Stroopwafels

We like to stoopwafel it up over here. They are a cookie that is sold on the street in Holland and from what our cousin says, England as well. It's basically a waffle type cookie with a carmel filling. They are super tasty.

For my birthday my sisters got me a Pizelle maker. We have been using it to make stroopwafels. We have tried 2 recipes, the first was the right flavor for the middle filling but wrong for the waffle outside. The second one (that we got from Melissa my dutch cousin) was the right taste on the outside but too soft at first but then turns crunchy on the outside. We're ging to try to mix the two recipes together for our third try to see if they turn out just right :)

Anyways here are pictures of our fist go at it.

Kristin had to cut the thin cookie in half while it was hot and burned the crud out of her fingers doing it.

Matt enjoying Kristins hard work, all I did was roll the balls and put them in the pizelle :)

I told Matt to look that excited... he was that excited though, they were pretty darn close but we want them spot on!

In other news someone is walking through our house today with our Property Management company, lets hope that A) they like it and want to rent it and B) that they aren't smokers (it's only allowed outside but still) with HUGE pets that are going to ruin our house... We're praying it's a cute newlywed couple that is very good of taking care of things!

TMT: How Great Thou Art

I have no time, but I thought I would share this video. My BIL sent it to our family yesterday and I thought it was amazing. It is one of my favorite church songs, I sing it all the time while I am ironing or cleaning for some reason. Anyway, I am so impressed that Carrie Underwood sang this at such a public event. Hoorah for Christianity! I love it, she and Vince Gill really impressed me. I actually cried a little bit near the end.

Easter Weekend Shenanagins

We started off the weekend on Good Friday, Matt had the day off so we took that day to paint. 

This is what our room looked like before...

This is what it looks like now. Since we are trying to get renters in we figured the blue might be a deterrent, especially to UTAH UTE fans so this nice neutral Olivewood is hopefully better. Matt actually likes it better then the blue.

Easter Sunday we went to church, Ty LOVES nursery I think he'll miss his nursery class. Next Sunday we are just staying for Sacrament meeting to bless Maylee then taking off for a little luncheon so that was Ty's last time there.

We all got together and made dinner at the Wu's as usual we made far too much food but it was all soo good. We could have easily fed 4 more adults... and STILL would have left overs. We ate with the Wu's, Readings, Colton and Lucy Dunn one of our good friends that currently lives with the Readings :)

Easter we had an egg hunt for the kiddos in the front yard. Here is Ty man showing off his eggs.

Video of the hunt, as you can see Ty didn't get it at first. Sorry the camera is so shaky, I was laughing AND shivering not a good combination while shooting. Colton hid the eggs and wasn't aware each kid had their own color, he wouldnt have hid Ty's right next to the window well if he knew. Ty's arms were too short and his head was too big, just like the T-rex in Meet the Robinsons it was hilarious.

Sierra and Jason helped Ty find some of his eggs, in fact this one was staged because Sierra all ready found all hers and got this one and brought it to Ty. Haha Such good cousins they are.

Cheeeeese

After all the hulabaloo was over Ty did NOT want to go inside...

We tried to get a good picture, this is the best we got. Ty doesn't care for the candy inside the eggs. Even this morning I handed him his basket with a few eggs inside. He broke the eggs open dumped out the few little jelly beans and has been walking around with just the eggs. That is just fine with me! He doesn't need candy anyway.

Here we are

Before bed Ty squeezed in and episode of Cat in the Hat

After the kids went to bed we waited for nighttime and had a grown up Easter Egg hunt in the dark that Kristin planned. It was pretty fun, we all had flashlights and everyone had their own color eggs to search for with a special gold and silver egg for bigger prizes. There were also confetti eggs and if you hit another person with one of those eggs then you could steal an egg from that persons basket. At one point Matt and Colton scared Will so badly that Will ran right into his Disc Golf Basket. Matt shined his light in Will's eyes so he couldn't see. It was funny, poor Will was injured a bit but laughed it off well. He had the golden egg though so he had a target on his back. Preston found the silver egg at the last minute. I tried to hit Matt with a confetti egg and totally missed, it's hard to aim when it's so dark!

Also, little Maylee is 1 month old now! I couldn't get her to look at the camera. So a nice profile will have to do. Plus she scratched her face so badly it was bleeding so its fine that side of her face isn't showing :) She is growing so big! I can't believe it has been a month all ready. My friend is bringing over a baby scale this morning so we can see how much she weighs now, maybe 7 pounds? 

Oh and a big Happy Anniversary to my parents yesterday as well (boy there was a ton going on wasn't there!) I called and thanked my parents for still being married and having a good marriage... makes me happy too, I sure love all my family.

Now this week is going to be a sprint to the finish, packing the rest of the house and cleaning up. We move in a week! Yikes!

TMT: A book?

My sister let me borrow a book called, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands By Dr. Laura.

I thought it would be an interesting read. Boy has it opened my eyes! I recommend it to ANY married women or someone just in a relationship. It's changed the way I think and react and it nice to think about how I can improve my marriage. Lately things have been so stressful with the job changes, new baby, impending graduation that my thoughts of how to take care of Matt have been pushed aside to think about everything else.

I urge you ladies, even if you don't read the book to at least heed it's advice and either write your man a little note of appreciation and love or tell him! He needs it, he is working hard for you and tries hard to make you happy! (even if you don't think so all the time I promise he is)

After reading most of the book (i'm not done yet) I had a major realization that I under-appreciate my wonderful husband so I wrote him a nice long letter.

I'll spare you all my lovey dovey thoughts but I will share a one of the few poems that I included in it.

The minute I heard my first love story,

I started looking for you, not knowing

how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,

they're in each other all along.

From Essential Rumi

by Coleman Barks

I married my knight in shining armor and this book reminded me how stinkin' lucky I am to have him! Matt has been my best friend for over a decade now, I sure love him. Oh and don't sweat the small stuff in the grand eternal scheme of things the fact that he didn't notice your haircut, didn't take the trash out, or didn't put his clothes away doesn't matter! Just make sure your man knows you love and appreciate him, that is something that does matter.

Ty's Day

I showed Maylee my favorite show, The Cat in the Hat. I am not sure if she likes it much because she fell asleep, but it's my favorite!

I give my little sister a ton of hugs and kisses. She likes it. When she is sad I giver her a pacifier, sometimes she likes it, mostly she just spits it out though.

I help my mom by being the best sous chef. I personally taste each ingredient she uses and give it my stamp of approval. I help her measure and stir too. I really like when we make cookies. Boy do I LOVE chocolate! Oh and I asked to put her apron on to make sure I didn't get TOO messy.

Safety First! I always make sure my mom uses the proper tools when baking. I bring her her hot pads all the time and make sure to stay away from the hot oven when it is open so I don't get burned. I also help her keep track of time and let her know when the timer goes off.

I thought the end result of our baking was pretty tasty. I really liked the melted chocolate chips so I poked my finger right in there and licked off the chocolate. MmmmMMMmmmm

After we finished baking I made sure to play with my sister for a while, she was getting tummy time while I showed her how to play with trains. She started crying so after about 15 minutes I decided to try and make her happy. She likes me a lot and I am good at taking care of her.

Oh and I ALWAYS make sure the right person is taking care of Maylee. If someone I don't know (or like) takes her I make sure my Mom or Dad knows it and I try to go get her back. She needs my protection as her older brother and I gladly give it.  

You're Welcome...

Two weekends ago while we were watching General Conference on TV, Matt and Ty were lying on the floor and I was sitting on the couch with Maylee.

President Monson came up to the pulpit to speak, I said "Hey, Cool Tie!" Ty then sat up looked at me and said "Thank you" then laid back down...

Matt and I cracked up. All I could say was "You're Welcome..." I didn't know what else to say.

Maylee's first photo shoot

The Clock has her Birthday and time

It took Michaela a good long time to get her to hold her head like this! We were shocked she stayed asleep for it too!

She moved her hands around so much in her sleep! 

She does NOT like to be wrapped up tight either, so I do wrap her up but not too tight or she'll freak out.

We tried to do these in the buff, then she peed in the grass and literally tried to crawl out of the basket. Ask Kyla or Kelly it was AMAZING how mad and strong she was while trying to get out of the basket. Once we got a blanket around her AND hid a little soft fuzzy stuff for her head to lie on she was much cozier. 

She is our little Special Delivery :) 

My cousin Kelly crocheted this hat for Maylee! Isn't it stinkin' cute? It matched perfectly. 

Her headband is a little skewompus but it's still a darling picture.

I love this one! 

A BIG thank you to Kelly and Michaela for taking her pictures. It was so fun to figure out what to do and how to pose her, I just wish Maylee wasn't so dead set on staying awake the entire time! We took a lot of breaks waiting for her to fall back asleep. I think she peed or pooed on just about all the blankets. In the end though I think they got some really cute pictures!  Which one is your favorite? 

Ty

TMT: Single Mom

At about 7 pm last night, the Spence house was a little nuts. I was trying to feed Maylee and Ty at the same time and neither were being very understanding that there was only one of me and two of them! It ended with Maylee not being properly burped and screaming while Ty was so mad that I didn't get him MORE applesauce soon enough that he hucked the bowl and provided me with my first applesauce explosion to clean up in the kitchen. On top of that I am realizing that I haven't eaten and those that know me know that I don't have the longest patience in the world when I am starving. I didn't get mad or upset I just did the best I could to fulfill everyones needs before mine.

As I thought everyone was taken care of I started to make something for myself. I was cutting up watermelon and in my hypoglycemic state sliced my finger nicely... Then the crying starts again from both children for various reasons and I can't do anything about it because my finger is bleeding so badly I would get blood all over if I left the sink. I finally got everything under control AGAIN then started cutting up the pineapple. Yeah, pineapple juice in an open flesh wound (even wrapped ina  band aide) is right up there with lemon juice. Not a good idea... None the less I got dinner in the oven for Matt and myself and got to work stripping  down Ty and consoling Maylee.

After things settled down, dinner was eaten and everything was cleaned up at about 8 o'clock I got Ty in the tub (he played in the mud for about 2 hours earlier that day) and I was getting splashed like crazy. I finally got him to bed and Maylee started in on her "fussy" time so I got her and was trying to calm her down when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. HA I about fell over laughing. I looked pretty darn put together that morning... by 8 that night my hair was going every which way from numerous games of peek-a-boo and wrestling with Ty and his blanket, my make up was all but gone due to the water splashed in my face, I had blood on my pants, mystery stains on my shirt, my forearms had mud speckled on them from being in close proximity of Ty the mud slinger and my shoulder smelt a bit like baby puke.

I got to thinking, REALLY? I signed up for THIS? I just wish there was someone with a video camera that could have followed me for those hours and then brought it in to show those high school students that think they are old enough to be sexually active... these are the consequences! I CHOSE to do this and it's still crazy and hard. BUT for some reason I love it. ALSO, what makes it even better is I have a loving husband who comes home from work and school and takes the kids so I can shower, relax a little and gear up for the next day of applesauce explosions and mud slinging competitions. What on EARTH would I do with out him! Also not having him around this weekend just nailed it down... being a Single Mom would be TOUGH STUFF!

Anyway, It all just reminded me of this quote I saw on my SIL's fridge this weekend. It summed it all up for me...

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk’s lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”   Marjorie Hinckley


Bring on those sticky kisses, i'll take all of them I can get. 

Special Edition Matt Post: The Sensible Choice

Mickie once asked me to buy a cake for my B.I.L's birthday.  With all the varieties available, I didn’t know which to buy.  After much deliberation, I bought a cake with the advertised print on it, “The Sensible Choice.”  How can you go wrong with a product that directly tells you, it is the “sensible choice?”  I didn’t make it out of the parking lot with that cake.  My wonderful wife quickly told me to take it back, as it may be sensible if you want left overs, because no one will eat a sugar free cake!  I failed to weigh all the factors involved in that situation and would have been left with a gross cake to throw away.

Why do I recount this life lesson, two years after its happening?  I learned this same lesson on a whole new level yet again.  Intelligence would have told me to apply what I learned in the past to my current experiences.  So, I paid the price for not applying that important principle.

I traveled to California for my friends wedding and decided to take Ty, in order for Mickie to make a trip to Idaho a little easier with Maylee.  I wanted to save as much money as possible so we found a great deal (on paper) with taking the train.  It was half the price of a plane ticket.  Alone, this might have been a great deal, but with a two year old, and for 15 hours travel time, not so much.  The train was supposed to leave at 11 pm Thursday night.  It did not leave until 2 am because there was debris on track and the train was forced to be 3 hours late. 

So now, I had to wake Ty up at 1:30 am and board a train.  The experience was all too exciting for a two year old to try and sleep through.  Besides, how can he sleep when there is so much to see and do!  Two hours into our trip, I realize that one of us may not make it out of this alive, if I don’t find a room that can contain him.  So, we upgrade to a closet size room with a bed, and it works perfectly.  Unfortunately, now we are paying the price of a plane ticket.  We didn't even make it to Sacramento, before I was begging Mickie to buy us a plane ticket home. 

To make things a little worse, 15 minutes before we arrive, some guy pulls the emergency brake and JUMPS OFF THE TRAIN!!!  Come on, I have a two year old who is dying to get off this thing or drive me to insanity if we don’t get off as soon as possible.  So now we are parked on the tracks while Amtrak is trying to figure out what is going on.  I’m fairly certain this guy also had a two year old on the train, but his patience wore out before mine. 

So, once we made it, everything was fine.  Ty was as good as could be expected and the trip was great. Hopefully, I can remember, even though something seems to be logical, if all the factors aren’t weighed appropriately, it may not be the “sensible choice.”

What's with that!

Let me complain for just a second...

What is with this exclusive "I'm a mom and I KNOW whats best for my child AND yours." 

Super annoying to me. 

I don't just walk over to a parent and randomly offer my advice on how they should be doing it better. 

I am THIS child's mother... I LOVE this child and I want to do what is BEST FOR THEM. What you think is best for your child may not be what is best for mine.

Ugh ENOUGH of that... Don't do it people... Random strangers or even your friends probably don't want your opinionated mothering advice. It's something that every mom needs to figure out on their own and they don't need your voice in the back of their head making them feel like a bad mom because they don't do it your way. Give it ONLY if they ask. 

No matter how you parent someone has the opposite opinion... promise. 

Hopefully I haven't been the type of person that I am complaining about, if I have I am sorry! I didn't do it knowingly and completely erase my terrible advice from your brain, you are a GREAT mom and who am I to tell you anything other wise!

Okay off my soap box...

(These thoughts came from hearing about a friends experience of a mother who insisted that my friend feed her 6 week preemie baby who is still just 6 pounds, not breast milk but double the scoops of formula to water with melted butter in the bottle to pack the weight on and that she wasn't doing it right. All though I too have been victim to random strangers and friends sharing things that I have to do as well, that their way is so much better. Drives me nuts and come on I just had a baby hormones are going crazy so I either get fuming mad or cry or both. Mothering is hard don't mess with these mommies head people!)

In other news, Matt doesn't think he'll ever take the train with an almost 2 year old ever again. The trip got off to a rough start but is better now and hopefully the rest goes smoothly. 

Wow, it's been a while

Sheesh almost a week! That is a long time in between posts for me!

It's amazing how busy I have been with the addition of just one more kid. Let's be honest that with all the moving plans has been pretty hectic. I don't know how people do this all the time! (Referring to Matt's brothers that move every summer to sell security systems) All the things to think about have been keeping me awake at night when I all READY have to be up at night to feed little Maylee. Gosh brain just turn off so I can get some shut eye! Poor Matt, I just melt down into tears at the drop of a hat... for no reason. I am I girl that needs her sleep :) Luckily Maylee sleeps AWESOME and I usually have to wake her up to feed her at 3 am.

Quick update with Maylee, she had her 2 week appointment today...

Weight 5 lbs 14 ounces, 2nd percentile
Length 19.29 inches, 16th percentile
Head Circumference 13 inches, 2nd percentile

Sooo yeah she is still pretty dang teeny. My doctor wants me to bring her back in again next week and weigh her since she hasn't gotten back up to her birth weight yet. I don't know how she hasn't gained more weight since she eats about 3 ounces every four hours. Ty would take about 2 ounces a feeding and puke up at least one ounce every time and he gained weight easily... We'll see how it all pans out. She sleeps a ton and rarely cries, her fussy time is somewhere in between 9-11 pm but all I have to do is go in the bathroom and turn on the awesome fan my dad installed for us last year bounce her for a minute or two and she is calm and usually falls asleep. She still wears mostly premie clothes. Hopefully she is into newborn size clothes soon!

I told her to go to sleep or wake up but the in between eyes are weird in pictures, I think she thought I was funny or something.

Ty is getting his own little attitude these days, he doesn't like many people including me sometimes. He points at people and says NO a lot. It drives me crazy and i'm not sure how to change it. I think his (and mine) frusteration comes from knowing what he wants but not being able to TELL me what he wants. He takes a while to warm up to most people and hopefully he'll grow out of this weird stage soon. We finally figured out a week or two ago that HARS means water... yeah they don't sound anything alike but thats what he wants. He is at a great age for snapshots though, I just say "CHHEEESSE" and he'll say it right back with a great smile. I snapped this one a few seconds ago, it's blurry but cute.

Oh and Ty gets to have his 2 year check up next week when we go in to weigh May since we wont have insurance for the first 90 days after Matt starts his job I wanted to get Ty all up to date on his immunizations, my Dr. was kind enough to oblige :)

Matt is going to California this weekend with Ty for his friend Ryan's temple sealing. He and Ty will be taking a train out! Isn't that fun? We had no idea that trains even went anywhere from Salt Lake. It costs 80 bucks so less expensive then it is to fly OR drive! It does take 15 hours, but it's only 5 hours more then driving plus Matt doesn't have to drive and can watch movies with Ty, take him for mini walks around for a few minutes and get a little studying in while Ty sleeps. It's an overnight train so hopefully Ty does sleep a little.

I am going up to Rexburg with Suzanne and Maylee this weekend to visit Jordan and Company (he graduates then!) and Nate and Company AND pick up my younger brother and move him down here to live with Kristin. Kelly and Michaela are taking Maylee's newborn photos too. We have some good ideas I think so hopefully we get some good shots and she is cooperative. I exercised for the for the first time since having Maylee on Monday, I haven't since but not because I don't want to I have just been stinking busy! I need to find the time though, I WILL find the time. Luckily I am losing WAY more weight than I did with Ty. I am still losing weight every day and hopefully will be down to pre-pregnancy weight in another month or two. We'll see, usually those last few pounds are stubborn. I have been looking up Triathlons in Oregon and Washington, bummer that a lot of them are on Sundays. I'll find one hopefully soon though, I also hope to find a good half Marathon to do this fall.

So there is our quick (and long) family update. I'll try to keep up more!

P.S. TMT thought? I was short on formula Tuesday afternoon, Matt had school and I wasn't sure how I was going to get some more. While thinking about it Kristin walks in to pick up Ty for a sleep over with his cousins and dropped off two bottles of formula, she found a coupon and just bought them for us. Isn't that perfect timing? Thanks again Kristin!