Thanksgiving 2010

Well, this will be a year to remember. It will go down in history as "The Year I Saved Thanksgiving"...with my cooking skills nonetheless. Okay, so that is a bit of an over-exaggeration, but it was an interesting day in the kitchen.

We have had Thansgiving with my mom's side of the family at my grandparent's house (Mama and Poppa) for as long as I can remember. Anyone who is remotely related to our family shows up for this event, meaning there are at least 50 people if not more. Last year we moved it to my mom's house for the first time. The number of guests has cut back a bit, but it is still in the 30-40 range. So what do they come for - turkey, dressing, desserts? Nope! Although all of that food is wonderful, they come for the ROLLS! Mama's rolls are one of a kind and nobody misses out on a chance to eat them. I have been helping make these rolls for years, that has always been my way to help. I would take the dough and form it into the 3 balls to put together in the pan to form the perfect roll.

So for the first time ever, Mama was sick and couldn't even get out of bed. Mom realized that someone had to make the rolls, and I am of course the obvious choice since I've been helping for so long, right? WRONG! My brother Brandon and I quickly informed Mom that we have never actually seen how the dough was made and didn't have a clue where to start, because that perfect piece of dough has always been handed to us. So when all else fails, I took my chances and googled the recipe. From there we recruited JT and sprung into action!

We had our system down and it was working fine. We got the dough ready, and then we had to let it sit and rise for an hour. We had finally been able to discuss our situation with Mama and she said we were probably okay despite using the wrong flour and our other little mishaps. While we were waiting, Mom sent JT to the store to buy something, and in his cleverness (and high-level of doubt in our ability to pull off these rolls), he picked up a couple of packs of Bake in 10 minutes rolls. Genius!

Finally the dough was ready to the point Brandon and I were used too. So where do you make rolls in a house full of people and there is no more room in the kitchen?

The laundry room of course! We were so proud of ourselves and then we realized that these rolls had to sit for another hour before being put in the oven. Thank goodness we could smell the store bought rolls cooking in the oven, because lunch was being served in less than 10 minutes.

Everyone ate lunch, dessert, and then we were able to announce that our rolls were finally done! They looked like Mama's rolls, but they didn't taste 100% like them. But we were proud, and she was proud of us.

What an accomplishment! Now, I do not want to have to do this again, so we're handing the rolls back over to Mama next year, as that is the way it should be. I must say that I was a little disappointed to learn that this wasn't some super secret recipe of hers to be handed down to me...afterall, I found it on google. But hers are special because of the love she puts into them, and they will always be the best rolls ever made!

On a serious note, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we definitely have so much to be thankful for! We love our family and friends!

20 Weeks

Well, here we are at the half-way point. Can time be going by any faster?!?! Baby Livezey is going to be here before we know it, and I am not prepared!

We had our ultrasound today. JT went with me for the first time and we enjoyed watching the baby move around on the TV screen. I can't believe how active it was, because I really don't feel movement yet. The ultrasound technician was really nice and explained everything she was seeing and measuring - some things made sense to us and we could pick out certain things like the brain, heart, hands, and feet but everything else wasn't so clear to us (kidneys, stomach, etc.). She said Baby Livezey is about 14 ounces (almost 1 pound!). Heart rate was around 139. It was amazing seeing the spine and every little bone in its body. We saw each hand and counted 5 fingers on each as Baby Livezey gave a little wave. There were so many bones in the feet, JT questioned if there were 10 toes on each foot! Truly amazing that everything is formed, and now all it has to do is grow! My favorite part was seeing the profile. Baby Livezey was even moving its mouth at one point like it was talking to us - so sweet! Here is a little profile picture to show off. The technician said we had a cute kiddo, and I couldn't agree more!


So is Baby Livezey a boy or a girl??? We stayed strong and closed our eyes when she told us to, so it is still a surprise!

The only thing we wanted to hear today is that Baby Livezey is healthy, and that is almost 100% certain. There is one little kidney issue that was borderline being a potential problem, but it is common and most babies grow out of it before they are born. The doctor is not concerned about it (so neither am I), but it has to be followed up on. So on a happy note, this little issue scored me another ultrasound next month so I get to see Baby Livezey again!

Max and Grant - a.k.a "Practice"

Congratulations to Robby and Lauren on their precious twin boys, Max and Grant Johnson! They were born last Sunday night and JT and I got to meet them the next day. I've always wondered how you could love something that you've never met...well now I understand! Love at first sight doesn't even begin to describe how we feel about these boys! They are perfect little miracles!



I will probably be seeing them every chance I get for several reasons.
1 - I'm completely in love with them already!
2 - I love the feeling of just looking at them and thanking God for their health and perfection.
3 - There is no doubt that they will have different personalities, and I like trying to figure out which one will be outgoing, dramatic, athletic, book smart, etc. I'm also trying to pay close attention to their faces and find distinctive characteristics. I'm one of those people that thinks all babies look the same at first, so I am really glad that they are not identical! I can tell them apart when they are side by side, but I would probably have trouble deciding which one I was looking at if I couldn't see the other one. Grant's hair is a little lighter, and Max has sweet little chubby cheeks. They are both absolutely adorable!
4 - What better way to figure out what to do with a baby then learn how to handle two at once! JT and I expect to pretty good at this by April. And if we're not, we've always got Robby and Lauren on speed dial. :-)

Until April, these baby boys are our "practice". We are going to try to soak up every little bit of knowledge we can get. Baby Livezey is 19 weeks today, which means we are almost half-way there! Just being around Max and Grant this week and put my excitment into overdrive! I can not wait to meet Baby Livezey!



CONGRATULATIONS again to Robby and Lauren! Max and Grant are definitely the luckiest babies in the world to have you as parents! We love you guys!