welcome to heatherland

two little monkeys jumping on the bed

2011-09-15T16:19:00.001-06:00

Nobody ever sleeps around here!

almost walking

2011-09-15T11:09:00.002-06:00

William is really close to walking on his own, but as of right now, he relies heavily on this hippo.

baby maisie

2011-09-14T00:03:00.001-06:00

My sister, Cami, and her family made the journey from North Carolina yet again this summer. This time with 4 kids instead of 3! I told Cami, "You have to come out, just so I can take pictures of the baby!"

Lucky, lucky me...I was able to take pictures of my sweet new niece, Maisie, when she was just 4 weeks old.

Thanks Cam, for coming out just for me {right?}. I loved our picture day! Maisie is perfect.

I love this outtake.

chalk it up

2011-09-13T22:19:00.002-06:00

{click on the images to see them in a larger format}

The master at work...day one.

The kids got in on the action, and Olivia hoarded the chalk as you can see.

Most of the family came to watch Clayton work his magic.
Even cousin Hagrid paid a visit :)

Can you believe the talent this guy has? Yes folks, that is MY husband.

The final drawing and the winner of the People's Choice Award!

They say pictures speak more than words, and that is definitely the case here! This was back in June when Clayton participated in the Chalk Art Festival at The Gateway. He did lots of chalk drawing on his mission in Switzerland, but he hadn't done anything since then. The night before the Chalk Fest, he said to me, "I hope I can do this."

I laughed.

Because he can do ANYTHING.

Obviously.

He chose this work by Carl Bloch titled Christ in Gethsemane because it was his favorite when we saw the exhibit at BYU last spring. I think the subject matter struck a chord with people, and then his talent on top of it made it just amazing. He won first place in the People Choice Awards. I'm sad it got washed away in the rain the next day, I was hoping to go and chisel out that concrete and put it somewhere in my house :)

His company, M4, did a film including a time-lapse video that you just have to see.

{Click here for viewing on Vimeo.}

2011 Chalk Art Competition - Utah Foster Care Foundation from M4 Creative on Vimeo.

whirlwind

2011-06-26T21:34:00.003-06:00

{Shooting a wedding with my brother Trevor on his 30th birthday last week!}

Remember a couple weeks ago when I said I was going to catch up here? Haha, what a liar.

That truly was my intention.

I guess I caught up a teeny bit {if you missed this entry about going to the dentist, please do read it for a good laugh}, but OH MY have I been busy! I think about blogging everyday while zipping from one thing to the next, and then I feel so overwhelmed with all the things I need to write about on here that I don't even know where to start! Do you ever feel like that?

Between Olivia getting into things and destroying my house 24/7, changing two kids' diapers, keeping food in the fridge for all these kids who are out of school for summer, laundry, "what's for dinner?", emptying the dishwasher for 3 times a day, picking up gifts for the baby showers and birthday parties, lots of photography shoots to go to and edit, trying to be a fun mom and do things before school starts again, swim lessons, family parties, and trying to find a replacement belt for the vacuum since one of the kids completely burned it up....I barely sit down these days! And that's just the beginning of my to do list. I always thought when I was a kid that moms had all the time in the world. Boy was I wrong! Anyone who thinks that is totally ignorant to the serious craziness that comes with motherhood.

I'm honestly not complaining. Just explaining. I love my life despite the insanity and high-speed pace. I want and need to make the time to record all the little things as they are passing me by so quickly! I can't believe Will is almost one and I can't believe how funny Olivia is.

So hopefully you'll hear from me here again soon. That's the plan anyway.

grandma stanley

2011-06-26T15:23:00.012-06:00

This is Grandma Stanley. I miss her so much already. She left this life on May 15, 2011...five days after her 89th birthday, and six months to the day after Grandpa passed away. What a rough time she had over those six months, in and out of the hospital after falling and breaking her nose, her pelvis, and for several other complications. But in the end, I think she died of a broken heart. I am truly so happy for her to be with Grandpa again. I would have loved to see that reunion in heaven, it must have been wonderful.

Grandma had 6 girls, 31 grandchildren, 101 great-grandchildren {I think Will was number 100}, and 9 great-great-grandchildren. Although she had a huge family, she could tell you exactly what was going on in everyone's lives. She loved every one of us, and truly worried about us when we were going through rough spots. Everyday for years and years, each of her six girls would call her on the phone, so she was very connected to the whole family that way. How she had time to talk to that many people everyday is beyond me!

I remember that when she was excited about something, she would say she was "thrilled" or "tickled pink." I always thought that was so funny. She gave us pajamas every Christmas and I remember thinking, "Boring!" But now, looking back, I see how generous that was, especially since she had so many grandkids, and she and Grandpa lived in a tiny shoebox of a house. They were so kind to us. I remember going to their house for breakfast every Christmas, and it was so crowded in that little kitchen, but they always welcomed everybody.

If you went to visit, she and Grandpa wouldn't let you leave unless they had fed you something...even if it was freezer-burned ice cream {which my brother-in-law Colby secretly flushed down the toilet...shhhh!}. I have a funny memory of Thanksgiving at their house from when I was probably 6 or 7 years old...their tiny house was PACKED, and some of us kids kept running through the kitchen while Grandma was trying to make her pies and finish cooking the dinner. Her nervous side snapped, and she yelled at us kids, "Get the hell out of my kitchen!" I remember being slightly afraid of her at that moment, but now I think that's hilarious. It's funny, I don't remember her ever babysitting us. Apparently, she hated babysitting. At least she was honest!

The apricot tree out in Grandma's front yard was our favorite to climb. She made her own apricot and raspberry jam, bottled the raspberries and tomatoes from the garden, and even pickled beets. I have a yellow piece of paper tucked in my recipe book, where Grandma wrote {in nice cursive} her recipe for apricot jam. It's a little piece of her I'm so glad I have. I remember seeing her in an apron a lot, and seeing her down in the cellar beneath the kitchen floor. There were rows and rows of glass jars full of colorful jewels from the garden. It had a musty smell, and I was too terrified as a kid to ever go down there. When Ben was a baby he actually fell down into that cellar when it was left open. Grandma about had a heart attack when that happened!

We used to lay on the grass in the summer heat at Grandma's house and watch the big airplanes fly right over us as they came in to land at the nearby airport. They were so loud it seemed the ground would tremble. It was very exciting as a kid.

Grandma would tell me how lucky I was to have so many baby dolls, because when she was little she only had one or two. She would tell me how proud she was of me for taking such good care of my dolls. I don't know why I remember that, but I do. I remember it exactly...my bedroom, my little doll cradle stuffed with dolls and all their little blankets. Grandma loved them as much as I did!

If you've ever heard Patsy Cline sing, then you know what my Grandma's voice was like. She was so talented. She and Grandpa had a band back in the day. We used to go up to my mom's cousin's ranch in Idaho each summer for the Ross reunion {my grandma's maiden name}. Grandpa would play the guitar and the two of them would sing and sing until it was dark and the stars were shining. All of us little cousins would dance and laugh until one of us peed our pants! It was such a good time.

She was very blunt...I remember being at her house once when her sister Alice was visiting. This was after I had a couple kids and I had lost some weight. See, I was a bit more square during my high school and college years, and she wanted everyone to take note that I'd finally dropped the pounds. She told me to stand up and turn around in the middle of the room while she and Alice sat there and inspected me. "Now you remember, Heather always had that waddle chin?" Grandma said to Alice. Alice said, "Oh yes! Well, look at that!" Waddle chin?? I wasn't THAT pudgy, sheesh! I could have been totally offended, but that's just Grandma and she never meant anybody harm. She was just the most honest person you ever met.

Grandma was married at 16, and had her first baby at 17. She and Grandpa lived in Park City, and she said all the old ladies in Park City were counting the months when the baby was born to make sure it was legitimate! She had her last baby when she was 41, so I have cousins who are older than my youngest aunt. One thing Grandma always said was, "If I knew then what I know now, I would've had ten children!" She loved to be surrounded by her family. Another thing she told me was that she wished that she hadn't worried so much about keeping the house perfectly clean. "Spend more time with your little ones, you can clean the house later," she said.

{Holding baby Nina}

{Both sets of grandparents. Grandma & Grandpa Stanley, and Grandma & Grandpa Haugen}

Grandma always made sure to pick out a special blanket for each great-grandbaby, and she and Grandpa made an effort to come and see each new little one. Ben has always been so sweet to Grandma, especially when she was living at my mom's house. He would go give her a hug the minute we walked in the door. "Ben is the boy I always wanted," she'd say.

I'm happy I was able to say goodbye to her a couple of times before she was gone. We knew she was going because she just slept and slept and went for days without eating. A few days before she passed away, I held her hand and told her how much I loved her, and told her to send our love to Grandpa when she meets him again. I knew she could hear me because she shrugged her shoulders and looked like she was trying so hard to open her eyes. Then I was able to see her again the next day and she actually woke up! She asked me what the weather was like outside, and it was one of those rare beautiful days inbetween all the rainy ones. She seemed happy about that. I was holding Will in my arms and she said, "Is this your boy?" She seemed a little confused, and I knew that she normally wouldn't have had to ask. "Yes, Grandma, this is William," I replied. She reached out and squeezed his fat little hand, "I love him so much!" she whispered. It made me cry! My cousins Joi and Lindsie came up from St. George to say goodbye, and amazingly she woke up for them just as they were about to go back home. Grandma looked at Joi's face and said "Joi!" It was suddenly a party since she was awake for a few minutes. "We're jumping for joy every time you say something, Grandma!" Lindsie told her. That was Saturday.

Sunday morning just after 10 am, my mom called me and told me Grandma had just passed away. I remember feeling so devastated when my Grandpa died, but this time I felt so at peace. Maybe it's because I know the two of them are together again, as they should be.

ten months already?

2011-06-19T22:36:00.011-06:00

We call him Charlie Brown with that perfectly round, bald head. I know the perfect costume for him for Halloween!

A little leaf blew in and he watched its path until it disappeared.

I love his reflections in the glass.

Trying not to let his legs touch the cold cement!

{click on images to view full size}

This little boy is growing up way too fast.

Ten months already?

Here are some pictures from about 2 weeks ago. I'd been wanting to do pictures of him at 9 months, but every time I got him ready he either fell asleep in the car or it started raining {AGAIN}. These pictures were taken in a crazy wind storm within about 5-10 minutes. You wouldn't know, because he doesn't have any hair to blow in the wind, but his poor little lips started quivering because the weather turned chilly! All the other kids came along. Ben and Hannah were shouting, "Let's go! It's freezing!" while Nina and Olivia's lips turned purple from the cold. I'm happy I was able to get any pictures at all!

William is such a sweet baby, and for the most part he is so calm and so happy. His cry is still small and sweet and heartbreaking, yet he's perfecting the art of the tantrum by throwing in the back arch and limpy noodle when he doesn't get his way. He laughs at the smallest things...sometimes a loud squeal and sometimes a single grunty chuckle. This kid growls and grunts while he crawls around shoving toys into his mouth. He's about to pass up Olivia on the growth chart, weighing in around 19 lbs. {Olivia only weighs 22 lbs.!}. I'm thinking he will soon be dishing back all the shoves, face plants to the tile floor and horsey rides that she has so generously bestowed upon the poor child.

On Sundays, I sit at the front of the room for class so that Will has plenty of room to crawl around and play with toys. Usually my friend MJ is there with her baby Mac. The two of them make quite the team. This typically involves chewing on each other's toys, attempting to tip over the music stand, Cheerios feeding frenzies, and loud burps.

Give this kid a car and he immediately starts to push it around. Where did he learn to do that? Total boy.

William has two bottom teeth and that's it. I keep thinking he is teething, but who knows when those other teeth will show up. He does a pretty good job of mashing up food anyway. His favorite thing to eat is pieces of cut up fruit...watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, cherries.

I love you so much baby Will!

P.S. I'm trying to find a substitute for whole milk so that I can start weaning him. He has a dairy allergy, so I can't put him on whole milk! But soy milk, rice milk, etc. don't have the fat content that a baby needs. Any suggestions? I am hoping he grows out of this allergy...95% of babies do outgrow it by age 2, and I hope he will just to simplify things a bit!

anika's bridals

2011-06-12T17:16:00.006-06:00

My cousin Anika is getting married this coming Saturday and I am so excited she asked me to be her photographer. The wedding is going to be in my grandparents' backyard {where Clayton & I had our reception} and I'm sure it's going to be just gorgeous.

Here are my favorites from the bridal session we did about 6 weeks ago {I know, I know...lots of catching up to do!}. The Great Salt Lake was an amazing location, despite the bright, bright sun. We were just grateful it wasn't raining that day! It's been such a rainy spring.

I brought Will with me because I knew I'd be gone for hours and the little guy is still pretty attached. My sister Hailey came along as my travelling nanny. She is the best! "Just doing my auntly duties!" as she says. Here's a little snapshot she took with her phone while she was doing her "auntly duties."

it's been a while

2011-06-05T21:19:00.006-06:00

Helloooo! Even I thought I dropped of the face of the earth this last month. It's been a doozy, but everything's good and just super busy, as always. I'm going to attempt catching up a little, and then hopefully stay on top of my blogging life. It's sad that the times in my life when I really should be keeping a journal/blog I feel like I don't have the time!

Tonight was my mom's birthday BBQ at my place, and let me tell you, we partied like there was no tomorrow! We even broke out the turkey hot dogs because we are SO crazy. I'm kidding...but we really did have some turkey dogs on the barbie, in case you were wondering. My sister Hailey took this photo while we enjoyed a little sunshine and the perfect temperature for once! That's Ben, my nephew Casch, me, Will's bald little head, my brother-in-law JJ, my mom's head, my dad's feet, and sister Erika. Did I ever tell you how much I love Sunday family dinners? I really do.

good morning baby

2011-05-20T17:07:00.001-06:00

I love this boy. He wakes up with a big smile on his face EVERYDAY.

a good cleaning

2011-05-12T16:18:00.006-06:00

It had been wayyyy too long since we'd seen the dentist, so finally the day arrived to get those pearly whites a good cleaning. I packed the kids into the minivan, dropped Olivia off with my sister Erika, and hit the freeway. Hannah thought it would be a good idea to read in the car, and I should have know better than to let her.

She was in the front seat next to me and within minutes she muttered, "Mom, I'm carsick." I turned on the cold air, full blast.

"Does that help? Just look straight ahead." She looked super pale.

We were zipping along in the far left lane when she announced in a panic, "I'm gonna throw up!"

"Aaah! Open your window! I can't pull over!"

Cars were everywhere to the right of me, and I was smack up against a cement barricade on the left. Hannah stuck her head out her window and let loose. The car behind us switched on their windshield wipers...I'm so sorry! The wind violently whipped a fine mist of vomit back into the car, and all of us were enveloped in it.

"Mom! Pull over! Make her stop! I'M SERIOUS!!" Ben was FREAKING out, so angry in the back seat. Nina plugged her nose and looked like she was going to cry. Will slept. I laughed so hard I was afraid I might crash, my eyes were blurred with tears. I had to call someone, this was just too funny not to share. So I called Erika and I could barely talk because I was laughing so hard...I managed to squeak out what happened. I literally cried off all my mascara.

Hannah finally sat down, defeated, with a grumpy frown and a pale complexion. There was puke all over her sweatshirt, all over her hair, and I don't even want to think about what her breath smelled like. AAAAH! We are going to the dentist! Right up close and personal. She was so mad at me for laughing.

When we got there she took off her sweatshirt and left it in the stinky van. I did my best to rinse her hair out in the bathroom sink and twist it into a bun. I gave her some gum, and cleaned all the mascara from my face. I felt like telling everyone in the dentist office, "We don't normally look or smell this bad."

Not only did the kids' teeth get a good cleaning, but so did the minivan. We hit the carwash immediately after leaving the dentist and took care of lots of interior cleaning at home.

P.S. My little sweet-toothed Nina had 3 cavaties.

My wallet feels pretty empty. Where's the tooth fairy when you need her? I wish she'd leave some money under MY pillow.

wannabe runaway

2011-04-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

{click on collage to see full size}

This is Olivia's attempt to leave to who-knows-where in Nina's boots and not much else. Unfortunately for her, the door was bolted shut, so that was the end of that, and I'm happy to report that she still lives with us.

better than laundry

2011-04-27T15:53:00.001-06:00

As tempting as this looked....

I was soon distracted by babbling and a chubby yummy knee around the corner.

A little pre-bedtime fun.

{click on the images to see them full-size...I love Olivia's expression in this one}

Way better than laundry.

Do you like the pom-poms I made to hang over William's crib?

Here is Olivia saying, "Bye! I'm going to Grandma's!"

And Will's fat little head down in the corner.

unusual pet show

2011-04-26T16:05:00.001-06:00

The kindergarten had an "Unusual Pet Show" recently where each of the kids had to make a pet. Nina said this was her alien pet. Good job Nina!

swingin'

2011-04-23T10:03:00.004-06:00

Took advantage of the kids being off track on a rare sunny day and met my sister Erika at the park. We packed the little cousins together in the swings and they loved it!

your local pal

2011-04-18T11:00:00.007-06:00

Just to set the record straight, I have never poked fun at the PTA President, nor anyone wearing a turtleneck, or any pizza guy. In fact, Clayton delivered pizzas in the early days of our marriage, so I hold pizza guys in the highest respect.

Hannah has quite the sense of humor...she left these drawings on mine and Clayton's pillows. We've had some good laughs with these! My brother Trevor busted up when he saw them on our fridge, "He has a good life AND he works at Little Caesar's!!?"

Resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

P.S. The news reporter never was finished, but I thought he was hilarious like that. Like a fish from Spongebob.

the graduate

2011-04-15T16:37:00.000-06:00

This lovely little lady just happens to be my sister-in-law. Isn't she pretty? Inside as well as out. This month she is graduating from college and she wanted some fun pictures to mail out with her announcements. Since she is going to be a high school health teacher, we played up the whole teacher theme for a bunch of the shots.

Thanks again for asking me McCall, is was super fun.

chocolate milk

2011-04-14T16:17:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when your kids leave stuff out on the kitchen counter and the 2-year-old helps herself to her favorite thing in the world. She poured the all the milk that was left in the gallon INTO the Nesquik container. Ben scooped out all the wet mushy blobs that he could, then woke me up with the great news. It was a lovely start to the day.

homemade tomato soup

2011-04-13T22:16:00.000-06:00

I love the tomato soup they have at Zupa's, and I've been trying to figure out how to make it at home. Not sure if it's exact, but it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself! If you like tomato soup, this will make you never want it from the can again...even my kids love it! I took two tomato soup recipes and sort of meshed them, leaving things out and adding things in as I went. Anyway, here it is. I hope you like it!

Homemade Tomato Soup

1/4 c. butter

1 onion, chopped

4 {14 oz} cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 {6 oz} can tomato paste

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 can chicken broth

1 c. cream

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and saute until they are soft. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cream. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 10-15 minutes just to get the flavors going, then blend the soup with either an immersion blender or by doing batches in a regular blender. When it is all pureed, stir in the cream. Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and homemade croutons.

Homemade Croutons

one nice French baguette

olive oil

pinch of oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

sea salt

Roughly chop the bread into bite-sized pieces. Toss the pieces into a saucepan over medium-high heat, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir occasionally until the bread is nice and toasty all around.

{I could eat the whole pan myself...}

how to put away groceries

2011-04-12T22:04:00.003-06:00

Livi wanted to help me put away the groceries, and she showed me a much more efficient way to get the job done. Why waste time taking things out of the bag?

conference sunday

2011-04-12T20:57:00.012-06:00

One of my favorite weekends of the year. We refused to keep paying for satellite three years ago, so this is how we watch LDS General Conference at our house. The laptop takes center stage as Conference streams online, and it works out pretty well!

Thanks to nice people out there with websites like Sugardoodle and such, I printed up some Conference activity packets. My kids were surprisingly excited to work on them...it kept them quiet and occupied throughout the entire morning session. Even Olivia had a nursery age packet for coloring! I am definitely printing these again in October. It made such a difference.

Breakfast for lunch...yum! After the morning session, we cooked up some bacon, and I made this favorite I found in a Jamie Oliver cookbook a few years ago.

Banana & Blueberry French Toast

{or in this case, Banana & Strawberry French Toast}

To quote Jamie Oliver:

"This is the kind of sandwich that can be eaten for breakfast or even dessert. Feel free to vary the fruit that you use~strawberries and bananas, or banana with blackberries and blueberries.

All you do is get 2 slices of nice medium-cut white bread and butter them thinly on both sides. Toss your fruit combination in a little honey or sugar just to sweeten it a bit. A little mashed banana holds it all together quite nicely."

From there, I beat a couple of eggs with about a cup of milk, then I add some orange zest and maybe a dash of cinnamon. Spread your fruit mixture onto your bread slices and stick together. Using your hands, dip the sandwich carefully into the egg mixture, coating the entire outside. I like to use the waffle iron to cook them because it presses the french toast and helps keep it together. {It also makes it look really good.} Dust with powdered sugar and serve with additional fruit or maple syrup.

Yes, of course it snowed again. It's April, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. After filling up on bacon and french toast, the kids made a huge mess pulling out their snow clothes. They played for a couple hours out there with some neighbor friends, built this fort, and fully loaded it with snowball ammunition. The fort lasted a day or two after all the other snow in the neighborhood melted away. As it melted smaller and smaller, Ben transformed it into a snow couch, and then into a snow toilet. Brrr!

Now it is a mere snowball hiding in the depths of my freezer, waiting to be thrown at someone on a sunny day.

amos mcgee

2011-03-30T22:18:00.001-06:00

Every morning Amos McGee would get ready for a day of work at the zoo.

He played chess with the elephant and ran races with the tortoise...they were his good friends.

One day Amos woke up with the sniffles so he stayed home. His friends decided to catch the bus...

and come take care of him.

A few weeks ago I read an article about this year's Caldecott winner...can you imagine winning such a big award on your FIRST book? Please let that happen to me, please let that happen to me....

I had to see this book for myself, so I reserved it at the library.

The pictures are sweet with nice little details throughout. The story {written by the illustrator's husband} is just as good as the pictures.

I'm adding this to my wishlist.

pink poppyseed dressing

2011-03-29T21:53:00.007-06:00

I promise you'll like this recipe wayyyy better than yesterday's recipe!

Brita {one of my favorite people on the planet and second-cousin on my dad's side}, invited me and the kids up to her pretty mountainside house for lunch today. It was so nice to get out, especially with the kids being off track from school. The kids built castles and train tracks in the basement while we dished the latest for 3 1/2 hours!

She baked the best homemade mac and cheese {I need the recipe} and made a salad topped with this dressing. She made it from scratch, trying to copy the salad dressing from Kneaders. She brought some home from Kneaders, then tasted it back and forth with her own creation until they tasted exactly the same. She has a real knack for figuring out recipes like that. Anyway, she had a couple big jars of it, so she sent one home with me along with her recipe. Being friends with a cheffy person has such great benefits! :)

Try it on a salad with different lettuces, spinach, sliced strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds, candied nuts, croutons, dried cranberries...just whatever you like best, really!

Brita's Pink Poppyseed Dressing

3/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 red onion, quartered

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 t. dry mustard

Mix these together in a blender.

Then, over 30 seconds time, add the following while blending:

3/4 c. salad oil

3/4 c. corn syrup

1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Store in a big jar in the fridge, and then invite me over for lunch, okay?

spaghetti a la olivia

2011-03-28T21:14:00.004-06:00

The evidence.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight :)

I hope you like it as much as we did. The house still smells like cinnamon and oregano, an interesting combination.

Spaghetti a la Olivia

Ingredients:

1 pot of really good spaghetti, waiting on the stove for everyone to eat

1 two-year-old, unsupervised

one entire bottle of dried oregano

one entire bottle of cinnamon sugar

one entire bottle of almond extract

one large bottle of vanilla extract

{optional...we almost had it in ours, but decided it wasn't a very good idea}

Let the unsupervised two-year-old climb up onto the counter and find the pot of spaghetti on the stove while dad is babysitting for five minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Find something else for dinner.

meet the felt family

2011-03-25T00:16:00.004-06:00

"Hey Ma, we better get inside! Them raindrops is bigger than my head!"

"Storm's a-brewin'! Everyone get to shelter!"

"It's almost Easter! When are you going to take down these dang Christmas lights?"

"Stop staring at me."

{Hehe...we ran out of the small googley eyes when we got to this one, poor kid. He's a little self-conscious.}

"Yay for sunshine! Let's run through the hills!"

Isn't it funny, the things kids like to play with? I made this crazy little play set with Ben when he was about 3, back when we could fit all of our toys into one small tidy container, and we were dirt poor. I've come close to throwing it out a few times, but the kids always stop me, "No! Please! I love playing with that!" So we've kept it all these years. Nina has been playing with it lately, setting up different landscapes and weather for this wonky clothespin family.

When Nina piled the whole family onto the house with the bald kid laying down I asked, "Why are they all standing on him?" She said, "They aren't standing on him mom. That's our family, and that's baby Will laying on the floor."

Who knew that something that cost about $3 TOTAL would be such a hit? It makes me want to make some more...although maybe not so weird looking this time!

birthday date

2011-03-24T23:19:00.008-06:00

Clayton took me out tonight for my birthday. I mean, the Pinewood Derby the other night was nice and all, but...

I'd been wanting to go back to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU. I went there with my friend Emily in January, but I had all 5 kids with me, so we just kind of blew through it. Tonight we rented the iPad tour and spent some time enjoying all the uplifting and beautiful art of Carl Bloch. If you haven't had a chance to go, you need to go! It runs through May 7th. These paintings are from different churches all over Sweden and Denmark, and this is the first time they've been seen outside of their homes, and all together in one place. It is well worth going. Make your free online reservations before you go.

I had heard this place was really good, so that's where we had dinner. I love trying new places. Clayton, not so much, but he was a good sport since it was my birthday we were celebrating! The atmosphere was casual and fun, but after we were seated and started looking at the menu, we were like, "Hmm, I feel like an idiot...I don't know what half of this stuff is...should we sneak out the door and go somewhere else?" But then our waiter arrived, and we all smiled at each other like we were so excited. I guess we're staying...

You could tell this guy gets a lot of gourmet-challenged customers. He was a pro as he educated us and dumbed down the menu. We had some awesome gnocchi for an appetizer, and then some crazy salad with grapefruit, avocados, and roasted beets that Clayton passed on {fine, more for me!}. The pizza was fired in a big brick oven and was amazing. We both loved it. Our waiter brought a tiny plate with little dried sprigs of oregano and red chiles for crushing onto our pizza. I thought it was fun to go somewhere other than a huge chain restaurant {even though I like those too}. It was kind of an adventure.

The thing about eating out that gets me {no matter how inexpensive or good it is} is when they bring the bill and I feel so ripped off. I think, "Do you know how many groceries I could have bought with that?" Then I get a pit in my stomach. So dumb, I know.

In the end, my favorite part of dinner was the entertainment:

pasta & chicken with creamy sun-dried tomato sauce

2011-03-23T07:41:00.001-06:00

Get ready for a good dinner! This is a keeper I found in the Mary Englebreit Home Companion magazine, probably 5 years ago. I've modified it just slightly.

Pasta & Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

3 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

3-4 chicken breasts, diced into 2-inch pieces

2 T. flour

1 pound penne pasta (or any shape you like)

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1/2 pint cream

1/2 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

{I get them at Costco because they cost less and they are already sliced in the jar}

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 3 tsp. dried basil

salt & pepper

grated parmesan cheese {optional}

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Melt butter and oil together in a large skillet. Toss chicken in the flour, season with salt and pepper, and sear over medium-high heat, until golden brown and just cooked. Transfer to a plate.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.

Add onion to the skillet and saute for a couple minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil to the skillet, scraping up any bits of chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir in a good handful of parmesan cheese if you like.

Return the cooked chicken to the skillet to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is cooked al dente, drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta water to add to sauce if it needs more liquid, or for added richness, add more cream. Stir the pasta and sauce together in a big pretty bowl and enjoy!

35

2011-03-22T07:08:00.001-06:00

It's true.

I'm in my mid-thirties as of today.

{How did that happen?}

Sunday night my mom did a birthday dinner, and after eating we looked through old photo albums. Back in those days my dad had a Justin Bieber hairdo, and my mom had her long wavy hair parted right down the middle. What a cute little couple! I need to scan in a bunch of those photos one of these days, they are priceless. We were laughing at my quilt patterned wallpaper, my Kermit the Frog doll {which is now in my kids' toy basket}, and my fat squishy face. And Jodi, if you're reading, there were some GREAT ones of you! There was even a photo of my childhood bedroom, all pink and baby blue. Hannah thought that was so funny, and I loved being able to show my kids all these pictures.

This photo in particular caught my attention...now I know why Olivia is such a handful. It's payback time.

p.s. Look! There by my feet! It's the Mary Poppins book I was telling you about a couple weeks ago. This was taken at my grandparents' house. They were babysitting me the day my sister Cami was born. I was four days short of being two years old.

p.p.s. Guess what I'm doing for my birthday tonight? Pinewood Derby, baby!! Aren't you jealous? Yeah...pretty lame. Clay and I will hopefully go out another night to celebrate my oldness.

we love pippi!

2011-03-21T07:32:00.001-06:00

It seems the Mary Poppins fetish has dwindled and been replaced by another favorite...Pippi Longstocking! The 1968 Swedish television series, based on the books by Astrid Lindgren. The shows are dubbed over in English. If you've never seen this, I HIGHLY recommend it. Super, super funny. Clayton and I LOVE it.

Now Olivia asks me, "Can I go to Pippi's house?" and I sing her the theme song all day long, at her request.

playdough

2011-03-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

In an effort to turn off the noise of the TV, I made a big batch of playdough. At first, Olivia wouldn't touch it with her hands, only with rolling pins, toothpicks, and plastic knives. But then she really got into it and loved it {especially when we made the elephants}. Then the kids came home from school, and they spent 3 hours playing with it at the kitchen table, I was so surprised!

Homemade Playdough

2 cups flour

2 cups water

1/2 cup salt

3 Tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

food coloring of your choice

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and becomes doughy in consistency. Knead until cool.

Keeps 3 months unrefrigerated, and longer if it's refrigerated.

top o' the mornin' to ye!

2011-03-17T09:22:00.005-06:00

Those googley eyes kill me every time!

I heard a knock yesterday when the kids were due home from school. I opened the door and there was Nina wearing this leprechaun mask.

"Hello!" she said in her best leprechaun voice. Funniest thing ever!

We had some serious laughs taking turns with it. I emailed these pictures to Clayton, who has been out of town on business {in Nicaragua, of all places!}.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our rainbow fruit salad {since everyone knows leprechauns hide their gold at the end of the rainbow}. My mom and dad, and my sister Hailey joined us for our Irish dinner, then we watched Waking Ned Devine.

st. patty's artwork

2011-03-17T09:15:00.000-06:00

Nina wants you to know this is a girl leprechaun.

And Hannah wants you to know that these leprechauns are getting their groove on!

ben's leprechaun trap

2011-03-17T09:09:00.006-06:00

Look what Ben made the other day {all on his own, of course!}. Determined to catch one of those wee folk, he found some boxes and green tissue paper and went to work. Lollipop sticks and toothpicks were glued together for the ladder on the side. He sat it on his bedroom floor so the leprechauns would see it when they came to scatter gold chocolate coins.

A jewel inside to tempt the little guys...

This way, you say?

A-ha! The jewel!

Little do they know about the looming pit hiding beneath the green tissue paper.

Despite Ben's good efforts, I'm sad to say that no leprechauns were caught this year. They are just too smart and quick! They did bring gold chocolates though, and a box of Lucky Charms and green milk. They even turned the toilet water green!

we have a sitter

2011-03-16T00:31:00.003-06:00

Happy 7 Months William!

You are so sweet.

little miss minty mouth

2011-03-15T00:23:00.003-06:00

Oh hi, baby. Your breath smells extra good today! Where did you get the gum? From Olivia, you say? Wow, that was really nice of her to share with you.

wee leprechauns

2011-03-14T20:54:00.008-06:00

Look what I pulled out of the spring decorations box, haha! Ben and Hannah made these a few years back, when Nina was just a baby. I need to go buy some more green craft foam so Nina and Olivia can make some too.

Here's the project in case you are feeling both Irish and crafty this week.

P.S. This old Irish potato dish is what we have for dinner on St. Patrick's Day every year, along with a rainbow fruit salad {because everyone knows there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow}. Just a big platter of strawberries, oranges or mangoes, bananas, kiwi, blueberries and purple grapes, piled into a rainbow shape. Sometimes we do green veggies and dip too.

We are hoping the leprechauns will bring us gold chocolate coins and Lucky Charms and green milk for breakfast again!

Tonight Nina said that if she found a pot of gold, she would use it to buy gold chocolate coins.

fun with googley eyes

2011-03-14T18:03:00.001-06:00

another mess brought to you by olivia

2011-03-14T16:16:00.000-06:00

Yes, that IS the entire box of Will's baby cereal.

Nice one.

will's got the moves

2011-03-14T15:09:00.002-06:00

that's what i call a great afternoon

2011-03-13T00:10:00.003-07:00

Last Friday, the kids were at school and the babies took a nap at the same time {YES!}. Add Cadbury Mini Eggs, some fun fabric and plans for new projects, a movie that I love, and that's what I call a great afternoon.

last weekend at the cabin

2011-03-12T23:37:00.007-07:00

Those were my snow boots when I was little.

{click on images for a larger view}

We spent last weekend at a the cabin with my family. Plenty of snow to play in, slippery garbage bags to wear while being pulled behind the snowmobile without a sled, homemade Oreos, laughing until there were tears, dance party, cousin bath time, naked 2-year-old zipping down the slide in the playroom, Swedish pancakes with berries and whipped cream, Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner, caramel popcorn, Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, not enough sleep, tiny snowman, playing on the swings, warming up by the fire, soaking in the hot tub, happy times!

Hawaiian Haystacks

{Perfect for a crowd! Serves about 12 people.}

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 c. milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken

6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Serve over sticky white rice with any or all of the following toppings:

grated Cheddar cheese

chopped celery

chowmein noodles

pineapple tidbits

sweetened shredded coconut

toasted sliced almonds

chopped green onions

chopped tomatoes

sliced bananas

sliced olives

bath gnomes

2011-03-12T22:17:00.002-07:00

work it baby!

2011-03-10T23:53:00.003-07:00

Here's my cute husband working out on his bike trainer. It allows him to use his actual road bike, and increase and decrease the intensity of the ride. Cycling videos that take virtual tours through Alaska and other nice places help keep it from becoming boring. It's the next best thing to riding outside during the winter months.

baby will at 6 months

2011-03-10T00:18:00.007-07:00

{click on image for a larger view}

I'm really slow getting these up, he's actually going to be 7 months next week. Can you believe that?

Here's the latest on this adorable boy:

-He's been rolling over since about 3 months and he actually prefers to be on his tummy. He never just lays there on his back.

-He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks forward and back. Almost time to pull out the gate for the stairs!

-On his tummy, he kicks his legs straight up behind him, as if he is swimming or pedaling a bike. He does it so fast, it's hilarious watching him. He has these super strong, rock solid butt cheeks from all the workouts. {I need to start doing that!}

-He gets around the room by rolling and scoots like a baby seal, reaching for toys and chewing on them with his gums.

-Starting to get comfortable with solids, although he doesn't like the spoon in his mouth. He does better when I feed it to him off of my finger. So far he likes the baby oatmeal mixed with bananas best.

-Will is super cuddly. He lays his head on my shoulder, and he holds onto the neck of my shirt like a little monkey. Oh, I love him so much!

-He's just the sweetest, happiest little guy. Laughs easily, makes the cutest squealing sounds. He plays shy when people smile at him. He will smile back, then immediately burrow his head into me while kicking his legs, over and over.

-He makes the cutest babbling noises.

-Sometimes I put my ear right up to his mouth so I can listen to his cute little breathing. :)

-He can sit on his own for about a minute before he topples over.

-He weighs 16 lbs. 8 oz. {just about double his birth weight}. He's swiftly catching up to Olivia who is at a pixie-sized 22 lbs!

-He loves when I just lay him in his crib when he's tired. He smiles at me, then closes his eyes. He's such an angel.

-He doesn't sleep through the night, but that's my fault for spoiling him. He sleeps for about 4 hour increments. Once he wakes up, I cuddle with him all night. It's the best. I really need to just move him out of my room now, and let him cry it out so I can get some sleep. I just love to cuddle him though!

something from nothing

2011-03-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Look what Ben made for me out of a paperclip.

He's so sweet and so creative. I love you Ben!

green eggs & ham

2011-03-09T23:48:00.002-07:00

Here's what we had for dinner last week on Dr. Seuss' birthday. Nina wanted an egg just like in the book, so I dropped some food coloring just on the yolk. Then I made a different version of green eggs & ham in the form of an omelet. The spinach was the green. Everyone was so excited about it, but that doesn't mean they actually ate it. At least I tried to be festive!

mary poppins

2011-03-08T22:25:00.001-07:00

Mary Poppins is practically part of the family these days. Olivia is obsessed with the movie and watches it everyday. I can pretty much quote the entire film word for word now, but

I don't mind because I like Mary Poppins too.

I know what they say about little kids and too much TV, but you know what? I watched my fair share of it when I was little and I turned out okay...I think?

I do feel a teeny bit guilty about the TV, and ironically the main message in Mary Poppins is about parents needing to spend more time with their kids...you know, flying kites with them and all that. I'm not going to beat myself up over it though because honestly, life is crazy with these 2 babies, and I really do try to spend quality time with my kids. It just doesn't always happen as often as I would like. I just keep telling myself, "Next year will be easier, next year will be easier!" Besides, it seems like we always go through a big TV phase in the winter, then we hardly watch it at all in the summer.

As Olivia's obsession grew, I had a vague recollection of an old Mary Poppins book that belonged to my aunt Heidi, which she gave to me when I was little. I searched our bookshelves and ta-da! I found it! It's the 1964 Disney authorized edition, almost 50 years old! The illustrations are so pretty. Of course Olivia is in love with it. Sometimes she actually sleeps with it.

One night Uncle Trevor came over and was chasing Olivia around. When he caught her, she squealed the line from the bank scene where Michael shouts, "Give me back my money!" Haha! From time to time she asks me, "Where Jane, Michael?" I just tell her they went up the chimney.

{For more on how we love Mary Poppins, go here and here!}

if i had a dime for every one of these...

2011-03-08T21:42:00.006-07:00

and every one of these,

{Yes, that's exactly what you think it is. NOT in the toilet, but on the bathroom counter. Thank you, Olivia.}

I'd be rich!

If you're not totally offended by this post, read on! If you are offended, my apologies for such trashiness.

Olivia has sort of been in potty training mode on her own. I am totally not ready to commit to potty training her right now, and probably won't be until I'm done nursing the baby. C'mon! One thing at a time, please! If she tells me she wants to go, then I'll take her, but I'm not pushing it by any means.

One day in January I left to run some errands while Olivia was {supposedly} napping. Clayton and the kids were outside shoveling and playing in the snow. Luckily Hannah happened to come back inside because Olivia was wandering around the house with no diaper on and a poopy butt. Great. She had climbed out of her crib and pulled off her diaper and left her room, completely unsupervised and completely disgusting.

Then one day after I got out of the shower I opened my bedroom door and there she was, no diaper and a poop skid down her leg. "Where is your diaper?!??"

Her response was, "I wipe my bum on the carpet."

LOTS of carpet cleaner.

Another time she ran to go poop on the potty. I told her to tell me when she was done, and I left the bathroom for about 20 seconds. "I done!" she yelled. I came back, only to find her squatting on the bathroom counter. And yes, she was done, just in the wrong place.

There goes all the Lysol.

Somehow, she and Will tend to simultaneously poop. I can see it coming by the look on Olivia's face, while Will is laying there tooting up a storm.

They wear the same size diaper now so that simplifies it a little bit, I guess.

Flushing the empty toilet.

good morning sunshine!

2011-03-08T09:06:00.001-07:00

where's all my tupperware?

2011-03-08T09:00:00.002-07:00

Oh, of course. It's in the freezer! Ben does this all the time. He takes the big ice chunks outside and either builds castles with them, or shatters them on the pavement. Sometimes he freezes little figurines in the ice for added fun.

cozy kitchen day

2011-03-07T22:46:00.010-07:00

Out of the last 9 school days, 8 of them I've had at least one sick child at home. I don't know what this flu bug is, but it has hit Ben, Hannah and Nina each twice in the last week and a half. Headache, stomach ache, cough, fever, and fatigue. They just lay on the couch all day with rosy cheeks and sleep. All the neighbor kids have had the same symptoms, so it's just going around I guess. Poor little Will has a really stuffy nose and a icky cough. Olivia, Clay and I haven't had it {knock on wood!}, but I'm so ready for everyone to be healthy again. I feel like if we could only get some sunshine and warmth, we would all feel so good!

At least the birds are back. That's always a sign that spring is right around the corner. We have had flocks of birds all over our back lawn, and swooping from roof to roof the last couple days. They always come back by March. One bird was singing and checking on the nest that's been on one of our outdoor speakers for the last five years. Maybe she's moving back in?

Today was gray with rain that turned to snow in the afternoon. Nina was sacked out on the couch and Will was sniffling through his tiny clogged nose, so clearly I wasn't going anywhere. I feel so bad for all these sick little kids, but I have to admit, I actually like it sometimes when I have the excuse to not go anywhere. I decided to spend some time in the kitchen in an effort to make a seemingly cold and dreary day into something cozy. I started out by getting a soup simmering on the stove for dinner, even though it was only noon. Clayton came up for a little break from work, "What's that awesome smell?" Then since the babies were sleeping too, I made myself a spinach salad and spread a couple pieces of flatbread with butter and orange marmalade from IKEA {my favorite}. I actually sat down to eat for once!

Baking is a sure way to warm up a snowy day, and I was in the baking mood. I found some big cans of pumpkin in my pantry. Usually pumpkin only sounds good to me in the fall, but Chocolate Chip Pumpkin bread was sounding pretty good today. Halfway through mixing it together, I found that Clayton had hard-boiled all but 2 of the eggs that were left in the fridge {again!}. Grrr...I needed 4 eggs!

Lucky for me, I have an awesome friend across the street. Even though she wasn't home when I called, she offered her garage code and told me to help myself to eggs in the fridge in her garage. I was so happy I didn't have to go to the store! {Thanks Krystal!}

Candles were lit and we all enjoyed some warm food tonight while watching the snow come down.

Here is the link to the Herbed White Bean and Sausage Soup recipe. I don't use dried beans when I make this. I use four cans of white beans instead {drained and rinsed}. Sometimes I add a little pasta to the soup too, and serve it with parmesan cheese grated on top.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 c. flour

3 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. allspice {or cloves}

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs

2/3 c. water

1 c. canola oil

16 oz. canned pumpkin

1 c. chocolate chips

Stir all ingredients together, except the chocolate chips. When everything is combined, add the chocolate chips and mix well. Bake in 2 greased bread pans at 350 degrees for approx. 50-55 minutes, or until set in center.

something to smile about

2011-03-02T07:38:00.009-07:00

Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened.

-Dr. Seuss

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately as certain chapters in my life have come {or are coming} to an end. It's been making me so sad! Maybe it's because my baby is growing up so fast, and because I think he might be my last baby {?}. Maybe it's because I'm watching my grandparents get so old and begin to leave this life. For whatever reason, I have found that if I can just look at my life with gratitude for the experiences and people that have been a part of it, rather than dwelling on the fact that things can't always stay the same, it makes me feel so much better.

P.S. Did you know...if Dr. Seuss were still alive, he would've been 107 years old today? Did you know he was rejected by over 20 publishers before his first book was published? That has always given me hope that maybe one day I will get by books out there too!

image by Ingrid Aune

curly shirley

2011-03-02T07:09:00.005-07:00

Hannah decided to learn about Shirley Temple for her famous person report. She loves watching those movies, so it was perfect for her. Everyone in her class had to dress up as the person they studied, and I think she made a cute Shirley Temple, don't you? She brought recipes for the Shirley Temple drink as her "souvenir" for the class.

Recipe for a Shirley Temple Drink

Fill a fun cup or glass with ice.

Pour in some ginger ale or lemon lime soda.

Stir in about 1 1/2 tablespoons grenadine syrup (or until it looks and tastes good!)

Add in some maraschino cherries, an orange slice, and of course a straw!

rice, rice baby

2011-03-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

He doesn't know what's coming...

He looks like he's endorsing this product, doesn't he? Actually, he hates it.

You'd think by my fifth child I'd be a pro at getting babies to eat solids, but I need help! This little kid looks at me like I'm so mean every time I put the spoon into his mouth, and then he cries and cries and cries! Any advice?

a little quilt

2011-02-28T22:01:00.004-07:00

It's a miracle, I actually finished something I started!

My neighbor has always crocheted baby blankets for me, and she was having her first girl this week, so I wanted to do something fun for her. Hopefully she won't look too closely at all my crooked seams!

two year old

2011-02-28T08:03:00.005-07:00

"Blow drying" her hair with the Tinkerbell play hair dryer.

She loves holding Will, although it makes me a little nervous!

Her Vaseline obsession has led to lots of trouble...

Some of her favorite books.

Painting her nails with a paint brush and water.

She even wears herself out.

In the craziness of the last few months, I skipped writing about Olivia turning two years old back in November! I'm slowly catching up. Here are a few little things about this adorable, sweet, energetic, smart {and mischievous} little girl that I love so very much:

~Every morning she asks for chocolate milk and Mary Poppins, Pippi Longstocking, or Olivia the pig "on the teebee" {tv}.

~Her latest favorite book is "Where's Tumpty?" {an elephant book, of course}. We read it every day before her nap. She also likes this old Mary Poppins book I have, The Snow Children {or as she would say,"Deh So Dijjin"}, and any Charlie and Lola. She can practically read the first page of any Charlie and Lola by herself, "I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny."

~She loves fruit and will eat it anytime. Mangoes, oranges, grapes, kiwi, you name it.

~Whenever I've been gone awhile and then walk back into the house, she puts her arms way up, smiles, and exclaims "You home!" Then she gives me a big hug. She even does this after I come out of the bathroom from taking a shower. I feel so loved!

~I thought it was funny when she said, "I wanna watch a Shirley Temple show." Huh? Okay...

{Hannah watches them sometimes, I guess that's where she learned it}

~She's a little meanie to Ben lately. He walks in the room and before he has done anything at all, she yells, "Ben stop it!" When she says this though, it sounds more like she's yelling, "Prince Albert!" So that's a little joke around here, "Has anyone seen Prince Albert?"

~When she's done eating she typically announces, "No monnit" {I don't want it} and "I all done" as she chucks her dishes onto the floor. Arrrgh...I clean the floor A LOT.

~She started sleeping in a toddler bed in January and she absolutely loves it. The first night we set it up, she couldn't wait to get into it. She said goodnight to everyone, then ran down the hall saying, "I hop in bed!" She only comes out of her room sometimes when she's supposed to be napping, and she stays in there all night, no problem. It's perfect because Will needs to move out of my room and into the crib in Olivia's room soon.

~She loves to get her fingernails painted, and she pretends everything is nail polish.

~She loves baby William. She talks in a super high-pitched voice, "Hi Wee-um! Hi buddy!"

~"Dat's bokened"=That's broken

~One day Olivia somehow got into my bedroom while Will was sleeping in there. I have one of those doorknob covers, so I think one of the kids must have opened my door and had forgotten to close it. I heard Will making little noises so I went in to get him up. There in his crib with him was Olivia AND the tub of Vaseline from my bathroom. His big bald head was thickly slathered and shiny, with big blobs on his eyelids. He wasn't crying but he was fluttering his eyelids with all that goop on them! Olivia greased her hair so much that it took a couple days after washing it to finally absorb. A deep conditioning treatment, I guess! I wish I had taken a picture, but at the moment that was the last thing on my mind.

~In the tub with Will she pointed at his "thingy" and asked, "What's that?"

I said, "That's his wee-wee." {We aren't very scientific over here!}

She said, "Oh, hi wee-wee!" and waved at it.

~When I tuck her into bed, she repeats everything I say, "Goodnight! Sweet Dreams! I Wubboo Mom!" I love it.

I love this girl so much, I wish somehow I could keep her from growing up so fast.

nina's hand art

2011-02-27T17:11:00.005-07:00

This crafty little book was spotted at JoAnn just before Nina's birthday. She has had so much fun with it! Each page shows a different way of tracing your hand in order to create an animal drawing. For example, you put two fingers up and trace your hand to make a bunny, etc. It comes complete with googly eyes, pom-poms, crayons and glue...everything a 6-year-old needs for a crafternoon! Nina was so nice to tape the elephant one onto Olivia's bedroom door for her.

Grab your JoAnn coupons and pick up some of these books, they make great gifts for birthday parties!

almost crawling!

2011-02-24T15:20:00.003-07:00

a little love & chocolate fondue

2011-02-22T23:01:00.010-07:00

Olivia cutting out little cookie dough hearts.

That's Nina, even though the apron says, "Hannah."

Some Valentines we made with lollipops.

Nina's special Valentine she made for her teacher, Mrs. Jackson.

A little project I started last year, and finally finished this year. Tiny felt hearts with button flowers and embroidered stems. I stitched on a loop of ribbon for hanging on dresser drawers or doorknobs, just to spread a little love.

How was your Valentine's Day? Ours was simple and fun. Nina and Olivia helped me make our traditional heart-shaped sugar cookies a few days early, and we packed them for our weekend with friends at the cabin. At the cabin we decorated them with pink frosting, candy hearts and red hots {my favorite on sugar cookies!}. Over the weekend we also had our usual Valentine's breakfast of heart-shaped waffles with strawberries and cream.

The Valentines we made were super easy, super cute, and super inexpensive. I saw some other cute ideas here and here, but we'll just save those for another year.

It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without a little chocolate fondue, would it? Some ideas for dipping are strawberries, bananas, oranges, kiwi, pieces of good french bread, pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers, Oreos, coconut macaroons, and cinnamon hearts. Here's my favorite {and easy!} recipe.

Chocolate Fondue

1 cup half and half {or cream}

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a small pot, warm the half and half over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until the chocolate is smooth and fully incorporated. Mmmm....start dipping!

the candy man

2011-02-22T15:30:00.013-07:00

The "sweet bean" pancake.

Trevor enjoying his "sweet beans." Haha! This picture is blurry because I was laughing so hard, and holding Will at the same time!

Livi, sneaking a caramel.

Squid bite, anyone?

Yeah.

The squid bites package, I feel, is very misleading.

My brother, Trevor, has THE coolest job. He travels around the world with his camera, making amazing films and taking fabulous photos along the way. Since my job as a mom doesn't include travel benefits, I have to make due by looking at his pictures, watching his movies, or in this case, by eating his candy. Trevor just got back from Japan, and he went overboard on the candy I asked him to bring back for my kids. It was like Santa came to town!

Japanese candy is great. The packaging alone is worth the purchase. It's like a little piece of bright, crazy artwork in your hands. Most of the candy was yummy...strawberries and cream hard candies, grape flavored chewy ones, tiny round lemon thingies. The kids were loving it.

There were some really nasty things in the mix though. First there was a pancake sort of treat, filled with what the Japanese call "sweet bean." We passed that all around so everyone could have a taste. I thought I tasted peanuts, so I spit it out.

Next we ripped open a package that revealed dried, breaded pork, like beef jerky with a crust. So sick! Hannah actually swallowed it, but that's just Hannah.

Last, but definitely not least on the list of disgustingness was the exciting swirly red and white package with the little elf on front, just tempting you to try it. Daring you.

"Guess what these are?" Trev asked.

I had no idea.

"Squid bites!"

You've got to be kidding me. Dried squid, cut into little pieces and died neon red. Japanese kids love this stuff, apparently.

We took a whiff from the package, and burst out laughing. "Ugh! It smells like fish food!" I said.

Trev and I agreed to eat a squid bite at the same time. "One, two, three!" Chew, chew, chew, uh, wait, UGH, OH MY GOSH! Run to the sink! Spit it out, spit it out, spit it out!!! Water! Water! Water! Blech!

Trev says, "Can I have a piece of bread or something?"

That was by far the nastiest thing I have EVER tasted. Something I'll never understand is how Ben actually swallowed a squid bite! He was very proud of himself.

ben's valentine box

2011-02-14T19:13:00.003-07:00

Ben made this all on his own, and as you can see he won "Most Creative" in his class!

nina is 6!

2011-02-06T00:51:00.008-07:00

Olivia loved her donut so much that she decided to feed some to her baby doll too.

This little girl is growing up much too quickly.

Where'd my fat little baby Nina go?

I honestly can't believe she is 6 years old!

I asked if she thought it would be fun to do a pajama party, and of course she was super excited about that. Since we don't really do sleepovers, we had everyone come in the morning dressed in their pj's. All her little friends were off track too so it worked out perfectly, even though it was a Thursday.

I was going to make sleep masks for each of the girls, but get this...when I went to JoAnn's to get all the fabric, lo and behold, I stumbled upon a bin of pink satin sleep masks on sale in the very back of the store. I just about clicked my heels right then and there because they were only 50 cents! That saved me a ton of time and money. Then I bought some craft foam stickers so the girls could decorate their sleep masks when they came to the party.

My sister Erika came and helped me run the little manicure station, then we had a rousing game of Bingo, woo! Actually it was a pretty quiet crowd. Erika and I were laughing about how serious and quiet everyone was being. Next came presents, Hannah read the Charlie and Lola book, "I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go To Bed," and then came the towering donut cake! Does it get any easier than that? Sheesh, I used to go crazy with birthday parties when Ben and Hannah were little. We'd invite 25 kids and I'd spend weeks planning and preparing. Then I realized that the kids really don't care if you go over the top. They just love to have their cute little friends over all at once, open a few presents, and eat a bunch of sugar. Simple! So yes, I have drastically simplified over the years.

I simplified so much that after they were done with their donuts and orange juice, we still had 45 minutes of partying to do, and I was totally unprepared, haha! So we cranked up the tunes and played freeze dance, did a few rounds of "hot pillow," played more Bingo, and did Simon Says. They loved it! And they didn't know the difference, right? They all got to "fish" for their goodie bag before they left, and Nina was a happy girl.

That night we went out for smoothies, watched Dennis the Menace {funniest movie of all time} and had popcorn downstairs.

Happy birthday Nina! I love you!

january in a nutshell

2011-02-05T23:44:00.009-07:00

Hannah's gingerbread house.

Clayton installing a stick of dynamite into it.

The aftermath.

Night skiing at Snowbird!

Flora and William...it reminds me of the good ol' days when Zoe and Ben were babies.

My life is totally crazy right now with all these little kids! I feel like I never sit down. Plus, my kids had Christmas break and "off track" back to back, so they were home for five whole weeks. Five weeks I tell you! Phew. But more on that later. I just wanted to quickly write about January before it's too far gone. I posted a few things from Christmas down below {I cheated and backdated because I've been so slow posting lately}.

We started the New Year off with a BANG! Yes, we pulled out the leftover Roman candles and firecrackers from the 4th of July and bundled up for an exciting few minutes outside. Nothing like blowing up gingerbread houses and having a mini fireworks show when it's way below freezing! Our friends across the street introduced us to their New Year's Eve tradition of blowing up gingerbread houses, and I think it's a keeper! Too funny.

Clayton took the kids night skiing a couple times and Nina turned into a little ski bunny. It was her first time skiing and she was loving it! Zipping down the slopes faster than Ben and Hannah, leaving Clayton in her wake. Woohoo Nina!

We spent MLK weekend at the cabin with Tadd and Julie and their kids...we love those guys so much and we're so happy they don't live in Boston anymore! We missed them way too much. It was such a great weekend just reconnecting with them and getting to know their kids better. Highlights of the weekend included Clayton being dragged on his stomach behind the snowmobile while Tadd drove it {with a broken foot}, laughing about big trucks with elk stickers on their windows that say stuff like "Bachelor Party," and the time Clayton pulled me and Julie around in a sled behind the snowmobile, while she and I sat "spider" style.

"Can you believe we're doing this? A couple of 35-year-olds sitting spider being dragged behind a snowmobile!" Needless to say, I nearly peed my pants laughing.

william at five months

2011-01-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

grandpa stanley

2011-01-08T22:31:00.009-07:00

This is Grandpa Stanley.

He left this life on November 15, 2010. He was 94. I loved him very much.

I've been putting off blogging for a long time because I've felt I needed to write about him before I could move on to writing about anything else. And all my emotions are difficult to put into words, so I have just let time slip away without writing.

Grandpa was the most positive, happy person I ever knew. I never saw him frown. Never heard him complain or say a mean thing about anybody. He raised six girls {number 5 is my mom} in a tiny little house, and before that house they lived in another tiny house that he built himself and that didn't have indoor plumbing. He and grandma didn't have many worldly possessions, but they had each other and they had faith in the Savior, and that was all the treasure they could ask for in this life. They were so happy.

I remember every time Grandpa was around he would greet me {and everyone} with a big smile, a big hug, three kisses, and a, "Well, hello there, Heather!" He made me feel like I was the most important person that he'd ever talked to.

He let us pick boxes and boxes of apricots. Showed my kids the raspberries growing in the garden. Shared little green grapes and fat red tomatoes from his garden in the summer. He'd wave and wave as I'd drive away from his little yellow house until I couldn't see him anymore in the rear view mirror.

He was full of energy and life right down to the end. There's a picture of me riding on his back like he was my horse when I was three. There's a picture of him riding down a hill on skateboards with me and my cousins Joi and Lindsie. There's a memory in my mind of his voice singing with Grandma while playing his guitar, "It's June in January because I'm in love..."

Why didn't I go visit more often?

He became sick on October 24th, 2010, with an aneurism near his abdomen. He was in so much pain. Yet he cooked breakfast for Grandma that morning anyway. He took such good care of her. I wasn't worried at the time he checked into the hospital because he was supposed to live forever. He was mowing his own lawn and driving to the store for groceries and Diet Coke just this past summer. He wasn't going to leave us, not yet.

Then more complications arose while he was at the hospital. I took the kids with me to see him there and it was such a shock to see him in that way. He looked more frail and old than I had ever seen him. He was a little confused and our conversation didn't make much sense. But he held Olivia's little hand and he got to see baby Will. The nurses tried to help him stand up and he had such a hard time, "like a ton of bricks" he said.

I went to North Carolina with Mom and Erika, and Mom came home early because she was so afraid to not see him again.

The day after I got home from that trip, Dad called and said that they were taking him off the oxygen and it wouldn't be long until he was gone.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be there. But then I decided to go. I sobbed and sobbed in the car. A chapter in my life was ending. My Grandma was losing her husband. My mom was losing her "Daddy." Life was moving much too quickly.

I missed him by 5 minutes.

Mom said that just before he passed away, Grandma went over to him and kissed his face all over. He was unresponsive at this point. But as she kissed him she said, "I love you! I love you forever!" Just then Grandpa raised his shoulders twice, as if he was trying to hug her. Then his last breath came with a single tear that ran down his cheek.

The tear was still there when I saw him.

I hugged Grandma and she said, "I'm lucky, because I had him for 72 years. Not many people can say that." That's for sure. They loved each other more than anything.

The funeral service was probably the best meeting I've ever been to in a church. My mom and each of my aunts spoke for about 5 minutes, talking about favorite memories. We laughed and we cried. I wanted to be a better person, I wanted to be like him.

I still think about him everyday, and I'm sure I will for the rest of my life. I love you Grandpa.

Glenn Foster Stanley in his blessing gown, 1916.

{I guess the boys wore them too back in the day!}

With his parents Loyd and Hannah Stanley,

his sister Ella, and little brother Lorin.

Grandma and Grandpa's band, the "Rythm Wranglers," 1946. Grandpa was nicknamed "Kurly" and Grandma {Elaine} was "Prairie Rose." They were the all time most popular radio show in Vernal, Utah. They built a dance hall and played there on weekends, and hundreds of people would pay to come and dance, and listen to their music.

Becky Jo {my mom} and Grandpa. Mom was 5 years old here.

Grandma, Grandpa, Becky Jo, Terry, Gail, Kaye, and newlyweds Harley and Carla.

Aunt Shelley wasn't born yet.

Grandpa with me and my cousins Joi and Lindsie, camping at Lodgepole for Swiss Days.

Grandpa was such a good sport!

Summer 2009

random christmas day snapshots

2010-12-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

An elephant book for Olivia, yay!

Will "playing" with some of his toys that Santa brought for him.

Ben's crystal garden from Grandma Becky. It started out as a paper landscape, then as the paper soaked up the water from the tray underneath, all these colorful crystals grew within about 8 hours! Ben was LOVING it. We have some time lapse photos he did of the whole thing. The crystals were soft and fuzzy like cotton candy, and they would crumble when you touched them.

It looks like the bath crayons were a hit with Hannah and Nina!

The day after Christmas...Nerds for breakfast anyone?

We spent Christmas having a nice big breakfast at home with the kids, then we went to Papa Steve's and Grandma Ruthie's in the afternoon. Then we went to Mormor and Poppy Per's to open gifts and have leftovers from Christmas Eve. We stopped in at Mom and Dad's for a bit before heading out to a movie with Kerstin and Brian and their kids...the boys all went to Tron, and the girls all went to Tangled {and loved it!}. Fun, fun day. :)

millions of little lights

2010-12-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

These trees are absolutely stunning in Draper City Park. Fabulous job, whoever did this! On Christmas Eve, my kids wanted a closer view, so we pulled over and I let them run over to the tree out in the middle. They stood under the glowing branches with the soft light illuminating their faces. Beautiful, beautiful.

a merry christmas to all

2010-12-24T22:14:00.002-07:00

Since I didn't quite get the cards out this year, here's something for all of you, sent without postage but with plenty of love. Merry Christmas!

party time!

2010-12-24T22:12:00.006-07:00

It's that time again for the line up of family parties! Here are a few highlights from this year's festivities...taken with our little point and shoot because I was too overwhelmed to pack in my good camera with loading all the kids, diapers, gifts, food, p.j.'s, etc. Dang it.

The annual Nativity put on by the Tycksen grandkids at my in-law's house.

Clayton and all the brothers {minus Erik who is in Kuwait}, brothers-in-law and our friend Joey surprised Ruthie by singing a few carols. She loves to hear them sing, and I thought it was really sweet they put that together.

Needless to say, the white elephant game ended in tears.

Little Will overwhelmed by the chaos. Or maybe he's enjoying it, I'm not sure.

My kids spent at least an hour on their gingerbread houses!

Liv decided to paint her fingernails with the frosting...

...and her toenails! I love that she's wearing her angel costume in these pictures.

So pretty!

Casch and Ben at my mom's dinner party. We always have "crackers" that pop with toys, lame British jokes and crowns inside.

Grandma reading her joke...I love that she's wearing a crown too!

Me and "Willoughby."

My BFF, Emily, came to town for the holidays...we had a sleepover at my house, soaked it up in our "KSL Hot Tub," and went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU.

All the girls {minus Cami} at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve.

Little Norwegian girls! Nina, Olivia, and my niece Bria.

Poppy Per making faces in the background, haha!

Baby Casch sporting his Norwegian costume. I love him!

Every Christmas Eve of my life {except for one} has been spent with my dad's family, gathered around a constantly expanding table for a Norwegian Christmas dinner. It's my favorite meal of the whole year! Clayton was sick this year and missed it, poor guy. He loves the dinner too. At the end of the night, Poppy Per drops one blanched almond into the giant bowl of riskrem {rice pudding} and whoever ends up with it in their bowl wins a tall chocolate Santa. Guess who won this year? Our own little Olivia! Hooray!

Here's the recipe if you ever want to try it for yourself...it's super delicious.

Riskrem

{Norwegian Christmas Rice Pudding}

Ingredients:

3/4 cup long grain white rice {not Minute Rice}

1 teaspoon salt

1 quart whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups heavy cream, whipped and sweetened to taste

1 whole almond

Raspberry Sauce {recipe follows}

Directions:

Cook rice, salt, and milk in double boiler until rice is soft and mixture is thick - about 1 1/2 hours. Fluff the rice a few times for the first half-hour to prevent lumps on the bottom. You want the rice to be nice and fluffy.

While still hot, add sugar. Cover with plastic wrap, directly onto the rice to prevent a hard film from forming on the top, and chill. When completely chilled, stir in almond extract. Fold in the whipped cream. Add the almond and stir to hide it. Serve topped with raspberry sauce.

The person who receives the whole almond receives a special gift {often a marzipan pig or a chocolate Santa}.

Raspberry Sauce

1 pkg. Danish dessert {near the Jello at the grocery store}

3 1/2 c. cold water

small pkg. of frozen, sweetened raspberries

Cook the Danish dessert and water until thickened. Cool, but do not refrigerate {if you do, it will jell too much}. Add desired amount of raspberries with some of the juice and serve on top of the rice cream.

little boy

2010-12-16T14:47:00.002-07:00

All bundled up and ready to go out the door, I couldn't resist taking a quick picture of this sweet little face. I can't believe he's already 4 months old.

I love you, little baby!

counting down...

2010-12-15T14:20:00.001-07:00

I love this colorful chain, made exclusively by two of our in-house artists, Hannah and Nina.

nina's santa

2010-12-12T22:15:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite picture of Santa ever. The skinny hat. The 5 o'clock shadow. I love it. My sister Hailey and I had a good laugh over this one, and she took a picture of it with her phone because she loved it too.

o christmas tree

2010-12-10T00:37:00.004-07:00

Say hello to my little Christmas tree! This was the first year that we didn't do a fresh cut tree. I never thought I'd be one of "Those People" who only do fake trees {no offense}, but here I am. Just like I swore I'd never drive a minivan, right? I did miss the smell of the fresh tree, but it was sure nice to not shell out the money for it. And even nicer to not have to vacuum up pine needles for two months!

We have quite the collection of ornaments around here. My cute mom-in-law gives each of us a new ornament every year, so now that's 7 a year for our family! She lets us each choose one from the Hallmark catalog. They are so great! This year Will's is a miniature version of the old Fisher Price Little People airplane. The door even opens up and you can see the tiny people in it! The kids will take their ornaments once they've moved out, of course, but for now it's a lot of fun to plaster them all together on the tree.

Last year I bought a box of blue and silver ornaments on clearance at IKEA, thinking, "Hey! These would be perfect since I have blue walls!" I put them on the upstairs tree this year, but it just wasn't hitting the spot. I just couldn't do without red and green. So I decided to decorate it with all my Norwegian/Elf/Woodland themed ornaments instead, and it's a keeper. Some of the ornaments were brought from Norway years ago when my sister Cami went there to study abroad. My parents gave me a few from Norway too. The little green elf is part of a collection made by my super awesome friend Julie, and she gave me the little grey-bearded elves from IKEA too. Others, including the Norwegian flag garland, were purchased as newlyweds from the Scandinavian shop downtown {when it was still in business, so sad it's gone}.

I let the kids decorate the other little tree in the basement with all the ornaments from Grandma Ruthie, and we love it! Ben even made a popcorn string for it...too bad Olivia ate most it.

That's the story of this year's Christmas trees. I think we'll do the same thing next year!

a turkey day of our very own

2010-11-29T23:01:00.003-07:00

Hannah stuffed and stitched this felt turkey head at school, isn't it great? Haha! I think we'll use it every year. Her teacher, Ms. Dains, said she made them with her grandma when she was little and they'd always pin it on a pineapple as a center piece. I love that she passed such a fun little tradition on to her students.

Oh, please pass the rolls! I was so happy they turned out! See below for my mom's recipe...the best rolls I've ever had. Ever.

I had the kids make "place cards" for everyone using little tags tied onto fresh pears.

Classic.

My brother-in-law, Jon, at the cabin over Thanksgiving weekend. He was last in line on spaghetti night, but he said was thankful anyway. Haha!

A few years back my mom decided to switcheroo her year to do Thanksgiving to accommodate certain siblings {you know who you are!}. For us, that means that we have Thanksgiving every 4 years with my family, every 4 years with Clayton's family, and with no family in between.

This was the "off" year and we had nowhere to go. We decided to give it a go ourselves. Thanksgiving at our own house with our 5 little kids.

I had never cooked a turkey before, but it was the easiest thing ever with the help of one of those oven bags. I cheated and did boxed stuffing and powdered mashed potatoes just for the sake of time and the fact that my kids were only going to take two bites anyway.

It was a lot of work, but super cozy and I was excited that I pulled it off, including a homemade pecan pie {my favorite!}. After we cleaned up we headed off to the cabin for a couple days with Clayton's family, then to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner again on Sunday.

Okay. You HAVE to try these rolls. It's my mom's recipe that she got from her friend Lora years ago. Lora got it from her grandmother and said that the recipe is over 100 years old.

Becky Jo’s Favorite Dinner Rolls

{aka Lora Bingham’s “Grandma’s 100-Year-Old Refrigerator Roll Recipe”}

Makes 2 dozen.

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 c. mashed potatoes (I use instant)

1 c. scalded milk

2 eggs, beaten

5-7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Mix butter, sugar, salt, mashed potatoes, and scalded milk together in mixer bowl. When cooled add yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly and add eggs. Knead dough in mixer, adding in enough flour to make a stiff, yet slightly sticky dough (5-7 cups). Knead the dough until it pulls away clean from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes on a high spped. Place dough into a large buttered bowl or container and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let rise in refrigerator 4-5 hours or overnight.

Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough out to a 1/8” thick circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut across the circle 6 times to form 12 triangles (like a pizza). Roll each triangle from the outside in to create a crescent roll. Place a dozen rolls each onto 2 greased cookie sheets. Cover with a light dish towel and let rise 2 hours in a warm place. (I preheat my oven for a minute just to get it warm then turn it off…it makes a great place for the rolls to rise).

After the rolls have risen, bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light golden on top. Brush with butter while still hot.

For cinnamon rolls:

Add extra 1/2 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, and 1/4 tsp. ginger. Refrigerate overnight.

Roll out 20” long by 8” wide ad 1/2 inch thick. Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up and cut 24 rolls. Let rise 1-2 hours. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. For frosting when cooled, cream together 1 bag powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter and a teaspoon vanilla.