Car Owners!

A monumental moment happened the other night for our family....we paid off our car and are now proud car owners! Hooray! 

Making our last payment!

Cookies and a Haircut

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the results of weeks 1 and 2 of my Pinterest challenge, wait no longer! Over the past two weeks I have: enjoyed a relaxing weekend home with my family, took a fun vacation to my sister's house, made some truly out-of-this-world cookies and got a great new haircut!

Week #1 The Brown Butter Snickerdoodle

While the end result was quite literally the best snickerdoodle I've ever tasted, that is not to say that I didn't run into a couple hiccups along the way. As I said before, this was my first time making snickerdoodles and in my inexperience I seemed to have picked the most complex  snickerdoodle recipe.

The party I was originally planning on making these cookies for was cancelled at the last minute but they looked too good to pass up. So after we put the baby to bed, Collin and I decided to whip up these cookies and watch a movie. Little did we know, these snickerdoodles took a little more time to "whip up". After getting through about half of the recipe we discovered that the dough needed to chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and since it was already after 9pm we just decided to let the dough chill overnight and bake the cookies in the morning.

While it seemed like a long process for a cookie, it all paid off in the end. This recipe from the Ambitious Kitchen blog is definitely a keeper!

Week #2 The Long Bob

I've been growing my hair out since before I got pregnant with Addie almost 2 years ago...WOW it seems crazy that I really haven't done anything to my hair since then! Anyway, you know when you've had the same hairstyle for a while and things seem a little drab? Well that was me. I loved being able to do a lot of different things with my hair but I felt I was lacking structure and style. Plus with spring right around the corner I wanted a fresh look. I've been rockin' the straight bangs for a couple of months now which is why I instantly fell in love with this long bob and thought I'd give it a go.

So for this week's challenge I called up my friend who is in to hair school right now and made an appointment. Going from long to short is always an adjustment but I really love how it turned out! Leah (my friend/hairdresser) really gets my style and did a great job!

Photo by Hanna Caldwell

Photo by Hanna Caldwell 

The Pinterest Challenge

If you've been over to my sister's blog, then you've probably heard about the "Pinterest Challenge". My sister originally got this idea from Merricks Art and convinced me to take on the challenge with her. Pinterest has become a captivating...and often consuming...resource where we can gather and share ideas and inspiration. However, if you are like me you spend most of your time pinning and not actually making those recipes, doing those projects, or wearing those cute outfits. So here is the challenge: pick out six pins to work on and complete over the next six weeks.

Here is my line-up of things I will be working on over the next six weeks:

1. I'm a huge sucker for desserts. If you've seen my food board on Pinterest you'll notice that more than half of my pins are in fact desserts. My husband loves snickerdoodles, not to mention we have a party we are going to this weekend, which makes it the perfect opportunity for me to make these. I've never made snickerdoodles so this will be new for me.

2. I've spent the last year and a half growing out my hair, but with spring right around the corner I feel the need for something a little different and fun. I love this long bob haircut with straight bangs and am excited to give it a try!

3. I am in LOVE with the striped fashion trend that is going on right now...you can never have too many striped shirts, plus I've have my eye on this project for a while now.

4. Also trending right now are statement necklaces. This washer necklace looks easy to make and is unique. I love adding a great accessory to spice up a simple/basic outfit!

5. Since moving home (updates about this to come), I've volunteered to take two nights a week to make dinner so I'm constantly on the lookout for delicious and easy recipes. Me and my family have also been trying to be a little more health conscience in our food choices which is what first inspired this pin.

6. The minute I saw this I immediately knew this was something I wanted to have. I love the rustic, chic look of this old rake used to hand jewelry from. My goal over the next six weeks is to find one to transform into my own necklace holder.

There you have it! I can't wait to get started and show you all my end results!  Also check out my sister's blog HERE so see what she will be working on over the next six weeks.

Playing Catch-up

Hi everyone! I know, I know....I've got some serious catching up to do. For starters, somehow between my last post and now I've found myself with a crawling and very active 9 month old! 

Addie started sitting up by herself about the beginning of October. We would set her basket of toys in front of her and she'd play for hours. It is so fun watching babies explore things for the first time. In the midst of  doing something I'd often find myself watching her playing-- it was so cute!

Halloween was rather uneventful for us this year; however, we did not miss the opportunity to dress Addie up for her very first Halloween. She made the cutest little pumpkin! (A little something I whipped up for the ward Halloween party).

November started a busy couple of months for us. Towards the beginning, Collin traveled to Chicago with his research group to present at a big research conference (I forget the name). While he was gone exploring Chicago, I spent a couple days at my sisters house. After that we were only home for a couple of days, long enough for Collin to take the GRE, and then we left to spend Thanksgiving with Collin's family. As always, Thanksgiving was filled with people we love, great memories, and lots of food. Once we got back from Vegas I was in a mad dash to complete all my classes by the end of the semester and Collin was busy putting together graduate school applications. With everything I had put off till the last minute those last weeks of the semester were brutal, but with the help many wonderful family and friends I was able to pull it off. I am most grateful for my mom who came in to watch Addie while I finished up all my classes. She has always been so supportive and willing to help regardless of the circumstances. I am now done with all my coursework at BYU and am one step away from graduating! 

Once finals were over with we could finally relax and enjoy the holidays, which started with getting a Christmas tree and visiting Santa-- who Addie loved by the way!

(Notice Addie's little teeth and complete excitement to see Santa!)

We spent Christmas a my parents house this year. We all had a great time; however, I managed to go the whole trip without taking any pictures. Luckily my sister was there with her camera and got some great shots. To save time and energy copying them all over to my blog, you can see them here. Due to Collin's work schedule we came home two days after Christmas. While we love being able to spend time with family, it was nice to finally be home for awhile. Over the holiday break Collin and I also celebrated our 3rd anniversary with all-you-can-eat sushi and Les Miserables. 

2012 was a very memorable year for us and has brought us more joy and happiness than we have ever known. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for the many blessing it has brought me. While we don't have much in terms of money and worldly possessions, our life is richly blessed with loving and supportive families/friends and a beautiful healthy baby girl who we adore to pieces. Addie continues to be very happy and playful, full of smiles and funny faces. Collin is still in the process of applying to graduate school programs and on the lookout for a new job. I have just started an internship with Friends for Sight and have plans to graduate in April. While we do not yet know what this new year has in-store for us or where we will end up, we're excited and trust we will end up where we are suppose to be. Happy New Year...make it a great one!

Family Pictures

Don't you just LOVE fall!? It is such a beautiful time of year and the weather has been perfect. With all the changing colors and brilliant scenery I'm sure everyone would agree that it is the perfect time of year to have family pictures done. Lucky for me I know a great photographer who always exceeds my expectations and I'm not just saying that because she is my sister. I'm grateful that she is always so willing to capture some of our family's treasured moments. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

And you may have noticed my new hairstyle...bangs! I have felt rather drab lately and finally just decided I was going to be daring and try something new. So I had my friend Leah cut me some bangs and I do not regret it one bit. It is funny how sometimes a new hairstyle can completely liven up your world! I guess you also noticed Collin's new "hairstyle" for that matter too...his mountain man beard. I can't say much towards Addie's hair situation because she still doesn't have much, but she is still adorable nonetheless! We just love her and her many facial expressions!

5 Months

Addie is growing so fast I feel I can barely keep up! She continues to be a very happy girl (for the majority of the time anyway) and keeps up smiling everyday. At her four month appointment she weighed in at 15.5 lbs and measured 26.5 inches (99th percentile for height). She is healthy and growing strong. She is almost able to sit up by herself but is still a little tipsy at times. We also started her on rice cereal about a week ago which she has done pretty well with. She is our little bundle of joy and we love her more and more with every passing day. And even though some days are a struggle it always seems like one big smile from Addie can make my frustrations disappear. 

Travel Marathon

I figure I have neglected this blog long enough that is time for an update. Sadly when life begins to pick up pace I become rather pathetic at writing; however, since I made it a goal not too long ago to be better at keeping a journal (which in this case is my blog) I will try to be more consistent. 

The end of the summer for us was full of what seemed like endless traveling. While we had fun visiting family and friends it was nice to finally be home for a couple of weeks. Our marathon of trips started with Collin's trip to Boston. For both his and his brother's graduation, their mom bought them tickets to a Boston Red Sox game-- a dream come true for both of them. Collin spent two days in Boston where he got the chance to go to two games at Fenway Park and tour the city a bit. With so much to see and do in Boston two days was just not enough time to really tour the city, so we have plans to go back someday.

While Collin was in Boston I went up to stay at my sister's house for a couple of days. We had a blast as usual and spent way too much money shopping (birthday shopping that is, so I guess that justifies it). Our husbands joke that they are not going to let us get together any more because we always end up spending money shopping or doing crazy intensive projects. Once Collin was back from Boston we were only home for a day or two before we made our way out to Ely for a little reunion with some of my good friends from high school. We only spent the weekend, but I had a great time catching up with old friends and seeing my family for a short while. Several days after our trip to Ely we flew up to Oregon to see Collin's grandma. Our flight out of Salt Lake left at six in the morning and we had a short lay-over in Long Beach before landing in Portland. Collin's uncle picked us up from the airport and drove us out to Tillamook where Grandma Dean lives, an hour and a half drive. All-in-all Addie was a trooper and did great on her first airplane ride!

Oregon was truly the highlight of my summer. It is such a beautiful place with tons of thing to do that I can't wait till we go back. Our first day there Grandma Dean took us to lunch at the Tillamook Cheese Factory where we loaded up on cheese, jerky, and lots and lots of ice cream. After lunch we drove to Oceanside where we walked on the beach and got a beautiful view of one of Oregon's lighthouses.

 We spent most of the second day at the Tillamook County Fair. While at the fair we came across a concession stand that sold German Duners (Collin's favorite food on the mission). This place even cooked the meat like they do in Germany! Needless to say Collin was in heaven.

Our last day in Oregon we went and toured the Air Museum located in an hugh ex-WW2 blimp hanger. The hanger now houses many different kinds of aircraft but what really struck me was the size and craftsmanship of this massive structure. Later that day Collin's grandma took us all up the coast for lunch. It was a beautiful drive that I honestly don't think I'd ever get sick of.

Overall it was a great family vacation. Our flight home was not as great but we eventually made it home safe and sound... oh the joy of flying on standby.