Full Time Mom

Okay, I know I have been a non-working, stay at home mama for a little over a year now, but sometimes I still feel like I'm just not getting the hang of it. It is HARD work. It has been such a change from working full time outside of the home, to watching this little girl full time..When we lived in California, I worked from 6am til 2:30 mon-fri. So, I saw Marlee for a couple hours in the evening, and then put her to bed. So now that I'm really present with her, I sometimes still have no idea what to do.. I was used to practically having the whole day to myself, so when we moved here I had an 8 month old to myself all.day.long..It was a BIG change! It was a change I did, and still love, don't get me wrong, but a change nonetheless.

To be honest, a lot of the times, I feel like I'm doing an awful job. There's so much worry and guilt wondering if you're playing with them enough, or teaching them enough... I'm sure these are normal feelings, and I'm sure I'll get into a system and get organized with things as time goes on, but geeez, who knew a 20 month old little girl could be so much work?? Oh, that's right, probably everyone but me... :)

I've been trying to slow down lately and really cherish the little moments I have with her. When I'm busy cleaning the kitchen and she begs me to hold her, I sit down on the kitchen floor and do it. Before, when I was making dinner and she would be whining at my feet I used to tell her to go and play with her toys, but lately I've been sitting her on the counter with a bowl and whisk and I let her "help" me make dinner. I've been trying to make small changes in my routine to include her more, and be more present with her, and I feel like it's helped a lot. All in all, I just want to be a good mommy to my sweet girl, and I hope I'm doing enough.. Please tell me I'm not alone in my mommy anxieties..

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks!

She is loving trying to dress herself!! She put her socks on today and was SO proud of herself!!

She was being super quiet in her room, and I just KNEW she was doing something naughty. I walked in to find that she had made a little bed for herself, using her puppy as her pillow, her baby next to her (like always) and reading a book. It was so sweet.

watching me make some dinner!

She LOVES looking at her fish. I have to put her up on the counter so many times throughout the day so she can give them kisses and hugs.

Taking a picture. She always gets mad because all she wants to do is look at the pictures, and not take them, hence the angry face! :)

I love this little girl with all of my heart!!

Good times with my love

***WARNING: picture overload and lots of reminiscing.

I ran across some "old" memory cards (4 or 5 years old..) and have been looking through some pictures. It's been so much fun. There was a whole bunch of when Alax and I started dating, so I thought I'd share a few (or hundred).. Here they are in chronological order:

Hanging out while most likely ditching school..

We met while I was in Cosmetology school and I got out at 10 every night...We would normally meet up at my apartment or his parents afterwards and hang out til like 3 in the morning. It was so stupid..lol I about killed myself after I fell asleep driving home one night. This was at my place.

at his parents soaking our feet in the hot tub. Don't we look tired??

Watching Gary Allan

I met up with Alax and his whole family in North Carolina after only knowing him for a week..Looking back, I can see it was kinda crazy and why my parents were a little worried..lol

My birthday 9/18/2008. Wright's Lake, the most beautiful place ever!! The day Alax proposed :)

We spent the afternoon kayaking all around.

Trying on wedding dresses at Renfro's

I look like I'm 12.

Our honeymoon in Mexico!!! I had never been on a plane where you just walk out of the plane on stairs..

Visiting the beach. After we had snorkled and kayaked.

Okay, I threw this one in here cause look how skinny I was!!! lol

ooooh the things a baby does to your body..

Zip lining!

our resort

LOVED the food. We ate ourselves sick...all inclusive is the way to go ;)

Be prepared for more pictures, as i keep looking :)

Visit with the Post's!!

Alax's sister and her 3 kids came to visit for 5 days this last week!! It was so fun having them here! We had so much fun catching up, and Marlee LOVED playing with her cousins! We went to the zoo the first day they were here, and ate lunch at The Red Iguana. Soooo good!!

Taylor was not happy about taking a picture...

Watching the monkey's with mom!

I spy a cute little Marlee!!

Going on the carousel with daddy! This was before she had a complete meltdown and wanted to get off. lol

One day we headed out to a park to enjoy the great weather we've been having!!

I just wanted to keep this little girl here with us!! She is so sweet, and has the most gorgeous red hair I have ever seen!!

Hailey was so sweet with Marlee!!

The kids watching a show one morning.

Thanks for coming out Dani!! It was so great to see you guys. Tell Sam we missed him!!

Valentine's Day

I had a fun Valentine's day this year!! I'm not much of a gift giver and neither is Alax, so for most holidays we just kinda agree not to do anything for each other, or if we do, we normally go shopping together, find something we like and say "want to get this for me?" It may not sound fun to most people, but we like our little arrangement :)

So yesterday Alax had to work, so I dipped some strawberries and made some Oreo truffles and brought them in so he and his boss could have something to snack on throughout the day. Then I went over to my sisters house and we made tamales ALL day. The actual making and folding of the tamales was really easy, and we were done within an hour and a half or so! The steaming, on the other hand..Let's just say we'll be investing in an actual tamale steamer..Our improvised steamer didn't quite do the trick. We started steaming at 2, and when i left at 6 they still weren't done!! My sister called at 8 and yes, they STILL weren't done! But she got creative and made them work! I think her batch went a lot smoother :) It was a lot of fun though, and she said they were some of the best tamales she had ever eaten! I'm excited to try them!

So after I left my sisters, Alax and I had planned on going to this pizza place and getting dinner but he wasn't feeling too well (he has another staph infection..), so we stopped at Wendy's :) Marlee was happy, and I was too! Alax also got me this pretty necklace that has Marlee's birth stone (ruby) in it. I love it!! I think we're even, right?? Strawberries and truffles...necklace....sounds about right :/ I feel bad. I guess it's just the perk of having your husband work in a jewelry store! :) Anyway, that was my day! I'm so glad I found the perfect guy for me!!

Here's what I made for Alax! The truffles were soooo good!! (a couple couldn't fit on the plate, so I had to eat them right??) If you want to make them, they are SO easy!! You just get a package of Oreo's (I just used the store brand) and grind them up in a food proccesor. Then mix the crumbs with a block of cream cheese (8oz). Form them into balls and freeze for 20 minutes or so. Then just dip them in chocolate and you're ready to go!! Super easy!!

Kangaroo Zoo!!

My friend introduced me to the Kangaroo Zoo here in Ogden yesterday, and we had sooooo much fun!! Alax had the day off, so we just HAD to go back :) Marlee just had the biggest smile on her face the entire time. It's awesome! We will definitely be going back there a lot!! I couldn't believe how well Marlee could climb on everything too! She's turning into such a big girl!!!

Thanks for introducing this fun place to us, Lesley!!

Zoo

Alax had the day off yesterday, and we wanted to make the most of it, so we went down to Salt Lake and went to the zoo!! Yes, it is January in Utah, I know, but we had sooo much fun!! It actually wasn't too cold, maybe in the mid 40's and most of the animals are inside anyway, so we were warm the whole time!! And guess what??? We saw MAYBE 5 people the whole two hours or so we were there!! Seriously, the best zoo trip we have ever had. It was soo nice to walk away from the stroller and let Marlee walk and look at the animals at her own pace. I think going in the winter is the only way to go, especially since Alax hates crowds. He was in heaven! :) Here are some pictures!!

porcupines!!

these heat lamps were amazing :)

no one's here!!!

Marlee was fascinated by this gorilla!! I'm surprised we got her to look at the camera!

Marlee LOVED all the animals, especially the tigers and all the birds. They had bob cats and sand cats, but they were all sleeping, so Marlee would make sure to say "nigh-nigh" to all of them before we left :) There was one monkey in particular that really liked her, and came right up to the glass to play! Marlee gave it kisses on the glass and stretched her arms out to give it a hug, too. We had so much fun, and ended the day eating dinner at Z'Tejas in the Gateway. It was delish!!! Fun, fun day!!

Yummmm

So I just stumbled upon this recipe and about died!! How good does this look?? I think this is in the menu for us this week!!

SALMON WITH POMEGRANATE AND ORANGE SALSA

Ingredients:

Pan seared salmon

1 to 1 ½ lbs salmon, cut into 4 fillets – can also use halibut, tilapia, cod, red snapper, etc

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground fennel

2 tbs lime juice

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 -3 tbs butter or oil

Pomegranate salsa

1 cup pomegranate seeds or arils, from ½ large pomegranate

3 oranges, peeled and cut into supreme style segments (all the skin/pith/membranes/seeds removed), plus any remaining juice

Juice from 1 lime

½ onion, finely diced

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

2 serrano peppers, seeded and membranes removed, finely diced – replace with jalapenos for milder version

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sides – Quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce, fried ripe plantains or fried green plantains

Preparation:

1. Mix the crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel, lime juice, white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper together to prepare a marinade for the fish.
2. Let the fish marinate for 1 to 2 hrs.
3. Meanwhile to prepare the pomegranate salsa, combine the pomegranate arils, orange supreme, any juice squeezed from the orange membranes, lime juice, diced onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Mix the salsa well and let it rest refrigerated until ready to use.
5. Heat the butter or oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, add the salmon fillets and cook until browned on each side and cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets.
6. Serve immediately with the pomegranate salsa on top or on the side.

the recipe found here and maybe with this quinoa with tomatillo and cilantro sauce for a side?? I just had to share, because it looks soooo yummy!!!