Nathan Marilee Ethan Jack

Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops

2012-01-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

I spent a large portion of this afternoon trying to win Mother of the year! Ethan has his musical program for preschool tomorrow night and I volunteered to bring 2 dozen treats for the refreshments following the program. I could have opted for brownies, but I made the mistake of looking online for a few ideas and decided I would make cake pops. I asked Ethan to help me decide which kind of cake pops he wanted (which I really shouldn't do because I usually already have an idea in my head of what I want to do!). After looking at several versions of monster cupcakes I tried to convince him that we should do something music related because that would go along with the theme of the evening. He didn't like that idea, so we came to an agreement on ice cream cone cake pops.
Like most things, they were trial and error and the last batch came out much better than the first, but I think they all turned out pretty cute!

The only problem with these, is that I made 2 dozen of them (as I was assigned) and there are definitely more than 2 dozen kids singing in the program tomorrow night. I just hope there are no tears shed because someone gets a chocolate chip cookie instead of a cake pop!

p.s. If you're interested in making these, let me just share a few tips to spare you the learning curve!

#1 The balls need to be a little big, to resemble a scoop of ice cream, so this uses more batter than normal. I used 1 1/2 batches of cake to make 28 balls.

#2 One package of the candy melts covered not quite 12 balls, so make sure you have plenty of candy melts!

#3 You'll need to cute a section off the bottom and the top of the cone (I just used a sharp knife and it sawed through the cone pretty quickly). You want the hole at the bottom just wide enough to stick your stick through.

#4 Dip the ball in chocolate and let some drip off, then slide the cone onto the stick and push up against the ball so that they stick firmly to each other. You might need to hold them together for a few seconds until the chocolate hardens enough to hold the cone up.

#5 Drizzle the chocolate sauce after the first layer has hardened, then immediately add sprinkles and put the "cherry" on top. (I used sour cherry balls, but I've also seen red peanut m&m's used)

#6 You'll need your cardboard box already poked with holes BEFORE you start this process so they'll have somewhere to dry without the tops getting smashed (I bought mine on sale at Michael's, they're just photo storage boxes)

There you have it! Now you can also be Mom of the year ;)

Snowed In

2012-01-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

We finally got the snow last week that we kept hearing about this fall. The boys were pretty excited to get outside and join the big kids in the neighborhood who were sledding in the street right in front of our house.

Here's a little recap, in pictures, of their first run of the day:

Ethan is more than willing to do the dirty work...

Jack is happy to just be along for the ride.

Jack didn't know to hang on over the first bump and took a fall, but he thought it was pretty funny :)

Dad helped Jack get his gloves back on.

Ethan wised up and Dad was employed to pull them up the hill!

Scrapbooking my way

2012-01-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

I decided this was the year I was going to tackle the (fun) job of getting caught up on my boys' scrapbooks. I went to a scrap booking retreat 2 years ago and not only had a blast visitng with all the girls, but I actually got caught up on all my pictures!
I didn't go to the retreat last year and I haven't really touched my scrapbooks since I caught them up 2 years ago :(
So I've realized scrap booking with paper and lots of embellishments is fun, but it's also time consuming, pricey, and messy (I feel like I have to haul out everything I own just to put a few pages together!).
So several of my friends are starting to try Project Life, and my interest was piqued. I had almost decided to give it a try, when I discovered that Shutterfly is offering Project Life layouts, in the DIGITAL format.
The best of both worlds!!!
I've decided to do an album a year for each of the boys, and have a 2 page spread for each month. I've been working on Jack's for about an hour a day, for the past 3 days and I'm already into May of last year! I haven't had to haul out a single craft item, and when nap time is over I just turn off the computer and come back to it the next day. They have so many fun options for embellishments, layouts, background paper, etc. it gives me all the satisfaction of scrap booking with none of the hassle.
Anyway, I always love when someone shares a great idea with me, so I thought I'd pass it on to the rest of you who may find yourselves in the same boat :)

All I wanted was a doughnut!

2012-01-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

Please tell me I'm not the only one who could totally picture myself doing this!

I read this story on the pioneer woman's blog and laughed so hard I had tears coming!
All I wanted was a doughnut...

25 Rules for raising sons

2012-01-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

My heart melted when I read this list, and I resolved to be a better mom because of it. I'll be honest, not a day goes by I don't think about how fun it would be to have a little ruffled bum running around the house with a tutu around her waist and a purse slung over her arm. But there is something about boys, my boys, that makes my heart melt and reminds me to thank Heavenly Father for giving me what He knew I needed most :)

25 Rules for Moms with Sons

from studerteam.blogspot.com

Source: pre-schoolplay.blogspot.com via Tabitha on Pinterest

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.

Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life

There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry

..and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.

Source: offbeatmama.com via offbeatmama on Pinterest

4. Read to him and read with him.

Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.

Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.

The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity

The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.

You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

Source: simplymontessori.blogspot.com via Terry-Anne on Pinterest

9. Teach him to have manners

because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

Source: swagbucks.com via Adriana on Pinterest

10. Give him something to believe in

Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.

Source: theberry.com via Chris on Pinterest

11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle

like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

Source: heatherbeadles.com via Heather on Pinterest

12. Let him ruin his clothes

Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a football

or how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case alpacas), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

Source: shanna-kaye.com via Shanna-Kaye on Pinterest

14. Go outside with him

turn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose

Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.

Source: None via Emma on Pinterest

16. Give him opportunities to help others

There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

Source: data.whicdn.com via Meagan on Pinterest

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.

This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"

Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Maegan on Pinterest

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you.

especially the wipes.

Source: babyhold.com via Katie on Pinterest

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things

...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, some day down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.

Source: familyfun.go.com via Kate on Pinterest

21. Give him something to release his energy

drums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Marybess on Pinterest

22. Build him forts

Forts have the ability to make everyday normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

Source: None via Tabitha on Pinterest

23. Take him to new places

Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

Source: None via Anne on Pinterest

24. Kiss him

Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

Source: smallesthings.blogspot.com via Sherry on Pinterest

25. Be home base

You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

http://studerteam.blogspot.com/2011/11/25-rules-for-mothers-of-sons.html?m=1

Pinterest Interest

2012-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

I've been browsing through pinterest for some fun Valentine's ideas (it's never too early to start!) and I saw this great idea. What I loved about it, is that you can actually do it any time of year...birthday, anniversary, or just because. If you haven't looked at the dating divas website you should check it out, they have some pretty cute ideas for keeping the spark alive in your marriage :)

Christmas

2012-01-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

While it appears that I've been slacking in my online posting lately, it's just because I've been having fun posting on Google+ lately. If you're also on Google+ you can add me to your circles :)

Onto Christmas...

We spent Christmas with the Davises this year and had so much fun. They have a tradition of eating won tons on Christmas Eve, and this year we added sushi.

The boys each got a new movie and some fun treats in their stockings. I think they would've been content to stop with that!

Armor and swords from Grandpa & Grandma Jack.

Mary and Joseph... :)

Ethan really loved having "big kids" to play with...they played WII dance and mario kart, pretty much whatever they were doing Ethan was content to tag along and his Uncles were really nice to play with him so much!

Fall

2011-11-15T16:02:00.001-08:00

We've had a busy fall and now that it's starting to feel like winter I'm finally posting some pictures!

Sometimes when it's been raining and it finally stops, the boys and I like to go on worm hunts. This day was particularly fruitful :)

Google Halloween party...

Trunk or treat with Ethan's preschool...this was our first year so I only brought some luminaries and a few decorations. Other cars were totally decked out...now I'll know what's expected of me for next year :)

Jack decided he wanted to be Harry Potter and these were the glasses he wanted to use!

I helped organize luminaries in our neighborhood for Halloween night this year. We had about 28 houses participate and it looked really neat. I'm hoping we'll get even more on board for next year!

As you can see, we had some costume changes this year, due to the large number of parties the boys attended! Ethan dressed up as Darth Vader for our preschool and church parties. Here they are with their best buddy Connor (Jack is hoping the big boys will continue to include him as they get older!)

Ethan's preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was POURING rain, but we made the best of it.

Beautiful indeed

2011-10-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

I watched this music video today from another blog... and then I watched it two more times. It's just so inspiring. It made me think about how we could all be a little more kind and compassionate because you never know what someone may be struggling with.

Maui

2011-10-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Nate & I just got back from a quick trip to Maui...it was breathtaking! We spent a lot of the time telling each other we couldn't believe we were actually in such a gorgeous place :) Google sent Nate as a thank-you for some work he did and they were nice enough to let him bring me along. We stayed at the Grand Wailea and I don't know that we could stay anywhere else the next time we go back...because we will be going back ;)

Here are some pictures of the resort. We found out that they have 43 acres, and we probably only explored a fraction of it.

This was the hotel lobby....it was unreal.

The wedding chapel. We actually saw a bride and groom taking pictures:)

The "floating "restaurant where we had dinner our first night.

The pools were amazing, they were on multiple levels and there were small water slides that would take you from one level to another. We ordered a smoothie at a bar that was in a cave that you had to swim into.

I had a 2 hour spa treatment that was amazing. We both felt very blessed to be able to go and know that Grandma & Grandpa Davis were taking such good care of the boys!

Aquarium

2011-09-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

I took these with my phone, so they're not very good, but we did have a fun time! I think Jack thought the diver was fake, because he was pretty startled when she waved at him :)

Let's hear it for the boy!

2011-09-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am a child of the 80's, and I freely admit that I like 80's music. I can probably sing the lyrics to more 80's songs than anything currently playing on the radio :) So every now and then a song from that generation pops into my head and perfectly captures a moment. Last weekend was such a moment. Some of our friends gave us a bunch of plants from their yard and we were all set for a full day of planting and normal yard work when I decided I was fed up with the huge tree stump that sat right in the middle of our front flowerbed. I've tried planting around it and strategically putting things that might grow over it to hide the fact that there was a stump leaving a huge blank spot in the middle, but I just didn't want to keep doing that. So I decided to take the stump out! Like most projects that I start, I get in over my head and Nate comes to the rescue. He thinks this could be a weakness of mine, but I think we make a great team- I'm great at starting things and he's great at finishing them :) So I roped him into helping me and we took turns off and on for almost 4 hours chopping, digging, pulling, etc. It was a huge stump with BIG roots. Nate took the last round after I felt like I might faint if I chopped anymore in the hot sun, and he got it out!!!! I was so excited, and so grateful to him for doing something so miserable on his Saturday. BUT IT'S GONE and now I have free reign on where I can/want to plant flowers! Here are some pictures of his triumph once the stump was out. If my life were an 80's movie, "let's hear it for the boy!" would have been playing in the background :)

First Day of School

2011-09-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ethan started preschool this year! He has been so excited all summer and it was a slow count down, but the first day finally arrived and he loved it :) We really like his teacher and are excited to make new friends. His best buddy goes to the same preschool, just a different classroom, so they get to see each other during play time :)

I really love these boys!!!

Summer Wedding

2011-09-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Summer came and went really quickly this year (I'm not totally giving into the fall season yet because it's still warm and sunny here, but I will admit to picking up a few magazines with cute fall covers that I couldn't resist!). We had a really busy summer with weddings on both sides of the family, but it gave us the opportunity to see some family that we don't get to see very often and we loved that.
Nate's sister, Alicia, married Mike in the Portland Temple a few weeks ago and here are some pictures. Sadly, we didn't get any from the reception, which turned out really pretty. Nate and I were just too busy trying to keep up with our boys to play "photographer" that evening. As you can see from the pics, they kept us pretty busy most of the day :)

This is a great picture of Nate with his Dad and brothers.

A rare moment captured of me where I wasn't chasing one of the boys away from the reflecting pool :)

Nate & his brother-in-law Jeremy

I have to preface these next few pictures...

We thought the boys looked nice with their matching outfits and I was hoping to catch maybe one good picture of the two of them sitting together. They started out somewhat compliant and it got progressively less compliant :)

Not sure where Ethan got the idea for this pose!

Jack getting a little less happy with having to sit still...

Finally giving up and walking out on the photo shoot altogether!

I let Ethan take some pictures with our camera and this was the pose he thought flattered me the most :)

In case you forgot who this day was supposed to be about, here's a picture of the happy couple! Sadly we had almost no interaction with them during the day, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes when you've got two toddlers in tow :)

Bridal Shower

2011-08-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

Nate's sister, Alicia, got engaged about a month ago and is getting married in less than 2 weeks! Kedra hosted a shower for her last weekend and I got to help with the favors and some decorations. I'm a sucker for love stories and weddings so I try not to pass up an opportunity to be a part of anything related to the two! Kedra chose soft pink and yellow as the colors, so I used the shower as an excuse to make a new table runner with the shower colors :)

The favor supplies came from packaging specialties and I made caramels to put inside.

Kedra dipped all kinds of summer fruit in milk and dark chocolate, it was perfect for a summer shower.

A glimpse of the table runner up close. You make it by sewing lots of strips of fabric together in all different widths. I think the idea is that you can use your scraps to make it. I bought the fabric (because I'm really bad at saving things and didn't have many cute scraps, but now I have scraps in these colors!)

Kedra making cute tissue paper flowers to hang over the food.

Love bingo: A cute game idea from Martha Stewart. I'm not a big fan of games at showers, but this one was a fun way to get to know more about Mike & Alicia.

Superhero Party

2011-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ethan turned 4 this year and we celebrated with a superhero party. I decorated his cake the night before the party and he was very interested in helping so I let him have fun with an extra layer of cake that I decided we didn't need to use :)

We kept holding out for the sunshine, but it kept drizzling all morning so our backup plan was to decorate the garage and have some of the games and food in there so the kids could have fun without feeling too cramped inside.

I found these glitter boxes at Michael's a few months ago and loved the sparkle they added to the party :)

Nate designed a maze for the kids to try and get through without touching any of the ribbon. It was pretty funny to see all the different tactics they tried!

I made capes and masks for each of the kids (a special thanks to Nate & Amber who got dragged into the party prep and helped me make these!)

One of the games was to see who could jump the farthest.

We also let them pose in the air while "flying".

Busy Summer

2011-08-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've neglected our blog a bit this summer, mostly our of necessity to keep up with everything we've had going on! Here are some pictures to capture our trips to Cannon Beach with Nate's family over 4th of July weekend and again last weekend for a family reunion. We were so lucky both times to have great weather and enjoyed playing on the beach and getting some sun.

Our cute niece, Rebecca, loves cell phones.

Saw this idea somewhere, and it was a fun breakfast idea for the fourth.

Grandma Davis & cousin Rebecca...such a cute swimsuit!

Jack turned 2!!!

2011-06-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Jack turned 2 on Sunday! In a lot of ways he's "felt two" for a while because he's been talking so much and seems so capable, but he still has a cute, chubby baby face and I'm sad that the time is going by so quickly! When I took him to the party store he knew exactly what he wanted... Toy Story! Ethan had a hard time differentiating that the party planning was for Jack's birthday, not his! We kept it pretty low-key and celebrated with some family that were in town for the day.

He picked out the plates and tablecloth at the party store and I had to hide them for a few weeks so he wouldn't insist on using them ahead of time!

We had to have a "pizza planet" dinner, of course!

Our cousin Dylan was here to help us celebrate :)

sidenote: Ethan wears his superhero cape daily and can't wait for his "superhero" birthday party!

I made these Mr. Potato Head cake pops based on a tutorial I found from the Disney website. They were actually really easy and a lot of fun to make!

I also saw this cake online and just copied it, but used butter cream instead of fondant.

This guy loves his sugar!

A rare shot of the photographer :)

For those who know Jeff, this is a classic shot of him!

Nate took these really cute shots of Carly's baby, Dane.

Grandpa and Grandma Jack got him this buzz lightyear costume. The boys play dress-ups every day and this will be such a fun addition!

Ethan helped pick out Jack's presents, Woody and Buzz Light year cars. He seems to think Buzz is his car :) Good thing Jack is pretty easy going about sharing stuff with Ethan.

A Vintage Wedding

2011-05-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother married the girl of his dreams last weekend and it was so neat to be there and see him so happy and so in love! Tiffani flew in from South Carolina and Toby and his family flew in from San Diego so we were all together for the first time in maybe 7 years??? When you have seven kids in your family, all with spouses and most with kids it can be pretty crazy to get us all together, but we had so much fun celebrating birthdays and taking part in wedding festivities.
Leah's birthday was Thursday before the wedding and Toby threw Jeff a bachelor party that night, so all the girls and kids met at the park for a picnic birthday dinner. It was so nice to have Grandma Sanders and Aunt Sue with us!!

Our picnic dinner consisted of chicken salad sandwiches on croissant rolls, carrots and dip, strawberries with sour cream and raw sugar. Marci made yummy raspberry bars for dessert.

Most of the packaging for the food came from Cash 'N Carry, they had the perfect sizes for all the different dips and food we wanted.

These cute boxes and ribbon came from packaging specialties.

On Friday night my parents hosted a dinner at Carly & Derek's house. My mom found cute signs with quotes about love that she used as centerpieces for the tables. Each place had a little jar filled with lemon heads (Amber's favorite) or gummy bears (Jeff's favorite). It looked really cute.

I feel like I look tired in all the pictures taken that weekend...oh well!

This dinner was some of Jeff's favorites...lucky for us we all got to enjoy it!

We found these cool mason jar mugs on-line. I'm already scheming for some future event that I'd have an excuse to use them :)

All my sisters, with Grandma Sanders, Mom, and Aunt Sue. It was so fun to be together!

They looked amazing! I loved Amber's cream dress with Jeff's light gray suit.

The wind started to blow pretty hard right after they came out of the temple, which made for some crazy hairdos in the pictures :)

My whole family together at the temple. It was such a neat day.

Marci was the mastermind behind these flowers. She worked with Tiff, Leah, Marci and my Mom most of Friday putting all the arrangements together and they turned out beautifully!

This ribbon wall was a really pretty backdrop for the candy table. I thought this was a cute picture of all the kids with Amber :)

These vintage doors were the backdrop for pictures and where they stood for the reception line. Amber's family worked really hard to transform the church and they did a really beautiful job.

They draped this fabric from the ceiling and hung these chandeliers, it was really classy.

New Favorites

2011-05-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

I re-stumbled onto this blog tonight and am so glad I did. It's the inspiring story of a mom and her journey of raising two little girls, one of which was born with downs syndrome. Very inspiring. (And can I just say, on a very shallow side note, that she has the most adorable clothes for her little girls?! I wonder where she shops??)

This blog is tied for my new favorite. I met the author months ago when I went to one of the scrapbooking retreats she co-hosted and I wish I would have read her blog before I met her. She comes across as a very sweet, somewhat quiet woman. I had no idea of the wittiness, humor, and inspiration that lay beneath that exterior! But isn't life just like that? It's usually very surprising and rewarding when you take the time to get to know a person.

A vintage bridal shower

2011-05-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother is getting married in 3 weeks and we couldn't be more excited about our future sister-in-law! Last Friday I helped with her bridal shower, which was hosted at her Aunt's house in Royal City. Their wedding has a vintage theme to it so we continued that in her shower. It was a lot of fun and everything turned out really pretty. It was one of the few parties that Carly and I have been able to work on together, which made it a lot of fun.

Amber with her mom, Sabrina and my mom.

This is Amber's grandmother's wedding dress, isn't it pretty?!( It was actually smaller than the dress form it was displayed on so they couldn't button it up all the way, I need to find out the secret of all of our grandmothers who were pencil thin as brides!)

The food table was so feminine and pretty with the lace and china tea cups.

The cups and plates also belonged to her grandmother.

One of the games was to guess which of the pictures Amber liked the most for her wedding.

I made the mini cupcakes which were lemon cake with strawberry butter cream frosting.

We displayed wedding pictures of grandparents and parents from both families.

I made cherry almond bars for the favors. The bags were a little time consuming, but turned out pretty :)

Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

We had a busy and fun weekend. It started off Friday night. Nate wanted me to come watch his regional championship basketball game so at the last minute I found a sitter and we made a night of it by going to dinner beforehand then meeting up with 2 other couples whose husbands play on the team and heading up to Lynnwood for the game. They won in overtime!!! We went for dessert after the game to celebrate and by the time we got home it was a few minutes before midnight...yikes!!
The next morning was our annual Easter egg hunt. We also decided to start doing small Easter baskets on Saturday so that Sunday can be dedicated to focusing on the Savior and the miracle of the Atonement and Resurrection.

The egg hunt was so fun and the weather finally cooperated this year and turned out sunny and 65 (which is practically perfect for us North-westerners!) The kids had a great time playing and when it came time to distract them so we could hide the eggs the Easter bunny (aka Nate) happened to show up and was in the mood to play duck duck goose! The kids loved it!!!

Saturday night was the adult session of Stake Conference and we were lucky enough to have our same favorite sitter again :) The talks were are all very inspiring and I was so glad we'd made the time to go. After the meeting we joined up with some friends for a late dinner and got home around 11.
Today was Stake Conference, which means a LONG 2 hour session trying to keep our boys quiet so the rest of the congregation could enjoy the speakers ;) Actually, the boys did quite well and I didn't have to take Jack to the kid's room until the last 15 minutes.
This evening we had a really yummy dinner with two other families and had a really fun time visiting and letting the kids go crazy in the bounce house! I attempted decorating a carrot cake for the first time and it turned out to be a lot easier than I initially thought! I tried a new recipe from thegirlwhoateeverything. It had pineapple in it which made it really moist and flavorful. Ethan helped me tie name tags around the peeps to use as place cards :)

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends and had some time to reflect on the Savior, who has done so much for us.

Earth Day

2011-04-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

via

I've been busy

2011-04-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

lately with lots of projects. Mostly fun, but sometimes a little hectic. I'll be posting pics soon of the bridal shower favors I finally finished, the cupcakes I'll be making for said shower, and our fun plans for the upcoming Easter weekend. In the mean time, here's what Jack was doing the other day while I was back in my room working on one of my many projects!

That is a bag of Bisquick on the floor folks, super fun to try and vacuum up!

The boys also got to attend a really cute Easter-themed story time at the Bravern. They supplied cute Trophy cupcakes and lots of yummy organic snacks and water bottles. The boys hardly paid attention to the stories because they were so distracted by all the treats being passed around! But they did shift their attention once the Easter Bunny showed up :)

Oh My Gorgeous!!!

2011-04-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons that I should have a little girl of my own, and this party just made the list! You have to check out this gorgeous barbie-inspired birthday party posted on tomkat studio. The girls even had someone show them how to walk down the runway and pose for the camera after they'd all been dolled up!!!

For more pictures and details check out tomkat's blog here.

Creative Wedding Invitation

2011-04-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to lots of blogs that feature weddings, mostly because weddings and the planning that goes into them are just so fun and interesting! I saw this creative invitation made by two photographers getting married and thought it was really cute. It seems like you could use this for family reunions or other types of gatherings as well.

for more details click here

A cute baby shower drink

2011-03-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

I of course stumbled on this idea the day after I threw a baby shower, but I wanted to share it anyway. I'll have to remember it for next time (because you know there will always be a next time!)

Milk and Cookies Baby Shower

2011-03-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Joie and I threw a milk and cookies baby shower today for our friend Lindsay. It turned out really sweet and simple and Lindsay got some really cute things. All that pink and purple really makes me hopeful that a girl is in our future someday!

I started taking pictures before all the jars were filled, but you get the idea :)

These adorable milk bottle cookies were made by Melanie, who it turns out has her own little business making amazing sugar cookies. Not only do they look amazing, they also taste really good!

I really wanted individual milk bottles, but it just wasn't in the budget :) So I improvised with the individually sized chocolate milks they sell at Costco. I took off the plastic label and covered the red plastic lids with pink tissue paper. The "enjoy!" tags came from packaging specialties and were a cute finishing touch!

These to go boxes also came from packaging specialties and were the perfect way to make sure I wasn't left with 12 dozen cookies at my house afterwards!

San Diego Vacation

2011-03-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother Jeff, and his fiance' Amber were our reason for making a trip to San Diego. We didn't mind the excuse!

We went to Balboa park one morning to find some good picture-taking spots for Jeff's engagement photos. This park is gorgeous, I'd forgotten how much amazing architecture is there. This is just one example...

We came across a bird adoption exhibit and had fun checking out the tropical birds up close and personal!

Ethan got pretty good at throwing the frisbee :)

Skiing is fun

2011-02-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

I went skiing with my team at work last week and had a really great time. I hadn't been skiing for 10 years and had forgotten how fun it was. I'll have to take Marilee up for a date one of these times.

Too cute.

2011-02-05T20:02:00.001-08:00

We don't watch TV on Sunday at our house, so the past week of blog posting with all the ideas for super bowl menus hasn't been too appealing to me.... until I saw these at eighteen25! I have got to find some occasion to use these chocolate-covered strawberries! I'm thinking with 2 boys I'm bound to have at least one sports-themed birthday party in my future :)

Check out this recipe

2011-02-03T16:47:00.001-08:00

Very delicious: Thai Basil Chicken

Open House in Royal

2011-01-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

I've been a little behind on my blog posting lately, so I'm finally posting pictures of Audrey and Gustavo's open house in Royal that took place a few weeks ago. My Grandpa and his wife Shirley came up from California and it was so nice to spend time with them. We also got to see some wonderful friends who made the 2 1/2 hour drive from Kent and we loved visiting with them!

When I picked up these hydrangeas from the florist they were white, but thanks to a little florist spray paint the final result was a mixture of really pretty purple and pink flowers!

The desserts were amazing! I think I sampled at least one of every kind.

My brother-in-law Derek with our newest brother-in-law.

A cute picture of Jack and I, before he lost it (as seen below!)

My niece Maddi.

The happy couple :)

My twin sister Carly, Mom, and niece Lauren.

My sister Marci and her son Tyce.

Jack, slowly starting to unwind :)

My parents, my Grandpa, his wife Shirley, and the newlyweds.

One final pic before we headed home. Jack had finally turned into a pumpkin, but it was a fun night!

Pretty Pretty

2011-01-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

I found this pretty image at such pretty things and fell in love with the idea. It's so simple, and would be such a bright spot in my kitchen, especially during these grey winter months before we finally see the sunshine again! I also love when something decorative also serves a very practical purpose. If I had all my cupcake liners in a pretty glass jar then they wouldn't topple down on me every time I try to pull them out of the highest shelf in my cupboard!

Elephant-themed baby shower

2011-01-14T12:34:00.001-08:00

Last night my friend Tricia and I threw an elephant-themed baby shower for a good friend and her darling little peanut (who came a whole month early so he wouldn't miss his own party!). We went with grey, green, and white for the colors and Tricia did a great job incorporating our theme throughout her house.
For the food we served white texas sheetcake cut into elephant shapes, chocolate-covered mint oreos, rocky road popcorn, peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes, artichoke dip and citrus punch.
Our favor boards were inspired by Amy Atlas who did similar boards for a party, except she pinned hers to the board and we attached ours to ribbon with matching clothespins I found at Michaels.
The white tablecloth was embellished with grey felt cut into a large scallop and sewn around the edge. The small elephants used on the favor bags and on the table were made with the Martha Stewart punch.
We had a fun crowd and Xander was the star of the show. He is so tiny and sweet, he will be so handsome in all the cute outfits he got last night!

Check out this recipe

2011-01-13T14:14:00.001-08:00

Very delicious: Lemon Chicken

I've been

2010-12-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

perusing images of craft rooms online again... it's an activity I never seem to grow tired of :) Here's a recent favorite. I really think my creativity could blossom in a well organized space like this!

Ice Skating

2010-12-18T14:09:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of Nate and Ethan ice skating at the rink in downtown Bellevue. Jack and I watched :)

Teach your parents tech

2010-12-16T00:25:00.001-08:00

There are some really cool, easy to understand videos that will help answer a bunch of tech questions you get from your parents (or less technically savvy relatives -- I know there are some pretty sharp parents out there) :)

http://www.teachparentstech.org/

Google Chrome

2010-12-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

For anyone who is not yet using Google's Chrome Browser, you should really try it. I used Firefox for a long time and finally had to switch. It's really fast and web pages just look better. Go to this link to find out why having a good browser will make you happier :)

Google Holiday Party

2010-12-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Google's holiday party was very fun this year. I got to wear my tux again!

Doesn't this look good??!

2010-12-07T22:25:00.002-08:00

It's cranberry salsa on top of cream cheese. I saw it on yourhomebasedmom and I was intrigued.

It's nice to think of making something other than a dessert this time of year! I think I'm going to have to make this to take to our next holiday gathering! Click here for the recipe.

Check out this recipe

2010-12-01T14:21:00.001-08:00

Very delicious: Baked sweet potatoe fries

Holiday Shopping!

2010-11-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something cute to give or to add to your own decorations for Christmas this year, check out my mom's blog for some really cute items!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my parent's house this year and had a very busy, fun-filled holiday! They had a couple of inches of snow on the ground, not enough for sledding really but we gave it a try anyway. We also had a lot of fun hanging out with my sister Audrey and her Fiance Gustavo. Marci and I gave her a bridal shower the Saturday following Thanksgiving and I think everything turned out pretty nice. There were a few stressful moments leading up to the shower, but we managed to pull it off :) We mostly ate good food, watched movies,and enjoyed each other's company, it was great! Here are a mix of pictures from the 4 days.

Snow day

2010-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

I don't like snow days at all, but it does give me the chance to be the photographer for the sledders in front of our house :)

Marilee turned 30 today!

2010-11-21T21:57:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday Sweetie!

An "Incredible" Halloween

2010-11-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween was not limited to one day this year. We had quite a few events going on throughout the week leading up to the actual day, which ironically we did nothing very halloween-ish on because of it landing on a Sunday this year (other than hand out candy, which Ethan thoroughly enjoyed!) So here's a few snapshots from our week, including the Google party, ward carnival, a trip to the pumpkin patch, and a little gathering of friends and neighbors.

Take a peek

2010-11-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

at some new items my mom has in her store!

Check out this recipe

2010-11-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Homemade caramel sauce

Talk about a cute halloween party...

2010-10-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

these pictures were posted on one of my favorite blogs today and if I wasn't already neck deep in projects and party planning I would totally be inspired to throw a last-minute Halloween party. Looking at these pictures of someone else's party will have to do for this year :)

I did take Ethan and Jack to the pumpkin patch with some friends today. And Jack may or may not have had the time of his life jumping in mud puddles and getting his pants soaked up to his waist. You'll have to stay tuned for my next post to see the sheer joy on his face !

Check out this recipe

2010-10-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Chili Blanco Especial

Check out this recipe

2010-10-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Pretzel Jello

Just messing around with photos

2010-10-13T23:10:00.001-07:00

Ethan was jumping off of a bar stool onto some blankets in the living room when all of the sudden he turned into....

This and that...

2010-10-10T20:25:00.001-07:00

I've been a little negligent with our blog lately, so here are some random pictures to catch up on what we've been doing.

Ethan sporting his Thomas backpack for his first day of joy school preschool.

Ethan and I made a haunted house craft one Sunday afternoon while Dad and Jack were sleeping. I need to work on not wanting to take over and make it perfect :)

Jack and I at Kelsey Creek farm this weekend for a joy school field trip.

I think this was Ethan's favorite part of the field trip :)

Trying to get the whole gang together for a picture.

Jack had his squeakie shoes on and we were probably asked at least 10 times by people if that squeaking noise was really from his shoes! At least they help us keep track of him :)

The rest of this post is mostly for Carly who wanted to see the cards I made at the paper-source holiday card making workshop I went to last week. I went with 3 other girl friends and had so much fun!
This was a card made with embossing powder and stickles. I'm addicted to stickles.

We learned how to line our own envelopes, don't look too closely because I was late and had to do mine really quickly.

This is the card that coordinated with the red envelope above.

A fancy large postcard.

Very easy to make with little scraps of red and green paper.

You can't see this as well, but we got to be glue glitter happy at this station and filled in most of the ornaments and the greeting with different colors of glue glitter (aka stickles for all you craft pros out there!)

Test post

2010-10-07T15:35:00.001-07:00

Just trying out something :-)

Check out this recipe

2010-10-01T15:09:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: white Bean Chicken Chili

Don't you love fall?!

2010-09-28T20:19:00.001-07:00

There's something so fun about this time of year with all the cute apple crafts, delicious desserts, and you can get away with dipping almost anything in caramel! Here's a cute cookie I found that has neither apple nor caramel, but is very cute nonetheless :)

Check out more fun recipes at their blog:the decorated cookie

Check out this recipe

2010-09-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

I saw this recipe on yourhombasedmom and have been craving them ever since, so I made them yesterday and took half the pan to our hometeachers to thank him for giving us rides to and from the airport. It was a good thing I did, because I very well could have eaten most of the pan myself today. Luckily Nate also took some to his home teachees so there were only 2 left when I woke up this morning. One for me (I had to share some of mine with Jack) and one for Ethan. Perfect :) You should give these a try, they are very delicious: Sour Cream Apple Bars

Fall Decorations

2010-09-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

My Mom's business sells cute seasonal decorations and gift items and she just got in a new shipment of really cute fall decorations. This is one of my favorites.

If you're interested, head on over to her blog and

take a peek at what she's got :)

San Diego Vacation

2010-09-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

We went on vacation to San Diego! Here are a few pics. We forgot our camera so these are just a few from the phone on my camera. I reeeeaaally wish I'd remembered my good camera. We had a great time though, probably the best vacation I've ever had.

Nate took this picture from our balcony of Ethan and I carrying our gear down to the water. We were so lucky to have such pretty weather!

Nate and the boys on the carousel at Belmont Park. I also got Ethan to go on the tilt-a-whirl with me :)

A view of mission beach from our balcony. It doesn't get any better than this.

We walked around Seaport Village one evening and looked at all the big battleships in the water.

Grandpa and Shirley came to see us and spend the night. We had to keep with tradition and go to Konos for breakfast in the morning. I woke up at 6:15 to walk with Shirley and I think it took me 2 days to recover from waking up so early! We had a great time visiting with them.

We took Grandpa and Shirley to dinner at the Hash house. The food is really good, especially the biscuits drizzled with honey that they serve you before your meal comes. The food in this picture looks kind of gross, but it was pretty good and the picture doesn't do the plate size justice. I've never seen a larger plate in my life!

Ethan posing in front of the fancy car at the Corvette diner.

The huge rice krispie treat log that Jack devoured at Seaport Village. A mom shouldn't let her child eat that much sugar!

The San Diego temple, where Nate and I were married just over 6 years ago :)

Running Playlist

2010-09-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to up my mileage on the treadmill lately and I've found that when I hit a wall (usually around 4 miles and then again near 6) that only a few songs will push me through. I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you, in hopes that you'll leave a comment and share some of your favorites with me!
My recent favs:
single lades: Beyonce
dynamite: Taio Cruz
fifteen: Taylor Swift (I know, it's country and that makes Nate cringe!)
stuck like glue: Sugarland
party in the USA: Miley Cyrus

So, be a pal and share some with me??

New Fonts

2010-09-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with the fonts on our blog and settled on a few fun, yet unconventional ones. The best part is they look the same on everyone's computer. For the technically inclined, check out the Google Font API. It's super easy to use.

Google Family Picnic

2010-08-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Google had their annual family picnic a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time. It was at a huge farm up in North Bend and it was super family friendly. Apart from 12 or 13 different food booths they also had tons of games and activities for the kids. The party actually fell on our anniversary so it made for a busy/fun day because we got home just in time to change clothes and go out for a fun date!
Here are some pictures of the water boats, ball toss, and Ethan looking like a natural on the rock climbing wall :)

Waverly Park

2010-08-29T16:47:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to Waverly Park last week for an evening picnic and swim before the summer is over.

Moses Lake Fair

2010-08-29T16:39:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Nate had another Scout campout, so I took the boys over to my parents for a few days. Nate joined us Saturday evening and we took Ethan to the fair. I am a total carnival/fair junkie!! I haven't been to one in a few years and I was in heaven! I don't know what it is about those things but I just love the atmosphere and the excitement in the air. I think I'm passing my love on to Ethan. This was his first fair and I wasn't sure what he'd think of the rides (I was pretty sure he'd like them, but you never know what you're 3 yr old is gonna do, he could have decided to become shy and afraid for the night and not wanted to try anything). But he made me proud. He went on a few rides solo and a few with me and after each one he'd say, "let's do another one!"... that's the spirit!

Senior Pics

2010-08-28T22:46:00.001-07:00

My younger brother Ty came up today for a couple of hours so that I could take his senior pictures. We had a lot of fun roaming around downtown Kirkland. Here are a few that I edited tonight.

Cute Picasa Collage

2010-08-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute collage I made in Picasa of Jack eating cake on his birthday :)

Oven-free recipes

2010-08-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight I (along with some helpful friends) will be making a 5-course dinner at our Relief Society activity that features oven-free cooking. Here in the Northwest we're blessed to have very unpredictable weather in the summer. For example, this week the temperature is supposed to range from 90 degrees on Sunday to 65 degrees this weekend. That's a 30 degree swing people! Since a lot of us aren't fortunate enough to have air conditioning we have to resort to crazy measures to survive those 90 degree days (yesterday the thermostat in my house read 86 at 5pm, and that's not the hottest it's ever been in here!). So we thought oven-free recipes might be an appropriate activity for August. If you're interested in seeing some of the recipes you can
click here.

Craft Rooms on the brain

2010-08-11T21:30:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been drawn to pictures of craft rooms. We're hoping to finish our basement/crawl space next spring or summer and I've got a laundry/craft room in the works. I just need to make up my mind about what I want it to be like. I feel like this could be the one room in the house that Nate pretty much lets me go crazy with the "girly look" so I won't have anyone but myself to blame if I don't like it! My problem is that I like too many styles, and I'm not talented enough to merge all those styles into one beautiful eclectic inspiring room (which is the look I'm going for!). If you've seen any great pics of craft/laundry rooms lately I'd love to see them!
Here's what's caught my eye so far...

maybe something feminine and colorful, like this one from making it lovely.

I love this one; very classy and functional but the wall color makes it fun. The fact that it's the size of my whole basement doesn't hurt either ;)

There is something very soothing about this one. Like the heaps of laundry that would be sitting here if this were in fact my room might all magically be folded by someone other than myself. I'm also loving the tile back splash and soft gray/green cupboards.

The all white might get a little boring after awhile, but I do love the green knobs. Fun knobs are a definite must in the new room.

Love the bright colors of this room. And the ribbon holder. I would so love the room to hang all my ribbons and just sit and admire them instead of the pile of laundry that will be sitting somewhere behind me!

Love the island space. An island is a must. Just think of all the tablecloths you could iron and the fabric you could cut if you had a big island in your laundry/craft room?! I also like how the washer and dryer seamlessly fit in with the rest of the cupboards.

Another fun island workspace and nice paint color on the walls. I also love the pendants hanging over the island.

Okay, so this isn't an actual room. But isn't this a cute idea for storing buttons? Someone who stores their buttons like this must have a cute room to go with it :)

Chick Hicks Party

2010-08-07T11:37:00.001-07:00

Several months ago I started planning Ethan's 3rd birthday party. It was going to be a circus in our backyard with big top decorations and I even had Nate convinced of wearing a full clown costume and performing juggling and other tricks to entertain the kids. It was going to be so fun..

Then... about a month before his birthday Ethan started talking non-stop about how he was going to turn 3 at his chick hicks party. I would gently remind him that he was having a circus party and tried to talk up how fun everything was going to be. He'd then agree with me that he was going to have a circus at his chick hicks party! So, I finally decided the circus was going to have to come to town some other time and just go with Ethan's wishes of turning 3 at his chick hicks party, after all, it's his birthday right?!

So here you go, pics from the chick hicks party that I really only had 1 day to put together because we got stuck in Portland the week of the party with our car needing a surprise transmission replacement. Maybe it was a good thing because it forced me to simplify :)

Nate built the race track a few weeks before the party and we had plans to paint it, oh well. I also printed pictures of some of the cars characters and laminated them to use for a modified cake walk. We played the cars theme song and the child on the picture that we drew when the music stopped got to pick a cars tattoo.

Some of you were interested in the recipe for the veggie pizza, so here it is:

Veggie Pizza Pampered Chef

Ingredients

2 pkgs refrigerated crescent dough

16 oz pkg soft cream cheese

1 pkg hidden valley dressing

1/2 cup mayo

1/3 cup sour cream

broccoli

cauliflower

carrots

red bell pepper

olives

Directions

Open dough and place on flat pan; pinch seams. Cook until brown- use pkg directions. Cool completely. Spread on cream cheese. Mix dressing, mayo sour cream. Spread on cream cheese. Top with finely chopped vegetables (brocolli, cauliflour, green onion, mushrooms, black olives, red and green peppers). I use a small food processor to get everything really small. Serve cold.

Back to school dinner

2010-08-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea on posh tot events and thought it would be a super cute idea for all of you moms who have kids headed back to school soon. I fortunately(and some days unfortunately) still have all my babies at home with me so I'm going to have to tuck this one away into the files to be used in a few years! For more info on this cute dinner party check out their website!

Check out this recipe

2010-08-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Margarita Fruit Dip

Is it just me

2010-08-04T22:18:00.001-07:00

or do doughnuts seem to be making a comeback? I have a hunch they may slowly be sneaking up on the cupcake world (if this happens you can say you heard it from me first!). It just seems like delicious pictures of doughnuts and the know-how to make them are popping up more often on my radar. Or maybe that's just what happens when you decide to try and lose 5lbs. Either way, I saw this on the Pioneer Woman's blog tonight and thought if my previously mentioned goal doesn't work out for me I just might resort to trying out this recipe some FHE in the near future!

Love love love this idea

2010-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

for a birthday cake. It's a fun twist on the ever so popular bunting that you see at so many parties these days. Too bad I don't have another birthday coming up until mine in November... I wonder if 30 is too old to have miniature bunting on my cake? :)

2010-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan did not get a birthday present from me wrapped like this...but I have a dream of someday doing cool things like this with all my free time! Found this at papercrave.com, check them out for some nifty ideas!

Happy Birthday Ethan

2010-07-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ethan turned 3! Woohoo!

Jack plays with water balloons

2010-07-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

We went to a party recently where there were water balloons. In the video below, Jack enjoys playing with one.

Bib project

2010-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Jack likes to eat. Jack does not like to wear a bib when he eats. Jack is strong. You can probably see where this is going... all of the velcro bibs I own and planned on using with Jack are no longer working. I always sit him in his little chair at mealtime and snap the bib on, and inevitably within a few seconds he's pulled the bib apart and tosses it to the floor so as not to hinder him from continuing his meal in peace.
So I determined to make him the old school kind of bib that we all grew up with. You know, the kind that slides over your head with the ribbing and the 80's colored dish cloth it was made out of.
I had some baby towels in my closet that I don't use anymore so this is what I came up with today during nap time...

We shall see if Jack has finally met his match at dinner time tonight :)

Fourth of July at Cannon Beach

2010-07-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon for the fourth of July with my parents, my brother Ty, and my sister Alicia. Here are a few pics.

Painted Kitchen

2010-06-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

I had 2 weeks of paternity leave left over from when Jack was born that I recently used. It was a lot of fun, and mostly relaxing. I say mostly because the first 5 days were dedicated to painting our kitchen cabinets. Marilee can post about the details, but basically we did the following:

Put up bead board around the counter and on the side wall of the tall cabinets.
Wiped the cabinets with trisodiumphosphate (TSP).
Primed the cabinets.
Painted 2 coats of onyx black paint.
Brushed on 2 coats of polyurethane.
Touched stuff up with a sharpie.

We really like how it turned out. Pictures below :)

Jack turned 1!!!

2010-06-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

Jack turned one and we had a fun time celebrating! My dad brought over his calf and ducks to keep the kids entertained and we were really lucky to have a beautiful day for the occasion.

Check out this recipe

2010-06-10T23:01:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Everybody's favorite chocolate chip cookies

Check out this recipe

2010-06-10T22:56:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Chicken Curry Madras

Vehicles

2010-06-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ethan, Jack and I went to the store today (I'm halfway through a 2 week vacation from work), and we made sure to stop at each of the vehicles in the little strip mall where the store was located. Pictures below :)

Date into the city

2010-05-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Marilee and I went on a Date into Seattle this last weekend. I actually haven't been there very many times, so we thought it would be fun to have a look around. We had a great time despite the usual drizzle :)

Check out this recipe

2010-05-21T16:12:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

All we do is party!

2010-05-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

So, not really, but sometimes! We attended a princess birthday party last weekend for one of Ethan's little friends down the street and I was lucky enough to be able to help with the planning (I love doing girl parties!) and even made the birthday cake and cupcakes. If you're looking for a truly decadent coconut cake let me know, I've now got a killer recipe from Martha Stewart.

Tonight was also the baby shower for a good friend from church and I co-hosted it with my good friend and party/decorating hero so I learned lots of good tips and felt very inspired along the way! Here are pictures from both parties :)

Check out this recipe

2010-05-10T11:45:00.001-07:00

Very delicious: Italian Crockpot Chicken

This is why

2010-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I continue to shop with Amazon Fresh (among many other convenient reasons)... I mean, who else drops off your groceries bright and early in the morning and leaves you a complimentary pink cupcake to boot?!

We love our Mother

2010-05-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Just finished a delicious Mother's Day meal with Marilee and the kids. We really love her!

Something to think about...

2010-04-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

With Mother's day around the corner, I found this posted by a friend of mine and loved what it challenged me to think about. Go ahead, take some time and read it too!

A little boy and his bike

2010-04-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

These are the moments I want to remember, when life is so simple and sweet.

Lance's birthday

2010-04-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Nate had a camp out this past weekend, so I took the boys over to Royal City on Friday for a fun day of playing with cousins, celebrating Lance's 3rd birthday, and meeting Grandpa's new ducks.
Carly always does cute parties and this was no different. Everything was perfectly coordinated with her Western theme and looked really cute. Ethan hasn't been exposed too much to the whole world of cowboys and outlaws, but he did his best to figure it out. Some of the games included panning for "gold", racing stick horses (I wish I could have figured out how to take a video for this because it was really funny. All the other kids hopped on their sticks and raced down the track, while Ethan grabbed his stick in one hand and ran. I don't think he had any idea what he was doing with the "stick"!)

Saturday morning my dad brought over a few of his ducklings for the kids to play with, which was a big hit. (a side note, Ethan is shirtless because he got wet and his shirt was in the dryer, not because I was fully embracing the shirtless, shoeless policy- which is what Nate wondered when he saw the pics).

And the winner is...

2010-04-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

me! I won the "best salad" entry for our ward's cooking competition this year. Some of you may remember my post from last year's competition, and I was determined to not be outdone again this year! So I entered 2 categories, an appetizer and a salad. The appetizer was a spicy buffalo chicken dip (intended to please most of the men folk), and a pear roquefort salad (aka "girl food" in Nate's book). So there was some steep competition again this year, and I am not ashamed to admit that I did not even vote for my own appetizer! I know, that sounds bad, but there were these incredible avocado shakes that I just could not get enough of (although they should have really been in the dessert section, that would have given my dip more of a chance). But my salad won me a trophy and a moment in the Totem Lake ward spotlight, so I am content :) Here are some pictures we took of the evening.

This might actually be the year

2010-04-13T09:50:00.001-07:00

that I have a garden I'm not ashamed of! My last attempt at an edible garden was in Provo the summer Ethan was born. The weather got too hot, I got too big, and then too busy, and before we knew it we had baseball bat-sized zucchini being left on our porch because our apartment neighbors sharing the same plot of ground thought we'd forgotten about them! We had more zucchini than we knew what to do with, the watermelon never grew, and the sunflowers were an intimidating 10 feet tall. We found ourselves just wishing it would all go away if we avoided that part of the complex completely!
So, this time I'm doing things a little different. I bought a greenhouse starter kit at home depot last weekend weekend and carefully followed their instructions which promised an attractive and edible garden all summer long. Believe it or not, I've already got little sprouts popping up just 3 days into the process. Maybe this will be the year that I can reclaim my farming heritage!

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the really dismal weather yesterday, we got lucky again this year and had dry (albeit cold) weather for our Easter egg hunt. It was fun to see Ethan get into it even more this year. Of course, it helped that we ran into the Easter bunny at the mall two days ago as we were leaving the play area. I guess he was taking a potty break because he came out of a back room and stepped into the elevator that we were getting in, so it was just us and the Easter bunny for 2 whole minutes! Ethan just stared at him the whole ride and I wondered if he was going to be scared of him, but when we got off the elevator he turned to me and said, "He's pretty Mommy!". He's been talking about the Easter bunny ever since:) Nate's doing his part to remind him that Easter is about Jesus, but the Easter bunny sure got his foot in the door :)

Provo here we come!

2010-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

To our friends and family still living in Provo who care enough about us to check our blog, we'll be heading there for a few days this weekend and would love to see you! Just send us an email and we'll be in touch :)

Ethan and Grandma cooking it up!

2010-03-07T20:24:00.001-08:00

Jack is getting a few more teeth

2010-03-03T01:25:00.001-08:00

You can see a few of them coming in on the top: