Date Night as a Food Critic

A family friend of the Overman clan that used to manage Cafe Sabor in Logan is opening a new up-scale Mexican restaurant on April 4 called "Sonora Grill." It is in downtown Ogden by the new Megaplex and Solomon Center. Before he opens his restaurant he invited some friends and family to try it out & work out all the kinks with the food, waiters, chefs, etc. So we headed up to O-town Saturday night and met up with Brandon and Chelsie for some food.






I loved the restaurant's decor and atmosphere. Usually Mexican restaurants have chips and salsa..here there were 3 types of salsa - a green, mild salsa; a red, spicier salsa; and a jabenero (super hot) salsa. Ross tried to be tough since he went to Mexico City on his mission and took a big scoop - the waitress was impressed - I just rolled my eyes. The chips were fried tortillas that you break yourself - I thought it was fun, Ross and Brandon thought it was just one more step between your mouth and the food...BOYS!





Our meal included an appetizer sampler consisting of: 1 chicken taquito, 1 beef taquito, 2 Sea Bass wraps (feel free to make any "Dumb and Dumber" reference here) and 1 muscle. I totally forgot to take pictures of the appetizers and they had the best presentation. Oh well. The taquitos were good, the sea bass was take it or leave it for me, and none of us dared eat the muscle - it looked chewy and I have a texture problem and thought throwing up might not be a good idea.





Entrees - we could choose from 3 (only because they haven't opened yet, when they do they will have a full menu). Tonight is was fish tacos, carne asada, or cheese enchiladas. Chelsie got the enchiladas.

Ross, Brandon and I got the Carne Asada - it was quite tasty. Dessert was a banana split with fried plantains (one of Ross's many Mexican favorites he misses that I don't understand) - but it was yummy nonetheless.

And small fried tortillas with cinnamon and sugar (like yummy churros) with layers of vanilla and strawberry moose between, mangos and blood orange syrup at the bottom. It too was yummy, but most desserts are fine by me.

Overall, I liked it. It was different from most Mexican restaurants...especially in Ogden - no offense to Javiers ;)

On a completely different subject matter...Chelsie also came down on Friday to hang out and we had a good time watching out kidlets ransack my house. While we turned our back for 30 seconds to get something out of my room, Cooper & Anna pulled all the dish towels out of the bottom drawer and Anna climbed right in.

I have no idea how she did it, but she couldn't figure out how to get out - which was entertaining. She just keeps finding more things to get into and she is starting to climb....EVERYTHING - when I open the fridge - up she climbs, she pushed her lil' piano up to her crib and up she goes...heaven help me!

Good News, Play Clothes & a Monkey Obsession

Good news everyone...my car works again. HOORAY! When Ross got off work Monday we took Anna to a friends to play while we hopped in the car and drove to Clearfield to meet Ross's dad where the Accord was at. I dropped him off and headed back home so that I would be back in time to put Anna to bed. I was hoping that everything would work out and I would have a husband that night.

Turns out the hose that went from the water pump to the radiator was all corroded. So they went to Autozone and bought the hose ($2.50!) and put it back on. Ross was home by 9:30 PM - it was fantastic. On my list of things that must STAY: a Father-in-Law who knows his way around a car. He has bailed us out multiple time - thanks!



On a side note...I have been wanting to purchase some plaid shorts for Anna found here, but I just bought some for ME that were only a few bucks more, so I can't bring myself to do it. So Tuesday, while I was filling a prescription at Target, I saw some relatively cheap clothes for Miss Annabelle. Now that summer is almost here, she is going to need some play clothes and at $3.99 a pop, and still pretty cute, I thought these would do the trick.


Some might notice on the purple shirt there is a monkey, so Ross thought it was extra cute (he loves monkey's) and had to put it on her right away. I think we might have started a problem with monkey paraphernalia. It all started when we bought Anna her first stuffed animal when I was 9 weeks pregnant. She now uses it to play 'pretend' with instead of dolls - she feeds it some of her milk, juice, gives it her binky, etc...

Now she has accrued a giant monkey, a monkey bib, blanket, bath toys, plates, shirts and the like. But with reactions like these, who can blame her?!

The rest of our CrAzY week into Easter weekend

Wednesday Ross went with some friends to play ultimate Frisbee and ended up rolling/spraining his ankle pretty bad. He hopped around, he was just being festive ;)for a few days and is still limping. So Wednesday night, apparently he parked his car a little closer to our condo(not in our assigned spot) so he wouldn't have to hop too far - however, he failed to mention this to me so that I would move the car before nightfall. Needless to say the next morning it was gone. It had been towed and I had to rush home from an appointment I was at to get him and drive to freaking PROVO to get it!

Saturday we went to Ogden to celebrate Easter with my family. We had dinner and an egg hunt. My parents hide candy AND money in the eggs - it's the best of both worlds. After the mad dash for the eggs, we have to empty them out and count of the money to make sure we got them all. The money never adds up, meaning we didn't get all the eggs, so there is usually a second round to find the last of them. Here is Annabelle playing with all the empty eggs.

After dinner my niece, Bradee Jane, and I decorated cup cakes for everyone. We had a blast turning the cupcakes into Easter baskets, flowers, bunnies and butterflies.

Now that it is getting warmer Anna stands by the door trying to pry it open with one little finger - good luck- saying "side! side!" We will go outside for a half an hour and the second we go back in she stands by the door wanting to go back out. I can tell this is exactly how my summer is going to be & I really want a fenced yard now!

Sunday we went to Ross's family to celebrate Easter and Ross's dad's birthday. We had a yummy dinner, opened presents, had cake and ice cream. Danika and Annabelle had a fun time playing with each other and everything was going well until we start the ride home....

We get to Clearfield and the car starts to make funny noises and then the check engine light comes on, so we pull off the exit. Then smoke starts to come from the hood of the car - AWESOME! After Ross looks at it and calls his dad a few hundred times to talk it over they decided to fill up the water pump and radiator with water (I think?) It took almost 4 liters of water - so yeah, there is a leak somewhere. We get back on the freeway and make it 2 more exits before we need to pull off again. Now it is late and Anna is getting all silly crazy cause she is so tired. My mom ended up coming and getting us and taking us home, our poor little Accord has been abandoned for now and I am without a car. Thanks again mom - you are the best!

I didn't think we wouldn't be getting home after 11PM, so I didn't bring any PJ's for Anna - so this was Anna this morning in her "make shift" pajamas - complete with a onesie and some baby legs (she did have a sweater on before - so she really looked hot!) You can just call her if you want to do an 80's dance video.

Crazy days!

So it has been pretty crazy around our house this week and instead of vacuuming and such right now, I have decided to update my blog and catch up on my "blog watching," if you will. Plus, Anna is napping so I couldn't REALLY be doing the cleaning anyway, amuse me!

Sunday my family came down and I made Sunday dinner. It was so fun to have everyone come down here for a change and to see everyone. Of course, Anna wanted to eat with us and so while eating the smallest slice of an olive she gagged and puked - while everyone was eating...lovely! Help anyone?! My child has the gag reflex of a Warriorette!

(My daughter's lovely attire in this pic is due to the fact we had to strip her of her dress because it was stained with vomit)

The kids loved to play on my treadmill and Anna loves it when I turn it on and she walks on it. Don't worry - I supervise and hold onto her...I am not that terrible of a parent. I think between the treadmill walking and the vomiting, I have gone astray. Annabelle used to be the most chunky baby ever! She was always in the 80% for her weight...

but as of her 15 month appointment today, she is in the 2%! She is still in the 54% for her head - poor girl got my huge head - and the 45% for her height. The doctor thinks she has a hard time eating because she put all her "energy" into talking. He was super impressed that at her appointment when he asked her where her eyes were not only could she point to them, but also said "eyes." Along with "nose," "diaper," "balloon," "ball," and many many more. But her new favorite word is "No?" It's not a statement, when I ask her something she says "No?" in the form of a question. It's pretty funny.

Now that she is running everywhere, Ross and I totally use it to our advantage. When she poops, I will give her a diaper and tell her to go give it to her Dad and say "Please" - and she does. I love it - Ross doesn't.

Yesterday was such an awesome day. We went to the Salt Lake Temple with Ross's family to go through with his brother Caleb and his wife Kayla when they received their endowments. I had never been through a live session and it was so awesome - it was much easier to stay awake ;) Afterwords they were sealed together and then to their daughter, Danika.

We are so proud of them and the choices they have made to go to the temple. The spirit was so strong and it was so beautiful to see them be sealed to their daughter forever. We love you guys!

They say venting can be therapeutic

MY LIST OF THINGS THAT MUST GO :

- People who don't use their blinkers
- Teenagers texting while driving
- My boss at American Eagle, and my wage at AE while we are at it
- Going to the gym at 6AM cause that is the only way I have time to exercise
- My neighbor who tells me she can't wait until she can stay at home and "not get ready" because she saw me take out the trash and I'm still in my gym clothes at 11AM
- Hearing my other neighbors doing the "no no cha cha," as Sara calls it, when I am trying to fall asleep.
- Waiting in the check out line behind 3 carts toppling over with groceries when I only have 5 items.
- People who have 40 items in the "20 items or less" check out lane.
- The price of gasoline...and milk

-Celebreties who have babies and a week later have returned to their pre-pregnancy shape.
- Annabelle's gag reflex and the fact that she is 15 months and still eating mostly baby food.
- AT&T and their slogan that they have the fewest dropped calls. My right eye they do! And what about the mixed-up situation afterward? Both callers try to call the other back at the same time and you both get voice mail.
- The voice mail lady who tells you how to leave a message. Come one, who doesn't know how to do that by now and I hate having to listen to it all again and again and again...
- The writers strike - I know it's over, but I still don't like waiting 3 more weeks for "The Office"
- Commercials for the 10 o'clock news that try and rope you into watching some segment cause they make it sound like you are going to die, but really is totally lame.
- Opening yogurt.

I think that should suffice for now. I am not in a bad mood, didn't have a bad day... just a few thoughts that came to mind. What is on your list?

When boredom strikes

Isn't it funny how we each spend our "free" time differently?! For instance, Ross stays up after I go to bed and sometimes I wonder what does he do while I am falling asleep? and then I look at the pictures on our camera....

He used the screen on his phone to do this.



Used Anna's new glow-in-the-dark fridge magnets to do this.



Turns our daughter into the little boy he wanted so badly at first. Now he loves having his lil' girl :)

Annabelle loves to find her huge monkey and settle in for a good read.

I like to hang out with my friends and Annabelle loves playing with their kids toys - it's like getting new ones for her. This is Brennen's motorized four wheeler and Annabelle loved riding it all by herself. Thanks Marcia for the little play date!

But mostly I think she she loves hanging out with other kids - anyone besides being with her dang mom all day :(
Recently a friend of mine listed a bunch of ideas to do when her kids needed to be occupied. The list is fantastic, but a lot of them apply to the Ogden area, since that is where she lives. So I need some ideas. What do ya'll do when boredom strikes, especially when you have to stay inside....besides blog, cause I really ought to spend less time doing that ;)

What the?!

The other day Anna got done eating breakfast, I got her out of the high chair and while I was cleaning things up and she came walking towards me as happy as can be....

What the?! is on her face?! It's SOAP!

And she liked it! I am starting to worry that my child has some sort of nutritional deficiency. First wood, now soap! Is this normal? Has anyones children done this before?

On another, slightly more normal subject, Ross represented his work at the Civil Engineering Fair up at Utah State. We both hadn't been to Logan in a long time so we decided to make a day out of it. Minus the fact that it is freezing, there are many things I miss about Logan - maybe because I have so many fun memories that took place in Logan.

Of course we had to hang out with our friends Steve and Nancy. Their son, Charlie, is 6 weeks older than Annabelle and so they had a blast poking, staring at each other and chasing one another up and down the stairs all afternoon. Thanks for hanging out with us - we miss you!

One of the things I miss most about Logan? Cafe Sabor! Mmmmm. Everything was delish! Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of us (the adults) all day. How things change after you have children.

Husband Tag

I was tagged by my friend Lisa, and at least this one is not about me or Anna, which is what most of my posts are about :)

How long have you been together? Our first date was in June 20, 2003 (the day before the 5th Harry Potter book came out - otherwise I would have never remembered) but I would say really 4 years next month. Crazy!

How long did you date? From first date to marriage - 15 months, but really it was probably more like 6 months.

How old is he? 27

Who eats more? That is a good question. I would say he probably takes in more calories (thanks to Carls Junior and McDonalds) but I do eat A LOT of food - so its pretty close.

Who said "I love you" first? Weeelll, we were playing 20 questions with each other and he asked me if I loved him?! I started freaking out in my head wondering "Do I? I have never really loved anyone before? But I have never liked anyone like this before ever? So is this love? Oh crap! I better answer....umm...I think so?" Yeah, he then proceeded to tell me how I just scared the crap out of him by not answering for like 5 minutes (we both had never said those 3 words before). Needless to say he said "I love you." But I think it was mean of him to pretty much make me say it first.

Who is taller? Ross is 6' 1" and I am 5' 7" and he teases me all the time and tells me how short I am and I get pretty upset about it.

Who is smarter? Even though I got better grades, it's definitely Ross. He actually likes math. Ewww. He has taken math classes that I can't even pronounce. He is also common sense smart and is one of those people who can actually play along with Jeopardy. I can with its the teen tournament :)

Who does the laundry? I do. Ross used to about half the time when we both went to school and worked, but now that he just works, he doesn't. What's up with that?

Who does the dishes? Ross hates doing the dishes and I can't stand having any dishes in the sink. So it's usually me. Sometimes he gets mad because he thinks I don't give him a chance to do them. So I leave them in the sink and they will be in there for days and I have to remind him, which I hate doing...I would rather just do them myself.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Ross

Who pays the bills? Me

Who mows the lawn? HOA :)

Who cooks dinner? I would say 50% of the time its me, 25% its him (he never follows a recipe, which makes me nervous, but it always turns out good) and 25% its frozen burritos, pizza, a bowl of cereal or going out to dinner. I just get lazy after a while, plus I hate having so much left overs that we eventually have to throw some away.

Who is more stubborn? ME for sure. Hello?! I am a red head :)

Who kissed who first? I think it was mutual.

Who asked who out? He did. I think I have asked 2 guys out in my entire dating history. Apparently my dear friend Shelley Woolsey told him I thought he was hot, so he called Sara and got my number.

Who proposed? He did at the top of inspiration point. We had already talked about getting married and even started planning. He was just waiting to sell his motorcycle to buy my ring (awe) yet he started shaking like crazy and getting all nervous when he asked me - like i was gonna say "no?!"

Who is more sensitive? Probably Ross. The other day I told him I read this story (you can read it here) and it made me bawl. He was more excited that I cried and he actually said, "yeah! My wife DOES have emotions!"

Who has more friends? He has a lot more close friends from high school, in fact he hasn't made too many friends SINCE high school. But I have friends from high school, Dixie, USU, and here, so probably me?

Who has more siblings? Same. He has 2 brothers and 1 sister. I am the opposite with 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Both of us. He doesn't like to drive a lot and I always want to see my friends and family and although I know he would be just happy sitting on his butt all day in our home he always says, "I will do whatever you want to do." He's smart!

Who are you tagging? Heather (if you want, you MIGHT be busy ;) ), Kandace, & Marie

My lil' termite

So on Saturday we put Annabelle down for her morning nap like usual. However, she didn't seem to want to cooperate. She was fine - just talking a bunch to herself in her crib. After an hour, yes an hour, of hoping she would eventually fall asleep (she usually does after a while of playing) Ross went in to see what was up.

This is how he found her. At first he was didn't know what reddish brown stuff was all over her face. What could she have possibly eaten? Why was there so much saliva ALL over her face and shirt? I guess being stuck in a crib really can be like "prison" and she was just trying to munch her way out!

Needless to say she is getting her right incisor and her one year old molars. So fun!