Friday, December 19, 2008

Say What?

Anyone else with an almost 2 yr old feel like the majority of your day is spent trying to guess what your child is telling you? A lot of the times I am impressed I can decipher Ry's communications, but many times she is left angry saying a clear frustrated "no" as I run through different possibilities of what she could be saying. I try to avoid words like "Barney", "blanket", or "crackers" because no matter what she was originally saying, she will now want Barney, blanket, or crackers. The sense of pride I feel though when I guess correctly, and Ry's face lights up and says "yes", is well worth the effort.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Welcome Home Elder Chow!


Well...not officially. My little brother will return home from his mission (Independence, Missouri) on Tuesday! Mike hasn't met either of his nieces, but I have shown Rylee her Uncle Mike's picture everyday. Can't wait for the madness to begin!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Warning: This will only be interesting to a select few

For a lack of something to post I have decided to do a food allergy post. Hold the sighs and looks of boredom, I know a post on food allergies isn't exciting. However, when I first found out Ry had allergies to milk, eggs, and peanuts it was a little overwhelming and I found it reassuring and helpful to talk to someone in a similar situation. So if you have found out your child has food allergies, or know someone in that situation I hope this post can be helpful.

I am by no means an expert on the subject, but we hardly notice the food allergies anymore due to a few helpful products and tips. Mind you, I only deal with milk, eggs, and peanuts (thank goodness) so I am of no help when it comes to the many other food allergens.

1. My favorite product: Blue Bonnet Light Margarine
This is the only margarine I have found that does not contain milk. The packaging states to not use it for baking or frying, but when your options are limited you use what you can. I do notice a little difference, but it definitely gets the job done.

2. Runner up product: Chicken or Beef Bouillon
Since you can't use any sort of creamy soups, most casseroles are out of the question. If I'm trying to achieve any sort of creamy sauce I make a rue (flour and margarine) and add the chicken or beef stock. The plus side to allergies, most alternatives are healthier.

3. Baked good without eggs...few and far between
Almost anything you bake (breads, cookies, cakes) calls for eggs. Our house always has unhealthy baked goods in it (right now...cinnamon rolls and cookies). Depending on what I'm making, I will either leave out the egg all together (breads and rolls), use an egg substitute (vinegar, water, and baking powder), or before I add the eggs I take a portion of the dough or batter I'm making, set it aside, and bake it without the egg for Ry. Then I just keep Ry's "special cookies or cake" separate from the real deal, she could care less, she's just excited to get dessert.

4. Going somewhere, bring your own food
Trying to feed Ry outside of our house can be such a headache, so we almost always pack her a little dinner. Sometimes we think, I'm sure there is something she can have...and I'm usually left wishing I would have heated up some nuggets and peas to avoid the stress of it. Case in point, Thanksgiving meal. Although there is a 20 ft. long table with about 20 dishes on it, Ry basically couldn't eat any of it.

If you are still reading this, that's impressive. If you are finding out about food allergies in your family then know it gets easier, and it's a lot more common. If anyone has been doing this for a while and has any tips for me...I would love to hear them.

Monday, December 8, 2008

All Things Christmas!

We have been enjoying this Christmas season, and it's so fun to see that Ry is even picking up on some of the holiday hustle and bustle. She will point out every Santa and snowman she sees. No worries...we are going to be doing Jesus's birth tonight for FHE, as of right now I'm pretty sure Ry thinks Christmas is all about Santa Clause, listening to Christmas music 24/7 and dancing all over the house, and saying "Merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho".

So here are a few pics. of things we have done this past week:
Drum roll please - here is Ry's hideous stocking. I got a close up of the shotty sewing, and you can compare her pencil thin stocking to the normal size stockings of mine and kev's. The loop to hold the stocking...totally on the wrong side, but I had already reached my limit, so there it will remain.













Frosty the snowman!
Kev and Ry made a cute little snowman on our balcony. If you look closely, you will notice that beer caps were used for the buttons and the eyes. No, they are not our beer caps, we borrowed them.
The Nutcracker!
Kev surprised me for my birthday with tickets to The Nutcracker. I love this ballet, and I don't think I have seen it since I have been married. The dancers were phenomenal. We got to go with some of Kev's fellow residents, and went out to eat afterwards. Major props to Kev for coming up with this idea all on his own AND arranging babysitting!

Oh Christmas Tree!
So after Christmas last year, we bought this $5 fake (I know you can't tell) Christmas tree from Target, I guess you get what you pay for. This is the first time in 4 yrs. our family has had a Christmas tree. And yes, those are Ry's toy blocks we used to decorate the tree.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

5 Reasons I Shouldn't Sew

I was getting out our Christmas decorations, and realized Ry did not have a stocking. Because Kev and I already had stockings, I thought the logical solution was to make Ry a matching one. Well it's finished...and during the whole process I thought of the top 5 reasons sewing is not for me.

1. I have the attention span and the patience of a 2 yr. old
Projects that take longer than an hour in general are not for me.

2. As Kev likes to tell me, I'm not detail oriented
I like to just figure it out as I go rather than do any sort of planning. By the end I figured out the order I should have sewn things. Who needs an extra 1/2 inch of fabric for seams, hence why Ry's stocking will only fit a couple of crayons.

3. I literally laugh every time I look at the finished project

4. It's money not well spent
What a waste of $8. I'm not spending more money on buying a stocking, or trying to sew another one. Thank goodness Ry doesn't know her stocking is ugly.

5. I'll forget how bad I am and make another sorry attempt at sewing in a few weeks.

No pics. at this point...it's pretty embarassing. The funny thing is, the whole point of making one myself was so Ry's stocking would match mine and Kev's. Looking at it now, it's nowhere even close to matching (that whole not being detail oriented). Can't wait until Kev comes home and sees it.

Monday, December 1, 2008

To Idaho and Back Again

So we made it back to Denver after 10 hrs. of driving, 10 hrs. of Barney on DVD for Ry, 10 hrs. of Harry Potter on CD(Order of the Phoenix for those who are interested) for Kev and I, one blowout (of the gross variety), and 10,000 calories worth of snacks. There is something I enjoy about Kev and I being trapped in the car together for 10 hrs. straight, especially because he can't go to sleep because he is driving.

Well, we had a great time in Idaho and look forward to returning again during Christmas break! Here are a few pics. from Thanksgiving break.