A meat treat and dancing with the...?

Yesterday was a big milestone for Joshua - he was having a rather adventurous day in terms of trying new foods (he hasn't had one of those in a loooooong time), and finally ate meat that wasn't the gross Gerber baby food meat sticks. That is all he's ever been willing to eat that is meat. Anyway, he had a chicken nugget and really liked it. Not the healthiest of meats, but it's a start! He also tried a bite of my little mini cheese wheel (those little red ones covered in wax) and didn't like it, a bit of mashed potatoes (not a big fan of those either), and a bite of my Twinkie (loved it!).

And then today, he was dancing around in circles on his blue play mat holding Pooh in his arms...it was adorable - he had a huge grin on his face and I so wanted to catch the moment on film, but it just didn't quite happen - sorry. I guess you could call that a toddler version of dancing with the stars, right?

I love this baby. I'm trying out making meatloaf for the first time tonight. I decided it is high time to expand the number of things I can cook...starting with meats. Oh man I haven't posted pictures in awhile - gotta do that, huh? Oh and I updated a few of the items below to add a few more I hadn't given myself before. I think I've done 50 of the 99 things, but I didn't recount after I added some and I don't really want to...so it might not be 50.

What have I done?

Again, I don't usually do these kind of things, but again, I saw that Trina had posted it on the sisters blog, and again, I liked it! I learned a lot about Trina - maybe you'll learn a lot about me!

Of these 99 things, the ones in bold are ones I've done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band *Nope...
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity *I think you'd have to define that...by my standards, no I haven't given more than I could afford
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis *Don't want to!
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped *NEVER want to!
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea *I love watching lightning storms, but I definitely don't want to at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch *Probably I have...I'm not thinking of anything specific, though...does learning how to write bubble letters count?
15. Adopted a child *Maybe someday...
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables *I've never had my own garden, but I want to grow veggies someday!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked *Yikes - don't plan on it!
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb *I don't think I have...I've held goats...
26. Gone skinny dipping *After I was married, though...
27. Run a Marathon *I'm not a big fan of running...
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice *Maybe someday
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person *I'd like to!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community *I definitely want to!
36. Taught yourself a new language *I learned some French, but certainly didn't teach myself
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt *Want to!
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant *Hmmm...
44. Visited Africa *I'd love to someday
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance *I've ridden in the front seat while Nathan was transported
47. Had your portrait painted *That'd be cool
48. Gone deep sea fishing *NO THANK YOU!
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China *That'd be awesome
57. Started a business *Probably won't do that
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen *I think I sang Christmas carols at a soup kitchen once when I was 15 or so, but didn't serve
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies *I never made it past Brownies, and I don't think they sold cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma *Never have been able to cuz as soon as I weighed enough, I was on medication that means I can't
65. Gone sky diving *I think I want to...
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp *I want to go to the Holocaust museum in DC, but probably not visit an actual concentration camp
67. Bounced a check *I've been overdrawn on my debit card, but not bounced an actual check
68. Flown in a helicopter *No desire to do this...I've seen too many helicopters blow up in the movies
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar *Yuck.
72. Pieced a quilt *I've helped tie quilts and have contributed a piece to a quilt, but never actually done the work of piecing it together
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades *Maybe someday
75. Been fired from a job *hopefully never!
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London *We saw the changing of the guards at the Tower of London, rather than at Buckingham Palace...and another changing of the guards in Rome, which was cool.
77. Broken a bone *Well I think I've broken my pinkie toe a time or two
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle *No desire at all
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person *Definitely want to!
80. Published a book *Probably never will
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car *Someday...
83. Walked in Jerusalem *That would be amazing
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating *Haven't done this...maybe I will someday
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life *At least I don't think so...
90. Sat on a jury *I'm sure I will sometime soon
91. Met someone famous *I can't think of anyone
92. Joined a book club *Hopefully this year I will!
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person *I'd like to!
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake *Have NO desire to do that
97. Been involved in a law suit *No desire there either
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Well this is definitely helpful for helping me work on my list of things I'd like to do before I die!

Halfway there!

Well today I'm halfway through my pregnancy - 20 weeks! Only 20 more weeks to go! Including me, there are 6 women in my ward at church who are pregnant within a month of me (craziness!!!) and they ALL know what they're having except ME. We still have to wait til the 25th. So the current stats are that there are 3 boys and 2 girls (also one boy coming in January, but Jess wasn't part of our pregancy pact...just kidding! To clear up rumors, there wasn't actually a pregnancy pact), so if we're having a girl, we'll even it out with 3 and 3. We'll be very happy with a girl, but it would be easier to have another boy since we have tons of boy stuff already...either way, we'll definitely be happy to have a healthy baby!

What have I read?

I don't often do things like this, but I really liked this one - Trina posted it on the "sisters" blog (that I enjoy reading!) and I thought I'd try it.

A couple thoughts for my faithful readers - Mom, these might be some good Christmas ideas :c) and book club ladies, this might be helpful in choosing books for next year!

I'm not sure how well my memory will serve, so I'll do my best.

Here is a link to more info about where this came from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

Basically, this is a list of the top 100 books (as determined by the BBC), and apparently (though I couldn't find this statistic on the site) they estimate that the average adult has only read 6 of these books.

Here is what you do:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you love. (Or asterisk, since there is no underline option on Blogger.)
4) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

THE LIST
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien*
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell*
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis*
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien*
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert***
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens*
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett*
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck*
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley*
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie

I've seen the movie for some of these books...and I have no recollection of some that I'm certain I read, but there definitely are some favorites on there. Anyway, that was interesting!

The last few months...

Halloween was a lot of fun this year - we didn't carve our pumpkins til the night before, and they were LITTLE pumpkins...but that was ok. I'm excited to get big pumpkins someday, like when we were growing up, but that'll come. Joshy had two littler pumpkins that were too small to carve and he loved carrying them around. He called our two pumpkins the "hewy punkas" (heavy pumpkins) and was ok with not being allowed to carry them around. He understands the concept of heavy, which is good.



We were a cute little pirate family at the ward "Trunk or Treat" where people gave out candy from their cars in the parking lot. Joshy didn't like saying Trick or Treat, but he did say "Happy Ween!" to a few people. He was kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing, and he doesn't really eat candy, so we didn't make the whole loop of the parking lot. Notice the cool parrot on Nathan's shoulder...and Nathan's awesome eyepatch. Who knew that his broken sunglasses would one day come in so handy?



I don't think we really ever got him to keep his eye patch on over his eye for more than a couple seconds, but thank you for making it Aunt Laurel! It definitely added to the costume, even though it was on his bandana.

Joshy didn't hear that he was supposed to be making a tough pirate face in this picture...and I'm sad that it's blurry - my two pirate guys are looking particularly handsome, I think.

Before Halloween, Eric and Laurel and Stevie and Allie came up to visit, so I definitely should put up some pictures of them! We attempted to get pictures of them all three together in their Halloween costumes but that never quite happened. Here are some of the cutest pictures...

Joshy and Stevie had fun playing outside in the leaves.

The three of them got along pretty well - it was so fun to meet Allie and to see how much Stevie has grown and changed since the last time we saw him (over two years ago!!)
When we came over on Saturday afternoon, Allie was asleep in the family room in her adorable pink tutu surrounded by toys. It was so stinking cute.


SOOO cute! Laurel did a great job on Allie's costume.

She did a great job on Stevie's Dash costume also! He wasn't a huge fan of wearing his mask, but it all looked great.

We're excited to see them again at Thanksgiving and Christmas! And I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa Palmer are too!!

And before the California Palmers came to visit, my parents came to see us, and that was a really fun visit too!! I love it when they come down and so does Joshy. He can say Grandma Rozen and Grandpa Rozen now, but I learned the other day that it is indeed the same word as raisin to him when he started asking for raisins after I was telling him I was calling Grandma Rozen. Here are some pictures from their visit...

Joshy and Grandpa had a lot of fun playing and laughing together.

And certainly one of Grandma and Grandpa's favorite parts of any Joshy visit is getting to read books with him - he calls this new book his "Meow Meow" book because of all the kitties.
I was able to keep my mouth shut for the week before they came (amazingly!), so Grandma didn't know that Joshy had learned to say Grandma again (he used to be able to say it and then just stopped for months!), so when she went in to get him from his nap soon after they arrived, he said "Grandma!" and melted her heart of course. Joshy also loves giving hugs now - which makes our days much brighter. What a cutie.

We are excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Rozen again at Thanksgiving and Christmas too! So there are some updates - sorry it has been so long. And we'll work on more videos...