CHOPPED. Ambrose Edition

Hello there, long time no blog. Here is what's new in our home:

Hayden is almost 10 months. He has 6 teeth (but working on 7 & 8), is army crawling everywhere, and is working very hard on walking. I gave him his first haircut last week (which went pretty good actually). He is a very happy little boy, who fills our home with laughter and love. Here is a recent picture of our little cutie!

Here in the Ambrose home, we have a family reunion that we are stoked about going to later this week, which I will also be posting about in the near future. Otherwise, Kyle is busy as usual with the Lodge events and his trading, and I am swamped with a squirmy baby, yard, and house. Busy is good, though, and we are happier than ever.

Oh, and one more thing is new in our home: CHOPPED AMBROSE EDITION will be starting right after our vacation! YESSS! 

For those of you who don't watch the show Chopped on the FOOD Network (I'm a food network junkie); it is a competition to see who makes the best meals out of several ingredients, and the best person wins $10K. The other chefs get "chopped" out of the competition throughout the show, when their meal isn't best.

Here is our little twist on the CHOPPED game we will be playing:

To see who is the best chef in the Ambrose home we will be competing over two weeks, to be able to claim the right as the BEST AMBROSE CHEF in the house (which will be me, of course).  

Rules:

-Each participant must make 5 meals. 

-$50.00 limit per week ($25 per person). 

-Each Chef will alternate choosing their menus (In case we choose to prepare the same meal). 

             First choice decided by Ro-Sham-Bo (best 3 of 5). 

-Each Chef will have 3 extra meals planned in case of duplicates. 

-Foods will be judged upon both the initial quality as well as leftover quality. 

-At the end of the competition, both Chefs will rank all meals in order from best to worst. 

-At least one meal must be new to our Kitchen Stadium. 

JUST SO YOU KNOW- We don't have $10 K, Dang! But, the winner gets their reward of choice (the sky's the limit!)                       I may need some help thinking up some good ideas for my reward.....


Also, we did make this official by contract; which has already been signed and dated this evening. It will be effective immediately after the family reunion.

This competition is awesome for two reasons. One, I am incredibly competitive and love to beat Kyle. Two, I get out of making a few meals (YESSS!). 

Along the way we will be posting pictures of the finished meals. That way you can all see what has been prepared and you can choose who you think should win. We have both sworn to each other not to be biased towards our own dishes; which I'm sure will be impossible to tell. Scouts Honor!


Alrighty! We will be posting the beginning of our competition beginning in about two weeks.


Here are a few more photos of our little man. Sorry, can't help myself!
Until then!

 

8 Months Old!

Ahhh! I have an eight month old. Crazy!! This has gone by way too fast.

I love being a momma; even despite the rough nights and the demands that come with a little one. Here is a little about our little man and what he is into these days:

Hayden is a super active little guy, who is very happy and content 99% of the time. The remaining one percent  of time is due to the fact that he still isn't sleeping through the night.

Hayden currently has six teeth (four on the top, two on  the bottom), but he is working on two more on the bottom jaw. He loves to chomp, chomp, chomp on everything and anything he can get his hands on! He is a very curious little fellow; who constantly scans rooms multiple times, studying all things thoroughly before proceeding to play or eat. He notices little details now like electric outlets and hair pins on the floor.

He loves to paint with his food (as can be seen above), and is currently in a phase of wanting to eat only what Mom and Dad are eating. It's becoming a struggle to get him to eat baby food. He likes watermelon, baby cheetos (Ala gerber graduates), apples, breads, corn, squash, and arrowroot cookies.

Hayden does not crawl yet, but sits up completely on his own these days. He is walking like a champ when we hold his hands, and he is pulling himself up on things now. I'm starting to think he will skip the crawling stage. Some of Hayden's favorite things to do are: to go on a jog with his momma, to read books, to sit in the grass under trees or touch flowers, to jump in his jumper, and to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Hayden seems to think his mom and dad are the funniest people in the world right now. I really loving being able to get those belly giggles out of our little guy.

I can't say enough this little boy. He brings joy to my day and more meaning to my life. 8 months already. Wow, that is blowing my mind. My little baby is growing up!

I am so lucky to have both of these wonderful boys to protect and love me!

Master's in Motherhood

Recently a lot of my friends have been asking me what I am going to do with my degree now that I am done. I thought I would answer this here on my blog and explain my reasons as well. I chose to blog so I could discuss this choice and what that means for me; plus, I think that would be an incredibly long Facebook status.

I am excited to say that I have decided to become a full time wife and mom. My mom likes to say I'm becoming a domestic goddess, but I like the way Kyle puts it: I'm getting my Master's in Motherhood. Telling some of my friends about my decision to stay home has brought on so many different responses; both good and bad. Apparently this is something I have to explain, by the way some people have responded and questioned my choice. Well, here it goes:

Firstly, this subject is something incredibly near and dear to me. My mother stayed home for me and my siblings and Kyle's mom did for his family too. I would like to thank each of them for this sacrifice. Being a mother is not easy. It is the one job that I think someone is completely emotionally invested. It's close to the heart, and that's what makes it so exhausting and worthwhile.

This is the part where I express my blunt opinion on the subject, which people may not like to hear. Please don't be offended by my thoughts and feelings, we are each entitled to our own. Here are mine:

I am incredibly grateful and fortunate that my husband provides us enough for me to stay home with our baby. It's a luxury that not everyone can afford. I am thankful for this opportunity. Saying that, I feel like people belittle those who choose to stay home with their children, and the importance that that holds in raising children. I think this is incredibly important, and my child's development and future children's lives are my top priority.

I want my kiddos to know I am always there for them; whether its just a regular day that they walk through the door from a hard day of school, or I'm cheering on the sidelines of a sport activity, or when a kiss is needed on an "ouchie". I want to be there for every moment. This is something that I desire more than anything; above having a career and entering the workforce.

I want my children to be responsible, fun loving, hard working, obedient children of our Heavenly Father and Savior. I honestly don't think that can be done on a part-time basis. At least I know I can't teach and exemplify those things for my kids on a limited time basis.

I have seen the look in some people's faces that says, "You're throwing your education away". It makes me sad that I can read that thought apparently on others faces. I can't think of another job more gratifying and worth applying all that I know.

Now, I understand that there are those of you that think differently than me. I understand that. Keep in mind that I just think this is the best choice for me. Each person chooses their path in life that is the best for themselves individually; and I say go and find what you think is best for you.

Yes, I have dreams and aspirations that I will have to put on hold for a little while. Yes, I want to continue my education further down the road. Yes, I eventually want to start my own business. I do have other dreams. But my dream right now is being able to provide for my family my knowledge, my time, and my love. I hope this helped explain my choices and my feelings.

Seriously, who wouldn't stay home with a cutie like this?

Thanks for listening. Here are a few pictures of graduation that I would like to share:

 Love this man more
than anything!
Thanks for your support.

Wonderful Little Reminders

Recently I have had lots of wonderful reminders that things in my life are changing. These reminders have taught me that there are many beautiful things ahead of me, and that with every thing there is a season. I have begun to get a deeper sense of what this really means. I would like to share some of these things; I don't really have a journal, so this is the best place for me to really jot these types of things down so I can remember them later.

This week I reorganized Hayden's room. While I was doing that, it was my first time that I packed up his tiny, tiny baby clothes. This made me sad and excited at the same time. While my little baby is still very little, he is most definitely past the newborn stage. I am enjoying playing with my 'not so small' guy. He giggles and smiles at me when I play with him, he adores reading books with his Dad, and he loves to be with me 24/7. While I am enjoy all this, packing up his clothes still made me sad because he is growing up. I guess this means I will be having more babies then. I already miss having a newborn. I had the newborn fever again when I got to hold my friends little week old boy, and I had to pass him back to her.

Next reminder: Kyle has this little patch of grey hair on one of his temples. When I run my fingers through his head at night, I always notice it (note: Kyle is in denial that he is graying, so I don't bring it up). But this little patch always makes me smile. This reminds me that I am one lucky girl to get to grow old with this man. This reminds me that we will only be getting older, and that I need to enjoy my time with him each and everyday.

There have been a few more reminders, that I feel are a little too personal for me to share here. Words can't express how I have been prompted recently to enjoy EACH day. Enjoy family moments, enjoy my hardships (as hard as that may be for me), enjoy all that life has to offer. I never realized how busy I could get. But as busy as I am right now there have been several moments in my days where I have been able to pause, take a  breath, and find beauty in my somewhat crazy life. I am grateful for all that I have been given. I am grateful that I have such a loving husband who supports me, and a son that I adore more than anything. Life couldn't get any better.

To end my post, I wanted to add some pictures of my 'not so big' boy. He is already five months old! Crazy!

Our Little Fish

Here is a little video that shows Hayden's first swimming experience. Kinda Fun. But I hate how annoying my voice sounds in it; but it is really a cute one of him.

Ending Chapters and New Beginnings

Alright, please bare with me as I express my situation right now. I just needed some place to write it out, and I figure, why not here?

Right now I am feeling very overwhelmed. Between school, and being a wife and mother I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Right now in my life, this is a time that a huge chapter is ending, and a new one is opening for me. This is how I am feeling these days:

With me being on the verge of being finished with school (I'll be done in April), I am excited, anxious, and worried. I am excited because I have been in school for the last 18 years of my life, without any sort of break. I feel like this has been my life! These last two years, my longest break from school has been a month. I also am excited because I am the first person in my family (of all my siblings, parents, and grandparents) to finish and receive a college degree. I am really excited!

I am anxious; despite this semester being the lightest credit load I have ever taken, it is definitely the most difficult for me. Being a mom and wife right now is so time demanding. Hayden is in need of constant attention. I find myself wanting to be able to just play with him all day instead of doing homework. My house is an utter disaster, my fridge and pantry are both completely empty, and I am in sweats most of the day, everyday (YUCK). I almost get no quality time with my hubby, and I am used to spending loads of time with him; it is hard because he is my best friend and I LOVE spending time with him (yes, he stills drives me crazy at times just like any normal husband).

An assignment that would normally take me thirty minutes, now takes me two hours to complete. I barely finish my assignments on time right now, and they are not to the standards that I have held myself to; this drives me crazy.  For all these reasons, I am anxious to finish and see how I will do.

I am worried because I am afraid of what I am going to do once I am done with my degree. I'm not going to start a career; I made that decision a long time ago. I have been fortunate enough that my husband that can provide for us so that I can stay at home to be a Mom. However, I don't feel like I have any hobbies or skills that I can use being at home, and that makes me worried. What am I going to do with myself with my extra time? I know that is something so dumb to be worried about, but seriously, I am. My whole life my spare time was filled with sports, and I can't do that all the time now. I have never been crafty, but I have the desire to be; but I don't know where to start.

I've started to think that maybe I should just go for a Masters. But I've decided that no, I should try to develop myself in other ways.

So, overall, I am doing great. But I feel like I have all the drive and vision that I would ever need in some areas of my life, and that I am completely blind in others. I am feeling bittersweet about these changes; but overall excited. I know that I'll figure it out. I know that I will love 'just' being a mom. I know that I will enjoy being at home and not having to plaster my face to a screen for hours a day. I know all these things confidently.

Sometimes I see my life as scaling a mountain. Once I get to the top, I have always had higher one behind it to tackle. This time I am almost to the summit, but I don't see another peak to scale- at least not yet. So, for now, I focus on pushing through to the end.

 Thanks for listening.

We Have a Three Month Old!

We can't believe that our baby boy is already three months old! That flew by too fast. It's kind of bittersweet for me to have my little guy getting so big so fast. I know it will only be a matter of time until snuggles with mom will be traded for time wrestling with dad, that his eyes won't search a room for his Momma, and that he will start having his own important agenda. But I have some time before all that, and I know Hayden will have some siblings down the road. I guess I just love having a baby in my home.

Now, about my little man. At three months, he already is teething! Oh my gosh! I never thought it would happen this early. He has two bottom teeth that should be cutting any day. I can see the tips of the teeth poking out of his gums. He is trying to roll, but not very hard. He is content where he is apparently.


Here is a little bit about my little man and his already BIG personality:

• He LOVES to talk with people. It holds his attention for about 10 minutes (which I think is a good span for a baby).
• He smiles big open mouth smiles to the people he's comfortable with.
• He gives me and his dad this quizzical look at times that says: "Make me laugh funny man! Come on, show me what you got."
• He gets my attention in one volume: LOUD. By that I mean the crying that makes him turn all red.
• These days, he has to be entertained. He quickly lets me know when he is bored by smacking things away with his hands or turning his face into my chest. 
• He has a crooked smile when he is annoyed with the people talking to him.
• He LOVES to be sung to. Sometimes he sings with me. 
• He kicks with excitement when he's being changed. 
• He hates being wrapped up to sleep. I wake up at night to find his arms up through the neck of his shirts to get his arms free.  
• His favorite new toy is his fists. 

Words cannot express how happy this little guy makes me.  I have three month old pictures I will post later today. I'm out of time right now unfortunately. Dinner calls!

Ignore how awful I look. I had to post this. My little cooking assistant!

YUM! I love my fists