Thursday, November 20, 2008

Suprise Party Continued

Okay, I was supposed to post this blog two weeks ago, but since I am a little technologically challenged I couldn't figure out the stupid slide show thing. So this is a good as it gets, I couldn't figure out how to zoom out of the pictures either.... but on to the party!!
It was such a success! Thank you so much to everyone who came, we were overwhelmed with the amount of people that came, and we can't thank you enough! There were actually 47 of you in that house at one time.
I had been planning the party for weeks, and I was so proud of myself and my pregnant mind that I didn't let it slip! My mom (who is going to be my partner in our party planning business) and I started planning the party as a smaller affair, and of course it grew bigger and bigger with the more ideas that we came up with. Our theme was a Surprise Tailgating party, since I am the only thing Eric loves more than sports (actually I am sure Toby comes before sports too). My parents were so great to let me use their house, there was no way that all of you could fit into our condo! The tablecloth was made out of AstroTurf with tape and stenciled letters, thanks mom and dad. The football cake was supposed to resemble a trophy, both my mom and I really wanted to have an ice sculpture Heisman Trophy but we had to draw the line somewhere.
Thank you so much to everyone that helped me, I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks to Mama J, my partner in crime for EVERYTHING! Dad for cutting out those little stencil numbers and cleaning the house, Merisa for the yummy hot dog wraps that people inhaled, Suzy for the football sugar cookies, Bri for the legendary brownies, muddy buddies and chex mix, Grandma for the toffee and fudge, Annie Swan for the queso and Kennedy for helping us set up! I am sure I left someone out, but really thank you all so much for coming!
As for Big E, (aka: the Toxic Avenger, Man-o-Man, Babe, Baber, Lars, Little Larsen, Erk, E-licious) it was so great to do this for you! I wanted to do something extra special that you would enjoy because I feel incredibly lucky and blessed that I get to be with you! You take such good care of me, and you will be the best Dad to Mack. I appreciate so many things about you. But I don't want our blog readers to puke because of the cheesiness factor. I love you and you are the BEST! I hope your Birthday was everything that you wanted it to be!

Eric's 30th SURPRISE PARTY

Click to play 30th SURPRISE
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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Crazy Happenings!

Okay, I know I have NOT been the best blogger lately! Life has been hectic (I will post more on the main source of hecticness in just a minute). For this post I have decided to do more of my random rantings.
#1 Kamikaze Toby: Oh how I love the Beag! I love how excited he gets to do ANYTHING, really going outside, in the car, eating (well that especially), snuggling, frolicking in the snow and so on. So Eric and I were just get ready to go up to my parents house and every time we go we usually take Toby with us. So of course we tell him we are going and he freaks out, doing the tail wag, jumping all around, you know extreme dog happiness stuff. Well, he charges down the stairs and is waiting at the Pilot's bag end so he can jump in the back. I open the hatch and he is so excited that he doesn't wait. I kid you not, the dog leaped right into the tailgate.... hard. I was expecting to find a beagle head imprinted in the metal. This really didn't help me defend the dog's intelligence to Eric. Toby has recovered.
#2 Comatose Eric: Okay, if you ask Eric to tell you this story, it will definitely be different than my version. But I figure if he wants to be heard he can blog too! So we go to Prenatal Class, which is great and totally worth the money! Anyway, at the end of the class, the nurse goes over breathing for the last fifteen minutes or so. So we get in position, Eric sitting up with his back against the wall and me leaning against him, holding hands on my amazingly enormous tummy. This week she decides to have the men do the relaxing and breathing with the women so they will know what it feels like. Soothing music and a voice comes on and we are lulled into relaxation. The voice is telling us to relax every bone in our body from our toes all the way up to our necks. All of the sudden Eric goes limp... totally relaxed... hands fall to the floor.... neck goes slack and leans against my head.... breathing is incredibly deep. He will argue that there is no way he fell asleep, obviously I disagree. At least when Eric goes into labor he will be totally relaxed!!!
#3 Coke: Okay I have done such a great job laying off the coke since I got pregnant. This really has not been easy, oh the burn down the throat all the way into my tummy. But it makes me a little ill now and Mack gets way hyped up. So anyway, like I said I have been great at resisting. But for the love, there is one place where I have such a hard time resisting the Coca-Cola goodness. I was at Nordstrom at one of my favorite places the MAC counter. (No, I am not so disturbed and obsessed with my makeup that I would name my first born after it. Gimme a break people. Mack is a family name!) All of the sudden I spot it, the Nordstrom cafe see-through soda container, with a brown syrupy coke in it. These Nordstrom people are a genius. The fill the clear cups with the coke and from fifty feet away you can see the carbonation bubbles rising to the top! They even use the yummy small square ice, you coke drinkers know of the ice that I speak of. Oh how I wanted to run up the escalator and order one ASAP. You all should be impressed, I didn't break!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Halloween and Yummy Nummy Goodness

So Eric and I LOVE dressing up for Halloween! This year Eric looked great as a vampire (no to all you ladies out there, he DID NOT get the inspiration from Twilight!!) Anyway, he looked great and whoever did his makeup and costume were amazing. Thanks Momma J! I went as a prego gypsy. I wore this outfit about four years ago with a little corset type thing and looked awesome!! Oh the waist that is now gone. I put on the costume without the corset and was the size of a barge (you know like Gaston). So anyway, we waddled to a few parties, special thanks to Pat and Annalisa, the party was great!!
I was reading on a Eric's cousin Marissa's blog about how she loves pumpkin, I am quite the pumpkin lover myself so I decided to put this amazing recipe up on the blog. Be careful though because the batter is the BEST I have ever had and every time I have made it I have eaten way too much and gotten ill.
Pumpkin Cream Trifle
1 (18.25 oz) spice cake mix
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 c cold milk
1 c pumpkin puree
2 (3.4 oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
½ c water
½ c vegetable oil
2 c whipped topping
3 eggs
1 package English toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, combine the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin,
water, oil, eggs, and pie spice in mixing bowl and pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
Cook cake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature and cut cake into 1-inch
cubes. Whisk together the milk and the cheesecake pudding mix. Allow to set for two
minutes. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture. Layer 1/3 of the cake cubes
into the bottom of a large bowl; top with 1/3 of the cream mixture and sprinkle 1/3 of the
bag of English toffee. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Refrigerate 1 hour
before serving. I have also used a can of sweetened condensed milk mixed with 1 cup of cold water and then added vanilla pudding mix, let it set and stir in into a small container of Cool Whip. AMAZING!
Mack is doing very well and moving all the time, most of the time into his mom's ribs or bladder. I got some limb in the bladder today as I was teaching Gospel Doctrine and almost had to make a beeline for the bathroom. We are getting so excited that he is so close, and we are amazed that we can love him so much already! The Nursery is still in transformation mode, but it is coming along nicely! Sorry I haven't been the best at blogging lately, I WILL be better!