This is how we roll...

So, remember how all my other races I go on and on about the catharsis of running? Well, it seems I've changed my tune for this race! This was all FUN, FUN, FUN!

Back in January Elizabeth got us all excited to run a trail race with her, and then followed through and actually got us to sign up! Best decision ever. This was so hilarious/funny and awesome to run. Who can get tired when there's gummy bears on a trail with laugh out loud funny friends around?

Oh, Yeah. We totally planned our outfits and were matchy matchy stripes and shorts friends. We sang through the canyons and let Malibu know that we meant business. And by business, I mean, that we are serious...oh i mean Seriously awesome runners.

If you don't believe me, you better watch this video. Elizabeth put it together, and it is awesome. If my bumpy video skills don't induce nausea, perhaps our vocal renditions of Bon Jovi will.


Disclaimer: The clips may or may not have been taken out of context. Don't believe everything you see on reality TV, people!

Side Note: Did you SEE that king snake on the trail? Because let me tell you, when I nearly ran over that dead King Snake on the trail and instead jumped a good 5 feet in the air, SHRIEKING at the top of my lungs, i might have thrown up a little in my mouth. And had a panic attack. And had vivid recollections of my Ricks College preschool teachers making me carry the boa constrictor to the other class while I broke out in a cold sweat. If it weren't for friends, I really might not have made it through the next 47 steps it took me to pull it together. Phew. What are friends for? :)

Ryan was REALLY excited to see me at the 1/2 way point, and subsequently REALLY mad I left. Then he was REALLY excited to see me at the finish line, and then REALLY mad that I stunk so bad. I tried to bring him across the finish line with me on my back, but he couldn't handle sweaty Mama and opted for a cleaner fresher scented Dada.

Our supportive audience got to have both the mountains and the beach to add to their entertainment during the time we were running. After they met us at the half-way point to watch us run for the porta-potties and pig out on treats for the trail, they got to take off for the beach (which I was highly unprepared for--one pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt for my baby boy to play at the beach in? Wow, i'm awesome...)

Then they found pretty flowers to pick in the mountains:

Shelby is just about the cutest thing ever. She kept saying the whole time we were gone. "Mama, Running, Dirt." This is her shortened sing-song version entitled "Mama, Running". I think it's coming out as a single on itunes in July.

We made it to the end hardly even out of breath, which may or may not be a good sign for a "race" but if the race was for who had the most fun, we totally totally totally won!


Post race awesomeness.

I am pretty sure I'm ready for a 30K!!! Woohoo!

Los Angeles Flower Market

If any of you saw that celebrity-filled obligatory go-see Valentines Day, you might remember seeing the Los Angeles Flower Market!

After deciding that I need to really start liking things about Los Angeles, I started putting together an LA Bucket list. Seth sent this as a suggestion this week, and I could hardly wait for the weekend! My good friend Emily came with me early early in the morning, and we adventured out to the wholesale shops. It's $1 to get in, and then you have access to the beautiful smells and sights of flowers and vases galore!


This little beauty of a plant was $2.50, and I just couldn't pass up the beautiful vase...Emily got a matchy-matchy one with me so we'll always remember our trip!
It really is a brilliant vase. I am in love with it. This picture does not do it justice!

Beautiful Gerber Daisies, and the lovely orchid! The pot for the Orchid is also a favorite!
And...these lovely tulips for $7.
We really needed some flowers to cheer up the house today! I think these were just the trick.

I wish I could send all these lovely bouquets to my friends, family, mothers, and mothers-in-law next week.

One little word 2011

I know it's not, like, January or anything, but I have been trying for the past four months to think of my one little word (reference origins: One Little word 2009), and it wasn't until General Conference that it came to me:

Purpose

I know that probably wasn't the theme of any talks, but as I took brief notes throughout the talks, that's the word that kept coming to my head (Along with Priority and Direction, the two close runners up for my word). And I'm SOOOOO excited that I finally found it. I have set a lot of goals and resolutions for 2011, but I wasn't sure where they were going until now. I would like to live my life with meaning, with a purpose, and give reason to the things I'm doing.

Meaning, I'm not just running several 1/2 marathons. I'm healing my soul and putting effort into something that I've found meaningful for my spirit and emotional well-being. I'm not just trying to eat and promote a healthier diet for us all, I'm setting patterns for our family and our futures. I'm not just learning how to bake and cook better, I'm gaining a valuable skill that I can put to use daily. And I'm not just studying my scriptures and earning my Honor Bee, I am seeking a greater relationship with my Heavenly Father. I'm working to become the woman I want to be, and to develop the family that we want to have!

I'm not sure that I can even come close to summing up my One Little word 2010. Balance. Oh, how I REALLY needed that word last year. Last year I wrote "Balance in life, balance with family, balance with church callings, balancing my emotions, balancing nutrition, health, and exercise with everything else I need to work on."

Oh, last January I was a mess, a hot mess! We're still so amazed, looking back, at how blessed we were with our circumstances (Seth being unemployed and studying for the bar AKA caring for his ailing wife and 3 month old son.) I feel so humbled by the circumstances we were in, and how much I learned. I was so embarrassed to have to rely on others so readily, but there was no getting around it, and I believe we learned balance in our little family as a result. (We also learned that we have angels all around us, helping in so many ways!) While some might argue that my emotions are always a little on the edge, they are in MUCH better control now than ever. Thank goodness.

I really think we ended up doing well with achieving a greater balance in our lives, and now I'm excited to move forward with purpose in this next year, finding a greater meaning in our lives as we structure it with (and on) PURPOSE :)

Just some thoughts

*When I'm cleaning up Ryan's toys at night, I'm a little obsessive about organizing everything and collecting "similar" toys and grouping them. My mom gave Ryan a cute sports bag with four mini balls (baseball, basketball, soccer ball, football). I'm always missing the basketball. And you know where it always is? In "Ryan's Garbage can" (AKA not really a garbage can, just a new garbage can that he uses to put things in). His bigger basketball is usually in there as well. I guess he likes to really play basketball! Guess we better get him a hoop at some point.

*I recently purchased Physique 57, and even though I've only done the complete workout 3x and the 1/2 hour express workout 1x, I am in. love. with. it. My legs are literally shaking like crazy half of the time, and yet I'm still motivated to keep going. I like the method and the way they integrate everything. Makes me feel like I'm working toward something real. It at least gets me by when I can't go running!

*Ryan gets so sad when little Julia (the baby girl I watch 3x a week) gets sad. When she wakes up from her nap and is fussing, he runs to her door and yells her name "Ju-weee-ah! Ju-wee-ah! Bay-Bee!" and knocks on her door till I come open it, and then he runs in and pats her hand with such concern. It. is. cute.

*I've been experimenting with different yogurts/granola/fruit combinations for breakfast, and I think I've finally settled on 3/4 plain greek 0%, 1/4 vanilla (TJs) nonfat, Ancient Grains granola (until I start making my own...I'll get there!), and either Strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or blackberries, or some combination of the above. Some days I put milk in, other days I do a "parfait". Until green smoothies hit me again, I'm loving this breakfast!

*I remember when I used to work full-time and get back to emails, stay up on facebook status updates, read every blog, and return phone calls on my commute. I also remember when I couldn't figure out why some people couldn't do it! Turns out....I don't sit at a desk the majority of the day, and I don't have a commute any more...so sometimes I fall behind on all these things. Luckily my smart phone helps me stay in the loop because I can catch up on it while I'm putting Ryan down, but one handed typing on a phone isn't always doable. I LOVE reading blogs, it's just hard to comment. It's really easy to LIKE a status, not always easy to make a comment. I text now and again, and that's certainly easier to get something quick across than trying to return a phone call! Sigh. I guess what I'm trying to say...is that I'm so sorry if I seem distant. I guess in a way, I am. Our little family is working to make some big life decisions this year--from jobs, to location, to finances, cars, and fashion(just kidding) (kind of). Sometimes I guess I'm lost in my own thoughts. I hope that comes across more "introspective phase" than "selfish phase".

*I think in the past three weeks I've had a massive paradigm shift. Things that used to bother me suddenly don't. And my foggy brain is starting to think through things better, easier, and more clearly. Phew! THAT only took 17 months! (errr....or 17 plus 9, maybe. I wasn't the best pregnant person, either). That might seem like a direct contradiction of previous bullet point. Um, so take what I just said with a grain of salt. ;)

*Ryan likes to play with a pile of rocks we have in a box on our porch. Every time he brings me a rock, and I say "ohhh pretty rock!" he starts "rocking out" and dancing. I love the connections their little brains make!

*This is random, but I just thought of it because Sokel just resigned. When I worked for a investment fund in Washington, DC, I was in my boss's office with my bestie Lauren. We were talking about rich financial gurus, and me, trying to sound smart said "Oh yeah, like that singer guy!" My boss was SO confused, and asked for clarification. I said "Yeah, you know, that singer guy...oh yeah. BUFFET!" ....Lauren paused and then inserted “You mean Warren Buffet?" Me: "YEAH, Warren Buffet! (pause) that's weird that he's a singer if he's so rich." Lauren: "Um, Jane...I think you mean Jimmy Buffet. Jimmy Buffet is the singer, Warren Buffet is the investor." a.w.k.w.a.r.d. Seth and I still laugh about it at least once a month.

*Ryan's little curlycue: (this picture is old, it's lots longer now! Also, Ryan needs a haircut...) * I am completely and 100% infatuated with Trader Joes. I get sad when I have to go to another grocery store. When we look for places to move, I look up where the closest Trader Joes is and center my housing search around where it is. It's a big deal. For one, they don't have any MSG or high fructose corn syrup in any of their products, so its worry-free and easy shopping. And then...the fresh taste! Can't beat it. I've come to realize that people either 1-love it 2-hate it or 3-haven't shopped there enough. ;) (and seriously, why the hate, people? I'd really like a logical response to this one!)

*And I'm loving these two cuties that like to sit on the chair to drink their milk together:

Seth's Birthday!

Ever since I've known Seth, he's been telling people that 33 is the perfect age. Well, pressure is on, buddy, you're 33!!! :) We're excited to make this Seth's perfect year!

Seth mentioned off-hand a few weeks ago when I was telling him about recipes I wanted to try from my BAKED explorations cookbook that the Caramel Apple cake sounded good, so I immediately started planning to make it for him for his big day. Maybe I started a blog for my baked goods (it's on the sidebar, and don't expect anything special, just a new years resolution and something I wanted to take a stab at....) and so I'll post some pictures of the cake on there!

I love this guy. We got to have a few celebrations for the week--Tuesday we went to dinner at Desert Rose with Jason and Elizabeth, and Wednesday we went to dinner at Umami Burger and then had a cake celebration with friends. Seth got some great presents and cards from family and friends, and Seth's coworkers went way out of their way to make the day special, including taking him to lunch and buying him his FAVORITE cake from the Hawaiian Bakery. Oh, and they gave him this balloon, which was popular with the under 18 month crowd in our house...

On a side note, Ryan has already caught the "Cheese" for the camera awkward picture taking bug. Every time we pulled out the camera he'd crawl up on the ottoman and do this exact pose, chin up and everything. Bless his heart.


Happy Birthday, Seth! And thanks to all our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who made Seth's day so great!!

I know it won't be cute for long...

But right now it's SO adorable to us! I love the way he puckers his lips up, just how I say no to him. Turns out every time I say no in my "stern" voice, he laughs his head off and does exactly what I say "no" to. Sigh.



Also, Seth has been sick for several days, and finally dragged himself out of bed, and cleaned the front room with Ryan while I was doing dishes. I walked out of the kitchen to find this:

So lovable. Both of them.


Also, random: Most the time when Ryan is watching his shows (Toy Story or Baby Signing Time) he pulls the keyboard up. Just in case...ya know.

What was that again?

The other day, Ryan kept repeating the same word OVER and OVER, and I had NO idea what it was. Finally I took this video, uploaded it, and sent it to Seth to see if he could figure it out.


We're still not positive what he was trying to say, so any guesses are welcome. We think it might have been "Lightyear" for Buzz Lightyear, since he is obsessed with Toy Story. It also could have been "Woody" for all we know. Seth thought it had something to do with food. Who knows, but this little boy will keep us guessing!

Too cute

Lately, Ryan likes sitting "In" things. The Bumbo, the box that our valentines came in, and his favorite...the laundry basket. He put all this stuff in here, and took a full 10 minutes getting in and sorting everything around, and then finally asked for my help. These are all his Crib toys.
Lately, Ryan thinks its all sorts of funny to put on his hat and put in the pacifier that he NEVER has used, and then cheese it for the camera to me. I'm watching the cutest little girl a few times a week, and since she's 5 months younger than Ryan, he thinks it's funny to do "baby" things. So NOW he'll drink out of a bottle? Whatever, dude.
Lately, Ryan wants to play grown-up dress up with any of our clothes he can find. I'll spare you the pictures of when he puts on my blouses.
And...lately and luckily we've had a champ of a sleeper (knock on wood). Maybe it's because we made his crib a little more comfortable, adding cotton blankets between the sheets and mattress and getting him his very own toddler crib pillow (Thank you Ikea!)
Lately, life is good.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!


I was all sorts of into celebrating V-day this year, so much so that I started crafting for the holiday in January. I couldn't wait to get our decorations together! We printed off the subway art from Eighteen25 and hung this cute thing by it. And you can see the flower I made below amongst the presents!


Ryan was pretty lucky to have generous grandparents who showered him with adorable presents, including Thomas the Talking Tank and The cutest talking Puppy you've ever seen!

In my family growing up, we always would "Fish for Presents" on Valentines day, so we're carrying on the tradition! It was so fun to fashion a fishing rod and let Ryan fish for his prizes (Seth and I got in on the action, too! We skyped with my parents so we could have an audience!) We were happy to have our little party a day early while Ryan was awake to enjoy it and Seth was home to be a part of it.

And thanks to Seth's fashion skills rubbing off on Ryan. He loves his new "Ha High" (Hat. He whispers it when he says it. Adorable.)



Seth works late most nights during the week so we celebrated Valentines day all weekend while he was home! Saturday afternoon we packed for just about anything, and then took off in the car, not knowing where we were going. We had several ideas, but couldn't figure out what felt right. Turns out we ended up in Ventura for a fun shopping trip to Target followed by a DELICIOUS dinner at Red Brick Pizza followed by a late-ish sunset on Ventura beach. It was so simple and so refreshing to get out of the city, enjoy the valley, and spend quality simple time together.

I'm pretty sure Ryan loved it.

Happy Valentines Day, Everyone! You. Are. Loved.

A few new favorites!

Just thought I'd share a few new favorites around here!

Bare Escentuals i.d. Lash Builder
Funny story. Jen and I were on the hunt for "LiLash" or a similar product, so when we saw a beauty supply store that had a big sale whilst out for lunch, we ran inside! The worker at the store claimed that this was exactly like "LiLash", and it was only $15. (LiLash runs about $129 a bottle). Since we had no reason to at least not TRY it, we both bought a bottle. Turns out it's not at all like LiLash, BUT...it has become my all time favorite makeup product!

No more itchy flaky eyes, no more running or flaky mascara!!! Using this product under my regular mascara (Lash Blast Orange bottle) has helped me have longer, thicker, and generally happier eyelashes!


Top 100 Baby Purees
My neighbor and great friend Rachel loaned me her copy of this, and I pretty much stole it for a few weeks so I could keep making all the delicious recipes! The first 3/4 of the book would have been awesome for the "puree" stage of Ryan's life, but the last 1/4 is exactly what we need right now, and I'm in love. Several of her recipes are on her site (which requires a free membership sign-up to read recipes), and she has many more in the book that are just great!

One of the reasons why I love these so much is because they are easy to freeze in the baby cubes and simply warm up for Ryan's lunch or dinner, giving him a bigger variety than if we had to "use up" whatever dish we had for days on end. Today for lunch I pulled down all of our frozen baggies of meals and let him pick his lunch, and he was SO excited about it, and ate every last star-shaped pasta meal. And because I know you're dying to know, here's Ryan's current favorite meal.



The Denman Brush

If I had wads of cash lying around, I'd probably scramble for a Mason Pearson, but since that's not the case, this is my new favorite brush! Seth got it for me for my birthday, and I'm loving it. I haven't ever really been a "bristle" brush fan, but this one sold me. The nylon quills still give a great scalp massage, and the bristles help smooth the rest of the hair. It's the best of both worlds, really!