Midway with the Larsen's

We stayed the night in Midway on Thursday on our way to Hurricane, and also again on Friday the next week on our way back home to Cheyenne. Thanks to Lowell, we got a great rate on a room at the Zermatt. The kids just love to stay at the Zermatt, they like the pool and the breakfast. Grandpa and Grandma Larsen met us for breakfast, it was delicious, Isaac is still requesting bacon for breakfast. It was nice to see them and visit with them. Grandma Larsen found the way to Isaac's heart-vending machines! Isaac has always loved vending machines, he will do almost anything for a few quarters if I tell him he can use them in a vending machine. Grandma let Isaac pick a treat twice, he thought that was cool. Grandma Larsen also gave them some coins to throw into the wishing well, Isaac wished for the toothpaste dispenser(I'll post about this later). On Friday night, we met Adam and Adalee for Easter festivities at the Zermatt. There was a dinner, egg decorating and face painting. We all had a good time there and then ended the night with a brisk swim in the pool. Adalee is great with Sophia and Savannah, they really like her. It was nice to see you all.

Spring Break in Utah

The kids and I had planned on driving to Utah on Sunday, April 5th, but the weather changed our plans. We decided to caravan with my friend Becky, who was visiting her family in Heber. We made our decision to leave on Thursday morning to beat the storm, so I had just a few hours to pack for myself and 3 kids. It was nice to have someone to drive behind, it's just more comforting. It was a good idea, because Saturday was a blizzard in Cheyenne, I'm glad we missed it! Nick was stuck in Cheyenne working, and I felt bad that we were enjoying much better weather in Southern Utah. We had a great time visiting family, it was a great spring break for me and the kids. It was a lot of fun for the kids to play with their cousins, they really don't get to see them enough. Isaac enjoyed a day in Lund with Grandpa Reeve and Bryn. We had a nice girl's shopping excursion, lunch at DQ, getting body tested on the wii fit(after eating at DQ) and just good times playing out in the sun. Bethany celebrated her 10th birthday while we were there, Happy Birthday Cutie! We all got to go to the movie with her, we saw Monsters Vs. Aliens, it was a fun party. I really love my family, it was a nice week, thanks.

Field trip to the Doctor's office

Teacher Ann took her preschool class to the Children's Clinic for a very informative field trip. The children were each weighed and measured, had their heartbeats listened to and their reflexes tested. Dr. Stampfli was a good teacher, and we all had fun.

3rd attempt

After church a few weeks ago I told the kids I wanted to take a picture of them. Nick helped Isaac get dressed and I thought he did a particularly good job of making Isaac look handsome(it's not hard, he's such a cute boy!) Sophia and Savannah were wearing a new dress and their cute sweaters that Grandma Larsen gave them for Christmas. I just imagined it would be easy to snap a photo of them, but after the third attempt with no success, I just let them go play. Is it that hard to get 3 kids to look at you, keep their eyes opened and smile at the same time? Apparently!

Snow Day

We were awaken at 5:15 a.m. this morning by a phone call, it was the Laramie County School District with an automated message informing us that school was canceled due to inclement weather. I had just climbed back into bed when Nick's cell phone started ringing, I answered it and heard the same message. After hanging up, I Immediately heard my cell phone ring, alright, I think we got the message! But just in case, they emailed me too. So today is a catch up day, we're stuck at home and it's kind of nice. It's been too long since I've posted, so I'll try to catch up. I shot a few photos this morning, mostly just snowy shots, but please notice my new spring wreath and my poor Gerber daisies that Sophia, Savannah and I planted and have been watering and admiring, too bad I didn't take them in the garage and out of the weather. We have had one or two days of Spring weather, but it still feels like Winter to me.

It sounded like a good idea

I thought it would be fun to make green eggs and ham for dinner tonight. Isaac was all in, he ran for the green food coloring. I pureed some spinach and added it to some eggs, scrambled them up and added grated swiss cheese. It actually didn't sound that bad to me, but when I put it on the table, Nick was the first one to complain. He took one whiff of it and told me it reminded him of the inside of a deer stomach, very appetizing! Savannah took a bite or two, she was so excited because green is her favorite color. I took one bite, but I couldn't shake off the deer comparison. We all ate our ham, Isaac even colored his green for good measure. Nick didn't waste much time before making himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We all had berry smoothies, which were delicious and not green. This is just one of those many times where it sounds like a good idea at the time, but turns out to be a disaster.

Blankets for the girls

The girls and I went to lunch with some friends last week, on our way back to the car, we walked past a quilt shop. My insticts were to keep on walking, but there placed strategically in the window was horse fabric. Savannah eyed it and stopped in her tracks, she just loves horses and really liked the material. We walked into the cute little store and she picked up the bolt of fabric and proceeded to carry it throughout the shop. I don't really know how to sew, it's not my thing, so I really wondered what I could possibly create with the fabric. I tried to tell Savannah that we'd bring Aunt Angie in to the shop and get the fabric then, of course she didn't like that idea and had to have the fabric now. We decided upon a blanket, and a mere $24.00 later we walked out of the shop, with Savannah proudly holding her bag of fabric. All I could think was, couldn't we have just bought a blanket already made for that price? We got in the car and drove home, Sophia crying and sobbing the whole way about her not having any fabric to make a blanket. We went to another fabric store and I let her choose her own fabric, great, now I am really in over my head! I called Angie for a little sewing advice, and by that night we had 2 finished blankets. It was actually kind of fun to sew, and the girls love their nice, soft blankets. I feel a small sense of accomplishment, I finished a project!

Berry Trifle

I said to Isaac, "How does this look?"
Isaac said to me "Disgusting!"
I said to Isaac, "Good, more for me!"

Thanks for a wonderful Birthday!

Everyone was so kind on my Birthday, it was such a great day. I asked Nick if he could be that nice everyday, he went out of his way to do the dishes, watch the kids, and let me decide what to do during the day. We went to the movie as a family and just played all day, it was lovely. We ended the day with a homemade Texas cake, it was so sinfully delicious. Nick used his Mom's recipe, it was the best cake I've ever had.
Besides being at my beckon call, Nick gave me a make-up mirror for my birthday. I've wanted one for a while, and I really love it and will get some good use out of it. Thanks baby!
Angie was sweet and sent me the cute Birthday banner you see in the background,she made it herself, isn't it cute? I'll use it all year for each family member's birthday. Angie also gave me a collection of cute ribbon, which I love!

Chani and Ryan sent me a beautiful purse, I really love it. It's the perfect size to fit everything I need. I've received compliments already on it. Thanks a lot guys, I couldn't have picked out a better bag myself!

Meridy made me a wonderful card set, I know that it took a lot of time and effort, and I really appreciate it. Now I'll have some cute Birthday cards on hand, but I won't want to give them away because they're too cute. Thanks Meridy and Nate.

My kind and generous Mom and Dad sent me a nice card with a really nice gift inside. I'm saving it for a rainy day, or a pair of shoes.

I'm very blessed to have such a great family, it made turning 35 a little more bearable. I also appreciated all of the phone calls I received, I love you all.

Delicious and Refreshing

This is our new favorite dessert, it's fat-free and only 110 calories. There's nothing diet tasting about it, it's creamy and yummy. Cheers!

Skiing with my boys

Nick, Isaac and I just got home from an adventurous day of skiing. We went to Snowy Range, which is about an hour and a half from Cheyenne. We had so much fun together, and Isaac and I are actually improving each time. Isaac had ski lessons from Kevin, for the second time. He's doing a great job, he'll pass me up very soon. Nick shows us all up, but he's still patient with us. It's great to see Nick and Isaac spending time together doing something they both like.

Cooking with whole wheat

This post is mostly to motivate Angie to use her new wheat grinder. She called today while I was grinding wheat, I told her I was going to make cookies and bread. She asked me to post the recipes. I love the bread, especially toasted, it's dense and chewy-oh so yummy! Everyone likes the cookies (except Isaac, if it's healthy, Isaac stays far away). You can eat the cookies without feeling guilty. Here are the recipes-Enjoy!
The cookie recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious". This is a great cookbook, and gives healthy options. You sneak veggies into recipes, and most kids won't even notice. I've adapted the recipe a little, I make a bigger batch, and I use half applesauce, half margarine. I also add milled flax seeds, and oat flour. Just adjust it to your family needs. The bread recipe comes from a Vita-Mix cookbook, which is also a great one to have. I love this recipe because it's easy and fast.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C. firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 C. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
2 large egg whites (it won't kill you to throw in the whole egg!)
2 t. vanilla
1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas(garbanzo beans)
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour(I use wheat flour)
1/2 C. oats
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
Beat the sugar and margarine until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Mix until a thick dough forms. Drop by Tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes.






Whole Wheat Bread
1 1/4 C. warm water
1 T. Yeast
1 T. honey or brown sugar
2 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 t. lemon juice
Combine yeast, honey and water, let it sit for 5 minutes. Add flour and then all other ingredients. Mix until combined. Place dough in a greased bread loaf pan. You can use a wet spatula to smooth out the top. Let rise for about 15 minutes. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Isaac on the piano

Isaac is making great progress on the piano, he has a great teacher. I hope he does better at sticking with it than I did. Nick is a good example to him, Nick has been playing a lot lately. I love it when they fill the house with good music.

America

Isaac's class watched the inauguration of President Obama at school on Tuesday. Nick asked him what he learned at school and he said "Barack Obama." We were impressed that he even knew the new Presidents name. I decided that we would have a family inauguration party (hey, any excuse for a cake!) We talked about the stars representing each of the 50 states, and Nick asked Isaac to name 5 of those states. Isaac did it with ease, next time we'll ask for 20. We continued to talk about the flag, and then sweet Savannah peeps in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. The girls say it at preschool every day, but I didn't know that they could recite it. It was so cute that I had to get it on video. I really hope that President Obama lives up to all of the hype and makes a positive impact on America. We could use a good leader right now. I'm so grateful to live in such a wonderful, free country. God Bless America!

Isaac skiing

This was at the end of Isaac's lessons. He had a great instructor and enjoyed every minute. Hey Isaac, do you think when you're a pro, you don't have to wear your goggles? He was amazing, and surprised us all with his skiing ablilities, good job Isaac!

Our Trip to Utah

We had such a great trip over the long holiday weekend. We drove 7 hours to South Weber to stay with our dear friends Mike and Mindi. It was great to see their family and to catch up with them. Nick and Mike spent all day Friday skiing, we wanted to let them go at their own speed and not have to wait for us beginners. The rest of us did what we do best, we went shopping and to lunch. It was fun, but chasing kids around wore us out fast. That night the adults went out to a hip Mexican Grill for dinner. It was like old times when we lived in Wichita together. I wanted to get a picture of us, but the waiter I asked had apparently never taken a photo before and after the 3rd attempt, Nick was done posing, and we didn't get one picture. I then asked another waiter to do the honors, and by this time, Nick was done with the whole photo moment. The one and only picture we got was Nick storming out of the scene. This shows how patient Nick is with photos. After dinner, we went to Ifly Utah, and watched people defy gravity by flying in a wind tunnel. It would be fun to do someday, but the fact that it was $50.00 for 3 minutes discouraged us from trying it. Saturday morning, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day, and headed to Snow Basin ski resort. We left the little girls at Mike and Mindi's with a responsible babysitter, but Isaac was up for a fun day with us. Mike was extremely patient with Isaac, and helped him down the bunny slope numerous times. We had lunch at the lodge alfresco soaking up the sun and just enjoying the beauty surrounding us. After our power lunch, everyone but Nick, Mike and myself went to ski lessons. I would have benefited from lessons, but Mike was patient and gave me some pointers. He and Nick stuck by my side and led me down the mountain. The most satisfying part of all was watching Isaac ski. He has only been once, and wasn't really into it, but this time, he really took to it. He had one on one lessons, and his instructor said he did great. His favorite part about the day was riding the ski lifts. It was a magnificent day! After this fun adventure with the Smith's we drove to Midway, Utah to celebrate Marilyn's birthday. It was nice to visit with Nick's family. We went out to dinner, and then went back to their house for cake and ice cream. Savannah enjoyed her cake so much that she went back for more when nobody was watching. We stayed the night at the Zermatt resort, where the kids had a blast swimming. We left first thing in the morning to make the 7 hour drive back home to Cheyenne. It was a fun-filled trip to Utah.