Crazy Times!

Well, I relize it has been quite a while since I have posted something, but I am here now, so grab a snack and sit down and read on...
The Summer consisted of many pool trips while very pregnant and then we ended the summer with having our sweet baby boy Matthew in August. He was so cute when he was born. He had a lot of blond hair which was very different from his sister. She was a baldy. Ha! While I was still in the hospital, Grace, Dave and my sister Lauren were visiting. Grace was entertaining herself by counting some coins and while the rest of us were talking. Then al of a sudden I see Grace become quite silent and I turn and say, Grace Elizabeth, did you swallow those coins? She replied, umm yeah momma. SO luckily since we were in the hospital Dave took her down to the ER and they took an x-ray. Sure enough there was a coin. The doctors told Dave well just keep an eye out when you change her diapers. Yikes! Luckily Lauren was able to help out with that. I still owe her for that!
At four weeks he was starting to smile and has brought such a wonderful spirit into the home and I feel so fortunate to be their mother. Now he is four months and rolls over, and is getting his first couple of teeth in. Why must kids grow up so fast? Can't they just stay tiny forever?

Halloween was a lot of fun. We blessed Matthew that weekend and had many family and friends come and support our growing family. Grace was Belle and Matthew was a monkey. So cute! Grace quickly grasped the concept of trick or treating. It was such a fun night. Trick or treating, movies, family and candy sorting. What more could a kid ask for?

Well among all the holiday's and craziness my husband studied and took the GMAT. He scored very well and is now applying to 6 schools. They range from California to Boston. He has had a couple acceptances and is now waiting to hear from the last few so we can make a decision. Hmmm, ASU, BYU, Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, and MIT. Where should we go? Waiting for answers from these schools is so hard. I don't know how Dave stays so calm. I am like, ok, when can we knowwwwwwwwwwww????? But one thing I do know, is we are excited and up for a new adventure. Dave is a very smart man and I can hardly wait to see how he will progress in the two years to earn his MBA. Go Dave!

This Thanksgiving was just as fun as any other previous Thanksgiving. Family, lots of food, and of course the occasional nap (napping mostly done by the kiddos). My sweet in laws had everyone over to enjoy a wonderful spread. I was in charge of bringing mash potatoes. But if anyone knows me, they know I love to cook and I can't just bring plain old mashed potatoes (not that there is anything wrong with that). So I came up with a recipe with sauteed leeks and bacon and other creamy ingredients. Some people ask me, what is my secret to my mashed potatoes? I reply...butter. If you add butter to just about anything, I guarantee that you will end up with an excellent result. So, now you know the secret; however it's not that big of a secret, is it?

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches...
This year our family went with some friends to cut down our own tree. What an experience. I had the baby strapped in the carrier, and Grace was walking but kind of scared of slipping in the snow. Well the women decided to stay with the kids while the dads went off to find and cut down the tree. Dave was wearing his vans, which had no traction and were missing parts of his shoe strings...thank you dogs. He refused to wear some boots I had...even though they looked gender neutral, he was going to tough it out. What a man! Well, he found the tree cut it down and was making his way back to us. Meanwhile I was taking Grace potty in the forest. When potty training a child and deciding to take a trip in the forest area, be prepared for some emergency potty breaks. All went well though, wheeeeeewwwww! When we met up with Dave and got back to the car, I asked so I saw the tree but I couldn't tell how tall it was. He said, oh maybe seven feet. Umm, yeah, we got home and it was at least 9 feet. It was so funny. We just stood there and laughed. What a fun memory we made.
During the begining of December my Grandma passed away. She was such an inspiration and I am so honored to be her granddaughter. She worked hard her whole life and lived with great integrity. My family and I traveled to Arizona for the funeral. My sister and I sang a duet and I was so grateful for her support. It was a beautiful service and I was so honored to be a part of presenting a lovely service. We shared memories of how we were all effected by her love and kindness.

Christmas day came so quickly. We enjoyed spending time with Dave's family. All of his sibling's were able to come and it was so nice to visit. Christmas eve was spent flying toy helicopter's or watching movies, or sneaking delicious treats. Christmas day was so much fun to watch the little one's open their gifts with such amazement. Grace got a dollhouse, barbies, and princess toys. She was so happy with the dollhouse it was hard to get her to open up any other presents. What a sweetie! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of roast beef and twice baked potatoes; followed by delicious cakes and pies, and then a couple rounds of card games. I am not very good at playing but I enjoy spending time with everyone.

Well, as you can see I have been very busy as I am sure many other people have been. But I am happy to begin a new year. I hope I can follow through the new goals and challenges I have set up for myself. I am now looking forward to seeing what the new year will bring.

Gracie's Teeth Cleaning

When we were in AZ last, I thought it would be a good idea to have my dad the dentist look at Gracie's teeth. She was so good. We would tell her to open her mouth and she would, but only a tiny little bit. I think it wasn't too scary for her because Papa was the dentist( for those who don't know, that's what Grace calls her Grandpa Tim).

It was a nice trip to see family. Grace had fun with her Papa and Nana and aunts and uncles. Those boys kept teasing her though. They thought it was so hilarious how she would react to them. Silly teenage boys.

Well, summer is on it's way, and with the help of my friend Ashley and the Home Depot guy, I planted rose bushes. I am no guru on planting things, but here's hoping! I desperately needed some more color in front of the house. The tulips are great, but only for a couple short weeks. This way I get great color and a wonderful scent. Let's hope I don't ruin them! Yikes!

Grace was so funny, she was out there the whole time with me. She had her own little shovel and everything. She is quite the cute helper. I'm lucky to have such a sweet little girl.

Saturday Morning!

On Saturday morning we sometimes like to have a fun breakfast. Sometimes it's breakfast burritos and sometimes scrambled eggs with cheese and toast. Since it was General Conference today I wanted to make my family a fun treat. Today I came up with a yummy blueberry pancake recipe. I took a recipe and switched a couple of things and made it my own. Here it is!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes:
1 1/4c. all purpose flour
3/4c. buttermilk, well shaken
1/2c. milk
1/2c. melted butter, plus more for cooking cakes
2 eggs
1tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. sugar
3/4tsp. salt
1tsp. baking powder
1c. frozen blueberries defrosted(mix with 1tsp. sugar)

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside. Take buttermilk, milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Then slowly add the melted butter as to not scramble the eggs. Mix the dry and wet together just enough so the flour is mixed in. Don't over mix. Fold in the blueberries and set aside. Preheat the griddle pan and add a bit of butter to the pan, using a 1/4-1/3 cup, scoop out batter. Serve with favorite syrup or just top with whip cream!

Oh to be a Homeowner!

We had to get the kids shower fixed this week. I thought it would end up being a simple procedure but oh no! We had to replace the whole thing! It wasn't exactly cheap either. But now we have a wonderfully working shower.
It was pretty funny to try and keep three dogs( we're dog sitting), and a two year old out of the way. Luckily it was nice weather outside and Grace kept herself entertained.
I am just grateful that we have a shower. Hey, it could always be worse, right?

Recipes!

Mexican Lettuce Wraps:serves 4-6
2T. olive oil
1lb. ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 can drained black beans
1 can drained corn
1T-2T. chili powder
1T. cumin powder
2tsp. garlic powder
6-10 pieces of lettuce(iceburg is a good choice)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef in the oil adding in salt, pepper, chili, cumin,and garlic powders. Then add the onion and saute till tender. Add the beans and corn until heated through. Spoon desired amount onto the lettuce wrap and enjoy!


Walnut Crusted Chicken: serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 sage leaves
1 1/2c. shredded fontina cheese
2c. walnut pieces, crushed
1c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 stick of melted butter
salt and pepper

Take a chicken breast and slice open like a book. Then pound out till all even and flat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle 1/4-1/3 c. of cheese and place a sage leaf on top of cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Finish the rest of chicken. Roll each piece in the butter and then in the mixture of bread crumbs and walnuts. Place chicken in a heated skillet with a couple tablespoons of oil to brown on both sides. Then place in an oven safe dish and transfer to a heated oven at 350 degrees. Cook till chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes(it might take longer depending on your oven).


These two recipes I have tried on friends and family and people seemed to like them. I hope it works for you!

Recent News!

It has been a couple of crazy months, but with the holidays over it seems like we can relax a little. Dave has traveled so much this year, but he has done great with work. He always works hard and I couldn't be prouder of him. He will be traveling to AZ for some work, but somehow I think my family wont mind visiting with him. Haha!
Grace is growing so fast. I think I say that a lot, but it is so true. I can hardly enjoy all those little moments with her because there are so many new ones that keep coming. She has been into learning her ABC's and she likes calling me "Emily" instead of mom. It's pretty cute. She loves taking care of her baby doll and is always so gentle. I am so lucky to have such a sweet daughter! She enjoyed opening presents on Christmas. Grace had so much fun playing with her cousins. They were so exhausted at the end of the day. What a Christmas!
As for me, I am pregnant with our second child, and trying to not throw up all the time. I am tired but I love being a mom. It's all part of the gig, right?
Lately I am into cooking. I love making up recipes and having people test them. My poor husband is the guinea pig for testing my cooking. But he always helps me change or keep things the same. He gave me software to put all my recipes on and then I send it in to have it bound into an actual cookbook. Maybe someday I will be able to sell a copy or two, who knows. Anyway, that's what's going on with Dave, Emily, Grace, and Baby '09.