Those of you who are my friends on Facebook may recall me getting a bunch of your addresses for the sending of Christmas cards. Well, let's just say that it didn't work out this year for various reasons. So this is your Christmas card! Hope you enjoy it! :) (And sorry to those of you who really like getting cards in the mail; I know how you feel, believe me). We love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
We've been enjoying all of the funny things that Alex says and does as he learns to speak. Here are a few examples.
"Six, seven, eight, tine!" (We can't get him to separate nine and ten for some reason).
Alex: (comes up to me with a big smile) Fruit snacks?
Mom: Sorry, bud, we don't have any fruit snacks right now.
Alex: (still smiling really big) I know!
"Oh cwap, oh cwap, oh cwap!" (Looks like mommy needs to watch her language). :)
Mom: (turns on the heat in the car) There we go!
Alex: Turn off!
Mom: No, we can't turn it off because it's too cold. It will make our car warm.
Alex: Ears! Scared!
Mom: It scares your ears?
Alex: Yeah! Too noisy!
He also likes to walk around saying "Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" very loudly. He's not actually sneezing, he just likes to imitate me I guess. How we love our little boy! :)
(The announcer on TV is advertising a Christmas movie that is up next).
Josh: Ugh! I can't believe they're already showing Christmas movies on TV!
Launi: Oh, this has been going on for a while, honey. This is part of ABC Family's "Countdown to the 25 days of Christmas."
Josh: So they're having a countdown...to their countdown?
Launi: Yup.
Josh: (aggravated roar)
If you can't tell, Josh is adamantly opposed to any celebration of Christmas before Thanksgiving. He just gets angrier and angrier the closer we get to Turkey Day. I, however, have been listening to Christmas music for weeks now--when Josh is not around. He says that's alright, as long as he doesn't have to hear it.
I asked him this morning if it was okay if I put up the Christmas decorations while he was at work every day and then took them down before he got home. I don't think he thinks I'm funny. :)
Yeah, he came up with that all on his own. He's either very creative, or very bored from having to chill with mom all day.
Apparently the majority's instincts (as well as Josh's and mine) are not so keen. That's right, we are having another BOY! We are still really excited, of course! It will be fun for Alex to have a younger brother, and to pull out all of his old clothes for the new little one. Thanks for commenting and participating in the poll. We enjoyed seeing your responses!
P.S. My father-in-law would like me to state, for the record, that he's not opposed to girls. He would love one, in fact, but he just didn't think the odds were good. I hate it when he's right! :)
We are scheduled to find out the sex of our baby by ultrasound in less than two weeks! So I'm going to try something I've never done on our blog before: a poll! Vote on what you think Baby Leavitt will be. You can just guess according to your own gut instinct, but here are some of our thoughts in case you want help.
BOY: Josh is one of four brothers, and all of the grandchildren that have been born on his family's side so far have been boys as well. My father-in-law has decreed that no girl-child shall ever be born in the Leavitt family. :) Also, this pregnancy has been very similar to my first; I've heard that you experience it differently with each of the sexes.
GIRL: Both of us feel like it is a girl. But that might just be wishful thinking, since we'd like to have one of both. Also, I had no maternal instinct whatsoever with Alex, but Josh was certain he was a boy. So maybe it's decided more by "paternal instinct" in our family!
TWINS: Pretty dang sure we're not having twins (we had my doctor double check on my 9 week ultrasound), but there are twins on both sides of our family. My grandmother is a twin and desperately wants twin grandchildren. I feel like I've gotten a lot bigger a lot quicker with this pregnancy. And there's always the possibility that my doctor missed the other one, right? (Please, no!) :)
So give it your best shot, and feel free to leave comments with your thoughts as well!
It's not like there hasn't been a lot of post-worthy stuff going on in our lives. We've just been busy/lazy/some other excuse. The 4th in Richfield, the 24th in Monroe, the Martin Harris pageant, and of course, the move! Yes, I am aware that we just moved six months ago. But who doesn't love packing up all of their stuff, moving it a few miles, and then unpacking it all again? :)
Honestly, the move happened for a lot of reasons. We were looking into actually buying a home and were pretty sure it was going to happen for a while. Then we decided that, while it was doable, it might not necessarily be what's best for our family at this time. We could afford it, but barely, and didn't want the stress of being house poor. So after that letdown, I was still lamenting the loss of a yard. Alex just needs space to run around so that he doesn't think it's so much fun to pummel his head into mama's growing belly!
So we thought we'd be looking for another apartment that had a yard but was similar in cost to our current one while still being a three-bedroom. We didn't think it would happen for a while, but lo and behold, within a month we found something. And we liked it. A lot!
So now we are in the basement of a 1920's home. We have a small yard with space for gardening. The previous tenants even left us some lovely tomato and cantaloupe plants! :) Most of the home you can tell is quite old, but other parts have been remodeled. I think it all works great for us. I especially love my kitchen. Hooray! So perhaps eventually we will get pictures up. But for now, know that we are alive and having a very eventful summer!
I woke up this morning feeling very nauseous, and with a bitter glare I said to Josh, "You did this to me!"
I'll probably forgive him sometime around March 1st, 2010, when I'm holding a sweet new little baby in my arms. :)
Our big boy is turning two today! Which is odd, because for some reason it seems like he's been two for a while already. We surprised him this morning with his very own trike! He was so excited and busy exploring it that he wouldn't even look at me for a picture.
We love our little Alex and are so happy to have had him as a part of our family for the last two years. Happy birthday, buddy!
Yep, me too. I made a food blog. I've been wanting to do it for quite a while, and this morning I finally neglected Alex for long enough to get it going. :) (Kidding, by the way. He and his daddy had a good time playing around while I sat glued to my computer). So now those of you who only come here to see pictures of our cute boy or hear family news don't have to be bothered by yet another soup recipe, meal planning soap box, etc. Click here to check it out, and feel free to add me to your blog reader if you're one of those weird people like me who enjoys all things related to food and the consumption thereof. :)
Just a quick update on a little pet project of mine (that I've been ignoring for a year):
My game blog has a new address: joshsgamereviews.blogspot.com. Most of what I have up there is the old stuff, but I also posted two new reviews today. Let me know what you think! :)
(Hooray for consolidating blogs under one login. :))
Also, I updated our "Other Sites We Like" link in the sidebar, just in case you're curious. ;)
For our fourth anniversary this weekend, Josh surprised me with a weekend "getaway" (we stayed in Provo but definitely still "got away"). :) Our dear friend Angie was so kind as to watch Alex for us overnight. We went to Bombay House to try some Indian cuisine. We'd never been there before and really enjoyed it, especially Josh. He still can't get over their chicken tikka! :)
Next we went to Orem's Hale Center Theater to see "As You Like It." It was an attempt to recreate the show as it would have been done in Shakespeare's time. We thought it was really fun and enjoyed the style they brought to it.
And the best part, we got to stay at the Hines Mansion B&B! We stayed in the Library Room, which has a "hidden bookcase" door to the bathroom, and a winding staircase leading up to a loft with a huge jetted tub. So relaxing and romantic! It was also nice to be able to sneak down to the kitchen several times to grab warm cookies, and to have a big gourmet breakfast in the morning. What a fabulous weekend! Thanks so much, honey. I love you!
... this would have been my birthday cake. ;) (Image courtesy of cakewrecks.blogspot.com.)
But it was a good birthday even without supercool Stargate cakes. I'm a year older, I got some awesome swag (Yes, I said "swag."), and my wife took me out to dinner at Red Robin.
So, thanks to the Reedys for my Final Fantasy game -- haven't gotten into it much, but it looks like it should be pretty fun.
... thanks to my parents for hanging out with us and giving me a cake (and a check), even though we were too sickly to be much fun.
... thanks to my other parents for forgetting my birthday entirely until the Monday after. ;) Just teasing. I know you were thinking we'd be passing by that weekend.
... and thanks to everyone else who wished me a happy birthday, thought about me at all that day, or ordered this snow for today. (Okay, I lied. The person who requested snow today should be slow-roasted over barely sizzling coals. Yeah, I'm cruel.)
And now, on to the tour of our new apartment (finally)!
Here's one view of the front room. For the record, I really hate those pillows. But when they come free with your $40 craigslist couches, you probably shouldn't complain. :) Anyway, I will be sewing new ones someday so that this room doesn't seem quite so dark!
The other side of the room. Along with my new camera, Josh got a new TV. Thank you, tax return!
Looking into the hall and the kitchen from the front room. Speaking of the kitchen, let's go there now!
Hello, kitchen!
This is Alex's little nook. He likes to eat snacks here.
Hey, there's counter space! Oh me! And cupboard space! Oh my! And a dishwasher!!! (Launi faints).
Whew, sorry about that. I'm back. Look, my very own washer and dryer! (Faints again).
I get excited easily, in case you couldn't tell. :) When you walk into the hallway, the vanity area is the first thing that you will see.
Here's our closet, I mean bathroom. 
"Turn around, bright eyes!" and this is what you will see. The hall. The two doors on the left are the utility closet and a linen closet. And the door at the very end...
...is this! A great little closet/pantry. Alex doesn't have to share his room with our holiday decorations and food storage anymore!
To the right of that closet is Alex's bedroom. We recently moved him to a big boy bed (or, his crib with the front rail taken off and a guard rail added). He's been sleeping in it wonderfully. The whole transition went a lot more smoothly than we thought it would. Hooray!
Here's the middle bedroom. Alex hardly ever gets in there, so the second I opened the door to take a picture, he ran in there to play with whatever he could! It's really nice to have a third bedroom. It's storage for now, and hopefully a nursery someday soon. No, that's not an announcement. :)
And this is our bedroom. I made the bed! This probably only happens about twice a year, so consider yourself privileged to see it. I have failed my mother and all of her teachings about hospital-tight sheets.Yes, I realize it has been over a month and a half since we moved, and over a month since I posted anything. I am hanging my head in shame if it makes you feel any better. And you know those pictures of our new apartment that I keep promising to post? Well, there is a good reason they are not here. And that reason is...our camera kicked the bucket.
Also, today our TV kicked the bucket.
And our car will soon kick the bucket as well.
That poor bucket is suffering a lot of abuse these days.
So, my dear friends and family, I am doing what any mature, sensible, intelligent adult would do: I'm going to go hide in my closet until these problems resolve themselves. Thank you and goodbye. :)
Yes, we made it to our new apartment without any trouble and are now getting settled in. But there's no way I'm posting pictures until it is at least somewhat organized and decorated, and there are not just piles of junk everywhere. Patience is a virtue. :)
I did, however, want to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! We celebrated early because we might be out of town with family tomorrow (I say might because we've spent most of the day lying around feeling sick, and we don't want to go see the fam just to give them whatever we have). But despite the sickness, I still dragged myself into the kitchen to make the dessert I've been planning for us.
Say hello to Lite Raspberry Mousse. (Though I'm not sure what's supposed to be "lite" about them. They're loaded with sugar and other good stuff. Maybe if I'd used the lite Cool Whip called for in the recipe. But I am all about real whipped cream, baby!)
These little beauties taste as good as they look! Josh is a raspberry fanatic, so of course he loved them. And I didn't think they were half bad either, but mostly I had fun putting them together. :) Please notice the decorative hearts I attempted to draw on the glasses with chocolate. I'm just tryin' to be festive here, folks!
We hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
My sister started a "recipe tag" on her blog in an attempt to get out of a cooking rut. She is making the same meals over and over again, and she and her family get sick of them really quickly. I'm not going to post a recipe here (I emailed her a couple so I could still be a good sis), but I did want to share something that has been really helpful to me in keeping out of a cooking rut myself.
It's so simple, but it has saved me loads of time and helped me to be inventive with our meals. I plan our family's dinner menu for an entire month at a time! I actually got this idea from a friend's blog (thanks, Bont!) and I have been using it since last May. I know it sounds kind of daunting to plan out a whole month, but it really only takes me maybe a half hour max. Plus it keeps my long trips to the grocery store to a minimum and saves me from stressing about what to cook 20 minutes before Josh gets home from work! :)
One thing that makes it easier to plan a whole month is that I have each night dedicated to a certain type of food that our family enjoys. For example, Tuesday is Mexican night. So I think of four or five Mexican meals that our family enjoys and I'm good to go! Some of the other days are more generic (like chicken night), leaving a larger variety of recipes open. You set up your own meal categories for whatever your family likes. Some ideas besides the ones I use below are crockpot night, Asian night, leftovers night, pizza night, etc. And to help keep the monotony out of our meals, I try to look through my cookbooks and Allrecipes and find at least 1 or 2 new things to try each month.
Here's an example of one of our monthly menus. This is what we did for January:
Sundays: "Whatever" night - basically anything I want to cook that I didn't fit in elsewhere. I like having this more open, but if you like structure feel free to make sure each day of the week has a plan! :)
4: Baked potatoes w/cheese and broccoli
11: Sweet and sour chicken, rice, green beans
18: Tomato basil chicken, salad
25: Shortcut stroganoff
Mondays: Breakfast for dinner night
5: Eggs and toast
12: Breakfast burritos
19: Omelettes and fruit
26: Waffles and sausage
Tuesdays: Mexican night
6: Chicken quesadillas
13: Chicken tortilla soup
20: Beef enchiladas and corn
27: Salsa chicken w/ rice
Wednesdays: Soup/Salad/Sandwich night
7: Broccoli chowder
14: Chicken taco salad
21: Chicken noodle soup
28: Chef salad
Thursdays: Chicken/pork night
1: BBQ pork sandwiches and carrot sticks
8: Steamed seasoned chicken, brown rice, green beans
15: Curry chicken, broccoli
22: Teriyaki chicken, broccoli, rice
29: Balsamic chicken, noodles, salad
Fridays: Italian night
2: Three cheese chicken and penne, salad
9: Spaghetti and green beans
16: Pepperoni Pizza,salad
23: Minestrone soup
30: Calzones, carrot sticks
Saturdays: Beef night
3: Out to eat with my parents
10: Steak, baked potatoes, zucchini
17: Chili on baked potatoes
24: Hamburgers, oven fries
31: Moving day - probably just get a pizza
So it's really not too hard, and it has been a big help to me. I recommend it to anyone trying to get a grasp on this whole dinnertime thing! :) It also helps to plan meals that have similar ingredients close together so items don't get wasted by expiring before you can use them up! I only make a big grocery shopping trip about every two weeks. I do usually have to go back for a small trip once just to get things that don't keep well or we don't have a lot of room for in the fridge, like produce and milk. But it really does cut out a lot of wasted time for me!
You also don't have to feel super committed to it--if something doesn't sound good to me one night, I'll switch it out with another meal I have planned soon, and I don't end up wasting ingredients. I also like to save each month's meal plan so I can pull it out a few months later to get ideas. Anyway, just thought I'd share! If you read all the way to the end of this super long post, good for you! I owe you some brownies or something. :)
Well, we've started collecting boxes to pack stuff up in. I got several from the grocery store, and Josh brought some home from work. With the large haul we already had, we figured they would hold most of the stuff we needed to box up. But apparently we either overestimated the boxes' holding capacity or way underestimated all the stuff we have. Josh packed up our books last night, yes, just our books. And they filled SIX BIG BOXES, which is probably about a third of the boxes we picked up. Crap. And since we're not willing to part with any of our books (or all of the other stuff we've pack-ratted away), we are probably going to need about ten times the boxes we have now. You truly don't realize how much junk you have until you have to move it all!
And, here's a quick note on my OCD son. When we brought all the boxes home, I just kind of dumped them in a pile in the middle of our living room. Alex quickly went to work to bring order to his parents' chaos. Within ten minutes, the boxes were all lined up perfectly straight in single file, stretching from our front door, down the hall, and then making a quick turn into Alex's bedroom. The things that kid has to put up with! :)
The first one in a while! And the reason: I just didn't feel like blogging. Sorry if you felt you were left out in the dark through our Christmas and New Year's. They were good. :)
But I am finally posting now because we have some news that is truly blog-worthy.
Yes, we are moving! We've been in the same apartment for nearly four years (since we got back from our honeymoon) and finally decided it's time to upgrade! We are sad to leave behind all of the good friends we've made in our wonderful ward, but happy to have this new opportunity as well. Moving day will probably be sometime around the end of January/beginning of February, and I'll be sure to post pics of our new apartment as soon as we are settled.
