My Girl...

It has really started to hit me that Gigi will not be my only baby much longer. I was so blessed last year to start my own business with D.J. and be able to work from inside the home. Now I get much more time to just soak up time with my girl. I LOVE IT! I have been able to start teaching her preschool, we bake...A LOT, we have spa days (she gives a great .25 second massage), recently she has helped me make and prep a lot for baby Brown and there are many Cinderella dance parties. But she especially likes doing that with daddy. Lately things have been a bit more relaxed since baby number two is coming...slowly but surely. G is so looking forward to a new baby (as much as she can grasp that reality) and from day one of this pregnancy, when I was really sick, she has taken on being my care giver. So many times she will make sure i'm wearing warm socks, put a blanket over me, make sure my water bottle is always full, bring me snacks and rub my back. If ever I (or anyone at all) look sad, she comes over using a sweet quiet voice saying "it's ok, don't be sad" followed by the sweetest hug. She is the most amazing kind hearted, intelligent and fun spirit and I am so happy to be her mama! 

Obsessed with lip gloss.

Flats are for quitters.

Favorite cheap entertainment.

 I am cherishing this one on one time I have with her. I know she will love having a new baby to take care of and my heart will grow to equally love both my little ones, but a part of me does feel sad thinking that this little family will never be the same again. 

Temple Trip

Recently we took a trip to Vancouver, WA. This was a very important  trip because; 1. my brother was returning from his two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Gigi was born two weeks after he had left so he hadn't even met her yet! 2. I was receiving me endowment (for those of you not familiar with this ordinance, here is a sight for explanation: http://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/02/endowed-with-covenants-and-blessings?lang=eng )  

3. D.J., Gigi and myself got to be sealed together as a family for time and all eternity.

 4. We were also able to see my newest cousin, Zane be blessed and his older brother, Hank get baptized! 5. Visit with family and friends and shop till we dropped. literally. We also got to enjoy General Conference with my family! 

Powerhouse vacation

I am so grateful to be a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. To know that the priesthood has been restored and to have a living prophet in these latter days. To have beautiful temples where we can receive sacred ordinances and do the work for those already gone from mortality who didn't get the chance in this life. I am especially grateful to know that today there are men ordained by God with the power to seal FAMILIES together for eternity, not just spouses till death do you part. And this can ONLY be done in His holy temple. Nothing has or ever will bring me as much joy as knowing that I will be with my sweetheart and my darling daughter not just in this life, but the next and all other children we have will be born in the covenant and be sealed as well. The experience was out of this world.  I love conference when I get to her the words of our Prophet Thomas S Monson and his apostles and to know they speak the words of God. 

On a different note, this trip was just so fun! I love/miss especially downtown Portland and Seattle so much! We got to spend some time on 23rd in Portland and Pike Market in Seattle and of course visited my favorite produce stand. Man oh man how i miss WA produce!!! Stupid Alaska. lol. And of course I had to get good old cheap sushi at least three times. (all pregnancy appropriate kinds) 

Gigi was in heaven with lots and lots and lots of a attention, but ever since we got back she has definitely been extra clingy to me and D.J. which is pretty cute except when she cant stand to be away from you when you need bathroom time...i remember privacy...it was nice. 

Now were back safe and sound and better than ever!!!

Vegan Cleanse

DJ and I looked into an online toxicity level test to see where we stood. It was bad. We had almost every sign of high toxin levels. So we decided to try a cleanse to see what a difference it makes. We didn't want to try one of those ridiculous "liquid only" cleanses because yes you lose weight, but it's all water weight you gain right back and its not a healthy week at all. Keeping up with Gigi takes protein!!! So I found a vegan cleanse;

NO animal products, sugar, sugar substitutes, gluten, caffeine or of course alcohol. The origonal cleanse is 21 days, but during the holidays, it was too hard to fit 21 days in that we didn't wanna break the rules.

In preperation, I planned out a full, 7day, every meal menu and made a list of acceptable snacks;

fruits/veggies, homemade hummus, airpopped popcorn, nuts, vegan rice cakes with or without a sugar free nut butter, caffeine free tea, tortilla chips and homemade almond nutrition bars. etc...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-garlic-hummus/ 

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/11/nourishing-protein-bars-a-great-whole-foods-snack.html

Cleanse Rules:

(nutritional and mental/spiritual)

-1 min closed eyes meditation/morning

-Purify essential oil applied to belly (digestive organs)mor & night

-at least 64oz water/day

-suppliments/vitamins with breakfast

-40-1hr exercise/day

-1 capsule or 8oz water with Zendocrine (detox) essential oil/day

Day 1:

breakfast-steel cut oats w/ agave, sliced almonds and banana

lunch-1 veggie patty sans bun and salad w/zero sugar dressing

dinner-sweet potato, apple, red lentil & carrot soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/sweet-potato-carrot-apple-and-red-lentil-soup/detail.aspx

*first day wasn't so hard, except when I made my mother-in-law a "delicious" cake for her bday and I couldn't even taste it :(

Day 2:

breakfast-quinoa with pure maple syrup,pecans and banana

lunch-leftover sparlc soup and rice cakes

dinner-vegan spinach, sundried tomatoes & potato balls

 http://www.instructables.com/id/Vegan-Baked-Potato-amp-Spinach-Balls-Fat-Free/

*still pretty easy today. Plus DJ joined me today (now that thanksgiving leftovers were all finished) so it helps to have a partner.

Day 3:
breakfast-steel cut oats with nuts and coconut
lunch-soup & rice cakes
dinner-spagettie squash taco salad with homemade black bean salsa
[this was the same as any taco salad recipe just using the cleanse restrictions and squash instead of meat]

*going strong! we are digesting really well and noticing better sleep.

Day 4:
breakfast-steel cut oats with banana

lunch-salad with non sugar dressing & a cup of soup

dinner-leftover taco salad (one squash made so much last night!)

*today i tried my first ever wheat grass shot! i am going to make this a regular thing. if you don't know it is wheat grass freshly juiced and put in a little shot glass and you drink it as you would an alcoholic shot really fast. it's so interesting because at first it tastes pretty earthy and bitter but then really sweet and yummy! still earthy but i liked it. the wheat grass can really detox your body so you have to drink lots and lots of water with it or the toxins will re-obsorb into your body and it could make you feel sick or give you a headache.

having some weird food dreams...but i am in a deeper sleep than i have in a long time!

Day 5:
breakfast-lentil scones (with gluten free flour mixture) & almond milk
lunch-a naked vegetarian burrito with guacamole 
dinner-curry with brown rice and tofu

*today i was feeling kind of off and tired...granted it was a VERY stressful day

Day 6:
breakfast-quinoa with roasted almonds & fruit

lunch-leftover curry
dinner-baked potato & veggie patty (this was a busy night so we didn't have much cookin time)
*feeling lots of energy today and my mood is way better!

Day 7:
breakfast-cranberry/orange muffins (with gluten free flour mixture)

 http://www.theppk.com/2011/01/orange-cranberry-muffins/
lunch-homemade hummus with veggies & chips
dinner-quinoa & sweet potato

 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/quinoa-with-sweet-potato-and-mushrooms/detail.aspx
 *ALL DONE! after just one week i am feeling more energy and getting better sleep which of course has improved my mood! I have also LOVED all these yummy foods. It's so nice to get full without feeling bad at all. i will deffinately keep some of the habbits of this cleanse...with a few cheats here and there hehe.

OrEgOn zOO

During our last few days in WA, we wanted to take Gigi on her first zoo trip at the Oregon Zoo. We got to go with our good friend Kris and her adorable Sadie <3. 

Little one especially loved when DJ made animal noises for all the animals. After our zoo fun was over, we decided to buy Gigi a little keepsake for her first zoo adventure and we would hold little toys up top her and she would grab some and just stare blankly at others....but then the clouds parted and DJ held out this little stuffed lion with an Oregon State Zoo tee shirt on and Gigi acted like it was her best friend and she squeeled with joy :D it was a must have.

talkin bout my girl

Becoming a mom you suddenly seem to only speak in clichés. example: she is growing up so fast! seriously I swear she became a completely different baby in one week. She started rolling over, trying to talk and sing, sitting in her baby chair (bumbo), grabbing toys and TEETHING dun dun dun. she is seriously bursting with personality. she hardly even "cries" anymore. it's more like, "moooom! daaaad! I have needs! look alive people!" personality. even my missionary bro can tell through his spiritual insight. he fixed this picture for me...

"This is a little song I wrote in the nersery. I call it: Formula.

       My teeth are growing, growing all the time

       Look how adorable I am, though I never stop crying

       Every bottle I've ever had is on a shelf above my crib

       And sometimes I've got Wiggles playing out my windows"

[nick's family guy tribute to what college guys did to the guitar]

stroke of genious. 

 

In the begining...

I have been saying for months now that i would get a blog started for our little family and i finally got around to it! So things that were missed:

I married my best friend. February 27th, 2010 was the happiest day of my life!

 

We met little miss Giselle Aynsli Brown october 14th, 2010. She was born 9lbs and 20in. She now weighs about 14lbs and is about 23.5in. long. I can't believe how fast she grows. If there was a baby gym, she would be a fitness instructor! She tries so hard to stand up (& she actually does with little help) & she loves doing baby yoga with mamma. But she does play as hard as she works! This morning for the first time, consciously, she was laughing at her goofy daddy...it's hands down the cutest sound ever heard. & yesterday her friend Sadie (1yr old) came over and played with Gigi taking her socks off and Gigi would hold her feet up so Sadie could put it back on. Fun game right??

& we all had our first christmas together. Grammy Campbell made everyone matching PJ bottoms to sleep in christmas eve including Nick in Houston and Lindsay in Utah. So even though we can't sleep near each other, we can all sleep in the same pants!...

Check out the spread! This was our christmas morning breakfast. Yummy. I think DJ & I cared more about the food than the presents.

 & that about sums it all up.