Christmas Highlights

I am going to copy both Anya and Brenda and list this year's Christmas highlights:

1- staying up late with Brooklynn watching tv

2- Sam playing in Gogo's bouncy house
3- Jessica and Ian coming over and their daughter Halle and my nephew Bastian becoming boyfriend/girlfriend (holding hands while walking down the stairs, throwing stuff over the balcony together, chasing one another in the yard). When it was time for Halle to go home, she asked Jessica, pointing to Bastian, "Can he come?"
4- Anya's slide show
5- Having my sister's and my kids together on Christmas eve

6- holding sweet little newborn Vaughn
7- Hearing Sam say, "Basjun!" (Bastian)
8- Sitting in between two of my all-time best friends and our babies during Relief Society
9- Brooklynn unexpectedly feeding me the water during Sacrament because my hands were busy feeding Mollie
10- Mollie having a 9-hour stretch of sleep one night
11- playing a very intense game of Jenga with my parents and Devin
12- going to the movies with Alli and Brooklynn

13- girls' night at Leigh Ann's with my favorite friends

14- watching old videos with Selena and Becky
15- watching the Barrys perform karoake versions of "Glee" songs
16- Going to lunch with my mom and Sam actually sitting and eating
17- having a safe drive home despite snowy conditions. God loves us :)


We are blessed beyond measure. Devin and I have the greatest, most generous families. It was a good Christmas.

Whitney, here is our family slide show. I'll still mail you a copy, but this is to hold you over until then.

Happy Birthday Whitney!

My dear little Whitney turned 23 yesterday. Usually we have a family party every December 28th to celebrate, but this year Whitney was 1500+ miles away in Atlanta. So Brad, it was all up to you buddy! Happy birthday to my favorite little sister!

Defacing Mollie

Sam has really been into coloring with markers lately. He likes to color on our leftover moving boxes, although today he branched out and colored on something else.

Streetwalker

So the other day I was driving home from the grocery store when I noticed a lady standing on the streetcorner wearing almost no clothes. I had to do a double-take because I was so shocked at what she was (wasn't) wearing...we're in cold Flagstaff for goodness sake! As I got closer to her at the red light I saw that she was in tiny running shorts, so I thought, "Oh, ok. At least she's a jogger." Finally the light turned green. As I was making my left turn, I took one last look (I guess I was fascinated or something). I could not believe my eyes. This lady that I thought was a streetwalker was actually a MAN!

Mollie is 3 Months Old

I can't believe how sweet this little girl is. Mollie is such a joy. She smiles all the time. If you just look her way, she smiles. Despite getting poked in the stomach by you-know-who, she smiles (after she's done crying of course). She even smiles while wearing bibs that say "Ladies' Man," and "Tough Guy" (we refuse to buy girlie bibs because we have about a thousand perfectly good boyish ones).

Mollie spits-up just as much as Sam did, although hers don't projectile as far as his did.

She is sleeping as many as 8 hours straight some nights, while other nights she is up every 1 1/2 hours.

Mollie makes me so happy and I can't wait until she and Sam can play together.

Mollie, I'm so glad I had you.

Baby Panyko

Baby Panyko was born this afternoon! Becca and Adam (my sister and brother-in-law) waited until D-day to find out the sex, and lo and behold it's a boy! Adam Vaughn Panyko. They're calling him Vaughn. These pictures are for you, Whitney.


I am so impressed with how Becca looks just hours after her C-section. I always tell people how we King girls are not pretty pregnant, and she's not holding true to our ugly pact.

48 Down, 25 To Go

Yesterday I called my friend Julie from Surprise to get a recipe for this AMAZING cake that I can eat on the Maker's Diet! I made cupcakes and I loved them. Let's just say they are already gone.

Here's what is in them:
1 and 1/4 C whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4 C cocoa
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 C water

You bake all of that together at 325 in a 9x9 pan for 25 minutes (or in my case 15 minutes for cupcakes)

for the frosting:

pecans (I used walnuts because they're cheaper)
raisins (I used half dates and half raisins)
milk
(I also added honey)

you put in equal parts of each ingredient and blend in the blender and spread over cooled cake/cupcakes


I am a sweets girl and these cupcakes made my day yesterday. I have been on the Maker's diet for 12 weeks now and have lost 48 lbs. I still have 25 to lose to be at my goal weight. The weight is coming off slowly, but at least it's coming off! I have been walking on the treadmill everyday very slooooooooooowly. My c-section incision has been giving me a lot of pain lately so I've been trying to take it easy.

It's not all just about getting skinny again. I feel good about myself when I eat good things. I hate having "food guilt." On this diet, I give myself my 2 cheats a week and there is no guilt involved! It's great. Go Maker's Diet!!!!

Stressful Sunday

Church for us is usually rough (thank you, Sam), but today was especially rough. We dealt with the normal loud-playing with his toys, the crawling under the pew in front of us, and the loud screams of, "NO!" when we try to get him to be reverent. It wasn't until Sam hit his head on the pew after stealing another kids' colored pencils that it got plain embarrassing. It's always fun to carry a screaming child out of the chapel while hundreds of eyes are watching you. Meanwhile, Mollie was working on a poo that resulted in 2 changed diapers during Sunday school.

Sam didn't make it though nursery, so Devin sat in there with him. According to Devin, Sam was the kid that got all the other kids riled up by running around in cirlces, screaming, until all the other kids were doing the same.

The icing on the cake? My phone went off in Relief Society.

The Worst Picture of Me. Ever.

So usually when a bad picture is taken of you, you press "delete" immediately, right? Well this one is so bad, so awful, that it made me laugh for a good minute. So I had to share. The best part is I didn't even know I was getting myself in the picture. I just thought it was of Sam. So this is what I look like when I take pictures I guess.

Sweet-as-Sugar Mollie

I'm a little obsessed with Mollie.

She is the sweetest, most smiley baby!

Every morning she showers me with nonstop smiles.

The only time she gets upset is when she wants her food. I don't blame her on that one. I really don't. Food is important to a girl!

You really can love your 2nd child as much as your first. What a relief!

Sam's 2 Year Video

Sam has been 2 for almost a month now, and I am finally done with his video.

I love Sam so much. He is so special. Even though he's officially in the "terrible two's" (just today he refused to stop wiping boogers on the couch), he still lights up my life! Being his mom makes me want to have 50 million more kids, just because raising him has been so great.

The Status of things

Here is a little update of our lives here in Flagstaff.

Devin and I spend our days here in our apartment taking care of Sam and Mollie. Devin is still searching for a job. A carpet cleaning business may be in the works here soon (possibly), but in the meantime we are broke. Now please understand that when I say we are broke I am not trying to get sympathy or handouts. Seriously. I am documenting this time in our lives and being completely honest about it. We just payed December's rent, and as for January's? Who knows where that will come from! We are nervous about money but we also know that we are in God's hands. Really and truly we believe and trust in that. Now with that said, we are not expecting to just sit around and wait for God to provide. We know we have to take matters into our own hands and do all that we can do. So, I am feeling the strong need to contribute.

I have had the thought lately that maybe I should try and watch children during the day at our apartment to help supplement our income. Plus, I know Sam would love a playmate (assuming the kids would be playing age). After talking with my dear friend Leigh Ann on Friday, I am feeling even more strongly that maybe I should do this. Leigh Ann watches kids during the day (along with her own 2), and is taking 12 credit hours online! That girl amazes me. If she can do it, I can do it. Of course the thought of this hurts my heart a little bit. Sam and Mollie are my little sweetlings, and just the thought of having my attention divided from them gives me crying feelings. So, I am still a little bit divided as to what to do. All I know is that I want to help out my little family in any way that I can.

Does anyone have ways they make extra income from home? What do you do now or what did you do when your kids were younger?


Leigh Ann and me. I'm not sure why I look like an 80-year-old-woman in this picture. I'm going to blame it on sleep deprivation thanks to Mollie.

Jealous Christmas

I entered a video into the "Guaranteed White Christmas" video contest. I was going to wait and upload this until Dec. 5, which is the contest deadline, but I decided to just go ahead and show it.

Special thanks to my mom, Brenda, Brooklynn and John for being in the video! And as always, thanks to my sweet Debbie who almost always is willing to be goofy in videos with me, even if it makes him grumpy :)