I thought I knew.

In an effort to completely mortify and embarass my husband...:)

14 years ago, I thought I knew who you were. I thought that I knew the type of person you were. I thought I knew how kind and...perfect (for me) you were.

11 years ago, I thought I knew why you were worth moving for. I thought I knew the man you were becoming. I thought I knew just how complete you made my soul.

9 (almost 10!) years ago, I thought I knew what our marriage would be. I thought I knew how great a husband you would be. I thought I knew what an amazing father you would be. I thought I knew how much you loved your family. I thought I knew what sorts of incredible and selfless things you would do with your life.

Turns out, I had no idea.

You are much more than I ever thought. Than I ever dreamed. Than I ever thought I knew.

I never imagined the patient, kind, funny father you would be. I never knew the incredible teacher that our children would have in you. I never imagined how it would make my eyes sting with tears and my heart overflow with emotion to see our children run to you at the end of the day or to see you comfort them.

I never imagined that you would grow into a man so strong, so kind, so selfless, so full of integrity, so gentle, and so loving. I never knew just how much you would affect those around you. I never knew just how you would excel at your job--how many families and children you would impact.

I never knew the service you would lend within our church. I never knew how quietly and humbly you would accept the duties and service asked of you. On the day (this past Sunday!) that you were called upon to lead the Young Men, I never would have imagined the quiet pride I would feel as I watched you stand to accept this calling. I never imagined the deep gratitude I would feel for your example in faith--to me, to the youth, and to our children.

I never knew that someday, I would be breathtakingly grateful for our relationship. That I would feel blessed beyond measure by our partnership and our love. I never knew that I would be filled with amazement and wonder at the amount of work we put into us and the tenfold return we receive.

I thought I knew who I had married. What I was marrying. How it would all turn out.

Turns out, I was wrong. You are more than I hoped. More than I dreamed. More than I imagined.

You are everything. I love you Spencie. Happy Birthday. :)

What to do when it's -14 degrees...

1. Find your air popper. You know, the one you haven't used in say...6ish years. Giggle a little when you explain (while searching for the popper) that, no, you are not looking for a BIG HUGE popper like the one they use at Target (in the food court).

2. Take the kids on a very short (no one wants to pile in and out of the car multiple times in weather this cold!) trip to get some popcorn kernels.

3. Laugh and feel slightly ashamed that they cannot believe that popcorn really looks like "those little seeds". Yes, my children totally thought that all popcorn either came from a movie theater or magically grew from little bags in the microwave.

4. Pop away. Be sure you have real butter on hand for the finished product.

5. Cover the living room floor in blankets, give the kids each a gigantic bowl of their own popcorn, and watch in wonder as they proceed to have a library-book-a-thon of sorts for a full HOUR together while eating their popcorn.

6. Laugh when one of your children (Milo) frantically runs to the kitchen when he hears you putting away the popper. "Mom wait! We have to put this one back in!" (Holding up a half popped kernel.) Laugh even more when, after explaining that you don't put half popped popcorn back in the popper, your child says, "But Moooooom, look at it! It WANTS to pop!".

Later, when it's more like 17 below and it's now dark, you should invite some friends over, read Christmas stories to all of the kids, watch a clip about the birth of Christ (emphasizing that the most important Christmas story of all is the story of Christ's birth and his life), then help the kids make super cute ornaments (thanks Melissa), and eat soooo much homemade gingerbread with applesauce and whipped cream. Yum. So fun.

Best Ever Gingerbread

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for dusting pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, then cooled to room temperature
3/4 cup mild molasses
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 11 by 7-inch or 9x9-inch baking pan; dust with flour, tapping out any excess.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cocoa in medium bowl.

3. Beat butter, molasses, and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg until incorporated. Gradually add buttermilk and milk until combined.

4. Add dry ingredients to liquid; beat on medium speed until batter is smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Do not overmix. If using fresh ginger, batter will be lumpy. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, and edges have pulled away from the pan sides (or until wooden skewer, inserted in middle, comes out crumbless), about 40 minutes. Set pan on wire cake rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature with applesauce and whipped cream. (Gingerbread can be wrapped in plastic, then foil, and refrigerated up to 5 days.)

Vegas Rocks

Vegas rocks. As in, the rocks in Vegas. Actually, northeast of Vegas to be exact.

For Spencer's 30th birthday (next week), we flew to Vegas (without the kids--first away trip of more than 24 hours), met his brother Josh there and spent three days hiking and rock climbing. Well, they climbed. Me? Not so much. Turns out, my fear of heights and of dying at a height greater than 4 feet is still paralyzing. At least I didn't cry...this time.

Spencer and Josh, sizing up a climb.

The trip was amazing, amazing, amazing. We had so much fun just hanging out and exploring. We did very little of the Vegas strip scene. We did a little research, found some incredible restaurants (the best Thai food of our lives!!) and just enjoyed hanging out. It was nice to be "unplugged", so to speak, for that long and Josh even turned off his Crackberry--er, I mean Blackberry for long periods of time. ;)

Spencer at some ridiculous height. Most of the time, I was either not watching or watching while holding my breath.

Me on our hike up to the climbs. It was a lot of steep scrambling and incredible scenery.

When we were at the airport getting our rental car, some older man came up to Spencer and started patting his backpack and inquiring as to what we were there to do (climb? hike? backpack?). When Spencer told him we were there to climb, the guy gave a HUGE smile and nearly shouted, "That's great!!! My daughter has been looking for someone to climb with! She's right over there! I'll go get her!".

Now, honestly, I don't know whether this sweet old man (80ish) was hoping to hook his daughter up with a date or a climbing partner but, either way, it was a little awkward. She ended up spending the day climbing with us on Thursday. She was a nice enough person but, apparently, has been to France, Costa Rica, Switzerland, and a whole number of other countries in the last few months to ski, climb, surf, and complete triathalons. We--okay I--felt very out of her league. The humor of the awkwardness of the situation only intensified when we ended up taking the super-duper-long way on our way OUT and ended up hiking down in the DARK (okay there was a full moon) for 2.5 hours.

Spencer on another climb.

One of our only "Vegas" moments--watching grown men ride a mechanical bull. Embarassing? Yes. Hilarious? Yes. Pathetic? Sort of.

Spencer and I at some of the coolest rock on the hike. It was striped and covered in polka dots. Crazy.

This pretty much summed up how Spencer and Josh felt about the bells and whistles of Vegas. Josh: mildly amused. Spencer: in awe at the ridiculousness of it all.

This trip was so fun, so needed, and such a good workout. My calves are still hurting. We missed the kids so much and--I swear--they grew half a foot while we were gone!

*Thanks to my mom and dad who selflessly watched the kids for us. They endured more cartoons, pancakes, McDonalds trips, Dollar Store sprees, preschool parties, Santa visits and all manner of dressup and pretend play than you can shake a stick at! They're probably still trying to sleep it off. :) Love you guys.

Spinning...

What do you--rather my children--call a bunch of Weebles spinning in endless circles on our wooden floor? Spinning class.

Do you think that they really think that's what I do at spinning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays??? :)

I misjudged you.

Dear Dr. Mehta's Sinus Rinse,

My most sincere of apologies. I completely misjudged you. When all of your loyal followers went on and on (and on) about the Neti Pot and the sinus rinse, I scoffed. When Andrew stole Angela's teapot on The Office and attempted to use it as a Neti Pot, I merely laughed. I may have even referred to you as a "nasal enema" and vowed never to use you. Even after my dear husband bought me one for my birthday in a sincere attempt to help me overcome my allergies/chronic sinusitis, I was not sold.

Turns out, I was wrong. You are like crack. But in a good way. I just can't get enough now. My day is not complete without you.

Oh sure, the first time I used you, I felt like I was drowning--but in a good way I swear. Sure, the first time I used you I probably looked like a fool. Spencer probably would have asked me to close the door to disguise all of my disgusting noises and gasps as I tried to figure the dang thing out; however, he was far too afraid of me by that point. Weeks of sinus infections make a girl rather grouchy. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

You are no longer a desperate measure. You are a lifesaver. And for that, Dr. Mehta, I thank you.

~E.

Holy Moly Guacamole

In a nutshell, our trip to Utah was eventful. We did tons of hanging out, reunited the band (Rockband that is), went on an adventure to the Gateway Discovery with Shikay and her kids, saw Madagascar 2 with Amy and her family, saw Four Cristmases, ate way too much food, ate more food, hung out some more, visited grandparents galore, hung out even more, and then--for good measure--ate some more. Whew.

The day that we left, the kids' preschool put on a Thanksgiving Lunch for the parents and grandparents. Spencer and my mom had to work so it was just my dad and me. The kids were so excited and so cute. They had talked alot about manners before we got there and, apparently, I was slurping my soup. Isabel was kind enough to lean in and whisper some helpful hints in my ear about how to properly eat my soup. :) (In this picture, they are standing in front of the list of "things to do" to get ready for our lunch.)

On to pictures of the Discovery Gateway...

This had better be the closest that we ever get to a Life Flight chopper.

Why are there only two pictures of Milo and one hundred pictures of Isabel? Because, it is difficult to take the same picture over and over again and make it look interesting. Milo spent the ENTIRE time operating this crane and playing in the water table. Isabel on the other hand? Well, see for yourself...

"Have a nice day lady" and "Oh, sorry, I'm all out of stickers for your cute kids" were two of the things she said to me while I was "paying" at the "caster rester".

Isabel delivering the mail--she LOVED this. The place is scattered with mailbox and she made it a point to deliver mail to every one of them.

A very serious take on the gigantic xylophone.

Kennedy (Shikay's oldest daughter) and Isabel trying out their future careers--news anchor (Kennedy) and "weather girl" (Isabel).

Me and (my sister-in-law) Melissa after our Turkey Trot. We rocked the trot. Well, she rocked the trot. This was her first 5K ever and, after very minimal training, she ran every step of the stinkin' thing. Every step. And she wasn't even out of breath or wanting to kill me when we crossed the finish line. So fun. She has no idea what lies ahead for her. ;) I have big plans. HUGE plans.

Oh, and we got passed by some guy who was wearing a loincloth and a headdress. And nothing else. Except shoes. I think he had shoes.

Aaaahhh Turkey Day. Isabel at the kids' table. We had Thanksgiving at Melissa's this year and, honestly, it felt a little bit like we were playing make believe. We're not old enough to host Thanksgiving--let alone have kids at the kids' table. Right?

Olivia and Lyla having naked Thanksgiving. They were COVERED in sweet potatoes and cranberries by the end. SO CUTE.

Milo at the aforementioned kids' table.

You get alot of attention when you roll with these cuties. I'd forgotten what a double-stroller does for your celebrity status! ;)

Grandma Cathryn is always up for a good boardgame with the kids.

Milo, Royan, and Isabel.

Going to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square is absolutely magical for me. We rode the light rail train downtown and walked around with the kids. Shikay and her family joined us. After freezing their Texas/Vegas selves to death last year, they were NOT making that same mistake this year. This time, they all came in big warm hats and snowsuits. Only problem? It was about 50 degrees this year. :)

Isabel, Spencer, and Milo cuddling at Temple Square. Cuddling...getting put in a headlock by your dad...it's all the same right?

Looking up at the temple.

There was so much more fun had. Isabel continued to develop her love affair with American Girl dolls (thanks to kind aunties who let her play with there old ones--very carefully and in full view of all adults), Milo honed his Lego Star Wars skills, Spencer watched some football with his dad, Melissa and I snuck an entire Crown Burger meal in to the movie theater, Amy and Bryan made us laugh when we SO needed it, Josh did his darnedest to cement his place as most indulgent uncle, Melissa continued to amaze us with her strength and we just had an all around busy and exhausting but good time.

I am thankful.

Anderson Family Thanksgiving Tree

• For new family traditions--like the Thanksgiving Tree (thanks Sage and Melissa). We've been adding a few handpainted leaves every day and writing something we're thankful for on each leaf.
• For friends, family, and loved ones who have called, commented, emailed, texted, and just shown up.
• For homemade cookies (and Whole Foods cookies). Turns out, a cookie almost always makes you feel better.
• For J. For her honesty. For her strength. For her love and for her sweet daughter.
• For a trip to Utah that is just three days away.
• For parents, siblings, and friends who cry with us when our hearts are broken.
• For four-year-olds who say, "Mom! Did you know that when we are five, I will have a WHOLE HAND?!!" (As in, all five fingers.)
• Comfort food. For me, it's spicy foods. I found the best recipe ever for Tortilla Soup. You really have to try it. Super easy. Crock pot. Only two changes you should make: Do not add the corn until the last 30 minutes of cooking and, just before adding the corn, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the soup a bit. It will improve the texture and body of the soup so much--it will be worth the extra step. Also, you could totally use shredded pork instead of shredded chicken and it would be just as good.
• For the understanding of all of this that is slowly, slowly coming about for me.
• For a husband who buys me a beautiful card that pales in comparison to the letter he writes me inside.
• For four-year-olds who walk out of preschool wearing the ridiculously funny hats seen below and for their excellent retelling of the first Thanksgiving. Enjoy. It's worth the watch.
  

Heartbroken.

Today, our worst fears about J's baby--who had quickly become "our baby"--were confirmed. She has a triplication of the 18th chromosome or Trisomy 18. The prognosis for Trisomy 18 babies is, generally, very poor. :( Over half do not survive to their due date and, beyond that, a minority will live beyond 1 week. The condition has a large number of serious or fatal anomalies associated with it. Based on J's specific case and the baby's ultrasound, her doctor has recommended that she deliver the baby immediately.

Our hearts have felt like they are breaking today. Although we've only know J for a month, we've formed a very strong bond with her and had already made such a big place in our hearts for her, her children, and this sweet girl that we dared to hope would be a part of our family very soon. We are so sad for us but we are even more sad for J and for her loss and grief. She is an amazing woman who has been through so much and has proven herself to be so strong yet, sometimes, it just seems like too much for a person to endure.

We are doing our best to see how it is that something that seemed to be working out so perfectly and seemed "meant to be" could have turned out so much different than we'd envisioned. We are trying to take comfort in knowing that, although J would have had to endure this whether she'd found us or not, at least now we can offer her some support and love during this process. As strange as it may sound, we also take comfort in knowing that, although the baby will not have "known" us in this life, at least she will leave this life having been loved and wanted by two more people.

I'm not sure what else to say. I know that this is a difficult grief for others to understand or to comprehend--it's difficult for us to understand too. I also know that it's probably hard to know what to say. But, still, thank you. The phone calls that started rolling in as soon as we told immediate family were heartwarming. Sometimes you can sense that the Lord would put his arms around you if he could--today was one of those days.

*************************************
Things that were supposed to be their own posts but won't be...

In the midst of all of this, I'd forgotten to share the news that Milo's EEG was normal. From here, we'll just hope that he does not ever have another seizure. Ever. E.V.E.R.

Also, the kids and I are included in an article in HealthAware magazine this month. If you live in the Northern Colorado area, keep your eyes out for it--mostly at doctors' offices etc.. Or, better yet, click on the link and read the PDF version. We're on page 9. It's an article about prematurity (November is prematurity awareness month).

The (very) good, the scary, and the funny...

First of all, posts without pictures are lame. Seriously. Also, not having batteries for your camera for weeks at a time is even more lame. I'm falling into both of those categories right now.

First, the (very) good. And, also, the scary.
One of the birthmoms with whom we've been working has "picked" us--so to speak. We've made plans to meet her (she lives back east) at the beginning of January and we've had an amazing time getting to know her and reveling in how the Lord works in incredible ways. "J", as we'll call her, is funny, bright, articulate, strong, caring, and incredible all around. We are beyond impressed with her and with the incredible decision she's made (well, is making really). To respect J's privacy, we won't be sharing any personal information about her or her particular situation on our blog. Just trust us when we say that she is an incredible woman! :) Oh, and she's due near the first of March and she's having a girl. :)

That leads us to the scary. :( J recently had her ultrasound which revealed some potentially serious problems with the baby. To say that we are all incredibly scared, terrified, and nervous would be a GIANT understatement. She is having an amniocentesis tomorrow (won't expect the results for a few days) to check for any possible chromosomal abnormalities. The particulars of the concerning findings could point to anything from "nothing at all" to "not compatible with life". :( It's been such an emotional rush and then crush to have our profile put on "hold" and then, 20 hours later, to find this out. We are praying fervently and doing our best to trust in the Lord.

Now for the funny...
The other day, Isabel was telling me a story and, as usual, was being quite animated in her hand gestures and descriptions. Milo was watching her with the funniest look on her face. After several minutes of watching her gesture and listening to her go on and on, he piped up with, "Issy, how come sometimes it's like you're talking with your mouth AND you're doing sign language with your hands?!" She gave him the four-year-old equivalent of a withering look and said, "UGH! Milo, I don't even KNOW sign language!" and proceeded with her story (hand gestures and all).

Last night, we were all kneeling together in the kids' room for family prayer. As usual, we went around and asked each person what they would like to pray for or be thankful for in our family prayer. When I got to Isabel, she stalled repeatedly and kept saying, "Um, I want...um...I want...I want...". Milo motioned for her to lean across to him, whispered in her ear, and then they both started laughing hysterically at what he'd said. Isabel then repeated him, "I want to...MOVE IT! MOVE IT! I want to MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" (the song from Madagascar). Their amusement at their little joke was so hilarious. They continued to belly laugh (while maintaining eye contact) and alternately shout out "MOVE IT! MOVE IT" for a good 3 minutes. I love that they are starting to share jokes. :)

And, the non-news.
We still don't have the reading from the EEG. I'm assuming that no news is good news. Milo has been back to his old self since the day after Halloween. I guess we're just hoping that was a one time incident and that it will NEVER EVER (did I say EVER?) happen again.

EEG...123

Just a quick update...

Milo's EEG went fine yesterday. We don't know the results yet and, likely, won't know them until next week sometime.

Milo was pretty anxious about it but did really well. After they put all 23(!!!) leads on, he watched a DVD and sucked his thumb while they recorded for about 30 minutes. When it was all finished, he got to pick a prize from a little toy basket. Our sweet boy went right for the one thing that there was two of--bubbles--and asked the tech if he could get one for his sister too. :)

Later in the afternoon, Milo told Isabel, "Did you know that they put TWENTY-THREE stickers all over my head and even put one on my HEART?!" When she inquired about why he had to have an EEG (or BEG as they keep calling it), he said, "Because they just want to see if I'm having any more seizures (with much emphasis on the word 'seizures')." Isabel looked at him like he was crazy and replied, "Can those stickers see inside your brain or something?!"

We'll keep ya posted!

Catch Up

Where to begin...

First...the scare of our lives.

I'm still not even sure how to tell this story and, truthfully, every time I tell it I think I'm going to start to cry again.

Thursday morning, Milo passed out while sitting on our counter. He fell to the wood floor and was out cold. When I tried to wake him up, he was pale and completely unresponsive. :( Thankfully, Spencer had stuck around for a few (like 5) extra minutes that morning and was still home. He called 9-1-1 while I tried to figure out what was going on.

After about 2 minutes, Milo started seizing. After the seizure, he had (temporary) paralysis of the right side of his face and body. This was all the most horrifying and terrifying thing we've ever seen. He was not really responsive or able to form any intelligible words for about 7 minutes. They transported us by ambulance to the hospital where we spent the next several hours. Milo seemed to recover mostly but was beyond exhausted and had a large abrasion/contusion on his side where he must have hit the counter on his way down.

We don't know why any of this happened or, exactly, how it happened. Initially, we thought that he lost his balance and fell, hitting his head (then passing out and that the seizure was caused by the impact). But, he has no bruise, swelling or bump on his head...plus, the paleness and limpness are not really explained by a simple fall.

On Wednesday, Milo will have an EEG to record the electrical activity of his brain to see if he has any underlying seizure activity. If that is normal, we may just hope that this was a freak incident and that it will NEVER happen again.

Poor Isabel saw the whole thing and was pretty freaked out. Really, we all were. We're all getting back to normal now and have, mostly, stopped having nightmares (me).

Second...Melissa and Curtis Visit.

Thursday night, Spencer's stepsister (halfsister?) and her boyfriend flew into town. They came for a visit and to see the CSU-BYU game. We had SO much fun with them. We checked out bikes from the bike library here in town and went for a long ride by the river, ate TONS of good food, went trick-or-treating, and had a blast at the game. We adore both of them and wish that they would MOVE HERE. :)

The whole fam during our bike ride. Milo in the bike trailer, Isabel on the tag-a-long. Beautiful day and a beautiful ride.
Isabel working it on the tag-a-long.

The Cougars' number one fans! We had SO much fun at the CSU-BYU game. And we didn't even get beat up. But we almost did. Drunk CSU fans are not necessarily the NICEST people we've ever encountered.

Third...we survived Halloween.

After an entire WEEK of Halloween festivities, we were happy when the real deal was actually

here!

We had some friends over, ate the most delicious dinner (cornbread, white chicken chili, veggies and dip, hot cider, and baked apples with ice cream!), went trick or treating and watched a Winnie the Pooh Halloween movie.

The kids were all absolutely adorable and had so much fun together!

Isabel in the most hilarious face paint/nose combo ever.

Baby Boo the Witch. Honestly, Mya could not get any cuter!

A super dark/crappy picture of all of the kids' in their costumes. So cute. So fun. So adorable.

Obi Won and his beard. It ranked up there with the Snow White wig as far as creeping us out.

Fourth...Heart Center of the Rockies 10K

Saturday morning I ran the Heart Center of the Rockies 10K. I placed 5th in my age division. Really, it's not as impressive as it sounds. I, honestly, don't know how I did. My time was less than stellar. Oh well, it's kinda cool to see my name in the top 5 so I'll take it!

The kids ran (Isabel) and walked (Milo) the Healthy Kids' Run that morning too. They got their finisher medals, enjoyed the free pancake breakfast, and cheered me on as I crossed the finish line. It was our last big run of the year so it was a little bittersweet!

Not-So-Picked-Over Pumpkin Patch

Today we had such a fun outing with our friends Melissa & Laila and Sage & Porter. :) We even surprised Milo and Isabel by having Porter and Laila pick them up from preschool. Their faces were SO cute when they saw their friends come through the door!

After they showed their friends every square inch of their preschool--and every single toy contained within the preschool--we headed to our house for a quick lunch (and a not-so-quick tutorial on all things Star Wars--provided by Milo, of course).

After lunch, we caravaned over to Bartlet Farms to explore the pumpkin patch, go on a looooong hay ride, check out the animals and, just generally, have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather! The kids had tons of fun. The moms took tons of pictures.

Milo, Laila, Isabel & Porter jumping up from behind some of the hay bales in the hay maze.
Milo & Isabel checking out the authentic wagon and the 100-year-old farm sign.

Milo & Isabel standing on the tallest part of the hay bale maze.

Porter, Laila & Isabel making a run for it into the hay bale maze.

It was fun to see how Milo & Isabel's recent love for mazes in their coloring books translated into a serious love for (and understanding of) this maze too.

Lail, Isabel, & Milo piled into the wagon. Note the shorty short wagon handle. Good thing I'm so shorty short. And incredibly buff (HA!) because, otherwise, pulling 110+ pounds of kid in that thing would have been kinda hard. And would have made me sweat. A lot. Like, an embarassing amount.

Isabel, Laila & Milo petting the rabbit.

Isabel showing her undying love for all things "piggie". She was so confused at "why these little baby pigs were born in the FALL momma?!". When I tried to explain that they might just be small pigs--not baby pigs--she made no secret of her lack of confidence in my response.

1 Rotisserie Chicken=3 great meals

Three yummy recipes using 1 rotisserie chicken (in our case, from Sam's Club). If your family is big or your chicken is small, you may need to adjust your portions. :) You can also use a turkey breast (on the bone), cooked overnight in your slow cooker for these recipes.

BBQ Chicken Salad (1st day of the chicken)

-shredded/chopped rotisserie chicken (we go heavy on the beans/veggies and light on the meat so the chicken goes farther :) )
-chopped tomatoes
-lettuce
-chopped cucumbers
-thawed, frozen corn
-avocado, diced
-red onion, diced or green onion, diced
-red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, slivered
-croutons or crushed tortilla chips
-1 can black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
-ranch dressing
-BBQ sauce (we find that the thing tangy flavors don't taste as good here--go for a thick traditional BBQ sauce)

Toss chicken with BBQ sauce until well coated. Layer all of your salad ingredients to your liking and drizzle with ranch dressing. Tossing individual salads (and serving immediately) allows ranch and BBQ sauce to mix and, really, makes the whole salad!

Faker Chicken Pot Pie

also known as my only recipe that calls for "cream of anything" soup

Filling:

-1 cup shredded/chopped chicken

-1 can cream of chicken soup

-few Tbsp of milk (to thin the soup)

-1 small (9 oz) package frozen mixed vegetables

-1-2 celery stalks

-1/2 small onion

-1 Tbsp butter

-black pepper

Crust:

-1 cup Bisquick mix

-1/2 cup milk

-1 egg

OR

-1 package biscuits in a tube

Melt butter in saute pan. Add finely chopped celery and finely chopped onion. Sprinkle with salt. Allow to cook covered on low to low-med heat until onion and celery are tender. Mix celery/onions, soup, milk, chicken, veggies, and generous sprinkling of pepper. Pour into pie pan.

Mix crust ingredients (or pop open the ol' biscuit tube). Top filling with batter/biscuits. For batter crust: Bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. For biscuits: you're on your own. :) I haven't used those for the crust before but I hear it's yummy and easy. I'm guessing a little less time for cooking.

Chicken Club Sandwiches

-remaining chicken, shredded into largish pieces (I try to save the breast pieces for this day)

-lettuce

-slivered red onion

-sliced avocado

-cooked bacon

-toasted wheat or sourdough bread

-sliced tomatoes (if you still got 'em)

-mayo

-salt and pepper

Assemble and love it.

The Dids and DIdn'ts of Being Sick

Is your mom is too sick to play with you? Well, heck! Toss on your new supersweet sunglasses, toss aside your regular glasses (remember, mom's too sick to keep up with much) and play basketball to your heart's content!

I've spent the last week-ish on self-imposed near bedrest. Seriously, sick people. This is second only to the time I got the flu (also known as "The Last Time I Didn't Get a Flu Shot" or "Back When My Doctor Almost Fired Me as his Patient for Being so Ridiculous as to NOT Get a Flu Shot When I have a History of Significant Asthma").

Some things that didn't Happen:

• House staying clean. (Um, duh.)
• Making cute Halloween crafts with the kids. *with one exception--see below.
• Going to a pumpkin patch before they get all picked over.
• Being able to get an appointment with a doctor you know. Or have ever met. Or would even recognize if they came up to you on the street and smacked you.
• Homecooked meals in any form.
• Commenting on blogs (don't worry, there was plenty of reading of blogs.)
• Work. :( I hate calling in sick. :(

Milo triumphing at the top of the big boulder he climbed today.

Some things that DID happen:

• *So, so cute friends (thanks Sagie and Melissa) let me crash their lunch and Halloween craft extravaganza so the kids could have some fun, make a gingerbread haunted house, and go to town with all manner of Halloween decorations and stickers.
• The doctor proved to be very kind and very, um, flexible. This is made known because he spent nearly the entire visit with his legs folded up under him like a flamingo or stork or something while balancing precariously on a spinny stool. Oddly enough, his last name is "Bender". This all added to my overall feeling of disorientation.
• Said doctor was "very concerned" and put me on a steroid burst (ick) and antibiotics. Also, was (am still really) tied to my rescue inhaler like when I was a kid. These things will all make you very grumpy.
• Steroid bursts equal the infamous "Roid Rage". Anybody's kids ever have this while on steroids for croup? Well, turns out it happens to adults too. It will freak even yourself out.
• Attempted to go the gym because I was pretty sure I going to lose my everloving mind. This helped slightly but also made me feel even worse all at the same time.
• Went to Martinez Farm with kids' preschool. Their enthusiasm and excitement over the fieldtrip and me being there was ADORABLE. The bitter cold wind and hayride did not do so much good for the previously mentioned asthma flareup.
• Husband took kids rock climbing today so I could "have a day". This might have been code for "you're freakin' us all out and we're still not convinced that your disgusting cough/phlegm/wheezing isn't contagious" but whatever. Went for a long/slow walk on the Spring Creek Trail. Sister-in-law calls and informs you that you kinda sound like you're dying. The walk will be good for the spirit and the fresh air feels great.
• Woke up every morning thinking THIS will be the day that I'll be feeling SO MUCH BETTER. So far, I've been wrong. But, I'm still holding out for tomorrow. ;)
• Decorated the house for Halloween in one last ditch effort (Friday at 6pm) to salvage the lame "Mommy's So Sick" week that my kids had. They loved it and couldn't wait to show Daddy every detail when he got home. :)

Isabel, anxiously awaiting their first costume party of the year. She's working on proper broomstick-sitting approach here.

Now, something else important that DIDN'T happen this week:

Not Fighting the Girl at Runner's Roost

Today, while I was "having a day", I decided to get out of the house for the previously mentioned slow walk and to register for the Heart Center of the Rockies 10K next weekend. Thought it would be good to A. get off my kiester and B. give myself some great motivation for the next week.

Mind you, I was still feeling blechy, pale, unkempt, weak, wheezy and, generally, unattractive. So, supercute collegiat athlete girl at the running store who helped me with my registration didn't really help. But what REALLY didn't help came AFTER I gave her the registration.

Girl: "So, the Asics technical shirts that we got this year, um, only come in women's extra small but they come in men's small, medium, and large." Here, she has clearly sized me up and deemed me to be a men's size because she skimmed over the women's option as though she'd offered me a size 3-6 months.

Me: "Oh. Really? Because the form says that they are women's size small and I think they're the exact same shirts as last year." This said, knowing that I have the women's small from last year and that it fits me JUST FINE (but only because those shirts run very big--I am so not a size small).

Girl: "Um, yeah. It's pretty small." Again, sizing me up with some totally disturbing look of pity and doubt on her face.

Me: (Uh oh. Here comes that Roid Rage again.) "Well, do you think that maybe I could look at it? Because if it is the small, that's what they offered last year and I have that EXACT shirt at home."

Girl: "Um, sure." She hands me the shirt--really tosses it to me with the same pity/doubt look combined with a titch of, um, fear?

Me: (Ripping the shirt triumphantly down over my head and existing shirt.) "Oh yeah, this is the EXACT same size as last year."

Girl: (Making absolutely NO effort to hide the shock on her face or in her voice--not at my actions but at the fact that the shirt fits me.) "Oh wow! That one actually doesn't look so bad!"

So help me, muffin top or no muffin top! That size small shirt was going home with me! As I pushed my way out the door of the store I had a brief flash of "Oh my gosh! Did I seriously just make her give me a shirt that is too small for me?!" But, no fear folks, it really does fit. Thank goodness because there was no way I was going back to that store, risking seeing the supercute collegiate athlete girl who obviously thinks I am too soft/buxom/men's-sized for my new pink Asics technical shirt.

Isabel and her awesome rock climbing skills.

Still reading? We're currently in contact with two birthmoms. Both show some promise--hopefully, one will be THE ONE. Cross your fingers and toes for us. :)