Annie & Mark's Miscellaneous Adventures

Oh, you know, not much going on

2012-02-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yup, story of my life. Sorry. :) Did run up to the grocery store to get a few last minute items last night, and Mark and I exchanged our Valentine's Day gifts. Watched "The Bachelor" and "The Voice", so lots of drama going on.

Not much else to report... Happy V-Day, ya'll!

Oh, you know what I do- it's the weekend review!

2012-02-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, Friday I got home from work and Mark and I both agreed- we didn't feel like cooking or eating anything from home. Darn! So, off to El Herradero's. Just felt like some good Mexican food. It was busy, but we got in quickly, had great service, and got our food uber-quick (I'm not kidding- maybe a three minute wait between ordering and having it in front of us? Makes me suspicious, but oh well...). On Saturday we went to the temple and did a little grocery shopping... with no list, and therefore not the most productive (read that: on-budget and healthy) trip ever. Sunday was good with family over and mom preparing dinner this time!

So now it's a new week and I'm looking forward to life and all the fun of the coming days. TTYL!

Pictures of Alina and a few words from me

2012-02-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last night was good... can't seem to remember what happened, though. Oh, did put away a little laundry and did dishes; and of course, watched the Elmo dvd. Did have fun with Alina and Mark, as always.

It was so cute this morning when I told Alina that Daddy had bought her two more Elmo dvd's... her eyes literally widened in happiness and she said "oh!". It was priceless and something I'll always treasure. Then, when she started picking things out of the laundry basket (folded but needing to be put away), I said, "Oh, let's leave those things alone. Let's leave them in there". Alina gave me this scrunched-up face look like "Don't you tell me what to do". It was so cute, and when I called her on the carpet about it, she just laughed. :)

Mark isn't feeling as sore from his PE classes... he's getting stronger, and enjoying his developing biceps. :) Me too.

Enjoy these Alina pictures, as always!

Kudos and Brownie Points to the Hubby

2012-02-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I mentioned to Mark that I wanted to fold laundry and get a few other things done around home. After Alina was put to bed, he brought out the two baskets of laundry and said, "Here- you fold one and I'll fold the other." Whoo-hoo! Kudos to Mark! It was nice to get the laundry folded and tonight I can put it away. Also tackled the budget book and the last couple week's worth of receipts... think our budget is ok. :)

Have I told you about this Sesame Street DVD we recently got Alina? It's really cute, and educational. It's only about half an hour long and OH MY GOSH she loves that thing. She will be so very good when watching it. She absolutely loves Elmo, and all the SS characters on the DVD are babies. Mark and I can practically quote it by heart, and we love to make fun of different parts, but it truly works its magic on Alina. It is so fun to watch her absolutely captivated, smiling, dance around, pointing and talking, and thoroughly enjoying herself. And that, to me, is worth the daily watching of it and the $6 we spent on it.

Well, not much else to report. Happy Thursday to you!

Good intentions

2012-02-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

Yup, I have all sorts of good intentions. Like, putting some pictures of cutie patooty up on this blog, cuz let's face it, that's why you all come, right? :) Well, I've had good intentions of getting on the stick and doing it, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe tonight. :)

The last couple of days have been good. Have enjoyed our shows- The Bachelor, The Voice, and Biggest Loser- as well as doing some relaxing and getting a few chores done around home (yes: laundry). Really need to tackle our budget tonight, and maybe I'll do some pictures work to relax. Mmm... hopefully you'll see some pictures of the little one soon. :)

All is well in our household and hope all is well with you and yours!

Weekend wrap-up

2012-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well, this weekend was good. Mostly. 98%. Let me explain.

Saturday we helped clean the church (although, try vacuuming the upstairs primary rooms with little Miss A who wants to go up and down the stairs and run around- that was an adventure!), and did our customary grocery shopping. We also stopped by Walmart and McKee's for Alina to see the animals. :) We loved going to Costco for lunch (hello- samples! Although, we bought plenty, so no feeling bad here. You all know some people go there just to eat and buy nothing!). It was a relaxing day, where we didn't hurry around too much, and yet got everything done. Mark and I also watched the movie "Contagion"- omigosh, it is so good! I like it a lot. Really makes you think, too.

Sunday was nice, because it was Sunday. What wasn't so nice was how I treated Alina, because she was being a twit and I was losing patience. Yes, I have ton of mommy guilt. But I made up for it. It was nice to have family over for dinner and play Lord of the Rings Risk, and then I got to scrapbook tons! I think I'm finished with pictures of Alina through 1 year old! Yeah! So, now I'm going to try to slow down on those and work on more family pictures, occasional Alina pictures, and work on Mark's scrapbooks (from pictures growing up and on his mission). Piles to do and no end in sight!

Well, little Miss A was adorable this morning, and as I said, I tried making up for my poor behavior yesterday. Looking forward to getting some things done around home tonight, and watching night 2 of the season premiere of The Voice, plus checking out the premiere of Smash.

C-ya!

Bow-wow-wow, yippee-o, kay-yay!

2012-02-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting to report. Tackled my 4-5 days worth of dishes last night. I find if I listen to a book on tape, it makes it slightly less painful. :) Should be a good weekend ahead- a little shopping, hopefully get some things done around home, and babysitting for some friends on Sunday for a few hours. I'll let you know how it goes down!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday that was

2012-02-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well, didn't do too much last night, but it was a good night nonetheless. Enjoyed Mark and Alina immensely, and went through some mail, and listened to a book on tape.

I enjoyed watching Alina do something new last night- I would stick out my tongue and her, and make sounds (you know what I mean? Kind of a "bla-blur-bla-blur kind of sound?), and she would try imitating it. It was so darn cute! Mostly, she'd just stick out her tongue and make a "mmml-mmmml-mmmml" sound. She loves throwing and playing with balls a lot right now. Let me tell you what- she has a good arm, and a good foot! Potential athlete here! Of course, we say that about anything she's good at... ballerina, singer, etc. :)

Today, I dropped the class I was taking the semester. I just don't have the time and energy to put into it like I want and to succeed.

Mark won a drawing at Biomat (where he donates plasma)- he got a gift certificate from Walmart for $175 dollars! Woot woot! We thought it was going to be cash at first, but a gift card is great, too!

Well, not a whole lot else to report on... life is boringly blissful. :)

Busy life, good times

2012-02-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy last few days. This past weekend, I was so worried that my Saturday was going to be uber-busy, packed to the brim. Instead, I decided to go to a couple stores Friday night, with the fam in tow (for one store, anyway), and got some stuff done then. On Saturday, I hit the rest of the places I needed to go, and amazingly, had plenty of leisure time in between each errand. Yesterday, my co-worker and good friend retired. :( I've been busy the last few weeks planning and preparing things for her retirement party, which was loads of fun and went very well. I'll miss her terribly, but am grateful to have her as a friend and we will be sure to keep in touch.

I've had a viral infection in my eyes since Sunday- it's been an adventure.

Been enjoying things with Mark and Alina and life in general. Ciao!

Wednesday was wonderful

2012-01-26T15:50:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was wonderful for many reasons. I'll spare you the boredom of "yeah, I got the laundry done" (which I did, yeah!), and give the great, big news:

MARK GOT INTO THE DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM HERE AT ISU!!!

He'll start in the fall and graduate in May 2015. We are so ecstatic! A weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We fill so relieved, and especially, so very blessed. We feel that a lot of hard work, preparation, fasting, and prayers have come to fruition. It almost seems to good to be true!

So, that's about it, but was a great night it was last night. :)

The Tuesday night that 'twas

2012-01-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

Last night was not too bad... didn't get my laundry done, but did manage to stay awake long enough to finish typing Mark's chemistry lab report. And other than that, not much else got done. Did enjoy the evening with Alina and Mark.

Alina is just so cute and is jabbering more, making cute faces and noises, and growing up more each day. Mark is doing well in school and studying hard to get good grades. And Annie is just trying to hold it all together! :)

Toodles!

A good weekend

2012-01-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

It was another good weekend this past... weekend. Ran to a couple stores Friday night to lessen the shopping load on Saturday, plus went out to eat. We did more shopping on Saturday and enjoyed eating out for lunch (yikes! But it was our bi-weekly treat to ourselves). Sunday was enjoyable as we had dinner with some friends from the ward and their 5 crazy kids. Yesterday was decent too, with class and typing Mark's chemistry lab report, sleeping for 3 hours, doing dishes at midnight, and getting to bed after 1 am. :) We enjoyed watching the Bachelor last night. I know, I know- I swore, when it came out, I would never watch it, but we started watching last season with Ashley and Bachelor Pad over the summer and now Ben's season... I think we might be hooked.

Going to be a mundane but gotta-get-these-things-done kind of night tonight. Hope you enjoy yours!

Thursday, yup yup

2012-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Are ya'll getting tired of my rantings of the previous day? Let me know if you want me to stop the daily journal entry or want me to keep it real, as is. :)

Did get the dishes done yesterday- two days' worth, and not bad. Felt all sorts of proud about that.

Mark made the most delicious pork adobo last night- we took some to the missionaries, who couldn't make it to our place for dinner since one was ill. It was absolutely divine- the pork was so tender, it fell off the bone. Our secret: a pressure cooker! Honestly, if you don't have one, you need to invest in one!

Alina was so cute last night. When I came home, I picked her up and she loved looking at my necklace- putting the beads in her mouth, putting them in my mouth, and enjoying looking and playing with it. I just loved watching her pretty face and all the expressions she was making. Golly, she is just so beautiful!

Tonight we're eating out and got lots of shopping on the agenda for tomorrow. It will be a busy weekend, for sure! Oh, and I need to finish reading for my Monday class. Hope your weekend is fun and adventurous!

Wednesday wow

2012-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Well, got a couple things done last night; not much, as I have been real tired lately, but it was an okay night nonetheless. Thought we'd be busy tonight feeding the missionaries and babysitting a friend's kids, both both parties are sick! Boy oh boy, what to do with all this free time (yeah, right!). I definitely need to get in gear and finish my reading assignments for class next week.

Ciao!

Not much Tuesday

2012-01-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Not much going on yesterday. Managed to get 3/4 of the laundry loads done. Fell asleep, not intentionally, so it made for a long night.

This afternoon Alina had an appointment at the pediatric opthamologist's office- nothing serious, though our pediatrician wanted to be sure there was nothing bad going on. Turns out Alina is a-ok, but has a slight astigmatism, so a checkup in one year is in order. She did well sitting still and getting eye drops. I'm way proud of her! Some of the older children did not do so well with those eye drops. :) She is so stinking cute, and fun!

This morning, I went to leave and asked Alina to give me kisses. She did, making the "mmmmmmwah" sound. Then, my mom picked her up, she was wiggling around, I went in for one last kiss and WHAM! Got hit on my lip pretty bad. I know she was a little stunned, too, though I've felt the right side of my face has been off today. :) But no worries.

Well, let's see what we can get done tonight... should be interesting!

I love me some holiday!

2012-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

We had Monday off from school and work, so a weekend recap is in order. As I recall, not much happened Friday, except I think we went out to dinner. Saturday was great with a trip to the temple and taking Alina to the mall's playground for a little fun. She loved it, and one little girl took a particular liking to her, calling her "little girl" and trying to help her with things. That, and a blond haired, blue eyed boy kept hitting her (you know, those little love taps). Sunday was nice and relaxing and then yesterday, I got lots done! Felt good to be productive after I've had a week or two of not being so productive. Got 4-5 days worth of dishes done (wasn't horrible, but still took plenty of time), hung up and folded some laundry, vacuumed and swept, and did grocery shopping. Also got some breakfast sandwiches made and receipts recorded in the budget book. Enjoyed thoroughly laughing (and at times, being thoroughly disgusted with) The Bachelor last night. It was a good day!

Mark added an aerobics/kickboxing class and today was his first day in it. Let's say it kicked his butt- he's really sore, but hoping a couple of weeks of it will get him in the groove. Alina is as sweet as ever- she enjoyed eating about 60 grapes last night. :) She tries to imitate sounds I make with my mouth, and she is just so darn cute! All is the same with me- just plugging along and pushing ahead!

C-ya!

Wednesday and Thursday stuff

2012-01-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I must say I feel proud of myself for tackling the budget book on Wednesday night. Didn't do much else, but got it done, and happy to see we haven't overspent the last few weeks! Last night, I don't think I really got anything done. Oh, I did rip some cd's to the computer so Mark could put music on the mp3 player he got for Christmas. I don't know what it is lately, but I get so tired at night! I'm going to try hard to get some much needed things done tonight, though! Looking forward to dinner out tonight and a trip to the temple tomorrow, plus Alina's first play date! We'll update you next week on this weekend's happenings!

Enjoy your (hopefully) three day weekend!

Not a whole lot got done

2012-01-11T15:58:00.001-08:00

Yup, I was real tired last night. Snoozed off and on during the night, but did manage to get the laundry done, with Mark's help. So, not much else to report.

Mark is taking a spinning class now and Alina is as cute as ever. Yeah!

Monday is fun-day

2012-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, well, yesterday was good. First day of the semester. Not too bad at work, all things considered. Mark enjoyed his classes and I enjoyed mine- a nice, cozy seminar with 5 people in it. Should be exciting! Not too much homework, but it will still be challenging and keep me busy. Got a few things done at home, but also vegged out, maybe a little too much. Oh well. :) Tonight, I'll be busy enough.

Loves!

The weekend that was

2012-01-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

Yup, had a good weekend. Got my sock drawer organized/cleaned out and my digital scrapbook "stuff" organized on the computer. It doesn't get any better than that, people! :) Seriously though, it is nice to get a couple little projects like that done. Mark was able to clean up is pile of school notes and tidy up the spare bedroom that houses them. So organizing fun was had by all! :) Enjoyed grocery shopping with Alina, and even more so because she was well-behaved. :) She likes to say "hi" and wave to all who pass by in the store. Enjoyed a little scrapbooking last night, too, so it was a pretty normal but very nice weekend!

Today is the first day of school- Mark's got a full load as usual and I'm taking a graduate course. Thinking of switching programs, hopefully leaving me only 5 (ha! "only"!) classes to take and a better direction with things.

Toodles! ~Annie

Sis's bday

2012-01-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today is my older sister Denise's birthday- she's the big 4-0! I know, I know- I'm not old enough to have a sister that old, right? :) Happy bday, sis!

What you get when a little girl (and her daddy) have too much time on their hands...

2012-01-06T13:05:00.001-08:00

Oh yes, you get some cute pictures, but you also see what happens with too much time on one's hands. Enjoy!

Christmas in pictures- Feliz Navidad (warning: lots o' pictures)

2012-01-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

Hope you enjoy this little glimpse into my family's Christmas celebrations. You'll see a wreath Mark made, the opening of gifts, and our annual tradition of a family picture by the tree. Enjoy!

Alina visits work- pictures

2012-01-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Alina's last visit of 2011 to my office- about the middle of December. She sure loves playing on my computer and looking at all the pictures of herself in my office! :)

The last few days

2012-01-06T12:41:00.001-08:00

Not too much going on; laundry on Tuesday, didn't do much Wednesday (did update our 2012 calendars with birthdays and put them up!), and did a few things online yesterday for school- paid my fees and got one of my textbooks on my Kindle. Also downloaded the Relief Society manual for the year and the Sunday School study guide to my Kindle as well. Thinking I'll do some organizing around home tonight and look forward to date night tomorrow! Also, lots of grocery shopping in store tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to using all those great Costco coupons this month!

Have a good weekend!

The 411

2012-01-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

Had a good day yesterday with lunch with friends here from out of town, running to a couple places and my older sister's house. Getting gas in both cars with our Fred Meyer Fuel Rewards discount (10 cents a gallon discount!). Just a fun, relaxing day, and of course, loving the time spent with Mark and Alina.

Been a good day today. Alina stopped by work for a visit. :) Busy day, but good!

TTYL.

Christmas and vacation low-down

2012-01-02T10:36:00.001-08:00

Wow! I have had an amazingly good time off from work this past week. Let me tell you what we've been up to.

Christmas Eve was a good day and we enjoyed family time. We had dinner with some of our friends and enjoyed the yummy food they made and the time to talk and get to know each other better.

Christmas day was stupendous! We had just one hour of church (instead of 3!) and enjoyed the festivities of the day. Alina did pretty well with opening gifts, and I loved surprising Mark with some things I got him. He also did a good job getting me some things I loved, needed, and didn't expect! We enjoyed dinner with my family- made it all here. Tried some new things like funeral potatoes and green bean casserole, and Mark made the turkey up all sorts of yummy. A wonderful day with family, for sure!

At work, our offices were closed Dec. 26 - Jan. 2. So, I've just enjoyed relaxing with my crew, and doing some shopping! My friend Lu and I went shopping at 6 am on Dec. 26th. It was fun, and I got some good things, but I was disappointed that the sales weren't better. I swear, they raise prices on purpose when they have sales. Oh well. But still a fun thing to do.

We enjoyed going out to dinner and seeing "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" on New Year's Eve. Been doing some organizing and cleaning up around home. Yesterday, Mark spoke in Church as part of the Sunday School Presidency- he did a great job! I also got to substitute in Primary.

Today's the last day of my vacation. Got lots to do- having lunch with friends who are here from out of town, get gifts mailed off to Mark's parents :), a little shopping, and some creative things, too. We've taken some cute pictures of Alina, and our Christmas celebration, so I'll try my best to get those posted soon.

Enjoy your Monday!

Thursday was thoroughly good

2011-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was not too bad. Did a little shopping for supplies to make "manly" bracelets for the guys in my life. I even tried making them, not liking how they came out. Bummer! Maybe I'm not as creative as I thought. :) The tutorials looked so easy online. Maybe Mark will tackle it today and give it a whirl. I guess I should just stick with the creative things I know I'm good at- scrapbooking, paper crafting, etc. :)

Alina was so fun last night. I took home a foam ball (donated to the cause by a co-worker) and gave it to her to start playing with. She loves it! So I played ball with her- she'd throw it a little, and I'd roll or throw it to her. It was really such fun, and a great little activity. This morning, she was so cute dancing to the Dora Sit 'n Spin- a little contraption she can (wait for it...) sit and spin on (yeah!). Pushing the music button on it, she boogied away by shaking her bum high and low and getting those arms swinging. Pure delight! I love it when she waves bye to me (though I don't like the leaving part, of course), or eagerly greets me at night. Too much fun and joy, I tell ya!

Mark is doing well. So am I. Not much else to report on that front.

Just gotta get some groceries tomorrow and finish making the handmade gifts for family that I've got left. Wish me luck! No big plans for Christmas other than attending church and having my family over for dinner. Planning on not doing much over the break from work (Dec 26-Jan 2!!! yeah!!!) but I'm sure I'll keep busy enough!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wednesday wanderings

2011-12-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was good and I got myself into gear and was productive (and ate well- yeah!). So, I took around gifts to my visiting teaching gals and some Filipino Chicken Macaroni Salad to my older sister. Then, when I got home, did two days worth of dishes and made some ric rac roses (great tutorial over at The Ribbon Retreat- they have great products at great prices, too: http://www.theribbonretreat.com/blog/ric-rac-rose.html). Mark helped with those. It is so awesome being married to a seriously crafty, talented man. :) So it was a great night!

Planning on making more Christmas gifts tonight (for my mom and siblings) and stopping by a craft store for supplies for a homemade gift for my bro and bro-in-law. I'm sure a few other things will creep in to my schedule, so here's hoping for another productive night!

You know, I was thinking today about how sometimes when Mark and I have our misunderstandings or arguments, that I get upset (well, duh!). What I mean is, I get upset that he's pointing out something wrong in my thinking, behavior, etc. I've always thought it was Heavenly Father's way of helping me realize things I need to improve and change in my life, but would be stubborn anyway (I hate admitting I'm wrong! Or that things can be done differently). And today it just hit me that I should be more grateful and patient with Mark at those times because he's giving me the opportunity to see things I need to fix and to work on becoming a better person. He's actually helping me, in a round-about way, to tweak the parts of me that aren't at 100%. Isn't it great when we have epiphanies? So from now on, I'm going to try to have that more positive attitude when such misunderstandings occur.

Hope your Thursday evening is comfy and relaxing!

Tuesday trappings

2011-12-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was good. Yup. It's always good, just a general rule of thumb to know about me. I got laundry done and Mark, Alina, and I ran around some goodies to friends and neighbors. We opted not to do sweets as there are too many around this time of year, so instead Mark made Filipino Chicken Macaroni Salad. Let me tell you what- I could eat bucket-loads of this stuff. It is so yummy! Oh, divine even! So it was a good evening.

Nice that we'll be having a white Christmas, what with all this snow, even though I don't like driving in it. Definitely puts you in the mood a little more. I once heard that when it snows, Christmas shopping increases- the stores should be loving this!

Have an action-packed night planned tonight, so I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

Monday Madness

2011-12-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well, last night was fun. We had dinner with three of Mark's classmates and their spouses (well, one of them had a spouse who had to work) at our place. We enjoyed some yummy Filipino and Thai food, and delicious desserts. My oh my, the sugar was amazing! :) I'm glad I ate well earlier in the day so I could splurge a little on desserts. The best one- oreo truffles (mix finely chopped oreos with cream cheese, form into balls, and dip in chocolate). It was fun when we were all eating dinner and Alina was sitting in her high chair, laughing as we laughed. She'd tilt her head backward and go, "Ha ha". She is a hoot, I'll tell you! I enjoyed time with her yesterday.

After dinner we enjoyed playing on the Wii (one of Mark's friends brought it over). Mark loves it and wants one even more. I'm still against video gaming, so we'll see who wins. :) It was a long evening, but a fun one, to be sure! And the good news is, we have a lot of leftovers, so I don't need to cook tonight (and maybe for another day or two)!

Enjoy your Tuesday night- mine promises to be busy!

Weekend wanderings

2011-12-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hello all. Had a fantastic weekend, other than the fact that I got upset at Alina too much. :( But we shall not discuss that. Anywho, got lots of shopping done and had fun. Let's recap!

Friday was date night- kind of just put together a few things we wanted to do. Dinner at Taco John's (anyone else get that "secret shopper" offer in the mail?), shopping at Ross (yeah! Got my Christmas shopping done! And I didn't have to go to Walmart the next day, which was the best part!). Then, finished the night with ice cream from Farr's. :) Had the Peppermint Stick variety, which I must say was DIVINE!

Saturday I did grocery shopping, ran to a couple banks, and enjoyed our ward Christmas dinner. Alina enjoyed sitting on Santa's lap but the best part was she immediately stuck her hand out toward his candy bag. :) Smart girl I tell ya, smart girl. Never misses a beat!

Sunday was a normal Sunday- enjoyed church and dinner with family. Finished wrapping Christmas gifts. Got two days worth of dished done, too. :) Thoroughly enjoyed watching the Curious George Christmas movie on PBS with Alina. I'll tell you what, she is just entranced with that monkey. She sat on my lap, still and quiet, for the whole thing (which was a welcome relief, for sure). The best part was just cuddling with her and enjoying watching her. I just love to watch her.

Well, Mark's done with the semester (straight A's, in case I haven't told you two or three times already, which I know I have, ha ha) and is enjoying a little extra time with Alina. Me- I'm just working. Get all of next week off, though, which I am looking forward to immensely.

Chat with you later- details tomorrow on tonight's dinner party with some of Mark's classmates!

Yet another post to bore you with

2011-12-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm sure you're all tired of me detailing the minutia of my life, but please, just remember- this is my way of keeping a journal of sorts. :) If nothing else, I'm benefiting from this mindless droll of a blog. :)

Last night I thought I'd do better on the staying awake front... still fell asleep. :) Mark and I watched "Kung Fu Panda 2", and while I didn't get to finish it, I did enjoy what I saw. :) Then I was awake for a little, then fell asleep again. Aye aye aye, caramba! Oh well. I did get a couple things done, and even did the dishes when I woke up at 11:20-ish, and got my food ready for work then, too. Yeah me!

Tonight's date night- dinner and ice cream and a little bit of shopping- and then tomorrow holds lots of shopping, a couple errands, and our ward's Christmas dinner. Looking forward to a great weekend, including lots of time with Mark and Alina.

Enjoy your weekend!

What's up?

2011-12-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well, life is good. Tuesday I was able to get laundry done and organize/clean up/purge some paper & other piles around the house. Enjoyed watching the "Biggest Loser" finale. I wanted Ramon to win, but he didn't, but it's still okay. :)

Yesterday, I did not do much when I got home. I zonked out pretty good at 8 or 8:30 and didn't wake up until midnight (maybe woke up for a minute around 10-10:30). Yikes. I hate it when that happens. Gonna try hard not to have a repeat tonight.

I did go to the allergy doctor yesterday to get tested for nut allergies- think I have them- and he also added weeds, trees, and cat and dog to the test. Turns out I'm allergic to cat and dog (knew cat- a little surprised on the dog), and several weeds and trees (no surprise). The nut allergies it looks like I have are walnuts, cashews, and pistachios (some of my faves!). So, he told me it sounds like I'm only having a localized reaction, based on the symptoms I described, and that it would be best to avoid all nuts. Of course, he said if some nuts have given me less problems, I could try them and see what happens. Aah! I need decisive, correct information- no temptations, please! But then, I don't feel like running the risk and accumulating enough in my system to where I go into anaphylactic shock one day. So I'm just going to avoid them. :) I'm sad about that, because I really love nuts, but I want to help my body. I use soy butter instead of PB, so no problem there. It'll all be okay. :) I've pretty much avoided them the last three years, so I've learned to live with it.

Well, that's about it. Hoping for a quiet but productive night at home. Enjoy yours!

Manic Monday

2011-12-13T15:37:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was not too bad. Got the house cleaned, had FHE, typed up a couple little things for Mark, and then zonked out. :) Anyway, I got done what I needed, so that is good.

Today, Alina and Mark visited me at work. We had fun visiting everyone here at work, and eating lunch together.

Mark is done with all his classes- he had a portfolio to turn in for one class today. He is done for the semester and has all A's to show for it!

That's about it... let's see, what can I talk about... Not a whole lotta. I'm boring like that. :)

Ciao!

Another fun-filled week ahead

2011-12-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

Should be a good week ahead. Yeah!

This weekend was good. Went to our friend Greg's funeral (not such a good thing). It reiterated what we all knew- he was an amazing guy. Also went to the temple- Heather went through for the first time and it was a good experience. We went out to dinner when we got home and enjoyed that. Got a few things done at home, so it made for a full but good day.

Yesterday, we finally got our Christmas tree and decorations up! Just hoping it lasts the next two weeks with little Miss A. :)

Alina is as cute and adorable as ever. I enjoyed playing with her last night on the floor- making sounds and kissing her. Today, as I got ready, she kept rolling on the bathroom floor and looking at me. Just staring at me. Melted my little heart. Then, she'd roll over and lay on her tummy on the floor, head to the side, waiting for me to say something. When I did, she just smiled and laughed. :) Simple pleasures, you know?

Mark had his Chemistry final today and did well on it. He'll be getting A's in all of his classes. I'm proud of him!

Chat with you later!

Towards the finish line...

2011-12-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

... of another week. Last night, the productivity bug hit again and I am proud to say I got lots done! Did a small load of laundry, typed a lab report for Mark, posted some pics of Alina's haircut to the ol' blog here (yippee and hooray!) and on my Snapfish account, ordered some prints and a planning calendar from Snapfish (the calendar was free due to a contest I entered and received credit for the calendar, and I had a coupon code for free shipping and 25% off an order, which I used for the prints!), and made up my budget sheet for today's payday (I know! I did it early! Halleleujah! Works much better that way). Plus, put together a meal plan for next week and a preliminary grocery list. Whoo-hoo! Are you feeling the love, or just feeling tired after reading that? :) Oh, and I made a most delicious Lasagna Soup to bring in to work today (for Soup Friday), washed up a few dishes I dirtied for that and put all the dishes away, including the ones Mark washed earlier in the evening. I don't mean to puff out my chest here, but I'm one proud mama!

Let me share the soup recipe with you. It really is delightful! It's quick and easy and oh so very tasty!

Lasagna Soup
Brown 1 lb. of ground beef with one chopped onion and 3 T. of minced garlic. In a pot, combine 2 (14.5 oz) cans of petite tomatoes, 1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce, 32 oz. of chicken broth, 1 T. of brown sugar, 2 t. of Italian seasoning (I accidentally used 2 T., but it turned out great) and 1/2 t. of salt. Bring to a boil and then add broken lasagna noodles (9 or so noodles). Boil gently until noodles are done. Add the beef mixture. Top with parmesan and/or ricotta cheese and enjoy! Seriously, it is THE BEST soup eva'!

Alina was adorable last night- she'd sit with us and watch tv for a few minutes, then I'd chase her around the living room as she laughed. She was cute this morning, too, taking some folded laundry and wearing in an almost cape-like fashion. Too cute!

Mark has been having fun gathering supplies for and putting together a Christmas wreath. He has an old wreath from DI and some pine cones gathered from around campus. He'll be spray-painting them and attaching them to the wreath with wire. He is so creative and I know it'll turn out nicely. Can't wait to see it!

We'll have a busy weekend- a friend's funeral tomorrow, and my younger sister Heather is going through the temple for the first time. It will be a full day, with emotions ranging from high to low, but I am looking forward to it all anyway. Have a good weekend!

2011-12-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

A few pictures of Alina's first haircut (Nov 28, 2011). Enjoy!

Back in Business!

2011-12-08T14:09:00.001-08:00

Yup, I got all sorts of productive last night. :) Did the dishes (piled up for a couple days, but not too bad), laundry, putting away/organizing some things around home, wrapped a "secret santa" present, and just had a good time in general. :) Felt so glad to be so productive! And even though it meant I didn't get to bed until 11:30, it was okay. I'm feeling great!

I'm so proud of Alina- she ate some green beans last night and some meatballs this afternoon. These are the two things- veggies and meats- that she's been having problems eating (mostly I think due to the fact that she didn't like the baby food pureed equivalents), so I'm hoping it is a step in the right direction to wean her from formula. She does love to eat like Mark and I do, so it really shouldn't be a problem. We just have to put a little extra effort into making sure there's extra food available for her to eat!

She was so fun last night too as she was going through a pile of some of her old clothes- she'd pick up a piece of clothing, put it around the back of her neck, or "ooh" and "aah" over it. Too cute! She'll be sure to love shopping one day, I can tell already. :) This morning she was saying "bye" as we were leaving the house, then we'd say "bye" back, and she would quickly turn her head to the side, like she was shy or something! :) Again, too cute! These are the moments that remind you just how sweet it is to be a parent!

Tuesday tales

2011-12-07T15:35:00.001-08:00

Well, last night was productive on some fronts. I go through phases of laziness and productivity, and dang it all if I just don't hate those lazy phases! :) Mark had someone over that he tutors for anatomy & physiology, so instead of doing the laundry, I just tidied things up in the kitchen and living room. Then, I got the brilliant idea to wrap some of Mark's Christmas presents, seeing as how he was preoccupied/detained/etc. Yeah me! nice to get that out of the way. And then, I relaxed. A little too much. Even fell asleep for an hour or two. Drats! When I don't get the dishes done, I'm a little upset. But especially when I don't get our lunch put together for the next day... that stinks! It takes time out of my morning routine, which means I have to sacrifice other things. Sigh. :) I'm really going to do better tonight, I promise!

I know I still owe you guys some pictures of Alina's haircut... I haven't forgotten. :)

Kind of a fun tidbit- we got a wireless router (Black Friday deal) and have been loving it ever since. It was nice to take the laptop over to the couch and get online to pay a couple bills. :) And if I wanted to, I could've printed to our now-wireless printer, too! Fun fun, gizmos and gadgets and electronics.

Okay, that's about it for now. Toodles!

Another weekend has come and gone away...

2011-12-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

...in Paris and Rome, and Pocatello. :)

So, this weekend didn't go as planned in many aspects. We did get to help with registration at the Santa Claws Fun Run that Mark's senior capstone class put on Saturday. It was fun and I'd say it was a big success! No date night- things were crazy Saturday with the fun run and getting some shopping done.

Mark and I have Alina's cold full-force and this weekend was the worst of it for us. Not so fun. I even stayed home sick from work yesterday because it was so bad!

This weekend also brought some devastating news for us. A friend in the ward, Greg, passed away suddenly. His wife went home from church on Sunday to find him passed out on the floor. He was taken to the hospital and on life support- doctors were unsure what was the problem- but he passed away last night, from complications from meningitis (stemming from a sinus infection, of all things). He was only 27. Mark got to work with him in Elder's Quorum (Greg was the president) and really looked up to him. He was always kind, always smiled and said "hi", and was a genuinely good person, the kind you expect to go far in life and do great things. Since we found out Sunday night about things, Mark and I have been in shock and have been thinking about things- about Greg and his wife and their three kids. Sure makes you appreciate life- the here and now- and want to show more love and kindness to your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Adios.

Just another average Thursday...

2011-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

... whoa, a-whoa! J/K.

So, last night, I made sure to get the dishes done and type a lab report for Mark. Two of the most important items on my to-do list. Still need to tackle the budgeting from last pay period... hopefully I can buckle down and do that tonight or tomorrow.

This weekend will bring babysitting, date night, the Santa Claws Fun Run, and a host of other items, I'm sure. I'll let you know how it all goes down!

Have a stupendous weekend!

The first... for Alina

2011-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Alina experienced a first. It was... getting her haircut! Cool! My friend Jalynn came over and cut her hair- well, really, it was just cutting her some bangs, but Alina sure looks cute! She looks even more like Mark now. I'll try to remember to upload some pictures tomorrow. Alina sat very still and seem entranced with the whole thing. :) Just glad no eyes were poked out in the process!

We ran to Costco last night for a few things, and I got the last basket of laundry folded, along with a quick trip to Walgreens and a few other little things done around home. It was a good evening!

Hope you enjoy the chilly evening ahead!

Tuesday remnants and a picture of skinny Mark

2011-11-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a productive day, thank goodness. Got laundry done (and half of it folded- woot woot!) and did some ornament making. Got a couple miscellaneous things done around home- you know, like "pick this up and put it there" or "clean up that pile" sorts of things. A good night, all in all.

You'll see this picture below of Mark- he's lost something like 26-28 pounds and has gone down a pants size- almost two- and is just looking great! You'll see he's wearing jeans, which he hasn't done before- we bought him two pair on Black Friday and he's loving them.

Alina pictures- can there be too many?

2011-11-30T15:39:00.000-08:00

Some of these pictures are from Alina's actual birthday, when I stayed home with the sweetie pie, and then a few are just from Sundays and other miscellaneous times. Enjoy!

Hanging in there

2011-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

Got a few things done yesterday evening- went to Dollar Tree to pick up a few things (Mark and Alina were in tow), folded two baskets of laundry, typed a couple of papers for Mark, and washed the dishes! Phew! Man, makes me tired just thinking about it.

Not much else going on... hoping to get an ornament made tonight for our work party this week (we're doing an ornament exchange). If it turns out well, maybe I'll make a few more!

My mom called me at work today and told me that Alina said "Jesus" twice. :) I hope so- that's a very good word to know! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

2011-11-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I was blessed to have a four day weekend and really enjoyed every minute of it! Let me recap for you.

Wednesday I got home a couple hours early from work to find a sick Alina. She'd been constipated and had been throwing up (she had a bit of a fever, too). I just enjoyed the evening cuddling with her and helping her the best I could to feel better. It's times like those that make you wish you could do anything to help your child not be in pain, and also helps you be grateful for the times when they're not sick.

Thursday morning I woke up with our sweetie to just hold her. She was still sick. I held her for an hour and a half while she slept some more. She had several naps because she was tired and sick. We went to my older sister's house and enjoyed a scrumptious meal cooked entirely by her and my brother-in-law. Well, I did bring a pumpkin pie. Me & Sara Lee. :) We enjoyed the evening at home, except... we went out for a couple of hours to do some "Black Friday" shopping at Walmart. Wasn't too bad, and we got things we wanted/needed. Mark loves how crazy it gets- it's like a sport to him. He thinks we Americans are funny.

Friday was a nice day. We did a little more shopping and enjoyed the day. Alina was definitely better by today and we were glad for it. Mark and I also had a date night- our first this month, I think- just went out to eat. We rented the last season of "Ghost Whisperer" series and have been watching it each night ever since.

Saturday was good and I enjoyed doing some cleaning/organizing in Alina's room and Mark cleaned/organized the shed in our backyard. Did a little grocery shopping. All in all, a fun day.

Sunday was wonderful as usual and we enjoyed the day with family and friends. Mark had a meeting after church, and it was so fun to hold Alina as she had fallen asleep! But that only lasted about half an hour because my mom came to the foyer where I was and as soon as she started talking, Alina awoke. :) But when we got home, she did sleep for another couple of hours (amazing!). We enjoyed dinner with my fam- a yummy, healthy loaded potato soup. Then, instead of my customary scrapbook session, I wrote up thank you notes for Alina's birthday party.

All in all, a pretty great weekend, I'd say! I could get used to these four day weekends easily. :) On Friday, I kept thinking it was Saturday and that the next day would be Sunday, but it was so nice to know I had that extra day in there!

Mark has gone down a pant size- almost two- and is still doing well in the weight loss arena. Alina is getting two more teeth in- one on either side of her bottom two. And me- just plugging along. Thinking of gift giving and gift making. Decided I could let myself listen to Christmas music today, so I've been listening to Josh Groban's "Noel" album- love it!

Enjoy your Monday!

Eve of Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. All's well here- got laundry done and some organizing done around home (yeah!). Mark cleaned the bathroom (double yeah!). Alina and I enjoyed playing last night.

This morning, Alina's had some constipation problems. :( Mark has been a big help for her in trying to help her feel better. I sure appreciate him.

On this eve of Thanksgiving, I need to count my blessings. Here they are in no particular order:

1. My wonderful, smart, handsome, talented husband.
2. My beautiful, sweet, smart little girl.
3. My family- parents and siblings, and extended family.
4. My heavenly Parents and Savior, Jesus Christ.
5. Testimony, scriptures, divine guidance.
6. Home and health.
7. Peace and plenty.
8. Chocolate.
9. Exercise.
10. Routine.
11. A college education.
12. Scrapbooking!
13. Love from family and friends.

I hope your Thanksgiving day is filled with love, laughter, warmth, family, friends, and a little good food, too. And let's hope the feeling lasts a little longer as we dive head-long into the Christmas season.

Loves!

I feel good.... na na na na na na na!

2011-11-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

So good... (bum-bum), so good (bum bum), I got my butt in gear!

Okay, so, I come to this realization every week, and hope the motivation lasts longer this time around. Just gotta do things around the house that need done, no matter what. Usually, by Thursday or Friday I'm petered out with it all, but I'll try to last the whole week through. So, last night's project was cleaning our bedroom. You know- sacks on the floor, bags on the floor, papers on the dresser- just a mess and not fun to look at or maneuver in. So, I got my clean on and got it all done! Put things away that needed it, got things moved into the closet that needed to be (side note: I use the closet in the bedroom and Mark uses the closet in our spare bedroom... don't know how that's going to work when we have to use the spare bedroom one day for another child, hee hee), and got things tidied up very nicely. There is SO much more room now and the room feels bigger. It looks and feels great! Also got some baby bottle/breastpump parts boxed up to put away. It was a very productive night, to be sure. And of course, I enjoyed time with my two cuties. :)

Mark and Alina had lots of fun shopping yesterday. Mark was a dear and did the grocery shopping for me, which I appreciate IMMENSELY. I know he enjoyed his time with Alina.

That's about it for now. Go be productive tonight and enjoy the benefits it gives you and the high (all-natural, ha ha) it creates!

Weekend recap

2011-11-21T15:27:00.001-08:00

Well, this weekend was decent. Mark worked up a storm getting the rest of the tree branches and even some leaves put into the dumpster we had. I enjoyed time with Alina and taking things slowly. Went to the open house of the Pocatello Children's Clinic (where Alina goes to the doctor) and to a Tupperware open house- got a few cute/useful things. Also did a little bit of shopping.

Yesterday was good. As usual, enjoyed time with family at dinner and scrapbooking a few pages of our cutie pie Alina.

A pretty typical weekend at the Mendoza house!

Wish me luck as I strive to get better command of things in my life this week!

How she measures up

2011-11-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Just thought you'd like the stats from Alina's checkup last week:

Weight: 18 lb. 5 oz. (10th percentile)
Height: 28 1/4 inches (24th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17 1/2 inches (32nd percentile)

We all know she's a tiny little thang, but she's growing strong and healthy, which is what matters most!

Life is dandy!

2011-11-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, life is good; no complaints here. Last night, finished folding the rest of the laundry and typed a paper for Mark. The best part of the night was enjoying time with Mark and Alina. Mark is so funny- always making me laugh, and Alina is so cute- always leaving me in awe.

Let's see, what can I say to entertain you... :) Alas, methinks of nothing. I always think my life is so ordinary and I don't have anything fun or interesting to say. Have you seen the newest Pirates movie yet? Maybe we'll rent that and watch it this weekend.

Hoping to get some crafting done this weekend- including a few things for Thanksgiving- and some cleaning up around home. We had the city bring us a dumpster again so we can finish cleaning up the tree branches in our front yard (they were so graciously cut down by members of our ward). Plus, it'd be good to dump the mounds of leaves from our yard in there, and maybe get rid of some of the junk in our house, too. We'll see. :)

Hope your weekend is fun and productive!

Time- my birthday present to Alina

2011-11-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

So, I took a day off of work- a very special day- yesterday, Alina's birthday! I think I'd like to continue this little tradition as long as I work. Anyway, we enjoyed our day immensely. We took daddy to school and then hit the bank, a few stores, visited my older sister at work (Alina was asleep the whole time, though, but we enjoyed showing her off anyway), lunch with daddy at Mama Inez, had ice cream with Grandma and Auntie H,and went to a couple more stores. I especially enjoyed our Ross shopping spree- Alina loved the little Elmo outfit I picked out for her for Christmas, along with another cute top (pink plaid- how awesome is that?). Got a few more fun things, too, including a couple pair of gloves for me and some giant chipboard letters that I plan on covering with scrapbook paper to use for different holidays ("thanks", "joy", and "spring" are the three I'm thinking of doing off the top of my head). Fun, fun, fun!

I think Alina had a great birthday. She was just all smiles and had fun in all we did and everywhere she went. I hope she enjoyed having me home for the day!

Today was her well-child visit. She is doing well. Just in the 10th percentile for her weight, though she is gaining, so the doctor isn't worried. She is growing and developing just like she should and we are excited to be brushing her teeth and feeding her more like an adult (though she does a pretty good job with that). Her doctor had a small concern with her eyes though, like one wasn't focusing right or something (can't remember exactly what he said), so he recommended we go see the pediatric opthamologist in town, and of course, we need to see a dentist. So... I'll let you know how those fun visits go!

Looking forward to bundling up inside tonight and getting a few things done around the house. I'll let you know how it goes!

Adios!

Alina birthday party pictures

2011-11-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Alina's birthday party and our gift opening sessions at home. We sure had fun and think you'll enjoy our little cutie too. :)

Almost Hump-Day and a few pictures of Alina around home

2011-11-15T15:30:00.001-08:00

Tuesday already and tomorrow is hump-day, but more importantly, Alina's birthday! One year old! I can't believe it. So excited. Looking forward to a day off to enjoy with her. My gift to her- my time. :)

Last night, got a little grocery shopping done. It was nice only spending $30 for meals for the rest of the week, since we had lots of meal items still on hand. Got a couple things done around home- paying bills, etc. So, a nice evening.

A moment of mourning- Vocal Point got voted out of The Sing-Off (bowing head for a moment of silence).

Everything else is dandy here. Looking forward to laundry (ha ha) tonight, and doing up my bi-weekly budget sheet.

Hope you enjoy these pictures of Alina just hanging out around home. TTYL!

Partied, Pooped, Prepared

2011-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so today's post title sounds gross, but really, I promise it isn't.

Saturday was Alina's birthday party. We were a little worried with the snowy, blowy start, but it all ended up well with the sun coming out. We enjoyed fun, family, friends, and good food. Alina looked cute in her black and purple dress and she enjoyed the festivities, as much as any one year old can. :) I'll be posting pictures tomorrow. She was a doll! The highlight for me was how she daintily ate her slice of cake. :) We opened a few gifts at home- in typical baby fashion, she generally liked the wrapping and packaging best. We got Alina a couple of outfits and books, and an Alphabet Train. Let me tell you what, this toy has got me excited! Got a great deal on it from Costco, and it is so much fun- sounds, colors, alphabet, lights, etc.- plus Alina can sit on the caboose and push herself or stand and push the train. It really is a lot of fun and she loves to play with it already.

We enjoyed a nap when we got home. It was much needed, let me assure you. We enjoyed the rest of our evening in a quiet manner. I loved the fact that I got some cleaning up of the house/party stuff done.

Sunday was a nice, relaxing day as usual. We enjoyed dinner with family and unwrapping the rest of Alina's presents. She loves them all, as do we! :) We really are so appreciative for everyone's thoughtfulness and kindness.

I also got to scrapbook a couple of pages last night. It was fun to do and have missed it the last two or three weeks. I think once I get done with her pictures up to 1 year, I'll do a little less- just print and scrapbook special occasions and a few fun "everyday" ones.

So... that was our weekend in a nutshell. A very good one, I must admit. Looking forward to getting back to regular things (instead of party planning), tackling those projects that are always there to tackle, and getting some things done. I really want to "get 'er done" with things around the house, so wish me luck!

Almost ready to par-tay!

2011-11-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we're almost ready to par-tay in the Mendoza household. Got quite a few things to do tonight, though, in the crafty and supply-gathering arena. :) Aye aye aye, a mom's work is never done, is it? :) And then when it's done, we'll be able to get things done around the house that need it. :) Priorities, right?

Last night we enjoyed a jaunt to Costco, one of the happiest places on earth. :) Got a few items we needed around the house, but more importantly, a few items for Alina's party! Including a toy for her b-day. I realized we had bought clothes and books for her, and I thought, how lame that we don't have anything else! Especially a big toy. :) So we got her an "Alphabet Train", with blocks and buttons and gizmos and gadgets to help her learn colors, numbers, and letters. Plus, she can sit and ride on it or stand and push it. :) Bea-u-ti-ful! I hope it keeps her occupied for hours, because let me tell you what- that girls must have A.D.D. or something. Always busy and going from one thing to another, doesn't want to be restrained, wants constant attention. But we love her!

Got some little party favors put (half) together last night, and that was about it. Nothing fancy, and it is a food item, so yeah for calories! All in all, a decent night. Little Miss slept in a little later than usual, due to going to bed 15-20 minutes late, I think. A typical day in our household!

Well, wish me luck tonight- especially that I won't have to stay up until 3 am to get everything done. :)

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

2011-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. Got a few things done last night that I planned on. The first major achievement: I got the dishes done! Yes, they'd been sitting around since Monday. I've had them stacked for a day or two, but with only so much time available, it took me a few days to get to them. And yes, it takes an hour in such cases, but it's all good, and it's all done!

I had fun last night getting a few things ready for Alina's party. I got the "loot bags" ready for game prizes for the kiddos, wrapped her gifts, and cut a "1" out of poster board in preparation for making a photo collage. We've gotten Alina a couple of outfits and books, and looking at those things wrapped all nice and tidy, I thought, "Geez, is this all our girl is getting for her birthday? No way! I need to go buy something BIG, FUN, and semi-EXPENSIVE!" Geez, the motherhood thing has taken control. Now I see how parents can be so adamant about getting things for their kids. So... add that to the to-do list. :)

My mom told me today that Alina now prefers to eat her Cheerios from a small metal lunch box and stirs them with a back scratcher. :) How cute is that girl? Seriously, some of the things she comes up with are amazing!

I'm afraid there's not much to post about. Will be hitting Costco tonight for birthday and other supplies. Gotta order that cake! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. :)

Burning up

2011-11-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I am having a love-hate relationship with my crockpot right now. The theory of "set it and forget it" is lovely on paper, but in practice, it seldom works out right for me. I think the biggest reason is I'm not at home to monitor it, and forget to call my mom to have her turn it off. :) Oops.

So, yesterday, I attempted to make Orange Chicken with Stir-Fry Veggies in the crockpot. Sounds delish, right? Well, it should be, if it weren't overdone. Yup, that's right. Came home and saw some black stuff around the edges. Hmmm. I tried it- I don't know if it was the ginger or the over-doneness of it all, but my taste buds were not in love. Mark was repulsed, too. So, we did what any good, frugal couple would do: we went out to eat. :) Yes, I feel HORRIBLE about throwing it all away, but it had to be done. Since we had a hankering for Chinese, we went to Great Wall Express. We love their food and the value is amazing. And when you can get 2 meals out of it all- hey, what's not to love?

It was so cute last night- by the time we got to GWE, a mere 5 minutes away, Alina was asleep. Well, barely, but she was tuckered out. But she was awake and fine when we got inside the restaurant and she enjoyed talking, dancing to the radio music, and being generally and completely adorable. :)

Got the laundry done, and on Tuesdays, I feel I accomplished a great feat if I get that and nothing else done. Enjoyed watching "Biggest Loser", and just relaxing a little.

Mark is thinking about/looking into PA (Physician Assistant) school more and more. He sees his potential and thinks it'd be a good option, especially if he doesn't get into the PT program. He spoke to someone in the PA department today, and OMG, let me tell you- what a process they go through to go from 400+ applicants to the 60 they accept. Yipes. C.R.A.Z.Y. Speaking of Mark's potential... from his two fortune cookies last night, both of them talked about potential and he was convinced it was a sign. :) Well, not religiously convinced, but still, he thought it was ironic.

Alina has been toddling more and more. It was so fun this morning to watch her fall down- or at least lose balance and end of almost falling down- about four times in the same spot and still get up and keep going. She gets so excited when she walks and she loves it! What a sweetie.

Today marks a year since I was supposed to have Alina. :) Yup, November 9 was my due date. In a week is her birthday, and I'm taking off that day from work to spend with her! Should be loads of fun!

Okay, ttyl.

For the love of Pete!

2011-11-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have an uncle named Pete. Nice guy. I don't think he'd be this cruel to me, though.

Not that anything cruel is going on in my life. It's just... hard, tiring, irksome, crazy busy, draining... sometimes, ya know?

My co-worker has been out a few weeks... missing her something bad. And Alina's been a little more fussy/cranky... I do believe she's teething. On the bright side of that, though, she's got like 3 1/2 teeth- almost has those magic four in the front. So cute. Want her to get those "teethies" in quick so she can eat more adult-like.

But, let's not focus on the negative, shall we?

I've been enjoying watching Alina walk more and more. So fun. She loves it. She's getting better at being more obedient. And as always, her smiles, laughs, playfulness, and beauty are so great that all the bad goes away.

Mark's eye is doing better. Yesterday saw a huge improvement- 50%, he said- and today it's almost back to normal. Hallelujah! So, that's always good. He's doing well this semester, and we're just plugging along.

Me... well, always have a million things on my mind and a million things to do. But life is good. Scheming on lots of homemade Christmas gifts... so fun!

And yes, for the love of Pete, I'd love a little slow-down with things, but really, I'm very grateful and fortunate for all I have in life. So, no complaints right now (at least verbally, ha ha).

What a weekend it was!

2011-11-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

O.M.G. I mean, like really, omigosh. What a crazy weekend we had! Let me break it down for you:

Saturday: some guys from our ward came and trimmed a couple of our trees. What a difference it made. And while it didn't involve pancakes like I originally told you, it did involve pork adobo (a yummy Filipino dish with pork and potatoes in a soy sauce sauce), which we fed them for lunch. Unfortunately, the dumpster the city brought us was too small for all the branches that were cut down, so we'll probably need another (read: more money), so for now we've got some extra branches sitting in our front yard. :) We also felt bad (though I thought this might happen, and our dumb luck, it did happen) that it snowed the night before, but the guys didn't complain. Better than being 90 degrees, I guess, and cutting trees. :)

We also picked up some items for Alina's birthday party (read: spent more money that should have been, but, ya know, "it's a one-time deal") and were ready to go out when BLAM! Alina poked Mark in the eye and it was hurting him something bad. So we (I mean, I) got Farr's ice cream instead. Two scoops. :)

Sunday: aye aye aye, this is where it gets interesting. See, Saturday night, Mark went to bed early. And I mean, real early- like 8 o'clock or so (can't remember if that was before or after taking in the one-hour setting the clocks back into consideration). Well, I went to bed at a nice early hour too, and between Mark waking up, complaining about his eye, and Alina crying a couple times, I woke up like 5 times. Well, at about ten to six (yes, with our clocks back, the correct time), Mark couldn't take it anymore. So we got ready and were up to the ER by 7 am. Luckily, we were in and out in an hour, and found out the problem. Mark has a corneal abrasion. The dumbed-down version: a really bad scratch on his cornea. So... we've got eye drops and pain meds and we're good. I did make it to church with little Miss A, who was all smiles once we got there, though she had been fussing the hour before, and I had a sore back and had problems standing up straight. Oh well. :) Such is life. At least the day ended with dinner with my fam and yummy homemade hamburger soup, and getting to bed a little earlier than usual (and Mark going to bed at 9- dang, what's going on?).

Needless to say, after these two days, my patience was worn thin and I was very, very tired.

Today- better. Much better. I adjusted my attitude and enjoyed the morning with Miss A. Gosh dang it, she is so cute. She is walking around more and more and seems to do that 70-80% of the time. Nine more days until she's 1!!!

So... that about does it. Hope this finds you well and I'll chat at ya later! :)

TGIF everyone, T...G...I...F!

2011-11-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Glad it is Friday. Yesterday, I enjoyed a little bit of time at our monthly Relief Society meeting ("Friendship and Fondue", it was called- good conversation and good eats!). Finished folding Tuesday's laundry (yeah). Typed a quick one page lab report for Mark. And then... fell asleep. :) For a couple hours. I was tuckered out! But, here we are, on Friday.

I have to tell you, I've been doing something new in the mornings on the elliptical. Before, I had my mp3 player plugged in to the elliptical and was listening to that. Since I don't get in my 30 minutes of reading a day like I used to (I would read while pumping milk for Alina at work, and since we're weaning her, that isn't happening anymore), I decided I would listen to my book instead. Ya see, I have a Kindle (LOVE it!) and it has this neat text-to-speech feature. Sure, the voices mispronounce words every once in awhile, which lends itself to a bit of comedy (like Chapter "eye eye eye"- for Chapter III and "em-are" for Mr.), but it's all good. This way, I'm progressing in the story and get to listen to something interesting. I have to have my other senses stimulated while exercising, after all! So that's good. And I still get some reading in during lunch a few days a week. I'm reading "Emma" by Jane Austen right now, and it is good. Love her novels. "Northanger Abbey" was one I found particularly good, though it is not one of her famous ones. But of course, my fave is "Pride and Prejudice", and I want to read "Sense and Sensibility" soon.

I'll give you a preview of what my weekend entails: it involves trees and pancakes and a dumpster.

Is any one else excited about the extra hour of sleep we'll get this weekend? :)

Halloween 2011 Highlights and Pictures

2011-11-03T15:45:00.001-07:00

Enjoy these pictures- Mark the Vampire, Annie the Witch, and Alina the Bumblebee! And also a few of my office space decorated and our pumpkin, Jack Skeleton.

Keeping busy, enjoying life

2011-11-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm making a more concerted effort in all areas of my life to do a little better and be a little more positive and happy- trying to not get upset and impatient as easily. And I think I'm doing well (so does Mark).

Last night, I kept busy folding laundry, doing a few odds-n-ends sorts of things around home, doing dishes, etc. Oh! And finally tackled the budgeting from our most recent paycheck. Yeah me!

The part of my life I'm trying to do much, MUCH better at is my Alina time. I get so little Alina time during the week that I've decided I need to make the most of it (well, this is always a given, but you know what I mean). So I'm trying to be more happy, less distracted, more focused, and more carefree with the munchkin. Whatever she wants, goes! So it's been fun to play with her, talk with her, walk with her, and let her dictate what we do.

Mark is up to 28 pounds lost. Yeah! He'll need a whole new wardrobe by Christmas (heck, he already needs one now!).

Toodles!

A wonderful Tuesday we had

2011-11-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day. Much better with my eating, and added 15 minutes of elliptical time last night (makes my exercise totals for the day 30 minutes elliptical and 30 minutes walking). Did laundry, cleaned up Alina's high chair food tray, and did a couple other things around the house, all while getting to bed before 11pm! Yippee! I am so glad. It's a good feeling to be productive.

Tomorrow I promise to post some Halloween pictures. Oh! That reminds me... last night, Alina and I jaunted over to Fred Meyer and picked up some costume pieces since Halloween stuff was 50% off. We got a black velvet cape, a vampire cape (black with red collar), and a cute orange and black witch outfit for Alina (it says 12-18 months, but I figure with her incredibly petite figure, she'll fit into just fine next Halloween, when she'll almost be 2). Fun fun fun! When the candy gets down a little bit more, we'll buy some and send to Mark's family in the Philippines. They don't celebrate Halloween down there, so it'll be a novelty and they'll love it. Mark sure enjoyed dressing up and can't wait for next year.

Well, that's about it for now. Thought I had just 3 things to do tonight, but then I started making a list and it's grown to 6 or 8 things... some are little and/or won't take long, but still... ya know. :) I need to take down Halloween decor and I realized that I don't have much in the way of Thanksgiving decor, so I'll have to be working on that...

C-ya!

Halloween = Sugar-Induced Coma

2011-11-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I must say, the past couple of days have left me in a sugar-induced coma, much to my chagrin. I won't enumerate the reasons why, but yikes!

So, we had fun trunk-or-treating yesterday. I even let Alina have her first bit of sugar- sucking on a sucker, and Mark gave her a tiny bit of kit-kat. It was an interesting experiment. Mark and I had fun dressing up as well and I'm glad to be moving on to Thanksgiving this month!

Not much else to report. :) Do you watch Sing Off? Vocal Point from BYU is on there and they are doing very well- we hope they win it all!

Yummy Cocktail Meatballs Recipe

2011-10-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share my yummy cocktail meatballs recipe:

1 can (14 oz) jellied cranberry sauce
12 oz. BBQ sauce
2 lb. bag of frozen cocktail meatballs, thawed

Mix the cranberry sauce and BBQ sauce in a pan until smooth. Add thawed meatballs and enjoy!

I made these in the crockpot today at work and they get done in no time, so it'd be an easy "set it and forget it" recipe. Works good on rice or on sub rolls, too.

Enjoy your Halloween festivities and treats!

Weekend review and Halloween highlights

2011-10-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all. As promised/expected, this weekend was a doozie! Busy busy, for sure. Enjoyed a trip to the temple, grocery shopping, running errands, and getting a couple last-minute Halloween costume items. Rented and watched "Captain America"- a good movie, and with its WWII background and me a history buff, I loved it even more. Yesterday was nice and relaxing with family over. Enjoyed my first time subbing in Nursery. I must say, I learned a lot from the other leader/teacher and there, and want to be as fun and patient as she is. :) Mark and Alina even came in with me, and we enjoyed our time there. It was so fun seeing Alina sit in a "big girl" chair, so nice and dainty. What a doll!

Today looks to be a fun one. Liking the blue skies right now, but I see some gray ones on the horizon. Dressed up as a witch here at work... I think this is the first time I've dressed up at work, but I'm loving my fun spider-web cape and feathery witch's hat. Little Miss A and Mark will stop by work later for a scare (Mark a Victorian-era Vampire and Alina a busy bumblebee) and then we'll be off to our ward's Trunk or Treat. Fun! First Halloween with the baby girl!

So... have a frightfully good time tonight with your significant other and/or kiddos, and we'll talk tomorrow!

Aaaaahhh, Friday

2011-10-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's Friday! What a great day, Friday is. Especially when it is coupled with a payday. :)

Got lots to do this weekend, but it's all good, and I'm grateful that I'll have time with Mark and Alina.

Last night I helped Mark type a paper and got gas in my car. Whoo-hoo! Exciting. Also, got some stuff ready for soup at work today. We've started "Soup Fridays" here at work, and today I brought my Corn Chowder with Sausage. Here's the recipe:

6 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed (or leave the skin on!)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. dried marjoram (optional)
3 c. water
1 lb. sausage (today I tried turkey Italian sausage- gave it a kick!)
1 onion, chopped
1 can of corn (15 oz.)
1 can cream style corn (15 oz.)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.) (I use skim or fat free evap. milk)

-Combine potatoes, salt, marjoram, and water. Boil until potatoes are tender.
-Brown the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Drain fat. Add to potatoes.
-Stir in cans of corn and evaporated milk. Heat through and serve.

What I love about this recipe, besides its numminess, is that it has few ingredients and is super fast and easy to make. I even threw all the ingredients in the crockpot this morning and cooked it on high for four hours- turned out great!

So, not much else going on. Just looking at my to-do list and saying, "I can do this. We can do this." Will have a trip to the temple tomorrow, along with the usual errands and miscellaneous trips to stores to make, and prepare for some Halloween festivities. Looks to be an exciting, action-packed weekend! :)

Thursday is here, tomorrow is Friday

2011-10-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I'm running out of post titles. :) Last night, we enjoyed life. Just ran to Costco (got a few food items, included Halloween candy for work, church, and home- spent more money than I care to think about, but I've never done Halloween at three places, so I justified it. In the spirit of the season, and all), and folded laundry. A pretty quiet, but very nice, evening. I got to see Alina walk again- "made" her walk four steps towards me. It was great! She is teething again and so she is a little cranky, but is otherwise a joy, as usual.

Mark has lost another pound. Puts him up to 25 pounds lost! He met with his adviser today because he needed to substitute a class- instead of having to take one he thought he would need to do next semester, his adviser just substituted a class he already took! Yeah! So he'll have 3 main courses and a PE activity course next semester- hopefully won't be too bad for him. He's getting all sorts of back-up plans in mind, in case he doesn't get into the PT program, but I've got faith and hope that he will. We've got all the application information in for him, so we should hear something in January.

And me... I'm just living life, keeping busy, and doing well! Thanks for asking. ;)

Tonight, we're feeding the missionaries. Mark is making a Filipino dish (of course!)- pancit. All I remember is it involves rice noodles, chicken, veggies. Yum-o!. Then, I gotta bring soup into work tomorrow- excited to do so, dreading the work to make it, a little. But excited still!

Adios!

24 pounds

2011-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd mention that my man has lost 24 pounds over the last couple of months! He is enjoying wearing shirts that haven't fit him in awhile and seeing his clothes getting baggier on him. I'm very proud of him! He is getting handsome-er and sexier every day! :)

I can't believe how great it feels...

2011-10-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

...to do a million things and still feel good! What I mean is, last night, I was working my hiney off from 7-11 pm. I did laundry, dishes, cleaned baby toys/bouncer/walker, the couch (had many spit-up stains; luckily it's leather and could wipe off fairly easily), cleaned off the dryer, put things away, did a little organizing, got food ready for lunches today. I think I got in half an hour of tv in there, actual sitting-down-and-watching, and watching a few snippets here and there (gotta see those final weigh-ins on Biggest Loser!). My point is, even though I was sore and tired (but not too badly), and got to bed later than I wanted to, I LOVED keeping busy and moving. Plus, I got so much done! It was a most excellent evening. Mark even caught the bug a little bit and started organizing in our spare bedroom- he did a great job!

Every time I keep uber-busy like that, I think of my friend Ruth, who stands at her desk at work each day, and has taught me the benefits of standing more and sitting less.

All in all, a very productive evening. TTYL.

Behold the cuteness of Alina!

2011-10-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Just a couple miscellaneous pictures of our cutie. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures taken from our pumpkin patch adventures (at Swore Family Farm) a few weeks ago. I just love how Alina's socks are half on and her pants are scrunched up so high. :) We had a good time walking around, trying to find the perfect pumpkin. We scored a 20 pounder! Mark carved it to look like Jack Skeleton from "Nightmare before Christmas". Enjoy!

Hooray, a post!

2011-10-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm out of creativity/originality for today's post title. So... Yesterday was nice. Weather-wise, life-wise, etc. Good day yesterday at home, getting some papers typed for Mark and doing this and that around home. Alina is as cute as ever, making me happy and making me laugh. I could just gobble up her cute cheeks!

Okay, I really need to upload some pics, I know... will write myself a note to put them on my jumpdrive tonight to upload tomorrow. See ya!

A three day weekend

2011-10-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yes my friends, I had a three day weekend. Why, you may ask? Because I made it a three day weekend! I took Friday off to spend with my little gal. Of course, this involved a lot of shopping and running around, with little Miss in tow. She probably hated being in a car seat/shopping cart for hours on end, but we had fun. It was neat to enjoy time with her and see what life as a SAHM would be like.

Saturday was our 3 year anniversary and we enjoyed a relaxing day. Honestly, I've probably not done so little on a Saturday in a long time. I enjoyed some Super Saturday action at church and some walking, and Mark and I (and Alina) enjoyed dinner at the Thai Paradise restaurant in Old Town. It was delish! (ps- try the mango ice cream- it's divine!) We'll definitely be back. Then we ended the night with a movie (me: falling asleep halfway through). We enjoyed exchanging gifts and I am mucho impressed with what Mark got me and that he did it with little to no help/direction from me.

Sunday, I had my first gig substituting in Primary. Got asked Saturday morning. :/ Going to be in nursery this coming Sunday. All sorts of fun... at least, the class I subbed in yesterday were my kiddos from last year, so it was fun being with them again.

This week, dinner at the Mendoza household is going to involve eating lots of leftovers from the freezer. And believe me, we've got lots. So, it's been fun not planning a dinner menu this week and spending a minimal amount at the grocery store. Hip, hip, hooray!

Well... I think that's about it. Everything is pretty good in life. And, guess what... I've actually seen Alina take a few steps. :) Yup, she's getting so close to full-out walking! I must say, she is very steady and has great posture. Her legs are so straight when she stands and walks. She's able to get herself off the ground from a sitting position into a standing position without hands or help many times- that girl's gotta have some amazing core/quad strength! :)

She won't do it when I'm around

2011-10-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

More on this post's title in a moment... I realized when I got home last night that I hadn't written yesterday. Gasp! I know not everyone may enjoy the minutia I detail on this lil' blog o' mine, but I kind of treat this as a journal in some respects, so I hope ya'll bear with me.

Tuesday I felt so uber-productive at home as I did laundry and organized/purged some scrapbooking supplies, did dishes, plus got food ready to throw in the crockpot Wednesday morning (our meal: chicken with sweet potatoes, red onion, and baby carrots, sprinkled with salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of maple syrup- yum!). Yes, I didn't get to bed until after 11pm, but hey, I got a lot done! :) So hard to do so much between 7-10pm (my ideal bed time). But I paid for it the next day. By the time I got home, I was really tired and made sure to get to bed by 10pm (I did!). And... I slept all the way through the night until my alarm clock went off! I don't think I woke up once. Alina has been doing a good job sleeping until 6:30 am now, with minimal wakings-up at night, or none at all. She's able to soothe herself back to sleep 99% of the time in a few minutes. Such a smart cookie, that girl! Last night I also enjoyed purging/organizing more scrapbook stuff (my goal: get it down to what will fit on a 5-shelf bookshelf) and got set apart for my new calling as a substitute primary teacher. Already have my first gig- subbing in nursery on the 30th. Yikes and yeah!

So, back to this post's title... Apparently, little Miss A took steps yesterday with Grandma... and Dad! Little sneaker! Like, 2-4 steps at a time. Well, I get home, and she looks like she's going to walk a couple times... and doesn't. Then, I'm in the bathroom and Mark yells, "Honey! Come see! She's walking!". :( Can't really jump off the royal throne to witness this momentous occasion, now, can I? :) Oh well. I'm convinced she doesn't want me to see her walk, but really, I think it's just the luck of the draw. It's still new to her and so she does it when and how she wants. I just can't wait to see it for myself!

Wean, wean, wean, wean, wean... all the way home

2011-10-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well, since little Alina-bear is less than a month from turning one, I've started the process of weaning within the last couple of weeks. I'm finally able to return to my walking buddies group at work and so I get in half an hour of walking a day with them. It means a little less reading time on my Kindle, but I'm okay with that. I'll just fit it in someplace else. I'm hoping this weaning process goes well as I pump less and less and hopefully I won't have to sit at home with ice packs for a couple of days. Wish me luck, eh? And of course, any tips are appreciated. :)

In other news... life is grand. Geez, am I boring or what? I always say life is wonderful and there's nothing new to report. Made a yummy chicken and corn enchilada casserole in the crockpot yesterday... that was fun. Got my budget made up (every two weeks!) and a few odds and ends around the house, as well as typing a paper for Mark (yes, he'll owe me big time...). Other than that, a pretty ordinary evening at the Mendoza household.

So, toodles!

Proud of my man! And other weekend tidbits...

2011-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, an interesting weekend, to be sure. Saturday I got up early, hopped on the elliptical, got ready, and Alina and I went grocery shopping. We hit Winco and Costco and were home by 10:30 am (yeah!). We enjoyed going to the pumpkin patch at Swore Family Farms, where we picked out a 20.4 pound beauty (plus we had picked one up earlier at Winco). Then I went to clean the bathroom... and noticed water all over the cabinet under the sink. Come to find out, we had a small leak. Don't know for how long, but it was wet. Took everything out and Mark got all handy and started to fix things. First, it was putting some teflon tape on part of the pipe. Then, it was evident part of the pipe needed fixed. I convinced him to run to Lowe's and get the part. Well, he did, and came back home and fixed it. Now, I'd say the whole process maybe took 2 hours-ish from start to finish. He was close to giving up a couple times, but he persevered. He's done that with a couple other fix-it projects that suddenly came up, and I must say, I am MUCHO IMPRESSED! I asked where he learned his plumbing skills, and he told me from his Lolo (that's Tagalog for "Grandpa"; this was his mother's father). I'm glad Mark sticks to things and gets the project done. Not only does it save us money, but it gives him confidence and pride, too. It's amazing that he can fix something without much knowledge, so I am so impressed and grateful for his hard, hard work. Saturday ended with date night- a quick swing over to the Outer Limits arcade (holy cow, it was busy!) and ice cream from Farr's.

Sunday was restful and we enjoyed church, naps (this time in shifts as Alina actually took about an hour nap at church, which she hasn't done forever, ergo, she didn't nap when we got home, which is our usual nap time). Okay, so then we had dinner with my family, and ended the evening scrapbooking (pure bliss!).

Annnnnnddddd that's about it. Have a happy Monday, ya'll!

Another one bites the dust

2011-10-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Another week bites the dust. Sweet. All is normal on the Mendoza front. Looking forward to grocery shopping, yard work, and date night tomorrow, and of course, the rest that is Sunday. Hopefully, we'll get to the pumpkin patch tomorrow for Alina.

Have a fabulous Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! :)

Thursday already! Hip-hip-hooray!

2011-10-13T15:46:00.001-07:00

Wow! That's right, we're more than half way through the week. Can I get a what-what? :) Yup, glad that the week is almost done...

Enjoyed running to Ross last night- got Alina the prettiest formal dress (for her birthday, and then we'll take pictures with her in it after she's 1), hair clippers for Mark (his have about had it. He's a good hair cutter.), and a blouse for me. Yeah for Ross!

Last night, made the Cranberry Chicken Crescents, and they were de-lish! Just take some cooked and diced chicken, mix with cranberry sauce (the kind that has the whole cranberries in it), and spoon some of the mixture into a crescent roll. Then roll and bake for 15-18 minutes. Yum-o, simple, and did I mention yum-o?!!!! Loved it. Tonight on the menu: giniling. It's a Filipino dish with ground beef (we use ground turkey), diced veggies (potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions), and raisins in a tomato-based sauce. Yum! Oh, and of course, served with rice. :) Bet you can guess who's cooking tonight!

Okay, enough of the mindless dribble... not much going on. Enjoying this sun today. Adios!

Livin la vida loca!

2011-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you're all singing that song now and imagining Ricky Martinez in some sparkly spandex pants... anyone, anyone? Okay, just kidding. :)

Last night I was uber happy to be so productive- Mark got the laundry started, and we did that, had FHE/read scriptures, I did the dishes, got our food ready for lunch today, ran to Walmart, and just generally was productive. Yeah, me! Makes a difference and helps me feel a lot better about a lot of things.

Other than that... not much else to say. Enjoy my time with baby girl. This morning when I was getting ready, instead of putting her in her high chair or walker or bouncy toy thing, I put her on the floor outside the bathroom with a couple of toys (one made sounds/had songs). She did very well! Got out some of my hair clips from the drawer of the vanity, but I don't mind. She does so much better when she's not restrained and confined. She was one happy baby, smiling and jabbering away!

Tonight I'm going to make Cranberry Chicken Crescent Rolls for dinner- I'll let you know how it goes and try to remember to share the recipe tomorrow!

I'm out!

Geez, some days... do you ever...

2011-10-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Some days, do you ever want to resign from motherhood or life? Go back to a simpler time? Take a timeout or time travel? Yeah, today started out that way. But, luckily, Heavenly Father has helped me feel a little better about things, put things in perspective, and remember I truly am blessed. Even if my baby likes to scream a lot right now, she can say "kitty" and "cat", and smiles and laughs so wonderfully and so often. Even if my husband and I disagree about things, I have a wonderful man in my life who makes me laugh and loves me and our baby girl, and is doing his very best in school and working out to provide for us. Even if it is dark and gloomy outside, the sun peeks through and the blue skies come out. Yes, life isn't going to be glamorous all the time, or even half the time, but it truly is wonderful. Thank goodness He reminds me of that!

Monday, Monday (da da, da da da da da)

2011-10-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, 'tis Monday in its truest sense. Blah-day.

I realized after my last post I might need to explain what the picture of all the envelopes on the wall is. It's my anniversary advent calendar for Mark. We're having fun with it, and I think/hope he's enjoying all the daily surprises.

This weekend was fun. Our power went out Saturday morning so we went to IHOP for breakfast (well, the power came on about 15 minutes before we left, but really, why should that stop us?). We went to a few yard sales, and DI, and Ross. Picked up some things for Alina's birthday next month. Did the obligatory grocery shopping. By the end of the day, I think Alina was tired of being restrained in car seats and shopping carts, but she was a good sport! She even had a bit of fun at the restaurant coloring for the first time, until we had to take away the crayons because she (of course) wanted to eat them.

Just thought of a recipe to share... easy meal/comfort food. It's called Sloppy Joe Cornbread Bake. Basically, you cook your ground beef/turkey and add the sloppy joe sauce. Put it in a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. In a small bowl, make some cornbread from a box (I use the little Jiffy box). Pour the cornbread on top of the sloppy joe mix and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Easy peasy and nummy! The sweetness of the cornbread was a nice contrast to the sloppy joe.

Life is grand... not much else going on. Just living life! Sorry there's not much else to write about... but hope all is well your way.

Friday, hooray!

2011-10-07T13:12:00.001-07:00

Yeah! I'm glad it's Friday. I soooooooo look forward to the weekends, even more than normal, because of the rest it brings, but more especially, time with Mark and Alina. And even though it's dreary outside, I still hope to be out and enjoy nature a bit. Hoping to hit a local pumpkin patch/corn maze tomorrow; tonight, we'll rent a movie. For the anniversary advent calendar for Mark, today's treat was a movie rental of his choice and a foot and hand massage. :) He loves that part (the massage) the best.

Just enjoying life. It was so fun this morning to watch Alina with her Gerber puffs- I had her sitting in her high chair, and she'd move a puff to one of the tray's compartments, then try to feed her baby doll the puff. Too cute, I tell ya, too cute! And I don't know if I've mentioned it, but the last few weeks, Alina has been standing on her own more. She often looks ready to take a step, but then stoops down and crawls. My mom's seen her take a couple steps, and I thought yesterday I almost had one out of her, but not quite yet. Wouldn't be surprised if she were walking by her first birthday, though (which is one month and 9 days away!).

Yesterday, a member of the bishopric stopped by my house and called me to be a "permanent" substitute for the primary. Yeehaw! I think I can handle it. Not 100% enthusiastic, but I know I can do this and certainly know I need the experiences, learning, and blessings.

Here's a few pictures I thought you'd enjoy. We that it was funny when she woke up on Thursday and her hair was very straight. No worries, though; it curled right up by the end of the day. And if you think Alina looks grumpy in some of these, she's really not- she is just very demure. She likes to look around and can be quiet at times, just observing things. But she always looks cute!

Visit from another gramma

2011-10-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday Alina got a visit from her adopted grandma Nona. I'm glad Nona stopped in after work to see Alina. Sweet baby has a way of bringing many smiles and lots of laughter to everyone's face.

Not much to report... just running the race. It's good though, and I can't complain!

Another baby milestone (maybe not one for the books, though)

2011-10-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll. So, yesterday, we took Alina in for a flu shot (her first one! See, that's where this post's title comes in). It was so fun to watch her. We took off her cute pink pants (with horrible black stains on them from crawling- yet another sign the carpets need cleaned desperately), and then Mark held her arms above her head. As a side note, I can't get over how skinny this girl is. I hope she is blessed with it her whole life! Anyway, the nurse pokes her. The whole time, Alina was just looking around like, "Hey, what's going on?" in an I'm-interested way, not a I'm-scared-to-death way. Then, she let out a single cry. Immediately, Mark distracted her (great parenting tool!) by getting her dressed and talking to her. No problems! I am impressed by our little missus- she is so good with her shots. Hardly ever cries. When she was like 3 months, we had maybe a minute of crying, and it wasn't bad. As she's gotten older, the crying length has gone down, down, down. She's such a good girl!

Mark had a chemistry test today and felt he did well. ;) Smart cookie. I ended up not making the bat decorations out of egg cartons (too many factors, mostly my inability to make them, factored into that), but I added a couple finishing touches on my cardboard-and-fabric bulletin board and brought it in to work. I'll snag some shots soon and post them.

See ya!

Fall is in the air

2011-10-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

Fall is coming. I am loving the anticipated drop in temperatures this week. Sweaters and jackets and warm autumnal tones... it will be fun! It will also be interesting to see how the weatherization we had done in April will help us when the temperatures drop.

Not much going on... Alina is being as cute as ever, and doing oh so well in sleeping through the night (can I get a Hallelujah chorus?). We're just enjoying her cute expressions, attempts at standing without help, and of course, her natural beauty. :) Mark has a couple of tests this week and a quiz, and a lab report, and etc... busy! What a crazy schedule he's had this semester-lots of tests and assignments to stay on top of.

Last night I did get my craft on and put out all the Halloween decorations and made a bulletin board (out of- get this- cardboard, packing tape, fabric, and duct tape!). I'll try to get pictures posted when I put some finishing touches on the bulletin board. I'm going to bring it to work to display my pictures. Tonight, I'm hoping to make some bats from egg cartons amidst my weekly laundry duties.

So... that's all for now. Yee-haw!

Weekend review

2011-10-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well, not too much went on this weekend, but it was a great one nonetheless. Enjoyed General Conference, date night with Mark Saturday after Priesthood session, and being home with family. Got the grocery shopping done Saturday (and under budget- booyah! Love that planning ahead thing), and enjoyed dinner with family yesterday (yummy thin crust Papa Murphy's pizzas- a treat!). Plus, I got to scrapbook and make something for Mark. All in all, a great weekend and no complaints here!

So, the anniversary advent calendar thingy is going well with Mark. He was surprised to see 31 envelopes taped on our bedroom wall, but hey, that's how I roll. So his first two surprises were notes from Alina and I. Today he said, "I'll probably have a note in here from my hamster." Gosh, why didn't I think of that! Instead of putting in a note from my mom like I originally planned, I gave him a clue to find that something I made him yesterday. I took a recently emptied formula tub and mod podged some scrapbook paper on it, attached a cute label, and voila! Instant seed packet holder! So, instead of his seed packets collecting dust on an extremely grody refrigerator top, they feel safe and secure in his seed holder. Yeah!

Well, I'm hoping to get my craft on tonight- make a bulletin board, halloween bats from egg cartons, and decorate for Halloween. Let's hope it happens- Mark told me at lunch that I "need" to help him study. Yipes. We'll see...

What do you do with a cutie?

2011-09-30T13:20:00.001-07:00

I swear, pride will be the downfall of me. Or embarrassment. Yesterday after I got home from work, Missy A and I went to Dollar Tree to pick up a few things (but not the batteries that I originally and mostly went there for to begin with). So, we get to the checkstand, and the cashier started gushing over Alina. Things like, "Oh, she is so cute! She is beautiful! Look at her! Look at all that hair!" So, to a certain point, I like that people think my daughter is beautiful and that they gush praises on her. But then, I just get embarrassed. I don't want the attention. I don't want Alina to have the attention, and luckily at her age, it means nothing. 90% of the time when someone is oooing and aaahing over her, she just looks at them or is looking at something else (good girl! Beauty is skin deep). So, that was fun! :) I'm always so glad when she behaves well. She let out a little cry when buckled in the shopping cart, but got over that fast. Between having her trusty sidekick, Baby Doll, and the novelty of the store, she was in awe and wonder.

Mark and I had a scary experience on Tuesday. Without going into details or pointing fingers, we were the recipients of a nasty virus. Yikes, stress all around, but especially for Mark, who is fond of the computer and had a couple lab reports that needed typed this week. So, we called a friend who is a computer guru and he came over that night and fixed it for us. The virus hid all our files (we thought they were gone) and it mostly wanted to play with the Windows system files. Back to normal and no problems. Makes me wonder why people do that sort of thing to begin with. Shame on them! A couple of tips from our friend if you do get a virus: first, immediately unplug your internet from the computer so no more bad stuff gets downloaded; second, try to get it fixed that day if possible (our friend used a free program online that scans your computer and fixes it from viruses); and third, use a free program like Malware Bytes to scan for viruses and junk monthly.

It was so fun with Alina this morning. She just sat so quietly and demurely as I got ready. No real expression, just watching and content. It was priceless! I'd post the pictures today, but this computer I'm on right now doesn't have an SD card slot. So maybe tonight or this weekend you'll get a few pictures of the babe!

Think we'll rent the new Transformers movie and watch it tonight, then go on a quick one hour date after the priesthood session of conference.

Speaking of conference, it'll be a whole new experience for me. My first one with a baby! Probably won't get to take notes, but hopefully will be able to listen and learn. :)

Okay, happy weekend to ya'll! I'm starting a month long anniversary celebration for Mark tomorrow and will tell you all about it as we go. See ya!

Motherhood has completely permeated my life

2011-09-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

You know motherhood has completely permeated your life when...

You get into the shower in the morning and look down to see a cheerio on the tub floor.

:)

Too funny. Happened on Tuesday to me.

In other news, I have another recipe to share. This one is called Pepperoni Pierogi Bake. It is absolutely yummy, takes 5 minutes to put together, and no unthawing of anything required!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients:
1 lb. box of potato and cheddar pierogies
1 jar of marinara sauce
shredded cheese (mozzarella, colby jack, whatever you like)
1 package of pepperoni slices (I use the turkey kind)

Lightly grease a baking dish. Put 1/3 of the marinara sauce in the bottom, then half of the pierogies, cheese, and pepperoni slices. Add 1/2 of the remaining marinara sauce. Then, layer again with pierogies, cheese, pepperoni slices, and remaining marinara sauce and a little cheese, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if desired, when serving.

Yum-o! We loved this dish last night and I loved the little prep time required. No need to unthaw the pierogies- just take 'em straight from the freezer.

Things are great at home- Alina just brings us so much joy, happiness, and giggles. It is fun to watch her learn and grow each day. She loves giving loves to her baby doll and "wiggling" on command. Mark is working hard at school and me- just working hard at everything!

TTYL.

A new favorite dish

2011-09-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

So, I've been trying to do better lately with preparing for meals. It's really saved me money buying only what I need for meals, and nice to know when I get home from work what will be for dinner. I recently (as in, yesterday) made a meal that I love. Here's the jist of it:

Italian Chicken and Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
2 lbs. chicken breast tenders (can be frozen- will cook fine in crockpot)
1 small onion, sliced
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, quartered (peeled, too, if desired)
1/2 tsp each of basil, oregano, and thyme
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbsp olive oil (I used 1 tbsp)

Put chicken and onion in crockpot.
Mix spices, cheese, and olive oil together in a bowl. Add in potatoes and coat with mixture.
Put potatoes on top of chicken.
Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 on low.

It was so delicious and not a morsel was left after family dinner. Yum-o!

Too Stinkin' Cute

2011-09-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Not much to report- just enjoying my man and my babe. Have some pictures of Alina from last month and this month- she is just growing too big and cute! She enjoys closing the front door, standing on her tippy toes to reach things she shouldn't, posing for the camera, eating chocolate graham crackers (only in moderation), and watching her mommy get ready in the morning. Hope you enjoy these pictures! I've noticed the last month or two we haven't been taking as many pictures as normal, so I've taken matters into my own hands the last couple of days to remedy that. :) Happy Friday and hope your weekend is splendid!

Life is hard when you live with an over-achiever!

2011-09-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you don't know by now, I think Mark is an over-achiever. Academically speaking, of course. :) This is the kid who gets 104% (instead of 108%) on his chemistry test this week and is sad, who wants to go talk with his teacher about the one question he missed and how the answer he put for said question is also correct. :) Wowsers. But at the same time I am so amazed at how well he does in school, and I am very proud of him. Hard to sympathize with a guy who gets an A++ on a test, but still, I do what I gotta do. :) I told him, you should feel sorrow when someone gets an F on their geology lab midterm. Yeah. Like me. It's true folks! It happened to me (the only other time I got an F was on my first math test in 6th grade). Needless to say, I worked my butt off the rest of the semester, getting an A on my lab final and a B- in the lab overall. I also must note the midterm F was not from lack of trying, not studying, or being ill-prepared. Quite to the contrary. I just can't tell one rock about from another. :) Dumb as a rock, I must be! Ha ha, only kidding.

So... in Alina news (you knew it was coming, right?)... she is just as cute as ever, enjoying it when we feed her "big people" food from our plates at dinner, smiling big, making funny faces, and generally being adorable. Haven't seen or heard of anymore steps taken on the walking front. So, yeah, that's it.

I'm just keeping as busy as ever. Have a few things around the house- small furniture pieces- I'm just itching to paint and have fun with, but we'll see if it happens. Looking forward to the General Relief Society meeting this weekend (will give me girl time with mom and sis), as well as going to the temple, too. And as of today, one month until my anniversary! Three years and I still can't believe the fairytale.

Well, I think that's about it for now! Thank you, my few but faithful readers!

Cute lil froggie

2011-09-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

I think Alina is turning into a cute little frog. Yesterday when I got home from work (and had made and ate dinner- she was taking a late nap), she was sitting on my lap with her baby doll. She would just laugh at daddy and me, and she likes to tilt her head back all the way and just smile and laugh. It is too cute! This morning when I went to pick her up from the crib, she had taken off her pajama pants. :) That girl is too smart!

My mom called and told me that Alina took a step today- unassisted! Of course, my mom swore Alina had a tooth coming in long before she did, but anyway... we'll see what happens the next day or two!

Did I mention Alina has another tooth coming in? She'll have her two bottom ones when all is said and done. Too cute.

In other news... from the "big people" world... we're just plugging along. Not too much exciting to report.

So... adios!

Baby CPR

2011-09-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

So, a baby in our household recently had CPR performed on her.

Don't worry, it wasn't Alina.

:)

Scared ya, didn't I?

Okay, so you'll remember Alina loves her plastic doll and we often put it in bed with her. This morning, I awoke so see her performing some type of CPR maneuver on it. Too. Stinkin'. Cute!

This weekend was fun as Alina and I did grocery shopping and we had a harvest activity for our stake with all sorts of food and fun. It got me to thinking when I went to the one last year, I was 8-9 months pregnant with Alina! My, how time flows. Now she's 10 months old and so precious!

For date night Saturday, Mark and I went to Outer Limits, a local arcade/glow bowling/glow golf/laser tag/fun zone place. It was fun to waste $10 on arcade games and we enjoyed raking in the tickets. We're saving them for next time to get Alina a stuffed frog for 500 tickets (we earned about 342). I loved the Wheel of Fortune arcade game, and of course, we had to play Deal or No Deal. Crazy thing was, when I played and got down to the final two cases (mine and another, one with 4 tickets and one with 200 tickets), Mark persuaded me to take the banker's offer of 102 tickets. After all, I might be stuck with only 4, he said. Well, I didn't want to, but I gave in to his reasoning. If I would've stuck with my gut feeling... I would've gotten 200 tickets instead of 102! :) Oh well, no biggie. But still, it makes me think I need to go on the game show for real... :) We ended the night with some yummy, delicious Farr's ice cream and took a scoop home to Mom, the incredible babysitter. :)

So that's it for now. Adios!

Plugging along in the Mendoza household...

2011-09-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, this week we've been trying to get Alina to sleep better through the night and not have to be fed every time she wakes up. Last night, she woke up at 11pm and cried/whimpered for about 15 minutes and went back to sleep until 3:45am. Not bad. So then I fed her. :) This morning, once again, she was sitting up playing with her baby doll. I think it's helping...

Mark and I are continuing on our better eating/exercising routine. He found out yesterday that he's lost 12 pounds in less than a month! Way to go, Mark! I'm proud of him and happy for him today. Maybe I oughtta weigh myself so I can track my progress... (shudder). Mmm.

Thought I'd post a few pictures we took in August as a family photo. Alina was silly during the whole process, but we got some good ones taken. I know I posted one of these earlier, but thought I'd include a few more. Enjoy!

Oh, the things you will do!

2011-09-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Oh, the things you will do
When baby decides
That she doesn't want to sleep
More than four hours at a time (it's a roller coaster ride)...

Okay, bad attempt at a poem. Anyway, after consulting with my handy-dandy smartie co-worker about some ideas to get Alina to sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time (yes, it's true... better than 2 hours at a time, although within the last 2-3 months Alina had periods where she'd sleep 7 hours at a stretch and a couple times for 11-12 hours!), we decided to put Alina to bed with her baby doll. No worries, it's plastic. Well, Mark put her in her crib last night, then the baby doll, and she sat up and grabbed it and started playing with it, he said. I thought, "Oh no, she isn't going to get to sleep for awhile). Well, we didn't hear anything, so that to me meant she was asleep. Within half an hour or so, curiosity got the best of us and we opened her do. I snuck her laundry basket and Mark checked on Alina (baby in one corner, her in the other). Good. Well, she didn't wake up until... drumroll please... 2:45 am! Yippee! I don't know if this was a fluke or not, but we'll take it, and keep trying it. Oh! And then when I went to pick her up this morning, she was sitting up in her crib holding the doll. Too cute!

Fun things from Mark during the last 24 hours:
1. Saying the word "subsequent". Like "sub-SEE-quent". He things I'm making fun of him, but I like his unique way of saying some things.
2. Talking with me and a co-worker about studying and helping classmates with homework, and he said he likes the "dumb ones" because he can teach them which in turn helps him retain information better. :) I think the politically correct term is "average intelligence person" or somesuch like that, and I don't think he really said "dumb ones", but you catch my drift. :op

Fun things from Alina during the last 24 hours:
1. Watching her eat beef and beef gravy baby food. She hates those meat baby foods but gosh it's a show watching her!
2. Seeing her with her baby doll in the crib this morning, as well as last night playing when I got home. She loves that thing!

Well, I think that's about it. Toodles for now!

Life is hard with a baby as smart as you

2011-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Oh man, let me tell you about it. Life is hard when you have a baby that is as smart as you are. I mean, Baby Einstein has nothing on my little angel.

Favorite moments with Alina over the past 24 hours:
*sitting on the couch with her and her baby doll, while she cuddles with it and me, all the while smiling and laughing and being happy.
*going to get her out of the crib this morning, only to find her sitting up, bare-naked (forgot to put pj's on, hence only a diaper to remove) and her diaper sitting next to her. Second time this has happened in the past month. See what I mean about living with a smartie pants (or smartie nakie bum?). I might as well get her to start changing her own diaper. Oh, the time and effort that would free up! :)

Worked a little on the chore chart last night that's been in progress the last month. Almost done- just need to make labels with the chores. Have an itch to paint all sorts of furniture in my house- desk, side tables, etc! We'll see.

Okay, gotta jet. Enjoy this beautiful weather!

Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids

2011-09-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

Alina is so silly. And Mark, too. They both do and say things everyday that make me laugh. Whether it's Mark unique perspective on things or Alina discovering she can make a new sound, it makes me happy.

Mark started on the bandwagon a few weeks ago of eating better and exercising, something I've believed in for quite awhile. And I've been doing it again, too. Good to have that support system in place! He's taking a nutrition class this semester, and let's just say that knowledge is power, and for Mark, a little knowledge goes a long way!

Mark had two tests this week and got a 100% (nutrition) and 105% (chemistry). Way to go, Joe! :)

Alina is silly as ever, very mischeivious, curious, energetic, and lovely. And in case I haven't mentioned it in a post or two... she's gorgeous and beautiful! :)

I've just been having fun doing some crafting, scrapbooking, organizing/decluttering around home, and having a little more energy/will power to "get 'er done". Today I was so happy because I scored a great deal with my Kindle- I have the special offers Kindle, and they had a special for $1 for selected biographies and I got President Monson's biography for $1! A savings of $20-$25, easily. Yeah me! And I'm also ordering tons of prints via snapfish for family and friends with their penny prints sale. Feel like I'm saving money all over the place! :)

Well... I think that's about it. Yup. Not much else to mention, so I'll let ya go. Thanks for reading, faithful few! :)