Sugar Coma

My name is Shilo. Hi, Shilo. I am a sugar addict. At least that's what I feel like lately. I've been in a sugar coma since my birthday. That's because Autrey brought home a cheesecake and made some chocolate covered strawberries to go with the amazing dinner he made that night. Then, the next day I went over with Dylan to Val Miyasaki's house for a cupcake smorgasbord with these people: Hmmm...someone's missing. Oh yeah. Our hostess. She doubled as the photographer.

The spread:

Sooo good!

Is it me or does that plate look like it's about to hit the deck?
The flower was my creation.

Here's how to do it, since I know you were wondering:

1. Google cute cupcake ideas for one that will look good with limited amount of effort.

2. Stop at Walgreens on the way home from work 2 hours before the party. Buy cake mix and vanilla frosting.

3. Also buy package of M&Ms under the impression all the M&Ms in it are purple just like the bag it comes in because you are in a hurry and there are many different varieties, each with a different Easter color. Everyone will understand your confusion, right?

4. Get home and realize you forgot the cupcake liners. Urgh, it will not be one of your finer moments.

5. Bake cupcakes anyway. Use twice the PAM you think you need, just for good measure.

Note: The box says it will make 24. You will end up with 20 because cupakes need muffin tops.

6. Eat a cupcake. You are quality control, after all.

7. Husband will comment on YOUR muffin top. Punch him. Hard.

8. Place one cupcake in the center of a fancy schmancy platter. Platter optional. Surround it with 6 cupcakes. Arrange the remaining 12 around the outside.

9. Use food coloring to make pretty frosting and spread it on top of cooled cupcakes. Purple and yellow color scheme optional, but suggested for best results.

10. Hear son crying. Start feeding him. Since you are busy and crunched for time, force....I mean, enlist The Husband to sort M&Ms and place them in the shape of flower petals as punishment for the rude joke about your figure.

11. Take picture as proof of domestic abilities to post on your blog.

12. Trade cupcakes with friends at party.

13. Eat yourself into a sugar coma.

14. Come off sugar high 3 days later.

15. Remember you have one more piece of cheesecake left and decide sugar sobriety can wait one more day...

Best Present Ever

It was exactly one year ago I got the best birthday present ever. That was the day Autrey and I found out we were going to be parents. I basically skipped down the halls at school all day. It was my light at the end of a long tunnel. This year I got the 2nd best gift ever from my little man...SLEEP. He has slept all the way through the night 3 nights in a row, which means I have as well. He has gone to bed around 8pm and been up within minutes of my alarm at 6:15 without waking up in the middle. He had never done that before. Two of the mornings I have gone into the nursery to see him just chilling and quietly playing with his hands. As soon as he sees me he flashes his million dollar smile and starts kicking his legs as fast as he can in excitement. Also, on Sunday Dylan rolled over for the first time from a push up to his back! He rolled over 3 times that day and has a couple times since. I was going to hold out with that news until I got a video of it, but he is not performing on demand yet and I've waited long enough. Life is good. It's my birthday, I'm starting to sleep again, and it's been warm enough to go on walks with Dylan in the park everyday (which he loves). Ah, it's going to be a great day!

Spring Break in PA

Dylan and I flew to PA to hang out with mom and Desiree' over my spring break. Dad would have been there, but flew to Utah right before I got there to attend his dad's funeral. Dylan's first flight was a dream. He nursed during take off and slept for the duration. He didn't make a peep. It was the same story on our return trip yesterday, except for the pre-flight part. He was hungry and because there was not enough time to give him a good feeding before we boarded he basically screamed from the security checkpoint until we were buckled in our seat, which ended up being about 30 minutes. It didn't help that I was trying to hold him and give him a bottle (supporting it with my chin), carry a diaper bag, and push a jogging stroller with my mini carry on suitcase inside it. It's amazing how everyone will stare at you but just one kind soul will offer to help, and only after you drop the bottle and are fighting back tears while trying to manuver everything down the steep ramp to the plane. Mind you, I had been up since 4 am so we could drive about 2 hours to Baltimore and still catch our early flight. That was a learning experience for me. Anyway, here we are when my mom picked us up at Baggage Claim. G-ma was so excited to see her little man for a week. He gave her the biggest grin when he saw her.

Desiree', mom, and I all played with Dylan as much as we could. Mom took him out on a walk every day while I tried to catch up on my sleep. He loved the stroller rides.

Dylan and I were having a conversation when mom walked in the room and started talking. She is embarrassed because she didn't realize Desiree' was filming. I think it's funny.


Bathtub time!

Dylan's many faces...

I was excited to see some friends while I was home. We visited Coach Brown and Tiffany Metzler at the Rec Office and talked basketball.

Tiffany loves kids but doesn't usually like to hold babies.

Doesn't she look like a natural, though?

Carla and Julianne came to see us.
A few hours later, Jamie Hanselman dropped in. Dylan's wardrobe change was a result of him spitting up and having a major blowout within 10 minutes all over her. He also belched really loudly. She was a good sport about it. Jamie had been bouncing him around and doing 'Supermans' after he ate. Now we know he has a stomach like his father and can't handle motion rides very well. Autrey tossed his cookies at Six Flags on our Honeymoon.
I forgot t take pictures but we also visited Pam Weidman, another basketball coach, and Sandy Zettlemoyer, athletic trainer who helped me every time I was injured (which was all the time-sprained ankles, shin splints/stress fractures, a hurt rib, a concussion, and a broken nose).
This is the girl who decided to write her entire 10 page research paper while I was there. I stayed up until 2 am helping her edit it 2 days in a row because it was due the next day. She's lucky my services are cheap. I can't wait to see what our grade will be.

Aunt Dee Dee was holding Dylan at church when he did his first raspberry/motorboat sound.

I had fun relaxing in the hot tub, going shopping with mom, hanging out with Desiree', and having my favorite dinner (roast beef and mashed potatoes) to celebrate my birthday a little early. Thanks for the amazing week. Miss you guys already!

Good-bye, Grandpa

My Grandpa Miller died in his sleep on Wednesday and his funeral was today. My dad, Meagan, Kristen, Danny, and Ashlyn were able to go to Manti and spend time with family to celebrate his life. The rest of us truly wanted to be there, but unfortunately it was not feasible to get us there on such short notice. Grandpa has been deaf, blind from macular degeneration, and suffering from diabetes and multiple strokes for years. That being said, in many ways I am relieved to know he is a better place, finally free from the pain he has endured for so long. Even when I was growing up he wasn't able to do or say very much. I am grateful for the knowledge that I will see him again and really get to know him after this life. Here are some pictures my dad's cousin sent me:Grandma Miller and her four childrenDad with Meagan and her 'special friend' named Ken

Grandpa Miller

Dad, Aunt Elaine, Ashlyn, Aunt Norma, and Uncle Russell

Military doing their salute after my dad spoke

Grandma receiving an honorary flag

At the luncheon following the funeral

Dad relaxing

My sweet Grandma (who is one of my most loyal blog readers)

You are in my prayers. I love you!

March Madness

We love basketball, but this title refers to the craziness that has been the past few weeks since I last posted. Our little man has made it to the Sweet 16...weeks, that is. At his doctor's appointment today he had a head circumference of 42 cm, he was 24 inches long, and weighed in at 12 lbs and 6 oz. He has officially more than doubled his birth weight.

Dylan chatting

The first week of March is 7 days I am glad are over. Autrey spent 4 days in Dallas because he had a few job interviews (yay!) and I did the whole working-single-mom thing. To add a level of difficulty I was at school from 8am-9pm on Thursday because of Parent Teacher Conferences. Most years these nights are long but pleasant. This year, not so much. It was brutal. (Some of the parents were upset about me being gone so long because of how the substitute situation was handled.) You know it's going to be rough when a couple of your conferences have to be chaperoned by the principal, assistant principal, guidance counselor, ESL teacher, and/or reading specialist. All of them were needed for reinforcement for one particularly challenging set of parents who manipulated the system so they could have their son skip 1st grade and are so mad he doesn't qualify for the 2nd grade gifted program. ARGH!! I had to sit through the entire night fighting mastitis symptoms that had started at the beginning of the week. I felt so horrible I had to take 2 sick days to recover. Stress and lack of sleep are killing me. I truly love teaching, but I can't tell you how glad I am there are only 48 school days left to juggle everything. I know I'm whining, but I this is a way for me to vent and release some of my frustration. This is my journal and I am not going to candy coat how I am really feeling. Some day I will look back at this and laugh. Right now I just want to stay home with Dylan. I feel like I'm not being a good mom because I'm gone all day, then I come home exhausted with just enough time to get us both ready for bed and sleep a few hours before the cycle starts again. Basically, my life is like the movie Groundhog Day.

Ahh, I feel much better now.

In other news, I noticed Dylan is able to reach for toys and hold onto them for long periods of time. Enjoy the additional pictures and videos. They are your reward for enduring my little tantrum.

Holding onto his rattle and shaking it

More talking

Reaching and grabbing onto the lady bug antennae