Love from Las Vegas

Caro's New Quilt

2011-11-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Caro's Great-Grandparents designed and made her a beautiful quilt. She loves to play on it every evening. Here she is posing with her quilt.

Caro is lucky to have such loving Great-Grandparents!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

To the Grandpa's, Great-Grandpa's and Uncles out there, here are some pics of Caroline at her graduation from pre-pre-school!

Caroline was recognized for being a shining star because she does so well with what she learns from her homebound teachers.

Caro with her teacher for a graduation photo!

Her teacher comes to our house twice a week and works with her on various skills like tracking and grabbing objects, cause and effect, choices, and following along with stories that are read to her.

Caro also won a gift certificate from a raffle!

She was very excited about it!

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler

2011-05-15T15:33:00.001-07:00

(Photo from whatlifedishesout.com)

I made this for a group a few weeks ago, and it was so delicious! Even people who CAN eat gluten loved it (including me).

FOR THE PEACH MIXTURE:
10 whole Peaches, Peeled And Sliced - (I used 3 jars of Trader Joe's peaches instead)
½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Pamela's Bread Mix and Flour blend (or any GF flour mix that doesn't contain garbanzo bean flour - that stuff tastes like sunscreen)
____
FOR THE COBBLER:
1 cup Pamela's Bread Mix and Flour blend
2 teaspoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Xanthan Gum
¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ cups unsalted Butter, Cut Into Small Cubes
½ cups Buttermilk
½ teaspoons Vanilla
2 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1. Combine sliced peaches with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour mix in a bowl. Pour peach mixture into a buttered 8″ x 8″ baking dish.
2. For the cobbler, in a small bowl, whisk together flour mix, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter pieces until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Combine buttermilk and vanilla together then pour into the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined.
5. Spoon batter over peaches in the pan, leaving some areas exposed. Drizzle melted butter over exposed areas and sprinkle the entire top with the brown sugar.
6. Set pan aside for 20-30 minutes while you preheat oven to 375 degrees.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is browned and peaches are bubbly. Cool until just warm and serve topped with vanilla ice cream.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

To make the day for my mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers and grandmother-in-law, I wanted to post some fresh off the presses, never before seen pictures and video of Caroline "at school" (Caroline's teachers are with her in our home because she isn't quite ready to be around other kids).

Caroline got an Easter basket from school...

She liked the basket grass...

And she LOVED it when her teacher shook the eggs!

Caroline using BOTH hands in a coordinated manner to pull apart putty (great eye contact with putty!).

Caroline activating a switch during a story activity (on her own!)...

Caroline working on targeting movement to her right and left side on command!

New tips for the same fabulous phone

2011-04-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Dear iPhone,

You're still the one.

Love,

E

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/technology/personaltech/28basics.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Miami!

2011-04-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Besides a few one night trips, we haven't had a vacation with just us since our honeymoon, but we left our darling girl in the safe hands of my mom and Aunt Mel and got to spend an amazing 4 days, 3 nights in Miami Beach, FL!
(View Larger Map)

We had to drive over a causeway to get to the island. The view was beautiful - we passed over blue, sunny water and saw small islands filled with gorgeous homes and yachts.

We were lucky enough to stay at my Uncle's gorgeous condo located in one of the best locations on South Beach - within walking distance of Lincoln Road (like 3rd Street promenade in Santa Monica, only bigger and better : ) - great restaurants, shopping and people watching. It's also only about a 4 minute walk from the white sands of Miami Beach itself. The condo itself is surrounded by beautiful scenery and even has a large balcony.

Miami Beach is such a great city. It's so eclectic and interesting; you almost feel like you're in another country. I was surprised how international the city is - everyone we passed spoke a different language - French, Spanish, German, etc. It's the sort of place you walk around in beach casual w/flip flops, soak up the air, and enjoy the energy. And that's exactly what we did the first afternoon there - went to the beach, walked around town, especially on Lincoln Road, and ate delicious food (see below).

On our first full day in Miami, it quickly turned from blue skys and sunny weather to stormy and overcast. So we changed our plans to hang out on the beach and drove back into Miami's Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. (
View Larger Map">Map Link).

In front of my future yard

In front of the back of the house.

If you wanted to arrive by boat, you would come through here.

We didn't take any pictures of our interior tour, but it was just as amazing as the exterior gardens.

It was pretty cool - I'd go back again.

The next day we left the island again to visit the everglades. (
View Larger Map">Map Link). We saw more beautiful homes on the causeway again, and this time we also saw several cruise ships.

Here we are on an air boat. I got to sit on the side of the boat, just a foot from water filled with - you guessed it - alligators. I laugh in the face of danger.

At one point, the boat's driver sped us through the water - we were going fast, so I was trying to block the wind.

Our boat captain was pretty intense.

What would a trip to the everglades be like without some gator wrestling?

That evening, back on Miami Beach, we jogged from my Uncle's condo to the southern most tip of the island and watched the sun set on
View Larger Map">Fisher Island, just south of Miami Beach.

Speaking of the beach - we made sure to get plenty of time there as well!

Of course, we ate very well in Miami. Here are some of our favorites:

Lunch in Miami at a nice Haitian restaurant called Tap Tap. B had the goat stew, which was surprisingly flavorful; I had the yellowtail snapper, poached in a refreshing lime sauce - my first whole fish and I loved it!

Sugarcane in Miami - A-MA-ZING. Seriously. Please go there when you're in town. Get the brussel sprouts (yes, the brussel sprouts), the crudo, the sushi - best yellowtail sushi I've ever had.

Their delicious salmon crudo w/fennel pollen and orange.

A La Folie on Espanola in Miami Beach - our first meal in Miami. Delicious crepes of all kinds in a simple bistro background. I got a savory crepe w/Brie, carmelized pears, and walnuts, and Bryce got to order a Buckwheat crepe (GF!). We like it so much, we went back a separate time for dessert crepes.

Meat Market - two minutes from the condo. We ate here for our last night in Miami - Friday night - w/a 9:15pm reservation - we felt very cool. The place was packed with very chic people and the food was excellent (Below is a pic from their site - we forgot to take pictures the night of : ( ). So much more than a steakhouse, although the steaks were delicious (they were accompanied by house-made butters and steak sauces) - our favorites included: the cedar-scented hamachi, buffalo mozzarella salad, and the gouda tator tots - not to mention the pistachio creme brulee for dessert. Yes, we enjoyed it all : ).

It was a great trip. Thank you, Uncle Jeff!! Can't wait to go back soon!!!

Caroline's Surgery

2011-02-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Caro had to have another surgery on her heart on Friday. She had a Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA) that needed to be fixed. Thankfully, her cardiologist was able to perform the surgery using a catheter-based procedure on an out-patient basis. Still, it was a long day for us as she had to be observed in the recovery room for nearly seven hours before we were allowed to take her home.

This is us just 90 minutes before we were allowed to go home. As you can see, despite having to be poked and prodded all day, Caro was still in good spirits.

We feel very blessed that the surgery was successful and that Caro was able to come home with us the same day as her surgery. She's slept more than usual over the past couple of days, but other than that, has made a complete and full recovery!

Family Pictures

2011-01-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from our recent photo shoot (taken by my brother, Jack!)

Caroline's first visit to Santa

2011-01-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

Caroline got to meet Santa for the first time this Christmas. She was very curious about the whole thing, and we think she had a good time.

Waiting in line - we're a little more excited than Caro.

"Ok....I'm with this Santa guy..."

She was a little wiggly.

"I'm cool with this"

Happy Birthday to Grandpa!!

2010-12-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

We love you!

Caroline's 1st trip to the movies!

2010-12-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we really wanted to see the latest Harry Potter, but we wanted to see it all together - the only way to do that was to bring Caroline along, suction canister, oxygen tank and all! We were nervous cause we've never done that before, but we thought we'd give it a try...

First, we went out to grab some sushi - you can just see Caroline's head in the back left corner: )

We then went to a Muvico in TO; it was a great movie theater. This was the theater to take her to for the first movie trip. Wide rows, big seats, cushy chairs.

The idea was to lay her down on an empty seat next to us and put the armrest up. That lasted for a few minutes, but because the seat was your typical tilty movie seat, it kept tilting back and forth as she rolled around on it and shifted her weight. Too dangerous! So we just took turns holding her.

She was ok, but she was super wiggly and needed to be suctioned a few times - distracting. But she had a lot of fun, especially during the loud, scary parts with Voldemort's deep voice talking (she loves deep notes and flashing lights) - when those parts happened, she got very still, her mouth was shaped like an O, and she looked very happy. (Sadly no pictures of that)

This is us leaving the show. She can't believe what just happened!

Very exciting night!

A cute movie-going family.

Eggplant Parmesan

2010-11-14T20:57:00.001-08:00

I made this more healthful version (no frying) of Eggplant Parmesan tonight, and it was delicious! To make it gluten free, I used this recipe to make gf panko 'bread'crumbs. I also didn't have ricotta for the filling, so I made the filling with basil, parmesan, crushed red pepper, and olive oil. Serve it over penne pasta w/a light green salad - enjoy!

A Sleepy Halloween

2010-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Halloween was on a Sunday this year, and by the time we got home from church, Caroline (and Bryce...and I...) were tired. Still, these are sweet pictures of the little Halloween bug.

Utah Trip - Lagoon

2010-11-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

This summer, we went up to UT and stayed with Bryce's family for a few days. The day trip to Lagoon was one of the highlights.

Caroline and B strolling through Lagoon.

As you can see, we had to get this pale little girl in the shade quickly!

Caro got to have her own customized inter-tube seat, which she actually really enjoyed - she even took a decent nap in it.

Caroline's cousin Melody was especially taken with Caro. They will be good buddies.

It was special for us to see how accepting and loving Caroline's cousins were with her. We wish she could get up and play like they do, but we know she will someday. In the meantime, she gets to be the center of attention!

Back at the Loveland home, Caroline enjoyed a private drums concert by her Aunt Amanda. Caro loves percussion-type sounds - clapping, stomping, snapping, etc, so we were sure she'd love drums.

And she did...

Rock Climbing Date

2010-11-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Bryce took me on a rock climbing date. It was the first time I'd ever attempted to climb something like this. It looked pretty easy at first, so I was smiling (this was the only smiling picture)...

But I started to get a little nervous -

I stayed at the bottom for a little while trying to figure out where to go -

But I eventually went up -

And up -

And up -

I touched the top! It was really high, and I was vscared.

Bryce has gone rock climbing before, so he went up quickly!

He went on a harder section of the wall, so he was proud of himself and I was proud too!

Bryce has braces!

2010-11-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's hard to see them in this picture, but Bryce decided to have braces put on a couple months ago. They were painful at first, but he's pretty much used to them now (except for when the ortho tightens them of course!). He's expected to have them on for about 2 years.

Caroline and Uncle Jack

2010-10-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

We spent conference weekend with my family in LA. Caro and Uncle Jack had a good time relaxin' together.

Ahhh, watching conference on a cushy air mattress - we're awake we swear!

What?! We're awake!

Well maybe I'm a little snoozy...

I love you too, Uncle Jack.

Bryce's 30th

2010-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to pay the price for my blog procrastination. Catch up will be just great - meh.

One of the events I missed was Bryce's 30th birthday! It was a great day. I surprised him with dinner at his favorite - Lucille's BBQ. Once we got in the parking lot, I pulled out a dozen balloons and made him carry them through the parking lot and all the way through the restaurant...

Such a good sport!

Once we got there, I had a bunch of our friends there ready to surprise him. He sat down and he got to wear a...

CROWN! The birthday king!

Enjoying his favorite drink.

Bryce's fantasy meal - tons of meat!

We had such a fun time with our friends -

After dinner, we went back to a friend's house and had a fun game night. Following a WILD night of Wacky Six and Catch Phrase, we pulled out a pinata for Bryce and he beat it to a pulp, which entertained the whole group! Bryce saved the head of the pinata for a souvenir (that's what that random picture below is). Happy Birthday to Bryce!

In her stander

2010-09-20T16:34:00.001-07:00

Just outside our home

2010-09-20T16:31:00.001-07:00

B-day Pinata (what was left of it anyway)

2010-09-20T16:28:00.001-07:00

Sitting up

2010-09-20T16:27:00.001-07:00

2010-09-20T16:26:00.001-07:00

It's been a while so here are some pics from B's phone. More to follow.

2010-09-20T16:25:00.001-07:00

New Firsts

2010-06-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Caro had three firsts tonight.

(1) She tasted "Ham, Pineapple & Rice" baby food;

(2) She swallowed TWO teaspoons of the food without spitting out any of it; and

(3) With her back to our bed, she stood up ON HER OWN for a second or two.

I think she really liked the food because she kept sticking her tongue out for more.

I know she enjoyed standing because she was smiling and giggling the whole time!

Sadly, the video below isn't from tonight, but it does show off her cute smile just to give you the flavor of her smiles and laughs tonight. (The video is from our recent Memorial Day trip to LA).

Easter and Conference Sunday

2010-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed Easter Sunday at our house this year. I did a little photo shoot with Caroline in her Easter dress, with her Easter candy and in her bunny ears. Unfortunately, she wasn't in the mood, thus the vtired look in most of the pictures. Oh well - she's still our cutie!

At least we got a little half smile here.

"Conference is how long?!?"

"Yikes. That is long - well on go the ears."

"I don't know what to think about this thing!"

"Maybe if I squish it together I can figure it out..."

Coming down off of Peep-induced sugar high.

"What else is in my Easter candy bag?"

"Don't take my candy, Grandpa!"

Here Caroline was trying to grab the camera's cord while I was taking her picture...

The sweetest little doll...

Besides taking pictures of Little, we also watched LDS general conference. We got a lot out of it, although, as you'll see below, we had a bit of fun too...

For example, we all tried on Caro's ears -

I also caught a couple people off guard when they were supposed to be paying attention (and of course I was paying attention even though I was taking the pictures)...

Asleep

Caught

"Bah"

PS - I know I've mainly been doing Caroline pics and food posts lately (i.e. the last several months) - they're just the easiest ones to put together 'cause they please everyone! To avoid staying monotonous, I will be more well-rounded with my posts in the near future. So let it be written, so let it be done.

New treat recommendation

2010-04-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day, I've just got to have something sweet - especially something w/chocolate. I decided to try the new Jello Mousse Tempations in Chocolate Indulgence and love them - chocolatey, light and fluffy, a little rich yet only 60 calories. Add it to your grocery list!

PS - I also tried the Caramel Creme flavor, but that one's just ok to me. Still need to try the Dark Chocolate flavor...

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I have a few pictures to share from my recent bday (I turned 30!)

My friend Julie planned a lunch for me at one of my favorite restaurants, Settebello, and invited several of my ward friends to join us. She went all out - including a crown and scepter for me (the queen: ), my favorite candy - Reese's PB cups - and 30th bday balloons, napkins, and cards all over the table, and she even asked Bryce a bunch of questions about me and gave my friends a little 'How well do you know Erika' quiz.

It was a lot of fun - 30 isn't so bad after all!

For my bday, Bryce took me to an unbelievably fabulous restaurant. He always makes me feel loved and special - not just with big things like this but small, everyday things too. I love that about him.

The restaurant itself's not that important, but I'd love to share a couple pics to give you a flavor of the evening. Fyi, the shots below are a little blurry cause 1)I took them with my phone and 2)I was trying to take the pictures quickly so people wouldn't notice the crazy person who taking pictures of her food : )!

Beautiful interior -

Lobster beignets, pillow-y (sp??) gnocchi, best steak I've ever had - here are some shots of the food -

Canapes - the little lobster beignet is on the far right.

Seared scallops w/homemade pasta and a shaved truffle on top.

Steak w/delicious spinach (I know, crazy!) and the gnocchi

And...the birthday cake from them that arrived at the end of the meal -

Delectable!

Once There Was a Snowman 3

2010-03-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

I also shot this one last night - I'm posting it because the end is very cute - it shows her latest hobby making funny sounds and faces w/her mouth.

Once There Was a Snowman 2

2010-03-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

I shot this one yesterday - I think it shows how happy she gets a little better.

Yes, please

2010-03-26T14:53:00.001-07:00

Make your own girl scout cookies? Thank goodness Bryce can't eat these, otherwise this is what I would do all weekend.

Once There Was A Snowman

2010-03-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

We've been singing this song for every FHE for the past few weeks
because each time we sing it, she smiles like this.

Pics from the last haircut

2010-03-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Really another haircut?

Ok, but this is very involved

Enduring to the end

Grumble, grumble

Grumble

You will pay for this, Mother.

My new hair's not so bad after all.

Chocolate-Toffee Puffs

2010-03-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

A cookie recipe that's low-cal, GF and delicious! I sometimes add chocolate chips, or even better, peanut butter chips - which make them slightly less healthful but they're still comparatively a low-cal dessert.

Chocolate-Toffee Puffs

Yield: 2 dozen cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (such as Hershey's)
2 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Heath), crushed
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa, and candy bars in a small bowl, and mix well. Fold half of cocoa mixture into egg whites (egg whites will deflate quickly). Fold in remaining cocoa mixture until smooth. Drop the egg mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes (puffs will be soft in center).

Nutritional Information
Calories:
52 (24% from fat)
Fat:
1.4g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.1g)
Protein:
1.1g
Carbohydrate:
9.9g
Fiber:
0.7g
Cholesterol:
1.7mg
Iron:
0.3mg
Sodium:
19mg
Calcium:
7mg

A few more Caroline Pics

2010-02-28T20:34:00.001-08:00

Took all of these from my phone. Caroline just got haircut on Friday - just a trim - so we're showing it off.

2010-02-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

2010-02-28T20:31:00.003-08:00

2010-02-28T20:31:00.001-08:00

2010-02-28T20:30:00.001-08:00

2010-02-28T20:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Caro and Minnie!

2010-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

I'm 3, Mom. Now what?

2010-01-17T11:39:00.001-08:00

Caroline is 3!!!

2010-01-17T11:38:00.001-08:00

Here, she's just waking up and playing with one of her favorite toys.

Holiday Photo Shoot

2009-12-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the rest. A good family friend took our holiday pictures this year - we love her work (see her blog here).

Merry Christmas!!

Photo shoot preview

2009-12-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

We had a holiday photo shoot done a couple weeks ago - here are a couple preview shots. I love this little bug.

Do you have room?

2009-12-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

I saw this last night, and it touched my heart.

My Christmas pledge:
I'm going to make a concentrated effort to make room for Him by showing love and compassion in word and deed to all those I come in contact with - even the people who really bug me: ). I'm not going to worry so much about whether I have the perfect Christmas card to send out (or how "late" it may or may not be : ) or the perfect gifts to give everyone. I'm going to add more meaning rather than more busyness to my Christmas celebrating this month. I will seek out people who are lonely. I will remember to be grateful for all that I have. I will recognize that the hard things in my life now are temporary, and I can learn from those struggles. I will choose to trust in the Lord and His plan for me rather than worry about the bad things that could happen in the future.

Now that I look at it, this pledge might take a few Christmases to get right...

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2009-12-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

It's my dad's bday, and since he doesn't get to be w/his granddaughter: (, I thought I'd post some special pictures of Little to make him smile.

And the pictures are of...

her first official haircut! My friend and stylist cut Caro's hair and she did a great job. She was very kind to Little and very understanding of her particular needs. Enjoy!

Because she coudn't sit up in the styling chair, I held her the whole time, which was a very hard task I have to say - she was extremely wiggly. Look how much hair she had!

Right after the first snip.

To get the back even, I put her over my lap. There was SO much hair on the floor once Aly was done!

Haircut is taking shape...

"I'm not sure about this big black blowy thing"

"Actually maybe I like it" (she really did only stay still once the blowdryer turned on)

Stylin'

There's a new girl in the house!

Caro and Allyson

Happy girl after church

2009-11-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics to brighten your evening. We took these a couple weeks ago, but she wore this dress again today, so that reminded me to post these.

We're so lucky to have this bean for our daughter - she's a true blessing.

13.1 Miles

2009-11-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

I ran it! I finished it! I can't believe I did, but I did!

The race started at the top of Snow Canyon State Park in St. George. We wound down through the park, then back up a gravel trail for a couple miles, then back down through residential neighborhoods to end at Snow Canyon High School. (Here's a link to the course map)

It had a lot of hills (please, never believe people when they say it's "all downhill") but, in general, it had slightly more downhill portions than uphill. Gorgeous run and the weather was perfect. Not too cold, not too hot - perfect. I would recommend this race to anyone - beautiful scenery and weather to distract you and terrain that was challenging but not discouraging.

We ran in the morning, so it looked much better than this, but I ran over this bridge.

The trail as we descended from the top.

More of the trail.

You can see here where the park hits up against the residential neighborhoods. Isn't it beautiful? This is what the day looked like.

Buses met us at the high school and then took all the runners up to the top of the course. There were 1200 people participating, but it didn't feel crowded at all because the race staggered everyone really well.

Below are some of the girls I trained with. We were waiting for the buses (we did miss my great friend Annie [you may remember her from my 5k pictures] - sadly, we didn't get a picture together, but she was one of the key people to keep me going in my training and was the one who originally told us about this half).

Showing off the numbers (yes, my bravado was all a show - I was a little nervous).

Great friends from my ward, Rondi and Meesha, came with us to support. They couldn't get up in the park but once we were in the residential neighborhoods, they started taking pics..

Laura and Heather around 10.5 miles

Meesha's on the left. She's running with me to hand me water. She and Rondi just came up with us to support us - they were selfless.

This is blurry of me (and Bryce asked if I was walking at this point - but I wasn't, I swear, I just have a small stride and was going up hill : )), but I thought I'd include it to show the beautiful background - and that was in the residential neighborhoods.

Me around mile 10.75

Crossing the finish line! And overall, the race felt very hard but not torturous. I kept a steady pace, which made the last few miles doable (but still challenging!).

My legs felt very unstable and wobbly as soon as I stopped running. I kept moving, but I think I leaned on random strangers as I walked through the crowd. I was a bit out of it for the first few minutes post-run!

Proud finishers!

We were waiting in line for complementary massages.

They were working on our hips - so sore! (And yes, I'm very sore today. Heather, Laura, and I are in the same ward - you should've seen us hobbling around the building!)

So happy I finished!

I ran it in 2 hours 32 minutes - kind of slow, but considering I was out of commission for a few weeks of training right before the race (achilles tendonitis, strep throat, then cold), I feel good about my time.

And I felt blessed to have been able to run it - that I have a body that can run. I thought about Caroline and my grandma C (who can walk but feels a lot of pain when she does walk) during the race when it got difficult and thought "I can run this for them - I am representing them." It was a spiritual experience.

This running thing started off as a whim. One of my New Year's resolutions was to get in shape and run a 5k, and THAT seemed far-fetched to me. I've never been a runner, I've never liked running, and I never thought a half marathon was even possible (let alone something I wanted to do).

So, I'm amazed that I ran a whole 13.1 miles. Despite several rough setbacks, I trained for it (ex. got up every Saturday in the summer for 6:00 am runs, which I think pretty much all of you know is unheard of for me) and my preparation, and the faithful support and encouragement of my wonderful husband and stalwart training friends allowed me to cross the finish line.

It reminds me that the only limits I have are the ones I place on myself - I can do anything.

(Cue Rocky music : )

Now the question is - what to train for next?....

Only a few days away...

2009-11-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Remember back in June when wondered if I should train for a half-marathon?

Well, I decided to run it. I've trained for the last 14 weeks, and now it's here - this Saturday I'm running it. Needless to say, I'm a bit nervous, but I've prepared as best I can despite having strep throat AND getting achilles tendonitis last month.

To avoid getting too psyched out, I am trying to think of the run on Saturday as just another long run. Nevertheless, your prayers for me and my craziness would be most appreciated!

One thing that helps me run is my iPod's playlist. Music is a must-have for me. I've listed below some of my go-to, never fail to pump me up, songs. Will you do me a favor and comment w/your favorite songs that do the same during your workouts? I could use a few fresh tunes for race day.

Boom Boom Pow, Black Eyed Peas

Crazy (James Michael Mix), Alanis Morissette

Forever, Chris Brown (I know, this song is tired, but for some reason I never get sick of it!)

Welcome to the Jungle

Play it Loud, MXPX

Sandstorm, Darude

Fire Burning, Sean Kingston

Get Up (edited ver.), 50 cent

Pump It, Black Eyed Peas

Halloween Photoshoot

2009-11-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

These pics were taken on actual Halloween day. I admit that I was the one who did her hair, but in my defense, she had had this hair-do for hours, so the fact that there were even hairbands in her hair still was a miracle.

On the resonance board looking up at mommy.

Smiley.

I included this picture even though it's blurry cause I thought it was just so cute. She really does smile like this when she's so happy.

A happy bean.

Lately, she really enjoys exploring her face, and especially her mouth, with her hands. Things go a little awry very quickly...

More hand in mouth...

Just being a cutie on the couch...

Hands back in mouth again....

Worth the wait/Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

I think you'll find these Halloween pics of Little will make up for our October blogging break...

Our Strawberry Shortcake

These were taken after our ward's trunk or treat (see below), so she was a little spent.

"Maybe if I scrunch down they won't see me..."

Couple of pics from Trunk or Treat (Caro's first one, and she did well! Plus, everyone loved her costume - she was the darling of the night.)

B and I actually dressed up! B was a sheriff and I was a cowgirl (i.e. - the easiest costumes we could come up w/at the last minute)

Green Onions

2009-09-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Caro doesn't take much interest in food. Of course, since we feed her by g-tube, it's not that big of a deal. Still, we like to give her tastes to keep her interested in food, so that some day hopefully she will be able to eat more food by mouth. Several months ago, Caro's Great-Grandparents suggested that we try green onions. They said that without fail, all babies/toddlers LOVE green onions. I did not listen to the suggestion at first, because it sounded kind of crazy. However, I recently gave in and gave Caro a green onion. I've posted a few pictures below, I'll let you be the judge of whether she likes them or not.

"What's this?"

"~Smells funny ~"

"Delicious!!!"

Hilarious.

2009-09-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

I know we owe you lots of posts - and they're coming - but in the meantime, here's a funny Jimmy Fallon bit from last night's Emmys. He starts off using an auto-tune filter that rappers/singers use when they "sing" - very popular lately...

Caro's version of monkey bars

2009-08-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Caroline has a funny hobby. Every night, once we put her in her crib, she decides it's playtime. Her "monkey bars" are made up of a string that we've hung above her crib to help hang her feeding tube when she has her late night feedings -- the string is tied to the crib on one end and to an IV pole on the other (the IV pole was used to help hang up bags full of her food when she used to be on a continuous feeding drip through the night, but she doesn't really need that anymore, so now the IV pole is really just there to be a part of her gym equipment : ).

Anyway, you can see how much fun she has...

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but when she's doing this, she's swinging around like crazy! She has also figured out that, if she pulls her legs in while wrapped around the string, the pole will bang against the crib and make a fun, loud sound. She does this several times in a row (and, as a consequence, the crib has several fun dents in it) .

The Cookie Monster

2009-08-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Little has a history of not enjoying sweets. On her first birthday, despite our eager anticipation of her devouring the frosting we let her taste, she grimaced and got very upset as soon as it touched her tongue. When we've had her try ice cream, she shuts her mouth and has a look that says, "No, thank you!"

Just when we thought all hope was lost, I, on a whim, gave her some chocolate cookie dough (for some Choc & PB chip cookies I was making for work - not gf Bryce, don't worry). And this is the result...

"Hmm, not bad."

"I'll take it!"

"Mother, your services are no longer required. Please leave me alone w/the chocolate."

Yum.

"Ok, mom, I need you again for clean up!"

"Must find more dough on this spoon!!"

The carnage.

"All done!"

Here's a great weekday recipe...

2009-08-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Honeyed Mango and Chicken Saute with Toasted Cashews - This recipe is yummy and a great way to use the beautiful mangos that are available right now. When I first made this, I added some pomegranate seeds for color (see below) - the next time I made it, I diced up a green bell pepper and threw that in (it does need extra veggies). Enjoy!

(PS - To make it more healthful, I slightly reduce the amount of oil used, and because I'm a soy sauce fan, I drizzle a little extra soy sauce in each bowl. That makes it even better.)

A Standing Little Lady

2009-08-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we had a very heartwarming photo shoot. Our girl was still in her Sunday dress when B and I put her in her stander. We caught some great moments.

It's not very often that we view Caroline as a little girl because unfortunately she spends so little time standing up. However, with the stander, we all get new perspectives - we see her as our standing "little lady" and she gets to view the world in a whole new way.

Little likes posing just like her mom: ).

"Umm, I guess I'm standing now..."

Playing and smiling

"I'm a happy girl!"

Here, Caro is hysterically laughing because Bryce is making loud noises by banging two cardboard sticks together.

More huge smiles!

At one point, Caroline looked as though she was dancing to the beat - wonderful!

Celiac is espansive

2009-08-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

If you have celiac or gluten-intolerance and you want some tips or if you'd like to learn more about celiac disease for the benefit of your own social awareness, read this article from the NYTimes.

Hope you're having a good day!

Dining and Viewing Party: Julie and Julia

2009-08-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I hosted a small dinner party to celebrate the opening of Julie and Julia, and it was a big success! I cooked a classic French meal, using recipes from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for 8 girls in my ward and me (and Bryce got to eat some too: ). Then, most of us went to go see Julie and Julia afterwards (really cute and funny movie).

The night's menu...

It's one of the first times I've made a multi-course meal with several technical elements for that many people - and all of the dishes turned out! It was such a fun night, and although it was a lot of work to put together (I started cooking at 7:30 am that day and Bryce was right there w/me helping the whole time), I must be a funny one because I just loved doing it.

(Disclaimer: My table and my entertaining budget are small, so I wasn't able to invite everyone I wanted to all at once. My sincerest apologies. I plan to have more soirees in the future.)

Centerpiece

The table is waiting for its guests.

Bryce and I making final preparations. (PS - I got a special French country-looking apron at Anthropologie.)

In the bottom right of this picture, you can kind of tell how I did place cards: I printed the names on good, heavy paper, cut them into strips and weaved them onto the fork - very easy.

The all-important whisking-the-sauce shot

My friend Sonja took all of these pictures, and we had some fun with the poses: ).

And now for the moment you've been waiting for... the food!

The menu was as follows --

Hors D'oeuvres

Crudites and Petit Choux au Fromage (savory puff pastry with Holland gouda)

(The link above takes you to a Pate a Choux (pastry dough) recipe - it's not Julia's recipe, however it's very close and it has great pics illustrating the steps - Julia just adds a touch of nutmeg which makes them even better. I made Pate a Choux with cheese, or Petit Choux au Fromage. I used a wonderful Holland gouda, however you can use a Swiss, like Gruyere.)

My petit choux were almost as puffy as the above and melt-in-your-mouth, I've-been-wanting-to make-a-batch-every-night-since delicious!

Entree

Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence

Lots of beautifully browned organic and free-range chicken sautéed with herbs and drizzled with lemon, white wine sauce that was infused with chicken jus, butter.

And

Ratatouille

The ratatouille worked well for the party because I made it in the morning, cooled it briefly, covered it and put it in the fridge, then reheated it right before the guests arrived - and it's even better reheated.

(I made the chicken, ratatouille, and souffle a few weeks ago as a test drive. Party tip -- always test drive recipes before making them day-of -- takes away lots of stress).

Dessert

Bittersweet Chocolate Souffles

Oh yeah.

Hope this inspires you to pick out some new recipes, have a few friends over, and enjoy!

Bon appetit!

Mrs. Shriver

2009-08-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

Very grateful that people fought to recognize the value, humanity, and ability ALL people have to progress long before we had Caroline.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Shriver. (See her obituary here.)

Toys

2009-08-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Caroline has a bucket of toys.

Sometimes she's unsatisfied with playing with just one at a time.

She can make a real mess.

But she does not seem to mind.

It turns out, it's the bucket that's interesting after all, not the toys!

Luxurious and Easy Summer Soup

2009-08-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

Bryce and I had this soup last night and loved it! I served it with our favorite gf bread (I order in bulk from Amazon - MUCH better than any gf bread mix we've made and, of course, better than storebought gf bread) - made fresh in the breadmaker.

But, it's summer -- in Vegas -- am I crazy? No, it was a great summer meal - uses the fresh tomatoes available now- plus, we used fresh basil from our garden - plus, I didn't serve it piping hot - PLUS, it's meatless but substantial - so you're saving on the grocery bill. Plus, I got to use up the leftover cream from making the pavlova last week.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup - by Ina Garten

Ingredients

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Happy Birthday BChaunce!

2009-07-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

Bryce recently had a birthday, and, being the gluten-free guy that he is, he got a pavlova for his "cake". We love this dessert. It's beautiful, not too heavy, and of course delicious. If you substitute Cool Whip Free for the heavy cream, pavlova's also a great dessert for all those watching their weight (not that I ever do that, but it's a good idea in theory: ). Click here for the recipe I used this time (in this recipe, I cut down the amount of vinegar to about 2tsp).

New Banner

2009-07-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

Finally! I'm excited about it. Thanks, Brandi!

Bittman's Salads

2009-07-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Mark Bittman (author of a great cookbook for everyone from foodie to fledging - How to Cook Everything) has a fabulous article in today's NYTimes called "101 Simple Salads for the Season". The article's title pretty much sums it all up, and, with so many fantastic options here to expand your palate, there's no excuse to not get your veggies in.

I want to try #s 9, 13,25, 27, 54, 62, 69, 95.... you get the drift.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

2009-07-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Caroline was weighed and measured today at the doctor's office. She is just shy of 3 feet tall now at 35 inches! He weight gain was minimal - only three ounces since her last visit several months ago - but still in the 50th percentile for her weight.

We had her in her stander this evening. When she gets tired of shaking her rattle with her hand, then she uses her head!

Family pictures

2009-07-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

My grandma took these when we were in LA over 4th of July. We love how all three of us are smiling!

<< Blog under construction - I'm fiddling w/widening the blog and expanding the pictures in the blog. We appreciate your patience.>>

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

We had a patriotic photo shoot with Caro today. She's a very happy girl!

50,000!

2009-06-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the bottom of the blog?!?

It's the number of hits LfromLV has had since we started it. Now, granted at least 25,000 of those are from me, my parents, B's parents, and our grandparents. But still, I think that's a pretty crazy number and worth noting! I am so grateful to all of you who've taken interest in our little family and especially in Caroline. Knowing that family, friends and strangers all care about us and want to hear what we have to say has been a unique and unexpected blessing - definitely part of the huge silver lining that is raising Caro.

Thank you very much.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

We had a very pleasant Father's Day - relaxing - hanging out together w/lots of yummy food (I made Bryce gf pancakes this morning w/strawberries and maple whipped cream [add maple syrup to taste instead of sugar to the cream as it's whipping - so good]). Anyway, here are some pics of Little from today with her wonderful dad (and one w/her and me). Happy Father's Day!

Getting ready for the photo shoot.

Funny expressions on these two

The littlest doll

Clapping time!

She's so happy w/her dad.

"I'm going to be able to do this on my own one day, Dad."

"Whatever, Mom. Why play with a rattle when I can play with ...?"

"...my feet!" (PS - We're so proud of Caro for grabbing her feet w/the opposite hand. We've been working on getting her to do this action on her own since she first started PT at 5 or 6 months old. It's so important because it shows that both sides of her brain are communicating with one another, and she's doing it all the time now!)

Our happy girl : ).

Sure Thing...

2009-06-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

I swear I posted this one, but I'm not finding it in the blog search, so maybe I didn't. Even if I did, this recipe is worth a re-post... I serve it w/some oven fries or baked sweet potatoes and salad..turns out great every time.

Oven-Fried Chicken
(From Cook's Country Magazine)

2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
8 split bone-in chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each), skin removed and ribs trimmed with kitchen shears (cut vertically in half)
2 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes (gf for us, of course)
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (gf for us - tonight we used almond meal)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Whisk buttermilk, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat well, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, set wire rack on sheet, and coat rack with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Gently toss corn flakes, bread crumbs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, poultry seasoning, paprika, and cayenne in shallow dish until combined. Drizzle oil over crumbs and toss until well coated. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from marinade and dredge in crumb mixture,firmly pressing crumbs onto all sides of chicken. Place chicken on prepared rack, leaving 1/2 inch of space between each piece. Bake until chicken is deep golden brown, juices run clear, and instant-read thermometer inserted deep into breast away from bone registers 160 degrees, 35 to 45 minutes.

Sleepy Daddy and Daughter

2009-06-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

We took a trip last weekend to be with Bryce's family at Powder Mountain, UT and had a great time. However, it was not exactly a warm summer vacation up in the mountains; we got snow, sleet, hail, rain, and wind! So, we spent a lot of time snuggled indoors. One early morning, we brought Little into our bed after she was fussy, and she fell back asleep there. These are a couple cute pics of Little and B:

My favorite is her hair...

Bryce is starting to wake up

Should I...

2009-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

run this half marathon? Cuckoo, I know but a few of my running friends are putting the pressure on. It's not till November, so I could probably train for that by then. The question is do I want to?

I will say though that running has really improved my life. I sleep better, I feel much healthier, I can eat carbs(!), and I feel mentally "on top of my game." Plus, I'm getting stronger, so I can keep lifting the ever-growing Little Bug. But, running is certainly not easy - it's hard to keep the motivation up, and, to think of training for this kind of race, well, yikes....

I did find an article in the Times that talks about using walk breaks to help improve your running - maybe that will make training for this realistic?

What do you guys do to keep yourself motivated w/your workout plan (if anything: )?

Random Fun

2009-06-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

When we cook dinner, we'll put Caro in her high chair to have her sit w/us in the kitchen. We give her little tastes of food while we cook. But sometimes, she gets tired sitting up for so long. A few weeks ago, she fell asleep in her highchair, and I thought it was very cute...

The "shoes" she's wearing in this pic are her AFO's; they are orthopedics that help make sure her feet form correctly and provide her support while sitting and standing (you can see them in the stander pics too).

In other news, on May 2nd, our stake hosted a 5k and track meet; it was so much fun. Bryce, my dad, and I all ran in the 5k together. My mom was nice enough to watch the Little while we were there (Little doesn't like the outdoors very much - her eyes don't handle the sun well at all).

Bryce, of course, had one of the best time there w/a 24:03. I came in w/a 30:30 - almost a minute better than my first 5k, so I was happy w/that. I'm still running and hope to come in under 30 minutes one of these days.

Here are some pics after the race. I loved being there with the two favorite men in my life (Jack, you're of course #3: ):

Bryce and me

Dad and me

Standing Tall

2009-06-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Lots to catch up on, but one of the best news items is that Caroline finally got her stander - it's beneficial in many ways - strengthens joints, helps w/digestion, helps w/head and trunk control, gets her in a new, more big kid position, which may help w/vision and motivate her to be more mobile. Plus she looks cute standing up!

It's pretty big to have a have in the house, but we think it will be worth it.

"I'm a big girl" (and no, I didn't style her hair - it just is naturally like that, seriously!)

Tall Little

"I'm tired, but I'm still working"

The tray gives her lots of room to play.

Coming Soon...Summer Kick-off

2009-06-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! I haven't been around for a little while, but, never fear, new posts are on their way very soon. Look for "Love From..." to start the summer off right w/new posts every other day for the next couple weeks (they may not be long, but they'll be there). Topics will include:

- Caroline in a Stander

- Caroline's progress in therapy and with eating

- Stake 5k Track Meet

- Delicious spring/summer recipes

- New business venture

- Vegas food

- Running info

- and more? (I'm sure there's more but I can't recall right now)

Love,

Caroline's Year in Summary

2009-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Below is a letter I wrote this month for the 9p- Support Group Yearbook (although Caroline's diagnosis isn't solely 9p- [it's 9p- + 1q duplication], it's close to what she has so we participate in this group). It's a summary of what's been going on with Caroline since the letter we wrote in 2008 (and she has come a LONG way from the first letter we wrote in 2007).

Caroline has made a lot of progress since last writing – I’m happy to report that we have had quite an uneventful year (medically anyway)!

GROWTH: Caroline’s growth continues to move along well. She was born at 5 pounds, 13 ounces/18inches long, measured at 20 pounds, 6 ounces/28inches last year, and is now a very healthy 29 pounds, 14 ounces/33.5 inches long. Her current measurements place her in the 75^th percentile for weight and the 50^th percentile for height!

FOOD: Caroline still gets Resource (1 cal per ml) Medical Formula. She has had several bouts of constipation, but we’ve finally found that adding 2.5mLs of Miralax to her Resource every 2-3 days keeps her regular.

Caroline is still not taking any food by mouth. It is all given via g-tube. In the last letter, I reported that her speech therapist had been working with her using thermal therapy, a Nuk brush, and Dum-Dum suckers. We still do those things and can now feed her any food in pureed form! She has tried bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes (a favorite), and carrots. She can only swallow about 15% of what we spoon-feed her because her brain and her low muscle tone make it very hard to coordinate her breathing and swallowing. The good news is that she enjoys tasting the food – no oral aversion yet – she opens her mouth wide over the spoon!

DEVELOPMENT: She’s rolling! She rolls over and over and explores whatever space she’s in. She’s still not quite sitting up on her own (she needs support on her lower back usually), but her head is a lot less wobbly than it was last year. Her Rifton Chair is helping her practice sitting up, and her PT has ordered a stander that should be here in a few weeks to help her bear weight through her legs. We read with her, and she likes to try and turn the pages. She can grasp small toys and even puts her binkie back in her mouth when it drops out. She gets physical therapy 2 times a week and occupational therapy once every other week. She smiles a lot each day!

TRACH/BREATHING: She still has a trach and still needs oxygen 24/7. Her doctors here in NV keep telling us that she won’t need them eventually. Hopefully they’re right. We’re currently seeking a second opinion from a pulmonologist at UCLA regarding her continued need for oxygen.

HEART: Caroline’s cardiologist recently examined her heart and told us that the device that was put in place in Oct 07 is still functioning very well. However, he did notice some elevated pressure in her heart, or mild pulmonary hypertension, due to her continued need for oxygen. It’s a condition that, while not too serious (he doesn’t need to see her again for 1 year), needs to be monitored.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: 1 – For her craniosynostosis surgery (see below)

SIGHT: She still has optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH). Her first ophthalmologist diagnosed her as legally blind last year, but a second opinion revealed that “legally blind” might be too harsh a term for Caroline’s sight – she’s more “visually impaired.” Her range of sight seems to be about 3-4 feet.

HEARING: She recently had another sedated ABR/conductive hearing test done under sedation in the hospital, which determined that she has moderate hearing loss in her left ear and severe hearing loss in her right ear – a more serious diagnosis than we had at this time last year. She has hearing aids to help her with this problem.

LAST YEAR’S BIG SURGERY: Caroline had her craniosynostosis surgery at the end of last April. The surgery took a little longer than we thought, but she remained stable throughout and recovered well – just a little slower that the expected 4-5 days (she left the PICU around day 6) because she needed an unexpected blood transfusion.

Her head looks great now, and, while it’s hard to measure scientifically, Bryce and I strongly believe that this surgery helped her significantly with her development (her brain now has room to grow – before the fused plates were putting pressure on it). And a bonus, her hair grew back very well!

Caroline just a few weeks after her surgery last year.

Yummy

2009-04-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've been making this recipe - Flourless Chocolate Cake - lately - it's Bryce's favorite (it happens to be gluten-free but not on purpose). Easy to make and delightful to eat, especially with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

I made the cake for a church bake auction last night, and I also made my Cardamom-Lime Rolls - both items did very well!

After tragedy

2009-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Just saw this article today - it's about one of China's best dancers who, because of an injury in rehearsal, became paralyzed from the waist down 2 weeks before she was supposed to be featured in the Olympic opening ceremony.

The article made me think; I appreciate learning how different people handle what life gives them, about what happens after tragedy. In this dancer's case, she faces many obstacles in her own mind and heart, all while surrounded by a government very different from our own. Sounds like she's trying to overcome and build new dreams for herself.

Happy Belated Easter Everyone!

2009-04-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hi hi, everyone! We had a good, low-key Easter, and by low-key, I mean LOW-KEY! I'm talking no eggs, no ham, no baskets, etc. Buy, hey, I did get Little an Easter dress and shoes AND a cardigan, which is a first for me. I embarrassed to admit that I hadn't purchased a dress or shoes for her before : ). This sounds neglectful, but it's not - I'm telling you. With all of the clothes from family (especially Gmas!) and friends, I've never needed to get her a dress (I will say I have purchased a couple regular outfits for her...) nor shoes (she doesn't walk so I haven't been so motivated w/the shoe thing).

Anyway, I am now a good mom : )!

Enjoy the pics of the aforementioned dress/shoes (I also have to say the shoes pictured below weren't the cutest I'd picked out, but, because I'd never bought her shoes before, I didn't know her size. So, I picked out a couple pairs and the shoes below are what worked. She's a size 5 fyi.):

Caro and her first Peep

Tummy time in her Easter dress

Daddy and tired Little (these were taken AFTER church, so she had had it)

Our Happy Easter bunny

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

2009-04-14T21:46:00.001-07:00

My parents were in town last week and were able to spend lots of time with little C. We asked them to make her Rifton Chair more fun to be in as she has difficulty keeping her balance and sitting up. They collaborated with Erika to come up with the creative idea to velcro tupperware on the desk (to keep them in place) and fill them with items that are interesting in texture and fun to play with. These toys have kept her busy enough so that she doesn't have her mind on how hard it is to sit up on her own!

Gma L showing Caro how to play with her new toys:

Don't eat the toys!

Who me? Fine I won't eat them I'll just smoke them.

Whatever, these toys are delicious!

Thanks G&G L for visiting! We miss you!

Lots of Caro pics!

2009-03-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

We took these last night. Caroline's having a great time in her little room; she really makes full use of the space now as you'll see below...

In a spring dress from Gma S

"I'm so glad to be home in my little room and to NOT be at church!" (Lately, she has been a MAD bean at church - as soon as we put her in her car seat to go home, she is happy and stays that way for the rest of the day. She's our little problem child : )

Resting her legs.

She moved to this position on her own after the other pics above were taken

"Who me?"

I'm trying to get Caro to smile; she usually smiles w/clapping but not last night.

Here, she was trying to wriggle free from my lap.

"Whatever, Mom, I'm a big girl and want to go back to playing."

Caroline had a procedure done in the hospital (because she had to be sedated) last week to more throughly test her hearing; it tested conductive hearing as well as other. Unfortunately, it showed that her right ear did not respond to sound at all - we've always known that her right ear does not hear as well as the left, but we haven't heard before that it is a "dead ear"

(a direct quote from the audiologist - can anyone tell these people that tact is important???). We're still hoping to get more answers... It's frustrating news, but not a tragedy yet - she still has some moderate hearing in her left ear.

Here are some pics of Caro before the surgery - she's a cutey no matter what she's wearing:

Adorable Caro

2009-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

We were in California last week and went to a fun bday party for our friend's daughter. Cassaundra, the mother, is a WONDERFUL photographer, and she took a couple pics of Caroline that just made my heart melt. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Little and Daddy

We were outside for the party and our Little doesn't like being outside (not a fan of sun in her eyes and wind), but she was a very good-sport girl for the party!

Happy Birthday Erika!

2009-03-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Wishing you the best on your special day!

Run, Don't Walk

2009-03-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, I've been keeping a secret from you, my blogging friends.

For the last couple months, I've been training to run a 5k with a group of young moms in Vegas. I've practiced 4-5 days a week, including going on a group run every Saturday morning. Now let me tell you, I've NEVER been a runner - in fact, I thought it was an awful activity - planned torture... However, gradually, I actually have started to be able to do it. I started out slowly - the first week I did 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking, switching off, for 20 minutes and from there gradually added more running and less walking. I didn't post about this before because I didn't want to jinx it.

Anyway, last Saturday, we had our big race - a 5k through downtown Las Vegas. My only goal was to run the whole thing w/o stopping to walk - and I did that and more - I finished w/a time of 31:25! Hooray! I'm proof that just about anyone can take up running if they're just willing to give it a shot.

Me, my friend Annie, our trainer Lindsey Sheer, and another friend Alison before the race...

Being silly waiting for the race to start.

Ali and I w/Las Vegas' infamous Mayor Oscar Goodman

About to cross the finish line

My supportive darling w/me after the race

Our whole group celebrating after the race

I heart Valentine's

2009-02-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Thank you for everyone's concern for Caro. She's still a little congested, but, overall, she's on the mend and doing much better than she was a few days ago.

We had a great Valentine's Day! Bryce got me these:

and these:

and I made him breakfast this morning (bacon and gf waffles, heart-shaped gf waffles - boo yah.)

Caro's nurse came over to watch her in the evening, and we got to go out to a fabulous dinner at Raku. I've been seeing the name "Raku" pop up on the CHOW Southwest message boards for awhile now, as THE place for great food in Vegas, the place that all of the Strip chefs come to eat after work (it's open til 3am), Vegas' secret wonder! (Click here for a good summary of the raves by local food critic, John Curtas.) Well, obviously, I had to see what all the fuss is about.

Bryce made us 7pm reservations; it's not a fussy place, but you're advised to make reservations because it's tiny - only seats about 30 or so. It's in the back of this run-down strip mall on Spring Mountain road, which only added to our feel of adventure. The restaurant serves Japanese small plates - like Spanish tapas - and they were all simple and perfect.

We savored the following: the asparagus tempura (coated w/crispy rice crackers), kobe beef with garlic and miso, homemade tofu - deep-fried , and served in a savory broth (I don't care how carnivore-ish you may be, you will love this one), grilled duck w/balsamic soy sauce, grilled yellowtail drizzled w/a delicate teriyaki sauce, grilled miso and soy rice balls, pork cheeks (we weren't messing around!), and, for dessert, asian pear sorbet and bubbly brown sugar pudding. And we didn't even get to half of the menu. Snap.

I can't wait to take visiting friends and family here - it's a dining experience not to be missed (especially my Mom - this is a Japanese place she can get behind 'cause sushi is not the main thing here)!

Caro was, as always, the cutey on VDay. Here are some much-sought after pics of the bug:

Devouring a candy bracelet sent to her by G&G S:

"I've been caught"

"Maybe I can hide the evidence..."

"Oh well, it was worth it"

Getting ready for bed:

A Sick One

2009-02-11T22:41:00.001-08:00

Caro got sick yesterday. : (

It turns out that it is an infection in her trach area...fairly common for kids w/trachs (she's already had a few flare-ups this winter). Trachs get easily infected because they're basically a hole where the body doesn't want one, so the body makes a lot of extra secretions in that area in response to the constant irritation (it doesn't hurt Caroline, but the body still responds like this). Anyway, that extra moisture + all the drooling C does anyway + open airway that can come in contact w/germs, particles, etc = Caro gets a flare up of bacteria.

This leads to even more secretions (i.e. - very similar texture/look of stuff you blow out of your nose when you're sick - although, luckily, hers isn't really yellowish, more thick and white - tmi, yet? ; ) - once we notice that, we start to be on a full scale alert mode for possible sickness.

Then, blood started coming out of her trach with the secretions - because all of her little air sacs are so strained that some start bleeding (hmmm...maybe I should've posted a tmi warning for the whole post....oh well...).

So, we give her extra breathing treatments that have been chilled in the fridge first (making the medicine cold helps stop the bleeding) to help her lungs try to recover.

But no, the lungs/bacteria in the lungs weren't in the mood to play nice. To which, the rest of her body said "Fine, we'll run a fever to try and kill off the infection". And then yesterday afternoon, Caro had a fever that went from 99.8 to 102.6 in about an hour - no fun for our Little.

I always get a little scared when Caro gets sick like this, even though I've seen it before. I think "Could this be the Big One?" But, then I say a little prayer, and put any scary thoughts out of my mind. I remember that Caro is way too strong for a little bitty infection to bring her down.

Her pulmonologist prescribed 3 new meds to try and kill off this bacteria/virus for good, so we'll have 3 extra meds for the next 14 days or so - meh news for us parents.

Happy ending for Little though: her fever went down by the end of yesterday, and, while she's still sick and needs a lot of suctioning, we haven't seen the fever come back today! She was so sluggish and pitiful yesterday (her cheeks were rosy red from the fever - no pics of that - it's just too pitiful), but today she has already getting her wiggles back.

Anyway, sorry no pictures still, but something new on the blog, even if it doesn't have pictures, is better than nothing, right? Right.

We're still here

2009-02-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get really excited about blogging, and other times, like the last couple weeks, I really haven't wanted to. This latest "break" has been extra long, I know.

I have a post that I've been thinking about doing and know needs to be done, but I've procrastinated writing it.

In the last month, we've had a few friends tell us about how their friend/family member just found out that their baby is not "normal" - that they have Downs Syndrome or Trisomy 13 or another rare genetic disorder like Caroline, that their child will be different, possibly even not be with them at all. We get told about these circumstances a lot, because we are expected to be able to relate better than most can. People ask if they can give our number/email/or blog info to their friend in case they want to talk with someone about their story.

When I hear that someone else has received similar news that we did, my heart gets so soft. I want to be next to that mother and hug her and just listen as she shares what she's going through. I want to tell her so many things. I want them to call us or email us, etc. But I also know that many people offered that to us when we first had Caroline, when we were told she had Trisomy 18 and wouldn't live, when we were told she would live with a 1 in 4 million rare chromosomal disorder, when she was in and out of the hospital, when she needed a trach, etc.

And most of the time, with a few very important exceptions, we didn't have the emotional energy to reach out. Our feeling at the time was that our situation was so rare that no one could really get it (this isn't what I think anymore - few people really get our situation, but many can empathize w/our emotions), so what was the point. We especially felt like this when we thought Caro wouldn't make it to her 1 month bday.

But, I did have the energy to search for and read websites/blogs made by parents of kids w/special needs. So I've been wanting to write some words to that mother, and, as you might imagine, it's something that requires a bit more emotional will than, say, a post about my latest recipe find...thus the procrastination.

And w/o meaning to, I've kind of summed up what I wanted to say to that mother in the title of my post - we're still here. We're still here, we've found happiness again, we still have so much joy in our life. I've learned the value of letting the future take care of itself when it comes to Caroline. However she turns out, however long she lives, whatever developmental milestone she reaches or doesn't reach, I will love her and she will always be my beautiful girl.

I would tell that mother:

What you've been asked to do is so hard.

Hopefully, you have a patient, loving, tactful, sensitive and courageous family around you. If not, tell them to get on board asap: ).

Try to ignore some of the stupid stuff people say.

Tell your story to those you can trust; it really does help to talk it through.

Ask for help, and be specific - people want to know what's going on and they want to help but they may not know what you need.

It's ok to ask "Why?"

Some friends, for whatever reason - usually because they just don't know what to say - will distance themselves from you, but you will form other precious friendships that you never expected to find.

You'll get a lot of information about special programs, support groups, financial help, etc; don't worry if you can't absorb it all in the first few weeks and months - it will work out.

Keep a journal; just something simple. You'll want to have a record - you'll look back and see the Lord's hand guiding you.

It helped me to record every stat of Caroline's and every move the medical team made (weight, height, O2 sat, new medicine given, latest news from the doctor) - writing that down helped me keep track of what was happening and it helped me stay busy.

Cling to your spouse; he or she is the only person on earth who knows exactly what you're going through.

You are stronger than you think you are. Seriously.

It's hard to quantify the lessons I learned/am learning.

There will always be an ache in my heart - grief for the loss of a dream and the denial of great expectations, grief that we won't see Caroline reach typical milestones, that she has to live life in such a fragile body and that we can't hear what she's thinking or feeling. But, the intense sadness and, let's be honest, despair that I used to feel has dissipated.

What is left in its place is love and gratitude. I'm so thankful that the Lord considered us worthy enough to have been blessed w/an exceptional spirit like Caroline's. I'm so thankful for the lessons she has taught me, for the character I've built, for the person I'm becoming because of her. I'm so thankful for the deepened love and bond that Caroline has brought to our marriage. The Lord has given us countless tender mercies along with the hardships. My testimony of the Savior, of the Plan of Salvation, of the gospel has grown so much stronger and deeper.

While I wish Caroline could be "normal" now, I know that, someday, she'll be whole and perfect. Bryce and I will get to be with her and raise her and see the exceptional person she is after this life. Because I know that, I wouldn't change what we've been given. Caroline is a true blessing.

Fast, Easy, Healthy, Yummy

2009-01-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

The post title says it all really. I've made this recipe recently and really liked it. It's nothing original or terribly amazing, but it's a great weekday meal (see post title for reasons why: ).

What makes it is the cashew topping (it says unsalted, but salted cashews were what I had and it turned out great) - I also doubled (at least:) the amount of soy sauce just cause I like soy sauce - do what your palate prefers.

Stir-fried Chicken with Broccoli, Red Peppers, and Cashews

More Bday Pics

2009-01-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

You didn't think I was just going to post 1 picture of her bday "party," did you?

Our little 2

This is our good Little w/some of her bday presents.

At this point, you can see that she has enjoyed some frosting from her frosted gf bday brownies, and she's playing w/one of her favorite gifts - some of the red wrapping paper.

More smiles from the happy 2 w/her presents...

A Little 2

2009-01-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here's one of our favorite pictures of the little 2 w/all of the presents she received. She says thank you to everyone for all of your kindness and birthday wishes.

We have a 2 year old!

2009-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Just wanted you guys to know that it's Little C's 2nd bday today and, so far, she's having a great one. She had a long morning nap, followed by lots of attention from Mommy and Daddy.

Look for pics of the bday girl and her little "party" later tonight or tomorrow...

Food for Thought - 2 Articles

2009-01-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Now, not only do I have a million resolutions for myself (well, actually I have 9 - yikes), but after reading this article, I have a few for my pantry too (PS - what he says about salad dressings is very true - thank you, Mom, for always making it fresh).

How many of these foods are in your diet? B and I get 3, maybe 4, if we're stretching it - gotta go out and get some pumpkin seeds.

Happy Reading....

Pictures from Christmas Eve

2009-01-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

My brother took most of these wonderful pics w/my Uncle's camera- thanks, J!

The smiley bean.

More smiles

UJ and Little #1

She sees the wonder of Christmas.

UJ and Little #2

I'm just happy to be there

This picture is so funny to me - she is definitely her daddy's girl.

Christmas dinner with the family

I made these for the fam

Last Sunday

2009-01-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Little fell asleep in this funny position and slept soundly for a long time...she had cute/pitiful little tube marks on her forehead when she woke up.

Also, Bryce didn't really shave while we were on Christmas vacation, and he ended up keeping his "beard" around for an extra week or so just for fun. I think it looked vcute on him - very GQ...

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-01-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

This week, we celebrated our 4th anniversary! Bryce took me out to Craftsteak for dinner on Friday night, and it one of the best meals I've ever had. Please indulge me while I record for posterity the fabulousness that was our dinner...

Some of the highlights included (and please know that this is a once-a-year meal for us - a special indulgence for us "foodies"):

Lobster Bisque (excellent - a wonderfully fragrant and creamy soup w/fresh lobster pieces throughout - after asking the waiter, I found out that it was flavored with fennel pollen [it tasted like a more-savory cinnamon or nutmeg] - wow!)

Persian Cucumber Salad (lightly dressed w/lemon and olive oil, this crisp cucumber and watercress salad brightened up our heavy meal)

Yellowfin Tuna Crudo (for sushi fans, this starter is truly not to be missed)

Beef Shortribs (braised for 18 hours, this was served inside a shiny copper pot with a little mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery) and jus on top - perfect)

Kobe Wagyu 8oz. Steak (the best steak I've tasted. period.)

and for dessert....

Cinnamon Monkey Bread w/Caramel Ice Cream (Made of a light brioche and topped w/homemade dark caramel, it didn't take a lot of persuading to get Bryce to cheat on his GF diet - and he says it was so worth it [Don't criticize - he was perfect over Thanksgiving and Christmas!])

Yes, we went crazy, but it was just so good and a lot of fun. Because it was our anniversary, they sat us in a great private booth which was also special... and they didn't rush us - we hung out for like 2 1/2 hours.

Modern yet comfortable atmosphere - it was upscale w/o being pretentious. If you're looking for an exceptional dining experience or a special night out, Craftsteak is your place.

Preview....

2009-01-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Don't have time to give a full update on our holidays yet, but, until then, here are a couple cute pics:

The cutest tummy-time girl

The adorable pair (Caro w/GGma C)

A Christmas Poem

2008-12-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming,

How can you tell?

Caro's wearing red,

And swinging like a bell.

Excited for bright lights,

Excited for fun,

Excited for presents,

And the wrappings therefrom.

Anxious for Christmas,

Why won't it come,

Caro's tired of waiting,

And getting quite bummed.

Tired of waiting,

If it doesn't come soon,

Caro may give up,

And think that it's June!

But how can I forget?
She says with a smile,

There's a tree in our house,

It's been here a short while.

And there's snow on the ground,

How can this be!

We live in Las Vegas,

It's a desert you see?

And the snow keeps on coming,

Falling far and wide,

Caro likes it a lot,

So long as it's outside.

Christmas will come,

But it won't stay for long,

So let's enjoy the waiting,

With kindness, love, and song.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

If you're going to indulge...

2008-12-18T23:45:00.001-08:00

Butter makes any baking recipe better - hands down. But you say, "Erika, this is not news to me. I am an educated baker and know never to use margarine." To which I counter, "Yes, but did you know all of this?"

"This" linked above is an interesting article on making the foundation of your recipe, butter, structurally sound. Hope this helps w/your Christmas baking!