tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125989472024-03-13T22:24:01.724-07:00A Day In the Life of MeMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-48108523717944382632012-04-17T19:36:00.001-07:002012-04-27T08:36:25.426-07:00Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Easter was really hard for me. I missed my family a lot and was not feeling particularly motivated to cook a big dinner just for my family on that day either. But I couldn't let myself not do it either. I ended up inviting a friend and her family over who are in a similar situation as us. It was so enjoyable! And anyone who really knows me knows I like to cook for other people. I made the works: glazed ham, homemade rolls, salad, carrot cake, and my friend brought the potatoes (which were awesome!). It was really nice to just eat and chat while the kids all ran around. <br />
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The day before Easter we went to a ward member's house and the kids had a blast! The eggs had some candy, but most of them were filled with tickets which the kids could "buy" various things with. Maddy was sooo excited to get dangly earrings that she said she thought Grandma Stephens would think were pretty. She even wore them to church on Easter. She is getting to seem so grown up!<br />
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The kids love going to the park. The one that is by the library has a merry-go-round. I couldn't resist this picture of them laying on each other on it.<br />
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Homeschooling is going well. The kids and I love the parts where we can go do things out of the house. Library day is something we look forward to. This scene of all my kids sitting quietly and reading books sure made this Mom proud! I love that they all just devour books. :)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-35733424411788149522012-04-10T08:53:00.000-07:002012-04-10T08:53:18.530-07:00FlexitarianSo, I have been trying to lose weight the past month or so. I joined weight watchers and it has been a great starting point for me and has opened my eyes to realize that I have been eating about twice as much as I actually need to. I sort of hit a plateau after losing 3.5 pounds. I wasn't gaining weight, but I wasn't losing more either. I was getting really frustrated! After admitting to myself that I was kind of finding ways around weight watchers to still get to eat whatever I wanted, I have upped my ante and decided to make at least half (4 or more) dinners vegetarian. I really don't eat enough veggies... even with a salad for lunch every day. So, I am getting creative and the kids haven't even missed the meat. I've already noticed a difference in my energy level and how much my back hurts (it's been giving me grief every morning for about a month). Jay likes to call this kind of eating flexitarian... which makes me chuckle... I like it! I don't really have any desire to give up meat entirely, but I'm really enjoying feeling better. It also helps my motivation to have joined a contest with my brother-in-law and my parents to lose 6.1 percent of our body weight this month. And whoever doesn't make it, has to pay those who did $20. I don't want to pay out $60 because I didn't control myself enough to lose the weight! I'm also trying to get in as many walks/jogs as I can. Eat less, move more, drink more water! That's my mantra lately. I'm also considering doing a contest with a prize... to see who can lose the most body weight percentage... would anyone be interested in doing that with me?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-24979731075870358382012-04-05T19:04:00.000-07:002012-04-05T19:04:34.018-07:00Road Trips and Rest StopsSo, Jay has been out of town this week on a business trip to Kansas City (and Wichita) and he is driving back tonight. He was talking about a stop he was making to use the rest room and stretch his legs and how he remembered we stopped at the same place and he parked in the same spot as when we were driving back from Utah over Christmas. He was asking if I remember stops on trips like that and I admitted that I usually don't pay that much detail to stops like that, but I know that Jay does. He remembers the most random gas stations and tries to make the same stops on trips. It makes it kind of fun! I do remember when I was a kid and we would make the road trip from Texas to Utah we would stop at the same gas station every time... and of course I remember it because it had a big green "Little Foot" dinosaur outside of it that we could climb on. You know the one I'm talking about?<br />
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I'm sure my parents have pictures of the kids all climbing on it and thinking we were at the best gas station in the U.S.<br />
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So, Jay and I were talking about a rest stop that we really liked when we drove out to Utah for Christmas and he couldn't remember where it was. I thought it was in Kansas, and I was right! (Holy cow! Someone be amazed that I remembered where something was that I have been to a single time.) It was near Manhattan, Kansas. And it had this pretty cool sunflower statue and a walking trail that we walked on for a little while and let everyone stretch their legs at.<br />
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I think we will try to make this a regular stop on our road trips to Utah. I would love to have a packed lunch there (if I'm remembering right, it had shaded picnic tables).<br />
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Are there any rest stops or frequent stops you make when you go on trips that you have special memories of?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-41180958217413542682012-04-04T08:30:00.002-07:002012-04-04T08:40:14.299-07:00Six months already!?So, I know I've been terrible about blogging still, but I have a ton of pictures to share with you all. It will give you a glimpse of what we've been up to since we've moved to Missouri. And in no particular order. I'll give a brief description of the picture underneath them. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPKmDoMukByr4lLPIJBujtvSSPkm_u4zVSQp5ezv8puESaHw5kLb_oChlz6PrDAJzazBFu7xMOrJoZUXwp0ZyN4NKZZgNmawmUg0jx4TnWLAIx-g_0fy25wJ_Xt8yfjQ6fyr1/s640/blogger-image-1566678834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPKmDoMukByr4lLPIJBujtvSSPkm_u4zVSQp5ezv8puESaHw5kLb_oChlz6PrDAJzazBFu7xMOrJoZUXwp0ZyN4NKZZgNmawmUg0jx4TnWLAIx-g_0fy25wJ_Xt8yfjQ6fyr1/s640/blogger-image-1566678834.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside of the History Museum with the group of kids we were there with. A fun time, for sure!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miles did this himself, with no promptings from me. Gangster!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTvUomqKXP85qzMtZsxH5BPQVQaIWlu938l7GarUItzebfSlP7opvaghrYO51DFSY_70vCem8KMVWg6Cw9SAZeinoZhPgNzQhrXSZ7A8eLPrT1YIAJ50Y0aLbT0BQlZLMEBn2/s640/blogger-image-607260463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTvUomqKXP85qzMtZsxH5BPQVQaIWlu938l7GarUItzebfSlP7opvaghrYO51DFSY_70vCem8KMVWg6Cw9SAZeinoZhPgNzQhrXSZ7A8eLPrT1YIAJ50Y0aLbT0BQlZLMEBn2/s640/blogger-image-607260463.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyrum has really really gotten into origami. He loves folding and folding and folding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a view of Creve Couer Lake on a date that Jay and I went on. This picture doesn't do the breath-taking view justice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22MenhyphenhyphenYDU9vaqJrOWG7jtLf9QvZ1sPZIKUrkyMm7yNMqAwBmPnPjpR4zU5Fy2Ye-RdXi73q7eNV7_erEMrmnT2fqbbBWun30s9HdYtUQrfVnhIYq71tUHxaGlH6SMyWzSQLR/s640/blogger-image--548789667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22MenhyphenhyphenYDU9vaqJrOWG7jtLf9QvZ1sPZIKUrkyMm7yNMqAwBmPnPjpR4zU5Fy2Ye-RdXi73q7eNV7_erEMrmnT2fqbbBWun30s9HdYtUQrfVnhIYq71tUHxaGlH6SMyWzSQLR/s640/blogger-image--548789667.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you didn't know yet, I've started homeschooling. This is the first project we did (making rock candy) and my cute youngest son. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvxe5jeH2bb-gIZvRumDWT7-gk-MwRzi6ew8PIZqoYvBe3tY5d-PF_DRwfdB5LKR4uLQF3Xw7DXIbCm9SXKubGo9uaWPwGT5V7N_s-krzQcDguNgv_Uyl-WrUecWfr2paTbLR/s640/blogger-image--792865642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvxe5jeH2bb-gIZvRumDWT7-gk-MwRzi6ew8PIZqoYvBe3tY5d-PF_DRwfdB5LKR4uLQF3Xw7DXIbCm9SXKubGo9uaWPwGT5V7N_s-krzQcDguNgv_Uyl-WrUecWfr2paTbLR/s640/blogger-image--792865642.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring has sprung! My favorite season! The kids loved the big beautiful flowers on this tree.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubiOg7hEGQRJiqXxZwXf5Kk0aAwFhf_QGeC4bwMg4xs1-H5gdP6uCUFGJmlgMnaqKsMBYaAxqZFgXV5sAytwC8hGHNw1JFsfkJwxZZR69xTkahTwN4KqtRsshgFwuZjPbC9Uj/s640/blogger-image--1122606461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubiOg7hEGQRJiqXxZwXf5Kk0aAwFhf_QGeC4bwMg4xs1-H5gdP6uCUFGJmlgMnaqKsMBYaAxqZFgXV5sAytwC8hGHNw1JFsfkJwxZZR69xTkahTwN4KqtRsshgFwuZjPbC9Uj/s640/blogger-image--1122606461.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyrum turned 9 years old! How did that happen?! (Maddy also had a birthday, but I guess I was too busy to take a picture on that day. She is now 7!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3PbhUrjjy1_Qd8zqFY0N7CggYXJpRpEeqkVun5S1ZZmh-kbdZNdly_KyBaB09OfkSggNFiBlmge1wp8mmc_VjcMIAP-QQdaIZhiLPrpZgLr7USqKBadS0ezuqNRCrRa6HY1i/s640/blogger-image-437854847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3PbhUrjjy1_Qd8zqFY0N7CggYXJpRpEeqkVun5S1ZZmh-kbdZNdly_KyBaB09OfkSggNFiBlmge1wp8mmc_VjcMIAP-QQdaIZhiLPrpZgLr7USqKBadS0ezuqNRCrRa6HY1i/s640/blogger-image-437854847.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween! This was shortly after we moved into our house. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_8rQ-DXjZnu1p7oLbprUgvj3y3OQZBnP7tejqN_87s52YStoSdnFyC_0caj8_2T_LoPF2I8MyDrnOsAQRQMtIXp8RiAN7VUs1NydEOj_Zvsgjzxyy9XGdZPLExl-4J6HAnlk/s640/blogger-image-1188342103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_8rQ-DXjZnu1p7oLbprUgvj3y3OQZBnP7tejqN_87s52YStoSdnFyC_0caj8_2T_LoPF2I8MyDrnOsAQRQMtIXp8RiAN7VUs1NydEOj_Zvsgjzxyy9XGdZPLExl-4J6HAnlk/s640/blogger-image-1188342103.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parks, parks, and more parks! St. Louis has so many wonderful parks and we love going to them... especially since the weather has warmed up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR7PUucgCSXqJQAAcTEGeOErSqc6jXDkbjZWwWZzyncl8Qw1ISJHvJ_FtZLm__yyr8Ur3MAuAixSkp4q2r2TQjK0oykUpkg2SxcPDcTl6RMK0fzG4HVfKUEy0kUTBJ4KCAznk/s640/blogger-image-557561202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR7PUucgCSXqJQAAcTEGeOErSqc6jXDkbjZWwWZzyncl8Qw1ISJHvJ_FtZLm__yyr8Ur3MAuAixSkp4q2r2TQjK0oykUpkg2SxcPDcTl6RMK0fzG4HVfKUEy0kUTBJ4KCAznk/s640/blogger-image-557561202.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham plays with his (or someone else's) ear when he falls asleep. His ear got stuck when he fell asleep... couldn't pass up the silly picture!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBgi-OJIbDcyVeQP2ISU1Hr0PKNwpbGQPw8PI23Xdg-BGHf8E845S2tZyDNwU7YPt8csOa0qTJqzEWhoZqP-sTmn-knZ_C-aVHnvx6bS-C6UhpDw-IlD1UWXHVxhQpy6auxMb/s640/blogger-image--2004948329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBgi-OJIbDcyVeQP2ISU1Hr0PKNwpbGQPw8PI23Xdg-BGHf8E845S2tZyDNwU7YPt8csOa0qTJqzEWhoZqP-sTmn-knZ_C-aVHnvx6bS-C6UhpDw-IlD1UWXHVxhQpy6auxMb/s640/blogger-image--2004948329.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miles suffered a concussion. He got a frog and a dino (which you can't see) for being so still during the CAT scan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTGJ2dWpGRz5OxJjfwR4pWF6QKGx7uVqbMoBmPTUkxdeYNY_p0AOMv3O5v9E_mjneeCxCQQfK7Ex39SS18HUaCLH6kFn45TUxO7XO-RKh3arrso3_bSsnLlHg_PfC0wVp1gZT/s640/blogger-image-939673557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTGJ2dWpGRz5OxJjfwR4pWF6QKGx7uVqbMoBmPTUkxdeYNY_p0AOMv3O5v9E_mjneeCxCQQfK7Ex39SS18HUaCLH6kFn45TUxO7XO-RKh3arrso3_bSsnLlHg_PfC0wVp1gZT/s640/blogger-image-939673557.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miles is getting better at drawing actually pictures. When did my little boy get so grown up!?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0ltNgzRmu4kCADWYm83llxAF_NmB_PEso9K_N5ntyY0HUkWQBFnAoiFg9p7y6yr9aiM2Xj74kRczIlpi-i3y_QwoTkdLblqiOGWry65WbUyZz0-DNH9kZ0ff9APp15qqC5hA/s640/blogger-image--421561812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0ltNgzRmu4kCADWYm83llxAF_NmB_PEso9K_N5ntyY0HUkWQBFnAoiFg9p7y6yr9aiM2Xj74kRczIlpi-i3y_QwoTkdLblqiOGWry65WbUyZz0-DNH9kZ0ff9APp15qqC5hA/s640/blogger-image--421561812.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love Trader Joe's! I love it for the produce and cheese and the kids love it for the stickers they get!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqpv37sYPh7HHkoMkY1x8CL6afrypBJN87WkwldaCIxzinD4v6KBxZ5o7Wp3gxlmXuOZqDLsCXliqmeT1OjcQFGkHXe7abhGNFBcuRvrElKtzkSKbEaaB3p7kEAf53UtowO5D/s640/blogger-image--2136458976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqpv37sYPh7HHkoMkY1x8CL6afrypBJN87WkwldaCIxzinD4v6KBxZ5o7Wp3gxlmXuOZqDLsCXliqmeT1OjcQFGkHXe7abhGNFBcuRvrElKtzkSKbEaaB3p7kEAf53UtowO5D/s640/blogger-image--2136458976.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I though merry-go-rounds were a thing of the past. My kids had a blast on this one after getting books at the library.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-71539120842655595412011-09-27T13:54:00.000-07:002011-09-27T13:54:23.086-07:00Big move!Ok, so I know... it's been a year and a half since I posted on the blog. Life got busy and I lost motivation to keep up on this, but we are moving to St. Louis, Missouri on October 2nd (this Sunday ACK!) and this is the best way to keep everyone updated on what the kids and Jay and I are doing. Expect LOTS of pictures and updates about what we are doing soon. I have been busy packing and going through all our stuff. It's amazing what you collect when you live in the same place for 6 years.<br />
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We are excited for the St. Louis Adventure and all that comes with that! See you soon from Missouri!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-39792474830175124722010-03-14T12:33:00.000-07:002010-03-14T12:33:28.091-07:00Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada Cruise<div>Here's a synopsis of our trip, day by day. I just have to say, it was an absolute blast and I would go again in a heartbeat! Most of this is written by Jay, but we did almost everything together and I don't want to write it all out again.</div><br />
<div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Friday 3/5/2010 Drive to Las Vegas, walk the strip. Watch the fountains at Bellagio. Eat at Amore Patisserie, Macaroni Grill in Caesar’s Palace</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRJgPB6S0aD4ErnFnDvTXy5rKTaFUGAyG32TOnJTkAZ5LuR5lAQyqG1susq10426FIddSx6DWRYPq-KG6Ik15WmYT6E-24D7xYU7MqXg-W-WiMtPKrM_ndKnQ4MI_iwFsXdzY/s1600-h/PICT0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRJgPB6S0aD4ErnFnDvTXy5rKTaFUGAyG32TOnJTkAZ5LuR5lAQyqG1susq10426FIddSx6DWRYPq-KG6Ik15WmYT6E-24D7xYU7MqXg-W-WiMtPKrM_ndKnQ4MI_iwFsXdzY/s320/PICT0002.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFeQ5isBz4r4QmK71JU6RWwHYGvKfB9yUTB6tqtlC3hkH7mdFyfZdxx-T2FvPvP_SvFwBk_yn4KM3UxEVer3c1S3jiuG9Z7d1F4Pk17ld3rSRGHMJumxb-t_kR5-IH8fAtHl0/s1600-h/PICT0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFeQ5isBz4r4QmK71JU6RWwHYGvKfB9yUTB6tqtlC3hkH7mdFyfZdxx-T2FvPvP_SvFwBk_yn4KM3UxEVer3c1S3jiuG9Z7d1F4Pk17ld3rSRGHMJumxb-t_kR5-IH8fAtHl0/s320/PICT0005.JPG" vt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzP5HM8gcG5Z5xMf8usFY37IivZr0sjaZU6NeVRPwb6LHTqrw-_wTLmUAFgTpQRTJUA4BdCM3Q1Il1yl6YyNluSdoRURNury7aS-rw9htZDjM0qUDMde8FegkC6lsJS6reVrL1/s1600-h/PICT0011-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzP5HM8gcG5Z5xMf8usFY37IivZr0sjaZU6NeVRPwb6LHTqrw-_wTLmUAFgTpQRTJUA4BdCM3Q1Il1yl6YyNluSdoRURNury7aS-rw9htZDjM0qUDMde8FegkC6lsJS6reVrL1/s320/PICT0011-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh1Lhyl_PxC7Vk8hjYvPe7GKlCLEfVxIj3fT1JQInaIACvidDsFwfcb-grgjtqXpeFYX7uH128VwAUO42YkqNkJbubrdYV5nW7CpRDoFGg6mVMiJWQ0oOZymxltzwZ5Nr4lhD/s1600-h/PICT0012-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh1Lhyl_PxC7Vk8hjYvPe7GKlCLEfVxIj3fT1JQInaIACvidDsFwfcb-grgjtqXpeFYX7uH128VwAUO42YkqNkJbubrdYV5nW7CpRDoFGg6mVMiJWQ0oOZymxltzwZ5Nr4lhD/s320/PICT0012-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sat 3/6/2010 Drive to San Diego, board the cruise ship. Toured the ship, buffet lunch, Karaoke in the Cole Porter Lounge, Mikado Theater for standup comedian Jerome. First night on the ship and Jay got seasick. Talk about vertigo!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnxjZre32NC3WX9UJQkz-E4W1CNj-Xm1F2ZXXpJ_Me5qrnwLJcdK4I3WF4MX6Qd9GgEHJ0up6krpuGKPJkbzlZy9ihFQ44EwR3xYkvUGhjObvNn6rLLMPQALwMjV_nsGJT67l/s1600-h/PICT0020-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnxjZre32NC3WX9UJQkz-E4W1CNj-Xm1F2ZXXpJ_Me5qrnwLJcdK4I3WF4MX6Qd9GgEHJ0up6krpuGKPJkbzlZy9ihFQ44EwR3xYkvUGhjObvNn6rLLMPQALwMjV_nsGJT67l/s320/PICT0020-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sunday 3/7/2010 Day at Sea. Breakfast in the Imagination Dining Room. Elegant dinner in the Imagination Dining Room; we wore our best dress/formal clothing. Mikado Theater for Hypnotist Jac Rene—Brock Simmons and Tyler Stephens were hypnotized, hilarious! Went to the casino after the hypnotist show and Melissa won $31!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxpg4KlkcsmUuxMpXyrjrvJxzAOdw7GpRULDWacVNx6W6Ot9-Yp6nnLYaANEVgcoYRGsmUlq0R7yPymmEp-bGTT-bxSHcaXEoeGSB3qIbw-31KOmJOn4CMJZqFiz1bAVF64te/s1600-h/PICT0022-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxpg4KlkcsmUuxMpXyrjrvJxzAOdw7GpRULDWacVNx6W6Ot9-Yp6nnLYaANEVgcoYRGsmUlq0R7yPymmEp-bGTT-bxSHcaXEoeGSB3qIbw-31KOmJOn4CMJZqFiz1bAVF64te/s320/PICT0022-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PiMJwNEFla17INhKRCNcaIWsjVWoAlstwqNkPE0LGMHHmVroqOo-X-8BQYP_PEQeAD4kSNvXKsGYLdxhKXXWae8yaF_SpapWaeDfjhRWF2JLwpcJwloTIjaw2d5juOAytgxh/s1600-h/PICT0026-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PiMJwNEFla17INhKRCNcaIWsjVWoAlstwqNkPE0LGMHHmVroqOo-X-8BQYP_PEQeAD4kSNvXKsGYLdxhKXXWae8yaF_SpapWaeDfjhRWF2JLwpcJwloTIjaw2d5juOAytgxh/s320/PICT0026-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_sIowFJObyKXU8OrZRertESmFzA90V4xstX2veFEmjwhMzsNMW8Ufzyw_tea7IburelEEHUgFCoD9YA6wRK_m3vjbxLbBRK87B4F9DenBMQ1HJbPstSQUX2ZvU2NMrBKG671/s1600-h/PICT0027-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_sIowFJObyKXU8OrZRertESmFzA90V4xstX2veFEmjwhMzsNMW8Ufzyw_tea7IburelEEHUgFCoD9YA6wRK_m3vjbxLbBRK87B4F9DenBMQ1HJbPstSQUX2ZvU2NMrBKG671/s320/PICT0027-1.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Monday 3/8/2010 Cabo San Lucas. Breakfast in the Imagination Dining Room. Took the tender to Cabo and walked (a ton). Shopped at the flea market (Jay got a bracelet, Melissa got a necklace, and a cool sewn palm leaf bag). We ate lunch at Hard Rock Cabo, then made our way to the beach where we swam, and played for 3 hours. We walked back to the peir where the tender would pick us up. Jay got chafed, yet we still went in to the Cabo Harley-Davidson shop. Jay got a magnet and some cool stickers and David Henry gave him some bag balm and that was enough to get them back to the pier. Once back to the boat and preparing to shower, Jay noted he had two tablespoons of very coarse Cabo sand in his swimsuit. CHAFE! Dinner was at the Imagination Dining Room, and we caught a show afterwards. The first comedian was Tyler Linkin; he did a very dry yet hilarious routine which involved juggling. The second act, Glenn Hirsch had a hard time following up Mr. Linkin’s act. We would absolutely see Tyler Linkin again.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Tuesday 3/9/2010 Cabo San Lucsas. Breakfast in the Imagination Dining Room. Took the tender in to Cabo and hired an all-day excursion for whale watching, touring the sites, and snorkeling at a distant beach (40+ min away; Santa Maria Beach). We saw two whales just off Land’s End (a rock formation south-east of town near the arch and Lover’s Beach). After the whale chasing and subsequent soaking we got from the Pacific waves (which ruined our nice DSLR), we turned about and went back into the Sea of Cortez and Santa Maria Beach. The beach was fantastic! Coarse sands, pieces of sea glass and coral, amazing snorkeling with a ton of fish, and a much smaller crowd made this excursion the highlight of the trip so far. We played, got sunburned, fed fish, picked up five pounds of shells/coral/glass, and had an amazing Mexican experience. Dinner was, you guessed it, in the Imagination Dining Room. Our Waitress and her assistant had our routine down pat and the food was very appealing both visually and to the palate. We are now en-route to Ensenada and quickly falling in love with Carnival Cruise Lines!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Wednesday 3/10/2010 Day at Sea. A guy sang swing tunes which was the best show so far of the cruise. When he stopped singing I just wanted him to sing one or two more. I won $10 more dollars at the quarter slots at the casino today, too.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thursday 3/11/2010 Ensenada. Shopping was good and it was cool to see the blow-hole. It has changed a lot since I came last time 10 years ago. It is much more developed now. The best part of the day was eating some fish tacos for lunch. They made the tortillas fresh right in front of us, even, using a hand press to flatten them. They were so good and I’m glad Jay insisted we bought some there. The churros were excellent, too. Nothing like the churros you get in the states. We both thought the ground felt like it was swaying like we were still on the ship the whole time we were walking.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Friday 3/12/2010 Melissa and I are on Lido Deck sitting in the sun waiting for debarkation to occur. After speaking with one of the stewards by the dining room we have approximately one hour to wait before it begins. We already had breakfast, this time at the buffet here on Lido. Melissa has reclined with her book and I am typing at my laptop—we checked our voicemails, and texted everyone who has taken care of our children while we were out to sea. Anna has our kids and will take them home tonight to await our return. Fantastic that she is doing that; it will save us an extra hour of driving after we get home. Looking back over the trip it is hard to place a favorite moment. I have asked several people over the last couple of days what their moments were; some of mine correlate. A definite top moment was Playa Santa Maria and its beautiful sand, snorkeling and contented feeling. I also really enjoyed myself in Ensenada with the street vendors, the fish tacos, and just being there with Melissa. Overall this cruise has been extremely relaxing; Melissa and I had our moments where we got on one another’s nerves, but they were very small and were usually related to one of us being tired. Those sorts of things are healed with apology and sleep. It has been quite nice to get to bed by 1030ish and up by 8ish. Will miss that for sure! In these last moments on the boat we have called home for the past six days I feel content. The Elation is back where we boarded her in San Diego Bay, right next to the USS Nimitz. We have a 12 hour drive ahead of us and then we’ll be home! The ground solidly below us, our children around us, and two more days off before work resumes. It’s been a good trip.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-51944628518475768442010-02-23T08:36:00.000-08:002010-02-23T09:36:52.015-08:00Happy 5th Birthday, Maddy Jane!<div><div><div><div>I can't believe Maddy has turned 5 years old! She seems so grown up and is such a little mommy to her brothers and helps take care of them. She absolutely loves preschool and is thriving in that environment. She is constantly amazing me with what she learns and remembers. Here are some pictures of my sweet girl on her big day: </div><div><br /> </div><div><div><div><div><div>We had a family birthday party for her and held it in our church building's gym. Here she is surrounded by cousins opening her gifts. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQZN9nzid3t-9TtWsy70fwmJNRBo3vV_U6FZkCL2mtBKE10dWUz1-uo7d2Yy7RHU30M0GPhynhVPVPZ5_4SyhPLVmTycT_wHS0jgLomYjbHW1axk9AILxtufuxbGR1Kj9JX-4/s1600-h/PICT0190-1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441487000481920658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQZN9nzid3t-9TtWsy70fwmJNRBo3vV_U6FZkCL2mtBKE10dWUz1-uo7d2Yy7RHU30M0GPhynhVPVPZ5_4SyhPLVmTycT_wHS0jgLomYjbHW1axk9AILxtufuxbGR1Kj9JX-4/s320/PICT0190-1.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Maddy is opening another gift, but I had to post this because I love Savy's arm around her. Cousins are the best!</div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeisnRRI3Drpu9VcVYpKy9Ip9aD7ejfhTa8jh3ReycgCXncMX-NvuB7z-1zrSnw_nQhtSSMeAAzsHqP_1Ir6NJaYGrPSZMDCLN0o7E7AYWeLyHBu8bOR_PhyphenhyphenQv4Zhy1ZOdT7i/s1600-h/PICT0176.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441486990179950914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeisnRRI3Drpu9VcVYpKy9Ip9aD7ejfhTa8jh3ReycgCXncMX-NvuB7z-1zrSnw_nQhtSSMeAAzsHqP_1Ir6NJaYGrPSZMDCLN0o7E7AYWeLyHBu8bOR_PhyphenhyphenQv4Zhy1ZOdT7i/s320/PICT0176.JPG" /></a><br />My mom made party hats for me for the kids to wear and we had to put one on Graham. He totally looks like a garden gnome! HA!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCfWo3cynnT0vhjHld3d2L7hNo0DmXifXkPeziouJzOSxJ5rIfWc95zfSv1-KuWs-O68Oo965vy8G9ktdXNom9BSjaFuyyQ4EK9x6-pYzjAUSfu2IwQvtJUHYzBwM5rCLHdjy/s1600-h/PICT0155-1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441484793100444450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCfWo3cynnT0vhjHld3d2L7hNo0DmXifXkPeziouJzOSxJ5rIfWc95zfSv1-KuWs-O68Oo965vy8G9ktdXNom9BSjaFuyyQ4EK9x6-pYzjAUSfu2IwQvtJUHYzBwM5rCLHdjy/s320/PICT0155-1.JPG" /></a><br />My mom made this huge Cinderella castle for a wedding reception and we couldn't pass up using it for Maddy's party. Some of the princesses (Kara and I are not in the picture) in the family posing in front of their castle.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mmB9qXxG3gNr_m6fPKT7wMnpvLIwrAEgb9YEIAMp_oBkBxnx_FP87Rhgq8AfjlDySJbLGBHHmfeeK7BxwphC65S8vEfHLauO08-OSMypbDaXjnIZp_we-gvmvjkSj0K-Y23o/s1600-h/PICT0150.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441484778536580466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mmB9qXxG3gNr_m6fPKT7wMnpvLIwrAEgb9YEIAMp_oBkBxnx_FP87Rhgq8AfjlDySJbLGBHHmfeeK7BxwphC65S8vEfHLauO08-OSMypbDaXjnIZp_we-gvmvjkSj0K-Y23o/s320/PICT0150.JPG" /></a> Princess Maddy in front of her castle.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLmmf4VqSG1KBz8P8Jl2fMwX43G0teD6WQo1V6YvKDKO5NAnX4Emf_88q_LzOVFYRX1hcnCXATWKtl_JLes1rDkfOzBFLHHdlc1cPyMza5srYu1wiCg8TRsr9CXU4LBXXiX_l/s1600-h/PICT0148.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441484761994078466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLmmf4VqSG1KBz8P8Jl2fMwX43G0teD6WQo1V6YvKDKO5NAnX4Emf_88q_LzOVFYRX1hcnCXATWKtl_JLes1rDkfOzBFLHHdlc1cPyMza5srYu1wiCg8TRsr9CXU4LBXXiX_l/s320/PICT0148.JPG" /></a><br />Close up of the cupcakes I made. I kinda went all out on these. I am awful with making frosting look good on cupcakes, so to get out of that, I made sugar cookies to go on top. I think they turned out so cute and Maddy loved them!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyhvro6JD51ZOuvhe1kLYq2jEypQAWe4OylnjTJ29Z_EdWWgfDmZOOLayKjPlmD30Gg966PR5tEV0SFg3WgrC4PsmSrEZngmEs2PXYcXIbEH8FdpXP687UgCuW_b6iPb4YKRb/s1600-h/PICT0146.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441484749382484818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyhvro6JD51ZOuvhe1kLYq2jEypQAWe4OylnjTJ29Z_EdWWgfDmZOOLayKjPlmD30Gg966PR5tEV0SFg3WgrC4PsmSrEZngmEs2PXYcXIbEH8FdpXP687UgCuW_b6iPb4YKRb/s320/PICT0146.JPG" /></a><br />Cupcakes on the stand.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVnMS1mi9KuROhJ-QfwnI3i_7VWVm2K7QzQ4oI9sb30Y1FLhPghH7i2-DnTqbT7HZND0rIM1peq7I3YvrkzvD9FVsUXyEW66Yamm4TH-vACk0jk0wWn2f_pJnot2mVTU2Ck4s/s1600-h/PICT0145.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441484736682187954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVnMS1mi9KuROhJ-QfwnI3i_7VWVm2K7QzQ4oI9sb30Y1FLhPghH7i2-DnTqbT7HZND0rIM1peq7I3YvrkzvD9FVsUXyEW66Yamm4TH-vACk0jk0wWn2f_pJnot2mVTU2Ck4s/s320/PICT0145.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Maddy had seen an infomercial about the "big top cupcake" and said she wanted it for her birthday cake. I was happy to oblige with the wilton version of it. I made the cookies and my mom decorated it. I thought it turned out adorable! Maddy about died when she saw it.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLCAmAXh11AUCl_xQ-AUz0OQeCwdmAFQQwV_5CjFUnPx5HEJ8uoB1xfb3J71V8EPveU_8ebHTYFQf3WWsxZZmzL8IBPYxseYU1chlE_TKDdr2LxKXIn4gc74hxLYPQFDTmA4y/s1600-h/PICT0140.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481696762125794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLCAmAXh11AUCl_xQ-AUz0OQeCwdmAFQQwV_5CjFUnPx5HEJ8uoB1xfb3J71V8EPveU_8ebHTYFQf3WWsxZZmzL8IBPYxseYU1chlE_TKDdr2LxKXIn4gc74hxLYPQFDTmA4y/s320/PICT0140.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLI3LWorBP8xoEwn9woY0s7PBZcoEevmO-hmyRLA9wRWU8I4i8gyY8-Abqijso1n9WGD9xz-v0VHmA9jH6q7oqa6Kyj2oOd1iWcXWoyrJzhVQektLoalhlsE1kHmjRZlkljDsH/s1600-h/PICT0137.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481680099610066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLI3LWorBP8xoEwn9woY0s7PBZcoEevmO-hmyRLA9wRWU8I4i8gyY8-Abqijso1n9WGD9xz-v0VHmA9jH6q7oqa6Kyj2oOd1iWcXWoyrJzhVQektLoalhlsE1kHmjRZlkljDsH/s320/PICT0137.JPG" /></a> Maddy showing me how old she is now. Such a big girl!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd732kZrArZYBUdZhmZ8RBdTMqXMVjeOKgjipSIps7J0QGMekePV4iNGNnUL4CPwnNG6y0g8zIHtpBDI5b28LiCGoI51qC5jbIBQxdx_wpyoX7ulsNlZ6pfVyirT1yAD8ljGt/s1600-h/PICT0132.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481660018969026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd732kZrArZYBUdZhmZ8RBdTMqXMVjeOKgjipSIps7J0QGMekePV4iNGNnUL4CPwnNG6y0g8zIHtpBDI5b28LiCGoI51qC5jbIBQxdx_wpyoX7ulsNlZ6pfVyirT1yAD8ljGt/s320/PICT0132.JPG" /></a> My mom had curled her hair for church a couple weeks ago and she said she wanted it curled for her birthday. I have such a beautiful daughter!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhpKy7JBkLL3GKD-3kUmk50XYkshvLYF0ssh6410CsqTc2biq3bkuroD4hMuzv-b6e4OWTv2zA7Nqjkb_oQmw0n8S2Kx7gZJ4Yae6iJi_EY9ll1-GNzffKeCCkk5oGWiog7LC/s1600-h/PICT0128.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481652309464914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhpKy7JBkLL3GKD-3kUmk50XYkshvLYF0ssh6410CsqTc2biq3bkuroD4hMuzv-b6e4OWTv2zA7Nqjkb_oQmw0n8S2Kx7gZJ4Yae6iJi_EY9ll1-GNzffKeCCkk5oGWiog7LC/s320/PICT0128.JPG" /></a>In her Princess crown... she loved wearing this around the house and at her party. She would put it on and proclaim "I'm a princess!" She always is!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEorhpSiZNOK_sXPcFTddZk8YzjhCUVVyn5nGvYffZ_kKh1GVSMsrP3w630JiHfez92YXn6AKAIKdbEuFqXKRrOBvAZNv4ihT_M8qZU3USx9CiTTn7JLvGr-MmBC8HPQoxUEFf/s1600-h/PICT0122.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441481643187781186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEorhpSiZNOK_sXPcFTddZk8YzjhCUVVyn5nGvYffZ_kKh1GVSMsrP3w630JiHfez92YXn6AKAIKdbEuFqXKRrOBvAZNv4ihT_M8qZU3USx9CiTTn7JLvGr-MmBC8HPQoxUEFf/s320/PICT0122.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-42322862392902964202010-01-07T14:32:00.000-08:002010-01-07T14:54:35.430-08:00Sticky and sweetThis is what happens when your big sister gets a donut, takes a bite or two out of it and then leaves it on the floor without mom knowing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fAoih42cVw4Gf5GUZwVjsxoQruX9GzNoo8lx0_jZ29qUqqi7kuIgJ8q5fr2_o-bxd1rhr55Gvj8AjE435JgIQAnyKcRnmNyu4gEPXHflmJlRKQxHCdots8pf1QUrNN3MY4GU/s1600-h/PICT0021.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424132523868237890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fAoih42cVw4Gf5GUZwVjsxoQruX9GzNoo8lx0_jZ29qUqqi7kuIgJ8q5fr2_o-bxd1rhr55Gvj8AjE435JgIQAnyKcRnmNyu4gEPXHflmJlRKQxHCdots8pf1QUrNN3MY4GU/s320/PICT0021.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_AI5s5kHNV68su9Qt79xFuIUsdmd-INKaEJqVCzkoSfTjhoqTS_ve-4vFTdpNslHlV2-g_iRqi48hs2aDaNuDa-bgHIzApNU0yPR4SQVc71DpX_i3cywHuIFMGU7D0pdbkg/s1600-h/PICT0011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424132513541872482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_AI5s5kHNV68su9Qt79xFuIUsdmd-INKaEJqVCzkoSfTjhoqTS_ve-4vFTdpNslHlV2-g_iRqi48hs2aDaNuDa-bgHIzApNU0yPR4SQVc71DpX_i3cywHuIFMGU7D0pdbkg/s320/PICT0011.JPG" /></a> He is just so dang cute! He was very proud of himself and thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles (he actually didn't get very much besides the frosting and sprinkles into his mouth).</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-75479736716876199652009-12-23T09:34:00.001-08:002009-12-23T10:57:21.651-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like ChristmasThe last couple have weeks have been crazy busy with lots of fun Christmas stuff going on. We had 2 gingerbread house decorating parties (one with the Stephens side and one with the Blair side). My camera wasn't working for the first one and then the second one I couldn't find it until all the houses were already decorated and mostly eaten. I'll share some pictures anyway though.<br /><br />Graham about to grab Michelle's Christmas tree. He was actually very soft with it and just wanted to discover how it felt.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418491151317112498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0WS894a7rnOizCmowwWlJedv5Ou6jgZ538hnc8IdJffocQJhnss_vmKv0yKBXdh4IIF_uwropiUyhBnUhLIWq1rzVrndoexaHKknYtw2FcKRshHIfCIzThzhFcSa39jmWHBP/s320/PICT0045.JPG" />Maddy's gingerbread house.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418491145597337314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0ilcMmISABnP-JP7U5YyoIlqTbwVWO0vdQbAp-2KxsByPDiS6-2p3Hj4cXgIGZEzLEneW8cRNtP_TMtfh8Q_JRhM_MB1f7S_KRnQLDHF6mpFtMLBrMVOlyRR1iza69G-va_O/s320/PICT0030.JPG" />Miles' gingerbread house. (I don't have a picture of Hyrum's because he ate it too fast.)<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418491141013799442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZJTtXEuzoCwToHdZ1MjG1Fbp0syaPpVR9Eudwm59qpUOLLVAb81MiyvDOrRrP5NsdP4FWBi1lZAZEUNBHjy2XFbL8Js5TnLYbCFknH5b2WRfyqvL6Lt0aIKBOrKmq1gmuHy3/s320/PICT0027.JPG" />Graham just loves to be held. Aunt Becky loved holding him while deep in adult conversation. It's been so great to get to see Becky so much this holiday season!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418491136050003746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUT1iAYu9YCzeFUgLwXss5bSnkE-Ow5j0hxb_8NaK-ZFfssROt3CU-NaBrcymxb6nwf6b8EffJtsaF4wJWTBM-URXbrEmTpdohHU_hQW_smOSwp7YwAhSSYOTcdkfY8IzZyKTC/s320/PICT0025.JPG" />Savy and Miles pounding away on the piano. Savy loved being a little mommy to Miles and watching out for him and playing with him.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418491124748809746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn56_vyUg9AzRbGQgwB3xhbOTqlFhDio_dxB0cVN0y5t5ZVneOT_JD_vdzaxuiEgHwiPPVMNfpY6k26OiBqSvuKSNuBXm6gnhI5LwRo226mQeujUcmtgyyLsWdV775wizPREpC/s320/PICT0020.JPG" /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Then we went to Temple Square last sunday night to look at all the beautiful lights. I took some pictures there as well, but my battery died after not too long.</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418497384964678642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRKXrvrrzp4-wpxylz1vcePxSrq9MGkehkA6AXBtJfqZlKPoduscxSnArt1JnniKe-TgTb6QVCfHViA_ijT7NyHh5S0UG7gqnp1l0Fm4-QHObm5Y73m1N7R9870w1ZJ04PQNc/s320/PICT0077.JPG" />Hyrum and Maddy at the reflection pool. They thought the floating lights were pretty neat!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418504470251262370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbtCny0tx6ORKshmX4yEta7ELre5hV9BuspZvAnxgxuqv_IPf-Rf-C7Zldb8Pa1N0qkEKsLEcsduOBm_DRevROM9ZqlXfk-fVbr-0LS95F_S_jAUC0vTgeHWOHjXZaEm4bRoV/s320/PICT0081.JPG" />Me and the boys (you can't see Graham as he's all bundled up in his carseat in the stroller).<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418502461172293506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z0iE1o6t33L0n2pDEOvWrpsenSOpxtGHe8j6QjFzGXuH3YssNMErFHTpC-hA0wMtldWvJY0sSXhPDfJS438P_y0LoiS0bX1vXFy3X2tKHPtvaFIO-frCe9e0_nevABB5fjBk/s320/PICT0092.JPG" />My wonderful family. I am so blessed!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418497411575241090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctXNIdMdJfxWBOwhyY8eT-2EjXuCJ_6pGTbYbLaKm9_rG4nK0a-K4m0yytduaTUd3-8w-1SarcTpHvRXgCRbq5_sFP-yTCVXG5QKsqLpVINc9_Y5DizyspmMLJRcqCQeNnEvn/s320/PICT0090.JPG" /> They all look red because they are standing next to a HUGE pine tree that is completely covered with red lights. Jay says this has been his favorite tree on Temple Square since he was a kid and that they've always put red lights on it.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418497400055566882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvTtKmcGIaHIgTwKHiuiZN3MDknz9hMD0xG2mmtxkV5bmnc3I-iNNHQuidCgsA7HH_4MdHl_wfAk2zyVzBFDZ_T7VEcYd3xQMLnTeWTftXEmpV_yTmwJ4VmW8rsEZkc2aq3Rt/s320/PICT0084.JPG" /><br /><div>And here are some cute pictures of Graham just because he's adorable. He's crawling all over the place now and I am constantly worried about the stairs. We'll have to get a gate up there soon! Oh, and Kara crocheted the cute hat!</div><div> </div><div>His smile lights up the room! I love this little dude!</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418497369963247890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNxA_lWV9iXie6FGTDg_XW2kZKMYFzUhS0b_9NUSQzlp31uY385mTKHmulvXUM_41HdpDypteqXE2RrKdeBStaihfQr58wcGxMi8ynPPwUdVNo1uXpW8LB8pC8OyrCrgWmeob/s320/PICT0051.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418502471772907922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtOtjmpWr8QsKO8BwKm6iUdk3qLYylOgdsh4JP2cBVcVgzFTQoNgnB89xo8I2czEnzEeWOhF1XnVFvl3zPmGdwd7JcuyL-TVuCAIFwKbug8JNmb_rHpdfLLYkjG1OXW6qQSn7/s320/PICT0058.JPG" />I could totally picture him thinking something along the lines of "what are you talking about crazy lady? I love you, but you are nuts". <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418502469596765250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOTbNugVQywv7tjfWm4Fve90LODxOlJhWmPNMv0GwE6Bcy9GfOqCp6MRjw9QpuOzG8BGX5jyYsnC8E5G81Rzq9VlUzlBT81mjasvI4JQM6SCEzZWVVTEjXK7-FKsfgntqczcu/s320/PICT0073.JPG" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-43778951381933364352009-11-29T09:13:00.000-08:002009-11-29T09:28:16.223-08:00Holy MolyObviously blogging has not been a priority for me lately. Rather than try to catch you up on everything/anything or try to upload a ton of pictures, I'm just going to start from scratch... like I never missed a day blogging.<div><br /></div><div>Thanksgiving was great. We got to go to Jay's oldest sister's house and spent most of the day eating way too much yummy food and hanging out with family. We went over to my parents' house for a couple hours after that and... ate some more. Like we were hungry, but what can you do when there's so much good food?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hyrum is loving school and started asking me on Friday if he got to go to school tomorrow. He has a great teacher and is doing pretty good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maddy is doing great, too. She loves preschool and her teacher and she is learning so much. It's definitely worth the money to have a couple hours of peace and quiet (the girl is constantly talking) and to have her learn and love it so much. Her teacher was telling me that she is constantly talking about her brothers and what they do, so I'm glad that she doesn't mind being the only girl and loves her brothers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miles is finally starting to talk a little more and it seems like his vocabulary is increasing every day. Sometimes I have to decode what he is saying before I understand it, but here are the words I can remember that he says now: dinosaur, ear, eyes, hair, chin, spoon, fork, down, Mom, Dad, Dan, light, some too, no, more, thank you, drink, duck, blanky, go. I'm sure that there are more, but that's what I can remember for now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Graham is getting up on his hands and knees constantly and rocks back and forth. No crawling yet, but I'm sure that will be coming very shortly (much to my dismay). He is so fun and his laugh always brightens my day.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've still been baking up a storm... seems like whenever I have a free hour I end up in the kitchen making something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. Good thing I'm good with sharing!</div><div><br /></div><div>I will try to be better about posting more often!</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-23645803629655047982009-07-21T21:53:00.000-07:002009-07-21T22:42:02.521-07:00Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2MTiw1OVdyfDcQp86kNYleu5xnjkgupAIYjNe5w5X0HrdgVL_aacmADfVF5OWjET-b2gxkCgnMFXHT7t-x-n-kYTmXFmxO0oe64g61RiRoAufMyD1c3dk-zUzZNMNveeKMFF/s1600-h/07-19-2009+011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361143554932912226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2MTiw1OVdyfDcQp86kNYleu5xnjkgupAIYjNe5w5X0HrdgVL_aacmADfVF5OWjET-b2gxkCgnMFXHT7t-x-n-kYTmXFmxO0oe64g61RiRoAufMyD1c3dk-zUzZNMNveeKMFF/s320/07-19-2009+011.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Ok, so if you don't like super rich chocolate and peanut butter mixture then please do not make this cake as you will hate it. It turned out sooooo good! And I took a bigger piece than I could finish. The peanut butter cream cheese frosting adds so much to it and then the chocolate glaze over that just puts it over the top to die for. I got this new cake cook book called Sky High that is full of just three layered cakes. This recipe comes from that and I see much more cakes coming from it into our house (good thing my birthday is coming up... I'm excited for that cake, for sure!). So, here's the recipe for you... Enjoy! </div><div></div><div>Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake</div><div>Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake</div><div><br />2 cups all-purpose flour</div><div>2 1/2 cups sugar</div><div>3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</div><div>2 teaspoons baking soda</div><div>1 teaspoon salt</div><div>1 cup vegetable oil</div><div>1 cup sour cream</div><div>1 1/2 cups water</div><div>2 tablespoons white vinegar</div><div>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div><div>2 eggs</div><div><br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans.<br /></div><div> </div><div>2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into the kitchen aid bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and blend with the flat beater attachment in your kitchen aid. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl then add to the mixture and beat until well blended. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.<br /></div><div>3. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and let cool completely.<br /></div><div> </div><div>4. To frost the cake place on layer, flat side up, on large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup of the peanut butter frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.<br /></div><div>5. To decorate with the chocolate-peanut butter glaze, pour the glaze over the top of the cake ad spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drops. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minute to allow the glaze and frosting to set. Remove about 1 hour before serving.<br /></div><div> </div><div>Peanut Butter Frosting<br /></div><div>8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature</div><div>1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature</div><div>5 cups powdered sugar</div><div>2/3 cup smooth peanut butter<br /></div><div> </div><div>In a kitchen aid, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bown often. Continue to beat of medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.<br /></div><div>Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze</div><div></div><div> </div><div>8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I actually used chocolate chips and it worked great)</div><div>3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter</div><div>2 tablespoons light corn syrup</div><div>1/2 cup half-and-half<br /></div><div> </div><div>1. In the top of a double broiler combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Melt on medium heat, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.<br /></div><div>2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-26509990442675989062009-07-06T21:10:00.001-07:002009-07-07T07:48:14.107-07:00Chocolate Strawberry Cake<div><br /><div><div>Today was my little brother's 20th birthday and I have been hankering to make a cake, so I asked him if I could make his cake for him. He obliged and requested a chocolate strawberry one which I was more than happy to do for him. </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355728942877252098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgx0FRBUWabK5eEYCi8eVNgELOZotmuVNCkq4y9ONuvr1KDaQF460FdaRPN5nOAkqHZ9gHW6qVgEO5BXLJ-X2OwQ4VvGhg6IiLO2z6bMDHDNVR0npRVau-D4rgH2wvD1ZmgNr/s320/PICT0005.JPG" /></div><div>I ended up making a double layer chocolate cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries sliced on top. It turned out absolutely wonderful. </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355728938742075426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHe2TCzujVw2AGOvwX6jUjt_6_Ssa7ZEyJlnJk002gI7_XvtTNYh0OFkWu9W_uEs1S01gChJutwIMv76olKfwlwu3AFdsoueDWW9nmDDYSK7vH0ptoX2Jfw8TqXz4yEAGxdpUo/s320/PICT0004.JPG" /></div><div>The cake was very chocolatey (without being super sugary sweet) and had a great texture. This recipe is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I got all of the below recipes from <a href="http://www.smittenkitchen.com/">http://www.smittenkitchen.com/</a>. She didn't put it together the same way I did... but all the recipes are hers, which is awesome. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355728934816878242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JD-n4kfwmB6kqC9Zb6JHCtCZ6Mw1fe66kfXGKz0PnZqqoiU7xMNlHYJsMrOdVv7_YKrsBc9Sz2lb64D8DAIcDFdegP9AxK7XaKQrdw0QJ3wsyVuvVJ6aXuSmXaqyWjzRIvV4/s320/PICT0002.JPG" /><br /><div>Chocolate Butter Cake<br />This made 9 inch round layers with a little left over<br /><br />3 cups cake flour<br />3 cups sugar<br />1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 tablespoon baking soda<br />3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />3/4 teaspoon salt<br />3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter, at room temperature<br />1 1/2 cups buttermilk<br />3 eggs<br />1 1/2 cups fresh brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature (I actually used Postum, but I imagine Perro would work great, too)<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with non-stick spray with flour added on 2 9-inch round cake pans.<br /><br />In Kitchen Aid bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated.<br /><br />Add butter and buttermilk and mix until moistened. Put speed up to medium and beat for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl often to make sure there isn't any flour hiding unmixed.<br /><br />Whisk together the eggs and coffee in a small bowl. Add to the batter in 3 seperate additions, scraping the sides of the bowl in between and mixing just until combined. Fill the 2 prepared pans halfway.<br /><br />Bake for 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Carefully turn them onto wire racks and let cool completely.<br /><br />Strawberry Filling<br /><br />1 cup pureed strawberries<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />1 Tablespoon corn starch<br /><br />In a small saucepan mix together all the ingredients on medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool before spreading it between the cake layers.<br /><br />Cream Cheese Frosting<br /><br />8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature<br />1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature<br />3 cups powdered sugar<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br /><br />Cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.<br /><br />If you make this, let me know how it turned out for you. I will be definitely making it again and soon if I can help it!</div></div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-82066565045661388502009-06-24T18:30:00.001-07:002009-06-24T19:58:58.114-07:00Four weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUK14mRsJamLFYFbbLXYm3N_ImE0D_PR8Ky-TT5vHew7JUx6etCzb9rvsR8vDOPX5e8Sd3qVTyNjfmCgNrNd2SllKYNoQBf6uCSby_5nIcNxFbR3H6cPDhRItGo4XrrbtoKbe/s1600-h/06-24-2009+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351093380004878754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUK14mRsJamLFYFbbLXYm3N_ImE0D_PR8Ky-TT5vHew7JUx6etCzb9rvsR8vDOPX5e8Sd3qVTyNjfmCgNrNd2SllKYNoQBf6uCSby_5nIcNxFbR3H6cPDhRItGo4XrrbtoKbe/s320/06-24-2009+028.jpg" border="0" /></a>I can hardly believe that four weeks ago today I was sitting in a hospital bed with my brand new baby Graham. It seems like with each additional kid I've had that the time speeds up a little more. I swear I was just going through this all for the first time with Hyrum. Now he's 6 years old and I am amazed at how much he is learning on a daily basis. I am really trying to treasure every moment with Graham as I know that he is already growing and changing faster than I can tell. I already can't imagine life without the little man. He is definitely a part of our family. <div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351093370989973730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gPJPv-6nbvkw2jUxft3sDGjbvJtTqgOvlXHSPl24MAPWDS7UhNpONYekU_0E32U4luozGGpVIi79srGSvfPtploA3tRECMgBGZBC_BpcDB4GyJ4MlekSOZwsJC9uIhmEtwHV/s320/06-24-2009+022.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>When Maddy looks at him or holds him she has started saying, "He's so cute! He's so darn, darn cute!" Hyrum and Maddy still ask to hold him all the time and I love that they are so interested and caring. Miles will pucker up his lips when he sees him passing by in my arms to give him a kiss on the head. I am still pleasantly surprised with how well Miles is doing and how gentle he is with him. And I am finally feeling like I can handle this whole four kids thing. Not that I'm going to be taking them all to the grocery store by myself anytime soon or anything, but I don't feel overwhelmed constantly anymore. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351093367321797538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wr1wBDM5Vg4_m6neXscfp2sIGogomX-2IXkE5K9Edxxx-mIcmPyLJXiS4MzYERJlqvgGp_Kgd5T993xEFRkPGByFP_B1xR27bRS00gHL_gRJDglUHcwhyphenhyphencHfWDo7bLMMdA33/s320/06-24-2009+010.jpg" border="0" />Today I went on a walk with my mom with all the kids (2 double strollers so all the kids are sitting and we are both pushing) and then let the kids play at the park for a while. It was a great mommy day! I just feel so happy and content and that days like today are the reason why I've wanted to be a mom my entire life. I've also decided that I need to start taking the kids out to do something fun once a week. My mom offered to come help whenever I wanted her to, so that will be nice so I don't feel like I can't do it by myself. I'm thinking anything around that's free (I'm open to suggestions) like a duck pond, BYU Art Museum, picnic, library, etc. And some not so free things too, of course like swimming at the pool, dollar theater movies, zoo, etc. I'm excited and think the kids will love getting out of the house and, heck, so will I! It's going to be a great summer!</div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-49661647678586592512009-06-24T18:18:00.000-07:002009-06-24T18:29:46.309-07:00Pajamas<div>So, yesterday was one of my best friend's son's first birthday and I decided on Sunday that I was going to sew some pajamas for him for his present. I had everything besides the ribbing for the neck on hand (which was a grand total of $.54), so it was just my time that I needed to put into it. I am very happy with the end result (and they looked so cute on him). Even if it was attempt number two (never ever again will I try sewing with stretch knit!). I got these cut and completely sewn in one day. I was pretty impressed with myself. I do have to admit that I asked my mom to do the neck band since I was not ready to try to attempt anything with stretchy fabric again quite yet. She was so nice and did a great job and saved me lots of time, I'm sure. Anyway, here's the finished product...</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351070996028334866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-Efsw3EhCsbdHbUvcIYfSVyKBhdZ-4qmccSq9J7tFk0hn880cnjIRZXIvC_Hk4BjD-RL52Bzyry6yAL0h3_iIyZ4Ux4NEBrQnAVM8yMZH5Y-wKMRnV14Ex3qbhB7cNQ2NbSe/s320/06-24-2009+003.jpg" border="0" />I think I have enough of the fabric to make Miles a shirt, which I might do if I can get up the motivation next week.<br /><div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-77284525619238880532009-06-07T23:19:00.001-07:002009-06-07T23:41:32.352-07:00Baking blog?So, it's no secret, I am not the best at updating my blog. I was talking with a friend and she suggested posting about my baking. So, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'd love to hear what you (all 2 of my readers) think. I'm sure I'll still post the occassional picture of my cute kids (because, really, how can I resist?), but maybe this will give me the motivation to post more often. I absolutely love to bake and sharing recipes is a big part of that too.<br /><div><div>So, I'm going to start this off with red velvet cupcakes (minus the red since I didn't have any food coloring on hand). </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344840377370538386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEGMpvLslXKkVbpQTO7Ekw_nF66MiWuJvzHi6WkNy4nfO77OPgQm8v9qCZzg8cHIb5pItFLWeMeM2kCsJ_4v6qxNweoNmhJOufdBAGkmZA0lzTGghG3ei027fFmLN7f_wE38j/s320/05-27-2009+053.jpg" border="0" />I thought they were pretty good, but next time I'm definitely going to make sure I have cream cheese on hand to make cream cheese frosting instead of butter cream which seemed a little too sweet for the mildness of the chocolate cake. </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344840387037633890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kA4M43mhBN4-wGyOsQiW-kHuZYUD-_mgPu06u6G7Bz0yh9AiMXqU50xgU2kKLoQKt3D7IpW-6pyWeP3DnHN7sF2HfHVstSBlDtKqkYmYo-LeZer6uNyZQKoti1ujLaOpDRtU/s320/05-27-2009+054.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>The cake itself was moist and a good texture though. I wish my kids would've appreciated that fact a little more as they would lick the frosting off and maaaaybe take one bite of the cake part. And the hubby didn't really care for the frosting with it, so ate a grand total of one. </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344840392183800658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOW0dARhHNliWReqlbnHYSxsTh_dZp6AEbfn_RDj18hXMGUvgLF4H2SKfEwqpKuJOj4qrWDwLJsmSukX-g4NJ1PBNXoab6fPEyIBHcDEdkorjOj1aKCFlUmzjY2TKnFaknWzi/s320/05-27-2009+055.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>Leaving me with the task of eating most of them myself. Not that I'm complaining TOO much, but it certainly doesn't help with getting back into my regular pants. Ah well... always another day to start dieting right? I can't remember where I got the recipe from... somewhere online, but I looked at too many different places to remember. This made 24 regular sized cupcakes.</div><div><br />Red Velvet Cupcakes<br />Ingredients -<br />2-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder</div><div>1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder1 teaspoon Salt</div><div>1/2 cup Butter, softened</div><div>1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar</div><div>2 Eggs</div><div>1-1/2 teaspoon Red Food Coloring</div><div>1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract</div><div>1 cup Buttermilk</div><div>2 tablespoons Water</div><div>1-1/2 teaspoons White Vinegar</div><div>1 teaspoon Baking Soda</div><div><br />Preparation:<br />1. Preheat oven to 350 F. </div><div>2. Place cupcake baking cups into muffin tin.</div><div>3. Combine all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium-mixing bowl.</div><div>4. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Butter mixture should be light and fluffy. Continue mixing and add in eggs, red food coloring, and vanilla extract until well blended.</div><div>5. Alternately add buttermilk and flour mixture to creamed butter mixture.</div><div>6. Mix water into cupcake mixture</div><div>7. Combine vinegar and baking soda, in a small bowl. Gradually stir vinegar mixture into cupcake batter.</div><div>8. Spoon cupcake batter into cupcake baking cups.</div><div>9. Bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.</div><div>10. Remove cupcakes from muffin tin and cool completely before icing.</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-34454636525835969602009-05-29T16:24:00.001-07:002009-05-30T00:35:18.879-07:00Graham's birth storySo, a warning before you start reading this. It might be a bit graphic or too much information for some of you. So, if you don't want to know all the details of Graham being born, stop now. I promise I won't be offended in the least bit. Here goes.<br /><br />Jay and I headed to the hospital for my induction at 12:00 midnight Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. The reasoning behind the time was to SLOWLY start me on pitocin and get my 4 hours of antibiotics for Strep B in before Graham was born. Anyway, my OBGYN had forgotten to schedule the induction AND the hospital had that he was on vacation from Wednesday until the end of the month and they couldn't induce me without doctor's orders. They almost sent us home, but I think my puppy dog eyes and huge pregnant belly got their sympathy and the nurse got the head nurse and she called my doctor and told him he would have to push back his vacation until after I had the baby since he had forgotten to schedule it. (Oh, and by the way, a huge part of the reason I had decided to be induced a week early was because he said he was going out of town the weekEND before my due date... not the entire last two weeks before my due date.) Anyway, the nurses were totally awesome and made it work out for me. I almost broke down and cried while we were waiting to hear what they were going to do. Anyway, about 12:30 they admitted me to the hospital and started my IV with antibiotics and pitocin. The contractions were very minimal in pain and Jay and I watched a couple movies (While You Were Sleeping, and started The Terminal). It was great to spend some time relaxed and with my husband with the exciting prospect of what was to come.<br /><br />Every 30 minutes they upped the pitocin a little and by about 7:00 my pain level was still pretty minimal at a level between 2 and 3 (1 being none to little pain and 10 being completely unbearable). At 7:30 I had the highest level of pitocin going and they called the doctor to come break my water. There was some miconium in it, but since it was more yellow than green they weren't too worried. The nurse now (Darlene - the second nurse of the night) was hilarious and absolutely awesome. She warned me that the contractions were about to get very painful. And she was right! It seemed like with every couple contractions the pain level jumped up another number. Jay was absolutely wonderful and really listened to what I said was working to help me deal with the pain during contractions. He called my mom and she came and it was great to have her support as well. I really can not describe the amount of pain I was in by probably about 9:15 (things were sort of a blur during this part). They checked me and I was at 5 cm. That was when I decided that I wanted an epidural. Thinking I possibly had hours more of this much pain ahead of me was just not a possibility. My mom when out and got a nurse to tell her I wanted the epidural NOW. The anesthesiologist came and I can not believe how still I had to hold while he put the epidural in. It actually gave me some real focus though and knowing that getting it in would make it so I wouldn't feel the pain was enough motivation for me to just be able to do it. So, it took probably about 10 minutes to get the epidural in and the nurse checked me again and I was fully dialated to 10 cm! They gave me another dose in the epidural to try to get enough in so I wouldn't feel the pain so much. The nurse called my doctor and told me to try not to push until he got there. And my Mom remembered that we should call Kara to come (I had completely forgotten I was so wrapped up in the pain I was in). She got there as fast as she could and literally ran in the door as I was starting to push. The epidural barely was taking the edge off the pain when I was ready to push. I was grateful for that much at least though. Graham was posterior so with the first push the doctor turned him around. I pushed through three contractions (picture what those women in the movies are like having a baby... screaming and sweating and that was me) and Graham Taggart Blair was born. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and his body a few times and had breathed in the miconium. The doctor unwrapped him and cut the cord and the nurses cleaned him off and checked his vitals. He had fluid in his lungs still and was breathing too quickly, so I got to hold him for a few seconds and then they had to take him to the nursery and put some oxygen on him and give him some fluids via IV.<br /><br />Graham weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces of absolute preciousness and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is my smallest baby by almost a pound. After being in the nursery for a couple hours he got to come back to me and we really bonded. He had some trouble nursing at first, but is now an expert nurser! I am so grateful for that.<br /><br />The whole family has fallen absolutely in love with him. Today Graham was sleeping wrapped up in a blanket on my bed and Hyrum came and just watched him for at least 20 minutes in total awe. Maddy keeps wanting to hold him and makes sure he is always covered up. Miles is quickly learning to be soft and is always coming up and saying "baba" (AKA baby) and petting his head or pointing to his nose.<br /><br />I'm really wanting to add pictures to this post, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Hopefully I don't forget.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-25681151952366381332009-05-21T10:48:00.000-07:002009-05-21T11:07:47.855-07:00Cleansing tears.So, back in January my Great Grandma passed away at 102 years old (actually a month away from her 103rd birthday). I found out, ironically enough, on our way to visit her. I cried a few tears when I innicially heard the news, but didn't shed a single tear during her veiwing or funeral. I was touched by those who spoke and knew I would miss her increadibly, but I just didn't feel the need to cry. Yet. Last night I sent my wonderful husband to the store to get some diapers and treats for Hyrum to take to class today. He also came home with a bag of Salt Water Taffy as a treat for us to eat. This is not normally something I buy since I am automatically drawn to anything with chocolate in it rather than, well, not. I was really excited though and turned on the season finale of Dancing With the Stars and dug in to the bag. Not moments later I was pausing the show as a wave of nostalgia hit me and the tears came unbidden pouring down my cheeks. You see, my Great Grandma always (and I mean always) had certain treats at her house for when kids (and, the not so little kids) would come visit. She had homemade fudge (my very favorite), salt water taffy, and hard candy (butterscotch and cinnamon), plus usually some kind of cookie.<br /><br />So, I think the large majority of times I have eaten taffy before last night was sitting on my Grandma's couch while listening to her tell stories of times gone by and how she used to do things. I missed her more than I could put into words. I missed sitting on her lap and having her rub her calloused hand on my back under my shirt as a child. I missed her hugs and kisses and her telling me "I love you a bushel and a peck" and "Kid, you don't know what love is until you are as old as me". I missed her smell and her house and playing in her front yard. I missed sleeping on her floor on foam egg carton mattresses. I missed her asking if I wanted to borrow a nighty and getting to take a turn sleeping with her in her unusually high bed. I missed her standing in the driveway waving and blowing kisses as we pulled away. I just missed her.<br /><br />I was talking to my Aunt about it a little bit and she said she thought that Grandma was holding little Graham's spirit in heaven right now (she used to absolutely love to hold the babies) and enjoying him before he came down to us. So, Graham, enjoy Grandma as much as you can for me before you come to join our family. And bring some of her love with you when you come.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-66292068571202181772009-04-14T15:03:00.000-07:002009-04-14T15:47:12.444-07:00EasterSo, Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt with my family and since it was raining, we hid the eggs in the church's cultural hall. Which turned out great! The kids loved it and no one was wet or cold and no candy got ruined from the rain.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324675742413060322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLktOevit8xoXE029KwWDtAs_N8fN2srdeL2f7UQFinpv8oHQ8todqxUJ4Ao1kpQdeE9P7Km4XI-6kuMQpVKcqBeVFPZ0sauy6MxGFm7bvkdtauOZR-9ozSl5_lSWG1SeGFya/s320/04-12-2010.jpg" border="0" /><br /></div><div>Miles was SO excited when we let all the kids in the gym. He immediately picked up an egg in each hand and ran around yelling "ooooh! oooh! oooh!". It was so dang cute! Although, he made it very hard to get a picture of since he was running around everywhere. Oh, and he would not let go of those first 2 eggs to pick up any more. Oh well, he's happy, I'm happy.<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324675746914445074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHb5L_h-DIyAUo-zQVi8HUfZ_ggrGHRCNZSk8TEPR1fAkjkYARFemKfUFNX4qH914_NxpTs8CV0O7eJ9EImTyD6Qs0X8pgVIBu2hoIS0exkcNvsa3xmPXaLI0GQA5WY9kclNKP/s320/04-12-2011.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div>The bigger kids literally found all the eggs in about 10 minutes. They were very excited to go back to Grandma's house so they could open them all and find out what they got inside! Much sugar intake happened then. Talk about sugar rush! They were bouncing off the walls!</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324675756153433906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EZ0ZHWV0LmVsJdrlUchQpVJSLpXqJHiVRgUeuNy9lr9Nlsh37fJ6lDMpZIWmnV1tOvGalWfo38QW5Cw8UNR3oalMv5_quydDkuTT6VaSG2WTjhWwv50QphntKDwPLjSRU2Os/s320/04-12-2012.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div><p>Then Sunday we went to church, of course. The kids got dressed in their Easter best and I had to take pictures before we left! I can't believe how big they are all getting!</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324679334902490114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GB8KMEngYarm24ld2gwiwJuuc7WJ3LmKZMR2RB2gZVF64Tqr0TjAkBjBqPg23hn4a4bYLX9zuHU76MoqrFzNT6bFcAg8VdZbdcDomruG9Q0U55HocZTe_hhIEQifcLFumHYr/s320/04-12-2009+020.jpg" border="0" /> Then, after church we went to my parents' house for lunch/dinner and hung out for a while. It was very relaxing and great to be with my family. I'm so blessed to have such a great family. <p>Today, we finally got around to dying some eggs. The kids LOVED it and I think they could have done a dozen each.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324679342688681922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXhp6LKL8TRDaBmGtYUsbIrIMuTuq1zgnj2v2Yjox-LscCJrYH2FWw8ZAgrlhB2L_IT5_c8WvlUhT8hBByoadNuzfBXVTGEpQy5LqonPL3OcgnePLpABGcFUrb5JSCCE2wdC5/s320/04-12-2013.jpg" border="0" />They started with coloring the eggs with crayons (so, the dye wouldn't go where the crayon did). Two very focused children there.</p></div></div></div></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324679345548650482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUF016iRgxQHy_Rybgch0arvRLNfK8kogJHwMKLF_Ix7C-jZZefPd8sFI8qYSnMTmR-F7cvMDICxUqJTumqXXyIXpg2eqI5eKyckS27puTQgMVAcePqeplCf5JkegcASqGv8f/s320/04-12-2014.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324679352655869250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76jVLyTFHTbBES2-TK3bO0LK82_m8g9-1Bl3HCz86Sv4Uqz86XCJMI8M6zrNqH_oyW3-fyRSYPyQhq997V6AaE5rbQoEu8QDywiNNGZd_E2MpVHLi9J-_Hs0Y2suLBcZyg-xd/s320/04-12-2015.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Then they dipped them in their color of choice and after they dried the dye kit I bought had stickers for them to add which they absolutely loved! I think they turned out cute!</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324681606959102946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyyDkZD2Ea2j8NBgcD3lCbZnQ63Ee5Bw6zriJJqBWkjbTvaq8xYi3fhzzlDS7YrhVWlSE4RymEew4PXxu0mqVndxTp0hw8ELmje9UNpn-JKL8rAjXzIPfPtcrB8TY7izJmEC5/s320/04-12-2016.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324681613327070594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MKEHY6TxdOM_R2SyFu93V1PKVvvocDE9COwhI_ICR5FLsP-9trLyE5ThvHH3VbY1nkiyHBhS5G2krrFQdRQqzuAF6VJD8UEXaNgGFs2gYmu-3AutSYqNCWUv1h874AymeFUI/s320/04-12-2017.jpg" border="0" />So, that pretty much wraps up Easter 2009 for us. Sorry for the picture overload!</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-87174557118473095252009-03-31T10:49:00.000-07:002009-03-31T11:25:22.554-07:00Birthday and Anniversary<div><div><div><div>So, the last week has been a little crazy. Lots of stuff going on and lots to do so this has really been my first chance to post.</div><div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319416329605315986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwkS9nTSAAWlkqEuS2RlihhLyPNEIHEnHEXG_yK2LlM_lmVlKO8Igi8zIMiQENnhpigAY9ou469-WwA1LjaT_4XjLxov_Ttsum8lqyAiqq_U_qbhi5tvq52FdU2zMlkm7OwrE/s320/03-29-2009+012.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Hyrum turned 6 years old on the 28th and Jay and I celebrated our 7 year Anniversary on the 29th. For Hyrum's birthday we invited all the family and the Frank's over for cake and ice cream on Sunday. It was great to have (almost) everyone here and Hyrum absolutely loved having all his cousins there to play with. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319416333895218066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbuhT1Lx0K5tAGJgv73momT5XIyKrI6pp9IuqONMwHK3yub4XlwlbByMaajPYO4y7sz8v9FzxaSGIYe1oEwC9bZyWmA9BE4w2XdA-UcnKaUDTOw41NE25mASWYOypVXXpYCth/s320/03-29-2009+014.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>For presents he got a new PS2 game, Bolt, from Grandma and Grandpa Stephens, Uno and a light saber from the Henry's, a handmade library bag from Grammy Lemon, a notebook and some cool two-sided colored pencils from the Frank's, Playdough from the Turley's, a slide for the backyard from the Dave Blair family, Sour Patch Kids from the Kolz's, and we got him some new art supplies, a kite, and Pinocchio. He was so excited about all the presents and I was impressed with his manners and saying thank you to everyone with little help from me. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319418568997611234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYsiBlQKuwTL9KK_8hV4uqLI33FACML0y1kG0TFGakVfUNRJFIO5FqozTXM3CF4nWehA34fIJTQ4BUshDr9Swc0XyItXvyI9gFSW315jeXFsxrKlN8lHLmk2ieVq9aK3xcPMR/s320/03-29-2012.jpg" border="0" />When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he was adamant that he wanted a blueberry cake. I looked online for a possible recipe and almost all of them were more of a coffee cake than a birthday cake. So, I improvised. I used the same recipe I have for strawberry cake from scratch and substituted everything strawberry for blueberry. It turned out pretty good and was a very pretty blue color. Hyrum was really excited to have it be blue and I put a Spiderman stuck in his web on top for some fun. I also made chocolate cupcakes so we'd be sure to have enough cake for everyone. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319418566260625554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyNKQM9SqVu17nggkzCH75TNo1g3WsoUq9SYXnQkjBvk2vtziLYmgSdtP9lGE75XMb8Jd8v7_Z4zTTbkCvmAadLeqPWL7Pio0hepEGMbH8gg1Jet-S2oAF_vV4v0PqF4YdWM8/s320/03-29-2011.jpg" border="0" /> <div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319418562803173666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikO2CbNlNHjjw46Vzkrrm-oOTgYP7OFIJavdcGEEr01H1IbzGPL9xQUDnAOT0XV0AirADIemOT9nKg3DRnslIW3Z_2JI_-gmgKTrqqYbg5OVVZ1Qcm_U0flHlTrm27lazfsqfV/s320/03-29-2010.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>He had an absolute blast and was talking about it still the next day. I'm so grateful we have family and friends. We are so blessed! Thanks everyone for coming and helping make Hyrum's birthday extra special!</div><div> </div><div>I do want to take a quick minute here at the end and say how much I absolutely love my not-so-little oldest boy. He brings such joy in my life and amazes me with what he learns and knows and does every day. He adds so much to our family and I can't imagine it without him in it! I love you to the moon and back, Hyrum!</div></div></div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-88528743394024190812009-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:002009-03-22T18:46:52.451-07:00Control FreakSo, I realize I'm a little bit of a control freak. Especially in the kitchen... especially when I'm baking. If Jay tries to hug and/or kiss me while I'm in the middle of baking something I have to try really hard not to get annoyed, but usually just try to brush him off and tell him I'm in the middle of something. My biggest pet peeve (which is unfortunate for my kids) is taking fingerfulls of batter of whatever I happen to be making while I'm still adding things to it. I've mostly put a stop to this by telling them if they don't sneak a taste they can have a spoonful at the end when it will taste the best anyway. And that seems to put the itchy fingers at bay for the most part. Tonight Maddy helped me make brownies from scratch (per Jay's request). She LOVES to help and as much as I'd rather just do it myself, I do enjoy the bonding moments and learning experiences for her. A lot of my best memories growing up are from baking in the kitchen with my mom and my older sister. So, I try to get the control freak part of me under, well, control and let my kids help me so they can have similar memories. Off to enjoy a fresh from the oven brownie!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-34564122825413165002009-03-19T22:02:00.000-07:002009-03-19T22:10:16.199-07:00NightmaresSo, the last three nights in a row Hyrum has woken up crying from nightmares. I will go down and calm him down and lay with him to make sure he is settled in and can go back to sleep ok. Tonight when he woke up I was just headed to the bathroom, so I didn't make it down to his room as quickly as I usually would. When I made it down he asked if I heard him and said "calm me down, Mom." I do what I normally do to calm him down and talk to him and trace his face with my fingers (I remember my dad doing this to me when I was little and still love for him to do it). After he had calmed down some he said to me "I'm feeling better now, Mom because I'm thinking of you. When I think of you it makes me happy." He totally melted my heart! I sure do love that boy!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-55524096140440184112009-02-21T18:39:00.000-08:002009-02-21T20:14:15.245-08:00Guess who's four!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpd9NwDqyP4NWklq4SqV6Nz_BQ4c2TnycTvsNT3XRr5LPKVDB2i-P1-xazQCrkv-rivXHbm9PI2hnFQMTtREWY1JfW3vOHEXLR5XIMlJO9GuwbFz5-truPHuMTUGDs1rk4uPc/s1600-h/02-21-2009+026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305452544430019010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpd9NwDqyP4NWklq4SqV6Nz_BQ4c2TnycTvsNT3XRr5LPKVDB2i-P1-xazQCrkv-rivXHbm9PI2hnFQMTtREWY1JfW3vOHEXLR5XIMlJO9GuwbFz5-truPHuMTUGDs1rk4uPc/s320/02-21-2009+026.jpg" border="0" /></a> Yep! I can hardly believe that Maddy is four years old today! She seemed confused when I talked to her about it after work (and, yes, we have been talking about this coming for WEEKS!). I guess since we aren't have her party until tomorrow that it doesn't count yet. Whenever I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she just would say, "a car" and that was it. You would think she'd want something a little more girly... or know that she's gotta wait another 12 years, at least, before she starts asking for a car.<br /><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LuQyEdgbwCiWjo3QTzh-VdpH7ZP5YfYJYofap6jna9RiW7k9lVV2kSCz5sblrqn9Socz3KgPZ0aVlPQ_Nw69BE_1_qem8V6WSfPfIxLZnEeeN67qwZfRdZOEQUJNlbrzvhQf/s1600-h/02-21-2009+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305452536828169618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LuQyEdgbwCiWjo3QTzh-VdpH7ZP5YfYJYofap6jna9RiW7k9lVV2kSCz5sblrqn9Socz3KgPZ0aVlPQ_Nw69BE_1_qem8V6WSfPfIxLZnEeeN67qwZfRdZOEQUJNlbrzvhQf/s320/02-21-2009+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So, I just want to take a minute here and say how blessed I feel to have Maddy as my daughter. I know it's a bit cheesey and cliche, but it's so true. I love that she has an opinion about EVERYTHING (yes, I even appreciate that when it is frustrating to me). I love that she loves pink. I love that she can hold her own among all the boys in the family. I love how smart she is and the way she tells me "remember, mom" when I forget something she hasn't. I love how excited she gets when I make her something girly (lately I've been sewing and crocheting-plus I made that flower clip she's wearing) and tells me she loves it and thanks me without any prompting - just because she is grateful. I love how Hyrum is her best friend and how she baby talks to Miles. I love how she excitedly yells "DADDY!" whenever Jay walks through the door. I love her hugs and kisses and then blowing kisses to me whenever I leave. I think I could go on and on about the things I love about Maddy, but I will stop here and suffice it to say that I love my Maddy-girl. </div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-14610469397308837952009-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:002009-02-09T13:27:56.271-08:00Bunny, fluffy bunny!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9TBnIwPd9OwEiEYP_RyEx_WqrzkRlmfZxkJ6fYDlzubhz2TcgqOrzIAQp9e688c9pEaDcC1SxsZrhIRKNZ4ggr8SIqyxLWeFrJtZmMagLBtrNOxXlxTJw2eG_X_0JK_c2T_Y/s1600-h/02-09-2009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300912113832712274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9TBnIwPd9OwEiEYP_RyEx_WqrzkRlmfZxkJ6fYDlzubhz2TcgqOrzIAQp9e688c9pEaDcC1SxsZrhIRKNZ4ggr8SIqyxLWeFrJtZmMagLBtrNOxXlxTJw2eG_X_0JK_c2T_Y/s320/02-09-2009.jpg" border="0" /></a> I have been nesting today, it seems like. I've swept and mopped every floor available and Jay and I have been going through kids clothes today trying to see what all we have and found a ton of stuff for Maddy. Among them was this bunny costume and once she saw it she just had to put it on. Hyrum exclaimed, "Maddy, you like to eat carrots!" True enough, in fact.<br /><br />Oh, and I have been uploading all my pictures a day to shuttercal. You can check it out here: <a href="http://www.shuttercal.com/calendar/Mestebla">http://www.shuttercal.com/calendar/Mestebla</a> if you want.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-76248034623324860322009-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:002009-01-26T18:55:20.667-08:00Pay it Forward!Pay it Forward<br /><br />Read closely...this is how it works...<br /><br />The Rules<br /><br />1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.<br /><br />2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!<br /><br />3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!<br /><br />4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!<br /><br />If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Please take the button and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12598947.post-77503187395532103482009-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:002009-01-23T15:16:47.092-08:00The snow is slowly melting.The weather today has been warmer than it has for a while. We actually got rain instead of snow earlier and the sun started to peek through the clouds. I had to make sure the kids got to play outside and enjoy it some. And, of course, I followed them out with my camera to snap a few shots. They were a little too busy and excited to really pose for me, but that's just fine with me! I love how this one turned out. Maddy's going to join Hyrum in the snowy sandbox.<br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294631439954181490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFUkejCmsB8S8JSqZC37QAOB8iCWtjHYg8CrdaL_6wginubMhv8XSL0jFzP9s-kykBTKMa4HPYmU449JfwsP7mQ5LTHzImbNUV-fo_fY0rEYSQV-NIStsI5zv1NvgKVH8dd6-/s320/01-23-2009.jpg" border="0" /></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09862401410086942442noreply@blogger.com2