The Wonderful Life That Is Mine

Photo A Day Challenge February 19, 2012

2012-02-19T16:55:00.000-06:00

Something I Hate To Do

Clean my cast iron grill... love the grill- hate the mess!

Photo A Day Challenge February 18, 2012

2012-02-19T15:51:00.001-06:00

Drink

My drink consumption pretty much only consists of the h2o these days.

Photo A Day Challenge February 17, 2012

2012-02-19T15:38:00.000-06:00

Time

The time I saw The Vow for GNO

Photo A Day Challenge February 16, 2012

2012-02-19T15:23:00.000-06:00

Something New

Not exactly new, but new to us- our weekly gettings from the library.

Photo A Day Challenge February 15, 2012

2012-02-19T15:17:00.001-06:00

Phone

Apparently my Kub needed to check the weather forecast.

Photo A Day Challenge February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T23:34:00.000-06:00

Heart

Thanks to the Cerniglia fam part of our Valentine's day dining included a heart shaped pizza:)

Photo A Day Challenge February 13, 2012

2012-02-14T23:22:00.000-06:00

Blue

Mondays are Goodwill day and I just so happened to get some organizing tools that were blue too.

Our house February 6th- 12th... 100th Day, Suns Game, Valentine's, A Reading Kub, Momma Red & Other New Stuff

2012-02-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

We had quite the eventful week here at the Casa de Dominguez.

This is just some pics of an ordinary dinner of our family dinner but I thought I'd share our routine. We eat dinner (this night it was a yummy Santa Fe chicken dinner dish I created) while talking about the day (no tv allowed!). Then we read family scriptures which at the time is the suggested weekly reading of The Book of Mormon taken from The Friend magazine (Joaquin's coloring the color chart that goes along with it in the picture). After that we get out our family journal and we each take turns talking about 3 things- what we did for somebody that day, one thing we are grateful for that day, and what the best part of that day is. After that the table is cleared and then we have family prayer. And the kids cannot have family prayer unless they are given their gummy vitamins first. On Monday nights FHE is between the family journal and the family prayer. It's simple and it works for us and I LOVE it!!

On Tuesday night Robert and Andre and our friend Jeyson got to go to a Bucks vs Suns (they were going to see the Suns, not the Bucks) game. The tickets were ridiculously cheap. They had a good time:)

Wednesday was Baily's 100th Day of School. She was told to bring 100 of something that would fit in a small brown paper bag and then she had to give 3 clues about what was inside. She took 100 little pink hearts and her clues were: 1. an important part of the body, 2. love, and 3. pinkalicous.

She also wanted to bring a snack for their 100th Day of School party. After much deliberation it was decided that we would put together 100 snacks snack bags. They consisted of 20 M&M's, 20 pretzels, 20 Goldfish, 20 Kix, and 20 Cheerios. We got an assembly line together and made 18 bags of 100 snacks snack bags. She said they were a big hit at school.

I decided to be ambitious this week (while neglecting my messy house I might add), and get the kids' Valentine's made. Thanks to Pinterest we found the perfect ones to make. Baily decided on Butterfly Valentine's because she is, after all, Baily Bug. I wanted her to be a lot more involved in making them this year instead of me doing most of them so I broke it down into 3 steps that we did over 3 days. It helped in that she wasn't overwhelmed by all that needed to be done in one day. Step 1 was to address each Valentine and then sign her name. This was the most tedious step. Step 2 was to cut out the butterflies and then add the foam heart stickers. Step 3 was to make the hole punches, put the sucker in and then add the google eyes. She loved the way they turned out and I think they're adorable!

I don't even know if Joaquin will be passing out Valentine's in his Headstart class this year but he really wanted to make his own Valentine's this year so I gladly obliged. He decided on Super Hero Valentine's which were perfect for him because superheroes are his life right now. I did most of the work on these but he helped by putting the stickers on the capes. Daddy helped too. He was so proud of them and I think these turned out dang cute too. He's going to take them to his friends at Headstart and give some to his Travelling Preschool friends.

This is a common thing around here. Kenai LOVES books and he loves to read to himself. He doesn't necessarily want me to read to him but he still loves books. And I love that he loves books (minus the having to pick up books at least 3 times a day!)!!

I got a Kindle Fire this week. Two words... LOVE. IT.

We finally got new bedding. I can't even tell you how bad we needed this. Our old bedding had holes all over it with batting coming out everywhere and none of it matched. I got a nice down comforter on clearance at Target for $24.99 and the quilt and shams for $19.99 at K-Mart. Score! Robert thinks it looks like an old lady's bed but I think it looks cute and comfy:)

I've been hearing so much about Zumba lately (my mom is now an instructor!!) and after seeing how much I love Just Dance on wii I decided to get Zumba for my wii. Two words... LOVE. IT!!! This totally kicks my butt workout wise and it's so dang fun. Plus I'm pretty dang good at it which is pretty awesome.

Most exciting thing this week was- I got a new (new to me) van! Ol' Blue (our old van) was good to us but she needed to be replaced big time. Her brakes were going, her battery died all the time and the side door didn't work. So, without further ado, meet the newest member of our family... Momma Red! Isn't she purrty? She has working brakes, 2 working side doors (no more climbing through the front or back!), great breaks, working batter, was a great deal and she's my favorite color- red! SO excited:)

Robert and I were very lucky to get to go on TWO date nights this weekend. We swap with another couple every month and it just happened that their weekend to watch kids was Friday. And because we weren't able to go to the temple last weekend we got to go yesterday instead. It was great! So on Friday Robert and I went and saw the movie Chronicle. There was quite a bit of language which I hate but it was a pretty crazy and good movie.

We almost didn't make it to the temple again this week because we were so late with the whole buy the new van shenanigans. But I'm so glad we did. It was beautiful and amazing and just what we needed. Talk about a perfect Valentine's day weekend!

After we got home and the kids were nestled in bed I made Robert and Andre watch my new movie- Breaking Dawn. I was so excited to get this movie. It's a really cool edition. It came with "authentic prop flowers from the wedding scene beautifully encased in an acrylic keepsake" which included "an individually numbered certificate of authenticity." How cool is that?! I actually couldn't make it the whole way through but I can watch it whenever I want to now:)

Today Baily is sick so I'm at home with her. I have not been to church in 3 weeks because Joaquin was sick, then my car wouldn't start and now Baily's sick. I miss church. I feel like an inactive. But I have to say... reading to my girl for hours and snuggling with her and enjoying the quiet is not too bad either:)

So that's our week in a nutshell. I'm hoping my girl gets better, none of the rest of us get sick and we have a great week. And I hope you do too:)

Photo A Day Challenge February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

Inside My Closet

Small closet, big mess!

Photo A Day Challenge February 11, 2012

2012-02-12T10:01:00.000-06:00

Makes Me Happy

Going to the temple with my love... even if we were late and it was freezing. The warmth inside was beyond description! It's been way over a year since we went last, which was way too long. I can't wait to go back:):):)

Photo A Day Challenge February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T22:34:00.001-06:00

Self Portrait

Photo A Day Challenge February 9, 2012

2012-02-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

Front Door

I LOVE my front door. It is a canvas to display my children's art. It's even spilled over to the wall. Whenever I see it, I see happiness:)

Photo A Day Challenge February 8, 2012

2012-02-09T11:13:00.000-06:00

Sun

This was taken as a straight shot to the sun right off my front porch. I love how it turned out.

Photo A Day Challenge February 7, 2012

2012-02-08T07:39:00.000-06:00

Button

button to push play on Netflix... how did parents ever manage without Netflix Just For Kids?

Family Scriptures

2012-02-07T11:42:00.000-06:00

For our family scripture study in the past we usually read from the scripture stories books(Book of Mormon Stories, New Testament Stories, etc) since they seemed to hold the kid's attention span better than just reading straight from the scriptures (which we did occasionally). It was a great way to get the kid's started with scripture reading and introduce them to the wonderful stories from the scriptures. But as I've been doing my own reading in the Book of Mormon lately I had felt like we were missing out a bit on reading straight from the scriptures for family scripture study.

So when I opened up the January Friend magazine and saw the activity "Book of Mormon Feast" I was so excited (link below). It's a year long reading program for families and has a reading assignment from the Book of Mormon for each week. It's a condensed version reading plan and it's perfect. It highlights a lot of the major events. I knew that would be perfect for us this year. We are able to read directly from the scriptures but it's not too lengthy or too deep to not hold the kid's interest.

Plus my kids are so excited to color the week's reading in the coloring chart (you color all the 1's for finishing week 1's assignment, 2's for 2nd week and so forth). You have to explain what happens in between the gaps but I like that because it makes me have to know the stories pretty well so I can know what does happen in between the gaps:)

We also use the gospel art picture book as we read and that helps give them visuals while still reading straight from the scriptures. Each day's readings are still pretty short but let me tell you- that Book of Mormon is one powerful book. I can truly testify that this has happened since we started more diligently studying the Book of Mormon in our home:

“there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.” 1.

Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Liahona andEnsign, Aug. 2005, 6.

And I can testify to the truthfulness of this Apostle's bold declaration- one of my all time favorite quotes about the Book of Mormon:

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.” Marion G. Romney, “The Book of Mormon,” Ensign, May 1980, 67

I love the Book of Mormon! And I love that my family is gaining a strong love for it as well. I'm so thankful for the Friend magazine and all it's helpful, inspired resources that help our family draw closer to our Savior. (They are also printing fun scripture figures that you can make into puppets in 10 of their issues this year- link below).

Book of Mormon Feast reading chart here:
http://www.lds.org/friend/2012/01/book-of-mormon-feast?lang=eng
Book of Mormon Scriture Figures here:
http://www.lds.org/friend/2012/02/book-of-mormon-scripture-figures?lang=eng

Our House January 30th-February 5th... Giant FHE, Special Treats, Animal Encounters, and Grandma's Birthday!

2012-02-07T10:50:00.001-06:00

We had a pretty good week this past week. I decided to I can keep up on my blog and not get overwhelmed with trying to post every day I'm going to try out posting weekly updates. We'll see how it goes.

On Monday it was the fifth Monday so we had an open night to do something fun and unstructured for FHE (Family Home Evening). When I was at the store with Joaquin we found these ginormous coloring books that looked like so much fun. So I got a Super Heroes one and a Disney Princesses one. So for FHE we colored and just chatted. It wasn't as wonderful as I had planned since Kenai's idea of fun was "scribble scrabbling," as Baily calls it, all over her pictures and Baily freaked out about it and also because he wanted to play 109 crayon pick-up... without the picking up. But it's the thought that counts... right?!

We were grateful to get part of our income tax return and after paying a few bills we each got a special treat. I got a lot of household items that I've been wanting to get for a while like a grill pan and stuff like that. I also registered for 4 races this year and I am so excited about that. Robert also got us a dishwasher. I would say this is mostly for me because now that we have the dishwasher Robert does the dishes every day and that's a huge load off my back. Who needs roses when you have a man who will get you a dishwasher and do the dishes for you every night? Oh baby, oh baby:)

Joaquin got his Thor toy that he's been eyeing for weeks. Have I mentioned how into Super Heroes he is these days?

Baily got a new game for her 3DS- Barbie Glamour pups. As you can clearly see, she's a big fan.

The big treat for sure was Robert's new iPad2. He's been wanting this forever and he works so hard in supporting our family he totally deserved it. Besides, it's a fan favorite for the whole family- not just Robert. The kids love playing Angry Birds and doing puzzles. I have no doubt that the iPad2 will benefit us all to a great degree:)

On Saturday it was free zoo day. We weren't planning on going since Robert had basketball in the morning and Baily had swimming and then we were planning on going to the temple in the afternoon. We weren't able to go to the temple because of some personal health issues of mine [TOM:( ] so we decided to go to the zoo even though we would only have about 2 hours to spend there before it closed (which is all the time I could be away from home anyway). So we went and I'm so glad we did. It was a beautiful day (50 degrees and sunny in February in Wisconsin... really??) and we saw so many great animals up close and active. Also because it was the end of the day we got to see a lot of the animals get fed which was cool. The grossest/coolest part the mandrill. We saw him poop in his hands, play with his poop and then eat his poop. It was disgusting but entertaining nonetheless. Some other highlights included watching the giraffes eat, seeing the tiger super close up, watching the huge orangutan try to hitch a ride out of the zoo, watching the elephants and hippo eat and seeing the huge lion up close. I loved using my new camera and capturing some good shots now that I'm finally figuring out more of my camera's settings. I LOVE the zoo so much- it always reminds of how awesome our Creator is. I can't help but get emotional because the animals are just so beautiful and awesome!

On Sunday we went to my Dad's house to celebrate Patty's birthday. I guess it was for the Superbowl too even though I hated both teams and could care less about the game (I'm still bitter that the Packers weren't in it if you couldn't tell.) The kids and I made an awesome raspberry, strawberry chocolate cake. For some reason I got a total kick out of the heart shaped raspberries:)

Patty made some dee-licious party food and we just had fun eating, chatting and watching the Superbowl commercials. The kids each picked out a potted flower/plant to give to Grandma for her birthday and Robert and I gave her the DVD The Prestige. I hate that we live so much farther away from them but it does make our visits so much sweeter. Oh how I love my family!

And that was our week in a nutshell. We are so blessed:)

Photo A Day Challenge February 6, 2012

2012-02-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

Dinner

Mmm- I love dinner. I created this concoction on my own- Santa Fe chicken. And even more than dinner I love sit down dinners with my family!

Photo A Day Challenge February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T20:31:00.000-06:00

10 AM

Getting ready for church- even though I didn't even make it to church. I had to stay behind to make a birthday cake and was going to meet up with the fam after. But my van wouldn't start so I didn't even make it. I was bummed:/

Photo A Day Challenge February 4, 2012

2012-02-05T03:00:00.001-06:00

A Stranger

We saw this guy at the zoo today and he was just stunning and beautiful- just awesome. Baily said he was Aslan. God's creations are just amazing to me!

Photo A Day Challenge February 3, 2012

2012-02-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

Hands

Or how 'bout just one chubby hand? I had to try on my new nail polish (reward for having a completely clean eating and all workouts week- yay!). I love it.

Fit 'N Fab Momma

2012-02-03T12:33:00.001-06:00

I've decided to get back to blogging on my fitness blog since I'm back into fitness! The link is below. I've made it private for now so if you're interested in seeing what I'm up to in the losing weight area of my life leave me your email address and I'll invite you! And the link will also be posted on my sidebar as well.

http://smilingsarahbearfitnfab.blogspot.com/

Photo A Day Challenge February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T11:08:00.001-06:00

Words

I send my mom a funny card every week along with a bunch of hand-written quotes. Here's the one I sent today:) I am not so great at writing her every week (she's in prison), so this helps me feel like a better daughter when I can't get letters out as much as I'd like to.

Photo A Day Challenge February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T20:44:00.000-06:00

I'm really digging this challenge! It helps me look at my world with a little bit of different perspective each day:)

Here's the February List

Here's today's challenge.

My view today

I waited too long to get my view from today so this is my view from tonight. My two babies reading books to each other on a ginormous pile of laundry that needs to be folded. And yes, Joaquin has a big chunk of beans from dinner on his teeth. I rock.

Photo A Day Challenge January 31, 2012

2012-02-01T13:06:00.000-06:00

Me, Again

So I took this at 9 at night and after a whole day of wearing a pony tail and no make-up I decided I better at least put my hair down and at least put on mascara for the pic. My favorite part is the cute little girl that snuck in on my pic:)

Photo A Day Challenge January 30, 2012

2012-02-01T12:58:00.000-06:00

Nature

I know... so ugly, huh? This is one crazy January Winter in Wisconsin! It should be covered in beautiful white snow!!

Photo A Day Challenge January 29, 2012

2012-02-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

Inside My Fridge

Kenai wanted some grapes.

Photo A Day Challenge January 28, 2012

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-06:00

Light

Morning view from my kitchen window

He's Gone To The Dark Side, I Fear...

2012-01-27T13:59:00.001-06:00

I miss my sweet boy. I think my worst fear that the other two evil children have brought my sweet baby to the dark side has been confirmed to me these past few weeks. This is the view of my Kub all too often these days. Add to the crying and whining, kicking, tantrums, slapping and hitting and making every mess imaginable and we for sure have one that's gone to the dark side. *Sigh...

Photo A Day Challenge January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T13:47:00.000-06:00

Lunch

I forgot to take a picture of my lunch so here's Kenai's lunch I found in his room. Apparently he was having too much fun to worry about a silly thing like lunch.

Photo A Day Challenge January 26, 2012

2012-01-27T13:41:00.000-06:00

Colour

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!!!

2012-01-26T13:01:00.000-06:00

Apparently, Joaquin is pretty hot stuff in these here parts. I found out today by lucky chance (the communication at HS is awful!!) that Joaquin was on the front of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal for an article they did about Headstart. He looks so cute! He's on another picture that was in the paper as well. Although the article isn't very positive it's still exciting to see one of your kids in print:)

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/social-development-commission-is-at-a-crossroads-kc3sonr-138018703.html

Cocoa and Cookies

2012-01-25T22:19:00.000-06:00

Baily LOVES snow! So she has been pretty disappointed in the lame Wisconsin Winter we've had so far. When we FINALLY got our first snow she was so excited and was the first one out to play in it. She loves getting all her snow gear on for school and every day when I pick her up all she has to talk about is what snow game she played that day. On the way home from picking her up from school today she asked if she could play in the snow when we got home. I said yes but that most of it was all melted. (We are having super warm sunny days again this week). She exclaimed "NO! I hate the snow melting!" She was quiet and serene the whole way home and when we pulled up I asked her what was wrong and she just said "I'm not ready for Spring. I didn't even get to play in the snow that much." Apparently that was what was on her mind the whole drive home. So as soon as we got home she didn't even go inside- she went straight to work at playing in what little snow we have left. Afterward she came in and promptly requested the necessary "after-playing-in-the-snow snack"... cocoa and cookies. And who am I to turn down such an understandable request. As you can see, she thoroughly enjoyed said snack and she's got quite the bit of hat hair going on.

Here's to Winter not being over yet!!

Just a Boy and His Superheroes

2012-01-25T22:07:00.000-06:00

Joaquin is all about superheroes right now. His favorite cartoon to watch right now is The Avengers. On his birthday cupcakes he got a set of small superhero toys and from Santa he got a big size version of Captain America and Thor. Today I thought I'd capture his love for superheroes. This was what he was busy with while I was doing dishes. I love that he's got such a vivid imagination. He's at such a fun age right now. Oh how I love my Super Joaquin!!

Photo A Day Challenge January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T21:42:00.002-06:00

Something I Made

Right now I REALLY don't like my body. But I will always be grateful that it was able to make my 3 healthy babies. This is my Bug, my Monkey Bread and my Kub fresh and clean after their baths tonight. They are my proudest accomplishment!

Photo A Day Challenge January 24, 2012

2012-01-25T21:34:00.000-06:00

Guilty Pleasure

That one was a no brainer. Nectar of the gods...

Just Because...

2012-01-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

Just because I love my babies and I love it when they have fun and play together and get along:)

Photo A Day Challenge

2012-01-23T21:43:00.001-06:00

http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/

I found this cool thing to do on the link above. I think it looks like fun. I won't promise that I will do it every day but the days I do will be fun. I will do pictures from my awesome new camera on the blog and from my phone on FB (different pics for each). I'll also have a page on top of my blog so you can refer to the whole challenge as I go:)

So today's challenge is something old:

A copy of the greatest book ever- The Book of Mormon. This copy may not be that old but this book was written thousands of years ago and is for our day!!

One-on-One Dates

2012-01-23T12:06:00.001-06:00

On Saturday we planned to have our one-on-one dates with the kids. This month it was Baily with me and Joaquin with Robert. Kenai went to a sitter's. I know that sounds bad but he is too young to know the difference and he already gets way more one-on-one time with us than the other two. Maybe we'll work him into the mix in a few months. Anyway it worked out perfectly that we planned on having these dates on this weekend since Monster Jam was this weekend as well. So Joaquin and Robert were so excited all month to go see the Monster Trucks. They had a blast! I heard about all night longs. Joaquin said his favorite was the truck named Ironman. I think Robert loved it the most. I'm so glad they had such a good time together and this will be something they'll remember for years to come.

For my date with Baily I gave her a few options like going to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D, going to the art museum or the Domes. She chose none of those and instead chose somewhere I hate- the mall! But it was her choice so I said ok and was determined to make it a fun day for her.

First though we went to one of her favorite restaurant- Wendy's. She could have gone anywhere and that's what she chose- lol. At least she's easy.

After our lunch we headed over to Southridge mall. We got pretzels first even though we only ate a few bites since we were still stuffed from lunch. After that we went to Bath & Body works and I cashed in my giftcard and then some. Let's just say I'm well stocked up for the year:) After that we headed to her favorite store- the Disney Store. I told her she could pick one thing to get and I had to approve it. She had a hard time deciding between a Rapunzel musical jewelry box or Lotso bear. As you can see, she chose Lotso. He has not left her side since! He really does smell like strawberries too. After that we stopped and looked at a few more shops, she rode the little train and then we headed home. We laughed, talked and just had an awesome day.

I loved these one-on-one dates and look forward to having them each month this year!!

Girl's Night Out

2012-01-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

On Friday I had a GNO (Girl's Night Out) planned for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I had planned it early on in the month in hopes that we would have a big group. I ended up having 5 girls planning on coming out which I was excited about. Well... snow ruined that.

One by one I kept getting calls, texts and FB messages that my "girls" were cancelling due to the snow storm. I was bummed. Especially since on Friday I had 6 kids at home all day to watch over and I was fried by the end of the day. But gratefully one friend prevailed and we decided to still go even though it was just her and I. I'm so glad we did. It was actually pretty nice with just us- we got a lot of time to chat and get to know each other better. I'm grateful for a husband who realizes I need these nights every once in a while and supports and even encourages me leaving the house for the night. I lucked out with that man! Thanks Shalise for the fun night and as always, thanks to my favorite restaurant ever- Texas Roadhouse. The steak they gave me was heavenly, divine even:)

I'm Ba-aaack!!!

2012-01-20T01:48:00.001-06:00

Guess who's back?

Back again?

Sarah's back.

Tell a friend...

So I got the internet again! Yay! There's no possible way I can catch up on all the parts of my life I've missed so I shall start fresh and my posterity and friends will just have to refer to my FB timeline to fill in the gaps. Can't wait to get back into the blogging jig again:)

For my first "back to blogging post" I shall simply post some pictures of my adorable offspring. These were taken after a very sweet FHE (we're making up for not having it on Monday) about doing the errands of the Lord taken from the First Presidency message in the January Friend magazine (link below). We also watched the video "The Coat" (link below) from MormonMessages. My kids loved it- they watched it like 4 times. We all talked about times we've received service from someone and a special time we've given service to someone. It was awesome- the Spirit was strong and I was a happy momma. Afterward the kids had popsicles as their treat and, as you can see, they were happy kids!

http://lds.org/friend/2012/01/going-on-an-errand-for-the-lord?lang=eng

The Coat video http://mormonchannel.org/the-coat

Day 23 — A video: Good Things to Come

2011-04-01T01:18:00.001-05:00

I LOVE the Mormon Messages and this has always been one of my very favorites because I can relate so well.

Day 22 — A favorite joke

2011-04-01T01:10:00.001-05:00

Why can't a ghost have a baby?

Because he has a Hallo-weenie!!

Hee, hee, hee... This was one of my mom's jokes that just shows her silly sense of humor like my Grandpa had. (FYI- do NOT google image search halloweenie:/ )

Day 21 — A favorite recipe

2011-03-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

Since I started my Biggest Loser Challenge this week I thought I'd share my most favorite recipe I tried this week (there were really so many good ones to choose from). Since I'm a pizza and mushroom lover this one just clicked for me and taking a bite was like a walk in heaven- SO good:) This will definitely be a much used recipe for me!

Recipe: Portobello "pizzas"

Most prefer to eat this “pizza” with a knife and fork!

Ingredients

4 whole Portobello mushroom caps (about 5” each), stemmed removed
1/2 cup low fat marinara sauce
1/2 cup lean turkey Italian sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
4 tablespoons shredded fat free or low fat mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wipe the mushrooms clean Place them on a baking sheet, gill side up.

Spoon sauce over each cap, then sprinkle on sausage and cheeses. Place in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Tips

Mushroom factoid: One portabella mushroom has as much potassium as a banana.

Nutrient analysis (per pizza): 97 calories, 10 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 1 g fat (saturated), 22 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 305 mg sodium

Day 20 — A hobby of mine

2011-03-25T01:22:00.000-05:00

I don't really know if you could consider this a hobby, but I LOVE to read! I just wish I had more time to do it.

Day 19 — My future wedding

2011-03-25T01:19:00.000-05:00

I've already had my wedding and it was perfect!

12.18.04

Day 18 — Dream house

2011-03-25T01:13:00.002-05:00

Hogwarts Castle complete with house elves to do the cleaning and cooking. That's not too much to ask for is it?

Day 17 — My worst habit

2011-03-25T01:11:00.000-05:00

Procrastination...

Day 16 — A favorite food

2011-03-25T01:07:00.000-05:00

CHEESE! By itself or added to pretty much anything. I love cheese! Guess it's a good thing I live in the cheese state huh!

Mindy Gledhill - Whole Wide World (Official Music Video)

2011-03-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

FebruaryMarch2011 095

2011-03-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

Kenai Gettin' His Bounce On

2011-03-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

We love Wii!

2011-03-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

For my birthday I got a wii. I have been wanting one forever and I finally got it! It's been a huge hit with the whole fam. We love bowling and Mariokart the most. Baily's so good at bowling- it's awesome. We love playing with my bro and his wife online while skyping. It's AWESOME!

Kenai Discovered His Toes

2011-03-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

My Wee Ones

2011-03-16T14:07:00.001-05:00

We make cute kids. Just sayin'. Anywho, these are my 3 babes at around the same age. I'm thinking that Kenai is going to look much more like his sister than his brother. I can't believe how much Baily's baby pics look like Kenai. And I forgot how big Joaquin was! They all have their differences though. Kenai is my whitest, least hairy one and he has dimples. Baily's my tiniest one with lots of hair. And Joaquin was my chunky, chunky boy with lots of hair that stood straight up. Oh how I love, love, love these babies of mine:)

Day 15 — My celebrity crush

2011-03-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

I shamelessly admit there are many. But here are my top 5:) (And yes my hubby is perfectly aware of them;)

Larry Fitzgerald from the AZ Cardinals

Josh Groban (we have the same birthday so we're soul mates:)

Channing Tatum

Dwayne Johnson- The Rock

Taye Diggs

Day 14 — Some place i want to go

2011-03-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

My first stop would be to Utah to visit my mom whom I miss more than words can tell!

Next up would be AZ to visit my wonderful family there whom I miss more than words can tell.

And then my dream vacation would consist of some of these places- New Zealand, Scottland, Machu Picchu, Venice and Sitka Alaska. I think I may just be a mountain girl!

Day 13 — A talent of mine

2011-03-11T19:53:00.000-06:00

I've been struggling a lot lately to discover what my talents are and here is what I came up with. I have compassion and love and forgive easily, I am a pretty good cook, I rock at board games, I used to be pretty good on alto sax, I used to be pretty good at public speaking, I used to be pretty good at the flute and I'm very competitive and used to be good at most athletics. Looks like I have a lot of sharpening up to do on my talents:/

Absolutely, Madly, Head Over Heels...

2011-03-10T13:56:00.002-06:00

In LOVE with this sweet baby boy!!

Day 12 — Something I bought recently

2011-03-10T09:39:00.000-06:00

My red Sienna handbag (technically it was a Valentine's gift from my hubby but I picked it out) and my ipod boom box bought with my birthday money from my Abuelita. I LOVE both these items:)

Day 11 — A photo of me taken recently

2011-03-09T08:48:00.000-06:00

I actually felt pretty on this day:)

Day 10 — A photo of me taken over ten years ago

2011-03-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

This is when I was 2 and is the only pic of me from over 10 years ago that I can find. Wasn't I so cute?

Day 09 — Pet peeves

2011-03-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

Kind of oxymoron-ish (yeah, I just said that), huh?!

Day 08 — Something I crave

2011-03-06T09:18:00.000-06:00

My Mom! I miss her so much and cannot wait until my best friend is out and home again!!

Day 07 — A piece of art

2011-03-05T09:25:00.000-06:00

Starry Nighy by: Vincent van Gogh

I've always loved this painting- it's magical and dreamy!

Caterpillar by: Baily Bug

My sweet little daughter loves doing any kind of artwork and this was one of her earlier pieces that I just adore!

I wish I had some pictures of my Grandma Holwick's art. I was named after her and her artwork is simply gorgeous! I have always loved her art!

Day 06 — A fun fact about me

2011-03-03T08:53:00.000-06:00

I am half Tlingit Indian which is an Alaskan Indian Tribe based off of Sitka Alaska. I am of the Frog Clan which means I get along with all sorts of people- land and water creatures. I always loved frogs growing up (I even had a pet frog named Toni!) and was so excited to learn that I was of the Frog Clan. I have an ancestor who has a totem pole he made in the Smithsonian. I have never been to Alaska and am ashamed to say I don't know a whole lot about my tribe and my people's history but I will go there someday and plan on learning more about this great heritage. My dad has always taught me to be proud of my Native heritage and I truly am so proud of it! (I even beat up a kid in daycare for making fun of Indians and my dad was so proud!)

Day 05 — A favorite quote

2011-03-01T09:26:00.000-06:00

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

David O. McKay

"Come what may and love it."

David B. Wirthlin

Day 04 — A favorite book

2011-02-28T10:13:00.000-06:00

Top 5 non-religious or non-scripture books that I adore!

The Help

Harry Potter Series

To Kill a Mockingbird

Hunger Games Series

Twilight Series

Day 03 — 20 favorite things.

2011-02-27T15:24:00.001-06:00

I'm going to keep this to strictly material things/possesions- not people or food.

1. my ipod

2. my wii

3. my computer

4. my webcam and skype

5. my Franklin Covey Day planner

6. my Schick Intuition razor

7. Kenai's baby swing

8. my new watch

9. Netflix

10. my booklight

11. my scriptures

12. my red digital camera

13. my chopping knives

14. my Josh Groban cd's

15. washer and dryer

16. my wedding ring

17. my silver hoop earrings

18. my fuzzy sock collection

19. my library card

20. my GPS- his name's Simon and he has a sexy Scottish voice:)

Day 02 — A favorite movie

2011-02-27T15:17:00.000-06:00

Again... how could I possibly limit it to one movie- there are so many great ones. So I will stick with the top 5 here too.

Return To Me

Remember The Titans

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Money Pit

Last of the Mohicans

Day 1- A Favorite Song

2011-02-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

Ok. First thing you'll probably learn about me is that I can't choose just one favorite of anything really. I love lots of things. And that's certainly the case when it comes to music. But instead of listing the hundreds of songs I adore I'll keep it to 5.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives by Linda Rowberry

*see video below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0NoxhsH8rE

This was from the EFY cd the year I went to EFY and words can't express the emotion this song rouses in me. It has increased my testimony, held me up in unbearable times. I love this song. I love my Savior and I KNOW He lives!

Caribbean Blue by Enya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8iYAo90pE

I just think this song is so beautiful and whenever I'm stressed I like to listen to this song and just melt away into a stress-free beautiful world.

Weeping by Josh Groban

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LnB2fZkLAI

Not only do I LOVE my Josh, not only are our birthdays on the same day (we're soul mates you see), but his music really moves me. I could pick any of his songs to be my favorite but this one is just so moving to me. I even got to see him sing it live in concert and it was a moment I'll never forget!!

Nightingale by Yanni

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhV2ceRw2N4

I admit- I am in love with Yanni. I have been since I was a kid and I've gone to a couple of his concerts- life changing! This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard!!

He Lives In You from the Lion King Broadway Musical

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=337-X4msyFY

I really do like more music than just sentimental ones but these are the ones that just reach my soul. Ok... now that everyone knows what a dork I am I think I'll go be productive or something.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

2011-02-25T10:47:00.000-06:00

30 Day Challenge

2011-02-24T10:58:00.000-06:00

I've seen this on a couple of my friend's blogs and thought it would be a great way to get back into the blogging game. So stay tuned to learn about yours truly. And join me please!! This should be fun :D

30 Day Blog Challenge

Day 01 — A favorite song
Day 02 — A favorite movie
Day 03 — 20 favorite things.
Day 04 — A favorite book
Day 05 — A favorite quote
Day 06 — A fun fact about me
Day 07 — A piece of art
Day 08 — Something I crave
Day 09 — Pet peeves
Day 10 — A photo of me taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of me taken recently
Day 12 — Something I bought recently
Day 13 — A talent of mine
Day 14 — Some place i want to go
Day 15 — My celebrity crush
Day 16 — A favorite food
Day 17 — My worst habit
Day 18 — Dream house
Day 19 — My future wedding
Day 20 — A hobby of mine
Day 21 — A favorite recipe
Day 22 — A favorite joke
Day 23 — A video
Day 24 — My day in great detail
Day 25 — A favorite photo
Day 26 — A funny (true) story
Day 27 — A child I love
Day 28 — A place I love
Day 29 — A person I love
Day 30 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Thank you...

2011-02-23T00:33:00.000-06:00

I'm all about being grateful. Today was a bit of a rough day so instead of getting angry (because I'm classy and classy women don't get angry) I decided to be grateful. So here are some thank yous to some people who just happened to make my day swell. *Hem, hem...

Thank you: jerk neighbors upstairs for never having the decency to shovel or plow the snow and leaving that up to us every time even though one of you works as a plower!

Thank you: West Allis plower for snowplowing my road right before I had to pick up my daughter from school unbeknowst
to me who was busy trying to get 2 very fussy boys down for a nap so I could clean my filthy house, and therefore leaving a huge pile snow at the end of my driveway.

Thank you: neighbors across the street for plowing all your snow to the end of our driveway to add more to the enormous pile at the end of our driveway.

Thank you: Baily's school for not having a flipping bus service so that I could wake up my boys 15 minutes after having worked 2 hours to get them to sleep so I could go pick up Baily!

Thank you :Wisconsin for snowing a buttload more inches- AGAIN!

Thank you: neighbors all busy outside snowblowing your snow and shoveling your merry driveways, for just watching and staring at a frantic mom with 2 screaming and crying boys in the van who was in a hurry to pick up her daughter from school, as she tried fruitlessly to shovel her stuck van out the 30 flipping foot pile of snow at the end of her driveway that she wasn't aware of until she drove right back into it.

And... thanks: again you {insert a mean word but not an expletive because I'm classy remember, and classy girls don't cuss dangit!} neighbor upstairs for looking at me from your window and not coming to help. GRRRR!!!
I do have to say a sincere thanks though to my daughter's sweet teacher who was so understanding to me and with Robert picking her up over a half hour late. And also to my super rad husband who took off early to come to pick up Baily and come to my rescue and who, not only shoveled all the snow that the scum bags upstairs won't do (too busy with their video games and other unmentionables), but watched the kids I volunteered to watch (while I tended to a very fussy baby), cleaned the kitchen, made dinner and did laundry. Like I said... he's so super rad. Thanks babe for being so awesome and not being annoyed with me and not being like all the jerks that I was surrounded by today. Love you!
And... vent over. I feel so much better now. Thank you and amen:)

Introducing...

2010-09-29T15:49:00.000-05:00

Kenai Patrick Dominguez born 9.26.20 at 1:59am

8lbs 1oz

20 inches

Oodles of pictures and details to come later... But for now we are happy and so in love with our new Kenai Kub:)

Let the Gymnastics Fun Begin!

2010-09-16T21:29:00.001-05:00

Guess who was so excited to start gymnastics tonight?! She has been counting down the days since we signed her up about a month ago and the time finally came. She had to choose between this, swimming, soccer or dance and after a very hard choice between this or swimming (she changed her minds a couple of times before finally deciding) gymnastics finally won out. Robert and I were bummed because they don't let parents watch except on special observation days but she didn't seem to mind that we weren't there. In fact I think she even preferred us to not be there- lol. Anyway, she had a great time and I think she's gonna love it for the next couple of months that the class lasts. Her she is showing off what she learned at her first class- the bridge. What a talented girl;)

The Birthday That Won't End...

2010-09-14T00:28:00.001-05:00

So today when the mailman came it was like Christmas for Baily. She had 3 packages delivered to her. The first was from her Uncle Alex and new Aunt Katie (they just got married a couple of weeks ago) and was the movie Freaky Friday which she loves and has been wanting forever. The next was from her Grandma KB (my awesome mom) and was this A-MAZING hellokitty blanket she made for her. Baily has this cute hellokitty coloring book that she likes to send pages to my mom from and so my mom made her this awesome blanket. Isn't is AMAZING?! Seriously! Baily LOVES it! Next was a package from her Great-Grandma Brown and Tia Franci. It had an adorable dress (that came with a matching purse that B was so excited about), a really cute butterfly necklace made out of her birthstone (sapphire) a fun coloring activity and a movie we left in AZ that Baily's been missing like crazy- High School Musical 2. It also had a card with $5 in it- woot! And even greater is that Joaquin got in on the action too- my Grandma included some Buzz Lightyear jammies and toy cars for him. He was SOOO excited about the Buzz jammies and wanted to put them on right away. Thanks everyone for all the love you have for my kids! What a great day for mail:)

**3 New Posts Below:)

Tea Party Anyone?

2010-09-14T00:18:00.000-05:00

On Friday after we picked up the Bug from school we decided to take her to Target to spend her birthday money. After carefully combing all the aisles and weighing all her options she decided on this Disney tea-set and "The Cat in the Hat" DVD. As soon as we got home she popped her movie in and set up her tea-set and had her tea party with Mr. Pooh Bear (and a certain pesky little brother). Have I mentioned how much I love this cute girl?!

A New Sheriff In Town...

2010-09-14T00:06:00.000-05:00

So Joaquin is OBSESSED with all things Buzz and Woody. A while ago we got him these super awesome Buzz and Woody cowboy boots that he LOVES! For the first 5 days or so that he had them he refused to take them off- he even slept with them. He doesn't refuse to take them off as much anymore but he still loves to wear them. Last week we got him a little Woody toy (he has a ton of them now) and it came with a Sheriff's badge and belt buckle. We found out that it was on clearance because it was so cheap and fell apart so easy but he loved it. I'm pretty sure he's the cutest little Sheriff in these here parts:)

We love the park!

2010-09-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Since we've moved I've made it a point to go to a park at least once a week. One of our favorites is the park right next to Robert's work where we go when we are too early to pick him up for work. The kid's love playing and I love watching them:)

Baily Bug Turns 5!!

2010-09-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Baily has had quite the 5th Birthday. It all started yesterday with celebrating her birthday at school. Her request was pink sparkly cupcakes so that's what we made. While the cupcakes were cooling and waiting to be frosted her naughty little brother decided to get his sticky little fingers in the cupcakes to sample them! He's such a naughty little monkey! Thank heavens we were able to cover up the holes with frosting and sprinkles;) And she also was so excited to wear her little diva outfit for her school birthday. Man she's cute:)

Next on her request list was to make these bagel pizzas she saw in her Friend magazine for lunch. It was a pretty simple request so I acquiesced her request. And they were actually quite tasty:)

After school we came home and changed into warm clothes complete with sweaters (wahoo for cool weather!!!) and went to the park for a little bit while we waited for Robert to get off work. After we picked him up we headed over to the mall so the kids could play around at the kid's play area and they had a blast. Simple, free fun! Then they got their Happy Meals and we headed home.

Then today was the big day! Party time. This year Baily and I decided on a Mad Hatter Birthday Tea Party since she loves Alice in Wonderland. She invited 7 of her bestest friends and lots of family. We had about 4 of the friends show up as well as Grandma Patty and Uncle Eyan. It was super windy but nice and cool. Because of the wind I wasn't able to decorate like we had planned or do our cute little teapot frames but we still had a great time. We had yummy food at the "tea" party complete with mad hatter hats and tea cups. Then they had fun with the pinata and playing at the playground together while us adults got to visit. Then she blew out her candle (only one would stay lit 'cause of the crazy wind) and opened up all her awesome gifts. It was fun and we had a first- Baily didn't cry. It's her first birthday party of her life that she has not had a melt-down and cried... wahoo! She's growing up so fast and man I love her!!

After we got home and relaxed a little bit (B didn't waste time playing with her new toys- I think the doll was a success;), it was time for her birthday family dinner at IHOP. She as well as Robert and I, all had coupons for free Rooty Tooty meals so we feasted and it was delicious. We enjoyed talking about how much fun Baily had had for her birthday this year and how much we love her and are grateful to have her in our family. It was a nice dinner and what's better is, it was free! I'd say Baily's 5th birthday has been a total success and I'm pretty sure she'd agree. Happy birthday my sweet Baily Bug!! I love you all the way to the moon and back:):):)

And we're... caught up!!

2010-09-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Woot! Blog is finally caught up. There are a lot of posts so make sure to scroll down if ya' wanna see them all:) Now the trick is to stay caught up... the story of my life! And also, if you wanna see the pictures or collages in a bigger size just click on them and they should get bigger for you. Now I'm off to be even more productive;)

School Days

2010-09-03T11:26:00.000-05:00

The time has finally come in the Dominguez household for school days. Baily started her first day of 4K on Wednesday September 1st at Irving Elementary School in the PM class. On Monday we got to go to Irving Days where we got to see the school, turn in paperwork, and meet her teacher and see her classroom. Her teacher is Mrs. Zens and she's exactly what I would picture a sweet, 4K teacher to be. Baily fell in love with her. She's been excited to start school ever since the fiasco last year and this last week has been nothing but anticipation and excitement. She did great on her first day with nothing but smiles and happiness and was so excited to go the next day- yesterday. I think it's going to be a great year. Her only disappointment is that she doesn't get to go all day. She missed the cutoff for 5K (all day Kindergarten) by 3 days. I think she might be a little bored because she pretty much knows everything she's going to learn this year, but she'll have fun anyway. She's definitely got a very cultural class with kids from all different backgrounds and all different colors which I love. And I am very grateful for a PM class since we are so not morning people around here. So far we're off to a good start so I say "Bring On the School Days!!"

First Day... could she be any cuter?! I was a crying baby but she was all smiles! Joaquin wanted in on the action too. He has to have his backpack just like his sister when I drop her off and pick her up. But he wants nothing to do with the actual going to school part...lol. He's gonna miss her- he sure loves his sister.

Day 2 looking cute as ever and still so excited:)

Summer Updates x2

2010-09-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

My Summer Lovers!!

Last week Robert called me with the exciting news that a co-worker of his game him some free tickets to a Brewers game that night. I told the kids we were going to a big game and for the rest of the day all I heard was how excited they were to go the "Big Game." They didn't really know what they were going to but they were excited. We had a great time. The weather was perfect and the kids had so much fun. We only stayed until the 7th inning stretch since it was such a late game but we had such a fun time. Baily's favorite part was the racing sausages and her delicious ball park hot dog! What more could you ask for than a free night of family fun?!

One of the things we have loved most about moving to the city is there's so much to do! We have loved discovering the parks, library and pools. We were excited to have our friends come join us to go to David Schultz Aquatic Center for a day last week. It was an awesome water park (only $8 for both Baily and I) perfect for kids that are my kid's ages. They had a blast! We enjoyed a yummy picnic in between play time (thanks Rachel!) and it was just a fabulous Summer day. We will definitely be getting a swimming pass next Summer for all the pools and water parks around here:)

One of the favorite parks we've found is Greenfield Park which is right down the road from us. It's huge! It's gorgeous- like a little wonderland forest in the middle of the city. The kid's love the playground and I love the scenery with the lakes and woods. Both times we've gone we've seen deer. I can't wait until I'm in the position to be able to bike, walk and run the trails there!

Every year Pell Lake (where we used to live) has a day called Kid's Day Out put on by the Police there. It is awesome! They have free games and rides, free food and they put together a child identification kit for you in case you ever lose a child. Then they have this huge raffle at the end with TONS of prizes. Last year was our first year and the kids had a blast so I made sure we went this year and we weren't disappointed. It's so awesome that they do all this for FREE! I really do miss living in that great area... it's one of a kind:) Anyway, we had fun and it was a bonus that we got to spend the day with my Dad and Eyan and the kids got to see Amber and Brandy. It was a great day!

Summer Updates

2010-09-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

My kids had fun with their slip & slide this Summer on the days that weren't too hot (momma just couldn't handle the heat this Summer) and before we moved. And of course, everything's funner with a friend. Baily and Amber have been such good friends- it's so sweet!

I had the awesome opportunity of getting to go to Girl's Camp with my Elkhorn YW. It was the hottest, most humid, buggiest week of the Summer. It was really hard to endure. But at the same time I had a blast and wouldn't trade that time for anything! I LOVE, love, love my YW and the time I had to spend with them was priceless. The theme was "Oh the Places You'll Go" and all things Dr. Seuss. It was so awesome. One of the hardest things for me about moving was having to leave my YW calling and my girls. Oh how I love YW!

In July my awesome step-mom Patty put together a lovely baby shower for me. I was so grateful to have so many of my ward friends, family and neighbors show up. We enjoyed great food, chatting and I got some awesome gifts for baby Kenai! Thanks Patty for the great shower!!

More Updating...

2010-09-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

Just a random day with some cute kiddos!

Joaquin is in LOVE with all things Buzz and Woody! He watches the movies a couple of times a day and is always playing with his Buzz and Woody toys. He was so EXCITED when we went and saw Toy Story 3. So cute:)

We had a really fun Memorial Day. Robert got the day off so we went to the Elkhorn Ward's Annual Pancake breakfast and had a good time with all our ward family. Robert, being inspired by his tv hero from "Man Vs. Food" decided to enter the pancake eating contest. He ate 20 pancakes but was sadly defeated by Elder Thiel who ate 21. Needless to say Robert didn't eat much the rest of the day. After the breakfast we went to Genoa City Park with my Dad & Family for a bbq and to enjoy the great weather and good company. Later that evening we went and visited my Roath Grandparents graves and had a nice FHE there about life after death. It was great to reminisce about my wonderful grandparents. I sure miss them. It was a great Memorial day!!

I've mentioned it before on here I think, but my little Baily Bug is quite artistic. She loves to draw and color and build things with her blocs or whatever random things she can find. She LOVES all Tim Burton movies and her art is very similar to his. I know she doesn't get it from me. It must be a little from her dad and mostly from her Uncle Alex. I love this trait about her though!!

AZ Trip Continued...

2010-09-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

April AZ Trip

2010-09-02T22:22:00.001-05:00

We got to go to AZ to visit our much-missed families back in April. Man we missed them! We had fun eating lots of good food, having a second Easter, meeting new family members, visiting old friends, getting family pictures done, playing lots of May I, eating lots of good food!, going to a family reunion and mostly just enjoying our family. We sure do love and miss our AZ family and are so grateful we got to go spend a few weeks with them. We can't wait until the next trip! (I really wish I would have been better about taking pictures- especially in Mesa:/ )

Be patient...

2010-08-31T08:28:00.000-05:00

So apparently my computer decided to be attacked by some nasty virus so I'm having trouble uploading pictures and stuff like that. Just when I was so gung-ho on getting my blog all updated and staying on top of it... ugh!!! We are working on getting it fixed so please be patient with me and know that this time I'm not being a slacker:/

Let the updating begin...

2010-08-30T00:09:00.000-05:00

Just a fun day at Genoa City Park sometime in the Spring.

My step-mom Rachelle came to visit us around Easter and it was so nice to have her here. Baily was on Cloud 9 to have Grandma Rachelle make a special visit to see her! We had fun going to Chicago and celebrating Easter with her:)

We had a nice Easter- we watched General Conference and the kids loved getting their baskets and hunting for eggs. Then my dad & fam came over to our house for a nice Easter dinner complete with ham and all the fixin's that I prepared as well as Patty's traditional Easter Bunny cake. It was a very nice Easter:)

Good Things to Come

2010-06-21T09:02:00.000-05:00

This is just what I needed to hear right now. I can so relate to this young family. I'm so grateful for this message!

My Little Ar-teest

2010-06-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

Lately, Baily's favorite thing to do is draw or color. She's gotten so good. Robert has some artistic talent and some of my cousins and Uncle on my mom's side do too so that must be where she gets it from- definitely not from me. Anyway- I love her art and I think it's just awesome. We submitted the caterpillar picture to the Friend magazine and are hoping it gets printed. She asked me how to spell "caterpillar" so she could label her drawing but apparently she ran out of room so she had to add the last letters to the first part of the word. It's priceless;) Enjoy!!

It's a...

2010-05-26T23:13:00.000-05:00

Think snips and snails and puppy dog tails... It's a bouncing baby boy! I was surprised because I was sure it was a girl but I'm so excited. Baily took the news very well (she was holding my hand and being so sweet throughout the whole ultrasound- so tender and sweet:) and said "I wanted a sister but it's ok mom- I'll still love a new brother." I love her. He was very active and made it very tough for the tech to get her measurements and he's measuring big- no surprise there. I'm excited that my posterity is following the path of my family- me, a girl, as the oldest, followed by boys. Baily starts school this Fall so while she's growing up and away from home more Joaquin will have a little buddy to play with. It's going to be crazy but we are all excited and very grateful that he's healthy and well. We love him already!!

Predictions?

2010-05-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

So my big ultrasound is a week from Wednesday. Baily is insistent that she must have a sister or else. Joaquin doesn't have a clue about this whole baby business. Robert thinks a boy and I think a girl. What do YOU think?! (FYI- Robert was wrong about the first 2 and I was right;)

Whatcha Think?

2010-05-04T13:54:00.002-05:00

So my hair needs help. My dad, my usual hairstylist, is down and out due to some major back sugery so I will be setting up an appointment with a great friend who I hear happens to be a great hairstylist. I really wanted to grow my hair out but that's not happening right now so I shall just pursue a cute short cut instead. So out of the 3, which one's your fave for me- as in which one do you think would look best on me?

Blessin's

2010-05-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

3.26-

3.25- Robert home for breakfast since he works late (oh how I love that man!), Taco Bell tacos and Dr. Pepper, my kid's love for fresh fruit, Baily going to play at Grandma's, blog caught up, nice chat with Patty, kids' dance party, Everybody Loves Raymond, finally getting laundry at least started, nice long phone convo with bro Beau and excitement for trip to AZ!, watching New Moon with the Bug, Robert making me toast in bed and kissing me to help me feel better

3.24- ice cold Sierra Mist, worried I had pink eye but it wasn't, Robert home early from work-yay!, nice walk around the block with the kiddos- it was brisk and it felt good, finally cleaned my kitchen, first grilling of the year- Robert made bbq ribs that were so good, watching Criminal Minds with the hubby

3.23- another nice & sunny day, nice night's sleep, hubby feels better today, repentance, new music on the ipod- love the new Danny Gokey album, kid's having fun outside with their daddy

3.22- snow's all melted & sun is out, kid's playing outside, lazy day but lots of quality snuggle time with kiddos, Zofran, my awesome VT and their scripture challenge for me, nice little snooze with Joaquin and Baily, watching B sing and dance to Lady Gaga on her bed in her room, hubby brought home Chinese food (was craving it all day) for dinner, Sierra Mist, Dancing With The Stars started, playing princesses and castles with Baily, watching New Moon with Baily

December to Now Update

2010-03-25T14:22:00.000-05:00

I'm too lazy to write about any of these events so I hope y'all just enjoy the pictures for now. I hope to get back on the blogging wagon but no promises;)

My little brother Eyan's birthday.

Our new puppy we got on 12.22.09- Koda Bear. He's a Shi-poo.

Christmas Eve at our casa:)

Christmas Morning at our casa.

Christmas at my Poppa Bear's casa:)

Family New Year's Goals

Late Christmas gifts surprise from Grandma & Grandpa Brown!

Just my cute kiddos;)

My golden birfffday!

Advent Calendar Activity Day 20

2010-03-25T13:32:00.000-05:00

My Prima Ballerina

2010-03-24T10:09:00.001-05:00

Baily loves to put on ballet recitals for me with her Primary cd. These are the precious moments that life's all about!!

2010-02-25T20:02:00.002-06:00

2.6- Happy Birthday Patty!!, Sis. H going to volleyball for me so I could spend day at home with family and recover from med withdrawal, BK onion rings, van registration done- whew!, Patty's b-day presents bought, cordless home phone, laughing at crazy Koda bear, Dr. Pepper

2.5- made it through another pay period (no overdraft fees- whew!), Jan. Ensign and New Era, good food, prayer, prayer, prayer, hubby home not too late, homemade sub sandwiches for dinner with yummy ham from the deli, get away from crazy children for some nice chat time at Dad's and came home to clean kitchen and living room thanks to awesome hubby, understanding and patient Dad & Patty

2.4- volleyball with the girls at church then yummy lunch at Panera Bread, Baily playing at friend's house, napping while Joaquin napped, R home early from work, reflective drive while picking up Baily from friend's house, sweet conversation with the Bug on the way home, family scriptures and prayer, awesome episode of Criminal Minds and my love for Native American culture

2.3- hubby let me sleep in for the second day in a row, now have a triple positive on the wee babe in my tummy, bananas and peanut butter, B at a friend's house and J at the store with his dad means quiet time for me!, texting the good news to all my friends and family and all their sweet responses, yummy WM pizza and Pepsi for lunch, cuddling and watching Criminal Minds with hubby, yummy burger & fries & home-made oreo milkshakes dinner with the missionaries, fun mutual and service activity, Rachel's cinnamon rolls,

2.2- exciting and very happy news!, sweet conversation with Bug, broccoli cheese soup and homemade breadsticks, lots of great scripture study

2.1- 2 mile run and stretching, house all picked up, a little bit more organized, yummy spaghetti dinner and garlic bread, making it through family scriptures and prayer with 2 very naughty kids, making it through the day with 2 very naughty kids, freshly showered and clean kids, 9pm bedtime

Coming soon...

2010-02-03T13:37:00.002-06:00

Dominguez Baby #3 will be arriving around Oct. 12ish and we are so excited. Wahoo!! (I'm hopin' for twins;)