Girls weekend

{March 24-26, 2017} The boys were having their weekend at the Cabin so we decided to make the most of our girl time!

Photo 1: We're all set to go see the new Beauty & the Beast movie! We really liked it! Of course they added some new parts, which Alivia didn't like and thought were a little creapy, but overall it was good. 

Photo 2: After our movie we had dinner @ Olive Garden. No girls weekend would be complete without pasta and breadsticks! #itsagirlthing

Photo 3: The next morning I took Alivia and some of her friends from church to the Stake Activity Day Girls activity.The theme was "Daughter of a King". They had a bunch of classes and workshops with crafts and a coordinating lesson. They did a really nice job and I know the girls had a good time. We even had some finger foods before we went home, complete with cucumber sandwiches (not sure what 8-11 year olds are going to eat those?) and a fruit kebab. Very nice and a special morning.

We'd been searching for "a princess dress" and we found it! Thank you Kohl's Cash! She looks so beautiful! 

We topped off our fun weekend with a playdate at our house with her friend, watched the Women's Session of Conference on the couch later and of course we had a slumber party in my bed (since the house was so quiet).

We had a really great time together. Alivia even wrote me this sweet note as we took notes for Conference.

Aw thanks Babe, I love spending time with you too. You are an amazing young lady and I love you so much! Can't wait to do this again.

Mommy Daughter Date

{9.27.14}

It's time again for our bi-annual General Women's Broadcast. We made a special date night of it. We got all dressed up, went to dinner at Olive Garden where we loaded up on Chicken Scampi, house salad and breadsticks, then we went to the women's social and finally listened to the broadcast. It was a fun night being together but I think it all might have been a little too much for my girl. She was exhausted after all of it. ;) Baby steps. 

Here are the talks were were lucky to hear. Watch, listen, print or download them here.

• Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known, by Linda K. Burton
• Preparing for the temple.
• As temples are prepared for the people people need to prepare for the temple.
• Parable of  the 10 virgins- liken to us preparing for the temple.
• Listed ways of how we can "add oil to our lamps"- family prayer, scripture study, deeds of kindness, chaste thoughts...

• "Where much is required, much more will be given."
• Covenant Daughters of God, by Jean A. Stevens
• She shares the story of her parents courting and marriage and then shares this thought-
• There is no doubt the details of your story will be different than hers. But principles from her life apply to all of us. When daughters of God focus on the temple and on their sacred covenants, God is able to send blessings in personal and powerful ways. Like my mother’s example to me, your choice to believe and keep covenants will leave a rich legacy of faith for those who follow you. 
• Sharing your Light, by Neill F. Marriott- I loved listening to this Sister with her cute Texam accent. :)
• Elder M. Russell Ballard writes: “We need more of the distinctive, influential voices and faith of women. We need them to learn the doctrine and to understand what we believe so that they can bear their testimonies about the truth of all things.”
• The scriptures teach, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light.”⁴
• Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship.”⁸ 
• ^{My days were full of forgettable things like folding laundry, reading children’s books, and putting casseroles together for dinner. Sometimes in the harbor of our homes, we can’t see that by the simple, consistent acts—including family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening—great things are brought to pass. But I testify that these very acts carry eternal significance. Great joy comes when those little boats—our children—grow into mighty seafaring vessels filled with gospel light and ready to “embark in the service of God.”9 Our small acts of faith and service are how most of us can continue in God and eventually bring eternal light and glory to our family, our friends, and our associates. You truly carry a circle of influence with you!}
• Living the Gospel Joyful, by Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf (one of my FAVORITE speakers!!)
•  Your Heavenly Father has high aspirations for you, but your divine origin alone does not guarantee you a divine inheritance. God sent you here to prepare for a future greater than anything you can imagine. The promised blessings of God to the faithful are glorious and inspiring.... It takes more than a spiritual birth certificate or a “Child of God Membership Card” to qualify for these incomprehensible blessings.
•  I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us. We need to accept that the commandments of God aren’t just a long list of good ideas. They aren’t “life hacks” from an Internet blog or motivational quotes from a Pinterest board. They are divine counsel, based on eternal truths, given to bring “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.”⁶ His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings.
• ONE OF MY FAVORITE THOUGHTS from this Session-
• Yes, God loves you this very day and always.
  He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.
  And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own.
  He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!

It was a wonderful session, filled with the Spirit. These messages strengthened me, and lifted me up and they inspire me to do more and be better.  :) Thanks for a great night Alivia. IT.WAS.AWESOME.

Snapshots of mommy

We live in a very technologically-savvy world these days and we feel it's important for our kids to have an early start in it.  One of the ways we encourage these skills is with cool learning games on our phones and iPad. One such feature that I LOVE is the camera built-into my phone and iPad.

Levi was playing with my phone one day and took these pictures of me. I'm happy he did! I'm usually the photographer, and the curse of being the photographer is that YOU aren't in the pictures, even if you WERE there too!

I must say he did a pretty good job. Thanks for the pictures Levi!

I like this one. A candid "working" moment.

A silly mommy moment, too rarely seen, but I think I'm getting better about it. :?

Cute abstract angle and shot. Daddy says he LOVES it when I make this face. "It's classic (me)."

A silly grumpy face.

three-cheese chicken penne

This recipe seems to be an updated recipe to a few others I've had from years past. It seems more grown-up and more developed and we really like it. Very creamy and cheesy, but with a lot of other good chicken and veggies. Supper time!

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 32 minutes
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
8 oz. penne, uncooked
1 t. olive oil
vegetable cooking spray
8 oz. package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 c. chopped fresh spinach
1 T. fresh oregano, chopped OR 1 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. pepper
16 oz. cottage cheese
2 c. shredded roasted chicken
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 c. milk
1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 425*. Heat olive oil in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper; saute 4 minutes or until tender.  Add spinach, oregano, and pepper; saute 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts. Set aside.
3. Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine milk and cream of chicken soup; whisk until blended. In a large bowl, mix milk/soup mixture with cottage cheese, spinach mixture, cooked pasta, chicken, 3/4 c. cheddar cheese, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.Stir until well blended. 
4. Spoon mixture into a 2 qt. (8x8) baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
5. Bake at 425* for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

its a jungle out there!

Earlier this month we went over to visit our cousins in Phily! We thought, "Sure. 2 moms, 6 kids, let's go to the zoo!" What were we thinking? But honestly, I don't think it could have gone much better. It was definitely doable and I'm sure we had some divine assistance. THANK YOU!

We were only able to see about 1/3 or less of the zoo but we had a great time. We saw zebra, hippo, rhino, the big cats, penguins, the reptile house, tortoise and horses.

Me and my caravan

The 4 big kiddos

Some big tortoises munching on some salad

Our sweet boy dozing in his seat as we strolled around. Honestly, he did great! He napped a bit, ate his lunch, bounced along in his front pack, and snuggled back in his seat for this nap. It was an exhausting day for all of us. Oh and the temp was about 87* or so. It was warm but there was a breeze, hallejuah!

The boys watching these cute penguins swim around and then slide down their slide.

Jackson was fascinated by this turtle. He could have watched him all day. I think its sweet how he has his hands on the glass and followed him around. (Our little secret: If we ever WERE to have a pet, a turtle is one of the few I think I could do. That or a fish. Don't tell the kiddos! I don't think Mom's ready for a pet right now. I'm working with the circus I have!) Hahaha I wouldn't have it any other way though :)

Miss Alivia was our navigator for the day. She got a map as we walked in (all the kids did actually) and she kept a hold of it the whole time. She wanted to know right where we were, what was up ahead and how to go to see what we wanted to see next. She did a really good job and I was really proud of her.

I've always had a thing with maps too. I remember on family trips always wanting to hold or see the map and help with directions, if needed. I think it's cool to see Alivia has that too! Which is pretty cool for a girl, considering boys seem to naturally have a better sense of direction.

These next few shots are at "The Treehouse" which is for zoo members only. Luckily, my sister-in-law IS a member. What a cool place. The kids could have played here all day.

Jackson's favorite part was these fish eggs he crawled all over! He LOVED them!

The girls hopped a ride from a friendly caterpillar

This HUGE Monarch butterfly that hung WAY up high was gorgeous! I can't quite capture its beauty but you get the point.

This was some giant honeycomb with giant bees. On the lower few rows the honeycomb is hollowed out so the kids could crawl through. This was a very cool place, like I said.

Mommy & Levi enjoying some time in the front pack as the other kiddos ran around at The Treehouse.

A & S at the base of this HUGE tree. Amongst the "roots" were all sorts of trails and pathways and there's even a staircase in the tree trunk. Or so I hear.  I stood guard in the front half of The Treehouse. This place was big and with 5 kiddos walking or RUNNING around there was a lot of keep track of.

They had these giant eggshells the kids enjoyed playing in.

They took turn laying down while sucking their thumbs and saying "Mama".

After about an hour of playing at The Treehouse, I coaxed the kids out with the lure of ice cream treats for all! They were hot and tired from all their good running around so we set off to find a cool treat. But on our way we saw this HUGE rhino. It was funny to watch him. He walked up to his shaded area, did a 180 and then backed up into it (because it wasn't wide enough for him to turn around in once he was in). As I watched, I couldn't help but here the "beep beep beep" of the big trucks as they back up.

We did FINALLY find ice cream treats for everyone before we headed back to the car, completely, hot, exhausted, and sticky. After a yummy dinner and some play time, we threw the kids into the tub, dressed them in their jammies and jumped back in the car for the 1 1/2 hour drive home. 2 of the 3 kiddos slept at least half the way. The 3rd kiddo fell asleep as soon as she hit her pillow at home.

Ahhh, home sweet home

a great shot

On Mother's Day I asked Daddy to get a picture of Mommy and her kiddos. This is what he got! Pretty great huh? Wow! I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day gift than this great shot I'll remember forever! Love you kiddos!

dc trip

Daddy celebrated his birthday a couple weeks ago! Hooray! He took the day off and we headed down to DC for our first family trip to the Smithsonians. Can you believe it? It actually was a very good day.

Our three kiddos strapped in for the long haul down.

Mommy and kids at the Washington Monument, well, we walked BY it, if that counts...

We decided we'd just go the Museum of Natural History this time. I think we all love the HUGE elephant that greets you in the rotunda of the museum. How can you forget it?

The kids found this brass monkey and thought they needed to take a picture by it, along with all the other passers by. What is it that makes us want to do this? Odd...

We had a GREAT day! Everyone did really well, and we even found a parking spot fairly easy. It was farther away from the museum than we'd anticipated and the cold wind about did us in while we walked around the construction on the sidewalk, but I'd say that was the only hiccup of the trip. A definite success!

he's got the look

Levi is a good good baby. He's generally very mellow, squawks occasionally and cries even more infrequently. He's really working on holding up his head, eating a lot, sleeping even more and filling his diapers according to schedule. We really could not ask for anything more.  Look at all the cute faces we get to see every day! 

He's also working on his smile and generally shares them with his Daddy the most, but the rest of us get some now and again too.  Poor little fella has had some nasal congestion lately and does a lot of snorting in his attempt to breathe.  It's both cute and sad.  Did I mention even without his cold he's a very noisy eater and sleeper?  Ahh the sweet baby sounds.

Levi is a wonderful addition to our family and we are so happy to have him here with us!  We love the chubby cheeks he's got and the double chin we can kiss on! I LOVE CHUBBY BABIES! You know, I used to be one myself. See! Ahhh, so cute! :)

As of now, the overal consensus is that Levi resembles Jackson, which I do see, but I see some of Alivia too. Let me demonstrate.

Baby Jackson:

Baby Alivia:

What do YOU think?

behind the times

It's been QUITE a while since I've posted anything, so I'd say it's high time I do!

I am very pleased to announce that after about 2.5 solid months of potty training, Mr J has been diaper-free for about a month now! Woowhoo! He has developed the sense of KNOWING when he needs to go, he stops what he's doing, and GOES! And, he's able to hold it if he needs to. But mostly, I'm just SO grateful he KNOWS when he needs to GO, stops what he's doing, and DOES what he needs to. It's such a huge help having him self-sufficient in that department. And yes, I know this is all in time for another round of diapering to start but it's different with a little baby who is COMPLETELY DEPENDENT on you, vs. a little boy who tells you when he's stinky or hides to do his "business". Thank you for these little miracles!

Speaking of miracles, I can count down the days to my due date on 2 hands! Holy cow! I'm feeling pretty good though. Baby dropped a couple weeks ago and that has helped a lot, but I'm still growing and getting not as comfortable (again).

Current challenges you're welcome to chuckle at include:

* tieing my shoelaces is not a pretty sight, slip-ons are preferable;
* sleeping for more than 2.5 hours comfortably is not attainable (I know this is good prep for the upcoming days but still...);
* sitting at or near a 90* angle is not possible without sending me into contractions (maybe that's a good thing...);
* getting off of the couch MAY occasionally require me to roll off first, then get to my feet with assistance;
* sleeping with 3 pillows and a body pillow is necessary for optimal comfort- times like these a KING bed would be nice, at least for the hubby
* Rutter's chocolate milk is an essential food group, mmm mmmm good.

 (this shot was taken about 3 weeks ago, and not the best picture but you get the idea)

These and many more obstacles make my daily life comical to watch, and no I'm "not that big" for being 9 months pregnant, but I'm bigger than I used to be and I'm not used to lugging all this around, so it doesn't come off as graceful or natural. And, let me just say, this is not whining, or is not meant to come off as whining, I'm simply trying to paint the picture for you, or me rather for future journal purposes. :)

Our family had a very nice Christmas and New Year's filled with numerous gifts and tablescapes of delectable cuisine. By the time New Year's was over, we were all ready to de-tox and take a breather from "all the celebrating"- it can be exhausting! (Tough life, I know.)

Miss Alivia continues to LOVE preschool and currently has her first loose tooth! Can you believe it?! Me neither! She loves to color and draw, sing and dance, play dress-up, and help Mommy with whatever she's doing. She's a great big sister to her brother and will be a BIG help with her new brother, I'm sure of it.

Jackson is all boy. He likes to dress-up with his sister in his army fatigues or Spiderman costume and then chase her around the room with an occasional karate chop/kick combo. He has some golf clubs he likes to drag around, and he LOVES the garbage truck and spiderman toys he got for Christmas. He likes to " 'nuggle wif you" on the couch or whereever and although he has the tough guy persona at times, he's definitely a lova'.

We have received a little snow here and there and the kids are always anxious to get out and play in it! Of course! At this very moment they're bundled up and are walking around in the crunchy snow we got last night and this morning (a couple inches of snow with an icy layer on top). It's great that they're able to get outside and play!

Mommy and Daddy are getting anxious for the new addition to their family. Mommy fills her time with housework, shuttling to and from preschool, trips to the store, crafting/creative time with the kids, and a lot of other "nesting", including more simple sewing projects, including taggie blankets, burp cloths, and blankets for the new baby and for expectant friends. Daddy fills his time working hard for all of us every day, then playing hard with the kids when he's home and helping Mommy whereever she needs, including giving her a hand to get off the couch or tie her shoes, or whatever the task requires. He is a GREAT daddy and a GREAT husband and I really lucked out. Honestly, I'm grateful every day that I have him for forever!

mmm mmm good

A couple weeks ago I did some serious canning.
I forgot how MUCH you need to do so little. It makes me crazy.

This fall, I started with canning pears. I had 55 pears and only got 11 quarts from them, so I had to buy another bushel to can a total of 24 quarts. Sheesh! We'll have to be on rations with these, seeing as we can down a whole quart in a day, if we each have 1 serving. What can I say? They're heavenly and we can't resist!

A few days later, I helped my mother-in-law can applesauce. They have 3 apple trees in their backyard and my father-in-law picked at least 3 bushels of apples for us to can.

*The links of "how to can pears or applesauce" are not the links I used, but give you a general idea of how it's done if you don't already know.

After you wash the apples you cut out the horribly bad spots, throw them in a huge pot and cook them until they're mushy. Then you scoop them into the blessed Victorio strainer and it does all the hard work, separating the peel and core from the yummy fruit. From there you just add what sugar you want, put in your jars, and can to seal them. We ended up with 70 quarts! Wow-ie! It was a long afternoon, evening and night but it feels great to be done!

I guess I didn't take any pics of the pears I canned but they look like they did from last year's post, only more in a jar.

What an accomplishment! Feels great to be done and see them sitting on the shelf!

peanut butter fudge bars

This is another YUMMY recipe from here. But with the PB & Chocolate combo, how could it NOT be a hit?! 

• Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min.

Ingredients

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 1 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 c. (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 T. butter

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, peanut butter, oil, and egg until well blended.
• Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and butter over low heat; stir until smooth. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

2nd annual soup night 2010

Friday night we had an all-adult dinner party (thank you to Grandma & Pap for having the kids overnight) with Josh's high school buddies and spouses/friends. It was so much fun!

We did this about a year ago and decided to make it an annual occurrence, or possibly BI-annual occurrence. There were 11 of us total, everyone brought something.

Josh made his delicious chili (which I'd post if he'd write it all down for me; he kinda "cooks from the hip"), I made my "too easy clam chowder", and our friends brought their chicken corn chowder. We also had spring rolls and veggies and dip as appetizers, I made Italian sodas for everyone (recipe to follow). We also had yummy bread from Panera to go with our soups, along with double vanilla bean cupcakes and strawberry pie for dessert. We were all STUFFED by the time we were done eating.

Great job everyone! Soup night 2010, part 1, was a big success!

Italian sodas

Serves: about 15

16-20 oz. red party cups
Ice
3 liters club soda
3 bottles of flavoring (aka non-alcoholic martini/cocktail mixers; found in the sodas/water/drinks isle)
6 pts. half & half
2 bottles whipped topping
bendy straws

1. Fill 1 party cup 1/2 full of ice.

2. Then, fill 1/2 full with club soda.

3. Pick your flavoring and fill cup 1/4 more with flavoring.

4. Fill the last 1/4 of your cup with half & half. Stir with a straw.

5. Remove straw. Spray on whipped topping and add straw.

ENJOY! You too can do this simple, yet fancy addition to your next special occasion.

PS: My favorite flavor is MANGO, although we've also tried Pear, Wildberry, and Pomegranate (which was probably my 2nd favorite).

christmas card for you

**2009 has been good to us. We've had a lot of fun adventures.

**ALIVIA became quite the fish @ Pap's pool and was swimming on her own at the end of the summer. Also, she went to her first amusement park and LOVED it. She is a happy, smart, loving, and very talkative little 4 year old. This little girl likes to have fun. She loves to help Mommy, and play dollies and princesses with her little brother (who has a lot of fun too). She also likes to horse around with Daddy, and share a root beer float with him when Mommy is at work. ;)

**JACKSON had a great time playing in the snow for his FIRST time too. He is proud to be a Mama's boy; he's generally very content being hauled around or following her around. He's my cooking/baking apprentice. He loves to "cook" with me or play kitchen with Alivia. Jackson enjoys snuggling, playing with his trucks and reading books. He's always full of giggles when he's tumbling around with Daddy and Alivia. Most recently he's expressed he likes to go to "chuch" so he can sing " la la la" and wave his arm to conduct the music. It's pretty stinkin' cute.

**JOSH had part of his thyroid out due to cancer, but is recovered and doing splendidly! He works really hard for us, then he comes home and unwinds with the kids. He enjoys the outdoors, all things technology, and watching hunting and football with Jackson in his lap. I walked in while they were watching football one Sunday and saw them both grunting and hollaring at the TV. It was pretty funny. Start 'em young I guess. :)

** I seriously upped my crafting and scrapping time this year and had a great time. I've recently felt the adrenaline rush from clipping coupons and saving BOOKOO! =) It's awesome! I look forward to perfecting this hobby in 2010.

**We thank you for your friendship and love and support and we hope you have a wonderful and very MERRY Christmas, and a fantastic NEW YEAR!

From our family to your's-

MERRY CHRISTMAS!