R-Workshop/Bootcamp

Earlier this month Jesse left for Denton, TX to attend an R-workshop/Boot camp. It took Jesse a while to explain this to me, but "R" is actually the name of a statistical programing language that can be used for corpus linguistic research. You would think that they could come up with a more creative name. He left on August 8th and got home really late on August 15th. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to have Jesse leave me for a week. It was even more difficult because we hadn't had the opportunity to spend much time together before he left. We were in Utah for a week and then Jesse's sisters Emily and Lizzy came to visit for a week and then Jesse was gone. I felt extremely overwhelmed and extremely stressed out. I was grateful my Dad could come stay with me for a few days to help me take care of Landon. I really hate being alone, but in addition to being alone, I am pregnant and have a 2 year old.

                               

Jesse went with 2 other students from NAU, John and Shelley. They spent most of the car ride to TX and back studying for their comprehensive exam. Jesse didn't have to write a thesis for his Master's degree, but he does have to pass this exam in order to graduate.  

While daddy was away, we went to the park and had lots of fun. Landon thought it was really funny when Grandpa would swing. I thought it was pretty funny too. I don't think I have ever seen my dad swing before.

I am grateful that Jesse is home and back in school. When Jesse is in school he doesn't miss it for anything (except when I have a baby). Which means he is home with me.  

July Utah Trip

Because of Jesse's work and school schedule and my pregnancy, we didn't get to do a lot of fun family  activities this summer. We did however, get to go to Utah for 10 days and spend some time with our families. While Jesse was at Wind Rivers, Landon and I were being spoiled by my sweet mom. Landon is a lot like me, he is clean, organized and very routine oriented. Every evening we did the same thing we picked up our room and went swimming; well he went swimming and I just watched.

Landon's cousin Jason, came over a few times to go swimming with him. Landon wasn't very thoughtful though. Landon would splash poor Jason in the face and take away his toys.

Needless to say, Landon spent a lot of time giving Jason hugs and kisses for being mean.

  

Since Landon was 6 Months old he has had a love for music. He likes to lead the music in sacrament and he loves to dance and sing. Anytime we go over to Grandma's, Landon always wanders off to the piano room and plays his little heart out. He spent a lot of time in the afternoons playing the piano. I took this picture after he was in there for 30 minutes. I will probably start teaching him about music around 4 or 5 years old.

When Grandma would come home from work we normally went shopping or out to dinner. While Grandma Perez was  looking at baby cloths Landon and I were goofing off playing with all the fun things.

We also went and visited my Grandpa and Grandma Reid in West Jordan. My Grandma just got a skin graft on her leg and was on bed wrest. We were able to make my Grandparents Sunday dinner and play with our cousins. Landon learned how to do somersaults and play ring around the rosies. Landon also liked to give us a piano performance every now and then.

Some other things that we got to do (I don't have pictures, Sorry). We got to spend an evening with Grandpa Egbert and Landon's Aunt Jenna, Melissa and Ashlyn. Aunt Jocelyn made us some yummy Cherry pie and eclaire cake. We also got to spend the day with Diane at her home and played a lot of fun games. Landon and I took a nap in the afternoon, we're kind of lame like that. Later that same evening we went to Jesse's Grandmas and had a really good fireside, the entire Egbert Family was there. Laura was there via phone. Cousin Rylee also taught Landon how to say "No". Now Landon likes to say "No" and then smack you the face. Isn't he an angel, not. At the end of our stay we had a game night with my older brother David and his wife Heidi. As for Penny she came to Utah with us. She spent the whole time bothering my moms dog, Riley. When she wasn't bothering Riley, she was bothering me or playing somewhere in the background.

                                                                   

Ball or Watermelon?

Whenever we encounter a roundish object Jesse and I are faced with the same one worded question. Ball? No Landon, its actually a watermelon. It doesn't do much good to explain this to him. We are of course wrong and he is right. On our family grocery shopping trip we decided to get a watermelon. Landon immediately became very possessive. No one was allowed to touch it but him. He cried when we paid for it and screamed the word ball over and over until we got home.

Thanksgiving Point Farm Country

Landon's first word was dog. He absolutely loves animals, which is one of the main reasons we got Penny. According to Landon any type of animal is actually, a dog. Jesse and I both at one point had the opportunity to work at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi UT. We never worked there together but we both worked there during our High School years. If there is one thing we both learned by working there, it's a rip-off. But Grandpa and Grandma Perez wanted to take Landon to see all of the cute farm animals. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Farm Country isn't expensive at all. In fact it's really affordable. It only cost $3.50 per adult and Landon got in free. Landon was easily entertained the whole time we were there which was surprising because he was in a super bad mood before we left. It was a fun family activity!

Landon learning about all the milk he drinks.

Landon and Grandma Perez going to see the baby chick's

Landon needs to lose a little weight. According to this scale he

weighs as much as a baby lamb.

Taking a break.

Landon was so brave. It took him awhile to warm-up to the horses.

Pony ride! If you asked Landon though, he would tell you it was a
dog ride.

Landon and Grandpa Perez looking at the bunny's

Wagon Ride!

Landon sat still the whole time!

Landon had to pet every statue.

Wind Rivers

Jesse has been working non-stop for a while now. He is famous for running himself into the ground with family, work, school and church callings. It was definitely time for a vacation. So Landon and I went to Utah to stay with my family and Jesse headed up to Wyoming with his family.

When Jesse and I were first married we went to the Wind Rivers together. I must say that it is absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed taking brief moments and just getting lost in the beauty of it all.

I loved that Penny went with Jesse. It was so fun to watch her get ready for the backpacking trip. Jesse bought Penny her very own backpack. I have never seen a prouder dog. Although we are still awaiting a full recovery from the trip. She is still just a puppy.

This will probably be the last Wind Rivers trip for a while. I know Jesse really missed Landon and me, and we really missed him. We may have to wait a few years until we can go together as a family or at least until Landon is old enough to go. I am glad Jesse got to go and have some fun before he started another semester of school.

Best of Landon!!!

How CUTE!

Book of the Month

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark (http://www.goodreads.com/).

 I picked this book up from the library for an easy read. I was pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put the book down. A lot of people have been asking me for a new series to read. Well, if I have to make a suggestion it would be The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. The Scorch Trials comes out October 2010. Enjoy!!!

Poor Jesse

For those of you that didn't know, I am hugely pregnant. I am nearly 33 weeks along and ready to just have the baby. I am currently at the stage where I just want to put my feet up and do absolutely nothing except sleep, eat and feel huge. Landon, on the other hand, is ready to conquer the world. So Jesse gets to balance the both of us. After a few experiments Jesse has found that the best way to entertain us is to put Landon in a laundry basket and throw him around a little bit. I get free entertainment and Landon gets to have loads of fun: we both win. Because Landon is a big boy now he has to climb into the laundry basket all by himself. Once he gets situated Jesse starts from the kitchen and pushes him as hard as he can. We started out having Penny with us but she was a bit suicidal and kept getting hit by the laundry basket. I thought it was hilarious, but Jesse has a more tender heart then I do and sent Penny to her kennel.  I tried to get a picture because it was so funny but they were all to blurry.

4th of July weekend!

Thanks to an abandoned campfire, our 4th of July was 100% firework free. In fact I didn't even see fireworks being sold in the stores. On June 20th Flagstaff had a second forest fire (Schultz Fire). Over 1000 people were evacuated from their homes, livestock was transferred to other land and approximately 15,000 acres were burnt crispy. So, the only fireworks we got to see were on the mountain top. It was pretty exciting though! Nothing really exciting ever happens in Flagstaff except huge disasters. In fact on January 22nd Northern Arizona was declared a disaster area because of snow. Even though we had a fire blazing just 4 miles from our home we still had a lot of fun. My family came up from Utah for a weekend getaway. We ate a lot of yummy food, played games, and went to the park. And of course Landon was spoiled rotten by Grandpa and Grandma Perez

Who needs fireworks?

Day at the park with Cousin Jason.

Landon didn't like the swings!

Hanging out with mom.

Aunt Heidi and cousin Jason

Frisbee

Egbert family heading to church.

Helping uncle Dave clean the computer.
Thanks Dave!

My little Scholar

Landon is our first child. He has been there through most every major event in our marriage. Mainly Jesse's education. By the time Landon is 6 or 7 years old Jesse will just be finishing his PhD . Because school plays such a large part of our lives he is starting to copy Jesse more and more. There is hardly a day that goes by where he doesn't see Jesse reading on the coach or writing a paper on the computer. Now, there's hardly a day that goes by where I don't see Landon pretending to read on the coach or playing at the computer. It is amazing to me, to see how closely we are being watched as parents.

We are still trying to teach him how to hold the
book right side up.

And who really knows what's going to happen. But maybe after having Jesse as a good example to follow, he will end up just like his dad.

Lemon Rice Pilaf

My Mom made this while she was visiting from Utah. I really don't like rice but this was really yummy. We sauteed some mushrooms and mixed them in with our rice which made it even more delicious. This makes a lot so you may want to cut it in half if you don't plan on feeding very many people.

LEMON RICE PILAF

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1 Cup celery, diced small
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (2 fresh lemons)
1 Tablespoons lemon rind

1 Cup orzo or broken vermicelli (pasta) (You can use both Orzo and Vermicelli)
1-½ cups long-grain rice
1 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
5 Cups chicken broth (5 cups water and 5 bouillon cubes if you don't have broth.)

Instructions

· Sauté celery, onions and pasta in butter until it begins to brown.
· Add rice, basil, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and pepper
· Add chicken broth to rice mixture
· Turn to high heat until the rice comes to a boil
· Reduce heat and cover
· Simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy and all liquid is absorbed
· Let stand 10 minutes before serving
· Fluff with a fork
· Serve hot

Note: You may need to add more water to get the texture you want. You can also add sauteed mushrooms for extra flavor.