My 3 Most Memorable Visits to Olive Garden

I had some time to kill before a meeting, and I had an Olive Garden gift card. So....table for 1 please!

As I enjoyed my soup and salad I couldn't help but think about the past visits. I think everyone has been to Olive Garden like 23078 times right? Even if not recently? Anyway- here are a few memories:

My 3 Most Memorable Visits to Olive Garden

February 14, 2010- Logan UT

My first Valentine's Day with Bart. We went at like 4:30PM because he wanted to avoid the crowds. He succeeded. We were surrounded by everyone over 60 and it was totally cute. We had been exclusively dating for about 4 months and totally in love. He gave me a necklace that said "eternity" on it and I remember thinking that was some kind of hidden message that HE WANTED TO BE WITH ME FOREVER **all the heart eyes**

*side memory** I'm also remembering this Olive Garden in Logan is where I met Bart's family for the first time. The gang was all there. I remember his older brother and I bonded over our hatred for tomatoes. My hair was pretty crazy, but they didn't seem to mind. It was a successful dinner.

June 2012- West Valley UT

I'm a new intern at ABC4 and my coordinating producer Roxanne takes me, another intern, and the Daily Dish producer out to lunch. It was awkward and horrible. They didn't say a word to me. They were BFF's and I was just....not. I spent the whole time wondering why they even invited me and that I had nothing to contribute to the conversation.

This obviously wasn't a great memory- but the story doesn't end there. Once I got hired, my new friend and mentor Rox and I went out to Olive Garden a lot. She always ordered dessert first. She introduced me to their lemon cups. They're so good. Next time you go- get one! Conversation was never a problem.

Rox has been gone for 6 months now, and I've been thinking of her a lot lately. And whenever I think about Olive Garden, I think of Rox and her dessert first and those lemon cups.

That's the beauty of memories- they stay with us, even when our friends are no longer here. We can look back and remember the fun times and good experiences and enjoy their memory for a few minutes.

February 14, 2014- American Fork UT

Fast forward 4 years after that first Valentines Day with Bart. I'm 3 months pregnant with Mckenzie and in full Hashimotos diet mode. My dad takes my sisters and I out for a Valentine's Day date. They still don't quite comprehend the fact that I can't eat gluten (yes, pasta is gluten) and choose to go to Olive Garden. I ask for the gluten free menu. The server hands me a three page menu. Complete with yummy options like ravioli and alfredo. As I go to order, the server grabs the menu and says no, the gluten free options are only on the back. I scan the list: chicken, fish, red sauce- and burst into tears. Not a trickling tear down my cheek. Like sobbing, tears flowing freely. I wrote about the whole experience you can enjoy HERE


One thing I love about going out by myself is the chance I have to just think- and yesterday as I was sitting all alone, I had a great time thinking of my Olive Garden memories. (and their salad dressing is just SO GOOD. )

Potty talk

If you're sick of hearing about potty training- too bad. It's the new sleep training in my life and it's all consuming! Also, my auto correct hates the word pee and hopefully it will get the message after this blog post to GET OVER IT. 

We're at the end of day 3 and my overall feeling is still optimistic. I read "Oh Crap! Potty Training" where the author says it's about the child going from 

clueless-> I peed-> I'm peeing-> I need to pee. 

On day one I never noticed Mckenzie at "clueless" the last few weeks she has been pointing at her diaper and saying poop! (Her word for poop and pee). She very quickly passed the "I peed" stage and went straight for "I'm peeing". 

We have been hovering around "I'm peeing" and "I need to pee" for the last 2 days. She either says poop! with enough time for us to get her to the potty, or she says poop! as she is starting to pee and then holds it as we're rushing her and finishes on the potty. 

Poop hasn't been an issue and she's never had an accident with poop. So there's a bright shining star- right? 

She has only had a few straight up accidents where she doesn't even attempt to make it to the potty. 95% of the time she is letting us know. It's just 40% of that time is a second too late. I know each day she will give more and more warning, and I know it's all connecting in her head. 

At the end of each day you can tell she is just exhausted and she's in bed at least 30 minutes earlier than normal- and I don't blame her. She is tackling an entire new way of doing something that for the past 2 years, has been the same. I don't think we give kids enough credit when it comes to realizing what we're asking of them. Whenever I get irritated or frustrated I try to remember that 4 days ago she wasn't doing any of this. And in that perspective, she is kicking some major butt. 

45 minute playtime

Ya know when you go to the grocery store hungry and emotional and buy $50 worth of stuff you wouldn't normally buy? Chips, ice cream (cashew butter ice cream is SO GOOD) gummy bears, chocolate, goldfish... No? That's just me? I doubt it. 

But after stuffing my face with whatever the H I wanted, I now just want to throw it all away. Nothing like a good emotional eat to get you back on track- right? 

Kenz and I had a good day today. She found a container of random baby items. Bottles, a rattle, a few bags, etc and it entertained her for 45 MINUTES! And I didn't have to get down and play with her. It was awesome. I stayed on the chair and just chatted with her as she played. It was like 60% playing independently which is more than she usually does these days. She's so funny and smart I could watch her for days. I was going to turn the TV on but stopped myself. Sometimes (most times) it's just good to be together in the same room without that stupid distraction. Curious George didn't even make it into our day until her 1 episode before dinner. I'm pretty proud of myself for that one. I can't promise it will happen again tomorrow, but at least it happened today. 

This week I'm really trying to focus on being a good example to her and being patient. I find myself saying "don't yell" in a too-loud of voice or grabbing her hand hard after she was just mean to me. I'm not perfect- but I'm trying every day to control my patience and temper with her. Luckily at the end of the day she always likes me and will snuggle and tell me she loves me. Little kids are just the best like that. 

Here are a few pics. Toward the end she wanted to take pictures of everything. Her Dog. Her bottle. Her blanket. I only aim to please as she yells CHEESE! 

Parades, candy and mom feels

We went to Mckenzie's first parade today down in Lehi. It was so fun! The weather was perfect. As the first band came down the street I watched her watch with her big beautiful blue eyes and I started crying. It was 80% pregnancy hormones and 20% mama feels. 

She danced to the music and even scored a few pieces of candy. Speaking of candy- can we talk about the ridiculousness of candy at parades? Kids are bringing their trick or treat bags out to the road. Is cute when they're 4. But past 8- maybe don't mow down the other kids to get to that ONE piece of taffy. And speaking of mowing down- a bully toddler boy kept shoving and pushing Mckenzie today and I was so irritated. I try not to intervene, but Mckenzie gets so confused when kids are mean to her. It's so sad to watch. So instead of kicking that kid to the middle of the street and watching him get run over by a horse and buggy, we moved spots and all was well. 

I've said it a million times, but I really love seeing her grow and experience new things. She will be 2 in six short weeks and every day is a wild card. 

We had a really fun day today, but the last hour before bed was spent in an emotional bubble screaming and crying. All I could do was hold her while she screamed and eventually calmed down. Let's just say she ended up in bed an hour early tonight. Sleepy toddlers are NOT angel babies. But that's why I love bedtime. Because there is a new day when everyone wakes up. 

Hi baby boy: 20 weeks

Hi my sweet baby boy,

I can't believe it's been more than 2 years since I wrote a 20-week note to your big sister. I remember being so consumed with pregnancy and the unknown. It's been different this time with you. I know more. I understand more. I'm at much more peace with everything. I also know we're only halfway there and this next half is going to drag on. And that's OK. I'm excited for you to join our family, but I'm also trying to enjoy every single second I have with your sister. So I can wait for your arrival. 

We had your anatomy check up this week and everything looks good. Your heart and brain are developing right on track and you are a whopping 12oz! I saw your belly and your tiny hands and feet. I don't feel you very often- yet. And I'm really excited for when you become part of my everyday. There's nothing like feeling a child move inside your belly- and I miss you when I don't feel you for a few days! But starting next week I'll be feeling you all day everyday. My favorite. 

I want you to know how excited your dad and I are about having you join our family. We love you already, and can't wait to see your personality. Will you be a crazy goofball like Mckenzie? Or will you be a mellow dude? Either way- you'll make the perfect addition to our family. 

So stay strong and keep growing my son, I love you. 

Xoxo 

Mom 

2 Cents: Don't Use the Word 'Fat' in Front of My Daughter

This was the article we talked about on GTU this morning and even though I'm not a Kardashian fan, I am a fan of this conversation.

Obviously living a healthy lifestyle is really important to me. Eating right and exercising is something Bart and I have created in our marriage and it's something I plan to teach my children. But Bart and I do not talk about Mckenzie's size in front of her. Every once in a while me or Bart will slip and say something like "my chubby baby is thinning out" or (especially when she was a little circle) "how's my chubby baby?", etc. Just a few months ago I asked Bart (not in front of her) "is Mckenzie chubby for her age?" (NO!). And each time one of us slip, the other is good about saying "don't say that". It's not the talking I'm against, it's the words we are using.

I think it's a natural fear for parents in my generation to be concerned about their child's size. Every other news health story is about how obese children are getting. And I think it makes us all nervous. Will my kid be one of them? Is it something I can control? The short answer, I believe, is yes, parents have almost complete control outside of genetics about their child's weight and health. But I don't think it's a conversation or worry we should be saying in front of our children.

The conversation we should be having with our kids is why we eat real food, and why you see mom and dad going to the gym and exercising every day. And when we do have that conversation with our child, it's not using the word fat.

Bart and I aren't perfect. Both of us have said something like "I feel fat" or "do I look fat?" in front of Mckenzie, and it's something we need to be better at. It's hard to remember there is now a little person hearing- and repeating- everything we say. Every child grows up thinking mom and dad are beautiful and powerful and perfect just the way they are. It's not until they start hearing their parents bash themselves, that they start to question what's "wrong".

So while I want to be open about body image, and talk to my girls about how to be healthy and happy, I won't be bashing my own body at the same time. I want to be an example of confidence and happiness. Because our bodies are amazing- no matter what size we are.

And now we'll end with a FB memory flash back from a year ago. Baby Kenz and her baby cousin Snow. xoxo