Kirtland

About ten days ago we took a little day trip to Kirtland. We got a little lost getting there but enjoyed it. We watched a short movie about the history of the church in Kirtland. Piper got upset when they tarred and feathered Joseph Smith. We then took a tour around Historic Kirtland.

Unfortunately we got to the temple 15 minutes too late to take a tour inside. We did take some pictures outside though.

I was smiling in this picture as opposed to the next photo where I have my eyes closed...

But Rick and Piper are smiling in this one.


Piper on the temple steps

Ellie and Piper

Yes, I'm finally back to blogging.

Here's a picture of Piper and her friend Ellie at a church basketball game. It's crazy how old Piper looks in this picture; she looks like she could be 15.

Beautiful After the Belly

My old college roommate Bonnie has this great health blog that you should check out. Click here for Beautiful After the Belly. Bonnie is a Certified Personal Trainer with a specialization in Maternal Fitness and Tupler technique and she also does nutritional consulting. Her tips mostly apply to pregnant women and women who've never been pregnant. Here are a few bits of wisdom she's shared:

• "Crunches are the mother of horrible things a postpartum women (even if it's been decades) can do to her body. Crunches can actually CREATE a separation of the rectus abdominus (the 6-pack muscle)."
• "According to a study that appeared in Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association, a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) may help reduce abdominal fat better than a carbohydrate rich diet."

Check it out; it's packed with information and great advice.

Get your Piper fix here

I've been told of late, by several individuals, that I need to post more photos of Piper. I would have easily complied with such requests, that is if I had taken any photos of Piper recently. But alas, I went the whole month of January and most of February without documenting our growing girl.

She's getting big and still cracks us up. She tells us, "that a good idea" or that we need to "gimme a chance." Piper does test her limits though, with "no!" becoming a favorite response when asked to do something. However she is good at reminding us, or anyone, that we are not to eat on the new couch and she always moves to the armchair, without prompting, before asking for a snack. So here's our girl...

The Primary hosted a scripture movie night where all the kids came in PJs and they were given popcorn, candy, and a drink. Piper got to go seeing as I work in the Primary. She was so excited for it all day and just couldn't wait for the popcorn. She got to see her church friends and then promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home. She does know how to party.

I think I got maybe a handful of popcorn out of this whole bag.

Here's Piper at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. We'd never been before but it was nice for an afternoon adventure.


Piper is modeling the adorable new red sweater that Grandma Vicki made her. And look at that smile - she's not even scared of the six foot boa behind her.

Here are my two sweeties snuggling and watching "toons" together before bath time. Piper sure misses her Daddy when he's traveling. At least a few times during the week she'll say "I wish Daddy were here." Aww.

Piper's Wish Come True

Piper has frequently lamented with her sad little face, "I want a little brother or sister." She got her wish: I'm currently twelve weeks pregnant with baby #2. I'm due on August 31st.

I was sick most of January and exhausted beyond belief. I actually lost some weight because of the nausea. Good thing I was on the heavy side (for me) before I got pregnant. And Rick worked from home most of the month which was great since he could take care of Piper. With me she's watched more TV and movies than I care to admit.

For now things are going well. Piper is very excited. When we told her that I was pregnant, she said, "in your tummy? Let's open it now." Too funny. Then the next morning she crawled in bed with us and Rick reminded her about the baby. Piper replied, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy and she give it to me. I be very happy."

That's our good news for this week.

Easy sticky buns

I recently made these easy sticky buns and we loved them. I got the recipe from Barefoot Contessa (click here for the link) and they were super easy. Using frozen puff pastry dough was the time-saver. We'll have to make these again, and soon.

By the way, check out the reviews and comments on the recipe for some other bakers tips and hints on making these come out beautifully.

Piper's latest

So I haven't been great about updating the blog lately. I've been sick and I haven't taken any new pictures either so hence the lack of posts. In place of photos, for now, here are some of the latest funny things Piper has had to say.

• Piper was about to draw a picture and told me, “I going to draw a lovely garden.” I think the “lovely” comes from the show Max & Ruby. That’s also where she learned “centerpiece.”
• Piper: “Daddy, go away, I have a meeting.”
  Rick: “With who?”
  Piper: “My dollies.”
• When Piper and I were leaving she went to give Rick a kiss goodbye and told him, “Don’t miss me too much.”
• One day Piper collected her dolls in her room with Rick. She told them, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.” She got that from the show Charlie & Lola.
• Lately Piper’s been saying, “Superman, to the rescue.” And she's Superman by the way.
• Due to Piper’s love of Sleeping Beauty she occasionally tells us, “thank you, your majesty.”
• Today Piper told me, out of the blue, “You’re not perfect” in a very matter-of-fact tone. Who knew kids could figure that out so early in life?!