut shrimp tacos. So. Good.

Grilled Cheese Challenge {2.Bacon and Tomato}

2. Bacon and Tomato: Make Classic Grilled Cheese (No. 1), adding 3 slices crisp bacon and 1 slice tomato between the cheese.

• Served with Biggest Loser sweet potato fries (recipe here), and fresh raspberries.
• Did we love it? Yes! I used Monterrey jack cheese and Ryan used sharp cheddar. We decided the Monterrey was better. We also splurged on a bit higher quality bacon than usual...never going back! It made a huge difference. This sandwich was yum. I loved the tomato!
• Ryan stuck with the rules and tried it exactly as the recipe said, but ultimately preferred his without tomato. 

2/50

This weekend...

...did not go according to plan. At all. But we try to go with the flow around here. A few highlights...

Green pancakes! We made them in the middle of the night trying to embrace the fact we were all awake.

Kyle enjoyed his fruit rainbow from Grandma

We cleaned out the closet. I am now accepting spring wardrobe sponsors:)

We tickled him as much as possible.

Not too bad even though it wasn't what we expected, then again, how often does life go as planned? Learn to roll with it eh? Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Grilled Cheese Challenge {1. Classic}

Anyone get the Food Network magazine? Neither do we. But my dad does...and they often put inserts in that contain 50 variations of something. I was first introduced to this when my dad took on the 50 Smoothie edition. He didn't make them all, but the ones we sampled were delish. Well this month's was 50 Grilled Cheeses. Holy smokes. The only thing Ryan and I like more than grilled cheese is possibly macaroni and cheese...yes we have very mature tastes over here. Anyways, we took it on as a challenge. We plan to try every variation and follow the recipe exactly. Buckle your seat belts folks, they get pretty exotic. They started out with the basics though.

All sandwiches are to be cooked using this method:

• Heat 1 tbsp salted butter on skillet
• Press the sandwich slightly and place it in the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 3-5 minutes.
• Flip, adding more butter if needed, and cook until the other side is golden and cheese has melted, 3-5 more minutes.

1. Classic: Sandwich 2 slices monterey jack cheese between 2 slices of country white bread, flipping once, until golden.

• Served with: fresh blackberries and pear slices
• Did we love it? YES. We expected it to be like our usual grilled cheese, but using the salted butter and cooking the sandwich in it rather than pre-buttering the bread made for great texture and flavor. We even got country white bread.
• Ryan decided to dip his in a ketchup/mustard mixture, and I topped mine with strawberry jam. Though before garnishing we tried the sandwich exactly as it was supposed to be made. 

*We decided we liked using half the butter at first, then putting the other half on before flipping the sandwich to the other side.

1 down, 49 to go!

15 Months

Time sure does fly by. Kyle hit 15 months last weekend. Crazy. We love him!

• He blows his nose every time he sees a tissue...or a stray sock.
• He walks full time now.
• He loves to "jump" but no longer leaves the ground when doing so.
• He loves chocolate more than anything else in the world.
• He is starting to pretend to do things.
• He thinks it is hilarious to ignore people on purpose.
• He loves naming body parts.
• He "gets" jokes now, and always laughs at appropriate times.
• He loves people.
• He claps when others clap...no matter what. My favorite example of this is on the news when it shows people clapping while talking about the stock market...he always joins in.
• He loves to keep the beat and dance, and is usually pretty good.
• He pivot turns.
• He seems to have an itchy nose constantly.
• He loves meat.
• He likes to wake up and sing before being taken out of his bed.
• He likes being the center of attention.
• He doesn't love to share.
• He loves to wrestle.
• He makes sound effects for planes and cars. 
• He loves his reflection, especially when wearing new clothes.
• He loves to make messes.
• He throws his food when he is done.
• He cracks himself up.
• He has added a monkey sound to his list of animal sounds, though the dinosaur is still my favorite.

He is so entertaining. He is pretty much always happy and loves to be crazy.  He has Ryan and I completely wrapped around his finger. We love this little guy!

Thank you emmett for the balloon!

thanks for the pic uncle mike:)

Swing

We are lucky these days to not only have wonderful weather, but we also happen to have a HUGE yard. We will definitely miss the roaming room when we move. All the more reason to explore it while we can. I found the boys out in the yard swinging this afternoon. I love that old tree swing. It is cool to see Kyle enjoying it so much. These boys are where its at. 

Farewell

Ryan's parents are leaving on a mission in a few short weeks. We are really excited for them, but we will miss them terribly! Luckily they aren't going too far. They are going to be running the church owned campground in Heber. We are allowed to visit, but their absence will definitely be felt. Sunday they had a little farewell. I wasn't up to going just yet, but Ry and Kyle headed up to see them. I sent the camera with Ryan to document the whole thing. So here ya go.

 Kyle and Grandpa...don't know where Grandma is...

 Helping himself....

Cousin Jarrett taking Kyle for a spin on the power wheels...I heard Kyle didn't really love it. Give it time.

Good luck Lundgreens! We will miss you!

Done and done.

The long awaited surgery finally happened! It went great and the recovery has been pretty simple. Counting down until I am allowed to lift Kyle and get my sweat on again. Seriously missing "normal" life...whatever that is.

I have had quite a few surgeries in my life, and my dad has been by my side every single one, except this one. Ryan took his place! I will admit, it felt a little weird having to fill Ryan in on our surgery traditions, but he caught on quick and I wouldn't have wanted to wake up to anyone else (no offense dad). Well through all those other surgeries my dad has always been a fan of the hat they make me wear before I go in...he texted me how much he regrets never getting a picture of it. So I decided to take the camera along for my dad. Ryan insisted on documenting a few other things too, which rarely happens. So yes. We took pictures. Luckily we spared you all the post op pics, because things weren't pretty. Besides the nurses keeping me for ten years in recovery against my will, everything went text book perfect.

 Ryan made me pose on our way in...

 This one is for you Dad

 Kissing the lucky leprechaun from my mom

My favorite person.

So glad to have this little episode behind us. Thanks for all the help we have received these last few weeks, it has made all the difference.

Ginger.

 "You're a natural redhead right?"

My life is complete.

Thank you person I have never met for asking me that question last week.

Wake up

For the last few weeks I have been pretty sick. Turns out I need my gallbladder out, but the surgeon has taken his time getting me in. Now I am just a few days away from the procedure and I can't wait to get it done and get back to my life. I am a believer in things happening for a reason, and yesterday I think I understood maybe one reason this has happened.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not pretending this is some HUGE deal. I know lots of people who have gone through it and the surgery is simple. But not feeling myself, and not feeling able to do my normal activities for a few weeks has taught me a few things.

I don't think I am alone in my struggles of feeling a bit worthless. As much as I am told that motherhood is a divine calling and the most important thing I can do with my life...the day to day feels pretty darn mundane at times. Besides the hair I do on the side, Kyle is my job. I love him, and I am grateful to stay home with him because SOMEONE has to do it, and I prefer it be me. Again, I am very GRATEFUL to be blessed with the chance to be a mom and that I get to stay home. But the lack of deadlines, paychecks, reviews, and adult validation makes me feel like I do nothing. So I often end up feeling worthless and like I contribute nothing to the world. Uplifting eh?

Well since I have been sick, my eyes have been opened. I have been so lucky to have help from friends and family and Ryan has been picking up a lot of extra tasks. BUT. Things aren't the same. Kyle is struggling, the house is falling apart, and our whole little world seems to be turning upside down. Watching this made me realize how much I do. Keeping Kyle healthy and happy, bathrooms scrubbed, floors steamed, laundry folded, errands run and dinners made might feel mundane to me, but it keeps us going. Someone has to do it, and believe it or not, I seem to be the best one to do it in our little house. It isn't glamorous and half the time it all goes completely unnoticed, but the million little things I do each day really do matter.

Yes. Sometimes gallbladders just go bad and that's all. But for me, I think the timing of all of this was to teach me I do matter. I do make a difference, and I am not easily replaced.

Here comes the bride?

Kyle and I were lucky enough to tag along with my adorable cousin to a wedding dress store last week. She looked amazing in every dress...and Kyle had the time of his life. He would stand on the bridal stand and look in the mirrors clapping like we were all here to admire him. While I can't give away pictures of THE dress (which she found the next day)...I will give you Kyle showing off. 

We are so happy for Brynn!  

Am I the only one...

...who doesn't find pictures of girls with perfect abs/legs/whole body coupled with some work out quote motivational? Maybe its just me.

Katie Crabb Productions

I have mentioned my insanely talented sister in law before, but after watching my wedding video, our family vacation video, and the newborn Kyle video she made, I feel the need to bring her up again. She is amazing. I also feel like sharing my tangent about videos.

If you read this blog you know I am pretty addicted to photographing everything. I have no skills, but I love pictures and the memories attached to them, so I take crazy amounts of pictures of about everything. But vidoes? Videos do even more.

When I was getting married I wasn't going to do a wedding video. They are usually expensive and I didn't feel like making room for it in the budget. Katie talked me into it, and I am forever grateful. Don't get me wrong, I love my wedding pictures with all my heart. Many are still displayed in my home, and I look through my book of them often. But no picture captures my wedding day like my video does. Watching actual footage of Ryan and I interacting on our wedding day is such a treasure to me. That day was such a blur, so I love watching it over and over to make the memory a little more clear. Magical. Not only do I have to thank Katie for the amazing job she did on our video, I have to thank her even more for making me get a wedding video! Katie is amazingly talented and in my opinion, way under priced. At her prices, there is room in any wedding budget for a video. You will never regret it.

After I had Kyle, Katie came and did a little newborn video of him. She captured Ryan and I interacting with him, and his sweet little countenance. I cherish this video so much. I forget how things are so fast, and though again I love my pictures, there is just something about live action that means so much more. And watching it all in high quality, put to music, and looking so professional is so neat. It brings back memories in a way pictures cannot.

Even now as I look back at our low quality footage of Kyle I love it. I regret so much that we have not taken more video. Video captures life happening. No poses. Just how it actually is. I would have loved if I had Katie at the hospital when Kyle was born, or have interviewed Ryan and I while we were engaged, and now I can't wait to have her come hang out with my fam and just capture footage of us being us, and turn it into the timeless memory I will love forever. I can't stress enough how great she is. Her work is amazing and her prices are more than affordable. The way she captures things is perfect. Candid. Life. Personal.

She has made me realize that videographers are great for so many more things than weddings. Check out her site. I promise, you will not be disappointed. We all worry about regular photo shoots for our families and important events, but why not add a video? Such a magical way to remember how things happened.

Go. Check her out. Right now. Click HERE.