The Boone Adventures

In 8, 9, and 10 months We've Learned...

2012-02-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! I'm so behind. I picked this background in honor of all our birthdays approaching and since I'm so slow, by the time I update again, Cece will probably be 1 year! On to the catch up...

In 8 months We Learned...

...Cece handled her first bilateral ear infection well!
...organized chaos best describes our first holiday season with a little one.
...what it truly means to have a mobile baby (aka diaper changes with a baby rolling and crawling away from you).
...Cece does not like Santa Claus.
...now we truly know what separation anxiety is.
...shopping/running errands with a sick baby sucks!
...how sweet (and at times frustrating) it is when all she wants to do is be held or cuddled by you.

How She's Grown
...She's crawling around. It's super cute! She uses her right leg to push off and drags her left leg underneath her.
...Continues to babble.
...Says Mama and Dada
...Cruises (moving from one piece of furniture to the next for support) everywhere!
...She's learning to use her pincer grasp. She especially loves to use it to pick up Gerber Graduates Veggie Dips and Happy Baby Banana Puffs, which I affectionately call Baby Crack

Happy 8 month birthday!

In 9 months We Learned...

...We haven't baby proofed the house enough (nothing bad happened but she gets into everything!)
...What great friends we have (Thanks Sarah for watching Cece the week before Christmas!)

How She's Grown
...She eats with her fingers.
...She drinks from a cup with assistance (she's actually done this for a while, since around October). She's still trying to figure out sippy cups.
...Continues to cruise and crawl.
...She's stands really well by herself.
...She stoops from a standing position to try ti pick something up.
...Uses her pincer grasp very well.

Happy 9 month birthday!

In 10 months we Learned...

(Okay so you got your picture; now I'm going to play with this sign)

...Once again we relearned the importance of Mommy and Daddy time.
...She is a budding escape artist. She is constantly learning new ways to break out of her baby play area.
...Our baby is learning so much every day!

How She's Grown
...She's WALKING!!!!!
...Tons of talking! She says Mama and Dada pretty consistently, though not always to the right parent. She'll imitate words. The cutest one so far is when Trevor was talking to her she said "I like you Dada" and later that same day he said "I love you" to her and she said "I wub you." Ah! melt my heart. She has also said hello and byebye.
...She knows how to wave hello and good-bye! So cute!!!
...She knows if you say "Cheers" you clink your glasses together. She LOVES this!
...She puts objects in containers. The toys with holes cut out in different shapes and you have to put the right shape in the hole; she can put the circle in the circle. She needs some guidance (aka us picking out the right shape) but she's starting to get it!

Happy 10 month birthday!

For more photos click here and here.

In 7 Months We've Learned...

2011-11-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3...Mommy gives up

...How cool it is to feel your baby's first tooth!
...Holidays have a new meaning! They're so much more fun!
...How amazing it is to only pump 1-2 times a day instead of 6-8!

...How fast she's learning and growing! 7 months ago she couldn't even hold up her head!
...It's awesome having someone babysit her one night a month so we can have some couple time.

How she's grown
sh... She will drop objects and look for them.
...She babbles a lot!
...She's a squirmy wiggly worm!
...She uses the coffee table, mommy and daddy, the laundry basket, etc to pull herself up to standing.
...She can pick toys out of a box.
...She bangs objects together.
...She loves bouncing when standing or sitting in your lap.
...She can transfer objects from hand to another.
...She's able to turn pages, but chunks at a time. She can do individual pages if we lift the page a little for her.
...She loves walking with assistance.
...She says "Mama" and means me! (poor Dada...)
...Her first tooth is starting to come out.
...Sometimes searches for hidden objects.

Happy 7 month birthday, Cece!

For more photos click here.

In 6 Months We've Learned...

2011-10-26T20:51:00.002-07:00

So I didn't get around to doing a post about 5 months. Oops! Here's 5 and 6 months!

How she's grown

...She sits up unsupported.

...She passes objects from hand to hand.

...She plays with her hands and feet.

...She lunges forward and tries to crawl.

...it's important to get out of the house.

...once you get a good routine going, things change.

...she's got such a personality!
...having a sick baby stinks!

How she's grown

...She can walk when you hold both of her hands.

...She can stand up holding on to the couch and coffee table unsupported.

...She is eating solids consistently.

...She drags objects towards her.

...She cries when we leave the room (she's discovered object permanence).

...She knows us from strangers.

She's learned cause and effect -- if I drop this toy mommy will pick it up.

Happy 6th month birthday, Cece!

For more photos click here.

In 4 Months We've Learned...

2011-08-07T22:38:00.001-07:00

...How fast time flies (and how fast she grows)!
...How blessed we are to have our moms' help!
...How important bedtime routines are but sometimes babies set their own schedules.
...How awesome it is when they hit major milestones!!!
...What a beautiful laugh she has!
...How important it is to continually nourish your marriage.

How She's Grown
- She can bring her hands together
- She can roll over!!!
- She likes to hold her books and toys
- She likes to play her piano
- She likes to sit-up
- She likes to stand up (with support of course)!
- She loves to laugh and smile!!!
- She reaches for and grabs her toys!
- Turns her head when she hear our voices.
- Discovered her toes!
- Tries to lunge forward
- Likes to play with her hands
- Can sit up very briefly without support.
- She likes to sit at the table during meal times.

More photos here.

Annoucement Cards

2011-08-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

So we don't have twin girls, but I liked the design of the card a lot! I figure why send 2 announcements (birth and baptism) when you can send one! I got a great deal on them too! Right now Shutterfly has 20% off all 5x7 and 4x8 cards and free shipping off order $30+! And I found an awesome coupon code on Retailmenot.com for an additional 50% off! The coupon code is: SFLYCARDS50! Woohoo! I got 75 cards for $25.17!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

In 3 Months We've Learned...

2011-07-15T13:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is a bit late!

...how fast 3 months goes by and how much they grow!
...going back to work is hard (and pumping at work)!
...how to let other's take care of her and do things their own way (including Trevor)
...how much we love her smiles and laughs.
...how much we miss her when we're away from her.
...how to ignore advice that doesn't pertain to us.
...the importance of routine.

How She's Grown
-She found her thumb
-She can hold up her head really well
-She sleeps 8 hours during the night
-She smiles, laughs, and talks a lot more than last month
-She scoots herself off her playmat while lying on her back

Happy 3 months Cece!

More photos here and here.

In 2 Months We've Learned...

2011-06-06T18:53:00.001-07:00

...baby spit up is the latest in fashion accessories.
...never leave home without a diaper bag.
...traveling with baby isn't so bad or hard; it just takes good planning (and lots of baby gear).
...binkies are not the enemy.
...babies learn differently than any other animal (thank you discovery channel documentary).
...wrap wearing is awesome and so much easier for shopping than using the stroller and infant carrier (unless you plan on buying lots of things in which case the storage under the stroller is handy!)

How she's growing:
- At 4-5 weeks she started cooing, gooing, and gaaing more.
-Her hair is turning a lighter brown.
-She has hazel eyes in sunlight than her momma.
-She scoots across her playmat with some help from momma.
-She laughs.
-She hits and kicks her toys hanging from her playmat.
-She converses with mommy and daddy and her toys
-She discovered her thumbs.
-She sleeps for 3-5 hours at night. Yay!

-Her newborn pants are now capris.

HAPPY 2 MONTHS CECE!

More photos here.

In 1 month We've Learned...

2011-05-14T09:01:00.003-07:00

...being parents is both extremely difficult and rewarding.
...a new appreciation for our own parents.
...always accept help when offered.
...breastfeeding is challenging.
...doing what works best for your family, is what's best for your child.
...how to multi-task while pumping, like writing this blog post.
...a tiny (or not so tiny) cry can break your heart (and at times make you frustrated).
...a tiny smile can melt your heart.
...there is a light at the end of the tunnel; things really do turn around after 2-3 weeks.

How she's grown:
- able hold neck and turn head
- tracks objects/people with her eyes
- sleeps 3-4 hours consecutively at night

HAPPY 1 MONTH CECE!

P.S. KellyMom is an awesome breastfeeding website for whether you are nursing or pumping (Thanks Sarah!)

More photos here.

May showers

2011-05-09T18:29:00.001-07:00

It's raining and snowing!

Birth Story

2011-05-09T12:08:00.002-07:00

It started with a fortune cookie. Mom and Dad Boone got a fortune cookie on the Friday before stating "Next Tuesday will be one of success and pleasant surprises."

I went to work Monday evening (April 4th) per usual. Around 7pm I started feeling some light cramping. I thought it was just the occasional light cramping I felt during the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy. After having light cramping for 40 minutes, I decided to start timing them. They were coming about every 5-10 minutes for an hour. During that same hour my water broke, though I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't a large gush or a constant trickle like we were told about in our birth classes; I had the occasional small gush after my contractions. After soaking through 3 ABD pads (we normally use those for dressing changes; I improvised as I couldn't locate a sanitary napkin), I decided to give the on-call OB a call. At this point it's about 8:40pm and Dr. Deasy tells me to go to the hospital to check if my water broke. I called Diane to come and relieve me (Thanks Diane!), then Trevor to come pick me up. When Trevor arrived at my work, he was anxious and excited while I calmly sat at the nurses station. I think at the time I was in denial that I was actually in labor.

It was about 9:30pm when we arrived at the hospital. The hospital is literally across the street from my work, so I wasn't concerned about not making it in time. The labor and delivery nurse, Christa, confirmed that my water indeed broke. At 10pm I was dilated 2 cm and having regular, mild contractions. We were moved from triage into a room. During the contractions Trevor pressed on my lower back to help alleviate the pain from the contractions. That pressure helped to alleviate most of my pain making everything much more bearable. We took a short walk around the unit, stopping when I had a contraction. We did intermittent fetal monitoring, which was really nice. The fetal monitor was really annoying and I didn't like the additional weight on my belly during contractions. I didn't want IV pain medications because those can travel through the placenta and affect the baby, so Trevor helped me find different positions along and applied pressure to my back to help me through the contractions. I also did a lot of deep breathing and reminded myself several times to relax my body and muscles during the contractions (something I've learned from my job).

At 3:00am Tuesday morning, the pain of the contractions was much stronger. Trevor says that when the nurse asked I rated my pain a 5 out of 10, but I don't remember this. I told the nurse that the the pain was bearable with Trevor applying pressure on my back, but the pressure I felt in my perineum and the strong urge to poop were very uncomfortable. At the time, I just really wanted to go to the bathroom and relieve myself and get my epidural. We were told in our birth classes not to have your dilation checked often because you'll be disappointed by how little you've progressed, and because my water had broke they wanted to reduce the risk of infection by checking me as little as possible. Trevor and I both thought I would be something like 5 cm dilated. Christa decided to check me and lo and behold...I was COMPLETE! I panicked for a second, realizing that I was not going to be getting an epidural, but then I calmed down and got my breathing under control with the help of Trevor and Christa. Until the doctor arrived, I was not supposed to push. That is the hardest thing not to do!!! Your body is naturally telling you PUSH! and you can't (unless you want to deliver before the doctor arrives)! Once Dr. Kathy Deasy (she came in for her hubby who wasn't feeling well) arrived, I was allowed to push. It was hard work doing the controlled, breathless pushes. But after 7 big pushing contractions, our beautiful daughter was born and placed in my arms while Trevor cut the umbilical cord.

I have since forgotten the pain. I honestly feel I could do it 5 more times! It was all worth it to meet our beautiful bundle of joy!

UPDATE: When I was holding her, right after she delivered, she peed twice on me!

Welcome Little One

2011-04-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

Cecelia Rose

Born April 5, 2011 at 3:26am weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long.

Amazon is Amazing!!!

2011-04-04T10:31:00.001-07:00

I have recently discovered 2 more reasons to love Amazon! I recently signed-up for Amazon Mom. Through Amazon Mom, which is free, you get 3 free months of Amazon Prime and awesome deals on baby stuff! For example the Nature Baby diapers, which I love for their eco-friendliness and reviews (I haven't had the opportunity yet to actually use them):

Amazon's price if you do the Subscribe and Save: $29.30 for 160 count and 2 day free shipping with Amazon Prime. And for every $25 purchase you make at the Amazon Baby Store it adds a month to your Amazon Prime subscription up to a year.

Costco, which I also love dearly is $41.99. They even beat Costco's price! Unheard of in my book!

They also allow you to invite a friend, or my case spouse, to enjoy the wonders of Amazon Prime. Anyone can join Amazon Mom - Dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles...etc. It's so wonderful! We recently used our Amazon baby registry completion discount and got 10% off some baby items we needed and added 4 months of Amazon Prime to our account and we're getting the items in 2 days with free shipping! Fantastic! Thought I'd share the love!

39 weeks!

2011-04-03T20:46:00.001-07:00

1...(give or take) more weeks...haha!

Here are the stats from my last doctor's appointment:

4/1

Weeks pregnant: 38 weeks and 5 days

Blood pressure: 107/71

Weight: 154 (36lbs total, yay no weight change!)

Fundal height: 38

Baby's heart rate: 145

Baby's position: head down! yay!
Dilation, effacement, station: The doc said I'm "easily 1cm," 50-70% effaced, -1 station

New things: There are things happening down there! yay! Um...WARNING: The following information may be too much information (TMI), if you don't want to know don't read any further....

I think I had my bloody show this morning! yay! And I've had vaginal discharge that last few weeks which I think is from my cervix thinning. Hooray! Exciting things!

38 weeks

2011-03-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

2...(give or take) more weeks...haha!

Here are the stats from my last 2 doctor's appointments:

3/18
Weeks pregnant: 36 weeks and 5 days

Blood pressure: 119/73

Weight: 153 (35lbs total)

Fundal height: 36

Baby's heart rate: 135

Baby's position: head down! yay!

New things: Difficulty sleeping, increased heart burn, dreams about going into labor.

3/24

Weeks pregnant: 37 weeks and 4 days

Blood pressure: 111/64

Weight: 154 (36lbs total)

Fundal height: 38

Baby's heart rate: 128

Baby's position: head down! yay!

New things: Still have difficulty sleeping and I tire very, very easily. Anxiously awaiting her arrival. Nesting a little bit when I have the energy.

New Microwave!

2011-03-28T10:26:00.001-07:00

You know you're a grown-up when you are excited to get new appliances! We've basically needed a new microwave since the day we moved into our house. You have to touch the buttons several times before they register. Earlier this month the handle broke off and we decided enough is enough! We trekked to Home Depot and found a microwave we like the GE Adora. The sales associate told us it would go on sale starting 3/17-3/23. So last week we finally purchased our new microwave and it arrived today! Hooray! Trevor took out the old one and Home Depot hauled it away. Trevor and our awesome neighbor Stan installed it. It's so fantastic having a microwave you only have to press the button once and it works!

Goodbye yucky old microwave!

Hello beautiful new microwave!

2010 Yearbook

2011-03-26T14:49:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Nursery Update

2011-03-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mom and Dad Cajas were up visiting helping us get things together before baby arrives. We got a lot of stuff done yay! Including the nursery. The decorations are up. The closet isn't quite finished yet but it's getting there.

Unfortunately the stickers don't stick well on our textured walls. I took a picture before we took them down.

We're planning on adding one more piece of art above the bookshelf.

Maternity Photos

2011-03-26T14:26:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago when Mom and Dad Boone were visiting we took a few maternity photos. Trevor didn't want to take maternity photos so we compromised and took some funny maternity photos.

Baby Shower

2011-03-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from our baby showers last month:

Valentine's themed baby shower:

Cute baby shoes from Mom Cajas's coworker!

Drink of the evening: Fem Ale...get it! Female! There was a cute poem Mom and Dad Boone wrote for the occasion:
Belgian barley, a bit of rice
Honey and spice to make it nice,
Peel of Orange, Berries blue,
A little flavor, a pinkish hue.
To celebrate Baby Cecelia
Arriving soon to join our familia.

Safari themed baby shower:

Becca did a lot of work helping my mom with the invitations, decorations, and setting up. Click on the following links for more info and pictures on the Safari decorations Becca made: Baby Shower Invitations, Part 1 - Sewing, Part 2 - Garlands, Part 3 - Photobooth, Part 4 - Jungle Terrarium

Thank you everyone for the awesome showers! We have such wonderfully talented family and friends! We had a great time!

For more photos from the showers click here.

New Phones, Monthly Baby Photos, Shower Remodel

2011-03-15T20:35:00.001-07:00

It's been quite the eventful few weeks. Here's what we were up to 3 weeks ago:

Trevor went down to Phoenix on February 26th for our friends Callie and Bart's welcome baby party. He took the Friday before off so we could spend some time together and get some things done before he went down to Phoenix for the weekend. Our new phones arrived the day before (Thursday), so we fiddled with those. We love our new phones! We got the HTC Incredible. The best feature about our new phones is the Google calendar feature. Gone are the days of reminding Trevor of upcoming appointments/classes/birthdays. They are automatically sent to his phone via my Google calendar! Yay! I'm very excited to use the Baby ESP app once the baby arrives. Hopefully it'll be as useful as it sounds.

We also ran some errands around town. We went to the grand opening sale at JoAnn's. I got a yard of 7 different fabrics for around $30. Not too bad. They were all on sale and I had a coupon for an extra 20% off all sale/clearance items! I want to use the fabric for monthly baby shots. I'm hoping the pictures will look something like these: Making it Lovely, Young House Love, and Fresh Mommy Blog. I really like the idea of having something constant like a chair or a stuffed animal to compare the baby's growth over time. I just haven't figured out what yet. She has a Vulli Sophie Giraffe that I'm thinking of using but I'm not sure if it is big enough.

On the Saturday before Trevor left for the Welcome Baby party, we went to H&R Block to do our taxes. We spent 3 hours but were very successful! We received a nice refund that's going straight into the bathroom remodel. This past Friday (March 11), we actually meet with a ReBath representative and started on our shower remodel. Yay! It won't be done before Baby arrives, but it'll be before I return to work.

Snow and more Snow

2011-02-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while we were fixing up the nursery we got lots of snow too! I stayed nice and cozy inside the house while poor Trevor had to go outside and shovel. Luckily our neighbor's snow blower started working on Sunday!

Nursery Update

2011-02-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we finished arranging the nursery and bookshelf and started arranging the closet. Here are some pictures of the room.

We got the cute snow globe, piggy bank, lamp and come of the books from our baby shower. Thanks everyone! The bookshelf looks great!

We have this switch plate in our music room too. Love it!

Still a work in progress.

Haha! We put the kitty in the crib. Hehe. It was so cute.

She couldn't figure out how to get out.

I don't think we'll have a problem with her getting into the crib. I don't think she likes it.

Nursery Update!

2011-02-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

We've been hard at work the last couple of weeks getting the nursery cleaned out. There were tons of office and crafting supplies, old school work, and books. All the stuff that was in the nursery don't homes yet (except the books and bookshelf), but they're at least in the right rooms now.

This is the nursery last weekend:

Here it is yesterday:

Hooray everything that doesn't belong is out!!!

As you can see we started moving the rocking chair in.

Trevor hard at work putting the crib together.

Kitty loving every minute of the transition!

The crib is all put together. Once the room is arranged how we like it I'll post more pictures!

33 weeks!

2011-02-20T09:23:00.003-07:00

7 more weeks!

I had a doctor's appoint on Friday. Here are the stats:

Weeks pregnant: 32 weeks and 6 days

Blood pressure: 118/68

Weight: 148lbs (30 total)

Fundal height: 31

Baby's heart rate: 138

Baby's position: oblique

New things: Trevor saw her move on Thursday! It's crazy! Love seeing all her little jabs! I love being pregnant! I do have some dark spots on my breast and armpits, much like my linea negra. All due to hormones. We took our labor class last week! That was a lot of fun! We really enjoyed that class. It's our favorite thus far. In March, we have our breastfeeding class, which I'm very excited for!

Here are some pictures of me taken last Sunday:

This is one of the shirts I thought I'd never be able to wear because I thought it was too big. I was wrong! It looks really cute on me now!

Love this shirt!

We had a blast at our baby showers 2 weeks ago! Thank you everyone! I'll post pictures as soon I get them!

Pink Castle Crasher!

2011-02-02T22:11:00.001-07:00

New Castle Crasher on PSN will leave you tickled Pink

Hooray! Castle Crashers made a pink knight!!! It's only available right now for Play Station, but will soon be available for XBox! Yay! And 100% of the revenue will go to charities for breast cancer research!!! Love Castle Crashers!!!

Baby Update

2011-02-02T19:36:00.002-07:00

I had a doctor's appointment today. All is well. Here are the stats:

Weeks pregnant: 30 weeks and 4 days

Blood pressure: 119/73

Weight: 146lbs (28 total)

Fundal height: 29

Baby's heart rate: 128
Baby's position: transverse

New things: Increased fatigue; baby loves to lay low and sideways; stress incontinence (not happy about this one); I need help to get up some times (especially off the couch); and this might be too much info, but I've had some rock start bms! I've never clogged the toilet this many times in my life!

Super excited for our baby showers this weekend!

The Countdown Begins!

2011-01-30T12:35:00.001-07:00

10!

ha ha ha ha ha....

Yep! It's official! I am 30 weeks today! In 10 weeks, more or less, our little bambina will be here.

According the the BabyCenter.com...

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Art

2011-01-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

As a part of our preparations for Baby Cecelia, we are doing some home improvement projects. One of which was changing all our gaudy 1970's switch plates to more generic white ones. We did this a couple of weeks ago. It's a small change and probably barely noticeable to anyone else, but they were definitely annoying to look at.

The other home improvement project we decided to tackle this month is hanging up art in our music room. We accomplished this one, this morning! Go Team Boone! Trevor did most of the work, but I gave artistic direction. Here are some pictures from our morning:

The painting our friend Nancy made for us as a wedding gift

This beautiful piece we bought during our anniversary vacation this year in Sedona at Eisenart Innovations. Is it by Isa Cooley and Axel Soldwedel, a German couple, that creates these beautiful metal work pieces. We want to start a tradition of acquiring a piece of art on our anniversary; we'll see how that goes.

This piece if from a local Flagstaff artist that we got over a year ago from the Open Studios tour.

This piece is from Z Gallery. Trevor got this when he was in junior high as a birthday gift.

All in all, a wonderful successful Saturday morning.

Baby Kicks

2011-01-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling much better. Still trying to take it easy and not over work myself. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll be back to normal.

Last night, while Trevor was reading to the baby, he had his hand on my belly and felt the baby kick!!! Yay!!! She normally shies away when he puts his hand on my belly, but not last night! His face just light up like a Christmas tree! It was awesome!

Allergies, Coughing, and Pregnancy...oh my!

2011-01-20T09:37:00.001-07:00

This week I finally got a chance to start cleaning the nursery! Hooray! Unfortunately between my sadness in packing up Christmas and my excitement in going through musty, old boxes filled with school papers/projects, I forgot to wear my dust mask. I woke up yesterday morning with a sore throat. I still have one today. I've been drinking a lot of fluids, gargling with warm salt water, taking a warm shower, etc. All of which are helping, during the day. Last night was another story. I was so uncomfortable! Between my normal pregnancy discomforts - backache, difficulty turning in bed, tired legs, etc - and the added difficulty breathing from my stuffy nose, sore throat, and coughing (which increased my backaches), I was not a happy camper last night. I had to prop myself with 3 pillows just so I could sit up comfortably to breathe but still be able to lay down (if that makes any sense). Pregnancy discomforts I can handle. They really haven't been too bad. Just require some minor adaptations. I enjoy them. But the sore throat and the coughing, I'm really hating. I'm so thankful that I've been lucky enough to get through most of the winter without getting sick!

Here are some pictures of the nursery in it's current state:

Once I'm feeling better, I'll start working on it again.

On another note, I found my first stretch marks today! I'm sorta torn about them. I'm excited because I feel like I'm officially in the motherhood club, but at the same time, I was really hoping I'd go through the pregnancy without getting them. I took some pictures of the stretch marks, but they look really gross so I won't post them on here. 12 more weeks to go!

Baby Ethan

2011-01-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the hospital to visit Ethan. He's doing great! He's no longer in the hood so he;s able to regulate his temperature. He's no longer getting food through the IV. He breastfed for 15minutes today while we were there. He's doing fantastic.

We also got to go to Chipotle's pre-opening for Gore employees! Yay! Free Chipotle!

Mmm!!!

Holiday Recap

2011-01-15T15:01:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone! So here's the recap of an eventful 2 months:

I started a new job at the beginning of November at Summit Surgery and Recovery Center. They are a bone and joint surgery center. They do a lot of same day surgeries but they also do some over nighters. I work in the evening shift in the recovery care center. I really love working there! I feel so appreciated by the administrators, my coworkers, and patients. I even received a bouquet of flowers welcoming me to the team my 2nd day of work!

We went to Disneyland with Mom and Dad Boone in the beginning of November as well. It was a lot of fun! We met up with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins for dinner. It was great seeing them. They also helped us get great spots for the fireworks and Fantasmic. We got some great video but I didn't upload them here.

Thanksgiving

Kristina's Baby Shower

Christmas work parties

Christmas in Phoenix

New Year's and our 2nd Anniversary at Tlaqupaue in Sedona

Annual Flagstaff Fun Weekend with the Gang

While up here for the Annual Flagstaff Fun Weekend, our friend Callie's (33 1/2 weeks pregnant) water broke. We took her and Bart to the hospital. On Saturday evening she delivered her beautiful son Ethan!

Callie and Ethan

Proud parents

It's been a busy few months and will be a busy next few month preparing for the arrival of our little bambina! We'll attempt to keep you posted!

Baby Update

2011-01-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor's appointment last Friday. Here are the stats:

Weeks pregnant: 26 weeks and 5 days

Blood pressure: 127/74 (a little high for me, but still within normal ranges)

Weight: 141 (total of 23lbs)

Fundal height: 25

Baby's heart rate: 128 (as the baby gets bigger her heart rate gets slower)

Baby movement: Pretty much throughout the entire day, especially after meals and when i'm just relaxing.

New things I've noticed: I have to sit up straight otherwise I start to feel very uncomfortable; I feel fuller longer (though you wouldn't guess that from my weight); I have more difficulty bending down the pick things up; I forget how big my belly is and don't open doors wide enough or underestimate spaces I can fit into (especially at work)

Like my linea negra?

Chocolate Love!

2010-12-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't really posted much the last two months. It's been quite busy between attempting to prepare for our bambino, the holidays, and just keeping up with normal everyday things. I will hopefully post an overview of our fun last couple of months!

I have been reading a book my folks got me for Christmas called Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Share the rest of our Lives by Annie Murphey Paul. It's very interesting. I think most of us know instinctively that what we do during our pregnancy affects our unborn babes. That's why we have them listen to Mozart and things like Baby Plus. We want to give our little ones the best start. The book so far has been pretty interesting. I'm actually more interested in the research than the author's journey through her pregnancy but the side stories about it definitely help break up the research making it easier to read. The research is still up and coming and requires more follow-up research but I like it.

But back to the chocolate and leaving my tangent. In the book it mentions a study done at Yale University in 2008 that shows pregnant women who eat 5 servings or more of chocolate a week during the 3rd trimester have a 40% lower risk of developing preeclampsia compared those who comsume less than 1 serving of chocolate a week. Hooray!!! And there's more good news for all you chocolates pregos out there! Another study mentioned in the book found that mothers who eat chocolate every day during pregnancy reported their infants showed less fear and smiled/laughed more at 6 months of age! So I say bring on the chocolate!!!

Baby Update

2010-12-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! I had an Ob appointment last Friday. Here are some stat updates on the pregnancy and Baby Cecelia's growth.

Weeks pregnant: 22 weeks and 5 days

Blood pressure: 115/68

Weight: 132 (total of 14lbs)

Fundal height: 21

Baby's heart rate: 135

Baby movement: YES! She moves when I'm about to take a nap, before bed, and some times when I'm sitting down.

New things I've noticed: My belly is bigger than by boobs; I walk differently, I sort of waddle; I move more slowly; Rolling over in bed is different.

I just had to show a picture of my belly head on. Please don't look at the increased hair growth, a lovely pregnancy attribute. Instead look at my belly button! I have a huge/deep belly button normally. I think my belly button just might pop out!

Profile shot of my burgeoning belly! This picture was taken at 23 weeks prior to Trevor's Christmas party, which I'll post picture from...eventually.

Baby Kicks

2010-12-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

I totally felt baby kicks last night when I was trying to sleep! They felt like popcorn popping and that feeling you have when your legs are in the pool and you're slowing kicking your legs in the water. It was cool! I hope I feel more soon. I had a hard time sleeping last night because I wanted to stay awake longer so I could feel more. Yay!

Alex and Ellie's Wedding

2010-11-28T18:03:00.002-07:00

Last month we went to Phoenix to celebrate our two friends Alex and Ellie getting hitched. The blessed event was on October 9th. Here are some pictures of the awesome day:

The girls getting ready

Being goofy

Me and the bride

Us at the church

Ellie with her bouquet

The guys

Exchanging of the rings

After the ceremony

The beautiful table! So fun!

The happy newlyweds!

The Boone men before entering the photo booth

A photo with the bride and groom after a long night of dancing and celebrating!

It was an awesome wedding! Thank you for having us be a part of your wonderful day! For more pictures click here.

Think Pink

2010-11-21T13:02:00.004-07:00

This past week we had our ultrasound and monthly doctor's appointment. Everything looks great! Baby's heartbeat was at 156 bpm. We found out we're having a little girl!!! Her little hands are so cute! It was great to see. Her kidneys are functioning properly. She's got all 4 heart chambers. Her brain's intact. Our little girl is right on track! We couldn't be happier!!! What a great gift for Thanksgiving!

This is her little face. They call it the skeleton view. If you turn your head left side you can see her eye sockets and mouth.

Here are some belly photos we took this weekend. Half way there!

Weekend Cleaning Spree

2010-11-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were busy cleaning our yard before bulk trash pick-up day and the impending snow season. Trevor mostly worked on that. I did help by sweeping the front porch and back deck. While Trevor worked on the raking and the gutters, I worked on putting away our summer clothes, taking out our winter sweaters, washing some laundry. I also had the pleasure of packing up my scrubs. My new job provides and cleans my uniforms for me! Hooray! Here are pictures of our successful weekend clean...

I did not take pictures of the summer-winter swap. It's embarrassing how many tubs of clothing...mostly mine.

Alex's Bachelor Party

2010-10-30T18:28:00.001-07:00

For Alex's bachelor party we had a shooting party out in the desert.

We started off the day at Goodwill looking for knick knacks to shoot at. This is a really creepy looking little girl statue thing.

Here's Alex, setting up one of our many targets.

I went out the weekend before the bachelor party to the neighborhood in Flagstaff that had bulk trash pickup that week to look for fun things to shoot at. This TV was one of the things I found. I'm surprised at how crazy thick the glass is on a TV!

(If you're wagging your finger about all the trash, a lot of it was there before we got there, and we bagged up and took out more stuff than we had brought in.)

Here's us "taking care of" this incredibly obnoxious singing Santa doll we found at Goodwill.

Nick brought along an old computer monitor, which we also thoroughly "took care of."

The Firing Squad!

After shootin' we went to Chipotle for dinner (we're getting one in Flagstaff soon!) and then we went to Dave and Buster's to play some vidju games.

We spent quite a bit playing Super Shot or whatever it's called. I guess they were having a contest or something where you could win a $5 game card. I think Merlin won one. We were surprised at how good some of these much smaller kids were, but we figured their shorter stature must have given them an advantage somehow...

We also shot at some pretend people, which wasn't nearly as fun as shooting at for real televisions, but it was still fun.

The next day I had a bruise on my shoulder and a fat lip, both from the kickback of the shotgun (holding the butt of the gun away from your face is generally a good idea, I guess,) but we had a great time!

Ellie's Bachelorette

2010-10-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Ellie's bachelorette was a blast! We did a Hollywood Glam theme. Here are some of the things we did, and pictures of course!

We started out at Mojo, an awesome yogurt place in downtown Phoenix. The yogurt there is so yummy! You get to choose your yogurt and various toppings. Mmm! Wish they had one in Flagstaff! After giving our taste buds some loving we got a taste of the big screen. We headed over to AMC Esplande and watched Easy A. It was a really good movie! I laughed pretty hard.

The beautiful bride to be! Eat your heart out Alex!

Showing off her bling!

Next, we headed for culinary delish at Bliss, a restaurant owned by some of Cherie's (sister of the groom) friends. This is a picture of us waiting outside while Callie and Cherie, prepped the table.

We played a game where Alex answered a set of questions before hand. We asked Ellie the questions and she had to guess Alex's response. For every one she guessed wrong, she had to chew a huge gumball.

The hippy (Sarah) and the gypsy (Eleanor)

When we were done with dinner, we pulled a little switcheroo at Brenda and Nicole's place and got dressed to the nines. Ellie got a lovely bottle of Gentleman's Jack to start off the night.

While we were at Brenda and Nicole's house we place a game where you had to think of words to describe certain things (most not appropriate to mention here) and if you couldn't think of a word you were out. The prize was a female pleasure device.

From there, we headed out to the clubs in Scottsdale. We started at the Firehouse and ended at Disco. Disco was pretty fun. They have a really cool dance floor that lights up where you're standing on it.

Whenever we said a code word, Ellie had to show a guy a picture of her hubby to be, Alex.

Throughout the night we did a scavenger hunt where you had to do things like call a family member, kiss the head of a bald man, get a group of guys to seranade you, go into the men's restroom, dance the chicken dance to an entire song, etc. It was a really fun game!

Ellie and Callie playing a game to see who could put on 3 condoms the fastest.

The girls made it onto Disco's Facebook page.

We had a great time! It was a fantastic evening!

Something Wicked This Way Comes 2010

2010-10-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

So we pretty much kept the decorations the same as last year but added a few more lights and some craft pumpkins (which we have yet to carve) in the house that will go outside to light the stairs Halloween night.

Here's a close-up of the planter. My awesome husband was able to maneuver the pumpkins into their proper positions.

The kitty looks like our kitty.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Baby Movement?

2010-10-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to share that a couple of days ago I may have felt the baby move. It was Wednesday night after we got home from dinner at Oregano's with Trevor's coworker Jake. I was laying on the couch and Trevor was programming on his laptop, when I felt a little swish in my belly. It reminded me of when you drop a rock into a lake. A little plop. I've read that quickening or the first kicks can feel like gas, popcorn popping, butterflies, or a goldfish swimming around (which is what I would liken my experience to). I'm not 100% sure that it was the baby since I'm not exactly sure what it should feel like, but it's exciting!!!

A FANtastic Fix

2010-10-28T08:53:00.002-07:00

In order for me to turn on the fan and light in our dining room and guest room/soon to be nursery, I have to stand on other objects. At this point in the pregnancy, I'm not super big and my balance is still okay but I know that will change. For safety and convenience reasons, we decided we needed to fix this problem.

Our fan before

Our fan after

I went to Home Depot, per Trevor's instructions, and found extensions in the fan/lighting aisle. Who knew? Such a simple fix! Trevor just snapped on the extensions and viola! I no longer have to stand on chairs and other nearby furniture to turn on the light and fan!

We've Got Bun in the Oven

2010-10-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

We've got some wonderful news to share! We are pregnant. I'm currently 16 weeks. Only 24 more to go! Our baby is due in early April. We'll be sure to keep you all posted on the latest news about our new addition.

Penny Arcade Expo Prime 2010 in Seattle

2010-10-21T19:03:00.006-07:00

The Penny Arcade Expo is where gamer aficionados and developers can gather and meet to share their love of video games. It was a 3 day expo from Friday, September 3rd-Sunday, September 5th. We had a lot of fun! Here are some pictures and videos from our trip.

Travel Day

We had some flight complications. We boarded the plan on time. Waited on the plane for an hour. The plane's engine over heated. We all got off. Waited another hour. And this is what the pilot had to say "They looked at the engine and everything is within normal limits. We're going to try this again." Um...right. We have a lot of confidence now...luckily we landed safely in Seattle, WA.

Pictures of the city.

Our destination for storming the Castle.

Our hotel the Hyatt at Olive 8. It's a super sweet hotel!

The lights in the lobby. So cool looking!

Our awesome room!

You have to put your room key here in order to turn on the lights.

They had grass growing on the roof to help be more sustainable.

Day 1
Click here for video.

Thousands of gamers lined up early in the morning to check out the latest from their favorite game developers. One person even lined up at 4am!!!

Posing with Bethesda's (one of Trevor's favorite companies) booth for Fallout New Vegas.

Castle Crashers arcade cabinet

Me and one of the Frag Doll Girls. I played against her on Magic the Gathering on the PC version in order to win an xbox 360. Alas I did not win. My PC didn't have all the cards unlocked!

But...I did win some Microsoft points!

Day 2
Click here for video.

Me and my sweat towel I won after playing Dance Central, an interactive dancing game for Microsoft Kinect.We also played Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sport's boxing. FYI - I beat Trevor. We may have just found a new way to settle arguments (j/k).

Some pictures of us playing Kinect Adventures.

We got to be background actors for an episodic game called March 32nd. Kind of like Sin City.

We met up with Alex and Ellie and went to the Space Needle.

And Science Center

And Sci-Fi Museum

And Experience Music Project.

It was a super fun day!

With a great ending! We had dinner with Aaron, Tiffany, and Thomas (Alex's brother and his family). It was delicious! Trevor had quite the experience with very attentative crab service.

Day 3
Click here for video.

Official Disney sketches...the line was so long...we bailed.

Ellie playing Dance Central. She got complemented on her awesome moves!

Alex and Ellie playing Kinect Adventures.

Hanging out at the Volosin's house.

For more pictures click here. Also check out this video on youtube at minute 2:37. You'll see Trevor and I in the background boxing.

Baby Update

2010-10-20T20:08:00.002-07:00

Weeks pregnant: 15 weeks and 4 days

Blood pressure: 90/67

Weight: 123 (total of 5 lbs)

Fundal height: 16

Baby's heart rate: 145

New things: smelling a bag of roasted coffee beans helps with the nausea, upgraded to maternity pants, some vomiting (something I thought I'd never be excited to do, but I was)

Sweet Treats

2010-10-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

Last weekend our friend, Marc (not to be confused with Grace's brother) came over. He brought us some trouffles from a local Flagstaff store. They are so delicious and it was super sweet of him to bring us a little something.

More posts to come: Seattle, Alex's Bachelor party, Ellie's Bachelorette, Alex and Ellie's Wedding, and some other fun stuff.

Second Doctor's Appointment

2010-09-28T18:55:00.001-07:00

Weeks pregnant: 11 weeks and 4 days

Blood pressure: 110/70

Weight: 117 (total of -1 lbs)

Baby's heart rate: 160

New things: increased bloating/gas, sensitive gag reflex, increase nausea in the afternoon, back pain, some fatigue.

Window Therapy

2010-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks! Sorry the long hiatus. It's been a busy summer. Back on May 24th, we had new windows installed by Renewal by Anderson. We thought we'd cash in on the Energy Efficient tax credit. We got 4 windows replaced, all in the bedrooms. It should help make the bedrooms extra warm and cozy come winter. The are the dual pane, argon filled windows. They came with a lifetime guarantee. If any of them get a crack or break (so long as it's not due to an act of God or a baseball) they will replace them, free of charge! Woohoo! Gotta love that!

In addition to the upgrade, the windows got a new look thanks to an awesome sale at Target on curtains. Here are pictures of the rooms now:

First bedroom down stairs

Music room

Close-up of the stained glass window Grandpa Huber made.

Upstairs master.

What a difference new windows and curtains make!

First Prenatal Appointment

2010-08-20T20:57:00.002-07:00

We had our very first prenatal appointment to day. We got to have an ultra sound and hear our baby's heartbeat. It was amazing! We were so nervous, especially because of our last pregnancy. It was wonderful to see our little one.

Weeks pregnant: 6 weeks and 5 days
Due date: April 10, 2011
Blood pressure: 101/80
Weight: 118
Baby's heart rate: 146

Funny facts: I had a dream a week prior to taking a pregnancy test that I could palpate a baby's heartbeat. Trevor had a dream about a week after the positive pregnancy test that we had a girl. In his dream he was reading the newspaper and the nurse came over to show him his baby girl. Everything was so calm in the delivery room. If only that part will come true!

Ellie's Bridal Shower

2010-08-02T13:44:00.005-07:00

On July 24th was my close friend Ellie's bridal shower. We did a 1950's Housewives theme. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures from the party:

Me & the Bride to Be

Cherie (Ellie's soon to be sister-in-law) handing Ellie her attire for the day

Ellie's cupcake apron made specially by Sassy Aprons

Sarah, Ellie's mom, surprised her by flying in from West Virginia for the shower! I didn't get a shot of Ellie's reaction. It took her a minute to realize what was going on and then the water works came!

The Moms and Ellie in their aprons. All by Sassy Aprons.

Let the Games Begin

Pin the Slipper on the Husband

Callie (maid of honor) made the awesome poster.

The results are in. The winner is....

Sarah, Ellie's mom!

Glam up your Cupcake

This is Ellie's cupcake. I made the cupcake toppers. They're super cute! I'll tell you how to make them in a later post.

My cupcake. In case you can't read what it says, "As promised, she served him his balls on a tray." I found my cupcake amusing.

All of our cupcakes. Mmm yummy!!!

Eleanor's winning cupcake!

1950's Housewife Game

The game is based on the 1950's Good Housekeeping article on how to be a good wife. Cherie read the article aloud. Afterwards there was a quiz to see who would be the best house wife (or who has the best memory).

Ellie's reaction to the article.

The moms' reactions.

Pictionary

Group shot

Brenda, our grab bag winner! Upon arrival, everyone self addressed an envelope that Ellie will use for thank you cards. Right before the gift opening, Ellie picked the winning envelope.

Gift opening

It was a great time! I'll post some of the fun diy stuff we did for the bridal shower later. For more photos click here.

New Camera

2010-07-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

As some of you may recall, we lost our digital camera on a rafting trip. We recently purchased a new one. It was a difficult search, but we finally found one that met all our needs:

1. Shock proof, freeze proof, & water proof

2. Takes great pictures in all lighting - especially low lighting

3. Easy to use

4. Can take video

The shock/freeze/water proof feature, certainly narrowed down the field a lot! We had a hard time choosing between 5 cameras: Canon Powershot D10, Olympus Stylus Tough 8000, Pentax Optio W80, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1, and the Sony Cybershot DSC-TX5. The Canon has the best reviews on Amazon.com and Costco.com but the Olympus is the most similar to the one we previously owned. The hardest characteristic to find was a camera that takes good pictures in low lighting. Point and shoot and SLR digitals still take the best pictures. I know in time the shock/water/freeze-proof cameras will develop further. Maybe there will be a shock/water/freeze-proof SLR some day. I'd totally buy that!

After reading through several reviews on each (review 1, review 2, review 3, review 4) we finally chose the Sony Cybershot DSC-TX5 and couldn't be happier! It has all the functions we want! It's so easy to use; it has a touch screen. It takes great photos! The only thing I don't like is in the automatic mode is sometimes uses the flash, when I think it's not necessary.

We found a great deal on Central Digital. We were little nervous about using this company because after we made the purchase we read some not so stellar things about the company. But everything turned out well. We got the camera, a spare battery, a free camera case and free table tripod for under $330. Hooray!

Mountain Man Triathlon

2010-07-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a long time! I got busy doing things around the house. It's been a busy couple of months! We've got new energy efficient windows, painted the exterior of the house, cleaned-up the master and did gardening. More about all that later.

On Sunday our good friend Nikki did the Mountain Man Triathlon. Some other friends - Brittany, Jackie, and Kristina - came up to root her on and hang out for the weekend. Nikki did awesome! It was a great time! We also got to give our new camera a spin, but more about that in a later post.

Friday night we ate a Bigfoot BBQ and hung out at the Green Room listening to a band called the Latino Rebels. They were really good! They played some Reggae and Latin music. And there was a weird older lady there that was jazzercising or something to the music! Britt got some pictures and a video. It was hilarious. I felt bad that I found it funny, but it was just so random!

Saturday we just hung out and had dinner over at the house. It was a good time chilling with the girls!

Jack and Nik looking through pictures

Group shot right before dinner. (Thanks Mom & Dad Boone for the apron, I love it!)

Our yummy dinner: Spinach/cranberry/sliced almonds/feta/raspberry vinaigrette salad, corn (fresh from Jack's patients farm; super tasty!), and Parmesan pasta with chicken and rosemary.

Mer and V randomly drop in for some of the weekend festivities. We hung out with them at the Wine Loft after the girls left. The Wine Loft is one of our favorite wine bars here in Flagstaff. They have as many beers as they do wine and a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages. One of my favorite non-alcoholic beverages is their Vignette which is made of the grapes used for pinot noir. They also have board games that you can play and you all know how much I love board games!

Here are some pictures from the big race on Sunday! It was super fun!

Me & Nikki before she jumped in the water at 7am!

All the swimmers! Crazy! They look like a huge flock of birds this far away.

Nikki's parents waiting in anticipation for Nikki to finish the swim portion.

Go, Nikki, go!

Look at her mom beaming in the background!

During the cycling portion, we saw some crazy intense things like bike shoes attached to the bikes, cyclists taking off their shoes prior to the finish line and...

ballet-esque developpes to lift their leg over their bike prior to crossing the finish line. All to enhance their times.

Here's Nikki finishing the bike portion.

Yay! Nikki crossing the finish line!

Breakfast of champions

Fun panoramas

Charice Pempengco

2010-06-22T16:04:00.001-07:00

I just had to post this video of this amazing little girl from the Philippines who's dreams of being a singer are coming to reality. She's well known in the Philippines. She has been on Oprah on and off since 2008. As a little girl, her dad tried to kill her mom before neighbors intervened and she witnessed it all. She's an amazing singer!

Boone Appetito

2010-06-20T16:04:00.002-07:00

Hi Family and Friends!

We have a new blog. If you look on the sidebar it says "Our Other Blog" and underneath it is our new blog! We (ahem, Grace does) blog a lot of recipes we do and thought it'd be nice to have them separated. This blog will be solely on what's new in our lives and the other on the fun recipes we try. Go and check it out! It has the recipes on this blog and will feature any new recipes we do.

Crazy Fire!

2010-06-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

This season has been so dry that living up here in the mountains is a huge fire hazard and evacuation a huge possibility. Yesterday, there was a huge fire by Little America. Firefighters fought to control it for a good portion of the day. Today, right now, as I'm typing this...there is a HUGE fire between Mount Elden (the mountain we live near) and the San Francisco Peaks. Our home doesn't appear to be in danger at the moment. We didn't even know there was a fire until we went out for lunch for a relaxed, lazy Sunday.

Here are some pictures we took.

This was on our way to lunch.

This was driving up 4th street to our house.

Please pray that the firefighters are able to put it out and for everyone's safety, especially the firefighters and the people who's homes are affected.

Arizona Hunger Campaign

2010-06-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends and Family!

The email below is from our friend Jenni, she was also our wedding coordinator. Check out her company, Imoni Events and her blog. She's graciously and generously decided to help the Arizona Hunger Campaign. She will match all donations you make. If you would like to help her out, this is the last week of her personal goal of raising 1000lbs. You can find out more about Arizona Hunger Campaign here. You can make a direct donation at the Arizona Hunger Campaign website. If you'd like to help Jenni with her personal goal please email her at jen@imonievents.com and mention us (so she doesn't think she's getting weird emails)

Thank you!

Dear Friends-

This email comes to you with a very broken heart....

Recently I had a girlfriend try to volunteer her family at a food bank for Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day" promotion only to find out that they literally have no food in their pantry. Then I was at church this weekend and was informed of a state wide push to fill the pantries called The Arizona Hunger Campaign. Their goal is to make sure no child goes to bed hungry. You can click here to read about it's kick off that occurred this past May 6th.

To be very vulnerable with you all, since my pride is much less important than this cause, I have very vivid memories of walking to food banks when I was a kid. My mom was an uneducated, single mother who worked two jobs to make ends meet. But most months she fell short. If it wasn't for food boxes, my mom would have to endure putting us to bed with growling tummies. As a mom now, I can't even imagine that scene without breaking into tears. My mom was one strong lady though, so I am going to be just as strong, and bold.

So, I am asking for your help. I personally want to make a difference in this Arizona Hunger Campaign. But I would love your help! I need your help! You can help two ways.

1. You can buy any of the following items and I will come to your house, personally, and pick them up.

Peanut butter & jelly
Spaghetti sauce & pasta
Canned meat such as Tuna or Chicken
Canned fruit & vegetables
Cereal
Canned soup
Macaroni & cheese
Rice
Boxed meals (like Tuna Helper)
Canned meals (chili, Spaghetti Os, etc.)
Boxed desserts (instant pudding, gelatin, brownie mix, etc.)

2. Or you can send in a check and I will make trips to the grocery stores as the money comes in.

The goal of Arizona Hunger is to raise 5 million pounds of food in one year. My personal goal is to raise at least 1000 pounds of food in the next two weeks. Huge goal, but I know we can do it. In addition to what I am going to donate already, I am going to match whatever you donate to this cause. Dollar for dollar, can for can. This means a lot to me.

Please let me know if you would like to help. I will send you my address if you would like to send a check, or I will get yours if you would like me to come and pick up food. Either way, just reply to this email so I can start to track some progress.

This issue ways very heavy on my heart, but I am hoping the next two weeks will change lots of lives for the better, including yours. Thank you in advance for playing your part!

Love you all!

Jenni

Keep Your Comments to Yourself

2010-06-13T20:50:00.003-07:00

Today I am irritated by the unconscious rudeness of others. At work today, we had a lot of CNAs call off so I was calling around to find replacements. One of the CNAs I got a hold of told me, "I am a Christian. I believe that Sunday is a day of rest. So I can't come in to work." I nicely thanked her and said bye. But her comments did not sit well with me.

I could tell that she thought carefully about what she said, but I found her statements rude. It made me feel that because I was working on a Sunday that I am some sort of hedonist or atheist. I am a God-fearing woman. I too, believe in keeping the Sabbath. Unfortunately, as a nurse, I occasionally have to work weekends, including Sundays. Hospitals and nursing homes don't close just because it's Sunday. Life doesn't go on hold for Sunday. I would love to keep Sunday as a day of rest. But I also believe that the sabbath is more than Sunday. It's a way of living. There's a book that I borrowed from Mom Boone, that I haven't quite finished, called Sabbath Keeping (which is a really good book, btw). But it talks about Sabbath keeping throughout your week, not just on Sundays. The work I do on Sundays as a nurse, is also a form of Sabbath. It's a blessing for me to care for these Grandmas and Grandpas, as I'm sure they find the work I do as blessing as well.

It is unnecessary to make such comments about being a Christian, when declining to work a shift. Those who work on Sundays are also Christians. There are times I even work 8 hours on Sunday and still make it to church. There's no need to impress your beliefs on someone when turning down a shift. That's not the right time to have a religious conversation. So just keep your comments to yourself. Next time, if you don't want to work, regardless of reason, just say "I can't come in." End of story.

Jenga Jenga Jenga

2010-05-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great time tonight! We played Jenga! We got a whooping 29 story Jenga! I don't think I've ever made a tower that high, ever!

This is not a pic of the 29 stories, so don't count. I do have one but this is the best picture I got with my camera phone.

Chicken Souvlaki

2010-05-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

For Trevor's birthday, I made this really delicious meal! It from the Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy, Delicious Meals cookbook. It's really simple and sooo good!

Hands on time: 25 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

3/4 cup crumbled Feta (3 ounces)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup halved kalamata olives

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Black pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, diced

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill If you choose to use dried dill because it came in your spice rack, like me, keep in mind that dried dill is more potent than fresh. Therefore you need less. Our stuff turned out a little too dilly.

4 pieces flat bread or pitas, warmed

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, Feta, onion, and olives.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons or the vinegar, the lemon juice, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Silly me! I misread this when I made the dish, I put the full amount of red wine vinegar. But it still tasted good!

3. Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the tomato mixture, toss, and set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining vinaigrette and toss to coat.

4. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken (but not the liquid) to the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining teaspoon of vinegar. Serve with the bread, chicken, and tomato salad.

Mom Boone's Taco Soup

2010-05-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Mom Boone makes an awesome Taco Soup! For my bridal shower my awesome bridesmaids made me a recipe book and Mom Boone's Recipe is in it. This is Trevor's favorite soup!

Ingredients:

1lb 93% lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 pkg of ranch dressing mix

1 pkg taco seasoning I used hot taco seasoning, we like things spicy

1 can chili hot beans

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 cup frozen white corn I used the same white corn I used in the Southwestern Salad and Vegetarian Tacos

2 cans of Mexican tomatoes (diced tomatoes with peppers or stewed Mexican style tomatoes)

1 can of water

Directions:

Brown meat and onions. Stir in ranch and taco seasoning. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream. I topped it off with some Mexican shredded cheese. We used the Organics white corn tortillas, best tortilla chips I've ever tasted!!!!

Trev's 25th!

2010-05-25T11:20:00.003-07:00

Poor Trevor! We had this great trip planned for the weekend of his 25th birthday (4/26)! We were going to live it up in Vegas. We planned to stay 3 nights at Excalibur which is near New York New York, Trev's favorite hotel and had tickets to watch Zumanity. But the Thursday before our big trip Trevor got very sick! Running fever as high as 101 on and off. So we ended up spending the weekend at home.

I tried to make it as special as I could. Here are some pictures of our weekend.

The Food:

Mom Boone's Taco Soup (Trevor's Favorite Soup)

Chicken Soulvaki

Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake

The Loot:

CS4 Extended Photoshop

Tool set - which we've been using for miscellaneous house upkeep projects. Thanks Mom and Dad Cajas!

Awesome water chose from Land's End! Thanks Mom and Dad Boone!

While it wouldn't have been as fantastic as our Vegas trip, Trev had a relatively good birthday. Good food, naps, and lots of movie watching!

P.S. I'll post the recipes for the above soon.
P.P.S. Isn't our phone awesome! It takes great pictures. We lost our camera.

Cool Southwestern Salad with Corn and Avocado

2010-05-25T10:56:00.001-07:00

This is another delicious vegetarian meal that I made a while ago. Its from the Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy Delicious Meals. We ate this for dinner and the following day I ate it for lunch with a tortilla (a tip that was in the book). So good! And super easy!

Hands on time: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 small heads romaine lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces (about 12 cups) I used Organics romaine lettuce from Safeway

1 cup corn kernels (cut from 1-2 ears, or frozen and thawed) I used the left over frozen corn from the Vegetarian Tacos

2 avocados, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 15.5 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed I used fresh pinto beans (we have a huge bag!), soaked them over night, boiled them for 1 hour on low heat

1/2 red onion I made it raw, but next time I'll caramelize it a little. Trevor and I are not fans of raw onions

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Kosher salt and black pepper I used regular salt

1/2 9 oz bag tortilla chips I used Organics corn tortilla chips from Safeway. So good! The best tortilla chips I've ever had and I'm not a big fan of tortilla chips.

1. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, corn, avocados, beans, onion, and cilantro.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, cumin, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Drizzle over the salad and gently toss. Serve with the tortilla chips.

We paired it with some frozen Costco chicken. Mmm! yummy!

Cheese Enchiladas

2010-05-23T12:31:00.002-07:00

Going along with our more vegetarian life style (we aren't really vegetarians but we've cut out a lot of meat in our diet) I made cheese enchiladas from a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com. It was pretty easy and cheesy. =) I think the next time I make them I'll use less onions and chop them finer. Though it's difficult for me to chop onions, they make me cry so badly that I can barely see what I'm cutting.

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
30 Min

Ready In:
50 Min

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons Creole-style seasoning
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1 onion, diced
1 (6 ounce) can sliced ripe olives
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl combine tomato sauce, tomato paste and Creole-style seasoning.
Warm tortillas in microwave, or in oven; dip them in the tomato sauce mixture and lay them in a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with cheese, onion, olives and mushrooms; roll. Repeat until dish is full. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Vegetarian with Spinach, Corn, and Goat Cheese

2010-05-22T22:58:00.003-07:00

This is a recipe we made about a month or so ago. It's super good and super easy! It's from the Real Simple March 2010 issue.

Hands on time: 20 minutes total time: 20 minutes serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 14oz package extra firm tofu - drained, patted dry, and crumbled

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Kosher salt and black pepper I used regular salt

1 10oz package frozen corn (2 cups), thawed

1 5oz package baby spinach (about 6 loosely packed cups)

8 small flour tortillas, warmed

3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 oz)

3/4 cup store-bought refrigerated salsa

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the corn and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and toss until wilted.

Trevor made his taco shells. Yummy!

3. Fill the tortillas with the tofu mixture, goat cheese, and salsa.

Love this recipe!!!!

Water Rafting

2010-05-22T22:38:00.001-07:00

For her birthday this year (4/12) Mom Boone wanted to water rafting on the Salt River. We went through Canyon Rio. Sadly, we lost our camera on this trip. It didn't fall into the water, we just simply misplaced it. We either left it on a life jacket or in the dressing room. Either way it's gone. But Mom and Dad had some great photos. Our rafting guide, Alejandro, was awesome! He and his wife are both guides. The guides have to live near the river. It's like camping all summer long.

Walking down to rafting site. Super excited!!!

The guys.

Us ladies.

Below are the photos taken by their professional photographer. Photo 7, 11-13 are beautiful photos of the scenery. It was so relaxing. I won't lie, I was nervous at first. I thought rafting would be really scary but it was so much fun!!! Being one out in nature. It was great. Photo 8 is of one of the giant holes we rafted through! So awesome! Love holes! You get so wet!!!! It was an awesome trip! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10 Photo 11 Photo 12 Photo 13 Photo 14 Photo 15 Photo 16 Photo 17 Photo 18 Photo 19

For more photos click here.

We're Back!!!

2010-05-18T18:49:00.002-07:00

It's been a very busy month and a half. We've been getting healthy (aka getting over what is hopefully our last cold of the season), celebrating birthdays, and spring cleaning. Lots to blog about.

My folks are up here visiting for the week while Trevor is in Cali working. They brought up our patio set we bought at a garage sale we found on Craigslist in Phoenix. The guy originally bought the set for $600 and we got it to the tune of $140! It looks fantastic! We can't wait to use it next weekend when some friends come up for Memorial Day weekend.

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming up and bringing the patio set too along with many other things!

Stay tuned for more updates of what we've been up to the last month and a half.

Paper Anniversary

2010-05-18T14:16:00.003-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

In January we decided as a part of our paper anniversary we would make a photo book of our first year of marriage. Then we though how cool would it be to make a photo book of every year of our marriage! Every year we will make one of these books. The book for last year turned out great! I'm a little sad, after both Trevor and I bother proof-read it there were still a couple of mistakes that we didn't catch before we purchased a printed copy. I have since correct the errors. For this album we used shutterfly.com. Next year's album we're going to try blurb.com. The prices are comparable so we want to see how the quality differs. We'll let you know what we think.

Viva Las Vegas

2010-04-24T12:49:00.002-07:00

Our plan was to have a nice long weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate Trevor's 25th birthday (this coming Monday). Instead of Viva Las Vegas it's Viva La Casa. The last two days Trevor has been sick with nausea, fever, and body aches. We are hoping to go tomorrow, but we'll see. We have tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil show Zumanity. It's a sad weekend at La Casa de Boone.

Aren't we a sad pair?

Kitty also seemed disappointed. She was excited to have to whole house to herself.

But she got over it and joined us in napping.

Quarter of a Century

2010-04-08T12:32:00.001-07:00

My green Rice Krispy birthday cake! I made it myself!

I turned 25 on March 13. Trevor "surprised" me with tickets to see Avenue Q at The Gammage in Tempe. So awesome! It was really funny! For adults only.

After the show we asked an usher to take our picture next to the show's poster. She warned us she cuts people's heads off. We thought she was exaggerating.

We were able to get some good photos though:

Later we had dinner at Joe's BBQ in Gilbert. It was great fun! I didn't get any pictures with my family =(. I'm bummed about that. I totally forgot I had my camera I was having so much fun.

The high school gang, minus Amy. The cute little girl in pink is Lana, she's Ellen's niece and my birthday buddy!

The nursing gang! T3 Woot Woot!

The gang gang...haha!

Hanging out at Mom and Dad Boone's after the festivities. Their Beet martini is awesome! This is the closest picture I have to a family one, except the one above with Mark.

Thanks everyone for hanging out with me on my birthday! It was awesome! I had a great time!

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow - Proverb

2010-04-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in our neck of the woods. Our backyard is finally free and clear of snow and we're starting to see signs of the ground in the front! =)

Our peony in the back yard had babies over the winter! They grow bigger during wetter winter seasons! Wish I knew it'd be such a wet winter I'd have planted some last fall.

Silvia enjoying the wonderful spring weather and lack of snow on the ground! She's been exploring like crazy!

Osmosis

2010-04-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

This morning when I woke up Trevor and I sat down for a delicious breakfast. My wonderful breakfast consisted of cranberry/banana/nut bread (that I made from scratch...yum!) with peanut butter and a nice cold glass of orange juice. However, when I went to drink my orange juice, it had a slight taste of onion.

Why, you may ask? Well let me tell you. I cut up the vegetables for our Easter stew the night before and one of the vegetables was...you guessed it...onions! Lazy me, didn't cover the bowl with saran wrap. Through the wonderful science of osmosis my orange juice, which was in an open carafe, now tastes like onions.

You live and learn.

April Fool's!

2010-04-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature sure has a funny sense of humor. We woke the morning of April first with about 3 inches of powdery snow covering everything! It was beautiful! And even better it didn't stay past the end of the day! Hooray! We went for a beautiful snow hike in the morning. The weather is getting so wonderful!

Hope you all have a blessed and prayerful Good Friday.

Things to come:
My birthday
More recipes
Signs of Spring
My current favorite things

Vegetable Lasagna

2010-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I made vegetable lasagna for our vegetarian meal of the week. It turned out really awesome! Definitely something we'll do again. We had tons of leftovers. Great for lunches and dinners later in the week! I found the recipe in our Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book Celebrating the Promise Limited Edition.

Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 35 minutes Oven: 350 F Stand: 1o minutes Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients:
9-10 dried lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cream-style cottage cheese, drained I couldn't find this so i just used small curd cottage cheese, it worked fine
1 15 oz carton ricotta cheese
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onions (1 large)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained I used fresh spinach and just eye balled it
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained I used fresh broccoli, about 2-3 broccoli w/ stems
1 cup shredded carrots We had baby carrot already in the fridge. Would not recommend using. Use the big carrots. It hard to shred the baby carrots.
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (3 oz)
1 8oz pkg shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)

1. Cook noodles according to pkg directions. Drain; set aside.
2. In a bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning; set aside.
3. In a large skillet cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in the flour and 1/2-1 tsp black pepper, add milk all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. remove from heat. Stir in the spinach, broccoli, carrot, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
4. In a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish layer 1/3 of the noodles, trimming or overlapping as needed to fit. Spread with 1/3 of cottage cheese, then 1/3 of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 of mozzarella. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, in 350 F oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

February has come and gone and it's time for a new centerpiece. I love how this brandy vase has gotten so much use! It was first used at our wedding as our well wishes bowl, where guests wrote messages for our guest book, which I still haven't finished! Now, it's used for our dining table centerpiece.

For spring, I have filled it with silk Gerbera daisies I picked up on sale (50% off) at Micheal's. At first I cut the flowers using our pruners but soon discovered that I can just pull the flower from the stem! Hooray! It definitely made things way easier and faster! I also made one for the planter outside.

The smaller one is for the planter outside of our front door.

I had some left over bouquets that I put in a couple of vases I have and simple arrangement to brighten our living room and kitchen. The light pink vase is the vase Trevor gave me when he proposed and the dark pink vase is the one Trevor gave me when he gave me my first bouquet.

It's really weird seeing all these beautiful spring blooms around the house when it's still snowing outside! But it definitely makes everything inside the house warm and cheery! Silvia seems to like them too!

The Boone Adventures

In 8, 9, and 10 months We've Learned...

In 7 Months We've Learned...

In 6 Months We've Learned...

In 4 Months We've Learned...

Annoucement Cards

In 3 Months We've Learned...

In 2 Months We've Learned...

In 1 month We've Learned...

May showers

Birth Story

Welcome Little One

Amazon is Amazing!!!

39 weeks!

38 weeks

New Microwave!

2010 Yearbook

Nursery Update

Maternity Photos

Baby Shower

New Phones, Monthly Baby Photos, Shower Remodel

Snow and more Snow

Nursery Update

Nursery Update!

33 weeks!

Pink Castle Crasher!

Baby Update

The Countdown Begins!

How your baby's growing:

Art

Baby Kicks

Allergies, Coughing, and Pregnancy...oh my!

Baby Ethan

Holiday Recap

Baby Update

Chocolate Love!

Baby Update

Baby Kicks

Alex and Ellie's Wedding

Think Pink

Weekend Cleaning Spree

Alex's Bachelor Party

Ellie's Bachelorette

Something Wicked This Way Comes 2010

Baby Movement?

A FANtastic Fix

We've Got Bun in the Oven

Penny Arcade Expo Prime 2010 in Seattle

Baby Update

Sweet Treats

Second Doctor's Appointment

Window Therapy

First Prenatal Appointment

Ellie's Bridal Shower

New Camera

Mountain Man Triathlon

Charice Pempengco

Boone Appetito

Crazy Fire!

Arizona Hunger Campaign

Keep Your Comments to Yourself

Jenga Jenga Jenga

Chicken Souvlaki

Mom Boone's Taco Soup

Trev's 25th!

Cool Southwestern Salad with Corn and Avocado

Cheese Enchiladas

Prep Time:20 Min

Cook Time:30 Min

Ready In:50 Min

Ingredients

Directions

Vegetarian with Spinach, Corn, and Goat Cheese

Water Rafting

We're Back!!!

Paper Anniversary

Viva Las Vegas

Quarter of a Century

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow - Proverb

Osmosis

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
30 Min

Ready In:
50 Min