Petite Reflections

visitors

2011-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Once we moved to Great Falls and got settled, our next big project was convincing my Grandpa to come for a visit. Rocky Boy Indian Reservation is just a few hours north of here and he worked there in the 50's for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and in fact my Dad was born there and is an honorary member of the Souix nation. Some of my Grandpa's old friends still live there, with old being the operative word there! We knew if we were going to get him up here for a visit it needed to be sooner rather then later. So my parents and Aunts kind of shanghaied him into coming. Cheap airline tickets were found which is a must for my Depression- era Grandfather and conference weekend my Grandpa and parents came it visit. We had an absolutly fantastic time and made some great memories. We were unable to make it to the Hansen Family Reunion this year so I was so glad that my kids got a chance to visit with Grandpa one on one.

So Saturday Dad and Grandpa got up and hit to road to Rocky Boy. They had a great time and a wonderful visit with Grandpa's old friend. The rest of us got to spend the day with Nana. We went to the local corn maze which is actually the largest corn maze in the country! There was a big hay slide, hay jump, a smaller maze for kids, a cow wagon ride (which was hilarious) and a more traditional wagon ride. There were also these corn boxes (instead of sand boxes). I think we had the most fun here and everyone had to be buried!

Here's Nana and some of the grandkids on the wagon ride.

Sunday was a quiet day watching conference and then a quick trip to Giant Springs State Park. This is a very beautiful spot along the Missouri River and includes the shortest river in the world.

Here's a picture of Grandpa doing what he does best, teaching the young'ins how to appreciate the world around us. Here he is teaching about the different types of pine trees and how to identify them.

One last picture of Nana with all the grandkids but Weston. We had such a fun time and can't wait till they come again. Soon!

Autumn Leaves

2011-10-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Fall has been late in coming this year in Montana. Or so all the 'old-timers' say. Apparently we should have had our first snow by now, or at the very least the first frost. But last weekend we made it up to 90 and my tomato plants are still bursting with summery goodness.

However. Change is a-comin and coming soon. Eva and I go on walks down by the river while the kids are in school and we are seeing the leaves change color as the trees get ready for winter.

Here Eva holds out a fine specimen she picked herself.

There is not much in the way of reds and oranges in the foliage; mostly yellow. Here are some red leaves we found from a bush. I haven't seen any red on trees yet. You can get an idea from her shirt how windy it is here. I got this picture right before the gust of wind almost knocked her off her feet!

I thought Pullman was windy but it can't compare to Great Falls!

Camping

2011-09-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our very first Montana camping trip. We went to Gibson lake with my sister and her family, just for a night. This was the first time Eva has ever been camping and the first time I've been since she was born. All the kids get along pretty well, and there were no major disasters, so I'm calling it a good time. The hammock was the biggest attraction for the kids. They took turns lying in it while the others pushed them as high as they could go. No one fell out and there were only a few tears when turns were skipped. Eva thought sleeping in a tent next to Mom and Dad was GREAT and not to be wasted by actually sleeping, so Rob and I didn't get much sleep at night. But the weather was nice, we got to do a bit of canoeing on the lake with Rob's old/new cedar-strip canoe and the kids got as wet/muddy as they wanted. We had one little mishap on the way home driving through some construction where our tire picked up a 6 inch rusty old nail. We had to stop in Small Town, MT to get it removed and the tire patched but it gave us a chance to watch the natives while we waited. All in all it was a fun trip and we're hoping the weather doesn't turn cold too fast so we can go again soon.

First Day of School!

2011-08-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

We were all really excited today for the first day of school. I was a little worried that Grace would turn suddenly shy and refuse to get on the bus when the time came, but as you can see, she was way too excited to worry about being shy

I can't believe how much Sam has grown this summer! I saw my little nephew yesterday wearing one of Sam's old shirts and could hardly believe my little boy is now this big kid!

Going to a new school where you know no one can be super hard, but luckily they have each other and are very good at taking care of one another.

And let me tell you, nothing could rival this little girl's sadness when she realized that she wasn't getting on the bus with the big kids. She wore that backpack all day, asking over and over when she was going to school. Sorry baby! One more year with Mom till pre-school.

Home

2011-08-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

We're here, we're settled, we're unpacked (kinda), we finally have internet (seriously, how did we live without it?!?), and we're happy. The picture above is NOT the view from my deck, more's the pity, but it is a view from not too far from here in Glacier National park. Come visit and we'll take you there!

Hello? Is anybody there?

2011-07-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

So I know its been a really long time since I've posted but I haven't given up on this blog yet. I really don't have time to get back into blogging right now as we have a huge move coming up in the next few weeks, but here's some pictures from today that I wanted to share.

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

when faces called flowers float out of the ground
and breathing is wishing and wishing is having-
but keeping is downward and doubting and never
-it's april(yes,april;my darling)it's spring!
yes the pretty birds frolic as spry as can fly
yes the little fish gambol as glad as can be
(yes the mountains are dancing together)

when every leaf opens without any sound
and wishing is having and having is giving-
but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense
-alive;we're alive,dear:it's(kiss me now)spring!
now the pretty birds hover so she and so he
now the little fish quiver so you and so i
now the mountains are dancing, the mountains)

when more than was lost has been found has been found
and having is giving and giving is living-
but keeping is darkness and winter and cringing
-it's spring(all our night becomes day)o,it's spring!
all the pretty birds dive to the heart of the sky
all the little fish climb through the mind of the sea
all the mountains are dancing;are dancing)

e e cummings

Beach Bum

2011-03-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Nativity Collection

2010-11-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

I've been slowly collecting Nativities throughout our married life. Whenever a family member travels out of the country I try to remember to ask them to find me a nativity set in the style of whatever country they're in. I've missed getting a French or Italian version from forgetting to ask. Shoot. Anyway, here's what I do have. Not all are foreign, but all are loved.

Starting from the back left side, the carved gourd is from Brazil that my brother Spencer got for me while on his mission. Clockwise from there is the set Spencer and Anna his lovely wife picked up in Jerusalem. In front of that is a homemade set from my mom. To the left is another set from my mom, made from little gardening pots. The bottom left is a nativity my niece just got for me in Austria (It's my favorite!) and just behind that is a set from Nepal. Behind that just in front of the picture is one from Montana (not a foreign country) that I got at a craft fair. I have three or four nativity ornaments for the tree; one from Jerusalem and the other's local or handmade. Finally, I have a wall hanging quilt of the nativity that Rob's step-mom made for us last year that is very beautiful and detailed. Oh, and I can't forget our Little People set or the finger puppets that the kids get to play with. I guess I do have quite a few sets!

I also collect Santa's. I'll try to get those chronicled sometime this next month.

Fun in Snowy Montana

2010-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2010-11-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

We kept things simple for Halloween this year since there would be no actual tricking or treating. The kids had a great time at their school's costume parade, which is where these picture are from. Our ward had a fun dinner/spook ally/candy fest on Saturday night where we got loaded up on all the candy we couldn't possibly eat and which is now with Rob at work and will get eaten by starving college students instead of me. We did our usual candy for toys swap with Sam and Grace and they both ended up with new lego sets and just a few pieces of candy and are both thrilled with that state of affairs. Costumes were easy; Sam's skeleton is the same pattern as 2 years ago

Eva's pumpkin costume was bought last November on clearance:
And Grace's Princess Fairy costume was cobbled together with things around the house (shirts/tights), from the dollar store (wings/crown), homemade (skirt by Nana, wand by me),or bought for the occasion (sparkle shoes which get loves from Grace and Eva).
All in all, a nice, lazy Halloween. What's not so nice is I now have to spend a good chunk of my morning putting halloween decor away when I'd rather be reading and munching on a few pieces of chocolate that 'slipped out' of the bag before Rob could take all the candy to work!

The Colors of Autumn

2010-10-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Dad to be home

2010-08-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Accessories

2010-08-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Eva is a girl who likes her accessories:

Eyeware

Hats and Necklaces

Sunglasses and Braclets

Hats again

Shoes

Batman Cape

Riding the Rails

2010-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Eva on the FrontRunner just outside Salt Lake City

Lovesac

2010-07-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

On our way home from visiting with Rob's family over the weekend, we stopped off in Moses Lake to buy some Lovesacs. Rob's been wanting one of these for years and he keeps a pretty close eye on Craigslist looking for a nice, affordable used one. Well, he struck lucky because this family was selling 2 gently used sacs for an extremely reasonable price. Moses Lake is about 100 miles from Spokane so if we had been home we probably wouldn't have gone for them, but since we were passing through anyway...

So then our only problem was how to fit them in the car. A car that was already full of 2 adults, 3 kids, a crib, 2 scooters, a baby backpack, a large storage tupperware box, 2 backpacks of clothes, 1 suitcase, 1 large tote bag full of clothes, 1 briefcase, 4 pillows, and 2 blankets. Not to mention all the little things like travel foods, toys, games, diaper bag, etc. But Rob's not a Packer for nothing (hee, hee) and somehow he managed to pack everything and everyone in the car, without even strapping things to the roof. Here's how we ended up:

Can you find Grace? She wasn't so happy being shoved in the back, but she was the only one with access to the DVD player so that kept her occupied till we got home. Sam had Rob's iPad to play on and Eva was just within arm's reach of me so I could hand back fish crackers and bottles. I had to sit cross-legged the whole way, but suffered no ill effects beyond a little stiffness.

There was no way Rob would get any use from the rear view mirror. Check out the back of the van:

We made it home without incident and the kids have been happily diving into the lovesacs ever since. Rob and I watched a movie last night and we both easily fit on the big one with room to spare. Well worth the trouble to get them home I'd say.

A Brief Conversation with Eva

2010-07-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

1st shiner and Father's Day

2010-06-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day the kids pooled their money and took Rob to a Spokane Indians baseball game. They had a great time watching the game and eating $1 hotdogs and ice cream sandwiches. The Indians aren't really that great of a team, I gather, and they lost pretty spectacularly. On the way out to the car, Rob and Sam decided to play catch in the parking lot. (Allowing a 7-year-old to throw a baseball surrounded by all those windshields... a sure sign Mom was not around).Luckily no cars were hit, but not so luckily Sam's face was.

These pictures are from this morning and Sam was not at all happy about me taking them. But I felt that we should document this mile-stone in a young boy's life. The first black eye is pretty important, right?

The rest of our Father's Day celebrations were fairly mild and pain-free. Instead of Rob taking the day off from fatherly chores, he actually had a day showing off what a good husband and father he is. He got up with the baby so I could sleep in, did dishes, got the kids ready for church, and helped prepare all the meals. I would like to say that I've been fighting off a cold for a few days now and just couldn't get everything done on my own. So if Father's Day is intended to remind us just how much we need and rely on the father's in our life, then I say job well done!

Subtle hint

2010-06-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Any guesses as to what Eva wants right now?

Sisters

2010-06-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

Grace 2006

Eva 2010

Same dress, same shoes, same hair.

Same drool spot

(actually not the same shoes, but close enough)

Not exactly a dainty eater

2010-06-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Will blow your mind

2010-06-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of chocolate and especially interesting chocolate and this bar caught my eye at Walmart a few weeks ago.

This chocolate is just as bizarre and fabulous as it sounds. I'm addicted and I bet you will be too!

Welcome to the family

2010-05-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's late at night Friday. Well,actually not that late, but I'm pretty tired so it feels late. I'm writing on our brand spanking new iPad and I just can't seem to turn it off and go to bed. This thing is so much fun! Rob's been saving his pennies for this since it was announced; well,really before it was announced because he knew something like this was coming. Anyway, he had a target of September to buy it, but we had an unexpected windfall this week that got him exactly to his goal to buy this nifty thing. So happy early graduation to rob!!!! Now you just have to make sure you get through your defense successfully.
So we've only had the iPad for a few days but we've all been using it a lot. We have to use the timer for Sam and Grace to make sure that they both get equal time playing. They've been so excited about it that it really has almost felt like we have a new member of the family! I suppose that feeling will wear off with time. Until then, however, in suppose I'm going to be having a hard time getting to bed!

Eating a Banana Muffin

2010-05-18T12:50:00.001-07:00

Hello my lovelies

2010-05-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that we've been serious about having a garden. We had a garden plot at the community garden in Pullman two years ago but out-of-town vacations quickly lead to weed takeovers and we harvested very little. Last year we had some tomato and pepper plants in pots on the deck which were nice, but we didn't get as much produce as I wanted. This year we decided to follow Mel Bartholemew's Square Foot Gardening technique. Rob built two 2x4 boxes for me and him and two 2x2 boxes for the kids. We planted a few weeks ago, a little early it turns out because we had a few frosty nights. However, we only lost a few sprouts and one tomato plant. Here's to my future salads and salsas. Aren't they looking great?

Three minutes of Eva

2010-04-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

April Happens

2010-04-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the month is almost over and yet I don't feel that I've really accomplished anything to talk about. So I just picked some of the best pictures of this month and we'll call that a blog post. Maybe I'll put a little explaining with each picture to give some context. If you're lucky. And if Eva doesn't wake up in the next few minutes. Which really, to be honest, she's going to wake up in the next few minutes. And she doesn't like me to be on the computer when she's awake. Cause that means I'm not giving her my 100% undivided attention. And that just doesn't go down with this girl:

Spring is slowly creeping home around here. Almost like it's trying to give winter one more chance to show itself. But the sun sometimes pokes its head out. And Grace sometimes has her eyes open:

Our garden boxes are built, filled, and planted. If it freezes and kills off my summer veggies I'm going to have words to say.

Eva is one and she loves chocolate cupcakes:
And her bottle:
And her brother and sister but sometimes she's not so sure about them:
Grace REALLY likes bumper-cars. Smashing at high speed into your pesky older brother and sending him skidding across the way. What's not to like?

Sam's leaning how to be obnoxious when it comes to taking pictures. Time to confiscate Calvin and Hobbes:
Eva has gone from detesting the very sight of a hat to actually leaving them on her head for brief moments of time:

Rob's scouting out back-packing destinations for us for the summer. Really I think the biggest appeal is that he gets to buy fancy light-weight new gear. Good thing Gonzaga is giving him a job so we can fund it all. Congratulations honey! Make sure you get me a comfy sleeping bag.

Happy Birthday Eva

2010-04-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

More Eggs

2010-04-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids' contribution to our egg decorations:

How to do it

2010-03-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

As much as I would like to own to having the talent to hand paint the easter eggs in my last post, there's no way I could have produced such results on my own. I actually used ties to "tie-dye" the eggs. Here's how its done:

1. Get some old ties (or any ugly ones you wish your husband didn't have anymore). They have to be 100% silk. I went to the thrift store for mine as all of Rob's ugly ties are polyester. Nice. Once you have your ties, you have to take off any tags and pick out the lining. You just want the silk.

2. Cut a piece off the large end of the tie that is big enough to wrap around your egg. You want the right side of the tie facing the egg and you need to wrap it as tight as you can without damaging your egg. Only the parts of the egg that are in direct contact with the material will be dyed. You wont be able to get out all the wrinkles so parts of your egg will be streaky when its done, but I think that adds to the whole look. I used twisty ties from the grocery store for my eggs but if you have someone to help you, I'd suggest using string or twine because you can get it tighter. Here's what my eggs looked like:

3. Then you need some light weight material to cover your eggs. I used some muslin I had but you could cut up an old pillowcase or sheets if you wanted. Wrap the eggs as you did with the silk.
4. Put your double wrapped eggs in the pot and cover with water. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Remove your eggs from the water and let them drain and cool on some paper towels. Once they're cool enough to handle, unwrap and marvel at what you've created.
6. You can rub a bit of oil over your eggs to give them a bit of shine and also help your egg last longer. Remember these are real eggs and will spoil so don't put them away to save for next year! And throughout the year, whenever you're at the thrift store, grab a cool looking tie to use next time. Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs!

2010-03-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I'm quite pleased with how my eggs turned out this year.

Eva in the tub

2010-03-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

Pinewood Derby, hiking, and walking

2010-03-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sam's scout troop had their pinewood derby last weekend. Sam had a great time and won the award for the best hotrod. He actually had a very fast car and won every race it was in. Some of the older boys with more experience did have faster cars so he didn't place. Still, he had a great time and is already looking forward to next year.

We've been enjoying very nice weather here in Spokane so we've been trying to get outside more. I'm again so grateful that we have a huge backyard that I can send S&G out into to burn off some of their boundless energy. Here are some pictures of a little hike we took last Sunday. The Little Spokane River is just a few miles from our house and there is a lovely trail that runs along it all the way to the Spokane River. We only went about a mile down the trail because we had pizza dough rising back at home and were on a schedule. But we had a great time and plan on going back often this spring/summer.

Finally, here's a video of Eva walking. I took this about a month ago so she's even more agile now. I can't believe she's almost 1!

Home-made Granola Bars

2010-03-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Anyone interested in making their own granola bars should use this recipe.

They're fantastic!

Crazy Catch-up

2010-02-22T14:55:00.001-08:00

So it's been ages since I've blogged and we've been so busy that there's no way I'll get everything put down. So we'll just stick with the things I have pictures for. There aren't many because I never seem to have the camera ready and battery charged when I need it!

To start off, here's the baby around which all our lives revolve. She's been walking for over a month now. By walking, I mean just 5 or 6 steps at a time. However, last week when I got home from Utah (more on that later) I was met with the sight of her getting up on her feet without pulling herself up with anything and walking clear through the entire house! She's so funny and cute to watch because she's still pretty unsteady, though she rarely falls. The only down side is that she thinks she can walk down the stairs so we have to keep a very close eye on her. I've been trying to get a video of her walking, but whenever she sees the camera she plops down and crawls to me as fast as she can. One of these days.

These next pictures are from the scout family camp out that Sam's troop held a few weekends ago. Eva and I didn't go because they were camping inside the lodge. You can see from the pictures all the tents were set up in the big main room. Rob said that the noise of crazy, sugar-high boy scouts didn't end till 2 in the morning! I can't imagine what their parents were thinking to let their boys play flashlight tag between tents so late at night. It's a good thing I wasn't there because they would have been given a piece of my mind at around 11! And while all the adults would probably secretly be pleased, I would then have been known as the camp grinch.

This first picture shows you what winter has been like for us here in Spokane. I don't think I've lived through such a snow-less winter since I left Arizona.

Grace loved the painting station. Rob said she was here for hours.
Sam with all his scouting buddies.
A shot of the whole room. Can you imagine sleeping in the same room with a hundred other people, a good number of them boy scouts?!?

A few weeks ago Sam's school had their annual science fair. Participation was voluntary but I didn't tell Sam that. He was the only 1st grader that did a science project which he thought was cool. He's experiment was about meteors and craters. He dropped different sized 'meteors' into a box full of flour and then measured the impact craters. Pretty basic, but he had a good time doing it. He got a nice ribbon and the judges critique was very positive and encouraging. All in all, a really good experience.

So President's Day weekend, otherwise known as Valentine's weekend, otherwise known as Hansen sister's weekend. Though really it should be called Budge (my mom's family) women weekend because we had a good proportion of the Budge women involved. An old college roommate of mine has a sister's weekend every year with her sisters and I thought it was such a great idea that we started one up for us. My mom rented us a sweet condo in Midway, UT and my grandma, mom, two of my sisters (we missed you so Erin!), one of my mom's sisters and I met up for a weekend full of good food, good movies, good shopping, and so much talking and laughing that my belly still aches. I have no pictures of this experience (please remedy this Mom and Kathy) to post. If I did, however, I would post the picture of the 16 boxes of boots that the 6 of us managed to buy at the outlet stores outside Park City! We had to leave the condo Sunday morning so we all minus an aunt crashed at Grandma's house for a few hours and then went over to my mom's other sister's house for dinner with even more Budge women. Fantastic food and even more good laughs.

So I had a great time, even though I ditched my man and left him with the kids on Valentine's Day. He didn't have it too bad because his mom drove over from the west side to help him tend. She bought Sam and Grace new scooters so they barely even missed me!

I am not so overprotective of my children as to make them wear elbow and knee pads while riding scooters in the driveway. The pads came with the helmets and they insist on wearing them. I don't think they're necessary, but I wont be talking them out of it.

Meet Wobbles

2010-02-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

Sam's birthday is tomorrow. He's asked for many, many things. Most of which he wont get. One thing he asked for is a stuffed penguin. I don't know why he wants one, but I figured I could comply with this request. I found the pattern online here. It actually was quite easy to make, though this little guy has quite a few mistakes in him which I'm sure Sam will never notice but I will every time I look at him. I've named him Wobbles cause he's a little unsteady on his feet but for all that I think he's pretty cute.

Dear Eva follow-up

2010-01-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

Apparently writing a letter on one's blog to one's illiterate child who can't even speak is the way to get things done. The very day after I wrote this entry, Eva embarked on a veritable sleeping frenzy. Since that day, she has slept for 13 hours every night, with 2 one to two hour naps during the day. I defy anyone to find me a mother of an almost 10 month old who is so well rested as I am!

Want to know my secret? Well, there really isn't one. But I've always been a firm believer in routine so Eva's nap/bed times are sacred. Nothing interferes. Also, I believe that the better rested a baby is, the more they will sleep. Eva goes to bed at 6, even if this means that she doesn't get to see Daddy if he's late coming home. If your baby isn't sleeping well or long at night, I'd suggest putting them down earlier. They're bound to cry, probably really hard for awhile. But if you're strong, they'll give in. And a baby who is well rested has a much easier time falling asleep then one who isn't. Good luck!

Eva likes iphones

2010-01-25T15:41:00.001-08:00

the lighting on this video is pretty grim... but I figured it's good enough for Grandma's who want to see a bit of their baby.

Dear Eva,

2010-01-12T14:20:00.001-08:00

My darling girl. I realize that I have never explicitly told you this so you can be forgiven for not knowing. And this will in no way belittle your already substantial and fantastic achievement of regularly sleeping through the night. But you must understand that in this house, naps are NOT optional. You will take the naps you need, whether you think you need them or not. Do not test me on this, my sweet. I have nerves of steel and plenty of earplugs.

New Year

2010-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post now for ages, or at least since the last time I posted. Christmas break just flew by and I hardly took a single picture! Rob's sister Kathryn came for Christmas and luckily she was a bit more on the ball with her camera. We still missed out on a lot of stuff though. Christmas Eve and Christmas were tons o fun. We took Kathryn to downtown Spokane to see a Christmas flick at the IMAX that was pretty cool especially because it was done by James Christensen whose art I love. Then we took a ride on the Riverfront Park gondola's which take you down over the falls and gets so pretty cool views of the city.

Here's Rob and Grace in the gondola. You can see in the background what they look like on the outside.

Sam, with his customary silly face and the head of the falls in the background:

Christmas Eve brought the traditional Christmas Eve gift of pjs for the kids. I decided to add to it and made flannel pillowcases for Rob, Sam, and Grace. Then, of course, they all needed new pillows to go with the new cases. No pictures of these, but here is Eva after opening her pjs. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Christmas morning was fabulous. Sam and Grace both got legos from Santa and it didn't take long to spread them out across the entire floor.

Here's Eva modeling her pjs.

I believe everyone was happy with their presents, though Sam and Grace informed me tonight that, while they really like all their Christmas presents, Santa did not bring them what they had asked for. Oh well. Can't win them all.

Monday after Christmas we headed down to Pullman to visit some friends. We spend the night with the Barnetts and played some intense games of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Blokus. We had a great time with them and are only slightly disgruntled that we now have to wait for Maren to have her baby and then get settle from having a baby before we can start up our game nights again! Sam and Grace got to spend Tuesday morning with the best friends in the whole world which was great on the one hand, but on the other I've had to endure complaints ever since then that we live too far from Garrick and Alexsia. I agree!

Tuesday afternoon we got back home, ran a quick load of laundry and then packed back up to go over to the west side to be with Rob's family for New Years. We had a really fun time playing games, watch movies, and eating way too much good food! Its a good thing my new ipod nano has a pedometer, because I need it after this last week.

So now the whirl of the holiday's are over. We got the decorations taken down on Sunday and almost all our new possessions have found a home. I'm all caught up on the laundry and the New Year's resolutions lists have been made. Eva is back on an acceptable sleeping schedule, Sam and Grace are happy to be back at school (how many more years will that last I wonder) and I have lots of projects to fill my time. Oh wait. I'm a stay at home mom with three young children and a house full of keeping to be done. My time is already filled!

And it's not even Christmas yet!

2009-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Look at all this loot!!!

Here's someone who just can't wait to get her hands on it all.

Eva Video

2009-12-11T16:37:00.001-08:00

Just took this of Eva. She really wants to get out of the saucer and is on the verge of crying so it's not as good as it could be. Sorry about my silly talking-to-babies voice.

American Faces

2009-12-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

These photo's were taken by my grandfather during the 40's-60's. Fantastic, aren't they?

Costumes

2009-12-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in the post before this that we went to a nativity display yesterday put on by the Spokane Stake. It was truly amazing to see so many nativities in so many different styles in one place. I could have spent hours in the main room, but it was not at all kid friendly. Luckily, there was a kid friendly room with plenty of things for the kids to do. Here are some pictures of our kids playing dress-up. It took a bit of talking them into it because none of the other kids there were doing it. However, once they saw how much fun Sam and Grace were having it became the most popular activity in the room! What can I say, we're trendsetters. Eva did not like her sheep costume, but she makes a pretty cute one, don't you think?

The Santa Conundrum

2009-12-06T06:23:00.001-08:00

Do your kids believe in Santa? Mine do; though with Sam I think it is more that he wishes, almost desperately, to believe rather then that he really does believe as Grace does. His poor, logical, 1st grade self has been assaulted with too many inconsistencies and realities and he's been trying so hard to ignore them. Grace has no doubt that there is a jolly and kindly old man who lives at the north pole and spends all his time devoted to making toys for good little girls and boys. Let her see three different 'Santa Clauses' at three different locations in one short span of time and she has no questions. I don't have a problem with my children believing in Santa Clause. Belief in the joy of selfless giving, whether or not it is embodied in something 'real' can't be a bad thing. I'm kind of sad that this is probably the last Christmas that Sam will even kind of believe, but more because this means he is growing up and out into the world.

What does Santa mean in your home? Is he an example of service and charity or of strictly commercial value? Or is he used as a disciplinary threat i.e. only good children get presents from Santa? Last night we attended a nativity display put on by one of the stakes here in Spokane. It was amazing with hundreds of different nativities and depictions of the birth and life of Christ. ( Incidentally there was one with Santa kneeling by the manger.) They also had a children's room with the more hardy nativities that the kids could touch and other activities such as coloring and dress-ups. We had a lot of fun there. Just as we were leaving, another family came in. The mom started getting her kids dressed up in the costumes so she could take some pictures. One son, about Sam's age I would guess, did not want to participate. She started arguing with him and I distinctly heard her say as I was going out, "Do you want Santa to bring you any presents?"

That's really want got me started thinking about this whole issue. I've tried not to use the idea of Santa in this way. In fact, its more my kids that use it on each other, which is pretty funny to hear sometimes. Anyway. It's in issue that many families have to deal with at sometime or another. So, what does Santa mean to you?

Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints

2009-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

These cookies are probably my favorite of all I've made in the past few weeks. The dough comes together easy and fast and the dab of Nutella on top and hazelnuts on the side are just heavenly.

Ingredients

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1/3 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava

2009-11-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

I made this for Thanksgiving weekend. They were really easy to put together and came out really well. They taste even better the second day, I think. Anything with Nutella is bound to, right?

Ingredients

3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup blanched toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
24 (14 x 9–inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preparation

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat; stir until honey dissolves. Increase heat to medium; cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 230° (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; keep warm. Discard cinnamon stick.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Place hazelnut-chocolate spread in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted. Combine hazelnuts and next 5 ingredients (through salt). Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), place 1 phyllo sheet lengthwise in bottom of prepared pan, allowing ends of sheet to extend over edges of dish; lightly brush with butter. Repeat procedure with 5 phyllo sheets and butter. Drizzle about 1/3 cup melted hazelnut -chocolate spread over phyllo. Sprinkle evenly with one-third of nut mixture (about 1/2 cup). Repeat procedure twice with phyllo, butter, hazelnut-chocolate spread, and nut mixture. Top last layer of nut mixture with remaining 6 sheets phyllo, each lightly brushed with butter. Press gently into pan.

4. Make 3 lengthwise cuts and 5 crosswise cuts to form 24 portions using a sharp knife. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until phyllo is golden. Remove from oven. Drizzle honey mixture over baklava. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover; store at room temperature.

Macadamia Nut Butter Cookies

2009-11-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies for the first time last christmas. They have a different taste then regular butter cookies because you grind your nuts into butter and use that instead of normal butter. I think they're great.

Ingredients

2/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place nuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once. Combine macadamia butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add vanilla and egg; beat well.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined (mixture will be very thick). Stir in chopped cranberries. Chill 10 minutes.

Divide chilled dough into 30 equal portions; roll each portion into a ball. Place 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl. Lightly press each ball into sugar; place each ball, sugar side up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Gently press the top of each cookie with a fork. Dip the fork in water; gently press the top of each cookie again to form a crisscross pattern. Place 15 cookies on each of 2 baking sheets.

Bake cookies, 1 baking sheet at a time, at 375° for 9 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pan; cool on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies.

Sweet potato buttermilk pie

2009-11-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

I have finally admitted to myself that I just don't like pumpkin pie. I try, oh how I try, to enjoy it every year. And every year I am disappointed. So I've turned to sweet potato pie to fill in the pumpkin void. This recipe is by far the best I've tried. It's from the blog smittenkittchen.com which, if you like to cook, should be at the top of your cooking bookmarks. Nothing I have tried from this site has been anything less then extraordinary.

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie
Adapted only slightly from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

Whipped egg whites give this pie a frothy texture, buttermilk gives it a tangy flavor and together you end up with a sweet potato pie that’s less leaden and more cheesecake-like than the tradition. Yes, I know you read that whole sentence and only registered the word “cheesecake”!

Oh, and Alex and I don’t see eye to eye on the lemon juice in this recipe. I find the lemon distracting, and slightly clash-y with the cinnamon and warm spices in this pie, and possibly overpowering the sweet potato flavor. Alex likes the extra tanginesss. I’m going to leave it up to you depending on where you want your pie to be on the acidic scale. I believe the buttermilk alone will give you some brightness but the lemon will take it a step further.

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes), peeled and chopped into a 1/2-inch dice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpoe flour
3/4 cup full- or lowfat buttermilk (or, you can make your own)
1 All-Butter, Really Flaky Pie Crust (a half recipe will yield a single crust), prebaked (instructions below)
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Pour 1 1/2 inches of water into a 3-quart stock part with a strainer basket suspended over it and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, cover and steam until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Place the steamed sweet potatoes in a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Mash them into a smooth puree with a fork or potato masher (though I suspect that a potato ricer would also do a great job). You should have 1 1/4 cups puree; discard any excess (by topping with a pat of butter, sprinkling with salt and making yourself a most-excellent snack). Add the butter, lemon juice if using, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula after each addition.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a whisk, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until they’re a creamy lemon-yellow color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated and the filling is a consistent bright orange color. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring after each addition until thoroughly incorporated. Add the buttermilk and again stir until smooth and even.

With a cleaned whisk (or electric hand mixer), whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in a clean, dry bowl. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the sweet potato-buttermilk mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the prebaked crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven until the center is firm and set, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely on a rack. Serve at room temperature (or cold from the fridge; you can cover it with plastic wrap before chilling) with a dollop of whipped cream.

To pre-bake your pie crust, choose a method: “Proper” method — Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the dough and carefully scatter pie weights, dried beans or pennies over it. Bake on the middle rick of your oven at 325°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the foil, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes more.

Deb’s “Cheater” method — Freeze your rolled-out pie shell for 20 to 30 minutes until solid. Press a piece of buttered foil, buttered side down, very frozen shell and blind bake it at 325°F for 20 minutes, then carefully pull back the foil, press any part of the crust that has bubbled up gently back with the back of a spoon, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes more.

Pear and Walnut Muffins

2009-10-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

These may be my favorite muffins ever and coming from a family that specializes in yummy muffins that's saying something. I just whipped up a batch today and so help me I've almost polished off half of them on my own! This recipe is from Cooking Light.

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups finely diced peeled pear (any kind; I use bartlett)
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or regular sugar if that's all you have)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place walnuts in a food processor; process until finely ground.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in ground walnuts. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a small bowl; add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in diced pear.

Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle batter with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately. Place on a wire rack. Serve either warm or at room temperature.

Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup

2009-10-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

We tried this recipe out last week and it is fantastic! I love squash soup anyway and the spicy kick is amazing. It's from Cook's Illustrated.

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 medium shallots , peeled and quartered
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Sour cream (optional)
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, shallots, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl, then arrange in single layer in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and softened, about 45 minutes. Add ½ cup broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Return to oven and cook until liquid has reduced and vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes.

2. Working in 2 batches, puree squash mixture and remaining broth in blender until smooth. Transfer pureed squash mixture to large saucepan and stir in honey, lime juice, cumin, and cream. Bring soup to simmer over medium-low heat, adding ¼ cup water at a time as necessary to adjust consistency. Just prior to serving, stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with dollop of sour cream, if desired. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)

We didn't use the sour cream and it was great without it. Probably even better with it. I highly encourage you to try!

Eva moves

2009-10-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is mostly for the grandparents. Eva really likes her car seat (when she's not strapped in it) so we keep toys in it to amuse her. Sorry the picture gets jiggley at the end; I'm trying to scoot across the floor so she can't quite get me.

My Girls

2009-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Grace sporting her new outfit. Notice especially the knee high black boots. We bought them because, not only should every girl have a pair of knee high black boots, (though her mother does not) but they look especially killer with her spider-girl costume for Halloween!

I just walked in on Eva looking like this:

Seriously, how can she be old enough to be standing!

Do you think his teacher will notice?

2009-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

I hope this picture is big enough for you to see what's going on. Sam's school is doing a reading challenge and the parents are supposed to sign off for every 20 minutes read. Sam decided to just cut the parent out of the whole equation.

click on the picture to see bigger... you're looking at the bottom left side of the orange paper.

We had a little talk about right and wrong after this.

ps- Sam did in fact do the reading that he signed for. He just got tired of waiting for me to sign the paper.

New Dress

2009-10-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much to Aunt Whitney for this cute gingham dress! (the wet spot comes from Eva)

Trip to Utah

2009-10-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got home from a very quick and very fun trip to Utah to visit my older sister and her family. My mom and youngest sister also drove up from AZ to be with us. It was great to see everyone and I just wish we had had more time and less distractions (such as school, dogs, babies). Here's some pictures from the trip.

Grace and Eva on the trampoline. The trampoline was a great hit with my kids, especially Sam. He spent more time on the tramp then doing anything else, except maybe sleeping.

Eva also had fun on the tramp. She mostly just rolled around and put leaves in her mouth, but she enjoyed every minute of it!

The kids with Grandpa Murland at the Hill Airforce Base Aerospace museum

Jeep from WWI

Grace loved this lady in the lobby of the museum. She's wearing a dress made from parachute silk.

There were TONS of planes at the museum, both inside and out.

The cousins at the top of Ensign peak. It was so windy but the view was incredible.

Grace taking a rest on the hike up.

Eva likes her back pack.

At the SLC temple reflecting pool.

Pretty Sophie

Rob thought it would be fun to have a bubble gum bubble blowing contest. Brother-in-law Marc is incapable of blowing bubbles with gum. Here's a picture of his best try.

Sally was the clear winner. This picture is just a second too late to catch her truly awesome accomplishment.

Whitney did her best.

All told it was a great trip. We got to spend time with Great-Grandma Budge which was a treat (kicking myself that I neglected to take any pictures!) and it was fun to hang out with my mom and almost all my sisters. Thanks again Whit for taking care of us!

Cross Country

2009-10-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

The elementary schools here in Spokane received a grant this year to run a cross country program free for all students. Sam's been working hard and having fun at the practices. He's always been a fast runner, but not a far runner so its been a challenge for him to learn to pace himself. The first meet was this last Wednesday and he did great! I was really surprised at how far the kids had to run! He did walk parts of the course, but over all pushed himself and had a great experience and a good sense of accomplishment. Here are some pictures from the meet and a little video of his finish.

Hydrating after the race

All Bundled (likes to eat zippers)

Arriving at the park with his team

Having fun while waiting for the meet to start

Go Sam Go!

Another Eva Video

2009-09-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Sisters

2009-09-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Grace at 6 months

Eva at 5 months

Budget wise it is nice to have two girls in a row and both born about the same time of year so I can reuse Grace's clothes for Eva. Being a second daughter myself, I know that this will be a source of conflict in the future when either Eva rebels at having to wear hand-me-downs, or Grace will be upset with sharing her clothes with her pesky little sister. Of course, with 4 years between them by the time they are close enough in size to be sharing (stealing) each others clothes Grace will probably be about ready to leave for college.

The definitely have the same mouth and nose, don't you think?

Eva

2009-09-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute video I took of Eva today. I can't believe how big she is!

Aiming High

2009-09-12T16:29:00.001-07:00

For about a year, if one were to ask Sam what he wanted to be when he grew up he would tell one that he wanted to be a 'worker'. We've been able to deduce that a 'worker', in Sam's mind, is a builder or construction worker. Which really could encompass many professions, including architect, engineer, contractor, etc. Today, however, he narrowed things down quite a bit. He told me that he didn't want to be a worker that builds things. No, he wants to be a builder that digs holes. That's right. My son, my first born, aspires to be a ditch digger.

Time

2009-09-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

1st day for Grace

2009-09-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Grace was really excited to start preschool today. She's been somewhat lonely at home since Sam started school last week. She really likes her new teachers and is especially thrilled with the pink princess plates that are in her classroom for the kids to play with. There are lots of little girls in her class to be friends with and the teachers have fun things planned throughout the year.
So now its just me and Eva at home in the mornings. Though I think she and I are going to be taking some classes ourselves. We'll start out with Regular Sleeping Habits 101!

The Trials of Girls

2009-09-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

What little girl hasn't tried to curl her hair by wrapping it around a comb? I distinctly remember trying it myself with a round brush when I was about 6. Grace had this comb wound so tightly in her hair I was afraid we'd have to pull out the scissors and start cutting. Luckily, I remembered a story I heard at the Idaho Jr. Miss competition two years ago. The emcee was discribing how she got her hair wound up in a round brush just hours before the final competition. While she, her mom, and her sister had hysterics, her dad calmly got his pliers out and pulled all the bristles out of the brush and released her hair. So that's what we did with Grace. I had to break the teeth off the comb, but it was a cheap one so it was fairly easy and not a loss to throw it away at the end. She did lose a little hunk of hair during the process, but nothing like the damages if we had had to cut the comb out. I think she learned her lesson so we wont have to be doing this again. At least not until Eva tries it!

1st Day of 1st Grade

2009-08-27T09:55:00.001-07:00

Sam was a real trooper, going to a new school this morning with new teachers, new kids, new classrooms without even batting an eye. I was a bundle of nerves and I just had to drop him off, grab a bagel and leave! I think he's going to do great this year, and though he misses his friends (especially Garrick), I watched him start making new friends and putting down new roots. Thank heavens for the resilience of kids!

Images of Summer

2009-08-26T09:01:00.001-07:00

Send it Soaring

2009-08-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our annual trip to the Kite Festival. We had a great time and are so grateful to Grandma for taking us! Here are some picture highlights of the trip:

And now summer is over. Sad! Sam starts school on Thursday, and Grace starts a week from today. Whatever will I do with only one child at home?

Rick's Birthday

2009-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we drove over to the west side of the state to celebrate Rob's brother Rick's birthday. We left Friday and decided to stop for lunch at Snoqualmie Falls. This is just over the pass through the Cascades; about an hour from Grandma's house. The view at the top is stunning, and there's a nice little 1 mile hike down to the river at the bottom of the falls.

Sam and Grace both enjoyed the river and climbing all over the rocks. Sam's grey shirt was almost the same color as most of the rocks there so he blended in very well which made for some heart-stopping moments for me when I couldn't see him anywhere!

Eva was pretty tired by the time we were at the bottom so we didn't stay long.

She was asleep within minutes of the hike back up. Though the trail is short, it gets pretty steep at the end. It isn't easy with a babe in arms. The trail is lined with wild blackberry bushes which were just beginning to ripen. Sam and Grace loved looking for the black ones and we ate quite a bit.

We got to Rob's mom's house about dinner time and got the kids settled in and to bed. It had been a long day so we were all pretty tired. Rob and I had just gone to bed ourselves when Karen, Rob's sister poked her head in the room and told Rob there was a policeman here to see him. Turns out some kids thought it would be fun to throw rocks at windows as they walked down the street. Our car got hit, as well as quite a few others. We didn't get a picture of the window right after it was hit. This is what it looked like after Rob knocked all the broken glass out. We were lucky to find someone who could fix it on Saturday.

Saturday we went to Rick's house for a crab boil. I'm not very fond of these since I don't like seafood, but Rob's family are all quite keen. They are very expensive though so its an only-for-special-occasions dinner.

After the food is all cooked, you dump it out down the center of the table. Everyone has their own dish of melted butter and you just dig in. I had grilled chicken. No butter.

Everyone looks bored in this picture, but it really was a lot of fun. That's the birthday boy in the back in the blue shirt. And I don't think he's really picking his nose.

Eva was very well behaved the entire weekend, except for when we were driving, when she did a lot of this:

And finally, here's a picture of Grace with Auntie Kathryn, and the quilt that she made for Grace. It is even more beautiful in person and Grace loves it!

New Toy

2009-07-30T19:00:00.001-07:00

We just got this saucer off of Craig's List and Eva loves it! Her hand/eye coordination isn't really the thing right now so she does get frustrated that she can't always reach and hold the things she wants to, but she is fascinated with all they playing options. We had one with Sam and Grace, but got rid of it after Grace grew out of it since we had no space for it. So glad we found another one for cheap!

How Cute Am I?

2009-07-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

Really Great Dinner

2009-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

We've been eating this for dinner about once a week for the last month or so. Every time we make them Rob can't stop raving about how good they are. And they really are very good. So I thought it was high time I shared the love.

Grilled Soft Tacos with Avocado-Lime Salsa

From Cooking Light

Meat:

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons grated lime peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili power (I don't have this so used a bit extra chili powder)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound of meat (The recipe calls for flank steak. We use chicken breasts)

Salsa:

1 cup diced avocado

3/4 cup chopped tomato

1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Remaining Ingredients:

corn tortillas

2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over meat. Cover and chill 1 hour

Grill meat till done- let stand 10 minutes. Cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices

Prepare salsa- combine avocado and next 7 ingredients in bowl

Warm tortillas (we put ours on the grill after the meat is done)

Put slices of meat in a tortilla, top with salsa and cabbage. Fold over and dig in.

And prepare to swoon over the yumminess.

1st back-packing trip

2009-07-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Rob promised the kids at the beginning of the summer that he would take them each backpacking, but with a new baby and moving and PhD work, it wasn't until last weekend that he could make good on his promise. He and Sam left Friday afternoon to drive to Priest Lake, about an hour's drive north from Spokane. When we had first discussed a back-packing trip for the kids, I had been thinking Rob would find a nice, short, maybe-a-mile-but-only-just hike to ease them in to the experience. I was somewhat surprised when he told me that it was a THREE mile hike to the campground. Now, three miles is really all that long, but when you have a heavy backpack on your back, it can make things not much fun. However, Sam was a trooper and enjoyed almost all of it. He did get quite a few mosquito bites on the hike, but their campsite right on the lake's edge was pretty much mosquito free. The lake was warm enough for some swimming and Rob said he could hardly get Sam out of the water. They both had a great time. Grace's turn is this weekend, and actually Rob has decided on just a camping trip, not backpacking with her. She wont mind. I think it's mostly just spending time with Dad one-on-one that is the biggest draw. I'm not sure where they will be going, but it will be by a lake so she can get some swimming in too. And perhaps, if I start feeling adventurous, there will be a whole family camping trip soon!

The Sunday Blues

2009-07-26T17:49:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about this new ward... or maybe it's just Sunday... but I don't think my kids have ever been as poorly behaved as they have been these last three Sacrament meetings. Grace is loud and defiant and contrary; Sam is sulky and whiny. Both have obedience issues. And then when its time for primary, they are as good as gold. What is the deal!?! I'll be the first to admit that they have never been model children, but we could at least get some semblance of reverence from them before. I don't think its the new ward, because as I say, they are great in Primary. We haven't done anything different with our Sunday routines so I am at a complete loss as to what has inspired their bad behavior.

Well.

At least I know what FHE will be about tomorrow!

New Address

2009-07-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Packers now live at 9711 N Indian Trail Rd/ Spokane, WA, 99208. We are finally online and just started getting mail today. So I guess after a week and a half we are back into the world. And we're pretty happy. As you can see in the picture.

Moved

2009-07-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

No Internet till friday. Love the new digs. Miss our friends! Update soon.

For Elaine and Penny

2009-06-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

So it's taken months, but here's pictures of Eva in her amazing blessing dress that Grandma Elaine made for her. She's about twice as big as when she was actually blessed! As I remember, she was super crabby on the day she was blessed so we didn't even try to do pictures. Please don't look at my wrinkly sheet that she's laying on!

A Year Of Grace

2009-06-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my Dear Daughter

When all things are possible.

2009-06-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

It has been mentioned on this blog on previous occasions that the Packer children (the self-mobile ones) are obsessed with races and who is first. So Sam's bewilderment this afternoon at finding himself alone on the stairs after getting out of the car is understandable. Usually Grace is right behind or in front on him, pelting up the stairs to see who gets to the door first (Grace was still in the car, gathering up her dolls that she just couldn't go to the Farmer's Market without this morning ). Sam stops, looks around confusedly, and says in a hesitating manner:

"Grace, are you invisible?"

He was 100% serious.

Eva Speaks

2009-06-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

About a week or two ago, Eva started talking and even laughing a little bit. This video doesn't have any laughing , but it's still pretty cute. The down side is, now that she's so social, she's less inclined to be content if no one is paying attention to her. She lets us know, LOUDLY, if she feels she's being neglected!

6 weeks = social smiles

2009-05-20T20:14:00.001-07:00

Another Race

2009-05-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were getting ready to go to Sam's T-ball practice. Sam and Grace were all ready to go and waiting by the door, and Rob and I were finishing up some things and almost ready. Now, you have to know that Sam and Grace will turn almost anything into a competition, and one of our regulars is who will get to open the door and leave the apartment first. So while they were waiting for us, they were jostling each other at the door. Sam decided to take charge. He backed up about 5 feet from the door. Here is their conversation:

Sam: Let's have a race to see who gets to the door first. Come and stand next to me.

Grace: No

Sam: YES Grace, come and stand next to me.

Grace: You mean in front of you?

Sam: NO Grace, come and stand right here pointing emphatically to the spot right next to him

Grace: You mean.... behind you?

Sam: repeat of his last comment...increasingly frustrated

Grace: You mean....right in front of you?

Sam: No Grace we're having a race! Come and stand next to me!

She strung him along for a bit longer before I intervened. The race, obviously, never happened. And I can't remember who actually made it out of the door first. Not that it matters. What does matter is that I'm getting more and more worried for my poor, literal, gullible son!

Smart, that one.

2009-05-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

So it's been kind of a day. Nothing specifically bad, but just frustrating. Whiny kids, lack of sleep, trying to figure something out on the sewing machine and not. I just had an episode with Sam. Earlier this afternoon, Grace got out her little stroller for her doll. She probably played with it all of 5 minutes, after which found something more entertaining, at which point Sam took over the stroller, played with it for quite awhile, and then left it right in the main thoroughfare through the living room. That's where I come in. I asked Sam to put it away and then had a much too long discussion over whether he should put it away since he played with it, or if Grace should put it away since she got it out. Once that was settled (Sam's responsibility to put away), we had another episode over whether he'd be able to undo the clasp that holds the stroller up. We reached the point of Sam collapsed on the floor yelling 'I can't do it, it's too hard!' before Grace stepped in and handily took care of folding the stroller up for Sam. At this point I retreated to the bathroom, ostensibly to use the facilities, but really to have a break. While in the bathroom, this conversation was overheard:

Sam: Grace, lets have a race. The first person to touch the stroller gets to put it away.

pause during which I presume Sam started the 'race' and got no response from Grace

Sam: Grace, we're having a race! The first person to touch the stroller gets to put it away. Ready, set go!

Grace: I'm not going to race.

Sam: C'mon Grace, it'll be fun!

Grace: Sam, you have to put the stroller away.

It's nice to know that Grace can't be manipulated by her older brother. The funny/somewhat sad thing is, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the race ploy would have worked on Sam if their roles had been reversed!

Little Pink Mushroom

2009-05-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks Grandma Vy for the very cute hat!!!

(and for the blanket she's laying on)

Eva at two weeks

2009-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Birth Day and birthday

2009-04-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a week this has been. So Rob and I went into the hospital early, EARLY Sunday morning to start the induction process. After going through all the same paperwork and answering all the same questions that we did weeks before at our pre-admission tour, (why even have one if we have to do all the same things when we are actually admitted?) and having my hand killed by a nurse in a hurry to get in the IV, I was started on pitocin and we waited for the contractions to start. And they did start. And then stopped and then started again and then stopped. 11 hours later, after being on the full dose for 5 hours, I was no closer to having a baby then when we started. Frustrating, to say the least. Especially compared to Grace's birth, which was also induced, and was as pleasant and easy an experience as labor could ever be. The doctor offered to break my water if I really wanted that, but she was obviously disinclined to take that route and instead wanted me to go home. Rob and I both felt that while going home still pregnant wasn't in any way desirable, my body and the baby were obviously not ready to give birth that day. So we scheduled another try for Tuesday and headed home. And I have to say, that Monday was one of the most relaxing and pleasant days I have had in a long time. I stayed away from the phone and the computer and just enjoyed being with my family and the beautiful day.

Tuesday came and we went back to the hospital and did all the same paper work and answered all the same questions again. Why, oh why, I don't know. It isn't as though I was going to develop an allergy or start smoking in the day since I had last been there. I am glad to say that the nurse who did the IV was much more gentle and careful. Then followed another full day of contractions, this time only somewhat harder but much more regular. By 5 that afternoon, I was pretty sure we were going to get sent home again. After check progress, my doctor confirmed my suspicions that not a whole lot was happening, but he was much more encouraging about having my water broken. SO, after some talk Rob and I decided to go for it and the doctor broke my water. Almost immediately I went into really intense labor and also immediately regretted my decision and wanted to go home. Labor really hurts! The anesthesiologist was in surgery so it was almost an hour before I could get any relief. I'm sorry for anyone coming to the maternity ward at that time. My room was right at the front and the door was open I think almost all the time since nurses kept coming in and out. I'm afraid I was pretty loud, but at least not profane. Once I got the epidural, I felt much better and even could doze a bit till it came time to push. Unfortunately, by this time the epidural was starting to wear off a bit and so the actual birth was horrid and loud and painful, but at least it was quick. Beautiful Eva Elaine Packer was born at 8:48pm weighing 8lbs 9oz and 21 inches long.

She is a wonderful baby, sleeping and eating well, and adored by her siblings. They compete about just about anything anyway, so now they compete about who gets to hold Eva first or help me with whatever. Sam gets almost giddy just holding her and Grace is determined to be a great older sister.

We've been home now for two days and things are going very well. A super big thank you to everyone who has helped out by visiting, bringing meals and flowers, and taking care of Sam and Grace while I was otherwise occupied. Especially to the Hustons... I can't thank you guys enough for all you did this week! I hope you'll let me reciprocate when your time comes Danielle!
This post is getting exhaustively long, but luckily Eva's about to wake up so I'll have to wrap things up. Today is my 30th birthday (thanks to the well wisher on Facebook!) and even though our lovely spring sunshine has turned to dreary rain, I feel that this is going to be a great day. I have a lovely new baby to add to my wonderful family, I get to celebrate Easter tomorrow with it's eternal message of love and hope, I have great friends and family to be with and who care about me, and I get to have my all time favorite coconut layer cake for dessert tomorrow! Who could ask for more then that?!

To our unknown Benefactor

2009-04-04T11:07:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much to whoever it was that sent us the blue gingham dress from The Children's Place. It is adorable! The package came in the mail yesterday but there is no clue to whom it is from. I love the dress, and now Grace is convinced that she needs a dress just like it. I'll have to look around and see what I can find. Thanks again, whoever you are!

Luke 21:19

2009-04-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a looooong sloooooow week here in the Packer household. I have spent countless hours wondering when my body would be returned to me; when the swelling in my hands, feet and face (not to mention tummy!) would go down; when my jaw would return to it's normal position; and most critically, when is this baby going to come!! I saw my doctor on Monday and we discussed my physical and mental state and came up with many options. The end of the conversation resulted in my being scheduled to be induced on Thursday. I can't even describe the ease this gave to my mind. Thursday was the perfect day to have a baby. My mother-in-law would be here to watch Sam and Grace, I could have a leisurely day or two in the hospital and come home in time to catch some of General Conference. Well, I should have known it was too good to be true. Almost 24 hours to the minute of my doctor visit, the hospital called to cancel. Lots of c-sections to be done on Thursday and there just wouldn't be personal to take care of me. Disappointing. I was rescheduled for Saturday. And can I just say that adding two extra days to my wait felt like two extra weeks or even months! But Saturday was going to be good too. Elaine would be still here to be with the kids, and there would be at least some time for her to be with her newest grand-daughter before she would have to go home Sunday afternoon. Well, it shouldn't be any surprise to hear that last night the hospital called and canceled again! This time there is a very sick baby in the nursery that is taking up all the nurses time. And how can I resent the sick baby for messing up my schedule? SO, now were looking at tomorrow for my induction which, if things progress quickly, means that Elaine may get a few minutes to see her grand-daughter for whom she's been here for 4 days waiting to see before she has to drive all the way back home. I have decided that maybe being induced just isn't in the cards for me this time and so if (when) the hospital calls today to cancel again hopefully I wont be too disappointed. As for going into labor on my own, I can't say that there has been any indication that baby Packer is ready and wanting to make an appearance. You know, a month ago I was convinced that I wouldn't go past 38 weeks, 39 at the very latest. Now here we are at DD+1 and I'm afraid that we'll go much beyond that.

Now I'm going to go buy some baby plants so I'll at least of something to take care of since I don't have a baby at the moment!

Another Day, Another Snowstorm

2009-03-31T10:42:00.001-07:00

This is getting a bit ridiculous. I think we've had maybe one day of sun out of weeks and weeks of rain and now snow. And of course, this is spring break so all the kids that would normally be cooped up in school where their teachers have to deal with their antics are now cooped up at home where their poor mothers have to deal with their antics. AND we took our snow tires off the van last week so it wouldn't really be a good idea to get out and drive somewhere. Whatever happened to the sunny and warm spring breaks of my childhood?

...oh yeah, that was in Arizona.

HAPPY SPRING!!!

2009-03-20T09:40:00.001-07:00

Baby Shower

2009-03-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today my super sweet and amazing Visiting Teachers held a baby shower for me. I love baby showers, but I have to admit that I'd really rather go to someone else's shower then my own. Not that I don't appreciate the great gifts and fun times to be had, but I really am not comfortable being the center of attention. And sitting at the front of the room, opening gifts while EVERY SINGLE PERSON there is watching me... well, lets just say I was extremely flushed by the time it was all over.

I had a great time, in spite of my bashfulness, and was so touched at how many people came. I suppose I tend to assume I have less friends then more, and so it is always wonderful to be reminded that there are a lot of people out there who care for me. The gifts were great and beautiful and much appreciated, be even more I am so grateful for the friendships that I have here in Pullman. This is such a great area and it breaks my heart every time I think that we have to move in a few months. But let's not talk about that right now.

Thank you so much to all who came and participated and contributed to my shower! Little baby Packer will be the best dressed and diapered and blanketed and accessorized baby in Pullman whenever she decides to make her appearance (which really couldn't be too soon for my taste!)

Unwelcome Return

2009-03-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a few days of almost spring. It was still quite cool, but the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and we even found a few spring flowers blooming while on a walk. Then it started raining. Then it started snowing. As of right now, there is 7 inches of snow on my deck. The low tonight is supposed to be in the low teens. Thank goodness we hadn't taken the snow tires off the van yet!

Tight Space

2009-02-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

FYI: My 'innie' belly button is about to become an 'outie'

The Food of Love

2009-02-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Happy V-Day everyone, or as a friend of mine puts it, Happy Mildly Disappointing Day. I've had my share of disappointing valentine's days, but I can't say today has been one of them. Rob and I went out to dinner last night so we could be sure of getting a reservation. And can I just say wow! We went to The Red Door, which is a little restaurant in Moscow, just across the state line from us. I love fancy restaurants where you can take 2 hours to eat your meal and the waiter isn't hovering over you the whole time trying to hurry you along and the food is fabulous! Go here to see their menu and drool. Although, actually, we didn't have anything that was on that menu because the chef had come up with a special Valentine's Day 3 course dinner that we couldn't say no to. I realized after we left that we really should have taken pictures (though I'm sure that would have been a dorky thing to do) of our food because it was so beautiful and did I mention how amazingly delicious it was? I've never seen Rob eat anything with such delight. He said he actually got all tingly after taking the first bite of his dessert!

We've had a pleasant day today and the kids are looking forward to some friends coming over in an hour or so for dinner and a movie (we traded babysitting so we could actually have a date this weekend). Oh, and speaking of food, I made homemade breakfast sausage this morning and who knew it could be so easy! No more store bought for us!

On a more somber note, I just spent almost $1000 getting Rob set up for a conference he needs to attend in May. Ouch!

Happy Birthday Sam!!!

2009-02-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

A week late, though let's be clear that it's this post that is a week late... the celebrations occurred right on time. It's crazy to think that my little son is 6 already. I keep having to buy him bigger clothes which is a wrench not only to my wallet but to my heart because he's growing so fast!

I think we managed to make Sam's birthday special. We got up early to take him to our favorite breakfast place over in Moscow; he had a party at school; and we spent the afternoon in Spokane picking up this little beauty of a bike you see below:

Then it was back home to enjoy Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner (which I have a suspicion that Sam picked because it is the ONLY meal which he likes but Grace doesn't. Usually she'll eat just about anything and he is the picky one). Then there were more presents and then the cake. THE CAKE!!!!! I tried a new recipe and had my doubts about it up until I put a bite in my mouth and then swooned.

Since then we've been working on teaching Sam to ride his big new bike. Our efforts have been hampered my wet, cold, and snowy weather, though we did have a nice day last Saturday and spent some time at the park doing this:

He's learning fast and I think by the time spring is here and I'm ready to get on a bike again, he'll be good to go.

Sam's extraordinarily happy to be 6. The mantle of authority and expertise that comes with being a whole year older has settled gracefully on his shoulders. This entire past week he's been saying things like, "I can run so much faster now that I'm 6", and "I'm stronger now I'm 6", and "I know how to do that now that I'm 6", and "Grace, you have to do what I say because you're only 3 but I'm 6". Unfortunately for him, this last one doesn't really work. Grace may be only 3, but in her head she's older then us all.

Tragedy

2009-02-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Out of nowhere, suddenly chocolate gives me heartburn.

I weep

Dear Baby

2009-01-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

It appears that I have to remind you that this is MY body, not yours. Please remember this the next time you feel the urge to kick, pinch, squeeze, bounce, roll, hit, and tangle my innards ALL NIGHT LONG.

Sacrament Meeting Haikus

2009-01-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

Rob speaks nervously

How to build a better life

He has much to say

Two kids - a handful

Fish fly making a big mess

Is the meeting done?

A little girl scowls

Try hard not to laugh at her

Take her serious

I can't sing right now

My voice doesn't really work

I don't mind so much

The Dangers of Public School

2009-01-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

Some lovely little child in Grace's preschool class has taught her that it is acceptable to... how to put this delicately... no, there's just no way. I'll just have to be blunt. Taught her to pick her nose and then eat whatever she finds there. I KNOW that she didn't learn this at home since Rob and I have no such uncleanly habits, and Sam can't bring himself to put his fingers in his mouth even if there's something good on them like chocolate or honey. So in an attempt to head this behavior off, I've told Grace that it will make her very sick if she continues. I'm fairly sure this is a lie. However, since I will certainly be very sick if she continues, I feel justified.

Christmas Vacation

2009-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post for weeks and if I had just taken the time to do a little each day it wouldn't be so overwhelming now but since when have I ever taken the non-procrastinators route? We went to Arizona for Christmas which I didn't write about before the holiday because it was a surprise for my mom that all her kids were going to be there for Christmas not just half of them like she had supposed. All in all we had a great time and the kids were sorry to leave, though we did manage to uphold our Packer family tradition of being sick at Christmas time. This is the 4th year running! Luckily this year no one was actually sick on Christmas day. There was a pernicious little stomach bug that made the rounds and Sam and his cousin Jack had amazingly loud and lingering coughs. Rob had a sinus things that made the drive home with all the elevation changes particularly painful for him. Other then sickness, we had a lot of fun with all the cousins and aunts and uncles there. The kids loved their Christmas loot; in fact I think this is the first year that every gift was a hit. My sister's family got a Wii for Christmas which definitely stole the show. I wish I had gotten a picture of my Dad and Grandpa playing tennis. It was a hoot! Finally, we didn't have the sunny skies and balmy temperatures I had been dreaming about all December. After just 2 days of good weather we had rain and even snow! for the rest of our time there. I didn't get any pictures of the snow covered cactus which I regret, but that was the day Grace was throwing up so I had other things on my mind. SO we had a great trip and loved seeing everyone, but were happy to come home to our own beds. School was supposed to start up again today for the kids, but we are in the midst of another snow storm so pretty much everything has been canceled and closed. Since I have not had a minute of alone time in almost 4 weeks, you can bet I'm praying for school to be in session tomorrow!

Here are some pictures from our trip. They are not in any order... most should be self explanatory.

All I Want for Christmas...

2008-12-18T21:28:00.001-08:00

is my two front teeth!!!