For Mariam...

Here's that recipe that I know you will LOVE. It is seriously so delish!!

http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2011/01/raw-cookie-dough-bites/

Another Good One!

This is going to be pretty boring, but I made another fun and AMAZING meal tonight. Thanks to Pinterest.  It was seriously soooo good.  It was, however, a little time-consuming and next time, I will make double the amount of Cilantro Pesto and put some in the freezer.

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos.html



ENJOY!

P.S. Sedona is officially a "walker."

The ZOO!!!

WARNING! Major picture overload....

We started our day at the OKC Zoo in the Kids' Zoo. They had a petting pen, a splash "river", slides, jungle gyms, and bug exhibits.  We started off in the petting pen, thinking she would surely love it since she wants to pet all our neighbors' dogs and gets quite offended when they just walk by her like she didn't even exist!  Well, she wanted NOTHING to do with the goats, sheep, OR the pigs. Nothing.  So, we moved on.

The next stop was the Rhino exhibit.  She saw them right off the bat and started pointing and saying "ooooo".  Cutest thing. Ever.  She saw this little guy outside their enclosure and just had to climb aboard for a ride.  I love how everything new with her is magical.  It was such a great start to our adventure!

Next, we went to see the "Big Cats."  There were 4 Tiger cubs and boy were they playful! She loved it! She kept pointing and saying "Meow! Meow!"  Between the Tigers and the Leopards, there was a boardwalk by a "lake" (it smelled more like a swamp, really) and as it came into her sights, she got so excited and started saying "Pool! Pool!"  No my Sweet Baby, that is NOT a pool. I'm sorry, but you cannot go in it.  

 There is just something about this picture that makes my heart so happy! I love it!!

The next couple pictures are her in the indoor cat exhibit.  She thought she was pretty big stuff being so close to them, and all.  It was "cool" enough outside (85 F) that most of the animals were out soaking up the sun and putting on a show for us. It was so great!

For some reason, I have a hard time getting my videos to go from my phone onto Blogger. But, I don't have any problems getting them to go to Facebook. So, for video footage of Sedona pointing to everything and saying "ooooo", refer to my FB profile...

At the Gorilla enclosure.  They were all laying down taking naps.  I could see them clearly, but because they weren't "doing" anything, Sedona wasn't really that interested.  But she sure is cute!

It was a warm and muggy day and we were all sweating so that meant we needed to make sure we all had plenty of water to drink.  So, here she is eating her cheese and drinking water, getting ready for the next leg of our journey.

Our little tour guide, telling us it's time to move forward:

This was our FAVORITE exhibit that we got to (we didn't get to even HALF of the Zoo in our 2 1/2 hour time block!)  They had a baby elephant and it was soooo cute! We got there just in time to watch the Momma elephant bathing her baby in the waterfall. It was so cute. Sedona loved it! She was giggling and squealing, just thinking it was the best thing ever! Their Elephant enclosure was seriously so gorgeous.  I was amazed at how beautiful they had made all wooden walking paths and they led right up to their indoor enclosure where they had big windows so you could look at them while they were inside eating.  We were so glad that they weren't inside, though.

On the opposite side of the enclosure was the Male Elephant. He was enormous! And beautiful!

Pointing to the Male Elephant. 

 She wanted to sit down on this statue so bad, but it was too hot!

I came prepared with some quarters in case they had these little "rides", so at the end of our adventure she could hop on and experience this, too.  She LOVED it! (I also have video of her on this one on my FB page.)  She rode this little Safari jeep twice and the "carousel" twice.  She was enamored!! 

We had such a wonderful day at the Zoo! I know we will be going back. I bought a season pass for only $29!  I feel so blessed to be able to go to these places and have these experiences together as a family.  I am so thankful Austin has a job that takes care of our family financially and allows him to spend some time with us.  Granted, we had to meet up with him here during his lunch break, but hey, I'm so glad he HAS a lunch break long enough that we can do these kinds of things once in a while.  I am also so grateful for the people who dedicate their lives to educating others about these wild animals and their habitats.  And I am very thankful for the people who maintain and keep the Zoo clean! We went to the Fort Worth Zoo last summer and it was sooooo smelly and dirty.  This Zoo was so clean and beautiful and there was Zoo Staff everywhere with brooms and dustpans! It really was such a great experience and I can't wait to go back and see the rest of it!!

OKC Thunder!!

Austin and I got to go on a date the other night! It was so fun to get out and go do something we both enjoy.  I do not enjoy watching sports on TV...AT ALL, but I do enjoy going to watch a game live.  I enjoy it even if I don't know anything about either of the teams playing.  It's just a fun atmosphere and so much more REAL than TV.  Austin will watch almost any sport, anytime, anywhere. So, going to a Thunder game is a win-win.  The stadium is right in downtown OKC and I discovered that downtown is beautiful! I am excited to go and see more of it.  

 Here we are in our matchy-matchy shirts that I thought would be fun to wear.

And this is inside the stadium waiting for the game to start. Isn't he so handsome?!

We had so much fun at this game. The Thunder have a great crowd of fun fans and the Arena Staff are really good at making it an action-packed experience where there was never a dull moment.  The game was good, too ;-)  haha...They played the Sacramento Kings, so I also got to see Jimmer play...I guess he was a big thing at BYU. He sure looks awkward in real life, though...kinda duck-footed. But, he sure can play the game!!  Anyway, we had a great time checking this one off our list of things to do this summer.

Something BESIDES my baby...

My blog is always saturated with my beautiful baby because she is my world...24/7.  However, I do enjoy a lot of other things besides being Mom and Wife.  So, I thought I would share a couple of the things I have been doing recently.

Cooking....I love to cook! I used to tell my family I wanted to be the next Rachel Ray. I don't want to do that anymore...not even a little bit. But I do love to cook. AND BAKE!  I used to make these amazing chocolate chip cookies that could get me an A in any class in high school.  They could also put me back on my Dad's "good" list...as long as I made sure he got some cookie dough (wink, wink.)  But somehow, I lost the "touch" and I just haven't been able to get that particular recipe to turn out the same again. ARG!

Today...today!! I tried a new recipe from one of my most favorite resources, Pinterest.  They are, to say the VERY least, AMAZING. Really, they are. Quite sinful, really. My sin of choice, I guess. They literally melted in my mouth and they look beautiful, too. So, here is the link...
http://kelseysappleaday.blogspot.ca/2011/08/best-ever-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
and there, is the picture!  Oh my delicious.  Moving on...

Cooking.  I made these awesome Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos for dinner the other night and boy were they good! Served with my husband's amazing homemade guacamole and chips and salsa for dipping...it was perfect.  They were so easy, too. There was one strange ingredient, Chipotle in Adobo sauce, but I found it in the Mexican Food section and I just froze what I didn't use from the can for the next time I make them, because I WILL be making them again. Again, Thank You! Pinterest!
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spicy-bean-and-rice-burritos/


Those were just a couple of the fun things I have tried in my kitchen recently. And boy, am I glad I did!

The other thing I have really been enjoying is my membership at the Cleveland County YMCA here in Norman.  It's no secret that I like to exercise.  Or, maybe to some of you, it is...I don't know.  But I do. I enjoy it. A. LOT.  It is such a great way for me to release some stress and just have some "me" time each day.  Sometimes I get 1 hour, sometimes 2, depending on how Sedona does at the gym's childcare. But I enjoy each minute I get no matter how long, or short.

I have never paid the extra $ for the classes at any gym I have gone to...okay, the ONLY other gym I have gone to...but here, the classes are included in my monthly membership fee. So is the childcare!  That is the other thing I have been loving is the classes! I have been going to a Body Sculpt class every MWF at 9 am and it is so fun.  I kinda feel like I'm working out at a retirement center because EVERYONE except for maybe 2 or 3 others have grey hair and they seem like they can barely walk. But boy! They can do lunges!! I almost died my first day and there was this 70-somethin-lady next to me doing lunge number 1,000 with her FIRST leg...like it was nothing! I sorely underestimated them, that's for sure.

Anyway, I am really enjoying it here.  We went to a Thunder game last night, which I will post the two pictures I took another time, and we had a lot of fun!  Sedona and I are planning our first trip to the zoo on Thursday where we will meet up with Austin on his lunch break so he can come with us.  I am so excited! It's going to be a great week.

Moments

This last week has been so great, and so....hard.  I guess the best way to sum it up is to say that "we've had our 'moments'" this week.  There were some GREAT moments and some not-so-great ones, too.  I LOVE summer.  I love the sunshine, the warm temperatures, the laid-back feeling AND the hustle-bustle of trying to get all the fun in! I love milkshakes and going on walks with my baby.  I love POOL TIME and I really  love my cute little baby in her swimming duds:

 

 (how could you NOT love this little pool baby?!)

Sedona rarely walks without being encouraged to do so, but this week she has been trying to stand up on her own without using the couch, coffee table, wall, etc. It has been so fun to watch her work so diligently! I just know she will figure it out soon.  That brings us to the other "moments"....Sedona's, uhm, PERSISTENCE...maybe...is amazing.  

She usually knows what she wants and she is pretty good at communicating it to you.  I am so thankful for that.  I know this strong-willed personality of hers will serve her well in her life. If I help her to direct it into positive directions.  That's the hard part.  She is just such a stinker sometimes! I don't know how else to say it.  I have been so frustrated this week with her.  She whines and whines and won't eat anything but cheese and smarties  (not exactly the healthiest diet).  I have seriously considered being done with childbearing all together this week! It will be amazing if I make it through the summer with all my hair, and if what I have left is still brown.

She is such a Daddy's girl and she gets to see him for about 10 minutes in the morning after she wakes up and before he heads to work or she and I head off to the gym.  She's asleep before he gets home, so she is really missing him right now....and SO.AM.I!!!  But, it is okay...and we will push forward and be better for it, right? Right.

So, now to be more positive...Sedona didn't want to take her nap at her usual time this morning. Which was kind of frustrating, but not day-shattering.  I just decided to clean up my really dirty kitchen while she seemed to be playing happily in her little "nook."  As I was finishing up the last few dishes, I was reflecting on our week and offering a silent prayer for a more positive attitude.  I could hear Sedona's happy noises and looked up from the dishes to find her doing one of her favorite daily activities...reading.  So cute, right?!
My ears turned to the song on the radio...a song by George Strait.  He sings, "life's not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away."  Here I was--wanting to finish the dishes, get Sedona down for a nap, take a shower, feed myself maybe, and get on with our day, and here was one of those "moments." What was I going to do with it?  I decided to stop, take a short video and a picture, and kiss her irresistible little face and tell her that I love her as big as the world!
Shortly after I took the pics and video, she grabbed her blanket and bottle and practically begged me to put her down for a nap.  So I did.  And as I did, I thought about this post and how I could write what I was feeling. It may be a little word-y. But it still doesn't REALLY capture the "moments" of our week.  Here are a few pictures that I took this week that caught a few of them...

 Sedona stacked her books on the windowsill...so funny!

 Her sheep chair finally made it here and she was in HEAVEN!! She really missed this thing.

 This was a picture from this morning.

This picture quality isn't the best...but she heard a dog barking outside so she stood up to see it.  She was pointing and saying "gog! gog!" and making her dog noise.  All the while, her little ankles were crossed.  I am so thankful that I took time to enjoy the "moment" this morning. Thank you, for indulging me in my need to blabber on and on about it.  

Our New 'Digs'....kinda

This was the day we got to Texas, last year. She was only 2 1/2 months old and soooo little!

 

This was taken the day we got here, to OKC.  She is 14 months old, and at the time of this picture...kinda cranky.  Can ya blame her?  Still just itty bitty, but MUCH bigger than last year.

The reason I labeled this post with a "kinda" at the end, is that I have not taken pictures of our apartment.  Nobody REALLY wants to know what an apartment looks like, so why take the time to try and give you a tour-by-pictures when you (and I) don't really want to take one?  However, in our apartment, there is this little "nook" that Sedona has claimed as her own.  How perfect for her, though, right?! I put all her toys there and I can see her from the kitchen. It's awesome. 

She just loves to stand at the open window and yell at all the dogs, kids, and birds that she can see playing outside.  It's pretty cute.  SHE is pretty cute.

Just "reading" her books...one of her favorite things to do.

From her window, she can also see the pool.  She can even say "pool" and she wants to be in it at all times.  I don't mind, or should I say I WON'T mind, when it gets a LITTLE warmer.  She's a chip off the ol' block and LOVES the sunshine and warmth!! (like Momma, like daughter)  Monday was warm enough, so we ventured down to the pool and she thought she was in heaven.  I didn't get any pics of her in the water because my camera is my phone and I didn't want it near the water and I couldn't NOT be IN the water when she is, so....we get pics of her outside the pool.  Just as cute, though, if you ask me.

Lovin' the sunshine with my baby!

I HAVE to brag on her eyelashes...but, of course, she got them from her DAD.  WHY?!!!!

This one was taken this afternoon. 

...and ONE more. She loves olives (yuck) and now she loves them even more because I stuck them on her fingers yesterday.  

We are loving it here in OKC.  I feel so blessed to be able to have these fun adventures and to learn and grow together as a family.  I know the Lord has His hand in our lives right now.  He has guided us to this company and to these places for reasons that I cannot explain, but our experiences have been so positive.  The university here, OU, has a dental program and I think Austin will take some time this summer to really look into it.  Who knows? Maybe that is why we felt so good about OKC? I don't know...yet. But I DO know that I trust in Him and I am so thankful for all our many many blessings.