A Beautiful Day

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a great day today. When I started blogging back in 2010, my goal was to have this be an online journal for only myself to read. I documented things I wanted to remember. I have always dreaded writing in a journal due to my poor handwriting and the time it takes compared to typing. I enjoy typing and I hope one day I can hand down the memories in this blog to my posterity on day. There are days I question how strong I am physically and emotionally. I find caring for a 2 year old 27/7 draining (rare naps and very late bedtime due to insomnia she was born with). But then I am reminded that I am stronger then I think. I am reminded of the strength I never knew I possess when Sunny was 1.5 months old. When Sunny was born, she was born with a rather unusual mark on her skin called a hemangioma. These marks can create problems because they are a tumor on the skin and cells grow out of control leading to a lot of pain and misery in the form of deep skin ulcers. These skin ulcers grew so rapidly and deep that Sunny cried most of the day. The doctors could do nothing about it due to her tender age and tylenol in small doses was all they could recommend. The problem was, the tylenol would wear off every hour and she would be back to screaming in pain. Not even 2 months old, Sunny had skin ulcers that were so deep, you could see only flesh. The ulcers could not get wet, she could not take a bath, and bottles of ointment and ointment would need to be applied, only to be rubbed off. Sunny screamed all day long and into the night. Rodney and I would take turns in shifts holding her, singing to her, crying with her. She would wake every 1-2 hours in the middle of the night. I became so programmed to hearing her cry that I never slept. I would just lie there waiting for her to wake up and then I would apply more aquafor, gauze, and more medicine. This went on for 2 months until she got on a medication that stopped the tumor from growing and the ulcers settled down. She was left with a huge scar tissue which to this day bleed easily due to very traumatized skin. Rodney and I endured a hardship that proved how strong we are. When life gets tough, I know how strong we can be. I am thankful the Lord made us strong when trials occur. If you ever question your strength, know that there is a hidden strength in all us that is sometimes waited to be tested. During this trial, I grew especially close to my savior as I cried to him. I remembered the atonement and how he suffered the ultimate pain for us. We don't always know why things happen, but trials do make us stronger and the Lord needs us to turn to him for comfort. He is always there. This weekend as we headed up to the red rocks, I admired God's creations. This beauty is for us to enjoy because he loves us. As I looked out in nature, I saw Sunny run so happily. Compared to the misery she endured as an infant, she is now a very happy toddler. I am so glad she will never remember what she endured, but I am glad I do remember because I am reminded of my strength and God's love for each of us. I hope we can all slow down and stop to reflect on how beautiful this earth is. I love my Savior with all my heart and I know that trials help us grow into stronger individuals. Being open about our hardships takes courage, but others may be able to relate and offer us support. We all need each other's love and support on this earth to get through this life together. I am so thankful I have the gospel in my life so I can have that comfort of knowing I am sealed to my family for time and eternity.

Summer Re-Cap

It's crazy that fall is almost here and summer is over. We had a great summer! At the end of spring, we bought a house not to far from my mom's home. We feel so blessed to be able to be in her ward and be that close. Some may know that when we came down to St. George back in fall of 2014, we only came for a short vacation because Rodney and I had job interviews down here. We never imagined one of us would actually get a job down here and that we would be able to live here. Living in St. George has always been my dream, but I never believed it would be a reality. I grew up here and have lived in the same house my entire life (where my mom lives still to this day) and being here brings back all the memories of my childhood. What more could I ask? After Rodney got a job offer here, we had one dilemma. We owned a townhome in Layton and all our stuff was up there still. We didn't know if we should sell it or rent it out. A few weeks later, Rodney went up to Layton and cleared out all our junk and we put our townhome up for rent. We were lucky to get several people interested and it and we found some renters. So, now that we are down here and our renters are up north, it has posed some challenges and I wouldn't recommend that for everyone. Anyway, back to summer. We made one impromptu trip to Vegas, went to lots of parks, played outside as much as were could bare in the heat, went swimming a couple times, made new friends, watched lots of America's Got Talent, spent time at grandma's house, and had a few BBQUES. We also got a 10 week old kitten named Tigger (He's 5 months now) went to the splash pad and children's museum, ate popsicles, and watched fireworks. I am not the best at taking pictures or documenting our lives, but working in it. > Our family hopes you all had a great summer as well! One thing I am very excited about is the mild winters here in St. George. I think living up north for as long as we did, I always dreaded fall because I knew it lead to a very cold winter. Winter in St. George is lovely. I have nothing to complain about. One of my best memories of winter here, is looking out our kitchen window and seeing bare trees that seemed so open and inviting. When trees are covered in leaves, you almost feel you can't see inside the soul of a tree. But in Winter, I can see so much depth and personality of a tree. The long branches have a beautiful silhouette against a dark, grey sky that is amazing to capture. The lighting in fall and winter is also very warm and peaceful. Winter is also very quiet. There are no chirping birds as there are in spring/summer and people tend to draw closer together. Here's to fall leading to a happy winter.

No Fuss Easy Smoothie

One of the things I dislike about kale is how awful it taste. It is one of the most nutritious veggies from the cruciferous family. It has twice the amount of vitamins as spinach. When I discovered this Raw Fit high protein powder for smoothies, I decided to start adding kale back into my smoothie. This one is vanilla flavored and you can't taste the kale, even when you double the amount of kale in your blender. The nice thing is is that Sunny gets most of her veggie intake from a smoothie. This stuff is loaded with nutritious stuff. I add fruit I have around the house and the smoothie is delicious everytime thanks to this powder. Also,Have any of you heard of the Mrs. Meyer's collection. She has a collection of household items in almost every smell you can imagine. I chose the Lemon Verbena scent and it is the best smelling spray I have ever used. Ever! It cleans like a dream too. This spray is all natural, made with essential oils and all sorts of goodness. I Hear the basil scent is great too. I purchased mine off Amazon. Great price too.

Flourless Rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This actually taste more like cake then bread because it is that moist. You would never know it is flourless because the texture leads you to believe flour is there. The first time I made this cake, I knew I would be making it again. I decided I needed to post it on this neglected blog so others could at least learn that there is such a cake that is flourless and delicious and chocolatey and such a cake does exist. Even my daughter loves it for being the worlds pickiest eater. To view this recipe, go to paleomama.com and search for chocolate zucchini bread. One tip I always suggest is to always make sure zuchinni is dry. In picture I am wringing it out in a dry cloth.

Rodney

For Father's Day especially, I always like to pay extra tribute to Rodney. But lately, I feel he deserves some recognition. I don't ever want life to get in the way of all expressing my love to him. Rodney has always kept a low profile as far as revealing his talents and gifts. I still to this day am in awe at how smart he is. He can remember anything. When I found out his ACT score was 35, I wasn't surprised. He took the ACT test several times. I am nowhere close to brilliance as he is and he is so much better then I am. I love that he is an example to me. I have someone to look up to, and I know the Lord wants us to be constantly improving daily. Not only is he brilliant, but he is a very hard worker. As some may know, Rodney graduated from the police academy. He was a cop, but realized after he was in the profession, that he wasn't happy. He didnt want to be in a field he didnt enjoy. I don't blame him. Being a cop is a very negative, dangerous field. It is not for everyone. For those who are in that field, I give my respects to them. It is a very hard, taxing, emotionally draining job. Rodney has since, enrolled in school to further his education and has aced every class. His brilliance comes in handy. He is majoring in business and will graduate in 2017. Hopefully sooner. He knows the entire anatomy of a computer, as he does a car. Rodney obtained many skills early on because he got his first job at 15 and he has worked ever since. He loves to keep busy. He has worked in construction, maintainance, handyman jobs, computer jobs, etc. He worked hard and was able to save up for his mission to Florida. He has had trials too, as we all do, but he always has a smile. Rodney is the best daddy. No matter how hard he works or how tired he is, or how bad his back hurts, he always plays with our daughter. One thing I have always admired about Rodney is his willingness to serve the Lord. I remember times when he would literally work 13 hour days non stop and he would still attend scouts and fulfill his calling. One thing I have learned in life is that it doesn't matter how accomplished one is, or how impressive their attributes may be. What matters is how prepared we are to reach the Celestial Kingdom one day. How we choose to live our lives by putting God first before anything, and how well we keep His commandments. This life is hard, but if we become less wordly and more spiritual, the Lord will bless us. Rodney has always made sure our tithing is paid every month and I have seen immense blessings in our lives. I know the Lord doesn't expect perfection out of any of us, but he does expect us to do our best and he will take care of the rest. I am so thankful to be married to a man who teaches our family to always put the Lord first, and who teaches me to not care about wordly aspects that are so easy to get dunked into. Thank you, Rodney. You will always be my forever and eternal love and companion.

Salad Bar Dinner Idea

Pictured above in random order is: organic greens, egg, garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, olives, manderin oranges, canned beets, baby corn, bbque chicken, bacon and avocado. Hidden valley ranch and sunflower seeds for dressing. Click to enlarge picture.:-)

10 months old and WALKING!

Sunny began walking at nine and a half months. Early? I am so proud of her. She is so cute and has developed such a personality. We bought her some cute sneakers and she looks so grown up. I took her to church on Sunday and in RS everyone who passed her kind of paused. For one, she is a very tiny, petite 10 month old and to see a baby that small walking is amazing. Everyone asked how old she was and I told them and then they just were wowed at her walking skills. I have seen babies walk early, but I never imagined Sunny walking at 9.5 months. She is not into eating any table foods yet, so she still eats by spoon and me or dad feeding her. She eats all veggies and sweet potato for carb, and fruits and only cereal in morning. Congrats on walking, Sunny girl.