I love Sushi!!!

So, Brett and Austin and I had the chance to go down to Little Rock this weekend. We had a great time!

Before we left on Friday I took the opportunity to check out the local library on Thursday. I got my library card, finally, and was intending to check out a few books...namely Marley & Me, The Host, and The Secret Life of Bees. All had been checked out. Not really surprising seeing as how all three are quite popular right now. So, I reserved them for when they're turned back in and found an interesting looking Audiobook, The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit. I highly recommend it! Though, it is very much a PG-13 book. Or should I say PG-15? It has the F-word in it a couple of times (which bugged me), and the A-word and the D-word are frequently come upon. Aside from the language, the book is hilarious! The author really does have great advice for the Southern Mother. (She also has some not so great advice, but that not so great advice is to be taken as a joke.) ;) Funny, listening to her on Audiobook has gotten me recommited to my Southern accent. Since moving to Arkansas, it kinda faded...ok significantly faded. How on earth am I supposed to convince the everyday stranger I come upon that I am truely a Southern Belle when I've lost my accent? So, you'll be hearin lots more ya'll's, fixin to's, by golly's, I'll be darned's, and how's ur mom n em's. LOL! ;) Ok, so back to this weekend...

Friday we hung out and ate Shotgun Dan's pizza with Ryan & Laura. Austin had a great time watching Andrew run around in circles. We laid him on the floor on his pansa (as we call it - Spanish for tummy) and his head would go side to side to side to side watching his cousin's every move. He wants to be a part of the action so bad. I think that's why he seems to be much more interested in sitting up and standing, than crawling. :)

Saturday was our big day. Well, I guess it wasn't really that big, but we did more than anticipated. In the AM, we woke up and Ryan and Andrew brought over some Krispy Kremes. :) Andrew asked if we'd go to Chuck E. Cheese with them. We were happy to oblige. After Chuck E. Cheese we hung out with Brett's Mom & Dad while they cooed and played with Austin. Lunch rolled around pretty quickly and our bellies were growlin for something satisfying. We headed over to the new Copeland's. K, my Louisana friends (ya say it Loozyanna-hehehe) all know what Copeland's is. A nicer restaurant (not too expensive) with very good cajun food. I love it! So, we had to go. Mom offered to keep Austin while we ate. I really don't have to say whether or not we took her up on her offer do I? C'mon. ;) So, Brett and I had a nice quite sit-down dinner, just the two of us...and some tastey food.

While we were out, we stopped by Babies R Us to check out a couple of carseats I've been eyeing for Austin. He's pretty much grown out of his first carseat already. The boy is so tall! I've been looking at them on Target.com but I wanted to feel just how comfortable they are. So, I got to do that...AND I ran into an old friend of mine whom I haven't seen in a about a year...who is pregnant! It was great to see her. I love catching up with old friends. :)

After we checked out the carseats we headed back to get Austin, hung out a little longer, then left to go back to the house where we were staying.

Did I mention that we're friends with our old family doctor? Dr. Linda (as we call her) is an fantabulous family doctor, and because she's such a great doctor, she stays so busy. Anyway, she has a really nice, large house in Little Rock. She invites us to stay in one of her guest bedrooms when we come to Little Rock. She always has a pack n play for Austin to sleep in, and a very comfortable king-sized bed for Brett and me to sleep in. Not only is her house very warm, comfortable, and inviting...but she is too! Definitely a Southern Belle in my book. :) We love her and Austin loves her and its always great when we get to stay with her for a weekend.

Anyway, because she's always so hospitable to us, we decided we should take her out to eat on Saturday night. (This is where the title of this blog comes in.) We chose to check out a new Japanese Sushi Bar/Hibatchi Grill (over beside the new Copeland's). Upon entering the restaurant, we were asked if we'd like the Sushi Bar side or the Hibatchi Grill side. I was very tempted to say HIBATCHI! HIBATCHI! HIBATCHI! But Doc Linda and Brett said Sushi, so I went along with it, mainly out of curiosity. Now, I should clarify that I have had sushi before. I guess I just haven't been that impressed with what I've had. I ordered the Dragon roll, which had crab, eel, and avacado and was drizzled with some kind of teriaki-ish sauce ... MMMMhmhmhm! The BEST sushi I've ever had! And at the end of the meal I did not feel stuffed nor did i regret anything I'd eaten. I was completely satisfied. And it got me thinking...hmmm maybe I should try to make sushi for Brett and me at home. What a healthy supper! The perfect addition to our whole gotta-cut-back-the-calories-at-supper-time thang we got goin on now.

Then, Sunday morning we got dressed early and Doc Linda made pancakes and bacon for us for breakfast. Yummy! We headed to church in Cabot where we met up with the Browns. And they had us over for a super yummy Roast Dinner after church. Then we hung around, played on the Wii a little, ate some Rocky Road ice cream and headed back home. :)

What a great trip! ...not to mention the sushi! ;)

The Mother I Want To Be...

My birthday is coming soon. I won't tell you the exact day...mainly for security reasons here on the good ole internet. Plus, many of you already know when my birthday is. And for those of you who don't will probably find out on Facebook. I'm rambling...

Anyway, I've noticed that many people reflect on past years of their lives when their birthdays roll around. And I probably would, that is if I hadn't had the most wonderful thing happen to me on July 24th this past year. But up until then I've spent so much time dwelling on the past and kicking myself for really dumb decisions I've made. So, this year, on my birthday, I'm going to ponder the past, present, and the future...of motherhood! I'm pondering the many mothers who have affected my life in some way. I'm pondering the person that I am today. And I'm pondering on how I can become the mother that I want to be for Austin and for the children we'll adopt in the future.

One of my best of friends shared a secret with me the other day...how to be the perfect mother! She said to me (I'm paraphrasing here) "think of at least one great quality of each woman who has touched your life and apply it to your own life." So, that's what I've been thinking about lately. Who has touched my life? What qualities stood out the most in these women? And what can I do to apply these qualities? I thought it might be best if I write these down (or type).

1. The first of all these women has to be my own mother. And if I could choose just one quality to apply to my own life it would be her Southern Hospitality. She was always warm and welcoming to anyone who came to our home.

2. Second would be a woman who was my CTR teacher. For those of you who aren't LDS, this lady taught me Sunday School when I was about 6 or 7 years old. She gave me my first Book of Mormon. She's a very righteous woman who has always been diligent in keeping God's commandments. She's always been a great leader at church and a great example to all those who look up to her...I being one of them.

3. Third is a woman I became acquainted with at church in Little Rock. She was the Relief Society President of the Pinnacle Mountain Ward when Brett and I were there. She was always (and still is) so kind and accepting of everyone. She was never judgmental.

4. Next is a wonderful woman with whom I served in the Young Womens in Conway. She was the Young Womens President of one of the Conway wards (I can't remember which...I think 2nd ward). She was and still is the classiest woman I know. I'm not refering to class as in how much money her family has. I'm speaking of her character, her poise, and her grace. She lights up a room whenever she walks in. I can't help but smile just at the thought of her.

5. Fifth and the last person I'm going to list (but definitely not the last person I'm going to think about) is a family member that I hold so dear. I think of her everyday. The example she sets for me is probably unbeknownst to her. But when I think of what kind of mother I want to be, I think of her. The most desired quality of her's is humility, though there are many, many others. You would never know what social class the world places her in if you sat and talked to her. She's so spiritual and never thinks she's better than anyone else.

There are so many other women I want to pull desired qualities from. But I wanted to begin by writing down a few that I think of most often.

How am I going to apply these qualities to my own life? One at a time and one day at a time. :)
Starting here in my 28th year of life, I will strive to be more like these women in every positive way. Wish me luck!

Austin Accomplishments & Funnies

We're spoon feeding now! Not for all meals, but we are taking the time to teach Austin how to eat from a spoon in the evenings everyday. I must say, he's doing quite well! We do a scoop and a half of cereal (mixed with his soy formula) and then wash it all down with a 3 oz bottle. Once he starts getting more down his throat than down his chin (and everywhere else he decides it needs to go), then we'll add another spoon feeding to the schedule. :) But for now, its once a day...and very messy(but that's the fun part, right?).

Gettin the hang of cereal from spoon.

Our new favorite accessory...cereal!

Another thing Austin is doing now is figuring out his feet. He loves staring at his toes and reaching for his feet. Sometimes they keep him entertained for a full 10 minutes. Its funny to see him grab his feet and topple over sideways, then roll back onto his back and start all over again. :)

Oooo! Feet!

I decided that I wanted to cut some hair off of the back of Austin's head. I wanted to save his baby hair & put it in his scrapbook before he lost it all.

Before the hair cut!

After the hair cut!

Hahaha! I'm kidding! Though I really did cut his hair as you can see in the above picture. I got the hair that I wanted, but I did quite the hack job. Its crooked and uneven. I can't very well get it straight though. He's far too interested in what I'm doing when I'm trying to make it look better (scissors in hand). We'll just have to wear cute little beanies when we go out in public...at least until his hair grows back out. ;)


I'm still adding videos to Austin's blog. Hopefully I'll have it completely updated by the end of the month. We'll see. ;) Click HERE if ya wanna take a peek!



Oh, I almost forgot! I made some curtains for Austin's Nursery. The white sheers alone weren't blocking out enough sunlight and were making it difficult to put Austin down for a nap. So I added these today to his window. They worked like a charm! It was so much easier to put him down for his naps today. YAY!

Brett's Got Mad Dancin Skills!

Most of you have already seen this video on Facebook. I'm mainly posting it for my family and friends who aren't on Facebook.

Anyway, Brett reluctantly agreed to go to a Ballroom Dance Class with me being held at the Studio where I teach dance. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he caught on to everything! :) From now on, I'm hitting him up for a few dances when the opportunity comes.

This video is of us doing doing a Waltz step...with a turn. :) We also learned the Hustle with a turn and a cuddle. ;) THAT was fun! I wish I'd gotten a video of that.