8 Months A.L (After Liv)

It has been an exciting couple months since our last blog post, so here's an update on us!
(Just to clarify, "Month 7" means from the day Olivia turned 6 months until the day she turned 7 months and that goes for each preceding and subsequent months)

Month 7: Olivia had her 6 month check up on March 26, 2015. She weighed in at 14 lb. 6.5 oz (17%) and her height was 25 3/4 in. (45%). We celebrated her first Easter and watched General Conference at Ben's parents' house. The Easter Bunny brought bubbles and bath toys; she really loves the plastic boats she got. Olivia started throwing some pretty impressive tantrums when we took things away from her. She would also throw a tantrum when she wanted to eat (or lick) what I was eating. Ben and I thought it was pretty cute until she did it in public. Liv started to army crawl really well toward the end of this month.

Month 8: This was a big month for Liv; she travelled and learned lots of new things.  Liv mastered going from belly to sitting. She would rock back and forth on her hands and knees and the first weekend in May she officially became a crawler! We were in Utah at the time so it was fun for my family to be there to see her do that. (Something about traveling that helps Liv learn new things because we were in CA when she learned to roll over!) Olivia also learned how to play peek-a-boo by herself while we were in Utah. We got home from Utah on May 5, 2015 and immediately lowered her crib and since then we have been slowly baby proofing things as she gets into them. Yesterday, May 17, 2015, Liv stood up with no hands (so crazy!) and we lowered her crib again! This morning, May 18, 2015, Liv waved good bye to Ben when he left for work and she clapped the whole way through breakfast, at the grocery store, whenever I clapped and only stopped while we were FaceTiming my mom (of course)! Olivia doesn't like getting in her carseat so I have started bribing her with snacks. She loves the Gerber baby "Cheetos", Plum banana/pumpkin teething biscuits, Parent's Choice strawberry/apple puffs, string cheese, avocados and various fruits. She weighs 16 lbs. now and we are loving how big she is getting.

Other than that, life is pretty much the same. We are all loving the nice weather and have enjoyed spending time outside and with friends. We got to attend my sister Rachel's wedding on May 1. It was so nice to be able to attend the temple since we haven't gone since Liv was born. I got to be in Utah for 8 days and Ben was there for 4. We had so much fun spending time with family and we took family pictures (Ben, Liv and I) so hopefully we will get those in the next week or so! Olivia was amazing on the flights to Utah but it was a little rougher on the way home - you can't win 'em all.

Ben has taken up Frisbee Golfing and goes multiple times per week with friends from our ward. There is a small course right around the corner from our house so it's super convenient. His first Deere softball game was cancelled due to weather, but we are hopeful for a game to happen this week! I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day and Ben and Liv bought me a new drill with various bits and attachments. I was pretty excited and actually got it a day early so I could do a quick project or two (see picture of bench and measuring stick below). Ben and I got to go on our first date A.L (After Liv). I felt old as I had to find a babysitter and was reminded of all the sweet families that I babysat for growing up. We went to the movies and saw Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was so fun to get out of the house without Liv and we are anxious to go again! We planted some herbs from seeds and tomatoes from starters this past weekend and I'm excited to have those this summer. One day, when we have a bigger place, we'll have a huge garden and I'll have a million power tools...a girl can dream!

Until next time!

Kristen

April 21, 2015

April 26, 2015

Rachel and Matt's wedding, May 1, 2015

Mother's Day, May 11, 2015

Lunch with Dad, May 12, 2015

 

Mom bribing with food, May 13, 2015

Liv trying not to get buckled in, May 11, 2015

First date A.L., May 15, 2015

Project 1 with drill (still need to fix the fabric)

Project 2 with drill

Baby Liv (Birth-6 Months)

Sweet Baby Liv! There is so much to say about her and I obviously haven't kept up on it. Luckily, months 1-4 are pretty uneventful, for Olivia at least. They were pretty eventful for Ben and I. Olivia's due date was Sept. 24 (and I quote...Kristen-"What was Olivia's original due date?" Ben-"I don't know").  I'll try to keep the details of everything clear and concise, but still interesting.

Labor and Delivery:

On Saturday, Sept. 13 I started having regular contractions, the pain level varied and they ranged from 2-5 minutes apart. I woke up early Monday morning in quite a bit of pain and the contractions were definitely getting stronger. Ben and I decided to take a quick trip to L&D to get me checked and see what the nurses said. I was (now very obviously) not in active labor and they sent me home with the encouragement that they thought I would be back within a day and actually be in labor.

I had my 39 week appointment on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 10am and the doctor agreed to strip my membranes since I was pretty miserable from contracting constantly for 3 days-let's be real, I was pretty miserable my whole pregnancy. ;) The doctor jokingly said that she couldn't break my water and then seriously said she had accidentally broken a woman's water the night before and had gotten in a little trouble. Unfortunately for her, she did it again. I felt a lovely warm gush and just like that, my water was broken! Since I was Group B Strep positive, they admitted me right away to start me on antibiotics. I didn't progress much for a few hours so they started me on Pitocin and then I got an epidural. Epidurals are so good. I took a nap and woke up at a 9.5. GUYS, A 9.5! Some people feel accomplished by enduring pain, I felt accomplished because I napped during labor. By the time the doctor got to the hospital,I was ready to push. I pushed through 4 contractions and Liv was born! We named her Olivia Elaine Wenzel. She was born at 6:39pm, weighing 7lbs .2oz, and 21 inches long. Liv's vitals had dropped while I was pushing, but after a little oxygen and love from our nurses, she was good to go! We had the same sweet nurse during delivery and the days we stayed in the hospital. She made such a difference in my post birth/hospital experience.

Olivia's nicknames: Liv, Livie, Liver, Liverpool, Tuna Chum (thanks Wicked Tuna-the tv show), Baby, Princess Baby, and Little Sister (my mother calls her this, that's what happens when you have 4 daughters!)

Birth-Month 1:

We had so much help from family during our first month with Olivia. Ben's mom stayed with us for the first week, my mom came for weeks 2-3 (and my dad surprised us for a weekend!), and then Ben's mom came again for a few days. Having so much help that first month made a huge difference. I was able to sleep and both my mom and Ben's mom would just bring the baby in for me to nurse. We are so blessed with great mothers. While my mom was here, we got to go on walks and enjoy the last days of nice weather.

Month 2:

My sister Amy came to visit for a little less than a week! It was so fun to be able to spend time with her in our home, since usually she is the one hosting us in her home. For Halloween, we carved pumpkins and dressed up as Misty, Ash and Pikachu from Pokemon-Ben's clever costume idea. Liv was obviously so adorable that she won the cutest costume at our church's Trunk-or-Treat! And my chili won a prize too, like mother like daughter. We blessed Liv on Sunday, Nov. 2. Ben's parents, my parent's and my younger sisters, Rachel and Kelsey were all there. It was so fun to have everyone to celebrate Olivia. My talented mother made Olivia's blessing dress using leftover fabric from my wedding dress (that she also made). The only notable thing that Liv did was start cooing back at us. Ben does the most amazing impression of her, I laugh every time, ask him about it.

Month 3:

Liv started smiling and loved playing with the stuffed monkey on her activity mat. She celebrated her first Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Wenzel's house, where she got to meet her Great Aunt Brenda and Great Uncle Dennis as well as her Uncle Jared! We went and picked out a real Christmas tree, which was a first for all of us and had fun watching Christmas movies and decorating. Liv was so lucky and got to take a picture with Santa at our church's Christmas party! She also started loving her book Princess Baby (she still loves that book).

Month 4:

We spent Christmas and New Year's with Ben's family and Liv was so spoiled by everyone. This was also the magical month when we started force swaddling Liv and she started taking a pacifier! If at first you don't succeed, buy every pacifier brand and periodically try every one until the baby agrees to take it. That was a game changer for me. She went down for naps and went to bed so much easier, it was heaven. Liv was a dolly and giggled for the first time too! We were at a doctors appointment and she giggled while I was talking to the nurse.

Month 5:

Liv got her first pedicure in bed on a Saturday morning, she loved it, obviously. She also went on her first airplane! Liv was an angel baby while traveling, she barely cried and was happy to nurse and sleep during the flights/layovers. Our trip to CA also included a quick weekend trip to UT to visit my sisters/bro in law/nephews. It was so fun to have everyone together again (minus Ben because he had to work). Liv loved meeting her cousins and they were so sweet. Carson loved to hold her hand and Eli wanted to give her lots of hugs. Liv rolled over for the first time on Feb. 10 (Happy Birthday, Mom!) We also started trying a few solids, which she LOVED. The main thing we did was oatmeal, but also peaches and bananas. As soon as we started solids, she started going to sleep easier. I know people claim that this isn't proven to help, but for us, it did. While we were in CA, Olivia got to play on the grass for the first time. I was sad to bring her back to the cold because she was so excited when we were outside. She also got her first bath that wasn't in an infant tub. Liv was only waking up once a night but has been waking 2-3 times ever since we were in CA. She loves looking in mirrors, watching videos of herself and FaceTiming with family.

Month 6:

I love this age of Olivia. She is very interactive and I finally feel like we have gotten into a good routine/ I kinda know what I'm doing. She did stop taking a pacifier at about 5.5 months which was really hard, but I think its because of teething (no teeth have popped through yet). She loves chewing on Sophie the teething giraffe and pretty much everything else. About the same time she stopped taking a pacifier, she started rolling ALL OVER. I can't leave her alone in a room anymore because she ends up getting into everything and we aren't baby proofed yet. She rolls and rolls and rolls and has started inching forward. At least once a day Ben or I comment on how big she is getting. We can't believe how grown up she is. She loves peek-a-boo, reading books, singing songs before Family Night, when Ben rubs his face on her belly and grabbing everyone's faces. Liv sat in a shopping cart without her carseat for the first time and that's what we do for every shopping trip now. She squeals and shrieks, if you go to church with us, you have probably heard her. She does it all hours of the day and at night when she wakes up. I had been exclusively breastfeeding but we completely stopped a couple days before she turned 6 months and we both love it. Now that she isn't nursing, she is finally starting to chunk up! Last weekend I told Ben that every time I go to the store, at least 1 person tells me that she is tiny for her age or calls her "Little Peanut". Sure enough, we went to 2 stores and had 3 people tell us how tiny she is. I love that she is so tiny but I'm excited for a few more leg rolls to squeeze!

Her stats for the first 4 months were:

2 weeks (9/30/14) : 20 in (39%), 7lbs 9oz (27%)
2 months (11/19/14) : 22.5 in (63%), 10lb 9.5oz (40%)
4 months (1/19/15) : 24.5 in (58%), 12lb 5.5 oz (21%)

We haven't taken her in for her 6 month appointment yet because she has had a cold, but it's scheduled for this Thursday. We took her in 2 weeks ago to get her weight checked and she was 12lbs 13oz (5% maybe!).

Besides baby Liv, everything else is going great! We are loving the warmer weather and all the fun things that the outdoors brings. Ben started a new position at John Deere a couple weeks ago and will be there until March 2016. He is still working at their Headquarters in Moline, IL, but works in a different department. He signed up for a summer softball league; Liv and I are excited to go and cheer him on! I'm doing the SAHM gig. It is by far the most difficult and most enjoyable thing I have ever done. I love that we can make our own schedule and play all day. I definitely wouldn't trade this for anything, even with all the poop, tears, and milk that motherhood involves! I'm hoping to sign up for some races this summer and spend our days swimming.

That's us from the past 6 months! Maybe I'll keep up a little better from now on....maybe.

-Kristen

Sept. 2014

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

February 2015

March 2015

36 Glorious Weeks

While my sister, Rachel, was serving a mission my emails to her would often involve the phrase "time flies". Time really has flown and as my due date approaches it seems to go faster and faster. Here is a little update on our lives...

In June, I started working as a temporary employee at a steel foundry in Bettendorf (a neighboring city). I was working full time doing office work and really loved that it gave me something to do. I worked full time until July when I went to CA for 2 weeks (more on CA later). Once I got back from CA, I could barely work a couple hours without feeling like I was going to fall over and die -- that's a little dramatic, but true. Ben told me that I should quit, but I still felt some responsibility to work until I told them I would. I ended up cutting my hours to part time and only working another 2 weeks, instead of the 4 that I was hoping to do. Such is life. Now I spend every afternoon napping and that my friends is exactly what I want to be doing. (Read: There is no need to ask what I do with my days and if I'm bored. I'm not bored. I sleep, I read, I sit quietly on the couch, etc. I love it. I'm enjoying my time without having to care for the every need of another human being.)

Baby update: The baby's room isn't ready, I don't have bags packed, and I still have a list of things that we need to buy, but I also have all the time in the world, so I'm not too concerned. The baby does have a name, but it's not set in stone. She could come out and look like an Alice and that's what we would name her or maybe Mildred or maybe I'll let one of the nurses name her. At my 34 week appointment (Tuesday, 8/12), the baby's heartbeat was great (158), my blood pressure was great (116) and I'm measuring at 32.5 weeks (small, as per usual, but they aren't too concerned because the last ultrasound showed her measuring perfect). The doctor informed me that at this point they won't stop labor once it starts, so here's hoping she comes when she is ready...and maybe that she will be ready early and be 100% healthy and perfect. We got to tour Labor and Delivery at the hospital we are going to and I'm pretty dang excited. It is so nice and they have different laboring options available, birth ball, jetted tub, etc. Will I use any of those? I don't know, but I like knowing that they are there.  I am extremely grateful for the luxuries that we have in this country, especially when it comes to where we deliver babies. What else is new...? The babe moves plenty and last week was the first time I really felt a limb of some sort sticking out. Usually my stomach is just hard whatever way she is leaning, but this was a protruding, bony limb. It was pretty sweet. Ben was asleep though, so he missed it. Sorry Ben. She also gets the hiccups multiple times a day, it's fun because then Ben really gets to feel her move (she tends to flail about when they last long, probably desperate for them to stop). I have my 36 week appointment tomorrow morning, so updates on that will have to wait (I wrote this post weeks ago but was waiting to post it, because it started to interfere with my nap that day. Naps take precedence.)

Now about CA. Rachel finished her 18 month mission in Nashville, TN on July 16th, so I flew out for 2 weeks to spend time with her and the rest of the family in CA. It was so fun to see her and everyone else especially since we aren't spending Christmas with my side of the family this year. We spent lots of time by the pool, going for walks, and enjoying the little bit of time that we had. While I was in CA, Ben's job had him spend 5 days in Brazil! Ben served his mission in Brazil. This was such a great opportunity for him to go back, speak the language and eat delicious food. After Brazil, he came to CA and spent 3 days with us! Ben even agreed that we should move to CA. That was probably the happiest day of my life. Sadly, that won't be happening anytime soon, especially with the 6.1 earthquake that hit right next to my parents' home this morning. I would still choose earthquakes over tornados.

Our 2 year anniversary was last Monday! It has been an amazing 2 years and I'm grateful for all the fun and growth that I have experienced. I couldn't have picked a better person to spend eternity with.  On that sappy note, here is a fun story from the other day. It sums the current stage of our relationship up perfectly. One Sunday, we got home from church and I was going to make sandwiches for lunch. Before I started the sandwiches, I saw that we had a cantaloupe sitting on our counter. I had completely forgotten about it and was thrilled that I noticed it (fruit can be thrilling). I grabbed a knife out of the dishwasher, noticed it had a little something on it, but the dishwasher isn't exactly new, so I wiped it off and started cutting. No big deal, right? Wrong. Ben and I both eat a few pieces of cantaloupe and then I throw it in the fridge to get cold while I make the sandwiches. I pull a couple plates out of the dishwasher and this is where it gets exciting. The plates are dirty. Definitely dirty. The bowls are dirty, the measuring cups are dirty, the cutting board is dirty...you get the idea. EVERYTHING IS DIRTY. Still, no big deal, right? WRONG. The knife that I used to cut the cantaloupe with had been sitting in there for 2 days and the last thing I cut with it was raw chicken. Raw chicken. Mass hysteria ensued (this is a little dramatic, as well). Ben and I were both disgusted and mortified. Usually I start the dishwasher right after dinner, so that it's ready for the next day. Unfortunately, I have the memory of a gold fish right now and had forgotten to start it, then forgot that I didn't start it. Ugh. Of course, Ben had to google what could happen if you consume raw chicken, THEN he had to google what happens when you get Salmonella and you're pregnant. He was not happy with me. The on call nurse said the baby should be fine and to come in if I had any symptoms. Luckily we are all still alive. Since then, Ben has informed me that I'm not to leave our room, that I'm an airhead lately, that I almost killed the whole family, and that he would appreciate it if I could go 6 weeks without any disasters since we have made it this far. I cut my finger while slicing chicken the next day. Whatever.

I hope to post once more before the baby gets here, but I make no promises. If you have any advice on how to kickstart labor, don't hesitate to throw them my way!


Kristen

21 Weeks

28 Weeks

35 Weeks

32 Weeks

Home with Rachel!

Aug 18, 2012

Two Is Better Than One

19 week ultrasound

The only thing better than having one girl in the family is having two (and three girls is better than two, four girls is better than three...you get the picture). We are so so excited to be adding a girl to the family! The only thing that worries me is that Ben and his younger brother Jared were both supposed to be girls. Talk about surprise on the day of delivery. Little baby Brooke turned into little baby Benjamin. Luckily, I think technology has advance in the past 25 years and this baby has a good chance of being a girl. Although we do have a friend that was having a girl at 16 weeks and then found out he was a boy at 20 weeks....here's looking at you, Randee & baby Cooper. Basically, I'm keeping all my receipts just in case our sweet little girl magically turns into a sweet baby boy. I'm pretty sure I would bawl my eyes out. I don't like surprises. I'm a planner. For those of you that are wondering if we have names...we have a couple. Ones like Barbie Dolphin and Bethsheba Bubbles. Obviously it's a work in progress. I feel her move more and more everyday. She moves a lot when I have my laptop on my stomach. My first reaction was something along the lines of "She likes this!". Ben's reaction was more like "What if she doesn't like it? What if you are hurting her?" This is the story of our relationship. I think things are fine, Ben worries, and somehow we are madly in love. As far as how I'm feeling, I'm still taking medication but I try every couple weeks to go off it. The last time I tried to stop taking medication I didn't even make it to the bathroom (less than 2 feet from our bed) and ended up throwing up on top of the toilet seat. I also managed to sneeze and subsequently pee my pants a little bit the other day so every day is an adventure at the Wenzel home. Pregnancy is truly a wondrous thing.  

In other news....my wonderful parents and younger sister Kelsey came out to visit! It was only for a few days, but we had so much fun! It makes me miss living closer to everyone, but it also makes the time we do get to spend together that much sweeter. While they were here we were able to go to Carthage, IL and visit Carthage Jail and also Nauvoo, IL, which is always a great experience. This year is a busy one for our family with Rachel coming home from her mission in July and the baby being born in September, so there will be plenty of opportunities for us to all be together.

Everything else is pretty usual. Ben is busy at work and then comes home to a needy pregnant wife. I just stay at home and try to keep busy. Sometimes I think about finding work through a temp agency, but then I'm lazy and Ben tells me to enjoy my quiet time before the baby gets here...so no job at this point. We are loving the warmer weather, even though we both get ridiculously hot at night and are currently sleeping with 2 fans and the AC, and I can't wait for summer activities in the area to start. 

For those of you that commented on my Facebook post the other day with recipes for dinner, thank you! Since then, I have had a greater resolve for cooking and finding recipes that I wouldn't normally try. Here are some of the recipes that I have cooked within the past couple weeks: Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs from The Girl Who Ate Everything with Memphis-Style Coleslaw from Our Best Bites, Hawaiian-Style Sloppy Joes from Our Best Bites with pineapple (I used the rings from a can, put a little butter and brown sugar in a pan on the stove and let them caramelize. Too good), PF Changs Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe from Damn Delicious (excuse the blog title...), I have also made a couple delicious homemade pizzas, tonight I'm doing Eggplant Parm, and Sunday I'm trying Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork from Our Best Bites. It's a wonderful food life these days.

Now I'm off to go eat some delicious leftovers and run errands before Ben gets home!

Kristen

It's Been Awhile!

I can't believe it is March already! I love it. Because I don't update this blog like I should, this post will cover a few months of Wenzel activity. 

December: Ben graduated from college! The day Ben finished finals we had movers packing up our belongings and our cars were being picked up for transportation to Iowa. For Christmas we went to CA to spend it with my side of the family.  It was magical. As many of you know, CA has had a lack of rain. While this is unfortunate for permanent residents, I was thrilled. We spent our vacation riding bikes, playing at the park, and enjoying blue skies.  A few days after Christmas we flew out to Iowa to spend a couple days with Ben's family before he started his new job at John Deere. 

January: Ben started at Deere and has been enjoying the journey of his new job ever since! I applied for a few jobs, had an interview, and then we found out I was pregnant! I have never been so grateful to be unemployed and not get a job that I interviewed for. And let me clarify, being pregnant does not mean that you can't or shouldn't work, unless you're me. I'll write about the pregnancy in a separate section for those of you who only care to read about that. 

February: I missed all of February. The only noteworthy thing that happened was the ultrasound we had on Valentine's Day! Because I was so sick, the doctor asked that we have an early ultrasound to check for multiple babies or complications.  To our relief there were no complications and the ultrasound showed one little babe.

March: This month has been wonderful.  I haven't thrown up for a week, I attended church for the first time in over a month, and it was 60 degrees out yesterday. We are expecting snow tonight, but yesterday was a great taste of spring!

Pregnancy: We found out we were pregnant shortly after moving to Iowa. I was feeling great until about 5.5 weeks and then I got really sick. Calling it morning sickness would not do it justice. It was 24/7, met my 15 lb. weight loss goal, 5 weeks of despair sickness. We wanted to avoid taking prescription medication but after talking with the doctor and taking into account all my symptoms we decided it was our only option. And the rest is history! Being on medication has been a great blessing for our family. I'm due September 24 and I'll be 12 weeks tomorrow. We are so excited to be starting the 2nd trimester soon. Ben is hoping for a boy, I'm hoping for a puppy, but ultimately we will love whatever we are given.

In other news, Rachel (one of my younger sisters) will be coming home from her mission in July! I'm so excited that all 4 sisters will have a chance to be together again before the baby comes. And I'm excited for a reason to visit CA.  If you haven't kept up with her mission, click here to read her blog!

I hope I can update my blog more often than I have been, but I make no promises. Until next time!

Kristen

Wenzel Family Update

I have been postponing writing a blog post thinking I would wait until we heard from John Deere about Ben's start date/where we would be moving to. Obviously that wasn't such a great idea, because we just barely found out and now I haven't posted in a long time! How is it the end of the semester? We just barely moved back and now we are moving again! Time flies these days. As I mentioned before, Ben got a job offer from John Deere.  His start date will be January 6, 2014 and we will be moving to Davenport, IA (which is where we were this past summer). We are so excited for us to both be graduated and to settle down somewhere for more than 3 months (and to be making real money).

A little update on the past few months:

When we moved back to Utah, I got a full time job but didn't like it (people, environment, work ethic, etc) so I quit! Since then, I have been working through a temp agency doing lots of different things. I have worked in a warehouse packaging, but mostly I have been doing secretarial jobs.  I have been a secretary at a morgue, credit card processing company, law office, and a mortgage company.  I wasn't sure how I would like doing temporary work, but I really love it.  No commitment, you get whatever days off that you want, and you learn lots of new things!

While I have been doing temporary jobs, Ben has been working for BYU and finishing up his last semester.  He is so smart, straight A's every semester. I didn't marry him for his brains, but that should have been my #1 reason (I'm not a fan of blogs that go on and on about how wonderful their spouses are, so that's the end of that).

In October we discovered our love for carving pumpkins! We carved pumpkins with friends one night and loved it so much that we did it again the next week. My nephew was also born in October and we love having a new baby in the family! He is so chubby and snuggly. We will definitely miss living close to all of my family when we move.

November is almost gone and I don't know where it went. Ben has been pretty busy with school, which has led me to find new hobbies.  We don't have kids and I'm allergic to cats, so I have taken up crocheting! I like to crochet while watching the 9 or so TV shows that I currently follow. It's an exciting life (I really do love it).

Ben and I are both looking forward to all that December will bring.  Ben will be turning 25, graduating from college, we are celebrating Christmas with my family this year and we are moving.  Lots of fun and new things for us!

I'm currently working (another good thing about temporary jobs is that they are usually low maintenance), so I can't post any pictures, but I will post my favorite Christmas commercial.  Also, click here for a delicious Chicken Pot Pie recipe that I got from my mother! We had this pot pie for dinner last night and Ben said he always forgets how good it tastes and that it's worth the wait.

Kristen 

You Can Call Me Queen Bee

Have you heard the new song Royals by Lorde? Such a catchy song. Instead of calling me Queen Bee you can call me Queen of Food. These days I'll eat anything and everything and still be hungry. We went out to eat the other night and the waiter made the following comment, "You pounded that! I expected that from the big guy but not from you." To which I responded, "I just said that! I don't know where my food went!" Unfortunately I can't blame this on pregnancy, because I'm not pregnant, such is life. One of my favorite food bloggers is The Girl Who Ate Everything who I mentioned in a post a while back.  She always has the most delicious recipes for everything. Recently I tried her Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and I just took a batch of her Orange Creamsicle Cookies out of the oven. Both of these are delicious to eat just as a dough and to eat once you actually bake them. The Orange Creamsicle Cookies remind me of Orange Rolls, but tons less work and just as good. I haven't had a chance to try this Oreo Pudding Cookie Recipe but I have all the ingredients, so it's next on my list.

Besides my large appetite, things haven't changed much in the Wenzel home. I go to work, Ben goes to work and school, and we look forward to the little time that we actually get to spend together. Fall is becoming more and more evident and I'm really looking forward to cool weather and even snow. The thought of apple cider, pumpkins, and Fall scented candles is so enticing, and I love seeing everyones' Fall decorations on Facebook and Instagram. I'm not much of a decorator these days. We don't really have people over and we don't have kids, so there isn't anyone to see decorations but us, which is not enough incentive for me. Maybe once we move and have a more permanent home, maybe. Football is well under way, which has given me more time for leisure reading. I love to read. Did anyone ever do AR (Accelerated Reading) back in Elementary and Middle School? I did. So much that I had the most AR points (points you get for reading books and taking tests) in my whole 7th grade. Those were the glory days. Just kidding. When I think about having kids I dread the pubescent stage...acne, braces, changing voices. I don't know how I survived those years (probably by holing up in my room and reading books). My mother and sister recommended a book called The Language of Flowers. It was so good that I read it in one night! I'm on a waiting list at the Provo Library for some other highly recommended books, so I picked up 5 or 6 random books to pass the time while I wait.

Last but not least (and the only thing I will say about yesterday's BYU vs. Utah football game) at 11:11 this morning, Ben says to me "It's 11:11 make a wish" followed by "I wish that BYU won last night." A boy can wish, can't he?

Throw back to BYU football last Fall

Until next time, make some cookies, read a book, make a wish.

Kristen