Halloween Highlights

Dressing Hannah up in her ladybug costume.

Going to Amelia for their Halloween parade.  It was so great to see my former students and some of their parents.

Our trip to the pumpkin patch.

Eating doughnuts.

Our ward Trunk-or-Treat.  Hannah was a ladybug, I was an ant, and Aaron was a bug catcher.  I know, we're dorky.

Happy Halloween!

Health

Today I am grateful for health.  Health is a funny thing.  It's something you never even think about and completely take for granted until you or someone you care about no longer has it.  (Like when you get a cold and all of the sudden you realize how wonderful it was to take a deep breath through an unstuffy nose.)

I've been thinking a lot today about those I care about who aren't doing so well - a friend's husband, who has pancreatic cancer;  another friend who went into pre-term labor (her baby isn't due until January).  Those are scary things.  They make me think about how lucky I am to be able to walk, bend, jump, reach, run, even just breathe.

I am so grateful for the health that I have enjoyed up to this point in my life.  It's something I want relish, instead of just presuming it will always be there.

The Many Faces of Hannah

Today I feel so blessed to get to stay home with my little girly.  To be completely honest, I had a really hard time giving up my job.  Because I really loved it.  And while I was pregnant, I worried that if I stayed home, I would be constantly bored or lonely.  But I have absolutely no regrets.  I LOVE being home, even more than I ever loved my job.  Which was a lot.  Don't get me wrong, there are moments of frustration, boredom and loneliness.  But there are so many moments where I am watching Hannah play or eat or sleep and find myself thinking "I'm so glad I didn't miss this."  I know that not everyone gets to or wants to stay home, but it was definitely right for me and I never want to take it for granted.  So today I bring you.....

The Many Faces of Hannah

These little gems are just a few of the moments I would hate to miss.  Enjoy.

Shocked

 Bashful

Disgusted

Kind of sad

 Sad

Depths of despair

 Drowsy

Pirate

Salivating

 Cannibal

Mmm...That was delicious

 Horrified

 Stink eye

Classic Hannah

I'm kind of obsessed with her.

Consider the Blessings

So last week I had a very bad day.  You know, one of those days where nothing goes right and it’s hard to feel happy about anything.  We all have them.  (At least, I hope I’m not the only one.)  My attitude got progressively worse.  I started with questions like “Why does the weather have to be so crummy?” which escalated to “Why does my Aaron have to be in school, with such hard classes, and working such long hours, so that Hannah and I hardly ever get to see him?” and ended with “Why is life so hard?”  Pretty soon, I was throwing a full out pity party for myself.

So I got online and read this.  

And watched this:

(You should watch it too.)

And I felt a lot better.  And a lot more humble.

And realized how incredibly and unbelievably blessed I have been.  As I “took an inventory” of my life, I recognized that everything, even the hard things, even the bad things, have led me to this point in my life.  And this point is exactly where I want to be.  

So from now until Thanksgiving (I know we’re still a few days off from November.  If the radio can get away with playing Christmas music for two months, I can do this.), I am challenging myself to write about one thing I am grateful for each day.  I challenge you to do it too.

Today, I’m grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who allows us to change, who doesn’t give up on us when we’re selfish and ungrateful, and who gently leads us to become more than we are.

The First Snow

I woke up this morning and it was snowing.  SNOWING!  It seems a little early for that, but I'm a Utah girl and love snow.  In our little family, we have a tradition – on the first day it snows each year, I always make chili and bread sticks for dinner.  I'm not sure today actually counts since the snow quickly disappeared and was replaced with rain.  But it was too late.  My mind was made up.  I was making chili.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe, but I’ve tweaked it a little, as Martha and I don’t see eye-to-eye on everything (I don't need to feed an army, like to use what I already have, and don't do insider trading).  If you want her original recipe, which I’m sure is good as is, go here.  

I love this chili because it's rich and warm and delicious.  Perfect for days like today.

Ingredients

2 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ pounds ground turkey (93% lean)

½ pound Italian sausage (You don’t need this but I had some on hand and it makes everything tastier J)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (have courage people, it’s really not that much)

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (don't leave this out - it's the star of the show)

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¾ cup water

2 teaspoons salt

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

Directions

Over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 6-8 minutes.  Add the turkey and Italian sausage.  Break up the meat with a spoon and cook just until browned.  Drain most of the fat.

      

      Chop the onion and garlic, or if you are me, drop the onion, rinse it off, and then chop.  Add it to the meat and cook until soft.  Stir in the chili powder and cocoa powder.  Cook and stir for about another minute.  

      Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, water, and salt.  Bring it all to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.  

   

      Add both cans of beans and cook for about 30 more minutes, or until the meat and beans are very tender.

      Top it off with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese and serve with warm bread sticks.  

  

      Bring on the snow, right Hannah?

Hannah Stats: 4 Months

-        Each month, I put together a page for Hannah's baby book about how she's grown and what she's learned to do.  Here's this month's....

•     You have changed so much this month!  You are definitely showing more personality every day.
•       You’re still so smiley and giggly.  I love how social you are and take you to visit friends and neighbors who need a lift.  You definitely know how to pull out the charm and your happy smile cheers everyone up.
• You are so squirmy!  You do not like to sit still and you always have to have something to do.  I have a feeling church is going to get harder….
• You have a fetish with your feet.  You love to grab them and even suck on your toes!
• You like to sleep with your hands over your ears or back behind your head.  You look so relaxed, no wonder you sleep so well.
• You have discovered your tongue and it’s sticking out almost all of the time.  You also use it to lick or suck on anything within reach.
• You stay awake for longer now – usually one and a half to two hours.  You also sleep longer at night – usually 12+ hours with one or two feedings in there.
• When we dangle or hold something in front of your face, you concentrate really hard (stick your tongue out and go cross-eyed) and swing your hands back and forth until you grab it.
• You are a slobber queen.  Endless amounts of drool come out of that sweet little mouth of yours.
• You have mastered rolling over.  I can’t put you down for five minutes before you’re on the opposite side of how I set you down.  You can roll both from back to tummy and tummy to back.  You just like to move!
• You are long and lean just like your daddy.  This doctor’s visit showed that you are about 25 inches long (68%) and 13 pounds (34%).  It’s already hard to find pants that fit and we have to cinch up your size 2 diapers to keep them on.
• Your favorite things are eating, bath time, and when Dad plays the guitar and sings to you.

  And now for some pictures.

 With the cousins

 Always has her tongue out

So happy

I love this little girl!

Fall Decor Tour

Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I have tried to become more "domestic."  Part of this includes making a more concerted effort at keeping our apartment clean, comfortable, and a place where the Spirit can be, as well as making it more warm and inviting.  So today I thought I’d show a little of what I’ve done.  I have a couple of disclaimers though:  1. We live in a tiny apartment that may or may not have birds living in the ceiling.  (I take that back – we do have birds living in the ceiling.  I’m sure they’ll fly south any day now.)  2.  With Aaron in school, my home décor budget is pretty much non-existent, so I’ve had to be creative.  3.  I am not a designer.  The design experience I’ve had has been with bulletin boards in my classroom.  So please don’t judge. 

It’s not much but here we go….

Paper fans made out of scrapbook paper I already had.  They’re super easy to make and if you add a nice button, they actually look kind of pretty. 

What says fall like gourds and pumpkins?  I plunked a few down on top of the entertainment center and voila! - it's fall in the Bytheway home.  Flags were also made out of scrapbook paper.

More gourds on the book shelf.

Say hello to our orange and brown couch.  I know it’s Halloween meets gunny sack, but it was generously donated to us and I have to admit, it’s extremely comfy.  Unless you’re pregnant.  Then it’s like being a beach ball stuck in a folding chair.  But that’s beside the point.  I show you the infamous orange and brown couch because this is the one time of year that it actually sort of goes with anything.  I have to enjoy this moment.

I'd love to hear the decorating ideas of all you people.

Welcome

Well hello everyone!  Welcome to my blog!  It's not exactly how I want it yet, but I'm a big fan of revisions.  If any of you bloggers out there have tips or ideas, I'm open to all suggestions.  Including a new title.  That's what happens when your last name is Bytheway.  Creativity goes out the window.  Anyways, a little about us....

I'm Ali.  I'm a former 2nd grade teacher trying to figure out how to be a stay-at-home mama.  I love reading, running, baking, and hopefully blogging, or there won't be many posts after this.

Aaron's the man of the house.  He's a chemical engineering student at BYU, dances some crazy dub step in our kitchen, and is my very best friend.

And last but not least, here's Hannah.  She's almost four months old, has a fetish with her feet, loves to slobber on freshly changed clothes and is, in my opinion, the cutest baby ever.  Who can resist this face?