Saturday, March 31, 2012

Cheese Please


We are a cheese loving people in this house.
Our Costco and Trader Joe's runs always include lots of cheese! Sometimes I do a sampling and let the kids have their own little cheese tasting.
They like gouda, parmesan, brie, sharp cheddar, and like most little people, they love string cheese!
Tonight for dinner I made something wonderfully cheesy (in a good way!)

I found this Ham, Cheese, and Onion Quiche on Foodgawker.
It is from the Care's Kitchen blog.
The quiche was a big hit with the kids and I (Ty is back from work, but away at priesthood session, we will save some for him to eat for breakfast tomorrow!)

I will save some for myself to enjoy as well :)




The boys

 My boys have been seriously unrepresented on this blog lately.

Zackary adores Max. He is one of his very most favorite people. 
Max was kind of bored today and looking for something fun to do. I suggested that he build something out of blocks with Zackary. We brought out the blocks and cars and the boys started working on a road.
 Mostly Max built the road and Zack drove the cars.
They both had a lot of fun.

I love these 2 little men. I am so glad to have a set of boys in our home. They make every day a little more interesting :)

watching conference

I have been watching/listening to this morning's conference session on the computer in our bedroom. The kids have been in and out. Mia has been doodling away while we watch. 
Loving it!

Saturday


1. It's conference weekend! Ty is working all weekend so I am going to try and make the best of things without him! Hopefully I can listen to a talk or two ...If not..there is always the Ensign next month! I really just want this to be a happy weekend the kids and I can have together.

2. I took the kids to Chick-Fil-A yesterday after school for a little Friday celebration. We love that place :)

3. We also stopped by Trader Joe's. That is where I buy my coconut oil. I couldn't find it on the shelves so I asked one of the managers if they were out. He went to check and came back to tell me that they would be getting a large shipment in the next day. I must have looked disappointed, because he told me that a customer had special ordered a jar and that if it was still on hold he would let me have it. It was a small thing, but totally made my day!

4. The weather is getting warmer. I am loving spring! Sadly, I think I am the only one. Poor Ty and Max are both suffering from spring allergies. Hopefully they will feel better soon.

5. Next weekend is Easter. I am planning a candy free easter egg hunt this year. I am filling the eggs with squinkies, stickers, army men, and other tiny treasures instead. I am excited to see how it goes!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Sugar

 The Little Miss was extra sweet today.
She had her 4 month shots yesterday and was pretty fussy until this morning when she woke up all cuddly. I have been enjoying her all day!


Happy Friday! Hope it's sweet!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Zoey

Zoey had her 4 month check-up this morning. She weighs 14 pounds and is 24 inches long.
She is doing great!
We love our little Miss. Her happy smile lifts any mood. She loves kisses and singing (or rather she enjoys being sung too!)

Love you Zoey!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Mia




Mia had her first ballet lesson yesterday. (Mia is the one without a tutu. I guess I have more shopping to do!)
She absolutely loved ballet and I think she did a great job. She listened well and really tried to do her steps correctly. She is excited to go back and try again.
In between classes she is practicing alongside her Angelina Ballerina DVDs :)

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Cookies


I was craving cookies first thing this AM.
I know cookies for breakfast can be a bad idea, but THIS recipe for peanut butter cookie dough cookies from chocolate covered katie makes cookies for breakfast an excellent possibility!
The recipe uses no added sugar and they are gluten free ( just in case you are anti-gluten! )
They are super yummy! I added some cacao nibs to mine. 
Also...cookies for breakfast make for a happy day!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Be Kind


I think this is pretty good advice. I never regret saying or doing something kind, but I always regret being mean.

A Ty post

Ty took last week off so that he could play with us while Max was on spring break.
It was so fun to have some extra time with him. We got to go on a little lunch date and took the kids on our little beach vacation. Ty ended up getting strep throat the day after we came home so he was out of commission for the rest of the week, but I was glad that he had already planned for the time off!
Ty is the best. I love him more than anything. He knows how to make me smile. I have more fun with him than anyone else. He is a great husband and an excellent father. I couldn't do this life without him. I want him to be happy and to have everything he wants. 

Sorry if this is mushy. I just really like Ty :)

Back to the grind!

 Zoey is 18 weeks old today!
She is a little sweetheart. She is full of smiles and happiness. 
She loves her brothers and sister. She especially enjoys it when they sing to her or hold her hands!
School started again this morning. We survived!
I think Max was ready to go back and see his friends and get back into his routine. I spent the morning at the district office filling out paper work for Mia to start kindergarten this fall. I am so excited for her. She has loved pre-k this year and has really improved a lot. I am excited to see her grow and meet new friends.
Zackary is using the downstairs tile as his own little race track this morning. I can hear him speeding around down there. It is the perfect activity for this cold rainy day.
I am making enchiladas for dinner tonight. The kids are already asking for more ice cream and I think we could justify making some for an FHE treat tonight!
It's been a good start to the week. I am always glad when Mondays go well!
Happy Monday!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Ice Cream!


We went to Costco yesterday. We were there to buy massive amounts of toilet paper, amongst other things.
I saw a display of bright red cuisinart ice cream makers and I just could not resist! I have wanted an ice cream maker for several years now, so I justified the purchase.
As soon as we were home from the store I put the insert into the freezer so that we would be ready to make ice cream ASAP!


This morning I started looking at different ice cream recipes. I settled on a recipe for Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream. I used Hershey's special dark cocoa powder and added some brownie chunks to the ice cream at the end of mixing.
The verdict: Best ice cream ever!
Ty and I have decided that starting today we should make home made ice cream every weekend that Ty is home. 
Now we just need some summer weather!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday night


1. When school is in session Friday can take forever to arrive, but this week of spring break has flown by! I can't believe it's almost over. It was so very wonderful!

2. Ty is at the Lakers game tonight. I am so pleased that my Utah boy has chosen to be an LA fan!

3. The kids and I made s'mores at my mom's house. We used their little fire pit in the backyard. The s'mores were delish, but we all smell like BBQ now!

4. We have had such amazing weather this week. I love the warmth!

5. Ty got an out of the blue job offer this week from a hospital in Boise, Idaho. I just laughed. ( See #4 )

6. This weekend will be busy. Lots of cleaning, music prep., and some baking!

7. I am so glad tomorrow is Saturday. We still have a few more days!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My Gym

Ty bought me a present for my workout room.
My very own little flat screen!

Ty even put it up on the wall and set it up so that I can plug headphones into it from my machines.
 All of my Gilmore Girl DVD's are ready to go.
Those little blue weights are much heavier than they look ;)
 I didn't clean up at all before I took the pictures, but I love my little gym! I have always wanted one and I never really thought I would be able to have one.
Eventually I would like to add a bike to my collection.
Thanks Ty!
Can't wait to get my workout on!

Spring Breakaway


I am referring to this update as the spring breakaway because we had originally planned on a week long family vacation during Max's spring break. After much discussion we decided to limit our escape to just a few days of fun. By doing this we hoped to avoid meltdowns and other bouts of sadness. Our trip was amazing. Ty and I agree that the mini trip was just perfect. I think the kids are glad to be home already!

We left on Tuesday morning and headed to Long Beach to visit the aquarium of the pacific.
We had been to the Ripley's aquarium in Gatlinburg while we were in Tennessee and we were excited to see what Long Beach had to offer.
 The kids loved all of the colorful fish.
 There were sharks, otters, starfish, jellyfish, sea lions....etc, etc.
 I think Zackary's favorite were all of the little swarms of fish.
Mia and I loved the otters.

After the aquarium we had some lunch.
We wanted to try out a place we had seen on Diner's Drive In's an Dives called Schooner or Later.
It was a very fun location right on the water. We sat on the covered patio, because the day was pretty chilly.
 

 We had a good time. Eating out is always a treat.

 After lunch we stopped by Whole Foods so that Ty could push the kids around in a shopping cart while I shopped the bulk section. I got whole wheat pastry flour, cacao nibs, cocoa dusted almonds, dates, and fresh honey roasted peanut butter.
Next we checked into our hotel in Newport.
 We had a pretty nice view and the room did not disappoint!
The kids were kind of confused and thought we had moved. We tried to explain that we were just on vacation.
We changed into swim clothes and headed to the pool.
We tried out two different pools and one of the hot tubs.
Mia is a fish and loved the pool while Zackary had to be pried out of the hot tub.
After burning all of those calories in the pool it was time for a trip to the happiest place on earth.
Sprinkles! Cupcakes!
 Did you know that they sell frosting shots at Sprinkles?
Little cups of frosting in the flavor of your choice topped with sprinkles. Perfect if you have a little girl that only eats the frosting off of cupcakes.
 I got the cinnamon sugar cupcake. It was sugar and spice and seriously moist cake.
 Max got the chocolate marshmallow cupcake. He ate every bite.
Ty ate a dark chocolate cupcake. He started talking about how good the gelato looked at the ice cream store a few doors down from Sprinkles. I told him that we were on vacation and that if he wanted gelato he should go get some. He did!

After cupcakes I made a trip to Sur La Table to buy all sorts of "necessary" things :)
We went back to the hotel for dinner and a movie. 
The kids were exhausted and were asleep pretty quickly.
In the morning we visited Balboa Island. We walked all over the place. Looking at the little houses and the boats.
We stopped at the banana stand so that Ty could get a frozen banana and the kids got some doghnuts.
 The little Main Street on Balboa Island is filled with little boutiques and restaurants.
 We found lots of interesting things to look at, like this little horse outside of the toy store.
 Ty packed Zoey around in the backpack the whole time.
I love this baby backpack. It has been so great! If you have a baby, and do not have a baby backpack. I highly recommend picking one up!
 This picture has Zack in it too!
 I guess the cows on Balboa island are lime green with colorful flowers.
 They are also named Bessie.
By this point the sun had warmed up the day and we were ready for the beach!
 Zoey was excited!
We set her up on the sand and made her a little shade.
I stayed with her while the bigger kids played.
 It really was a gorgeous day!
No cloud coverage and just warm enough to dance in the water.
 Laguna is my favorite beach!
 Max is the brave one.
When we were all covered with sand we moved to the grass by the playground and had a little picnic. We made one last trip to the local candy store and headed home.
The kids were all asleep before they could get to their candy. 
We had a blast!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Granola

I'm kind of a granola junkie.
I like to make big batches for breakfast, lunch, and snacking. The kids are pretty into granola as well, so I can use them to justify my obsession.
I tried a new recipe this morning. I wanted to make some granola to take to the beach with us. I used THIS recipe for chocolate peanut butter granola from sumptuous spoonfulls. It's a winner! I hope we can save some for the trip :)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Brothers


I miss my brothers!


I saw Joel this week, but Jamison is in Utah and Josh is in Texas.
They all need to call me, or at least send me a message via facebook :)

A few things


It's Saturday! 
Ty will be at an anesthesia conference for most of the weekend, but starting Monday he will be able to join us for the rest of spring break!
I love weekends. I love the long quiet mornings. Zoey woke up for breakfast and a bath but that was exhausting for her and now she is back in bed. Zack and Mia are watching Wonder Pets while they drink their smoothies. Smoothies are pretty standard breakfast fare around here. They are super easy, fast, and I can sneak all sorts of healthy ingredients into them. Max is still asleep. He was out late playing basketball with Ty last night. I started my day with a workout and now I am enjoying the world's best granola. 
It always helps me to focus on the little things that make life grand. It makes each day a bit more decadent, and I am all about the decadence!
I guess aside from being Saturday, today is also St. Patrick's Day! I didn't get around to doing much this year, but I do have a fun dinner planned. It does not include corned beef and cabbage, but it will include lots of green!
Have a wonderful Saturday, St. Patrick's Day, Weekend, and Spring Break!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Girl Time!

 Zac is asleep and Max has a friend over, so the girls and I are hiding out in my room.
We have been watching girlie shows and eating snacks.
I love these little ladies. I am looking forward to lots of girl time to come :)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Another almost Friday night


1. One more day until we are officially able to enjoy our spring break! We altered our trip plans and are staying in SoCal for the week. We will be visiting the aquarium in Long Beach, playing in Newport, and eating some cupcakes from Sprinkles!

2. My brother came for a quick one night visit with us. The kids loved spending some time with him.

3. I went shopping at Trader Joe's today and got everything I needed for St. Patty's day. I am using pesto sauce to make some very green and very delicious mashed potatoes.

4. My treadmill died today. I am sad, but I think my heart will go on.

5. Life is getting very busy. There is never enough time in the day and I often wish that I didn't have to sleep, because I could do so much during that time. Sadly, I need sleep, and I LOVE sleep.

6. Goodnight...Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

the fog went away

 and we ended up with a beautiful day.
 The kids were happy to be outside. Zackary rode his little trike all over the yard.
 Max and Mia were pretending to be the king and queen on the trampoline.
I thought they were pretty adorable!

A New Toy


Ty bought himself an i-pad.


Zoey approves :)


I know....


 I think it was just last week that I had to have the Joy the Baker cookbook.
I bought it and I love it! 

Today this cookbook became available:


I love PW!
I must have her new cookbook!
Too late...I already ordered it for myself.

I may have a problem. Oh well :)