two.

thankful for the cooler weather (although our summer was very tolerable by Vegas standards) = more baking of tasty goods. and thankful for the beauty that surrounds me. amazing.

one.

Aaron and Brian at LOTOJA 2011

grateful for my hardworking husband who provides for our family. grateful he does my "honey do's" without complaining. grateful to have a worthy priesthood holder in our home. grateful he does the dinner dishes every night. grateful he is a great role model for our children. grateful he takes out the garbage. grateful he bathes the kids every night b/c baby girl is making it difficult to bend over.

halloween via instagram

1. someone needs to visit her dentist

2. owl cupcakes for halloween party (inspired: pinterest)

3.bumble bee & umpa loompa ready to get their sugar on

4. umpa loompa & cat in the hat at ward trunk or treat

5. the loot

6. tim burton inspired pumpkin carving

7. Fran & White Goodman from Dodgeball

8. cute skeleton

9. princess fairy

(which she has refused to take off for the past 48 hours. maybe she is scarred b/c I dressed her as an umpa loompa instead of a princess like other girls her age)

taste of tuesday: orzo salad with roasted vegetables

It's been awhile since I've posted-life got crazy. I don't even know where to begin and don't have the energy or memory to recall the past 2 months. Jack started his 3rd year of preschool, I've been sewing a lot for my sister, and we found out baby #3 is a girl. The later threw me into a slight depression, hence my lack of blogging. Kidding. Baby is healthy and we are excited Kate will have a sister. I have partial placenta previa, which doctor thinks will resolve by 28 weeks. Fingers crossed. Names are not coming easily to us. Aaron is set on Betty (after my grandmother) but I can't commit to that. I am liking a few others: Olivia, Claire, Charlotte, Caroline, Jillian, Anne, Audrey, Gwen and Julia. (If this was a boy, it would be a no-brainer: Henry).

{Jack, and classmate, Maggie, on a school field trip to the pumpkin patch}

We've also been busy with field trips, soccer, LOTOJA and other bike races (Jack participated in his first one at Aaron's Charleston Hill Clmib. never too early to start training), play dates, the primary program (which was this past Sunday and the kids had me in tears as they sang the final song. so proud. don't want to give up my calling as primary chorister but this baby is making it difficult), and multiple Halloween parties and sewing costumes for said parties. A sneak preview from a Halloween parties we attended this weekend (via instagram):

{Optimus Prime and a princess. This is not her real costume-saving that for this weekend. She's going to be an Umpa Loompa. I figure it is the last year I have a say in what she wears}{purple cobras}

I also had a girls trip to DC this past week with all the girls from my dad's side of the family. Aaron took the kids to his parents in CA and I enjoyed some girl time with my cousins, aunts and grandma. It was a blast-too many late nights, lots of walking and touring, too much good food (my first taste of shrimp and grits and I loved it), and bonding (pics to follow). Grandma gave us a scare, making this trip memorable. While we were there, my cousin made this delicious salad. I doubled the recipe so I had leftovers to eat the rest of the week. Paired with lemon pepper pork chops made for a delicious Sunday meal. Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables (Lee Lowe)
Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (I'd add less next time)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb orzo
• 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• feta cheese
• fresh basil, cut into chiffonade for garnish (optional)

for the dressing:

• 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or less)

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 425*. toss eggplant, peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, S&P. place on baking dish and roast for 30-40 minutes, until browned.

2. meanwhile, cook the orzo according to directions. drain and transfer to large serving bowl.

3. add roasted vegetables to the orzo, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan.

4. combine all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over orzo. let cool (room temp) and add scallions, pine nuts , feta and basil.

five

Jack @ 5

• favorite color: blue
• favorite animal: buffalo or sperm whale
• favorite movie: Oceans
• favorite food: mac n cheese
• favorite book: Sea Creatures
• favorite song: Book of Mormon Stories
• favorite ice cream flavor: strawberry
• favorite restaurant: Red Robin
• favorite cereal: frosted mini wheat's
• favorite sport: baseball
• favorite cartoon: dinosaur train
• favorite game: Sorry

I couldn't have asked for a better kid for my first. Jack is truly a joy to have around. He is my little helper around the house. He always picks up his toys before moving on to another activity and helps me with chores around the house. He is also a great playmate for his sister (when they aren't fighting). Jack can't wait for Kate to wake up from her nap so he has a buddy. And Kate adores her brother, wanting to copy everything he does. She cried for 20 minutes yesterday after we dropped Jack at his first day of preschool. She was lost without her older brother.

I always receive compliments on Jack's behavior at church and school which makes me feel like we've done something right b/c he is not always on his best behavior at home, esp when it involves teasing his sister. He still struggles with eating a meal at a normal pace, but is not a picky eater. He loves mac and cheese, quinoa, hard boiled eggs, edamame, cucumbers, orange peppers, blueberries, milk, beef stew, and ice cream (wouldn't be a Papa if he didn't). He is a very good eater. Just worry about him when he goes to school and has to eat lunch within a set time frame. He'll probably be the only kid left in the lunch room while all the others have gone out to the playground.

He loves to have dance parties in the living room, color pictures of airplanes and sharks, and hang out with his dad. He got a new bike for his birthday and wants to ride in races just like his dad. Or play baseball like his dad. He is all boy and we love him. I am blessed to be his mother.

Jack's 5th birthday party: airplanes

I wasn't planning on having a big party for Jack this year. I got home from Utah the week before his birthday and hadn't even tho't about putting together a party. Baby #3 is sucking the life out of me and I have no energy. I am already getting swollen feet, busting out of my clothes, and have heartburn. All before 20 weeks! I had a dream last night it was a girl-yikes! I'm a little paranoid. But as long as it is healthy, I will be happy. The little one is a mover and has been doing flips on a regular basis. Feeling the baby move is the only part of pregnancy I enjoy.

But, back to the subject at hand...Jack's 5th birthday. When I asked Jack what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he told me an airplane cake. That got the ball rolling and I knew I wanted to throw him a party, friends and all. 5 is a big year-even if he isn't going to kindergarten. We sent out these invitations to 6 of his buddies. I (poorly) designed them and put them in homemade envelopes made out of maps I bought at the going out of business sale at Borders.
Orange and blue were the colors of choice-and not b/c I lived in Denver and am a Denver Broncos fan. It's just what I had in my paper stash = free. (I found the airplane cake pan at Michael's for cheap) Activities for the party were kept simple-with 7 boys things can get crazy. When they first arrived, all the boys painted wooden airplanes I found at Michael's for $1. They were a hit. We also made paper airplanes and had airplane throwing contests.

(the crew: Brock, Peyton, Trent, Trace, Jack, Riley, Ty)

Food consisted of in-flight snacks served up in an old suitcase and to-go containers with sandwiches, chips and fruit. Very simple. Made for easy prep and clean up. And cheap. I got my to-go containers for free from Panera, used 1 loaf of bread, and spent a few dollars on chips, meat and fruit. Better than nasty $5 pizza from Little Caesar's. I used the rest of the maps and made garlands of airplanes to decorate the house and called it good. Jack was thrilled when he woke up and saw the house decorated for his party.

Party favors included:

airplane crayons (etsy), airplane sucker (etsy), candy airplane (made of life savers, gum and smarties), and a glider. Easy and cheap!

This was a fun birthday to plan and it made me happy to see the smile on my little guy's face. Made it all worth it. Glad I did it (and for such little $). Next year-he wants a helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam with dad. Where does he come up with these ideas?

On Jack's actual birthday, we went to Red Robin for his favorite mac 'n' cheese (and b/c we had a coupon for a free meal), and then kate and I took him out to McDonald's for an ice cream cone-per his request. Such an easy child to please. Love you little man!

pinterest

image

Pinterest, you are addicting. You are going to cause me to gain 20 pounds, spend all my money on a new wardrobe, and gut my house and redecorate. I made these frozen banana bites last night-totally satisfied my pregnancy craving. I loved the bite size portion. Ate a few (and got heartburn-already!?! I'm only 17 weeks) and watched an episode of one of my favorite shows. Love AD and chocolate covered frozen bananas.

do you pin?

Utah visit #3

mom and dad were gracious enough to let us live at their house for a 3rd time this summer. Our most recent visit was primarily for Aaron to compete in the Tour de Park City, but this kids and I stayed for another 2 weeks and enjoyed the cool mountain air. Before Aaron left, we celebrated his 34th birthday with a pretty awesome cake

and did some climbing, racing, and exploring

dad had to return home and do grown-up things like work, and the real fun began

a tour of the Hill Aerospace Museum. free and pretty fantastic for my airplane-loving guy

lots of swimming and cousin time

and an attempt at a grandkids picture, where no one was cooperative

trips to the Red Butte Gardens and Living Planet Aquarium were less of a hit, but we had fun anyway

this biggest highlight of the trip was the Heber Valley Fair Days-complete with a rodeo, carnival and corn dogs!

the fair is a must next summer. we had a blast! thanks mom and dad.

kate's bday & father's day

catching up chronologically...

Kate's 2nd birthday. It was very anti-climatic. Probably the last year I can get away with that. It snuck up on me. I can't believe my baby is 2! Between the morning sickness, my cousins wedding and father's day (which happened to fall on her birthday), we managed to light a candle (b/c I am such a bad mom and didn't even have 2 candles) and snap some bad pics to document her day. We did have gifts and cupcakes with cousins from Mini's. At 2...Kate is a diva and has come in to her own-and grown in to those lips and eyes that dominated her face as a baby (and made her kind of scary looking-I can say that-I am her mother). Kate loves her dad and gets so excited when he comes home from work. She loves her blanket and crib and asks to take a nap. She prefers Jack's cars, airplanes and animals over her dolls and kitchen (which was her bday gift. Brother actually plays with it more than she does). She wants to do everything her brother does, often erupting in fits b/n the two. She can be sweet and cuddle when she is tired. She loves to eat and eats most foods. Her favorites are mac and cheese, turkey and mustard sandwiches, all kinds of cereal, pretzels, fruit snacks and goldfish. She refuses to drink milk due to her lactose-induced diarrhea back in May. I wish she would drink it. I've even tried soy and almond milk. She is skinny and tall girl and wears 3T clothing. We've spent most the summer at the pool and this has turned Kate into a little fish (with the help of this floaty. I would highly recommend this to anyone). She loves to water. Swim lessons are a must next summer. We love her and can't imagine our family without her.

* * * * *

Also on June 19th, we celebrated Aaron. He may have cooked his own father's day meal (b/c of my morning sickness) and he may have taken care of a sick child (Jack was running a fever all day), making his day less than what he deserved. But he didn't complain. Aaron never complains. He is such a great father and husband and puts others needs in front of his own (unless biking is involved :). He works so hard to provide for our family and dedicates himself to his church calling, leaving little time to pursue his passion for biking. We love our dad and can't wait to make him one for a 3rd time.

(taking care or sick Jack; playing ball with the kids; reading a story)

the last of...

Jackturned 5 yesterday and is going to start preschool with Ms. Karilee next week. Where did the summer go? I feel the push to post photos of his last day of preschool with Ms. Teri back in May. This is more for my documentation b/c I have been such a slacker and don't think many people still read this. I have debated shutting this blog down or making it private so I can still make my books (which I hope to complete 2009, 2010 and 2011 for Christmas this year b/c baby will be here shortly after that-so this may be one of the last posts of recording moments). Jack had such a great time with Ms. Teri and learned so much-even started reading a little. She was so great. My fridge is still covered in his artwork. I just can bring myself to throw it away. He was fortunate enough to be in class with 2 of his buddies, Peyton and Trent (and I was fortunate enough to have someone to carpool with).

(classmates: Allie, Aaron, Trent, Isabella, Mariel, Peyton, Bailee)
* * * * *

another last...karate. Jack was enrolled in karate from March-August. It was so fun to watch him and see his confidence grow. Master Pino was fantastic and made each class enjoyable. Jack's buddy, Riley, also made it enjoyable.

* * * * *

and one more last...soccer. With school and karate Jack's schedule was pretty busy but we managed to do soccer camp again this spring. It may not be his favorite sport, but he still had a lot of fun with his friends Riley, Peyton, and Kate.

taste of tuesday: chinese chicken salad

school may be starting in a week but summer temps are still above 100* and my desire to cook is close to nonexistent. we were at the pool last week and my girlfriend told me about her recipe for this salad. sounded so good I went straight from the pool to the store to pick up the ingredients. so simple. and tasty. Jack LOVED it. Chinese Chicken Salad
(Kelly Morter)

Ingredients:
for salad (add or subtract what you'd like)

• 1 head of cabbage of iceberg lettuce
• 1/4 c. cilantro
• 3-4 green onions
• 2 pkgs of top ramen noodles
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds
• 1/2 c. slivered almonds
• 2 c. cooked chicken (I made it easy and used a rotisserie chicken)
• 3 Tbs. sunflower seeds
• 1 can mandarin oranges (my addition)

for dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 5 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp/ pepper
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 2 flavoring packets from top ramen (original recipe calls for chicken flavor but I prefer oriental)

Directions:

Mix all dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Toast nuts and noddles @ 325*. (I skipped this step and just used them as is-was just as tasty. Also, I didn't have any sesame or sunflower seeds when I made it but I'm sure it would be a good addition). Toss all ingredients + dressing. Enjoy!

cowgirl

I love this picture. I took this picture last weekend at the Heber Valley Rodeo. I've been playing single parent the past 2 weeks. We initially traveled up to my parents for Aaron to compete in a bike race and I decided to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer and stay with the kids at my parents. It was a lot of fun and I wasn't ready to come back to the 112* and real life. a bulleted list of our trip is the easiest way to document

rodeo

Tour de Park City -where Aaron placed 22nd out of 75. He said this was the hardest race he has ever done-harder than LOTOJA. so proud of him

pool

parks-lots of parks

carnival-where Jack's favorite ride was the Ferris wheel "b/c he got to ride it with mom"

numerous trips to Granny's

Hill Aerospace Museum

pool

walks around the wet lands

Red Butte Gardens

picnics

many, many snow cones

much needed alone time at Paint my Piggies for a pedicure

splash park

Living Planet Aquarium

pool

hit up Borders going out of business sale-good stuff

lots of eating out at delicious restaurants-Blue Lemon is a must if you are in SLC

and did I mention the pool?

lots of family time

a collage of instagram shots will have to do until I get the motivation to edit real pictures for this blog instead of pictures from my phonenow we are back, gearing up for preschool (yes, we kept Jack home one more year), and training for LOTOJA in 3 weeks. I continue to be a single parent for a few more days while Aaron is on a fishing trip to So Cal. I am sitting in a quiet dark house, watching Les Miserables, planning our 11th anniversary next week, and "pinning" ideas for Jack's 5th birthday in 2 weeks. do you pinterest? another way to waste my time. I signed up over a month ago but only started to use it last week. still not sure how I feel about it. you?

taste of tuesday: I don't feel much like cooking....

...because I am 12 weeks pregnant. huge surprise. HUGE! I felt like our little family was complete with our 2 but someone else had a plan. Shocking that we got pregnant so quickly after our struggle and miscarriages prior to Kate. We weren't trying and didn't think it was possible with our history. #3 will make their debut on Feb 8, 2012. I have been feeling sick and tired most of the day for the past 2 months and have had no desire to cook. So, here are a few recipes and sites that I have bookmarked when my desire returns (and when the temps cool down):

• Rocky Road Bars-these are really good. I've made them twice now and am addicted.
• Best Bites: Our favorite recipes-so many goodies caught my eye
• coconut krispie chocolate chunk cookies-what's not to love!?
• white chocolate raspberry bundt cake-you can make this and i'll help you eat it

enjoy!

Papa came to town

(Pres Seager, Pres Walker, Pres Richards, Aaron, Papa)

Aaron rcvd a new calling for our church this weekend and Aaron's dad flew in to set him apart as a high counselor. We love when Papa comes to town.

the boys went kayaking and fishing at the lake

we went swimming and to dinner

he played Jack's favorite game at least 10 times. thank you so much for entertaining my kids. they adore their Papa

and one family photo snapped on Sunday after church. everyone looks put together but myself, but after 2 hours of high energy entertainment as the primary chorister in a dress and heels, I waste no time taking them off, hence the lounge wear. we need to take more (when I am dressed) b/c we only have a handful of photos with the 4 of us and that will be changing early next year!

(all photos courtesy of Papa b/c this momma has no desire to snap any)