It's pronounced "steer"

The 5 minute visit

2011-12-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

We went. We froze. We remembered. We headed up to SLC to redeem our Aquarium passes and while we were up there we decided to use our restaurant.com credit ($3 a gift card for $25 gift card, sure!) and then head to Temple Square. Rose, my sister, took a break during her finals to come to the Thai restaurant with us (Pad Thai was amazing!) and then we went to Temple Square to show the kids the lights. Oh....my....coldness! We were unprepared for how cold it was. No gloves or hats. Cecily was shaking she was so cold. It was terribly terribly cold. So we parked far away. We walked to reflecting pool. Looked at the nativity. Took 3 pictures and left. That was it. I hope the children remember what they saw because it's a beautiful thing. The nativity at Temple Square is magnificent and magical. The lights are stunning and it was a pleasure to go, even for 5 minutes.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-09T16:23:00.001-07:00

We went out to Colorado for Thanksgiving. We decided to surprise his family and arrive early. So we left at 5pm after Tyler's class got out (more like 5:45, Hannah standard time) and got there at 1:15 am. Yikes! But the kids traveled great. We only stopped once for gas and it was worth it to be there for one extra day.

The whole week was filled with laughter, shopping, gaming, swimming and of course, eating.

The ambush for the return of Steph and Papa from their trip to Wisconsin (they brought us some nice Venison too. Yum!)

Carson turned 3! And guess what cake he requested? A car wash cake. No kidding. Jana is such a good mom and obliged this request. I would have suggested my child come up with an easier cake to make! And look how creative she was! That's coconut on the giant marshmallows and fruit roll-up flaps complete with a rice krispie treat car and cookie wheels.

The kids playing at the piano. They also enjoyed swimming and visiting the Colorado Winder Farms (haha, actually the Spencer's home) to pick up the daily carton of chicken eggs, visit the cat Cookie and tried not to break any limbs on their zip line. Forget about chuck-e-cheese, when you have such a sweet backyard!

The guys decided to make a trip to the local thrift store and buy some ugly outfits to surprise us all.

Giving Thanks

I made some rosemary place settings, waaay too much cornbread stuffing (which we ate for the next week),and Tyler made 5 gourmet pumpkin (custard) pies. Then of course, we had the good stuff.

Tyler and I being matchy matchy. Oh, and as a side note...I've noticed people eying my belly, friends even, and I know what they're thinking. And you're wrong! It's just fat!

Samuel obsessing over cousin Nathan's ipad game, plants vs zombies (I think?)

A shameless plug!

2011-12-07T22:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I realize I haven't posted in like....nearly a month. But I have more so on my other blog. I've been busy! Or maybe my priorities all mixed up?
Well, this priority is not really mixed up....trying to save money so I can send you all (well, some of you perhaps) cute Christmas cards. And to save myself even more money I just have to blog about my latest projects!
I used Shutterfly because a friend of mine got to host a Shutterfly party, balloons and all. (it was free for her) and for going we went home with a bunch of free stuff too. I got 20 deluxe Christmas cards, a free 8x8 book and then for sharing it I received free shipping plus a 7x9 photo book. Sweet! So now to save even more money to get even more deluxe Christmas cards to send out to you fun friends, I have to blog about it. There, I said, shameless plug. But seriously though, I LOVE Shutterfly.

I've used them for several projects in the past including photo cards last year, photo books and calendars! Love them!

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Twilight Woods Giveaway

2011-11-11T12:03:00.001-07:00

Hi! I am hosting a giveaway on my other blog. Check it out here to see how to enter. Adding entries ends on Monday night at midnight (November 14th). Just click on the image and it'll take you there. Good luck!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T16:13:00.002-06:00

Halloween has come and gone already! Halloween!?! Wow, the time is flying....eek!

Honestly, I've been thinking about costumes since....January or February? I had decided we were doing a theme (which we've never really done before, last year it was a loosely Asian theme). The theme was to be Wizard of Oz. Why? Because a) Cecily had to be the lion because that was her size costume and the other two already wore it. Tradition. And b) because what little girl doesn't want to be Dorothy? Well, apparently more than I thought, including my own. Jocelyn didn't think Dorothy was pretty enough, even with the ruby slippers. What? Samuel was billed to play the tin man, me the wicked witch and Tyler, the scarecrow.

Well, after Jocelyn announced she didn't want to be Dorothy, Samuel realized he didn't really want to be the tin man. It wasn't cool enough. So, after we told him he couldn't go trick-or-treating if he didn't dress up, I decided to revise my vision a bit to a modern Wizard of Oz. Dorothy with a tutu and apron and Samuel could be a bit more like a robot. And I would be the sassy witch without the green face. So, we were happy with that until my Aunt Mary offered to let Samuel wear my cousin's costume from last year, a clone star wars dude (Captain Fordo, to be more specific). So I weighed my options.....borrow a hand-me-down costume or make a costume from scratch and have a son be sort of happy wearing it. I chose the easy route. So that's what it was, for a day. The theme changed to movie-theme characters. We borrowed the costume the day of two parties...and though he looked really cool and my aunt rocked at coming up with this handmade costume, it didn't fit Samuel well enough and I was worried he would break it during his class party. So he wore it for one day.

On Sunday night, the night before Halloween, I decided to change his costume, once again, and made him a mummy costume (which we had discussed as an aption days before as well). It was super easy to make just took a couple of hours. Now, are you ready for the costume changes for Joc? I know, right? I'm so crazy!! It's only Halloween already!?! But costumes...are costumes. You get to pretend you are someone else. It's like being on the stage or in front of a camera. It's so fun!!

So for Joc.....I borrowed my cousin Micaela's Dorothy costume that her daughter wore last year. But after browsing Pinterest a bit, I saw this cute tutu/apron rendition and thought that might be a nice twist. But first it started with the ruby slippers. I followed a tutorial I found (again on Pinterest) for repurposign shoes. I mod podged red glitter onto some old/ratty shoes Jocelyn wasn't wearing anymore. It only took me about an hour but....that's about as long as the glitter lasted before it all peeled off. Dang. So much for trying to save money (luckily, I already had the materials on hand and it didn't' cost me anything but time) and paid $12 for the Target version. I made the tutu the night before the parade and when Jocelyn woke up at about midnight for her usual nightly waking (she just wanders out of bed, half asleep, and announces she has to pee or something of that nature) I tried on this borrowed dress with the tutu and it looked...dumb. So the next morning, I quickly made up an apron out of this ugly calico skirt that was the main inspiration in the first place, right before the Law school parade. Then on Saturday, for the other 2 parties, she wore the borrowed gown, and on Halloween day she wore the handmade one again.

Musical costumes!!!Oh, the drama behind the scenes!

Law School Parade and trick-or-treating in the carrels.

Jocleyn is standing behind me, behind Cecily. Joc wasn't brave enough to walk in front :(

This is from a little party we hosted.

For the party my Aunt Allie and Uncle Roger host each year we brought this puking pumpkin. Again, I got the idea from Pinterest.

Pancake cat breakfast and for dinner we had mummy dogs.

This first group is from the annual Law School parade/and trick-of-treating.

Samuel's school parade:

Trick-or-Treating

Cecily is not pictured because...she didn't go. Call me cruel but she woke up grumpy and refused to eat her dinner and I knew if she went trick-or-treating she'd eat candy the whole way through. I know, but it's Halloween! Well, if she hadn't already gathered candy at the law party, I would have let her go...maybe.
We went out for 1 1/2 hours! We went around our ward boundaries. Our neighbors had a little haunted house in their carport....which freaked my kids out. They didn't admit that until the end of the night. At first, Jocelyn wanted to go through again but by the time we passed it to go home, she insisted she was done and they both confessed they were too scared. It was a bit scarey...luckily they didn't wake up with nightmares. And there was one suspicious neighbor who was waring an ugly mask....who gave out unwrapped candy and had a camera and video-camera. Creepy. No wonder Jocelyn didn't want to take candy from him. But I made her just to be polite. I should have listened to her. Otherwise, they had a great time and between the two trick-or-treating events they gathered 5 lbs of candy! I gave them the choice.....sell their candy to a local dentist office or keep it. If they sold it we'd keep a bowl full for treats and then they'd get to use their money to buy a toy. Luckily, they chose the toy! We took it to the dentist and it was 5 lbs. So $5 later they each had a toy and their candy is going off to soldiers overseas! And I hope that made them feel good. And now we don't have to have sugar wars until Easter....because we won't have as much around.

Lump in my throat....I have a 7 year old!

2011-09-26T21:37:00.000-06:00

So......I have a seven year old. A 7 year old! One more year before he is baptized. Wow.
It's been a wonderfully challenging 7 plus 9 months. Samuel has taught me more then I would have ever imagined I could in 7 years. Much much more. The little person that came into our lives has been such a blessing. When he was small, he was so easy. He slept well. He was very personable, always smiling. He was always a picky eater, that hasn't changed. And then hit 4 years old and became a bit more challenging. Then he entered pre-school and we realized he was attracted to trouble, at times. Then he entered public schools and he had more behavioral challenges. Now he is in 1st grade, and although he was off to a rough start, he's grown up a lot in this last month. Tyler and I hadn't realized how impressionable these children are. They learn so quickly, both good and bad. And when we, as parents, are forgetting or slacking, particularity in the spiritual department, things get rough. I am not sure if it was due to prayer, fasting, consequences, or just my attitude, but he's turning around. I'm turning around. This child, who is still so young, has taught me much about faith, trust and love, and it's been particularly magnified in the last month.

I love this boy. He's so smart and loving. He is still my baby, my first, my guinea pig, my only son. What would I do without him? What would Jocelyn do without him? What would Tyler do without him? Or his papa's and grandma's? And Cecily? We wouldn't be loving and learning as much, that's what.

He loves his things.

He loves his friends.

More Lego party details on Bonne Nouvelle, coming to you all week!

Summer Fun Catch up

2011-09-20T07:35:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few more activities we did this summer!

Bird Feeders

Trafalga with cousins

Walk to the Temple

And stopped and smelled the roses...

Painted rocks

This is the Place Heritage Park

Stewart Falls

2011-09-20T07:08:00.001-06:00

My freshman roommate, Katherine, called me up while I was trying to keep the kids out of the lily pads at one of our trips to the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. She was coming to Utah for BYU Education Week. The timing worked out this year so that I could for the first time ever. And it was amazing!! I went to the evening classes (about 20 hours of lecture) and I was soooo edified. I had a renewed desire to be more organized, a better mother and a more Christlike being. It was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who can go!

She was able to stay with me for a couple of nights and she suggested we take the kids on a little hike. She suggested Stewart Falls in Sundance. I'd never hiked to it before and was a little hesitant with the children. But Tyler was home (school hadn't started yet) and was able to stay while Cecily napped. So it was Samuel, Jocelyn, Kat and I. The weather was perfect. The hike was short (about 2 miles in total) and we all had a blast. It's beautiful!! On our way down we saw this lovely, of many, cabins. I read this gals blog from time to time (who is amazingly talented....check out her lovely studio. To die for.) and she blogged about vacationing at this family cabin. If we hadn't been trespassing in this private area, I wouldn't have seen it. Eek.

I did learn a few things too on this hike. As we were looking for the starting point of the hike we had to go up and down a lot of hilly roads. Finally, we stopped and asked a family who was just finishing up. It was then I noticed my breaks were awfully smelly. So we stopped and asked another male person how to prevent this (because I never took driver's Ed and this was not common knowledge to me) and he suggested we drive in a lower gear. Ah! No more break damage.

Then I also learned that peeing over a log is not very....how shall I say? Hygenic? For Jocelyn, not me. Luckily, there was a nice little stream with fresh clean water that worked for both toilet paper and laundry services :)

Apparently my two oldest don't' know how to smile for the camera.

Lake Powell 2011

2011-09-14T17:19:00.002-06:00

We went to Lake Powell in August this year with Tyler's family, as tradition. But this year Tyler opted to come only for the weekend and left me and the kids behind to go back and work for one more week. I didn't know if I could brave the waters and the children by myself but I did it! Mine were the only kids on the houseboat so they were spoiled with attention and I was able to have some quiet time while they went off swimming, fishing or tubing with their aunts/uncles and grandparents. It was a relaxing week and no injuries or drownings, on my part at least. Heidi, Tyler's sister had a little mishap with the wake board, as you'll see later. Here are a bunch of photos for your viewing pleasure.

This year we lucked out again and found a great beach in Good Hope Bay, our usual spot. It didn't drop off too quickly which was safer for the kids and the sand was nice.
And because the water was so high this year there was a ton of drift wood scattered everywhere. We attempted to make a wood/mud fort. It took forever especially when you're sweating like crazy in the heat. I don't know how pioneers or Native Americans did it!

I saw this on Pinterest. Filling a ziplock with gel, dying it blue and adding glitter if you wanted. I used some shampoo that Tyler hated. Only problem, if it is used on a table with small chips it can easily rip. So, it didn't work very well.

Jocelyn played on the beach by herself for hours. Here she is watering a dead tumbleweed? Probably pretending she's gardening, that's what I hope :)

The guys golfing. Tyler bought a hug box of golf balls at a garage sale years ago and we've been lugging them around with each move. Finally, he was able to use them up here. There was a green golf pad left on the houseboat so they took it out and used it. yay for getting rid of the dumb box of golf balls! Plus it's a little male bonding. Two of these guys are the "new" members of the family, the new brothers in-law, first time to Lake P.

It's all about location, location, location!

Cecily was a little fish this year, very brave in the water, a little brave. I think it's because we took a swim lesson/class together earlier in the summer.

Heidi, after she went into shock from splitting her head open. Luckily, they hair tied it back together really well, doused with anti-biotics, gave her a blessing and she was good to go, no stitches of doctor needed.

Bath time!

Our "pets". I caught this baby two inch long catfish swimming in the most shallow waters. Somehow it died mysteriously, it "scratched itself" so said Jocelyn. I think she was just holding it too much.

Here is the baby frog we found. He also died, from causes not so natural. Let's just say from "love."

The poor tail-less carp. Samuel loves to fish for these guys. They're so easy because they eat just about anything. And because all of the guys were out I had to pull the hook out. Yuck! They are so slimy!

Food, food and way too much food! Featured is part of the meal we cooked. A delicious pasta salad, BBQ Chicken (not pictured) and apricot cupcakes.

Jocelyn. She's growing up too fast and yet at other times I have to remember she's only 4.

Chubby legs. Cecily had to get used to the feeling of sand under her feet :)

A little Andy Griffith before the laptop battery dies.

The man of the boat, Papa, taking some well deserved rest.

Cecily and Great Grandma F

Little feet

In attendance this year: Everyone with the exception of Stephanie who is on her mission, and Troy and Jana and kids and Tyler for part of it. Included, Gma and Gpa F.
Food eaten: Fajitas, BBQ Chicken, Taco salad, Hamburgers/brats, Fish 'n Chips (striper & blue gill), Sirloin Steaks and way too much chocolate

Life

2011-09-10T23:07:00.007-06:00

Photo courtesy of Leslie

Wow!! It's been nearly two months since I last blogged. I've been busy! I may or may not "catch up". You'll have to wait to find out. I know, I know, you're all dying with anticipation but you'll just have to be patient.

Nothing terribly great has happened, just the busyness of life. I'm not pregnant. Tyler hasn't graduated. No children have broken any bones. We haven't moved. We just enjoyed Summer and tried not to just "endure" it. As a result, I didn't get much blogging, or etsying done. Instead, I was able to enjoy my children as much as possible (which during certain moment of the day, is not possible).

We tried doing something special each day....that didn't work out quite as I expected. We completed over half of the activities on our list but we also added a few things. We made it to Seven Peaks enough times to pay for our Pass of all Passes. We took a trip to Colorado to visit cousins (my sister Jennie and BIL Grant and their two boys) and grandparents. We went to Lake Powell. We took swim lessons. We gardened. We managed not to kill each other :) I worried about spoiling the kids with too many special things and it died down a bit. And while we "played" Tyler worked. And it all culminated over Labor Day weekend where we were able to relax a bit for our pre-anniversary trip (more on that later).

Tyler did an internship with a medium sized firm in Salt Lake City. The first two weeks were rough and he was not looking forward to the rest of the summer. But things improved and he really enjoyed his experience there. He's met some great people one of whom, completely coincidentally, happens to be my fairly close cousin (someone twice removed?) The commute, 2 hours a day, was not ideal but we managed. We went to a few firm parties and it was nice to meet and mingle with other real life lawyers and their families. After Lake Powell we awaited an offer. It took a couple of weeks and I started to panic a little. If this offer didn't come through then we would be at point zero again...I had visions of living in my in-laws basement again out of desperation (not that I don't like my in-laws or living with your in-laws is bad....we've just done it for two short rounds and I'd rather not have to do it again). But after about 2 1/2 weeks, he received an offer and he accepted! It is confirmed that we are headed to SLC after graduation. I was hoping we could buy a home soon after but we've been advised to wait it out and rent. See what the market does and how much we'll really be making. Once he takes the bar next July (after a 3 grueling months of studying) he'll continue to work for the firm and then take a break to do a clerkship for the Utah Supreme Court for a year.

That's probably more than you wanted to know but it's an important part of our lives. Tyler will be done with school next spring after having gone our whole 9 years of marriage!! That is huge! Wahoo!

So things are going well. The first week of school was for both Samuel and Tyler. I hope to reference that in a later post. The first week is always a rough adjustment for me. I'm not exactly sure why but I think it's because of the schedule changes and getting used to more paper work, homework, etc. This year Samuel was off to particularly rough start, dealing with behavioral issues at school. We're still working on that. It's been a great trial of faith and love.

So thanks for listening. I hope you're still there!

Mammoth

2011-07-17T10:53:00.004-06:00

Summer Fun Idea #00 (not listed)

Earlier this summer when the kids and I hung out in Mt P we visited the Fairview Museum of History and Art. A few years back they discovered a wooly mammoth fossil in their little town. It's really the only reason worth going to this little museum, other than the really cheap gift shop. Sadly, this is not the original fossil. Payson stole it. So this is a replica but still really cool. When we took the kids a few years ago they were too scared to stand by it. haha. It is really huge. In addition to this guy there are a bunch of other artifacts, some art, a gift shop and some old and broken pioneer wagons and such.

Uncle Levi with the kiddos in front of the wooly mammoth.

Snow Cones

2011-07-16T22:52:00.004-06:00

Summer Fun List #39

Snow Cones at the Park

We were able to visit one of the many snow cone shacks/huts around town. This is one is right across the street from my alma mater and makes me smile every time I pass by this colorful little booth. I'm glad I was finally able to try it out. Aunt Emily joined us too! I accidentally shared mine with Cecily's even though I'm on a 10 day special diet to drop a size. So far I do feel better....just hungrier....which is probably a good thing....until I gain it all back after the 10 days. Really, it's just a way to teach me how to be on track, health wise, again. Anyway, I digress.
The kids loved my watermelon cone the best. Samuel did not like it when his rainbow cone melted and the colors were mixed together. Now we know not to try that mix again! Sadly by the time we got to the park it was over 90 degrees out and way too hot to be safely playing outside before becoming sunburnt and dehydrated so we went home early. Fun memories were created still!

Look, how sweet, they're sharing. They loved the special straws with spoons at the end :)

Chalk Art

2011-07-15T17:18:00.006-06:00

Jennie, we're finally using the chalk you gave us! Thank you!

I've been busy busy this summer which has been great! We just returned from a trip to Colorado, just the kids and I, last week. And I still haven't posted about the 4th yet! But I wanted to share this post first because it's fast!

Summer Fun Idea #37

Chalk Fun

We had fun coloring outside today. And then we topped it with a little hopscotch. The kids suggested using a rock. I don't really the get the purpose of throwing the rock. Maybe you're supposed to stop at the number it lands on? And then what? I think they got the idea from Curious George.

Then I found their pet rocks and we used those...until Cecily started throwing them like balls and got lost in the shrubs.

Fun times!

Leo

2011-06-29T00:11:00.008-06:00

Photo courtesy of Emily, the true owner, ie Tyler's sister, on her nice new camera

Meet the newest member of our family, Leo. So now we have a goldfish, a bunny, and a kitty at least temporarily. We're kittysitting for the summer, perhaps longer. Tyler's sister can't have him in her current apartment because of an allergic roommate so she's asked us to watch him for the summer until she moves in the fall. If, in the fall, she still can't have him then we'll adopt him.

He's been a pleasure to have around. He came litter trained, drinks out of his own water dish (though he has been tempted by the toilet already), wears a collar, puts up with excited children and eats his food without complaint. So, so easy! He only meow's when the children are too rough on him or when he wishes he could go outside.

Each time we open the door he bolts for the exit. Sometimes, however, that means running head on into my shin. Ouch! But each time he escapes he gets further and further in the yard before we catch him. I'm not ready to let him outside yet because he is still a kitty and we have a ton of stray cats around. It's so funny to see him sit by the window, yearning to be out there. Lol.

The only downside is that although the children, particularly Jocelyn, know that he is only with us for the summer, they will have a hard time letting go. And changing litter, hearing him chase balls all night long, being awoken by him licking my face or purring for attention at 2 am and the fact that he will inevitably become a cat are an acquired taste as well.

But I wouldn't mind if he stuck around for a while.

Images of Mt Pleasant

2011-06-27T00:42:00.005-06:00

So my parents live in a rural town in the middle of Utah called Mt Pleasant. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from P-town. It is a pleasant place and they do live near mountains. However, I would never want to call it my permanent residence for reasons I won't get in to here. But we do love to visit them. It's quiet. Peaceful. And although the neighboring peacocks are a nuisance it gives Tyler a chance to have some target practice.

We've been down there a few weekends in a row and I took some still shots of my parents yard. No editing here folks, just some nice outdoor country lighting.

The children like to collect these bones. I don't allow them in the house. Kind of gross. But I don't mind the budding anthropologists.

Many a bonfire burned here. And delicious s'mores. Remember this?

Isn't it about.....thyme? My parents don't have grass lawn but a thyme lawn. Smells nice.

My mom loves flowers, especially those that the deer won't eat.

The only good thing about having peacocks invade your property:

Girls

2011-06-24T10:21:00.001-06:00

Tonight Jocelyn and I had this conversation,

J said, "I wish the moon was dead"
I said, "Why?"
J, "Because I wouldn't have to go to sleep and I could just take little naps instead and stay up late like you get to."

Haha, I thought to myself. First of all, she no longer takes naps, except when she falls asleep in the car. And secondly, I didn't want to go into the natural necessity of the moon and how it makes our world go round. She has a hard time staying young and yet not wanting to grow up.

Take this for instance. She LOVES to paint anyone's nails, those who will let her. Cecily came up to me handing me a bottle of nail polish, "unh, unh" that's "here" in baby language. So I offered it to J and she took over. Thanks Aunt Stephy! You taught her everything she knows about painting nails and now she's passing it on :) Cecily loves her big sister, except when she gets attention from me then the jealousy creeps in. Jocelyn keeps saying she can't wait for Cecily to grow up so she can play more with her. I think it's sweet that they get a long so well and that Cecily looks up to Jocelyn so much.

Not a bad job either!

Opinions Please...

2011-06-14T16:09:00.005-06:00

I noticed that when I participated in our May Relief Society meeting about literacy that I am a self-help lover. We asked everyone to bring their favorite books to display to give others ideas of what to read. Do you know what I brought?

1. Parenting with Love & Logic
2. I am a Mother
3. 5 Love Languages

"What is wrong with me?" I thought to myself. I didn't bring a favorite piece of literature. I did not bring my current novel. I realized that the only reading I am doing lately is from the Scriptures or these self-help books! Wow. Some things need to change. But a little at a time. I get all ambitious and want to start changing all at once. But that is when depression and self-doubt creeps in after I've realized...I've set myself up for punishment! I have to remind myself to take one goal at a time......

But what I need your help with is laundry. Please take this brief survey. Once I feel I have enough answers, I'll post them.

Check it out right here. Or on the side bar as well. OH, and if you do take it, please leave your name so I know who is responding. So, you know, I can grill you for more info later. heehee. The survey results don't show me who you are. If you take it.....I'll be really happy and you'll put a smile on my face. Is that enough incentive?

Les Miserables

2011-06-08T23:08:00.005-06:00

Wow. It's been a while since I blogged. I've been focusing a lot on summer fun! You can see some ideas on my other blog. We've been busy busy busy! I feel like once I'm done entertaining the kids, keeping house and serving food to small people that there is barely enough time to check email, craft, facebook, pin photos and blog anymore. Sigh.

But Tyler and I have had the blessing of parents close by these past two weeks. We were able to attend my favorite musical and possibly theatrical production ever, Les Miserables. I organized a group so we could get a discount, which helped a lot. Sadly, however, I wish we would have paid the extra $10-15 to sit in the orchestra section. I've only been to the capital theater once before. And although our seats were directly above the seats of my parents who were down in the orchestra and over a bit (though, they could not see the very stage left....it should have been obstructed view rates....like in real theaters.....because they could not see the entire stage) we could not hear nearly as well. The music from the pit came directly upward and the actors voices went directly outward to the lower seats. Ugh. If I was not so familiar with the music I would have been a bit confused.

It was well done. I liked the new staging as well. They got rid of the rotating circular stage to name one thing. And it sounded like they added some new sound effects during the songs. Some of the scenery was different as well.

But it was fun to experience for the first time with my cousin Mabel. I was excited just for her to see it for the first time. And the last time I had seen it was in London when I was still single. Wow. The lyrics and blocking are a lot more meaningful when I understand them more. I always chuckled at the Thenardier's in their Master of the House but I didn't quite grasp all the innuendo until then.

And then tears came to my eyes as Fantine sang this. It means a lot more now that I have children. Listening to her sing about imagining Cosette (played by BYU's very own Jenny Latimer, who is friends with lots of my acting friends) playing with children and knowing that she will not able to say goodbye to her little girl was heartbreaking.

I Dreamed a Dream (whom Susan Boyle's rendition still gives me chills) was powerfully sung by our performer as well.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was amazing too. Having lost a friend in the Service this song meant something at a greater level. And our Marius had a fabulous voice! Better than the Jonas bro in this video (who apparently played this role in London), imo.

Anyway, we LOVE this show. It was the first real musical I was introduced to by my uncle Scott, before I had seen very many live productions. So it means a lot to me. I am glad I was able to see it again and that it is still strong on Broadway and in London. If you have never seen this, you MUST sometime in your lifetime. It's deeper than Wicked and has better music than Phantom. Just sayin.

My baby is growing up

2011-05-22T09:04:00.010-06:00

You can see more photos about this little monster here.

Not my current baby. My first baby.

Samuel reached two major milestones this week and I'm beginning to feel like Claire on the latest episode of Modern Family. Like I might just freak out after trying to contain the emotion. Well, actually, I'm not quite that dramatic.

Friday was his last day of Kindergarten, except for a single test this week. They had a little program with all 3 kindergarten classes. At first they danced a little square dance. The photos I took were very low quality so I won't share them. But just imagine Samuel dancing every movement with precision. Can you believe it? Mine and Tyler's child dancing knowing every dance move? That nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Then each kid (all 90 of them) stood in line and said a little something like, "I didn't know how to read before I was in Kindergarten, but now I do." That almost brought on tears as I thought about it. How much Samuel has progressed. He did not know how to read before kindergarten. He could not count to 100. He could spell his name but not very clearly. It's been so comforting to see how much he's learned. Though he's had some behavioral/social challenges, he's had a successful year. He will miss Mrs. Murray. He will miss his classmates. He will probably miss his little girlfriend. But I look forward to a fun filled summer with him and then a fresh start in the fall. He's scared of going to 1st grade because his buddies siblings have told him that it's hard but I am pretty sure he'll do just fine. Sigh, my first born is done with his first year of education. At least he held my hand after his T-ball game on Saturday while walking to the car. He initiated! That melted my heart!

The second milestone was losing his first tooth! He's had three loose teeth for a long while. About a year ago he bonked his knee and his front tooth became loose. He had another loose tooth on the bottom. But then yesterday he bit down into an apple and yelled, "Ow!" He had a third loose tooth.

So he jiggled it and tickled it with his tongue all day. It was just hanging by a thread. I told him we'd better get it out so he wouldn't swallow it in his sleep. Is that possible? I think I've heard of that happening. It scared him that he might so I reassured him it wouldn't. He wanted me to call a dentist to make sure. I told him the Dentists were closed but that I'd look it up on the internet.
But I was too scared to pull it out myself remembering how painful sometimes it was. So I let him sleep on it. The next morning it wasn't much looser but he wasn't eating breakfast and complained of it tickling and irritating him. So I got out the pliers and was ready for operation. And he was really brave too. The pliers didn't grip very well so Tyler suggested I just use a kleenex. That worked great! It came right out with no tears! And he was so gitty and proud!

After this great accomplishment I decided we needed a little something to put the tooth inside for the tooth fairy. I've seen these little pillows around the web and though it would be fun to make one. The way Samuel sleeps with pillows on all sides I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find the tooth.

So the tooth monster joined the family. The kids helped me whip it up before Samuel's T-ball game. Samuel was the head designer. He described what he wanted and we traced it out sewed it together. Fun times! And lucky for him the tooth fairy came in the night and left him $1.

I thought was a fair amount. He told me kids at school were getting $1. One of his cousins got $5 but I can't justify that much. Tyler thought $1 was too high. haha. But I told him I got like .25 to .50 cents when I was a kid and with inflation his should be increased to $1. How much did you get? Or how much do you give your kids?

Now, I expect the rest of his teeth will start following suit. And hopefully this summer will not be too painful, full of bickering and boredom. I have a lot planned and I am excited about it! I'll blog about it as soon as I make the final list of activities!

Mother's Day Brunch

2011-05-11T22:04:00.000-06:00

It's okay if you think I look like a monkey. Because my family and I already know that truth. My mother looks beautiful, even in a handkerchief.

I love my mother and grandmothers. I love my mother-in-law too! It's so wonderful to be able to have such loving, supportive and helpful women in my life. I am proud to be their daughter. To show them my love I decided this year I would give them a special brunch. I wish my MIL and Tyler's grandma's could have been here too!

After I had seen this lovely brunch set-up on a favorite blog I realized that I could create a simplified version! My mom was already in town for the weekend to arrange flowers for my cousins wedding. It was perfectly timed. And I already live next door to my grandma, like across the driveway! Here is a photo from our adjoining yard. Sadly this lilac tree is no longer here. The roots weren't strong enough to handle my 6 year old monkey.

I quickly ran to Sunflower Market to buy some fresh fruit on Friday night. I asked my mom, who was quietly reading a novel, if she could watch my two oldest while I took the little one to the store. Sadly, though, I didn't think I'd be gone more than 40 minutes while the make-ahead manicotti was baking in the oven. My mom had no idea it was in there and in my haste I forgot to look at the time when I left so I didn't call her to check on it. Needless to say now we're stuck eating dried up crusty leftovers. Such is life.

So anyway, back to the brunch. I invited my mom and grandma over (sorry Aunt Claudia, I'm afraid we had while you were in Church. Jocelyn specifically asked for you!) along with Jocelyn. Cecily was sleeping.

I loved the citrus theme. It felt so summery. I gave up the idea of sleeping in and woke up and got to work. This day is a day I wished I had two ovens. I thought about using my grandma's but I didn't want to to spoil any my surprise!

The menu consisted of homemade quiche (and I made the shell this time!), orange rolls (Rhodes with zest and glaze added), poppy seed bread and citrus drop cookies.

We ate outside on my Grandma's patio. It was perfectly warm and we had a lovely and brief time chatting and eating. Two of my favorite things to do! And with some of my best friends!

All in all, my Mother's day was grand. After this brunch I managed to quickly (and not very motherly-like) get the children ready for Church. They were pretty well behaved. They both came home from Primary with two cute cards. The men served us ice cream too! That was fun and different. Then Tyler made dinner and cleaned up. He even mopped! You can hardly tell now but it was a much needed (and avoided) task by me! I've been reading a book called, I am a Mother and I am loving it. (Thanks Lori!) It's nice to hear a true perspective from a woman who, in some eyes, "had it all" with a very successful career in TV but gave it all up to be a mother. Honestly, some days are a struggle for me. I wonder why I chose this path. And some days I am NOT very good at it. But the few moments that my children give me hugs or write me love notes or say they don't want to go to an orphanage (gee, I wonder whey they would ever think of that??), makes up for the harder times. I think one day I will miss the crumbs underneath every kitchen chair, or the smudge marks on all the walls and surfaces. At least they are there. It means that none of us are perfect, and it's a good reminder that I have the blessing to be a mother.

April in review

2011-05-05T13:03:00.026-06:00

Wow. April is over. What a busy month for us! Ready for a re-cap? Nothing dramatic or anything like that. Just very busy and eventful. Here's the journal log. Take a breath.....

Okay....Begin.

It started with General Conference. Wait no! It started with this! April fools! I drew mustache's on them in the night ;)

April 2nd & 3rd: Okay, back to Conference. What a fabulous time. I always feel renewed afterward. We stayed in P-town for the Saturday session and went to Mt P for Sunday. And I was so proud of my kiddos for sticking it through the morning sessions each day. We did not make them sit through the afternoon sessions....that would have been ineffective for everyone. But they were present which, at their age, I think is just right. During their viewing/listening sessions we played LDS bingo. It certainly had them listening!

Some of my favorite talks:
**Quentin L. Cook
** Dallin H. Oaks
**Lynn G. Robbins, He had me at "To be or not to be."

Sometime in the month of April our bunny rabbit, Otis, had quite the eventful time. First, he nearly got ran over by a car. Luckily, the driver stopped, pulled over and brought him home. It seems nearly impossible for a pet rabbit to be struck by a car, doesn't it? Well, the kids like to take him outside when they play. However, Jocelyn had forgotten that he can jump off slightly high spaces. So she left him on a play chair, came inside and forgot about him until the driver brought him home. Poor little bunny! He was so scared!! Luckily, his life was spared because he was in a photo shoot the next week! By one of my favorite photographers. If she posts some photos of him, I'll share them!

April 9th: Heidi's wedding.
Heidi married Dustin. Heidi is Tyler's sister. What a happy couple. I had the privilege of making their wedding video. I spent countless hours (you don't want to know how many hours it took us....Tyler helped in the end with the final edit/ technical stuff) looking at those two faces and I know that they are happy. (Steph, your copy will come in the mail once we have the wedding portion edited!) We had a great whirlwind weekend in Denver. Then the kids and I stayed for another week. Samuel was on spring break and Tyler had to head home to begin finals.

Jocelyn did not have the same fierce jealousy of the bride at this wedding like she did two years ago at Rose's wedding. But she did get a chance to hold the bouquet for a little bit.

Can you tell which is the cardboard cut-out? They had their sister Stephanie, who is currently serving a mission, in attendance. haha. She looked so real!

Heidi with the kids! Cecily's dress is from the Gap, Samuel's first suit was $10 on clearance at Macy's, and Jocelyn's dress is a women's skirt from Down East Outfitters that I turned into a dress! Luckily, our outfits were taken care of for Easter too!! Wahoo!

Tyler, his brother Troy and Samuel.

Troy took the rest of these photos for us. Thanks Troy!

April 15th: We drove back home to Utah and brought along my sister Jennie and her two boys Warren and Luke along for the ride. Actually, they came out for a bunch of other activities. Our car was full. 5 kids and 2 mom's. We were outnumbered....but we survived.

April 16th: My cousin David's wedding in SLC. Another lovely couple.

April 22nd: Carnival party for my niece Anna and nephew Warren in Mt Pleasant. You can see more photos and details here.

The best entertainment. A cardboard box. My nephew Owen sat in this box while we cleaned up forever! He just kept opening and closing the flap. Easily entertained.

Look at these pretty girls!

These two little guys are just months apart. Two of the three grand kids born in 2010 (Cecily is the 3rd at the beginning of the year). They sat here for a long time, just happily hanging out while set up.

Jennie making homemade corn dogs.

Some of the photo booth pictures. Cecily missed the mustache memo. Tyler wouldn't let me post the photo of our family because he's wearing a funny wig. He has to be "serious" now that he's on track for the professional world. haha.

April 23rd: Egg dying and hunting.

The oldest participants. Cecily was happy walking around shaking her filled eggs until she knocked them together and they cracked open she discovered they had candy inside!

Samuel and his loot. Each kid got 16 eggs (except Cecily, she got something like 6). Grant hid them all over the studio and it took them a good amount of time to find them!

Jennie and Warren.

I think it's hilarious that he wanted to sleep with his winnings.

Egg dying. We included Otis, see him? Jocelyn had a hard time eating that one.

Cecily's first time egg dying.

April 24: Easter Sunday.
We tried taking family photos the morning before Church, and actually succeeded. Well, just as I was going to gather our little families outfits (the same from Heidi's wedding) tragedy struck. I realized they were not in Mt Pleasant, but left on our bed in Provo!!! I was so mad!!! So much for coordinating! I ended up wearing one of my mom's dresses. Jocelyn wore the same dress she wore the day before. Cecily wore a dress that my mom had in her closet for another future granddaughter. Tyler brought his suit!! And Samuel.....well, the poor child. He had to wear jeans, with brown shoes and a long sleeved shirt and a sweater from my 16 year old brother's closet!! Oh my word!!! This will be one family picture that will not be on a Christmas card. In fact, we didn't even have a family photo taken because it was so painful to see our unfortunate twist of fate. Ah. But everyone else looked good and I love the one of my mom with her grandkids! And the weather was fun for photos too! And I can laugh about it now.

Love my sisters! (but not this picture...) Sadly, the two on the ends (Marci and Jennie) will both be living in Denver by August. Jennie already lives there but Alex and Marci and their children will be moving there soon. Fewer large family gatherings but one more reason to visit Colorado!

Easter dinner. Fabulous! My mom made her yummy funeral potatoes, in addition to ham and asparagus. Marci made these cute napkin bunnies for the kiddos.

Dessert--just simple sugar cookies. But these penny sized chicks are to die for. My mom used to buy us these mini chicks when we were little. But these are so small! And they come in the coolest colors now!

Then after Easter we went back to Provo. Tyler finished up some grading and Samuel some school. Then we turned back around and dropped them off in Green River, 2 1/2 hours away to meet his Dad en route to Lake Powell. Samuel and Tyler helped him paint the houseboat and were able to fit some fishing in. As I nearly drove off the side of the road from fatigue, I headed back to Mt Pleasant to stay with my parents while the boys played/worked at Lake P. I was able to get some work in, relaxed, attended my mom's 4th/5th/6th grade Shakespearean play, and ate waaaay too many mint, chocolate covered oreo's (better than thin mints!).

April 30th: St. George

Then we headed down to St George to visit Troy and Jana for the blessing of their newest addition, Trent. We also celebrated Tyler's birthday at Red Robin. mmmm, love that place! I won't go into details about his birthday because Tyler honestly does not like to celebrate them. So I try not to make a big deal because he doesn't care! Except the times that I want to celebrate his life. Ugh, big dilemma every year. And sort of ironic that I am in the birthday business.

Samuel made a new friend with Troy and Jana's nephew, Karter. Once they overcame their initial shyness they were best buds. Good times.

Notice how Samuel is absent from this photo. He was on a pancake protest. He claims he doesn't like them until he tries them (and they cannot have oatmeal or whole wheat in them...dang). Silly picky eater!

And this concludes our April!! Did you make it through? Tired just from reading? Yeah, me too. With General Conference, wedding, Easter and a blessing in there, I think we attended our homeward once the entire month. I am tired of traveling and party planning...for a while anyhow. It's good to be home :)

Do you Suffer?

2011-04-18T22:01:00.013-06:00

Do any of you suffer like me?

Cecily's exceptionally unique bed head.

1--From bad hair days?
I am pretty lucky in that I have naturally curly hair. So basically that means I don't do it. Because I'm low maintenance like that. And I don't really know how to do my hair. Unluckily, for my daughters, they suffer too, or should I say, their hair does? I can barely do a french braid. So, to Tyler's chagrin, they look like homeless children.

2--Mice infestation.
It started late one night. When you finally settle into bed. Usually much later than your poor lonely husband. When the house is so quiet that you can hear every little rustle of every child's bed cover. Every car zooming up the road. Every mouse scuttering (that's not really a word) across the kitchen floor. Oh, wait. Eek! Or the very tiny chewing sounds. Ach! Yes, my friends, the evidence is just not in the little black terds that you find underneath the sink or in the pantry. They manifest themselves when you heave the 1 ton fridge out of it's corner and see it running for it's dear life. Tyler asked why I didn't just whack it with a broom. Are you kidding me ?!?! I was standing on my tippy-toes on a chair trying to avoid the tiny, furry thing. Yes, people, we have another family living with us.

3--Perfection syndrome.
I want to be perfect. What does this mean? Well, I want to have a clean home. I want to be slim. I want to have kind, well behaved children. I want to make well-balanced healthy meals every day. I want to be a loving spouse. I want to ready my scriptures every day. I want to make beautiful desserts and pass them out to friends. I want to blog, craft, sew, read, photograph and capture every moment. I want it all and more! But then I suffer trying to achieve it....all....at...once. That's the problem. I am not patient. I need to wait for each season and phase of life to teach me how to learn and grow and stretch. Yeah, I want to be perfect.

4--Killing plants.
See all these lovely flowers? It's the most we've ever had inside our home at once. Most of them I received from my birthday. The tulips are leftover from a law school spouse board (Law Partners) that I'm on. And the lovely little plants were gifts also. And somehow they've all died already. I didn't buy soil in time to plant them. I didn't know the best/most convenient place to find it. Bad excuse, I know. One day I'll have a green thumb, or maybe at least a gray one.

5--Too many hobbies.
I am interested in too many things. I never thought this would be possible. I always thought Tyler was the one with all the skills. Now, I feel, I've "caught up" with him. The problem with being interested in too many things at once is that something's gotta be put off or just plain suffer. And in my case, it's the housework and my children. Have you ever thought that "those creative types" always have a messy home or a life in disarray? Well, I used to...until it happened to me. I am one of those creative types, more than ever before. And my life....is also more "creative" than before. It's like a ping-pong match with myself.

"Create something, 1 point. Messy house, 1 point. Clean house, 1 point. Dang that skirt looks so fun to make, 1 point. Etc, etc. "

Something I'm trying to work on. One day I'll figure out the balance.

6--Blog Envy.
Do you ever feel like you're blog is not good enough? Not pretty enough? Your photographs not clear enough? Like everyone else has a seemingly perfect life? I do. Sometimes I really have to remind myself that a blog is deceiving. It's hard to know if someone has photoshopped an iron burn out of their carpet. Pushed all the clutter off their sewing table before photographing a re-purposed shirt. Or whose really behind the camera? They're not really wearing the pj's at noon still, are they? They can't be because they are perfect. Haha. Don't be fooled. I have. Oh, and by the way, those are not examples from my personal experience or anything, I mean, who does that?

7--Being poor.
There are a few good things about being poor. We qualify for government programs. We "get to" take out student loans. We can use the "We're poor college students" card. (haha). We get to move a lot which changes things up. We get to meet new people every time we move. And our kids adjust to change better. We have time to dream and plan for our future home :) But really, the main reason I've loved being poor, is that it's forced me to be creative. If I had money to spend, I would gladly do it, instead of creating it myself. But because I cannot I've had to think of inexpensive yet tasteful ways to beautify my home. I get to make and re-purpose clothing for my children. I get to develop talents I never knew I had. Seriously, this has been a huge blessing.

And how many of you suffer from having children that you want to eat because they are just too dang cute? Ya, I thought so :)

Birthday

2011-03-30T14:21:00.010-06:00

So I turned 31 on Monday but really celebrated all weekend long which is the way I like to roll around here. Tyler isn't quite on board with that concept yet.

Friday started with the highlight of my whole celebration, my own birthday party. You can see more photos here on my other blog. But here are a few teasers and only a few of friends. I am so bugged at myself that I did not get a photo of each group of people from all the phases of my life. Family, Colorado peeps (though, they are all scattered everywhere but here), Murray ladies, Law partners, and a few scattered in from Wymount, Cherry lane and other times of life. Other than that, I have no regrets from the party. Well, okay, that isn't completely true. I also regret not being able to visit with each of my friends individually for longer. That's the challenge with having 30 guests. I could not have pulled it off successfully without the help of my family and friends who help with the last minute details. Everyone kept asking where Tyler and the kids were. I banned them from the house from 6-8 pm. He took them to Carl's Jr to eat and play at their indoor play center. Sweet! They were soooo tired when he brought them back.

Well, it was a girls only party but a few babies and one husband made an appearance. I forgave him though because he was taking his wife, my cousin, Micaela out on a date after!

Just two of my aunts that came. Sherri and Julie.

Some of my Law Partners. These gals are a riot.

Then the next morning Rose, Marci and my Mom and I went to IHOP for a free meal. Um.....I totally forgot that I had a B1G1 free breakfast at Mimi's Cafe and wished we would have eaten there instead. IHOP was pretty gross, even for being virtually free. Oh, well. It was fun to get out and visit while Tyler took the kids again.

Then that evening my mom was still in town so she stayed at home so Tyler and I could go on a real date. We went shopping to Victoria Secret for some non-nursing pieces. I love it when I get birthday gift cards from my favorite stores :) Then we saw The Adjustment Bureau. My choice. I love Matt Damon. Not only is he a great actor but he seems so down to earth. It was a pretty good flick. Then we went to Red Robin for my free birthday burger. I LOVE that place. Seriously, the best burgers around. And the best part of the evening. Tyler and I sitting at our little table until midnight!! They didn't even kick us out or give us dirty looks. We were there at the last of this guys section so we weren't losing them any money, I suppose. I felt like we were in a Parisian cafe again, just chatting it up for as long as we pleased. Bliss. Thanks Mom for watching them!

Then on Sunday we had a nice steak dinner and leftover cake and desserts. Too much, in fact. Like, I need to workout harder before my SIL's wedding in less than two weeks!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! My 30th year was fantastic and I look forward to another fabulous year!

10 on 10

2011-03-20T22:39:00.004-06:00

I wanted to participate in this "10 on 10" blog thingy. One of the blogs I follow was participating and I tried to as well. You were supposed to take a photo every hour for 10 hours on March 10th. But I didn't actually have time to take them each hour and my photos, to be honest, were just fair. So here are some of them. The day in the life sort of feature. Pretty typical crazy day. Oh, except, this was the first day that Tyler was gone (he left us for 4 days while he partied in Vegas. More on that later).

1. Playing with the morning shadows
2. Cecily walking her telephone
3. Having to wake up Cecily to make it to #4. She was out!
4. Puppet activity for law partners at the law school
5. Free lunch at Del Taco
6. Taking in the trash
7. Playing at the park with beautiful weather
8. Samuel and Creigh playing Angry Birds, after eating yummy pizza

Balloons

2011-03-18T13:02:00.005-06:00

Balloons can be a life saver. Cecily was blowing a gasket at the Market and the nice cashier offered all the children a balloon. It immediately calmed her....until her siblings took hers away. Then she got it back and was calm again.

I couldn't decide which image I liked best so I am sharing all three.

Look at this face. Pure joy.

Also, here are are some St Patrick's Day recipe's and ideas that you can use next year! I posted a whole bunch this week on my other blog. Here are just a few examples of how we celebrated this week.

Leprechaun Rainbow Pancakes

2011-03-16T13:25:00.005-06:00

Alternative to green eggs and ham for St Patty's breakfast? How about leprechaun sized pancakes? Make them rainbow colored for extra enjoyment!

Here is a quarter to give you perspective with how big, or small these little guys are.

Sadly, the purple ones got eaten before I could save them for the photo shoot :)

I didn't think about serving these little pancakes on the play dishes until it was too late. But that would have been fun too, though I really would have had to make them silver dollar sized. Serve with syrup and sprinkle some green sugar crystals on top for the final touch!

Rainbow Pots

2011-03-15T16:12:00.003-06:00

For family night on Monday night, we taught the children about the biblical symbol of a rainbow. Then they got to paint their own rainbow pots!

Remember these pots from this post? I found this fun idea from Ohdeedoh.

If they went to bed nicely, which they did....well enough, they'd get to search for the pot in the morning. I told them a leprechaun was going to bring golden treats if they were good and he hid them. So after breakfast I got my Irish accent on and led them on a treasure hunt around the house until they found their pot!

I filled the pots with the almond/toffee Hershey's nuggets, but let's be honest, those are for me. They just looked more like gold bars. The kids get the regular miniature candies (pictured in pot #2). In the next few weeks we'll plant some herbs and they'll get to watch them grow,(another great FHE lesson)!

Look at their concentration. It could have been very messy if I wasn't supervising. I recommend lots of newspaper and help. Samuel, at first, didn't want to paint his rainbows because that is "for girls" and reminds of him "ponies jumping through rainbows." But once I showed him how cool it could look and the fact that the leprechauns wouldn't come if it wasn't painted because they wouldn't know which pot to fill, he gave in, and loved it, of course.

Jocelyn quietly worked on hers. Suprisingly, her's turned out a little bit cleaner (hers is pictured in the front) though Samuel loves art. I signed him up for an art class, I hope he enjoys it!

St Patrick's Day Parade

2011-03-15T10:39:00.001-06:00

I braved the streets of SLC (because it is such a huge city! ha!) with a friend and brought my 3 kiddos to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was fun! Long, but fun. My favorite is always the bag pipes. I LOVE bagpipes.

Samuel took these first group of photos.

Me, probably texting or maybe wiping Cecily's boogers. Poor thing, she had a cold.

Love that smile.

My friend Raylynn.

We sat right at the crosswalk. People still felt the need to use this even though it was the smallest street.

Love that horse with painted "nails!"

Love Irish dancing!

Love tall and skinny dogs. But, to be honest, I'd never want to own one.

Funny.

Love the bagpipes!

Some more.

And some more.

Don't know what can of beer guy was doing.....

I forgot to mention all of the Catholic schools represented. There were at least 7 plus a Baptist and a Lutheran school. I didn't know there were so many in Utah. If I could afford it, I would consider sending our kids to a private Catholic or Lutheran school because I am sure the discipline and curriculum is good.

Relief Society Valentine's Dinner

2011-03-13T09:31:00.015-06:00

I serve as the Relief Society Committee Meeting leader in our ward. I LOVE my church calling. And I have an awesome committee full of talented and willing ladies. We've done some wonderful things together as a committee to unite the sisters in our ward and I feel we've been achieving our ward goals each month we have a meeting. But in February, we had our biggest meeting yet and for the year. We pumped it up for months ahead to get the greatest turn out possible. As is common in each activity, there were a few hiccups along the way and the night of, otherwise it was nearly flawless. We worked well together and from the comments from those in attendance, we know it was a success.

The theme: Enhancing Personal Relationships. We used an Italian theme with the food and for decor we kept it to the month of love with a red, white and pink color palate. Here are some photos and some descriptions. In a budget under $350 we served an elegant dinner to 100 people (including YM servers and YW children's class helpers), took a love language quiz and listened to professional counselor (who happens to be in the RS Presidency) teach us about enhancing our marriages. I thought we did a pretty nice job!

Here is the gym. We only used half of it to make it more intimate. We fit 10 round tables with 8 people at each, on this half.

The entrance.

Carnations from Costco, handed out to each sister (after I remembered) at the end. We had them each wear a nametag. Flower ball on clearance at Michael's after Valentine's Day sales.

Here is Nina and her daughter Sarita. Nina, on our committee, lovingly made all the paper good items including these nametags, with her many papercrafting supplies. Here she is greeting the sisters as they came in.

The buffet table. Rhonda, who has catering experience, suggested we put Christmas lights underneath the tablecloth. I liked the softened look and then the lights don't get in the way or dirty when serving the food.

I made a little fabric garland with fabric donated by my friend Raylynn a while ago. You never know when you'll use your fabric scraps so keep them anyway!

I made these silk topiaries with fabric I had in my stash. I'll share a tutorial sometime. I made the topiaries and garlands myself with my own materials to save money and so that I could keep them, which helped with the budget as well.

One our committee members, Michelle, suggested that we ask for volunteers to decorate individual tables. Each was unique and brought a nice personal touch. I gave them a 12" x12" piece of glittery cardstock as a guideline for how much space they could use. Here are a few examples.

Here is the speaker's table.

Nina made an "events" card with results form the quiz on the back. Notice the goblets? She also donated use of these that she had previously used in her daughter's wedding. When the sisters first entered this was one of the first things they noticed, these beautiful goblets. It added an elegant touch. Nina found them on clearance for $3 a box and was happy to be able to use them again. We didn't break one! She also had battery operated tea lights

We had menu's printed on a tri-fold with a quiz printed on the inside. As the sisters were seated and waiting to start the evening we had them take a version of the 5 Love Language quiz, which unbeknown to me, was part of Marlene's talk. The little red heart was supposed to act as a little cupid's heart. I had specially ordered red golf pencils on ebay but they did not ship on time (grrrrr) so we had to gather regular pencils (including my children's attractive printed holiday ones they get from school and other places) and didn't have time to punch holes in them to make the cupid affect. Minor detail. I used an 8 1/2" x 11" glittery piece of cardstock as a placemat.

One of the highlights of the evening was having a live quartet playing classical music. Nina's son-in-law created a group of his musical friends and they willingly volunteered their time (only in exchange for a free meal) to play background music. They were so good that when Tyler walked through to pick up the kids, he thought it was a cd!

After they took the quiz we welcomed them and invited them to start on their salads (which were placed on the tables beforehand) and warm bread.

Here is the serving line with the food.

Here are some of the committee members slaving away. I stayed out of the kitchen as I was working on decorating and making sure everything was in order. Some of us ran around like chicken's with our heads cut off, especially right at the last minute when everything comes together. I think we all managed to be able to sit down for a few minutes to at least eat a little.

Here I am sharpening pencils beforehand after my ebay glitch.

Here are some of our cute YM servers. They really took their job to heart and were so willing and helpful. They kept our water filled and assisted the many elderly sisters in our ward by serving them their food directly so they didn't have to wait in line for their food.

The Menu. Rhonda came up with a delicious and fairly simple menu. We had a tight budget but wanted it to be delicious. She cooked most of it, hours before, herself. Alicia and Michelle helped in the kitchen as she instructed them.
We had two pastas. Regular spaghetti, with a nice meat marinara sauce. The second was a garlic cheese white sauce that she pre-mixed with pasta.
The salad was a copycat version of Olive Garden's.
She roasted garlic slices and mixed them with olive oil and herbs. We dipped our warm bread (from Costco, the Italian version) in this herbed oil spread.

We simplified our dessert buy purchasing fresh mixed berry Gelato from our Costco (ours is the only in the state who sells this in their cafe!) with a piece of biscotti. Simple, elegant, rich, unique, easy.

Marlene, our upbeat and funny speaker. Sadly, I couldn't listen to all of it but what I did gather was helpful.

It was a wonderful evening with few and simple decorations that made a strong impact, music to add to the ambiance, dimmed lights, delicious yet inexpensive food, a slow pace and the little details all added to a wonderful evening together. I know that each sister was enriched by coming! Some said it was the best RS activity they had ever been too. The greatest compliment to our committee ever!

Thanks again to my committee and to Marianne for lending me your camera and taking some candid shots!

BYU MOA

2011-03-13T08:40:00.005-06:00

Christ healing the sick at Bethesda, 1883, Carl Bloch

Tyler and I took the kids to the BYU MOA (Museum of Art) to see the Carl Bloch exhibit. Let me say first that you should come see this exhibit. Make time to see it. It can't hurt your budget because it's free! Not only is it an important cultural experience, it's great exposure for your children to masterful art with a subject that is sure to enhance their (and your) spiritual well being. I assume you recognize this painting? This Danish artist has created a beautiful repertoire to behold.

The Daughter of Jairus, 1863

This was Tyler and Samuel's favorite. Samuel couldn't really pin point why it was his favorite. I thought it was very interesting. The focus is on the daughter, who is already dead. Christ is merely in the background allowing her mother to mourn a bit before he heals this girl.

Christ in Gethsemane, 1879

This was one of my favorites. I liked the image of Christ being enveloped with love, represented by the angel who visited him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Before you go, you must register for tickets in advance here. There is only one month left of the exhibit. And it will only get more difficult to get tickets in the last month.
Then, read this article from BYU Magazine to learn a little about his art.
Last, spend an hour (or more or less) at the exhibit and if you have more time mosey on downstairs to the other free exhibits.

And of course, take some photos of your crazy kids because you can't inside the museum!

St Patrick's Day Ideas

2011-03-11T15:51:00.003-07:00

We're starting our St Patrick's Day Festivities tomorrow by attempting to go to the parade in SLC. Luckily, my BIL's sister, Raylynn (who is basically a part of our family too) will be joining us as I am a single parent this week. The kids and I are feeling a little under the weather (is that the right phrase, I just forgot it) so I hope we'll feel up to going.

Check out my other blog for the source info for those beautiful photos.

What about you? What do you do?

My little boy

2011-03-09T20:10:00.005-07:00

My 6 year old has a major crush. Yes, Samuel. This isn't the first one this year either. He liked a little girl named Cadence until he went to her birthday party in February and she didn't give him the time of day. He thought the party was boring and I am guessing it wasn't because of his buddies that were there. Poor kid.

So the next week he announced he like Mia, one of the twins, who may not share the same feelings as Samuel. It's so cute. You know those tender (and often rare) moments right before bedtime? That's when Samuel begins to spill the beans.

So tonight before putting him to bed he started telling me, out of the blue, "Mom, Mia said I have a crush on her." Pause. Shakes his head and very matter of fact says, "I don't know what that means." Melt my heart! Sadly, for him, she didn't say that she had a crush on him, but I didn't feel the need to burst his bubble.

Then he told me about how he doesn't know what to do on the playground. I can see his concern is so sincere. She's really good on the monkey bars and proceeded to tell and show me her tricks. He wants to play with her on the playground. So he thought of a plan. He needs to go to the school playground and practice so he can play on the monkey bars with her. How sweet is that?

Where do kids learn these things? Crush? Already? Samuel learned what cooties were a while ago but this girl must have older siblings that tell them these things. Or.....it could have been the note he gave her today. I forgot to take a picture of it but it said, "Mia, I love you, (something something), Samuel."

Poor kid. He's smitten.

Oh, and PS--no need to egg him on about kissing, love notes, etc...I think it just confuses him more.

My Birthday Party!

2011-03-07T10:45:00.003-07:00

Does this tempt you? Delicate lemon cupcake with strawberry butter cream! Recipe found on Bonne Nouvelle.

I am experimenting with recipes for my upcoming birthday party. And sampling too, of course! You'd think I'd want to be trying to lose weight before the big day. Maybe I should work on that....but not until I've made sure all the treats are irresistible enough!

Are you ready for the theme?

French Vintage in aqua and pinks! You excited? I am!!! Tomorrow I'll post my inspiration board with some more exciting ideas on my other blog.

In the meantime, save the date for the party! March 26th for mingling and tempting dessert buffet, open house style. Digital Invites coming soon.....

Wallace and Gromit

2011-02-26T11:05:00.005-07:00

Last night for movie night we watched 2 of the 3 adventures of Wallace and Gromit on Netflix. At first, the kids didn't really like Wallace and Gromit. They love Chicken Run but didn't realize they're made with the same stuff, clay! They had to adjust to the quirkiness and small amounts of dialog too which is a little different from the rest of the fast past animated type films they normally watch. I didn't realize W & G are obsessed with cheese until last night.

After they watched the third adventure today they decided they wanted cheese and crackers, just like they do in the movie. Sliced cheese. Last night Samuel, before he watched the movie, insisted he did not want sliced cheese on his sandwich but shredded! Go figure! The power of media? Pickyness gone away with imagination? Who knows.

I had left out some mini-Easter cookie cutters. You see, I tried making Rice Krispie balls with peanut butter filing covered in chocolate. I tried it too with nutella. Neither worked so well. They fell apart and did not stay on their stick. Needless to say, I failed and will have to attempt to make them again after some adjustments so I can show you. But they did taste good! So, I had the cookie cutters out and I showed the kids how to have cute little crackers and cheese! Fun times!

Okay, that was a really long explanation. Now you get "crackin" and "cut some cheese!" Har, har.

Jocelyn's preschool group

2011-02-22T18:05:00.006-07:00

Jocelyn is so ready to begin school. Not only does she look older than she is (she's a tad tall for her age), but she usually acts it too. So many people, including myself, expect her to act more mature than her age, which can be difficult for a little girl!

Fortunately, my Aunt Emilee suggested putting together a little playgroup/preschool with 3 other little girls. One of the girls is my first cousin, Jocelyn's second cousin once removed, I believe is the technical term. She gets along really well with Rosie. Then there are two other girls who are at least a year younger but it works out. It's a very low key group. The curriculum is to get together, socialize, play, imagine, learn to share and have fun! I love it! And they love it! I only have to host once a month for 2 hours! Easy!

Here are some snapshots from last month's. These girls were having fun jamming to the Beatles and made fruit loop bracelets.

Dinosaur Dig

2011-02-18T14:41:00.009-07:00

Jocelyn wanted to do something special today. Was I surprised?

I am still recovering from our HUGE Relief Society activity (meeting) last night. It turned out so beautifully and I'll share more on that once I get the photos from my friends awesome camera (because, of course, I forgot mine).

So this is what I wore today until about....well, now. Cecily is down for nap #2 so I'll finally be able to get ready for the day.

So I thought of something spur of the moment and inspired by one of my favorite blogs One Charming Party. Sometimes those spur of the moment ideas are the best, aren't they?

I grabbed a tray and filled it with some candy (fossils), cut snickers look like really dino parts:

Sugar and a brush (basting or painting):

Binoculars and Aprons:

A map:

And pulled Sammy off Angry Birds and we were on an adventure!

It helps to speak in a cool explorer accent like Spanish (think Columbus) or Australian (think Crocodile Dundee....side note-when I was staying up late creating for Cecily's birthday party I watched both films back to back! It was so fun!). Since I am not so hot at the Spanish thing I tried the Australian. Samuel asked me to stop it but liked it after about 3 lines.

So we went on our adventure looking for fossils around the house. We checked high and low until Jocelyn spotted them (okay, she knew where I set it up) with her binoc's. After the initial shock, of, "cool, what is this?", they got to work!

This activity lasted at least 20 minutes after I left them. It makes a bit of a mess (and a tasty one) but it's totally worth it!

Jocelyn cleaned all the dino's, reptiles and other creatures that belong in that basket. I like how she arranged them all over the sink to dry.

How would you arrange your dinosaur dig?

Trying to enjoy the simple things in life

2011-02-16T16:17:00.008-07:00

We've had several lessons in Church lately about President's Uchtdorf's talk "Of Things that Matter Most." I realized, finally, that it was something I really need in my life. I have read and re-read the talk several times, with a prayer in my heart, that I will figure out how it can relate to me! But my head is being awfully thick and I can't let go of my pride because it is sinking in awfulllly slowly. Don't get me wrong. I am in a very good place right now. Emotionally and mentally speaking. Perhaps you remember when wasn't like here and here. Life is good right now. The only thing I can complain about is having too much to do! I'm never bored!

However, I know I need to simplify my life when I don't notice the simple and small things like these:

A toy Jocelyn had left in the soap dispenser. It was a fun little surprise to find it as I filled the dishwasher.

Or these little marshmallow people Jocelyn made to go in Samuel's star wars ship (the mini ones). Notice, how simple I was? I didn't even wash the table before I took the picture for you guys :)

I am these little people's mother. I am the only one they have. Gulp. Sometimes they wish they had another. Sometimes I wish I could go off-duty. But I can't. We are bandaids. I am stuck on them and they are stuck on me. We help each other out. We are growing up together. I guess, my college diploma doesn't automatically grow me up?

I really need to stop and enjoy these little critters, like now. Be in the moment now! Stop thinking about how I want it to be in the future and focus on what I can do now to get there instead of trying to get there now.

Listen.
(When is asked what he thought of love on V-day, this is what he said, lol.)

Enjoy their changes.
J is growing up too fast. Look at those pants and shoes?! She dresses herself. I can't keep up.

Watch the milestones happen....live.
(live, as in "live in New York City" not live, as in, "I live in a house").

More on this subject later when I can gather my thoughts more cohesively :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T11:00:00.006-07:00

This morning I did a little something for the kiddo's (and hubby). I made a special Valentine's Day breakfast. It was a totally last minute idea so it was nothing extravagant. Just used things I already had on hand.

On the menu: Heart shaped pancakes with cream and red sprinkles and pink milk (milk magically turned pink with dye).

Don't you like Cecily's morning 'do? I can't decide if should give her bangs!

Coming up later....the kids Valentine cards and shirts!

Also, if you haven't already, check out 4 new desserts on my other blog!

1. Creme Brulee
2. Fortune Cookies
3. Oreo's
4. Strawberry Tart

Thanksgiving Point Gardens

2011-02-08T21:23:00.008-07:00

In August Thanksgiving Point has $2 Tuesdays for each of their "museum's." We went twice that month. The second time was to the Gardens. This was their first time going. It's a big and beautiful place! It's the only place I've been to that reminds me of Kew Gardens in London. Spacious, quiet, beautiful and full of well manicured gardens. There is also a children's garden area, which normally requires a separate entrance fee. But not on Tuesday's in August!

I made the mistake of forgetting our stroller so I had to pay more to rent one. And because the gardens are so large and you want to get your money's worth, we were there for a very long time. Which made for very tired children. Luckily, the weather cooperated and was not too hot that day :) The kids did really well and we all had a great time! Even after Jocelyn lost a shoe at the very end, or was it a bow? Now I can't remember. You'd think I would know.....hmm.....this is why you blog before you forget it all. haha. Oh, yes, I remember. Now that I am looking at the photos. It was a shoe, a flip-flop. She went barefooted through some luscious green grass and somehow lost it. We went back as soon as we realized it was gone and retraced our steps but could not find it anywhere! Oh, well. They were a garage sale find. Not a big deal. I wonder how she got back to the car without them....hm...maybe I had 2nd pair? Or she just walked barefoot. Fun!

Oh, by the way, the first and only other time I went to these gardens was while I was dating this other guy named Brinton. That day we found a frog in a bunch of flowers and I was being brave and picked it up. Well, it peed on me. Guess it wasn't meant to be? That frog was not my prince (nor the guy I was with)!

Now for a ton of photos! Secret garden, archways, sleeping baby, grasshoppers, mazes and lots of water!

Dinosaur Museum

2011-02-08T21:15:00.003-07:00

I'm in the process of making a blurb book and forgot a few posts from last year......oops. Please excuse the flashback!

In August Thanksgiving Point has $2 Tuesdays for each of their "museum's." We went twice that month. The first time was to the Dinosaur museum. The kids ask when they can go there again every time we drive past the point of the mountain. Here are a few photos.

Cecily's celebration

2011-02-08T00:03:00.007-07:00

I realized that I never finished showing pictures of Cecily's first birthday. Here are some more fun photos!

I love the classic first candle faces! You can see the whole thought process, it's fun!
I deliberated (for way too long) about which baby doll to buy Cecily. For some reason, Jocelyn was not ready for her first baby. I got her one for her first birthday and she really didn't care much for it. Jocelyn grew to love them when she was a few years older. But when I noticed Cecily taking Jocelyn's dolls and rocking back and forth while holding them, I knew she needed her own.
So I couldn't decide b/w the cheap $5 kinds where the head looks like they could pop off at any moment. But then I saw these baby cabbage patch surprise dolls. I reeeeally wanted to get it for her. I had a big cabbage patch doll growing up and loved it. But these were smaller, perfect for her size. But they were a surprise, covered in a cabbage leaf. You didn't know what color hair, if any, you'd get or if it was a girl or a boy. I wanted her to get a girl and I cheated because I saw a pink bow and blond curly hair peeking out of the hat, and it reminded me of her. So I bought it. And I am so happy I did because look at her reaction! Now she sleeps with her first baby.

Now for the birthday hat.

Yes, she kept it on....for now.

Well, it almost came off.

Yay, it stayed on!

Mealworm fun

2011-02-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

Did you guys ever babysit a mealworm in 4th grade?

Tyler went ice fishing with Samuel the other week. He bought earthworms and mealworms and brought the leftovers home and stuck them in the fridge. One afternoon, for 4 days straight, the kids got the worms out and played with them. The mealworms had more appeal than the earthworms. I taught the kids how to teach the worms how to do their exercises. Man, those little creepy things have strong little legs. Or they're just really sticky.

Anyway, we had to let them go eventually. Jocelyn still asks for them. When we dumped the earthworms out to feed to the birds, they were all huddled in a ball and Sammy screamed, "Ewwww, they're all (and he crosses his fingers in a ball and wriggles his hands in a fist) stuck together in a ball warmer" or something to that effect. Haha.

Are we there yet?

2011-01-31T10:47:00.002-07:00

Taking a road trip sometime this year? Check out some ideas on my other blog!

Plus, there's a new recipe! Yummy muffins!

Uncensored: No more "special" days

2011-01-27T20:27:00.013-07:00

DISCLAIMER: I know that most of you have experienced this same predicament. It's meant to simply make you laugh and not get sympathy. This is not the first time I've experienced this nor the last. I don't want you to think I never go out with all 3 kids by myself, because I do. Doesn't mean I like to, because I'm sort of a wimp that way. I know that many of you already do or have lived in a big city and experience this often. Or have several children and experience this often, all over the globe, even in smaller towns. Or that you or your spouse has a job that requires them to be away from home a lot. I'm just feeling out our options for our future.

So I wanted to do something special with the kids tonight. Tyler would be gone literally all day. We saw him for 30 minutes this morning and 10 minutes this early evening. The kids were well behaved today, dinner was on time. They ate it all up with little complaint. They cleaned up their toys quickly. I wanted to treat them at the BYU Creamery.

Tyler has been gone a lot this semester. They say that the first year of law school is the hardest, the second is the busiest and the third is just boring. Well, so far it's been true. Tyler is involved in editing for two journals this year, one being the Law Review. He's also always involved in an intramural sport, currently basketball. He commutes to intern for a judge up in SLC every Friday. Plus he's a TA for two classes, one in the Law school and one with his old prof over in Philosophy. Basically, he's busy and it's giving me a taste of what it'll be like when he's a "real lawyer." He keeps reminding me that I've been spoiled thus far in our marriage, and I have! Being a student wife certainly has it's perks. But this semester has been exhausting!

We've been toying around with the idea of having him fly out to NYC and DC in August for the annual job fair interviews. See if he has a shot at getting a job offer back east. We've juggled the pro's and con's. Is it worth it? Moving away from family? Working crazy hours and a stressful job at a big firm? How adventurous (in a good way) can it be to travel and live in a big city with 3 kids? How temporary can we make it? How will moving so much affect the children? Etc, etc....

So after reading several friends blogs about their experience living in New York City with kids, I wanted to test the waters. See how I could manage on my own while Tyler works long hours. So we went to the Creamery. Big whoop, right? It's an ice cream parlor/corner market. It's not big. There aren't scary mean people that shop there. It's mostly full of students, families or couple's returning from the Temple up the street. But it was crowded. The prices are high but the quality is good. "Easy peasy, lemon squeezy," as Samuel quotes almost daily. Right? Wrong.

Samuel wanted green ice cream and Jocelyn wanted pink. Cecily just wanted anything with sugar. And I wanted to save money. So I ordered a large hot fudge sunday because it came with two scoops, whipped cream and a cherry on top! Sounds perfect, right? Well, apparently I got it all wrong. Jocelyn was disappointed because I ordered her pink peppermint ice cream instead of the pink "sparkle" stuff that tasted like children's cough syrup. Then Samuel informed me that I had it all wrong because his was not in a cone. And he didn't want that kind of whipped cream??? And Cecily just squaked until she got enough sugar in her system to give her a headache! And I ended up eating most of it because I hate wasting, especially expensive food.

So as it started melting I scooped it up into a cup to salvage and freeze it for later. I had to prevent Samuel from steeling the cups for the fountain drinks and repeated that I did not "buy a drink" that we were only allowed water. Then we marched over to grab a gallon of milk. I was holding the 20 pound baby in a puffy coat in one arm, slipped the credit card in the reverse pocket. Joc and Sammy each had their own styrophom cup of water and I was holding the ice cream in my other hand. I informed Samuel that he needed to give his cup of water to Jocelyn and grab a blue gallon of milk. Mind you, he's only 6, and skinny, so this gallon was quite a burden for him to carry. We walk up to the counter, pay for the milk. Jocelyn starts swinging on the railing. Samuel informs me that he needs to find his coat and leaves. I wait at the check out, impatiently for him to return. But he does not. Still no sign of him. I keep waiting, huffing and puffing, trying to figure out how to carry 2 cups of water, 1 gallon of milk, 1 cup of ice cream and one 20 pound puffy baby. All the while, the two female student cashiers just gawk at me, mouths hanging open like they've never seen a mother in distress. lol. They don't offer to help in any way. Not to find my son. Not to hold my milk. Nothing. So I grow more impatient and grab everything, and head to the table only to find Samuel's coat but no Samuel. I decide to throw the water and ice cream away.Oh, well, it was melting anyway. Instruct J to grab S's coat and we hunt for S. It takes 1 full circle around the store before I spot him and yell at him, down the aisle, scaring more students with my glares, that we need to go, now. Or my arm will fall off. He had to pee but I told him it had to wait until we got home. By this point I am so frustrated people start moving out of my way because they see me bulldozing through the store. My face says it all. I immediatley start lecturing them both about how ungrateful they are for complaining. About why I never take them to do "special" things because this is the way they behave. That they are not obedient and need to stick next to my side, especially in crowded places. Then I thumped Samuel on the head for laughing and complaining some more. I lectured them some more when I put them to bed and tried to teach them about gratitude. Not sure if it sunk in. J still thinks that I don't deserve Christmas presents from Santa Claus because I am " a bad mom." Gee, thanks.

I was so done! I failed my own test! I don't know if I COULD handle the city life. More crowds, more glares, more "special" places to go unappreciated. But what could I learn from that experience? What could it force me to learn about patience????.....do I want to find out?

So anyway, thanks for letting me vent. It's kind of funny, in retrospect. I'm over-stuffed with ice cream that I didn't really want to eat. It throws off all my calorie counting! And tomorrow I don't anticipate the question that I hear every stinking day, "What are we doing special today, mommy?"

The final Reveal

2011-01-26T22:34:00.002-07:00

About one year ago I came across this blog. This amazing woman repurposes old furniture into play kitchens. You can visit her 6 week detailed instructions here and donates them to charity. She does under a seriously small budget and re-uses already existing materials, very eco-friendly.

So after I came across her website I could NOT STOP thinking about starting my own! I looked at several pieces of furniture in thrift stores, craigslist, KSL, garage sales, etc but could not settle on the perfect piece of furniture until I saw it. A baby changing table. But not just any changing table. It had to have the side closet. After calling and missing, by minutes, several pieces that were under $10 I gave up for a while. Until I was on an anniversary trip with my hubby and my Jana, my SIL spotted one for me in her local listings. It had been up for months and very could have been sold already. So I texted the gal and waited for a response. It was still for sale and she lived, literally, down the street from where we were. So Jana and I drove over and bought it, and the couple kindly helped (struggled) us get it into our car. Tyler flipped out when he was how much room it took up. Luckily, Cecily was the only child with us otherwise the other two would have had to sit on the roof. It was more then I wanted to spend but it took so long to find it that I took it. It was $25.

$75 later I have this!

Want to see what it finally looked like?

See my other blog for pictures and details about how I made it. Caution: it's really long. But that is to help others if they want to build their own!

Happy Birthday Cecily!

2011-01-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little bug! I can't believe she's a year old already. So much has happened in the last year. I feel like I'm in a better place in all aspects of my life compared to a year and 2 days ago. She has been such a blessing in our lives. Her disposition is still so sweet. She is a light in my life.

She is delightful. Already maternal. Nurturing. Cuddly. Lovable. Strong willed. Happy.

Need I say more? Maybe later.

Check out the party details on and a ton more photos this blog.

One afternoon

2011-01-22T10:08:00.002-07:00

I saw this in a blog somewhere and thought it looked like something right up Samuel's alley.

Build a tower with toothpicks, mini marshmallows and Hershey kisses. We had all the supplies. It entertained Samuel for a good while.

Washington DC

2011-01-16T19:02:00.010-07:00

Tyler wanted to attend a National Lawyers Convention in Washington DC because Judge Scalia was speaking. So he made preparations to go hoping one of his law buddies could go with him. We have B1G1 free Delta tix to use each year. But the others still couldn't go so he invited me to come along. This is the day after I auditioned for Joyful Noise, mind you. So I told Tyler I couldn't let him know until I spoke with the director. Well, he obliged and allowed me to miss rehearsals and encouraged me to go on a trip with my hubby, so I went along!

We flew Tyler's mom out from Denver to watch Samuel and Jocelyn and brought Cecily along. Not the first time we've had a nursing baby crash our romantic getaways!

My aunt and uncle live 45 minutes out of DC in Maryland and they kindly let us stay in their beautiful home. I haven't been there since I was 12. It brought back a lot of memories with my cousin Sarah. Watching the Summer Olympics. Drawing gymnasts, or rather, watching in awe as Sarah drew sketches of them. Going on walks in the mini forest behind their home and just enjoying the humidity (groan) and the sights of the East coast. But I digress.

So we traveled to DC for 5 days and had a lovely time. And it was perfect timing as the leaves were still on the trees! While Tyler sat in a conference for 3 days I was able to visit with my cousin Tim and his little family, Rebecca and Ginny, my cousin David and of course Scott and Kari. Plus, as a bonus, and more motivation to go, Katherine, my freshman roommate, and one of my longest time friends, lives out there too. So I had a lovely time!

The weather was very fair to us. Jacket weather, and just a few chilly nights.

We wandered along the mall a couple of the evenings:

Yes, I nursed Cecily inside the Smithsonian visitors center. Ya, we had just walked 45 minutes bcse I parked along the river in the boonies to get free parking. We were both freezing cold as the sun was setting and Cecily had been very patient and this was the only place open after 5pm where I could privately and warmly feed her.

This wall was huge! Look at all that writing compared to the little gal. Don't ask me what's written up there....I think it may be the Declaration? Or was it the Constitution?

Gotta love that face!

Gotta love that marble man!

Can you find the Washington Memorial?

His dream job would be to work here, the Supreme Court. Doesn't he look so professional?

The capital. There were a bunch of Tibetan monks right out front. Pretty fun!

Kat and my double chin.

No, I am not pregnant, despite the belly bulge :) Gorgeous sunset.

We had to go to the American History Museum because I HAD to see the ruby slippers. When my mom went on her only east coast trip while I was still in high school she sent me a postcard with these slippers. So I had to see them in person. We got into the museum 10 minutes before close. They warned us that they were closing so I asked where they were right away. She directed us where to go and went up and they were front and center. We quickly took a few shots and then rushed downstairs to try and see Julia Child's kitchen (it's new) but just as were to turn the corner I captured a glimpse of it, the guards started kicking us out. And they are very aggressive about closing on time. I suppose they are 9-5 gov't workers and want to get out of there. Anyway, I was kind of ticked because it was actually on 4:57! Anyway, we were able to see the slippers! Ahhh. I love that film.

Sunday was our only full day to sight see. First, we went to Arlington National Cemetery for the sole purpose to see the grave our dear friend, J.B. He was one of Tyler's best friends since high school. He was stationed in Germany serving in the Air Force. We went and visited his home and he took us around Germany and Luxembourg while we lived in Paris. He was a great friend and wonderful person. A truly talented and kind person, full of the light of Christ. Well, one day he died in a car accident on his way to the base. Right before Christmas right before Jocelyn was born. He was 25. It was a huge blow to us, especially for Tyler. We still miss him. We were grateful we were able to visit his grave. It's a sacred place. I believe any cemetery is sacred. There is a special and reverent feeling in them. We were also able to witness a changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which was also a very special experience.

Look at all these graves! Rows and rows of soldiers and civilians who have died at the cost of wars. It was a humbling sight.

I told Tyler we had to be sure to go Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. Tyler was glad we did! In fact, he wants to move there. He was in such awe over the property. It is a perfect lot. Right on the river, you can see for miles. Huge "yard", farm, everything. It's like a little village. Really cool place and really, the "mansion" seems so humble for today's standards. Gee, that Washington fellow, he was something else! Plus, when I came here 18 years ago, it was not so crowded. It has grown! The publicity for it. They've built a new museum and there is a lot more to do now with your visit. Totally worth the short drive!

Look at this front yard. Sweet!

A golden Eagle keeping his eyes on the squirrels for his next meal.

One of Washington's gardens. Tyler wants to mimic this style when he opens his own restaurant someday.

From the backside.

The view of the Potomac. Down the hill and through the gate is where the National Treasurer was filmed. Really, though, only a few actual US Presidents have "partied" on these grounds, which surprised me. It's a perfect gathering spot.

We let Cecily roll down the hill a bit. Okay, just about a foot but she could easily have kept going if we let her.

One of his farms.

Ya, this gingerbread house, assembled by the White House chef, totally puts ours to shame.

Cecily, though extremely overtired, after 5 days of fewer and shorter naps, handled herself very well. Bravo child! Only a little bit of benedryl and some newly purchased pacifiers (since we lost both, and a pair of socks somewhere on the mall that week) got her through the plane ride home.

Dinosaur Museum

2011-01-16T18:58:00.001-07:00

We have an itty bitty dinosaur museum near the BYU campus that I like to take the kids to. Mainly because it's 3 minutes away, free, quick to get through!

Here are some pics from our most recent trip.

Jocelyn's dance class

2011-01-16T18:49:00.002-07:00

Jocelyn took a dance class last Fall and loved it. It was taught in the basement of a neighbors home (the sister of a boy who played on Samuel's T-ball team, actually). It was a perfect situation. In a home, which was down and around the street a bit. Small sized (only 5 girls) and the teacher was preparing for her dance student teaching. She is a dance major at the Y and has taught their interpretive dance classes before so she taught it the exact same way for a lot less money. Although she was shy the first week or two she certainly warmed up to Miss Sarah and the other girls.

But when it came time for the "recital" for the parents she freaked out because their were male parents watching and would not move a step. She cowered in the corner. So I sat and watched the others dance. It was a little frustrating to go hoping to see what she learned all semester but the teacher reassured me she was not like this throughout the dance class. Phew.

Sadly, because she is now student teaching, the parents are looking for another teacher. How can I teach my daughter not to have stage fright? It's kind of foreign to me. I mean, I DO get nervous before I get in front of an audience, big or small. Don't get me wrong, I feel it. But once I am up there, it's easy. However, I don't remember when I learned to overcome that. Any suggestions? She did the same thing in swim lessons......

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-15T21:08:00.008-07:00

Each year my in-laws host a dress-up/ethnic themed dinner. The first year it was a celebrity American themed dinner. Last year it was an Asian theme. And this year was Italian.

Does it bother you as much as it does me when people pronounce Italian "eye-tallion" ? Man, it kills me.

Oh, well. I got over that and enjoyed myself anyway. Tyler and I contributed by making brushcetta (like we did for this party) and I made cute little flag pennants that I strung in the dining area. My MIL added some typical Italian style restaurant tablecloths to add to the ambiance.

The rest of the menu consisted of Tyler's aunts famous Lasagna, a delicious and simple Caesar salad, blood orange Italian soda (name?), and this yummy Carraba's copycat chicken dish. Reeeeeally yummy. And we finished it all off with gelato. mmmmmm.

And of course, the funnest part, the dressing up. I was a slacker this year and pretended to be a gondola driver. Ya, I only got as far as a shirt. The kids were Mario Kart characters, because, you know, they are Italian! Samuel, Mario, Cecily, Luigi and Jocelyn, Toadstool (Okay, not Italian, but you know, with the theme). Tyler was a Italian teenager because he looked HOT in his new sweater that I bought him from Eddie Bauer on clearance for $15. I heart Eddie Bauer. My FIL dressed as a mafia gangster along with Troy, Jana and Carson. My MIL was an Italian cook and the girls were Italian masqueraders.

Goodbye 2010! You were awesome!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-13T16:51:00.011-07:00

Christmas was lovely this year. We headed over to Colorado again.

Long story: Although, we were supposed to spend it with my folks in Utah, my sister, who was great with child, was too close to her due date to come out to Utah so she convinced us all to go out there. All but my older brother and his family were there. She was a great hostess. We actually stayed with my in-laws who have bigger accommodations. And so we split our time between the two families. Boy am I glad both our parents don't live in the same state! What a pain to have to choose which place you want to eat dinner or whose house you want to play games at. And for me, who is incredibly indecisive, made things even harder. Needless to say, we were able to see both families (though more of my in-laws because we don't get to see them as much during the year).

We did lots of things and not much relaxing went on. BUT lots of eating happened! Good grief! I gained at least 5 pounds in the month of December. Or perhaps it started in November when I started rehearsals for my show and (which ended right before we left) exercising ceased.

These are some things that we did over the holiday break.

Played:

Euchre of course!

And I won Ticket to Ride one day! That made me feel good because I rarely win games, especially when playing against Grant or Tyler.

Poker--well the boys did. (photos courtesy of my sister Rose)

on Uncle Grant's back (Jennie's husband)

and army men with Papa with Sammy's new toy gun.

Ate:

Cookies! My downfall this time of year. Samuel licking the bowl. I taught my children well :) Carson is still a little young to understand the whole decorating process yet.

Christmas Eve dinner at Jennie and Grants. Tyler went all out and attempted to make Beef Wellington for the first time. It was a success! Jennie made delicious brussel sprouts along with rolls, carrots and mashed potatoes. And we topped it off with Tyler's cheesecake.

Visited:

With one of my best friends, Heather, and her two boys.

Sadly, due to illness I missed visiting with one of my other besties, Nora!

Witnessed the birth of my newest nephew, Luke. I've never witnessed the birth of a baby from the other side. That was cool! I tried to be her doula though I could not convince her that she could go naturally once she hit active labor and contractions were 2 minutes apart. I am still interested in training to be one in the years to come but man! Helping was hard work (I massaged her legs, pushed her feet, etc....labor stuff) I was tired by the end of the process, but it was WAY easier than actually having a baby! Plus, get this, he wasn't due for another 2 1/2 weeks! Good thing she didn't come out to Utah afterall! We were all able to see him before we left for Utah, including my parents.

Got sick:

Cecily started it all with a runny nose and fever. But look how happy she still is!

Entertained:

Going to a movie and the ballet (Nutcracker) with my parents and sisters, and the King Tut Exhibit which was fabulous! No pictures allowed, but gorgeous gold and coffinettes (the mini and ornate coffin that his stomach was saved in. Cool, huh!, no, really, it was cool).

Opened waaaaaaay too many presents:

Jocelyn helping Warren open a present on Christmas Eve.

Jocelyn digging the unwrapping thing or the camera thing on Christmas Eve.

Cecily's 1st Christmas morning.

Samuel helped me pick this one out for him :)

And just had fun!
My favorite thing about this time of year is being together with family. Relaxing and enjoying each others company. And remembering the importance of the Savior's role in our lives.

Gingerbread houses

2011-01-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is the first year we've ever made gingerbread houses together as a family. Pretty fun!
We invited Tyler's sister Emily and my cousin Ben over for the occasion. Don't you think they would make a cute couple? I thought so. Dark hair, beautiful smiles, olive skin, sparkling eyes.....

Oh, and Sammy and Ben's was a "castle not a house".

Jocleyn's 4th Birthday

2011-01-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Jocelyn had a full month of birthday celebrations. It started early with her big gift of the kitchen set. So I based her party on that. I invited her pre-school friends plus 2 more. And 2 couldn't come so we had a smaller group with just 3 friends. It worked out great. You can see more details and photos here.

Then while we were in Colorado for the holiday we celebrated on the actual day (December 27). She received way too presents and was very shy about all the attention. She actually tried opening her gifts with one hand while covering her face with the other. lol. One of her favorite gifts, I think, is a pink wig. It's hilarious but she loves it.

Jocelyn is a sweet, dramatic, helpful, willing, determined, smart little girl. Sometimes she scares me with her wit and dramatic flare. But at other times she is sweet and needy. She's currently the middle child and handling it pretty well. We love you Jocelyn!

Cameo's of the guests:

Photo compliments go to Troy.

Pirate Island

2011-01-06T00:56:00.004-07:00

I bought a Pirate Island Groupon and invited Jennie/Grant/Warren and Emily along for the fun. We went opening night of my show, so, you know, I wouldn't have to cook! The food here is not so great and the arcade section is much smaller than Chuck 'E Cheeses but I like that it isn't overcrowded and the decor is always fun. Plus it's a riot trying not to strain when the servers speak "pirate talk." Plus the kids had a blast and came home with some good "booty."

Cecily, a little overwhelmed by the intensity of this air-hockey game.

Jocelyn just stared at this female pirate for the longest time. She honestly believed she was a real pirate. She kept getting closer and closer. It was the funniest thing.

The End. haha.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

2011-01-04T23:00:00.005-07:00

Ya, pretend it's still Thanksgiving. Without overeating again. Without having to rush to finish Christmas shopping. Just for a minute let's take a glimpse back to my November.

We made these little chocolate covered rice krispie turkeys. I didn't really like plain old rice krispie treats but covered in chocolate makes me want to gobble them up. OH, and I did!

I made these twice. Once with Jocelyn's preschool and then again with my nieces. I think they are easier to eat when they are flat but look more like a turkey in the ball form.

Here is the first round.

These were eaten so quickly. Even Tyler liked them and requested more! He must have been desperate for sugar because that is huge coming from the head chef. Here are my nieces making theirs.

The carnage.

Divinty in your mouth

2010-12-13T15:25:00.004-07:00

Want to eat these? Head on over to my house! (or if, by the time you get to my house, they have been devoured....by me) then head on over to my other blog for the recipe and make 'em for yourself!

Ooooooh, so good!

BYU Homecoming

2010-12-09T23:32:00.005-07:00

This happened a long time ago, like 2 months ago today. Just a little behind.

BYU Homecoming! We actually won! Yay! The in-laws all came out and we had a blast! We represented the Law school and marched in the parade again this year. And then attended the game. It was a blast hanging out with family all weekend!

Lots of photos ahead!

Jocelyn initially did not want to march with us but eventually got over her fears and cheered up. Once again I saw my old roommate watching from our old apartment complex. Sadly, I did not get a photo this year as I had a goal to complete the march in the parade this year so I was only able to say hello.

Dreams DO come true!

2010-12-05T00:26:00.005-07:00

So, one of my dreams came true this year. Well, several actually. But this one was major. I am in a play!!! I get to act on stage again. Seriously, dream come true. If you've read my blog for long enough, you already knew that.

So here is the info and a few photos (generously taken by my father with a flashless/silent point and shoot, thus the not so great quality).

If you came to see it, I'd love you even more, and "One is bound to say you'll profit by it" (one of my lines) :) I play a humorous, quirky, upper crust type lady. One my funnest roles yet! Plus, it's a great ensemble cast with fabulous actors and director.

Joyful Noise by Tim Slover
Covey Center for the Arts, Provo, UT
Now through December 18th on Monday's, Thursday's, Friday's and Saturday's with one matinee on the last Saturday.
$10

Oh, and on a side note. I had to gather my own costume. And the dress and purse are from my prom days. Oh, don't worry. The skirt is not zipped up all the way and hiked up to my rib cage. I had to make some alterations to make it fit again. And the beautiful gray "princess" top was a bargain deal from the thrift store. I talked them into lowering the price. Initially they were asking $25. But when I tried it on the zipper promptly broke. So I told the dude at the register and they discounted for the zipper malfunction and by the fact that it was not paired with a skirt and should have been. It was even new with tags! Handmade in India! I would have paid $12 but they brought it down to $3!!! What a steal! I just had to add velcro to the back and it's a costume piece! Happiness!

See more photos on Facebook.

The reveal.......almost

2010-11-16T13:41:00.006-07:00

Well, if you guessed a kitchen, you were right! Give yourself a high five.

Just over 2 weeks (not including the 2 months it sat under/near our carport) and $100 later, I gave Jocelyn her birthday/Christmas present early. Because I couldn't wait to give it to her. And.... it was hard to keep it a secret and....because it wouldn't exactly be easy to haul it to Colorado for Christmas.

Here is the before picture again:

Here is the after! Without all the little details added. I am very pleased with the final product. I'll tell you about all the details in a later post. The important thing is that Jocelyn is happy (and Samuel too)!!

Now, here's where I need your help. Which fabric do you think I should use to make the cafe curtain?

A. Just the strawberries?

B. Just the stripes (they have to go horizontally because it's only half a yard.

C. the stripe on top of the strawberries?

Here is my thinking. I loved the food themed retro fabric. Perfect for a play kitchen. But I bought these two fabrics online so it's hard to see true colors through a screen. And I initially wanted to make a valance with the striped stuff on top of the strawberry stuff, cute and gathered and such but then I realized how perfectly the striped stuff matched on it's own. And then I wondered if it was too muted to go with the strawberry stuff. And two different styles. And although the striped stuff matches perfectly it almost seems too mature and not playful enough for this play kitchen. So what do you think?

Once I come back from a little trip to D.C. I will finish the curtain and the little details and give it a complete reveal!

The dream...?

2010-11-11T14:35:00.007-07:00

I am so excited! This project has been a year in the making! I have spent more hours dreaming about the project than it actually took to make it. I'm not finished yet so I will have the big reveal next week when I do!

Can you guess what I transformed this $25 changing table into? I suppose if you saw my facebook status that would give it away. Maybe I'll have to delete that status away now.

Okay, there I deleted it so you can't cheat. If you guess correctly I'll give you....a high five!

Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Tyler

2010-11-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

Tyler is pretty talented. A renaissance many, really. That's why I married him, after all. We went to a dinner w/one his professors and she and her husband listened to our "credentials" like all of his foreign languages studied, and the Humanities/fine arts studied b/w the two of us, they realized we should have lived at least 150 years ago. It's true, I think we would have done well living back then. But which time period would I choose? That would be hard.

Anyway, pretty much anything Tyler does, he's good at. It makes me jealous sometimes. Other times it just wants me to work harder at my "skillz". So I don't look like a total bimbo next to him. But I refuse to ever be a "trophy wife." No siree Bob, I do not aspire to that title.

He started playing flag football last year as a law student and has done so every semester since. The kids love to go his games and finally he had one before bedtime so we all bundled up, brought our traditional mug of hot chocolate and tried keeping Samuel off the actual field, thereby being tackled or trampled over.

Happy Halloween, the finale!

2010-10-31T22:18:00.001-06:00

Are you glad I'm finally done with these posts? I am glad to be done! Though it's been a FUN two weeks.

The costumes:
We went with an Asian theme. I don't do themes every year but I like to if I can.

Samuel: Homemade ninja. Favorite part: the fact that I decided to use some old church pants that had a hold in the knee. I didn't have time to sew pants and or mend the old ones! Fabric was from my collection. All I had to pay for was the shirt.

Jocelyn: My FAVORITE this year. An Indian princess. I asked my sister Jennie to bring me a sari from India 6 months ago. Yes, I think that far ahead. Call me crazy but I already have an idea for next year's Halloween costumes! If our bunny is still alive :) Anyway, I love that hers is authentic and that I didn't have to sew it! Plus Jennie brought back those little dots (not sure of the name).

Cecily: Little Chinese boy, I mean child. This outfit is technically a boys but who cares! Again, my world traveler sister, bought this in San Francisco's China Town.

I wanted to have a little photo shoot for the kids but ended up only having it with Jocelyn. She loved doing this in our little forest. I couldn't decide which ones I liked the best so please excuse the amount.

The Food: My favorite part. Especially that nice little one in the middle. I love you Reese's peanut butter cups!!!

I offered $5 to purchase a toy for either one who wanted to sell me their candy. Not for me to eat (well, except for the chocolate ones for me and Swedish fish, sour patch kids and other favorites for Tyler). I am just sick of all the candy they beg, sneak or steal from now through Easter. I'd rather it just be gone. Not sure where I will donate it yet.

I started a tradition in 2005 of making doughnuts every Halloween season. I still have not found the best doughnut recipe, either cake or yeast. So this year I tried another new one this year. Apple fritters from Pioneer Woman. I liked them because I had the ingredients, they were easy AND the kids didn't notice the hidden apple chunks! Plus, of course, they were delicious!

Me enjoying them in my domestic apron. Doesn't it look like I'm pregnant?

Here they are, but not nearly as good as PW's photos.

And then I wanted to make gourmet caramel apples. If you look closely they look like the kids dribbled chocolate on them. I'll have to practice that. Fun gifts for friends!

And this is end of October!!!

Halloween part deux

2010-10-31T16:50:00.000-06:00

Party #4
Law School annual Parade and trick-or-treating

Every Halloween the Law School hosts a pizza party and costume parade. Then afterward the kids go trick-or-treating in the little carrels, or cubicle/booth/desk thingys. The students provide the candy and/or decorate them and the little kids go around and "cash in".

Jocelyn was too shy to stand up and show everyone her beautiful costume.

I made their trick-or-treat bags this year. I was sick of looking at the cheap ones sold at the stores so I made some sturdy canvas bags that will last for years and are not too big. Actually, it's a good time to stop trick-or-treating too, when they're bags are full, so small the better. Actually, when I was a kid, and I got older though, I used a pillowcase. And I had that thing filled easily. Nowadays, is that possible? Do that many people actually hand out candy? or can you trust too many people anymore to get that much?? Some of the students wouldn't give the kids candy unless they said "trick-or-treat". Sheesh, guess I am a bad mom for not teaching them the proper ways.

Party #5 Halloween night (ie, Saturday night because we live in Utah. Fine with me!)

First, I was mean and made the kids clean up all their toys and settle their hyper rear ends down. Then while Tyler cut some wood for an exciting project that I have embarked on, the kids watched a short Halloween cartoon which scared Jocelyn. Then we carved pumpkins.

Uh, this is the only action shot I got.

Here they are. In the rain.
Tyler does the fancy carving. I used a drill for mine. Wanted something pretty.

Yes, It was a beautiful day until late afternoon. No signs of the the threatening storm. Then, around 5pm, it rained and poured. So I decided to take the kids trick-or-treating at the Mall. Wow. That was interesting. First, seeing all the weirdos in their costumes. Then we ended up parading through the mall for about 30 minutes resulting in about 5 pieces of candy. I think the rain brought more people in than normal and all the stores ran out. Plus they gave away lame candy like one single tootsie roll. Lame.

Afterward we went to Dairy Queen which worked out nicely because it was empty and quiet. Cecily had her first ice cream and went a little crazy about it. Call me a bad mother for allowing her to have a milk based food too early. Plus they gave us vouchers for a free ice cream. I like trick-or-treating there!

And then the kids crashed for the night and Tyler and I watched another law movie. Got to learn me some law lingo. Nice.

Halloween Decor

2010-10-27T10:52:00.007-06:00

I decorated for the first time this season. It gets us all in the season and excited for this pagan holiday!

Fabric Halloween countdown chain

Pennant buntings (you can buy it here!)

Garbage bag ghost garland

Pillow slipcovers. I made these covers to reuse my existing couch pillows. I used velcro so I can just take them off and make some Christmas ones! And they're washable. I got this great pillow silhouette idea from my cousin Sascha. I found the cat template here and the spider web is just clip art. Each is made of felt and $1 store kitchen linens. The cat is sewn on and the web is ironed and sewn on for extra stability.

The bat tree inspired from Martha Stewart here. Spray painted dead branch with hanging felt bats.

The vase is filled with beans and these poisonous little orange berries (can't remember the name Gma F) were loosely inspired by Tiff.

Floating garbage bag ghosts

Floating felt bats in doorway inspired by my other cousin Sarah Jane here

Happy Halloween!

Conference Weekend

2010-10-25T23:11:00.009-06:00

Over Conference Weekend my family got together at my folks house. The entire family was together because Jennie and Grant drove in from Denver. It was so fun to spend some time together, be filled with knowledge and inspiration from these great men, enjoying eat great food and conversation and playing too much Agricola! It was a nice long weekend because Tyler had off the next week so we didn't have to rush home afterward. And my dad took our family pictures the following Monday.

On the last night we went to a few towns over for Chinese food. Here is Cecily sitting in her first highchair at a restaurant. I thought it was cute how she barely fit over the table.

Good food was shared.
My little sister Rose and my mom!

Cecily's first corn on the cob. She's clearly enjoying it.

Jennie and Warren.

Grant, Tyler and Gledis (L to R).

Eva.

The kids collected leftover shells from Tyler and Grant's shooting session. They thought they were treasures. lol. Little did they know they were cleaning up!

The gathering.

The carnage left

from these delicious pancakes.

And then more listening and watching Conference. President Uchtdorf's was my favorite again.

Prego Jennie.

My dad taking notes and the corner of Levi's legs.

I did not catch any photos of Alex, Marci, myself, or baby Owen.

Halloween Parties

2010-10-25T21:50:00.008-06:00

Any excuse to wear Halloween costumes more than once in a season is fine with me! Plus I was able to work out all the tweeks with their costumes before the big day! I love Halloween and planning, preparing and partying for it!

Party #1:
Pumpkinland , Orem, Utah

The Law Partners hosted a get together at Pumpkinland and the kids were thrilled to go. There was a pretty good (ie, not too easy and TALL) corn maze, a little "farm", and their favorite; bouncy houses. OH, and the funniest looking rabbits I've ever seen. The funniest was the brown fluffy thing I endearingly called "Ewok." Thanks Wendy N. for taking these photos for us.

The kids with friends Amanda and Katie.

Party #2:
Julie's "Earth's Best" sponsored party.

Cute decorations, yummy food and great company. The kids had fun playing with some new and some familiar friends in the ward. Thanks to my dad's cousins wife (ie, Alicia) for taking these photos. The kids are dressed from the Orient. Jocelyn in a Sari, Cecily in China Town garb and Samuel is a homemade ninja.

Trying to make Jocelyn smile. Typical.

At least she's looking at the camera now.

Party #3:
Cousins party

It was a gloomy rainy day. The BYU game was that day so Micaela was stuck in traffic and the deluge that never really quit. But it gave me some more time to prep.

Did you know that dry ice sublimates? In other words, vanishes? I bought some 2 days in advance, you know, thinking I was doing well with planning ahead. The store people kept in a plastic bag and then inside a paper bag and I took it home (with the windows close, which is also a safety hazard...but I wasn't going very far) and stuck it in my freezer right away. The morning of the party I go get the ice and it's gone! The bag is completely lightless and there are frozen fuzzy crystals everywhere. It disappeared! $4 wasted! I had no idea it would disappear in the freezer!!! Tyler laughed at me for not knowing. haha. So our witches brew was just root beer (thank you Emily!).

I did have grand and glorious plans of making a lot more food and decorating a bit more...but I spent too much time on the internet browsing recipes and ideas that I never actually got to executing them all. A lot of inspiration came from this cool website (seriously check out their Halloween food ideas) and from Martha Stewart.

Handmade banner and ghosts in the background.

Samuel devouring his frosting. Vera, as Dorothy and w/o her adorable red wig.

Emma, the witch. Paul (not pictured) was the cowardly lion.

Jocelyn (with princess dress up over her Sari), Peter and Creigh as Indiana Jones'.

The cupcakes using this recipe. And some cupcake flags, of course!

Place markers found on someone else's blog who got the idea from Martha. I was really excited about these. And the kids loved them too!

The food table. Notice no "brewing" action going on. And that is Samuel's sword. He thought it would be cool to add to the photo.

Horrible shadowy picture, does not do justice. Blah. Bat tree inspiration from Martha.

The table. Pizza was served (and not pictured).

I wanted to make these but ran out of time....so we had them on Monday night instead. These little mummy men. And actually, I am learning that not a lot of kids actually like to eat these. At least, not in my family. Jocelyn ate hers but Samuel opted out for leftover pizza.

Ghost cookies (nutter butters covered in almond bark).

The decorated pumpkins. They had fun with this. 3D, washable, glittery Elmer's glue.

More fun times ahead!

Autumn

2010-10-18T23:58:00.009-06:00

I love this time of year! And though it's been uncharacteristically warm and long, I am loving it still the same. I am loving the smells from my neighbors wood burning fires, the beauty of the fallen leaves on the wet pavement, the comfort foods and kids wearing rain boots! I am not yet ready for the snow.

Here is a critter, or type of critter that I may have to resign to spending the upcoming winter wit. These very large and hairy things creep me out every time I see one, which is daily:

Here is a new recipe on my blog. My mom's Lentil Soup!

The kids and I made some impromptu ghosts the other day out of trash bags, newspaper, string and marker. Here they are enjoying them as toys before I hung them up. Chasing each other and "oooooohing".

The reason I share this awkward photo is because it's the clearest one of Jocelyn's skirt. I made that. Yes, I love it. It was super easy and made from upcycled materials, namely one (and part of another) of my old shirts! How cool is that? Free, easy and fashionable. A little love for the Earth too. Here is the link to the awesome directions.

Ghostly love.