Goodbye 2011!

Ultimo post do ano!!! E que ano! Foi um ano de altos e baixos, mas com muito mais altos do que baixos! Tivemos a bencao de receber o Adam em nosso lar. Nao podia ter pedido por um bebe mais bonzinho e bem humorado! Que alegria que eh ter ele em nossas vidas.

Tambem tivemos a oportunidade de voltar pra Rexburg e refazer algumas metas para o futuro. As coisas deram muito certo pra que isso acontecesse. O Bryan esta com um emprego muito bom e estavel. E por enquanto estou podendo ficar em casa e curtir meus filhotes crescerem.


Mas quando penso em todos esses momentos importantes do ano, nao tenho como nao pensar nos meus pais e sentir uma gratidao enoooorme por eles. Eles fizeram com que tudo isso fosse possivel. Minha mae veio me ajudar por 5 meses (tah, tambem ajudou meu irmao nesse tempo!) Eu estive doente, de repouso, e ela cuidou da minha casa, cuidou da Tiffany para que ela nao se sentisse abondanada, fez de tudo! Meu pai mesmo de longe, tambem foi e tem sido uma graaaande ajuda! Eles estao sempre torcendo por nos e sempre procurando o nosso bem estar. Eh muito bom saber que mesmo de longe eu posso SEMPRE contar com eles!

Christmas 20111

We had a great Christmas this year. We spent most of it by ourselves but we really enjoyed each others company. Our Christmas Eve dinner was Brazilian style, and SO GOOD! Christmas day we got to go to church early in the morning before we even opened gifts and remember the true meaning of it. Tiffany and Adam really enjoyed their gifts and we just had a great time!

 

 

I will finally be able to take better pictures of my kiddos and my projects to post here! YAY!

Caramel Pops

This is my FAVORITE holiday recipe. I ate it for the first time at my in-law's house and was absolutely addicted to it. After a couple of years, my mother-in-law stopped making them so I had to learn how to make it to keep up the tradition! It's pretty easy and makes a lot!
 Ingredients:

1- 8oz bag of Barrel O'Fun Corn Pops (not the cereal) You'll find it in the potato chips section. I actually got the 15 lb and doubled the recipe. (place it in a large roasting pan and preheat oven to 250 degrees.)

Caramel Coating (mix in 2 qt saucepan)

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

While mixing, cook first 3 ingredients for 2 min or until bubbly around the edges, remove from heat. 

Add the 1 tsp of baking soda to cause foaming ( this will allow for proper coating of pops. Pour caramel over corn pops and stir until pops are properly coated.

 Place in oven for approximately 45 min. stirring every 10 min. 

 

Remove from oven and pour onto waxed paper. Break apart before pops can cool to desired size.

 

Para quem quiser tentar essa receita mas mora no Brasil, minha mae usa Cheetos (nao sei qual tipo, vou perguntar) e ela disse que tambem fica muito bom!

Rag Quilt

Here is how I did my first rag quilt. It was my very first big sewing project and I think it turned out pretty good. I can't wait to make another one!

 I used 7x7 squares and did a 6x7 square quilt. I think it's not a traditional size, but I wanted it to just be a snuggle blanket for Tiffany, one that she can just take anywhere.

I chose 4 matching flannels for the front and 1 for the back. For the batting I chose to do just a white flannel cut the same size as the other squares instead of the quilt batting because it was easier to just cut them all the same size but I'll probably try the other kind next time to see if it makes it more soft (I thought it turned out a little stiff.)

 
So I cut enough squares of each of the 4 fabrics to make an even pattern. Then I cut enough squares for the batting and for the back and started putting them together (they call it a sandwich because it's one for the front, one for the middle, and one for the back.)

My next step was to sew an x in the middle of my "sandwiched"squares. After this was done I was able to lay them on the floor and arrange them to my liking. Yes, it took me a while to figure out a pattern I liked. But after that it was easy, I just took one row at a time and sewed the squares wrong side together with a 1/2 in allowance. Then I sewed each row together. Lastly I sewed around the edges with 1/2 allowance as well for the fringes.

The last step was by far the hardest and most tiring. Cutting the fringes. Because it was my first time, I didn't invest in a rag quilt scissor (it became top of the list after this though, because it almost ruined my nice sewing shears and our hands- Bryan's and mine- were sore for a few days after this). Bryan actually did most of it because I would've never been able to finish it, and it took him almost 2 hours! It was hard work!  But after that we put it in the washer and drier to rag the fringes and it was done! ( A couple of notes...I would recommend washing and drying at a laundromat because of the mess, but I was way too anxious to finish it so our next couple of washed ended up full of flannel along with the drier having to be cleaned constantly until it got cleaned out! And second you have to wash it at least a couple of times for the fringes to really look good.

Ho ho ho!

After we got our Christmas tree decorated I realized we didn't quite have enough ornaments on it. So I had to make some changes (add the gold and return the ones I had bought so I could get a bigger set.) Now I'm really happy with it, so here is the final result!

 A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to see Papai Noel (Santa Clause). This was the first year Tiffany didn't freak out but you can tell she was still a little skeptical. She did tell him what she wants for Christmas this year though.

 Adam was totally fine with it. He just sat there like it was no big deal (let's see next year though!). We weren't supposed to take pictures with our own camera, but pay $25? You're kidding, right? I saw lots of other parents doing it so I went ahead and snapped a couple of shots! :P

I have to say this Santa Clause could've had a little less beard, don't you think? You can barely see his face!

Taco Soup

This is one of Bryan's favorite recipes and I have to say it's been very popular among friends and family that have stayed at our house so I would like to share with you what we're having for dinner tonight!

TACO SOUP RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger meat
1 package of taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can half peeled tomatoes
1 bag tortilla chips (it goes well with Doritos too)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour Cream (optional)

Directions:

In a pan, cook hamburger meat until it starts to turn brown. Add the taco seasoning and mix well. Add pinto and kidney beans, corn, and peeled tomatoes. Add water to cover the ingredients. Let it cook for about 10 min on medium heat. Serve it in bowls with cheese and sour cream. Eat it with chips or a spoon.

If you're having a lot of people over, just add more of all the ingredients and it makes for a perfect meal for the whole gang!

It's Christmas time again!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we decided to decorate our tree. This year I couldn't wait to decorate our house for Christmas. I'm just so excited and I think it's because we now have two kids and Tiffany is enjoying it so much more!

 

Fall is here!

We took Tiffany to this cute barn in Idaho Falls where they let you pick your own pumpkin. I thought it was much better than taking her to Broulims...unfortunately we got there late and it was already getting dark, but we had fun!





We thought the pumpkins in the first place were kinda pricy and only bought a couple of small ones for the kids. And today we found a house where this man grows pumpkins in his backyard and sells it. He was a really nice and had Tiffany help him cut the pumpkins we wanted. Now we are all set and ready to carve them!

Kids bedrooms

I've had a few requests since Adam was born to post pictures of his room, but since my mom was staying in it...well, it didn't really look like a baby's room! Tiffany still had his crib and it was all just temporary.
The DAY my mom left, I was so sad and depressed that I made Bryan transfer the crib to Adam's room (it wouldn't fit through the door, so he had to take it apart) so I wouldn't think of it as my mom's room anymore (or I would cry again!) and have something to look forward to the next day (finally setting up the nursery!).
Tiffany got a twin size bed from my in-law's but she would still ask to sleep in the crib (she even learned to FINALLY climb in it so we wouldn't make her sleep on the bed). But that night we showed her that the crib was now Adam's and she now had the big girl bed with pretty flowers all to herself.
Thankfully she adjusted just fine and never asked for the crib again. The only problem now is that we can't make her understand that she can get out of bed by herself without having to call us. It's so annoying that she will lay there and yell for us to come get her instead of just getting out by herself. I guess I can't complain too much, cuz I rather she did that than get out of bed ALL the time and not sleep when she is supposed to, but sometimes I'm busy or Adam is sleeping next door and she will wake him up. Any suggestions???





I still need to figure out what/how I'm going to hang on the walls. I want to do a vinyl phrase by Tiff's bed that says "aqui dorme uma princesa" (here sleeps a princess) and for Adam I have three paintings of the animals from his bedding set and also I want to add a shelf with blocks that have his name on it, but those are projects that I still need to find time to do! It's been fun to have both a boy and a girl's room. They have totally different feel and personalities to it.

Life with two kids...

Wow...who knew life with two kids would be so so so hectic? I remember feeling this way when Tiff was born, but it's even worse now. I'm sure it's mainly because I'm nursing Adam every 3 hours. But really, how do people do it??? I still have my mom here so she helps A LOT with handling one kid while I help the other, or managing the house while I run errands and so on. But in a few weeks she is going home, and I ask myself: Then what???? How am I going to do it all? Plus add a job on top of it? I know, I know, with time we will get into a routine and I'll get things figured out, but I have to say I'll freak out quite a bit until then.
I feel very apart from the world. Like I do so much all day that by the end of it I don't have time to keep in touch with anybody. But life is good. Whenever we can, we've been going out and doing lots of things to enjoy the short summer we get here in Idaho.

Riding horses...

Going to Bear World


Going to the pool...Playing in the sand at Bear Lake...Being miserable at Bear Lake because of the heat and the amount of people there. The lake was so full we couldn't go to our regular spot and enjoy it like we always did. So we didn't stay long.Getting ready for hunting season with Bryan's new state-of-the-art bow. His dream come true!Getting rained on at the International Dance Festival.Visiting the Tautphaus Zoo in Idaho Falls...And getting stared at by animals because he is SO stinking cute!

Here is Adam's latest picture. Isn't he so chubby? He is already well over 13 lbs and losing most of his 0-3 months. He is so heavy already that my back hurts like crazy if I hold him too long. He is such a sweet baby. Sleeps around 5 hours at night, eats every 3h during the day and if he is feeling good he will just lay there and hang out for the longest time (that never really happened with Tiff).

I feel so blessed to have these two angels in my life. It makes me feel so complete to have my little family and to be able to enjoy them every day. I know it's not always easy, but I wouldn't change it for the world. And I know it will just get better once they start playing more together.

A Baby Story

As some of you know, I had scheduled to be induced on the 24th because it was my dad's birthday, and it also gave me an excuse to have him a little early (2 days before his due date). I was pretty sure he wasn't going to come any earlier than that, so I was totally planning on being induced.
The 23rd arrived and Bryan had the day off, so we spent most of the day out getting things done, we went to Kmart to look at some things and we were there for about an hour just walking. It was pretty painful to walk so much, but since I knew it was my last day with my big belly I just decided to tough it out. After that we went to Idaho Falls to change the oil in the car, so we had to wait for an hour at Wal mart. I ended up walking a bunch more there too, but I was already pretty worn out.
We did a lot of other things during that day and ended up getting home late. I still had to finish packing my hospital bag, and I wanted to get my nails done. By then I started to have some pretty painful contractions and quite often. I showered, ate, and got ready for bed. I told Bryan I would just go to sleep and if they got bad enough then we would head to the hospital.
I ended up sleeping until about 4:30 (the usual time I would get up to go to the bathroom). However, as soon as I woke up, I got a really strong contraction and couldn't even move. I got a couple more before I was able to get up (I was sleeping on the floor on our air mattress). I got up, went to the bathroom and tried to go back to sleep. Didn't happen! My contractions kept coming and coming and stronger. So I got up and started to get ready. I was scheduled to be at the hospital by 7:30 so I didn't want to wake Bryan up until about 6 which is what we had set our alarm clock to. I ended up waking him up a little before that because I was in serious pain. I just told him to hurry and shower because I was going to call the hospital and see if we could go earlier than scheduled. I talked to the nurse and she said I should probably hurry and go.
The funny thing is that we got there 1/2 hour before the time I was supposed to arrive and we still had to register (last time we registered before). The lady could tell I was in a lot of pain, but still it took FOREVER. She told the nurse to come and get me and they never showed (they probably thought I wasn't in real labor and were just waiting for me to get upstairs. ) This was the longest hour of my life, and they even asked me how I waited that long to go to hospital (well, I've never started labor on my own before so how was I supposed to know?!). As soon as I got there though, I asked for the epidural. The pain was about as bad as I knew I could and wanted to handle and I knew it would still take them a while to give me the epidural. When I got all set in bed, they checked me and I was at 3.5 dilated and 80% effaced. I got the epidural after 8 and oh how I had looked forward to that moment! It was great but not as good as the last time...I think I was in pain for a lot longer so I was too tense and never took my so hoped for nap. I did get some good rest though. By 10 I was dilated to almost 6, by 11 I was at 8 and by 12 I was ready. The nurse told me to start pushing and she would only call the Dr went the baby got to the canal. I pushed for about 1/2 hour and he started to crown. She made me stop pushing until the Dr arrived. That made me mad because I could feel the pressure and I could tell he was almost out. It seemed like the Dr took forever, but once he got there I pushed twice and he came out! Wow...I was so amazed at how easy it was compared to my experience with Tiff. Yes, now I believe that the second time is easier!
They gave him to me right away and I got to hold him the whole time! It was a TOTALLY different experience (I don't know how many times I've said this, but it's true!), because we didn't have any complications, everything was more peaceful and I got to enjoy every minute of it. Also, it was my second time, so I wasn't so freaked out with the fact that I had a tiny baby in my arms. They finally took him to weigh and measure and when they told me he was 8 lbs 9 oz I couldn't believe it! How in the world did I deliver such a big baby? Well, by getting a bunch of stitches, that's how! But it still wasn't nearly as bad. Everyone left the room and Bryan and I got to hang out with our little boy for quite a while...it was such a neat experience. Finally the nurse came in to help me up and give him a bath. We then went into the mom and baby unit where I would stay for a couple of days. After we were settled, I called my mom so her and Tiffany could come over.
Tiffany has loved Adam from the beginning. She is always worried and hates seeing him cry so she will hold his hand and do whatever she can to comfort him. She is also obsessed with his hands, and he doesn't like that so much.
What amazes me the most about this whole experience is that it's been one week since I had him and I feel as good as I did 2 months after I had Tiffany. HUGE difference, right?! I've been pretty much doing everything, even driving. The only thing is the lack of sleep, but today was the first time I took a nap. I have so much going on that I never stop, but when I do I'm worn out.
Adam eats and sleeps really well, he is such a good baby. Everything has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I still don't have enough hours in the day to keep up, but maybe that will come with time.
Tiffany is adapting well. My mom finds tons of different activities to keep her entertained, and the weather is finally good enough for her to go play outside. The only problem has been her lack of appetite. She wont eat anything but cheerios and some fruit. She refuses everything and won't try anything new. I don't what to do anymore. She's never been like this, but there has been so much change in her life that I can understand.

Well, I wrote way too much, and if you made it all the way through, now you can enjoy some pictures!