Catching Up: A Visit From Uncle Kirk and Aunt Shannon

My parents called the evening of Thursday, August 27 to tell us they were coming over to see Luke. We went out to meet them when they drove up and were surprised to see two other people in the back seat. It turned out that my brother Kirk and his wife Shannon had flown in from Texas to surprise us and meet their new nephew. It happened to be the weekend my good friend Hillary from Arizona had planned to come and visit us, so we all spent the weekend hanging out and catching up. We had such a fun weekend!

Here's Luke with his Uncle Kirk when we were waiting to have dinner at an Italian restaurant. Sorry for the low pic quality- apparently the restaurant had mood lighting. :-)

We spent Saturday afternoon at Oak Glen, a cute touristy applely town. Here's Shannon shopping while Luke's napping.

Hillary holding Luke.

Kirk, Shannon and Luke at my parents' house.


What a great surprise! We all had a great weekend together. Our only complaint was that it was too short!

Catching Up: A Night at the Fair

So much has happened since I last posted! On Wednesday, September 9, we went to the LA County Fair with my parents and Russell & Katie Kinser and their kids Madylin, Morgan and Nathan. We spent the evening visiting with farm animals, enjoying the entertainment and eating far out food (we can all now say we've tried chocolate covered bacon- the girls loved it).

Luke slept for the first hour or so, so we got lots of photos of him sleeping in front of various farm animals. Here he is napping near the cows.

Ben and Russell strolling their way to the dog diving competition.

Luke arches his back and looks up when he's checking things out. It looks awkward to the rest of us but he loves it. Here he is with my mom in front of the train.

Nathan was kind enough to share his stroller with Luke when he wanted to lay down. Here they are keeping warm.

Here we are with the Kinsers at the end of the night in the Children's Hall.

What a fun night! Luke was completely tuckered out. He slept very well that night. :-)

Photo Shoot

When Luke was 19 days old, the amazing Jen Gagliardi came to our home to take photos of him. It was a wonderful afternoon- she was here for over two hours taking photo after photo of Luke as he slept, wiggled and yawned. Here are some of my favorites.



















If you'd like to see more of Jen's work (including beautiful photos of my nieces Riley and Hailey), check out her blog.

Oh Boy!!!

I am so sorry for taking so long to post about our newest addition. I'm so excited to share the details. :-)

Luke joined our family Sunday, July 26. My water broke the evening before at about 4:00 and I was admitted to the hospital about two hours later. I wasn't having any contractions, so they induced me. After about 18 hours of labor and an hour and half of pushing, we met our sweet baby boy. Everyone was surprised by what a big boy he was- 9 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long. My doctor had predicted he would be about 2 lbs lighter than that. They gave him to me almost immediately and we had some time to bond before he and Ben went off to the nursery. He had an almost full head of brownish hair, and big adorable cheeks.


A few minutes old.

Luke and I were in the hospital for two days. He was nice and healthy, but we did find out that he was tongue tied, which means his tongue was attached to the very tip, which made nursing tricky. We got it clipped the day he left the hospital. Thankfully, it took just a second, there was hardly any blood and Luke didn't even cry. Now he eats like a pro. :-)

Luke is a little over a month old now, and we are completely smitten with him. Here's some details about him:

Name: Lucas Benjamin Fisher
Aliases: Luke, Little Man, Handsome, Buddy
Likes: Eating, taking supervised naps on his tummy, being swaddled, basking in the sun by the window, snuggling (I hope this one lasts), did I mention eating?
Dislikes: His carseat (it's always hot), sponge baths, waiting to eat

Quirks: He gets the hiccups all the time, sleeps with his arms and legs completely spread out when he's not swaddled, and is a very noisy eater.
Nursery: Jungle themed with lots of green
Mom's favorite features: His long fingers and feet
Mom's favorite expression: When he randomly puckers his lips and makes a fishy face

Luke and his proud papa.


Taking a stroll.


Catching some rays.


Sleeping in his favorite position.


Smiling for Mom and Dad.

So far, Luke follows objects with his eyes, is gaining some major head control, has rolled from belly to back (on accident- he was more surprised than anyone), and is perfecting his smile and showing it off for everyone. I look forward to sharing more info and pictures soon. :-)

Web Site of the Week #12: Amazon Gold Box

Although I don’t often buy online, when I do, it’s usually from Amazon. I love their comments, (usually) free shipping, and ease of checking out. Although I think most people know about Amazon, I don’t think everyone knows about Amazon Gold Box. Every day, Amazon Gold Box offers deals that are just available for a few hours, or until they sell out. It also offers an all day deal, and another list of sales Amazon is having that day. Amazon Gold Box has deals on everything from workout equipment to electronics to jewelry.

So I've now posted a dozen Web sites of the Week as promised. I won't be posting Web site recommendations weekly in the future, but I'll definitely let you know when I find other amazing Web sites I want to share.

Web Site of the Week #11: Diet Facts

As someone who likes to know how fattening food at my favorite restaurants is, I find dietfacts.com very useful. You can search alphabetically by restaurant, and then alphabetically by item. Some restaurant’s nutrition info isn’t available because they’ve chosen not to release it. However, if a restaurant has ever released their nutrition info, this Web site will have it. I admit that I’m not a fan of the Web site’s layout and navigation, however, other Web sites actually charge people for this information, so I love that this Web site free and up to date.

Web Site of the Week #10: Baby Cheapskate

My deal-seeking friends with babies say that when they are looking for the best deals on diapers and other baby items, babycheapskate.blogspot is the first place they look. This blog provides weekly listings of the best diaper (and other) deals available in stores, info about online toy and baby clothes sales, and links to valuable coupons and other deals. This blog is updated frequently, and provides tips on how to get the most for your dollar when buying for babies. If you have kids but not a boatload of money, you’ll love this blog.

Web Site of the Week #9: Happy News

I discovered happynews.com about a year ago after a Google search. It’s exactly what it sounds like- a Web site devoted to positive, upbeat, and often inspirational news. Why did I look for a Web site like this? I like being informed about what’s going on in our world, so I watch the news and check CNN.com daily. I think it’s important to know about what’s happening around our world because it’s important to be informed. That said, sometimes the news makes me a little sad. When I want to know that there are positive things going on the world, I go to happynews.com. This Web site provides a variety of national and international stories about things such as medical and scientific advances, inspirational people and heroic acts. If you ever question whether there’s any good in the world today, just visit this site and you’ll be reassured that there are many people out there working to make a difference.

Web Site of the Week #8: DownEast Basics

Downeastbasics.com is my very favorite online clothing store. Why do I love it? All of their clothes are cute, modest, and affordable. And it can be find clothes like that when you live outside of Utah. They offer basic layer tees as well as shirts, skirts and dresses that are all updated frequently. I love that their clothes are modern and fun without being revealing or pricey. If you’d like to add a few fun pieces to your wardrobe without taking a bite out of your wallet, you’ll love this site.

Web Site of the Week #7: Slickdeals

Slickdeals.net is the other deal Web site (along with dealnews.com) that I check daily. It’s different from Deal News because only a few deals are posted on the main page daily (as opposed to 100+), and they are typically all jaw dropping deals. If you’re looking for a few killer deals a day, this Web site is the way to go.

Results of the Big Ultrasound!

I had an ultrasound Thursday and our baby's gender is no longer a mystery!

So what do you think?

Scroll down to find out...

We were so excited to find out that so far, everything looks good.

And we were so excited to find out that we're having a boy!

So far we know that he likes dancing on my bladder, has a cute little button nose and loves Girl Scout Thin Mints (or maybe that's just me).

We love this little guy, all 12 ounces of him.

Web Site of the Week #6: Posie Gets Cozy

I love Posie Gets Cozy simply because it makes my smile. It’s a blog about the absolutely adorable life of Alicia Paulson, who lives in Portland with her hubby Andy and cute dog Clover. She is very crafty, and loves to share her sewing, crocheting, and other creative projects. Her ideas inspire me, and I love the images she shares of her cute home and town. She is clearly a happy person, and her blog is always upbeat and adorable.

Web Site of the Week #5: All Recipes

I’ve been visiting allrecipes.com for years, and I seriously don’t know what I’d do without it. This Web site features recipes that anyone can submit. The best part is that anyone can then review the recipes. This makes it easy to select recipes, because you can weed out the recipes with less than stellar reviews, and then alter the recipes you choose by making the changes reviewers suggest. The site has a lot of advanced search options, including an ingredient search, so you can search for recipes based on the food you have on hand. I have found some amazing recipes on this site, and have listed my favorites (in no particular order) below:
-Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
-World's Best Lasagna
-Chicken Broccoli Braid
-Make Ahead Lunch Wraps

-Beautiful Salad

-Rainbow Pasta Salad (I add a lot of veggies to this)

-Seminary Muffins

-Chocolate Mint Cookies
-Peanut Butter Temptations

-Cheese Ball (I make it with bacon instead of pecans)

-Taco Seasoning

Web Site of the Week #4: Current Codes

When I’m about to buy anything online, I always go to currentcodes.com before checking out. This fantastic Web site provides coupon codes for hundreds of online stores. You search for the merchant you’re buying from, and there will often be a coupon for a percentage off your purchase, or even free shipping. I love this Web site because I figure that if I’m going to make a purchase anyway, I might as well see if I can save a little extra money while I’m at it. If you don’t find a code on this Web site, you can go to another coupon code Web site, such as retailmenot.com. That Web site also provides coupon codes, but anyone can submit them, so sometimes they don’t work. I prefer currentcodes.com because it’s easy to search, and the codes are always up to date.

In case you don’t know how to use coupon codes, when you’re checking out from an online store, look for the little “coupon code” or “code” box that’s most often on the payment info page. Enter the code and the discount will be reflected in the final price.

Web Site of the Week #3: Family Fun

I visit familyfun.com when I’m looking for cute and inventive craft ideas. It has adorable ideas for fun things you can do with the whole family. They feature suggestions for every season and holiday, and I’m always amazed by how simple and affordable their ideas are. The site provides more than just craft ideas, too. They have party tips, recipes, game ideas and travel suggestions. If you’re looking for fun, easy and creative ideas for things your family can do together, you’ll love this Web site.

He Got In!

4 Years Earning a Bachelor’s Degree & Taking Prerequisites

100+ Hours Observing Physical Therapists in Action
Countless Hours Writing 4 Admissions Essays
4 Letters of Recommendation
1 Very Important Interview

Getting Accepted to Loma Linda University’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program: Priceless



Yay Ben!

Web Site of the Week #2: Dealnews

I read about dealnews.com a little over year ago in an online article, and I’ve been visiting it (almost) daily ever since. It’s a site for people who are looking for online deals that will knock their socks off. Every day, over a hundred new deals from all over the Web are posted. Talk about a wide range of items- they have deals on high-tech gear, clothes, home décor, toys, airfare and restaurants. Warning: you must have a lot of self control while visiting this site, because at first you might be tempted to buy everything. However, if you’re very picky (and not rich) like me, and only buy when something is exactly what you’ve been looking for, then this site is for you. This Web site has saved us a lot of money, and I’ve found it to be especially useful when I’m looking for gifts.

Web Site of the Week #1: Hungry Girl

I’ve made a list of my top 12 or so favorite Web sites that I love telling people about. I’ll be sharing one a week over the next three(ish) months. The Web sites I recommend will span a wide variety of topics and formats, but overall they are creative, easy to navigate, and provide useful, interesting information. I don’t know the people who run any of these Web sites, so I’m not profiting from this is any way. These are simply Web sites that I love and visit frequently, so I hope you enjoy them.

I discovered hungrygirl.com a couple years ago when I was looking for easy, creative recipes and food ideas. It’s a site for people who are interesting in low-fat and low-cal eating, and it frequently provides new product reviews, tips on how to eat healthy while dining out, and yummy low-fat recipes that mimic fattening food. New info is posted everyday Monday through Friday. If you’re looking to lose a few pounds (or keep them off), not only will this site help you realize that they’re not alone, you’ll have fun and actually enjoy what you’re eating while you’re at it.

Introducing Our Little Gummy Bear!

That’s what I think our baby looks like in his/her very first photo, anyway. I know the Gummy Bear looks kind of blob-like to most, but I already think our little blob of a baby is cute (and not nearly as alien-like as I expected). He/she is 11 weeks along in this sonogram image and 13 weeks along now. Isn’t it exciting?

Welcome One and All

Hi! After resisting for so long, (and creating this site a while ago and then changing my mind) I’ve finally joined the blogging world.

I admit that I’m not sure how frequently I’ll be posting. My main reason for not blogging already is that I work on a computer all day at work, so I don’t always want to come home and sit in front of a computer again. But I do like the idea of keeping a bit of a family journal/scrapbook and sharing it with those we love, so I finally decided to go for it.

Here’s a little info about us. My husband Ben and I live in southern California and have been married since the summer of 2006. Ben is an aspiring physical therapist who attends school full time while I work for a software developing company. Ben is a reading, running computer geek (sorry sweetie, but you are building a server in your spare time) who loves health and fitness and can make a mean artichoke dip. I spend my days managing Web sites and my evenings cooking, working out and trying to be crafty. Ben’s my best friend and favorite person on earth, and I consider myself one lucky girl to have him in my life.

So that's us! Now on to a post with some exciting news!