Happy 10 Year Birthday Sera!

Dear Sera,

Last week on January 5 you turned 10-years-old. I cannot believe it. Double digits! I think your Dad is still trying to wrap his mind around it.

We spent the evening eating terrible Chinese food and playing at Nicklecaid. It was fun to be able to spend a birthday with you since you have the tendency to be out-of-state a lot. We miss getting to share those special moments with you when you are gone Sera. I want you to know how much it means to your Dad and me when we can be there for you. I know that sometimes it gets confusing for you because of what you are told but some day when you read this I hope you believe me when I say, we love being in your life as much as we can!
I have known you since you were 3-years-old. I remember the first night I met you. Interestingly enough, you wanted Chinese food then too. We sat on the floor of your Dad’s apartment in Sugarhouse and ate sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. After that we played with your blocks. You kept handing me different blocks telling me that they were various types of food and then insisting I eat them. When ever I did as you asked you would laugh and clap your hands. I wish it was still that easy to make you laugh!

Over the past 7 years I have grown to love you just like you were mine. I need you to know that. I love you Sera Bear! You bring so much sunshine into my life. You make me smile when you tell jokes, even when those jokes don’t make much sense. You amaze me with how creative you can be.

I also want you to know that your Daddy is so very proud of whom you are. He is always remarking about how smart and clever you are. It makes him nearly explode with pride when he sees you reading at such a high level. He loves asking you about what you are doing at school even though I know sometimes you get bored talking about it. I think your Dad would call you every single day if he thought it wouldn’t drive you crazy. You are not always a big fan of talking on the phone.

You have an excellent memory which is something that will help you a lot in later life. You can recall things I said a year ago and it amazes me every time you do it. You like to play jokes or pranks on people, which is fine. But when it comes having a joke played on you, you are not such a big fan. Like when we told you Becca got bit by a tiger at the zoo-you were so worried about her leg and were trying to be so careful around Becca so she didn’t get hurt. But when you found out that we were teasing you, you were not so happy and decided to sit in the bathroom by yourself for a little bit. Even now every time we have you for the weekend you ask if we can play a joke on Becca to get even. And I trust that some day you are going to get your revenge on Becca even though the whole thing was really my idea.

You give excellent snuggles. Both your Dad and I love it when you want to snuggle up next to us on the couch or sit on our lap. You love to play games with the family and are very good at it. Some of the games we play are made for older kids but you are so smart that you always pick up the rules so quickly and can keep up.

And of course, you love to be the star of the show. You love the attention people give you and eat it up when all eyes are on you. You love to sing and dance. You love to make people laugh. I think that you are destined to be some sort of entertainer.

You are an incredible big sister. For me Sera, this is such a blessing. You love to help your brother. You will read to him if he asks. You play with him. You get him a drink he if needs help. You go into his room in the morning and crawl into his bed with him so that the two of you can play. Gabe looks up to you Sera and always asks if he can come see you. He loves you with all his heart and you are one of his favorite people. I know as you grow older you may not always want to play with you baby brother but for now, I am glad that you love him so much and will play with him.

You are an amazing, compassionate, tender-hearted, brave, and smart young woman Sera. Sometimes I don’t give you enough credit for how grown up you really are. But I hope that through everything that you have been through in your 10 years, you have always known just how much your Daddy and I love you.

Happy Birthday Sera Bear! I love you always and forever!

Love,
Rach

Big Stinky Feet

Gabe: "Mommy look! Socks off!" said while proudly holding socks over his head.
Mommy: "Did you take those off because you have stinky feet?"
Gabe: sits down and smells own foot..."Yep! I have stinky feet!"

Also would you look at the size of that kid's foot? HOLY COW! Is it big or is it just me?
Much love to you all!

Adios 2011!

Things I Have Learned in 2011

1. Marriage can be hard work but when you have a great Husband the work isn't so bad.
2. 2-year-olds can be challenging.
3. 2-year-olds can and will outsmart you
4. 2-year-olds are so much fun!
5. It doesn't matter how many times some people screw up, if they are nuts they will not learn from their mistakes.
6. NBA lockouts SUCK!!!
7. Good people will always be good people.
8. When good things end it just means there is something better coming.
9. Never give up on what you want.
10. Have a little faith and God will help you out.
11. When it comes to a home-owners crisis...I tend to lose my shit.
12. I learned that I really am a tree-hugging Liberal.
13. Hammer Time will NEVER be out-of-style.
14. Like always, I have the world's best friends!
15. It doesn't matter how old they are, they will forever be my little brother and sister.
16. I love cooking!
17. Take time to relax and focus on yourself every once in a while.
18. Being a Mom can be tough but it is always worth it when you see your kids smile.
19. Nothing is better than hugs from your loved ones.
20. It doesn't matter how it is prepared...broccoli is EVIL!
21. What is better than having a loving husband? Having a loving husband that will fight for his kids no matter the odds.
22. Sometimes it feels really good to yell at stupid people.
23. I enjoy the show Doctor Who and I realize that I am a total nerd.
24. I need to hear the words "I love you." every day.
25. And even though I have said it before I am always amazed at just how much more I love my husband and kids every single day.

Much love to you all! Hope you have a wonderful 2012!

The Liebster Blog Award

First and foremost I need to give a HUGE thank you to Lacie Messerly who selected me for the Liebster Blog Award!!!! I had no clue what it was until she clued me in and now I find myself full of smug pride that she honored me as one of her choices. This is why I love Lacie...she always feeds my ego. Plus she is smart, driven, and smokin' hot!

So what is the Liebster Blog Award you ask??

I decided to look it up on Google after I read a post on Lacie's blog and saw that is what she did. I am totally a copy cat like that! And just like Lacie, I found that Liebster is German and it basically means favorite. The whole idea for this award is to spotlight blogs that you love but that have less than 200 followers. I should be hurt that I do not have more than 200 followers but then how would I qualify for the Liebster Blog Award? It is double-edged sword.

Upon accepting the Liebster Blog Award, you are asked to:

1: Thank the giver, mention them, and link back to their blog.
2: Publicly choose 5 blogs you would like to give the award to, and leave a comment letting them know.
3:Copy and past the award to your blog.
4: Ask those that you pass the award on to also pass it on to their 5 favorite blogs with under 200 followers.

So all of this being said I am hoping that most of you are still with me and will enjoy the following blogs:

The Bitterman Blah Blah Blog: This is a blog done my lovely cousin Jennifer. She started this when she moved to New York so that we could keep up with her family. She is funny and takes wonderful pictures which is understandable when she has an adorable little girl. Even though she has moved back to Utah now and I wish she would keep updating because I love the way she writes.

Cheeky Gal: This is a blog my completely adorable friend Whitney! I read it while she was overseas for school and now as she has become a married woman. She is one of the most charming and sweet people I have EVER met and it totally comes through it her writing. If you want a little ray of sunshine in your day just read her blog.

The Peanut Press: If I could be a stay-at-home Mom I would want to be just like my friend Sarah. She loves her family so much it proudly displays it on her blog. And she has a list of books that she is reading that I always turn to when I am looking for a good book.

Utah Valley Foodie: To my friends in Utah County, if you are not reading Janey's blog then you are crazy! Not only is she a wonderful writer but the photos she takes are stunning. I check her blog daily for updates because I NEVER want to miss a post. Janey's talent is obvious as is her passion for good eats!

The Schilling Clan: This is my long time friend Ashley's blog where she posts all about her children and her life. Ashley is such a strong and dedicated mother and I love reading all about the fun times she has with her family.

So there you have it! My 5 nominations for the Liebster Blog Award. I hope you enjoy them all as much as I do! Much love and thanks again to Lacie for the nomination. This really was fun!

I Love Ryan Scott Baker

Last weekend my work threw a wonderful Christmas party for all their employees. The food was good and the dancing was fun. And the best part? PHOTO BOOTH!!! It was so much fun! Here are the pictures Ryan and I took and yes those are mustaches on sticks.
I love my husband and it was fun to have a date night with him.

Not So Scary Santa

Tonight we went to the Layton Hills Mall on our way home from picking up Sera for the weekend. Sera saw a sign that said Santa was visiting and asked if we could go see him. Both the kids were well-behaved while we stopped into a store so Ryan and I agreed that we could go say hello. Gabe did really good this time and didn't scream or cry. This is the best picture they were able to get because Gabe kept getting distracted. He looks a little dazed but at least he is kind of facing the camera. Sera looks great as always and has the cutest smile. When Santa asked Gabe what he wanted he said "Firetruck!" It was fun to see both the kids so excited.
Much love to you all!

Giving Thanks I Didn't Burn Down My House

Thanksgiving, a time for family. A time for friends. A time for wanting to get so blasted drunk that I can’t see straight and keep thinking the raw turkey in my kitchen was really a tiny space alien.

Okay so I didn’t get drunk or burn my house down or end up in a loony bin. I did, however, gain an all new appreciation for anyone who knows their ass from a turkey giblet. All the damn work that goes into one meal is not worth it on a lot of levels. Yes, it is great to hear how good the food is and see the smiles of my loved ones (Equaling 2 people this year!) as they partake in the meal I literally spent all day cooking. But on the other hand, the shakes I was getting from stress as well as wanting a VERY LARGE glass of wine sort of counteract all that.

Now to be fair Ryan and I got several offers inviting us to various places for Thanksgiving. But I began to question people’s motives. Some were just being kind but I think there were a couple people that thought it might be safer if I wasn’t near a stove or oven when I am so prone to panic attacks. Plus, somewhere along the line I must have given off the impression that I don’t know how to cook and I am sure there was concern over Ryan, Gabe, and I all getting food poisoning.

Let me start my tale on the evening of Thursday Nov. 17th. I called my mom to ask if I could borrow her potato masher and turkey platter. I told her I bought my turkey and was going to put it in the fridge Monday when I got home from work. She told me to put it in the fridge on Sunday morning. I was shocked! It is a bird that I assumed was not that big but she was telling me that I needed to give it 4 full days to thaw?

When I checked the turkey on Wednesday night it still had a few bloody ice chunks inside it. First off, NASTY on the ice chunks. And second, it still had frozen stuff inside after 4 freaking days! And not only was there frozen ice but other treasures too! I know that there are guts in a turkey but why in the hell are there guts in a turkey? A turkey neck? Really Butterball? That seems like something people might want to consume?!?! It is already bad enough that I am going to have to stick my hands inside a dead animal carcass and now you are packing up their innards like I want them as a prize from some disgusting piñata? Get real and put a sealed Itunes gift card in there the next time. Guaranteed you will sell more turkeys.

The cooking process was unreal. I had to start my day at 6:00 am. Internet, I don’t wake up at 6:00 am to get ready for work. But I did on Thursday so I could get my rolls started. I was going to make rolls from scratch but at the thought of having to do all the other crap I bagged that idea and got some Rhode’s Bake-and-Serve which still need 3-5 hours to rise. I should have just wadded up slices of white bread into balls and called it good.

I also made FROM SCRATCH: sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, deviled eggs, the relish tray (Yes I count that!), and green beans with bacon and onions. And of course, I made the turkey as well.

This is me making the roux for my turkey gravy. This is one of the first things I did because I was able to put it in the fridge and then add the drippings (Another nasty cooking term.) to it later right before it was to be served. I was excited at this point because I felt like Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray. By the end I felt like Lindsey Lohan after a loooong weekend.
And Gabe was helping me by making sure all the onions tasted delicious. His breath smelled so bad!
Here I am making the deviled eggs. What it that you ask Internet? What am I doing? Oh yeah! I am piping the filling into the eggs! Suck on that Thanksgiving!
And finally we come to the turkey. As you can see I really loved sliding my hand under cold turkey skin to smear butter on the breast meat. I felt like I was some deviant or doing something really inappropriate to that turkey.
Not a pleasant experience!
But the final results were better than I could have ever hoped for. I mean, look at that gorgeous bird! For my first try I think I kicked that turkey’s butt!
But I could not have done it without Ryan. Not only did he keep Gabe out of the kitchen but he was a great helper monkey! All I had to do was ask and he was right there with bowl or pepper or a spatula. The only thing he refused me was a 20-Gauge shot gun when I wanted to blow the turkey to bits in frustration.

And I can’t even take all the credit for cooking. Below is the dish Ryan did all by himself.
But honestly, I can’t say I regret making Thanksgiving this year. I tackled a cooking fear that I have had for years and proved to myself I am not completely incompetent. And when I see smiles like this from across the table it is hard not to remember why I did it in the first place.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. No you are not invited to my house next year.