Quotable Quote


" I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up
little ones and wipe away tears... And at the end of these days I bend next to
the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower. Because I serve a
Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face. And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness
of Joy.” ― Katie J.Davis

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ta Da!

Ava had her end of the semester "performance" at gym on Friday.
Miss Mel helping Ava on the bar. Miss Mel is Gracie and Ava's favorite.
Gracie's performance was also on Friday, but she utterly refused to attend. She did have a few tricks up her sleeve for us though when we went to watch Ava.


Breck just taking it all in.
I really love 'The Little Gym' because the girls just have a lot of fun. They do teach them skills, but it is a lot of just playing around and having a good time.

Monday, June 1, 2009

2 Great Recipes

I have made both of these recipes within the last few days and they are both REALLY good!

Summer Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow squash, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup crackers
2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook top 4 ingredients until tender. In a separate bowl, combine the veggie mixture, soup, and sour cream. Transfer to a greased baking dish. In a Ziploc bag, crush crackers and add butter. Shake bag until all crackers seem coated. Sprinkle cracker/butter mix on top and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Ranch Turkey Wraps

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
tortillas (about 4) ---just a side note, if you aren't going to use Costco's uncooked tortillas than this recipe just won't be as scrumptious as it was when I made it---
3/4 lb sliced deli turkey
8 slices Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced

Directions:

Add top 2 ingredients together and stir until blended well. Just make up the rest of it like you would a taco and enjoy!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Dr. Laura


My mom bought me Dr. Laura's new book 'In Praise of Stay at Home Mom's'. I understand there are moms that work, so please don't get huffy and puffy about this post. I just wanted to share my thoughts on it. I thought it was a really great book. She puts a lot of things in perspective and talks about how for most people if you make a goal to stay at home and figure out how to do it, you can do it. She talked about being there for all of your child's day and how incredible it is to be there to share in every happiness and every sorrow and disappointment. I thank God that I get to stay home with my kids. It is so nice to just be present. To be there to take a nap with them and afterward have an otter pop and walk around the neighborhood. It means so much! I really think it gives my kids a great measure of security to know that I will be there whenever they turn around. If you are looking for a good read this book is great!

Cousins

I had to share these pictures I took of G, A, Tyler and Mason. So cute! Ty buddy picked a lilac for his mom. He is so handsome.
Look at these two. Polar opposites, but both so sweet! I wish I knew how to photoshop out Ava's forehead.
I thought this one was funny. Gracie with her Nilla wafer and the boys in the background.
Look at those two laughing.

Mother's Day

I have yet to post about Mother's Day. It was pretty uneventful really. We picked up Trev and went to the temple after church. From what I could gather it was Missionary Awareness Day or something because there were literally hundreds of missionaries milling around. Some acting respectable, some acting like they were still in high school. I had to put my favorite picture up first. Ava and Breck walking ahead of us by the front doors.
I love this care free picture of Ava.
Did I mention an old man came up and told the kids they couldn't hang their feet in the fountain? Ba hum bug.
My favorite flower....tulips.
Trev and Grace.
Of course it goes without saying that I was incredibly grateful this Mother's Day for the opportunity I have to be a mother.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Zuka's Temporary Home

My mom and step-dad have been kind enough to house Zuka for us while we are in, what should I say, "house transition." We went out to visit him the other day and I remembered how much I really miss my 4th child! :-( We took him to the lake to do a little swimming. He's a natural.
And photogenic too, I must say!
I had to get some landscape pictures of the beautiful area where they live. I won't tell you where, or you'd all move there and then it wouldn't be beautiful anymore.
Can anyone say Joseph and Mary? ha ha. We were trying to coerce the kids onto Homer again this year. A few years ago Homer decided to buck Ryan off twice and I was really hoping for a replay, but he decided to behave this time. I love the pic below. This was the girls reaction to Daddy trying to talk them into riding Homer!
Needless to say, they opted for the 4-wheeler instead. Such beautiful views. I sure wish my driveway was so green and secluded. I jumped on the back after taking this pic and the four of us went for a ride. Breck was snoozing in Mom's room the whole trip!
Thank you a million for caring for my canine son!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Kangaroo Zoo

My brother Spencer and I took G, A and, his son Mason to Kangaroo Zoo the other day. If you haven't been there it is worth going at least once. It is 7 bucks a kid (2 and under $5), so if you like it you should purchase the "frequent flopper" pass which is 10 times for 50 bucks. Anyway, it was fun! They have a ton of bounce houses and bounce slides.

Of course the first picture says it all. I have named it "The Doting Dad" because that is Spencer in a nut shell. I guess a not-so-kind way of saying it would be "The Paranoid Dad." By the time we were done, Mason was climbing up a slide that was GINORMOUSLY HUGE! I couldn't even guess on it's size. Spencer is afraid of heights (aren't we all?) and so it was just comical to have little Mason climbing up that high.
Ava spent a fair amount of her time at the batting cage with a bunch of little boys. She leaned over to the boy in front of her in line, grabbed him around the waist, and picked him up off the ground.....that's my Ava!
Gracie must strike a pose at all times, this time as she is headed up the ginormous slide!
Of course, as always, I had to pick one pic for B&W, besides it did wonders at getting rid of his red-eye. Who wouldn't love a face like that!?!?!

Friday, April 24, 2009

From Snowing To Swimming?!?!

I am truly confused about the weather we have been having lately, but this past week I couldn't complain!

Monday, April 20, 2009

The New Survivor


My mom sent me this over email. I thought it was blog worthy.


Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.


Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes. There is no fast food.


Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.


In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.


Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.


Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.


He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.


Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.


The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.


The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn themselves with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.


During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.


They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.


They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.


A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight,shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.


The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!


.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Easter Egg Hunt

My beautiful niece Megan! Gavin looking a bit confused as to what this Easter hunt is all about.
Mason showing Aunt Rachie what he found.
Ava showing mom her "easter basket" while sporting her shy face. If you ever see her stick her tongue on the side of her mouth that means "I'm feeling shy."
The hooligans getting the loot while they can.
Gavin, Ava, Gracie, Amber, Tyler, and Mason.