Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've had several people ask me for this recipe, so here it is! The key is to use fresh chopped salsa from the local grocer, not the bottled stuff like pace.

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin
4 cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 to 2 cups chunky salsa (depending on how "hearty" you like your soup)

Garnish with:
chopped avocado
shredded Monterrey jack cheese
tortilla chips

In a large pot, saute chicken, garlic, and onion in olive oil. Add Cumin and mix well. Add broth, corn, chili powder, lemon juice, and salsa. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 mins.

Garnish with whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Goooooo Cougars!

We took Jackson to his first sporting event on Saturday. It was a basketball game, BYU Cougars vs. New Mexico Lobos, and the biggest crowd of the season! It was a blowout, we won 83 to 66.

Brian was so excited to take Jackson to the game, all dressed up in his cougar gear. Brian had attended an evening BYU game the week before with some young men in our ward, and begged me to let him take Jackson, but since it conflicted with bedtime, I said no. He was so disappointed. When the opportunity came to go to an afternoon game, we couldn't pass it up! It was so cute! He walked with Jackson on his shoulders all the way to the ticket booth, proudest dad ever!

The first few minutes of the game, we didn't think Jackson would make it. We thought we might have to turn around and head back home. Jackson was NOT having fun. He was so scared~ he was shaking in my arms, clinging to me with all of his might, and not about to let go. Every time the crowd cheered, he'd cry. Pretty soon, he got used to the noise and was clapping along with the rest of the crowd. He even got his own seat for a little while in the game!

If Jackson was a bumper sticker...

So I am writing two posts today because I just can't pass up sharing what happened with Jackson today. I love how all the little things he does makes me laugh.

When I was feeding Jackson lunch today, I was thinking how I would describe him in one sentence. So, then I thought that the people who make up those bumper sticker saying might actually be on to something (random, I know, but it's how my mind works sometimes).... Here are a few I thought of:

I'd rather be naked.

The key to my heart is through my stomach.

Catch me if you can.

Wait until I'm a teenager.

Isn't there an easier way to do this?

This post is actually regarding the last one. I'd say Jackson is pretty imaginative. After his main meal, I gave him a cup of diced fruit so that he could feed himself while I washed dishes. He has gotten pretty good at it. A minute later, I looked over and he was trying to suck up the fruit off of the tray with his mouth! Mouth to food, not food to mouth....typical boy. I grabbed my camera and snapped these photos.

On the move!

He seems too small to be almost walking! I can't believe it... time flies by way too fast. Jackson figured out what mom and dad's two pointer fingers were good for...holding him up so he could walk! When I would reach down to pick him up, he'd latch on to my fingers and wanted to be "walked." Heaven help me if I did anything otherwise! He definitely let me know that was NOT what he wanted...

Last week, I took Jackson to our playgroup and my friend, Mauri, had one of these walkers for her girl. I let Jackson give it a try and he took off running! Partly because he was trying to keep up with the wheels...it was so funny! I had to get one.

At first, he was unsure about it, but now he's loving it. And I'm loving it too! Of course, he doesn't know how to maneuver it yet, so he can only go straight. When he hits something that prevents him from moving forward, here comes mom to the rescue!

Too bad I can't pack this to church to keep him happy during sacrament meeting. We usually take a few laps around the halls but I guess the old two fingers will have to do....

The little things...

One of the things I don't like about winter is how dead everything looks. Thank goodness snow covers most of it, but I sure miss the colors of Spring and Summer. Flowers have a way of making me happy. Gerber Daisies are my favorite! Yesterday, Brian was thoughtful enough to bring me home a boquet for no reason at all. Aren't they a little piece of happiness? I can't wait for Spring!

Love of my life

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about love. I have to say that although we are a typical family with its share of disagreements, we know what love is. Part of my morning routine is logging on to the KSL news website and catching up on the daily news. Not always am I so saddened by the news, but lately there have been so many disturbing stories of domestic violence that it breaks my heart. Sometimes I just don't understand the world, or the people in it. To get my mind off of these sad stories, I have to start thinking about the loves of my life, Brian and Jackson. The thought of my family brings me a lot of peace. I hope for the best future for them, I cheer them along on the sidelines and am proud of their accomplishments. I am so grateful for the husband I have and his unfailling determination to support our family, to give me all the things I both need and want, and for the love he expresses to me and Jackson. I am grateful for his goodness, his unselfishness, and his service to others. I love you Brian! Thank you for the love you show me and all the happiness you bring to my life. I don't take it for granted!

One little monkey jumping on the bed....

Thank goodness for dad! Who else would teach Jackson to jump on the bed? Here is a cute video of a Sunday afternoon at our house. Jackson's energy, that we try to bottle up at church, quickly gets released within just a few minutes of being at home with dad. Listen closely to Jackson's squeals...he sounds like a bird!

6:45 am

It was 6:45 in the morning, much too early to be getting up for any day of the week. Jackson was calling from his bedroom, "mom, come and get me!"
I groaned and rolled over to Brian and said, "I'm not ready to be mom yet for the day...." He laughed and said, "so, who do you want to be? Dad?" As if there was actually a chance of switching roles for a day. If given the opportunity, I never would opt to take his role of going into work over being a mom... but sometimes it would be nice if the job didn't start so dad gum early. I was already up with him once at 4am and just prayed he would last, at least, until 8:30! I must have been asking for too much....
Luckily, Brian got up to change his diaper, and put him in the "exer-saucer" while he showered so I could get an extra 30 minutes of vegetation in bed. He even sliced up a grapefruit and buttered toast to lure me out of bed. It wasn't working. So, next thing I knew, Jackson was in bed next to me- slapping my face, pulling on my hair and slimming me with his big slobbery kisses. He wanted to play!
Begrudgingly, I got out of bed. I was wishing for the days when I could sleep in, or at least wake up on my own.
I got some food in me, kissed Brian goodbye, and looked at Jackson thinking, "what are we going to do with you?" It's moment like that when he gives me the sweetest smile that makes my heart melt and my thought process change.
"OK Jackson, I'll be your mom today!"

Beutler Look-a-like Meter

So I did this thing on myheritage.com called a look-a-like meter. For those of you that don't know, this is how it works: I scan in a picture of me, Jackson, and Brian. It has a facial recognition program to see who he looks more like,based upon facial features, and structure, etc.
Well guess what?? I win!! Everyone says he is a good mix of the two of us, it's hard to tell who he really looks more like. But just for the record, it's me! Sorry Brian, me genes are slightly stronger! We did this three different times because Brian wouldn't accept the results (I won by 5%, 8%, and a whopping 9%--depending on the picture we used). I don't think he really believes the program is truly valid, but hey.... who like to lose?
So, the look-a-like meter actually ended up on another blog. oops!

Highlights of 2007

2007 was a great year! We started the year off with a bang in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I was 5 months pregnant, but didn't let that stop us from having fun. We stayed in an awesome home with an unbeatable view of the bay. We enjoyed great food, whale-watching, kayaking, sailing, fireworks, and the typical Mexican Culture!

A few months later, our family of two became three, with the birth of our son, Jackson. This was a life changing event that no one could have prepared us for! It has been the highlight of our year, even with all the sleepless nights, spit-ups, extra laundry, diaper changes, and immunizations. When we think back on the year, we remember his first smile, his first laugh, his first roll, learning to crawl, standing on his own....it's unbelievable how much joy this brings to our lives!

We visited Carissa and Braxton in Idaho after baby Chloe was born, enjoyed the wedding of Christina and Paul, had two family reunions, and two funerals. We also celebrated our first holidays with Jackson -- and they are so much more fun with a baby!

It has been a year hard work. Ups and Downs. We have grown a lot, learned a lot, and cried a lot (just me and Jackson). And we call it the best year yet! We look forward to the year to come, with all the surprises and events that may come!

We are truly blessed. Thank you 2007, for a great year!

A new Home

On January 28th, we will close on our home in Lindon. After 9 adendums to the contract, we are so excited to get to this point! I am looking forward to painting and decorating, while Brian is excited to have a yard and grow a garden.

We looked at homes and properties all over the valley for two years, and finally found something we both fell in love with. We love the wrap -around porch, the half acre property, and all the architectural detail. It backs a church and a large field, so Jackson will always have plenty of room to run around.

Brian's dream was to buy an old vintage style home and restore it. This home has a lot of that same uniquness about it, but was built in 1997, so we don't have to go through the expense of updating the plumbing, electricity, and heating/cooling. Every door has a leaded glass transom window above it, which I love. One of my favorite rooms in the house is the front seating area-- it has a really cool ornate ceiling.

There are wood floors throughout the main level, which need some work, carpet that will be replaced, and a lot of wall paper to come down, but I'm so excited to make these changes and put some sweat equity into the house to make it just how we want it!

So- how does this work?

So I'm a little behind the times. I'm finally getting a blog started. I think I have put it off for so long because the thought of it was overwhelming. How do you add all those cool things like slide shows, music, countdowns, etc??

Anyhow, I hope I'm better at his than journal writing, scrapbooking, and working out!