Hoarder Story

Tyler and I have a new wishlist on TiVo for anything relating to "hoarding" and "hoarders." We have seen about 12 different shows telling the stories of compulsive hoarders. Half of these shows have been on Animal Planet, documenting the run-ins that various ASPCA groups have had with animal hoarders. The rest of the shows have focused on helping those suffering from Hoarding Disorder by helping them clean their houses and having them work with psychologists and "professional organizers." There is "Obsessed," "My Mother's Garden," "Truth Be Told: I'm a Hoarder," "Animal Hoarders," etc. And now there is now an entire series about hoarding! It is appropriately called just "Hoarders." It's fascinating.

Watching these people lose their livelihood to material possessions has gotten us in the mood for a garage sale! We went through all of our clothes, books, toys, and random crap, and will attempt to sell about half of it. It feels so great to look in my closet and see only clothes that fit me and that I wear. Amazing. It was hard to part with some things, but there is nothing that inspires you to get rid of stuff than watching people struggling to live in their own filth and rotting belongings.

Summer Updates

I cannot believe that summer is coming to an end, and little baby Calvin is 4 months old! Time really does move fast. Calvin has come a long way in the past month. He has such a passion for learning and is one of the most easy-going, good-natured people I have ever known.

This month's big milestone was that Calvin learned how to roll over! A few weeks ago, we began to find him playing on his stomach when we would leave him on his back. The scariest would be when we would put him on his back to sleep, and we'd find him on his stomach in the morning. He couldn't seem to get from his stomach back to his back. Usually babies learn this the other way around. The sad thing for Calvin is that he doesn't much like being on his stomach, so after he would excitedly roll over, he'd be upset to discover that he was stuck in a perpetual ab exercise. This got to be very frustrating to him. He has since learned how to roll back to his back again.

Now if you leave him alone on the floor, he just rolls around exploring every part of the room. It doesn't seem like a bad way to travel. The only problem is that he can only roll one way- to his left. This doesn't seem to bother him, though. Once he has reached a wall and cannot travel in that direction any longer, he maneuvers around so that he has another straight shot. His movement patterns are actually very similar to Roomba.

Besides being so rollie, he also laughs and babbles a ton. He seems so happy all the time. When we went down to Tucson for a week, I thought the change of environment and all the attention would throw him off, but he responded so cheerfully. He was an angel on the plane, slept great in the Pack N Play, and just got giggly when he was surrounded by dozens of cousins! Tyler and I are trying to follow his example and be a bit more cheery in the throes of normal life. Calvin helps us to realize what a great life we have surrounded by so many people that love us. I have felt so happy and peaceful in the past month! I am so grateful for the amazing families we have!

I am going to try to keep this short and update more often. Enjoy!

Rule of Three

Calvin is now three months old. I really cannot believe it. Every morning, I wake up to find him bigger and heavier than when I put him down the night before. It is quite amazing how fast they grow.

You can also really see babies' minds working and making connections. Calvin has figured out how to control his arms with his brain (though clumsy). He will very slowly reach out and grab something he is interested in. It is almost painful watching how hard he concentrates to perform such a seemingly simple task. I am constantly amazed at how many things become second nature.

The other large development is that he has started to laugh--though he is a pretty tough critic. We have discovered that he has a similar sense of humor to Tyler and me since the first time he laughed was when he spit up all over me. I was shrieking and squealing trying to find a rag to wipe my body, the pillow, and his face off, and meanwhile, he was cackling. This, of course, made us laugh, which in turn made him laugh harder. It was a very sweet moment.

Tyler and I seek his laughs for validation, but he is only interested in fresh material. We'll do something silly, and he'll bust up laughing so we do it again. He'll laugh harder! When we do it a third time, he laughs so hard he can hardly contain himself. Of course, we always try for more, but upon the fourth time we do a bit, all we get is complete silence. It is no longer funny. Sometimes he gives us a courtesy smile, but it seems that he already understands that when it comes to comedy, funny things always come in threes.

He may be selective about what he laughs at, but he is not as picky when it comes to his smiles! Calvin smiles all day long. He is such a good-natured little kid. I just love his chubby cheeks!

WT?

Our neighborhood Smith's recently underwent some remodeling, including nice, new stone on the outside, as well as new shelves, signs, and floor treatment on the inside. Among the changes, they have added sound effects to the meat department.

As I was shopping today, picking out steaks for a BBQ, I began hearing scattered "moo-ing" and the sounds of grazing. What is this supposed to make me think? "Yum...that sounds delicious!"? Or am I to think that the meat here is so fresh that I can hear the cow just minutes before his body parts are put out on the shelf? Perhaps Smith's Marketplace is thinking of innovative ways to be ADA compliant in aiding our non-sighted neighbors? In any instance, it's a little weird.

Two Months Old Already!

Every day goes by so fast! Calvin's big accomplishment this month was learning how to smile. The first time he really did it on purpose was when we went to go get him one morning at 5:30. He was yelling for us and when he saw us pop our heads over the side of the crib, he gave us a toothless grin. It melted my heart.

It makes each morning like Christmas morning as I sneak into his room only to find the greatest gift I've ever gotten smiling back at me from inside the crib.

We love him.

Here is a montage of smiles!

Shepherd Baby warming up after bath time.

Our Little Meerkat Pup

I don't know why, but he loves to stretch like this. He is such a little bean. He remained like this for about 5 minutes until he decided to go back to his back again.

Another happening this month was his baby blessing on May 30.

Tyler performed a beautiful blessing in our ward here in Provo.

That's about all the news about us this month. He goes in on Friday for his 2-month checkup. I am nervous for his shots...It is too sad when he cries in pain. Not fun, poor little guy.

More updates next month!

Cookie Snob

A friend of mine has a great chocolate-chip cookie recipe. When she brought cookies in to work to share them, everyone began gushing about their greatness. When I came in, I was also offered a cookie. Upon partaking of this very delicious cookie, I was asked, "Isn't this the best cookie you've ever had?" I faltered. I didn't know how to answer this question and started considering if I had ever had any cookies that were greater. I couldn't think of any offhand, but I have had a lot of cookies in my life- surely there is a chance that I have had a cookie that I thought was better. Or that I enjoyed at least equally as much. My hesitation was taken as rudeness. I didn't mean to offend, I just didn't know if the cookie was the best I had ever had in my lifetime.

I think found it hard for me to label this cookie as "the best ever" because cookies are generally expected to taste really good. It isn't like tasting some refried beans and declaring passionately that they are the best you've ever had. Most refried beans are just ordinary, so a really great recipe would stick out. Of course, that is not to say that some cookies are not better than others. I have had my share of cookies that are too hard, burnt, overly gooey, etc., but for the most part, cookies are good. I tried explaining to everyone that I wanted to compliment her cookies as being very delicious, but avoid a superlative statement that I did not fully endorse.

Tyler says I'm a cookie snob.

I guess I am pretty critical when it comes to cookies. I don't really consider myself an expert on the matter, but I do seem to be full of opinion. I wonder if I judge too harshly?

I have thought a lot about my cookie critiquing. I would much rather judge cookies by comparing different recipes for the same cookie, as opposed to declaring which cookies are better than others. I have included in this post what I believe to be the best Snickerdoodle recipe and the best No-Bake cookie recipe. And I can say these things without hesitation.

Does anyone else have strong feelings for certain recipes?

The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
I LOVE Snickerdoodles, but sometimes they are too crunchy or too gooey. When they are done right, though, they are AMAZING. The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook's version of the cinnamon cookie is the BEST Snickerdoodle recipe I have ever eaten. Following it allows you to make perfect Snickerdoodles every time. Here is the recipe for your enjoyment:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
Parchment Paper (very important)

Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.
4. Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

The Best No-bake Cookies
This is another cookie that seems to vary greatly in taste depending on what recipe you use. I have had these cookies a lot over the years, and rarely is there a great balance between the chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal. More often than not, they should be called Chocolate Peanut Butter Puddles. Recently, I made my family's age-old recipe that I grew up on. Without a doubt, it is the best No-Bake recipe I have ever had. There is a great balance of tastes. The peanut butter is added as a dry ingredient with the oatmeal instead of melting it with the chocolate (which I think preserves the PB flavor). Cocoa powder is also used instead of melting chocolate chips which somehow also seems to make it better. I have also included this recipe.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups quick oats (regular oats work well too)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt
One stick margarine (or butter)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Directions:
1. Combine oats, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir until peanut butter is as evenly distributed as possible.
2. Combine margarine, milk, sugar, and cocoa in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil one minute. Pour into oats mixture and stir until combined.
3. Drop desired cookie size onto wax paper and wait until hardened.

Let me know your thoughts.

One Month Old

We have had Calvin for one month now. He hasn't learned too much yet besides how to efficiently eat, excrete, and make everyone melt because of his cuteness. He seems to be very close to smiling at people, but right now the only time he smiles is right after he eats, when he is tipsy with milk. He has had many visitors in the past month and is now lonely with just Tyler and me. We try to keep him busy with tummy time, swing time, wake time, etc. We hope you enjoy these pictures of highlights in the past month!