SO MUCH!

JACK AS A PRINCE



Jack went to his first Birthday party. He felt very important. It was a Princess party for his good friend Brooke. It took me until the day before the party to convince him to dress up as a Prince. Up until then he was determined to be Cinderella. He dresses up all the time. It is part of having two older sisters. However all we have are girl dress ups. After he finally was talked into being a prince and we made his crown and cape/robe he couldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror. His exact words were “I can’t believe I’m a Prince”. He lets me know, just about every day, that he wishes he could be a real prince now.

SOCCER





I love coaching Kennedy’s soccer team. I was her coach last year, and I don’t “really” want to brag but yes we were undefeated. Kennedy is an amazing player. She gives it everything she has. She loves the competition, as do I. There are girls on our team this year who love the sport and there are those who I believe, do it because their mom and dad wants them to do it. It’s a little hard for me when they don’t love it and don’t put in 100%. I know that at this age it is still mainly suppose to be about fun but it’s no fun when you don’t want to be there. It’s also really hard for those who love it and give 120% and work their butt off. Because unfortunately as hard as they work and as good as they are they can’t win the game alone. It is a team sport. I’m really hoping to get some of the girls who are not giving their all at this point to step it up. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.

Rylee also loves soccer. I feel really bad that we didn’t sign her up for spring soccer. She played in the fall and was a natural. We let her join us at every practice. She truly plays harder than a few of the girls on our team who are 4 years older than her. She is so dang CUTE.




JOSEPH SMITH FIRESIDE



Saturday night we were honored to have the crew and members of the “Tribute to Joseph Smith” come to Cedar City. If you have not listened to the music you have to go buy the CD. I believe most LDS members own the CD. It is wonderful music to listen to. One of the creators of the project, Dan Truman, is a good friend of Steve’s, so we were just excited to see him. Steve offered rooms to the crew at our Hotel and most took him up on the offer, all except Dan of course who stayed with us. Steve had told me that Sunday he would be gone before we came home from church so not to plan dinner for him. When we came home he was not gone which we were all happy about however now I had to come up with dinner. Talerine was on the menu for our family, however not a very special dinner for a guest. Then I was also informed that Jason Deare would be coming over to join us. Again I was happy, I had never met Jason and was excited. Again however, no food planned. Luckily we had carne asada meat leftover from the night before and therefore I made them tacos. The most delicious tacos, in my opinion, however just tacos. No sides, no salads, nothing except tacos on their plates. A little embarrassing, but what could I do. I hope they know I didn’t plan it that way. I didn’t dare say anything about it for fear I would make them feel as though I didn’t want them there. So I sucked it up and feed our “famous” guests tacos. Dan is a wonderful man. I have always been grateful for his friendship to Steve as well as me and our family. Jason was a great man to meet. He was so good with our children who were bugging him left and right. They both were big kids and even played tag around the house with our children. I am thankful for wonderful men and women who use their talents and time to spread the gospel.

EMBROIDERY LESSONS

For Valentine’s Day Steve SURPRISED me with an embroidery machine. I had no idea. I have been making aprons for Rylee’s Birthday party and told him it would make it more special to embroider the children’s names on their apron. I did mention it first; however he took it and ran with it. I didn’t literally mean to buy the machine, however it is something I have “WANTED” for a long time, but “NEVER” expected to get right now. Steve becomes obsessed with things like that. When he has something on his mind, it is impossible for him to let go. Therefore, I now have an AMAZING embroidery machine. Let me just say that again, an AMAZING embroidery machine. Unfortunately I had no clue what to do with it. I went to Granny’s quilts and had Karen show me where to get started. It is so much fun. Steve also purchased an AMAZING software program that I am still waiting on. When that arrives, watch out. However, Steve did inform me that I have to start making the money to pay for it now. And that means taking custom orders. So after I am up and running on this thing come see me and what I can create for you. I’M SO EXCITED!!! I'm still just playing at the moment.

SIENA'S PLAYMAKERS



Thursday night we went to support my niece Siena in her performance with playmakers. She loves to perform. She’s getting a lot better. In the past it was a little hard for her to concentrate. She’s only 8. But this performance was really cute. Our favorite part was when the other children had to push her back when she kept inching her way forward to be seen. We had a good laugh.

OREM

"ALL SHOOK UP"



This past weekend we spent in Orem. Mimi was performing in the musical “All Shook Up” at the Hale Theater. It was a lot of fun. I had never been to the “Hale Theater” and thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually think it was the best play we’ve been to that Mimi has performed in to date.

The kids’ favorite part of going out of town is swimming.



We treated them to Chuck E Cheese AGAIN.



We were also up there for the blessing of Lucy, Steve’s niece Emilie’s 2nd baby girl.



Kennedy, Rylee, and Jack love seeing all their cousins.






LIFE IS SO BUSY, BUT SO MUCH FUN!

Beautiful day at Brian Head

We spent the first half of the day at Brian Head. We haven’t been up there once this year. We decided it was time to try the tubing hill. The kids really had a lot of fun. As you can see from all the pictures, even Jack enjoyed it. We weren’t quite sure he would go since they don’t let you ride double. We got him to go once and couldn’t stop him after that. His head barely pokes out of the tube so it couldn’t have been too scary. They let you ride in two hour increments. We figured it was going to be very busy because of the junior races this weekend, so we headed up early for the first session at 10:00am. To our surprise it actually wasn’t all that crowded, even the ski hills didn’t look too bad. After tubing we went up to the Lodge for lunch and watched the skiers for a bit. It only made Kennedy feel real bad. She wanted so badly to get out there and ski. I really think it is something she will always love so we need to get her up there more. That is our goal, even though I’m not sure when it is going to happen. Soccer has begun and the next two Saturdays we will be out of town. But we promised to make it happen before the end of the season. (She may be missing school) I think we picked the best day to go. The sun was shinning and there wasn’t any wind. I really don’t think it could have gotten any better.

Just the beginning of "Big Talks"!

The big talk wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. Not nearly as scary either. I didn’t go into detail about the actual sex and actually from the questions she had I didn’t feel I needed to discuss intercourse at all. She is still my innocent little girl. She is mainly concerned about boys. Not in a sexual way but in a like way. We talked about all the changes she is going through and also puberty for boys a little. She mainly said ooh to most of it. I am so happy she knows that she can talk to me about anything. There will be many more of these kind of talks in the future and both of us will be ready for them. We had so much fun just being girls. Having one on one dates are definitely important for children. They need to know that alone they are special as well as in the family. Thanks for all the advice from my friends. I took it all to heart and it helped me so much.

1 WEEK UNTIL THE BIG TALK

Kennedy and I have planned a Mother/Daughter date for next Tuesday. It is the big talk time. I never remember my mom sitting down with me and explaining sex to me. I guess it just wasn’t talked about then or for some other reason that I don’t know but I always knew that I wanted to be open with my children. I never thought it would come this soon. She has expressed to me on several different occasions that she knows about the “S” word. The other day she even said that she knows how babies are made. I cannot put it off any longer. I am desperately seeking advice from others on how is the best way to go about it. Per the advice of a friend I have decided to make it into a big deal. Not the actual talk but the time spent together. After school, she and I will drive to St. George, for a little shopping, dinner, and a movie. I definitely want it to be a memorable and wonderful experience for her. She is very excited. She is counting down the days. It is actually making me a little more excited than scared. She is growing up way too fast. I miss my little girl, but I love the young lady she is turning into.

I have been doing a lot of research so that I have all the accurate information. If you have any advice please help me out with this difficult subject.

Tagged... 5 Addictions

1. I’m addicted to morning workouts. It’s almost impossible for me to make it through the day without a good sweat.

2. I’m addicted to achieving my goal on the Biggest Loser Cedar City. Six weeks ago two of my friends started a Biggest Loser Cedar City and Steve and I signed up. We had to make a weight loss goal of at least 10 pounds. We each put in $50 and if we make our goal we get $40 back. The winner gets the rest. I have 2 weeks left. Therefore, for 2 more weeks I will be completely addicted to seeing a loss on the dreaded scale.

3. I’m addicted to peppered jerky. I eat it all day long, even in the morning. Gross, I know.

4. I’m addicted to having on-going projects. I have to always have something in the works. Whether it is a craft, a sewing project or something to do with my house, there is always at least one thing ½ done.

5. I’m addicted to my family. They are my life and I would be nothing without them. They truly define me. That may sound a little pathetic but that's ok with me.

Puppy Pics

We have PUPPIES!

Niki had three beautiful, healthy puppies beginning at 11:00pm Friday night.


Shiba Inus normally come in three colors; black, sesame, and cream. We were really hoping for at least one to take after Niki and be cream. However, we got 3 sesame. I guess the daddy was just too dominant. Sesame is the traditional color of the breed. They are cute as can be. We've sold two and my children are continually begging to keep the third. (we'll see)

Healthy Eating

So it has been over a week now that me and my family have adopted a healthier eating menu. It is not the easiest thing in the world. As a matter of fact it is really hard for me. I have tried to cut out sugar all together and it’s not working so well. The first 7 days I did really well however my energy did not seem to be up to par. On Sunday I taught the sunbeam class and I brought snacks; crackers, marshmallows and fruit loops. It was really hard to feed them and not myself so I did sneak some fruit loops. Now the past two days I have found myself snacking on cold cereal several times throughout the day. I’m not sure how to stop. I haven’t had one piece of candy or chocolate and that is a huge feat. Were doing somewhat ok but of course it could be better. We eat a lot more vegetables and mainly chicken or fish. We’ve also cut out table salt. We use a lot of Mrs. Dash. It’s got to be healthy right?! I’m actually really proud of Steve I did not think he would be able to keep it up this long but he seems to be doing really well. Of course I sneak cereal so who’s to say he doesn’t sneak as well.

I’ve also got Steve exercising every day. Exercising is a lot easier for me than the eating part of this whole scenario. It’s not so easy for Steve however. The lack of time is a big factor. There’s usually less than an hour of time for him to spend with the kids at the end of the day. And if you factor in a workout there is no time, which has left him to exercising late at night. I am exhausted by the end of the day and I can only assume it is the same for him, but he has been a good sport and has continued each day.

So the reason that I put up this post is to add a few recipes every so often. I’m trying new, healthier recipes and I thought I would share those I liked.
This soup is one of my favorites. It is so easy and so good.



Tuscan Vegetable Soup




Ingredients
• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

Directions
In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Christmas Pictures

I know that it is well past Christmas but I thought I would throw up a few pictures anyway.

Christmas Eve! Jack is a goof ball and it's really hard to get a serious picture of him. This is the best I could do that night.

Here's the kids spreading food out for Santa's reindeer. We were lucky, it snowed on Christmas Eve.


Here's Jack fighting off kisses from the girls.

Unlike most of you who's children slept in until 6 or 7am, Kennedy and Rylee were up at 3:45am. I made them stay in their room until 6am. I know I'm a mean mom but that is just too early for me.




This is my gift to Stephen, a pullup bar. However Kennedy and Rylee love it more than most of their own gifts. They use it more too. They both do a few pullups everytime they walk by it.


Rylee loves to let everyone know that in Gymnastics her nickname is "Muscles".

Kennedy loves to show off her muscles as well.

Gregory, Mimi and Max came to Cedar a couple of days after Christmas to visit. Grandma Janet came over as well.



Kennedy, Rylee and Jack love it when their older brothers and sisters come to visit. They are all so much fun and give them a lot of attention. Here they are deliberating over a game. Gregory and Kennedy were on a team against Mimi, Rylee and Jack.


We all sat down for a tea party one afternoon.



My family is continually blessed. We had a wonderful Christmas. We gave to a family who are currently not as fortunate as us. I feel bad we didn't do more. There are so many people in our own communities who are hurting because of the failing economy. One New Years Resolution I made is to become more aware of those in need and actively be engaged in service. My family has been given so much and I would feel very ungrateful if I din't give back. We live in a wonderful neighborhood and have so many wonderful friends around us. I am blessed to be the receiver of much service and I am very grateful to all those who have helped me and my family throughout the past year.