6 baby months flew by

This year I embraced fall. Monroe, you love running through the leaves and crunching them under your big green boots. I've always gotten anxious when fall arrives because it means winter's coming. But watching you play, enjoying the good and the beauty that fall has to offer has made my perception change.

Lottie, you're first teeth came through on your 6 month birthday- talk about momentous days! Your bottom two razors have been chomping away at anything that comes in contact. You've actually gotten really loud lately, I guess you know you have to be loud to be heard (Monroe's taught you well). Dad always said he didn't want a screeching baby, but now that we have you here he's taken to you pretty well.

We took pictures at the park to document how big you've gotten in 6 months, Ms. Lottie. We used the tripod and Monroe, you insisted on being the one to push the button and run back into the photo as the self-timer beeped. You did a great job pushing the button, but sorry that your facial expression  never was the best due to your running and shortness of breath.

Dal the Pal

Monroe, you've been asking for the last week if we could go bowling. You are so proud of your dad because he owns a purple glittered bowling ball. You tell everyone, "My daddy has a bowling ball." So for family night, you asked all the neighbors if they wanted to go bowling. You have a special way of always including everyone. Dallin was the one that accompanied you! You bowled a 78!

Sadly, you're hair didn't glow in the black lights... wa wa. And this is THE purple bowling ball.

Lottie thanks for being a trooper! With your white muslin blanket glowing in the black lights, we kept worrying that it may over-stimulate you into having seizures : ). You just smiled away and chewed away on your hand (you're already starting to teethe!).

Naptime- your favorite pastime

Yesterday, Monroe, you said that Lottie was your best friend. It was so sweet- even if you didn't fully comprehend what you were saying. Right now the ratios are about as follows:

• 50% of the time you're ignoring Lottie
• 25% of the time, you're finding a way to make Lottie laugh and smile (which earns you a Lottie-pop)
• 25% of the time you're finding a way to terrorize the little Ms.
• 100% of the time Lottie is happy to get any of your attention

The more Lottie starts to do, the more your relationship keeps growing! Your favorite game to play together for the time being is Naptime. It just means that the two of you cuddle up in bed and you cover you and Lottie both up with your blanket.

Welcome, Lottie Elisabeth Brundage

Not too much has changed between my sister and I over the 28 years we've been together. I remember our biggest day to get into trouble was always Sundays... our parents usually took a nap & we couldn't watch T.V., which left us with a lot of unsupervised time on our hands. Eating whole 'chocolate bars' of Ex-lax or potpurri because we had a sweet tooth that needed fixing were just a few of the not-so-bright ideas we had. When our parents would wake up, they were greeted by two sick girls more than once.

My sister came to visit las month and had a set amount of days that she was given as her time-off (she's a traveling nurse). With her she brought a a great Sunday activity- a recipe for a milkshake** that supposedly induced any 'ripe' uterus. It contained: two cups of ice cream, 2 oz. of castor oil and 2 raw eggs. I wanted her to meet Lottie before she left, so I downed it and pretty quickly started to feel the burn. Within 6 hours of the initial contractions starting, I was at the hospital measuring at a 10 with my sister, Kirk and doula by my side.

I pushed for an hour but I apparently have an odd shaped pelvic bone that I was not aware of (I should have learned after Monroe's birth). So Lottie was delivered by c-section. Nothing too traumatic or overwhelming and one healthy baby girl and mama!

Miss Lottie Elisabeth Brundage was born into our family April 15th, 2013... Tax Day.

A few quick facts about Lottie:
• She was born 7 lbs. 15 oz., 21 inches long- same as her brother Monroe (hopefully these weight and height similarities don't carry on into or past puberty)

• She is the first 'Brundage' girl to be born of her cousins

• She came into the world with her little mouth wide open, looking for food. Every nurse at the hospital kept telling me how hungry she was!

• Her one physical attribute that everyone comments on are her cute cheeks. She gets them from her daddy.

Monroe has been such a cute big brother to her. The one thing that bothers him is watching her nurse. He tells her, "No Lottie! No bite mami's chi-chi's!". It makes Kirk and I laugh every time (thanks for watching out for me Roe-Roe)!

**side-note- the milkshake really worked, but only drink it if you're past 39 weeks and ready for a baby. If you're uterus isn't ripe, it may just end in a prolonged trip to the bathroom. 

Commitment Issues

Alright, I'm recommitting myself to blog more often. I need to keep up with all the cute happenings that go on with Monroe. It's going by too fast to miss! Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to. We were able to go up to Idaho on two separate occasions. If you haven't ever experienced and Idaho spring/summer you're missing out.

Monroe got to spend time with all of his cousin at his Opa and Nana's house in Idaho Falls. We roasted hot dogs, made smores, built a tee-pee and had a slip and slide party. Can't get better than that.

Back in April, we got to go to Boise with Abuelos to visit my grandparents. It was so much fun and Monroe got smothered in love and attention. We had a busy schedule so there weren't many pictures but we got one with the cutest great grandparents in the world!

Lastly, I finally got a picture (maybe not the best) of the beautiful tulips that come up every spring in Logan. It's one of my favorite explosion of blossoms!

We love our family and the time we get to spend together.

Pokey-Man

We had a lot of fun taking Monroe to see all the baby animals. It was a lot of work getting there but definitely worth it. I loved seeing him with his chubby finger, poking/petting all the animals. He was great with all the big animals, and even baa'd with the sheep. The smaller animals (chicks, ducks and bunnies) I was nervous that he would squeeze to death. He was responsible and only extended a finger to pet their delicate little bodies. It was different than other years, since this year Kirk and I were mainly watching our baby and waiting for his reaction. It was so enchanting watching Monroe's expressions, and he only cried with the piglets. Love that little guy!

Pupusas, heard of them?

My mom is from El Salvador as most of you know. And in El Salvador the pupusa is what eggrolls are to China. Pupusas basically consist of a corn tortilla dough on the outside with beans, cheese and a pork mixture called chicharon stuffed inside. They are eaten with a pickled cabbage mixture called curtido. It is definitely one of my comfort foods. While I was in Las Vegas this past visit I learned more in the art of pupusa making. Since there is a filling on the inside it's tricky to get the inside to stay in. I took some pictures of my mama with her master skills and wanted to share.

Under careful supervision, I was able to make the curtido and it was amazing. I'm going to include the curtido recipe below. I'm not quite ready to have a step by step on how to make pupusas, but I will include it sometime in the future (when I don't end up with a cheesy mess of a pupusa). Even if you don't have a pupusa to eat this with, it's a great topping on tacos, enchiladas or an alternative to salsa. Enjoy!

Salvadoran Curtido, 30 minutes
(the beauty of this recipe is that there is no cooking/boiling, which is a lengthy process that a lot of people use)

Ingredients:
1 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced and cut down into 1" in length
1 onion, thinly sliced from end to end
2 carrots, grated
1/2 chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno cut into thin rounds
3/8 cup of coarse salt
1 cup water
3 cups of apple cider vinegar

Add cabbage, onion, carrots and cilantro to a large bowl, mix. Add coarse salt to mixture. Using your hand, mix in the salt and squeeze cabbage. Continue to squeeze cabbage mixture and mix with hand. The point of this is to extract the water from the vegetables. You know you're done when there is about a fourth an inch of water at the bottom of the bowl.

Prepare a container with a lid, grab a handful of cabbage and squeeze out all the salt water, place it in your container. Do this until all your cabbage mixture is in your lidded container and only salt water is left in your first bowl. The purpose of this is to remove the salt from the cabbage mixture.

Add jalapenos (do not add before, as they may cause heat burn), water and vinegar. Seal with lid and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours before using. And done!

(Pupusa recipe soon to come!)

Tu-na-na-na-nana, they say it's your birthday!

Monroe's Father, these photos reassure me that I am related to my son. See the resemblance?

Happy Birthday Kirky! To the most amazing husband, father and friend.  Here are some things I can brag about you being who you are:

• You're always so happy.
• You make the best jokes, regardless of your audience.
• Monroe told me that you always find anyway to make him smile and feel loved.
• You never yell, much less raise your voice.
• You're a phenomenal provider for our family.
• Everyone that meets you wants to get to know you better. Even that weird guy in the ward said you were a pretty cool guy, even though we lost every volleyball match on his team.
• You make bolo ties cool.
• You make a #1 with clippers look pretty hot.

We love you so much and can't wait to celebrate this day with you! Happy birthday!

Homemaker (*cringe*) until now...

My sister took this picture in India of a mother and daughter. They were beggars and looked so beautiful.

Tomorrow I'm in charge of teaching the teenage girls at my church about... homemaking. Ew, I hate that word. It seems outdated, weak and definitely doesn't give me credit for my never ending job. I was looking online for a different word that really encompassed what a wife/mother/non-paid-every-type-of-hat-wearer really does and I came across this article. It made me definitely rethink what the word homemaker means. I wish these words could make it into parenthesis after the word homemaker:

"...I just wonder if maybe it’s time we gave the H-word, Homemaker, back some of its status. After all, most of us live in homes of one kind or another. “Home” is a very powerful concept: it’s not just a place to sleep, or store food, or keep out of the elements…it’s also a place to enjoy our family, to spend time with friends, to retreat from the world, to be at peace, to feel safe and loved. No matter how high-powered or important our jobs outside of the house are, and no matter how busy and active we are in outside-the-home pursuits, home is really the center of the world for most people…and from keeping it warm to keeping it safe–to maybe even keeping it attractive–there’s plenty of work to be done at home."

I'm blessed to have a home to make amazing things happen inside its' walls! This short post convinced me, let's see if I can convince teenage girls that being a homemaker is the coolest, hippest and most fulfilling job in the world!

p.s. Just in case it doesn't, are there any words you use to describe what you do at home? (other than watch t.v. all day, sip mimosas and get pedicures... a common misconception)

Je m'apelle Claude

Have you ever see the friends episode, The One Where Joey Speaks French? We're going through that with Monroe right now. It's pretty funny. We say a word to him and he responds in the right number of syllables but not even close to the right word. Watch the Joey video and then watch Monroe if you want (you can never watch too many FRIENDS episodes, right Remi?):

Birthday Trio

mama, rachel and elvis

Happy Birthday you three! Hope your year is wonderful and know that you're loved.

Happy New Year

2011 is soon to be behind us.
We included a scattered timeline of events that occurred this year on our Christmas postcard.

Mighty Man

Kirk ran his first marathon! He did amazing, finishing in 4:19:48. It was a gruesome route. People finished 45 minutes later at the Tri-State Marathon than the St. George Marathon. It was pretty rigorous, but he was able to run through Utah, Arizona and finish in Mesquite. We followed him from mile 13 on, and were so proud of him. Here are some glimpses of his journey!

Monroe the Matador + LV Halloween

It's been a while since I've posted. Even though Halloween is three weeks past, I needed to archive our adventures. This year Monroe was a Matador. He was the cutest matador possible, all he was missing was his mustache (I stopped trying after three disasters with liquid eyeliner). Some confused him with Michael Jackson, but for the most part his red cape under his arm let people know that he meant business as a matador. We spent Halloween in Las Vegas with our families. Here are some pictures of what went on:

Going from the top left to right, row by row, here's what we did. 1-Family Halloween Photo, 2-Monroe with his cousins (Rylee, Monroe & Ellie), 3-Andre Agassi, Monroe & Kirk dressed as Andre Agassi (yes, the black Mr. T is really Andre Agassi!), 4- Dirty Old Man as Cupid on Fremont Street, 5- Superman on Stilts (most amazing constume), 6- Fremont Experience with Family/Friends

It was so much fun! I had forgotten why Halloween was so much fun in Las Vegas, and now I remember. I think it has to be the best place to spend Halloween, if you haven't been, schedule it sometime.

House in the Mouse

Last night we had an unwanted visitor. There was not only a mouse in the house but the mouse owned the house. I don't understand how a three inch mammal can own a 1,600 square foot home. Kirk and I were paralyzed. Kirk spotted the brown fur ball scurrying under the door to the main floor bathroom. We froze! After playing pick up stix with our nerves, I decided I'd go to the store and get traps while Kirk stayed on lookout duty.

When I got back home, Kirk had a more humane/calm/collected way of dealing with the little critter. We blocked in the bathroom and ushered it into a box. Then we set it free in the field across the street. Stressful but something new... The questions I have now are:

• where did it come from?
• are we dirty (I clean all the time)?
• does it have friends?

First Fourth

We spent the Fourth of July in Idaho Falls. We had the honor of getting to clean out my grandparents home, (honestly a day I've been dreading my whole life) and then watch the Idaho Falls fireworks show. It's the biggest firework show west of the Mississippi if you've never made it up it's worth it.

While we were up in Idaho Falls we visited our friend Ruchi at the mall. She works doing hair removal with threading. The boys didn't believe that it hurt as bad as our facial expressions depicted so they gave it a go. It was so entertaining for everyone, including them. We were all giggling so hard. Happy Fourth!

ROE-MON

top row: Monroe with his 'welcome to the big-top' diapers, kiddie pool with papa, Uncle Joshie time
bottom row: car seat button impression after nap, curly slide, Kirk's gypsy haircut 

The little girls in our neighborhood get confused with the order of the syllables in Monroe's name. I think ROE-MON is more fitting for these photos at the aquatic center (with his state sanctioned euro-diapers). While we were waiting in line for the curly slide Monroe grabbed some curly's on the man's belly that was next to us in line and gave it a massage/yank. I didn't notice until the man uncomfortably said, "Excuse me...". We had fun all the way until someone left a brown foot-long in the pool. That was our queue to head home. When doesn't that happen at the public pool?

Mr. Brundage, so official

If you don't know, this is a good way to find out. Kirk has decided to sell his company and starting July 1st he will be done with T-Mobile. With the AT&T merger there are just too many uncertainties so it seemed like a good time to get out. The Wall Street Journal called him this week to do an interview about his decision and the merger. It made the front cover of the business section! You can't read it online unless you're a subscriber but that's the basic jist of the interview. Pretty fun way for Kirk to get closure with his decision. I'm so proud of him and we'll see what our next adventure holds.

Happy Half Year

We celebrated his half birthday, courtesy of Tia Trish, in St. George. 
I'm sure Monroe can't wait for a sister so that I making him look like a girl.

Happy Half Birthday Monroe! I can't believe you've been a part of our family
for that long (and that I haven't been working in an office for half a year already!).

St. Georgie

We spent Memorial Day weekend in St. George. My family drove up from Las Vegas and we had so much fun with each one another and the warm weather. These were some of the things we did:
ate at Troy's BBQ (amazing everytime), went swimming in water that was a bit too cold, hiked Three Ponds in Snow Canyon (it was all fun and games until about 15 minutes into it), got matching Skechers with Aunt Trish, Kirk showed off his new police baton to my mama, on the way home we swam in the hot spring at Meadows (in water that was just right).

We also stopped in Payson to visit Kirk's paternal grandparents. Irvin Monroe Brundage is who Monty is named after. With all our stops on the way home it turned a 5 hour trip into a 9 hour trip. Monroe was a trooper and only cried for the last 15 minutes!