Lee Family Life: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

Lucy's Nemesis

A couple of days ago I told you about one of the toys that Kennedy loves. It was a pen. Another item that is not commonly used as a toy is a zip tie. Lucy has been carrying this thing around the house for months, as you can see in the picture below. (Sorry for the scary glowy eyes, there's nothing I can do about it.)

Lately though, Kennedy has discovered this toy and has been teasing Lucy with it. She steals it from her and has been known to hit Lucy in the face with it, as if to show her who's boss. Poor Lucy is looking helplessly at me while I snap pictures.

Lucy gave up since Kennedy is more than twice her size and weight. Kennedy is smiling away because she won, as usual.

We're lucky that we picked Lucy when we got a cat - she is so awesome with kids. Kennedy can all out maul her and Lucy will just walk away or play with her. She's only hissed at her once, and has never bitten her. She is so tolerant and willing to come back and play again! She even gives up her toys for Kennedy. What a good kitty.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Bed Hair and a New Favorite Toy

I have discovered that Kennedy has inherited her father's crazy bed hair. The funny thing about Brett's bed hair is that it looks pretty much exactly the same every time he gets it. Flat in the front on his forehead and sticking straight up on either side. In Kennedy's case I gave her a bath right before putting her down and she slept weird on her wet hair. Every picture I took of her looked funny because she still had sleepy face, but her hair was hilarious.

Some of the pictures I have taken of her recently have been so funny! She has gotten attached to a pen that she found on the floor. She loves to chew on it as well as sit in the ground, shake it and yell.

She also crawls around with in in her mouth, or puts it in her mouth so she can stand up and still have it to play with.

She really does love the camera. She starts anticipating the flash now, so I have a hard time getting a picture without squinty eyes.

She loves her noisy and high tech toys, but I think it's great that she loves this pen just as much as anything else.

Monday, January 26, 2009

A Little Princess

More than a year ago I got a call from my aunt Jana asking if we had a Christmas dress for Kennedy yet. I told her that we didn't and she said that she would send us one that she found at the store she works at. I am so happy that it fit her for Christmas! It is absolutely adorable and Kennedy looks like a little princess in it.

Isn't she cute? We get so many compliments when she wears this dress to church.

The only downside is that because it's fluffy she has a hard time crawling in it, but she gets around ok. It's too cute to not wear just because of that.

I think we'll have to make the Christmas dress a tradition. It gives me an excuse to get her something special and fluffy to wear!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Sense and Sensibility

I was talking to Brett last night about some of my favorite things and I thought that I could share them with you. Lately I have been thinking about my favorite things as far as senses go and realized that there are so many little things that I love about life and that make me happy. I hope they make you happy too.

Favorite Sights

- Kennedy's smile

- Brett coming home and walking through the door

- Ducks putting their heads in the water and bums in the air

- Disneyland and Disney World

- Other cities when traveling

- Sunrise when camping

Favorite Sounds

- Kennedy's laugh

- Kennedy talking

- Lucy cackling (if you have a cat it's that weird sound they make without voice)

- Purring

- An orchestra warming up

- Dishes moving in the kitchen as I wake up

- Silence outside on a snowy day

- Water

Favorite Feelings

- Taking my socks off in bed and moving my feet around (Brett makes fun of me for this one, but I've been doing it for years and I love it)

- Brett's warm hands when I'm cold

- Kennedy's soft baby skin

- The spirit

- My muscles relaxing after a hot shower or being in the jacuzzi

- Lucy's fur

- Finishing a book

Favorite Smells

- Barnes and Noble (Brett says one of the first times he remembers falling in love with me was when we went to Starbucks at Barnes and Noble and I made him smell it on the way in)

- Warm, sleepy kitty

- Rain and outside after the rain

- Walking into a house with something cooking

- Kaye's apple cider

- Hawaii

- Citrus of any kind

Favorite Tastes

- Grandma's coffee cake

- Chocolate Soufflé cake (especially from Roy's)

- Tzatziki

- That sweet chili sauce that I can never find that is sometimes served with egg rolls

- Honey Bran muffins from Mimi's

- Yorkshire pudding

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Wii Junkie

Yesterday Kennedy found something new to do. Lately she has taken to chewing on any kind of cord she can find, which includes computer and Wii cords.

But yesterday she decided that it would be fun to put the cord behind her teeth, close her mouth, and pull the cord through the space. She was doing it for the longest time and she just thought it was so fun! So I started pulling one way and she would pull the other. We had a lot of fun.

Then she realized that I had the camera and got fascinated with it - and then decided to tackle me. I kept snapping pictures while she crawled up on me and got this one. Besides the cord in her mouth I think this is a beautiful picture of her, especially her eyes. Click on it to make it bigger and really see how big and blue they are.

Sometimes she can be a pain, but most of the time she is fun, funny, cute and makes us so happy. And she's turning into such a pretty girl! Her hair is getting so long and I don't know what to do with it! She stood up by herself yesterday for a few seconds, so she's well on her way to walking!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Classical Girl

I'm sorry if it seems like I've been overloading on the posts lately, but I can't help it. Kennedy won't sleep and has been somewhat cranky for the past several days and Brett is gone a lot more now that he's in school again and has bishopric meetings. Blogging has been my sanity for the last little while. I promise I'll get used to this new stuff. Anyway, on a happier note, we have discovered a new way to keep Kennedy happy!

That's right, playing the big people piano. She has always loved to sit in her high chair and play with toys while Brett plays the piano or sit on our laps and bang on the keys. But now she can do it entirely on her own! She loves music (as evidenced in an earlier post) and loves to play with pianos. She has her own piano, but she likes the sound of the real one a lot.

Of course, it only keeps her occupied for a small amount of time right now, but maybe she will develop a new talent and want to fill our house with music!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Cheesecake

I had a couple of questions about the cheesecake I mentioned in my last post, and I would be happy to share the recipe with you! It's just a plain old cheesecake but the recipe is from Williams-Sonoma. Isn't it beautiful? I think it could have used the extra ten minutes. I've made this several times before and I think I undercooked it just a tad this time, but it still tastes wonderful. And for Noelle, this one needs no water bath! I can never seem to get my crust even, no matter what I do. There's always too much in the corners of the pan, but oh well. Feel free to skim or skip if you aren't interested in making it, but if you ever want a good and easy cheesecake recipe, make sure to come back here and get it! Believe me, no water bath equals easy.

Vanilla Cheesecake

from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook and Williams-Sonoma Dessert

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing (my springform pan is non-stick, so I didn't grease it and it came out perfect)

FILLING:

4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (you can also use vanilla paste, which is fantastic)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir until the mixture is well blended and the crumbs are evenly moist. Pour into the springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan. (They suggest using a flat-bottomed mug to do this.) Bake until lightly golden and set, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, flour, and salt. Using a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat until very smooth and fluffy, stopping and scraping down the sides frequently. Add the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat until well blended, again scraping down the sides frequently. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into the crust.

Bake the cheesecake until the filling is set but the center still jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken and the edges are slightly puffed, 60-70 minutes. The filling will firm as it cools. Let cool on a rack to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled (overnight is best). Enjoy!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing

love that Kennedy is more mobile and independent

hate that she got into and ate some of the cat food because of it

love that I got to the top of a rock wall that stumped me last time

hate that I stubbed my toe so badly on one of the walls that it is bleeding under the nail

love that my hair is getting longer

hate that Kennedy thinks she can pull it any time she wants

love that Brett only works every other Saturday

hate that Brett works every other Saturday

love that we get to go out with friends tonight

hate that we don't do that more often

love that my cheesecake turned out so beautifully!

hate that now I'm going to have to eat the whole thing

love that Kennedy finally decided to be quiet in her room and maybe sleep

hate that it seems like she might already be transitioning into only needing one nap a day

love that I don't have to get on a plane for a while

hate that we don't have any concrete plans to travel until the end of July

Friday, January 16, 2009

2008 in Review

Once again the lovely Noelle has posted something that I want to steal. I'm pretty much the only person I know who has not done some sort of review of all of the things that happened in 2008 on my blog. So I'm going to use Noelle's questionnaire that she has done for 2007 and 2008.

What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Had surgery (C-section for Kennedy)

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn't keep my resolutions, and to be honest with you I don't even remember what they were. I have made some for this year, and I don't know that I'll do any better.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! Lots of people. Most notably my brother's girlfriend Lisa (Wyatt), my sister-in-law Kaisa (Asher), my sister-in-law Lori (Nicholas), my cousin Katie (Charlie), and my good friend Kim (Boston). And me!

Did anyone close to you die?

No, and hopefully it will be that way this year too.

What countries did you visit?

Well, some might consider Texas to be a country. That's the only place we've been this year besides Utah. Well, we spent the first week in January in Hawaii.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

A college diploma!

What dates from 2008 will remain etched on your memory, and why?

April 17 - the day that Kennedy was born, end of June

What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?

Surviving and recovering from the C-section when I wasn't expecting to have one

What was your biggest failure?

Not signing up for my jogging class in time

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing other than the C-section

What was the best thing you bought?

By far our couches! I love them.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Christine's for rebounding so quickly

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Probably Firstline's, for handling business so badly.

Where did most of your money go?

To Kennedy. Hospital bills, formula, baby stuff, clothes, diapers, you name it.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My food processor for Christmas.

What song will always remind you of 2008?

Probably "New Soul" because it made me think of Kennedy.

Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier, thinner, richer

What do you wish you'd done more of?

Gone to the temple. We definitely did not go often enough last year.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Watch TV.

Did you fall in love in 2008?

Yes. With Kennedy and with Brett, as usual.

What was your favorite TV program?

LOST! Which is starting again next week! Woohoo!

What was the best book you read?

Non-fiction: The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Fiction: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Muse

What did you want and get?

A happy baby

What did you want and not get?

A new bed and mattress

What was your favorite film of this year?

The Dark Knight - there were many that I loved, but this one takes the cake

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

I turned 23, and since I was extremely large and pregnant (Kennedy was born 12 days later) and it was Priesthood session of general conference I had three of my good girlfriends over (Kim, Rebekah, and Rachel) for lasagna rolls and molten chocolate cakes that I made.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If the nursing program at UVU would have let Brett in and they hadn't switched the class requirements around on him.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Maternity clothes.

What kept you sane?

Brett

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Day of Kindness

I had a really good day today. Brett has every other Thursday off, so he was home today to help with Kennedy in the morning. Then I went and redeemed my first of four visits to the spa that Brett got me for Christmas. I got a facial which was wonderful and so relaxing! Since Kennedy wasn't with me I was able to listen to whatever music I wanted which was nice. Then we went to the temple with Brett's parents.

I was so surprised when a man who was working there stopped me and shook my hand. He said, "Sister, do you know that you have a lovely, radiant glow about you? You just radiate love." I didn't know what to say, but I was really flattered!

When we came home we got to work making dinner for a couple in our ward. Brett was so helpful in the kitchen and I appreciated it so much! He took care of Kennedy while she freaked out while we were cooking. All in all it was a wonderful day and I appreciated everyone who helped make it that way!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Little Red Dragon

My parents went to China back in March of last year and came back with a few things for baby Kennedy who was still in my tummy. Their gifts included this little red dragon hat that they said all of the Chinese kids were wearing around. It finally fits, and it is so dang cute! I wish that Halloween was coming up instead of being almost a whole year away.

We let her crawl around with it on for a little while. We just couldn't get enough of it! And yes, she is fully mobile and a little too fast for her own good. She is pulling herself up on anything and everything and is in the beginning stages of cruising. She's not even a full 9 months old yet and she's threatening to start walking in a couple of months. This is bad news.

For those of you who wanted to know how rock climbing went, I was actually very proud of myself. My arms still hurt (especially after having to hold Kennedy for almost all 3 hours of church yesterday) but it is well worth it. I pretty much only did 5.6 walls (which is a pretty low ranked wall) but I was able to get to the top of one of them and close to the top on another. I fully intend to go back and tackle those others that I couldn't get soon!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Getting Ready to Have My Butt Kicked

Dear Rock Climbing Wall,

I am ready to come tackle you again this afternoon! Although I am a little bit nervous because I don't have an excuse to do the practice walls again, but how can I get better if I don't challenge myself? I am looking forward to you kicking my butt.

New Climber

Dear Jamie,

Thank you so much for offering to babysit tonight! I am thrilled to be able to go out to a movie with Brett.

Appreciative sister-in-law

Dear Kennedy,

I cannot believe how big you're getting! Already starting to cruise around the house at not quite 9 months old is crazy.

Your mommy

Dear Cookbooks,

You are so yummy. I appreciate the ideas and wonderful new things that you let me try. I am so excited that I have so many new and awesome cookbooks to flip through and cook with!

Chef in the kitchen

Dear Shower,

Oh how I love you when you are warm and the house is quiet. That is all.

Water mama

Dear Platinum Protection,

Thank you so much for giving Brett a Gap gift card for a Christmas bonus. I love my new non-prego jeans. I feel better about myself and no longer have a donut shaped bulge in my middle from all the extra fabric.

Thankful wife

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Winning Holiday Recipes: Part 2

Here are the last 3 recipes from my holiday baking extravaganza. I know that I only have 5 recipes over on the side, but I didn't include the recipe that is already a tradition. I have eaten my Grandma Emigh's Coffee Cake every Christmas for breakfast since I can remember. It is delicious and easy and just feels like Christmas. So without further ado, here are the recipes. I hope that you enjoy them!

Peppermint Snowballs

from Judith Scholovich via Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy

1 drop red food coloring (optional)

TOPPING:

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

6 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add vanilla. Stir in flour; knead until mixed well. reserve 1/2 cup of dough; shape remaining dough into 1-inch balls. For filling, combine cream cheese and milk in a small bowl. Stir in sugar, candy and food coloring, if using; mix well. Make a deep well in the center of each ball; fill with 1/4 teaspoon filling. Use reserved dough to cover filling. Reshape if necessary into smooth balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; roll cookies in mixture while still warm. Cool on wire racks.

Potato Chip Crunchies

from Dorothy Buiter via Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Bars

2 cups butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup crushed potato chips

1 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Fold in the potato chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls 1-1/2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Coffee Cake

from Glenda Emigh

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small package vanilla instant pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

TOPPING:

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix all ingredients for cake well. Pour half the batter into a well greased angel food cake pan. Spread evenly. Cover with a little bit more than half the topping mixture. Pour the rest of the batter on top and spread evenly. Cover with the rest of the topping mixture. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Dallas World Aquarium

As I said in an earlier post, while we were in Texas we made a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. It's an awesome aquarium with a lot more than just fish. There are birds and monkeys running around, alligators, sharks, turtles, and all kinds of other creatures. This waterfall is in the middle of it all and runs into the main aquarium tank on the bottom floor.

Kennedy got to meet a bunch of new animals including the otters that were in this tank. She had the best view of us all since the water didn't go all the way up the glass. She got to see them close up as they swam by her.

Yes, this is an aquarium, not a zoo - but they still had a jaguar! She was beautiful. She just slept while people came and gawked at her and took pictures.

And here she is with the flamingos. They actually stink really badly, which I didn't remember from previous trips. But thankfully smells don't seem to bother Kennedy just yet.

We couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute starfish! That's Brett's thumb, just to give you an idea of how small it really was.

We had a great time at the aquarium and Kennedy loved meeting all of the new animals. While we were in Texas we went to Gap to do some shopping because Brett's Christmas bonus was a gift card to Gap. I was thrilled because I got to buy a new pair of jeans which means that I am finally out of maternity jeans! Yay! And Kennedy tried on a new pair of sunglasses.

We had a lot of fun! Unfortunately the trip home was a little bit lengthy. Our flight got delayed almost 2 hours, which meant that Carol had to wait at the airport for 3 hours before we arrived. Then, due to the weather conditions here, the drive home took about 2 1/2 hours (and usually takes 45 minutes). But we are safe and home, which we are all grateful for!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Texas Teaser

I thought that I would give you a small taste of what's been going on here in Texas. I have more pictures to share, but they will have to wait until we get back to Utah. In the meantime, here are some cute ones that my dad took. First, here's Wyatt. He's so cute and getting so big! He's almost 6 months old.

We opened some presents from Grandpa Pitt the first day we got here. Kennedy loves the musical bee that she got. She's played with it every morning.

A cute close up.

She loves to open presents. It was fun to open some more with her because she had to take a nap in the middle of opening presents on Christmas morning.

Here's Kennedy with Grandpa. They've been having lots of fun. Grandpa watched her while we went to see Benjamin Button (which I highly recommend to everyone) and they had a blast.

We've been having a great time here! We went to the aquarium (pictures will come later), got to see my aunt, uncle and cousins who live in Beijing, have had some yummy meals, played some fun games, and rang in the new year with some Martinelli's. It's been a great trip so far and we're happy that we get to spend a couple more days here!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year's Resolutions

I have been trying to come up with some resolutions that will actually be realistic for this next year. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I have tried to narrow it down to a few that I think that I will actually be able to meet. Brett is taking a few categories (spiritual, temporal, physical) and making a goal for each. I'm trying to follow his example.

Personal daily scripture study: I am generally much better about praying than reading my scriptures. Honestly, I just forget and then kick myself once I'm already in bed. I am going to make a serious effort to make sure and study every day.
More exercise: I am really bad when it comes to exercise in general. Especially now that I have to work around Kennedy's schedule, and in some cases need to get a babysitter. I am a little bit (although not much) more disciplined about what I eat, so I think the physical exercise will help to make me healthier. I don't really have a specific goal here except to do more.
Have a more organized apartment: I am not the best about throwing things away or keeping clothes off of the floor. Our pantry isn't always completely up to date either. My goal is to organize the apartment (with Brett's help of course), and I mean the whole thing, and keep it that way 95% of the time (I have to give myself some leeway).

I think those are worthy goals. And I think that I will be able to meet them. It may take some time, but I am going to work on it. Last night we stayed home and had a great meal with a HoneyBaked ham, cheddar and bacon mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, panna cotta with blackberries, and of course, sparkling cider. Four of us stayed up until midnight and then we all had biscuits and gravy this morning. So Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that it is better than 2008 for all of you!