Bad Day and an Anniversary

I generally don't like receiving flowers (they die too quick and then I get sad about it), but after a day like yesterday, I was really happy (and teary-eyed) to see Rowan coming up the stairs with this rose in his hands.

It was one of those days. Where nothing in particular goes wrong, yet nothing seems right. The kind of day that people in third world countries probably don't have, because they can't afford to be self-indulgent. And then thinking about that makes you feel worse, because how could you be so selfish?

Luckily for me, I struck gold when I married Ryan. He got my favorite foods (pizza, ice cream, Pringles, cherry tomatoes---because I have the taste buds of a sixth grader) and then let me sit in bed and eat them while he read The Hunger Games to me. Sorry to all the women out there looking for the perfect man, because I already found him and we have a child together.

Speaking of which, we celebrated our fourth anniversary last week. We spent a day and a night in Park City. Since its too warm for winter activities, and too cold for summer ones, it is absolutely deserted there! We felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was wonderful.

We started out in Heber, where we of course got shakes at Dairy Keen (mine was Orange Creamsicle). Then we headed up to the Outlets, where I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in every store.

After checking into our hotel (where we only saw ONE other couple!), we got the best pizza EVER at Main Street Pizza & Noodle. If you're ever there, get the Five Cheese. Whoever thought of putting Gouda on pizza was a genius.

Then we spent the rest of the night wandering the shops, lounging in the hot tub, and taking advantage of the cable television by watching Miss Congeniality.

Moral of the story: Ryan is awesome and these 4 years together have been bliss.

Summer

This weekend has been a good indicator of how great our summer will be. We spent most of the time outside or with family, and the fun is just beginning! After a long, dreary, depressing winter, I am ready for warmth. What we have on our plans this summer:

Lagoon!

Camping! Granite Flats, Arches, and Sand Hollow. (I'm especially excited for Arches, since I've never been.)

And of course with camping comes hiking, kayaking, and four-wheeling.

Geocaching.

Yard sale-ing.

Birthdays and anniversary.

Summer festivals. Strawberry Days, Summerfest, and the Freedom Festival are things I dream about all winter long.

PEOPLE. (I may be most excited about this one.) Some of my favorite people come into town in the summertime.

Trips. Besides the aforementioned camping excursions, we're taking a few little trips this summer.

The drive-in theater.

Gardening.

Independence Day.

Dave Matthews Band Concert.

Muse Concert.

Boating.

Fireworks.

Shaved ice.

Swimming.

Stargazing.

The county fair and the state fair. (I'm thinking I may enter some photography/preserves this year!)

Barbecuing.

GORP. (Our favorite summer treat: mix all of your favorite cereals and candies together and eat them while you watch the parades/fireworks.)

Getting a Chaco tan line.

And most of all, the fact that Rowan is old enough to appreciate most of this.

What are you excited for this summer?

(most of the following bazillion pictures are from last summer.)

Unpopular Opinion: Circumcision

(This is a touchy subject. And possibly TMI. But I am determined to share my opinion on it, because someone once shared their (unsolicited) opinion with me and it made a big impact. Please don't take offense. I only share this because this is my blog and this is something I feel strongly about.)

There really is no reason to circumcise your sons. (I'm ignoring Jewish people here.) Most people in America do it for one of two reasons:

1) it's cleaner
or
2) because they want their son to fit in, whether it's with other boys or with his father.

First of all, having a foreskin means one extra step in the shower for boys. And those who say uncircumcised penises are more susceptible to UTI's and STD's are misinformed. And even if that were true, UTI's are (most of the time) easily handled with antibiotics, and STD's are easily handled with condoms.

Second of all, you want to put your baby through a painful, traumatic, and mutilating procedure so they can conform? I think if you watched a circumcision being performed you'd change your mind.

I don't want to tell anyone what they should or should not do with their baby's genitals, but I also don't think it's their decision. Why not let your son decide? It's not a now-or-never decision. He can always be circumcised later. But he can't be un-circumcised.

If you want more information, nocirc.org has a documentary on their website you can watch. And Penn & Teller did an episode on it, although it's full of swearing and nudity and not as reputable.

Also, circumcisiondecisionmaker.com is a pretty interesting read.

(Disclaimer: I don't think you're a bad parent if you have done this/are planning on doing this. I mostly just feel bad for your baby. A lot of parents are misinformed these days, or make these huge decisions without doing research.)

Unpopular Opinion: Profile Pictures

(once again, this post isn't geared towards anyone. so no one take offense. that is all.)

It really drives me nuts when people aren't in their own Facebook profile pictures. Particularly, if it's a picture of their baby.

Yeah, I know, you're proud of your baby. I get it, I had a baby once upon a time. But this is your Facebook, not your baby's (on that note, please don't make a Facebook for your baby!), and I want to see your face. Whenever I see someone in this situation, I feel a little sad, because it seems like they've lost their identity as anything other than a Mom.

(And I've been there too. When you're a stay-at-home mom, it's hard to be anything other than that. But you'll [well, at least I did] go crazy if you aren't yourself too.)

I've lost my train of thought.

But the point is, if you want a picture of your kid to be what all of your friends see alongside your posts, realize that it's hard to take you seriously. Maybe have a picture with you and your baby.

Another thing is, if all your pictures are group shots. First of all, I can't see you. Secondably, what if it's been so long since I've seen you and I can't tell which one you are??

Anywho, clearly I spend too much time on Facebook.

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

This recipe is dedicated to Jackie, who has been the best neighbor ever over the last year. She lives through the wall from me, and has a son who is two weeks younger than Rowan, so needless to say we have spent a lot of time together. We trade babysitting, make dinner for each other, have a zoo membership together, play games after the babies are asleep, go to the park together, and she even gave me the brown sugar for these cookies because I didn't want to run to the store. Sadly, she is moving soon.

She makes the best desserts, and once I tried these cookies, I had to have the recipe. They have become my new favorite cookies.

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter (I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup coconut oil and they turned out so tasty!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugar together, then mix in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate and butterscotch chips. Place tablespoon sized balls of dough 2-3 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes.

Enjoy!