New Dress, New State

Well we made it to Utah! It's good to be back and I loved the white Christmas we had! Although, I have to get used to driving in the snow again which is not so fun. We had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed watching Lizzie so excited and happy. I asked for a new dress for Christmas because my brother was getting married and I thought that was a good reason to get a new outfit. By the way, the wedding was amazing and I'm so happy for my little brother and his adorable wife! They are just the cutest couple. Anyway, I wore this LuLaRoe dress; I bought it from a friend of mine who has a Lularoe shop (check out Jazmin's LuLaRoe Shop on Facebook). The reason I chose this particular dress was because it stretches with a pregnant belly but will not stay stretched. I can wear it while pregnant and still wear it after I have the baby! It's simple, so I can dress it up in a variety of ways. And bonus for my LDS girls: it's modest. My dear "Instagram Husband" took these photos for me outside the Gilbert Temple in Arizona before we left for Utah. Oh how I miss that warm weather. Outfit details below

Dress: LuLaRoe 

Ankle Boots: Lauren Conrad via Kohls

Necklace: Kohls

Bracelet: Charlotte Russe

We're Moving!

Many of you know that we are in Phoenix for Tyler's training program to become a financial adviser for Edward Jones. We were planning on moving back to Utah at the end of January when the program ends, but plans have changed a little bit. We're all going up to Utah over the holidays, but Lizzie and I will stay there for good. Ty is going to be traveling back and forth from Arizona to Utah over the month of January, so he will officially move later when the training program ends.

Ty and I have enjoyed living in Arizona the past few years, more than we thought we would. I remember being so scared to leave the place I grew up and come to a new state where I knew nobody. It gave us a chance to grow up a little, being out on our own without family nearby. We had a lot of firsts here. First house, first baby, first career...pretty big deals! We've met the greatest people and made many friends. Arizona has been good to us, but we are ready for our next adventure. Utah here we come (back)!

A Not-So-Perfect-Weekend

I had one of those weekends where nothing turned out the way I planned or envisioned. I had some fun activities for my little family to do and let's just say things could have gone better. Maybe one day I will look back with much fondness. At least we tried to make some good memories right?

On Friday night we went to see the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple. They were beautiful! And the weather was ideal, Ty and I didn't even wear a jacket. We put Lizzie in the stroller but lately all she is such a busy body and won't stay in for long. So, we had to let her run around a bit. We chased her around and she got fussy really quick. We tried to get some nice pictures of us as a family but, the fussy toddler made it impossible. I still got some good shots while there, though.

I with I could have been in this cute picture with them!

On Saturday there was a little "snow day" in a parking lot here in Mesa. Basically some man made snow was dumped unto a parking lot. There was going to be a Santa there too, so I thought it would be fun to take Lizzie. However, she didn't want anything to do with the snow. I guess she is like her parents in that regard. By the time Santa came out she was cranky because it was almost her nap time. Much to my disappointment, we left before Lizzie got to meet Santa since she was on the verge of a meltdown. So that is why you won't be seeing any cute pictures of Lizzie on Santa's lap this year.

very hesitant 

"Yeah Mom, I'm not touching that"

Hey there was one highlight to the weekend, we went to our ward Christmas party and had a great time there! I know things aren't always going to go according to plan, that's part of life. I just gotta roll with whatever comes my way. On a happier note, I do love this time of year, and being able to spend it with my family. I hope you are all having a good Christmas season so far!

2nd Trimester + New Boots

I have hit my 2nd trimester! See ya later 1st trimester, I won't miss your morning sickness. I've been feeling much better these past couple of days, so I'm hoping the nausea is gone for good. If I were to love any part of pregnancy, it would be the 2nd trimester. I'm not huge yet and I feel the best during this time. So far, this pregnancy has been just like my pregnancy with Lizzie. It would be great if it stays that way because it was relatively easy with her all 9 months.

Since I haven't grown out of normal clothes yet, I've had a chance to wear some new pieces I got for my birthday. Yeah, I got new skinny jeans knowing perfectly well I'll grow out of them in a month...oops! Fingers crossed that they'll still fit me after I have this baby. At least I can keep wearing the new boots! Here's an outfit I put together the other day.

skinny jeans - Forever 21

I love these jeans, they last a long time and you can't beat the price!

faux leather jacket - Nordstrom 

shirt - Bohme

ankle boots - Lauren Conrad via Kohls

I love these boots! They're comfortable, easy to walk in, and match almost everything. 

Gratitude

source

Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful day to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. I'm especially grateful for my mother for giving birth to me on Thanksgiving 25 years ago. Sorry you had to spend your holiday at the hospital, Mom! Taking our blessings for granted is easy to do, but we all know how much better life is when we are grateful. Sometimes just that change in perspective can turn a bad day or situation around. Here is one of my favorite quotes on gratitude:

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." - Thomas S. Monson

I can always feel God's love when I remember all that he has blessed me with. How could I not? A lot of you have been posting something you are grateful for every day this month which has been fun to read. I decided to just do a month's worth in one post. So here are 26 (of the many) things I am grateful for in my life.

1. God - of course, he has given me everything

2. A husband who loves me 

3. A beautiful daughter who is healthy and happy

4. The rest of my family  - My Mom, Dad, brother, and sister

5. My amazing friends

6. Heating and air conditioning - seriously how did people live in Phoenix before A/C??

7. Food, glorious food

8. My cell phone 

9. My good health

10. My ability to exercise and be active

11. Coke Zero, oh how I love my Coke Zero

12. Disposable diapers

13. Epidurals

14. All the places I've traveled to (so far)

15. Christmas - I know it's Thanksgiving...but Christmas!

16. Birthdays

17. Our car that functions well and is all paid off

18. BYU - besides getting a good education, I met Tyler there!

19. Health insurance

20. Tyler's job, the source of all our income

21. Getting to be a stay-at-home mom

22. Good music

23. My home

24. Summers and Falls

25. Electricity

26. Knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ


I could go on all day but I won't do that to you. I hope you enjoy feasting and counting all the blessings you have today. And hey, indulge in that second (or third?) piece of pie, you deserve it! 

Birthday Weekend

I turned 25 on Sunday. I hate when my birthday is on Sunday because we don't go out or anything but the the upside is I got to celebrate on Saturday as well, 2 days instead of 1! Tyler always does a great job at making me feel extra special on my birthday. On Saturday we went to to see the new Hunger Games movie while we left Lizzie with some friends of ours, they're the best! It was nice to have a little date, just Ty and I. After the movie, Ty put Lizzie down for a nap while I went to get a manicure. I never pamper myself so it was really nice to relax and get my nails done all cute. What do you think?

We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, delicious! It was a fun day. On Sunday Ty got up with Lizzie so I could sleep in and made breakfast. Instead of asking for a fancy breakfast, I just wanted blueberry muffins. And that is what I got, yum!

We went to church but had to leave early because Lizzie was super cranky, boo. In the afternoon we took Lizzie to the park; it was a beautiful 80 degrees outside!

Outfit details:

shirt - Charlotte Russe

skirt - Forever 21

peep toe pumps - Jessica Simpson 

Ty made dinner that night and even baked me a birthday cake! What can I say, I picked a good hubby. 

It was a fantastic weekend! I'm truly grateful for amazing family and friends who thought about me on my birthday. 24 was a good year, and I'm sure 25 will be even better.

Family Pictures 2015

We finally had family pictures taken! We went up to the Salt River which is located in the Tonto National Forrest; it was so beautiful there. About 4 other groups were getting pictures taken there, so it's definitely a popular photography location. Lizzie just wanted to run around and explore, so she wasn't happy when we made her sit still for pictures. Consequently, we didn't get many pictures of her smiling. Oh well...there's always next year (haha).  If you want to see my outfit details I have posted them here. Ok, here are some of our pictures!

Outfit for Family Pictures

Thank goodness it was cool enough to wear fall clothes! Here are just some details of the outfit I wore for our family pictures:

Sweater - Nordstrom

Leggings - Nordstrom

Boots - Franco Sarto

Casual Weekday Outfit

Just an outfit of the day post for ya! One of my dear friends was kind enough to give me this top. Chambray has been popular this fall, and I like it! It can be worn in many ways, but I mostly like to wear it with leggings. And boots are always a good idea. Outfit details below.

Chambray top - Target

Under shirt - Down East Basics

Watch - Guess

Leggings - Athleta

Boots - Forever Young Shoes

Thanksgiving Dishes

I've hosted Thanksgiving the last 2 years and as stressful as it can be, I actually enjoyed doing it. The first year wasn't as fun because I was pregnant, had morning sickness, and no one knew about it yet so I couldn't even complain out loud. The second time, however, was more enjoyable. This year will be a more laid back Thanksgiving for us, but I want to share some of the recipes I have used for Thanksgiving dinner for those who need ideas!

Citrus Sage Turkey - The star of the show. I got this recipe from my Tyler's cousin. I loved it so much the first Thanksgiving I made it, I had to make it the second time around. My mom, who is usually picky about turkey dryness, commented how it wasn't dry at all. Yay!

Green Bean Casserole - I thought this recipe was too simple to be that good but I got a lot of compliments on it.

Mashed Potatoes - I purposely looked for a crockpot recipe because I only have 1 oven! This is good even without gravy, but gravy is never a bad idea right?

Sweet Potatoes - My favorite dish! My mom makes a spectacular one she got from Williams - Sonoma. I found it online for you, it's so good!!

Rolls and Pies - I'm not going to lie, I did not make these myself. Maybe in the future I will! But I can give a great recommendation of where to get good ones. Kneaders has my favorite rolls that aren't homemade and their pies are fantastic. If you don't feel like baking roll or pies, try Kneaders!

Stuffing- I didn't make the stuffing from scratch either, so if anyone has a great stuffing recipe please share! I just bought the Mrs. Cubbison's brand which was great! But I'm sure a homemade one would be even better.

It wasn't necessarily a fancy dinner but it all tasted great. Good luck cooking for your next Thanksgiving!


photo sources:
 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=thanksgiving+turkey&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=en&biw=1290&bih=658&tbm=isch&tbnid=Pf4WlxJ0IIQYmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/thanksgiving/index.html&docid=YvPRsuUSXIIL0M&imgurl=http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2010/11/23/BT0809H_roasted-thanksgiving-turkey_s4x3_lead.jpg&w=400&h=300&ei=ohSlUJXlOoSnigL6TQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=4013&sig=104123007466545176665&page=3&tbnh=139&tbnw=175&start=53&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:66,s:0,i:342&tx=65&ty=88

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/sweet-potato-gratin-with-pecans.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

http://www.food.com/recipe/green-bean-casserole-47102

http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/10/slow-cooker-mashed-potatoes.html

German Pancakes

This is pretty funny looking pancake but man, is it good! I still can't believe my husband had never heard of or tried this until he married me. Now it's one of his favorites! You know me, I love easy recipes and this fluffy concoction is definitely easy to make. You'll most likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen too. So, here it is, German Pancakes.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

6 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put butter in a 9x13 baking dish and place it in the oven to melt while preheating. Mix together flour, milk, eggs, When butter is melted, take out the pan and pour the mixed ingredients into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. If the pancake is fluffing up like crazy while baking, you're doing it right. It will sink down a bit when you take it out of the oven. You can top with it with powder sugar, syrup, fruit, or jam. 

1 C milk

1 C flour

6 eggs

¼ tsp salt

3 Tbs butter

Melt butter in 9 by 13 pan @ 375 degree. Pour in ba

tter. Bake 25 min.