Catch-up

I was supposed to post this last Friday. Just a bit behind...This is a random conglomeration of all the pics I have yet to post. Starting with the oldest first.

Azure sharing her green smoothie with Vince. If you still haven't tried...I think you should ;) Blue Diamond original almond milk and a ripe banana (but too too ripe) make all the difference. Charlie hasn't been a fan, but finally tried again last week after an 8 month break and to his surprise...he likes them! Yay! Stubbornness runs in our family and we're not even blood related. Our poor children.

Amie & Gery's endowment at the Atlanta Temple.

One of my favorite days in a very long time. Poor Charlie had to watch the chillins while they screamed in the back of the car. Get this- Azure didn't bring shoes to Atlanta. Apparently she got in the car without shoes unbeknownst to us. When we pulled up to the hotel and asked her where her shoes were she said somewhat cheerily, "I didn't bring any!" Huh? So, one of my favorite days, I don't know about Charlie :)

I have dreamed of being an escort for someone through the temple. It was such a special experience! Spiritual high. The temple is my drug. For reals :) Another one of my dreams is to be walking distance from a temple. Either that or being able to see the temple from one of the windows in our house. One day.

Afterwards we ate at Chipotle. It's the next best thing to Cafe Rio. Amie snapped these pics of Azure acting like a goof. She sure knows how to make us laugh.

 Love that blurred view of my hot husband in the background. See their smiling resemblance?

So silly!

Azure had 2 gymnastics classes at the YMCA for free. I originally planned to do the class for Vince but, he was stuck to my leg the entire time. After 2 tries I just decided to let Azure do it and assumed he wasn't ready for such classes yet. But, what do you know? The 3rd time, he ran out there and was rolling all over the mat completely undaunted like he owned the entire gym. I learned it takes him awhile to warm up to new things. 3rd times a charm! Sadly no pics of the little steam-roller.

Azure was infatuated with her soccer coach last year, Coach Matt. We assumed he would be her coach this year too. We were all a little disappointed to find out that he wasn't. Azure had a hard time and didn't even want to play. But, she has now warmed up to her new coach, Cierra. Next year she will really be ready to start playing real games.

General Conference is always a spiritual feast for me and I was looking forward to be filled to the brim. Although the talks were spectacular as usual, I struggled a bit to really focus and concentrate. It wasn't just the kids that impeded that. I was in a funk that I couldn't shake. I've made it a goal to re-watch all the talks, not just read, but watch. I think do-overs are a great option when your expectations aren't met the first time!

In between sessions I found Azure out in the backyard praying. She said she was pretending to be Joseph Smith and wanted to pray in the woods. We are working on her prayers being more sincere and heartfelt, not so routine.

 On Sat. Oct. 8th we headed out to Tybee for the Pirate Fest while Daddy was at work. 10 mins after we got there it started pouring rain and we were without umbrellas or hoods so all we did was get Azure's face painted. "Aaarrgghhh mateys!"

What a cute pirate!

 A group of 3 of my friends have started doing preschool for our 4 yr olds on Tuesday mornings for an hour and a half. When it was my turn we talked about our bones and I had the kids make skeletons out of white beans. For our snack we ate a veggie skeleton man! I am becoming crafty thanks to Pinterest ;) We also collected fall leaves in the backyard and did leaf rubbings. I love preschool!

Azure drew a picture of Charles. Kinda looks like a vampire pig to me.

After finding out that Azure likes to steal people's chair in Sunbeams I asked her if she could try just sitting in her own chair and not anyone elses. She responded, "I just can't Mommy. There's something in my brain that makes me do it!" I have no idea where she got this from.

This morning after breakfast Azure said she was still hungry. I pointed to a half eaten banana left over from Vince. She pulled back the peel and saw a slightly oxidized banana, looked and me with raised eyebrows and said, "I don't eat bananas like this," turned around and walked away. I just laughed. She ended up eating it though after 10 mins or so.

On Sat. Oct. 15 we attended Oliver Elam's baptism. The Elams are one of our favorite families in Savannah. Azure likes playing over at their house and was so excited to be at Oliver's baptism. The first thing she said when she woke up that morning was, "Today is Oliver's baptism!" This was one of the first baptisms of an 8 year old that she knows personally. She is now older and understands a little more the significance of baptism. We talked about how Oliver's children would probably be there in spirit watching.

Oh, and one hilarious thing about the baptism- Azure noticed that people were going up to give talks and play instruments for the special musical number. Then as we waited for Oliver and his Dad to change their clothes, some people shared what they remembered about their baptism.

Azure picking up on these social cues (and is clearly my daughter) wanted to participate too. She told me she wanted to say the prayer. I can't remember how I responded to her because I was busy trying to keep our Bishop's son quiet during the confirmation (yet another mishap). Well, after the closing song it was time for the closing prayer and Azure was determined to say it- apparently with or without my approval. She walked right up to the podium and started praying just as the 8 year old boy who was really assigned to give the prayer was getting up. I don't think anyone's eyes were closed for her prayer. I was shocked that she just walked up and did it. The little boy was pretty upset because he really wanted to say the prayer so he ended up saying another one right after Azure.

Afterwards we talked about how we need to ask permission sometimes before we do things like that but, I do love her unconquerable take-charge spirit. Sometimes, at least. Not so much when she's battling me though.

Gah!

Remember when I announced that I was submitting Vince's birth story for the book, The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth?

Well, I just found out today that my story made it in the book! I am being published, a dream of mine come true :) I do wish I could go back and edit some things, but I am so excited. I have been reading 2 of the 3 author's blogs for over 2 years now and they are both fabulous writers and share so many great insights on pregnancy and birth. I am excited to get my hands on a copy of the book and read the birth stories. Oh, how I love birth stories!

They're trying to generate sales right now. If you pre-order it, you get 10% off. Even though I haven't read it yet, I know I can recommend that this will be an inspirational read. Isn't this a pretty cover? Hydrangeas! One of my faves!

Go here to read more about the book. Go here to see my name in the table of contents under Chapter Ten: Pain. And go here to pre-order your book!

Oh, and I should mention this because I think it's awesome. In my story I mention that I was able to heal emotionally after my C-section with Azure because I helped empower other women to feel good about their births. One of those women is my friend Jamie Wagner. And Jamie also submitted a story and it is also being published! Isn't that so cool?!

Chub-Chubba

I didn't have a too specific plan for weaning Vince but, I decided to not nurse him to sleep on Sept. 28. He went to sleep just fine without me. I wasn't sure how I was going to do physically but, surprisingly there was no engorgement whatsoever. But, the next day being Sept. 29, and a special day for previously mentioned reasons, I wanted to nurse him one last time to sleep on this day.

I say "nurse him to sleep" though he rarely falls asleep nursing anymore unless he is really tired. Well, that night he was really tired and he fell asleep nursing in my arms. I felt it was a tender mercy- that is one of my most favorite things about nursing. Our last time was indeed very special and sacred to me. And of course, I wept. 20 months and he is weaned!

At Azure's soccer practice

He calls most fruits "ah-po"s (apple). I love the way he says that. He also calls out Azure's name in frustration frequently. At church a little boy took a toy from him and he screamed, "Azure!" I just had to laugh because he obviously didn't know the boy's name and since Azure is usually the only one that does that to him, it's just second nature to scream her name in frustration!

I can't tell you how many times I've kissed those cheeks, and those lips, and that nose, and forehead!

Such a happy boy!

He is the sweetest little boy. He comes up to me multiple times a day with puckered lips making kissing sounds and reaches up for my lips. He grabs on tightly to my legs when he reaches me after running away from Azure. Though sometimes it drives me crazy that he is such a mama's boy, I do love it. It won't be long before he thinks it's gross to kiss his mama. I love my little man!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

On Thursday, September 29, Charlie finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Azure. The night before I was at Target doing some shopping alone and came across a Wonka Chocolate Bar on clearance for a dollar something. Knowing they were about to finish the book, I bought it so they could eat it together in celebration of finishing it.

We told her we had a surprise for her and that every child who finishes the book gets a gift from Mr. Willy Wonka. "What is it?!" she exclaimed. When I brought out the chocolate bar to them she asked, "Is this really from Mr. Wonka? From his factory? How did you get it?"

Then we asked her to open it very carefully to see if there was a golden ticket inside. It was such a fun experience! We got her reaction on video. She was so excited! Doing stuff like this for our children reminds me how much I enjoy being a parent. Such a privilege and a joy! (when I remember moments like these :)

We plan on watching the movie (the old version as we already watched the new version with her before reading it) as soon as we can get it from the library. We've now started reading her 3rd chapter book: Charlotte's Web. We hope to instill in her a love for reading. So far, so good.

An update on the last post about her reading- she has slowly gotten over her fear of making mistakes. I have been making a conscious effort to point out the mistakes I make (losing my temper, making a wrong turn, forgetting something) to show her that everyone makes mistakes and that it's apart of life. Heavenly Father sent us here to learn from our mistakes. I think it's been helping her to feel okay making mistakes while reading; because she has been brave to tackle words like: kingdom, softly, telephone.

She's even been reading "Goodnight Moon" all on her own to Vince! She usually gets every single word right, but I think she's mostly reading from memory. 

Yay for reading!

The Family Proclamation

I have yet to mention the Family Proclamation Celebration that went on again this year as September is the month of it's anniversary.

And since today is the last day of September I figured I better hurry and post this.

September 29 is a special day in our family history. My Papa, Rocco Joseph Gulino was born in 1928. I remember him reading the Bible, specifically the New Testament, every morning. As a child this had a big impact on me. I credit part of my early search for religion in my life to watching him read the scriptures consistently. He is a good man.

On September 29, 1979 my parents were married. I always thought it was so cool that they had gotten married on my Papa's birthday. I used to tell my Mom when I was little that I wanted to be married on her birthday. Even though that didn't happen, I did have Azure the day before her birthday.

(when Charles and I were engaged I wrote DML+CSJ on this copy of the Family Proclamation. hee, hee)

On September 29, 2005 Charles and I told each other that we loved each other for the very first time. I remember that night vividly. It was a cool, crisp autumn night in Provo. I had shared with him a couple verses in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12. Specifically 9 & 10. Later we chose it as our wedding scripture.

A couple weeks ago we started writing our Family Mission Statement for Family Home Evening. We still haven't finished but, the spirit was strong even though the children were screaming and running around. It was a confirmation that what we are doing is important. That writing a mission statement, making goals as a family, and working towards them is important and the Lord's will for us.

I know The Family: A Proclamation to the World is an inspired document written by prophets and apostles. I know that all the words contained therein are true and is God's will. Oh, how I love that document.

We are far from perfect. We yell. We constantly make mistakes. But, I love us! And I want this print hanging up in our living room.

Happy Conference weekend. We are looking forward to a yummy breakfast tomorrow morning :)

Fall entertaining

Saturday I was in the kitchen almost all day. Note to self: next time listen to music while cooking! Part of the reason for the "cook fest" was for Amie's bridal shower- which turned out quite nicely. Except for the fact that the video I made of Gery wouldn't burn onto a DVD, so we had to watch it on the laptop. Oh well. She loved it!

I asked my friend Becky to be in charge of the decor and she did such a fabulous job! I found this cute "Choose your love, love your choice" free printable and thought it would be perfect for the shower. (Pres. Monson quoted this last General Conference too.) Was gonna provide the link so you could print a copy too but, now I can't find it. Sorry.

I made probably my most favorite appetizer for the shower called Cheese Canapes. I first had these when I was at BYU. Our Stake President's wife (who is Italian from Italy. Represent!) made these for a group of us. I couldn't stop eating them. Every time I make them people ask me for the recipe. Without fail. So, I figured I would share it here on the blog since the season of entertaining and get-togethers is upon us.  It's always nice to have some extra arrows in your quiver when it comes to bringing an appetizer/treat that is sure to please. So, without further ado, here it is. You can thank me later ;)

Cheese Canapes

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (not a bottle of Kraft, you gotta use the real deal)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion (I use my food processor)

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup mayo

1 large baguette sliced (it is a PAIN to slice it yourself. Buy a baguette from the bakery in your grocery store and ask them to slice it for you. It's free and will save you time :)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Place sliced baguettes onto a cookie sheet. Spoon the creamy, cheesy deliciousness onto baguettes. Place under broiler until bubbly and brown (about 5 mins). I triple this recipe for 15+ people.

I also made a salad that I just made up. So, to be fancy this is the name I'm calling it: Harvest Apple & Walnut Salad with brown sugar and cinnamon dressing. How's that for fancy? I am one of those people that doesn't follow recipes. There is good and bad to that. The good- I can make some really super tasty things that I just make up in my head with ingredients that I have on hand. The bad- since I don't measure and it's not written down I can rarely duplicate my culinary masterpieces. So, here's my attempt at remedying that and providing a recipe for the salad. Keep in mind, I didn't measure, so these are all approximations.

Harvest Apple & Walnut Salad with brown sugar and cinnamon dressing (hee, hee)

1 bag of Italian Salad (usually romaine lettuce with the red radicchio. maybe some arugula?)

 1 Gala apple cored and diced (I leave the peel on for color)

About a cup of walnuts coarsely chopped

Dressing

About 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 TBS of olive oil

1 TBS brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash of garlic salt

Dash of pepper

Mix all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour over salad just before serving or you run the risk of it getting soggy and wilted. 

For the drink I made some lemon water and displayed it in a pretty drink dispenser. Since it has lemon extract and citric acid in it, it has a real citrus kick that I love.

Citrus Water Punch 

{recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe}

2 tablespoons citric acid (it looks like rock salt & can be found in natural food stores or perhaps a gardening center since it's good for sprouting)
5 quarts water
  1.5 cups sugar
2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
3 sliced lemons
3 sliced limes
Crushed ice

In a large pitcher or punch bowl, stir water, sugar, citric acid, and lemon extract together. Add sliced fruit and ice.

*If you have leftover punch, remove the sliced limes and lemons before refrigerating. The limes and lemons will give the punch an overly sour acidic taste if the punch is stored overnight that way.

Then after the shower I had to return to the kitchen to make some snacks for our Primary meeting after church the next day. Thanks to Pinterest I discovered this easy, tasty, recipe. I thought it would be the perfect snack with the onset of Fall.

Turtle Bites (Rolo pretzel bites)

{recipe & pic from Glorious Treats}

3 ingredients:

Square pretzels (snaps)

Rolos

Pecan halves

Click the link for baking instructions.

Though this is a simple recipe it's time consuming to unwrap all the rolos. If you live close to a specialty grocery store (like Fresh Market) you can buy rolos or any kind of chocolate caramel candy really in bulk and not individually wrapped, cutting down on prep time considerably. These are SOOO amazing! A nice balance of sweet and salty.

I also made mini lemon cupcakes (from a box) for the Primary children. I bribed them with a treat if they listened to their Primary CDs I made them to practice for our upcoming Sacrament Meeting Presentation. The thing is that I only have 1 small mini cupcake pan so it took me about 5 batches to make it all. Note to self: need to buy another mini cupcake pan.

Happy Fall entertaining friends!

Good things on the horizon

A few quick updates...

As of last week Vince is down to nursing once a day (at bedtime). In the mornings he cries for milk; signs it and says, "Mik!" but he seems to be satisfied with a cup of milk.

He can say "up" now very clearly. He calls certain kinds of balls, "bops". Whenever we go to pick up Daddy from St. Joe's, as if on cue Vince will ecstatically say, "Dada!" while looking like he is going to burst at the thought of seeing his father and then as soon as we get within sight of the sphere shaped objects hanging on the telephone line he exclaims, "BOP" emphasizing the B and the P. After about 5 weeks of this every day without fail, it is now a common word in our vocabulary and if the conversation ever lulls Charles or I will exclaim, "BOP!" and laughter ensues. I LOVE us!

 Ward 50's Dance

Vince loves to grab pens out of our pen box by the computer and scribble on stuff. Mostly the table or books rather than paper. He also tried marking on the walls too. I smell trouble with this one.

 "Don't knock down my tower, Vince!"

Azure and Vince usually play quite nicely together. I was just thinking how much I will miss Azure next year when she starts kindergarten because she entertains Vince so well and helps me around the house all day. I will try to enjoy it while I can.

This has been a pretty good week but, whenever those moments come when Vince is screaming and banging on the bathroom door for the whole duration of my "potty break", or Azure has a complete melt down because she can't find any clean jammies in her drawer when I ask her to get dressed after her bath, or more drama from she-who-shall-not-be-named and I think I'm going to lose my mind, I am trying to remember 3 really awesome things that will be happening in the next few weeks.

1) My friend Amie is getting married and she has asked me to be her escort through the temple. My first Sunday in this ward was also her first Sunday ever attending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we sat next to each other in Relief Society. She even came to Azure's 1st birthday party 3 weeks after we moved to Savannah. She got baptized in October 2008 and now she's getting married and receiving her endowment! She has grown so much in the church and I am thrilled to be able to go through the Atlanta temple with her next Saturday!

 2) Also involves the temple! My best friend Evelyn is getting sealed next month in the Raleigh, NC temple. Our other roommate Catherine is also coming down from DC to be there. Imagining being in that sealing room with Ev and Mike at the altar and with all of Ev's family (who I just adore!) and Catherine and (hopefully) my own eternal companion makes my heart so incredibly happy that I feel like I'm going to burst!!! I can get through the worst days if I just hold onto how happy that moment is going to be. Gaaaahhhhh! Definitely gonna have to bust out the waterproof mascara!

3) My sister and brother-in-law are coming to visit us for a whole week! And. And they are staying in a time share at our favorite beach in Hilton Head. It is going to be SO much fun. I can't wait.

Yay for Fall, and family, and friends, and the beach, and the temple :)