Things that bother me: Gym edition.

1. Girls who come to the gym in full going-out hair and makeup.
2. People who wear more than 2 pieces of jewelry to the gym.
3. 19 year olds who congregate on the stairs leading to all the machines. I get that you're trying to be cool and hang out with all your friends, but it bothers anyone trying to go up or down the stairs. 
4. Creeper guys who check out anyone walking into the gym.
5. Girls who come to the gym in loose fitting booty shorts. I do not need to see your cheeks while you are on the elliptical in front of me. 
6. Guys who drag around a gallon of water as they're lifting at every darn machine. 
7. People who wear those odd toe-shoes... how can they be comfortable?

Please note: This is not a complete list.

My marriage in a nutshell + it's getting busy around here.

Ok, this is something that I find humorous. Ben and I have a very playful marriage that really centers on our friendship. We really are best, best friends. Ben makes me laugh every day and always surprises me with his silly Ben-isms. Perfect example:

I leave him a note on the back door asking him to take out the trash with a heart at the bottom. Ornery Benjamin says no, draws a skull and crossbones, and takes out the trash anyway. 

Another one: one time I told Ben "I love you" and he responded by saying "I tolerate you." I told him that he was an evil beast. 

Anyway, there is our marriage in a nutshell.

Now is the beginning of the busiest time I've had in awhile. Let me give you a peek of my schedule:

Sept 16: Bunco

Sept 20: Mix tape club meeting

Sept 24: Skyler and Rachel's wedding

Sept 29: Dylan's birthday

Sept 30: Ben's birthday

Oct 1: family pictures, 1st of the month dinner

Oct 6: parents come to town

Oct 8: Dylan's birthday party

This is very busy for me, as Ben and I like our quiet little life where we go to work and come home. I love, love being social but I'm getting a little stressed by all that is going on and all that I have to get done. 

Sidenote:

Dylan and I went to Old Navy to get some fall clothes, and I had to buy this:

Hilarious, right? Ben may have to sport one for Dylan's party, as it is a Cowboy Woody theme. And yes, all of my parties have a theme. I'm a theme person, if you haven't gathered that already. 

Have a great weekend everyone! Let's hope that the BYU football team doesn't decide to suck again. Being that I live so close to the road leading to the stadium I'm going to avoid the roads at all costs. Gotta avoid all the crazy superfans.

In denial.

It seem like it was just yesterday that I was pregnant with Dylan. I was absolutely miserable toward the end of my pregnancy. Heat + ridiculous swelling + 9 months of pregnancy took a toll on me. Despite my discomfort, I was always so excited for Dylan to come into our family. And now, here we are almost two years later. 

I cannot believe that Dylan is about to turn two. That he's running and jumping and talking and having opinions about things. Sometimes it just blows my mind that when I ask him if he wants oatmeal or a waffle for breakfast he stops to think and actually chooses what he wants. My baby boy is able to think about things and make choices! When did this happen?

When I look back on the past two years somethings seem worlds away. The sleepless nights when I truly thought that I was going to lose my mind from sleep deprivation. The night when Dylan rolled over for the first time- Ben and I were so ecstatic as we called our parents to tell them the news. Even when Dylan took his first steps when he was almost one- all of these things seem like they were just so long ago. 

And now, here we are- my little baby is almost two. I am in denial. As fun and exciting as all of these great new developments are, it is always bittersweet, because I realize that my little baby is actually becoming a little boy. 

Things like potty training and a big boy bed are suddenly on my radar and I'm not sure that I like it. Can he just stay little, just for a while longer? Is it silly that I want to keep him in his crib for as long as possible?

Dylan is becoming such a little person with definite interests. He wants to do exactly what his dad is doing, which is adorable. He loves cars, motorcycles, and his putter. He has started wearing a plastic fireman's helmet because it looks like the hardhat that his "guys" have. I die.

Enough of my blubbering for now. Here are a few recent pictures of my baby that insists on growing up. 

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Also, thanks to everyone for their advice on my spaghetti sauce and salsa questions. I'll be trying out some new kinds this week!

Opinions needed.

There are two things that I cannot seem to find:

1. A delicious spaghetti sauce

2. A delicious salsa

I've tried a bunch of store bought kinds and I can't find anything that I love. I'm not interested in devoting my extra time to making either of these things from scratch, so could you please share the names of your favorite store bought spaghetti sauce and salsa? 

Aaaaaaand go!

Labor Day Love.

Labor Day was spectacular for a number of reasons. Let me list them for you.

1. After being out of town for the weekend, Ben was finally home! Dylan missed him a lot and asked for him at least 10 times each day that he was gone. 

2. Ummmm no work, 'nuff said.

3. I went to the gym and ran on the dang treadmill. Oddly enough, I think that I'm starting to like running. Right now I'm running for two miles, four times each week. I'm hoping to bump it to two and a half miles by the end of next week.

4. Went to Barnes and Noble alone and was able to read magazines for awhile. This is truly one of my favorite things to do- grab a People, US Weekly, and a few others, find a chair and flip through them for a good 30-40 minutes. I also bought a few books for Dylan, and I think he's really going to like this one:

5. We went to the Scera pool for the first time this year, on the last day of the pool season. We were able to get in for free and Dylan was in heaven. Everything was fabulous until someone put their child in the pool without a swim diaper on and they pooped in the pool. That's when we left. 

6. Later on, Ben was wanting something sweet, so we headed over to The Chocolate for some cake to take home. My favorite is the Kitty Katrina-white cake with white icing. It may have negated any calories burned on my run, but who cares? It was a holiday, and calories don't count on holidays. Or weekends. Riiiight.

7. I stopped by Nordstrom (remember, it is my happy place) to scout out a new face moisturizer, as my current moisturizer is crap. I met the nicest salesman at the Kiehl's counter and he hooked me up with samples of numerous brands to try before buying. Which brings me to my next point...

8. I signed up for Birchbox. This is a beauty product junkie's dream. For $10 each month I receive a box of deluxe beauty samples from all sorts of fancy brands. Words cannot express how excited I am for my first Birchbox to arrive. 

And there you have it. Now, back to work!

First of the month dinner celebration: September!

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I decided to begin having special dinners on the first of every month where I would put a little extra effort into the dinner and also center around a theme. The theme for September is Birthday, as Dylan and Ben both have birthdays at the end of the month. Ben decided on what we would eat, and I made it happen.

I also had to decorate the kitchen a bit, because what is a birthday celebration without some decorations, right?

 The kitch. 

 The awesome "birth month" cake. It was delicious- confetti cake with chocolate fudge icing. And no, it was not homemade- Betty Crocker does a great job on her own. 

 Our heavenly dinner of chicken tortilla soup. This soup is to die for, but it's a pain in the butt to make. Lots of steps, lots of pots, but well worth it.  

 Kiss the cook!

 The finished product- ahhh heaven!

 Little boy couldn't care less about the soup or the quesadilla that I made him- all he would do is say "cake!" and point at it. 

The Harris Fam.

 After dinner (which meant cleaning Dylan up from dinner and stripping him down) we had cake. We even sang "Happy Birth Month" and blew out candles. 

 We ate our cake on the front porch and enjoyed the perfect evening. It turned out to be one of those nights where Ben and I were both bummed that Dylan's bedtime came around because we were having such a great time as a family. 

It's safe to say that this little cheeser enjoyed his cake, don't you think?

Anyway, there's a look at September's first of the month dinner celebration. Next month's dinner is going to be great too- Halloween at the Harris house!

Wicked Witch on the loose.

Who is the Wicked Witch? That would be me. 

You see, last night after Ben and I had gotten through about 14 hours of being run-around-like-a-crazy-person busy, we were finally able to kick back and relax. Heaven, I tell you. Just sitting in the cold basement watching season one of Parenthood (which is nice, but not nearly as satisfying as the hilarious Modern Family. It makes me think of Brothers and Sisters if there were more children involved, which I could never get into.) Anyway, while we were watching Parenthood Ben turned to me and said, "There's been a little hiccup with my motorcycle's battery cover."

What the heck is Ben talking about? Well it's a long story- basically the battery cover on his motorcycle flew off while he was riding it, so it had to be put back on. Instead of just getting it put back on, he decided that he wanted a custom battery cover, complete with a spiderweb/number 13/skull/day of the dead design on it (doesn't that sound like a really bad tattoo?) Ben was doing trade work with the guy doing the custom design, so it wasn't supposed to cost us anything. 

Then comes the hiccup.

The guy doesn't want to do trade work anymore, which means that we get to pay for the custom battery cover design, as it has already been completed and is ready to go on his motorcycle. The design guy allegedly felt bad for going back on the trade work deal, so he is giving Ben the cover for 50% off. 

My first thought- oh good! A discount! What's it going to cost?

A whopping $287. Seriously?!? 

Enter Wicked Witch.

Yes, she definitely came out. She gave angry looks. She stewed. She said things like, "I can't believe this! How can he just go back on a deal?" She thought things like, "With $287 I could buy the two pairs of shoes that I've been wanting, plus a new pair of jeans, and a few shirts.... none of which I have purchased BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO BE A TEAM PLAYER AND SAVE MONEY."

And Wicked Witch may have said that last part. 

And may have told Ben that his battery cover design was ridiculous. 

After about 30 minutes of anger and stewing I got over it, because that's how I do. Get super angry for a little bit, probably say some things that I'll regret, and then get over it and be fine. 

Husband though? He had hurt feelings. He felt guilty. He couldn't sleep because he was upset (which gets me started on a whole new emotion cycle- guilt). 

Ben didn't want this any more than I did- he didn't think that he was going to have to pay out of pocket for this, and felt terrible that his plan ended up falling through. Where does this leave me? Still feeling like the Wicked Witch. Not because I'm mad at the husband- because I'm disappointed in my reaction over the whole situation. Did I have to lash out and say snarky things? No. Did I have to go on and on about why paying for the dang cover was the worst thing ever? No. 

Ugh. I suppose this is what marriage is all about- going through things together and learning to get through them. Learning to fight fair and not make mean little jabs. Learning to keep the Wicked Witch locked up and deal with issues and disappointments like a rational human being. 

Looks like I'm still learning. 

Date night.

Last weekend the hubs and I went to the movies to see Crazy Stupid Love. It had been awhile (like a month I think) since our last date and we were definitely ready for for B+C time. Not that we don't love spending time with the D, but all you parents know how important it is to get away and enjoy a few child-free hours away from the house. 

The movie was absolutely hilarious- the whole cast did a great job and brought humor to almost every scene. I forgot that Kevin Bacon was in the movie, and ever since I allegedly saw him doing road work in American Fork I have liked him a little more than before. 

I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone, but there is a little twist near the end. I was completely surprised by it- I suppose I can be less than perceptive at times- but Ben says that he saw it coming a mile away. Either way, the movie was great fun and definitely worth my $8.50 per ticket. 

And if a 17 year old girl ever gives my husband or 13 year old son a naked picture of herself, she will be shot dead. 

See the movie if you're wondering what that's all about. 

Mid-week randoms.

Hello friends! I hope that everyone is having a good week. Things are going great here... just working all day and chasing Dylan around. It's a good life. Here are a few randoms from the past week:

- I met supercute blogger Stephanie of Stephanie and Such while I was out getting my shop on last Saturday. I felt like such a creeper going up to a stranger and saying, "Hi, I read you blog" but she was so sweet and friendly. Yay for meeting bloggers in real life! And double yay that she didn't turn out to be a 50 year old man!

- While at court on Wednesday I heard my client's fiance say, "Yeah, I have porn on my computer. So what?" Didn't want to know that one. Cringe.

- Dylan has been getting more and more fun each day. His verbal skills are growing like crazy and it's so much fun to be able to communicate with him better and better. He's always asking me, "Luck?" which means "love" meaning he wants to hug and snuggle on me. 

- My heart is hurting for the darling Taylor family  who lost their sweet daughter Ruby earlier this month. I've been following their family for a few months now and the mother Ani is such an amazing example of faith and strength. 

- I'm trying to convince myself that I like to run, so I've been running 2 miles about 3 times every week. Still waiting to love running. 

- I finally joined Pinterest, but I've been extremely halfhearted in my Pinning efforts. This pin cracked me up today:

Thanks Stacey!

Please share some of your mid-week randoms!

A kickoff to the celebration dinners.

A few months ago I decided that I wanted to do something a little special every month when it came to dinner time. Honestly, I got this idea from NieNie, as every year her family has a back to school feast and celebration. I love this idea, because what she is doing is creating a great tradition and her family has wonderful memories as a result. 

And as I've said before, that is what I want- to create a happy home filled with memories.

Since Dylan is nowhere near school age, I decided that on the first of every month I would make a meal that was a little more special than our normal dinners. I'm not looking to spend tons of extra money or time on these dinners, but I just want to do something a little special and fun. I really think that it's the little things that add up, but this is one little thing that I can do and want to do. I don't have the time or energy to go the extra mile with all aspects of being a wife or mother, but this is a goal that I can achieve and feel good about as a result. 

To kick off my 1st of the month dinner celebration was August's dinner- Summer Picnic.

See, I told you- nothing amazing or difficult. 

I made the most summery dinner I could imagine- barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, and fruit salad which we ate in our backyard under our grape tree (yes, a grape tree).

 See what I mean by our grape tree? Grape vine + clothes line = grape tree. 

Poor, angry Dylan.  Little one got mad at me for not letting him have the salt shaker, so he ran and cried on his trampoline. 

Overall, our August 1st dinner was a great success, and I can't wait until September 1st for the next dinner, which will be a birthday celebration. Dylan's birthday is on the 29th and Ben's is on the 30th. 

You'd better believe that cake is involved.