The Alan and Jennifer Walton Family

Impulsive, Spontaneous, or Just Plain Yummy! And a shift in Paradgm.

2011-09-22T15:31:00.010-06:00

At 3:55 pm I posted this on my facebook:

"Impulse of the moment: make a half batch of Rice Krispy Treats to satisfy my sugar hankering/ hunger/ desire to show Elizabeth what Rice Krispy treats are and that they're good. Here's our family recipe: http://donnasrecipebox.blogspot.com/2011/07/rice-chex-krispy-treats.html

Of course, while I'm on fb writing about this, and finding the recipe, Elizabeth is going after the M&M's, which is what she really wanted."

At 4:25 pm I finished consuming some very yummy squares of this:

And by 4:45 pm I have most of my cooking mess and chocolate covered little girl mess cleaned up; blog post half done, sugar stabilizing snack consumed and pictures from my phone up loaded to me computer!
All in less than an hours work =D

So, this brings on a paradigm shift that's been in the works for a while now.
You see growing up I lived in a house with 8 other people with sweet toothes, as well as the family rule that if you cooked in the kitchen you had to start with a clean kitchen and end with a clean kitchen (really the first of those was more of just a cleanly habit that facilitated the second, which was the actually rule).
So, if you wanted to make a treat and actually have enough to enjoy it more than .30 minutes, than you had 2 options:

1. Make a family sized batch, or even double batch, or
2. Make it when no one else was around so you could clean up the evidence and have it all to yourself... until someone found your stash that is, or unless you paid off the parental authorities that were almost sure to be around when you made it in the first place.
I rarely did the second of these (although I know my sister used this strategy many a time), which means that I usually just cooked a big batch, which is honestly how I did almost all of my cooking because someone else was sure to be hungry too, or I liked having left overs.

Anyways, cooking in large portions has two potential draw backs; it tends to take a lot of time (especially if you're cleaning the kitchen too) and you end up with a lot of whatever you make. Now, the second one of these is usually a plus, but in marriage when there has mainly just been the two of us, having lots of treats that make us feel sugared out tends to be a negative; and in my current pregnancy, left overs tend to equate to waste, because I'm having a hard enough time with food as it is that I rarely serve left overs to Alan and rarely eat them my self (unless I REALLY liked it when I first made it).

So, these two things: lots of time, and too much sugar around (among a few others that I'm not going to go into in this post), has really put a damper on me making treats as much as my sweet tooth/ social programming would normally dictate. But it has recently come into my paradigm that I don't have to make large batches anymore when making a treat! And now that I have actually tried this out and tasted the joy of a half batch dessert, I am wondering how this is going to impact the future of my dessert making...?
Honestly, I foresee that I will probably make more desserts than before, but not too many more, at least not if the other factors involved affect things like I imagine they will.
All in all I like this idea of being able to make more desserts.... Bring on the fresh baked Apple Pie! =D.

News Flash!

2011-09-16T12:20:00.003-06:00

Back Story:
When Elizabeth was a baby I think she tried bananas, once or twice and then has consistently and adamantly rejected them ever since.
I have heard it said that it can take 20+ (I can't remember the exact number) times being exposed to a food before a child will actually eat it; I also have heard that taste buds die off and regenerate, and that children have more taste buds than adults do. ANYWAYS, I haven't force Elizabeth to eat bananas, I just try to offer them to her whenever I am eating them so that she will continue to be exposed to them and maybe someday like them, but she never has accepted my offers.

Back to the present:
Life is funny sometimes and this afternoon was one of those times. I had decided to watched a video clip on the computer while eating a banana; Elizabeth heard the video and came into the room and climbed up onto my lap to watch with me, and that's when she saw it, my banana. She took it from me and said that she wanted to hold it, so I gave it to her willingly and then I patiently, quietly, EAGERLY watched her hoping that she just might try it of her own accord.
She looked at it in her hand. She Licked it, and licked it again, and then moment of truth came... she took a bit... and then another!

It is needless to say, that I was happy that after about 2 years of trying to get her to eat bananas, she just up and tried a banana without any prompting from me at all and liked it! She didn't eat it all, in fact she probably just took a couple more bites before she gave it to me and said that she was done; at which point I just said okay, and ate the rest myself and then didn't bring up the whole "you ate a banana!" until a few minutes after the fact.

Well, we'll see if this new food sticks, or if it was just an experiment out of pure curioisty that has now been satisfied for the time being; but in either case it made me smile.

(I didn't take a picture in the moment; I guess I was trying hard to let it be natural and play out spontaneously without me making a big deal out of it, but I also wanted to include a picture with this post, so this is a picture of Elizabeth that I took just this morning)

Quick Update Time

2011-09-07T14:33:00.009-06:00

First, and mainly to get it out of the way and feel like I can move on with the content on our blog, here is a quick update on our family, which I assume most of you (facebook users especially) already know, but which some of you (extended family in particular) might not, so here it is:

~ I am pregnant and expecting a Baby boy November 1st and we plan to name him Joseph Arthur Walton! (for those of you doing the math, or who may not realize how close November really is, I have less than two months left!)

(Me at about 30 weeks pregnant with baby Joseph)

~We decided to buy a house this April and so we started looking at our options. About a week later we had an offer on a house that felt right, and on May 25th we became first time home owners!

(Our beautiful new 4 bedroom home)

~Alan has now worked at Epic for almost a year and a half since graduating from BYU in April last year (Yea for moving onward and upward in life!); Good Job Alan!

(Alan helping Elizabeth with her mask that she (we) colored at the Annual Epicnic; This picture was taken in Alan's office at Epic)

~Elizabeth is now 2 1/2, and is growing and developing rapidly and is looking forward to having her own baby brother! Elizabeth is now weaned; loves to play with mommy and daddy and friends, loves books and her Netflix shows and is still such a sweet spirited blue eyed, strawberry-blond haired mama's little girl! We lover her dearly!

Now that that's off my chest, I should feel very little hesitation in posting all about our little adventures, as well as my two cents, and plenty of pictures =D
Enjoy this while it last, because I expect my posting will slow down at least for a while after having the baby.

New Family Pictures - May 2011

2011-08-19T08:36:00.021-06:00

Left to right: Alan, Elizabeth, Jennifer and baby Joseph in utero

Ta da! I love this picture of us on the hill overlooking our old apartment!
This, and all the other pictures in this post were done by my good friend Skye Mathews through her photography business SkyeBluePhotography, thanks Skye, I love them!

You and Me,
and Me and You,
So happy FOREVER!"

Kissssssssssssssss; The End

Some Thoughts on Blogging

2011-08-19T07:54:00.003-06:00

I think I see a recurring theme in my blogging habits.
It seems that I pretty consistently post when we have a new family picture (and of course lots of news because it's been FOREVER since my last post), which happens to be about once a year, and then I maybe post one other time during the year :l

Also, I've noticed that whenever I have a friend who is a dedicated blogger, I start to feel the desire to be more consistent at it too. I think that it is due to this (and having a new family picture and of course lots of "news") that I have done a complete update of our blog and am posting today.

So, because I have a new friend who has set a great example of consistently blogging, I've started thinking about blogging, in general, and why I don't do it more. In my musing I have had some interesting insights; You see, I use Facebook all the time, in fact, if you've really wanted to keep up to date with us, that's been the way to go. It's just been less of a hassle and less time consuming to post pictures on there, and of course all the "new flashes" as they come. And one really nice thing about fb is that so many of my friends and family see my posts and pictures and can easily "Like" them or leave a comment, that it makes for a high return on my effort.
But, blogging has some unique benefits too, namely: being able to personalize it; the fact that it feels a bit more set apart and private then fb, and your not so limited in how much you can say in any given post, nor in how you can incorporate pictures in with your thoughts and commentary.

So, in weighing the two, fb vs. blogging, I think that I enjoy both of them a lot; and now that my blog is feeling fresh and functional, and I have a great blogging example (thanks Sarah S.) to keep me going, I think I may actually start investing more in our family blog. And hey, I may even start/ revive my personal blog too!

Well, if you made it this far in my ramblings and musings, good job, and thank you! It means a lot to me to be listened too (and even more if you leave a comment so I know someone is listening and so I can hear your thoughts).

Sincerely,
Jenny

Walton Newsletter 2010

2010-12-05T12:25:00.018-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last year I didn't get a family news letter out and I have been wondering what to do about last year's news. Then I realized that most of you already know the most important highlights from last year (Elizabeth's Birth being the main one). So, I'm just going to focus on good old 2010. Enjoy!

Let's start with my sweetheart Alan:

Alan graduated from BYU in April with a bachelors in Math, and had a family and friends graduation party instead of going to his graduation ceremonies.

While looking for a summer internship, Alan interviewed with a health care software company called Epic and ended up with a full time job instead.

Alan continues to be a wonderful provider, husband and father; always striving to have a balanced life of family, work, personal development and discipleship.

Alan is an avid reader and life long learner, and will always be one (I am sure). He's also inspiring, ambitious and good. We are wonderfully in love with each other.

Next comes Jenny (Me):

So with Alan's job came a move to Madison, Wisconsin. We found a wonderful two bed room apartment and a great ward. Leaving our friends, family, Wymount ward and our (my) Utah comfort zone has definitely been a transition, but it was the right thing for us. We've grown a lot because of it and I'm sure we will continue to grow a lot from it.

Alan and I were called as ward missionaries and as such I have been blessed to be a Gospel Essentials teacher in our new ward. I'm loving this opportunity to refresh and deepen my understanding of the truths of the Gospel--as well as to teach and serve.

I spend my time taking care of Elizabeth, going to play groups, reading (on my better days), helping others, cooking, cleaning, and spending time with Alan. Soon I'll also be working on my talents too. I just need to organize my creative space and eventually get a piano =D (oh, and spend less time on distractions).

I've loved our monthly visits to Nauvoo to attend the Temple, spend time with family and visit one of Alan's Mission presidents and his wife. The long drives each way have given Alan and I treasured time with each other to talk.

I feel so blessed with my family, Alan's job, and life in general. Heavenly Father is truly mindful us. We're very happy.

Okay, now for everyone's favorite--Elizabeth:

It's truly incredible how fast children grow up! Elizabeth is almost two years old now (she is 22 months). She continues to surprise us with what she's learning. She walks, communicates very well, and is learning new things everyday.

She's still very attached to her mommy, even though she is becoming more and more independent. She loves her daddy and is always sad when he has to go to work and is SO excited when he comes home (and I mean SO excited, like running to him squealing and saying DADDY!).

Elizabeth loves her family, playing with friends, chocolate, clothes, hair-things, jewelry, shoes (yup! She is definitely a girl ;D), bubbles, walks, swinging on her swing, babies/her baby dolls, Winne-the-pooh, laughing, books/story time, movies, playing with water, and so much more =D

Elizabeth helps me around the house, plays with her daddy, does Skype with her grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins, and loves being happy.

Elizabeth is a wonderful daughter and we feel so blessed to have her as a part of our family.

We love you all and wish you the best! May your hearts be merry and your lives bright this Christmas season. May you always remember our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,
The Walton Family,

Alan, Jennifer and Elizabeth

(You can keep in further contact with us through Facebook and our family blog: alanandjennifer.blogspot.com)

Elizabeth's New Skill

2010-05-05T12:51:00.000-06:00

Our Family Picture

2009-05-20T10:55:00.004-06:00

Update Time

2009-05-06T20:42:00.002-06:00

Alan is done with finals and working for his dad this summer, which is a very diverse job. He continues to read good books like Louise L'Amour, the Great Books series and more. And he also had his first opportunity to be a groomsmen for one of his close friends who recently got married; which was fun.

We are enjoying the time we've had to read for long hours lately and go for sunset walks. We are reading the Leven Thumps series together and we are really enjoying it; as well as Laddie, and Bleak House, ETC.

I am loving being a MOMMY! =D and am enjoying the time I have to read. I also started an LLC with my mom and older sister! On the third, mom (Donna), Julia (my sister) and I set up our LLC and founded The Princess Academies, which is a mother daughter organization helping women develop the lost skills and refinements of womanhood that used to be passed down from mother to daughter. We will be launching our website on June 6th.
I have been enjoying the work I am doing for our business, while being an at home mom first. I'm also enjoying cooking and learning new recipes from my mother in-law.

Elizabeth was able to roll herself over from her tummy to her back twice the other day, and is starting to get her knees under herself and lifting/ pushing with her legs when she is on her tummy! So, she now has the head and leg part of crawling down, now she just needs the supporting herself with her arms; but that will come in time.

We got family pictures the other day! When thinking about it I found it cool that I have a family picture, and even more amazing and a bit incomprehensible was the realization that I have a family and we have a family picture! Life just happens so quickly; in fact, I'll be turning twenty this Friday!

Well, we hope hope all is going well for you and your loved one's and I will continue to keep you posted! And congratulations to all our family and friends who are newly-wed, or expecting, or who have recently had a baby!

Love,
The Waltons- Alan, Jennifer and Elizabeth =D

3 Months Old

2009-05-06T14:52:00.007-06:00

Elizabeth is now three months old and it is kind of hard to believe. I absolutely love her laughing, talking (experimenting), smiling, kicking and wiggling and looking at me! We call her Elizabeth, Little Lizzy, Eliza-baby, (etc.) and baby burrito when she is all swaddled up. That last one was Alan's invention ;) She has been growing and is now about 10 lbs. She also has a stronger neck and grip, and she is working toward being able to sit up on her own. When I lay her on her tummy she lifts her head all the way up, and she handles bath time very well, so long as she is warm. She is very alert and when Alan hands her to me she will turn her head and watch him moving away. Her hair definitely has a red color to it, and I now get told more that she looks like me. She is really a very good, sweet spirited and happy baby and we love her so much!

While I am working get more pictures up here, there are lots to see on my facebook page; I am also hopping to record her some time and put that up too.

More updates coming soon.

Love,
The Walton's- Alan, Jennifer and Elizabeth =D

Reflections of a new mother

2009-03-17T14:09:00.003-06:00

I am impressed with how natural and good the first two weeks particularly, after the birth were. Purpose and doing what is right means a lot to me, and so being idle, not getting good things accomplished, or wasting my time all tend to make me feel gross and bad. So, I was pleased- though not too surprised- to find that though I laid in bed for about two weeks and my greatest/ main or only accomplishments were taking care of Elizabeth, reading my scriptures, writing in my journals and getting a shower, I felt good and had no regret or guilt.

Though I said "the first two weeks particularly" I in no way meant that my feelings are different now. I said it that way because those first two weeks were a unique period in my life where I laid in bed and didn't do much and yet I still felt good; In fact, I greatly treasure that natural bonding and healing time.
Now I am getting back to being able to do other productive things as well, nd even though productiveness kind of looks differebt then it before, I still feel good; I know I am doing what is right and therefore there is no need to feel any guilt.

It has been wonderful to find how natural motherhood is to me. Changing diapers is no big deal (though when it is late at night and I am tired and laying down it can be hard sometimes); I love seeing and hearing her little expressions, taking care of her is wonder and I love her so it is important to me to take care of her needs and wants.
Understanding that 1. Right now she is learning whether or not to trust us and 2. That she can only cry, use body language or make noises right now to communicate what she wants and needs, has helped us to better know how to respond to her. Including helping us to decided that it would be terrible to "just let her cry" when we could do something for her, and thereby teacher her that she can trust us. The fact that it is natural to want to sooth and help your baby only re-enforces the truth of this to me.

We are doing pretty well. Elizabeth is absolutely sweet and adorable! Basically every time we go out or can't immediately meet her needs she sleeps or is just good. She slept through the Draper Temple open house(while we were inside) and she actually took a binkey and then slept while we were attending my sisters sealing! I feel very very blessed not only for these experiences, but for having such an angelic baby. Her nature seems to be a calm and pleasent one, and I am not only enjoy her now, but I am also looking to the cute little girl she'll be in the future. oh, she also seems to enjoy my piano playing =D which makes me very happy!

Baby Pictures

2009-02-17T19:51:00.005-07:00

Announcing the birth of Elizabeth Anne Walton

2009-02-07T21:12:00.002-07:00

Elizabeth Anne Walton was born February 6th 2009 at 7:45 pm. She was 7 lb 4 oz. 20 inches long and had a 13 inch head.

We felt extremely blessed with how everything worked out. Alan got home from his last class Friday around 3:00ish and had time to eat a meal before I went into what we believed to be contractions and we had to head for the Goff's. Midwives arrived and Elizabeth was born at 7:45pm, making it a four and a half hour delivery; a 33 minute birth! We were also very blessed to be able to have an all natural home birth like we wanted! Now we are in recovery and enjoying our precious angel.

Pictures are forth coming, though I know many are already floating around via family members facebook accounts, etc.

We are doing well and very happy =D

Sincerely,
The Walton Family

Update

2009-02-01T18:24:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone,
So I figured I should give an update of how things are going for us.

Alan:
Alan got a job doing undergraduate math research for one of his math teachers at BYU; and so now we have an official source of income, yea! I like that he can do the work from home, which means we get to be around each other more =D

He is studying hard and following his own educational pursuits/ desires, as well as attending BYU this semester. Also, he recently attended a Law School seminar at BYU and found that law school is actually a fiscally possible option for us!

Jennifer:
Well, for the time being I am still pregnant, and I am doing pretty well. Next time I(or Alan as the case may be) post I plan on announcing Elizabeth's birth! I had two baby showers which helped tremendously and we are very blessed and grateful! It is great to have things of our own for Elizabeth, although I do have a wonderful sister in-law and mother in-law who have offered to lend and give us some baby things =D

I have been striving to get things ready for the baby, especially because I know she can come any day now (she is due this week Thursday(the 5th)!). Mom Walton and I sewed crib sheets this last week as well, and that was fun!

I enjoyed last semester despite it being hard(especially with being pregnant), but I took this semester off so that I wouldn't over load myself, and so that I could adjust to the whole mommy thing [wow, that was the first time that I've referred to myself as mommy, and I like it =D ].

We are excited for Elizabeth, though it can being over whelming if we think too much about what that means. But we are truly grateful to be blessed with a child and are striving to exercise faith and trust!

I hope that this was an informative update, but if anyone has a specific inquiry, then just ask.

Also, for this to be an effective source for keeping updated, especially about Elizabeth and once we are so busy with her that it becomes even harder to keep everyone updated; please become a follower of this site, and that way you'll stay in the loop (becoming a follower sets it up so that you'll be emailed when we post, that way you don't have to be checking our site everyday to stay updated).

Sincerely,

Jennifer Walton =D

Our First Annual Family News Letter.

2009-01-02T13:49:00.003-07:00

This our first year together has been one full of new experiences; experiences of growing, learning, laughing, crying, praying and playing together; and of creating traditions for our new and growing family. One that we wanted to start was the tradition of a annual family news letter; especially with how fast life seems to pass us by we thought it would be a nice way to keep people updated and to share with friends and family a portion of our lives. So, without further delay, we present to you our first annual family news letter
Highlights from 2008

The two biggest highlights of this year were be our finding, courting, and being sealed to each other by Alan’s grandfather in the Mount Timpanogus Temple, and secondly the news of our first child being on her way.

We have also enjoyed having our first place to call our own, as well as being blessed to spend time with our families in living, work, and play.

Alan and I have helped found and been involved in both a web design company know as Yooweb and a university in Nauvoo, know fittingly as Nauvoo University. (We invite you to check both out online at www.yooweb.me and www.nauvoouniversity.com)

Life is going well and continues to give us many opportunities for the future. Alan returned to BYU this fall working towards a degree in math; and Jenny did distance studies with George Wythe University working to finish her sophomore year. The possible opportunity of Law School lead Alan to take the LSAT and score a 174 out of 180; though we both are currently liking the opportunity of Alan doing a masters in Math and then getting his doctorate in another field.

Together we have driven over 10,000 miles and read over twenty books; as well as started a new Halloween tradition and celebrated our first Thanksgiving and Christmas together and with our new families.

We love being married, including all the ups and downs, and we feel truly blessed. Our lives continue to take on new meaning and importance as we progress in the Father’s plan together, and as our family begins to grow. We appreciate all the love, support, and friendship which we have received from our families and friends and we feel to give thanks to God. May each of you feel of His love and rejoice in your blessings as you ponder upon this year.

Sincerely and with love,
The Alan and Jennifer Walton Family