Messing with Perfection...

To say that Bryan LOVES his Grandma Melba's cinnamon rolls is an understatement. I have gotten pretty good at making them. It used to turn my kitchen into a disaster, but it is not so bad anymore. Well, this morning I thought I would make some for him since we don't have church until 12. As I was filling the dough with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar I was telling Bry I was thinking I wanted to try a batch with some chopped up apples in the middle or some pumpkin pie spice. He tells me that I should not mess with perfection...Grandma's cinnamon rolls are pretty tasty! Anyhow - when it comes to the icing it seems to turn out differently for me everytime. Grandma's recipe is not exact my any means and sometimes I get it right on and sometimes.....not so much. So I thought I would experiment with a cream cheese icing this time. Success! I thought it turned out great and I even wrote down exactly how I did it so I can duplicate it if needed. Bryan is still partial to the original, but I would say this icing comes in at a close second to accompany these delightful, calorie -loaded baked treats!

** And yes, we have the original pan from Grandma Melba that she so lovingly made so many batches of cinnamon rolls in!**

Happy Sabbath

I am grateful for a wonderful husband who is a great example to me and Andrew. We were all ready for church and I looked over to find Bryan and Andrew reading the Ensign together on the couch. It is the little moments like this that make me so grateful for all I have been given.

The Andrew Cuteness!

Andrew does so many cute things that I don't want to forget them as the time goes on and he stops doing them....so here are a few of the things that melt my heart and make me smile:

• Andrew's favorite word is "hi". He will say it over and over to the same person as long as they keep saying it back. He will come right up to your face, like within inches of touching face to face, and say hi, as if you didn't see him already. I just love this kid!


• Andrew calls anything that is a little doorway, under a table, in a corner, a box, a tent, etc a house. It is the cutest thing when he sees it and looks at me so excited and says "house!" as if to tell me he has found this amazing spot to sit


• Andrew will run (well, walk quickly) to to your legs and grab you and say "got you!" I especially love this when I am sitting on the floor after dressing him or changing his diapers and he goes around so that he is behind me and puts his arms around my shoulders and says "got you"!!


• I love the spontaneous kisses...they are few and far between to come without asking, but when they do it melts me heart (I suppose this goes for Andrew and Bry!)


• Occasionally Andrew will snuggle my cheek I suppose...it is like he is going to kiss me, but instead he nuzzles his face into mine....can I just say...CUTE!


• Andrew loves to play in his crib for some reason. I think it is because he played in the one at the hospital. Anyhow - he likes to get in there with all his balls and a blanket covering half so it is like a tent...or "house".


• He is finally learning how to say "love you". For a while I was trying to get him to repeat I love you word-by-word, but all he would say is "you" because he knew that came last. Instead we just say "love you" and he seems to have caught on rather quickly.

I know there are so many more, but I will leave it at that for tonight. You have any to add Bry??!!

Going Private

Bry and I have decided for the safety of our family we are going to make our blog private and only those we invite can view it. I know it is a pain to always have to log in to be able to view, but it makes me nervous knowing anyone out there could find my family and be watching the happenings of our life. I have to make a list of those who we will allow to see the blog by adding email addresses for invites. If you still want to be able to see the happenings of the Baker fam please send me over an email and I will add your email address to the list. I will leave the blog public for about a week so that I can add anyone who wants to be added to the list. I know its a pain, but I think it is worth it!! happybakerwife27@gmail.com

The Joys of Spring

I have to admit that I am excited for spring to really get here. I know it is "officially" spring, but it is still quite chilly. I am looking forward to walks with Andrew without all the layers of clothing, picnics as a family, all the flowers around Provo sprouting from the bulbs that were planted so many months ago....and I LOVE all the baby birds everywhere. We can hear them in the trees already. When I was walking to get milk this evening over at the creamery I saw a little girl watching a beautiful little bird with a red breast hopping around. We were careful not to scare her away. After I got the milk the little bird was still out there and I realized what she was doing. She was looking for worm after worm...she was a mommy bird getting food for her babies. Just another little reminder to thank my Heavenly Father for all the blessings He gives us. Sometimes I just need to slow down a little to notice.

Courtroom Highlights!

I just want to write to remember a couple things Judge Manley said to us....I was holding Andrew and after he was adopted the judge said that he looks just like mommy (ME!) and asked if I had heard that before. Really people say he looks like Bryan so it was nice to hear he looks like me too! Then she said that she normally doesn't ask a woman this, but I seemed to be carrying a little more weight in the middle and wanted to know if I was pregnant. **I am really quite round these days** I told her I was and it is a boy...she congratulated us as well. She is such a wonderful judge! She told us that Andrew had been dealt some pretty bad hands, but he sure struck the jackpot with us and she was so glad that he was with us!

Andrew Bryan Baker

We have been so blessed to have been able to adopt our sweet boy Andrew this afternoon. It has been a long time coming and I can't believe it is finally official! What a wonderful day!! We left early this afternoon to go through this file and get any information we might need later on and then we headed to court. The whole proceeding lasted about 15 minutes and consisted of us verifying who we were, that we wanted to adopt Andrew, and signing of papers. Andrew was a good boy (especially for not having a nap). He colored and the judge even gave him a stuffed animal pig that is so cute and soft! He sure knows how to light up the room, especially now that he is talking more. We had his case worker there, his attorney, adoption worker, and old case worker, as well as our Family Resource Consultant from Orem and her supervisor! Andrew is loved by so many. After court we headed back to Provo to eat...Price does not have the greatest selection of restaurants. We ate at the Goodwood Smokehouse, which is amazing!

I just want Andrew to know that I love him more than anything. He is an amazing child and I know that he was sent to our family. The Lord has a plan and sometimes it is hard to see things the way they are supposed to be, but I have learned to trust in Him and things eventually work out. We went through a lot and had to rely on faith for so much, but I am so grateful for an all-knowing Father in Heaven who loves us and knows each one of us. Andrew is now officially a part of our family and I know without a doubt this is where he is supposed to be. He is such a blessing and miracle. He has blessed so many lives and I know he will continue to do so. I love you Andrew!!!!

Food, Glorious Food!!

I have to say....Easter dinner was amazing! Not sure if it is because I am pregnant, helped with it, or what, but it was divine!!! We had ham, rolls, asparagus, jell-o, homemade creamed corn, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, strawberries, pineapple, and peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert! We didn't think to take a picture of the "Big Food" as my brother calls it before we ate, probably because we were too excited and too hungry, but this is a picture of the aftermath of it all. Yummy! Thanks Shan for having us over!!!

On a side note - I have to thank Ethan for letting me sit and enjoy this fabulous meal. He offered to take Andrew outside and sit on the tramp. (We all know Andrew wants nothing to do with food...) Andrew LOVES to be outside and loves the trampoline. Ethan ate his meal outside and just played with Andrew. What a great uncle!!!

Happy Easter

I know I am a little late, but better late than never. My poor little boy has been fighting sickess after sickess for the past two weeks. He woke up Easter morning (after a long night) with a fever and very grumpy! Shannon's kids were SO excited and they had to wait for him to go down to find their baskets and do the Easter egg hunt. Out we came, half asleep....and Andrew pretty much sat on the floor and watched the kids run around. Hopefully next year he will be healthy and ready to join in the fun.

Also, next year we are going to start a new family tradition of doing "Spring Day" separate from Easter. We will leave a note for the Easter bunny and he will come the Saturday before or after Easter to bring the baskets. That is when we will color eggs, do the hunt, etc. We may even plant some flowers!! This way we can celebrate Easter on Sunday with our full focus and attention on Christ.

Penny Pinching Rush!

I have forgotten the thrill I get when I would go coupon shopping. I still get four newspapers every Sunday and pull the coupons out, but have yet to cut them or even look at them after that point. I let my Coupon Sense account lapse....needless to say I haven't hit a fabulous bargain in a long time. Well, this week at Albertsons...thanks to Shannon...I got one! Cereal was on sale 3/$5, but if you buy 7 then a $10 coupon prints out off your next order. All in all I got 28 boxes of cereal for $18.08!! That means about .65 a box....but I still have a $10 coupon in my wallet that I can spend on other groceries that I have to buy anyway...so really it was $8.08 for the cereal, which makes them 0.29 a box!!!! I love the thrill of a steal deal!!!

After all we can do....

Taking walks around the neighborhood is not as easy as it used to be. It is either up or down a hill and pushing a stroller really gives me a nice workout. Anyhow - I decided to get Andrew out of the house for a bit since we have been cooped up for the past couple days with him being sick. We walked up the hill in our neighborhood to get the mail, drop off some Relief Society calendars, put newpapers in the recycle bin and then back home. Well, on the way home Andrew was VERY sad - he loves to get out and play in the grass or at the playground, but it was windy and he is still sick so he was whining all the way home. When we got home I wanted to go through the mail and I had taken note of everything that was in it when I pulled it out...and my paycheck was in there, but lo and behold when I got home....it was missing! I went through the junk mail...not there...I said a prayer that we could find it and we headed back out. I loaded Andrew back up in the stroller and we re-traced our steps...alllll the way back up the hill. I even peered in the recycle dumpster thinking I may have throw it away. No luck. We got back home and I decided to go through the jumk mail one more time....there is was! This was either an exercise of my faith or a nudge to get a little more exercise!

Hospital Happenings

Well...we had an eventful Monday night and Tuesday! After going to the doc on Monday morning in the clear it seemed that Andrew continued to digress and we took him to the hopsital Monday night. They checked him out and decided he needed to have a sleepover for the night. After a couple chest x-rays, breathing treatment, positive RSV test, and oxygen we headed to the peds unit. I decided I would stay with Andrew and Bry should go home to get some sleep. Andrew on the other was anything but ready to sleep! Apparently the breathing treatment makes kids a little wild! I don't think we went to bed until 3:00 or so. He did sleep in until 11...not that I got to - we had docs in and out all morning. It is hard to fall asleep, have a doc come in and have to be coherent to what they are talking about!

Bry came in the morning and let me have a shower (it was wonderful). Andrew pretty much just got better as the day went on and got discharged about 8:00 pm on steroids and oxygen at night! Now we are going to get him tested for sleep apnea...the beat goes on, right?! Just thought I would share how cute he looks, even at the hospital! He is such a trooper!

He sure looks sick, doesn't he??!

Creature of Habit

He is a creature of habit and it is all my fault. I am VERY into routines and this poor child thrives on them. Everynight we ask him if he is ready for bottle and books. Of course he almost always is - he LOVES books. He says "books", we hand him his bottle and he trots off down the hall to his room. This child has no fear of the dark either, he goes right in his room without the lights on. He does come looking for you if you have not followed him there though. I sat him in the rocking chair while I got the three books to read to him for the night. He drinks his bottle while we read. It really is such a wonderful time together. Last night he wanted his glasses on, but took them off for books (he is so smart). And just a note - those are Bryan's favorite jammies. He calls them his little man pajamas. After books Andrew takes his bottle to the table (if it is empty) or to the fridge (if there is a lot left). Then it is off to the bathroom for brushing teeth and flossing. We even have specific songs we sing for these, but we won't go there. After we are done he calls daddy and we go in for scriptures and prayer. Each little aspect of the night has a specific order and ritual to it, but it works, right?! When we are done I get to rock him in the chair and sing three songs to him - usually the same three hymns - he even knows the last song "Love One Another". He sings spradic words, such as by and no. When I am done he says "blankie" and gives me a kiss. I put him in bed and he goes to sleep. I love the time I get to spend with Andrew, especially at night when things are calm...it reminds me how special he is and how much I love him.

We received the official paperwork in the mail today for Bryan's acceptance. I could not be more proud of him. I called and made the first installment of our deposit last night to hold his place in the class and now we just have to mail the signed form they sent saying we accept their offer. I can't even begin to express how much I love Bryan and how proud I am of him. He has worked so hard...he amazes me. I am so blessed to have found such a wonderful man.

Hot!!!

I have been trying to teach Andrew the difference between cold and hot...I still don't think he has it quite yet. Anyhow - anytime I am cooking and am in the oven I get out my mits and tell Andrew "hot", he proceeds to back away and most of the time he then runs to the doorway to get as far from the oven as possible. Well, today I had made garlic toast to go with lasagna (yumm!) When I was done I called him over to see if he wanted to wear the mits. When he saw them he says "hot" - it was just so cute. He thought it was pretty fun to wear them like mom and be able to stand by the oven. I love my little man!

Sensory Integration Suicide

Well - I am a day late, but I just had to remember how last evening went. Andrew likes yogurt. It is one of the few foods he will eat and actually tolerate. He actually calls it "Juice" because it tastes like juice. It is the cutest thing when he says it! Anyhow - we sat down for an eating sessions and he took one bite of yogurt...and then I saw his face, the drool starting coming and I knew what was going to happen next - yup, it all came back up and some. I have gotten good at predicting this and was ready with a towel. Now usually he does this when he has too much, but this was ONE BITE! So I cleaned him up and we were going to try again. He refused. Me and my big mouth said "you can't get down until you have one bite". Well, there was no turning back. I must follow through, right. Well an hour later and after offering him everything under the sun to take a bite (a walk, grass, candy, sucker, chocolate, getting down, etc) I gave him a marshmallow and asked him if he wanted another. In the process of him taking the second marshmallow from my hand he opend his mouth and took his bite of yogurt! Not that the bite of yogurt did anything nutritionally for him...but now I know that I will not do that again. I have to watch what I say! He did get his candy and walk and got to play in the grass...I made sure to follow through with it all after that long hour of sitting in his high chair like such a good boy!

To add to it all I decided to cut his hair last night. He HATES this. I don't think he would mind it so much, but he can't stand to have the hair touch him. We love sensory issues, right? Well, we muttled through it and I do have to say - it is worth it in the end. He is one cute kid!!!!!

Pregnancy Massage

That massage room looks divine, right? Well, my sweet husband had gotten me a gift certificate for a Pregnancy Massage at a local spa here in Provo. How thoughtful!! I was so excited and have held on to it for a couple months, waiting for the right time when I felt I really needed it. Well, the time had come. Bry really wanted me to go on my birthday. He said he would watch Andrew so I could go. Well, I figured if I was going to get a massage I might as well really need it....soo...on my birthday I proceeded to do laundry, vacuum, do the dishes, etc. I was exhausted and sore to say the least. Bry got home and I went to call to make my appointment only to get an answering machine, which wouldn't have been so bad except it said they had "permanently closed their doors"!!!! So...no massage for me and I am still waiting to hear back from the email I sent to see if we can get our $55 back! Lovely, huh? Bry did give me a wonderful pedicure on Saturday night to take a little of the sting out of not getting my official prenancy massage.

Brazillian Grill Anyone?

All I have to say is Teriyaki beef is divine!!!! We went to Tucanos for my birthday dinner and really enjoyed being together as a family. Andrew was well entertained with all that was going on and sucked down about half of my Brazilian lemonade. I couldn't handle very much of the delicious grilled pineapple due to my lovely heartburn, but I have fallen in love with their teriyaki beef!!! If you are ever in Provo and feel the urge to eat a lot of meat then Tucanos is the place to go!!!

USC Here We Come!!!!

University of Southern California School of Dentistry Class of 2012!!!!!!!!!!!! Bryan was officially accepted yesterday evening and I could not be more proud of him. He has put in so much hard work and dedication. He is an amazing man and I love him so much. We are starting to get things underway for moving back to Cali in six months! We are SO excited!

Baker Family Buzz

Here is our new Blog

This is our first post on our new blog. I have no idea what I am doing so it might not look so good.
This was the three of us in the family bakery in Elmira New York.