Cupcakes and eBay

What do cupcakes and eBay have in common? Nothing really....except that both are currently on my mind right now. Strange, but true.

This weekend I went to my parent's house (I didn't plan on it but I left my phone charger up there and have been living with a dead phone for the past while and decided that I should probably go get it back). I realized how much I miss my mom...talking to her, doing things with her, etc. Anyhow...that's another subject.

So, my mom got this book in CA called Hello, Cupcakes. It's a really fun books with tips and ideas of making cupcakes look cute as ever. So, we tried some cupcakes. These were the April Fools cupcakes that we thought were cute and since that's the closest holiday, that's what we made.



Aren't they cute? Spaghetti and Meatballs, carrots and peas, and mashed potatoes! We had a blast making them...and eating them. (Although, I admit that I had to think"these are cupcakes...these are cupcakes..." to not get weirded out by the fact that they don't follow the motto, "what you see is what you get".

The spaghetti is just frosting (with a little food coloring in them) that was squeezed out of the corner of a ziplock bag, the sauce is strawberry jelly, and the meatball is a Ferrero Rocher. The peas and corn are green Skittles (although they recommended Runts) and cut up orange Starbursts (oh, and we turned the frosting green as well). The mashed potatoes are just frosting, yellow Starbursts, and caramel sauce. BRILLIANT!

And it also worked...my niece SWORE that it was real food and was excited because she said that meatballs are her favorite...but luckily chocolate is even more her favorite. :)

As for eBay....well, that's not so exciting. I'm helping out my mother in law by selling these Marie Osmond dolls of hers on eBay. She and Tyson's dad worked for the Osmonds and his mom actually created these dolls. She got to keep some of each and basically they've been taking up space in her sewing room for years. So, I'm helping her rid of them.

I talked to my aunt, the eBay selling expert, Karen. She gave me all sorts of tips and ideas...and basically I've been working on researching how to sell these dolls. It's kind of been a pain already because it's not a good season to sell, the economy is...well, we all know about that, and blah blah blah. They have never been opened, have certificates of authenticity, etc. So, this is my new "baby is napping" hobby. Research Marie Osmond dolls...know any collectors?

When Friendliness Turns to Ugliness

Yesterday Eden's cousin Eva came over and they were having the best time playing with each other. Eden would give her lots of hugs and kisses. Then as I started to roll the video...things turned ugly...

First, when hugging turns to pushing...



Next, when kissing turns to biting...



On a nicer note...here are more videos of Eden being a "big girl" (including the sneezing video that I said I would get at some point.)

Helping with Laundry...(p.s. I hate hearing myself talk baby talk)



Reading a gardening magazine...(she can entertertain herself flipping through books and magazines for a long time.)



Last video, Eden's pretend sneeze...which she does better than anyone else fake sneeze.

"Eden Thinks She is So Big" Top 10 Countdown

Eden loves to act like a big girl. Sometimes I think she is a 25 year old in a 10 month old body. She just thinks it is so great to be one of the big girls. Here's my "Eden thinks she is so big" top 10 countdown:

1. Eden loves to help wash the dishes. She originally just stood on a stool with the person washing dishes and just played with the water and bubbles. But she's watched and learned that you grab something out, dip it in the water (she would probably wash if she had a rag in hand), shake it off, and put it on the side to dry.
2. Eden loves her cousin Eva (4 months old). If Eva is crying she gets so concerned. She will sit next to her, give her a toy to play with, and pats her nicely to try and calm her down. She's even given her a hug and a kiss to make her feel better.
3. The other day when Eden was playing with Eva she started talking to her like adults talk to babies. She raised her voice to a higher pitch and quietly babbled "dada" to her and other sounds she often makes.
4. Eden loves to pretend to talk on the phone. She used to put it to her ear and say "eeoo" like hello. Now she pushes buttons (to dial), puts the phone to her ear, and babbles and laughs into the phone.
5. When I took Eden to my grandpa's rock show she loved it. Her Aunt Lydia carried her around to different displays and she learned to look into a display, then move her body to tell Lydia to go to the next one, look into the next display, and move her body to the next one, and so on.
6. Eden would MUCH prefer walking over crawling. She still only scoots although there have been a few times when she's taken a few crawling steps. When on her belly she will always TRY to get on her hands and knees and crawl, then collapse. BUT over anything she would love me to hold her hands and walk where she wants like everyone else.
7. Eden and I went to a violin concert for her Aunt Lydia and neighbor, Emi Williams (which they both did GREAT.) Eden would sit and listen and give an applause, and sometimes cheer, to each performer (unfortunately it was often in the MIDDLE of the performance...but she knows to applaud others).
8. Yesterday while I was changing Eden's diaper she got a hold of the wipes. She took one out and started to help me wipe her bum. How helpful!
9. Eden really loves to do laundry. I have a little video that I took (it unfortunately was a video of the last article of clothing that needed to be folded). She'll sit nicely and hand you each piece of clothing for you to fold. She's a really good helper.
10. Finally, she's really good at pretending to sneeze. This may not seem like an "adult" thing to do...except that she's better at it than anyone of the adults. We don't know how she learned to make such a good sneezing sounds when the rest of us pretend to sneeze and it sounds SO fake. I haven't caught it on video yet, but when I do, I'll post it.

My First ROCK Show

This weekend I went to my very first rock show with Eden and a bunch of Tyson's family. We went because Tyson's grandpa was actually IN the rock show. Alright, time to stop being deceiving. It was a show in American Fork for actual rocks. And after looking at all the rocks, they are truly awesome! We had a great time looking at all the amazing rocks of different colors, shapes, and sizes. I actually have a necklace that Grandpa Walker made for me out of rock and I think I'm gonna start wearing it more often after seeing this show and looking at all the neat stuff that my grandpa does.

My grandpa's display.

The family and grandpa.

There were also these fake dinosaur statue/puppets that this guy would put on and walk around in. We had fun taking pictures with them.

The dinosaur.

Little Eva Kate in the t-rex's mouth.

Eden and Eva in the belly of a dinosaur.

A New Phase

I remember watching other kids as they found great joy in taking toys or other things out of one thing and putting them into another. They just found entertainment and joy from doing this. Eden is now that age. I knew it would happen and I'm excited because I always thought it was so cute and exciting to see their brain develop and think through things.

Here are some pictures of dropping little wooden blocks into a laundry basket and pulling them back out.

Party Weekend

This weekend Eden and I stayed with my family because I had a baby shower, a 1 year old birthday party, and a 7 year old birthday party to go to. Plus, it is ALWAYS a party with my family around...we just play game after game after game, stay up late, and enjoy ourselves. I was even able to learn how to make my mom's AMAZING cinnamon rolls! It was a fun filled weekend (although Tyson wasn't there...and that was really sad.)

The baby shower was for a good friend from high school, Jessica. I realized at that moment that I have TONS of pregnant friends. I feel like most everyone there was pregnant. It was so nice to see people I haven't seen in a long time and just hang out.

The 1 year old party was for Dakota, my cousin's baby girl. It was a swimming party and the theme was Finding Nemo because Dakota loves Finding Nemo. She even had an awesome Nemo cake. I didn't take any pictures because I accidentally left my camera. Perhaps if Kass blogs a few pictures I'll link her blog so you can see how much fun Dakota had getting cake everywhere and opening presents.

The 7 year old party was for my nephew, Brayden. Man, I love Brayden. We went to Chuck E. Cheese and of course my battery died so I didn't get any pictures from there either. It was too bad because Eden LOVED it there. They have the large, motorized puppet band that plays while you eat. She thought it was the greatest thing to sit and eat, listen to music, watch the "band", and dance dance dance! She also loved a few of the rides and all the colors and lights everywhere. Brayden had a wonderful time as well...he's one of the greatest kids ever. I'll have to share Brayden stories one day, he's funny.

But here are a few pictures I did get while staying with my family. I took Eden to play in my parent's backyard and she had a great time playing in the sand and making all kinds of a mess as she would throw dirt up in the air and all over her little dress.



This is Eden and her cousin, Trey. Trey is 1 1/2 years old and one of the cutest little boys ever.

p.s. After a sinful weekend, I'm back to NO DAIRY!

Failure Already

Just a post to confess my sins (perhaps blogs aren't meant for sin confessing...but I'm just so ashamed of myself...). Today I ate dairy. Not just a LITTLE dairy either.

It all started this morning when Tyson and I were in a rush to go out the door and Tyson had the idea to just get Betos for breakfast (the best burritos EVER). We bought it and I realized "Oh no...the cheese". The temptation of the amazingly delicious Betos burrito was too much for me to resist. I mean, otherwise I would have to just let Tyson eat it all as I sat and smelled of it's goodness. Failure #1.

Later I headed to a baby shower. And of course, once you've let yourself sin, it's easier the second time. All the incredible food such as chocolate, brownies, fruit salad,...the list goes on. Failure #2.

Then I headed to my cousin's daughter's 1 year old birthday party where of course they ate pizza. I hadn't eaten for hours...I was hungry. And having already sinned SEVERAL times PLUS being hungry and after being in the room for a while with the smell of delicious pizza seeping into my nose....it all equaled disaster. Failure #3.

Now it's coming upon the end of the day and I admit, it was a DELICIOUS day. Man, sinning can sure be great sometimes. :)

Selfish Me, Selfish Me

Why am I selfish you ask? A while back Eden started getting really red cheeks that became rashes and bumps on her face and neck. A doctor told us that he thought she was allergic to wheat and perhaps a little allergic to dairy. Wheat was hard for Eden to give up because she loves bread and there are so many little treats for kids that contain wheat (Cheerios, crackers, etc.). But I couldn't get myself to take her off of dairy because that would mean, since I'm breastfeeding, that I would need to go off of dairy. Plus, the doctor did say she was only "a little allergic to dairy". Selfish me, selfish me.

Taking her off wheat helped...but her cheeks were still red and then continued to get worse. The doctor once again re-affirmed that perhaps we should get her off dairy. Finally, I decided to repent of my sins and go off of dairy....now I'm sad.

I am grateful that Eden's rashes have been lessening. But every time I look in the freezer and see the half gallon of ice cream or want to eat a cookies with milk chocolate chips or have some pasta with white sauce instead of red....sadness. I think my want for dairy has increased simply because I can't have it. Like the saying, "You always want what you can't have." So instead of giving in to my undying craving for something with a wonderful milky substance I am blogging about my woes.

The End

*Note: This blog is a dramatization of how I feel MOST days...today is simply a "I WANT DAIRY!" type day.

Kansas City Here We Come!

A while back Tyson was accepted to medical school in Kansas City, Missouri (KCUMB). We haven't heard back from any other school yet (and haven't put forth a lot of effort to get accepted anywhere else) but that is OK because the more Tyson and I look at KCUMB the more we love it and think it is perfect for Tyson. School starts in August and we'll probably move in the beginning to middle of July.

KCUMB is an osteopathic medical school where he'll become a DO instead of an MD (which means that he'll be able to do all the same things as an MD but the DO program focuses more on preventative medicine instead of always using drugs as a cure all.

We recently found housing in Kansas City...so the likelihood of us going to school there is high enough that we are putting money into housing. The place is very family friend and actually has a pretty large LDS community. It is about 5 minutes away from where the new temple is being built and 10 minutes away from church sites like Liberty and Adam-ondi-omen.

So, with joy as well as sadness...we will be saying "farewell" to Utah. This will be the first time I've lived outside of Utah (except when I went for a semester to BYU-Idaho...but please...as if that really counts as "out of Utah"). It will be scary, it will be fun, it will be an adventure. But we'll miss everyone here.

Flashback Friday: The Sailor

I have a relative named Seiji on my dad's side of the family. I've only met him once, but he's an incredible guy. He came to my sister's wedding reception and at the time I was really starting to be interested in family history. My dad said, "You're in luck, the person you would want to talk to is Seiji." Seiji and I talked for hours. He told me stories and stories about my ancestors....and I unfortunately don't remember a lot of them because I didn't have a lot to write with and it was all so overwhelming at the time. But I'm gonna tell you my favorite Seiji story...

The Sailor (a short and MAYBE true story)

Apparently a long time ago while a few of my ancestors were sailing across the ocean...one lovely young lady had met an American sailor. So it would seem...they had a sailboat fling. I don't know the details or what happened on that boat during the journey. But oddly enough, in our family line there are some "whiter" qualities to us. But the question...IS there a small piece of whiteness in our DNA? I may never know.

BUT...most people who know Asians well think I am HALF Asian or at least not FULL Asian. We've always attributed that to our very American/Utahn way of living...I don't know Japanese, I really don't know much about the culture, I've never even BEEN to Japan for heavens sake! But perhaps there is more than meets the eye...

ALSO...coincidence or not...Popeye was a sailor...and Olive Oyl has black hair like an Asian. I may be RELATED to Olive Oye! OK...OK....I'm stretching this a LITTLE far. Don't you think? In all honesty, this story is probably a myth and even if this happened...this likely isn't a relative in MY family line but rather a distant second cousin twice removed or something like that. But I loved to hear that story. It was a (short) story of mystery, adventure, and love.

Tag, I'm It!

List of eight tag:
Post rules on your blog
Answer the five '8' items
Let each person you tag know by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows: (Bethany Side Note : I really don't watch TV much and this would be assuming I have cable...which currently I don't and really don't want cable ever.)
1) Jon and Kate Plus 8
2) What Not to Wear (yes, I'm a TLC watcher)
3) Something on HGTV
4) I admit I like watching infomercials
5) CSI (the one with Marc Harmon) or some other detective type show
6) Amazing Race (when I watch it, which is VERY seldom)
7) Arthur (yes, the cartoon on PBS)
8) Whatever my husband is watching

8 things I did yesterday: (This is gonna be in chronological order)
1) Made lunch for my hubby for him to take to school
2) Fed, dressed, and played with the baby
3) Ate a bagel (I love bagels...mmm....)
4) Resisted eating ice cream (it was hard...)
5) Took back some shirts I bought that I decided I didn't want
6) Went to the bank to get my $50 rebate that Verizon mailed me
7) Went on a HOT date (we window shopped in furniture stores)
8) Watched Baby Galileo with Eden

8 favorite restaurants: (in no particular order)
1) Zupas
2) Good Wood or Famous Daves
3) Cafe Rio
4) Olive Garden
5) Matsu (OK, so I've only been there ONCE and never realized how many varieties of sushi exist and how wonderful they could really be! It was incredible that one time I went. I want to go again...)
7) P.F. Changs
8) Leatherby's (for ice cream and fries)

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1) Finding out what Eden is thinking (talking more)
2) My husband coming home tonight
3) This weekend (a few friend parties and Tyson not in school)
4) The weekend after that (Dakota and Brayden's birthday party, Jessica's baby shower, and spending time with my family)
5) Moving to Kansas City to start med school (assuming that's where we go)
6) Becoming an amazing cook and having my own recipe book I made with a collection of my favorite recipes
7) Finishing this blog book from blurb.com
8) Eden learning to crawl or walk, she's getting HEAVY

8 things on my wish list: (before starting this...Tyson and I talked about this yesterday because he heard a quote from someone that said, "The people that are truly happy are the people that say what they DON'T WANT instead of what they WANT". More about being happy with what you have, not always looking for greener pastures, and realizing that "stuff" isn't always what its cracked up to be. But this asks for my WANTS...and I do have those too. I'm not perfect.)
1) Finding a miracle that could help us pay for med school (scholarships? programs? Bill Gates?) (more in my "Wishful thinking, get over it and move on with life" list at this point)
2) A new laptop without missing keys
3) A new camera
4) An avocado vanilla boba drink from Orange Peel
5) Another get together with all my "mommy's that want to get out of the house" group
6) A house that is always clean (another item on my "Wishful thinking, get over it and move on with life" list)
7) More children...someday
8) Cute, new shoes and clothes


I TAG:
1) Bonnie
2) Jess
3) Brittany
4) Sherry
5) Ben (not Alyssa...Ben)
6) David (not Rachel...David)
7) Sharlee
8) Whoever else feels a desire to do this Tag

Bathing Naked with a Boy

Not ONLY is she bathing naked with a boy...but they are KISSING! Oh no, she could be a trouble maker later in life. jk.

The title of this blog is dedicated to Rachel. We like to talk about blogging because we are both blog-a-holics and after taking a bunch of pictures she came up with this title because it sounded sketchy. We think it's funny. :)

Tyson, Eden, and I hung out with Rachel, David and baby Nate on Friday and both of our children needed baths. It was both their first experience bathing with another child. They were so funny together just playing and splashing.

These pictures were so cute. One of the pictures they are sticking their tongues at each other. Eden is in the "copy what others do" phase.

In other news, here are some other pictures of Eden (I realized that I don't take pictures of me or Tyson anymore...mostly just Eden). We went to my family's house Satuday to Monday where we played lots of games, talked, went out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes, and just had fun.

Here's a picture of my dad (Eden LOVES my dad) feeding Eden a whole sweet potato. And then there's also a picture of a bunch of hair things that my sister gave me because my niece, McKell, doesn't use them any longer. I was having a good time sticking lots of the things in her hair.