I'm losing it.

2 weeks ago I lost a library book. One minute I was sitting on the couch feeding Evyn and reading my book and then the next minute it was gone. All of last week I turned the house upside down looking for it. When Addysen and I went to the library on Wednesday I asked them to recheck it out for me so 1. I could find it. and 2. I could finish reading it.

At the end of last week I still hadn't found it. The girls were helping me look for it. I begged Chris to look for it. I checked the car, the girls room, under the beds. So much so that every afternoon when I picked Elodie up from school she asked me if I had found my book.

On a last ditch effort I said prayer. I'll confess something for journaling purposes. I haven't felt like my prayers are being answered. There. I said it. For maybe the last year I've felt a little ignored. Childish? Yes. Wearing on me? Most definitely.
But there comes a point sometimes where it's just hard to pray for the same thing over and over and over again. And feel like you aren't being heard.

And I know all the seminary answers. Prayers are answered when you least expect it. Prayers are answered through other people. The Lord has his own timing.

And yes. We are healthy. And yes. My girls are happy and safe. And yes. We have a home. And yes. I am well aware that Christopher got a great job we were both praying for but man did that open up a new can of prayers we weren't seeking answers for. No worries. I'm not going inactive or anything.

So when I decided to say a prayer on Friday my thought process was maybe if I ask for something super small (aka: finding my book) and then when I find it my faith will be restored and I'll feel rejuvenated and at peace that Heavenly Father does in fact listen to my prayers. By small and simple things right?

So I said a prayer. Nothing came to me immediately. I didn't stand up from my prayer and go straight to where the book was hiding. But in keeping up with my end of the deal I kept looking all day friday for the book. And nothing. On Saturday I gave up looking. I felt very "woe-ist me" about it and figured it was a lost cause. At this point I was pretty sure one of the girls had thrown it away and it was long gone by now.

I didn't look at all on Sunday.

And here we are today. While Addysen and Evyn were napping I decided to give it a go again and look for the book. The last place I had put it before I lost it was on top of the microwave. I grabbed it from that spot and sat on the couch with it. So the last place I was when I lost it was on the couch. All of last week I kept going back to the microwave. Under the microwave, behind the microwave, IN the microwave. Nothing. I looked behind the fridge (which is beside the microwave), on top of the fridge. Nothing. Today I did the same thing. I'm not sure if I was just expecting it to pop out after looking in the same spot A MILLION times but I kept going back to it. But today was different. Because today I decided to open the cabinets ABOVE the microwave. And guess what I found? My book. Mixed in with the stack of recipe books I have in the cabinet.

Weird? Absolutely. Why would I do that? I don't remember doing that and it certainly didn't jog my memory once I found it in the cabinet! Like "Oh yeah, I remember now!"

2 things are for sure.

- I'm losing it. I mean, who does that? It's pretty laughable now that I did find the book.

and

-Heavenly Father answered my prayer. I did find my book afterall. And it wasn't immediate. And I had to work for it. And I got super frustrated. But I found it. And I may have smiled just a little when I looked up and saw that book!

It's small. But it means a whole lot to me. And I'm thankful for the little nudge that maybe I'm not being ignored after all.

And now I will go sit in the 30 minute carpool line waiting for Ms. Second Grader and will read my book while my 2 littles are strapped in their carseats! Bliss.


Interested in what book I'm reading?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It's this months book club pick. Moment of silence.

ByeBye Summer

To say goodbye to summer we took the girls to San Antonio for a day. We decided on the Children's Museum, took them to see the San Antonio Temple, and had lunch at our family favorite Red Robin.

We had a great summer and while the heat isn't indicating that summer is indeed over we are excited for fall and all that it brings. Elodie's birthday in September, a trip to New Orleans with our besties at the beginning of November (also my birthday), and a trip to Arizona for me in the middle of November to do some photoshoots and see Breaking Dawn with book club. Man I can't wait for that one! I am in serious need of some friend soaking and I think that will do just the trick! And let's not forget Halloween (I'm resisting the urge to purchase Evyn's halloween costume), Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

GoodBye Summer. For good. (Seeing as these are the last of our summer pictures)

2 Rollers and a Winner

Evyn Kate decided yesterday would be a great day to start rolling. I love all of these stages. The smiles, coos, grabbing at things, rolling. Even after baby number 3 it never gets old. We were just as excited to see Evyn grab at rings as we were when Elodie did it for the first time.

Do you Shutterfly?

Last summer my cousin Tania put together a book from our reunion trip to Utah. My girls love it. And I can honestly say they look at it atleast once a day. It's well loved. I've always known about shutterfly. But just recently started giving them as gifts. Love. I gave my mother in law one of our Thanksgiving Trip to Disneyland. And recently we sent one to Graycie from Addysen.

I just purchased Addysen's book and I love it. She is so excited to get it in the mail and have a book all about her.

Click here to view this photo book larger

*And yes, in case you were wondering, I got a $10 off coupon for posting this.*

Summer List 2011 Wrap Up

I had no idea how helpful this summer list would be to us. Honestly, when I made the list I thought it was more cute than anything else! It was so handy to have around on days when we were home and not planning vacations! I was also surprised at how many things I put on the list that I had forgotten about until I looked at the list again. You know those "What the heck are we going to do today!" and then VOILA! I would look at the list and remember the slime or the jewelry ideas I had pinned.

And even though we didn't do everything on the list during the summer, we will be making plans to check them off during the school year! Because it was way too hot to go to Sea World or the Zoo this summer and I really want to pull out the chocolate fountain and have a cheese fondue dinner.

So YEA for a successful summer! We all had a fun time!



Here are a few more pictures that didn't get a blog post all their own.

Happy Back to School Day and a Giveaway!

Elodie went back to school today! She was so excited and while I was happy for her, my heart hurt just a little to see her go. We have had a great summer and I have loved having her home. I'm sure she is having a great time and I can't wait to hear all about it when she gets home!





To celebrate I made this fun Back To School Banner for our mantle.



I especially love the "I Heart School" scrapbooking paper I added....



And the piece of paper I stitched on....



AND this uber cute fabric flower!


So fun. So fun that I had to make 2! I know most of my friends have already been in school for a few weeks now but I thought it would be fun to give the other banner away. There is still plenty of time to hang it up and it will be so fun for years to come! So leave a comment and I will have Elodie pick a winner Wednesday evening! Good luck and Happy Back to School!

2nd Grader

This is the first year that I've had a hard time accepting the fact that we do indeed have a growing child. Kindergarten was exciting, 1st grade we felt confident and in the routine of things and now. I mean. I REMEMBER 2nd grade! How on earth can I have a 2nd grader!

She was nervous going to Meet The Teacher Night. I don't blame here. Even though we spent the last 6 weeks of school at this one in Texas it still felt like coming to a new school for the first time. I even felt those butterflies and those feelings we had when we first got here came creeping back in. And we have worked so hard to bury them. Clearly they are still pretty close to the surface.

But of course all those nervous feelings left as soon as she met her teacher, found her desk, and recognized a few friends she had made last year.

School starts on Monday! A little later than we are use to. I've had to force myself not to think about Elodie's school in Arizona-they started 2 weeks ago..that one still stings a bit.

It's going to be a great year. I'll make sure of it! Even if I hate the fact that we have a 2nd grader!

A year ago today...

One of the fun things about facebook is on the sidebar it will tell you what you posted a year ago today. A very justified reason to stay on facebook. It serves as yet another journal.

On this day, one year ago, we announced on facebook that we were expecting baby #3. It was hard for me to hide it since like the facebook status said I threw up in our front yard, I was married to the couch, and my blog was severly outdated! One look at the blog and anyone could have seen that something was definitely up!

And here we are a year later. One crazy year later but alas we are still standing. The nausea eventually went away. I got my old self back. And in return we were blessed with a now almost 5 month old little baby. Crazy how some things usually end up working out in our favor. Notice how I didn't say all things. If only we could see the end from the beginning. I jokingly admit that if I could just see the whole picture of why we are here in Texas I would do it! If it's just for the job then I will suck it up and do it. And while I'm sure there is more to learn from this experience, I'm pretty certain Heavenly Father knows I will do it regardless so why bother.

Why was I writing this again? Oh yes, Evyn Kate.

She is so lovely. Ready and waiting for anyone to look at her so she can give them a huge smile. She is grabbing at toys. She is on the verge of giggling and I'm pretty sure she is starting to figure out who the heck we all are. She won't take her eyes off of me, she beams at Christopher when he walks in the door and she is fully mesmorized by her 2 older sisters as they play around her.

And lets not forget she is a major multi-tasker already. I'd like to see you try and suck your thumb and play with rings at the same time! Harder than it looks!

The many styles of Addysen...

At 3 Addysen has a style all her own. She loves to dress herself and every day when she comes down the stairs I'm not sure what she will have on. Thankfully she knows that she can wear anything at home but when we leave the house I have to step in and help. Sometimes I'm fine with what she is wearing, if it's a quick errand I'm okay with whatever she has on, and normally I'm pretty easy to please, ie: pick the top or bottom and then we will match that. And once she figured out she wasn't going anywhere unless we compromised our house has been pretty quiet. She does always ask if she can put back on her ensemble when we get home and when I tell her she can she always replies with a "YES!" dragging out the s sound.

She has come up with some doozy outfits so about a week ago I started taking pictures of her in her outfits. So often that now she immediately ask if I'm ready to take her picture.

A few things to point out:
*She loves leggings. By her a pair of stripey leggings and she will love you forever!
*A skirt is a must.
*If she thinks it matches there is no persuading her otherwise. A heart and a heart match. Stripes and stripes match.

We loves this girl.

Weekend Food.

How come the week goes by fast but then the weekend goes by faster? Weird. Wasn't I just posting about how much fun it was to make grilled pizzas last weekend....

Well this weekend was 2 for 2 too. Both from Our Best Bites. Shocked?

Saturday I made these Cowboy Quesadillas. Yum. I wasn't sure I would like the flavors of barbeque sauce in a tortilla but it was good. Try it. Tonight.

Cowboy Quesadillas
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 C white rice
1/3 C black beans
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 C fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
2/3 C diced tomato
3 Tbs sliced green onion
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
1/4 C bbq sauce
6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6″)

Dipping Sauce
equal parts bbq sauce and ranch dressing

Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese. Add bbq sauce and stir to combine. Place about 1/3 C of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.

Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove top. When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, or drizzle with canola or olive oil. Place quesadillas in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp. Flip and repeat on opposite side. Cool for a few minutes and then serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce.



We always bake a treat on Sundays. I'm sure you all do because there is something about being home, in my pajamas, that requires me to bake a treat. I usually tell the girls that if they take a good nap they can help me in the kitchen. And it usually works wonders.

We tried these peanut butter and chocolate bars. I may or may not of had one with ice-cream for treat, one or two for dinner Sunday night, and then again for lunch today. Maybe. Hello. It has oatmeal in it. I could have easily had one for breakfast. The only thing I would have changed was I would have halved the icing. It kinda overpowered the cookie in the middle of the pan. But really that isn't such a bad thing!

Chocolate-Frosted Peanut Butter Bars


Cookie Base
1 cup real butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons table salt
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups quick oats

Fudge Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet (standard half-sheet pan) lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and add mixture to dough. Beat to combine. Add oats and mix until incorporated. Press dough into prepared pan into a flat layer. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. The center should be puffed and set, but still soft.

While crust is baking, prepare frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add butter (make sure it’s soft!), boiling water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and glossy.

When cookie crust is done baking, if desired drizzle about 3/4 cups melted (just nuke it in the microwave) peanut butter on top and then spread on frosting. Let cool (or leave slightly warm) and cut into squares to serve.

Slowly...

She is starting to figure out that she doesn't need to eat immediately when she wakes up from her naps. That snuggles are kinda nice...I think so too.

2 accomplishments on Tuesday.

We met some friends at the pool this morning. When the girls took swim lessons a couple of weeks ago I met another mother and we started chatting every day. Come to find out she is in a neighboring ward, her husband is also an engineer and the ward mission leader,she and her family moved here about a year ago, and we both have girls around the same age as each other. So naturally we hit it off fairly well and have gotten together once before to let the girls play.

The first accomplishment of the day was that I took 3 small children to the swimming pool by myself, I was on time, Evyn was a dream, and nobody drowned! Was it stressful? Yes. Will I do it again? Maybe in a few weeks. (The pools here stay open through September) I think the hardest part is that Elodie wants to be in the deep water while Addysen needs to stay in the shallow area. I can't hold Evyn and Addysen at the same time so it's pretty much torture for Addysen to see Elodie in an area she can't go. We did try the deep end ( I put Evyn in her carseat close by) but Addysen was chocking me and there was a point where I thought I might need to be rescued by one of those teenage lifeguards! Thankfully Addysen wasn't too keen on not being able to touch the bottom so back to the shallow end we went. And nobody drowned...did I mention that? Stressful.

The second accomplishment came as a surprise. Last year we set a few swimming goals for Elodie and one of them was to go off the diving board. She never did but we felt like she learned so much last year and we were fine with it. This year we didn't push the diving board, mainly because with 2 smaller children I would have a hard time keeping an eye on Elodie.

The 2 friends we met at the pool both went on the diving board and Elodie was getting frustrated that they didn't want to play in the shallow end of the pool. I told her if she wanted to play with them she was going to have to go over there or just be happy playing in the area where we were and wait for them to come back. She didn't like that so off to the deep end she went. The 2 girls mom was over there with them otherwise it wouldn't have been an option. Anyway, a few minutes later Elodie comes running over to me to tell me she had gone off the diving board and wanted me to watch her! She was so proud of herself! Addysen wanted to watch her too so we went over and soaked our feet while Elodie went on the diving board over and over again. She was so thrilled with her new accomplishment and I was so happy she conquered her fear.

To my surprise the next time Elodie got a chance to go on the diving board she chose the HIGH DIVE!! Her friend Zia had been going on the high dive most of the time we were there and Elodie kept saying she thought it looked fun but was afraid to try it. Personally I don't like high dives so I wasn't encouraging her! Besides I felt like the regular diving board was a big enough accomplishment! I thought she was crazy but she walked right up to the high dive, climbed the ladder, walked to the edge, waited her turn, and then jumped! The girl didn't hesitate a bit!

I was shocked!! I couldn't believe she had done it! And not only done it but had chosen to do it! And she loved it! She did it over and over again!

Sadly, I didn't have my pocket camera with me. Christopher had used it the night before and forgot to put it back in my diaper bag. So the only picture I got was with my phone camera. Bummer! We plan to go again on Saturday and I will for sure remember my camera!

I know jumping off a diving board shouldn't evoke any motherly deep thought but I couldn't shake the thoughts that were running through my head when we were driving home.

I loved that Elodie had a fear that she conquered. I loved her enthusiasm and excitement when she came out of the water. I saw how excited she was to feel so big and included in something her friends were doing.

But then I got to thinking about that old saying "If your friends jumped off a bridge would you?" I mean. What if to you it didn't look dangerous or scary? Would you still do it?


I saw this as a great opportunity to talk to Elodie about peer pressure and the different types of peer pressure.
When we got home I sat Elodie down and asked her how she felt about going off the high dive and what made her decide to do it. I told her that sometimes seeing someone else do something is a good thing and you want to do it because they are doing it. And then there are other times where it's okay to be afraid and not want to do something other people are doing just to fit in.

I know part of the reason she jumped off the high dive was because she saw her friends doing it. And I know a part of her thought it looked fun.

I mostly just wanted to make sure she understood that (in the grand scheme of things) there will be times that our friends pressure us to do things. And we have to really think hard about whether their influence is a good one or a bad one.

Clearly I think this case was a positive influence because it helped her overcome her fear and do something new. Just like when she learned to ride her bike because of her best little friend Emma. But it isn't always that way. And while I know she is only 6, I really want her to think about it. To make a decision for herself and not because someone else pressured her into it.

Being a parent is hard stuff sometimes. And I can always turn a little thing into something much bigger.
I'm so proud of this girl she is turning in to!

But to lighten the mood a little...here is a cell phone picture of Elodie on the high dive!

4 months

A few weeks behind {again}. We were in La. when Evyn turned 4 months on July 22nd.

1st month {HERE}
2nd month {HERE}
3rd month {HERE}

3rd month {HERE}

Weekend Food.

It's been so much easier to try new recipes now that I have them written out and available when I make my menu. I tried 2 new recipes this weekend and I was so happy that both came out great!!

Recipe #1:
When we lived in Arizona we had Barro's. Oh Barro's, how I love you and miss you. We had Barro's at least once a week. Met friends there on weekends and had playdates during the week there. To say a pizza joint was a huge part of our lives seems silly....but it was!

I never really had the desire to make my own pizzas because of Barro's but had a few go to recipes when we didn't want to spend the money on eating out. Like this deep dish pizza and this chicken and spinach pizza. And those chicken-bacon stuffed pizza rolls that I blogged about a week or so ago. Yum. But for the most part, I left the pizza making up to Barro himself.

And then we moved. Doesn't everything come back to moving? There is no Barro's in Texas. WHAT!?!? Didn't they hear we were moving to Texas? Apparently we are little people to Barro's.

So the other day I was browsing Our Best Bites and I came across a recipe on how to grill pizza....I have used their pizza dough recipe before to make breadsticks and the pizza pockets so I knew this was a winner. And indeed it was. I only had cheese so we did cheese pizzas but according to OBB it's best to limit your toppings so you can really taste the flavor of the grill. They were so good! The only down side I saw to grilling my own pizzas was 1- I didn't have a big enough spatula so my pizzas turned into mini pizzas and 2- these are best when right off the grill so we didn't eat as a family. Which for a friday night wasn't a huge deal breaker for me. But other than that I'm definitely adding these to my regular meal plan! There is something so satisfying about making my own bread...I just love it! Our Best Bites has a great step by step on how to grill your pizza dough so I won't post any more other than a picture of one of my lovely pizzas!


Recipe #2:
We had the missionaries over for dessert last night. Christopher is the ward mission leader so we see them on a pretty regular basis. They stop in from time to time to let Chris know what they are up to and usually end up taking leftovers home with them if we don't have them over for dinner. 2 of our missionaries are going home on Tuesday so we invited them over for dessert for a last goodbye. I had found this recipe for oreo cheesecake (yes please) and knew this would be the perfect time to try it out. Besides, the missionaries will never tell me something isn't good! But really you can't go wrong with Oreos. Have I mentioned our obsession with the Double Stuffed Oreo Blast at Sonic?

Have you ever been to Mel's Kitchen? If you haven't you should head over there. Besides Our Best Bites, it's my go to blog for new recipes and tutorials. She made this oreo cheesecake for her book club (moment of silence for my book club in Az.). That has nothing to do with the recipe other than she has a book club....and I love my book club...and I get sick to my stomach every time they meet without me..and i don't have one now....see...everything does go back to moving.

Oreo Cheesecake:

36 Oreo Cookies, divided
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
4 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 ounces white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Finely crush 24 Oreo cookies. Melt 1/4 cup butter; mix with crumbs. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each just until blended. Chop remaining cookies. Gently stir into batter; pour over crust.

Bake the cheesecake for about 35-40 minutes or until the sides are set and the center is almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.

When the cheesecake is completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When chilled, remove the cheesecake using the foil overhang and cut the cheesecake into bite-sized pieces. Place the cheesecake bites on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking tray. Melt the semisweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls (I use the microwave on 50% power, stirring frequently). Pour the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag, one for the semisweet chocolate, one for the white chocolate. Snip a small corner off the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bars. Chill the bars until ready to serve. Alternately, the drizzled bites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. Let them defrost in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

So there you go. 2 thumbs up for new recipes!

Summer List: Go to MawMaw's Part 4

While we were in La we also got to spend some quality time with PawPaw Whitney. We wish we lived closer to visit more often. Chris and I took the girls Sunday evening to visit with him and we loved sifting through pictures and hearing his war stories.

My mom checks on PawPaw twice a day-once in the morning to get his breakfast, do some laundry, etc...and then again in the evening for dinner. We tried to go with my mom a few times during the week after Chris went home. The girls enjoyed getting treats from PawPaw and he was all too eager to let them have whatever they wanted!

{Point and Shoot}

Summer List: Make Slime

We are getting closer and closer to checking most everything off of our summer list. Elodie has 2 full weeks left of summer so I'm hoping we can get through them all. Most of them anyway- we had to tweak them as we went along! Like it is way too hot to go to Sea World right now!

This was a really fun activity and the girls had so much fun watching the slime take form right in front of them! It took us one practice run before we got the slime just right. If you don't add enough borax it's too runny but if you add too much it becomes like a ball, too stiff to be considered slime.

We had fun making a lot of different colors. When we were done playing with it we stored it in ziplocs for another day.

Sidenote: *I got the idea from here. *She includes a you tube video that helps visualize it. *This is definitely an outdoor activity. I didn't trust my girls to not let some of it fall on the floor and I really don't want to google "how to get slime out of my carpet"! *And we didn't do the glow in the dark part. *You will have borax for the rest of your life.

You will need:
Borax Laudry Detergent
Elmer's Glue
Food Coloring
Water
An empty plastic container (mill jug, coke bottle)
plastic cups
popsicle sticks

*Take your empty container and mix borax and water together. Shake well for 10 minutes. The girls loved this part. As long as the lid was screwed on tight! You don't need much so don't fill it. There is no clear measurement on how much you need, atleast I didn't research it, so I just eyeballed it. As long as you don't really dillute the detergent you should be fine. Start by placing equal parts glue and water in 2 cups. Example: we did 1/4 cup glue in one cup, a 1/4 cup water in another. Combine the water and glue in one cup. Mix well with your popsicle stick. Add your food coloring. Now take your borax solution and slowly pour it into your water and glue mixture. SLOWLY! If you add to much you might as well start over. Continue to stir and pour until all the liqued turns into slime. Once your happy with it, rinse it off and enjoy! We made purple, pink, yellow, and green. *