Happy Anniversary

Today is my parents 34th wedding anniversary! WOW!


I love them so much! They are such a huge example to me and Chris and I'm so grateful to have them in my life!


34 years later, 4 great kids, 3 wonderful daughter in laws, 1 FABULOUS son in law, and 9 beautiful grandkids! What more could you want!?!

(Hopefully we can plan a new family picture in October when we are in Louisiana...this one is missing 5 grandbabies!)

We love you mom and dad...here's to 34 more years!

What's a good book without a good book club....

I love our book club. We have been meeting every month for the last 3 years (give or take a few months)...a few of us have moved away (Lara, Tina, and now Mariley),we've added a few new members here and there and it's been so fun to get together and grow lasting friendships through books. I love these girls and consider them my closest!
You'll also find me with these girls at the swimming pool, Barro's Pizza, and walking in the evenings.

Sometimes we meet at each other's houses. Sometimes we go out to eat. It doesn't matter which because there is always good food when we get together! We talk a little about the book we are reading and ALOT about life and family. All around 3 hours of pure girl time is found when we get together.


This picture was just taken last weekend when we got together to discuss the book "The Host". This was the last book club with our sweet friend Mariley (green cardigan) who is moving with her little family to Texas. We will miss you!

My summer reading list...

All this book talk has got me thinking about my own reading list for the summer...

I'm currently obsessing over the Harry Potter Series..I KNOW, I'm totally behind with the times! I know Harry Potter fans feel the same way I feel about the Twilight Series...WHAT? You've never read these books?!? For the last couple of weeks, my friends Melissa and Jen have been hounding me to read the Harry Potter books. I don't know why I never jumped on this band wagon...probably because I saw the movies before I read the books and that usually turns me off. Normally, I enjoy reading the book first. So, with a lot of coaxing and nothing pressing to read until the 4th book of the Twilight Series comes out in August...I gave in. I've been reading these Harry Potter books so fast! I think it's been a little over 3 weeks and I'm already half way through the 5th book. Their amazing and I am really enjoying them. I'm especially excited to read the 6th and 7th books as those movies haven't come out yet. Thanks Jen and Melissa...now we can truely be friends right?

Other books on my reading list for this summer include

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
The Goose Girl also by Shannon Hale
Al Copone does my shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Ella Minnow Pea a novel in letters by Mark Dunn (July's Book Club)
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
The Star Garden by Nancy E. Turner
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (August Book Club)
Atonement by Ian McEwen

That should keep me busy for the next couple of months!!!

Summer Reading

When I was a kid, I loved to read...and still do. I remember clear as day always participating in summer reading programs. We always did the ones from Pizza Hut with the huge button pin. When you got 5 gold stars on your button, you got a free personal sized pizza from Pizza Hut. Good times!

Fast forward...uh...20 years (yikes!)...Elodie, Addysen, and I took our weekly trip to the library today. They had a booth set up for a summer reading program for kids. There was one available for 3 and under and one available for 3yrs to 6th grade! I was so excited to see that this was available (which, I'm sure it was available last year but I must have missed it) and Elodie was super excited to get involved. There was no sign-up required, we left with a summer reading bag and a chart to keep track of Elodie's progress. After 6 days of reading 20 minutes, we can take our chart to the library and Elodie will get a prize! This continues on so she can earn up to 6 prizes through the 26th of July. She is overly excited about keeping track of her reading and wanted to read her library books as soon as we got home. She got her first sticker today!

I'm so happy to pass on my love of reading to my girls. I really hope that they enjoy it as much as I do. It's such a fun hobby for me!

The only way to enjoy the summer in the valley of the sun!

Chris only works 4 hours on Friday, so today he was home at 11am! Woo Hoo! It's our favorite day! We went to lunch and ran some errands. By the time we got home we were all hot and sweaty from getting in and out of the car so much. With it inching up to 114 degrees, the only way to cool off is swimming!

So we took the girls to the pool and we all enjoyed a nice relaxing afternoon followed up with drinks from Sonic (the only other way to cool off). I've been meeting some friends at the pool every Monday and Thursday and while it's fun, it's definitely a struggle to keep Addysen happy, watch Elodie, chat with my friends,and of course (the most important part) get a nice summer tan! It was so nice having Chris with us. Addysen fell asleep shortly after we got there (woohoo!),Christopher and Elodie played in the pool, and I spent most of the time laying out. It was wonderful!

What Addysen did the whole time we were there..no complaints!





Christopher left his glasses at home so he snitched mine while I attempted to swim laps...attempt being the key word! Swimming is hard work!

New Recipe...

I've made this recipe once before and our family really likes it. While walking last night, Jen requested the recipe. So, I figured this would be easiest. AND, who's not interested in a delish, easy summer meal. Although this recipe does require you to stand over a stove....ENJOY!

Chicken Empanadas:

3 cups cooked and chopped chicken. I like to pan fry my chicken with cumin
1 8 ounce package shredded cheese I'm more of an eyeballer so just add as much as you like.
1 8 ounce package cream cheese. Softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 T. ground cumin
Salt and Pepper for taste. Although, I never salt and pepper this recipe and it turns out very tasty!

Combine all ingredients. Use filling to stuff soft taco shells, crescent rolls,or rhodes rolls. I prefer soft taco shells. Roll 'em up and pan fry them with a little olive oil or veg. oil until brown and crispy on both sides and the cheeses on the inside are nice and gooey! Yum-O! If you choose to do the rolls, back until golden brown.
Serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, and a side salad.

Look what I found!!!

She actually spotted her hand a few weeks ago but this was the first time I could get a picture of her doing it without her seeing me! It's so funny to watch her examine her little hand, moving it around, and going cross eyed in the process! I'd love to know what her little mind is thinking!

A few other milestones for Addysen-
She is lifting her head off her carseat
She is finally starting to lift her head up during tummy time. Usually she would just burry her face in the blanket.
She is babbeling a ton more.
Her little legs are getting so strong. She really likes to be standing and she can hold herself for a few minutes.
She can roll on to her side.
We have her successfully sleeping in her crib at night. She still enjoys catnaps in her swing but she is no where as addicted to the swing as she use to be or as bad as Elodie was! Thank Heavens! That thing is a beast to travel with!

Happy He's Our Dad!

Just a few of the reasons we love our daddy...

He can make us laugh!

He takes his family to church and teaches us the gospel...


He wants his family to be eternal...


He doesn't mind when we use him as a jungle gym!

He's the best snuggle buddy...

He's our prince charming...

He's super strong (probably because we use him as a jungle gym!)

He knows how to treat a girl...

He gives us sweet kisses...

He doesn't mind all of mommy's picture taking...most of the time!


He takes us on fun family trips...

He honors his priesthood...

We love you daddy and hope you know how special you are to us! Thank you for everything you do for us!!
Love, Your girls!

Just helpin' a mama out...

I was blog hopping the other night and came across this blog...

Never hurts to save a few bucks!! Especially on diapers!! Hope all my mommy friends find it useful!!

Awww...

If I never see a princess cake again...

How many different ways can I make a princess cake!?! So far? 6!!! It's not that I hate a princess cake (especially since Elodie's cake last year was princess) but it's just so predictable. Like being a princess for Halloween! I had to bite my tongue 2 years ago when Elodie insisted on being a princess for Halloween! I guess it's just a right of passage when your a young girl!

This isn't at all my favorite cake I've done, especially not my most favorite princess cake...BUT, the mom had exactly what she wanted in mind and I just bit my tongue again and made it happen. I especially don't like writing on my cakes or being the one who has to write on cakes so I was pretty self-conscious when I dropped it off. She was THRILLED and thanked me a few times when I dropped it off and sent me an email later this evening thanking me again. I guess that's all that matters!

Cakes make me very vulnerable. You spend countless hours creating this piece, all the while trying to get what the person has in mind, stretching your abilities a bit and losing a ton of sleep in the process. In the end, you put everything into it and put it on display for someone to judge!! No matter how cute the cake is, or how many cakes I do, I always feel nervous until I get the reaction! Then I can eat again!
Pure torture but I love it!!!

Learning To Share...

For Christmas, Elodie got a care bear that came with a computer game. At the time, the care bear was the real present, she could care less about the computer game. (As could we) Fast forward 6 months and Elodie has now decided she is IN LOVE with this care bear computer game. It's amazing how quickly she caught on to using the mouse, picking the game she wanted to play, she can even get on the computer and double click the care bear icon on our home page!! Amazing! One minute she is completely uninterested, the next she can't get enough!!

So, now I'm sharing the computer with my almost 4 year old! She loses interest pretty quick but as soon as she sees me jump on the computer, she is at my side waiting for her turn to use the computer! Next thing you know, she'll be starting her own blog!!!

Maybe I can talk Chris into letting me get a laptop....




P.S- Happy 3 months little Addysen! Pictures to come!

Nothing says summer...

Like a cold piece of watermelon!! I love watermelon..I love the color, the smell, and all the memories it brings back of watermelon fights and spitin' seeds. Come on! You know you did it too! Good times!

New Toy

Technically this is an old toy because it was Elodie's when she was a baby. But it's new to Addysen and she is super in to it....for 10 or 15 minutes of course!! It's fun to pull out all the toys that Elodie use to play with. I can remember we use to get so excited when Elodie would hit one of the bugs...whether it be on purpose or not! Of course our child was a genius!!! It feels like that was forever ago and now here we are, experiencing all the first with Addysen. It's just as fun to watch her develop and I know we will be equally excited when she finally decides to reach up and grab that ladybug!! For now, she is content laying there and staring..just staring!
The video is a little dark and if you listen closely, you can hear Elodie singing "I am a child of God"...

More Blessing Dress Pictures..

My favorites...

Sneek Peek...

So, I finally got around to doing my photo shoot of Addysen in her blessing dress. It feels like ages ago that we blessed her but really it was only 4 Sunday's ago. Only right?

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with my new editing program and I feel like if I waited until I knew the program perfectly, none of these pictures would ever be posted!

So for now, this is what I've got....one picture out of about 30 taken!



And because I didn't have a blog back when I took Elodie's Blessing pictures...

Tradition...

This is the second year in a row that Melissa and I have gone to the book store to read the first chapter of the next book in the Twilight Series.

Last year, Stephenie Meyer reprinted New Moon with the first chapter of Eclipse in it. This year, she reprinted Eclipse with the first chapter of Breaking Dawn in it. Personally, I think it's a little rude to expect your fans to go BUY the book...so we don't! Especially since we already own the books! Why would I want two copies...except to get the "I love Edward", "I love Jacob" decals, right Melissa?

Anyway, it's a fun little tradition...we were all giddy in the bookstore and spent the rest of the day speculating, and getting ourselves all worked up for August 2nd.
We felt 16 again!

Quality girl time for sure!