Road trips, solid food and ball pits

and just like that 2 weeks go by and there is radio-blog silence! I have had a lot of "I should blog about that" moments over the past 2 weeks- just not enough moments to take the time and write them!

First thing is first- All date nights should be on Thursdays.

This is not from our Thursday date- but we didn't document that so this one will do

Bart and I went out sans baby and it was so much fun! It was fun because it was on a Thursday. We went downtown and I repeat- it was only fun because it was a Thursday. Bart hates crowds. He gets anxious and annoyed and -insert other negative feelings here- so we NEVER go downtown. Every time we head that direction I immediately regret my decision because my husband is the grouchiest old man ever. Except apparently on Thursdays. We went and watched "Meet the Mormons" at the Josheph Smith Memorial Building. I know we are like 2 months late with seeing it- but I loved it! It was really fun for us to watch the story of the football coach and I think it really helped Bart see how balance can be achieved. I loved it when the coach said the Lord might not care about my team winning, but these are my crops and he cares about me and wants me to be able to take care of my family. I left the movie feeling so much LOVE.

After the movie we walked to Cheesecake Factory for dessert. The waiter told me I look like Kaley Cuoco and Bart tilted his head to one side and half nodded. The cheesecake was also delicious.

As expected Rice and Beans January hasn't been as hard as previous years. We just don't go out enough in general to miss it. The movie we went to was free and I had a gift card to get some cheesecake. Gift cards are the bomb.com. That being said- I want to buy one of THESE when February rolls around. We make zucchini noodles on the show a few weeks ago and they were SO GOOD. I have seen them around the interweb but after tasting them for myself I totally want one of those gadgets.

Last weekend Bart and I had Friday AND Monday off together so we made our way down to St. George. My BFF's birthday was friday, her son's 1st birthday was on Saturday plus my grandma lives down there and a few of Bart's step-siblings live down there. It's the perfect (and free) place to go when we have a few days. Plus gas was $1.89!!!

We are really good at this road tripping thing

How fun is this? A ball pit at a b-day party

Daddy loves his baby girl

Best friends and little babies! I love this woman in my life

Baby jeans- they get me every time.

My friend Sarah and I have never lived close to each other since we graduated hair school, but whenever we get together I am so thankful for our friendship. One day we will live close enough to see her more often.

I really loved getting the chance to visit my grandma this trip and see her interact with Mckenzie. The oldest and youngest living members of the Bainum family tree. So special!

I have decided to feed Mckenzie solid food based on the Baby Led Weaning method. It is right up my parenting style alley. When my pediatrician gave us the OK to start feeding her solids around 4 months we attempted the pureed baby food but Macs wasn't into it and it wasn't fun for me to sit down and feed her like that. It was several days before I even remembered to try again. I stumbled on baby led weaning and it immediately appealed to me. The idea is that you don't start feeding your baby solid foods until they are 6 months and when you do start you feed them regular people food. Nothing pureed, mashed or spoon fed. Independence is my baby love language so I bought the book and learned more about it. I will write a whole post about it because I have LOTS to say. For now here are a few cute pics to ease your curiosity

So there you go- a little update on our life lately. xo

Count my many blessings

Ahh Thanksgiving. Where do I start? I love having a special day where I can slow down and really ponder on my blessings. I am always overwhelmed by the love I have been shown by my Heavenly Father and the gifts he has rained down on me. 

Last season I was incredibly grateful for my health. I had spent the majority of the year overcoming my Hashimotos diagnosis and by November I had gained a greater appreciation for my body and my health. This year I am still happy for the blessing that is my body, and all that it allows me to do. 

But of course as my family gathers around the table this year to spout off our thoughts, mine will be about my little family. 

My beautiful healthy baby girl that has brought a new kind of joy into my life. Who makes me feel like I am important and needed. Her loves and cuddles and smiles complete my day and have changed my life forever. 

My amazing strong husband who has loved me every step of the way as we do this thing called parenting. Who has looked at me like a crazy person as I cried and laughed my way through pregnancy and then cried even more when the baby finally got here. Who took over in the middle of the night when I was coming apart at the seams. Who laughs with me and runs with me and cooks for me. I can't say enough good things about this man. I am so in love with him. 

My mom who has truly been an angel sent from heaven to help me when I didn't realize I needed so much help. To listen to my tears and give me honest advice and tell me it's going to be OK. 

My dad who kept me company when I was feeling so lonely and who gave me that big hug I can't find anywhere else. 

My siblings who fell in love with my baby and spread some of that extra love my way. For checking in on me and taking an extra minute to chat. 

My in-laws who have supported me and loved me like always and who are enjoying a Bowen Family baby boom! 3 born this year and 3 more due by June! I can't wait for Macs to enjoy her little cousins. 

My job that keeps me sane. What more can I say? 

My testimony and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The love I feel from my Heavenly Father everyday and the guidance he has shown me and Bart. The peace I have in my life because of my faith and the happiness that choosing the right has brought me. The power of the atonement that helps me be better everyday and the example Jesus Christ set for me to follow. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Eat lots of food and find a comfy couch to sit on. I know I will! 

250 Words

If you read my blog you know I fail at any and all blogging challenges. so instead of posting all the rules and topics I'm supposed to blog about EVERY DAY (ya...not happening) I am just going to begin and if I miss a day it won't really be like I missed a day because I never actually POSTED the challenge. (see what I did there?) Anywho....here is today's

Day 1: The story of your life in 250 words or less

It all started on the 13th day of November in 1989. Yes I'm an 80's baby, narrowly missing the deadline by 47ish days. My mom says I was funny looking at first, but eventually grew into my face. Toddler years were my "mommy killer" phase. I spent my childhood creating 4 page stories and causing mischief with my big bro. I was a teaser and spent most of my young people days bugging my siblings and being my dad's favorite (shh don't tell). I competed with 2 boys in elementary school to be the smartest kid ( i got stuck on my 4's multiplication table and lost that challenge.) Jr. High was spent thinking I was cool with my Bff. We dressed the same, talked the same, and thought we were BAMF. I cut my hair in 9th grade and never looked back. Skip high school (nothing to see here). Did cool stuff with my hair in cosmetology school, 80's dancing, lots of kissing boys moments, more 80's dancing. Moved to Logan and had to grow up a little. Met this guy named Bart (but seriously, who has a name like Bart? This guy did). Fell in love with said guy. Dominated school (B's get degrees). Wrote for a school paper, made some good memories..got married..moved to SLC. Still in this marriage thing and currently working at a TV station. Healthy eater by force...wishing for cookies and Kit Kat bars. Living happy and healthy. Dreams are coming true..

 (249 words. BAM)

March Madness

Things I learned from filling out a NCAA bracket

(I based my picks on which mascot would beat the other in a fight)

Tarheels are Rams (ish)

Acts of God are always going to beat out animals in a fight...unless it's a hurricane verses a gator..then the gator can hide underground until the hurricane is over

Birds have the upperhand in most fights. I don't care how tough that wolf is, if he can't reach the owl, he aint winnin' the fight!

The people of Indiana (Hoosiers) can destroy the rebels of Vegas

Indians don't kill buffalo.....or do they?

The fight between the Eagles and the Aztecs isn't realistic...they lived in harmony for how many years??

March Madness has begun people.

My Year in Pictures

Happy New Year! 2012 was a great year and I look forward to what 2013 brings! Last night I was going through pictures and got a little collage happy. Instead of flooding my instagram (which I did anyway) I decided to share them here!

First we have "Imafatkid". These are only a few of the things created at Cafe Bowen this year. I have been experimenting with cooking more and more and Bart is a great cook. We enjoy our time in the kitchen! in 2012 I canned some peaches, learned how to make a few soups, made my first pie and of course holiday candy. Cookies are a staple at Cafe Bowen and Bart perfected his omelets this year too!

Next up is "A.M. Real Job" with just a sneak peek of my past few months at work. I have been at ABC4 since June and have learned so much! I'm lucky to work with patient people who are willing to teach me and put up with my stupid questions and silly mistakes. Having a sloth at work is just a regular day!

This next collage is simply named "Moments". I loved sitting by the Christmas tree this year with some hot cocoa. We went through a few boxes this year and I may or may not have been addicted. My niece Ameri is such a doll and I love any chance I get to spend with her. This picture was taken in the Summer as we played in the grass. The "I love you infinity" note was written one of the many mornings Bart and I were up early eating breakfast together. Sometimes notes are better than words. One of my favorite pics of the year is this cute baby elephant who was jealous of all the attention her mom was getting, so she kept peaking out behind the fence and rock. 

I really love this next collage "Family". Obviously not all of my family is shown, and that simply means I didn't have a photo of them to use! (Jenny, Dad and Jake, we need to fix this!!). 

The one of Bart and I is cut off, but you have probably seen it before. I LOVE this picture of us. 

Next up is one of my fav pics of my BFF Sarah. She is such a beautiful person inside and out and I'm lucky to have her as a friend! 

The pictures of my mom and brother were both taken on the day we flew to Boise for a football game. I was terrified of the plane so my mom was trying to distract me. 

Dallin and I had great seats and it was fun having one-on-one time with him. 

The pictures of my nieces are special to me, and I'm happy I got a chance to see them in December! 

And last but not least, the picture taken with my baby sister Katie! She discovered that SheDaisy was playing in PG and we just HAD to go! It was so much fun hanging out with her. I realized that day it was really the first time her and I ever really hung out as friends AND sisters. I look forward to more days like that :)

I read a lot of books this year. A LOT. "Reading Time" shows a few of those. I went through phases where I would buy a new book every few days after I had finished a different one. Then around book 5 I realized I should probably stop buying so many and took a break....only to resume my habits a month or so later. Bart reminded me that there is a thing called a Library and to be honest that had never crossed my mind! I don't love libraries... I feel like I can't find anything good to read. These are just a few of my favorites from this year. 

My friend Chelsey was so sweet and sent me The Fault in Our Stars and I absolutely loved it. I read it within 24 hours. 

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a very good read, and it gets you thinking. 

Jodi Picoult is my favorite author and I have most of her books. I especially enjoyed her newest book Lone Wolf. 

Born To Run is the book that inspired Bart and I to start running. Even if you aren't a runner you should read this book. 

I discovered So Much For That one day roaming the isles of Barns and Noble. This is the kind of book you can read again and again! 

There were many others that I read in 2012, but these were some of my favs. I am always looking for new things to read, so if you have any suggestions.....suggest away!

I had a lot of fun writing this blog post today! Obviously this is only a sampling of what happened in 2012. Thank goodness for pictures right?? They making telling a story so much easier :)

There's a crazy man in my bed

Well Bart is officially sick aka INSANE. he takes cold medicine and all logic goes out the window

"what's up with fevers I mean...they make no sense...i'm cold but my body is hot? what's up with that?"

and so on and so forth. he is yelling from the room as we speak and let's be honest...i have no idea what he is saying and yet he just.keeps.going.

I'm crossing my fingers I don't get sick too, and that he gets better. if he's still feeling this crappy and has such a high fever we won't be going to Boise for the Potato Bowl this weekend...so hopefully his body gets the memo.

I am rockin at Christmas presents this year! I have everyone in my family checked off my list and I'm pretty much finished with Bart. We debated having stockings this year for each other...I'll let you know if it actually ends up happening.

We had a great weekend unwinding and unplugging from the world. It was so nice to relax and have as many cups of hot cocoa as I wanted!

pretty sure this was cup 482

you can't tell...but i'm cuddling up to a fireplace cuz it was fruh-eez-ing

p.s. I'm trying to think of some fun blog thing to do for the "12 days of Christmas" so i can be festive and stuff. if you have any suggestions feel free to share :)

Snow, coats and naps

Well my birthday celebrations have officially begun, and mother nature decided to give me snow to start things off right! I loved it! The storm was awesome. I loved watching it snow all day at work and then coming home and getting in sweats and slippers and some hot cocoa of course....can't forget the cocoa

On Saturday it was too snowy to go running, so Bart and I decided to go jean shopping for my skinny hubby....it wasn't a pleasant experience. 

We went to Khols first and by the end Bart wasn't a happy camper. I found myself an AMAZING red coat (pics to come) but we couldn't find any pants that fit Bart.

 Who knew losing 30 pounds would make it harder to find jeans?? 

We went to the mall next and we found ONE pair of jeans...three different stores and only one pair. Not even the same style, but different brand, fit the same....so, ONE pair of jeans later we were done shopping....

we probably won't be doing anything like that anytime soon. 

Later that day Bart and I met his mom and brother at Red Rock for some lunch.

Love that place!

All bundled up with 3948 layers to decrease the possibility of me whining about 

the cold

 And what would a Saturday birthday celebration be without taking a nap?? 

Which is exactly what we did and it was a pretty great nap.

To finish off the day we headed down to my old stomping grounds (any by stomping grounds I mean the place where sad, terrible memories were made). Our nephew was playing in a championship football game at Lehi High so despite the 20 degree weather, we went and watched! His team was playing Lehi's team which of course means Lehi lost...because that's what Lehi High School does....lose!
It was freezing but since it was a little league game it was only an hour and half so we survived.

All this fun stuff and my birthday hasn't even happened yet! Stay tuned :)

Adult Jeans

I went jean shopping today because all the jeans I have are either too big or for a 9th grader...yes, I have the style of jeans I was wearing in high school. Time to grow up. Good news? I am down 2 pant sizes! Gone are the days of getting upset in a dressing room. These are the kind of results I have to remember when I get frustrated. I got to buy adult jeans that were 2 sizes smaller than the last pair I bought!


Also, Utah State Homecoming was fun! The 5K was a beast because it was FREEZING COLD our muscles couldn't handle it! The game was awesome and so was Angies....ya know, the usual

Eating at Angie's after the run...nothing says 5 K like a huge scone!

had a swollen face this whole day thanks to my GENIUS dentist...

Go Aggies!!

On The Sidelines

As some of you already know, Bart ran his 1/2 Marathon yesterday LIKE A BOSS. We had to wake up at 4 a.m. ( but seriously, will I EVER be able to sleep in on Saturday???) and trek on over to Big Cottonwood Canyon. I got home from dropping him off around 6ish and knowing I had to be back at 7:30 I thought "hey, why don't you go to the gym and get it over with and wash your freakin hair because it's been a solid week since that has happened..."

I don't know why I feel so ambitious in the mornings, but I most certainly did NOT get to the gym, or wash my hair. I ended up going right back to bed and hating my hubby when my alarm went off an hour later (and by hate I mean love....).

so with 5-day-old hair I went and cheered him on with his family and mine!

It was awesome to see him sprint to the finish line with his friend and accomplish his goal! I think we are both equally happy about training for this race to be over. 

How sexy is he? All I have to say is I don't mind walking behind him....just sayin.

Also, there is the dog that lives downstairs and all I have to say is SHUT THE HELL UP. I freaking hate dogs, and by dogs I mean dog owners....if your dog is locked up in a cage while you're gone and cries the.entire.time. then maybe you shouldn't have a dog! Seriously, why are people so selfish? As much as I hate dogs and want to punch a baby every time I have to sit here and listen to it whine, I still feel bad for it. If you don't have the space, the time, or the desire to take care of your animal, then you shouldn't have one!!!

on a happier note ( I know. me? happy? on my blog? when!?!?) I got a 9 out of 10 on my stupid Mass Comm Law quiz! Boosh. Take that stupid 4 credit class from hell. I must admit I actually learned something on Wednesday so maybe things are looking up? i will most certainly keep you posted. 

oh, and NBD but I am making Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner tonight. That's right, a meal with a fancy name. Go Me!

Be Fabulous Friday Link Party!

My cute BFF Sarah posted a Link Party on her blog and since I have never done one before I decided to give it a try :)

Here are the Rules:1. Write about an accomplishment, daily task, or something exciting that has happened (or will happen) in your life that you deserve some recognition for.2. If possible, post a picture showing that accomplishment.3. Copy the "Fabulous Friday" button and place it in your post. Or copy the code and place it in your html.4. Link up your post here and spread the word!

An accomplishment I can think of is this amazing job I have had for almost 2 months now! It has been such a blast to work in my related field and have my "dream job" before I even graduated from college. 

I was talking to my boss the other day and it's just crazy to think of the people I get to work with. These people worked in the industry at the peak of journalism. They were hard core crime beat reporters and producers who kicked ass. The stories they tell are the reason why I wanted to become a journalist in the first place. Times have changed and everyone has had to adapt, but I am so lucky to get to work in a place like this at such a young age!

How did I do for my first link up? Sarah is such a cute blogger...the student has become the teacher (haha!)

UofU Homecoming 5K

It's Homecoming Week at the University of Utah and since I'm a pretty crappy Ute, I figured I could show my support by running their Homecoming 5K. We got their nice and early and found parking next to the hard core tailgaters!

When I got my packet Bart realized how nice the race shirts were and all of a sudden wanted to join me! He said he would run next to me to support me and keep me company. Keep in mind he runs at least 2 minutes per mile faster than me so we have never ran together before. I'm usually flying solo on races, but it was nice to have him next to me. since it wasn't really an effort for him he was pretty funny and entertaining through the whole thing. Having him run next to me made the race go by really fast. 

The University of Utah's campus is in love with hills and this race captured that perfectly! It was probably the hardest 5K I've done because of the hills. I was really proud of myself at the finish line because I ran the whole thing, AND I wasn't last!

I think this is my favorite 5K  I have done so far (Thanks to Bart for running with me). 

We are doing Utah State's Homecoming 5K on the 29th and I'm sure that one is going to be a blast too!

Pre-race game face

Look at those inclines! That downhill portion was pretty awesome...but the last straight-up leg of the race was kicked my butt, but I didn't walk it so...go me!

State Fair

Bart finally had a Friday off from football since the Varsity team played on Thursday...which means I made him take me out on a date because let's be honest...I'm needy. I decided we should go to the fair since I had never really been to one before. It wasn't as fun as I was expecting, but the fat kids in us thoroughly enjoyed the food!

This is Bart's "I hate crowds and people and having to pay money for anything" face

He cheered up as soon as we found him a $10 turkey leg

It was actually really good....we felt very Neanderthal-ish eating it

And of course we couldn't get meat without a lemonade!

It was fun to get out and do stuff....but I don't think I'll have an interest in going to the fair again..once seemed to be enough!