So Yummy...

...I just had to share my new favorite dessert. It's so worth it!! It's called a Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries by Tyler Florence. I found that to make the curd, I had to allow the bowl to touch the pot (double boiler method). I only used 1/2 the curd because I read the reviews saying that it was too lemony. It was perfect. If you get a chance to make this, I promise, it'll be a show stopper!! I do suggest using the pound cake from Costco. I've also added another header the right titled "Favorite Recipes" in which I'll list some of my tried and true recipes. Hopefully I'll figure out a way to add comments to each of the recipes I've experimented upon.

Let me know how the Trifle goes!!

Family Night at the Buzz Baseball Game

Our good friends Todd and Kristie (yes, we have 3 "Todds" in our ward) invited us to a Buzz Baseball game....in the suite....Sweet!! The kids had a good time and Ashlyn loved the fact that she got to eat a whole box of popcorn (although it was intended for ALL the other kids too). They also invited some other friends from the ward too. Anyway, here's us with the "Buzz." Ashlyn got a little scared and wouldn't go near the mascot.

(Eddie, Amanda, Anabelle, Lilly, "Buzz", Damon, Me, Ethan)

Pioneer Day

For Pioneer Day, we had my family over for dinner and for some swimming. We had a great time!





After they all left, we went up to the loft to watch the fireworks from Cottonwood Heights. We talked to the kids about why July 24th was so important. First, it's Pioneer Day and second, it's Grandma Ginny's birthday.

Ginny had just finished radiation for a brain tumor the doctors had found 7 months prior to our wedding. I found it to be absolutely miraculous that she was still with us when we got married. I was very worried about her stamina on the wedding day, but she did quite well and we have been so blessed to have pictures as well as videos of her on our wedding day. I can't say that I knew my mother-in-law as well as my other sister-in-laws but what I did know about her was that she was very, very kind.

I won't ever forget the first time I met her. I had gone over to Todd's parents place to meet him for a date. It was going to be one of our last ones before he left for Oregon to do a PhD program in Biology. She was on her way to a Mormon Tab Choir practice and she stopped to ask who I was and when I told her, she just lit up and was so happy to meet me. I adored her right then and there. She had a big heart. She LOVED Christmas and she LOVED her family and grandkids. Before she passed away, she told Todd that she wanted to be with the family....she just wanted to be around, here on earth with us.

I don't know why her time was limited on this earth or why she just couldn't be "around" but I do know that she was a big part in the success of all her kids. They all knew and felt of her big heart and her willingness to always, always help them in whatever circumstances. Family was a huge part of her focus and that has certainly passed on to her children.

A pioneer is defined as someone to be the first to open or prepare way, one to lead the way for a group. That was Ginny. I know that she lived long enough to prepare her children for life and to set their focus on the importance of families being together in this life and in the life to come. I hope that Todd and I can live up to that tradition.

Family Time

I've been very fortunate to have all my family (parents and siblings) here in Utah. We certainly take full advantage of the closeness of our proximity as well as the closeness we have as a family. We love getting together for dinner and for fun. A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at Jeong and Corrine's in celebration of Kailee's Birthday. Before dinner, Todd started a game of "Hide and Seek." It was hilarious!! And Todd was so awesome to teach them the game. Here are the kiddies "hiding!!" This is Ashlyn "hiding" with Devin peeking over the sofa for Uncle Todd

Ashlyn, Kaliee, Devin "hiding."

Another thing we love to do is have the kids play in the kiddies at my parent's. It's just their size.

Catching up...AGAIN!!

We've been super busy...and I can't even tell you what has be preoccupying my time. Just life I guess with 2 kids that keep me busy, busy, busy. So forgive the 2 months of catch-up.

A visit from Emily and the kids

July 4 - July 8

Oh my goodness - we had such a fun, fun time with Emily and the kids (Hunter, Lynnsey and Rachel). They came in for Emily's dad's reunion but afterwards, we partied!! We took so many
pics, I don't even know where to begin...so here I go:

On Friday, July 4th, we went to Gateway to play in the water fountain. Hunter and Lynnsey had fun. Ashlyn - not so much. And Ethan, well they led him out to the water but when he got sprayed from the bottom up ... he was so done. Afterwards, the kids had snowcones and Ashlyn was the only one that finished hers - you go girl!! Then we did Temple Square. It was great to go the visitor centers for some relief from the heat and to have some nice cold water. The kids were super smart when it came to identifying the various pictures that depicted biblical stories. Now for the "grand finale" - and I do hope that I won't be offending anyone, but Ashlyn was bound and determined to see a "fountain" and I could not talk her out if it. SOOO...since our car was across the street from the Conference Center, we walked over there and let the kids put their hands in the fountain. Then, they were putting their feet in it....then, we noticed steps INSIDE the fountain leading into the water..so the kids got a little crazy and started diving in - oh my goodness!! The only signage Emily and I saw just said that the water was recirculated water. So we thought - what the hey!! Let the kids have at it. So...enjoy the slide show. Oh, and thanks Todd for the fireworks - they were great!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Saturday, we hit Kangaroo Zoo and the kids had so much fun with the different blow up slides and bounce houses. They had a super cool "black light mini golf course." Loved it!! I highly recommend this place. It may be a little far off, but so worth it.

Thank you Emily and cousins for coming and staying with us. It was sooo much fun to play, play, play. Can't wait to see you all again in San Diego!!

The "happiest" place on earth - or so they say.....

June 13

Todd has been wanting to take Ashlyn to an amusement park. And since we really don't live next door to Disneyland, we thought the next best place was...LAGOON...and why not? What Utahn doesn't have some crazy, fun memory of Lagoon back in the days??? So after weighing our options of whether or not we should buy her an all out pass...we decided to go ahead with it. Oh boy was that a big mistake. We started out "slow" - the bumper cars. She hated it:

By the way, she's screaming her head off!!
Poor girl, totally traumatized but nonetheless, she's asking for the carousal so we try that. She hated it:

Alrighty, we're getting frustrated. So we try the train. What kid doesn't like the train. Now I do have to say that I didn't get a pic of this experience, but I can assure you that she hated it...until she saw the animals. Then she calmed down. There were 2 rides that she actually liked - and I really thought that she would freak out again. The first was the Rattlesnake Rapids and the other, the kiddie Tidalwave. Ethan on the other hand had a ball. Not necessarily on the rides, but at this really cool water fountain.

Don't worry, he's not going commando! He's shorts got so soaked that they just...fell off. The whole experience was hilarious. People would just stop and laugh at the sight - he was totally in his element.

I didn't have the heart to stop him so he just did his thing and it was awesome!

By the way, you should check out my SIL's blog. Devan loved Lagoon and did not want to leave. At least we had fun watching him have fun.

Murray Park for pics

May 30

Like so many grandmothers, my mother loves ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING that has to do with the grandkids. So for her birthday, we decided to take photos of the grandkids at Murray Park. Our thinking was, with 3 moms with 3 cameras....we're bound to get a few good shots, right? And I do have to say that we did alright.