The Little One's First Picture

Here's a snap shot taken yesterday morning of our little one:

Baby Number Two

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am pregnant with baby #2. Bret and I are super excited for a new little family member. I'm 14 weeks along and the baby is due on September 13th. We'll find out next month what we're having. We've tried to explain to Kien about a baby being in my belly a couple of times but I don't think he believes me. :D

The Best Husband

Last night was enrichment night. They had an "8 Cow Wife" theme that was pretty fun. At the end of the evening they announced that they had a special surprise for each of us. They told us that all of our husbands had written us letters and they were going to pass them out to us.

When they first mentioned the letters my heart clenched up and for a moment I had this terrible feeling- like how you might feel if you knew someone was going to burn you and you just had to wait for it to happen. Let me explain why....

Years ago when I was on my mission all of the missionaries were brought together for a Christmas party. It was a great evening with a lot of fun but also with some really great words from our mission president. We were in a chapel and the spirit in the room was overwhelmingly strong. I felt great. Then President Hyde announced to us that they had contacted all of our parents and that each of us had a letter from them. They proceeded to pass out the letters. I was so ecstatic you wouldn't believe it. Most of you know that my father isn't really a part of my life so I wasn't expecting anything from him- but to know that I had gotten a letter from my mother just made me so happy. The reason? Because at that point in my mission I had never received a letter from her. I love my mother- I think she tries to do her best. But she wasn't all that supportive of me going on a mission- she never understood what it all meant to me. I had accepted the fact that my mother wasn't going to write me on my mission and I took those feelings and shoved them deep and far away so that I didn't have to think about it. But there, in that chapel, with letters being passed out, and a promise from President Hyde that we ALL had letters I felt so hopeful and happy. I waited, and waited as everyone around me got their very own letter from their parents. The room was quiet as people read them except for some who were crying. I waited and my letter never came.

I was so disappointed and even thinking about it now still makes me cry. I went home feeling terrible. My very good day turned into something horrible. Of course I got over it and found renewed reasons of why I should be happy on my mission.

So anyways- back to last night. When they announced that we all had letters from our husbands my initial feelings were of a sickening fear. But then I thought- No, this is my Bret we're talking about here. I KNOW he won't let me down. And I was right.

I got a letter from my wonderful husband telling me wonderful things. It made me so happy and I couldn't stop bawling. I am married to a good man. Before I met him I taught myself not to depend on people because it seemed like they always let me down. Even the people who were supposed to be the pillars of strength- they just weren't there when I needed them to be. But Bret is my rock. I can always count on him. He is dependable, reliable, constant, sturdy. When he says he's going to do something- he does it. He is the best friend you could ever have because he will always help you when you need it. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. I am so very thankful that I have him in my life and that I can depend on him and know that he will never let me down. I love him. I thank Heavenly Father for making him.

Fried Rice Recipe

Fried rice is super easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients I need just laying around the kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked Jasmine Rice (You can use long grain if it's all you've got)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups of frozen peas and carrots (or you can use your favorite fresh veggies)
3 links of Chinese Style Sausage (You can use other meats- Beef, Pork, Chicken, etc)
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Cooking Oil

Cook your Jasmine Rice in your rice cooker or pot according to package instructions.

Pour a tiny bit of oil into a wok, just enough to grease the bottom. Pour in your beaten egg and move your wok around so that the egg spreads out into a thin disc. Once one side cooks, flip it over to cook the other side. Then take it out and cut the disc in half and then slice it.

Set the egg aside in a large mixing bowl. Now dump your frozen peas and carrots into the wok along with 1/2 a cup of water. Cook until the veggies are heated all the way through and all the water is absorbed or evaporated. Dump the veggies into your mixing bowl. Now take your Chinese Style Sausage and cut about 3 links into small slices.
Dump those into the wok next and cook them for a couple minutes until both sides are crispy and browned. Remove from wok and add to the mixing bowl.

Now add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to your wok. Drop in your minced garlic and let it brown up a little bit for about 30-45 seconds. Then dump in all of your cooked jasmine rice. Stir it around thoroughly to give the rice a nice coating of the garlic oil. Drizzle the rice with about a tablespoon of soy sauce and continue to mix so that it has a light brown coating. Dump in all the cooked ingredients from your mixing bowl and continue to mix thoroughly. Once it's all mixed serve it and enjoy!
Hint: If you want to serve the rice in the mound shape pictured above, place 6 sausage discs at the bottom of a small bowl and then add the fried rice to the bowl and pack it down tightly. Put a plate upside down on top of the bowl and then flip it over and you'll get a pretty nice mound of fried rice ready to serve.