IT'Z Fun to Read

We took the reading challenge and completed the Summer Reading Program at the library and as an added bonus, we got a coupon for a buffet and 50 point game card to IT'Z pizza. We had never gone there before and it was a new experience for Alex. It was like a glorified Chuck E. Cheese. It was fun because we got the point card that we could redeem playing games and winning tickets. Alex was excited about going on the rides and we spent a majority of our playing time in the toddler area where he got to ride a lot of mechanical airplanes, cars, horses, etc. He did super even though it was past his nap time. Here are some fun pictures from our little mid-day outing. Can I just say that it is so nice to have a great hubby who gets every other Friday off to spend with his family.

Time with Family

Everyone else who's reading, my dad started growing out his beard almost a year ago when he went in the hospital almost a year ago. He had some complications and stayed for longer than he had hoped. While he was there he didn't have a safety razor, so he started growing out his beard. Now he loves the fact that he doesn't have to shave every other day. I posted these pictures so that my niece and nephew wouldn't be so shocked when they saw my parents in a few weeks. Alex flipped out the first time that he saw my dad after he has started growing out his beard. Hey Little Sis these pictures are for you. I hope that you enjoy your time with Mom and Dad in a few weeks. We had a great time here visiting Mom and Dad. I still think that you should plan on taking a few pictures with Dad and put on Christmas atire so that you have your Christmas newsletter done early this year.

Who Says Teething Tablets are Just for Teeth?

Well last week Alex had a really hard time sleeping through the night. I tried numerous things to get him to go back down. Every time he was asleep I would lay him down peacefully, and then boom he was back awake. I don't know if his bedtime routine was disrupted, if he was teething, or just lonely. But at 3:30 am (after having listened to him for 1 1/2 hours) I really didn't care how I got him to sleep, I just wanted to have peace and quiet for him and for me. It was pitch dark and so I reached for my trusted Hyland's teething tablets which usually work like a charm. Popped a few of them into my hand and felt around for his mouth. I found some place to put them and he seemed to get quiet. Yes! Victory, silence! It must have worked because I didn't hear him make a peep the rest of the night and I fell asleep after being so exhausted. The next morning I went to go get Alex out of the crib and was changing his diaper. I noticed that something powdery was lodged in his right nostril. What could it be? My trusted Hyland's teething tablet was the culprit. I guess they can be used in the nose and in the mouth to aid in restless nights due to teething or sleep-deprived pregnant mothers. So go ahead and reach for Hyland's teething tablets the next time you need some peace and quiet.

The Results for Baby #2 are ...

We had our big ultrasound today and let me tell you that I thought that my bladder was going to explode twice during the visit. I drank about 1.5 liters of water right before my ultrasound and then immediately after we were done I had to go visit the ladies room. We met with our doctor and he went over the ultrasound with us and did the measuring. Everything looks good and then he told me that he needed another sterile sample. Uh oh, I already got rid of my samples so Eric had to wait for me to drink another 2 liters of water to get another sample for them. I drank so much that my muscles around my stomach were cramping up.
As far as the gender goes, we asked the technician to see if she could tell the gender and then make a picture and write it on the picture. She made a make-shift envelope and it is currently hanging on the fridge.
I have a gut feeling that it is a girl. We would be so happy with either one... I guess time will tell. Here are the other pictures that we have from the ultrasound.

Ho, Ho, Ho Christmas in July

Hey I am wondering if any of you smart people out there have any ideas for homemade Christmas gifts for family members. I have a few ideas of my own, but I wanted to see if any of you have done anything cool for your family. I am trying to get a jump on it because of when baby #2 is due to arrive.
I also wanted to leave you with a few cute pictures of my little boy who is getting to be so big. He is never lacking in the giving hugs department and we recently got a few pictures of him trying to give our cat Angel some love. She, on the other hand, looked like she wasn't too keen on the idea. Enjoy!!!

Back from Bandon

Well, we made it back home safely and had a wonderful time spending a week and a half with Eric's parents. They drove up from their home to Portland to pick us up at the nightmarish time of midnight when we arrived. A billion thanks for that and all of the chauffeuring around the state you did for us.

One of our first stops in our grand adventure was to see Multnomah Falls near Portland. It is absolutely gorgeous. Eric and I climbed up to the bridge to get a closer view and it was worth every step of it. We took our time and meandered down to Bandon where Eric's parents live and spent the rest of our time there enjoying the scenery and the company. It was wonderful to be able to have Alex around his other set of grandparents for such a long time. He sure did make a bee-line for the kitchen cabinets. He rearranged the spices and examined the pots and pans. He loved being outside and digging in the dirt in the back yard.

We got to go to the beach and look for agates and other unusual rocks. Eric was in heaven and spend many hours on the beach looking for new treasure (rocks) that now have a new home in our house. That is what happens when you marry a geologist.

We had planned on going to visit the Redwoods while we were there, but Eric picked up a stomach bug on the plane and so we made other plans. We visited the shops along Old Town Bandon and got some Umpqua Icecream. They had a dog show while we were there and so we got to see so many different breeds of dogs. Alex even got to sit on one's shoulders.

We completely enjoyed our visit there and can't wait to visit again. The best part was being around family and just enjoying each other.

Happy Anniversary to Us Almost

I just wanted to write a little something about my best friend in the whole world, my husband. It is amazing and I consider it a miracle that you can meet someone and go from complete stranger to best friend and most cherished companion. We are going to celebrate our 6 year anniversary on Sunday. I can't believe all of the many things that we have done in that short time frame. I love being married to my best friend, so in honor of that I am going to do an anniversary post that took from Eric's cousin's blog. Thanks Mindi for the idea.

1. What date is your anniversary?
June 22

2.Where did you get married?
Jordan River Temple

3. Who proposed and how?
Eric, He took me to the Houston Temple and we went for a walk around the temple grounds and then he stopped by a fountain that is on the side of the temple and we sat on a bench and talked for a while. I kind of knew what was happening, but I was soaking in every minute. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We had been to my parents house a week before and asked my dad and mom's permission. We had been ring shopping a few weeks earlier, but I didn't know that he had already gotten the ring.

4. How long were you engaged?
About 2 1/2 months


5. What was the favorite part of your wedding day? (besides who you were marrying, hopefully)
All of it. It was fantastic to be in the temple with so many family and friends. So many people sacrificed to be there.


6. What would you change if you could?
I don't think that I would change anything it was so perfect for us.

7.Wedding colors?
My colors were a periwinkle and soft yellow, but we didn't have matching outfits for everyone.

8.Do you remember anything special from your ceremony? Any good advice? A comical moment?
The sealer was a member of Eric's ward when he was younger. We were able to meet about a few months before we were married. He was wonderful and gave us a packet of quotes, talks, and a framed message about how to strengthen your marriage.
I guess Eric and I were a kissing a lot during our pictures because our photographer said, "You guys are sure the kissingest couple I've seen."

9.Were you clean or messy when you cut your wedding cake?
Clean, sort of, some of it dropped down the front of my dress and I had to step out of the reception to retrieve it in private.

10.Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Our first night we stayed at the Hines Mansion in the "Paradise" Room. Then we left the next day and went on a trip to explore New England. It was so much fun. We loved it.

11.How long have you been married now?
On Sunday it will be 6 years.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart, I love you!

Calling for Tried and Tested Advice

Hi to all you faithful readers out there. I have been missing in action lately and could have usually been found taking a nap and trying to scrub peanut butter and jelly sandwiches off of the floor.

I am just looking for any advice about getting a picky 1 1/2 year old to eat more during the day than just milk, raisins, graham crackers, and macaroni and cheese. Does/did anyone else have this same nagging question at the end of the day " What in the world am I going to feed my little boy so that he will get some nutrition into him?" I have been reading online for advice in this area and everyone said that they will grow out of it and that they are just trying to exert their new independence over at least one thing in their life. I have also read about the reverse psychology technique, where you get everyone at the table to sit down and eat and you don't have any food in the high chair waiting for them. Then they will see that they are missing out and will want some of your food. It said to give them a bite and then to keep ignoring them until they ask for more to eat. That way they have control over the situation and pretty soon they will have eaten 20 or so bites.
Has anyone got any suggestions or words of wisdom for a new mom?

The next area of advice I need help with is airline travel with the same little boy. Any activities, suggestions for a little one who could use a few hours of distraction? Has anyone used new toys or has come across some miracle drug that I don't know about? Please share any and all advice on the matter.

Here is a cute video that we got over the last weekend of Alex. As you will soon witness, he is all boy.

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'

This week there have been many new developments at the Stewart household. Here is a recap...

Well I decided to make some freezer jam for the very first time a few days ago after my friend Melanie shared some raspberry freezer jam that she made. It was so fabulous, that I decided to make some strawberry freezer jam myself. I have made peach preserves and canned them before, but never freezer jam. Man, have I been missing out. It was so easy and it tastes so yummy. I guess that I was over zealous and bought too many strawberries, I couldn't resist. They were only 99 cents at Food Town and they were good quality. I bought 8 containers because I wanted to make a double batch of jam. Melanie thought that you needed 4 containers per batch, so that is why I ended up with eight. Well, experience has taught me now that you only need 1 1/2 containers per batch, so now we have 5 pounds of fresh strawberries in our fridge. I have got to take care of them soon before we have 5 pounds of rotten strawberries in the fridge.
I guess that I will be busy canning, freezing, and preparing strawberries this weekend.
Here is a picture of the finished product and of my monstrous mound of strawberries.



For Family Home Evening, Eric provided a wonderful lesson about Jesus Christ and his life. It was really good honey! I provided the activity, so we made Mother's Day cards for each of our mother's (sorry that they won't get there on time). I initially thought that Eric would be bored with the project, especially when he saw me pull out my scrapbook paper and supplies. I even thought that I saw him roll his eyes ;0) j/k. I also thought that his project would be done in like 30 seconds and I would still be sitting there an hour later trying to finish up. Much to my surprise, he really got into creating a card for his mom. He used brads, crafting paper, paper cutters, and he was even tempted to use some ribbon. I kept looking over at his card in amazement at his beautiful creation. I was so impressed and am hoping to get one of his original creations a few days from now (hint, hint);0). Here is a look at our final products.


The final project we have been working on is adding a new member to our family. We found out that I was pregnant in late March and went to the doctor on Wednesday for our first ultrasound. I was hoping to keep this great news quiet a little longer, but I don't think that some of my clothes will be comfortable for too much longer. We initially thought our due date would be the 4th of December, but using the ultrasound measurements the pushed back our due date to the 12th of December. I have been feeling alright, I feel nauseated most of the day, but I found out that if I eat and drink about every two hours then it is a little better. It was too hard to try and eat and drink at church in secret. I was finding myself taking trips to the car on Fast Sunday to try and munch on something. Well I guess the little surprise is out in the open. We were trying to wait until the end of the 1st trimester to tell everyone because I have miscarried before. I felt safer making that 13 week mark but we are telling a little bit early.
Here is a picture of our ultrasound. It is kind of grainy, I had just visited the bathroom and the technician said that it would have been a clearer picture with a full bladder. Oh, well we know for next time.

The Top 100 list- part 2!

Ok, this is Eric now. I've been teasing Erika about not finishing her list for a week now, and she's been slacking (it's not like she has anything else going on- just watching two energetic little boys all day, taking care of the house, cooking, serving as chauffeur, scrapbooking, etc. etc. etc...). I thought you might want to learn more about Erika through the eyes of her husband- too bad I know her password HEE HEE. :)

57. Erika loves to cook. She is very talented and breads, cakes, cinnamon rolls, etc are her specialty.
58. Erika is VERY ticklish on her neck. She hates having her feet tickled though.
59. Erika loves peanut butter, jelly, banana and cheese sandwiches.
60. Erika scares her husband sometimes when she's driving. She's a good driver- we just have different styles, that's all (I happen to LIKE space between me and the car in front of me for some strange reason- go figure!).
61. Erika loves to go on walks, except when it's too hot. Then she loves to swim.
62. Erika has seen the movie "You've Got Mail" about 673 times. This month.
63. Erika gets stir-crazy being in the house for too long. She likes being out and about. I'm kind of the opposite.
64. Erika taught herself to whistle while we were dating.
65. Erika has a fantastic memory for events and details.
66. Erika has dyslexia. Although reading is sometimes a challenge, her condition has also been a blessing as it has helped her identify kids in her classrooms that could benefit from special care and training.
67. Erika caught her future husband's eye by being a "spiritual giant" when they were in the same Family Home Evening group as singles. Little did he know she was a little trickster too (she splashed in a mud puddle onto my brand new slacks on one of our first dates. I was shocked, but laughed it off when I saw her trying not to laugh) :)
68. Erika loves fruit- ANY fruit. It's definitely her favorite food group. I think this was her driving force for learning how to can/bottle.
69. Erika brushes her teeth religiously every night (Thanks Erika!).
70. Erika once played the computer game "Diablo" all the way through, much to the shock and delight of her husband!
71. Erika has served as both Primary President and Relief Society President.
72. Erika LOVES bring a Mommy. She is great with Alex and I enjoy seeing her play with him. She's also a step-Mommy as she watches a little boy during the day.
73. When we were dating, Erika said she wanted six kids. <:-O
74. Erika is struggling to finish The Dark is Rising book series. She doesn't like it very much (I love it), but see made and is keeping a promise to complete it.
75. Erika was the first person in her family to blog. Unfortunately, she's also the only person in her family to blog (hint hint Karen!) :)
76. Erika talked nearly non-stop about her experiences at BYU when we first met. She had just moved down here and had a great experience there. We sometimes wish we had known each other up there.
77. Erika is generally the one that leads our family is doing good works- she is always looking to help someone- it's one of the many things I admire about her.
78. Erika is patient with her husband's boxes of rocks all over the house. She knew the "baggage" she was getting along with marrying a geologist!
79. Erika sleeps all bundled up in the covers but always with her feet sticking out (on purpose).
80. Erika has dimples in her cheeks. ;)
81. Erika has never been outside of the United States; she's been to 46 states, however. I hope to take her to Europe (especially London) someday.
82. IKEA is one of Erika's favorite stores, along with Michaels and Hobby Lobby.
83. Erika's nickname is "Smiley". She is a very positive, bubbly, and cheery person. Another of the things I love about her. By the way, NEVER call her Eriku. You've been warned.
84. Erika once saved a professor (that she didn't much care for) from an embarrassing situation by telling him he was trailing toilet paper out of his pants!
85. Erika loves to sing to herself but gets a little embarrassed singing out loud sometimes. I love hearing her humming to herself subconsciously.
86. Erika got hooked on the TV show "Babylon 5" (courtesy of her husband).
87. Erika is considering going back to school to get a Master's in Library Science.
88. Erika made a quilt by hand that now proudly hangs on our bedroom wall. It's beautiful and she did it from scratch (no plan). Great job honey!
89. Erika has several strange nicknames from her weird husband- "pumpkey", "honey boof ball", "butterbuns", and "babydoll" to name a few. She also gets whatever is on my mind at the time- isn't that right my little bloggerizer?
90. Erika once almost broke her foot using Tae Kwon Do on some poor unfortunate target.
91. Erika and I kept a log of all of our correspondence and activities while we were dating- she can tell you by memory usually (see #65 above), but I am not as fortunate.
92. Erika is one of the most righteous people I know. She is a lot of fun but she truly exemplifies the Savior, especially in our family.
93. Erika sometimes has trouble expressing herself, because she gets so excited to get something said that she trips over her words.
94. Erika's favorite place is Humbug Mountain, Southern Oregon coast.
95. Erika has turned into a digital picture fiend- usually several pictures per day. I tease her about it a little but I'm glad since our son's growing up so fast...
96. The name of Erika's current car is Black Death (don't ask me... psycho!) ;)
97. Erika is usually right when we have a difference of opinion, but she's not the type of person who rubs it in. She's a very forgiving and patient person with all of "less desirable" traits her husband occasionally displays...
98. Erika's Love Languages are Quality Time and Acts of Service. Read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
99. Erika helped me to enjoy dancing. I'm no Fred Astaire, but I do like a slow dance now and then with my eternal partner... :)
100. Wow! That's quite a list. Unfortunately, it doesn't begin to describe the wonderful person that I share my life with. Erika is the best thing that ever happened to me- ask anyone who knew me before we met. She is my best friend and the most wonderful wife and mother for Alex. I miss her, even if she's just gone for a walk or I've gone to work. I hope you've enjoyed getting to know her a little better. I can speak from experience when I say she's the kind of friend you want to be around. Thanks for all you do for her!