Savannah's 10 cents

So most of you who read this blog are my friends on Facebook, so you have already lived out this drama with me. But for posterity's sake, and just because it's funny, I'll hash it out on here as well.

So a couple of weeks ago, we were hanging out at my parents house. Savannah always pulls out a large tin of buttons and my sister's penny bank and takes everything out, then puts it all back in. She loves it! Well, we were all talking, and she was playing with the money, when for some unknown reason, she tipped her head back, and dumped a handful of money on her face. Just then, she began coughing and screaming and yelling "It's in my tummy! Burp me! Burp it out!" We all panicked and tried to get her to open her mouth and see if she was choking but she just kept coughing, crying and gagging like she was going to throw up. 

She had swallowed a coin. 

After a minute, she calmed down and we gave her a drink to make sure nothing was stuck. Bryant thought she would be fine, but I was freaking out and insisted that we go to the ER immediately! So we left DJ with my parents and we had my sister Sage come along because Savannah was really scared about going to the doctor and we knew having her aunt there would help keep her calm.

We walked into a pretty empty ER (It was now 11 at night) and got Savannah all checked in. The nurses and staff we so unbelievably nice to Savannah! She calmed down and realized that nothing was going to hurt her and she was chatting up everyone who was working that night. The nurse told us she was one of the happiest and most well behaved kids who had ever come through the ER and told Savannah she wanted her to stay and just hang out all night with them.

They did and x-ray, and sure enough, there was a coin! The doctor came in and said he thought it was a quarter (it ended up actually just being a dime) and told us that there was nothing really to worry about since it was already in the stomach. He was really sweet with Savannah and as soon as he walked in, Savannah proudly said "Doctor, I have money in my tummy!" He let her use his stethoscope and wear his name badge and he patiently listened as Savannah chatted his ear off. I really love that hospital. I've delivered both babies there, and I had a 1 week stint with pneumonia there in 2006, and everyone there has always been amazing!

Anyways, they wanted us to do a followup x-ray in a couple of days, but Savannah passed the dime and I figured she was fine so we didn't take her in. 

The funniest part of this whole thing is the next morning, I got a text from my cousin saying her little boy had swallowed a dime that morning! Looks like we need to start a savings account for those two...

Thnksgiving was over a month ago?

Yeeeaaahhh... All my intentions of catching up on this blog went right out the window this last week. Talk about a crazy holiday! So, to summarize, I went back to work for 2 weeks to help out with the holiday rush (more on that later! I have important news to share!) So most nights, Bryant would come home just as I was rushing out the door. Then, Bryant and I both caught that horribly nasty stomach bug that's making the rounds. Thankfully, both kids seemed to avoid it, knock on wood! And then there was Christmas, and then I've spent DAYS trying to recover my house and get it back to normal.

So yeah. Blogging kind of got stuck on the back burner. Anyways, I completely forgot to post about Thanksgiving! Whaaa! So, I'll make this quick.

Onwards and upwards folks!

For Thanksgiving this year, we were able to spend it with Bryant's parents, brother and grandma out in Mt. Shasta. The last time we had Thanksgiving with them was back in 2008 and we were still dating. It was my first time in Mt. Shasta and It was also the first time I really got to know Bryant's family. I felt bad because I had to be back to work on black Friday, so we flew out, made his parents drive 4 hours to Reno to pick us up, then 4 hours home, and then they did it again to take us back to the airport. Then, I tried to make a pie that was a complete disaster. I thought for sure they were going to think I was not suitable for their son, but they must have liked me because here we are, 5 years later and they spoil me :-)

It was a quiet Thanksgiving. The boys spent a lot of time playing video games, The kids got a lot of Grandma time, and I got a lot of nap time. Bryant and I even snuck in a date! I'm really hoping from now on, we can swap off Christmas and Thanksgiving with both families. Last year was the first Christmas we had spent with his family in all our time being together. Thats way too long to go without being home for the holidays!

 

The next day, we drove out to Reno and attended the BYU devotional at a church. The cultural hall and gym were completely packed! I would say a good chunk of the people attending were missionaries, and it was a lot of fun! After the devotional, we all went out to a nice dinner, then came back to the hotel and crashed. Savannah thought the hotel was just the greatest thing ever, especially since she had that giant bed all to herself!

The next day we went to the BYU vs. Nevada game. We got there early and got great seats! Deagan was a little fussy because he was hungry and the bottle I brought was cold, so he wouldn't eat it. Savannah liked playing with some of Ed and Robyn's friends who had come from Mt. Shasta too to watch the game, and she even caught a t-shirt! Which, I'm totally wearing as I type this...

Right after the game we said our goodbyes and headed home. It's always really sad to leave Ed and Robyn. I'm really lucky to have the greatest in-laws ever and as I've said numerous times, Mt. Shasta is one of my absolute favorite places ever. I might have even been looking in the newspaper for homes for sale while we were there... Just saying...

Wow, I still have so much to write about. I've got a post coming up about Savannah's trip to the ER, that was funny. And of course Christmas. And, I have a few really exciting announcements to make, probably within the next week or so. (no, not another baby. I had you all going there didn't I? :-)

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Christmas! And Happy New Year!

6 Month Update!

Oh wow, talk about a crazy couple of weeks!

Any free time I had I was spent writing final papers and revising them and studying for finals and then I nearly had a panic attack when my professor e-mailed me and said she was going to fail my paper because I didn't cite my sources and that was considered plagiarism. When I went in to talk to her about it, because I DID cite my sources, it turns out I placed a comma in my citations in the wrong place. Talk about an overly dramatic professor! (This was also the same professor that told me I had failed another paper earlier in the semester, turns out, she failed everyone BUT me. Crazy.) But I fixed it and aced the paper. Crisis averted! 

Ok, rants over! I'm just relieved to have a break and to finally get some stuff done around here! Catching up on blogging is one of those things, so expect a lot of posts this week! I figured I should start with Deagan's 6 month update, since I missed his 5 month and in another week and a half he will be 7 months old. Where does the time go?

^^Always in the sling. He's such a mama's boy!^^

So, lets get to it and start with his stats!

Weight: 16lbs, 3oz, 23%

Length: 26.25in 32%

Head Circumference: 43.2cm 46%

Teeny little guy, but for as small as he is, he's still got his chunky cheeks and meaty legs!

The doctor said everything looks perfect with him, and that he's still growing along his curve. I discussed his spitting up, once again, and the doctor told us that he's confident he will grow out of it. And to my surprise, he has! He still spits up occasionally, but not anywhere NEAR the amount he used too! It's so nice not having to change my clothes 3 times a day! I think starting him on solids has really made the difference.

I also talked to the doctor about him not sleeping through the night. And he told me what I knew he probably would, to just let him cry it out. That was really hard for me because we have had complaints from the renters downstairs about DJ crying, but I decided to just not worry about them and let him cry it out. The doctor told us that the first night to expect him to cry for up to 3 hours, and to wake up several times that night. I think he cried for 2, and he woke up 2-3 times, but I never went in and got him. After that, each night became easier, and now, I either nurse him to sleep, or if he's extra fussy, I lay him in his crib with a bottle, and he puts himself to sleep. He still wakes up 1-2 times a night, and most nights he cries for 5 minutes and puts himself back to sleep. But on the nights he screams, I get up and get him a bottle. I used to bring him in bed with me and nurse him, but then I had a hard time putting him back in his room without waking him up, so I now just do the bottle. Hopefully soon, he will sleep through the night completely on a regular basis, and not just once a week.

The biggest development this month is that he can now sit up, and is on his way to officially crawling. He gets up on his hands and knees, then propels himself forward. He also army crawls everywhere. I thought once he could move, he would not be as clingy, but he still always wants to be held and so most of our days are spent with him on my lap or in the sling. 

^^This photo is from Reno, and I realized that I still have not written about Thanksgiving! Look for that post soon!^^

He loves his sister more than anyone I think. She tries to wrestle with him and it makes me nervous, but he is almost always laughing and pulling her hair and giving her kisses. They are going to be best friends!

Well, that's all for now! Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away?! 

Also, Happy Birthday to my Dad! I love you!

"Mormon" Enchiladas

Hello! We are back from a fun Thanksgiving vacation, which I will write about soon, probably after Thursday, since I have a major paper due then. I should be writing it right now, but every time I try, I get interrupted. So I figured I'd blog real quick until the kids are ready for bed.

Anyways, A little while ago, I said on Facebook that my favorite meal was "Mormon Enchiladas" and I decided that I would share that recipe the next time I made them. Well, we had them last night, so here is the recipe for you all! Sorry in advance for the terrible photos, it's hard enough trying to make dinner when you have a toddler who is running around, a fussy baby, and then trying to take photos. And, I also apologize in advance for the vague directions and measurements. It's going to be a little rough...

"Mormon Enchiladas"

We call them Mormon Enchiladas because my grandma is from the Mormon colonies in Colonial Juarez, Mexico, and this is how they make them there.

You will need:

Vegetable Oil

Flour

Tomato Sauce

White or yellow corn tortillas

Chili powder

See? So far it's easy peasy. And super cheap.

First: In a large pot, pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom, set at medium-high heat. You want the oil hot, but not hot enough that it starts to boil or pop.

Second: Take a large heaping spoonful of flour and sprinkle it in the oil, once it's hot. The flour should sizzle slightly. If it's not, the oil isn't warm enough. I usually throw a pinch in there first to make sure it's hot enough. But don't let the oil get too hot, or else the flour will burn. (I warned you these measurements and directions would be vague...)

 (Notice the little bubbling sizzle there? But it's not burning! Perfect! Also, that is enough oil to cover the entire bottom, but my burners are crooked so it all slumps to one side.)

Third: QUICKLY stir the heck out of the flour/oil mixture. You want it all to mix fast so that it's even and so that you won't get lumps, or so the bottom wont burn.

Fourth: Pour 1 can of Tomato sauce in, immediately followed by 1 can of water and stir like mad. I use one giant can of tomato sauce (I don't know, like maybe the 16 oz can? Do they make 16 oz cans? If they do, that's what I use...) but if you want to reduce the amount of sauce made, then just use one or two tiny cans, or if making this for a large group, add more cans. But always add the same amount of water as you do sauce. 1 can of tomato sauce = 1 can of water, 2 cans of sauce = 2 cans of water, etc. Make sure it is all well blended, and turn the heat down to medium. You are done with the cooking, so it just needs to stay warm now.

Fifth: Pour in whatever amount of chili powder you want. I like a giant tablespoon full, but this is all preference. Stir again.

BAM! Sauce is DONE!

*Tip: I put my chili powder in a container and freeze it. It keeps it fresh longer

*Another tip: The longer your sauce sits, the thicker it will get. Too thin? Just keep cooking and stirring. Too thick? Take off the heat and add some water.

While you have your sauce going, stick some tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the oven to warm them up. I put mine in at 350 for just a few minutes. You want them a little firmer than they are strait out of the package, or else they will fall apart in the sauce, but you want them soft enough to cut with a fork. Play around with them, you'll get the hang of the timing.

*Tip: My mom flips them over after a minute or so and cooks them on the other side. I don't, mostly because my mom does it with her BARE HANDS and I'm too much of a wimp to touch hot tortillas. But my mom's are much better than mine, so you may want to do that.

Once the tortillas are warmed through and slightly firm, take them and dip them completely in your sauce with tongs. Then pull them out, plop it on a plate, sprinkle with cheese, and repeat as many as you would like. Think of them like pancakes. You're just stacking them up. Sauce, tortilla, cheese, repeat.

Slab some sour cream on top, and to make them true "Mormon Enchiladas" top it all off with a fried egg and cottage cheese. (Fried egg not pictured because... well.. I don't like eggs.) And don't forget and ice cold Mexican coke, straight out of the glass bottle!

This whole meals costs pennies per person, feeds a LOT of people, and grand total takes maybe 5-10 minutes. I'm not kidding, it's that quick! Because you don't want the oil and flour or tomato sauce to burn, you have to do everything pretty quickly. I usually open the can of tomato sauce before I even begin in order to throw it in there as fast as possible once I get the flour all mixed in.

They are sweet, not spicy, and you can add anything you want to them. Olives, green onions, peppers, whatever! Sometimes I make this as a casserole. You make the same sauce, but you don't heat the tortillas. Just take a 9X13 inch pan, line the bottom with sauce, place tortillas along the bottom, sprinkle some ground beef (or chicken), cheese, more sauce, tortillas, beef, cheese etc, like a lasagna. Then bake at 350 until heated through, about 15 minutes.

If you ever want the real, authentic thing though, you're going to have to go to grandma. Her's (and my mom's) always turn out about a million times better than mine. They just have the gift I guess.

This really is my favorite meal. So easy, and a great tradition in my family. I request them for all my birthday dinners, and we have even had them for Christmas Eve dinner before (enchiladas on nice fancy china is pretty awesome!)

Ta Da!

Enjoy!