I think it is sad how more letters are being emailed/posted every year. I love to display the letters we get on our hall wall. It has been a really fun tradition that I have carried on from my childhood. Unfortunately last year we received so few letters that I didn’t even hang the line up. I made it work this year but it seems it’s starting to look more and more pathetic each year. I know it’s easier to send via email or other electronical means. So I really appreciate all those who took the time to send us a card this year.
I did send out letters this year to a select few. I like to make my own cards and it can be very time consuming. I had only made 26 this year so I’m very sorry if you didn’t receive one. I try and send a letter to all those who sent me one the year before but inevitably we always miss one or two people. So if you didn’t get one from us this year here is the link to a copy of the letter that went out with the cards. I’m sorry and I’ll try and send one for you next year. Although if you follow this blog you probably already know everything that is going on in our lives so this might be a repeat. I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas.
One of the things I love about fall are the corn and straw mazes. Corey and I used to go to corn mazes and we always had fun. One year we decided to try the local straw maze. It’s in Archer Idaho near Big Juds (If you’ve ever lived around here you know about Big Juds). We found that we enjoy the straw maze much more than the corn mazes. So that’s been a tradition for us for a few years now. We like the straw because it’s nice and soft to walk on and you don’t have rows that you keep twisting your foot in. We also like how it muffles the sound and you really don’t feel like anyone else is in the maze until you round a corner and wallah there they are (I bet it’s pretty cool at night). Also you can’t really tare a part the bails of hay like they do the corn. So the maze looks the same the last day as it did the first. This year they had some tunnels built into the maze which the kids absolutely loved. If you haven’t tried the straw maze you should. It can be a little claustrophobic at times so if you have trouble with that maybe you don’t want to try this. Each of us took turns leading the way through the maze getting hopelessly lost and when we got to the finish we started it all over again. This is a great family activity.
This past weekend Corey and I had the privilege of visiting Austin Texas for his sister’s wedding. My mom flew over so she could watch our kids for us. This was such a blessing for us. This is the first time we have left our kids for more than one night at a time. It’s been over 2 years since we have had an over night trip together.
Austin is a very active city. We were on the go all the time. There were people everywhere. We had such a good time seeing the different things and eating at different places. I can’t believe how many places there are to eat at. We had so many options I could’ve spent another month there and still not have eaten at each place. When we first arrived in Austin his sister, aunt and uncle picked us up at the airport and then we went to a restaurant called 24. Apparently the owner of the restaurant is going to be on the show top chef this season. Here we met Lisa’s fiancé, Neal, and ate lunch. Neal is so nice and perfect for Lisa. We had a great lunch. Corey ate chicken and waffles. I had a burger with some whipped potatoes. Those potatoes were the best I’ve ever had. This is much of how the weekend went. We just hung out with family and tried new places to eat.
On Lisa’s wedding day I woke her up, much to her disapproval, and we went for a walk with her mom. Afterwards we picked up her bouquet and other flowers. Then Lisa and I had our hair done. Her hair was so perfect and pretty it brought tears to my eyes. It was so fun to spend time with Lisa. It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to do so. She lived with us for two weeks while at BYU. She was actually living with us when I had Preston. Then again she was there for me when my mom had her accident and I pretty much lived at her aunt and uncle’s house (where she lived at the time). She would take me to the hospital navigating the streets of Portland. This was such a blessing at the time. After she put her wedding dress on and did her make-up she looked like something out of a magazine. So beautiful. Her reception was at a place called Parkside. It was fun and different. She had some dancing there which was great because Corey and I haven’t danced together for quite some time. I loved that his cousin’s wife Jennifer knew the steps to thriller. Austin is so busy all the time it was funny to see that it gets even busier after 11 pm. We kept asking ourselves all weekend does anyone work here?
When we arrived in Austin Lisa gave everyone a gift bag. We had vouchers for bike rentals. So on Saturday morning Corey and I rented our bikes and rode around their bike trails. It was really fun and a great way to see the people and places of Austin.
After biking, on Saturday afternoon, Lisa had a trapeze class set up for us. Yes that’s what I said TRAPEZE. It was a little different but ended up being really fun. Corey did get sick his second time around and had to sit out the rest of the time. I went four times before I said that was enough. The toughest thing about the whole experience was getting over how tight the harness was. When they put it on they tighten it then they have you raise your arms and when you don’t think it’ll go any farther they tighten it some more. It reminded me of saddling a horse. I really had a hard time breathing. It was a really big relief when I finally got to take it off.
All in all we had a really wonderful weekend. We love hanging out with Corey’s family. They always make me laugh. I wish we could’ve stayed there longer but alas we have children and work. My mom did such a wonderful job with the kids. Sophia cried when she left. I wish she lived closer so they would have more opportunities to see her. Thanks Lisa for getting married so we could have this great vacation!
We are so fortunate to live so close to Reed’s Dairy. It’s our favorite place to go on a hot summer day with the family. Last night was especially great because Reed’s was celebrating that they were voted #1 in the area. Reed’s gave out free ice cream and cake. They started to hand out the cake and ice cream at 6:00 pm. So we headed out after dinner and got there around 5:50. A line had already started but it wasn’t too long by then. We got our cake and ice cream pretty quickly and were able to beat the crowd. We sat down and enjoyed. I didn’t tell the kids we were going there so it was a nice surprise for them. I love these moments I have with my little family.
I hope everyone else had a great 4th like we did. It ended up being a pretty busy day. Corey was gone before I even had a chance to wake up. Every year the city puts on a 5k fun run that runs the parade route. This is Corey’s second year of doing traffic control for that event. He was gone by 6:30 am. He made it back just in time for us to head out and see the parade. We had a great time at the parade. Sophia looked so cute dressed all patriotic. After the parade we went home and packed up a lunch and headed out to meet some friends at Gem Lake. The kids loved eating and swimming with their friends. We spent a good 2 hours there. When we got home we finally had some time to relax. The kids and I watched a movie while dad took a nap. After dinner it was time to head out to the firework show. Idaho falls has a pretty big show. It’s actually the biggest firework show I have ever seen. They light them off at the greenbelt and since we don’t live too far from there we only have to go a couple of blocks to get a great view of the fireworks. By the time we got home it was around 11:00 pm and the kids were beat. We had such a wonderful day and I feel such a great gratitude for all the men and women in the world who have made it possible for us to have the freedom that we do.
Sitting and waiting for the parade to come
Sophia waving her flag
Kids swimming at Gem Lake
Amy and I watching the kids swim
playing frozen bubble while waiting for the fireworks
This past weekend we were really busy. It started Friday night. Preston had his spring concert with the Eastern Idaho Children’s Choir. Ever since he was really young Preston has loved to sing. He was singing “I am an Child of God” in Japanese by the time he was two. When I found out about the local children’s choir I knew it was a good fit for him. This has given him an opportunity to meet new people and to develop his talent. He is learning the fundamentals of singing. I’ve heard a great improvement from when he started. He tells me he would like to be in choir again next year. They had a good concert. The only thing I would change is that they have a better sound system. It was difficult to hear the children sing especially the youngest group. They only had one microphone and that was only used to announce the songs. It’s a shame because that’s why we go, we want to hear the kids sing.
Prelude Choir
Doesn't he look nice
On Saturday we went on our first family day hike for the year. We went to Hells Half Acre. This is becoming a yearly tradition. It didn’t take us as long as it did last year. The kids are becoming seasoned hikers. Next year we think we might do the red trail which is considerably longer. We were a little worried about Moxie and what the lava rocks would do to her paws but she did really well and by the end she was leading us to the next marking post. We were only there for a couple of hours and it did start to sprinkle on us a little but it was really fun. We can’t wait to go on another hike. Next weekend it is Fathers in Sons camp out. The boys will get to explore a cave and Sophia and I get to have a fun girls night (princess movies, painting nails).
Hells Half Acre spring 2011
Levi Climbing down the rocks
Levi needed a little help getting down
Preston climbing down
Sophia, Mommy, and Moxies backside
Me: "Levi watch out" Levi: " I know dad's behind the bush"
The Whole Family
Also on Saturday was our 12th anniversary. It is hard to believe that it was 12 years ago that Corey and I were sealed for time and eternity in the Portland Oregon temple. He has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. Saturday night my friend Jenn came over and watched the kids for us. We went out to dinner and then had a nice quiet drive and walk. We love our kids but it was really nice to have an evening without them. We played a game of name what happened to us each year that we’ve been married. It was fun to reminisce and remember both the good times and hard times. Really makes you appreciate the here and now. Thanks Jenn for giving us a great evening. I’m sure the next 12 years are going to be just as fun.
Okay I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. After blogging almost everyday in March I took a hiatus. So first off at the beginning of the month we went to Twin for a baptism. On our way home we decided to stop by Shoshone falls. I don’t know why I have never been here. I used to have cousins that lived in Twin falls and we would visit them often while I was growing up. I didn’t know how spectacular the falls were. Of course, on this day, in early April the falls are quite full which makes for a more spectacular view. It was raining that day and the falls put out quite a lot of spray so we were thoroughly drenched by the time we left. It was really fun to see the falls and we didn’t mind standing out in the cold and rain for the view. Maybe we’ll even stop by and see the falls again on our way through during the summer sometime.
Shoshone Falls
The boys are trying to protect themselves from getting wet.
I have had this huge acorn squash sitting on my counter, staring at me, for a few days now. So I decided to make some soup with it. There is a recipe, from a friends blog, that I’ve been wanting to try. So I sliced the acorn in half. I scooped out it’s guts and popped it in the oven to roast. It roasted for about an hour. I separated the flesh from the skin and discarded the skin. There was so much squash that I had to divide it (So I still have half a squash in my fridge). I took 2 carrots, half an onion, and 1/2 inch ginger root and sauted them in a large sauce pan. Then I added 3 cups of chicken stock brought it up to a boil. Then I brought down the temp to a simmer. I simmered it for about 30 minutes and added the squash and simmered for another 30 minutes. I used a stick blender to blend it into a smooth texture. Then I add a 1/2 cup of cream.
I really enjoyed this soup. I also really love squash. My family, on the other hand, could have done without. Levi took one bite and you would have thought I was trying to poison him. I had only gave them a little so after they ate what they had I peeled and chopped two cucumbers. They devoured the cucumbers in no time. Corey impressed me. He ate the soup and didn’t complain one bit. After dinner I asked what he thought and he said that he doesn’t like squash.
Thanks KellyAnne for the recipe. I really enjoyed this soup. It’s really too bad I probably won’t get another chance to eat it again. Meanwhile I still have half of a squash that, apparently, I have to eat all by myself. Acorn Squash is a good source of Vitamin C.
This is one of my favorite things to do with spinach and tomatoes. I used to like pizza a lot. When you have children who want to eat it all the time pizza doesn’t sound so good anymore. This puts a healthy twist on the pizza. During the summer we like to grill this type of pizza and it is so yummy. Since it is still too cold to grill outside we made due with the oven. Instead of a tomato sauce we use a mixture of garlic and olive oil. then we layer a little mozzarella , chopped fresh spinach, and sliced tomatoes. We top all of that off with a little more cheese. Put it in a 500 degree oven and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes. We have to make a separate pizza for the kids (normal pepperoni and cheese), but Corey and I really enjoy eating this one. I need to make it clear that I didn’t use tomatoes mentioned in the previous post for this meal. I actually used the tomatoes from last week. Tomatoes are high in Vitamins A and C. They are also a good source of potassium. Spinach is high in fiber, Vitamins A and C, iron, and folate. It is also a good source of magnesium. Your body needs iron for healthy blood and normal cell functioning. Magnesium is necessary for healthy bones.
We went to the BYUI gardens to take a family photo on July 5th, 2008. The gardens have really changed since I was in school in ’99. They have added many features and it’s a very beautiful place. I hope to take many more pictures there.
