Remembering September 11th

I can't believe 14 years has passed and how far our country has come since that horrific day. Just yesterday, I woke up and wanted to have a moment of silence. Remembering this day is so heartbreaking. My heart goes out for those who lost loved ones that day. I just wish they had the gospel knowledge we do as LDS and had that understanding that yes, it is possible that they can be sealed to their special loved ones some day. I pray the missionaries are able to reach those individuals and that their hearts will open to the messages missionaries want to share with them. There is a comfort we have in understanding the plan of salvation. This life is not the end. There is so much more after we pass on and are resurrected one day. Families can be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan. If only those individuals had that knowledge and understanding. What a comfort it would bring to them. Yesterday was such a beautiful day. After the most beautiful walk and park that morning, we went home and I felt emotional about Sept. 11th. I decided I needed to give Sunny an extra kiss. I never want to take my family for granted. That evening, we went over to my mom's house to have dinner with the missionaries. Rodney barbequed some steaks outside and we served that with baked beans and corn. The missionaries were so sweet and one was from Florida, so Rodney and the sister missionary were able to talk a bit. We enjoyed cherry pie from the Red Barn and then cleaned up and the missionaries went to their next destination. Bless their hearts. Rodney relaxed while the three us of did some art and watched some shows. Mom and I watched a little lifetime movie network as always, and then we called it a night. We were so tired and ready for bed. Today was a low key day. We didn't do what we all planned, but we still had fun. We went to the grocery, Red Barn, and then Rodney made some bread and homemade hotdog buns. Sunny did ask for an ice cream cone, but our rule is once a month, so we had to tell her no. I try to eliminate sugar from her diet as best I can, but she knows what ice cream is, and that's what's tough. We had a little of our Omaha beef franks left, so he grilled those up and we had hotdogs. Sunny will not eat anything we eat and still requests only certain things like chips, toast or crackers. I gave her a few raspberries and she ate those with no problem. My hope is she will outgrow this picky eater thing and be able to join us. I didn't take as many pictures today. I did see a Nikon IKON - D300s 12.3 Megapixel at Costco that is on my wishlist. And now I will leave you a photo of this sweet thing. Doing what she loves, sitting at mama's vanity.

Fun Outdoors

Today was so nice outside that I decided to take Sunny to the park after she got home from daycare and had some lunch. Being a typical two year old, I know keeping her cooped up in the house only leads to her curious nature of getting into stuff she's not supposed to, such as my makeup and essential oils. What's the solution? Get out of house. I do love fall for this cooler weather. My passion for being outside as much as possible this time of year is only good for Sunny. As a child who does not take naps, getting outside and playing hard is what we need for her to go to bed earlier. And it's working a lot better. She will now go to bed between 9-10 pm where she used to go to bed closer to midnight. I just couldn't allow that to continue, so I am glad our new daily outdoor activity is helping this tot get that energy out. We love bringing either a ball or frisby to the park, so today was a ball. She decided to play with it for a short time before running to the water. I took her diaper off so she could get wet. Now, without a diaper, no pants or skirt will stay up (she has her dad's narrow waist) and so I couldn't help but laugh as she ran with her skirt falling down. Oh well. As I was shooting pictures on my phone (poor quality pictures, I know) I couldn't help but watch her and just wish she would stay little as long as possible. It is so bitter sweet. She is gaining so much independance and sass and definatly has "I'm in charge personality" but I love that she is persistent and a go-getter. I think she will succeed in life with that. Here are some pictures that capture her at play. I love that she already has a talent for art. Here are some of her creations that we tape on our door. I want to eventually get some twine and mini clothes pins and clip her art to the twine, then drape it along somewhere. After the park, it was onto something else. Art! And the little artist herself, as serious as ever. Of course after art, she wanted to go check on Ed, whose been sick for a few days Naturally, I had to explain to her that he needs his rest and that sleeping is good. Just making sure he's alive.;)

How I Get My Picky Toddler To Eat Healthy

I'll write briefly about what I love about these items. First, the Ezekiel bread 4:9. I can't emphasize enough that this is the best bread i've ever had. It is high in protein and very satisfying. It is 100 percent sprouted whole grain bread, low glycemic, easy to digest compared to non sprouted breads, flourless, tasty, made with barley, lentils, beans, millet, and wheat. Sunny loves it toasted with lots of butter. The next item, is gluten free shortbread cookies, Pamela brand. These cookies are low in sugar and they are on sale often. Sunny needs to be on diet where she has low sugar due to her sleeping problems and hyperactivity. These cookies satisfy that sweet tooth and are all natural ingredients. Next item, is Alexis brand sweet potato tator tot puffs. These are are a great way to add some veggie and fiber into her diet and they taste great. Next, is corn on the cob. Sunny loves eating corn only on the cob. She loves it smothered in butter and a touch of sea salt. Next, is greek cucumbers. Something about the crunch of a cucumber. I always remember to stock up on them since she loves them so much. Next, is Annie or Horizon brand mac n cheese. I mix in about 1 T. plain greek yogurt to add in extra protein and this makes it much creamier too. Next is Buckwheat Waffles. These are gluten free as well and are ready to put in toaster and eat. They taste great too and are low in sugar. While sunny doesn't have a gluten allergy (that I know of), I prefer to still minimize how much gluten she does get in a day due to her behavior. The easier a food is to digest, the better her behavior. Last is Applegate chicken and apple sausage links. I don't buy these very often unless on sale,, but they are a great high protein for the mornings. Sunny also loves any kind of cheese. As a way to save time, I cube a bunch of cheese and then store it in air tight container in fridge. She loves rice crackers and apples with her cheese.Enjoying her lunch picnic style. I had to throw in a few pictures of Tigger. I think I woke him up. So, there are some easy nutritious ideas to get a picky toddler to eat somewhat descent. I am working on getting sunny to try avocado, eggs, and meat, but no such luck. Hopefully as she matures, she'll be more open to eating more variety.She really loves a green smoothie if it taste good.

Play Hard, Sleep Better

As mentioned before, this blog is a way to document our life and Sunny as she changes and grows. If you chose to follow us along, my plan is to update each post mostly in the evenings, so each day there will be a fresh new post. I've also mentioned that Sunny has had insomnia since birth and so alot of my focus during the day is planning lots of activities to keep her engaged and entertained in hopes that she will go to sleep earlier and sleep better. Since the weather is cooling down a bit, I am hoping to take her to more parks in our town as well as engage her in learning activities. Some of the stuff we do in a typical day involve morning daycare in which she gets 1-2 hours of play, followed by home for lunch. After lunch, she usually asks to do art. Art is anything from sand play (as seen in pictures) watercolor or coloring. Her attention span is short, so that usually goes for 20 minutes. Afterwards, I put on a netflix show of some learning. She really likes leapfrog shows, Barney, Baby Genius Nursery Songs, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and Sesame Street. Her ultimate favorite is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but I really like the shows where she is learning more. Sunny loves watching a show and this mama is able to relax a bit before we're onto a new activity. This will involve building with Legos or other blocks or dancing to songs. If the weather is cool enough, we will take a stroll and stop at grandma's house for more art or backyard play. Sunny has a special relationship with her grandma in that they both have a strong passion for artwork. After grandma's, we usually go home and spend time with daddy before he needs to study. Dinner is cooked, bath is given, and then Sunny wonders what else she can do. So, today I made sure she got some extra play in. She loves running and bouncing a ball. This is good because it will tire her out more, and that is exactly what happened, I think. She is not in bed yet, but give it another 2 hours and let's hope by 9:00 she is tuckered out. Overall, today was a great day. We love getting outside more and my hopes is to get her a little toy bike so she can ride that around for that leg exercise. (Did you know her jogging stroller wheel popped right off when I was walking her in it one day) Here are some pictures that capture the highlights of our day. I love being able to reflect back and see how fast Sunny is growing). Bless all you mothers out there who have twins or multiples who are going through those toddler years. Patience really is a virtue. These years go by so fast and I want to soak in as much of this goodness as I can. I want to remember the joy on her face from just simple things in nature that make her so happy. I once heard that it's okay for children to get covered in dirt or mud while outside playing. Dirt is good for building immunity and certainly doesn't hurt them. Hope all you mother's of toddlers are embracing and cherishing these years because they pass by so quickly.

Labor Day

I look forward to Labor Day all year. Perhaps because it is an introduction to fall. The air is more crisp and cool and talk of the holidays approaching is a common theme. Today was a great day. We started our day getting together with my sweet friend Kami and her daughter, Bekah. The girls played together and we got to plan some great stuff for the future and catch up. Afterwards, I headed to Albertson's to pick up some raw grilling shrimp and cauliflower and celery so I could make my cauliflower potato salad (it is so good). Our plan was to have a small bbque today, but when I got home, Rodney told me he got an invite to a block party, so we opted to go to that instead and save our stuff for another time. Afterwards, we headed over to the Children's Museum. It was fun and I am glad we can donate to them in hopes that place stays around as long as possible. It's the best! When we got home, we took naps and then headed over to a block party potluck. I am so impressed with some of the most friendliest neighbors I got to meet for the first time. I look forward to tomorrow because I want to stick to my routine I have during the weekday. I love holidays, but I also like to stick to my weekday routine. I love staying busy and I don't want relaxing holidays, despite how great they are, to turn me into a slug if you know what I mean (stay at home mom's all understand, right). Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day today.