Rexburg Trip

Steve and I took a quick day trip to Rexburg last Friday for a wedding at the new Rexburg temple.  We decided to leave early enough to do a session right before the ceremony so that we could see the new temple and I am so glad we did. It was beautiful. The ceremony was really special. Neither the bride or the groom had their parents there, but the room was full of a few family, friends, and missionary companions. After the ceremony we stopped at Craigo's for a pizza bomb. Anyone who went to school in Rexburg will appreciate that. Pizza bombs are the best! Steve was impressed with them. Rexburg has grown quite a bit since I went to school there, but I was surprised at how much was the same. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Rexburg and go to the temple--do it!

We are Japanese if you please...

In case you haven't heard Steve's parents are moving to Japan for a couple of years. Gordon has already been working over there for a few months, but Tammy went over for the first time this month to check things out. She brought all kinds of goodies and Japanese things to try. The coolest store was the 100 Yen store (dollar store). She got the coolest ties there that you would never guess were from a dollar store. Steve loves them and wears them all the time. She also brought home house slippers, dishes, placemats for my new table, a lego car for Cody, lots of candy, and some cute bags. It was fun to check out all the goods. 

The Sunday after she got back we had an interesting Sunday dinner. We were eating burritos but we had to try out the chopsticks too. So we ate our mexican meal with chopsticks. Here is Cody with his chopsticks and animal crackers. Steve's sister, Raquel, taught Cody how to hold the chopsticks and he caught on pretty fast.

Here is a picture of Raquel and Cody modeling the Japanese house slippers.

3 Things to Share About Cody...

1. Cody finished the Book of Mormon for the first time. We have been reading 10 verses a night for 2 years and finally finished.

2. Steve's dad is a pilot and Cody keeps a sharp eye out for any planes in the sky. He can spot them better than anybody. Any time he sees an airplane he yells "Hi Grandpa!!" even when Grandpa is sitting right next to him. The other day he was saying the prayer and started blessing everyone he could think of but when he got to Steve's parents it was hard not to laugh. He said, 
"please bless Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Airplane."

3. Cody gets so excited about taking the Sacrament each week at church. As soon as he realizes that the Sacrament is about to be blessed and passed he makes sure he is sitting on the lap of whoever is next to the aisle. One Sunday a few weeks ago I happened to be sitting on the aisle. When the bread came around I saw him touch a piece and then go for another piece (which I thought he took and ate but couldn't see for sure because he was facing away from me). After I took my piece I whispered to Steve to take the piece that I saw Cody touch first so that no one else would eat it. Steve grabbed it and then had to scoot down the bench to pass it to the next person. The second Steve started passing it down the bench Cody broke down and started crying so hard. It was one of those sad cries that just about breaks your heart. I suddenly realized that he had never picked up a piece of bread. The poor kid. Even though he was crying I couldn't take him out because he wasn't acting up. Luckily, Steve was able to flag down a Deacon to bring a tray over and Cody was able to get his bread.

I thought maybe everyone in the meeting would wonder why we hadn't taken Cody out when he was crying. But for a week or two afterward people would bring it up and say they were just sad for Cody and that they thought it was so cute (even people I didn't think knew what happened because they weren't sitting near us). One lady who was sitting directly behind us during the meeting came up to us afterwards and told us she thought it was so cute that he was that excited to take the Sacrament. She said, "wouldn't it be great if we were all that eager to take the Sacrament?" 

WE LOVE CODY!!

Help! My Menu is in a Rut

Do you ever feel like you are in a rut with your meal planning? I am feeling that way right now. I am wondering if anyone has any ideas to get me going again. I am especially interested in any great ideas that are toddler friendly. I have been really trying to provide healthier meals and expose Cody to a variety of foods instead of just sticking with his basics...even if it means he just tries one bite, which is a huge step. In my children's nutrition class I had to read a book about feeding children and it said that children-especially toddlers-are neophobic (scared of new things) and that it takes being exposed to a particular food sometimes as much as 14 times before they will try the food or be comfortable eating it. So I am really working on exposing Cody to the world of food. A year ago we could get him to eat anything and now even the things he loved then are turned down. His new phrase is, "that grosses me out." Oops. I think he got that from me (being pregnant makes me gross out easier). Do you have any ideas for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner? What are some of the ways that you incorporate vegetables throughout the day? What are some dishes that are budget friendly? What are some ideas of what to pack in a lunch for Steve on school days where there is no microwave or fridge? As you can see, any ideas you might have are welcome and greatly needed. Help!

USA Today's Youngest Reader

The other day while Cody was eating his toast he asked me if he could read the mail. I thought that was a funny little request from a two year old, but I couldn’t see any mail in sight. Then I figured he must be talking about the newspaper. Sure enough—that’s what he meant so I handed him USA Today and waited to see what he would do. Amazed, I watched him flip and fold the pages like a pro. He really looked like an interested reader just catching the latest news with his toast and juice.

Growing Things

We like growing things (things like plants, not mold or warts or tumors). Steve has been dying to get his hands on some seeds and start growing herbs. We’ve been checking the stores since early January and finally found some Rosemary, Parsley, and Mint seeds at Home Depot last week. Cody has fun helping dad water them with the squirt bottle. We really like growing our own food and we dream of the day when we can grow a lot more in a yard of our own, but for now we will have to stick with the mini flower pot version on our balcony. Starting seeds and warmer days are making me anxious for spring!

Valentine's Party

We had a fun Valentine's Day. We went to the library when Steve got home (which is nothing out of the ordinary--if we aren't home that means we are at the library) and then the Cramer's brought over dinner from Jimmy John's and some Valentine treats. Steve, Raquel, and Lacey played racquetball while Cody, Tammy, and I hung out at home. Cody got a little stuffed puppy (pictured) and blanket with balls on it from Cramer's and Duncan's gave Cody a little Elmo backpack so that he can be like dad when he goes to school.

Even though Steve and I didn't go out to dinner or anything for Valentine's, Steve did a whole bunch of sweet things for me throughout the week (which isn't out of the ordinary--that's my normal wonderful life being married to Steve). We went to the temple together a few days before, he washed and vacuumed the car, and cleaned the toilet. You may not think that that is very romantic, but it's the little things he does everyday that make him the person that I love!

Shower Buddies

Cody has started taking showers and loving it. After he gets himself undressed (mostly) he starts running around the house with the neck of his shirt around his chest. No diaper, no pants...just living free. When he gets in the shower he just dances around the whole time and then doesn't want to get out until the water is cold. Usually Steve just sits next to the shower and helps Cody, but this time he got in (fully dressed) for the picture.

Playing in the Snow at Grandma's

Today we went down to Steve's parents and packed in a whole day of fun. Tammy and I went to the Worldwide Leadership Meeting (which was awesome) while Steve hung out with Cody at the Cramer's. Then Steve and I went to the temple while Cody played with Grandma and Lacey in the mountains of snow. They made an arch. I also got a much needed haircut from Tammy. Time is always fun at the Cramer's and we're glad we could hang out! We will miss them when they go to Japan!

IT'S A GIRL!

Good news everyone! We had our ultrasound on Tuesday and we are having a girl! We are very excited and love talking up the "baby sister" thing with Cody. Hopefully the more we talk about it the more it will become real to Cody (and us!). I have my ultrasound pictures but I won't be posting them yet. Our internet connection has pooped out on us and so I am doing a quick update here from my parents house. I am sorry for the sudden drop in posts. I was doing so good at keeping us up to date. Darn! Despite the internet/holiday set backs I will keep trying to keep things rolling. Anyway, I just had to pass on the good news about our baby girl. I hope she likes wearing navy blue and playing with monster trucks! :)