It won't be as good as the original books ...

but look what's coming out this December.

Congratulations Mom!!

It's my mom's last day working for Delta. She's retiring with full benefits. Which means we still get cheap flights and buddy passes. Yay!! I don't think she could survive without them. She likes to just pick up and go whenever she can. In fact, when she notices that she has a couple of days off, she can't stand to stay at home. She jokes about going to the airport and just seeing what flight takes off next and getting on it. She knows how to pack lightly, and travel on a budget. Over the years, we've had adventures together in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, California, Vegas, and Florida and we're looking forward to the many more adventures to come! So we're glad that she gets to keep the perks, and we're happy that she doesn't have to deal with angry customer service calls anymore!

I think she's going to start a travel blog. Details coming soon . . .

We Love Cars! Ka-chow!

Does anyone else think Disney/Pixar's Cars is as great as we think it is? It's so fun, not at all scary, and they put out some great toys. These are currently Charlie's favorite. He carries them around the house, puts them in my purse when we go somewhere, pushes them around in his stroller in the yard and runs them down the slide at the park. And at just a couple of dollars a piece, I can't resist buying him more.
*Edited for typos. I need to pay more attention!

Neighborhood Kids

Monday evening, a group of kids from the ward came by selling water balloons. I bought four of them and taught Charlie how to throw them at his dad. We had a blast! Then yesterday, another kid came by selling cookies and brownies. They were a little spendy and I didn't really want to buy one, but I felt guilty not buying from him when I bought from the other kids the day before. So I gave him a dollar and he gave me a balled up brownie wrapped in tin foil.

The problem is this. I've just been put in as the new primary president and because I don't know all the kids yet and because I don't want to play favorites, I now feel like I have to buy stuff from every kid that comes to the door. Anybody else have this problem? I'm not looking forward to school fund-raiser season . . . although maybe they'll be selling chocolate . . .

More Mischief

We were going to plant something else in our tulip patch, since tulip season is over, but Charlie found a new use for it. I left him outside with the hose watering my hanging basket, and when I returned, this is what I found.

While starting to get upset, I realized that it wasn't harming anything, and he was totally enjoying himself, so I kicked off my shoes and joined him. Don't sweat the small stuff right? It was vaguely reminiscent of a little photo project Mindy and I worked on once . . . ;)

Also, I was wondering if any of you more experienced moms could help me. Charlie has been getting up earlier and earlier for the past few months. He used to always get up at 6:30, which in itself is early, but do-able. He's been pushing it back farther and farther. This morning, he woke up wide awake and wanting to go potty and eat breakfast at 4:40AM. It's not working for me! And if we put him back in his bed, he knows we will fall back asleep and he gets up and plays in all the things that he knows he's not supposed to . . . like the toothpaste, or the kitchen cupboards.

Any ideas on getting this kid to sleep would be GREATLY appreciated!

Independence Day

I just realized that I never posted anything about the 4th of July! We had such a great time, I needed to share.

We went to the parade in the morning with Patti, Alan, and Ryan. (By the way, for those of you who know them, they had a beautiful baby girl last week!) Going to the parade with small kids was so great! People came right up to them and handed them handfuls of candy so they wouldn't have to compete with the "big" kids. It was a good parade, but it was almost too hot around here to enjoy it.

That evening, Mike after a grilled dinner, we found a place to watch the fireworks. On a nearby hill, there were kids sliding down on cardboard boxes. The people sitting next to us were nice enough to lend us a box for Charlie, and he had an absolute blast "sledding" with the other kids.
Then the fireworks started. Peter didn't even acknowledge the festivities, but Charlie enjoyed it. Then the finale came and it was a little too bright for him. He had to cover his eyes.


Later that night, as Charlie was sleeping, we could hear him talking in his sleep . . . "Pop! Pop! Pop!"

Four Months Old

I can't believe that Peter is four months old already! Time is flying by so fast. I so want him to get bigger so that he and Charlie can play together, but at the same time I want him to stay this cute smiley baby forever.

We went to the doctor for his check-up and shots yesterday. His is 17 lbs 3.5 oz and Dr. Smith said he's doing great. I am so grateful for happy and healthy kids!

I've been tagged . . .

Four random things I like about my husband:
1. His eyes
2. He likes to grill
3. He has such a fun time playing with Charlie
4. He gets excited about his job

Four jobs I have had:
1. Wendy's
2. JC Penneys
3. Galaxy Diner
4. Substitute Teacher

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. The Princess Bride
3. Pirates of the Carribbean (the first one)
4. Cars (over and over and over . . .)

Four places I have lived:
1. Bountiful, Utah
2. Boulder Creek, California
3. Sitka, Alaska
4. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Lost
2. How I met your Mother
3. Heroes
4. America's Funniest Home Videos (Cheesy I know, but Charlie laughs so hard when people fall down. We love to watch him watch it!)

Four places I have been:
1. Italy
2. Puerto Rico
3. Spain
4. Australia

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Since we all got blogs, none of us email regularly anymore . . . weird.
2.
3.
4.

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Linsey's Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
2. ANYTHING from Mandarin or Joy Luck in Bountiful- That city has good Chinese food!
3. BBQ Chicken Salad (I have a great recipe)
4. Breakfast Crepes

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Greece
2. Egypt
3. The Florida Keys
4. New Zealand

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Mike's raise
2. Charlie getting potty trained
3. Going to Texas when Jimmy gets his wings (hopefully we'll make it)
4. Christmas with a kid old enough to know what it is

Tag! If you read all of this, consider yourself tagged!

Free Fonts

Just thought I'd share. They have 20 free fonts for a limited time. To bad we don't get to pick which ones we want. ;-) Click here to get them.

Baking

It's a bad habit I know, but when I get stressed, I bake. This week has been a stressful one for me and now, of course, the house is now full of treats.

So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite "cook when you're having a hard day" recipes. Enjoy!

I've already shared my cousin's Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie recipe here.

My aunt's Marshmallow Brownie recipe can be found on my other blog here.

Grandma’s Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp soda
½ c butter
3 T cocoa
½ c oil
1 c water
½ c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
A shake of salt

Stir together flour, sugar and soda. In a saucepan mix butter, cocoa, oil and water. Boil completely and pour over flour mixture. Beat and then add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and salt. Beat well. Pour into an 11x16 pan. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Make the frosting while it bakes.

Frosting:
½ c butter
3 T cocoa
6 T milk
2 ½ c powdered sugar
Chopped nuts

Boil the butter, cocoa and milk and pour over the sugar. Add some vanilla. Ice the cake while hot, about 5 minutes after pulling it out of the oven. Top with chopped nuts.

Oatmeal Brownie Gems
Kind of a cross between oatmeal cookies and brownies.
2 ¾ c oats, uncooked
1 c flour
1 c light brown sugar
1 c coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking soda
1 c butter, melted
1 ¾ c M&Ms semi-sweet chocolate mini baking bits
1 (19-21 oz) package fudge brownie mix, prepared according to package directions for fudge-like brownies, but not baked.

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, nuts and baking soda: mix in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in M&Ms until evenly distributed. Reserve 3 cups mixture. Pat remaining mixture onto bottom of 15x10x1 inch pan to form crust. Pour prepared brownie batter over crust, carefully spreading into a thin layer. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top of brownies and pat down lightly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cook completely. Cut into bars.

Lemon Slice-of-Heaven Cake
This one I got from my sister-in-law, Amy and it is GOOD!

3 lemons
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups flour
4 large eggs
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 325°; grease and flour 12-cup bundt pan. Grate 2 tablespoons lemon peel and squeeze 3 tablespoons juice from the 3 lemons. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda. In bowl, with mixer on low speed, blend sugar and butter. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Turn mixer back to low, beat in eggs, one at a time, add vanilla. Add flour mixture into sugar mixtures, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in lemon peel and juice. Pour into pan and bake for 60-50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 T fresh lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
(4-oz.) cream cheese, softened

In bowl with mixer on low speed, blend sugar, butter and cream cheese. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Beat on high until fluffy. Spread on cake.

10 things I LOVE about Peter

1. Just like his brother, he has an infectious smile, which he freely gives at the first sign of attention.

2. He giggles when I change his clothes and when I give him a bath.

3. Even though Charlie picks on him, Peter openly forgives him with huge smiles whenever Charlie apologizes and gives him a kiss.

4. He sleeps whenever we go in the car.

5. He sleeps through the night. (which is more than I can say for Charlie)

6. He's chunky, and I love fat babies.

7. He gets so excited when he can grip a rattle and make a sound.

8. He blows raspberries and laughs at himself.

9. He waits patiently while I deal with or play with Charlie.

10. I love him too because he's mine . . . and because he didn't hurt me as much as Charlie did when he was born. ;)

I Hate Potty Training

It's time consuming, it's a pain when we're out and about, it gives Charlie quite a lot of power because I jump up and run to him whenever he says he has to go, and let's face it . . . it's just plain gross.

And when it's all over, I have potty training Peter to look forward to. (sigh of resignation)

Now I'm off to clean the toilet . . . once again . . .

10 things I LOVE about Charlie

1. He sings with me in the car.

2. His smile is completely infectious.

3. He plays Dance Dance Revolution with me, jumping as much as he can trying to keep up with my skills. ;-)

4. He likes to hug other children . . . including strangers that we see at the mall.

5. He throws Peter's diapers away for me.

6. He likes to cuddle with me in the mornings. (although it does come a little too early for me)

7. He runs through the sprinklers with me, giving the command, "Set, Doe!"

8. He LOVES his dad, and is always SOO excited to see him when he gets home from work.

9. Whenever I say, "Guess what?!" he knows something exciting is coming and gets excited at just the thought.

10. I love him because he is mine, and he always will be.

Five Years

Mike and I were married on July 3, 2003. I honestly cannot believe that we have been married for five whole years. The time has just flown by! And we're actually still happy! ;-) I don't remember much about our actual wedding day. I was kinda in a sleep-deprived, nervous trance. Luckily I spent most of my wedding money on the photographer so that I would be able to remember it all later.

So in honor of our fifth, here are a few pictures to reminisce about. Engagement . . . wedding . . . and honeymoon.