The Cluff Crusaders

List Number One

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned earlier, the food here is crazy expensive, no variety, and not very good...this is in relation to eating out. Needless to say, we have gone out to eat only a small handful of times (which means I have cooked more meals than any human housewife should).

Not that I need to eat (even with the lack of yummies, the bread and chocolate here is divine to the taste, but has been horrible for my figure)

Chocolate Aisle in my grocery store!

...but here's my list of places I MUST go when we're home.

In no particular order:

Cheesecake Factory - Christmas Eve tradition
Chick Fil A - chicken nuggets please!
Kneaders - a good ol' American sandwich
Taco Bell and Taco Time
Subway - the real one
Cafe Rio - more. than. once.
The Mandarin in Bountiful. Haven't had Chinese food since we've been here
Costa Vida - Maddie's favorite
Root beer floats at A and W (per Will and Maddie's request)
Pizzeria 712 (although the pizza in Italy is divine)
Zupas for salad that's not been pickled
Harmon's...just to look around and dream and buy a few items to shove in my suitcase

And the most important item of all is Diet Coke. I could write an entire post on Diet Coke...first and foremost, they don't have the real stuff here - it's called Coca-Cola Light, they drink it room temperature and it DOES NOT taste the same. If you ask for ice, they actually tell you how wrong you are for wanting it and what it will do to your drink. They will then grudgingly give you two cubes which melt instantly in the warm Cola Light. They don't have crushed ice. They don't have cups with lids and straws. No fountain drinks at a gas station. No free refills. When my sister, Jana, was here, we would drive by a gas station and she would ask me if I was sure they didn't have fountain drinks inside. Are you kidding me...of course I'm sure. It was my quest upon arrival to find such a thing. I promised her over and over...they DON'T have it! It's truly one of the saddest things about being here. I know, I am ridiculous, but really?...

Why can't they have it?????!!!!

When I get on the airplane, they better have the real stuff!

I know I'm forgetting so many things...feel free to remind me.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Colmar, France

2011-12-15T02:22:00.001-07:00

At the recommendation of a new friend, Alison, I first discovered Colmar when my mom and sister were here. With my love of all things French, I fell in love with Colmar and have been back twice since my first trip. It is just a one and a half hour drive. Colmar is a village in the Alsace region of North Eastern France, south of Strasbourg. And it's so great to have France so close...I can get all my French "fixes" without having to drive far at all.

Colmar was founded in the 9th century. There are old (very old) churches and buildings that are fascinating. One building was featured in the movie Howl's Moving Castle (Maison Pfister).

Just last week, Stacie and I took a day trip to enjoy the Colmar Chistmas Market. So much fun! These European Christmas markets are so much fun. I do think the German ones are the best.

These first few pictures are when we went in October and the collage is the Christmas Market.

The area of Colmar called La Petit Venise

A delicious Nutella crepe...yumm-o!

I loved these balls hanging outside a store.

The three of us

Colmar Christmas Market - LOVED it!

Au Revoir,

Fall Break...Paris

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Maddie and Will had a two week break in October so we drove to Paris for six days. The drive was about seven hours...not bad. I wanted to take the back roads and drive through all the villages, but Bob wanted to take the highway. Lame. We stayed about a 40 minute train ride outside of Paris in a Marriott time share. And as a bonus, we were right next to a mall. No malls where we live - the malls here are a grocery store, pharmacy, office supply store, Claires (yuck), bank, coffee stop, shoe store, a couple of weird clothing stores. And all so unbelievably expensive. Seriously, very, very expensive!

So needless to say, we loved going to a mall. It even had a food court...WHAT???!!!

a little prelude to us leaving...I had known my dear friend Rochelle was going to be traveling in Europe in October with her husband. I didn't know where she would be, but I knew that Paris was one of their stops. The night before we left, I emailed her to let her know we were going to be arriving in Paris the next day and was wondering where they were. They were in Paris and leaving the day after we got there! Providence!

So, we took the train into the city after we arrived and met them for dinner at a cafe where Rochelle and I had eaten many times on our trip to Paris over the summer. It was the best night ever. I cried happy tears when we saw them. I regret not taking a picture before we said good bye. I will remember that night forever. It was truly a miracle to be able to spend time with them. I miss my friend!

HIGHLIGHTS

On/Off Bus Tour - higly recommend in Paris. It was cold, but we were bundled up
Eiffel Tower - highlight of our trip. We went all. the. way. to. the. top! Best decision ever.
Rue Montorgueil - can't wait to go back and spend the entire day
BHV - Bazaar Hotel de Ville - great store- could have spent all day in here. Not a craft store but they have an amazing craft section. Bought some craft supplies for our dreary, boring days. No craft stores here in Switzerland...well there are some, but they are stuck in the 1970's - WEIRD!
MonoPrix - French Target. enough said.
Riding the Metro - Bob is a PRO!
Crepes - I like sucre, Bob and Maddie like Nutella and Banana
Pain au Chocolat - ate more than my fair share
Pylones - great store for fun souveniers
Strawberry Tarts for Maddie
Cheap McDonalds for Will - for the four of us to eat at McDonalds here in Switzerland it costs about $65.00. I am not lying! We obviously don't eat there very often.
Paris Disneyland - Space Mountain 8 times! Freezing Cold!!
walking, walking, walking!
shopping, shopping, shopping!
New Parisian discoveries. I will be back!

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures and they were all with my iPhone.

Riding the train into Paris

On the train

Louvre

Notre Dame

Before heading to the top

At the tippy top!

Champs Elysses and Arc de Triomphe

Lunch on the Champs Elysses

Centre Pompidou

PARIS DISNEYLAND!

It was the coldest day ever! I don't think I got warm at all that day. The kids had a wonderful time. But Paris Disneyland is nothing like Disneyland at home. Everyone is smoking, so gross! It is not clean like at home. No Disneyland food. Much smaller! But it was great to be able to spend time together and to see the kids so happy!

Au Revoir,

Alpabfahrt or "cows coming home"

2011-12-13T04:34:00.001-07:00

Cows are in abudance here. I'm pretty sure there are more cows than people. And they wear bells...loud, bells that seem to ring all. summer. long. Charming at first, annoying at last!

Every September is Alpabfahrt, cows coming home. The farmers bring the cows down from the higher elevation in the alps where they have been using the cream to make cheese all summer long. It is too expensive to haul the milk down to sell as milk so they sell the cheese instead. In the winter, with the cows at lower elevations, their fresh milk is sold as milk. This descent is ceremonial and quite impressive. We drove about an hour through, of course, gorgeous scenery to witness the cows coming down. This tradition takes place in lots of villages in Switzerland. We went to a more popular one...the crowds were crazy. There is a parade down the middle of the street with vendors selling, you guessed it...cheese and cow bells. These cow bells are VERY expensive! But the cheese is delicious! All the cows are decorated with flowers and greenery and it is very LOUD because of the bells.

Decorated Cow

Cheese

Farmer and his tractor

Yodelers

Alp Horns

Now I can say "been there, done that".

By the way...cows stink!

Auf Wiedersehen,

My Rescue!

2011-12-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

The first six weeks here were rough to say the least. Nearly every day included tears! And I am not a wimpy woman...I think I'm pretty tough and resilient! I was so homesick, my children were so unhappy, Bob was gone a lot, we lived in three different places out of suitcases, I couldn't understand anyone or anything, the list goes on an on! I was so lonely for my family and my friends...someone to talk to. I wanted to go next door and talk to my neighbor. I wanted to go to a movie with friends (a ticket to a movie cost 23 CHF...that's about $26.00 for one ticket!), or go out to lunch with friends, watch American TV, go out to dinner with Bob (dinner for two is about $100), have Sunday dinner with my family...I know it seems glamorous to live in Europe, but let me just say, it's not!

Contrary to popular opinion, you do not pack your bags every day or every weekend for that matter and travel to some exotic location. At least we don't...we have school, work, church (I'm in the YW presidency), etc. I have the same things to do here as I do in the States...cook, drive, laundry, errands, clean, make lunches, do homework, grocery shop, help in classrooms at school, wash the car, and again, the list goes on and on! But imagine all this in a foreign place where none is the same as at home. You can go from Utah to New York and it will all be relatively similar...not here. Everything is different.

So when Bob had to go home for a week in the middle of September for work, he saw my mom and told her she needed to come sooner rather than later. My mom and Jana came at the end of September and in a way, rescued me. It was so good to have them see what I was talking about and understand how I was living.

So, I planned a few things for us to do while they were here...it was a chance to do a little traveling...our first stop was Lake Como, Italy. It's just a two hour drive from my house (I know, now that sounds glamorous and I agree...pretty cool). And after we came home from Lake Como, we drove to Colmar, France for the day (another two hour drive...I'm not making my point about a non-glamorous life very well, am I?)

We left on Thursday for Lake Como and Cannero/Cannobio, Italy. We brought Maddie along. She missed a couple of days of school, but it was worth it. Our hotel was in Moltrasio. Bob and I had previously planned on staying there at the recommendation of Bianca Lisonbee last summer but because of his work we had to cancel. So I knew exactly where to stay and thanks Bianca...it was perfect!

The drive out of Switzerland was nothing short of incredible. It was breathtaking. We arrived in Moltrasio, unloaded and took the ferry over to Como (trying to buy our tickets was painful. There is absolutely NO ENGLISH spoken in Moltrasio). We spent the evening in Como eating and shopping and walking around. So much fun!

On the second day, we spent the day in Bellagio. It was about a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride from Moltrasio...saw George Clooney's villa, Star Wars villa and some absolutely amazing villas and hotels. Again, spent the day eating and shopping. I purchased a beautiful hand carved wooden nativity that I will treasure forever. Bellagio was wonderful. Can't wait to go back with Bob.

On our way - my driveway and backyard

The view driving from Switzerland into Italy

Narrow roads in Italy - glad to be behind the bus!

Our hotel. Recommendation from Bianca. perfect.

A walk in Moltrasio - need to find a bank - we need Euros!

First stop pizza and....

Gelato!

I need to write an entire post on food in Europe, specifically Switzerland. It was
good to get some delicious and cheap food!

More images from Lake Como...

After leaving Lake Como, we headed North to this hotel in Cannero, Italy for one night. The hotel was from a recommendation from a friend here in Switzerland. It did not disappoint. One of the most charming hotels ever. Bob and I will be going back there. We were headed for the market in Cannobio (one of the largest in Europe) the following morning in search of an awesome leather bag. We found it and some other treasures as well.

A trip I will not soon forget!

Auf Wiedersehen,

My Swiss Home - Part One

2011-12-12T06:58:00.001-07:00

There are so many things I'd love to document about moving to Switzerland...it's a VERY formal process. In the U.S.A. it seems so simple (I know there are lots of personal details to work out, but the process varies from person to person).

Moving to Switzerland or within Switzerland is not a simple or varied process. There are very specific things that must be done and completed prior to moving here and once you get here. One of the more interesting things we had to do was register with our canton (a canton is like a state...we live in the canton of Zug). Paperwork, MONEY, and we used an attorney to make sure it was all done correctly are all necessary. We had to go to the offices in the canton and be fingerprinted, eyes scanned, picture taken and an ID card made to carry with us at all times. Depending on what type of resident you are (local, expat, etc.) determines what type of permit you have. We have "B" permits which allow us to work and live here for a certain period of time. Seemed really "weird" to me.

And then renting a home or apartment is a very formal affair. First, availability is very limited. We were only shown two places that were available. And we are very fortunate to be living where we do. We are in more of a home than an apartment so our rules are not strict. If you live in an apartment in Switzerland, there are certain rules that must be adhered to.

blinds need to be closed not too late (I actually have an expat acquaintance that was told by her Swiss neighbor that she was closing her blinds too late and it was bothering them...they were not nice about it.)
you cannot use the washer/dryer after 10:00 (22:00 here). Some places actually shut off power to them after this time.
no yardwork or loud outdoor (indoor for that matter) on Sunday.
no loud indoor activity really ever.
your home and yard must be kept immaculate. You will have all sorts of complaints from neighbors if it is not.
no flushing the toilet after 10:00 pm.
you cannot practice musical intruments before 8:00 am or after 6:00 pm

Most of these are really social rules and not laws, but break one, and be sure that you will be informed by a neighbor or bystander. I can't believe how many friends have shared stories of how their doors have been knocked on by neighbors telling them the things they are doing wrong...from yard work to raising their children. CRAZY!!!

If you happen to lose your house key, it can cost between 800 - 1000 swiss francs. seriously. This is serious business losing your key! I am paranoid about it.

When you are ready to sign a rental agreement, a form is filled out (it is the exact same form for every person living in the canton - no exceptions). You have a meeting with the land owners and the realtor. It was quite the formal affair...drinks, snacks and about three hours later you are finished. You complete a walk through, go over every line on the form, sign in no less than 500 places (slight exaggeration). And all this with translation because we don't speak German. Bob was dying...he was looking at his watch the entire time thinking "can't I just sign and go back to work?" After you are finished, you walk through on another day with the land owner, realtor for the tenants moving out and your realtor to go over every scratch, bump and bruise of which there are none because the Swiss way of clean is making it all look brand new. Honestly, it did not look like our place had ever been lived in. The previous tenants had lived her for four years. All the walls need to be repainted white when you leave. I cannot even explain how clean this place was.

We really love our home. It's very comfortable. And we have wonderful land owners. He is Italian and she is Swiss. And we are so lucky!!!! And we don't have any of those silly aparment rules. We even have our own garage...and a yard! (not common here. I will post pictures of that next time. The kitchen pictures were taken on a cloudy, rainy day so the flash was used. The house is very bright and light.

From the street

looking out the front door - the whole front to the left is terraced with herbs, flowers, ivy, etc. I just love it!

Entry Way - my friend Amy made me some vinyl lettering before I came and I love the Wilkommen on the entry mirror.

view from kitchen of main floor - we love the open space.

view from entry way of kitchen and main floor

sink area of kitchen...across from island

view from family room

favorite reading chair and foot rest - I love this felted wool balls foot rest. Hours of fun are had with it!

family room...blue color...so NOT Swiss!
I couldn't handle all the white so I painted this corner of the room this sea blue and I love it.
We painted the entry way as well and the kids have one wall painted in their rooms as well.
It's amazing the comments I get about this color. The Swiss ~~like~~ LOVE their white!

**Pictures of upstairs and downstairs coming soon.

Auf Weidersehen,

Cheese and Chocolate

2011-12-08T13:57:00.001-07:00

In September we took our first excursion...Gruyere (the delicious cheese of the same name comes from this region of Switzerland). Bob was out of town so we adventured with Rocky and Sarah and Eliot. We started our day at the castle. I was curious how William would do touring a castle...truly not convinced he would find it interesting, but that I would be hearing him complain about it being boring. I was completely wrong. He loved all of it. And the surrounding area was so amazingly beautiful.

At the castle

After the castle we headed to the Gruyere cheese factory where we indulged in some delicious cheese and learned all about how the cheese is made. Did you know that the type of grass and herbs the cows eat is how the cheese is flavored. I did not know this. And I cannot believe how many types of cheese there are. (I have learned that man can live by bread (and cheese) alone.)

Gruyere Cheese Factory

Chocolate was our next stop. Saving the best for last in my opinion. We toured the Cailler Chocolate Factory, the oldest chocolate factory in Switzerland. I learned that a "Kohler" was a pioneer in Swiss chocolate making. He introduced hazlenut chocolate which around these parts is probably the most common swiss chocolate. My grandfather is Swiss German, so I'm related to a famous chocolatier...of course I am!

The Cailler Chocolate Factory

The tour ends with a sampling of nearly 20 different chocolates. Honestly, I could not eat them all. I was SICK by the end (Will was not). From the pictures you can see there was a play ground for the kids to work off the sugar rush! Will had a lot of "working" to do. He must have climbed that pole no less than 30 times.

Ok...do you want to come and visit us yet? Please come. We have room for you and will take you to this chocolate factory!

coming up...house tour!

Auf Wiedersehen,

The Beginning

2011-12-05T02:05:00.004-07:00

A view of Zug from across the lake

A view of Luzern from a northern hilltop

The famous bridge over the lake in Luzern

Zug

Yes, this is where we live...I know, it's beautiful, we're lucky, "yadda, yadda, yadda"

Well, I guess I'm going to do this...It's been two and one half years since my last post. I don't remember exactly why I stopped...it's been too long. And now I'm not sure if I can even remember how to add a new post.

I'm not even going to try to recap the past two and one half years, just update on what's happened the past four months. Because boy have they been eventful. In fact, the past four months seem like four years!

...In January 2011, Bob began working for a new company, I ran Minuteman Press until we sold it in April, learned we were moving to Switzerland in May, moved to Switzerland in August. We left Orem on the 16th of August to be exact.

tears . meltdowns . anger . joy . sadness . excitement . chaos . confusion . despair . fear . more tears . more meltdowns...and all this BEFORE we left

We arrived in Zug on the 17th of August and made our way to our little teeny tiny business apartment (our home wouldn't be ready for 6 weeks). We stayed there for about 5 days, moved to a hotel for a couple of nights and then to another even smaller business apartment for a few weeks. Maddie and Will slept on mattresses in the living area. If you can imagine the joy that Maddie felt sharing the living room floor with her 8 year old brother...good times!

Our home became ready 4 weeks early and we moved in on the 5th of September. It was so great to have room to spread out and to finally be somewhere that was ours and not have to live out of a suitcase(s).

I think I will start here and do a series of posts over the next few days to catch me up. As I've been thinking about this, so many emotions have come to the surface that I think I have to do this bit by bit in order to avoid another "meltdown".

coming up...moving in, furniture shopping, costs, Swiss Rules, cooking, grocery shopping, school, visitors, travel, church, and oh so much more!

Auf Wiedersehen

Menu For the Week

2009-03-11T11:52:00.005-06:00

I have been seriously MIA for nearly 6 months! I cannot believe how time flies! My goodness, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, A New Year began, Valentines Day, Presidents Day...all gone!!! I am completely out of the habit of posting...hoping that will change.

What better way than to start with a menu for the week! This Christmas, I put together a cookbook for my family and friends with mine and my families' favorite, tried and true recipes. The cookbook also contains well-loved recipes from friends and neighbors. It originally began as a tribute and gift to my mother, but blossomed into something much larger. So far, I've printed 90 cookbooks and they are all gone!! But, I'm getting ready for another print run (which I'm adding a few more recipes to)...so if anyone's interested, let me know, and you can purchase one from me. I guarantee you will love it and you'll use it for nearly every meal! All of these recipes are in the cookbook (there are over 200 recipes in the book)

Tacos...A Cluff Family Favorite
Seriously, the Kohler/Cluff clan has a serious addiction with tacos!

Chicken a la Fuente
I personally have never made this, but Jana swears by it-my opinion will come soon!

Sweet Pork Roast Tacos
LOVE these with the homemade Cilantro/Ranch dressing

Fried Pizzas
Just the name sounds delicious!

Fire Roasted Tomato/Basil Soup with bacon
This soup is probably my most requested recipe from friends.

Family Photo Shoot!

2008-09-20T20:21:00.011-06:00

This summer we had our family pictures taken...it had been far too long! We had a fun shoot in Provo with Erica. I love the way she captures families in her photos! So I emailed her and said I would love to have her photograph our family when she came out to Utah and I'm so glad I did...I love them! Thanks Erica! There were nearly 200 shots...these are just a few of my favorites.

Favorite Family Shots

Favorite Shots of Maddie and Will

Other Favorite Shots

Menu For the Week

2008-09-07T15:28:00.005-06:00

Chicken Burrittos

Shredded Chicken Sliders topped with Cole Slaw, corn on the cob
These are soooo delicious! The sweet, cool cole slaw on top adds crunch and yummy flavor!

French Dips, corn on the cob, zucchini and tomatoes
I put a chuck roast in the crock pot and used half for the sandwiches and the other half I'm using for the shredded beef tacos

Fish tacos with mango pico de gallo

Mini Farfalle chipotle chicken pasta, romaine salad, crusty bread
I boiled the chicken breast for all three of my shredded chicken dinners the night I made this. I only used one chipotle pepper and it was plenty spicy and oh so yummy! This can feed an army!

Shredded beef taco cups with corn salsa
I've made these a few times...they are one of my favorite things...perfect for a lunch with friends!

Cluff Family Reunion/Temple Sealing

2008-08-22T08:30:00.003-06:00

Swim Team

2008-08-21T08:30:00.001-06:00

This year Maddie was on the Orem Swim Team at the Scera Pool. Each morning for the month of June and July she was in the pool by 9:00 am getting an amazing work out! I don't know if she'll do it next year or not. If you were to ask her now if she wanted to do it next summer, the answer would be "no". But I'm hoping she'll forget about the bad stuff and want to give it a try again if only for the exercise and schedule. Plus, she is so darling in a swim suit and cap! :)

Menu for the Week

2008-08-20T14:13:00.008-06:00

photo from Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight

Pasta with Tomatoes and Pinenuts, crusty bread, steamed brocolli
super duper easy!

Grilled Steak Quesadillas, black bean and avocado salsa, watermelon
We love these! I do the entire quesadilla on the grill.

Grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes
These were on the menu last week, but I never got to them

Asian Noodles with Chicken and Pineapple

Chicken Burritos, watermelon
We've made these many times and the chicken mixture can be used numerous ways

Southwest Chicken Pockets, blackbean salsa, watermelon
I got this recipe from a local cook book called Favorites. It has delicious recipes in it.

July Staycation! (Part 2)

2008-08-20T13:37:00.005-06:00

Ben planned a great night out in the Uintas for the whole family. He wanted to take the little ones fishing. And he stayed up late the night before cooking for all of us. We had yummy food to eat and made s'mores around the fire! It was great to get out of the heat and let the kids run around and play in the stream. Maddie loved the fishing with Ben more than anything! The drive was really long but beautiful. I am constantly amazed at the majesty of these mountains. Sometimes I take for granted the beauty of this area...I know there are millions who have never seen anything like this and here we are living right in the valley of these awesome mountains! (although, I must say, the bugs up there were anything but awesome!...I have never seen so many mosquitos!)

July! (Part 1)

2008-08-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

My sister Jana came to Utah for a couple of weeks in July and we all had a great time together with the kids! Jana is not one to sit around, so we were constantly on the go...something to do nearly every day! And since we haven't taken any kind of vacation this year, it was great to have some things planned to do for Maddie and Will! I call it our staycation!

One of our first outings was to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. I think I'm done going there for a while...

I love this picture of Will...it completely captures how he is...always goofing off!

Maddie loves animals and the Earth. She expresses her gratitude daily for our beautiful Earth and for the animals.

The next outing was to the Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. The kids really loved going there, especially to Liberty Park afterwards. That park is amazing and there is so much to do. Maddie, Jana and I rode the carnival swings (nearly made us vomit!) and the boys and Grandpa rode the ferris wheel. There are paddle boats and a fun water feature to play in.

Sibling Love at its best!

All of us (except Joce...she was taking the picture) at the bird show!

Boys Love Snakes...and all creepy crawlies!

2008-08-07T09:39:00.000-06:00

Not long ago (end of May or so), Bob found a snake in the yard (one of many) and gave it to Will. Will made a little home for it in a pot. He put rocks and grass in it and gave it some marshmallows for food! Too Cute! He let the snake go later that day. Boys will be boys!

Menu For the Week

2008-08-06T14:33:00.008-06:00

It's been forever since I posted last...I guess I've been kind of in a slump...or just really busy! But posting my menu is easy so I'll start there!

Garlic Shrimp Linguine, salad, bread, raspberries and cream for dessert
This was rapidly consumed by everyone! Seriously so easy and one of the yummiest things I've ever made (a huge statement!)

Breaded Chicken Fingers & Honey Mustard Dressing, corn on the cob, watermelon
Serve this to the children with the dressing for dipping. For Bob and I, served over romaine, sliced hard boiled eggs, bacon, shredded cheese and croutons-yummo!

Sweet Pork Roast Burritos
black beans and rice inside burritos

Grilled Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes
We love our cukes and tomatoes in oil and red wine vinegar

Grilled burgers, corn on the cob, watermelon
We love watermelon and corn on the cob this time of year

Penne Pasta with Boursin Cheese and tomatoes, salad, bread
I got this yummy recipe from my friend and it so easy and so delicious! If anyone wants the recipe, let me know

Birthday Dinner-Maddie's 10th!

2008-07-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Maddie's Birthday- June 30, 2008

Every year, the children get to choose where they want to go eat for their birthday and every year, Maddie chooses Bonsai Japanese Steak House. The kids love having their food prepared right there in front of them-all that fire and the chef tricks! And Maddie absolutely loves the steak and shrimp!

In Memory of Dave Lant

2008-07-10T20:17:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning, we lost a good friend and an employee in a motorcycle accident. Bob's long time employee, Dave Lant, was killed when a semi truck driver ran a red light and hit Dave while he was on his way to work. Dave had been working for us for quite some time and was Bob's right hand man. He was a skilled pressman and a dedicated employee. He was so very loyal to Bob and we are going to miss him. Dave was also Bob's friend-when you work with someone, you actually spend more time with them than you do with your own family. My children loved to see Dave-he loved to tease them and give them candy-they will miss him too. Things at the shop will not be the same without him.

This tragedy has made me so grateful that families truly are forever. And also that this life is so short-sometimes too short as in the case with Dave and can be over in an instant. He left behind his wife of 14 years and three young daughters. We love you Dave and we miss you!

KSL article and video here

Menu for the Week

2008-07-06T14:30:00.000-06:00

This week will be a catch-up week on the meals we missed the past two weeks...with the holiday and family in town, we've missed some of the meals on our menu. At least I don't have to come up with new ideas. And the Parmesan Chicken with Cream Sauce was such a hit, we're doing it again!

Photo from Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Cream Sauce, couscous, asparagus

Fish Tacos, watermelon
Frozen breaded tilapia filets at Costco, corn tortillas, cabbage, LiteHouse jalapeno Ranch dressing and Harmon's store made salsa

Venitian Rolled Pizza, crispy romaine salad, raspberries

Asian-Style pork chops, cucumbers and tomatoes in olive oil and red wine

Pork Tenderloin with honeyed butter, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli

Cold Cereal
Keeping it Real!

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-04T11:31:00.001-06:00

This morning we had our annual 4th of July Breakfast at the Cole's beautiful home. The food was delicious-Bob was a pancake chef! Everything was so festive. There was a fishing pond, balloons and face painting for the kids. And of course, Claudia's home was spectacular!

Now I just have a cake to bake and pasta salad to make and we're off to Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Take Your Daughter...

2008-07-03T16:00:00.003-06:00

or your 5 year old son...he loved it too :)

I took Maddie and a friend (and Will) to see this movie yesterday. We really enjoyed it. The story takes place during the Great Depression...and at times, I must say, it was really sad...okay, I cried. The struggles families went through were heartbreaking. It was good for Maddie to see that life is not always what you want, but you can get through it. I liked that it was a movie for children, but it was real...people losing their homes, cars, clothes, food, and even their dad...I try to teach my children that not everyone has it as good as they do (and there are many others who have A LOT more than we do). But seeing it in that setting...it made her think.

She made a couple of comments last night that made me realize she understood that life is not all Nintendo, Disneyland, new toys and FUN! Sad...but true. (dangit)

Maddie's 10th Birthday!

2008-06-30T23:00:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it, but Maddie is 10 years old today! I can remember, as if it were yesterday, the day she was born...and it truly does seem like yesterday! Ten creeps up on you fast. But my oh my how she has changed! She is becoming a young woman and teenager tendencies are rearing their ugly head, but what I love is the sweet innocence she still has.

These pictures really capture Maddie...she is so silly!

10 GREAT THINGS ABOUT MADDIE!

1. She is so silly! She is not a serious child...hardly ever. I am so happy about this. I see other children who are far too mature for their age, not age appropriate. In Maddie, I see a true 10 year old!

2. She loves to read. Once she starts a book, she can hardly put it down. At night, I have to go in and make her stop reading and turn her light out.

3. She is a good friend. Maddie is a loyal friend.

4. She loves yummy food...seriously, she'll try anything and usually likes it! And she LOVES to cook.

5. She is a very talented artist...probably one of her favorite things to do is draw. We have a wall in our house of her beautiful, framed artwork.

6. She is a beautiful pianist. Her piano teacher said "Maddie must have played the piano in Heaven."

7. She is always honest and expects others to be also. She is very surprised when she finds out someone was not honest.

8. She loves to learn new things...about anything and everything. She is interested in space, animals, science, how all kinds of things are made, cooking, history...you name it, she can tell you something about it! She is so smart!

9. She is passionate about almost everything...our Drama Queen! (I'm not sure if this is great or not, but it is true and is a driving force in Maddie's life)

10. She loves her family...she would rather be with us than with anyone. She loves to plan things to do with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I know this wont last, so I'm happy she's this way now.

Menu for the Week

2008-06-29T09:00:00.005-06:00

Spaghetti Carbonara, steamed broccoli, crusty bread, Hazlenut & Chocolate Pie w/Vanilla Whipped Cream
I like Rachael Ray's recipe for the spaghetti

Night out for Maddie's birthday!
She loves to go to Bonsai!

Venitian Rolled Pizza, crispy romaine salad, raspberries

Asian-Style pork chops, cucumbers and tomatoes in olive oil and red wine vinegar
These could not be any easier...seriously they take about 10 minutes!

Steak Quesadillas with avocado corn salsa

Pork Tenderloin with honeyed butter, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli
I've got to use up that big bag of broccoli from Costco...good thing we all love it!

The last three recipes come from Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight. It has some great recipes! Check it out!

Hunting for Moose!

2008-06-27T09:10:00.004-06:00

Who knew playing in a tent in the front yard could be so fun! Actually, I think I knew that.

Bob had been to youth conference and was airing out the tent, so Will and his friend hopped right in. Bob got out a backpack for each of them, a headlight, and a lantern. They played "camping and hunting" all day long. They hunted moose, bears, deer, and the salmon we had for dinner that night, Will had caught! :D

Such a great memory of the day with his friend and his dad.

Jordin Sparks is REALLY famous!

2008-06-26T12:30:00.002-06:00

Where can you find a bunch of screaming tweenie girls and Orem Senior Citizens wondering why they are where they are...at a Jordin Sparks concert at the Scera Shell!

Last night I took Maddie to the Jordin Sparks concert-her first concert and boy was she excited! She opened with her new song "One Step at a Time" and of course "Tattoo". She sang some Alicia Keyes and a rockin 80's song "Heartbreaker" (the only song I knew all the words to).

Maddie sat by her friends who were right up by the stage. The highlight of her night was being right next to Jordin while she sang "No Air". She even "touched" her! As we were walking to the car, she told Joce and me "that was the best day of my life!" (She thinks Jordin Sparks is really, really famous.)

Children and Chores...

2008-06-23T09:00:00.002-06:00

With Summer here and many hours of the day to occupy...I have been wondering how to best teach my children to work and do hard things ("We Can Do Hard Things" is our family motto-a whole other topic). And of course, playing is important too.

Maddie is totally at the age where she can really help around the house. There really isn't anything she can't do (don't tell, but I've even let her use my sharp Santoku knife and she is really good at it!). She loves to help in the kitchen with cooking and especially baking. So I wanted to take full advantage of this important teaching time in her life.

Well, I found this thing called My Reward Board and I am in love! No more "chore charts" on the wall, door or refrigerator-it's all done on the computer.

sample from myrewardboard.com

We have been using it for two weeks and have found huge success-especially with Maddie. I have taught her to clean her own bathroom and she is really good at it! We have no more arguments on practicing the piano either. She has not missed a day of practice in two weeks. She waters the garden and flower pots daily, helps with dinner, laundry, etc. I never have to ask her to do her jobs and her behavior is joyful. She asks many times throughout the day "Do you have a favor?" And Will is doing so great too! He even has special jobs like emptying the inside trash cans each week, taking them to the outside trash and bringing in the empty trash cans on trash days. The chore chart is only one part of it...there is a virtual piggy bank (so if you don't pay allowance on a weekly basis because you forget, your child can't come to you months down the line and tell you you owe them $80.00!), demerit system, reward system, goal setting-it's the best thing I've found. Check it out!

Menu for the Week

2008-06-22T12:00:00.003-06:00

photo via Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Cream Sauce, couscous, asparagus

Garlic Chicken Farfalle, baguette, salad

Fish Tacos, watermelon

Frozen breaded tilapia filets at Costco, corn tortillas, cabbage, LiteHouse jalapeno Ranch dressing and Harmon's store made salsa

Grilled Salmon with mango salsa, rice, asparagus

Costco had the most delicious box of almost perfect mangoes...add a little red onion, red pepper, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice and salt to taste

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sammy, watermelon

Grilled hamburgers, chips, fruit

BLT's, apples, Toffee Fruit Dip

I think menu sharing is the best idea...I love all the foodie blogs out there. I have found some of the yummiest things and some twists on things I have been making for years!

Father's Day

2008-06-21T11:30:00.001-06:00

Just some fun photos from Father's Day. We went to my parents after church for some yummy food and good company.

The cake Maddie made completely by herself-words and all! She was trying to be so secretive the entire time she was making it...telling the guys to get downstairs and watch golf!

I love the progression from this photo to the next...mostly from Bob and my dad...can you tell Bob is ready to be done taking his picture (he can be so charming). Sometimes men can be do difficult when you're trying to take their picture...very impatient. Maybe it's not all men, just my husband!

I Want These!

2008-06-20T21:43:00.000-06:00

About a year ago, my sister Kelli told me that her father's company was making colored garden hoses and now...I see them on line...I wonder if they're made by her father's company? These would almost make watering the flowers fun. You can get them here.

What's Up?!

2008-06-18T13:38:00.011-06:00

It seems like everyone's been in a blogging slump lately...including me. I can't seem to put my finger on the problem, but it's kind of been the last thing on my mind...

But for a quick update of the past couple of weeks:

Maddie and Wills finished up at Challenger. I must say, I cried knowing it was the end of Challenger for Maddie and never really started for Will! The Orem Challenger is moving up to Traverse Mountain (a good 20 minute drive each way). I would be spending a good 2 1/2 hours of my day in the car...no thank you! However, I am sad to see Maddie leave Challenger. She has made some wonderful friends and has received an EXCELLENT education. I have her enrolled in the Accelerated Learning Class at Foothill Elementary in Orem. And I met with the teacher a month ago and the 5th grade curriculm is what she did in 4th grade at Challenger. I'm not quite sure how 5th grade is going to go for her. It's really weighing heavily on my mind-I'm sure it will all work out. As for Will-he's just excitied to be going to Kindergarten!

The school year ended with lots of festivities, The Family Picnic, A class party for Maddie in Highland, Field Day and Maddie spending her last day of school at home in bed with Strep Throat-bummer! She tried going to Field Day, but after a couple of hours, she begged me to take her home.

The Family Picnic at Scera Park

A couple of moms in Maddie's class hosted a party in Highland at their swim and tennis club one day after school. They had so much fun. Mrs. Johnson came and the class presented her with a wonderful gift. They ate, swam, played karaoke and had a great time playing! What great memories they made.

And you know Summer has started if you have a little boy and he's playing T-Ball!

Friday Night Fun

2008-06-02T20:58:00.008-06:00

Having trouble deciding what to do on a Friday night?...We were. Bob was "itching" to take a drive in the new car. (We got rid of the van and got a Yukon Denali a few weeks ago). So we decided to take a drive up to Squaw Peak...and I forgot my camera so here is a shot from my phone.

We took a little hike up this path and a little way up, I realized my shoes were not fit for the rocky trail. I headed back down and Bob and the children kept going. I spent some time alone looking out over the valley-so beautiful! After a while, I hear these mountain bikers coming down the same trail we all went up...they were going incredibly fast...then I hear Bob scream "Will" and then I hear William screaming as he's coming down the trail. Apparantly, Will had run ahead of Bob and Maddie and was out of their view. Then the bikers came and Bob was hoping Will had got out of the way-he had and he got a little turned around and thought he was lost! He found the trail and ran down it screaming "Mommy!" Needless to say, we headed home right after that!

We went for treats at Sub Zero Ice Cream. Yummy Treats. I like it because it's hard ice cream with mixins, not as soft as Cold Stone. You choose a base that's liquid and they freeze it with Liquid Nitrogen-Maddie and Will thought it was pretty cool!

Not too exciting of a Friday night...but it was good, cheap fun!

Food, Friends and The Little River Band!

2008-05-27T18:51:00.005-06:00

Last night we had a great time with friends. We went to PF Changs for dinner and then to a concert at the Scera Shell to see The Little River Band...takin' us back to the 70's and early 80's! Bob was completely in his element, harmonizing to every song...unbelievably he knew all the words to all the songs! It had been raining all day so I was a little bit worried about sitting outside for a concert, but luckily it didn't rain on us...we just about froze half to death...it was a fun time anyway.

Traci, Me, Gigi

These are friends from our ward. Brian and Traci Church moved here from California as well as Jim and Gigi Hollister. William's best buddy, Trevor, is Brian and Traci's son.

A Yummy Favorite!

2008-05-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to eat for actually lunch or dinner or a snack is a bagel with swiss cheese, tomatoes and Spike...remember these from the bagel shop in Poway? What was the name of the bagel place next to Ralphs across the street from the church? This is where we discovered this and they had the most delicious bagels!

Anyway...I make this in my little convection/toaster oven.

1. lightly toast bagel (onion, plain, garlic-not chocolate chip!)

2. place a slice of swiss cheese on each half (I like the Boar's Head lacey swiss)

3. broil for a bit until it's melted

4. add a couple slices of tomatoes-in the summer with garden tomatoes...oh my!

5. add another slice of swiss cheese

6. broil until top layer of cheese is super melted and bubbly

7. add Spike seasonsing (I've seen it in the healthy living section of Harmon's)

Be careful because it's really hot when you take it out of the oven...oh so delicious!

18 Years!

2008-05-05T08:00:00.006-06:00

Bob and I have been married for 18 years today! It has been a wonderful 18 years with lots of memories. We met when we were both 18 years old, freshmen at BYU living in the dorms. We were in the same ward, but I never remember seeing Bob at church. He teases me it was because I never went-haha. (I'm pretty sure it was the other way around-he's not perfect you know.) We became really good friends at the end of the year and then Bob left on his mission to England. I remember going home at the end of the school year and telling my mom I had found the guy I was going to marry-Bobby Cluff! She told me I was ridiculous...I'd never even been on a date with him!

Well, I was right-of course! Although, proposing took Bob forever. If he hadn't of done it when he did...his time was up!

Bob came and visited me in San Diego during the Christmas break and on December 30, 1992, he asked me to marry him. We'd gone out to dinner at the University Club in downtown San Diego. We each had our own waiter-it was really nice! At the end of the dinner, my waiter came out with another plate for me. He lifted off the silver cover, and sitting there on the plate was a ring box! Bob got down on one knee and proposed in front of everyone in the restaurant. It was so romantic and he was so nervous! He had written me a poem but had completely forgotten it. My parents and grandmother were there and we all cried and I said "yes".

We were married May 5, 1993 in the Salt Lake Temple and had a reception in California and in New Mexico---too crazy.

We've made some wonderful memories these past 22 years:

..suprising Bob in NM before he left on his mission..
..BYU football and basketball games..
..spending the summer together in California before he proposed..
..our first apartment next to our friends Ron and Dawn (good times)..
..camping with Ron and Dawn-skunk eating our food :)..
..our first calling together serving as Nursery Leaders to 40 little children-NOT!..
..our first San Francisco trip in 1991..
..our trip with Kinko's to Hawaii..
..our trip to Orlando with our good friends Darryl and Nannette..
..our second and third trip to San Francisco with my parents..
..buying our first home in 1993..
..rides in the Miata with the top down..
..serving as ward YM and YW president together..
..numerous trips to San Diego..
..our trip to France with George and Candace in 1997..
..the birth of Maddie in 1998..
..leaving Kinko's and starting our own business in 2000-scary but rewarding..
..our first trip to New York together-staying on Times Square and discovering the best city in the world..
..the birth of William in 2003..
..another trip to NYC with Kevin and Kellie in 2006..
..suprising Maddie and Wills with a trip to Disneyland and the beach in 2006..
..our weekend getaway to Jackson Hole last summer-AWESOME and AMAZING-we even saw a bear! (this was probably one of our favorite getaways ever)..

Bob is a wonderful husband and father. He is so patient and humble. He has a sincere testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is an example to everyone he meets. I am constantly inspired by his obedience to all he is told to do. Happy Anniversary Honey! Here's to another 18 years of bliss! :)

These pictures are really poor quality because I didn't have time to scan them...maybe later!

a Pi Delta Gamma Winter Formal at Sundance 1988

camping with our friends Ron and Dawn

at Lagoon with our friends Danny and Jennifer Humphrey-married one week

our first home-630 North Monterey Drive

our engagement photo 1990

A Father's Love

2008-05-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

About a month ago, Bob gave a Bishop's Youth Fireside for all the youth in the ward. I thought I would go to support him and also to listen to him speak because he is a wonderful speaker...inspiring. The youth really seem to relate to him. He showed this video about the father and son team, the Hoyt's. The son has cerebral palsy. At a young age, the family discovered his love for the water and for running-he was unable to do anything for himself. He conveyed to his dad that he felt "alive" and "normal" when he was running and in the water. The father decided to run a marathon pushing him in a wheelchair. He began participating in triathlons, and has competed in several Iron Man ones. His love for his son was endless and had no boundaries. I don't believe this kind of love has adequate words.

Bob talked about the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us...how can we put that into words?

I can only imagine what it will be like for these men...

Intruder!

2008-05-03T15:00:00.000-06:00

This morning at about 5 am, while still sound asleep in bed...I heard someone walking around in my house! Someone walked upstairs, downstairs, all through the main floor, opening doors and turning on lights!

Okay, so at first, I thought I was hearing things because the other night I could have sworn I heard someone pounding on the front door...Bob got up to check and of course it was no one (I was dreaming). He then had a hard time going back to sleep. So I chose to ignore this person walking around my house.

About what seemed like a half-hour later, actually a couple of minutes, Bob finally sat up and I said, "Can you hear that?" He said he had heard it a little earlier but thought it was our brother- in-law Ben who was sleeping here and that he was just getting up early to get ready to leave for his early morning class (at 5:00 AM!).

Right then, the light at the top of the stairs turns on and the front door shuts LOUDLY! Bob ran downstairs and it wasn't Ben!

I got out of bed and looked out of our bedroom window. A girl was then running up our front steps. Apparently, she had been trying to "kidnap" the high school girl next door because she made the choir! She said to Bob, "I'm trying to kidnap Simone ______ do you know where she lives?" Uh...hello?? You might want to find that information out BEFORE you enter someones house in the middle of the night!

This girl had walked through our entire house, including the kid's rooms. If Maddie or Will had woken up...they would have been terrified! And if Ben hadn't been staying with us, Bob would have been up much sooner and who knows what he would have done to this girl. I mean it was dark and he would have done anything to protect his family. And what if it would have been someone with a gun? Not a good situation!

I called the school in the morning to let them know what had happened. I wasn't angry, I just wanted them to know that maybe the students shouldn't be allowed to just walk into a person's home. They should let the parents know ahead of time and then in the morning knock and wait for someone to answer.

p.s. don't ask why my front door wasn't locked!

Bedtime

2008-05-02T21:45:00.003-06:00

"Be there for your children. Sit on the bed and enjoy the late-night talks -- try to stay awake! Pray for the Lord to inspire you. Forgive often. Choose your battles. Testify frequently of Jesus Christ and of His goodness and of the Restoration. And most of all, let them know of your trust in the Lord." ~Bonnie D. Parkin

Bob has gone to the Jazz game tonight and I am home alone with Maddie and Wills. We got in our jammies at about 7:00 and have been just spending time on our bed playing games, watching t.v., talking about friends., eating strawberries and raspberries, and telling stories. This has been an enjoyable night at home with them-I am grateful for these special moments.

I have had friends talk to me about their late-night talks with their teenagers and to be honest, I'm looking forward to those special times with Maddie...talking about boys, friends, clothes and taking every opportunity to testify of Jesus Christ and His love for her. I believe that if a daughter knows and believes in her divine nature, she will be able to better understand and deal with the ups and downs of her days as a young woman.

Friday Night Fun!

2008-04-26T17:28:00.006-06:00

Last night we got to have the missionaries, Elder Parker and Elder Kelly, over for dinner-something you don't get too often here in Utah. It was great to have them over and to feel of their spirit. It is amazing the spirit the elders carry with them-you could really feel it. Maddie and William displayed such excellent dinner-time behavior...I wish they could eat dinner with us every night! :D Knowing the elders typically eat lots of food,I made a huge platter of Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Cheese...delish. This Rachel Ray recipe is one of our favorites-I make it often.

Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes amd Cheese

1 pound penne or any short cut pasta

1 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil

4 bacon slices-chopped

1 large onion-chopped

4 large garlic cloves-minced

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1/2 c white wine (or white grape juice or just extra chicken stock)

1 pint grape tomatoes (I sometimes just use Roma tomatoes cut up)

1 ball fresh mozzarella

fresh basil leaves-I like to chiffonade mine (stack leaves, roll, and slice in long thin strips)

1/2 c Parmigiano-Reggiano

Boil pasta making sure to add salt to boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Heads up-you'll need to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before you drain the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the EVOO. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring every now and then, until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and reserved pasta cooking liquid, then bring up to a bubble and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the grape tomatoes and cook them for about 30 seconds, just to start getting them hot and ready to burst. Add the cooked drained pasta, toss to coat in the sauce, and let some of the sauce soak in, about 1 minute. Turn the heat off and add the diced mozzarella, basil, grated cheese and black pepper to taste.

After dinner we went to see Nims Island (of course without the elders)! We really enjoyed the movie...especially Maddie. It would be Maddie's dream to live on her own island with no one else and be friends with the animals. I had the most fun watching her. The story is so fun...adventure, comedy, scary...it has it all. I must admit, I got a little teary-eyed at the end. I don't want to spoil the movie, but the relationship between the father and the girl was so sweet. I have loved watching Maddie grow and become the young woman that she is and I have loved watching her relationship with her dad grow and develop...she loves to study with him, go on rides with him, play Nintendo with him, watch SpongeBob with him, ride scary rides with him...she loves being with her dad.

Nim's Island is just one of those happy movies-I love those kind! We would highly recommend seeing this movie-the whole family will enjoy it.

Yummy Cookies...

2008-04-22T15:57:00.008-06:00

Last night we made a bunch of different treats for some friends and neighbors for Family Home Evening and I tried this super delicious cookie recipe from Picky Palate. Sometimes I just want to try something new in the cookie category! Well, these did not disappoint-they are very tasty and very sweet! And to top it all off...they're PINK! What could be better. And I need to say...they are super easy!

Strawberry Colada Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box strawberry Cake Mix, I used Pillsbury Brand
1/3 Cup coconut oil, melted in microwave until liquified
2 eggs, beaten

Frosting
4 oz softenend cream cheese
1 Tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoons milk
1 Cup shredded sweetened coconut toasted in oven until golden brown (350 degrees)
(I left the coconut off because Maddie made me...I WILL add it next time)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, oil and eggs until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Do not press down. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until cooked through. Let cook 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

2. Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy. slowly add in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. Spread frosting on top of cookies then sprinkle toasted coconut over top of frosting.
Makes about 24 cookies

**I found the coconut oil at Harmon's in the Healthy Living section. It is great to bake with. I use it in chocolate chip cookies too.

We also made these Toffee-Crunch Cookies and Poppyseed Cake...it almost felt like the holidays!

Baseball with Dad

2008-04-21T09:10:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, Bob and Will went to a BYU Baseball game and came home played a little baseball. Bob played with a few of the boys in the neighborhood. Notice how Will runs around the bases with the bat still in his hand (and he didn't quite touch 3rd base...oops)! We've got to get a little practice in because he starts t-ball in a few weeks!

Sushi?...Ya!

2008-04-19T10:38:00.007-06:00

So last night, we had some friends call to go out to dinner and a comedy club...they wanted sushi at this fairly new place called Sushi Ya! in Orem-an all-you-can-eat sushi bar...not my idea of something yummy! I went hoping there would be something like tempura veggies and teriyaki chicken (boring, I know, but I was hungry and I DO NOT eat sushi!) Everyone else got the all-you-can-eat sushi...there were over 40 rolls to choose from! When they brought out this huge plate of rolls, I decided to try one-it was called the Godzilla (spicy, white tuna)! Heaven in a bite! It was delicious to say the least. By this time I had my chicken, but the waiter offered to not charge me for that and I could do the sushi instead--heck yeah! So, I proceeded to try all of them and they were soooo good! Godzilla, Crystal Shrimp, and the Happy Roll were my favorites and you have to put lots of wasabi in your little dish and then pour soy sauce over it and stir and then dip your roll...oh my goodness!. I even tried one with raw scallops on it...go figure...I like sushi! (And Ben, I can't wait to take you there when you guys come later this month!)

This is the Godilla Roll...see the yummy tempura on it and the scallions DELISH!

Then we went to this comedy club in Provo called Comedy Sportz. So funny! I can't wait to take Maddie there...serious fun for the whole family. They don't even allow off-color jokes...perfect for a bishop! :D

The Memory Keepers Daughter

2008-04-16T17:45:00.007-06:00

I just finished watching the Lifetime Movie, The Memory Keepers Daughter, based on the book by Kim Edwards. I had read the book a while ago and I really liked it...for me, unimaginable events. I cannot imagine giving away a child because of a physical disability. In fact, it's difficult for me to imagine giving away a child for any reason. I find this so ironic for me because both of my children are adopted and someone gave them away to me-four remarkable people being completely unselfish. I was at the hospital for Maddie's birth and witnessed first-hand the physical and emotional pain of her birth mother. Watching her birth mother experience deep sadness was very trying-I was torn...I wanted Maddie sooooo badly, yet, I struggled with the pain her birth mother was going through. And I struggled with being so incredibly happy-I wanted to sing and tell everyone our news and I could not stop smiling...and her birth mother was so incredibly sad. Yet, in the end, she took me aside to tell me...Don't be afraid to be happy. Maddie was never mine...she was always your daughter.

At the end of the book and movie, Phoebe's birth mother (Norah) and mother (Caroline) meet-I found myself really emotional-Caroline wanted so badly to explain everything to Norah...but what hit me so hard was the look on Norah's face that said. "thank you for loving my daughter". I like to think that maybe Norah realized Caroline gave Phoebe the better life.

Family Home Evening

2008-04-15T16:53:00.005-06:00

I'm going to share, what I think, was a wonderful FHE lesson. We did this last night and it was a great success. I retold the story of the Anti-Nephi Lehies, found in

The Book of Mormon, Alma 24.

15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.

16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.

17 And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.

18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.

I explained to Maddie and Will that these righteous people would rather die than sin so they buried their weapons in the earth. I really emphasized their desire to be free from sin and to be clean. I likened their weapons to weapons we have today: anger, name-calling, using bad words, telling secrets, teasing, ignoring, impatience, gossip & rumors, etc. I laminated pictures of weapons and wrote these things on the back. Maddie and Will took turns choosing a weapon and we talked about how we could "bury" these weapons as a family. This lesson is perfect for all ages and for all families (unless you have one of those perfect ones). It would be great in Primay too as a Sharing Time. I love the lessons that use stories from The Book of Mormon.

I have been impressed with how both of the children responded to this lesson. It really "clicked" with them. And today, when Will starts to do something undesireable, he says "I'm sorry Mom, I'm burying it." Sooooo cute. We finished the night with Neopolitan Shakes-YUMM-0!

Friends and Neighbors

2008-04-13T08:41:00.004-06:00

This weekend we had our friends, Darryl and Nannette, from California come and stayed with us for a couple of days. It was so great to see them-we stayed up late (2:30 am...that's late for old people like us) talking and laughing-and eating at The Cheesecake Factory :). Bob has been friends with Darryl since he was a very young boy-they grew up together. And when we were first married, they lived here in Utah, but moved to California about 12 years ago and we have missed having them here. We spent lots of time together with them and their children before they moved. But...they are moving closer...Rexburg. Darryl just got a job teaching accounting at BYU Idaho and will be starting in the fall. We are so excited for them and this new endeavor their family will be experiencing. They will be so much closer and I hope we'll see them more often. However, I will miss the yummy "California treats" they bring when they come and stay with us! :D

One of our neighbors, Doug, had a terrible accident yesterday. Bob and the kids had left for the BYU scrimmage and football clinic, when a neighbor knocked on my door asking for the Bishop. I could tell something was wrong and she told me that Doug had fallen off a ladder from the second story onto the cement. The paramedics, police, and fire department came and took him to the hospital. (Our sidewalks are all being replaced, so everyone's cars are parked in the streets...I'm sure getting those big vehicles in the cul-de-sac was no easy feat!) He broke his pelvis in three places, broke a couple of ribs, injured his lower back, slightly punctured one of his lungs and his bladder is messed up. They ended up life-flighting him to SLC where he will have surgery on Monday. So after our dinner last night at The Cheesecake Factory, Bob and I stopped at the hospital to see them. They seemed to be in good spirits. And Patsy, Doug's wife says Doug is no longer allowed on a ladder!

We love our friends and neighbors!

"I Don't Feel 5-I feel weird"

2008-04-09T23:00:00.008-06:00

Last night Will went to bed sooooo excited. He must have left his bed 5 times before finally settling down and going to sleep-very unusual for him-he often asks to go to bed at night! He was as excited as if it were Christmas Eve! When he woke up (very early I might add), he came in our room and said "Am I 5 now? I don't feel 5-I feel weird." Bob checked his muscles and measured him from head to foot and told him he was a little stronger and a little taller so he must be 5. That did it for Will and he said, "well, I guess I am 5 then." And when I took Will to school he told me "I am so 5...I hate the number 4 now."

I spotlighted Will at school and he LOVED that-everything about HIM! His birthday party was right after school at Backyard Adventures (playground equipment inside-thank goodness because it was freezing outside) and he invited his school class and primary class. For William, it was the best day ever. For me, it was chaos-there were twenty 4-5 year olds! I am glad I'm not the type of mom who throws a b-day party every year. This was Will's first b-day party with friends and his next one will be when he's 8-I think I'll let him invite 8 friends! And can I just say how funny these kids were: one little boy thought each child there should open up the present they brought Will (I'm thinking to myself, which one would Will open?, this same little boy INSISTED on having a certain peice of cake and when he didn't get it (because it was in the dead center of this giant cake), you'd have thought the world was at an end. And almost all the children wanted to take the toys out of the package and play with them right there. Oh, and the drama from some of the little girls...reminds me of another little girl I know that lives right here with me! I must say though, Maddie was a huge help with all those children, she organized games and showed them to the bathroom and was basically a little party planner...I've taught her well. :D

The theme for Will's party was BYU Cougars! (of course). I made cute invitations, my friend made an amazing cake and cookies for the treat bags.

yummy sugar cookies!

this cake was amazing!

friends...

I realized at the end of the song I was singing...YIKES! Just ignore that!

It was a memorable day...I'm glad we were able to give Will such a special birthday-one he will always remember. And I'm glad Grandma and Daddy were there to help.

Almost 5!

2008-04-06T19:30:00.015-06:00

We celebrated Will's 5th Birthday with the family today after General Conference. He will turn 5 on April 9th. For the past couple of weeks, Will has been waking up in the morning and his first words are "is today my birthday?" Yesterday I told him we would be having his little family birthday party tomorrow and he has been so excited he could hardly wait. And we kept making him wait until after Conference was over. He just couldn't keep his hands off his gifts...

Grandma and Grandpa gave him a Leapster which he loves and we gave him a bike! Larry, DJ, and Shiely were here to celebrate with us too! On Wednesday, Will is having his first birthday party with friends at Backyard Adventures! He can't stop talking about it.

Will with his cake that I made...I'll be buying the next one!

Opening the Leapster from Grandma and Grandpa

He obviously didn't know how to use the brakes (or turn the thing) and shortly after this, he tried to take a sharp turn and had his first fall and said "I hate that bike and I'm never getting on it again!"

His new bike!

Maddie on her scooter! I wish I had one of these!

He did get back on the bike and we couldn't get him off of it...he asked if he could keep riding it even during bedtime! (he figured out the braking!) Bob says we're taking off the training wheels in a few days! YIKES!

Spring Piano Recital

2008-04-04T10:33:00.004-06:00

Maddie performed in her Spring Recital last Friday, March 28th at the Tahitian Noni building. She played with a violinist and a celloist. It was so beautiful. Maddie has an amazing talent for the piano. When she first started taking lessons, her teacher told me she must have played the piano in Heaven!

I must admit, practicing at our house can sometimes be a struggle! When she is first learning a song, she "hates" piano and wants to quit. But once she gets into the song, she can play it for hours. And I am so impressed at how quickly she picks up on the songs. Maddie's piano teacher is phenomenal! She has taught Maddie some really good habits that have, I'm sure, helped her progress to where she is now. This recital is our favorite because it is so beautiful to have the string instruments playing along with the piano. And the violinist actually stole the show! He was Awesome! (She has her Monster Concert in May where she is one of five pianists all playing at the same time on five different pianos! It's a fun recital)

Maddie and Deena Winters, her piano teacher

Family Home Evening

2008-03-31T12:25:00.000-06:00

We have come to really look forward to Monday nights and Family Home Evening! Maddie and William have their "Family Home Evening" seats (they sit in the same place each week). And they both really enjoy the lesson and activity. For me, the best is when one of the children give the lesson-especially Maddie. She is really good at it!

Last week, Maddie gave our lesson about Easter and resurrection. She taught the lesson with the plastic eggs each one containing something regarding the crucifixtion and resurrection of Christ-the last egg is empty representing the empty tomb. Each egg also contained a scripture which we all took turns reading, even William. William loved this lesson and it was perfect for him. He was very curious about the death and resurrection of Jesus. And we could feel the spirit so strong...we took the opportunity to bear our testimonies. William bore a sweet and simple testimony of Jesus and our prophet. And Maddie shared her sweet testimony too. Maddie is at the age where she can truly bear her testimony herself and I can feel that she knows what she is saying is real and that she believes. My heart swells as her mother to know that she has a testimony and that she loves Jesus. What more could I desire as a parent?

I normally don't take pictures during FHE, but these were too sweet to pass up!

The object lesson

A Kid Named "Ralph"

2008-03-27T15:52:00.007-06:00

So the other day, Will had one of his friends over to play (a new neighbor named David and they have become INSTANT best buds)! These new neighbors have a son Maddie's exact age too which has been so great. The cul-de-sac is buzzing with kids now-I am lovin it!

Anyway, Will and David were upstairs playing in his room on his bed making a tent with his duvet and generally having a wonderful time! They had just gorged themselves on Twizzlers and Reese's PB eggs (the little foil wrapped mini ones) and they were very happy. I was downstairs in the kitchen and all of a sudden, Will comes down to tell me David threw up on his bed and "good-bye, we're going outside to play now"

"What? He threw up. Let me see (yeah right I'm thinking)." As I walk up the stairs, the smell hits me like, you know what they say....a ton of bricks! And I'm starting to think, oh my gosh, he really did throw up! By the time I get to the top of stairs and poke my head in Will's room, I am unable to take it. I look inside, plugging my nose, and sure enough, there on the bed...

THROW UP!

I run downstairs and catch the boys before they leave...they haven't left yet because they're stuffing their faces with more Reese's eggs! I ask...

"What happened?"

(David) "He wiped a booger on my arm and I threw-up"

(Will) "It was an accident. His arm got on the booger from my nose!"

I'm thinking to myself, how am I going to clean this up...I can't!
(Me) "You two run to your house and get your mom to call me--hurry up!"

Pretty soon, David's mom calls and I tell her the situation. I am so embarassed that I am unable to clean this up, but I can barely clean up my own children's vomit! Anyway, she comes over, cleans up the chunks (barfing in my mouth right now), and offers to wash everything. But, I'm not that much of a whimp..."Oh I can wash it myself, I'm sure." So she folds it up so the throw up is on the inside and I take it down to the laundry room. Let me just say, unfolding the quilt, blanket, and sheet (cuz it had soaked through), was very hard for me. I had to tie a blanket around my nose so I couldn't smell it. I guess I am a whimp!

Now, Chelsea (David's mom) and I are friends forever, bonded by puke! (BTW, David had chocolate milk for lunch!) Oh, and his nickname is "Ralph"...really. Apparantly, he does this often :)

Easter!

2008-03-24T18:30:00.009-06:00

This Easter came and went so quickly! I can't believe there's a week left of March and Easter is already come and gone!

Did you know that the earliest Easter can ever be is March 22nd! The last time Easter was this early was 1913 and it won't be this early again until around 2116! Just some interesting facts we learned in Sunday School yesterday! And I never knew how the date of Easter is set: Easter is on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (closest Sunday).

Anyway, I spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and I am so glad it's over. But to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating (and I actually spoke for 14 minutes!-the longest I've ever given a talk for.) I guess I'm maturing! :) Grandma and Grandpa came (because of Easter) and they sat with Maddie and Will. Well, they sat with Maddie anyway...during the Sacrament, Will drank from the water cup and as he was putting it away, he dripped some water from the cup (he hadn't drank every last drop), and it dripped into some other cups. Maddie made a big deal of it and made Will feel bad...he started crying (loud) and Grandma tried to take him out. But he hooked his foot on the pew and was crying out that he didn't want to be taken out. I motioned for him to come and sit with me (I was on the stand just about to give my talk). He came up and sat with me and then went and sat with a friend. All is well that ends well and to repeat...I am so glad it's over!

After church we had an Easter Egg hunt and ate a very yummy dinner of Honey Baked Ham, potato salad, baked beans, green salad, and rolls...followed by

V Chocolate's chocolate dipped strawberries! I am still full!

I love Easter!

Birds and Eggs = SPRINGTIME!

2008-03-19T18:13:00.003-06:00

How cute is this. I watched Martha make it on her show today...I'm going to use my cherry tree branches and make this darling arrangment for my coffee table!

Spring cannot get here soon enough for me...the children are outside and I will not let them come in-it's way too nice out there to be spending time indoors!

Go Green!

2008-03-18T08:40:00.004-06:00

Not because of global warming, but because it is ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

For St. Patrick's Day we had a green dinner-green clover-shaped pancakes, green buttermilk syrup, green fruit dip (with strawberries :O) and green drink (milk, lemonade, or water-your choice). Maddie and Wills loved this! (especially Will as he thinks there are real leprechauns roaming around that can turn your hair green). No photos of the pancakes because I had turned my camera onto manual focus and forgot...something our teacher warned us about-dangit!

Will was so excited for this holiday...at school they went on a treasure hunt for a pot of gold (rolos) and saw leprechaun footprints-and of course, he wore green! But his teachers told him no pinching at school, you can do that at home-thanks alot (I didn't wear green)!

BUTTERMILK SYRUP RECIPE
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk + 1 T vinegar-let sit for about 5 min...voila...buttermilk)

Bring the first three ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat and add:

1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking soda

Stir to combine and then lick the spoon :O!

If you haven't tried this...you're missing out! It is now the only syrup we will eat.

Kindred Sprits!

2008-03-17T15:27:00.005-06:00

I just finished watching Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea...and a part of me wished I had been a friend of Anne's...I know we would have been kindred spirits! Bob teases me that I dream of being Anne and I transport myself right into the movie-yeah right! :)

A few times a year PBS does those telethons to raise money blah blah blah and I DVR'd Anne and have been watching a little every night for the past few nights...I find myself wishing it would never end. I love the way that movie makes feel...it is so idealistic-I laugh and I cry. The relationship between Anne and Gilbert is so romantic-even though Anne is such a ninny sometimes-it drives me crazy that she can't see her true love right in front of her!

I can't wait for Maddie to love these movies as much as I do...so we can daydream together!

And the soundtrack is one of the best CD's I've ever owned. I can listen to it over and over. It can be ordered online here.

Life at the Cluff House...

2008-03-15T09:35:00.006-06:00

B.O.R.I.N.G. Yup...nothing going on here! Seriously, for the past three weeks we've all been sick (all except Maddie-the lucky duck missed all the fun)!

It all started with Bob coming down with Influenza and the stomach flu! Within a few days, I was DOWN for a week! It was absolutely the most miserable I have ever felt-death didn't seem too bad! While I was down my house fell apart...and then Will got sick! Now, both Will and I have the worst colds and I'm trying to get my house back in order. Will keeps doing these big, huge snot snuffers..."I have to get my boogers up" he says. I wish he would just get his boogers OUT! We all seem to be on the upside of this disease...however, I'm still so tired!

My parents went to Idaho this weekend for some dental work from my awesome brother and I sent Maddie who had a tooth that was bothering her...Kevin pulled it! He said she was very brave and did great! (maybe I'll take a photo when she gets home). We're missing her around here-but I must say the lack of sibling fighting has been very nice!

Oh, and I'm taking a photography class from this amazing photographer! Check her out! I am learning lots and I'm also majorly confused! I will post some of my photos when they're worthy!

Last night we took Will to see Horton Hears a Who! He really enjoyed it-we had a fun little weekend for him...he's really missing Maddie-too bad she's not missing him!

I'll be back!

Book Review

2008-02-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

*4 1/2 stars

This book was recommended to me by an employee at Borders. I must admit, the first few pages were a little hard to get into, but then I couldn't put the book down. It's a modern love story mostly about a woman (Cornelia) and a young girl (Claire) with a messed up mom. Cornelia meets Martin in a coffee shop, falls in love with him and ends up having this amazing relationship with his daughter. Cornelia compares herself and her life to either classic movies-think Cary Grant or timeless novels-think Anne of Green Gables.

A tribute to classic film and true romance, this is the story of a 31-year-old cafe manager and an 11-year-old searching for her father, and the unexpected ways in which their lives are forever changed by chance.

Apparantly, this movie has been made into a screenplay and will star Sara Jessica Parker!

**little disclaimer...this is a clean book but does have 5-6 "bad" words.

Challenger Knight

2008-02-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Maddie was made a Knight of Challenger on January 31, 2008. Each month, one child from each class is nominated and presented at the Spirit Assembly. Her teacher, Mrs. Johnson was saying that Maddie exemplifies all the Challenger values and that she is a THINKER. And because she is able to think about things and situations in many different ways, she has an amazing sense of humor---quite a dry wit. (She really is quite funny).

Maddie is such a great student in both her grades and comportment. She is friends with everyone and is well liked by all her classmates. Challenger has been such a wonderful experience for Maddie. She has received an invaluable education that I hope will carry her through all her school years.

In Memory...President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

June 23, 1910-January 27, 2008

I love to see our prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley! I can't believe how I have grown because of him. He is the most amazing example...Because of him, I study my scriptures and the words of the modern-day prophets and general authorities, wanting to have a deeper understanding of the Gospel. I remember our Book of Mormon challenge a few years ago-I remember how wonderful I felt because I listened to President Hinckley and did as he asked. Whenever I hear him speak, I want to be a better person-he inspires me. Because of him, I want to be kinder and more observant to the needs of those around me, seeing those who are in need of aid. Because of his example of always seeing the good, I too have tried to have more optimism, less fear. Because of the prophet, I have grown closer to Jesus Christ; I know Him better; I have felt His love. Gordon B. Hinckley is a true reflection of our Saviour. I believe he has given me a glimpse of what it would be like if the Saviour were among us today. I will always be grateful for his example.

I wrote these words about a month ago after reading one of President Hinckley's talks. I never posted it, thinking I would finish it later. But now is a perfect time. I can't believe he really has died...I never wanted this day to come, but knew it would-I am sad for me, but so happy for him. What a man of God!

Both Maddie and William could feel the Spirit as we talked about President Hinckley tonight. Especially Maddie...she wrote her feelings here. As a parent, I am grateful my children were able to grow to love President Hinckley and learn from him. I will miss him.

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." -Gordon B. Hinckley (from the funeral of wife Marjorie)

{sunday reminiscing}

2008-01-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

In August 2006, we took a family trip to Southern California for a little Disney and San Diego. It was a wonderful family vacation. I met Bob in Las Vegas with the children and they did not know that after Vegas, we were heading south for some family fun. They just thought the vacation was Las Vegas. They didn't even realize we were headed in the opposite direction of home until we were in Los Angeles and we couldn't keep the surprise any longer! I was dying to tell them we were going to Disneyland! Maddie started crying she was so excited! Honestly, it was the most fun we've had together as a family.

One of the highlights was going to the beach in Coronado. William had never seen the ocean before (that he could remember) and he was so excited! He loved walking along the water with his dad and playing in the sand. We had stopped at a little market on the island and picked up some munchies like cheese and crackers, bread and drinks and little white powdered donuts. :D Maddie of course could live on the water-she is fearless and loved every second of it-I think she would be a surfin' beach girl if she lived on the coast. We stayed for a while and swam, ate dinner, played and relaxed. It was a great day! And we ended it at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner...could it be any better!

(click to enlarge photos)

p.s. I was there...

Book Reviews

2008-01-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Wish You Well by David Baldacci
*5 stars (out of 5)

After suffering through a car crash and losing their father, Lou (11) and Oz (7) are forced to move to the Virgina mountains to live with their Great-Grandmother and invalid mother. The year is 1940 and times on the mountain and in the small mining communities are struggling. Lou and Oz are struggling to find where they fit in as well. This book is about finding ones self and discovering the things in life that really matter.

I actually cried in this book-books often make me sad, but rarely do I cry.

We live in a world where everyone is keeping up with the Jones' and trying so hard to be the the biggest and the best. Aren't we forgetting what is really important? Our families. Hard work. Honest living. I loved this book and I hope to re-read it often. It is a very good reminder of what is important in life.

The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel

*4 stars

One of my friends loaned this book to me. Livvy, the main character in this novel becomes pregnant by a WWII officer and is forced into a marriage to Ray Singleton, a remote farmer in Colorado. Not only is the story a love story but it tells about Livvy's struggles with leaving her old life behind that had promise and education. Livvy dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. She becomes friends with two girls in a Japanese internment camp. The friendship leads Livvy into interesting paths and some dangerous situations. Hallmark came out with a movie of this book, which I vaguely remember watching. The movie left a lot of the book out, but was good too.

{sunday reminiscings}

2008-01-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

William's Adoption

William was born April 9, 2003 in Provo, Utah. He came to our home on April 11, 2003. Maddie was nearly 5 years old and we were more than ready for another child. William was a little miracle in that we found out about him in February and less than two months later, he was in our home! We never met his birth parents and know very little about them-only that they made a difficult decision in choosing to give Will a better life than they could. Our social worker called us as soon as Will was born, but we weren't allowed to see him in the hospital so that the birth parents wouldn't see us. But...we just happened to be at the hospital and thought we'd take a look in the nursery...there he was...our little boy! We pretended to be looking at all the babies so that it wouldn't be obvious incase someone was there looking at Will too. I was so happy, but so sad because I wanted to hold him so badly! He was crying and there was no one comforting him. Leaving that nursery was one of the most difficult things to do. Needless to say, I didn't sleep the next two nights, wondering and thinking about him. Two days later, our doorbell rang before we were to go pick him up at the hospital, and there was our bishop, with Will! It was so exciting-special delivery! For the rest of the day, we just sat around holding him while friends and neighbors came over to meet him. It was a wonderful day!

I can't believe how Heavenly Father has blessed our lives. We have two amazing children-they are perfect for our family and to think that they would not be our children if I'd been able to biologically have children-the thought is unbearable. Not only to think they wouldn't be ours, but to think of where they would be instead is also unbearable. They have so many people who love them, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, church leaders and neighbors...Before Maddie and Will were born, I was so frustrated at not being able to get pregnant and have children...why couldn't I? It was a righteous desire...a good thing; yet, it would not happen. But I know now...our children came to us in a different way...they were always meant to be ours and they needed to be able to come to a family where they could be part of an eternal family. So many children are born without that blessing. I am so grateful for my eternal family.

William's Finalization, Sealing and Blessing

On October 22nd, William's adoption was finalized in Provo with Judge Lynn Davis. He was so great-very pro adoption. It was truly an amazing experience and I'm so happy my family and siblings were there. We went out to breakfast afterwards and were looking forward to the next day at the Temple.

On October 23rd, William was sealed to us in the Mt Timponogas Temple. Nearly all of our family was there. It was a wonderful sight in the Temple to be surrounded by family and true friends. William was blessed by Bob in our home later on that day.

The weekend was a very special one -it will never be forgotten.

Favorite Christmas Gifts...

2008-01-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Bob and I exchanged iPods for Christmas...he got black, I got green! At first, I thought what am I going to do with an iPod? Would I really use it? When would I get a chance to listen to music without the ability to hear children talking to me and asking me questions all day long? Oh, how wrong I was! First of all...the fun Bob and I had choosing songs to purchase on iTunes! (We each had a $25.00 itunes gift card and we spent every last dollar and then some.) We spent a couple of hours reminiscing the past...middle school, high school, early days of BYU,old girlfriends, old boyfriends-think...Asia, Toto, Chicago, Journey, Foreigner, Donna Summer, INXS, Depeche Mode, Eagles, Michael Jackson, Howard Jones, OMD, Styx, Rick Springfield, Tears for Fears, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Whan!, etc.-you know you love it! Nobody really makes music like they used to. Great Fun! Second, it's a great way to tune out the kids when you need a break from the talking/questions. And, believe it or not, that music right in your ears actually makes you want to exercise-resolve of 2008 :D! And last night, I fell asleep listening to 80's soft rock. I slept like a baby (one that sleeps through the night without making any noises to wake up its parents).

My other favorite gift is my Breville Ikon Panini Press! Can I just say it makes the yummiest sandwiches ever! Clean-up is a breeze-just wipe it down with hot soapy water and you're done. We've had mozzerella, tomato and basil; turkey, swiss and bacon; regular grilled cheese-a favorite after-school snack for Maddie (and she makes it herself). And my favorite is turkey with pepperjack cheese-I add thin sliced tomatoes and romaine after I grill it-YUMM-O! And you don't have to have hard, crusty bread-regular sandwich bread works too. Everyone should own one of these-it's not one of those weird appliances that you think you'll use and never do. I'm having a love affair with my panini grill!

Bob told me last night "you're into things with the letter 'p'...paninis, iPods, Project Runway, pepper jack." (hehe) Silly man.

2008

2008-01-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've really been thinking about this new year and what it will bring. It seems like I've always set new goals for a new year but in actuality, I just think about setting them. This year is going to be different. Many years ago, I had a bishop who taught that we should call them resolves...it seems to have more of a meaning that we have really made up our minds to do these things. So in 2008, I resolve to be a better me and have balance in my life.

*more scripture reading/studying*
*more praying*
*be more observant to others needs*
*be more patient*
*watch less t.v.*
*exercise*
*have more fun with my children*
*have more fun with my husband*
*more outings with girlfriends*
*spend less money*

This year in Sunday School and Relief Society we are studying the Book of Mormon and the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith. I am going to take the opportunity to study the lesson each week and be prepared for Sunday. I can only imagine the better me I'll be this time next year. I am so looking forward to 2008!

Tom Dickson

2008-01-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tom Dickson is in our ward...he is hilarious. He invented the Blend-Tec Blender, among other things. I took our Cub Scout Den on a field trip there and he gave us all the Will It Blend DVD...the destruction of Guitar Hero is not on there. William thought he was being very naughty (I hope he doesn't want to try this at home) and Maddie just wants Guitar Hero and could not believe he would destroy it! :D

Remember This...

2008-01-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

GOOD TIMES!

New Mexico

2008-01-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

We left for New Mexico on the 26th at 8:00 pm, hoping to miss the huge snow storm! The kids were really excited to leave and wanted to drive in the dark. We didn't miss the storm! We got to Kirtland at 4:00 am! Our normal 6 hour drive took 8 hours...U.G.L.Y! The roads were a mess the entire way, slushy, wet, snow-packed-we had it all! I've never been so happy to get to Kirtland!

Once we arrived safe and sound, we had a relaxing, enjoyable time with family. Maddie and Will loved being around their cousins. They took their Wii and had lots of fun playing it with everyone. Tennis is a favorite game...I even like it. We saw movies (The Water Horse and National Treasure), played Spoons and Wii (a remote flew from a hand and and broke Yancey's t.v.) at Uncle Yancey's and Aunt Natalie's and listened to Bob and Maddie jam on the piano, ate at Fuddruckers and Costa Vida (new to Farmington), and hung out relaxing! Just what we all needed.

Maddie and Dad jamming on the piano!

Sleepover with the cousins...All the cousins with Uncle Ben

McKenna Cluff...Will and Uncle Ben

We went to church Sunday morning-the 30th, came back and said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle George and took off on our ride home...drove to see Shiprock (Maddie noticed it from a distance and wondered what it was)...hoping for clear roads...no such luck. The roads from Price on were worse than on the way to New Mexico....good times!

goodbye...Shiprock from a distance

Santa Rocks!

2007-12-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, the children wait at the top of the stairs while Bob or I go down and turn on the tree lights. They were so excited they were squealing!

"Santa Rocks!" These were Will's words as he saw his loot from Santa. I have never seen a kid rip through the gifts like this one! Honestly, he was done in 5 minutes!

FAVORITES

:: Remote Control Helicopter

:: Spiderman Web Blaster

I had convinced Maddie she would not be getting a Wii this year due to the lack of them available. When she saw that Santa had not come through for her, she was very suprised to unwrap one from Bob and me! We saved this gift for last and she was very excited!

FAVORITES

:: Wii (duh)

:: i-dog

:: roller blades

It was a wonderful Christmas. We have so much to be grateful for.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

We spent our first Christmas Eve with just the four of us. Bob and I decided we wanted to make it as memorable as we could for the kids. They were really missing Grandma and Grandpa, aunts and uncles and cousins! Maddie was especially concerned about no extended family around..."Christmas is about being with your family". I said "what are we...dog meat?"

We went to The Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner and then went to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks". The best part of that movie was watching the kids laugh. They really enjoyed it. We then came home, ate our cheesecake, wrapped presents and the elves came bearing new pajamas! The night was a success...with just us dog meat!

Note the time I went to bed...too funny!

A New Christmas Tradition

2007-12-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the Hale Center Theatre Orem to see

Dicken's Christmas Carol.

The show was wonderful! Maddie and William both sat in awe the entire time...even though there were some pretty scary parts. You know that Ghost of Christmas Future is pretty creepy! The music was great and I actually cried when Tiny Tim died-Bob Cratchet sang "What Child is This?" at the gravesite and I could not help myself from getting emotional...imagine that!:D I love this classic Christmas Tale. It reminds me that the true spirit of Christmas is giving-not just of our wealth, but more sincere compassion and love for others in our daily lives. We should all enjoy the Merriment of Chritmas and share that with others all year long.

Maddie saw in the program that the Hale Center offers acting classes for children. And there were several children in the performance. Maddie has chosen two parts she wants to play next year-the beggar girl and the Ghost of Christmas Past. (She has such lofty ambitions) She could not stop talking about the play the whole way home. And William was worried he was going to dream about the "ghosts" just like Scrooge did.:D It was quite a magical night for them. We will definetely be making this a Christmas Tradition.

In the words of Tiny Tim...

God Bless Us Everyone!

Frogs In December?

2007-12-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the kitchen and in walks William wearing a green tee shirt of mine and croaking like a frog. After a few minutes I look at him (I mean really look at him) and he's also wearing my green chenille gloves on his feet...like a frog! So dang funny!

Candy, Candy, Candy...

2007-12-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

My mom and I have been making candy for the past two days...caramel-chocolate pretzels, toffee and caramel. YUM-O! It was so much fun to spend time with my mom making these fun treats for friends (and ourselves, right Mom?) My parents are going to be gone for Christmas so it will just be the four of us until we leave for New Mexico a couple of days after Christmas. I'm glad I got to spend time with my mom making our traditional holiday treats! Thanks for all the help Mom.

So many pretzels...milk chocolate, milk chocolate with mini m&ms, white chocolate, white chocolate with cinnamon sugar

Making the yummiest caramels on the planet...so buttery!

All packaged up for friends!

And our little helper/taster/mess maker!

Will's Winter Program

2007-12-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than a preschool program? I mean seriously, the cuteness of it all and the sheer laughter watching those darling little kids sing and dance. I could have watched all day long! Watch how Will shakes his little buns...oh and that's Isabelle...his "girlfriend" (He has kissed her on the lips!) Don't you just love the way she moves him around too...girls are so bossy! :D

p.s. I got the videos loaded for Maddie's program and the ward party...check them out!

The True Joy of Christmas

2007-12-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today was our annual cul-de-sac Ladies Lunch. This gathering has been taking place for nearly 30 years-longer than I've been here! I have been for the past 15 years. Traditionally, we make gifts for each friend in the neighborhood, past and present. This has truly been one of the highlights of living here. This group of women is amazing. The talent within the group is beyond words...quilters, painters, crafters, singers, teachers, spiritual leaders, cooks, performers, just to name a few. I am so blessed to have moved here and to be able to call these women my friends-I miss those who have moved away :(

This year we decided to do things a little differently...we chose someone to give service to. It just happened that one of our former neighbors was in need of a helping hand this year-Carol Moore. Carol lost her father this year, started dialysis three times a week and her overall health is not good. We truly felt that she was someone we could help have a Joyful Christmas! We all pitched in by quiliting, donating money, shopping, wrapping and giving in any way we could. The highlight was giving Carol the quilt. Diane and Kathy spent hours piecing this beautiful quilt and we all helped tie it and the party. Giving these gifts to Carol has truly been the best part of my Christmas. I hope this becomes our new tradition.

And of course, the lunch party was at Bianca's beautiful home (that alone can get you in the Christmas Spirit)!

Check out this Pinocchio collection...it is amazing!

What a Wonderful day

Ward Party

2007-12-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

The Nativity went great. It was pure chaos all the way up until it started and I was sweating like a pig! A huge thanks to Bianca. She had all the props and helped orchestrate the whole thing-what a pro! I honestly could not have done it without her help. I truly would not have known where to begin. Maddie was the narrator and William was one of the shepherds. You can see him wandering around the stage. I am so glad it's all over!

I spent the day getting ready for the party: setting up at the church-twice, shopping for our Sub for Santa family (that was fun...we went to Target to choose toys and clothes for a family). I was explaining to Maddie that these would be the only things they are receiving for Christmas. She wanted to keep purchasing things for them. She even bought one of the presents with her own money! And then she said "Doesn't Santa go to their house?" I said "Yes." "Then they will be getting other presents." What could I say to that?

Dean picked up all the children in the ward on his trailer. They were soaking wet and frozen by the time they got to the church. The kids love this part of the party. We did it last year too.

These are our friends Matt and Lori . They have twin boys Will's age and another son Maddie's age.

What a Day!

2007-12-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where you have so much to do, it's hard to know where to start and you wonder if it's really all going to get done (the worst is when it carries into the next day-which mine will!)

I offered to help with the ward party tomorrow night by putting together a live nativity with the primary children. What was I thinking? Of course, I waited until the last minute and have been scrambling around trying to gather children, props and costumes-UGH! So I fretted and stewed all day about this task. I actually woke up wondering how I was going to accomplish this task. I also have to decorate a table and make a salad for the party!

I am decorating a friend's house for the holidays (something I do each year). But it was on the busiest day ever. I went over in the morning to do it, but she wasn't home and had told me she might not be home but the code to her garage was
- - - - . Of course, I forgot it. I tried her on her cell phone, but had to leave a message. I knew I couldn't really go anywhere because I would soon be leaving for Maddie's school program! And also, if she called, I wanted to be able to run right over! She didn't get back to me until it was about time for me to leave for the program-totally my fault. I should have written her garage code down! Anyway, the block of time I had set aside to do this was now gone-YIKES...when was I going to get this done?

Maddie's Winter Program was great! Grandma and Grandpa came to watch. She is so beautiful! Isn't she just wonderful! I love her so much and I am so proud of her.

Mrs Johnson-Maddie's wonderful, amazing teacher!

I brought Maddie home after her program, took her to Activity Days (she didn't want to go, another story,) but went anyway and had a fun time. It was a babysitting activity so Will actually got to go and I had the hour and a half I needed to get Bonita's house done! Yipee for Activity Days! I picked them up at 5:00, ran to Harmons because I had to take rolls to our Neighborhood Christmas Party and also get something for the kids for dinner (chicken drumsticks-YUCK!), then picked up the babysitter, ran in the house, tried to make myself presentable for a party, wrapped the white elephant gifts and ran next door to enjoy myself for a couple of hours! WHEW!

The party was over by 8:30 (the party is getting shorter and shorter each year!) So, since we had a babysitter, Bob and I decided we'd go to a movie and went to see Dan In Real Life. I absolutely cracked up. And Bob was laughing so hard-I rarely hear him laugh like that-(Seinfeld will do it) and it's one of my favorite things about him. He has such a great laugh and when he laughs hard, you know he means it! Go to see that movie-it's great!

reminds me of this below....is this not the funniest thing ever!

I'm going to bed now, knowing I will dream about that darn nativity! HELP ME...I have poop stomach!

Done Decorating...

2007-12-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

My new wreath with a grosgrain ribbon bow

Last night for FHE, we got out all the Christmas Decorations (doesn't that make just the biggest mess ever)! The kids were so excited to put up the tree. And William was beyond excited. He couldn't keep his hands off anything. We had one broken ornament...Maddie had to get on him for that to which I told her she's broken her fair share and to leave him alone. We finished with the tree and went to bed with a huge mess downstairs-ugh. I knew it was all mine in the morning. Anyway, it's all done now (with the exception of a few things I think I must have-I'll know them when I see them :D and some fresh greens for the mantle). Will was so cute this morning-dying to help me. I have this tall skinny santa that he used as a gun, walking stick, bow and arrow and a few other props-so funny! We also had lights put on the house, red and white. They look so great-it's been so long since we had lights on the house. Bob just does not have the time to do it (and truth be told, I'm not sure he has the skill to do it either-don't tell him I said that). I found these two men putting lights on someone's house down the street and flagged them down and said when can you do this at my house? They were there in a couple of hours and it was done before Bob got home from work-great price too! If I knew how to take pictures outside in the dark with my camera so the lights would show...haven't quite figured that out! But here are a few pics of the inside.

::The tree

::The stars on the mantle (mantle not quite finished)

::Snowmen with glitter (I love glitter)

::How cute is that caroling lady!

::I love my santa collection

::And the ornaments from Pottery Barn Sale last year

Our Fun-Filled Saturday

2007-12-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

This morning, we woke up to a few inches of snow. Our first "real" snow. You know the kind, the white fluffy powder that makes you just want to go outside and play. And if you're William, eat it! Will put on my boots and a sweatshirt and sweatpants and played outside for about a half hour. He came in soaking wet and my boots were wet inside and out! By 9:00 am Bob left for a full day of tithing settlement and Maddie was on her way out the door to go horseback riding with our neighbor, Von Schwen. Will and I headed out to the mall to get him some snow clothes and boots of his own so he doesn't have to wear mine. (He's been wearing Maddie's pink ones)! Pulling into the driveway, William was putting on his boots and digging his coat and pants out of the bags. He was "dying" to get in the snow! Needless to say, he is currently outside having all kinds of fun!

Today is a great day for Mads. She went on her horse riding lesson in Lehi with our neighbor and friend, Von. Maddie has been going riding with her for about a year now. She is going to be going riding every Saturday. I asked her if she wanted to go in this weather, knowing what the answer would be and I was right. She absolutely loves horses and is quite a natural so I've been told. I've never actually seen her ride...can you believe it! Von tells me that she is amazing-no fear and very confident on the horse. Von says she is so much fun to watch because you can tell she loves the horses and they love her! One of these days I will watch her ride! I can't wait. (BTW, Maddie is starting her own blog and she will tell you all about her day)

Sibling Love

2007-12-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

Do you remember how your parents, especially your mom, would always say she wants nothing more than for her children to get along and love each other? I remember asking my mom what she wanted for Christmas, birthdays, etc. and she always told me this. At the time I thought it was a ridiculous request. Why would anyone care about that and what a stupid gift! Well, I now completely understand...of course we care and it is just about the best gift there is-nothing stupid about it! William and Maddie definetely have their moments of "not getting along" (that's putting it nicely); however, lately they have been "true friends". Yesterday, they danced together, played computer games together, Maddie helped Will with his Christmas list, Maddie giving Will the last chocolate covered strawberry and they wanted to sleep together in Maddie's bed. Maddie even brushed Will's teeth for him. As a parent, it is such a beautiful thing to see your children being friends. It touches me to see Maddie watching out for her little brother and to see Will truly looking up to his older sister. I pray they will always be friends and always be there for each other. So this Christmas they asked me what I wanted...yup, you guessed it!

I snuck in and took this picture after they were asleep!

Bella has been cast

2007-11-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

They have announced who will be playing Bella in the Twilight Movie. Check it out here: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_movie.html

What do you think?

Bianca Lisonbee on the Today Show

2007-11-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

I just received an e-mail from one of my neighbors about another of my neighbors, Bianca Lisonbee. I am so amazed at all the good the Lisonbees do for others. Bianca is one of those truly wonderful people-talented, thoughtful, giving, compassionate, passionate and on and on. She is also an amazing Gospel Doctrine teacher. I love going to her Sunday School class-she brings the sciptures to life and I am committed to becoming a better person because of the way I feel when I listen and learn from her. And I am so glad to have her as a friend and neighbor.

Thanksgiving Holiday

2007-11-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving was so much fun with family. It all started with a FULL day of cooking on Wednesday. My mom came down for a couple of hours to help with the mashed potatoes. We made 10 pounds of potatoes! So delicious. After she left I made, banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, pumpkin cheesecake, fudge, and confetti salad! I honestly don't think I have ever been that tired! My feet were burning. It was worse than walking around Disney World for an entire day! Everything was delicious. I asked my mom to take the mashed potatoes home with her because I didn't trust myself and the rest of my family :D.

::Will took the picture of Grandma (and a few others of our behinds that I cannot post!)
::Will is getting his first taste of jell-o sugar-he kept asking for more...I wonder why?

::I made little indivdual pies for the children...the things we do for our kids!

Thanksgiving dinner was of course wonderful! Everything tasted so good. The sweet potatoes were heavenly...definetely a keeper. I think it's the first time we've eaten all the sweet potatoes. And my dad made these wonderful green beens. They had so much flavor. Kellie and I finished off the green beans on Friday!

::Mom's heavenly orange rolls and Dad's delicious green beans!

We had a great day. Teri and Shawn and little Cole came and it was great to spend the day with them. Cole seems to be doing well.

It was a weekend of movies...Enchanted (don't you just LOVE Patrick Dempsey!), Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium, and Grandma took all the kids to Fred Clause. We were actually movie-d out! I never thought I could feel that. I guess it's just kid's movies I've had enough of.

Saturday was of course the BYU vs Utah football game ( I had to put their name in the smallest font possible). Bob, Kevin and Grandpa went to the game and the rest of us went to the Children's Museum at the Gateway. It was really fun. The kids had a great time. We spent 4 1/2 hours at the museum. I was ready to leave after about 2! But I did find a guy who gave me play by play updates on the game as he received them on his Blackberry. What a game! I seriously regret not going. But I thought I would freeze! It would have been worth it! Was that a game or what! GO COUGARS!

Okay...I cry when I watch this...I LOVE BYU FOOTBALL and dare I say it...I ____ the UTES!

Fun With Grandpa!

2007-11-15T11:21:00.001-07:00

There was a BYU basketball game last night and unfortunately, Bishop Bob was not able to go because of you guessed it...meetings. So Grandpa took Maddie and William and they had a great time. They got these lovely tee shirts and wanted to wear them to bed. Grandpa bought them shaved ice, pop and Dippin Dots! I'm sure the kids made many trips up and down the stairs. Thanks Grandpa for the fun time...and BYU won!

Camera Man

2007-11-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your son gets ahold of your camera without you knowing. I was unaware that he had taken all these pictures. I started looking through the pics I'd taken and came upon all these "self-portraits". You wouldn't believe the other pics he'd taken: the fridge, the stove, doorknobs, computer screen, light fixtures, stuffed animals in 20 positions, my behind without my knowledge (no that will not show up on this blog), etc. I have not laughed so hard in a long time! This kid cracks me up!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with Gorgonzola Crumbles

2007-11-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

These sandwiches are delicious. The whole family loved them. And the best part is that they are so dang easy.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with Gorgonzola Crumbles

1 soft sandwich roll of choice

Mayonnaise for roll

Finely shredded romaine lettuce

2 large pre-cooked chicken strips, warm (I used ones from Harmons deli)

¼ Cup Barbeque sauce, add some honey

1 Tablespoon butter

¼ Cup Gorgonzola Cheese crumbled

1. Spread mayonnaise on both sides of roll. Layer bottom roll with lettuce then chicken strips that have been thinly sliced, about ½ inch. 2. Place barbeque sauce, honey and butter in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until butter is melted. Stir to combine and pour over chicken. 3. Top with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and close with top roll. Enjoy!

p.s. There is nothing low-fat in these. That is why they are do dang good!

School Pictures

2007-11-12T17:17:00.001-07:00

The school pictures arrived today. I think they turned out great! In person they are even better. This is just a picture I took of their pictures.

William looks so happy...because he is! He is growing up so fast. He doesn't look like a little toddler boy anymore (he never really did). He looks like he should be in kindergarten, not preschool! He is so curious about everything. He's a smart child and he's quite a ladies man!

I can't believe how old and grown up Maddie looks. She is so beautiful. She is becoming a young woman and I am so happy and proud to be her mother. She amazes me with her talents and skills and her confidence.

Primary Program

2007-11-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the Primary Program. Both Maddie and William had a speaking part and they did great. Maddie had memorized her part and as usual, presented with poise and confidence. However, William was the most entertaining part of the program (according to many witnesses :D). He unzipped and zipped his tie at least 10 times, sucked on it, rolled it up, chewed it, pulled on it, threw it over his shoulder, etc. He knows every word to every song, as evidenced by hiim singing them at home all the time, but he only opened his mouth to sing one time. I must say though, he was not noisy.

It was a great program...it made me miss not being in Primary (but only for a few moments and then the feeling passed).

BYU Football

2007-11-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

BYU 27-TCU 22

Bob and I had so much fun at the game on Thursday night. My dad decided not to go and Kevin didn't come down from Boise and since it was a school night, we got a babysitter for the kids and made a date of it. The weather was perfect for football (and I love night games :D). I brought my big white fluffy blanket and wrapped my buns and legs, had cinnamon roasted almonds and a diet coke and was comfy cozy all night long! Oh, and BYU won-YIPPEE!

Toffee-Crunch Cookies

2007-11-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

I saw these cookies and knew I had to try them. They are absolutely delicious-in my opinion, better than plain chocolate chip cookies. The almonds in the cookies are so heavenly. These will become a family favorite. They won first place in a cookie contest on the Food Network! Thanks Picky Palate!

1 cup real butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 10 oz bag Heath toffee bits

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

Cream butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat eggs slightly and add to creamed butter mixure.

Add flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add remainding ingredients just until mixed in. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Disney MGM Studios/Animal Kingdom

2007-11-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

AeroSmith Rock-N-Roller Coaster

We l.o.v.e.d. this ride! So dang fun. I think we rode it at least 10 times. There were these wigs in the shop after the ride-too funny!

:: Rock -n- Roller Coaster-I had never been on this ride before and I must say...very thrilling! It takes off super fast and I loved it

:: Tower of Terror-William rode this ride and it was about the funniest thing I've ever seen. He was completely in shock when the ride drops. When we got home that night, he COULD NOT stop talking about the Tower of Terror. Maddie would not ride at first, but then got a huge dose of courage and decided to try it. We could not get her off the ride after that. Bob and I loved this ride. I'm going to have to say....it's my favorite!

:: Star Tours-watching Will was the best part of this ride.

:: Indiana Jones

:: Muppet 3D-not so much a favorite, we just saw it.

Maddie in front of her favorite ride. When you take your picture in front of that sign, the words "Tower of Terror" appear on the photo. Pretty cool!

SUGAR!

ANIMAL KINGDOM

:: SCARY Dinosaur Ride...and I mean SCARY!

:: Animal Safari with REAL LIVE giraffes :D

:: Lion King Show--the "sister" brought it home!

:: Finding Nemo Musical-"Happy"

:: Expedition Everest-full of surprises

I Love, Love, Love this pic of the three boys in the grass!

In front of the gorillas...

Day 3/Sunday

2007-11-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our day of relaxation. Bob and I and the kids went to church with Kevin and Kellie and their kids. It really was great to go to church and for the kids to know that no matter where we are, it's still Sunday and we go to church whenever possible. It was their wards Primary Program and they did a really great job. The older boys sang "A Young Man Prepared" and it was awesome. I really felt the spirit and I was glad I was there.

After church Bob felt a tap on his shoulder, turned around, and there were members of our home ward-The Gerstners. They had just arrived in Orlando the day before and were staying at the Marriot Horizons in the same building one floor above us! How crazy is that. (extra glad we went to church :D.

We had to stop at the drug store on the way home from church because William had started coughing the night before. And we discovered a Panera on the way home-YUMM-O!

When we got home from church, the kids changed into their swimming suits and headed straight to the pool. (I wish I had some pics of the pools cuz they were awesome.) Us girls, we went to Panera!

For dinner....tacos, yeah right. More like pizza!

A great day...Tower of Terror, here we come!

Day 2/Park 2

2007-11-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

EPCOT

::Test Track "uh"1 million times (one of Will's "uh"favorites)/Love the "uh"smell in the "uh"corrosion test :D/"uh" eleven times from the "uh" nerd in the pre ride movie

::Mission Space-definetely orange/makin Bob sick

::Soarin-my "happy" ride-I would never tire of that ride-Jana missing the ride right before it's about to begin cuz Jack has to go potty

::Innoventions/Robot Races/Building Robots-good times

::Walking through the World Showcase/countries looking for food-finding none:( (I did find some yummy cinnamon almonds)

::Buying Jibbitz for Will's crocs

::Lots of Rain

::Lots of Fun!

The Beginning

2007-11-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our Disney Vacation has actually come and gone! It seems like we waited for so long and now it's over...back to life, back to reality. Hey, isn't that a song :D.

On Thursday, October 25, 2007, we woke up really early to catch our 8:20 am flight. We flew from SLC to Minneapolis to Orlando and arrived about 6:00 pm...off to get the rental car. Honestly, that seemed like it took as long as the flight did-long day! But Maddie and William were great and didn't seem to mind. We arrived at Marriot Horizons and everyone was there waiting for us-STARVING. Off to Chilis for a yummy dinner and dessert. The kids all got balloons from a crazy balloon guy and had a wonderful, noisy time! We headed back to the villas to get a little sleep before our first day at the Magic Kingdom! (a little sleep was a recurring theme throughout the vacation :D)

October 26...Here we are on the monorail heading for the Magic Kingdom!

This cute display and sign got us excited for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Night at the Magic Kingdom ...doesn't this look fun (more on that later :D)

Anyway...we arrived...finally!

I knew that if we didn't get this picture right at the beginning, we'd never get it. We're missing Jackson and Ellie (Jackson was being camera-shy/darn!) Everything was decorated for Halloween-so festive and so Disney! The kids were really excited to get going!

Off we headed to Tomorrow Land..."Stitches Great Escape". Just for the record...dumb, dumb, dumb! Jackson thought so too :D. I was sitting next to him and let me just say...he's not a fan of that ride! Luckily, it was off to Buzz Lightyear (a family favorite). Everyone loves that ride, even the big kids. Okay by now it's lunchtime....what lunchtime already! Yep, two rides and it's time to eat. Uncrustables (Bob's new favorite food), Cheetos, Chips A'Hoy, water. Needless to say, we split up to divide and conquer the park!

The kids favorite rides at the Magic Kingdom were Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. Of course, Nathan didn't think any of them were quite "cool" enough :D! But he couldn't fool me...he was having a great time!

These are my favorite pics of the kids on Big Thunder Mountain. They are actually on the ride!

Splash Mountain was another favorite...although Bob wouldn't go on because he didn't want to get wet-what a wuss. And Maddie was too scared (at this point). But William wasn't (at this point-he had not seen outside the ride, the big drop. The next time we were at the Magic Kingdom he said "what's that ride?" When I told him Splash Mountain and were getting on, he kind of panicked but got on anyway and had a great time). He was so excited to ride. He wanted to sit next to Kevin. I sat next to Joce and the two of us made quite a pair in our ponchos. Talk about paranoid on getting wet...Jocelyn had maybe one inch of skin showing from underneath her poncho. I'm sure she'll post a picture on her blog. Too funny! Kevin and I got "splashed" right in the face!

And the all time favorite Magic Kingdom Ride...Space Mountain! I think we rode that at least 15 times. Oh and Kellie left her wallet on this ride our first night there. Thanks to lots of praying and perseverance, she found it. Whew!

And at the end of a long day, we were of course, starving! Grandpa, Grandma, Jana, Jason, Jackson, Noah and Ellie had left for home earlier so we headed to Macaroni Grill for a late dinner. William fell asleep the second we got in the car and Maddie and Nathan had a pizza eating contest...Maddie won! Dinner was delicious.

We were exhausted and ready to get some serious SLEEP! Epcot here we come!

Jack-O-Lanterns

2007-10-23T17:29:00.000-06:00

Keeping with tradition, tonight we carved our pumpkins for Family Home Evening. Typically we've done it on the FHE before Halloweeen but considering we wont be here then...tonight was the night. As usual, I was the picture taker. I'm not so fond of sticking my hands in the goop and pulling it out. I hate how it gets on my arm above my hands-YUCKO! It dries all crusty/sticky! Maddie loves it. Guess who doesn't love it...Will. After just one dunk of the hand in the gunk..."can I wash my hands now?" so funny!

This year, Maddie did all her own carving. She cut the top off and drew her face on and even cut out her face by herself. Way to go Maddie. The whole time, Bob and I were slightly panicking waiting for a gash from a knife. But not to worry...Maddie is very careful!

William wanted his to look like Frankenstein, no a ghost, no a witch, no Lightning McQueen, scary, happy. He couldn't quite make up his mind. He settled on the one he got. He calls it a ghost. Take one guess what he named it...Ghosty!

All in all it was a good time. Pumpkins carved, pictures taken, mess cleaned up in under an hour! Right on!

{Sunday Reminiscings}

2007-10-21T13:20:00.000-06:00

As long as I can remember, Maddie has wanted a dog...among other animals. But "dog" is right at the top of the list (okay, maybe equal with "horse"). Every year, "I want a dog" is on her Christmas List. Well, for her birthday last year, Mitchell, her very generous cousin, let her take his dog, Ringer, for what was supposed to be about a week. We ended up keeping Ringer for about 5 weeks! Maddie is amazing at taking care of animals. She never complained about doing anything that needed to be done for Ringer. I never had to remind her to feed him, walk him, or bathe him. She proved that she is more than capable of taking care of a pet.

::Her favorite thing to do was sleep with Ringer. At night Maddie would go to bed with Ringer. He would lay his head on the pillow and the sheet and blanket would be up under his chin-so cute. Before I went to bed, I would put Ringer in his kennel (not my favorite thing to do).

::She and her friends loved to play soccer with Ringer

::Ringer pooped in the house twice, in the same spot. Maddie stepped in it barefoot. We were both gagging...seriously (I'm kind of gagging right now thinking about it).

::Ringer LOVED Bob. He would lay in between Bob's legs while Bob was watching T.V. (soooo funny!) When Bob got home from work, Ringer would go nuts to see him.

::William loved Ringer. The opposite is not as true :). Although Ringer was patient with William and could occassionally be found on Will's bed.

::By the end of Ringers visit, Maddie was ready to give up responsibility of Ringer. She realized that dogs are a lot of work and maybe she would just enjoy Ringer when visiting Mitchell from now on. WHEW!

So to all moms who have children that "think" they want a dog, let them borrow someone else's for a month and make sure you do NOTHING to help them. It's almost a guarantee that their desire for a dog will start to fade (at least for a little while).

Where Did Fall Go?

2007-10-20T21:29:00.000-06:00

I can't believe all this snow! I walked outside to close the garage door...and it was a blizzard! Maddie, Wills and J.T. were coloring at the dining room table and heard me gasp! That was all it took. J.T. ran home to get into snow gear and Maddie and William just ran out into it with hardly appropriate clothing! Within a few minutes, William was begging for gloves, boots, coat, hat, etc. Maddie was right behind him. They got all bundled up and played outside for a couple of hours-until it was too dark to see!

The beginnings of Frosty! Look at all that snow!

Uncle Kevin came home in the middle of all this and started a snowball fight...good times!

Frosty and his little baby! William is so happy. Hopefully by tomorrow it will all be melted and the temperature will keep rising!

What I Did Today...

2007-10-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

I spent the day making these flower arrangements for my friend Bonita. Her son is leaving for his mission (Warsaw, Poland) on Wednesday. He speaks in church tomorrow and they are having an open house. She wanted some flowers for her house. It is much more fun to make these arrangements with my mom...I had no one to ask if they looked okay. I asked Kevin and he said he thought they looked kind of awkward- HUH? What does he know! I don't know why I even asked him :D. Anyway, I think they turned out great. I just hope Bonita likes them!

I also told her I'd bring over a cake tomorrow...what was I thinking? Now I have to make a cake. And because I'm making a cake for her, I need to make one for us-that means TWO cakes!

Pinewood Derby

2007-10-19T20:55:00.000-06:00

My very first Pinewood Derby. With my calling as Den Leader of the Wolves, I get to go to fun events like this. Two of the boys from our den (Wolves) had two of the four fastest cars! Pretty Exciting!...I hope this is one of my last Pinewood Derbys until William turns 8 :D!

2007-10-16T16:46:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the previews for this movie...it looks so good! Maddie and I saw the preview yesterday and we can't wait to see it on opening night...this Friday, October 19th. Review will be coming.

I Vant to Suck Your Blood!

2007-10-16T09:36:00.000-06:00

With all the Edward talk going on, and with Halloween...how fitting!

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could.Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you?It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low.
What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever
What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?