1. Utah mountains...Dry climate....Lots of sunshine.
2. Getting to fly in an airplane without children and read or sleep or do whatever I want.
3. Being with my family. I love them. I've missed them. I'm so happy to get to see them again.
4. Knowing that my kids are in great hands while Dave and I are away and having good friends (love you, Brodericks!) who are so willing to stay with them while we're in Utah.
5. That my very particular (and stranger wary) niece came UP TO ME without me having to beg and plead and gave me the biggest and best hug.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
G.N.O.
Last night the boys went on the annual Father/Son Campout with our church, so the girls and I decided to live it up while they were gone.
First we went and saw the movie "You Again". It was a really cute chic flick. The girls loved it and Maddie had some full on belly-laughs that had me laughing even more than the movie at times.
Afterward we came home and treated ourselves to indoor s'mores (who needs a camp fire?)--delicious. Just pop them in the microwave for about 12 seconds and you're good to go.
Then we played a couple of games of clue and called it a night. We all "camped" out in my room. I love my girls. I love them to pieces.
Mmmm:
Game on:
First we went and saw the movie "You Again". It was a really cute chic flick. The girls loved it and Maddie had some full on belly-laughs that had me laughing even more than the movie at times.
Afterward we came home and treated ourselves to indoor s'mores (who needs a camp fire?)--delicious. Just pop them in the microwave for about 12 seconds and you're good to go.
Then we played a couple of games of clue and called it a night. We all "camped" out in my room. I love my girls. I love them to pieces.
Fixin's for s'mores:
Mmmm:
Game on:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thankful Thursday
A few things for which I am very grateful:
1. The smell of freshly mowed grass and that I wasn't the one to have to cut it.
2. That my 9-year-old son has no qualms about hugging me in front of friends. I know this phenomenon will not last, so I cherish it while I can.
3. Carpools. I cannot even imagine having to drive my girls back and forth three times a week to their swim practices by myself.
4. That my good friend, Erin, is feeding my family and me soup tonight. YUM. Sorry about my lame bread---It would have been better (and less charred) if I'd been in the kitchen to take it out of the oven when the timer beeped.
5. Ovens that beep more than once when the timer is up (see #4), just in case you're not in the direct vicinity when it goes off. SOME people actually try to get multiple things done while baking.
6. That Dave has been home ALL week. Somebody pinch me. O.K. don't really, I would not be grateful for that.
7. Fresh babies! Congratulations Andrea and Derek and Aubrey on the new addition to your family. I'm so glad I got to meet and hold Peyton today. She is precious. Oh those dimples!!!
1. The smell of freshly mowed grass and that I wasn't the one to have to cut it.
2. That my 9-year-old son has no qualms about hugging me in front of friends. I know this phenomenon will not last, so I cherish it while I can.
3. Carpools. I cannot even imagine having to drive my girls back and forth three times a week to their swim practices by myself.
4. That my good friend, Erin, is feeding my family and me soup tonight. YUM. Sorry about my lame bread---It would have been better (and less charred) if I'd been in the kitchen to take it out of the oven when the timer beeped.
5. Ovens that beep more than once when the timer is up (see #4), just in case you're not in the direct vicinity when it goes off. SOME people actually try to get multiple things done while baking.
6. That Dave has been home ALL week. Somebody pinch me. O.K. don't really, I would not be grateful for that.
7. Fresh babies! Congratulations Andrea and Derek and Aubrey on the new addition to your family. I'm so glad I got to meet and hold Peyton today. She is precious. Oh those dimples!!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Scrub a Dub Dub, Phillip's NOT in the Tub
When Phillip was a baby he hated, and I mean HATED to take a shower. Sometimes I would have Dave hand him to me in the shower to make washing up easier and quicker (or vice versa) and it was always an ordeal. He would scream bloody murder (like if the neighbors could hear, they might be calling child services) and wriggle and squirm like nobody's business.Have you ever tried to hold a wet, kicking and screaming, out of control baby? It's not easy! They are so slippery and slimy and all you can do is try your hardest to make sure they don't somehow end up on their head. Needless to say we suspended this activity for awhile.
As he got a little older and could walk and talk we would occasionally ask him if he wanted to take a shower instead of a bath and before we could finish asking the question he would be shaking his head while clinging to the tub for dear life.
Well wasn't I surprised when recently he had a change of heart! He still likes his tub (probably because he gets more play time), but he showers now too. He actually likes it. Just the other day he was dancing and singing in the shower. I had to get a pic, not only to prove it to myself and all those who know and love the former shower-phobe, but because it was just so dang cute.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
It Was Amazing!
Yesterday Dave and I partook in "The Amazing Race". We bought a spot for this in our youth service auction that was held last May. Greg and Megan Tilton hosted the party and did an AMAZING job. I cannot even begin to imagine the work that went into putting this together. Megan did such a great job, and while at times I wanted to strangle her for some of the stuff we had to do, it was a lot of fun and such a great time was had by all. It was a long and grueling day (we put over 120 miles on our car and several miles on our feet), but so much fun. At the end of the day we all got to enjoy a scrumptious dinner made lovingly by Megan's mom, Lorrie-I love that lady. Thank you, Tiltons for such a fun adventure. I wish I'd taken more pics!!!
The Pink team (yes, pink. Can you tell Sophie assigned race colors?)--Dave and me:
The Blue team---Sandra and Richard Greene (why weren't they the green team?):
The Orange team--Guy and Jena Fish:
The Red team--Ben and Angela Quinney:
The Yellow Team--Erin and Darren Rodabough:
The Green Team (Alex and Katie):
Oops. I never got a picture of them :(
The helpers--Addison Tuttle and Sophie Chapman:
Greg Tilton (I can't believe I never got a pic of Megan) greeting us at the vineyard task:
Driving to the vineyard task. This is still early in the race, thus the smile is still on my face (and I'm not completely stinky and sweaty yet):
Oh I wish I'd taken more pics, we just got swept up in the competitiveness. Here's the run-down of what we had to do:
1. Play boules (french game of throwing metal balls to target to see how close you get). The closest one got their clue first. Everyone else had to do another round to see who got their clue next and so on until everyone got clues.
2. We went to a Korean family's home where each had to accomplish a task. Using chopsticks Dave had to pick colored rice out of a bowl and arrange it on an outline of a Korean flag (this was tricky--glad he got that one). I had to eat a bowl of a Korean delicacy "Kimchi". It was spicy, but actually I quite liked it.
3. We had to drive to a vineyard and find a race flag among the rows of grapes. Dave found ours---good job, babe!
4. We had to go to a horse stable and clean a horse saddle and tack. Ugh, I hated this one. It was hot and sticky and stinky. I was dripping with sweat by the time we were done and my hands were all covered with the leather spray we had to use. It also stunk that although we were the first team to get to this task, we were one of the last to leave.
5. We had to go to a park pavilion where a gift was waiting for us to open. We could only use our hands to open the gift (no teeth). The gift was covered in layers and layers on duct tape which make it pretty tricky. Once opened, we had to blow up a balloon and make a balloon hat following the included instructions.
6. Our first pit stop was next where we got to go have Bubble Tea (Korean slushy) and rest up.
7. Drive down to the Arch and find a couple (Billy and Crystal Hunter) for our next clue.
8. Go to the Metrolink station and take the metro to the zoo. The problem with this one is that the metro stop by the zoo is really nowhere near the zoo. So we had to figure out how to get from there to the zoo. Some found a cab. We were not so lucky, but we did convince some very nice strangers to drive us there.
9. Once at the zoo we had to find another couple (Shane and Sharla Hoyt) and go around to a couple of different zoo exhibits to answer some questions. Then we had to take our answers back to the Hoyts, and if correct, get our next clue.
10. We had to make our way back to the Metro and take it to Union Station. We were not so lucky to find a cab or hitch a ride, so we WALKED (I'm tired now just writing about it).
11. Once at Union Station we had to find a stained glass window of three allegorical figures and what they represented. We then had to find a lady in a red scarf (Sophie) and tell her our answer to get our next clue.
12. We had to take the Metro back to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis and count the stars in the top of the dome of the building.
13. We had to go back to the couple at the Arch and tell them the correct number of stars to get our next clue. Then we had to complete a sudoku puzzle and use some of the numbers to fill out the spaces with directions to our next clue.
14. We went to Laumeier sculpture park where we had to follow clues to find a hidden treasure and stamp our book to prove we'd found the letter box. We then had to show the stamped book to a couple (Shane and Sharla again) to get our next clue.
15. Go back to the Tiltons for a fabulous dinner....race over. We came in dead last! Oh well, we had a lot of fun and that's all that matters.
The Pink team (yes, pink. Can you tell Sophie assigned race colors?)--Dave and me:
The Blue team---Sandra and Richard Greene (why weren't they the green team?):
The Orange team--Guy and Jena Fish:
The Red team--Ben and Angela Quinney:
The Yellow Team--Erin and Darren Rodabough:
The Green Team (Alex and Katie):
Oops. I never got a picture of them :(
The helpers--Addison Tuttle and Sophie Chapman:
Greg Tilton (I can't believe I never got a pic of Megan) greeting us at the vineyard task:
Driving to the vineyard task. This is still early in the race, thus the smile is still on my face (and I'm not completely stinky and sweaty yet):
Oh I wish I'd taken more pics, we just got swept up in the competitiveness. Here's the run-down of what we had to do:
1. Play boules (french game of throwing metal balls to target to see how close you get). The closest one got their clue first. Everyone else had to do another round to see who got their clue next and so on until everyone got clues.
2. We went to a Korean family's home where each had to accomplish a task. Using chopsticks Dave had to pick colored rice out of a bowl and arrange it on an outline of a Korean flag (this was tricky--glad he got that one). I had to eat a bowl of a Korean delicacy "Kimchi". It was spicy, but actually I quite liked it.
3. We had to drive to a vineyard and find a race flag among the rows of grapes. Dave found ours---good job, babe!
4. We had to go to a horse stable and clean a horse saddle and tack. Ugh, I hated this one. It was hot and sticky and stinky. I was dripping with sweat by the time we were done and my hands were all covered with the leather spray we had to use. It also stunk that although we were the first team to get to this task, we were one of the last to leave.
5. We had to go to a park pavilion where a gift was waiting for us to open. We could only use our hands to open the gift (no teeth). The gift was covered in layers and layers on duct tape which make it pretty tricky. Once opened, we had to blow up a balloon and make a balloon hat following the included instructions.
6. Our first pit stop was next where we got to go have Bubble Tea (Korean slushy) and rest up.
7. Drive down to the Arch and find a couple (Billy and Crystal Hunter) for our next clue.
8. Go to the Metrolink station and take the metro to the zoo. The problem with this one is that the metro stop by the zoo is really nowhere near the zoo. So we had to figure out how to get from there to the zoo. Some found a cab. We were not so lucky, but we did convince some very nice strangers to drive us there.
9. Once at the zoo we had to find another couple (Shane and Sharla Hoyt) and go around to a couple of different zoo exhibits to answer some questions. Then we had to take our answers back to the Hoyts, and if correct, get our next clue.
10. We had to make our way back to the Metro and take it to Union Station. We were not so lucky to find a cab or hitch a ride, so we WALKED (I'm tired now just writing about it).
11. Once at Union Station we had to find a stained glass window of three allegorical figures and what they represented. We then had to find a lady in a red scarf (Sophie) and tell her our answer to get our next clue.
12. We had to take the Metro back to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis and count the stars in the top of the dome of the building.
13. We had to go back to the couple at the Arch and tell them the correct number of stars to get our next clue. Then we had to complete a sudoku puzzle and use some of the numbers to fill out the spaces with directions to our next clue.
14. We went to Laumeier sculpture park where we had to follow clues to find a hidden treasure and stamp our book to prove we'd found the letter box. We then had to show the stamped book to a couple (Shane and Sharla again) to get our next clue.
15. Go back to the Tiltons for a fabulous dinner....race over. We came in dead last! Oh well, we had a lot of fun and that's all that matters.
Grant's Farm
We went to Grant's Farm this past Friday with a couple of friends. They close after Halloween for the winter, so this will probably be our last visit for awhile. The weather could not have been better. We had such a nice time.
Waiting in line, and then taking the tram to the park:
Feeding the goats (always a highlight):
Riding the carousel:
Checking out the animals:
Hanging out:
Making a wish:
Waiting in line, and then taking the tram to the park:
Feeding the goats (always a highlight):
Riding the carousel:
Checking out the animals:
Hanging out:
Making a wish:
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thankful Thursday
So I stole this idea from a friend of mine (Thanks Jen!) but I love it so much that I thought I had to implement it in my life/blog. Every Thursday I want to mention a few things that I am Thankful for in my life. Some might be profound and deep (get your tissues handy) while others might be simple, bordering on silly. But hey, I guess it doesn't take much to float my boat and don't all of the little things add up to the big things (or something like that)?
So, without further ado, here is my first installment:
1. The guy at Arby's tonight. Not only did I get hot, steaming curly fries fresh out of the boiling lard, but as I was watching him fill up my soda, he kept skimming off the foam at the brim, then topping it off until it was filled all the way to the top. Brad, you're the man!
2. That even though I really, really, really, REALLY was not in the mood to read scriptures tonight with the kids, I DID!
3. That Phillip will now give me unprovoked hugs and kisses, big slobbery wet ones.
4. Knowing that after I put the kids to bed there is a new episode of Project Runway on the DVR to watch.
5. Big girls who will put my little guy to bed for me (so I can go out and get Arby's curly fries).
6. That Sophie still likes me. Not only does she not mind being in public with me, but SHE asks to go do stuff with ME. Please never turn 13?
7. That the mouse setting up shop in my garage has not made its way into my house---yet.
8. Deodorant (and other people that use it-I went on my mission to France and rode many a crowded bus and subway-need I say more?)
9. That after a VERY long week, Dave is coming home tomorrow (*wink).
So, without further ado, here is my first installment:
1. The guy at Arby's tonight. Not only did I get hot, steaming curly fries fresh out of the boiling lard, but as I was watching him fill up my soda, he kept skimming off the foam at the brim, then topping it off until it was filled all the way to the top. Brad, you're the man!
2. That even though I really, really, really, REALLY was not in the mood to read scriptures tonight with the kids, I DID!
3. That Phillip will now give me unprovoked hugs and kisses, big slobbery wet ones.
4. Knowing that after I put the kids to bed there is a new episode of Project Runway on the DVR to watch.
5. Big girls who will put my little guy to bed for me (so I can go out and get Arby's curly fries).
6. That Sophie still likes me. Not only does she not mind being in public with me, but SHE asks to go do stuff with ME. Please never turn 13?
7. That the mouse setting up shop in my garage has not made its way into my house---yet.
8. Deodorant (and other people that use it-I went on my mission to France and rode many a crowded bus and subway-need I say more?)
9. That after a VERY long week, Dave is coming home tomorrow (*wink).
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
LOOK, I Cooked!
Pizza Cordon Bleu
Ingredients:1 refrigerated pizza dough or 1 prepared pizza crust (or if you're really ambitious, you can make your own)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup bite-sized cooked chicken chunks
1 cup bite-sized cooked ham chunks
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1. Preheat oven to the temp. specified on the pizza crust pkg
2. Place onion and mushroom slices in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high about 3 minutes.
3. Stir mustard and sour cream together and spread evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the chicken and ham pieces evenly over the crust.
4. Remove veggies from microwave and drain off any liquid. Distribute evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
5. Bake following directions on the package until the cheese has melted and the crust is done to desired crispiness.
Notes:
-Next time I might try red onions instead of white. Also, I wonder if it would taste just as good if I put the onions and mushroom on raw before baking or if I have to cook them in the microwave first (potential time-saving step).
-To make it more kid friendly, I only put the onions and mushrooms on half.
-Not only did I think this was yummy, but all of my kids (well those that actually eat anything besides chicken nuggets and cereal----Yes, Phillip, I'm talkin' to you!) liked it too. Ryan even had seconds...now that's a keeper.
Friday, September 10, 2010
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Last Spring Maddie and Papa Doug germinated some pumpkin seeds and after they began to sprout, they planted them in our makeshift garden in the backyard.Maddie was so diligent in watering her pumpkin plants every day and before long her once little pumpkin sprouts turned into enormous pumpkin vines that took over the entire back garden.
I think she was hoping for a larger variety of pumpkin, but she was able to get these 7 very cute pumpkins. She would have gotten more, but our garden became infested with some nasty bug that started to eat all of her pumpkins, so she picked the ones that were still salvageable.
I look at these pumpkins and feel like fall is really upon us. I love that Maddie got to do this with her Grandpa who is far away and share this experience with him. I love that she worked hard at something that she enjoyed and I love that she was able to see some of the "fruits" of her labors.
In other gardening news....
The rest of our garden is wrapping up for the season. We (when I say "we", I mean Dave, while I watched from the kitchen window) planted a few containers of tomatoes (cherry, grapes and yellow) this year. They did not appreciate the intolerable heat this summer and their foliage and fruit showed (or I should say--didn't show) it. Here is probably the last of our harvest for the season:
And our not-so-thriving tomato plants (Papa Doug, you might want to avert your eyes):
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Big Boys
My boys are growing up. My sweet momma-lovin' boys. That's good, right? When Ryan was a baby he fit in the crook of my arm. This morning as I hugged him I could rest my chin on the top of his head. I know it won't be long before he'll be resting his chin on my head.
Ryan and Maddie have been biking to school. During the first week, Ryan was perfectly content to ride his sister's old bike which although pink and turquoise, fit him much better than the new bike he just got for his birthday. Oh how kids will tease though and after several "Nice, pink bike" comments (meanies), he decided to try to master the bigger bike.
I'm so proud of him. This was scary for him. It's hard to see your kids struggle with scary things. You just want to go help them. The struggle is what makes us all stronger though, right? Now if he could just learn to "properly" brush his own teeth, tie his shoes (instead of pulling them on and off), and blow his nose (instead of sniff, sniff, sniffing--darn that asthma), we'd really be getting somewhere. I keep reminding him that he does NOT want to have to take me on his mission with him to do these things.
Phillip got to go to his first day of lunch bunch today. Once a week he goes to his preschool for the WHOLE day and gets to eat lunch there. He has been waiting and waiting and waiting for this day to come. He got a brand new "Cars" lunch box that he's been toting around the house for weeks now. As soon as he woke up this morning he packed his lunch:
(bottom compartment)
Oh what will I do without my sidekick all day?....
.....
Ryan and Maddie have been biking to school. During the first week, Ryan was perfectly content to ride his sister's old bike which although pink and turquoise, fit him much better than the new bike he just got for his birthday. Oh how kids will tease though and after several "Nice, pink bike" comments (meanies), he decided to try to master the bigger bike.
I'm so proud of him. This was scary for him. It's hard to see your kids struggle with scary things. You just want to go help them. The struggle is what makes us all stronger though, right? Now if he could just learn to "properly" brush his own teeth, tie his shoes (instead of pulling them on and off), and blow his nose (instead of sniff, sniff, sniffing--darn that asthma), we'd really be getting somewhere. I keep reminding him that he does NOT want to have to take me on his mission with him to do these things.
Phillip got to go to his first day of lunch bunch today. Once a week he goes to his preschool for the WHOLE day and gets to eat lunch there. He has been waiting and waiting and waiting for this day to come. He got a brand new "Cars" lunch box that he's been toting around the house for weeks now. As soon as he woke up this morning he packed his lunch:
(top compartment)
(bottom compartment)
Oh what will I do without my sidekick all day?....
.....
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Like, Fer-Sure!!!
Last Friday night Sharla and I hosted an 80's themed murder mystery dinner party. It was hilarious. I of course love any excuse to get together and eat food, but throw in some 80's nostalgia, games, friends, and lots of laughs and it's a night to remember!
Here are the Characters:
"Debbie Gribson" and "Danny Son" (Debbie Gibson and The Karate Kid) a.k.a. Lacey and Ryan Lenahan
"Nozzy Nosborne" and "Fadonna" (Ozzy Osborne and Madonna) a.k.a. Gerard and Tracey Gonthier
"Toni Oregano" and "Alligator Dundee" (Toni Basil - the one that sings the song "Micky" and Crocodile Dundee) a.k.a. Sharla and Shane Hoyt
"Lyndi Lauper" and "Wee Pee Vermon" (Cyndi Lauper and Pee Wee Herman) a.k.a. Me and Dave
These two costumes were so great. Dave found this "suit" (not matching pants and suit coat, but close enough) at Goodwill. We hair-spray-painted his hair jet black, we borrowed the red bow-tie from some friends and he added a lovely touch of red lipstick-perfect. Shane's costume was quite impressive too. He painted candy corns white to look like crocodile teeth and then affixed them to the top of his hat.
Everyone had to tape a piece of paper with an object to their forehead and go around the room asking "yes" or "no" questions until they could guess their object. 
Playing movie trivia.
We split up into two teams and made up a 30 second dance to the fabulous 80's hit: "Another one bites the dust". Here's the first team doing a variation of the robot.
Here's our team and while it looks like we're either suffering from constipation or back problems, we're actually striking a well-choreographed pose!
Playing charades. Billy (um, I mean Mork, um I mean Nork) did a great job getting us to guess "The Nightmare on Elm Street". You can almost see the Freddy Krueger-like claws.
The victim. Poor Alligator Dundee was bludgeoned to death by that pesky Rubik's cube. It just so happened that by the end of the night I found out I was the culprit. He totally had it coming...
To cap off the evening we decided to don our apparel in public. We went to Steak 'n Shake (a very crowded Steak 'n Shake) for dessert. Needless to say we turned a few heads.
Viva la 80's. Well maybe not so much.
Here are the Characters:
"Nork from Pork" and "Polly Abdool" (Mork from Ork and Paula Abdul) a.k.a Billy and Crystal (seriously-- Billy and Crystal-- you can't make this stuff up.) Hunter. Love the rainbow suspenders and lace tights!
"Debbie Gribson" and "Danny Son" (Debbie Gibson and The Karate Kid) a.k.a. Lacey and Ryan Lenahan
"Nozzy Nosborne" and "Fadonna" (Ozzy Osborne and Madonna) a.k.a. Gerard and Tracey Gonthier
"Toni Oregano" and "Alligator Dundee" (Toni Basil - the one that sings the song "Micky" and Crocodile Dundee) a.k.a. Sharla and Shane Hoyt
"Lyndi Lauper" and "Wee Pee Vermon" (Cyndi Lauper and Pee Wee Herman) a.k.a. Me and Dave
These two costumes were so great. Dave found this "suit" (not matching pants and suit coat, but close enough) at Goodwill. We hair-spray-painted his hair jet black, we borrowed the red bow-tie from some friends and he added a lovely touch of red lipstick-perfect. Shane's costume was quite impressive too. He painted candy corns white to look like crocodile teeth and then affixed them to the top of his hat.
Everyone had to tape a piece of paper with an object to their forehead and go around the room asking "yes" or "no" questions until they could guess their object. 
Playing movie trivia.
We split up into two teams and made up a 30 second dance to the fabulous 80's hit: "Another one bites the dust". Here's the first team doing a variation of the robot.
Here's our team and while it looks like we're either suffering from constipation or back problems, we're actually striking a well-choreographed pose!
Playing charades. Billy (um, I mean Mork, um I mean Nork) did a great job getting us to guess "The Nightmare on Elm Street". You can almost see the Freddy Krueger-like claws.
The victim. Poor Alligator Dundee was bludgeoned to death by that pesky Rubik's cube. It just so happened that by the end of the night I found out I was the culprit. He totally had it coming...
To cap off the evening we decided to don our apparel in public. We went to Steak 'n Shake (a very crowded Steak 'n Shake) for dessert. Needless to say we turned a few heads.
Viva la 80's. Well maybe not so much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)