Fun!

Nothing major to post about tonight, but I have to say...I just love Cameron! He is such a great baby and his personality is starting to shine. He smiles all the time and every time he smiles, I laugh as if it's the first time I've seen him make this face. He didn't sleep at all this evening, which is really unusual for him. I'll bet he has been wide awake since 5pm and I finally got him to sleep at about 10:45pm. Here's hoping he sleeps most of tonight! At one point tonight Sam just laid him on the floor. Cameron just laid there kicking his legs for a good 30 minutes. Isn't he a babe (punny)?


On a side note, I found a fun way to entertain myself today. Parker wears flip flops constantly. I learned that if I sneak up behind him while he's walking, I can step on the back of his flip flop and there is nothing he can do but fall to the ground like a sack of taters. You might think this sounds mean, but Parker laughs hysterically, as do I. It's a win-win situation!


And, I'm happy to report that Carson hasn't drawn any sperm lately on his school papers. Phew! I think I've dodged "The Talk" for awhile. Um, I don't know why he's eating the wand from the bubbles. It's easier not to ask sometimes.


Peace Out!

This Is The Place. Again.

It's that time of year again....to start working in my ward's garden at This is the Place Heritage Park. Last night I met up with Toni and her family to show her where our garden is. Toni is the new 2nd counselor in Relief Society so she oversees the garden. I volunteered to be in charge of maintenance at the garden this summer so last night was the first of many visits to come and I'm excited about that!

While there we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day and got some fun pictures.

Carson and Parker have been watching Thomas and Friends lately so they are loving this train!



Toni took this fun family picture for us. There are a bunch of mini playhouses and this train right next to our Relief Society garden. It's seriously so much fun. If anybody ever wants to go up and help me weed and maintain the garden (and let's be honest, we mostly hang out and play and then do a little bit of work on the side) just let me know!


Playhouses. There are 5 or 6 different playhouses.



Cameron was looking farmer-ish in his overalls. However, the placement of my finger between his legs look a bit odd--sorry about that!


And finally, if you sit behind me at church, this is what you'll see! Awww, cute!

Lessons Learned & A Pinewood Derby

Remember how I told you the IMAX Body movie talked about sperm? Well, to my horrification (is that a word?) Carson brought a school paper home on Friday and here is what I saw on part of it:


I asked him what that little drawing was above the sphere and he said "oh, that's just a sperm because the sphrere looked like an egg.". Crap. Maybe if I ignore the situation it will go away. I wonder what his teacher thought....? Moving right along. This morning my ward had a "no rules pinewood derby" activity. It was cold, but lots of fun. We didn't have much time to put our car together so Sam hot glued a bunch of candy to the block of wood and called it "The Sweet Procrastinator". I think it came in 4th place overall (not counting the rocket car, see below), so that leftover Easter candy really paid off! We couldn't hold Carson back any longer, as soon as we turned our head he started ripping the candy off and eating it.


Perhaps the sweetest moment of the day was after most people left. Tom Hildebrand had installed a model rocket engine on the back of his car. During the races he couldn't get it working but he resolved it and we were able to shoot a video. I seriously couldn't believe how fast it shot down the track and then I couldn't believe all the grown men giggling like school girls! Check out the other two cars going down the track at the same time the rocket car went down, that shows how fast it went.

The Human Body IMAX Movie

So tonight we took Carson and Parker to see "The Human Body" Imax movie at the Planetarium. It seemed like something Carson would especially like. Here is the movie description:

This film reveals The Human Body in a way never seen before – telling the incredible story of a single day in the lifetime of you and me. From morning to night we live through many miracles - from the moment we first open our eyes to the last rumblings of our evening meal late at night as it is turned into the raw materials with which we will face tomorrow. In astonishing detail, we explore the daily biological processes that go on without our control and often without our even noticing.

Overall it was an amazing movie and I would totally watch it again...but NOT with my boys! It showed little sperm swimming to an egg. Parker asked me what they were. I told him they were sperm because I didn't think the conversation would go any further...but then he said in a super loud voice "OH THEY ARE SPERM!!" As if he knew what that meant! I died a little inside.

Then the movie showed a close-up of armpit hair..I totally thought it was another kind of hair and again, I died a little inside.

Then they showed a lady delivering a baby, yes she was covered up, but I have explained to my kids that the baby comes out of my stomach (they just assumed I meant out of my belly button and I haven't corrected them) and I think they believed me, until tonight. It was pretty obvious that the baby didn't come straight out of her belly button...I died a little again.

Probably the grossest for-your-viewing-pleasure moment was when we saw the stomach digesting food. The human had eaten a pasta salad and she DIDN'T chew her food very well.

Good thing I'm not prego, I would have gagged dang hard...DANG hard!

Coming Out Of Hibernation

One great thing about warmer weather is that it brings everybody out of their houses and into the neighborhood. I swear we never see our neighbors during the winter....all we see are abominable snowmen dressed up in all their winter gear to shovel driveways. Usually that doesn't create a stand-around-and-chat atmosphere.

It wasn't really that warm tonight but it was sunny and it wasn't windy----and I had cabin fever! So after dinner we decided to take a walk. We got as far as around the corner and saw our friend, Ed, pruning his tree. We stopped to chat and before we knew it, there were lots of neighbors standing in Ed's driveway visiting. It really got me excited for warm summer nights when people are out walking and they stop by to say "hi" as we're working in the yard.

Ed had one rebellious branch that Sam helped him saw off. Scott Festin grabbed my camera and caught this action shot.


Cameron was being very good during the chilly walk!


As we were finishing up our walk, Parker saw his first ant-pile of the season and he was most excited! I had to hold Carson back from riding his bike through the ants...sheesh, 7 year old boys....


I know this is a crappy picture, but check out this owl that one of our neighbors has on top of their house. I just thought it was funny.


I am "tagging" each one of you who are reading this posting to make a comment. What are you most excited about for this summer? Are you going anywhere fun? Are you excited to see those tulips bloom that you planted last fall? Do you have any big projects planned for your house or yard?

I'm excited to NOT be pregnant and to be able to work in my yard. I'm also excited that we got central air last year so I can come inside and cool off when I can't take the heat!

Happy 49th Birthday Robert!!!

You old git...




-Love Sam

Date Night

I have a wonderful husband! He arranged for a babysitter and purchased tickets to see the movie "Leatherheads" without me even knowing it.

We leave in an hour and I'm extremely happy. Day in and day out of taking care of a newborn deserves a little outing don't you think?

Thanks Sam!!

Lessons From Cathy

It's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. The "old" me used to try a recipe once and if I didn't like it, I would never try the recipe again. The "new" me has learned to think about WHY I don't like the recipe. If it just requires a little tweaking I will try the recipe again with tweaks added. This new trick has been learned thanks to my friend, Cathy.

Cathy taught me how to make bread a few summers ago and that's when I learned the art of tweaking a recipe to your liking. Adding or subtracting flour changes the texture of your bread. I also learned that weighing the flour is much more effective than using a measuring cup! So you added too much flour? No sweat, let the dough sit for a few minutes and then add a little water if needed.... Just don't give up!

In February, Cathy and I made some cookies for some neighbors who were no longer in our ward due to boundary changes. Cathy mixed up the dough for some cookies called "Magic in the Middles" and I baked them. They were dreamy good cookies! I asked Cathy to email me the recipe the other day because a friend of mine wanted it. Once I had the recipe I decided to try making them. I mixed up the dough according to the recipe and the dough was extremely stiff. Once I baked the cookies they were like little rocks. They tasted okay, but I didn't like how dry they were.

The old me would have deleted the email with the recipe. But I thought about what needed to change.....do I decrease the flour? Do I add more butter? I emailed Cathy for her opinion but then I got busy making the second batch right away. I added a few extra tablespoons butter. When the dough was done it still looked a little stiff so I added about 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil and **voila** it looked like the consistency I was hoping for. I baked them and the results were delicious!
By the time I was done with the successful second batch, Cathy emailed me back and also suggested adding a 2-3 tablespoons of corn syrup for that added "chewy" texture. I am going to try that next time because the chewier the better!

These are pictures from my successful batch.



Here is the original recipe:

Magic in the Middles

Dough
1 1/2 c (6.25 oz) flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c sugar (plus extra for dipping)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter (creamy)
1 t. vanilla
1 egg

Filling
3/4 c peanut butter (creamy)
3/4 c powdered sugar

For dough: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together sugars, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, then stir in dry ingredients.
For filling: Stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small bowl until smooth.
To shape cookies: break off about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate dough and roll into a ball. Make an indentation with your finger and place a 1/2 inch ball of the peanut butter mixture inside. Bring the chocolate dough up and over the peanut butter filling, pressing it closed.
Dip top of cookie in sugar and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie with bottom of drinking glass (I used my fingers because I'm lazy like that).
Bake for 7-9 minutes at 375.

Try them today, you won't be disappointed!

Troll Doll

A few weeks before Cameron was born, my friend Natalie told me about a dream she had. She dreamt that I had already had my baby, but he had the craziest and wildest hair...just like one of those troll dolls.

Hey Natalie, do you mean like this?


Dreams really do come true!

I actually did a google search for a real troll doll picture so we could compare hair, but those troll pictures seriously freak me out.

Just because I think this is funny...
Cameron is so dang patient. Parker wanted to hold him today and the look on Cameron's face is priceless. He is basically just enduring to the end for sure!

How Fast Can You Type?

114 words

Speedtest

My brother Darren had this on his blog and on my first attempt I got 97 words per minute. Then I cut my nails and got over 100. Yes, it's true, I sacrificed beauty for this test. When I become obsessed with something, I go all out!

It Pays To Do Laundry

Remember how Sam's dream of owning a plasma TV finally came true? Well 3 weeks after he purchased his 'baby', the TV went on sale for $200 less than what we paid. Sam wanted to go back to Costco and ask if they would give him $200. I told him he was crazy because it bugs me when people do that. I figure that's the risk you take when you buy anything...you never know when it will go on sale. You don't see me going back to Harmon's and asking for $2 when Mountain Dew goes on sale the day after I paid full price, do you? Never.

Well, luckily Sam didn't listen to me. He went to Costco and somehow he convinced them to give him $200. I was so shocked I told him that he could keep the $200 to buy whatever he wanted because I wouldn't have even tried. So he is thinking he wants an Ipod.

I did laundry the other day and look what I found in the washer!


Oh yeah, it's one of Sam's $20 from the $200 Costco cash stash! SWEET! I can buy a lot of Mountain Dew with $20....it really DOES pay to do laundry. Usually I just find a penny, dime, or the elusive quarter. Once in awhile I find candy wrappers or some rocks. Let's not forget the time I washed a bunch of Hershey Kisses that were in Parker's pocket. But, I have never, no never, found a $20 bill. I feel so loved! Thanks Sam!

2nd Verse, Same As The First...Idaho Day 2

Day 2 of our excellent adventure to Rexburg was the wedding day for Travis and Lindsey. The Rexburg temple is absolutely beautiful. And in keeping with tradition, I think our family was "shushed" at least 4 times while we were inside. It's hard to be quiet when we all have so much to say, it's our family curse!

The morning started with Parker shaving all that stubble off his face.


A huge "thank you" to Robin and David for watching Cash and Cameron for Nalani and I so we could attend the sealing. You guys are awesome!


The bride and groom: Travis and Lindsay Simon--cute couple!


Funny story about their wedding photographer. My brother Darren is a photography professor at BYU Idaho. Guess who was Travis and Lindsay's wedding photographer? Yep, one of Darren's "basic photography" students, and this was her first wedding she had ever photographed. Can you imagine how nervous you would be???!!?? I told Darren he should periodically look at her and give a disgusted look and shake his head from side to side. He didn't do that, he figuered he'd look intimidating enough by walking around with a huge camera around his neck! Of course we figured this out while we were in the temple...and here comes a "SHUSH!"


Rexburg temple:


We had the wedding luncheon at one of my favorite restaurants...Johnn Carino's! I learned that the baked cheese tortellini is most excellent! Try it!

After the wedding festivities we played by the river again and did some swimming again. This time Carson learned his lesson and didn't biff it into the river.


Like Carson's haircut? My last words to Sam when he left to get the kids haircuts..."don't buzz their hair, just get a cute boy haircut." Oh well. Hair grows back.


Well, back to the daily routine. Carson goes back to school tomorrow after being off track for almost a month. Happy day!

Idaho? No, You Da Ho! Day 1

This weekend we went to Rexburg for my cousin's wedding. Congratulations Travis and Lindsay!

I don't remember the last time I went out of town so it was a nice change of scenery. I was somewhat nervous to travel with a 5 week old, but Cameron was excellent! Phew!!

We stayed at the Shilo Inn, which is across from the Idaho Falls Temple. It was perfect because there was a walkway right along the river so my boys got to play...and play they did!

Here are Parker and Carson acting precious. I'm pretty sure this picture was staged (is that right Sam?) because Carson was more interested in throwing rocks in the water.


See?


Now I realize this isn't a very flattering picture of me, but it has meaning. I didn't even know Sam took this picture.
This is the look on my face as my boys were climbing all over the rocks, right next to the river. I was constantly saying "be careful!"


In contrast, here is the look on Sam's face during that whole ordeal. Pure relaxation. Why should we worry about our 3 and 7 year old playing on rocks next to the river?


Ahem, HERE IS WHY! At least he was wearing an appropriate shirt! Carson wouldn't let me blog his bumps and bruises on his knee from falling into the river...he's caught on to me. He actually said "You can't blog this!".


The hotel had a pool, so good times were had by all! We met up with Darren and Susan's family and let the kids swim until they were plum tuckered.

Darren is being a good mentor to Cameron and teaching him about the importance of becoming one with the Mountain Dew. Cameron's hand cracks me up...when in doubt, pinky out!


We spent the better part of the evening teaching Carson and Kevin how to do belly flops. They both had some nice successes...you could hear the SLAP of their belly's hitting the water from across the room. It was sweet!

Action shot of Carson:


Action shot of Kevin:


Group shot: Jacob, Kevin, Ethan, Carson, Parker.
I wish I would have taken a video of Darren trying to get this picture. It took several takes and lots of hollering and confusion. So typical of all our boys!


That ended Day 1...

Say What??!!??

Today Parker was sitting on the throne and I was working. I heard him yell, from the bathroom, "Mom, my bum hurts!" and then he started crying.

Because I'm so sympathetic, I said "yeah, sometimes it can hurt". He got REALLY mad and said "NOOOOO, my THUMB hurts!"

Oops, I thought he was talking about sharp poopies. My bad.

Time Flies

I have a morning routine with Parker. I tell him to go pick out his shirt, pants, socks, and undies, and then I help him get dressed. Today he brought me a shirt that says "I'm a big brother". Sam's co-workers gave him a set of shirts when Parker was born. One says "I'm a big brother" and one says "I'm the little brother". So that gave me an idea...

Parker was born on June 20th, 2004 and this picture was taken on July 20th. He was one month old.


Today is April 9th and Cameron was born on March 9th. Cameron is one month old today so here is the 2nd generation picture with these shirts:


And, so Carson isn't left out...


I love my boys!

The Weekend

This was a great weekend. Non stop actually!

First of all, Parker got his first bloody nose on Friday. I didn't see it happen but apparently he kissed the pavement pretty hard. I took him into the house to get him cleaned up, but first, of course, I had to photograph the face. The picture doesn't do him justice-he had dirt marks all over his face, both nostrils were bloody, and the top of his nose got a nice road-rash owie on it. I just love his facial expression in this picture. It's like he knows I'm going to get a picture whether he is crying or not so this is his "okay mom, take the picture so you can clean me up" face.


Saturday started the first session of General Conference. My mom had put together conference packets for my boys. They were so fun--there were pictures of the General Authorities in the packet. They each were wearing a tie, but the tie was white so when that GA got up to speak, the boys had to find their picture, and color their tie like the one that was actually worn during the conference. Darren and Susan's family were here this weekend and Darren liked the packets so much he even took one to the Priesthood session and colored President Monson's tie!


Here are my cute boys. I told you Parker banged up his nose!


On Sunday, during the 1st session of Conference, Kevin (my 9 year old nephew) knitted Cameron a hat. Wasn't that nice? Here are the cousins that were together this weekend and Cameron is wearing his new hat.
Cameron, Kevin, Carson, Parker, Jacob, and Ethan


After the second session we decided to take a drive. We ended up at Copperton Park and let the kid stretch their legs. Mom and Dad even needed to get rid of some pent up energy. Awww, cute!


Fun pictures:





On the way home from the park we drove past a Hawaiin restaurant and I just had to stop and take a picture! I didn't know you opened a restaurant Nalani! :)


And finally, here is Cameron saying "Rock on!"