It's Snowing

 

 

And my oldest has completely lost his mind.  

Merry Christmas!!

We are having a wonderful amazing day together...

 

Just thought I'd share a few pictures of the cute boys...

 

I love the looks on their faces here... these are their Santa gifts...

 

Ryan got JUST what he asked for, a Jessie doll (From Toy Story)

And Evan received a total surprise... a new down comforter for his bed.  I don't think it was even on his radar, but he loved loved loved it!

 

Evan had also asked for a fedora (from Grandma Joycee) and a tie (from the Elves)... paired with his new black shirt and "skinny" jeans, he was looking like quite the ladies man!

 

And cute Ryan... oh, that face!  He loved everything of course!!  His Grandpa Steve and Grandma Nancy got him this conductor hat and remote control Thomas.  It even blows real steam!  His Aunt got him some Thomas the Train books that have a little rectangular reader.  He calls it his "IPat" (He calls IPads and IPods that for some reason). 

 

We were able to skype with their grandparents while they opened their gifts, which was a lot of fun! 

Now, we're just relaxing and playing with some of the fun things we received!

 

Thanks everyone!! 

 

Merry Christmas!

Steamy Rides

Okay, so they aren't steamies... they are diesels. 

 

But they are still trains.

 

And Ryan kept leaning over and saying, "Mommy, I LOVE Steamies!" when we took a little family outing on Saturday to ride the new Southline.

 

And they are double deckers.

 

And sometimes it feels like you are 100 feet above the traffic below.

 

And then, when another train passes right outside your window going the opposite direction, it's even better!

 

 

 

And when the conductor comes around handing out CANDY CANES, it's like Christmas came early!

 

 

Especially when you're three.

Perfect Snow

 

We woke up to about a foot of snow... and it's been snowing all day. 

 

And it's perfect snow. 

 

Wet, heavy, perfect for making GIANT SNOW BALLS.

 

And it's warm enough that the boys have been playing outside for almost 2 hours. 

 

And it's Saturday, so, there are no silly obligations like school and work to interfere with Snow Time.

Quick Fun Neighbor Gift

 

 

What family DOESN'T need batteries??? 

 

A simple quick tag, and TaDAAAA!

 

I didn't even have to bake any cookies!!!



Good vrs Great

 

Let you lick the beaters...

 

 

Great moms stop the mixer first.

The Reindeer Guys

There is a tree lot here in the valley that has REINDEER!!  and SANTA!!! 

 

And weird dancing, purple flocked trees....

 

But we don't care because...

 

THEY HAVE REINDEER!!!

 

 

And the guys are from Alaska, and SWEAR that the reindeer are Rudolph's cousins.

 

And since they are from Alaska, I think they know what they are talking about.

 

Plus, Santa always stops by their lot to visit, and I don't think Santa would visit just ANY reindeer.  He's busy, esp this time of year.

 

 

AND you can get really really close to them, and so, you know... it's worth the purple dancing tree singing in the background.

 



And Evan Production

When I was uploading the video of Ryan talking about Baby Sasha, I discovered that two little boys had been playing with my phone and making their own movies!!

One day, Evan will disown me if he discovers I uploaded this, but oh, man... too priceless not to share!

I'm going to be a GRANDMA!!!!!!!!!

 

Ryan has been pregnant for a while now... lots of Tuesdays have come and gone, but that is always the baby's due date. 

Sometimes Sasha gets close to climbing out (he will tell me that she is in his neck, and there are just a few steps left) but then she falls asleep. 

He just started telling me that she needed a "Pinkie" to suck on to make her happy.  And he is asking that the crib be put together for her, so I think he might be in the nesting phase of his pregnancy. 

Maybe soon!!

(Sorry for the poor video quality... I've been trying to get him on video taking about Sasha for weeks now, and he won't ever do it, so when he cooperated last, I ran with it!)

The Best Morning

I am thankful that my Thanksgiving morning looked like this:

 

It seems silly and simple, but PJs and checkers, gathered around the kitchen table was a pretty perfect moment.  

Home Sweet Home

If I had any doubts about our choice to fly to Ohio for this surgery, they were chased out of my mind as we flew home yesterday.

Seriously, we were notified at 2:31 pm (eastern) that they had made the first cut on Wednesday the 7th... and we landed in Utah at 10:50 am (mountain) on Wednesday the 14th. 

He was back in Utah less than 7 days after having open heart surgery... and not just a small surgery... they literally cut his heart into two pieces and sewed it back together.  They removed 11 ozs of muscle so that his heart could hold a normal amount of blood once again. 

And he sat at our kitchen table last night and ate dinner... he had coffee with me this morning.

As we come into the Thanksgiving season, I cannot even begin to count the blessings that have entered our lives over the last 7 months.

It was April 9th that we began this journey.  It was April 27th that we were told how difficult and dangerous it would be. 

And today, November 15th, is the day it all falls behind... a difficult chapter in our lives coming to a close.  The next chapter will be one of healing, and moving forward.

Later, I will write the whole story down... right now... it's too difficult, the emotions too raw... but today, it becomes the past. 

Resistance is Futile

I was talking to Evan today, and trying to explain Chest Tubes and Temporary Pace Wires and some of the other foreign attachments Mark has right now.

He says to me, "OH!  Like the Borg!!  COOL!"

Whatever helps him understand and not get freaked out I suppose!! 

The word is out...

And I hope now it makes sense as to why the ol'blog has been a little slow!

If you didn't know before... or didn't know until the FB posts started... Sorry... it was one of those things that I couldn't really talk about openly because it was just toooooooo much to put into words.

Let me give you some details, now that I can wrap my head around them and form the words.

Mark had open heart surgery on Wednesday.  He has a genetic disorder of the heart that was diagnosed in April.

It has been a very long hard summer.

We appreciate all the wonderful thoughts, prayers, assistance and EVERYTHING that everyone has reaped upon us.  We could not have made it out here to Cleveland without it.  He is doing very well, and we hope to be on our way home next week.

Oh, and some of you might be unaware of why we would travel across the country for something like this...

Basically, as awesome as our care options in Utah are, there are very few surgeons who have the training and the background to complete what we had done today.  Knowing that it wasn't an option in Utah, we did a lot of research and found the surgeon we felt most comfortable with... and he happens to be at the Cleveland Clinic.  Who would have thought Cleveland would have one the of the number one Cardio Hospitals???

Corn Belly's

As much as I "hate" crowds and people, every year, we HAVE to make a trip down to Cornbelly's. 

It's a local festival (including a corn maze) that is pretty much just an adventure in TOUCHING and CLIMBING on every exhibit and activity.

 

 

After our "Evan's Day", Evan had a friend stay the night, and we got up early the next morning to get there just as they opened and stayed until dinner time! 

 

 

Seriously, there are about 2 "Do Not Climb" signs in the acres and acres of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

The corn maze itself is aways worth the trip... It's one of the largest in the US, and the company the designs is actually holds world records for their designs.   This year, they had QR codes on signs throughout the maze, and when you scanned them you got a "You are here" map.  The boys had a blast mapping out our route using the signs! 

 

Evan declared the maze his favorite activity of the day. 

 

Evan's Day, Part 2

Our last stop on the Day of Adventure was the Capitol. 

 

Evan had a blast exploring the grounds.

 

Just below the Capitol, there is a beautiful park, Memorial Grove.

 

The leaves are all just beginning to turn, so we walked down the path into the grove.

 



Okay, I walked, Evan ran. 

 

By the time we made the trek around park and back up the hill, we were both exhausted.  But it was so very worth it when he turned to me and said, "Mom, this was the best day EVER.  Thanks!"



Evan's Day, Part 1

 

Evan was out of school on Thursday and Friday for Fall break... and so the two of us planned a day that was JUST for him. 

 

Basically, my goal was to NOT say no.

 

Our first stop was rather boring... my office.  What better excuse to play with hole punches, staple pullers and paperclips??

 

We were only there for a few hours, and then the REAL adventure began. 

 

Just a few blocks from my office is a new mall called City Creek. 

 

It's massive.  With a retractable roof, water and FIRE fountains...

 

Massive.

 



 

There is also a cross walk that goes right over the top of the trax line. 

 

For lunch, I told him we could go ANYWHERE... and the mall just so happens to have a Cheesecake Factory, which he decided would be the best place.

 

AND to his delight, he found something on the menu that combined his two favorite foods... Shrimp and Bacon!

 

 

Why, yes, it WAS bigger than his head!

 

After lunch and wandering AND stopping by a toy store to explore, we rode the train the few blocks back to my office and hit the grocery store to purchase his favorites for dinner (which, by the way, we ended up saving for another day because he decided to eat the other half of his massive sandwich instead!)

 

And then we thought the day was over and started driving back to the daycare to get little brother.   That's when he saw the capital Rotunda peaking out between the trees up on the hill and asked if we could PRETTY PLEASE drive by it.

 

And of course, because it was the day of not saying no, we did!

 

Pictures to come soon!



Truth.

 

 

I'm not really "into" these ecards... but this one, well...

 

When Evan asked what I was laughing at, and I read it out loud to him... he paused, pursed his lips, thought intently and said, "Yeah.  I agree."



Witches!

Ryan LOVES Gardner Village... a little shopping area here in West Jordan.

 

On a normal day, there are paths to run around on, bridges to cross, ducks to feed, cows in the petting zoo and a bakery to buy cookies at.

 

In September and October, add in the WITCHES, and it's one of his favorite places to visit!

 

 

In November, the Elves come to play... and while they are cool, the witches are by FAR his favorite!

Our Growing Neighborhood

While INCREDIBLY disappointed that the fields around our house are turning quickly into homes... One great thing has come out of it.

Of the 4 new houses in our neighborhood... ONE of them has a 9 year old boy.  And that 9 year old boy is in Evan's class.

AND they get along!!!!!!!

One of the other houses is full of girls... to quote Evan, "Yuck."  (And just our luck, it's the one RIGHT next door.)
One is a young couple with no children.... "Boring"
And the other has young children... none Evan's age, but a boy a few years younger that he walks with to school and says, "Is pretty cool."  They also have a boy about 6 months older than Ryan.

It's so nice to have kids in the neighborhood... even if it was at the expense of our big wide open spaces.  I would trade an empty wheat field for the site of my son playing touch football in the backyard with his best friend ANY DAY!

Space Derby

This year, instead of a Pinewood Derby, the boys in Evan's troop made Balsa Rockets with rubber band engines to race.

Evan worked on his rocket all month long... perfecting it... sanding it... painting it... 

Last night... Eclipse (as he named it), was put to the test... 

I think Ryan was just as excited as Evan was!!   He followed Evan around the entire night, "Helping" but being really good about keeping his hands to himself!

 

In the first heat... Evan tied for the farthest... 35 feet.

The second, third and fourth heats, he smoked them all..

Well, there were a couple of kids who figured out if they gave their rocket a push, it went farther, but Evan was very proud of the fact that his scores were honest "rubber band powered" distances.

Total, his rocket flew 143 feet, farther than ANYONE else (EVEN the boys who pushed!)!!  And his was also "the fastest".

As we were walking back to the car that evening, he informed me "Mom, you were the BEST pit crew tonight!" 

Oh, how I love that kid!!!!!

Stranger to Favorite

My dear childhood friend came to visit this weekend... Okay, actually, she came to work... but stayed at our house to increase the amount of visiting we could do!

 

She brought each of the boys a special prize... their favorites... BOOKS.

 

Evan received a new Gary Paulsen... Ryan Ferdinand the Bull and The Little House. 

 

Soon after opening them, Ryan was asking for someone to read them to him...

 

 

And it didn't take long for him to warm up to one of the most beautiful women that has ever graced my life! 

 





It just melts your heart...

Funny, how such a simple thing can make you fall in love over and over and over again. 

I'm pretty lucky I think.

Weekend Creative

I've started to hang the collection I've made so far for my "Quote Wall" in the basement.

 It's still a work in progress... pictures to come later. 

As I was hanging what I've put together so far, I found there was small 5x7ish hole that I needed to be fill in the current arrangement.

Saturday, I made this little chipboard sign to hang in it. 

It was so quick and easy, and by far my favorite thing on the wall so far!

I used spray adhesive to adhere the "uncommon" page from a dictionary to a piece of chipboard.  The red letter stickers are My Minds Eye, and the blue "uncommon" is just card stock cut on my cameo.  I used Old Paper and Pumice stone distress stains to age the paper a little... and left the definition of uncommon lighter.

Oh, and because I wanted it to hang by a ribbon, I hot glued a button to the nail's head to it would be decorative and cute!

DONE!  And did I mention it was CHEAP??  Gotta love home decorations that cost you less than pennies!

Lunch Dates

Don't be jealous, it's not my fault I have the cutest lunch dates!

Even if Evan refuses to let me take his picture while wearing goofy glasses!

 

Story Time with Ryan

 

 

So, Ryan brought a book about fossils over to the couch, and sat down beside me. 

 

He told me, "Mama, I'm gonna read dis book.  YOU don't help."

 

So I sat next to him and watched him flip through the pages, making up a story about rocks as he went.

 

Then he turned to me and said, "Mama, I've seen this poop.  And I've seen this fish poop.  I've seen this rock poop.  And this Dinosaur poop... "

 

And well, I think you get where this story is going... 

Chile Colorado Burritos

 

 

When I asked the boys (including Mark) what they wanted for dinners this week, the only response I got was "Mexican."

 

That narrowed it down to... uhhhh ... 1,000 different recipes!

 

So, I decided to give Pinterest a browse to get some ideas.

 

I came across THIS recipe for Chile Colorado Burritos, which looked simple enough for me to not screw up... when I didn't follow the recipe.

 

Okay, so I picked up a pound of beef stew meat, and threw it in the crock pot with a SMALL (I know the recipe said LARGE, but shhhh... I'm working here!) can of mild enchilada sauce.  While that got heated up, I threw two tomatillos into my food processor with a green onion, the juice of a lime and 2 roasted (green) New Mexico chilies, seeds and all.  I dumped that into the crock pot with a can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 a teaspoon of beef base. 

 

And then I attempted a craft I saw on pinterest and failed.

 

So I went back to my Chile. 

 

And I added 1 cup of cooked black beans and 1/2 a cup of uncooked rice. 

 

Let it stew on high for a few more hours (total, probably 4 hours on high, 1 hour on low), and then scooped about 3/4 of a cup into a flour tortilla (burrito size), sprinkled cheese on the top, and rolled it up.  Then put a little of the Chile on the top, and some more cheese, and put it under the broiler until it was nice and bubbly. 

 

Oh, and then we devoured it with some salsa, chips and guacamole.

 

Evan begged for it again!



Evil Genius

 

 

Yeah.  Right here, he's deciding if he should use his skip on me.

 



Conjugation

Ryan has reached the age where he is attempting to expand his vocabulary by changing up words he already knows to fit.

For example, he's playing with a HOOK. 

He calls it his... err... h00ker. 

He often calls out, "MOM! Where's my h00ker?"

Last weekend, luckily, we were far enough outside of civilization it wasn't a big deal.  The weekend before, when he asked me in the grocery store, I got a few weird looks.

Oh, but his is a MASTER congugater... Not just one change up per word... he kept turning to us as he was playing with his h00ker, and exclaiming, "LOOK!  I'm h00kerING!"

The Look.

 

 

It says, "MOM, I am busy PLAYING. STOP calling my name so I will look at you so you can take my picture."

 

In case you needed a translation.

 

(PS, I feel the need to explain that his hair is matted down with sweat because he just took off a helmet, and his face is covered in dirt because he had spent the morning off roading with his dad and brother... which is why he was wearing the helmet. My children aren't normally THAT dirty... uhhh... yeah... Let's go with that.)

Fat Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Carb Free Vegan Recipe You'll DIE if you don't try.

So simple, and just soooooo to die for.

Ready?

Take a deep, deep breathe and hold it... You're about to be amazed.

See?  I told you it was simple!!

Air. 

bbwwwhhhhahahaahhhhaaaaahhhhahahahaaa!

I crack myself up.

I've been browsing Punch Fork and Food Gawker and it's been cracking me up all the TO DIE for recipes that are FREE of this and that. 

Okay, so maybe I'm the only one to find myself funny.

I'll go back to finding yummy recipes to try...

Why do we spend money on things like Pogo sticks...

When our children are just as happy playing with free sticks they pick up in the woods?

 

Or maybe it's just my crazy kids who THINK normal sticks bounce?

PS... I just looked through the pictures from our trip to the cabin (where this video was taken) and other than the pictures where he's eating, Ryan has a stick in his hand in every one.  I need to pick some up next time to gift wrap for Christmas...

Nature Calls

We love getting out into nature... alas, we sold our camper when Ryan came along... it was too small, and we have yet to replace it.

That means we don't go camping as much as we used to, but we still try and get out of town when we can.

So we rented a cabin a few weekends ago just outside of Antimony.

It was a US Forest Service cabin.

(Did you know you can rent a lot of them? AWESOME deal!)

The cabin was AMAZING.  It's actually one of their corals, so it was completed fenced in... keeping the rift raft (mostly, I mean cows) out, which means the grounds were in great condition.  There were tables, a great fire pit, a horse shoe pit, Adirondack chairs on the porch.  

Just soooooo well kept, and so relaxing.

I still haven't taken the pictures off my camera.  

I'm a slacker. 

Well, I have a few on my phone.

Thought I'd share one I snapped of Ryan enjoying the outdoor life... 

What?  You were expecting something more classy??

If you were, you obviously don't know me very well.

Summer Job Pays Off

This summer, Evan has worked his tail off... and today, he got a lesson in what it means to really save.

He has been working for me at home, helping Mark at the office and helping Grandma and Grandpa while was in Montana.  All with one goal... to earn enough for a new bike by the end of summer! 

Last weekend he was so very close.  He was just about $10 short... it was heart breaking.  Mark and I sat down with him and figured up how much he had total, how much needed to go into savings, how much for giving and what that left for spending.  Just $10 to go!! 

My mantra, while I watched him tear up in disappointment, was "This is an important lesson, stay strong... we can't just give him everything..............."  and then I would start to loose my resolve, and have to lecture myself all over again. 

Waiting one week, as hard as it was, really did make it all the more wonderful this morning when Mark asked him if he was ready to go pick one out. 

Even with the 90 degree heat, he's been riding for as long as he can, then he will come in the house, red faced and sweating and lay on the air vent to cool off, lol! 

I'm so very proud of him!  

Fresh and Simple

A gal I work with gave me a bag full of cherry tomatoes from her garden.

She knows my weak spot I guess!

We ate them many ways... sliced with pepper, in salad, on thick slices of wheat bread with melted cheese... 

But by far, last night was the best (well, other than popping them straight into your mouth like candy)... 

I'm a firm believer in the fact that pasta is best when you don't drown it in a complicated, heavy sauce.  I finally converted my family to this.

So, tonight, I took about 10 tomatoes, placed them under the broiler until the skin charred just a little and they popped.  Then I pulsed them (including the juices they released) just ever so quickly in the food processor (just enough to break up the big ones).  Wilted a few cups (4ish?) of fresh spinach in a pan with a little garlic, pepper and bacon bits (pancetta would have been better, but I didn't plan this meal and hadn't bought any... and the bacon is totally optional anyway).  Then tossed everything with the noodles (and a touch of the pasta cooking liquid).  Topped it with Parmesan cheese, and served it with a nice crusty bread and salad. 

My boys (including Mark) practically licked the bowl clean.  

Evan wanted thirds, lol.  

I love recipes like this... so simple and quick to throw together, yet so very wonderfully tasty and fresh!  Plus, it cost be just a few dollars to feed my entire family something so much better than anything prepared (both nutritionally and taste wise!)

Things Ryan Says

It's been awhile since I shared some Ryan-isms.

First of all, Ryan is very into informing you when you are in his good graces, and when you are not by saying, "Mama, you're my BEST FRIEND" (he says this is a voice that is DRIPPING with cuteness) or "Mama, you're so not my best friend".

He LOVES music, and has labeled MANY songs "His".  For example, when anything by Fun comes on, he says, "Mama, it's my SONG!"  And, FYI, only HE is allowed to sing HIS songs!  And don't even THINK of bobbing your head along with the music!

On the same note, he is very much into saying "Thank You".  When one of HIS songs comes on the radio, he says, "MAMA! It's my SONG! Thank you so much! You are my BEST FRIEND!"  (I wish I had a picture of the expression on his face when he says this, it's the cutest thing EVER.)

One of his "Songs" is Rumor Has It (Adele)... or as he refers to it "OoMer Has It Ooo".  As I was tucking him in a few nights ago, he asked me to sing him a song.  He specifically requested Oomer Has It Ooo.  When I informed him I didn't know the words, he said to me, "Whatever. Fine. Just to to bed Mom."  I had completely let him down by not knowing his song!  Even though he didn't tell me, I'm pretty sure I wasn't his best friend.

He is so very expressive... there is never any doubt about how he feels about something.  

Tour of Utah... Part 1.

I didn't think we were going to get to see a stage this year, but I guess the race officials really wanted us to see it since they scheduled the stage 4 to ride so close to our house!! 

More posts will come soon... But I had to share these ones of Evan with his bottle.  He was SO excited that they threw one at us!