A Different Kind of Love

It didn't take long for me to realize that Jake and I love Ethan differently.  So different, in fact, that when Ethan was first born I mistook his love for our new son as indifference, which led to pointless heartbreak.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  I was wrong, wrong, wrong, and wronger I couldn't have been. I love Ethan by giving him kisses shower, by admiring his elbow dimples and fat toes and that unruly blond hair, by taking one million instagram photos of him, and by constantly proclaiming his unbearable cuteness.  Jake loves Ethan with quiet observation, with a firm hug, with those three feet throws or four feet drops, and with his famous Simba lift.  There is no sweeter moments than watching the man you love snuggle your giggly baby and seeing the joy that radiates from both of their faces.  

Families are Forever

Picture taken at cabin.

Today was fast Sunday.  In my humble opinion, there is nothing fast about fast Sundays...  Every minute is like an eternity when your belly is so empty it thinks "Forget about the nerves that are supposed to convey to the brain that I need food!!" and proceeds to growl in a church meeting while your face turns bright red.  That was not me though, not today anyway, because I give myself the ultimate trump card when I'm pregnant or nursing.  It's one of the many sacrifices of being a mom.

As I sat in sacrament this afternoon, my heart started pumping faster and faster without my authorization.  Darn you, heart!  Why is it so hard for you to grasp the idea that there is no need for you to work any faster than normal when I'm sitting perfectly still?  I felt like I needed to go up but I didn't know what I would say so I sat and listened to others' testimonies.  Forty minutes later, the clock struck 2:05 p.m.  It was past our normal time to close and yet our bishop was still sitting there with no intention whatsoever to stand up and close the meeting but no one else was going up to the podium.  The chapel was silent.  My heart was racing.  Thirty seconds had gone by...  Sweaty palms...  One minute...  I swear the bishop was staring and smiling at me...  Two minutes...  Gah!  Fine, you win!  I stood up with trembling feet and walked onto the stage.

I overcame the embarrassment of my imperfect English and shared my testimony.  I felt like I was able to express almost everything I wanted to say but not all and that's when this blog comes in handy.

My testimony of the gospel is a simple one.  I have always known it to be true but when Ethan was born, I got distracted and started thinking of all the what-ifs.  What if it weren't true?  What if the family cannot be forever?  What if Ethan and my relationship is only limited to this life?  I could not bear the thought that the family I've created in this life is going to have an end, and that when my life comes to an end that I will be gone from Ethan's life forever.  So I had to know, again, with even more certainty than ever before, that there was indeed a plan of happiness and that my family can be together forever even after death.

This time, the answer to my prayer for a stronger testimony did not come all at once.  It was not an aha moment like it was so many times before.  As I strived to pray and read the scriptures with Ethan everyday and to study them myself, the answer has "over time distilled upon my soul as the dews from heaven."  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  Jesus Christ is my savior and the power of the atonement is real.  He loves us so He has provided a way for us to be happy.  Families can and are meant to be forever and I am grateful.

Ethan has made me a better person in so many ways, even in ways I have never imagined.

June Favorites

{1}  A sick and snuggly baby.  And my new iPhone case.

{2}  New shoes :)

{3}  New jeans.  These are the most comfortable jeans I have ever owned and they fit me perfectly.  So happy to have found them.

{4}  That handsome little babe is definitely one of my favorites this month.

{5}  Michelin alert!

{6}  Bone folders.  Everyone should own one of these.  I got hooked to them when I was at college in my very first bookbinding class and I was so glad to have found one at Michael's when I was preparing Leah's bridal shower.

{7}  Some more new shoes.  These are so comfy...  I think I have reached that age where comfort is my first priority when it comes to clothing and shoes.

{8}  New purse.  I'm also really into beige and neutrals right now.

{9}  My travel case for toiletries.  Love it.

{10}  These came in my June birchbox and I love them both so much.  The one step bronzer makes my skin glows and the lip and cheek stain is amazing.  Jake came home one night and complimented on my lip color.  I was surprised to say the least that he noticed a new lip color and even more surprised that there is still anything left because I applied it in the morning!

{11}  Current addiction.

{12}  I'm pretty addicted to those cheeks as well!

Hope you all had a good month.  Who is ready for the second half of 2012?

Bowtie and Asparagus in Cream Sauce

It has been a while since I posted a recipe hasn't it?  Well, it's been a while since I worked in my own kitchen!  Just thinking about this pasta makes my belly growl.  It was so good.  How can it not be yummy with a whole stick of butter in the sauce?  Instead of chicken bouillon cubes, I used my Chinese chicken powder and it was just fine.  I also threw in a bag of cooked crumbled bacon I grabbed at the store instead of cooking my own bacon.  Do I sound like a lazy cook or what?  I preferred to be called efficient or labor-saving thank you very much.

{ Bowtie and Asparagus in Cream Sauce }

From Favorite Family Recipes

1 package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup real butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 pint heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

10-15 spears asparagus, blanched

1/2 cup bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts

Parsley, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente.

In a heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute or so.

Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cubes. When the bouillon cubes are dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately.

Oldies but Goodies

I hate importing pictures from my iPhone to my computer because it always take so dang long!  But then again it takes forever since I usually wait till I have used up ALL the memory on my phone before I irritatedly plug it in and impatiently wait for the 700+ pictures to be imported.  Let me not forget to mention that every time a message pops up to inform me that I am forbidden to take any more pictures because I have ran out of space, I go into settings and delete all the nice-but-peripheral apps to make more room for just one more picture of E.  Am I the only one who does that?  Probably.

Anyhow, I emptied my phone of pictures today and these are some gems I found.  They might be oldies but they sure are goodies.

Poor Ethan had a fever for three miserable days.
His was so sick his eyes were only half opened all day long on the third day.

New suit jacket.

Videos of the Mini

It's about time to share a few videos of the mini!  These were all taken back when we were in Utah about a week ago.  The first video is of Ethan laughing after I took the aspirator out of our luggage and found that it was covered in dried up Benadryl.  The Second video is of him doing his newest tricks a week ago.  Ethan has mastered the tongue clicking and the nose scrunch.  He learned how to stick his tongue out on demand today which I will try to get on camera one of these days.  The third video is of him trying lime for the first time.  He wasn't too impressed.  I hope you enjoy them!

Leah's Wedding Eve: { Hair Combing Ceremony }

The night before the wedding we combed Leah's hair so that she would be ready for her hairdresser in the morning.  Um.  Not true.  But that would be funny.

The hair combing ceremony is a Chinese custom that is still widely practiced.  We do it just for fun and for my mom to express her well wishes for the bride.  It's done by having a woman, in this case my mom, who has lived a blessed and happy life comb the bride's hair.  The woman recites a standard "poem" while she brushes the bride's hair and the poem expresses all the wishes that she has for the bride and her marriage.  In the olden days, and please don't quote me on this because I am certainly not a Chinese historian and don't pretend to be one either, unmarried Chinese girls wear their hair down while married women wear their hair up.  This ceremony is when they get that one dramatic change in their hairstyle for the rest of their lives so I guess it's pretty significant :)

We ended the night with some sweet rice dumplings which is symbolic of a complete and happy family.  And happy we were.